A Comment from Jane....

I can't tell you how excited I was this morning when I checked my blog to see that Jane Webster left a comment on my Blog....Imagine that!!!! the woman I so admire (move over Ralph Lauren)
Thank you Jane for making my day and I was only kidding about the cooking that would be an amazing experience too, but Paris and exploring those antique markets would be my heaven! and of course sitting under the linden Tree.....with a bottle of Red or perhaps champs I'm not fussy.I'm planning to go to France this September with my husband and "Maison De Object" is on the agenda, hopefully staying at the Chateau in Normandy....but next year girls I'm in for a trip to France lets start getting a group together...and start saving! Thank you Jane for making my day and I can't wait to meet you and your amazing, gorgeous Chateau!

At My French Table

Just to help all my blogging friends out there, this is what the book looks like but what I just discovered is the website: www.thefrenchtable.com.au we could all go there for a cooking lesson "A Blogger International Event" brush up on our french cooking skills but I must be honest if I'm going to Paris its not to cook! but lunching with my blogging friends in the garden under the beautiful tree would be heaven and imagine the fun we would have!

A Grand Affair

I have saved this paragraph from "At My French Table" to remind me of another life!

Courage to follow a dream

One of my lily-g customers told me how much I would love this Beautiful villa in France featured in this months Country Style magazine, and how right she is! as I flipped through the magazine I found the villa only to think "I know this house" My favourite book (aside from My French Life) is "At my Table" the book I think I have sold 100 times myself and read from front cover to Back, my beautiful sister Anita bought me a copy for my birthday and since then I haven't stopped talking about it driving my customers crazy!!!! This amazing family packed up their lives into two shipping containers and quit Melbourne to take over a run down french chateau. I'm in awe of them, how do we find the courage to follow our dreams to up-root our family, unless you are wealthy there are jobs, money to consider, education and so many other factors, but the truth is if your passionate about something enough what really stops us?

Not just a bathroom

I just love this bathroom (sorry I'm not sure if it was from Camilla or a-m blog) but I just had to save the image, a chandelier and this bathroom would be my dream space for relaxing in a bubble bath and a glass of champagne after a hard days work..um Heaven!

A` beautiful bathroon

I'm just loving the return of bathrooms appearing to be more like an extension of the bedroom, they are appearing softer and more glamorous, chandeliers are added, more detail to the cabinetry, sinks are back under and beautiful framed pictures are taking over tiled walls.

New stock in store now...

I left my store lily-g last night at 1am in the morning restocking shelves with all our new stock, thank goodness for my family helping me unpack the endless boxes, so for all my lily-g customers the store is filled to the top with lots of beautiful french crockery, linens from France, glassware, soaps, vases,books and decorative pieces. Later this year we are off to France on a buying trip to import one off antiques, fabrics ,chandeliers and so much more. In the near future we will be going on-line to provide our interstate and country customers access to our beautiful homewares.

A collectors Shelf

What a great way to show off your collectables on this vintage wooden cupboard. I would probably lime wash it or paint it white and fill the nooks with coral, shells, vintage oil lanterns and old books, how great would it look in a beach house.

Linen lounges

I'm always drawn to linen I find it such a great fabric to use on sofa's, bedheads etc... perfect for slip covers and easy care.We now have so many colour choices,textures and finishes to linen that it is hard to pass it up as an upholstery fabric, over the next few weeks I'll post some images of furniture I have upholstered in linen, by adding colour in your cushions it is an easy way to transform your sofa or keeping it simple and elegant as above!

more beautiful windows

floor to ceiling windows always look so grand and timeless lots of floating sheer linen curtains finish off the windows beautifully and I just love the limewashed old timber beams.

My Feature blog....

The best part of blogging is meeting so many wonderful people who like me love to dream, we all seem to have one thing in common, our love for beautiful things, collecting, inspiring each other and sharing our thoughts and dreams. My work life/family life is so hectic but my half an hour I put away every day for blogging has become my special time, I just wish I had more time to discover you all. Thank you to Colonial East for posting this beautiful room your blog is truly inspirational.

A coastal feel

I can so image this room in a coastal home. I have this lamp in our store at the moment in a limewash finish and it looks great but I love the darker cane on the white besides too!

An amazing floor

Is it my eye sight or are these parquetry floors laid in a striped pattern? if so what an amazing effect and the finish appears to have an almost raw timber look. The Beautiful doors and panelling to this home is simply divine!

A beautiful window.....

I'm always drawn to the amazing architecture of these beautiful homes in Europe and America, the large windows, panelling detail and parquetry floors are truly stunning and look at the window curtain rod is a piece of Art.

Another great find...

I recently visited Cote De Texas amazing blog and just loved her recent posts especially of the stunning villa's in France. The limewashed walls, the stone floors and the shelving filled with crockery adds to the charm of the beautiful villa.

simply done

I love this image found on Cote De Texas blog, if I had a country house this would be my look, but I would have to clean the fireplace!!!!

