Beautiful Homewares

I love these beautiful homewares by UK brand Lulu and Nat. Their range is inspired by colour and India and that makes for some amazing designs. 

A Beautiful Bargain.

I found this gorgeous hand painted gem in Melbourne over the weekend for the massive sum of $10. Very pleased with myself. Not sure whether to frame it or leave it as is...........

Friday On My Mind

We've had a pretty busy week getting the new Enchanted Closet website ready. You can take a sneak peek now at www.enchantedclosetshop.com. Tomorrow I will be posting a giveaway in conjunction with the website launch, so make sure to check it out and enter the competition.

I just ducked out to grab some fresh flowers for a party I'm having at home tomorrow night. I bought some gorgeous roses and lillies to decorate the house. I am so looking forward to catching up with friends over a few red wines and great food. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend too!

Image: Rubie Green

Swap Cards

My favourite thing in the world when I was eight years old was my collection of swap cards. At the end of each week I was given my pocket money and after school I would walk to the local milk bar where I would pick out, with great deliberation, new cards. 

On the eve of opening the shop last year I came across my swap cards at home, packed away in a box for the last 28 years. I was thinking about what to do with them and I thought of sticking them onto a canvas to hang in our kid's section in the Enchanted Closet.

I had no idea how popular my pretty old swap cards would be. We've had customers try to buy the canvas and many people come back and tell us they have done the same thing for their little girl's room. But the best thing about the swap card canvas is the response we get from women of all ages. You can hear them as they walk in to our kid's section and gasp in amazement, most saying "I remember these, I wonder what happened to mine". And then they proceed to pick out their favourites when they were kids. So let me know, did you collect swap cards too?

Plum Pretty Sugar

I was visiting Made by Girl yesterday and saw Jen's post on this beautiful loungewear  and bedding brand she discovered on Etsy. They're called Plum Pretty Sugar and they ship to Australia. The fabrics they use are stunning, I want the the 'Beckoning Creatures' doona cover.....

Pretty Vignettes

A craft inspired vignette from Tracey Leigh Interiors via Made By Girl.

             Michelle Adams' home, the creator of Rubie Green Fabrics.

               French themed vignettes from Amanda at Swish and Swanky.

Elizabeth's home from Peacock Feathers - The Queen of the Vignette.

I love the fairy lights and touches of silver and gold. Image via Interior Divine

A shabby chic vignette from Tracey Leigh Interiors - image via Made By Girl.

We all love a pretty vignette. They are the perfect way to showcase your most beautiful and favourite things which otherwise may end up languishing in a draw or cupboard instead.

The Francophiles!

The coloured glass has been collected over the years from many different countries.

This collection of antique copper pots were picked up at a market last year just outside of St Tropez.

Botanical themed plates collected from England and France are hung throughout the house.

Featured in this corner of the house are a few of the many treasures picked up on their travels. Framed is an antique map of France bought from an antique dealer in Paris. And in the glass case is their collection of Netsukes, which are hand carved ivory statues collected in Japan, circa the 17th century.

The house contains a huge collection of pewter collected from all over the world. The little tin in the foreground was bought during their last trip to Madagascar. 

                     The family phone and more pewter.

I'm always featuring similar types of homes on the blog. They are generally very pretty, colourful, coastal and very bright and airy. So for something different I thought I would show you images of a friend's home that I took over the weekend. This home is absolutely full of weird and wonderful things that they have collected on their many overseas journeys. Both of my friends are Francophiles and much of their collections come from France, especially a lot of their art (which I haven't shown here). They have a huge collection of botanical themed plates throughout the house, along with a stunning collection of pewter sourced from all over the world. One of my favourite things is their coloured glass collection that looks beautiful when

the sun hits the window. My friends have just left for a month in France, so I look forward to seeing what goodies they bring back with them.

How to Set a Table!

                        David Beahm Designs

                 Flowers, Sticks and Stones Designs

                                Colin Baer Events

                                Bardin Palomo Designs

                                               The Designers' Co-Op

I saw these gorgeous table settings while visiting Peacock Feathers. They are from the New York Horticultural Society's annual Spring Gala, where 20 decorators were asked to design a table each for the event. Elizabeth from Peacock Feathers was lucky enough to help her friend, Colin Baer, with one of the tables and by the looks of it they did an amazing job. For more photos visit Elizabeth's blog.

All images: Biz Bash via Peacock Feathers

Loving Turquoise Again

I've done it before, a post dedicated to turquoise and I'm doing it again. It seems that I am constantly attracted to anything turquoise. I love this colour, it always looks so fresh when mixed with white or black, and great against colours. 

Image 1 : Southern Accents

Image 2: Ego Central

Image 3: Coastal Living

Image 4: Coastal Living

Image 5: via Shelter