Visit Melbourne, the HQ of culture

Melbourne...more culture than a petrie dish

Beetling through the myriad of Melbourne laneways, on route to a gallery was a refreshing tonic, sans gin. Every little boutique on Flinders lane sang their siren song and it was impossible not to be washed up against their perfectly coiffured windows. The petite Pollon, beautifully framed within an arch of St Pauls Cathedral was impossible to ignore, so I didn't. 

The stunning view of Flinders Street station was taken from the windows of the Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, which is located on the 8th floor of the blousy but still beautiful Nicholas Building within the Cathedral Arcade. The building is brimming with artist studios and designers and is worth a visit just to wander through the buttery tiled corridors and ride in the attendant operated lattice clad lift -  reminiscent of Miss Phryne Fisher murder mysteries circa 1928!

Next time you visit the beautiful souths HQ (Melbourne) be sure to visit Pollon, Stephen McLaughlan and the fabulous boutiques in the Cathedral Arcade

Pollon Flowers | Shop 1/199 Flinders Lane | Melb | 9663 8232

ttfn Jo

Vintage decor + neutral palette

 

 

Life without colour, almost

Justins charming weatherboard is a vintage Ralph Lauren bower of neutral tones. Autumnal accents are used sparingly, as colour has a short life and like a classic B/W movie this home is timeless. Vintage dark timber furntiure, walnut & black stained floors, hand mixed white for the walls and soft autumn tones create an ageless beauty with heart and character.

styling

We styled the home using a collection of white flowers, rustic silver trays,
stacks of white crockery and some crumpled paper for the wire basket in the study and little else. Most of the pieces I bought along for the shoot were sourced from Provincial Home Living, which was just perfect for Justins decor.

I love this home, enjoy

PS. Stay posted for an exclusive interview and some styling tricks from 
Mr Timeless and traditional, Justin Bishop

photography Armelle Habib 
 

ttfn Jo x

 

A motherhood issue

"No-one told me that from the 

moment I became a parent I'd have my

heart walking around outside my body"

Chantelle Ellem "Motherhood"

INTRODUCING A FABULOUS NEW eBOOK | ANTHOLOGY

"Things they didn't tell you about parenting"   

Written, designed & illustrated by very clever blogging parents

ALL FUNDS RAISED GO TO FOUNDATION 18

Helping to improve the quality of life of orphaned and underprivileged children

from toddlers to infinity and beyond

Being a mum changes everything. Of course some of us are more prepared than others. I was completely overwhelmed when my redheaded bundle arrived and I'm still looking for clues. What I knew about family was less than zero and everything I ever learned about motherhooding was generally over a latte after school drop off.

This beautifully written and illustrated ebook is a collection of personal experiences but be warned don't read it after 6pm on a friday with a glass of pinot grigio- projectile tears are not good for laptop screens.

Whatever you do make sure you do read it..it's a wonderful read and it's for a good cause. For more info please visit Things they didnt tell you

...and how about that cover design and those illustrations, blimey!!

ttfn Jox

Mountain gardens

 

 

Seasonal drama in the ranges

There is nothing minimalist or parterre about a classic Ranges garden. 

No nouvelle miniscule in the hills, the gardens are as layered and lovely as the dollops of cream on a Sassafras scone. Ribbon like stone paths that taper off into secret garden rooms, rambling lawns and more towering trees than Fangorn Forest. Of course it's cold and it rains a bit..well only for 9 months of the year and then it just drips off the trees from January till April but every season is so clearly defined
with dramatic beauty and colour.

Enjoy my neighbours garden..soon to be featured in the winter edition of the 

Yarra Valley & Ranges glossy magazine- hitting the shelves in June 2012.

ttfn JOx 

a country garden

 

 

More tea Vicar?

Colour moods

Life, and the year 7 colour wheel

primary colour days are pure buttercup yellow, my body takes over and spins 

me through the day until I collapse happily exhausted.

secondary colour days soon follow and the beautiful buttercup yellow has a hint of blue- changing to one of my favourite colours, celadon green. My body slowly shifts into a mellow, quieter gear and the little whispering voices start to chant.

tertiary colour days grind me to a halt and I'm locked in my muddy blue head...
so I guess I will just have to add a bit more yellow, to spin me out of that space 
and into the glorious sunshine.

ttfn jox

Colonial country Decor

door's open, have a stroll through a classic Sassafras cottage - mind the dogs

aawwgghh, I wanna live in the ranges too..wait a minute I do!

ttfn jo x

Winter decor

On the cover of a magazine

Shooting the very affable Justin Bishops house in Sassafras was a breeze- 

the brief from H&G was to source autumnal colours for the living area and 

make sure there were some manly leather boots resting comfortably 

at the front door. tick

MY MISSION, aside from bringing the warm white, not-too-girlie flowers and a 
cane basket full of leafy herbs was to muss up Mr Symmetrical. 

note throw on sofa....

Justin wasn't convinced with the fine art of the "drop and walk away" 
and there was some kerfuffling re a folded throw, placed neatly
in the dead centre of sofa. Not on my watch Mr.....drop the throw 
and walk away from the sofa!

More images from Justins home to follow...plus WAIT to you see his 
sister-in-laws Ferny Creek house in August, Home Beautiful...somebody is 
going to be very impressed, especially as we used his new interiors coffee 
table tome in one of the shots!

photography Armelle Habib


ttfn Jo

Papier mache

The papier mache theorem

Back in the fluro enlightened dark ages of the 80s I was an art teacher in a leafy 
all-girl college, Brigidine College- not to be confused with Brigadoon...although 
sometimes it did feel like a parallel Catholic universe. Papier mache was a year 7 
speciality and an exercise in Pythagorean art room economy - in any given term time, the sum of the budget is equal to the area of students, whose sides have 2 legs. Papier mache was an economically creatively way to occupy 80 girls on a budget of newspapers and gluey goop .....and here it is again at Anthropologie, San Fran looking decidely more exciting than our 1982 papier mache puppet heads.

I love creative economy, making something out of nothing is a wonderful thing. 
I went mad with the camera at Anthropologie (lack of focus due to predatorial shop assistants) The antelope head and the birdie were so cute...that I had to include one of my originals - an old ceramic vase that I gave the Funk'n Wagnells dictionary treatment plus a little wrapping paper Robin motif. My big, bumble bee papier pinata was also another fine example but it was sadly demolished by a group of rampant fairies many many moons ago.

Insider tips on the fine art of mache

Dont throw out the weekend papers
At least 7 layers of papier is tres essential
Alternate layers of white and printed paper 
Flour, water + salt make for very cheap, messy glue
Or just pick up some wallpaper paste 
Last layer always small/fine white paper strips

ttfn Jo

PS...did I mention I love  Anthropologie