Flowers on the Roadside

I am often so tempted to pull-over the car and whip out the pair of scissors I keep in my glove box and cut flowers from bushes on the roadside. Today I did just that. I was driving over to pick up Harry from sailing and I saw these big bright beautiful pink flowers on a huge bush on the side of the road. I did a u-turn, stopped and cut a few. They have very prickly stems so I had to use the paper bag in the door pocket which was left-over from Harry's sausage roll this morning to handle them. Although they have dropped a little bit since arriving home, I do think they look pretty in the aqua vase I put them in on our fireplace mantel. It's amazing what beauty you can discover without even spending a cent.

Suzani Chair at Jenny's House

I love seeing where bits and pieces from our shop end up. Here's a picture above of one of our vintage French chairs, which we covered in a suzani, in the kitchen of a lovely customer and blogger, Jenny from My Pink Door...I think it looks great in her kitchen/dining area with the fantastic black and white floor and the other mismatched chairs.

A New Window

Today we worked on a new display in our front window at Black & Spiro. We wanted it to be fresh and colourful and eye catching. This is our last window before our very exciting Christmas window which will be installed in a few weeks time. We wrapped bits of remnant fabric around birdcages and hung them in front of a gorgeous bright pink and white and black floral fabric. It always makes me feel so happy when we have installed a fresh new window at the shop...

Black & Spiro Today

Here's a little shapshot of some things in the shop which I am loving right now. Our new purple inlay chest of drawers is like a breath of fresh air...it's so pretty! I really am having a purple moment! One of my favourite quotes {by Virginia Woolf} which I had hand written and framed in an old white-painted frame - "Arrange whatever pieces come your way". This quote really is wonderful. I love it!

Beautiful & Colourful

Just because I love the colours in these pictures...so inspiring.

image 1 & 2 - jil sander via the satorialist, image 3 - vintage liz claiborne ad via

News

I have some news to share with you today which I am so very proud of. Yesterday we received 2 exciting publications in the mail....

Last year I was encouraged by my girls here at Black & Spiro and also Stephanie from In House Agencies to submit my work into the Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year Awards. I certainly wasn't very hopeful considering the amazing designers from across the world who feature in the book each year. However, after completely forgetting that I had submitted some photos of my work, earlier this year I received an email to advise me that I had been selected as one of the world's leading interior designers in the 2010 volume 14 Andrew Martin Interior Design Review book. I was overwhelmed to say the least. It has been a long wait for the book to arrive but yesterday it came. It is so big and beautiful and the work featured by amazing designers from all over the world is divine. The Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year has been described by the Times as "The Oscars for the Interior Design World".

Not only did the Andrew Martin book arrive yesterday, the new Nov/Dec Vogue Living arrived which our new store is featured in. How exciting to be featured in my absolute favourite magazine for a second year in a row. It really does show that lots of hard work and determination pays off in the end.

I could almost cry...

xo

Anna

Take Me Away

If I could click my fingers and be anywhere right now, I think I'd like to be here at Hotel Augustus in Forte dei Marmi, Italy. I found these fabulous photos on the ever-stylish satorialist blog.

Weekend Tidbits

My weekend has been filled with happiness. Spending time at home with my family is my favourite thing in the world. Yesterday I played with fabrics and tied them onto chairs with bows.



Last night we had some friends over for dinner. It was cold so we lit the fire. I arranged fresh Lillies and leaves from our garden on our coffee table and I lit lots of candles. Candles and flowers make me so happy.

Not only did I arrange flowers from our garden in our house, I cooked roast chicken and used fresh rosemary and tomatoes from our garden. I bundled up a little parcel of rosemary and tomatoes for my friends to take home with them. They absolutely loved it.

This morning I have been sitting in our lounge room with the paper and my bubba listening to my music. The boys are about to have a swim as it's so gorgeous and sunny...still too cold for me though.

Can you believe I just spotted this gladioli flower which has popped up smack bang in the middle of our baron block. We obviously have very fertile soil here.

