Botanical Louis and Sugar!

Just wanted to share with you this gorgeous Louis 15th style chair that I had upholstered in a beautiful Designers Guild botanical.  I love the duck-egg blue background .....

Then of course Sugar decided she wanted to get in the photo and of course she looks perfect!

best wishes ....

One Lovely Blog Award!

I am so honoured to receive this lovely award from Melissah at http://www.scrapbook-melissah.blogspot.com/ It was quite by chance or fate that we met as Melissah was looking for ideas for pool-houses and stumbled across my blog!

Melissah emailed me as she couldn't believe there was another person out there who loved absolutely exactly the same things as she did!  Even owning the same laptop!  She wrote me this beautiful email conveying that she just wanted to communicate with someone else who loves what she loves!  I suggested that she should start a blog as she was obviously very talented and passionate about so many things.  So thank-you Melissah and I look forward to meeting you in October!

Here are the 15 blogs I would like to pass the award onto ~

1. http://www.castlescrownsandcottages.blogspot.com/
~ Anita you are the sweetest person and always comment on my blog without fail and I find that loyalty and friendship so endearing!  Also, your artwork is exquisite and I believe you will publish great works.

2. http://www.karinagentinetta.blogspot.com/
~ Karina you and I have become such friends without even meeting!  We are so alike and your work with French antiques is outstanding!  You have a gift my friend and a great strength that not many people possess.

3. http://www.hamptontoes.blogspot.com/ ~
Lisa you were one of the first bloggers who I found and became so excited that you commented on my blog.  Then we swapped recipes and the world seems all that much smaller.  Your chic ability with interiors and the lovely way you go about your everyday life is awe-inspiring.

4. http://www.chicprovence.blogspot.com/ ~
Kit .... the Queen of French Provincial ... everything you do is so amazing from table settings to high end interiors in San Francisco.... it is a pleasure to have met you via blogging and to have had the pleasure of your seeing your work.

5. http://www.classicstyleinthecity.blogspot.com/ ~
Dear Marie  .... you were so sweet to email me and ask if you could use my home on your blog which I was so honoured by!  You were also one of the first to comment on my blog and gave me the recipe for the snow-effect which I think has become the best feature of my blog!  You have such style and a great eye for detail.

6. http://www.belgianpearls.blogspot.com/ ~
Greet your work and your family business are so inspiring and make me feel like I want to start designing classic cabinetry with all of the details.  There is a serene quality to your designs that is so wonderful.

7. http://www.mypinksketchbook.blogspot.com/ ~
Alexandra I look at your website and think how beautiful are these interiors with such style and elegance.  You are obviously so dedicated and every detail matters. 

8. http://www.chateaudelille.blogspot.com/ ~
Fiona ... all you post on your blog is filled with such love and grace and a love for life!  You have created so much and even started your own on-line store ..... congratulations!

9.  http://www.porchlightinteriors.blogspot.com/ ~
Tracey .. I am loving your work and interiors and also the restraint you show.  Your refined interiors show through your blog and it is so lovely to see.

10. http://www.adaanddarcy.blogspot.com/ ~
What can I say Kellie ... your exuberance, your talent and your love of the simple things in life which make us happy and which you show through on your beautiful blog!

11. http://www.mysummerhouse.blogspot.com/ ~
Laura .... every time you post it is beautiful and fun and it makes me feel like there will be great things happening.  You have a great eye and a lovely heart.

12. http://www.lapetiteplume.blogspot.com/ ~
Queen Daisy ... you defintely have the gift for transporting us to another place where we all feel like princesses!  You gave me the inspiration for my crown motif and I thank-you so much for that.  Your design work with stationary is stunning!

13. http://www.rattusscribus.blogspot.com/ ~
Ruben ... you so deserve an award because your depth of thought and concern for our world and humankind is incredible.  Your heart breaks when you see a disservice done and when justice is not served.  You are so inspiring!

14.  http://www.designchic.blogspot.com/ ~
Always so chic and fun and always inspirational.  Thank-you for giving me so many ideas and feeling like I can achieve anything!

15.  http://www.apageofinspiration.blogspot.com/ ~
Kristin your camera catches the most amazing and breathtaking images!  So beautiful and your images particularly of France and Laduree had me at "Hello"!  Thank-you for your inspiration!

I would also just like to make an honourable mention to http://www.theenchantedhome.blogspot.com/ as I have enjoyed her posts so much and can't believe how much Tina fits into her posts.  Tina I know you got this same award from Melissah but I just wanted to mention you as well!  The house is looking amazing and we are all so excited and waiting with anticipation!

7  Things About Me ~

~  I dream of one day finishing my two books and having them published!

~  I have always felt that I have been born in the wrong era and that I belonged in another century!

~  I always feel like I have never quite achieved enough and that there aren't enough days to achieve everything!

~  I believe the greatest gift you can give someone is to listen to them and to believe in them!

~  I am obsessed with crowns and the 18th century!

~  I would love to ride in the French countryside in full equestrian kit!

~  I love getting into my pyjamas and watching movies with my beautiful family!


my best wishes always
M.A. the 2nd

Lavender and Lilac

I am so excited as the antique Louis 15th settee I bought and had restored is looking beautiful.....

I decided to use a Manuel Canovas toile on the settee and studs or nailheads to trim it.  I left the original timber as I think it is perfect as it is ....

I also have done these scatter cushions in a Canovas lilac, white and black stripe just to show Tonya as she is absolutely in love with lavender, lilac and purple ..... plus they look gorgeous on the settee...

This is also a Manuel Canovas fabric from the same collection and both of these are outdoor fabrics .... these were the fabrics that were in the outdoor tent/pavilion at the Hotel Georges V in Paris.

So if I know my good friend and client .... it won't be long before she "has to have them"....

have a lovely week-end everyone ....

best wishes

M.A. the 2nd

King George Palace ~ Athens

This is the beautiful King George Palace Hotel in Athens .... this restaurant has views overlooking the Acropolis and is absolutely stunning ..... love the white long cloths and the taupe Louis 15th style chairs which are always so elegant. 

I love the tufted white leather armchairs which flow beautifully down to the marble floors ...

Gorgeous bedrooms overlooking Constitution Square .... we actually stayed here on our last night in Greece and it was actually only about 5 days after the riots which was a little concerning ..it was very sad to see the damage done but also to see the plight of such a beautiful country. 

Parliament House ..... overlooks Constitution Square ....

The ancient acropolis ... to see this is awe-inspiring...

The main restaurant with parquet flooring .....

The ultimate luxurious booth seating....

I forgot to take a picture of the bed before we slept in it but actually I think it looks quite beautiful slightly dishevelled with the pink satin underside of the quilt showing through.

It was quite sobering to be in Athens at such a difficult time for such a beautiful country ...... the people of Greece were amazing and I hope the political and economic atmosphere can recover to return it to her former glory!