Displaying posts from December, 2011

I want you all to come to my virtual New Year’s Eve party. I know it is late notice, my apologies, but I found the perfect venue while real estate stalking today and well one thing lead to another and I hatched this harebrained idea that if we all imagined hard enough and clicked our heels we could wish ourselves to this perfect party house. On a ridge in the hinterland behind Byron Bay in New South Wales lies an old Queenslander style house that is eccentric and magical, fun and historical, kooky and hands down the best house for an end of year bash. Look it even has disco balls ready to light up our night! Not quite to my taste (too many cherubs, Victorian velvet and lace bedspreads), I couldn’t live here but I could certainly party here! I am drawn in by its siren’s call. An entertainer’s paradise with age and character, loads of character, luxury and a little decay, a pool with a teepee, Moreton Bay fig trees to flirt under, verandahs to lounge on drink in hand and a rainforest stream for Sunday morning BBQ breakfast for those of us who haven’t indulged too much. For those of you who haven’t made it to bed yet there are vitamin B tablets and aspirin in the kitchen and heavy drapes in the bedrooms when you finally make it to sleep. We promise to keep the gramophone turned down low. Happy New Year!! (Link here while it lasts.)

Merry Christmas everyone! Because I had no time this year to decorate my house, I decided instead to decorate some of my cats. Jo already published our Christmas greeting but I had to share some of these pics with you all. The first one is dedicated to my blogging buddy and dear friend Jo, as Lucky is her favourite of my herd of 7.

(After torturing the cats I put the lights in an old pickle jar in the window. Voila. My decor for this year).

Kim and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you, our readers, the very best this holiday season. May your days be merry and bright, may your families stay safe and may the new year bring all that you desire. It’s been a topsy turvy year with some crazy highs and some best forgotten lows but we’ve made it and now all there is to do is eat too much, get a little tipsy and tell our loved ones how much we care.

We are signing off for Christmas Day but I’ll be back soon for a week of reading guides. So many blogs to explore! The following week Kim will be posting all her favourites from the year. Can’t wait for that because she found some amazing room porn in 2011. Better run. I have yet another cake in the oven and I need to prep my veggies for tomorrow’s lunch. Merry Christmas friends!

(Image via here.)

In between finishing up my Christmas shopping and wrapping presents, I found a bit of time to do some blog research and came across the site of South African magazine Garden and Home. While it was generally a bit too traditional for my taste, I did come across some likeable spaces that I thought I’d share. (Can you blame them though? Those poor folks don’t have Ikea!)

A series of pavilions along the ridge of the hill. Walls that slide open to invite the outdoors in. Glass louvers provide for additional cross ventilation. Platforms respond to the changes in the site’s natural topography. And the pool? An inviting spot for escaping the hot Australian summers. Bowen Mountain Residence by CplusC. A weekender that takes it to the next level.