Window seat finally covered

I'm so pleased, I've finally managed to finish one decorating job, and now I only have about 20 or so to go!  I finally got around to choosing some fabric for the new bench seat that my husband built in our bedroom and I got an upholsterer to cover it for me.  The seat has loads of storage space in it - which we've already filled to the brim!

I chose a neutral linen with a fine olive check through it.  I'm really happy with the results - it looks much better than it does in these pictures (the crappy camera has got to go!!).  And whilst I have plans for sitting here reading and chatting on the phone etc., in reality I know that this seat will become a repository for all those clothes we're too lazy to re-hang or put in the laundry basket each evening. Oh well, as long as we pick them up and launder/hang them in the morning all should be okay.

 Please excuse the view out the window and the dodgy carpet - we're waiting to finish the renovations in our son's bedroom before we replace all the carpet in the house, so in the meantime we have to make do with the old carpet that has been cut away to accommodate the new window seat and the new built-in robes in our bedroom.

I quite like the fine olive green check in the fabric - green is definitely one of my favourite colours.

Now on to the next decorating job - an awning and a new sun lounge for the back deck I think.

P.S. I must remember to take 'before' shots.  This was a horrible dead space before we put the window seat in, and even though it doesn't look 100% now, it looks a whole lot better than it used to.

Monday shop post - Lark Handmade & My Bookshop

Busy, busy day...and unfortunately very little time to think about shops & shopping...but luckily enough two very design savvy bloggers have brought to my attention two new shops that I really do want to check out sometime soon.

Natalie Walton over at the always inspirational Daily Imprint has a great interview with Allison Jones who has opened the lovely Lark Handmade in Daylesford.  You can check out the interview and some lovely pics of the shop here.

Image from Daily Imprint

And the ever-beautiful Melbourne blog Haven Home has introduced me to the new shop 'My Bookshop' that has recently opened in Hawksburn Village. I drove right past it on Saturday and was craning my neck to get a quick second glance as I drove past - unfortunately I was on my way elsewhere and didn't have time to stop, but I'm definitely going to pop in there next weekend.  You can find out more about this lovely new bookshop right here.

Image from Haven Home

Missing my brogues

The Sartorialist

Many, many moons ago I had a pair of very deep navy blue suede brogues and I simply adored them - I wore them with shorts in summer and skirts and tights in winter. I wore them until the leather soles were just about worn through and my feet were feeling more pavement than shoe sole...and then...I threw them out.

When I see this picture I think...What on earth possessed me to throw them out?!? They were probably looking a bit shabby, but I should have had my brogues resoled and gently pushed them to the back of the wardrobe until they could have their 'time in the sun' once again. I loved those brogues and wish I could have the exact same pair of shoes again.

Have you ever thrown something out only to regret it later?  Or am I the only one that's a bit of a dill??

Adorable flowers

Quite a few bloggers seem to post 'Friday Flowers', so just for this week I thought I'd join in the fun.

Lots of beautiful flowers, leaves and succulents from fabulous Melbourne/Mornington Peninsula based floral designer Kate Main of 'Soil'...

I hope your weekend is filled with lots of laughter, sunshine and flowers.

(All images: Soil)

Two art exhibitions

I am so looking forward to this weekend - my sister and I are going to two art exhibitions. The first is one of my all-time favourite artists, Cressida Campbell, and the second is one of my sister's favourite artists, Judy Drew. Unfortunately we don't have nearly enough pennies in our piggy banks to actually purchase paintings by these two fabulous artists, but of course that doesn't stop us looking, drooling and dreaming. Here's just a wee example of some of the works produced by these two amazing women.

Cressida Campbell's woodblock paintings...

