postcards from LA

ta ta for now

Leaving our little greenacre for a holiday stateside... back mid April

Jo oxo

Wingback chairs

Wingbacks, angel chairs & sacred seats

It seems like only yesterday I was standing tippy toe on the seat of this lovely 

old wingback and I could barely see over the top, mind you I was 5 years old 

and she was botttle green with a tiny fluer de lys self pattern...but I loved the 

softness of the goosedown and the way the feathers would work their way through the fabric, quill first and give you a little nip when you sat down. It was so much fun finding and extracting that cheeky feather.

By the time I was in my teens she had moved on from bottle green to gold velour
and didn't we all think she was just too 'groovey baby' sitting comfortably beside the mirrored feature wall and the bronze wallpaper ... the 70's were special.

When she finally came home to me in 1992 my lovely wingback was a little worse 

for wear but thank god for Designers Guild because nothing cures shabby like aqua plaid. God, didn't I think I was groovey

Now the angel, with the goosedown wings looks a little vintage botanical with some ticking on the side panels, just to cut through the nana floral and she even has her very own portrait on the wall. Life in the ranges agrees with my beautiful wingback for she is still soft, comfortable and just perfect in any room..especially our guest room!

Love you mum xo

Do you have a favourite piece of furniture, one that makes you sigh, 
smile and remember?

Home Office | Live-work + giveaway

the nook surfing before dinner, a 20 min time limit applies 
during peak times!

the soho all present + accounted for with modern storage 
and vintage accents

 

the incognito is it an office, is it a study... no it's the space
at the top of the stair, super!

WHETHER YOU ARE WORKING FROM HOME (like I) or just bpaying & blogging
your life away (again, like I) then you need somewhere to put all your matchy, matchy linen magazine holders and pencil bouquets. Sadly, none of the above are rooms in my house
( s i g h ) although often some of my personal items do make it into the shots (flip flops by the pool, reading glasses on the bedside table) I don't actually live there...even though that is MY leather jacket resting comfortably on the black chair above.

...you want to know where I bought the leather jacket?

Well if you MUST know it's from one of my favourite cities in the world, next to Sydney
and the city of Shoalhaven and I'm sure Paul Hewson (who?) has one just like it !!

giveaway

The first to post the name of the city 
on my facebook page wins a copy of 

apartment therapy's  

the eight step home cure

apartment therapy- saving the world,
one room at a time.

here's how

1. Click on the link beautiful south
2. Like the page and leave your answer!
Sorry, only australian residents

For product info or where to buy 
post a message | send an email
jomccomiskey@bigpond.com.au

Teenage Bedroom Decor

white... it like, so goes with everything

especially a CHANEL poster enlarged from a magazine page, clever + cute!

 

hail IKEA... the god of Nordic white

and fab design that can play nice with your favourite ebay pieces too

  teen image ... pinteresting a few issues 

take one magazine + scissors (no running) + pins (mind your eye)
and start layering

Thank you Mel, again for such a fab house, can you adopt me?

For product info | paint colours | where to buy | post a message | or email

jomccomiskey@bigpond.com.au

ttfn Jo

Childrens room decor

 

 sweetiecollection

 jelly babies, sherberts...and mind the sticky fingers!

 

 black & white humbugs a sophisticated & delicious style that lasts and lasts

gummi bears  sunshine, polka dots and a lime elephant to take you far, far away

 

   marshmellows  chirruping birdies in the tree and a soft place for an afternoon nap
 

 

mini-musks  cot cutie, sweet retro accessories and a place for every little thing

 blue jelly beans  a fairytale or two before lights out makes for sweet dreams

sherbet bombs super sweet storage helps to make homework easy peasy

rasberry bullets stripes ahoy and powder my gingham, theres a duck in my room!

would anyone like a glass of water?

For product info or where to buy | just post a message | send an email
jomccomiskey@bigpond.com.au 

ttfn jo

What goes with orange?

 

 

violet of course!

Maple Corner is a vibrant orange & violet jewellery gallery nestled under a 
lofty canopy of every shade of green. It's a big corner, with a big gate leading to 
3 big green acres of canopy, winding paths and secret garden rooms. The owner, 
Barrie Salau claims he is a former Prussian Prince and direct decsendant
of the Faberge family....hhmmmm? When he's not strolling about the grounds 
in velvet robes and a septre he is very, very busy designing the most exquisite
jewellery and working on all those acres...actually he doesn't have a septre 
but I'm pretty sure he has a velvet waistcoat, or was it corduroy?

Apple green King parrots, dancing Lyrebirds, flame coloured maples, and the tallest 
Tulip tree in the Ranges! No surprises that the gardens at Maple Corner provide 
not only a fantastic backdrop for the colourful gallery but also the perfect muse 
for Barries hand crafted jewelllery collection.

More fabulous images of Barries garden, studio and worshop to follow plus a 
glossy magazine feature! Meanwhile if you are in Olinda, especially on the weekend
come and say hello, there is more to see outside the village. If you can't make it
to the hills, for a wander about the gallery and gardens just press here-

 www.salaujewellery.com.au

 

ttfn Jo

Chicken Coops

  

hen heaven

I want chickens, I want them to follow me around the garden on a soft 

spring day. I want to name them chickeny names like Henrietta, or Miss Prissy.  

I want to gather the eggs in a wicker basket filled with straw as birdies chirrup

my arrival to their mini Edwardian coup (in the matchy, matchy house colours) 

and I want a chicken keeper to do all the other stuff.

no chooks for me then..

