Today I love...

These fabulous budgerigar paintings by artist Ben Quilty:

The new towel range from Aura Home - I'm thinking of the spot towels (second image at front) for my own bathroom:

This great book from Mary Randolph Carter (it's on my Christmas wishlist):

[Image: Amazon]

These prints from Southwood Home - green being my favourite colour, I especially love the 'Eat Your Greens' print on the far left:

Speaking of green, I think these green tiles are pretty gorgeous too:

[Image: Hecker Guthrie]

And also this glass and ceramic collection - simple but stunning: 

[Image: Martha Stewart]

And finally, who could go past a great shell collection like this:

[Image: Martha Stewart]

Wishing you a happy weekend.

Book love: One

I've been away working interstate this week and haven't been able to post, but one good thing about being away was that while waiting and waiting for my delayed flight last night I had plenty of time to peruse the bookshop. My favourite pastime (perusing bookshops that is, not waiting for flights!). In the airport bookshop my eyes instantly fell upon the beautiful cover of 'One: Living as one and loving it'...

'One' is "celebration of individuality and life" and it is one of the most beautiful pictorial books I have seen in quite a long time - right up there with Sibella Court's Etcetera. I quickly handed over my hard earned cash at the register and I'm now looking forward to devouring both the images and the text of this gorgeous book. Victoria Alexander writes in such a beautiful, prosaic manner. It's very engaging. Best of all, Victoria Alexander has an amazing pictorial blog - this is just one of the lovely images that's both in her book and on her blog. Well worth checking out both the book and the blog!

[Images: 1 - Murdoch Books; 2 - Victoria Alexander]

Etcetera

Be still my beating heart...my fave stylist Sibella Court of The Society Inc. and Changing Rooms fame has a new book in the pipeline - I believe it's due to be released at the end of this month.  Another tome for the Christmas stocking! Here's a pic of the cover...

(Image: Murdoch Books)

Holiday reading

What's the first thing you think of when preparing for a holiday: What clothes you will pack? What sights you will take in? Not me, first thing I generally think of is: What will I take to read?  I love the thought of guilt-free holiday reading.  When I'm at home I don't think I enjoy reading as much because I know that I really should be reading work-related literature , or doing a range of chores. But on holiday that's not the case...you can laze around reading without a care in the world.

Well it so happens that I'm heading off on holidays in a few weeks and I'm starting to think about my holiday reading matter...

I know that I want to revisit Jane Eyre (particularly this edition with the beautiful cover)...

And the new Stieg Larsson book is released on 1st October (just in time to make my holiday reading list)...

But beyond that, I have no idea what to take with me. I'm a voracious holiday reader so I'll need at least 4-5 books to pack in my carry-on bag. So can you help me out with any suggestions?  What have you read lately that you've really enjoyed?

Bookish

It's so good to see a bookstore opening rather than closing down - and quite a stylish one at that! So heartening to read in my fave online newspaper 'Broadsheet Melbourne' about the opening of Embiggen Books @ 197-203 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. You can find out much, much more about this bookshop here and here. I'll definitely be wandering down Little Lonsdale Street for a visit on my next foray into town.

Of course that would entail a visit to Design Dispensary too - just down the street at 322 Little Lonsdale.

[Images: 1- Broadsheet Melbourne; 2 - Design For Use]

Artist: Cressida Campbell

Reading the fabulous interview of textile designer Sally Campbell over at The Design Files, I followed the link to artist Cressida Campbell's site and was reminded yet again of the absolute beauty of her woodblock paintings...

So, I now know what I'd like in my Christmas stocking this year...Cressida Campbell's book of illustrations of her beautiful woodblock paintings.  I'll just have to make sure that I remember to drop a few hints to my husband when it gets a bit closer to Christmas!

