Little treasures to hang at the window

How lovely are these little ornaments from the V&A shop? This 'Bird and Tree' cut metal decoration takes inspiration from an 1899 C.F.A. Voysey embroidered cushion cover design.

Whilst this floral decorative piece is inspired by Voysey's 'Fools Parsley' wallpaper design.

Spring at Cloudehill

Cloudehill is a beautiful garden and nursery located near Olinda in the Dandenong Ranges, just a short drive from Melbourne. With a layout inspired by the famous Arts and Crafts gardens of England - Hidcote, Sissinghurst etc, this is a great place to wander around with a digital camera, capturing the many colourful specimens only found in the cooler climes of Australia. And a great place to burn off the extra kilos gained by dining at the restaurant....

A lovely meandering pathway

A hot pink carpet of rhododendron petals

Bluebells and Daffodils

A lovely old Magnolia

Showy daffodils

A magnificent peony

Helleborus

Weeping Cherry

A delicate Clematis

One of the many 'Garden Rooms'

A Weeping Cherry against a drizzling grey sky - time to run for cover!

William's wonderful wares

New from the Victoria and Albert Museum is the V & A Pattern book series, a must have for any fan of historical textile design and a wonderful source of inspiration for designers. William Morris is one of four new titles in the series which also includes Indian Florals, Digital Pioneers and The Fifties. I love William Morris's harmonious repeats - he certainly had a talent for creating beautiful and original designs (as did his assistant John Henry Dearle), most of which still have a modern appeal 120 years later.

'Brother Rabbit' textile designed by William Morris 1882.

'Daisy' wallpaper designed by William Morris 1864.

'Strawberry Thief' textile designed by William Morris 1883.

'Larkspur' textile designed by William Morris 1875.

'Michaelmas Daisy' wallpaper designed by John Henry Dearle for Morris & Co. c 1912.

'Foliage' wallpaper designed by John Henry Dearle for Morris & Co. 1899.

'Sweet Briar' wallpaper by John Henry Dearle for Morris & Co. 1912.

Real Living - Kids special

Here is our ad for 'Horsing Around' from the November 2009 Kids Special edition of Real Living.

Also making an appearance is our 'Serenity' cushion in the kid friendly 100 ideas and best budget buys article.

This is a fantastic issue of Real Living, jam-packed with great kid related decorating ideas!

Vintage style in Daylesford

I love the vintage decorating style of Lark founder Allison Jones, as seen in the October 2009 edition of Australian Country Style. The gorgeous strips of retro wallpaper in the top bedroom look fantastic, and how lovely is that knitted cornishware tea set? 

Photography by Lisa Cohen

An island in the sun

Here is our Hiccups 'Holiday Stripe' yarn dyed bed linen which was recently photographed at a resort in Bali.

Such a magical bed - and a great spot to escape the tropical heat.

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas

The title of this book grabbed my attention straight away - I grew up with three brothers, two of whom only ate peas in their frozen form. Until their 20's. Sad but true. That has nothing to do with this book really, as this is a lovely modern tale about a prince wanting to fall in love with and get married to someone who likes hockey, camping and has a nice smile - a girl who displays all of the opposite behaviour of the usual princess-y types. What better way to test a future partner then with a packet of frozen peas?

The Princess and the Packet of Frozen Peas is written by Melbourne author Tony Wilson and illustrated by Sue deGennaro, and is published by Scholastic.

Hiccups in Studio Bambini

The team at Studio Bambini always do a beautiful job with styling products for the magazine - here a few images of the new Hiccups bed linen range, photographed by Tim Bauer.

And something for the boys - Hiccups 'Sailing Away' bed linen.

Hiccups in Studio Bambini Magazine

Here is our advert from the Spring Summer 09/10 edition of Studio Bambini - featuring 'Horsing Around'.

Horsing Around and painting

Here are a few photos of the design process behind the Hiccups printed bed linen designs. I start by sketching out a rough repeat straight onto the watercolour paper, followed by a detailed pencil outline ready for painting.

The smaller scale floral reverse and sheet set design.

I paint the design using designers gouache - easy to control, bright and opaque colours that can be watered down to create soft wash effects.

Once the design is completely painted I then outline the motifs in pencil for definition.

The finished artwork - ready for the printing mill!

Chambre Chic

From the pages of Milk Magazine Edition 25.

A lovely white space with lots of girly pink and red touches in Paris, decorated by a Dutch mother.

Industrial chic in London  - a sophisticated retreat for a four year old boy.