It's starting to look a lot like Christmas

After much harrassment from my 6 year old, we put up the Christmas tree and decorations for the mantle this past weekend. I must admit that's all I've done so far, but I am really happy with the way it turned out. The little white birds are from Pretty Birdy (naturally) and at only $4 ea they're a lovely addition to any Christmas tree. This is the first time I have ever been able to have a full size tree, as the last house we lived in was TINY. My mother had bought me some gorgeous glass baubles a few years ago, and I've never been able to put them out until this year. So this year for my first real tree I have a theme of red, white and black, which has turned out really well against the dark brown walls in our lounge room. As for Christmas day, I am going to do a really natural, green and white bush Christmas theme for the Christmas table, which involves filling jugs full of cuttings of bottlebrush, flowering gum and any other greenery that looks interesting from the garden. I've got loads of little milk jugs to fill and crystal and glass candlesticks that I have been collecting for the table. As much as I love colour, I am looking forward to a crisp, white, clean table for Christmas.

Only 37 sleeps to go.....

Christmas is coming, and it is at this time of year that I think that maybe I was born in the wrong hemisphere.
I am not a major fan of summer (too hot for me - I much prefer spring and autumn!), and all these fabulous photos of white Christmas' with snow and candles and the like, just makes me want to pack up and head overseas. The beautiful images above are by Karen Mordechai from her blog here, for Hatch Creative. There are some seriously creative people out there in blogland....

As for Pretty Birdy, we have some beautiful Christmas decorations in store now, and if you haven't seen our gorgeous reindeer gracing our new window display, make sure you pop in and say hello to Blanche & Snowflake - they're creating quite a scene!

Melbourne Cup

As part of the Melbourne Cup celebrations we had a great day holding a fashion parade at Peden's, a local pub/restaurant here in Cessnock. It was loads of fun and the girls who so generously modelled for us looked gorgeous. Here are some photos from the day...

The girls all looked fabulous in their casual, work and evening wear. Unfortunately moi was on the microphone and not being the best of public speakers I'm sure I sounded terrible!! You know how when you hear yourself back on a recording you think "Is that really what I sound like!!??" Oh boy, that was me yesterday. But from the feedback we've had, everybody enjoyed themselves and had fun, so that is what it's all about. Totally lost out on the gee-gee's though!

Why I love living in the country....

This just happens naturally...... and I LOVE it!

Shauny

Since moving to the country, my life has definitely changed for the better. I especially love sitting on my front steps watching the kids play and saying hello to people as they walk by....

Update on house

A while back, I posted on the tv show Homemade, and the winner Jason Sullivan. See more here. At the time, I was stoked to see that Jason used colours very similar to what I had just painted my own house. So here are some shots of our lounge, dining, kitchen and bedroom. Please excuse the fact that there is no splashback in the kitchen, the tiler is coming on Tuesday to finally finish my kitchen!!

The paint colour used in the bedroom is "Admiralty", in the hallway and dining room "Self Destruct", in the loungeroom I have forgotten the colour but it is 3 shades darker than "Self Destruct" and the kitchen is "Black Magic". All colours are from Dulux.

I would love to say that the house is this clean all the time, unfortunately it's not when you have 2 little girls around!

This months Country Style

I am a magazine addict. There, I've said it. Some people have cigarettes, some people have alcohol, I have magazines (oh, and chocolate). It all started when I was about 15, and I read my first Cosmopolitan. Then it was Dolly, then Cleo (my favourite magazine for years!!). Then I went through a fitness craze, and it was every fitness magazine known to man. Now it is interiors magazines, and one of my very favourites is Australian Country Style. It has the most stunning photography, and believe it or not, was one of the reasons I moved from Sydney to Cessnock.


Back in 2004 I think it was, an article featured a store from Cessnock called 'Queen of Tarts', which is a gorgeous little cake shop here in town. At the time, my partner and I had just bought a house which we were renovating as an investment, but the area appealed to me so much that I convinced my partner to move here. The house we were renovating became our home for 4 years, and it would have to be the smallest house on the planet, but I loved that little house!! We have recently moved on from it, but I'll always remember that little house, and my love affair with Country Style continues. I became friends with the owner of that little cake shop (she has since sold it) but I have a little chuckle to myself everytime I see her, and think that the story about her was one part of the reason I moved here. It was the best move I've ever made.


Anyway, this months issue of Country Style is out in the newsagents, and it is a gorgeous one. I particularly love the article on Belinda Seper, she is such a stylish woman, and she is a flea market fiend like me! Below is a picture I have had in my file for ages, but I never knew where it came from. As I was flicking through the mag I spotted it - it is from Belinda Seper's Southern Highlands home. Do youself a favour and buy this magazine - it's gorgeous.

