Tuesday 25 December 2007

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year


I would like to extend warm wishes to all of my readers and fellow bloggers for a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. I am taking the next few days off to spend with my family. I'll be back very soon. Take care over the holidays and I look forward to lots more fun together in 2008!!


xo
Anna

Monday 24 December 2007

And The Winner Is...

Entry 19 - Alison & Gail's Christmas

Congratulations Alison & Gail - you have won the Absolutely Beautiful Christmas competition!!! Thank you to everyone who entered the competition and also the other 2 finalists Felicity & Nancy congratulations to you too. Thank you also for all of the votes we received. It really was so wonderful to have such a big response to this special Christmas competition!!! I can't wait to see which cushion Alison & Gail select as their prize. I'll be sure to post the cushion once they have made their decision!!

Merry Christmas!!!
XO
Anna

Sunday 23 December 2007

Two More Sleeps...


Whilst browsing around blogland today I came across this beautiful Christmas image on Modern Country blog which I had to share. I have loved seeing everyone's Christmas inspiration around the world and the way in which others celebrate and prepare for Christmas in their home. We have been counting down the days in our home with Harry announcing this morning that there are only 2 more sleeps to go!! Don't forget I will be announcing the winner of my Christmas competition tomorrow night (Christmas Eve) at 8.00pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. Voting will close tomorrow night at 6.00pm Aust. EST so please do cast your vote for one of our finalists below.

Friday 21 December 2007

A Beautiful Gesture




Recently I have been enamored by the work of illustrator and decorative designer Patricia van Essche. Introduced to me by fellow blogger and friend Ronda from the fantastic blog All The Best, Patricia has very generously painted a few of my vignettes above and also a beautiful Birthday gift - she painted me at my 30th Birthday back in October this year. Patricia has certainly had a wonderful career thus far working for 15 years in New York as a designer and design director for Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein & Liz Claiborne. These days Patricia offers a wide range of design services through her business PVE Design. I am looking forward to asking her to paint a few more things for me in the new year for Black & Spiro. Thank you for these beautiful paintings Patricia - you are certainly one very talented and generous woman and I am one very lucky person to be receiving such a beautiful and thoughtful gift!!

Thursday 20 December 2007

VOTE TODAY


Today is the last day to vote for the 3 finalists in my Absolutely Beautiful Christmas Competition so please cast your vote for your favourite entry TODAY. I will be announcing the 3 finalists tonight at 8.00pm Australian Eastern Standard time. Thanks everyone who has voted so far!

Tuesday 18 December 2007

Sneak Peak - Brisbane Apartment



Here are a couple of images of an apartment I have been working on lately on the river in an inner city suburb of Brisbane. It is a lovely apartment with a very homey atmosphere - quite unlike most apartments in Brisbane which tend to usually be very modern. We have been adding a few new touches to update it. We just finished off the guest bedroom today and the formal lounge room. I am currently working on the casual lounge room which I hope to have finished end of January/early February.

Thursday 13 December 2007

Arranging Things


I was at the book store yesterday picking up some last minute books for Christmas when I stumbled across this gorgeous looking book which I couldn't resist buying for myself. The illustration on the front cover was the first thing that struck my attention and the title was the thing that sealed the deal. The illustrations are beautiful. I haven't had time to read it yet but after reading the only review of the book on Amazon tonight I am afraid I may be a little disappointed. I do love the illustrations so all is not lost and I love the cover so even if it isn't a good read I am happy I purchased the book as I like looking at it sitting on my current book pile on my entrance table.

Beautiful Handmade Paper Wreaths


Beautiful handmade wreaths from etsy seller Haru. These are certainly very beautiful and are made using vintage papers, giftwrap, magazine clippings, pages removed from books etc. Some of the papers are dyed using coffee and concord grape/cranberry juice solution to achieve a coloured effect. What a beautiful gift this would make or a purchase for your own front door. All I can say is Beautiful with a capital B!!


Wednesday 12 December 2007

Sneak Peak


A little sneak peak of the new slip cover I had made in pink & white houndstooth for my old sofa at home. Previously the sofa was slip covered in a pink pin stripe which you all may remember. The new fabric is certainly very bold but I love it and it makes my special 'Anna Room' a bit fun and not so serious! BTW - I highly recommend slip covered sofas as new covers can be easily made in new fabrics to give the sofa a fresh new look and then if you want to put an old cover back on again you can - so flexible and great for a girl like me who gets very tired of fabrics very quickly!!

