Road trip

I'm planning a little trip away, to one of my favourite parts of the world - Byron Bay and the hinterland town of Bangalow. Although I'm combining business and pleasure in this trip, I can't think of a nicer place to 'work'! My first point of call is my all-time favourite shop - Island Luxe.

images courtesy Shannon Fricke

 maybe a bite to eat

it's such a gorgeous, laid-back town

On to Byron, to visit Strangetrader:

...and everything else Byron has to offer

I can't wait! What have you got planned for the summer?

Decorating for summer

I know I'm a little early, but after lots of beach trips over the holidays, (and maybe too many trips to some of my favourite shops), I've started to plan my summer decorating. It's time pack away the throw rugs and winter woolies, and break out the beach beauties. And whether you live near the water or not, there's room for a bit of coastal style in every home.

 stuartmemberyhome.com

lesinterieurs.com.au

paleandinteresting.com

 potterybarn.com

 

paleandinteresting.com

 walterbardadesign.com

megbraff.com

Ok, off to meet some lovely friends for painting classes this morning....what a nice way to start the week!

Birthday at the beach

I'll be spending the day here...

...to celebrate my youngest daughter's birthday today. Fifteen years....where did it go?

She'll be the one giving her new surfboard a workout!

Have a great day everyone,

Officially.In.Love

...with this house. What's not to love - plantation shutters, relaxed, beachy vibe, verandahs....need I go on?

all images by Laurey W Glenn for Southern Living Magazine

Isn't it lovely? I'm always drawn to this style of architecture, but I think my pining for summer is making it even more appealing at the moment. Bring on the warm days, I say!

I'll be back tomorrow with a few new paintings I've been working on, so I'll catch you guys then. 

Enjoy your day,

Be.still.my.heart

Is this not the most beautiful resort ever? The views, the decor, absolutely everything about Round Hill is pure perfection. Many of the rooms were decorated by Ralph Lauren (which explains their fabulousness) and I could easily spend my days sipping cocktails and basking in the sun. Although, I suspect I'd spend most of my time sitting in my drop-dead gorgeous room, commiting every last detail to memory so I could try to recreate it at home!

 I love the combination of blue and white, and that pop of pink - perfect!

roundhilljamaica.com

I think this would be just the place for a bloggers' convention - who's with me?

Old-school holiday

We've just returned home from our little getaway on the mid-north coast of NSW, and I think it was just what the doctor ordered after a busy and very hectic first term at school and uni. It's also got me thinking about how holidays have changed since I was a kid.

My sister-in-law and her family live in Sydney, so for the past few years we've met half way and spent a week on the Coffs coast in NSW. This year, we rented a rambling old heritage house in the town of Sawtell, and what a gem of a place it is.

 at the beach all day, just surfing

our view from the back deck

We stayed in one of the original old beach houses, which was so relaxed and unpretentious - perfect for our motley crew!

as cute as it was, I was itching to grab some white paint!

this is as high-tec as the entertainment got all week

definintely one for the 21st birthday slide-show

Gidget!

 the main street with beautiful old fig trees - and great coffee!

What struck me this week was that we had a real old-fashioned family holiday. There was no fancy resort, we ate in most nights and the kids entertained themselves. Surfing, swimming, fishing and playing cards were the order of the day. We manage to find a joke book wherever we go, and the kids spent the week cracking up at whatever joke was read out loud, whether it was funny or not. Apparently it's all in the delivery!

Now don't get me wrong, a swanky resort with all the mod cons can be a fantastic place to spend a holiday, and I love a good day-spa as much as the next diva, but I was reminded how much fun an old school, back to basics beach holiday can be. And how nice it is for the kids to realise that entertainment doesn't need to be electronic to be fantastic fun.

Have a wonderful week

all images Driftwood Interiors except the last which is from here

Beach belle

Hi all,

It's been a lovely week of sun and relaxation (but no internet access and no blog reading - torture!) so I thought I'd show you where I've been hiding out. I've been here:

 from here

from here

and I've walked these stairs every day -  I need to walk off the chocolate somehow!

I'll be back home on Sunday, so I can't wait to catch up with you all and indulge in some serious blog reading. Hope you've all had a great Easter break and I'll see you all soon!