(Images: Cressida Campbell)

Flower addict

I adore fresh flowers and my house is never without a bunch or two. I bought some flowers for the house to help freshen it up for when the book club lunch girls came for lunch on Saturday. I thought I'd take some pictures of the flowers I have in the house today and share them with you (please be mindful of the fact that it's very dark, stormy and overcast here in Melbourne today so some of the pictures look a bit dark and dull).

On the front verandah (i.e. the parking spot for shoes, skateboards & bicycles etc.) I have some lovely white polyanthus planted in some terracotta pots...
Upon entering the house, on the little filing cabinet next to the front door I have some very sweet, scented Erlicheer...

On my bedroom window sill I have some lavender from my mother-in-law's garden (which is almost dried now)...

On my bedroom dresser I have some bright yellow leucadendron (not sure if that's how you spell it??)...

Back in the hallway, I have some lovely pinky red proteas in one of my favourite jugs...

On my desk I have a little vase of hellebores that I picked from my front garden...

On a table in my living area I have some beautiful long-lasting pinky purple kale with some oyster plant leaves...

On the kitchen island bench I have a tall vase of leucadendron with spear grass (this pic doesn't do them justice as they are really a bright sunny yellow colour)...

Sitting on the bench below my bookshelves is a beautiful mixed bunch of daffodils that Lori, one of the book club girls, gave me yesterday. They look like tiny little bits of sunshine captured in a vase...

On the bookshelves down the other end of the living area I have a vase of rosemary that was given to me by another one of the bookclub girls, Lou. It smells incredible....

And finally, though not flowers, this is flower-related. Yesterday my lovely sister Jacky (who is a founding member of our book club) gave me this amazing book...

And it was so beautifully wrapped I just had to show you how it looked. So precious, I didn't want to open it!! The quote on the front is from the book we read for book club, i.e. Maryanne Shaffer's 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'. We all enjoyed the book and the conversation around the table was lively.

Place: Wellington

Last week I spent a few rainy days working in Wellington - that didn't stop me from exploring...up to the Botanical Gardens in the Wellington Cable Car, a walk through the beautiful gardens (it was worth walking in the pouring rain just to see the most magnificent magnolia tree I've ever seen in full bloom). An added bonus: I had the gardens all to myself! Then I meandered down Tinakori Road, and browsed through Millwood Gallery whereupon I purchased the fabulously illustrated Wellington Book:

And now I'm back home in similarly wet and windy Melbourne!

[Images from The Wellington Book]

Blue and green

Loving this vivid blue that epitomises Sri Lanka...

(Galle Fort, Sri Lanka)

Drinking this amazing jungle green tea by Larsen & Thompson...

And then reusing the lovely green vessel as a vase...

Also coveting these green books wrapped in green string and finished off beautifully with a green tag...

[Images: 1 & 2 - Sri Lanka in Style; 3 - Larsen & Thompson; 4 - Me; 5 - Moss Industry]

Book: Flowers chic & cheap

I love nothing more than having lots of fresh flowers in my home...and this extends to beautiful books about flowers. So this weekend I'm going to take myself off to my fave bookshop Berkelouw Books and track down 'Flowers: Chic and Cheap - arrangements with flowers from the market or backyard' by Carlos Mota and photographu by William Waldron.  Funny, but when I pick flowers or buy them from the local market, they never end up looking as 'together' and as smart as this. Hopefully there's a few tips in this gorgeous book.

Anyway, here's just a few examples of William Waldron's amazing photography from the book...

[Images: 1 - Amazon; 2-6 - William Waldron]

Bird illustrations

Taking my lunch break today I strolled to one of my favourite bookshops, Hill of Content, on a mission to find a book on the artist Hundertwasser for my sister...no luck, but I did find (and buy) this wonderfully illustrated little book... This book contains 46 beautiful illustrations that capture the simple beauty of various birds such as the golden coriole, the bowerbird and the painted bunting (what a great name!). It's by Australian illustrator and artist Jeffrey Fisher who is currently living in Paris.

I look forward to poring over the pages of this book time and time again.

Images: Chronicle Books