My friend Georgie Leckey, the Bedhead Queen and boss of  Heatherly Designs
has perfectly behaved, photogenic chickens and a few very polite other pets too!
We photographed her spectacular garden in Acheron (Great Dividing Range)
for H&G (in this months edition) and had a wonderful time with
her curious chooks...Georgie and I are hiding at either end of the 
vernadah-she's tossing in chickens and I'm throwing bread.

or hell to have chickens? 

We have the perfect property(see second image below) for chickens and a ready
made hen house, needs a bit of work but was operating as a chicken receptacle
long before we bought Somerton. Granted we have 2 dogs, one of which loves to
retrieve balls, sticks, socks and the odd turtle dove. Plus there might be a few foxes
about given that the prior owners had a full hen house before a particularly
sad morning in April a few years ago.

Is it that difficult or, like anything worthwhile is it about time, 
commitment and tucking them in at night?

Q&A Should I revamp the hen house and toss in a few chickens?

dream V reality

ttfn Jo

My friend said...

some great quotes from friends about...stuff 

Me: Hey have a look at my post on the lovely Mel Turner in this months H&G;

Catherine: Another beautiful home, Jo...is she from the Beautiful South area?

Is there such a thing as an ugly designer- they must be a very rare species
because I haven't seen one yet!

Me: Loving the blogging, I popped into an Olinda shop and the woman behind the 

counter said "I know you..you've got a blog"

Sharon: What are you doing, walking up and down the street wearing
a sandwich board?

Maya: Hey Joey, I bought some fabrics today (you should come to HK just to go to 

Sham Shui Po and buy ribbons, they are outrageously not expensive) to make a 

pouffe,as you do.

Me: OMG, I was in spotlight today looking for industrial strength wool to 

KNIT a pouffe...then saw one on sale, so tossed back the 200 bales of yarn. 

We were pouffe-ing in synch!

Me: Hi V..really busy designing corporate cv's for the business boys..makin 

them look good on paper

Virginia: You're just a born jzuser, you jzus homes, people, yourself.

Me: Ha, it's taken me 50 39 years to work that one out.

Virginia: No, It's taken you 50 39 years to gather the experience!

Friends..thank god you can choose them.

If you have a classic friend quote..I'd love to include it on my blog,  
Beautiful South facebook page or shoot me an email jomccomiskey@bigpond.com
 

ttfn Jox

cottage colour crisis

 

CRT colour replacement therapy

Do you love a cottage a classic weatherboard cutie..with fretwork, 

wainscotting, sash windows, stunning paintwork and a fancy moniker? If you love

the 3 cottages above..... be prepared for ours.

We have a classic hills cottage called Somerton and as much I as I love her I'm thinking 

she looks a little menopausal. Inside, she thinks like an 1890 year old but her exterior 

says elasticated waistbands and hot flushes. Maybe cheescake + chateau burgundy 

are just not her colours..they're certainly not mine.

Mood change V colour change help me put a little P. Diddy and 

less F. Duddy back into Somerton. I think the colour schemes, of the houses we shot for 

H&G above(mud sludge base, warm white trim and a black door) would improve Somerton's mood considerably. However, before running off to Mr Bristol I would love some painterly advice...behold Somerton below

Please leave your painterly inspiration on my blog,  
Beautiful South facebook page or shoot me an email jomccomiskey@bigpond.com

desperate & paintless

Olinda

   

Winter Decorating

 

Charcoal, indian ink and white swan

 

THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE H&G SHOOTS...a beautiful family, the effortlessly stunning home, the equally stunning Mel Turner and her exquisite taste in 
fabrics + decor and be still my beating heart....a bycycle with a wicker basket!
Oh my godfathers, I can feel the wind in my hair and the grease on my bell bottoms...it's 
a magnificent  Papillionaire and I have to have one, so I can peddle, lycra-free about the Ranges with a basket full of breadsticks and daffs. Oh wintery joy!

Mel Turner..sure she's clever, beautiful, and designs gorgeous homes BUT I fear she may be somewhat challenged in the art of towel styling, and lets face it, it's an artform and you either got it or you don't..sorry Mel, truth hurts, ouch.

If you would like to see more of the tall and talented Mel's work have a look at her site Recipes for Design she specialises in home renovation, and as a mother of 3 she 
knows how to design clever homes for families...just like hers!

How to create Mel's look

If you would like to source any of the decor, fabrics, paint colours or furnishings in the shoot, I'm only to happy to assist, so please leave a comment on my blog or Beautiful South facebook page or contact me at jomccomiskey@bigpond.com


ttfn Jo

Decor crisis

A marathon runner or just a half ?

The Dining table crisis has been averted, thanks to much sound advice NOT to paint it
white HOWEVER another decorating crisis is looming and I mean really looming...

Avert your eyes from the golden cherubs and please note the 20 metre long hallway-
that's my 20 minutes of exercise every morning and it's in need of a serious
marathon runner or perhaps a half marathon?

my feet are kilim me

I have been weaving a weary path from rug n' roll dens to pure Persian silk gallerias and after 6 months of twists, tufts, wefts and warps I still haven't found the one! Maybe if I stop looking, hoping and waiting my runner will eventually appear, out of nowhere like a Kenyan entering the Olympic Stadium. Afterall I'm only after 20 metres of runner not 26 miles


long distance or relay? speed read the following and send help

1. One big impact Usain Bolt from the front to the back door?

2. Two 10 metre half marathon runners and some 'runner demarkation'?
3. Traditional, contemporary or modern...it's getting complicated now 
4. Colour..I love the cool colours of my pony rug ...but in the hallway, I think knot?
5. Plain, patterned, plush, Persian, patchwork, pony hair, prayer rug...
6. All of the above

Get me off the flokati track and relay some ideas my way

Leave a comment on my blog or Beautiful South facebook page 

or shoot me an email jomccomiskey@bigpond.com

desperate,

Olinda