Inexpensive Nature Prints

Botanical prints can be expensive. A great way to have them (or any beautiful artwork for that matter) without paying a fortune for them is to find books with prints in them & tear out or photocopy the pictures & frame them.

I was lucky enough to find a beautiful book of botanical prints at a yardsale & have used lots of the prints in my home. I also scour second-hand stores for unique frames-usually with pictures I don't care for in them that I remove. I purchased all of the frames pictured (above &below) for $1.50- $3.00 each.

Here are some coral & lobster prints I used for a bathroom-in-progress in my dad's lake house:

I do mostly long-distance decorating since it's in Antioch, Illinois, but when I visit, I try to accessorize as quickly as I can on a serious budget. The prints are a great way to accessorize a lake house since they're so fitting and I only had to make 1 purchase so my dad doesn't gripe about me spending too much on decorating every time I come!

Here's a close-up of a fully opened page. You can see the fold in the center, but I think it sort of adds to the charm. Eventually I plan on matting all of the prints, but that's another project on another trip!

Happy hunting!

Bathroom Furniture

James Michael Howard

I am very fond of placing small pieces of Antique furniture in bathrooms. I think it adds an element of coziness. It also adds interest and personality to a room which we usually don't think about furnishing.

Whether it's a small table {like above} to place some towels on & a beautiful tray with lots of perfume and lotion on for your guests or a lovely old chair upholstered in a pretty fabric, I think it's a great look.

In the Gumdale house I have been working on I suggested this concept to the client and she went with it. We painted the old pieces we found for her bathrooms white and they look fantastic.

So, if you have room for a lovely little old table or chair or even an old mirror in your bathroom my advice is...go for it!

Oh and while we're on the subject of furnishing bathrooms - I also love little paintings in bathrooms too!!

Passionate About Blue & White?

Well then you must get your hands on a copy of Carolyne Roehm's new book - A Passion for Blue & White. Look at this dreamy image from the book! I think my mother will flip out when she sees this post! I think this book would make for a wonderful Christmas gift! Jennifer over at The Peak of Chic has done a great post on the book today and Lily-G also posted about the book earlier this week too! Can't wait to get my copy!!

Cakes & Flowers {A Post by Felicity}

When I saw Vicky Crease's beautiful work on South African blog Anything Goes I thought she would be perfect for Absolutely Beautiful Things and when I saw her quote in one of her press articles .......

"I love to bring people joy"

I smiled and knew I had to contact her.

Vicky is a South African based cake artist and events coordinator who has created and styled events for Nelson Mandela, South African President Thabo Mbeki, Tiffany's of New York and Richard Branson. Here's a couple of questions I posed to her as well.........

Vicky, what project are you currently working on?

Amongst others........

Christmas at Cartier,

The Twelve Apartheid Heroes Gala Event for 800 guests,

the Reserve Bank Governors' Awards Ceremony;

and Miss South Africa.

Also lots of events for the FIFA Soccer world Cup in 2010

What is your favorite event that you have created for?

1. Nelson Mandela's birthday Cake

2. The Launch of Cartier

3. The Launch of Virgin Money in South Africa

4. A private dinner party for Celine Dion

What's your most popular cake that you make?

Definitely the Death by Chocolate double chocolate fudge cake with a decadent ganache icing, topped with a mass of fresh roses and drizzled with icing sugar.

What's the best thing about of living in South Africa?

The sunny skies, great climate, deliciously diverse food, fabulous South African hospitality and the fact that there are no rules within a design framework, thereby allowing you to express your creativity freely. Also, my fabulous family.....

What are 3 of your favorite fashion/homewares boutiques in South Africa?

My sister's store "Life" in Sandton for rare objects and stylish homewares,"Wizards" in Hyde Park for great fashion pieces and"Woolworths" for everything else (food, clothing, body products, linen, towels etc.)

