French Hamptons Inspired Palatial Pin & Memo Board...

 

 

An update from my last memo pin board 'Drab to Fab Gorgeous Office PinBoard', I needed a family memo/ pin board for our kitchen that was conducive to the colour palette of our open kitchen & living room plan.

Our walls are painted in 1/4 tint Dulux Hog Bristle and Doors/ Trims & Skirts are in Taubmans 'Natural White'. So what to do?

I found 2 over sized tea towels from our local  discount department & grocery store, in a similar colour to our walls with a little depth - sandy taupe and off white - the fabric - a cotton sateen French Wedgewood Ticking Stripe [this means that there is a large block stripe and smaller stripes to create a pattern - not just a regular stripe like that of a 'regular' ticking stripe'].

 

I sewed the tea towels together with creating an open 'French' seam.

Lining the front side of dowdy cork pin board with a layer of wadding and spray adhesive, I then used my trusty stapled gun pulling the joined tea towels tautly over the front of the board and securing each side with the staple gun.

Using a tonal &  complimentary grosgrain ribbon I wove  [under and over] the 'diamond' trellis ribbon. At each cross point you can then add a pearl pin or an upholstery nail head to secure the points to add your memos!

 

This is a super economic and chic way to update a boring old cork board. I am slightly addicted to stripes but a floral, or small chintz pattern could also work just as well. Using tea towels can be a fun way to fin different prints and patterns, more often they can be less expensive than buying by the metre, and if it's for a kitchen - like mine was - it's a little secret play-on for decorating!

 

Have fun with it - love to see your memo / pin board updates.

Email your pics to me sarah.verity@verandahhomeliving.biz I would love to post a blog on all your great Palatial Pin Boards!

Enjoy,

 

 

images via www.verandahhomeliving.biz , sarah verity

Friday Flowers.. Splash of Red.

I had hoped to have organised a 'special Friday Flowers' this week but time has run away with me for some reason this week! And to be truthful if I don't visit this special 'Friday Flowers' person & shop it won't be Palatial Living blog post worthy and I'd hate to disappoint you! So I have pencilled it into my diary and have to get myself into gear and make a time to visit and hopefully interview too!
 I also received a lovely phone call yesterday from [hopefully] a new client who I am hoping to help with her window treatments, some decor pieces and colour palettes for her new home...Funnily enough the person who got me in contact with the 'secret' Friday Flowers person - also referred my [hopeful] new client to me. Her name is Victoria Louis and she runs a fabulous photography workshops 'A Beautiful Workshop' aka The Nuts and Bolts Workshop - she is a PR & Marketing whiz , and in a former life [pre-children] was the marketing manager at Pacific magazines [Home Beautiful and the likes]. Be sure to check out Victoria and her business partner Cathy Crawley's - website HERE. 

So today you have my garden - these are pic I took of my Scarlet red carpet roses that I have growing on one side of our fence - really to prevent the two Houdini's aka Lucy & Zach our Cavalier & Cavoodle from making next door their new home! I recently painted our parameter fence one of my fave colours from the Dulux exterior paint selections 'Ironstone' - it really helps to make the yard appear deeper & all our flowers and foliage 'pop'!

Thank you for visiting Palatial Living this week...

I look forward to bring you more stylish Palatial activity next week. Happy Weekend & Enjoy!

images by Sarah Verity - Verandah Home+Garden Living Solutions

Nursery Sneak Peak...

I covet my [our] Eames [Replica] RAR Rocker from Matt Blatt - it is so comfortable and terribly stylish, teamed with UK brand 'Nature's Purest' - 'Bird' applique Pillow... ready for nursing.

A collection of sweet friends - left to right - 'D-lux' knitted Bunny from my Aunt & cousin, Harrods' 'My First Puppy' I picked this adorable plush puppy up when I was in London last year visiting my sister - just before I arrived we found out I was pregnant with Baby Verity - as a little girl I had a 'puppy' that I adored & I wanted to carry on the tradition.

Next to 'Puppy' is the knitted soft rattle 'Safari Elephant' from Nature's Purest - an adorable gift from a good friend & work colleague who loved the recent birth of the baby elephant at Sydney's Taronga Zoo and thought to commemorate it for our baby! Lastly - 'Noukies' Teddy Bear rattle plush slippers I saw these in a baby wear store in Lucerne Switzerland on my travels late last year and thought they were perfect!

I love this Cath Kidston 'Knitted Bunny' that I picked up in the Cath Kidston signature store in Covent Garden London when visiting my sister last year - I really love that store, coupled with another 'rabbit' with the wonderful story book 'Guess How Much I Love You' sweetheart edition by Sam McBrateny & Illustrated by Anita Jeram.

