"Special Award" from "Chateau de Lille"

I am very honoured and humbled to be given this "Lovely Blog Award" from the gorgeous "Chateau de Lille" http://www.chateaudelille.blogspot.com/

We first met when Fiona emailed me saying she wanted to find out a little bit about blogging  ... after talking together I knew immediately that she would be a huge success!  I firmly believe in credit and praise where due and she so deserved it.  Her blog is wonderful and full of inspiration!  Thank-you Fiona for your award ... I am truly grateful!

These cakes are for you ..... I am so happy you are on your way ... your blog is beautiful!

Seven Things about Me ......

 I love flowers especially roses .... if I could, I would have flowers in every room of my home every day!

 I love sunsets ..... the end of a day ... so perfect .... so special ... only God can create that degree of perfection .....

 Chandeliers and Carolyn Quartermaine fabrics .... the perfect combination ....

 I am a pink girl but I do love blue as well .... especially with Georgian antique furniture and Hampton style bookcases .... and I love reading ....

 French script on our bed .... a gold script to gild our bedroom ... I love calligraphy and French script ... so elegant ...

I love outdoors ... pools, swimming, family fun .....I have to be near water and hear the waves crashing on the beach ...

 ....crowns especially blue wedgwood ones .... I am obsessed with crowns .....

......more chandeliers ....

...the film "Marie Antoinette" that I fell in love with ....

Laduree in France ... exquisite ...

but most of all my family .... I love you so much and I am so grateful for you ... Andrew, Alexander, Dominic and Georgiana .... you make my world and my life complete ....

Dominic's 18th Birthday Party ~ Cocktails Chuck Bass Style!

Georgiana on the dance floor playing "Doodle Jump".... waiting for everyone to dance .....

Tonya and I in for a lovely photo ....

This is my gorgeous Mum and Dad and my brother, Patrick and sister-in-law, Cathy ... looking beautiful everyone...

Enjoying the audio of Dom's baby photos ....

                                Dominic and his beautiful cousin, Brigid ....
                                     

Brothers in arms ..... Alexander and Dominic ... my boys ..

                                            Thomas O'Driscoll, Dom and Alex's cousin and his friend, Kate ...... looking good guys!
                                         

                         Dom I love you .... and everyone agrees!  On the far left is Dom's  beautiful cousin, Rachael.  Great friends of ours Bronwyn and Kirsty help celebrate ...

                                       Listening to Brad ... handing over to Dad for the speeches!    

Happy 18th Birthday Dominic!

We love you ...

I can' t believe how beautiful these images are from the new Designers Guild range "Trevelyan"....

Whilst in my interiors I don't use as much colour as featured here .... the decadent splashes of colour are breathtaking ... and I do love to use a bright splash of colour in with the whites,  soft French greys, petal pinks and duck egg blues ... 

and I think very "Marie Antoinette" so perfect for my blog .... the blue lampshade .... stunning ...

as you can see the wall and floor palettes are quite neutral with the walls looking like they have an old French grey patina to them .... and the fresh white above teams perfectly with the vibrant yellow wallpaper but have tempered it by only doing the wallpaper above dado height ....

The attention to detail is extraordinary ..... these images are from the Designers Guild campaign launch and I am very excited as I will advertising with them!  My sample books hopefully won't be too far away!  I hope everyone is having a gorgeous day ... it is raining here in Queensland (a lot) and so I thought some bright colour was the perfect solution to a dull rainy day! 

Spring Colours and Blooms!

How gorgeous are these fabrics from Designers Guild .......

They are outdoor fabrics and the stripe is striking .....

Great place to have a little siesta .....

and look at the blooms in the garden (although it is raining at the moment!).....

Well spring is definitely sprung....... with my Pierre de Ronsard roses finally blooming ......
have a great day and will be back with the latest Designers Guild collection which is stunning and of course some photos from Dom's party ......

18th Birthday Boy!

Our son Dominic turned 18 on the 13th September and we are so proud of him.  We are having a party for him this week-end with a cocktail party "Gossip Girl" style!  We had cake and champagne for him on Monday to congratulate him on the wonderful young man he has become!  Happy Birthday Dominic!!!!!  Love Mum, Dad, Alexander and Georgiana xxxx
ps Alex is back for the big party bro!!!!

French Bliss by Karina Gentinetta!

This is a very special post .... These images of the most beautiful French antique furniture I have seen in a long time .... come from Karina Gentinetta in New Orleans!

These exquisite pieces I am privileged to say are sailing their way to me in Australia.  I have been searching for a very long time for a French antique tufted sofa.  A couple of weeks ago I popped onto Karina's blog and she was just displaying her new furniture in her antique shop and I was immediately smitten with this sofa.  I emailed her tentatively thinking there was no way Karina would be able to ship to Australia.  So many times I am met with "no you can't do that ... you are too far away etc."  Karina said "YES" I do ship to Australia and so our friendship began...

I believe she has an incredible eye for antiques and I love the way she uses natural fibres like Belgian linens that let the antiques speak for themselves.  Karina has been so professional, so helpful and never negative.  You know what I mean .... you want to organize something but you have reservations due to distance, time etc ..... Karina was brilliant!  Every query I had was answered fully and honestly and fully researched .... her depth of knowledge, her talent and her care for her pieces is incredible. 

As you all know I am an 18th century style tragic .... so when I saw these 18th century Louis the 16th style parlor chairs I was so excited.  You do not come across these exquisite pieces with their patina and history by chance..... they are found and nurtured by artisans such as Karina.  These gorgeous Louis Beregere chairs are still in their original blue satin upholstery.  Stunning and these candlesticks and mirror are all available from her beautiful store and it doesn't matter where you are Karina will get them to you!  Please visit her gorgeous blog http://www.karinagentinetta.blogspot.com/  and her 1st dibs store.  I promise you ... you will not be disappointed and you will find an incredibly strong woman who has been through so much and still comes out smiling and positive.  Hurricane Katrina could not dampen Karina Gentinetta's spirit and nothing ever will!Thank-you so much Karina and much love back from Down Under!

Pink Presents!

This was the finished wrapped product for Becky's Birthday!  It is a Donna Hay cake stand and glass dome top like mine.  They are beautiful....and made of milk glass and very big so perfect for lots of cupcakes!