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, January 30, 2014

TGIF

Well the kids are back at school after the long Christmas break. I obviously did a fabulous job of boring mine senseless as they were pretty keen to get back there.

Every year I try to get that lovely back to school pic to show how much they grow & change from year to year & every year these pair protest madly & i get a variation of different grumpy faces. They are pretty funny to look back on I must say....
I know, not my best parenting but hey a mum has to have such memorabilia!!!!



So anyway Thank Goodness its Friday!!!
It certainly rolled around fast this week.

Whats everyone got planned for the weekend?

I have some fun stuff going on that I will share with you next week.

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Wordless Wednesday - Command Centre

If I could trust myself to keep things tidy I would have a command centre in the kitchen of the dream house








This one looks ever so handy to the wine fridge !!!!



I am having a walk in pantry that is long & narrow so will have a long blank wall. I would like to paint that wall in blackboard pant & hang some hooks for bags & perhaps also hang a clip board for each person to attach their notes & paperwork to.


I love these DIY chalkboard calenders



This one would suit my space, there is even a fabulous tutorial from the clever creator of this one, Carmel from Our Fifth House Blog if you would like to give it a shot.



I'm not very good at the wordless part of this concept but pop on over to 
and check out some of the other bloggers posts.

CHEERS
Trish xxx

All of these images have been in my inspiration files for years so I do apologise for not being able to credit the owners.


Friday, January 24, 2014

TGIF...I think Fridays are fabulous.

Oh yeah, you gotta love the idea of Fridays.
For us Monday to Friday employee's there is always a little smile on Friday mornings, even perhaps a sigh, followed by a small statement of "I'm gonna make it!!"
or is that just me?


Not that I can complain at the moment, I have had most of these holidays off to spend time with my kids & set up my new business.

A day out at the shops & a huge sugary treat. I don't think they would see an apple as a reward for great behavior,donuts it is....
ha ha ha!

If you are new to this little blog I should update you.
My job as a new home sales consultant & home designer will finish up, probably by the end of February so I have decided to start my own online business selling home wares.


This is my office, its very pretty!!!



I am hoping that working for myself will be a little more family friendly than a 45 hour a week desk job.
I have only been open for business for about 3 weeks, so its early days yet but my intention is to be able to cater to an array of decorating styles like The Hampton's, Coastal, Nautical, Traditional, Moroccan,  Shabby chic etc.


It is a work in progress, baby steps all the way.
Today is the last day of my GRAND OPENING sale, so to all of my Aussie readers, grab a bargain while you can.
I am not set up for international sales as yet. That will be a whole other learning curve to tackle in the future.

I am looking to purchase some new stock to add to my current range, so I am open to advice, suggestions & requests right now.
My wish list is very long & its hard to restrain myself from stocking everything I love but as you can imagine I do have to build a good customer base before I go nuts.
I am so grateful for the support I have gained already, its fantastic.
Our Facebook page is also growing momentum every day.

What is everyone up to this weekend?

We will be working on the 'house hole' which I will give you an update on in a few days.

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!!!

CHEERS
Trish xx

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Wordless Wednesday

As a blogger we are always looking for a little inspiration for post ideas & lots of bloggers recommend sticking to a set format or schedule for posting.
This is something I am working towards but realise with the tasks we are tackling around here for 2014 I will need to allow a certain amount of flexibility.
All the same I thought I might try & join in on a regular link party over at 
for WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!!!!

As you can see, I'm not to good at the WORDLESS part, but I will work on it!!

Here are just a few  images of bedrooms I adore













Images from all over the net including Emily A Clarke, Phoebe Howard, Martha Stewart, Pinterest  & Houzz

Next Wednesday I promise a little less chat but tonnes of eye candy

CHEERS
Trish xx

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Why are we decorating with Pineapples?

Pineapples are popping up in homes everywhere of late from art work, wallpapers, ceramic ornaments, lamp bases, cushions & cookie jars.

It kind of leaves you wondering...
(no pun intended, but hey the cushions prompted it, ha ha ha)

WHY PINEAPPLES?????


These gorgeous cushions are available at



In Britain and particularly colonial America, the pineapple as a symbol generally means hospitality or welcome. According to an academic paper titled “The Hospitable Pineapple” by professor Michael Olmert, it can also be associated with Christian beliefs, as pineapple plants die to produce fruit. English architect Christopher Michael Wren (1632–1723) put pineapple finials on the cathedrals he designed.




Olmert traces the pineapple’s association with welcome and hospitality to the British West Indies, where in the 1600s and 1700s planters would leave a fresh pineapple at the gates of their mansions when they were home and open to receiving guests.
Source Houzz


Of course we now have a modern take on this historical fruit.


I love this  water colour from



You could always try this pineapple decal from



I am partial to a nice pink pineapple in a print 


or a cushion from 


The fabulous designer India Hicks & her plantation style of decorating for her Bahamas guest house is certainly a perfect fit for a pineapple or three.



Then of course there are the fabulous white ceramic pineapples we sell in our online store

So do you have a pineapple in your home to welcome your guests??

CHEERS
Trish xx











Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Dream House Progress


Well we are along way off before any pretty pics will appear when it comes to the Dream House


But the 'House Hole' as we like to call it is definitely growing.
The excavator has had a couple of blow outs & has required  some  seals to be replaced in the ram, ha ha, that's my best effort at man talk. 
This slowed progress, but we expect these hic-cups, so no big deal.


We now have a lot of spare dirt to get rid of....free to a good home if you want to come & get it.
All in all, things are going well at this point.

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Style Crush


According to Wikipedia:

Glass floatsglass fishing floats, or Japanese glass fishing floats  were once used by fisherman in many parts of the world to keep their fishing nets, as well as longlines & droplines afloat. They have become a popular collectors' item for beachcombers and decorators.

I'm loving seeing these glass floats popping up in such a wide array of decor styles at the moment.

I found all of these beautifully styled vignettes whilst perusing Pinterest

Beachy style...


Formal...


Nautical....


Rustic......


Country...



 Shabby chic table scape.....


For decorating at celebrations.....



or even the Christmas tree


There are so many fabulous ways to use these delicate glass floats.

How would you use them in your decor?

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Shopping Alert.....

We have the large & the small sizes from this image in stock at 


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