Put Your Feet Up...for the Weekend x

It's a great feeling at this time of the week [Friday afternoon] when you're looking for to a moment over the weekend where you can just put your feet up - for a little bit! I have a big family even this weekend to celebrate all the birthdays we have had over the past 2 weeks (mine included!), & spending time with my husband - some weeks we're like 'ships passing in the night'! I am looking forward to seeing a returning client of mine tomorrow and what they have done since I saw them last and what we're going to do next! But tonight I am most looking forward a quiet one at home with my two adorable dogs, Lucy (the Cavalier King Charles) & Zach (the Cavoodle), whilst it's raining outside helping my garden grow!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend... thank you for dropping by at Palatial Living this week - take care! S x

Image - 'Blue Sequin Shoes' from Snippet & Ink - we love Kathryn's, uber gorgeous wedding stylist blog!

Stylish Colourful Storage Furniture...

'Trip Trumeau' chest console designs in 2 & 3 darwer styles from Seletti's

How about some colour into your furniture - it's one thing to paint a solid hue but what about mixing it up in a very stylish fashion....colour and pattern certainly breathe new life into these traditional shaped pieces. I adore these colourful, modern & tres stylish drawer 2 & 3 drawer chest/ console units. I think they are perfect for a contemporary space or perfectly playful for a children's room... With its rainbow of stripes, the 'Trip Trumeau' chest becomes the center of attention in any room. Made of MDF, the three-drawer unit measures 100 x 48H, 84cm (approx. US$1,360) and two-drawer measures 100 x 39h, 76cm - from Neo-Utility.com and Seletti.

Do you have any pieces like this at home or at the thrift/ op shop that you may have spied - that you can apply your own paint & pattern (the simpler the better the effect), to make into a modern colourful piece?

Images from Metropolitan Home & Seletti

Surreal Blue & White - Alice in Waterland...

I recently stumbled across these fabulous images by photographer Elena Kalis, her works titled 'Alice In Waterland'. I have always loved, little fair haired girls in the blue dress with white apron and black ribbon headband that is Alice, in the timeless tale by Lewis Caroll. My grandmother used to have an over sized Dinsey picture book of the story and read it to me religiously before I would go to sleep when staying over at her place. I loved the colours, and all the crazy outlandish things that these animals and imaginary characters could do, whilst Alice was madly tyring to find her way back home... These images by Elena Kalis contain that wonderful surreal imaginary world that is made for Alice - but here in her 'Waterland'. I think they are just beautiful and terribly clever... for more of Elena's work please visit her web page. I would love some of these images in large white frames, on white walls with white trim in my home, accented by shots of pale aqua, light pink and shots of red, voila!

Image from Elena Kalis - 'Trendsnow ' Future Trends Magazine ; Wikipedia - Alice in Wonderland film

Birthday Love...

Wishing my lovely, wonderful Auntie Barbara {& Godmother} a very Happy Birthday today! Here's to a year full of love, great times with family & friends, and lots of sunny days!

Love you Lots. S xxx

Image from vi.sualize.us

Passport...The Connaught Hotel

'Belle magazine Holiday Issue Dec 09/ Jan 10'
Exterior view. The Connaught - Carlos Place, Mayfair London. W1K 2AL United Kingdom T: +44 (0)20 7499 7070

Punchy modern graphic upholstery & floor coverings in the bar areas.

Eagles Lodge suite bedroom

Eagles Lodge suite living room

Eagles Lodge suite bathroom

I just got my latest issue of 'Belle magazine Holiday Issue Dec 09/ Jan 10' in the post yesterday and came across a little except written up about The Connaught Hotel. I had meant to visit it whilst in London recently but plain ran out of time and only made it to The Haymarket & Covent Garden Hotels! So it's on my list to go back to Mayfair and have a lovely little look... but in the meantime here's some gorgeous images I thought I would share with you of their 5-Star luxury hotel. I adore the punchy modern graphic upholstery & colouring of the bar, and the delicious sumptuous feeling of the restaurant. And naturally - I fell in love with the Eagles Lodge Suite with its serene blue, white, grey hues....

Images The Connaught Hotel, & Belle magazine Holiday Issue Dec 09/ Jan 10

The Race That Stops A Nation... It's Melbourne Cup Day!

In celebration of our [national] big race day that is - The Melbourne Cup , held at Flemington Race Course, Flemington Victoria [Australia]. The Melbourne Cup is traditionally held on the first Tuesday of November each year and series of prestigious races days lead up to this one BIG Cup day!! I came across this fabulous advertisement from Warwick fabrics from the most recent Vogue Living November / December 2009 issue that shows us what it's all about! The colour, the pattern, the print, the movement, the horses & their jockeys - and the captured anticipation of who's going to win! PLace your bets... the race begins at 3pm sharp Australian Eastern Standard local time. Good Luck & Have Fun! x

Image from Warwick Fabrics advertsiment - Vogue Living November / December 2009 issue

Have A Happy Trick-aTreat Weekend!