Thank you so much for chatting to us Vicky, I'm sure Absolutely Beautiful Things readers would agree, your creations are works of art.

All Images Vicky Crease

e-design

I'm now offering e-design services! I'm really excited to start it up & I'll keep you posted on how it's going. Check out www.thepurestyle.com/edesign.html for details.

E-clients fill out a questionnaire and then send in photos & room measurements. Pure Style creates a Design Plan accompanied by a Design Board (above) and a Shopping List. Everything the client needs to create the room is provided via email within 2 weeks.

Pass it on if you know anyone interested- thanks!!

Harry's {New} Room

Skona Hem

SR Gambrel

James Michael Howard

When it comes to boy's bedrooms I personally prefer a classic navy and white scheme with some red thrown in and even some pale blue thrown in - see inspiration images above. I have always decorated Harry's room in this manner. When we moved into the cottage we put Harry into the only other bedroom we had which is the size of a shoe box!! At first I thought it was very cute and charming but then as time went on I found it to be completely impractical for him will all of his toys and books and things overtaking the space...don't forget he's a collector/hoarder just like his mother!!

So, Harry is now moving into a new room which was actually the original lounge room. I think he's very lucky as it has the most beautiful old ceiling in the entire house.

With his move comes new curtains and a few new pieces of furniture will also be required. I will be incorporating his old red and blue striped armchair and of course I will be using his beautiful old Antique bed {images above}.

Now that Harry is a little older it isn't as easy as it once was decorating his room. He is now old enough to have an opinion. I have been bringing home lots of fabric samples over the last couple of weeks to look at against his armchair and I have been quite surprised by his response. After much thought and consideration we have FINALLY made our decision. Of course I am the one who makes the final decision {definitely no Spider Man bed linen or racing car beds in my house!!} but I have enjoyed the challenge of him putting forward his opinion. This has actually made me consider other options and I think it has resulted in a perfect solution for the room.

I just purchased an old chest of drawers on Ebay which we will use as a bedside table for him. I will be painting these drawers a pale blue and I will replace the handles also. This will be a great storage piece for him to keep some of his toys in and it will be a fun weekend project for he and I to embark upon. Once we have finished painting it he can actually say that he painted it himself{with my help of course}!!

I rather liked the navy blue lamp bases which Tory Burch used in her boy's room {pictured below}. I have found a very similar lamp base which I will paint navy with shades made in the blue and white fish patterned Lulu DK fabric in the below image. I was a little concerned at first that this patterned fabric was a little too 'girly' but I decided it looked a bit like a pair of vintage board shorts...well that's what I told Harry!!

We decided on the navy and white geometric print {above - bottom right} for his curtains which we will install on an existing white painted timber pole.

I thought I might frame some old flags I have and also some old vintage sailing boat prints which I will hang around his room. His new {vintage} sailing boat will fit in perfectly!

I haven't made a decision on the bed linen yet however, I may use his existing patchwork quilt which I bought from Douglas & Hope a couple of years ago or if I decide to do something new {budget permitting} my choice would be to go for something very plain....maybe even a denim doona cover. I have lots of cushions I can re-use from his old room which I will place on his bed along with a couple of his most favourite teddies.

I'll be sure post some after pics once we are finished!!

What colours/theme do you like in a boy's room?

Rug Love

I'm loving these gorgeous rugs from Elson & Company!!

Antique Hunting with Harry

Harry with his ship and the pink bentwood

Hello how was your weekend? Mine was lovely. Harry and I went hunting for vintage furniture on Sunday morning. As you may or may not know we are currently smack bang in the middle of a renovation. Stage one will hopefully be completed in about four weeks! Anyway, as we are extending our cottage we have the need for a few more pieces of furniture. I have been collecting old furniture and bits and pieces my entire married life and I think I may have a bred another little collector!! Whenever we go Antique shopping I always let Harry select one little thing for himself. I love watching him select his piece. This time he spotted this fantastic old ship in the back of one of the stores at Paddington Antique Market and I was so impressed! We bought it for his new bedroom. I spotted this gorgeous old pink Bentwood chair which I am going to add to my collection of mismatched Antique dining chairs. I also found a few more bits which I am thrilled with. Overall it was a very successful mission. I love that my son is learning to appreciate Antiques and vintage pieces and its just so lovely to have him give me his opinion on my finds too...even if we don't always agree!!