A fun display - Eric Carle's 'Very Special Baby Book' , Dr Suess' Miniature Library, Cath Kidson's 'Knitted Rabbit', & 'Guess How Much I Love You' story book.

[Above] A very special friend has been waiting for a few years now... we named 'Sinclair', who is Harrods' Signature Teddy Bear that my husband surprised with me when in London, heading though Europe for Christmas & New Year's, a couple months after we were married in 2004, he bought it for our first baby that he knew we'd have some time down the track!

[Above]'Peter Rabbit & Wedgewood Dinner Plate' & Mug; a gift from Verity Grandparents-to-be, my mother-in-law gave us this sweet set, which I have displayed with perspex plate holder, when we announced we were pregnant - I love that she told me she had bought it, as in -waiting gift, shortly after we were married and kept it for this announcement! A lovely friend & work colleague gave us Baby Verity's first couture - a 'Baby Dior' by Christian Dior bottle, complete with silver mesh carrier!

Starting the library... you know my fondness of books, and it's never to early to start. Since taking this photo the collection has grown again, as has the Amazon wish list in Baby Verity's name!

I got restless & did some 'nesting' end of last week and through the weekend in the nursery... and also picked up our Eames [Replica] RAR Rocker - Yay! Here are a few images of the Neutral Canvas I have created for our much anticipated 'Baby Verity'... due in approx. 2/2.5 wks time! My husband thinks it's hilarious that I love to 'merchandise' the books & toys in the bookcase & room... maybe some of me is rubbing off on him - as he found the white baskets, and is quite proud of his 'design' mark made!

Hope you like them... accented colours & more decor pieces to follow - stay tuned! S xxx

Images by Sarah Verity - Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions

Editorial-a-rama... H&G Advice with Cherie Karlsson

I can't tell you how bowled over I am this month with all my favourite interior mags and their dedicated editorial pieces to interior designers, stylist & colour professionals of whom I watch very closely and adore... and this is no exception! In this month's [September 09] issue of Australian House & Garden magazine my colour & design educator, twice over, from ISCD and not to mention mentor and inspiration for professional work life balance - Cherie Karlsson - is a contributor in the H&G Advice section, page 232, offering assistance on '3 Ways To - Paint it White'.... and for someone that knows her grey scale and how to teach it like each line on the back of her hand, then ways to paint White could not have been a better area for Cherie to comment upon. Understanding White and all it's shades & properties would have to be one of the most fundamental underpinnings of understanding colour & light.
You might be able to tell that I regard Cherie in very high esteem - she is incredibly accomplished in both professional [a business women, contributor and an ISCD educator] and family life [with husband & four children - still all at school], but most of all - it is with her wisdom that she imparts her life & work experience with a serene, humble & confident approach - with such generous vigor, who is ever so patient & an amazing communicator to all levels of understanding, and someone that will always have a profound effect on my [colour design] life...

So here's to seeing more of Cherie's contributions to H&G in the future! Happy Painting...

For more information on courses at ISCD please visit their web site, or get in touch with news at the school & in the colour design community with their blog.Images & artcle from Australian House & Garden Issue September 2009.

[Recent] Article: How To Decorate on a Budget...

Australian magazine Real Living - [cover March 2009] Fabulous style & creative ideas without compromising your purse strings!

Thrifty ... designer Sara Silm with her revamped bookshelf that cost less than $200.Photo: Quentin Jones

I am sure that we are all getting very well acquainted with our household budgets this year [and potentially for many more] whilst our economy is taking a downward turn and our discretionary spending becomes scrutinised more than ever... but it doesn't mean the end to great style or re-decorating! There are some great ideas to be had on a thrifty budget - one of my favourite Australian mags 'Real Living' gives just that great ideas & fabulous style on a [shoe string] budget. So just use that noggin' and get creative with your ideas and your dollar!

'How To Decorate on a Budget... '
'...With money tight, a modern style makeover is all about using your ingenuity rather than maxing out your credit card. So we told our experts we wanted great results for less than $500. Read on, they've got your place sorted! ...'

Think outside the square
A recession leads people to focus more on their homes, rather than less, says Chrissie Jeffery, owner of No Chintz soft furnishings. "People aren't going out as much. So they're not going to allow their houses to get too shabby - it's the one place they can entertain." But on our meagre budget, she warns: "Don't fall into the trap of going into a shop and buying something! You're not going to get furniture that's decent and will last a long time for that money." So resist fast-filling a room with budget items. Like slow food, slow decorating pays dividends. As long as you've got a chair to sit on, take time to select pieces you really love.It's not only financially smart to choose things of quality you know you will love for a very long time, it's also the greenest choice because you won't be repeat buying and creating landfill.So, when looking for inexpensive solutions, the time is ripe to extend our decorating gaze beyond those seductive designer showrooms.
"Often what we think we need is sitting right in front of us, or in a charity store," says Sara Silm who co-owns decorating consultancy, Making Beautiful. In fact by buying second-hand, you will often score better-made pieces than something shiny and new in a budget furniture store. "Auction houses and garage sales are a great place to shop for original and interesting pieces at a great price," Silm says.