Image source unknown

Updating a Bathroom

We (my family and I) have just moved into a lovely new home, but it is not 'new' new, it's an old Federation, and I just love it. What I don't love though, is the bathroom. Someone in their infinite wisdom, decided in a renovation not so long ago, to change the entry into the bathroom from originally coming in from the dining room, to now entering from the hallway, so that you can see the toilet straight down the hall from the front door! whatever possessed them to think that that was a good idea, I will never know. So I am yet to come up with a plan to combat that problem, but my other major hate is the colour.

I'm so sorry if I offend anyone that loves maroon and cream country style bathrooms, but I can't stand it. There's too much maroon, too much cream and way too much gold in this bathroom for me. My only plan so far to update the bathroom without a major renovation is to lay black & white lino over the tiles on the floor, like the photo below, and paint the wall tiles white. I'd then have to change the gold taps etc over to silver, but at least I'd have something i like looking at each day. We have a roll top bath, but unfortunately it is plastic, not cast iron, and maroon & cream in colour as well....blah!

Black & White Lino for the floor

Our tiles go halfway up the wall like this one below, and I've always wanted black walls

These lovelies below would replace the hideous gold ones we currently have

Image 1 - One Pery Square via The Laurel Hedge, other images source unknown

The Big 4 - 0

Allison Riley, my very capable assistant here at Pretty Birdy, turns 40 tomorrow. A very Happy Birthday to you Allison, and may you not fall overboard as you celebrate with your friends and family!! I need you here in the shop! (Allison has headed off on a 3 day 'cruise to nowhere' to celebrate) I am very miffed that I can't go, but leaving my 17 month old for 3 days would just break my heart. So party hard girl, and have one for me!!

Allison with her daughter (right) and niece

Loving.....

Image via marley&lockyer

this bedroom from this months Real Living Magazine

I'm a sucker for hot pink

I just love this foyer, which I found via In My House

I am definitately a sucker for hot pink, I think it is one of the happiest and most uplifting colours around.

Just a reminder, our store sale finishes TODAY, so make sure you pop in and take advantage of the lower prices! We're clearing out stock for all the fabulous spring/summer stock that is on its way. I can't wait, loads of fantastic bright colours - a nice change after the blacks, reds, purples and greys of winter.

Have a great weekend - see you next week!

Have a great weekend!

I have just spent an insane amount of time working on a wedding album that everytime I upload it, I find another tiny little mistake, which means I then have to go back, fix it, and upload the file AGAIN - I have now done it three times and I'm a bit over it......So now I am off to the florists to see if I can find any pretty hyacynths like these that can cheer me up. Have a great weekend!

Hot Pink makes you Happy

Every day, without fail, I log onto the internet and do a quick tour of all my favourite blogs. I love catching up on what everyone has been doing, even though I could trip over them in the street and I wouldn't know who they were, and I always feel inspired by beautiful photos people post. Especially the really colourful ones. And even more so if there is hot pink anywhere to be seen. It is a colour that just makes my heart sing. That and lime green - my favourite colour combination in the whole world. Here are some of my favourites.

Images 1 - 4 source unknown, Image 5 - Carolyne Roehm, Image 6 - Whitney English, Image 7 - Matt Clayton Photography

We're On Sale!

We're having a 'Buy One Item, Get a 2nd Item HALF PRICE' Sale! On Now while Stocks Last!

A thought for the weekend

Image via Brown Button

New Stock Arriving Soon!

In the next few weeks we'll have some fab new stock arriving instore. It's great to have such bright, funky colours for a change!

Faux Croc Skin Wallets - small & large sizes available

A perenial favourite....the pashmina. Gorgeous colours, great for all seasons.

Funky "Frumpy" Scarves - a great trans-seasonal accessory

Faux Croc Belts - in red and black

These sleeveless dresses will be coming in green & pink - even more gorgeous in real life. Perfect for all body types and fab for pregnant women!

Home Made - The Finale

Yay to Jason, winner of last night's HomeMade competition. The best designer won at the end of the day - Jason's use of colour and styling was second to none. Congrats, and I hope he does well in the future.

I found it quite interesting watching his colour choices - I have recently had my house painted, and my colour choices had the painters looking at me like I was a mad woman.....my kitchen is painted black, my lounge room is a dark brown, and my master bedroom is a deep navy blue. Funnily enough, my painters were watching the show as well, and thought they were very 'with it' when these same colours were used in the TV show!! I just laughed, through the entire painting process I had to keep saying "Boys, trust me.....wait until you see it with all the furniture and accessories in here". I don't think they believed me.

The house isn't finished yet, but when it is, I will post pictures. In the meantime, here are some favourite pics of Jason's rooms from Homemade.

A guest bedroom

Lounge room - gorgeous!

Fab bathroom

My all time favourite

Images 1 & 2 from Villa Anna, images 3 & 4 from Homemade's Facebook page