Loving this kitchen

A-M just posted this image of a kitchen that I just adore, so I thought I would share it with my lily-g customers too!

Carolyne Roehm

Tonight (Friday night) after a very busy week I finally get a chance to relax, my son has friends on the deck and downstairs my daughter is having a teenage party.
(Its her 17th birthday) God help any of them if they sit on my furniture!!! My three year old Lily is having a great time socializing in her fairy princess outfit and what am I doing? blogging...Ha! I know I need a life but the music is driving me insane...so before I go on teenage patrol I thought I would get a quick fix on my blog...Have a great weekend to all my friends,
Judy X
P.S. Can't wait till Carolyne Roehm's new book is out! Unfortunately we all have to wait till October 08.

A bottle collection

A Navy and White picnic

More navy and white

More navy and white

I'm totally inspired with these beautiful slip covers with the monogrammed initial, my love of white shows how easy it is to add colour by simple touches like a slip cover, vases and accessories, my husband laughed when I told him was going to monogram our slip covers, well I really didn't see his humour...men they just dont get it.......

My love of Blue

My love of neutral will always be.......but navy blue...duck egg blue...aqua blue always seems to be the colours that attract my attention....this image from wisteria was put in my navy and white file, relaxed coastal chic!

My perfect paradise

We all need to plan and dream so this is mine, my husband and I plan (in 2 years time) to live in our favourite region, Northern New South Wales around the Byron Bay hinterland. Speaking to the locals its nothing short of paradise, life is less hectic and the pace is much slower than city life yet it's only 2 hours from Brisbane. The area overlooks the ocean with rolling grass hills, it truly is a beautiful place. If I ever need a country fix we always take a drive to Bangalow in the region, the town is filled with atmosphere,markets,cafes and unique style shops and like most visitors we never want to leave. The house below is in this region but of course they don't all look like this!

A Queenslander...

I love the verandahs, the french grey colour scheme with lots of white french doors and windows, the beautiful gardens filled with lavender are stunning,I'm noticing a real return in Australian design back to our traditional style Queenslander with touches of American architecture added to the look! this would be my most favourite design and I'm thrilled to see it return.

A Beautiful home

what a stunning home situated in northern NSW ummm.....definately going out to buy a lottery ticket!!! it's only seven million to buy bugger I'm short by just 6.9 million!!!!!!!!! what do you think A-M we could go halves!!!!

Looking out...

A picture of my lounge room looking out to the front of our home, I have french doors right across the front of my home, our lounge goes out to our patio which has water views (the grey part is water) we live on our patio as our climate is so beautiful, I love changing my coffee table nic-naks, the silver tray is an antique from france purchased from a company called "Tade" the collection on the tray is shells that I have found over the years on local beaches, an old ship lantern, old bottles collected from a flea market and some of my favourite books. In the silver dish is my husbands grandfathers pocket watch and some beautiful silver coasters from vietnam that a friend gave to me.

A close up...

A closer look behind my sofa, I'm loving Hydrangea's at the moment and the touch of green adds colour to my neutral look!

My home at Manly

My love of the Hamptons inspired me when we built our home in Manly overlooking the bay, we wanted a relaxed coastal look that suited our lifestyle and our area we live in. All the homes in our street are Queensland style homes which date back to over a 100 years old some are just simply ready to be renovated or in need of bulldozing, our previous home was just that, not worth renovating, so we built a new home trying to keep the character of timber boards,french windows lots of white. Winter is approaching and I can't wait to use our fireplace (in all honesty we only get a few months of cold weather, um...10 degrees at night if we are lucky, but us Queenslanders love the cool change.) My sofa's have slip covers for easy washing and care, most of my look is neutral but in spring I add colour with cushions,flowers etc...I'll keep posting more shots of my home over the next few weeks

My Kitchen

I thought I would post today some images of my house, we still have lots to do! my floors are limestone with grey and taupe tones, the kitchen top is a grey stone and to the right is a walk in pantry with lots of shelves for crockery,platters etc...the handles I imported from France they are pewter and limogue porcelian, normally my kitchen is full of activity with kids making lunches so I had to get up early to get this shot..um...if only it always stayed tidy!!!

A market find....

I'm loving this inspirational board too, the pretty blue frame is actually and old window shutter,what a great idea, definately a market find!

Finding Inspiration

I just never seem to find the time to actually do my own inspirational board so instead Im posting some of my favourites in the hope that i'll eventually do it! I just think this picture it is so pretty and I'm loving the chair too!

Finding the time....

I could so see myself packing up for the week-end and off to my beach house or country house for a few day's of relaxing! (okay! I'm dreaming......) but instead I'm staying home to do house work and a bit of re-organising and bake a cake with my lily, when you work all week I so enjoy spending time with my family and staying home, boring I know but Home is my happy space and of course my blogging time! see you next week and have a great week-end x