Come on a journey of inspiration & adventure while renovate & restore a beautiful Victorian home 'St Elmo' in the picturesque Hunter Valley, Australia & laugh at a few of our family adventures along the way.




Thursday, December 23, 2010

Merry Christmas

Just a quick post to wish you all a very merry Christmas,
unfortunately I have found it almost impossible to find any time for blogging since the kids started their holidays so my posts & comments will be very sporadic over the next 5 weeks.

This gorgeous Martha Stewart present wreath would be a lovely surprise on any front door , don't you think.

I would like to extend a big
Thank You
to everyone for their fabulous support & encouragement since I started blogging in April, Ive been so inspired by you all.
2010 has been a big year of ups & downs & adventures in our family & I think 2011 is shaping up to follow a similar if not tougher path & its not even here yet, but, you know what they say
"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"

I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC Christmas & you all eat, drink & be merry, after all its not Christmas if you don't feel like your tummy is going to explode from over indulgence, LOL!!!


See you in the New Year, if not before

CHEERS
Trish xxx


 

Monday, December 13, 2010

Santa's Gift to You

Santa has decided to reward all bloggers for their kindness, encouragement & support toward fellow bloggers.
This year he will be surprising you all with the gift of an
Accent chair

 Mrs Claus has informed him that EVERY girl needs at least one in her stylishly decorated home.

Here is a small slice of eye candy to give you a little inspiration, but be sure to let Santa know just what type of chair you would love & cherish....




The above images are all via Decor Pad

image via Candace Olsen

Image via The haus of blog














I have no record of the source of the images above, but if you know any of them I would be more than happy to give credit where it is due. 


Image via A Paddington Perspective

Image via Coco Republic

Image via Brabourne Farm

Image via Porterhouse Designs

Image via Design Dump

Image via House beautiful

Image via Bijou & Boheme
Well I hope you found something here you loved, it really would bring a whole lot of fabulous to every girls home, to find such a wonderful surprise under the tree.

Merry Christmas my fellow bloggers!!!!

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Friday, December 10, 2010

Friday find

Dining dining room
Image via houzz
Love Love Love it!

Some images just make you swoon & I have to say I love EVERYTHING about this little dining nook!!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone, hopefully the rain will stop long enough so we can enjoy the great outdoors!

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Stylish Blogger Award

WOOOT WOOT!!!

Me, a stylish blogger, YAY!!!
I have always wanted to be stylish in some way!


I have to say a huge THANK YOU to
for passing on The Stylish Blogger Award

Michelle is a wife, mum & interior decorator. She is a wonderful caring lady who does a lot of great things in her community.
Michelle is also very creative often showcasing some wonderful crafty projects.
Drop by & say Hi to her!!

Now I am supposed to tell you a few things about myself
&
then pass this award onto a few other bloggers.

About Moi!!!


When I was an apprentice hairdresser, my dream was to own my own salon, it took me 20yrs,
 but I did it!!!



When I worked as a fitness instructor, I dreamt of owning a personal training studio,
I did that!!


AMBITION
"Aspire to climb as high as one dreams"

Now I am a stay at home mum & I appear to have lost my MO JO,
I  have NO dreams in the career department...
I hope it returns soon!!!

Having children has taught me to be a little less obsessive about my home,
I love to see things perfectly polished & in place, but some days its like fighting a loosing battle...
Oh well, tomorrow is another day!!!


Since I have began blogging I have really started to admire peoples photography skills & have a real desire to become more skillful in this area.
I have asked my dream guy if he will buy me a digital SLR camera for Xmas & a basic photography course to go with it. I would like to learn how to use all of the features on my new camera right from the start.

Blogs I would like to pass the Award to...

Tina at Rubies Place

Tina is a real inspiration to me, she is a mum to 3 gorgeous girls, a wife, she is doing a university degree to be a primary school teacher, she has an Etsy store full of her beautiful creations & she still finds time to decorate her own home, oh & email me some little tid bits of inspiring ideas she just knows will melt my heart
. A modern day wonder woman I say!!!