Gumdale House Update

It's been another busy week in my little world. Apologies for my lack of posting. This week we started installing the wallpaper and window coverings at the Gumdale house which I have been working on for over a year now. Next week we are installing all the furniture which is very exciting. I thought I'd post a few little snippets to get you excited. This certainly is one of the most beautiful houses I have ever had the pleasure of working on. I'll hopefully have more photos for you next week. Until then I hope you have a great weekend!

Accessorize with Balls

I was looking around our house, doing a little rearranging and I realized how much I use balls in decorating. It sounds odd, but whenever I'm out shopping, I'm always drawn to all the differnt types of pretty balls I see. They add a little life & fun to a room & they're so easy to swap around & change the mood of a room. Check out all these different balls you can decorate with.

Moss Balls:

We had moss balls all over our wedding & now have a ton of them! They're great for the Spring & Fall: (Image above from Aidan Gray Home) I must say though, my mom thought they looked like moldy bowling balls-- I disagree... or maybe I just think moldy bowling balls would be pretty.

Our Wedding Centerpieces

My grandparents lived in Hawaii a while ago & the family used to collect Japanese Glass Bobbers that would wash ashore. They're unique & just show how old utilitarian objects can be really beautiful.

Antique Japanese Fishing Bobbers:

image from wikipedia

I like to put the aqua ones in bathrooms:

Twig balls: Tuck them around your displays for the Fall. They'll give your home a relly natural feel.

Aidan Gray Home

My house:

Here are some gorgeous wooden balls featured in Domino Magazine. They're so architectural & warm.

And these seashell balls from seahellworld.com have been around for ages. How pretty does it look on the wooden stand?






And terra cotta & porcelain garden balls don't have to stay outside. Bring them inside for a Garden-feel.

terra cotta graden ball from momui home

ceramic garden balls from Germes Online

And, of course, fruit! Everyone knows that a bowl of oranges on the table makes it look pretty & clean. Think of all the differnt fruits you can use in your home: (Perk: you get to eat these balls!)

Aidan Gray Home

On a final note, Aidan Gray Home offers so many beautiful wire baskets, topiaries & urns that go really well with balls of all shapes & sizes. The company has that Neoclassical-Garden feel I love.Got any more ball decorating ideas? I'd love to hear them!

Decorate With Colors that Make You Look Good

Want to look good at home? It makes sense that we should try decorating with colors that compliment us. You wouldn't wear unflattering-colored clothing, would you? Then why would you color your home in anything but what compliments you? Here's a quick little guide to colors that can make you look good.

Studies have shown that peach is the most complimenting color for women above the age of 50, but it's a great color for many people. Peach gives skin a pretty and youthful-looking glow. Try it in a bathroom so when you're looking in the mirror, being critical of yourself, there's less to be critical of!

Have dark brown eyes and hair? Go for the chocolate! You're one of the lucky ones that can handle dark, rich walls. You can also handle bold color choices such as reds & oranges & bright yellows. These colors will compliment your dark features.

Blue-eyed? Try grays, blues & aquas. They'll make your eyes stand out & look clear.

A red-head? Think about olives & greens. They provide the perfect contrast to your hair & make it look richer & more vibrant.

Fair-skinned? Think about using lighter colors & neutrals that will make you stand out. You don't want to get lost in a room with colors that overpower you.

Images from the Cottage Living Website.

All that aside, I'm not a stickler for rules, so if you happen to be a redhead who wants a pink room, then by all means, do what makes you happy!