I collected more November Lillies from my friend Phoebe Stephens yesterday. I am obsessed with them at the moment.

Spring really is starting to shine through today. The blue skies are stunning as is my Jacaranda tree which is just starting to flower...

I'm off to enjoy the rest of this glorious sunny Spring day.

xo

Anna

Loving Lately

The duckie booties my mother-in-law knitted for Max

Fluoro art by Essimar

Fun kids sleepovers

Stella Gallery in Brisbane

The thought of Christmas just around the corner

Vintage watches with grosgrain bands

Zuba African Necklace from Shopbop

Swan Lake by Inaluxe


The Kelly sofa by Jardan


Here are a few things I've been obsessing over lately and yes they are all very random except for one weird thing...there is a hint of yellow in every single picture!!

Happy Wet & Windy Weekend

Can you believe the weather we are experiencing here in Brisbane? Spring just hasn't had a chance to shine through at all. I'm preparing myself for another wet and windy weekend at home. Maybe I'll venture out to get some flowers in the morning but I think that's about as far as I want to go this weekend. After a crazy and pretty stressful week getting all of our pre-Christmas orders in place and secured with our suppliers and manufacturers, I'm looking forward to just pottering.

This afternoon I spotted this gorgeous old Kate Spade ad in my files which I thought would be perfect to post today {with this weather}. Oh and talking of Kate Spade, I loved seeing the images Katie Armour posted this week of the Kate Spade pop-up store opening in London soon. They really know how to do it those people at Kate Spade. Very groovy!

images 2,3,4 - kate spade via the neo-traditionalist

Christmas Table

Dare I mention the words CHRISTMAS TABLE?!

Well, to my huge excitement I am hosting Christmas Day for my family this year. It is the first time a member of my generation within our family has had Christmas Day. The baton has been passed.

I am getting myself into a bit of a fluster about it as I have my mother and my aunty and my grandmothers to live up to. I have briefly mentioned the concept of gorgeous, sort-of delicious, kind-of groovy sandwiches made with beautiful breads and roast chicken, homemade ham on the bone, roasted capsicum, roasted zucchini, beautiful cheeses, salads, seafood and that sort of a thing. I just want to have something a bit more relaxed and not so full on {even though I am sure preparing all of that will be full on!!}.

The phone calls between my mother and grandmothers and aunties have already started. I am sure they are questioning my ability! Well, I am going to show them that I have it in me to create something just as wonderful as they have done over the past 20, 30, 40 years.

I love the table in the top image. I'm thinking something like this in the garden with big umbrellas {remember our Christmas falls in Summer here}. I love that it looks relaxed and not too staged and themed. I'm not into that sort of thing. I think I will definitely be taking a few of the bowls {bottom picture} home with me which we have for sale at Black & Spiro. I'll be sure to keep you updated with how I go!!

What are your plans for Christmas this year?

My Weekend Ponderings

Loving check on check on tartan on tartan right now...

I never tire of seeing images of her....


It's great and it's our first Australian online design mag...



My little begonias which I arranged yesterday...

I spent my entire weekend pottering within the walls of our house. With the cyclonic conditions we are currently experiencing here, I thought it best to keep my family indoors wrapped in cotton wool! Despite my efforts, my 7 year old managed to get himself outside and enjoyed some moments of pure boy bliss in the mud on our block and then to my sheer amazement jumped into the pool in the freezing cold wind and rain!

I'm certainly not one to complain about this weather as I love it when it rains and I love what this rain is doing to my garden. Yesterday I cut a few flowering begonias which I arranged with some leaves from our garden in a little vase for the table as we had a family lunch at home around the dining table in our kitchen. There's something so lovely about eating around the kitchen table with family.

Whilst indoors on the weekend, I enjoyed catching up on the numerous blogs I follow {thanks to them for a couple of the images above} and reading the first Australian online interiors magazine, Adore which, excuse the pun, I adore!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

xx

Anna

image 1 & 2 - via unabashedly prep, image 3 - adore magazine, image 4 - anna spiro