It's Friday & you know what that means... it's the weekend again! Wow - did we just have one? My week has gone unexpectedly super fast... but it has been a fabulous week with some great news along the way, and I delivered part 2 of a project to my lovely client last night for their styling & decorating needs, which I am am happy to say she was really excited & pleased with it all - so much so she ordered some of the hall way & dining furniture recommendations today!

I also got to see all the efforts she had put in to implementing the colour consulting - with all the rooms & trim newly painted, a kitchen splash back with updated tile colour - it looks so very hot, and new cabinetry hardware! Wow - with these changes it looks like a new contemporary -sophisticated- family friendly home... by seeing these parts of the project implemented it really helps me feel like I [Verandah H&G LS] has been able to contribute positively to this client & her family's life - aesthetically & practically. Hopefully in the next couple of months I will have some photos of this project that I can share with you on Palatial Living & Verandah H& LS...

So if you have some Halloween plans for Saturday I hope that you have a ghoulishly good time! If not I am sure you'll have a fabulous time over the weekend... Here in Sydney it's supposed to be amazing weather which I am very grateful for all my 'outdoor' Birthday plans!

Here's to your weekend - thanks for stopping by again this week at Palatial Living...Enjoy & Take Care. S xxx

Images from Country Living & Southern Living.

Sweet Spooky Treats...

HALLOWEEN COOKIES - Cookie sandwiches built to look like witch hats are a hit with kids. Purchase or bake chocolate cookies wide enough to hold a chocolate ice-cream cone.

HOMEMADE GHOSTS - A treat for little fingers, these pudgy meringue ghosts aren’t at all tricky to make. Using a pastry bag, squeeze dollops of homemade meringue onto a cookie sheet. After baking them, use a small paintbrush to add eyes with black paste icing. Then pile the ghosts high on a vintage tin cake stand that’s dressed for the holiday with glued-on black grosgrain ribbon and orange and black jelly beans. Get the recipe for a pumpkin spice cake with a jack-o’-lantern stencil.

Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Cake
The secret to this cake's perfect form? A fluted, dome-shaped pan. The pumpkin shape is actually two dome cakes fitted together. Recipe: Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Cake

Spiderweb Cupcakes Super-easy white-chocolate toppers appear to float, Houdini-like, over chocolate cupcakes.

Spider Cake - All you need to create this dazzling cake is boxed cake mix, store-bought frosting, and black sanding sugar. Recipe: Along Came a Spider Cake

I had to share these with you... My mouth is watering with all these sweet spooky cute deserts & treats... with a tight colour palette & a specific theme it's amazing what you can come up with even the humble vanilla or chocolate cake can be iced with webbing or a howling black cat! All the recipes are linked to the captions - maybe you could try 1 or 2 recipes this weekend... hmmm yum!

Images from Sunset, Cuontry Home, Southern Living & Country Living

A Sophisticated Halloweeen - Gilded Gourds...

If you're not into the typical Autumnal / Harvest colours of Halloween - why not try something a little different and go metallic! Spraying your pumpkins & gourds in black, with pewter, bronze, gold & silver can add a sophisticated air to a table setting, a hanging ornament or a door step vignette... You could almost keep them on for Christmas if they didn't collapse!

Images from Country Living.

Colours of Halloween...

Although I know it's not Autumn [Fall] here in the Southern hemisphere, and we are in beautiful Spring - not to mention - just about to embrace a gorgeous sunny & hot Summer... I can't help but share these Autumnal shades of Halloween - these colours just naturally go with this fun festive time mostly due to their Northern Hemisphere & Harvest time origins, all the same they can't be ignore. So warm, rich, cosy, fun & friendly...here's a palette you can incorporate into your Halloween decorations & settings.

Images from Southern Living

Halloween... Pumpkin Door Wreath

I stumbled across this great idea for a stylish pumpkin door wreath on Southern Living - here's the 'How-To ' so you can get cracking on it...

Pick up mini pumpkins from the grocery store, and put them to good use. With these simple steps, it’s easy to do.
Here's a great use for those miniature pumpkins that you see in grocery stores and at produce stands this time of year. For a Halloween decoration that will bring seasonal color to your front door, attach some miniature pumpkins to a plastic foam wreath. It's easy to do: Just wire the tiny pumpkins to the wreath form, and use sheet moss to fill in the spaces between them. Then cap the wreath with a big black bow, and hang it on the front door.
Get out a bowl of goodies, put on your witch hat, and you're all set to welcome a bevy of eager trick-or-treaters.

Step 1: Use the end of heavy-gauge florist wire to make a hole near the bottom of a miniature pumpkin. Run wire through pumpkin and out the opposite side. You could also use a nail or ice pick to make a hole on either side of the pumpkin, and then insert florist wire.

Step 2: Place the miniature pumpkin on the form; on underside of wreath, twist wire ends together to hold the pumpkin in place. Continue threading and attaching pumpkins with wire until wreath form is completely covered.

Step 3: Cover exposed areas of wreath form with pieces of sheet moss, securing with florist pins.

Step 4: Twist a piece of florist wire around the top of the wreath to make a loop for hanging. Make a large bow from wide black ribbon, and attach it near the wire loop. Hang the wreath by the wire loop from a nail or hook inserted in the front door.