Remember The Head Vase??


Do you remember me posting about this vintage head vase a few weeks ago? Let me refresh your memory - I was watching this head vase on Ebay a little while ago and I meant to bid for it but I completely forgot and completely missed out on it. I was so disappointed as I really wanted the vase. Some of you are probably wondering why in the world would she want that vase but that is something I cannot explain. I just love it. Well the funniest thing happened. The vase became relisted (maybe the winner withdrew??) and this time I didn't forget!! I became the lucky bidder!! It just arrived a week or so ago and I have to tell you I am thrilled!! Sometimes things are just meant to be!

New (Old) Chairs


My 2 old wing back chairs which I found at a second hand furniture shop a little while ago have just come back from my upholsterer with a fresh new look - simple black & white. I am still waiting for my sofa to arrive in my lounge room so once that is in I will show you some more pictures.

Happy Birthday Harry!!





Happy 5th Birthday my darling boy! We've had such a wonderful day. I woke to see my son's beautiful face staring at me this morning at 6.45am. He didn't see the pile of birthday presents sitting on the bottom of his bed waiting for him so we took him back into his bed and the three of us sat in his room and unwrapped his presents which mostly consisted of Pirate things - he was absolutely thrilled!! We've had a family dinner tonight to celebrate the birthday of the only grandchild on both sides so as you can imagine he is very loved and sometimes dare I say a little spoilt. A pirate boat cake completed the celebrations much to Harry's complete surprise! There certainly is something special about the innocence and happiness of a child on their birthday that hopefully I as his mother will remember forever!!

Tuesday 11 December 2007

Christmas & Birthday Preparations


Just one beautiful picture tonight from Martha Stewart via House Martin - an arrangement of vibrant pink Christmas Cacti - so gorgeous! I have been very busy tonight preparing for a little someone's 5th Birthday tomorrow in amongst wrapping Christmas gifts, writing Christmas cards, setting the table for the 5th Birthday family dinner which we are having at home tomorrow night, preparing pancake batter for the 5 year old's breakfast, wrapping birthday presents etc. etc. etc. etc.!!

Monday 10 December 2007

Today I Love

Look at this beautiful verandah by Mark Epstein - so peaceful and relaxing. This is my favourite image today!!

Image via Desire to Inspire.

Frangipani & Ginger Jars







I just had to show you - she has 3 cabinets full of blue and white as above! She definately has a major obsession!!



Yesterday we went to Mum & Dad's for a Christmas lunch they held for 18 people. The house looked so beautiful. My mother is a very creative woman. She filled her numerous blue and white ginger jars with fresh flowering frangipani from her garden and they looked divine!! I had to share some pictures as above. As you can see, I meant what I said last week when I said that I certainly got my addiction for blue and white from my mother! I didn't realise she had so many pieces.

Friday 7 December 2007

Happy Weekend!

I'll be wrapping my Christmas presents this weekend and just pottering around my house with my little family. It is SO hot here at the moment and our pool still isn't finished so we may even go down to my parent's house for a swim on Sunday. Hope you all have a lovely weekend!!

Oh & BTW, don't forget to check back on Sunday night as I will be posting this week's entries in the Absolutely Beautiful Christmas Competition!! Please keep the entries coming!

Image courtesy of Domino.

Plantation Style In Bali












This week I received a lovely email from Michaela with a link to her blog post on a cafe she recently visited in Bali named Cafe Bali. She said in her email "the mix of colours in an old style building reminded me of you" and she was so right - I LOVE her photos of this gorgeous old plantation style house with its mismatched furniture. In her post Michaela says "It all kinda looks like it shouldn’t go together - flowers and frills and a wall of mirrors and white tables with lace table cloths and mismatched white chairs.. but it does, it really works." What a beautiful place this looks to be - inspiration heaven! Thanks Michaela for thinking of me, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing your pictures and reading about your visit to Cafe Bali!!

I Love Blue & White



I just can't seem to get away from my love of blue and white. Recently I was very excited to find this gorgeous little still life original oil painting on Etsy by Artist Polly Jones. It just arrived in the mail this week and I am so thrilled with it. I feel like it is a painting of some of my things sitting there on my kitchen bench. My mother has collected blue and white things her entire life and I think her love of blue and white is instilled in me forever!!