currently coveting

 1. / 2. / 3. / 4. / 5. / 6.

Image: The Design Chaser

 1. Hay Tray Table from Designcraft.
I've been spying these little occasional tables featured in a multitude of homes on many favourite blogs. I think they'd be perfect for the family room here. Luckily these Danish design pieces are available in Australia from several retailers. Hay has many covetable pieces; I'm also drooling over their strap mirror and marble trays!

Image: West Elm USA

2. Eduardo Garza Crystal Box from West Elm.
 While West Elm may now have a retail outlet here, the best stuff remains frustratingly confined to the US stores. This handmade box was created in collaboration with New York sculptor Eduardo Garza. and is made from soapstone, brass and crystal.

Image: Moth Design

  

3. Kate Spade Rose Scented Candle from Nordstrom.

One of my favourite blogs is Erica Cook's Moth Design. I spied this little Kate Spade black and white candle in an image of her recently revamped bedroom, as seen above. Love. I haven't been able to track a stockist here but Nordstrom sell and ship internationally. The candle comes in a few different colourways / designs including a gold spot one. *Drool*!

Image: HOFP

 4. Chunk Candlestick by Menu.

Another all-time-favourite blog is The House of Philia or HOFP. Every area of her home is beautifully curated and I'm always spying beautiful, classic homewares to covet! The Menu Chunk Candlesticks (marble / copper) are one such example. Unfortunately I haven't been able to locate a local stockist nor an international site for these so they may stay an unattainable dream. A bit like the Georg Jensen Thermos. Again spied on HOFP's blog, in an image of her swish bar cart. Readily available worldwide, this is a real luxury priced item though, and may stay on the wish list for some time to come!

Image: HOFP

 5. Georg Jensen Bernadotte Thermo from Georg Jensen.
 

6. Ceramic Jewelry Tray from J. Crew.

A recent post on The Zhush, alerted me to this cute little jewelery tray in my favourite combination of black and white. Available through J.Crew with international shipping, this baby is winging her way to me now! Yippee!

x KL

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Exciting New Arrivals!

  

Some goodies I ordered at the Reid Gift Fair in May are starting to arrive. Yay!

Alas, Poor Yorick! (A wonderful Bali souvenir) sits atop these two Mother of Pearl inlaid boxes. L.O.V.E.! 

Just wish I could've had the funds to order the bedside tables available, as pictured below.

 *Sigh!*

x KL

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Happy holidays!

What are you planning on doing over the Easter break? I've got a few new books and mags to peruse and plan on visiting a pregnant girlfriend to deliver a group gift of practical baby goodies.

On Thursday afternoon I received some items from the gift fairs I attended earlier in the year.

The bone inlay cross is divine and I'm so happy with the cowrie shell neck piece too. This later piece reminds me of the many ones I saw in Papua New Guinea (where I was born). Unfortunately, I'll need to package them back up until I have the right spot to display them.

 The carved skull arrived too. I unpacked it last because after such a long wait, (I first saw it in 2004!) I was terrified that it wouldn't meet my expectations. In the end, David unwrapped it. It is quite different from the original skull I posted about HERE in many respects, most notably the carving design. I prefer the original but this one is OK. The quality of the carving however is most disheartening, it is rough and lacks the finesse of other pieces I saw and ordered from. The size of the horns are small in comparison to the skull too. I am very disappointed to say the least and as I purchased it wholesale, don't think I have any return options. I also would rather keep this than not have one at all. Sigh!

 The weather here has finally turned warm and summery, perfect for everyone to enjoy a little R & R.

David and I are thinking of booking 10 days away (with J of course!) but are so unsure of where to go that the planning is starting to feel like a chore rather than being exciting. We can't go anywhere for at least 3-4 weeks as I've needed to get passports for J and David. Bali has been considered largely due to offering such good value for money but the travel advisers are still touting it as an area of high risk. Anyone have any suggestions for us?

x KL 

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

Fairs, fabulous freebies and frustrations!

 I visited the Reid Gift Fair on Monday (a gift and home wares industry event). I haven't been for a few years and I invited a non - industry girlfriend along for company. It was fun to re-visit with 'fresh' eyes and although it took longer to navigate, we had a ball.

After getting my knuckles seriously wrapped for taking 'unapproved' i-phone snaps on one exhibitor's stand (so embarrassing), I was reluctant to take any others (approved or not). So 

i have little to share visually. In defence though, I was so excited to see something new and appropriate for a current client that I whipped out my phone, clicked and forwarded before gaining permission (which I'm sure would have been granted had I shown some simple courtesy). Eeeek. So not me...

Anyhoo....I ordered a few things from some favourite suppliers (coral art pieces mostly) and added again to my order placed at the Decoration & Design Fair with a tribal cowrie shell neck piece. I fell in love with it on first sight but as David was with me then, I didn't want to 'push' the limit after he had generously agreed to THE skull purchase.  Last Sunday (the day before the Reid Gift Fair) J, David & I caught the ferry to Palm Beach for lunch at Barrenjoey House. Inside I found this display....

Ahhh... THAT neck piece again! Displayed with skulls and shells and coral....it was like someone had stolen my thoughts and displayed them physically for me! Absolutely serendipitous!!!

I find I'm not posting as often now as I am busy with The Terrigal Project. As mentioned before, I am not an Interior Designer and am now convinced this is not a career path for me to pursue. It is  becoming increasingly obvious that I lack the patience and tact required as I struggle with frequent brief changes from this client. How anyone does this for a living is beyond me.

