HELLO! I'M VIV.
NICE TO MEET YOU.


Join me on my journey in turning our cottage house into a home.

I'll share things that inspire me, fashion I'm lusting, food I'm craving and a bit of circus love.


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Real Living - Nov 09

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Friday, November 13, 2009

Decorating differences and influences


I have been enjoying our home lately and have been ignoring the big list of projects I need to do. It's been rather refreshing!

Looking around our home I can see a lot of my style and influence and also that of my husband's. It's nice to see our mix of tastes and how our home has come together. I can also see the changes we have made to our home since our son was born - baby proofing, moving breakables up high and out of reach of curious hands etc. Our home will probably keep changing and evolving as our tastes change and our family grows so it is probably a good idea to take our time 'finishing' off our home and crossing off that to-do list.

When we first moved in we made quick, rushed decisions and now that the dust has literally settled, our decisions are better thought out and planned. My husband trusts and likes most of my decorating style. I enjoy bouncing ideas off him and talking with him about how he imagines a space to look and function. Although I mainly write about my decorating preferences on this blog, I always involve my husband since I want to create a home that our family will feel comfortable living in. I sometimes wonder what our homes would look like if we lived alone! Along the way, it has been interesting to see the differences in our tastes and how we have overcome them. It's something I have been thinking about lately and I hope you don't mind me sharing.


We have found that our decorating preferences have been greatly influenced by the homes we grew up in. For example, my husband likes leather lounges. His parents owned a leather lounge for many years and still do. My parents preferred upholstered lounges and I suppose that is where my love of upholstered furniture comes from. When my husband and I moved in together, one of the first major purchases for our home was a lounge and the topic of leather versus fabric was raised. We decided on leather since we knew we would one day have children and spills and marks can be easily wiped off leather.




Another major decision was whether to lay carpet in the bedrooms. I love the feel of carpet underfoot but I grew up in a home with floorboards throughout whereas my husband grew up in a home with carpeted bedrooms. We decided to polish the existing floorboards and pop rugs in the bedrooms because it was the cheapest option at the time.



Have you experienced differences in decorating styles with the people you live with and how have you handle these differences? Are you also influenced by the style of your childhood home?

Lots of questions! I would love to know your thoughts.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

A beautiful day


... spent drinking turkish coffee with my husband before he headed off to work.

... tending to my vegie garden. The potatoes are growing! I'm surprised at how happy it makes me to see little changes in the garden.

... looking at pretty things. I have my eye on this flamingo beach umbrella and this flamingo dress. I'm seeing lots of flamingo prints around lately. I suppose it means Summer is just around the corner.

... dreaming of a family holiday to Hawaii.

I might make homemade pizza for dinner tonight to top off what has so far been a perfect day.

Okay, I'm off to enjoy the sun now. Hopefully it's not as hot out now as it was just before.

Hope your day has been beautiful too.


(Images Flickr, Suboo beach umbrella stocked at Greenhouse, Peter Alexander)


French caricatures


I just couldn't resist these french caricatures and their adorable harlequin outfits which I found and won on eBay. The series of four are meant to be displayed together and each have the following text on them: La Rencontre, Laveu, Confidences, Ju'elle est belle. Are there any french speakers that can translate this for me?


I think they would look cute in Robert's room but there is not much wall space left aside from this wall and I rather like the look of the wallpaper with no art hanging on top of it. Off to storage I think until more walls magically appear.

ETA: Thanks @chinchincheroo for tweeting that they translate to "the meeting, confession, trust/share secrets, how she's pretty!"

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The circus comes to Peter Alexander


Peter Alexander's catalogues are always fun to look through, don't you think? His latest one is adorable and circus themed which you know is right up my alley!

Above are my picks. Check out the full range here.

Meanwhile let's talk Christmas shopping. I know, I know it is still November! I can never manage to get my act together until the week before Christmas. Nothing can tempt me to start earlier - not the store decorations that are already out or the pre-Christmas sales. Not even my local post office that has been counting down the days to Christmas for a few months now.

When do you start your Christmas shopping or have you already started?

(Images copyright Peter Alexander)



Monday, November 9, 2009

A glamorous greenhouse





I came across these images from Country Living a while back but I've been thinking about what to do with the large chandelier so I dug these images up again to have another look.

I've been spending lots of time in the garden lately. How nice would it feel to unwind after a day of gardening in a glamorous space such as this? One can dream I suppose.

Tell me about your weekend. Was it a relaxing or busy one?

(Images Country Living)


Friday, November 6, 2009

Free hugs


Oh look! Bright and cheery. Exactly what I need right now. I was given some bad & thankful good news today about someone dear to me. The bad news turned into good news so no need to worry! I'm just incredibly thankful it all turned out okay.

This weekend I'm going to spend it hugging everyone that is dear to me and maybe even people I might meet for the first time this weekend. I'm going to be like that free hugs guy.

Take care friends and see you next week!

(Beautiful images by Catherine Ledner. More of her work that are sure to make you smile can be seen here.)



Thursday, November 5, 2009

Frills, feathers, sequins & dots


I confess. I've been shopping over at ASOS today. When I shop online I tend to fill up my shopping cart full of goodies I like from a site and then whittle down the items slowly. These are currently sitting in my shopping cart - some I would love to own and wear and others I just like to look at.

Have you got anything in online shopping carts right now?

All Images ASOS.
Top row: ASOS Wiggle Hem Dress, ASOS Vintage Style Sequin And Beaded Outline Butterfly Headband, ASOS BLACK Feather Cape.
Bottom row:Reiss Akira Button Detail One Shoulder Silk Top, ASOS Iridescent Feather Clutch, Reiss Nyasia Feather Jacket With Belt

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Melbourne Cup


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I missed the Melbourne Cup this year. They call it "the race that stops a nation" but it didn't stop me. I was pottering around the house and just lost track of the time. I forgot to bet as well. It's probably a good thing though because I never win.

Did you win or have you ever won at the races?

(Images by photographer Chris Colls found here)

Monday, November 2, 2009

Paper lanterns and pom poms (+ shop update)


Today I'm enjoying paper lanterns and pom poms clustered together as shown in these beautiful rooms and the colours are just lovely. I never thought I would be but I'm really into tangerine shades at the moment which is why I chose this tangerine coloured fabric to make a nice new Butterfly for my store.

And look! Flowers from plants in my garden that I haven't killed yet!!

Back to pom poms, I decorated with them for my son's baby shower and they are really simple to make. Instructions can be found here. I'm thinking of making a few to hang next time we have friends over for dinner just for something fun.

Hope your weekend was lovely and relaxing.


(Images Design*Sponge, Swish and Swanky, Ish & Chi)


Friday, October 30, 2009

Red stripes

I was browsing through Carl Bengtsson's photography and couldn't keep my eye off this image.

Image left Carl Bengtsson.

The stripes reminded me of the wallpaper Catherine Martin used in her child's bedroom so I dusted off my old issue of Home Beautiful and browsed through Catherine's beautiful home again.

Image Home Beautiful October 2008

This is the bedroom I am referring to which also inspired me to use her circus wallpaper in Robert's room. It was nice to see it again.

While I'm seeing red stripes, here are a few other ways of using them in your home aside from walls:

Image found here


Image via Patricia Gray



Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the last few days of October.


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