MATERIALS You Will Need:

• heavy-gauge florist wire
• nail or ice pick (optional)
• miniature pumpkins
• plastic foam wreath form
• sheet moss
• florist pins
• wide black ribbon

"Wreath of Pumpkins" is from the October 2004 issue of Southern Living.

Image & Article from Southern Living

Birthday Wishes for Bec x

It's definitely Birthday season in our family this month... we have over 6 birthdays in the last 2 weeks of October & 1st week of November!

And today is no exception... it's my darling cousin, Rebecca's birthday! So here's to my gorgeous cousin, Bec - for your birthday we wish you 'oodles of love, fun, & all the things that you can hope for in the year ahead... We Love You - Happy Birthday ! Hope you have a wonderful time today. S xxx

Image from vi.sualize.us / Hostess Blog

Halloween On Our Doorstep...

With Halloween on Saturday 31st October, it's literally just around the corner... I found this great image that shows that not all decorations have to be inside, especially if your worried about forgetting those pumpkins on your living room carpet! Here you can show your Halloween spirit from your verandah doorstep - by greeting passers-by and guests with a warm pumpkin welcome by carving your house number into the pumpkins & lighting them up. What a lovely & stylish way to illuminate your house number in approaching dusky evenings...

Image from Sunset Living

It's Coming Up Pumpkins... Halloween Lead Up.

Halloween - Although it's not as big in Australia as it is in the States & Europe (maybe that southern & northern hemisphere climate thing has something to do with it!). So this week I wanted to celebrate all the fabulous decorating ideas that come with 2 (maybe 3) of my favourite times of the year - Halloween, Autumn [Fall] - even though it's Spring here in Oz, and my Birthday [it falls on Halloween!]...

Here are some amazing pumpkin stencil & carving designs that are a little less traditional, stylish and quirky. Using the pumpkin skin colour as a positive space and the black stencil as the negative space - simplicity reigns when achieving maximum impact for these decorative pieces. Here in Sydney you can find some fantastic stencils at the Stencil Gallery, Glebe to try out on a butternut pumpkin! Enjoy x

Image from Country Living

Happy Birthday, best friend!

Wishing my best-dearest & one of my oldest friends, Alisa - a very Special Happy Birthday today!

Here's to a year full of fun, love & happiness for you. Thank you for being such a truly wonderful person & friend... Much love, S xxx

Image from Mille Motts / vi.sualize.us

It's Friday & Happy Weekend!

It's Friday & the Weekend is upon us... yay - finally! It's been one of those 'funny 'ole weeks' but needless to say I am always happy to welcome the weekend! I have a few things to put together for my lovely client, for Verandah H+G LS , this weekend - finishing touches to a styling project, which I am sure she will be very pleased with; and we are off visiting my super wonderful Grandma [I was named after her] who lives in the Blue Mountains and has a truly amazing & gorgeous expansive garden - will try and take some pics to share with you. We are also entertaining some friends & their 5 Children on Saturday evening at our home, in the back yard, which is one of the reasons I love the image for today's post - a colourful & festive gathering outside over yummy food! It's such a great time of the year (in Sydney Australia) to start entertaining outside whilst we have daylight savings and dusk seems just that bit longer & beautiful...

Thank you for stopping by this week at Palatial Living - it's been lovely again to share with you. So whatever your plans this weekend - make the most of it & Enjoy! S. xxx

Image from Southern Living

House Snoop...Queenslander Love at Camp Hill.

In my regular Palatial Living 'House snoops' I came across this gorgeous & lovingly restored Queenslander located in Camp Hill - just outside Brisbane [Queensland]. I am particularly fond of this home because of what appears to be a successful marriage of the old & the new - with all the contemporary living convenience we're used combined with the style & elegance of this building era.

The majestic elegance of "Fairfield" has been enhanced by a marvellous restoration of the original house, and a spacious brand new extension. Just completed, this residence is now a warm and inviting home, perfectly positioned on a superbly elevated 797 square metre block of North east facing land
Beautiful open wide verandahs - essential for cooling down & Australian living.

Leading to a resort style pool, water feature and a great pool deck for relaxing afternoons!

The brand new family living area boasts Bi-fold doors, opening to a fully covered and sheltered Al fresco kitchen and dining deck, featuring integrated BBQ and lots of storage.

Designed to provide luxury and great access to the dining terrace, Stone has been used on the benchtops, splashbacks and on the huge island bench. Joinery is fresh white Two Pac with plenty of storage and "Ilve" appliances, made in Italy, providing the Gourmet Entertainer's paradise.

Wide, polished timber floors feature throughout the home, and great care has been taken to blend the original with the new.

The original part of the home features a pair of magnificent stained glass front doors and original. Chandelier entry way in a dining space leads to a huge, stylish and contemporary kitchen.

"Fairfield" also boasts City and district views , and is only 5 kilometres from Brisbane's CBD. Camp Hill is a lovely leafy pocket of Brisbane [in Queensland Australia].

Details & Images from RealEstate.com