Cushions...cushions...cushions....

Always busy making cushions.. such a perfect decor prop to add colour and style. And if you can sew, it makes it so easy to change your decor by changing your cushions. I do have a self confessed fabric addiction, and lurveeee upholstery fabrics, especially when made from heavy linen.

My Ebay watch page or should I say pages are filled with upholstery fabrics from around the world which I frequently buy and have shipped to me here in Melbourne...... Some of my favourites are Sanderson, Schummacher, Brunschwig and Fils, GP & J Baker, Covington, Mulberry, Designer Guild,and of course Warwick and Zepel. 

I love sourcing the vintage upholstery ranges from these fabric houses.

William Morris Chrysanthemum and Sanderson Fitzroy Green.

William Morris Chrysanthemum 

Schumacher Empress Cartouche & William Morris Chrysanthemum

Schumacher Empress Cartouche & William Morris Chrysanthemum

Sanderson Chelsea 

Chartreuse Raw Silk, Sanderson Chelsea, Laura Ashley Teal Velvet, & Designers Guild Stothard

Sanderson Chelsea  & Warwick Beachcomber

Sanderson Chelsea & Warwick Beachcomber 

 

Mulberry Flying Ducks

Mulberry Flying Ducks

Oh so pretty.....

Easter 

I do love a good vignette, grouping things, and creating a little displays representative of the time of year. I couldn't resist loading these up. I did have a nest full of gorgeous quail eggs for Easter, which I had painstakingly pricked with a needle each end, blown out the yolk & white, and boiled. They looked gorgeous in the nest. My two kittens Luigi and Yiota also thought they were fabulous, and flicked them out of the nest with their little paws, rolling them across the table, and chasing them all over the floor. For the next week I'd come home to one or two less eggs each day. So much for the quail eggs...;)...Next time I'll glue them down.

How beautiful are these little ranunculus blossoms! The look just gorgeous in my vintage tea cups on the window ledge.

And by candle light.

And these stunning daffodils were given to me by my very thoughtful sister in law Dianne. I've never seen these colours before. Creamy white petals with a peach fluted centre. I thoroughly enjoyed these whilst they lasted.

Xmas Fare

Christmas 2012. Our first Xmas in our own home. I so enjoyed baking all the Christmas fare, and sending off my homemade gifts to friends and relatives. Chocolate Panforte, Cranberry Pistachio Chocolate Biscotti, White Chocolate Biscuits... ...mmmmmmm! Damn good even if I say so myself :). 

Homemade Hamper Gifts

Rich Fruit Cake

For home, I gave my gorgeous green milk glass Donna Hay cake stand its first workout, as prime table center piece holding a rich dark fruit cake, topped with icing sugar (using a stencil the top came up beautifully). We munched on home made Chocolate Panforte - perfect with a steaming cup of coffee fresh from our Giotto espresso machine. 

Chocolate Panforte

Fruit cake on my Donna Hay stand

Here is a pic of our beautiful new oak dining table and chairs which we had delivered a few days prior to Xmas.

For Christmas day lunch we feasted on slow roasted Tuscan Pork Belly, baby potatoes, green beans and gravy; with of course a good drop of red wine! It is amazing how slow roasting for 3 hours, creates such a succulent and flavorsome pork belly. This recipe will definitely be repeated. 

Tuscan Pork Belly with Baby Potatoes and Green Beans

My hubby treated me to a Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachment for Xmas present. It was clear he was looking forward to regularly devouring home made ice-cream. True to form and eager to try out my new present, I made Con's favorite ice-cream Rum & Raisin. There was little remaining after lunch. I do believe he considers it to be the best present he has ever bought me. I was very pleased with my efforts!

 I made my first ever wreath, compliments of the tutorial in the Country Style magazine just prior to Xmas. Here is a pic. It looked so cute hanging in my Xmas display.

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Wreath

Xmas Produce

Creating a fabric closet

Long overdue for a fabric and sewing closet, I finally updated an old silky oak wardrobe with a few coats of paint, wall papered panels, and new handles. The blue of the photos does not do justice to the colour in life, nor does the present buttercup yellow wall. It was an unusual colour choice of mine, as I tend to be drawn more towards duck egg green and aqua blue.  However the citron chartreuse dandelion in the wall paper provides the fresh colour contrast. I get pleasure every time I open my sewing closet to see my fabrics on display, folded and stacked with care; ready for my selection.

 

My block patterns hang neatly, and my pattern & sewing reference books top my closet next to my vintage Singer. 

Lamp Shades - Sanderson Amanpuri linen

I just can't seem to get enough of Sanderson linen upholstery fabrics. I'm constantly watching Sanderson fabrics on Ebay, love the bright florals and linen weave. I found these lamp bases a couple of years ago at one of Black and Spiro's [ www.blackandspiro.com.au or http://absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com.au flea sales in New Farm, Brisbane. I covered these lamp shades late last year with Sanderson "Amanpuri". I love the mix of colours, and love them combined with the linen of our bed head and the duck egg/ aqua blue of the cushions.

