A teaser...

..of a little project I've been working on. I'll be back tomorrow to show you, but for now here's a hint:

 

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Can you guess? 

Lofty heights and ceiling lights...

So, before I released farewelled Bill on his holiday, (and sorry to all of you who offered working holidays, for some reason the lure of balmy New Caledonia proved too strong!) he worked his fingers to the bone and finished painting my ceiling. It's now lovely and white and fresh, and I couldn't be happier:

Now, of course, the walls will need to be painted, and those bricks will soon be history. But it's getting there. And not before time! Here's a reminder of what it looked like:

Oh, and here's the mirror I mentioned in my last post. It's on my painting hit list too, and now all I need to decide on is the colour. Here's a closer look:

So, decisions, decisions. While Bill's away, I need to choose a colour and get it painted, so he can re-hang it for me once the walls are finished. I do like the idea of black, but I'm thinking the size of the frame will make it too dominant in the room? And don't laugh, but the idea of silver leaf is quite appealing! I've done a lot of leafing over the years in my artwork, so I may just go ahead and do it, but with an aged, vintage finish rather than too bright and super-shiny.

Ok, I'm off to work now - painting classes await. Poor me, mondays are always so tough! Oh, and thanks to those of you who've asked about my classes. I'm in the process of arranging venues for some workshops, so once all the details are finalised, I'll let you know. 

Have a wonderful week,

Mirror, mirror....

So...now that my ceilings are all white and wonderful, I've organised for my mate Bill to cover those last few brick walls with gyprock, and I'm telling you, I cannot wait to be rid of them. But as Bill has a holiday booked and will be away for the next couple of weeks (very inconsiderate of him, don't you think?) I'll take this time to plan my decorating theme for the dining area. At the moment, I have a large timber-framed mirror on the wall, and a sideboard, and I'll be giving them both a facelift with a fresh coat of paint. These are a few of the images I've saved, and of course there's a definite theme emerging here:

 lavender grove via locationworks.com

via elle decor

via skona hem

 via content agency

The gorgeous work of Steve and Brooke Gianetti

via house and garden magazine

lavender grove via locationworks.com

via southern accents

As usual, I'm drawn to the idea of painting the mirror either black or white. I could, of course, silver leaf it,  which I'm sure Kerry would recommend! And I'm quite liking the touches of gold that have found their way back into vogue in recent times, but my house is a little too rustic and rough around the edges for it to work.

I'll be back tomorrow with some pics of my pretty new ceilings, and also the mirror and sideboard in question. In the meantime, feel free to give my your opinions - your ideas are always so inspired. Ok, must go - I have a game to watch! 

See you tomorrow,

I'd like you to meet someone....

Have you met my design assistant? He's blonde, intelligent, handsome, and very attentive...sounds like the perfect man, doesn't he? Meet Darcy.

big boy pics

and a couple of gratuitous baby pics, just because they're so cute!

Ok, so he's probably not the ideal assistant. He sometimes likes to chew the paintbrushes if I'm not looking, and yesterday thought it was a fabulous idea to run off with my paint-soaked rag, hoping for a quick game of catch-me-quick-before-I-rip-it-to-shreds. But he really is the most gorgeous boy, and is a huge part of our family. And how could you get angry at him, just look at that face!

So, while I'm finishing off the kitchen reno...(you know, the quick knock-it-over-in-a-couple-of-days reno? yep, still going but almost there, thank goodness!) Darcy is sleeping assisting while I give the spray gun a serious workout. This old silky oak mirror was in desperate need of a spot of zhushing, so it got the white treatment too. 

Right, so I have rather dramatic plans for this one. I did hint about it in my kitchen inspirations pics, so eagle-eyed readers may already know what I'm planning. Let's hope it looks as good as the original!

Have a great weekend everyone,

all pics by me