Favourite Florals

I could look at Liberty fabrics all day! This beautiful shoot is from US Country Living magazine.

A new shop in Paris

A new children's homewares boutique to add to the must-visit list (in Paris of course) : Nanelle .

Last night at the beach

A balmy night and a red sunset down at Brighton Beach.

Bambi & Batman

I love the whimsical super-hero / retro cartoon theme running through this Swedish family residence. What a wonderful place to call home!
Photography by JENNY BRANDT
Via http://www.familyliving.se/spotlight/trender/stora-fynd-fran-sma-loppi/

Hiccups Babies in Myer Sydney City store

Here are a few shots of the new Hiccups Babies collection designed by Kate, as seen in Myer's Sydney city store.

And here is the Hiccups Babies stand at the recent Baby Show , held at the Royal Exhibition Buildings in Melbourne.

Vintage Gree

I love these reproductions of French illustrator Alain Gree's designs 'La Maison' and 'Farandole', available from Mes Habits Cheris .

The Heart and the Bottle

Every now and then a children's picture book is published that manages to resonate to both the adult and child reader. The Heart and the Bottle is such a book, by a favourite children's author and illustrator of mine - Australian born, Irish raised and Brooklyn based Oliver Jeffers .
The Heart and the Bottle tells a tale dealing with the difficult themes of love and loss, showing the reader that ultimately no matter how much someone important in your life is missed, hope and change are always around the corner. A very special book! The preface pages are especially lovely.

Be sure to check out this little peek into Oliver Jeffers ' world. I am happy to hear him mention the word 'filim' - one that my of Irish descent yet 6th generation Australian father uses to this day for some very strange (but always entertaining) reason.
And by the way - Happy St Patrick's Day!

'Beautiful Balloons' and 'Machines at Work' in Myer

The two new Hiccups prints 'Beautiful Balloons' and 'Machines at Work' are now available at Myer stores throughout Australia. These two designs can also be seen in the latest Myer Home catalogue .

Hiccups and Dulux Paints

The team at Hiccups have been working closely with Dulux to identify and create paint colours to complement our new range of bed linen and accessories especially for kids. You can read our Press Release here.

My personal favourite colour is Dulux Whimsy Quarter, which we used in our 'Beautiful Balloons' interior photography. Whimsy is a fresh shade of blue with the tiniest hint of aqua, a great option for adding an easy-to-live-with burst of colour to a child's bedroom.

Hiccups in New Zealand

Here are the two new print designs from Hiccups - 'Beautiful Balloons' and 'Machines At Work', as seen in the Farmers Department Store new season home catalogue.

Hiccups in Studio Bambini Winter 2010 Edition

The latest Hiccups collection makes an appearance in the new edition of Studio Bambini .

A dreamy tree mural

Photographed by James Merrell .
A lovely tree motif for a children's bedroom?

Tutti Frutti

I love the sorbet inspired colour schemes and cute DIY animal projects featured in this children's bedroom decoration article from the always excellent Dutch magazine Ariadne At Home Kinderen .

The Story Blanket

The Story Blanket is a lovely little folksy tale about the caring and generous Babba Zarrah who owns a colourful woollen blanket which the children of her village love to sit on to listen to her stories. When she realises that her neighbours need new clothes to keep them warm during the deep winter, Babba Zarrah unravels her story blanket in secret to knit them the items they need, such as a scarf for the postman and a warm blanket for baby Olga.
When the villagers discover Babba Zarrah's secret, they decide give her a heart-warming surprise in return.

Elena Odriozola's illustrations are beautifully composed and delicately painted in a soft watercolour technique. I will definitely checking out more of her published children's book illustrations!

The Story Blanket is written by Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz, and illustrated by Elena Odriozola.  My paperback version was published by Andersen Press in 2009.

You can also visit Ferida's Backyard , a blog written by Ferida Wolff about her observations of nature around her neighbourhood - a lovely read.

Dutch Style

A sprinkling of colourful and inspiring children's bedrooms from the stylish Dutch interiors magazine VTWonen.