Vegie patch heaven!

Now that is what I call a vegetable garden complete with a shed that is really more like a grown up cubby house, very cute indeed!

Have a great week-end

This is our new range from lazybones arriving in store this week, the gorgeous soft quilts with knotted tuffs in a large selection of colours, vintage cushions and my all time love, the quilt made up of vintage hankies patch worked together. How gorgeous is that quilt?I'm definitely getting one for my lily, I can so imagine her room in our country house with an old iron bed and this delightful range. 

This months Country style features this talented designer and the article is styled by our very own Shannon Fricke.

Summerhouse

The Summerhouse collection by Ralph Lauren is a look I would love in a Country/beach home. The mix of causal pieces with antiques, blue ginger jars creates effortless chic! I suppose I love this style because it never dates easily adapts to change i.e adding different fabric would create an entirely different look. I could so image relaxing with a cup of tea (depending on the time :), feet up in that gorgeous chair, overlooking lush green hills with the ocean in the distance... Bliss!

(All of the Ralph Lauren fabrics and wallpapers from this collection are available at lily-g, we can custom make cushions, re-upholster or supply fabric. Email me for any enquiries.)

Chateau life in Australia

I just love the gardens of this beautiful Chateau in Victoria. The gardens are filled with lavender, Radox Bouquet, heritage roses and other traditional planting. The Anduze pots planted in english box sit beautifully in the garden with the bench seat perfectly placed. All around the slender pencil pines stand to attention. Paul Bangay talent for garden design is reflected in this property and his website is well worth the visit www.paulbangay.com.au

Weekend Post

My weekend starts with breakfast at the Farmers Markets with friends, buying fresh flowers for home and spending the rest of the day re-arranging and sorting my cupboards (Long over due). Tonight is an easy night relaxing with my partner Paul with a good bottle of red, pate from the markets and a movie. Sunday the Manly girls are off Antique shopping at Paddington in pursuit of a bargain!

 If you have the Saturday Courier Mail turn to page 41 both myself and Anna Spiro (ABT) have been featured in our stores talking about the world of blogging. In all honestly I would have rather been mentioned for my amazing contribution to world peace or perhaps my charitable side, friendly good hearted personality or perhaps my great mothering skills Ha! Ha! but for me is all just a bit of light hearted fun, meeting like minded friends and having a laugh at myself xx p.s Thank you Paddy but I'm 41 not 37 but I'm forever grateful :)

Old world Charm

I love this photo of an old window placed on an aged wall no doubt in the country of France, a simple day bed understated but still very beautiful.

Our vintage crazed porcelain bowl with bronze dragonfly sits beautifully on a sideboard or bathroom. Back in time I can imagine an exotic tropical Island, shutters, mosquito net over a four poster bed, a marble bath, candles with an exquisite piece of french milled soap inside this beautiful dish available at lily-g.

Stationary Love...

As you have guessed I have gone stationary mad at Lily-g. I'm always using sticky notes to mark my photo's, recipes and notes at work so when I discovered these gorgeous assorted sticky notes I had to have them. The file organizers, note books, wrapping paper all compliment this botanical story and would brighten any day working in the office doing boring paper work!

Lot's of Green @ lily-g

Most of the glass candle holders are from $19 and make an inexpensive statement. Mix the candle holders with vases of flowers and the setting takes on a different effect. I have a small sideboard at home that I have clustered candles and vases together and at night it looks gorgeous with all the candles burning.

A letter to you

I am loving our new stationary range from Poppies and Grace, all handmade and beautifully presented. This range will be for sale via our on-line shop which should be up and running in the next 2 weeks. Their is nothing nicer than receiving a hand written note, thank you card or special message from a friend. The spotty paper with the bird is actually a posty note, how cute. I hope you all have a fabulous week-end and I'm looking forward to catching up on all your posts xx

Cooler Days

Thankfully the days are getting cooler and I'm looking forward to spending time in the garden. This season at lily-g I have gone gardening mad, buying all sorts of gorgeous gardening tools, pots from france for the herbs, vintage watering cans, old reels of string with scissors even Burberry looking rubber boots! I'm even going to try my luck buying potted hydrangea's for the shop and for my home, they add such a lovely burst of colour.

Chandeliers

The beauty of a Chandelier adds such a timeless appeal to your home, I have just installed the top chandelier in my lounge room and it looks amazing. This particular chandelier is a reproduction but with old crystals salvaged from Antique chandeliers. They look so authentic and its actually Artisans who create such beautiful impersonations of the real thing. The good news it's a lot more affordable. Our chandeliers and antique pieces are starting to arrive in store now.

Bringing back memories

I am definitely past this stage, but I just had to post these beautiful Nurseries. This is how a nursery should look, beautiful antiques, pastel colours. My darling lily is rebelling she said, " Mummy I want a rainbow room with lots and lots of colours" she is paying me back for depriving her of colour!!!! Have a great day.

Bangalow Part 2

The house hunting continues! On Saturday we spent the entire day looking at property in Northern NSW. Our priority list: Rural View, 5-20 acres, near the beach and Bangalow, A huge fig tree, a home with Character that we can renovate. Keeping in the budget and trying to find the above is no easy task but lucky we have lots of time and we plan on finding the perfect property for us. I am so impulsive that its hard "just looking" at this stage, but we have so many things to work out. I will be living half the time in Brisbane, running my store and the other half living the country life, but I'm up for the challenge!

Gretel house is in Eureka, I was very surprised to find this gorgeous area so close to Byron, the tree lined streets and the entire area is so beautiful. We have not been on the property yet but we drove past and loved it. The property is only 5 acres which could be perfect and more manageable, apparently there is a guest house and seven bedrooms, again this property has lots of potential but no view which is on my priority list. 

Lornsmere House built in 1917 by the Scarabelloti Family. I noticed this home on the internet but it wasn't till seeing it in reality that we became interested, finally the agent is showing us houses we love. The positives: tennis court, pool, big fig tree, a studio, a guest house and beautiful gardens. The negatives, the house is over priced, the owners have gutted the kitchen and the living space is small, the entire house was built the wrong way around, the entry to the back of the home. We would have to add an extension for a living area and kitchen. The studio and the guest house is in ruins and would need to be completely re-done but we love the prospect of that. The guest house we would convert to a B&B and the added income would pay for maintenance on the property. The down side not one Macca tree, we have either 3000 tree's or zero!! It would be a complete renovation and repaint but if we could get it for the right price its our first real option and only 8 min to Bangalow and 15min to Byron and the beaches.

We have decided that buying a coffee plantation may be a little to adventurous, Just because we love drinking it doesn't mean we can produce it! looks a little daunting!

The creek behind the property supplied drinking water to the Scarrabellotti family before town water. My children would love this water hole.

Regardless my number 1 priority is to have a large fig tree, Sorry Lily I'm thinking a chandelier and a large old french table under this beautiful tree!

This picture is from another property and worth millions (out of our budget) but I can see us having our glass of wine, camp fire watching the sun set, Stress, what Stress!