Drop by Tina's blog & her etsy store for some good old fashioned rural Australian inspiration!!!


Jane is another one of those inspirational bloggers ya just gotta meet. Jane's blog is about the journey she , her hubby & two girls have embarked on to knock down their two bedroom cottage in Sydney, recycle & reuse many of the materials to rebuild a fantastic environmentally responsible dream home. I'm loving her story so far.
This week Jane also surprised her followers by announcing she had just published her first novel, now to me that is impressive!!!

My Novel

Doesn't the cover look fabulous!!!
Drop by & catch up with Jane, you will love her!!!


Kerri is another amazing talent I have come to admire in the land of blog.
Kerri is an artist & designer, a wife & a mum & her achievements are very inspiring. She recently started selling her incredible art work thru her new Etsy store & I don't think she has slowed down since, producing one master piece after another.
When I eventually get a house, one of my first shopping ventures will be to Kerri's to get some fabulous art.
You will also want to check out the super stylish renovating & decorating she does in her own home, its really lovely!!

Now I found this part a little traumatic & could probably just publish my whole blog roll for this award as

I LUUURVE YOU ALLL!!!!!

Have a lovely weekend every one!

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Fancy a Faux Fireplace

Image via wicker & stitch

When we finally build our dream house I really do fancy the idea of a faux fireplace in the master bedroom...


Something to add a little romance to the boudoir


I don't want an actual fire, just the mantle to give a hint of what could be...

Image via My shabby stream side studio

A lovely arrangement of fragrant candles is all the flame I require!

Image via Urban farm girl

Accompanied by a pretty pendant light or chandelier

Image via My Summerhouse

with a mirrored firescreen to add a little extra spark & give it a stunning finish


of course a lovely accent chair would also be fitting in such a romantic space


mirrors really do add that extra bling a girl needs...

Image via Dreamy whites

I know this isn't in a bedroom but still its so feminine & pretty I just had to include it...



Now a bit of the romance will be lost when I place the TV above it, but, what better way to display the big black box...

Image via DIY Show off
Perhaps I could get my dream guy to build a picture frame around the TV to make it look like art & help keep the romantic look of our dream bedroom.
That is IF I can talk him into the Faux fireplace to start with, at least this is a decorating item that can be added to your decor any time, so I can work on this one at a later date. The poor man, lucky he doesn't read my blog, he would know just how many ideas I have for decorating this dream house, he would probably run a mile, LOL!!!

CHEERS
Trish xxx 





Monday, November 29, 2010

Laundry loveliness

Laundry contemporary laundry room

Being a mother of 4 children means I'm pretty much chained to my washing basket.
This makes the laundry one of the most important rooms in the house & an efficient use of space is of the utmost importance.
I think the laundry above is certainly perfect in every way.Shaker style cabinets & subway tiles are the ultimate finish to a well set out space.
I especially love the marble topped table in the centre of the room, beautiful & handy all at the same time.


This one is another favourite & probably a little more realistic for most of our budgets & space allocation.
In my last house we had a fantastic laundry. It had a nice long bench area like this with plenty of overhead cupboards, a nice tall broom cupboard & a large linen press.
It made it very easy to stay organised, I would iron a few things each day as dinner was cooking, never having to pack things away! 


Another pretty laundry with a fabulous centre table.
Unfortunately the house we are renting has an extremely small laundry, it fits our washing machine & tumble dryer & we have a cupboard sitting in front of the external door as there is NO storage in there at all.



There is a fabulous amount of storage in this great laundry.
Its great to be able to fold & iron all of the clothes in the laundry & leave then sitting on the bench until you have time to pack it away, visitors never have to experience the mess.

Are you lucky enough to have a fabulous laundry with tonnes of storage & bench space to work on, or are you like me at the moment & folding the washing on the kitchen table each day?

CHEERS
Trish xxx

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