Interior with red ginger

Daisies and camellia

White waratah

Judy Drew creates the most beautiful still life pictures and portraits in pastels that look as though they are straight out of the 1920s and '30s. These are some of the pieces of art that we will see at her exhibition at the Melbourne Fine Art Gallery this weekend:

Still life with chrysanthemums

Still life in purple, black and ochre

Woman in gold satin gown

A designing woman

If you're in Melbourne, and you're interested in taking in these exhibitions, or you'd just like to take a look at the gallery websites, the details are as follows:

Cressida Campbell exhibition

Sophie Gannon Gallery

2 Albert Street, Richmond

18th November - 12th December

Judy Drew exhibition

'Expressions through colour'

Melbourne Fine Art Gallery

422 Bourke Street, Melbourne

(Images 1-4: Cressida Campbell; Images 5-8: Melbourne Fine Art Gallery)

Monday shop post - Seasonal Concepts

This amazing shop is in Sydney. I want it to be in Melbourne (so, so badly), but it's in Sydney!  Oh well, I'll just make sure I put it on my 'must visit' list for the next time I'm in Sydney.

Seasonal Concepts is described by owner Ken Wallis on the store's site as "a premier destination retailer specialising in innovative floral design and unique oldwares". In addition to retail they also hire out stock as props for store/event displays and photo shoots.  I can only imagine that all the Sydney stylists adore this place.  Here's why...

Seasonal Concepts' artfully displayed goods are categorised (by them) as follows:

Decorative items...

Natural curiosities...

Furniture...

Kitchen...

Pottery & vases...

Garden and garage...

Industrial...

Don't you think it would be lovely to fossick around in a store with such unique, eccentric pieces both big and small?  Be sure to check out Seasonal Concepts' site, there are many more beautiful images of their stock just waiting to be seen.

All images from Seasonal Concepts.

Tulips on the table

Tulips on my scrubbed-up little 'roadside find' table...perilously close to touching the time-worn surface...providing transient natural loveliness that's a joy to look at every time I pass them by...

The perfect antidote to a busy week.

I'm back...and we have a winner

Well, what a week! I've been working at client's full-time (and will be until at least Christmas) and the evenings have been filled with much to-ing and fro-ing - a family dinner, an art class, the school concert and much, much more. And believe it or not this is the first time this week that I've had the energy to blog.  I've been missing the blogosphere and feel quite deprived not having been able to visit my favourite blogs this week.

But anyway...down to business.  In my previous post I offered up a spare copy of the Inside Out Christmas issue and I'm pleased to say that my #1 son drew the following name out the tea canister (that's the empty vessel we used to make the random draw)....

Sweet Pea Knits

So dear Sweet Pea, if you send details to me via glimpseofstyle@gmail.com I'll get this spiffy magazine in the mail to you pronto.  I do hope you enjoy the magazine and get lots of inspiration from it as I have with my copy.  And thank you to everyone else for leaving a comment. It's always nice to know that at least a few lovely souls drop by this little blog.

All yours...Inside Out Christmas issue

Dearest blog readers, I happen to have in my possession a spare copy of the Inside Out magazine Christmas issue - it's still in its wrapper (these photos are of my own well-thumbed issue), and if you'd like it to be yours just drop me a comment before Monday 9am and I'll randomly select one comment and send the magazine to you pronto.  What do you say? Surely it's worth leaving a comment so you can have a little peek at some stylish Aussie homes decorated especially for Christmas.

Have a lovely weekend.

Lee :)

Sarti

I've bookmarked Sarti - a contemporary Italian restaurant @ Russell Place in the city. The next big night out (and these are very few and far between when you have a young child) I'm going  to suggest a meal at this gorgeous restaurant. A friend who frequents restaurants on a very regular basis, visits Italy every year and has very high standards when it comes to Italian food has recommended that I eat here, so I can only imagine that it must be very good.  With the fashionable bright yellow awning over the front door, the restaurant looks lovely even from the street...

And it has a great logo to boot...

I wonder if the food is just as lovely as the decor...

The outdoor terrace looks like a great spot to spend a Summer afternoon or evening dining with friends...

The writing on the wall is a great feature too...

(Images: Sarti Restaurant)