Get involved
Often the most rewarding projects are the ones where you put in a bit of physical effort. Jeffery says you can make your dollar go a lot further if you're prepared to put in a bit of effort by either painting or sewing. "In Australia, it's the labour cost that really makes things expensive," she says.
"You can change a whole room really cheaply just by giving it a coat of paint," says designer Mia Asker of White Design. Consider this: a four-litre tin of paint - enough to paint an average room - costs about $65 (depending on the brand)."If the wall is in good condition, as long as it's clean you don't need to prepare it, you can just go over the existing paint," says Dulux marketing manager Ken Virtue.
Consider paint as a way of updating a piece of furniture, says Silm. "Just recently I painted a bookshelf (destined for the tip) in a beautiful French grey and covered the back board in a printed dark grey wallpaper," she says. "My husband returned home from a business trip and thought I'd been shopping!" The price? Less than $200.
So when looking at a tired piece of furniture, be creative and imagine it anew. "Paint or limewash an existing piece in a neutral tone. Or why not go all out and paint it raspberry red, pea green or silver?" Silm says.
Another great big-impact option is wallpaper. Some of these are extremely pricey if you're doing a whole wall but Asker recommends looking for end-of-line wallpapers at paint and decorating stores (see Source Book) for the cheapest options. For another budget-smart option, you can get the impact of doing a whole wall by using one large piece of wallpaper and framing it. "It looks great above a bed head," Asker says.

Go for the soft option
New cushions are a great instant style fix. And if your decor tends to neutral shades, then it's time to bring in a colour punch. "Pick a colour scheme; whether red and yellow or something like pink, burgundy and plum," Asker says. "If you buy some cushions, then purchase some toning vases - you'll give your room a whole new flavour."
You can buy cushions off the shelf for as little as $5 at factory-seconds stores. But once again, to make your investment something that lasts, it is worth spending a bit extra. You can buy reasonable-quality cushions with plush feather inserts for about $100 each.Another good option, if you have some great, useable fabric offcuts, is to get an upholsterer to make cushions for you. As a price guide, an good upholsterer will generally charge about $40 a cushion.

Get crafty
If you can sew, then you can create everything from cushions to curtains to upholstery. You can brush up those high school sewing skills with an evening course and you can even buy a basic sewing machine online for as little as $30.Another smart investment for the crafty decorator, if you're keen to do-it-yourself, is a staple gun. With this simple tool, all manner of projects suddenly become possible.
"Small upholstery jobs are not an unreasonable DIY venture," says Silm. "Teamed with some great fabric and some shiny nickel studs, you'll have a transformation that's incredibly impressive and also very rewarding.
"Start with the seat pad of an old dining chair. A 50-centimetre square piece of fabric, some wadding, a staple gun and upholstery tacs will get you going." If you haven't tried anything like this before, then you'll find the web is a great source of instructions for how-to projects.

Personalise your walls
Yes, the DIY shows are full of make-your-own wall art. The key here is scale and proportion. One large-sized canvas, wrapped in fabric, can create an impressive room feature. Silm is a fan of the graphic fabrics at IKEA.
"At $9 a metre, they're great value, not just for curtains." She suggests creating a series of smaller frames and covering them with the same fabric.
"Use a staple gun and wrap them around a canvas from a $2 shop for instant art. Repeated on a wall in two rows of three or five - they look great," says Silm. If anyone in your family is handy on a computer, then digital art is another great way to give a room real punch. (Try black and white images for maximum chic)."Or take any abstract images that you have on file," says Silm. "Then all you need to do is email the file to one of the many shops that can print off the image as a canvas. A 24-inch (61-centimetre) by 36-inch (91 centimetres) canvas is as little as $260." So what is stopping you? Now, no matter what the size your budget is, there is no reason why your home shouldn't look well turned out.

BEFORE and AFTER
Artist Olga Kaydanov reinvented an outdated piece of furniture through the simplest of means.
"I tore all of the fabric and stuffing off and was left with a box made from very cheap wood," she explains on her blog gingerandgold.typepad.com, about the ottoman overhaul.
"The box was full of imperfections and pencil marks. I liked that very much and wanted to add something extra to make it look even more like a shipping crate. I cut stencils from printer paper and stencilled the numbers, letters and symbols onto the box with regular black acrylic paint."
To finish, she added leftover MDF inserts to make a new lid, varnished the entire piece, added upholstery nails and screwed in the new legs to create a funky talking piece.

Article from SMH [Sydney Morning Herald] 29 January 2009