Blog of the Week - Maiden Luxe

Make sure you head over to visit the new blog Maiden Luxe. Featuring fabulous fashion, stunning photography and basically all things beautiful, it is the brainchild of the designer for the gorgeous Australian brand Maiden Luxe (oh, and she also happens to be my sister). I especially love 'Friday Night Drinks'.Enjoy!

The Year That Was - 2009 Top 10 Decorating Trends

1. Animals in the Home (and not the furry kind).

2009 saw the turquoise Foo Dogs grace many homes, along with owls in all shapes and sizes. Dog statues also came into the fore thanks to Kelly Wearstler.

2. Chinese Garden Stools.

Featured in every home magazine editorial was the chinese garden stool, bringing outside in.

3. Cardboard Deer Heads.

4. Keep Calm and Carry On Prints.

5. Maps as Art.

Still loving this, especially in kid's rooms.

6. Train/Bus/Tram Destination Banners.

7. Wallpaper

Has been making a comeback for quite awhile but 2009 saw it used everywhere.

8. Bamboo Furnishings.

9. Blue and White Ginger Jars.

I still love........

10. Louis Ghost Chair.

Seen throughout homes across the land but I must admit I still love the Louis.

So here are my top 10 picks for some of the biggest decorating trends for 2009. Some I am guilty of myself. For better or worse, I think some of these trends are here to stay. Personally, I'm not giving up my blue and white ginger jar collection or my fascination with bamboo furniture. However I'd be pretty happy never to see a cardboard deer head or pair of turquoise foo dogs in a home again. What do you think?

Image 1: Girl World Decor
Image 2: With Style and Grace
Image 3: Print and Pattern
Inage 4: Apartment Therapy
Image 5: Remodelista
Image 6: SF Girl by Bay
Image 7: Eclectic Interior Design
Image 8: VT Interiors
Image 9:Nina Campbell
Image 10: Coastal Living
Image 11: So Haute
Image 12: The Goods Design

Have a Great Weekend!

See you next week............

Image: Jacqueline Rivera

All That Glitters

It's that time of year where one can go crazy while decorating their home with all manner of shiny, bright and glittery things. With that said, I love Christmas and all it entails, and to celebrate here are some very sparkly, shiny pictures that are inspiring me to don a sequin jacket and shiny shoes and hit the town.

Image 1: Miu Miu
Image 2: Dior Black Sequin Nail Polish
Image 3: Chanel
Image 4: Shop Bop
Image 5: Unknown

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Well my holiday is nearing it's end and I'm quite looking forward to getting back into work (it helps knowing Christmas is just around the corner and with that comes lots of fun). I'm feeling very relaxed and ready to tackle the rest of the year. I love the sentiment of the poster above, the mindset I have at the moment.

See you next week.

Image: Ffffound

Best in Show

Atonement

Grey Gardens

Annie Hall

Breakfast at Tiffanys

The Devil Wears Prada

Rear Window

The Seven Year Itch

Sex in the City

Xanadu

Grease

Bonnie and Clyde

Without a doubt, fashion on film is a huge influence in our lives. I can remember the moment when watching Grease for the first time and watching Sandy appear after her Frenchie makeover, in the all black leather combo, and desperately wanting a black leather jacket. Or 'that' green dress Kiera Knightley wore in Atonement. Or the crazy boho frilly look sported by Olivia Newton John in Xanadu (yes, Olivia was a huge influence for me in the 70s and 80s). And possibly the most recognised image from film is the Marilyn Monroe white dress in The Seven Year Itch. So above are some of my all time favourite fashion moments on film, I had plenty more but I had to stop somewhere. Enjoy and have a great weekendx

Holiday

Sorry about my lack of posts over the last few weeks. We're on holidays visiting family and friends on the Gold Coast, so I've been pretty slack. I will be back soon though......Today we did a very touristy thing and visited the Q1, the views were amazing. We lived on the Coast for years and never visited, it's funny how moving away makes you appreciate a place more.

The Best Seat in the House

My weekend project is to paint an old chest which has been used for years to house my son's toys. It's about to get a new life with a fresh coat of paint and cushion, and it will be placed under my study window and used as a window seat. I'm taking my inspiration from the gorgeous pictures above of built in window seating. I love the whole concept of window seating, somewhere lovely to sit, great storage and looks fabulous.

Image 1: Coastal Living
Image 2: Domino
Image 3: The Inspired Room
Image 4: Apartment Therapy
Image 5: Kelly Interior Design

Welcome Aunty Ollie to the Enchanted Closet

The cutest children's label arrived in store today. The gorgeous Aunty Ollie is the brainchild of Aussie ex-pat Jodie Hampshire, who after adopting her three beautiful children from Sierra Leonean, was inspired to start a range for kids that didn't feature super heroes nor make them look like they were about to head out clubbing. The result was Aunty Ollie, a range of clothing in beautiful prints and designs, perfect for the coming summer months. We'd like to welcome Aunty Ollie to the Enchanted Closet!

Where the Wild Things Are

One of my son's favourite books when he was younger was Where the Wild Things Are. We're both looking forward to the upcoming movie release and hoping it lives up to the book. This pic is from the highly entertaining Practical Encylopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement, 1970. Someone has done an amazing job painting every inch of the bedroom.

Mabel's House - Blog of the Week

I stumbled across a new blog I had never visited this week and spent many hours pouring over the beautiful images. The blogs called Mabel's House and documents the life and times of Liz and her lovable dog, Mabel. Visit Mabel's House for gorgeous picks of Liz's home, shown above and for 'how to' lessons on everything from recovering vintage lampshades to making tomato, peach and mint salad. Thanks Liz!