An update on that project though is shown below:

The roof is off.... and it's pouring! Yes, everyone on the east coast of Australia can blame us. Happens every time!

So the boys are looking for 'inside' work which means it's Gun-ho with two of the three bathrooms. 

As for progress at La Hacienda, we have the nearly free, pool W.C, nearly finished. Toilet roll holder and hooks were found in the garage detritus from ?

The tiles on floor, wall and feature wall were all tiny quantity left overs from previous jobs.

The vanity was another 'freebie'. Incorrectly made for a project and rescued from the rubbish skip. After modifying to suit this area, David decreed it would've been cheaper to have one custom built. (I still need to get customised two-pack doors made) Mmmm, some times you win, other times.... you suck it up and learn a lesson! I got the bowl on sale two years ago for $220.

We couldn't use the quartz / marble top but luckily our stone supplier cut some 'off cuts' of ceasarstone for me and polished the edges for free! Yay!

The W.C (our only big purchase) will be fitted next week and the mirror has been ordered too.

Baby steps, but exciting nonetheless!

It's pouring here, cold and miserable. My lounge for the playroom is being delivered tomorrow. Might be time I told hubby about that one! He He!

x KL 

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

Where there's a will there's a way!

The packaging was divine! The cushion came wrapped in damask tissue inside the blue print woven bag!

 O. M. G ! I've had a bit of an exciting day!
Never one to be thwarted by the OTT price on a wish-list item, I set myself the daunting task of acquiring the Vivienne Westwood Union Jack Flag pillow at a more reasonable price point. Today, after a few months of hard work, I received her direct from the Rug Company in London. Divine! This will be a piece I will cherish forever and although I was happier with what I paid (as opposed to recommended retail), with import and custom costs this one better stay 'a keeper' in my eclectic menagerie!

I love it on the well worn, cream leather family room lounge but plan on it 'living' on the charcoal playroom sofa upstairs. One day! LOL!

My darling boy gave me a precious cuddle in bed this morning and I had to take this pic of his hair. After the big cancer 'shave' fundraiser he's decided he likes his hair short so it was re clipped and, although the photo doesn't do reality justice - please believe me, it was like spun gold.
(Click & enlarge - truly, Gold gossamer!).
Rumpelstiltskin; Esmerelda has got serious competition!!! 

Please excuse sewing repair on left and abominable mess elsewhere... I'm getting there, albeit slowly! LOL!

 My darling hubby David brought back this gift for me today; a huge bunch of Christmas Bush. Nothing says 'Christmas' more! He went to meet some prospective clients on site for a proposed new build and there was a neglected bush hiding that he spied. Luckily he had some secateurs in his ute and 'Bob's your Uncle'!

x KL 

Thank you for stopping by my blog. You are very welcome and encouraged to comment. I love receiving feedback! I also love watching a new pretty picture box added to my followers - would love you to join me so I can get to know you too!

US shopping...more success!

 Remember my Moth Design blog recommendation ? I became particularly enamoured with Erica's tiny glass bud vases and ceramic urchin votive. She displayed tiny clusters of them in many rooms throughout her home.

Moth Design - En suite cart

Moth Design - Main Bedroom bedside table; I loved those bud vases!

 I found that they were still available at Velocity Art & Design and used my trusty US forwarding service, MyUS to get them shipped here to Australia! Yippee!!! And here they are in Australia - simply perfect!

Above & Below: sweet little urchin vases

My new ceramic urchin votives from US store Velocity.

x KL

Skull desires and weird idiosyncrasies

 Am still on my skull hunt. I think. I stumbled upon this picture that was stored in an old archived folder and it has re-ignited my desire to have one outstanding skull 'sculpture', to go somewhere! How gorgeous is this shot!? I'm in lurve with that lounge too!

Apparently, Hubby has an Uncle that has a livestock farm where we could find a nice skull, with horns, for the time it would take to visit and FWD through the paddocks but ....as nice as nix sounds, the association with reality makes me feel a bit squeamish!

(I love meat but can't consume a fish I've caught or a lobster from a restaurant tank that I've seen! Give me plastic wrap - supermarket denial all the way!!!)

Weird!

Ok... I shared, your turn. What weird idiosyncrasies do you harbour?

x KL

Diversional decorating!

My house may not be completed yet, in fact - far from it, but that doesn't stop me decorating in tiny little spots with favourite bits and pieces. It gives me somewhere to rest (divert) my eyes instead of looking at all that still needs to be done! Often these areas offer storage to boot and are constantly shape shifting as the house progresses. Nothing is ever static when you live on a building site!

In the entry; all this will disappear once the joinery is done!

A niche custom made for a sculpture I can no longer source! Who knows what will end up here!

Handy storage of some favourite design tomes!

Industrial letters, old bookshop sign & son's plane upon a Chinese cabinet. Expired use-by date?

Can't wait for that ducted vacuum system to be hooked up!

I love all my shell and coral pieces. This is one collection that is still growing!

I like using art in bathrooms. It visually breaks up floor to ceiling tiles! This framed shell is above the loo in the main bathroom.

My hubby has just weighed in on my post. He reckons that if I didn't blog the whole of the house would be finished and then I'd have something really worth blogging about!!!! LOL True, so true!

x KL