Beside our oak bedside stands you will see a little 'vacant space'. 

Not for long !! I have two gorgeous oak framed wing back chairs with cabriole legs which I have plans for! I plan to cover the rear of the wing backs in Sanderson Amanpuri fabric, and the fronts in Warwick Beachcomber Oatmeal. I'll post some "before and after" shots. 

Our grand Italian lady.....

It's been a little while, and life sure has been busy. So busy I've just not found a moment to post. But here and there I've been working away at things, playing with my fabrics and decorating our new home. In August we became the proud owners of a 70's Italian brick home. Double story, two large front and back terrace balconies, perfectly positioned to soak in the morning sun north east and the afternoon sun to the west. I've spent many a blissful moment with my face turned up to the sun these past few months, dreaming up my next project. So large and spacious, and solidly built; our grand Italian lady just has so much potential. Many an eye would see the red brick and white column balustrades, and cast their eyes on to the weatherboard bungalows surrounding, cute and concise. But I see an extremely comfortable 4 bedroom home, and the beginnings of our French/Italian style villa, rendered with white colonial windows, french external shutters, a grape vine covered terrace perfect for summer evenings and winter mornings, spacious rooms with wide oak floorboards, and a large kitchen with and island bench. Admittedly there is some distance to travel to bring to life our vision. The previous owner combined a variety of vivid carpet designs, tiles and colours - none of which match, or have any kind of "flow", which we often laugh about as we show our guests through room to room. The buttercup yellow painted walls seem to absorb rather than reflect the light, we have a lavender bathroom with a matching lavender toilet seat.. But all in good time, and "slowly slowly" as my Mother in Law reminds us :). Thus far though our home has been a delight....in all it's craziness.....

Our back sun soaked terrace.

Kumquat tree and succulent pots

Afternoon sun on the front terrace.

 So watch this space .......

Gastronomica Italia...Carbing our way around Italy

One week has gone by since the hubby  and I commenced our vacanza in Italia. We've covered some ground in the past 10 days. Treviso, Venezia, Lake Garda, Cinque Terre,Pisa, Siena, Firenze, Assisi, and now Roma.


Con's first visit to Italy and he is delighted with the Italian diet, ordering varieties of pizza and Italian beer (birra) on every occasion possible. Between pizza, beer, gelato, and tiramisu; he believes he is presently in food heaven, and has taken to giving reviews of which town or city has the best Malaga (rum & raisin) gelato.  So far Sienna is streaking ahead in the Malaga stakes.

My good friend Elena in Treviso advised that her strategy for critiquing gelato was to order pistachio & ciocolato gelato in every town and city, in order to pick the nuances in flavour.. I've adopted this strategy, & I'm amazed at the subtle differences in the pistachio flavour from town to town. My favourite town thus far has been Corniglia in the Cinque Terre, following a Acuighe (anchovy) pizza, and a small jug of the local cinque terre white wine.

Con is also greatly enjoying the  italian breakfast of cornetti (croissants) and cappuccino. Some of the cornetti are custard filled, whilst others are chocolate,or marmellata.There also is the prolific availability of nutella for smearing on cornetti or bread.


Many a day we lament the delicious carb intensive  Pranzo (lunch), pizza glossy with pomodoro passata and mozzarella, pasta with ragu, ravioli, and of course a bottle of the regional vino. Consequently we have " waddled, fatty bombalada style" (or at least it felt like waddling) around cobbled streets site seeing for many hours, by which time we have digested our lunch and skipped dinner with the exception of a possible gelato, glass  of prosecco in the piazza,  or some local biscotti to nibble on back in our room to tide us over until morning. Thank goodness for the miles of walking up hills and over cobblestone streets for some times hours on end under the Italian sun. This somewhat compensates for the current daily gastronomic indulgence.

My favourite meals thus far have been: Pappadelle con Ragu (Venezia), Fried polenta, atichokes, Spaghetti Marinara and Tiramisu (Firenze),  Spaghetti con Noci, Panna Spagna (Assisi), and today in Rome delicious Finochi filled  with ricotta pear and that cream walnut sauce, rocket parmesan salad, and  pear and chocolate crosstata with a shared bottle of Pinto Grigio from the Veneto.

Yet  despite the delicious daily fare,  the meal I enjoyed most of all was after a day of intensive hiking between the Cinque Terre 5 villages under the heat of the summer sun. Upon arriving back at our hotel overlooking the Mediteranean, I put together  a simple salad of lettuce,  cherry tomatos, cucumber, good quality olives, olive  oil and balsamic vinegar, and some prosciutto; with chunks of bread to dip in the olive oil and spread wth soft cheese. Ripe peaches for dessert, washed down with sparkling water. I don't know whether it was just that we were ravenous and exhausted after a day of up hill climbing, or the view of the sun descending into the Ligurian Sea, but it was certainly a meal that induced a feeling of perfect contentment.