The perfect gift

I'm drowning in Christmas must-does and must-goes. I'm drowning in unpacking and house zhushing. I'm drowning in real life work and day to day drudgery. I'm cranky and rude and rushed and tired. I'm just overwhelmed and my standards and expectations are way too high. Why does this time of year do this to me? I don't need to be perfect. I don't need to go everywhere, see everyone, clean behind the fridge before the family comes round. I need to step back, take a deep breath and evaluate what is important. Like life itself. This year the Australian Red Cross Blood Service has launched a new campaign ... the perfect gift for Christmas. Give something that will really make a difference this Christmas  by donating blood and giving the gift of life.

The hard facts here in Australia:

• Every donation can save three lives.
• Every donation is valuable because 1 in 3 Australians will need blood, yet only 1 in 30 donates.
• The need for blood is constant and all blood components have a limited shelf life, which is why donations are needed every day. Blood and blood treatments are delivered to hospitals around Australia 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – even on Christmas Day.
• Australia needs over 26,000 blood donations every week to save lives and to meet the need of patients.
• Donations made in December could help patients recover to be home for Christmas or the New Year.

If you live in the Land of Aus maybe you can help ARCBS save lives this Christmas. Go here for more information.

A villa in Pattaya

I've said this plenty of times on the blog - I LOATHE WINTER. It's only December 17th and I don't know how I'm going to make it through the rest of the season. I wear flannel PJ's to bed, which is made up with polar fleece sheets. I could use a little vacay from this nonsense, and since I likely have to wait until February to make it south, I thought a virtual trip to a villa in Pattaya, Thailand would do for now. Chakraphan wrote us an email with some photos of this heavenly villa he designed. It's part of a grouping of 7 private villas called Villataya, each one containing 2-3 bedrooms, with 205 - 250 sq m of space and a private pool! It's beautiful, and I'm about to close my eyes and attempt to teleport myself there... 

P.S. Happy birthday Valerie!!!!!!

  
  
  

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Chair redo

I've got a little before & after for you all this morning. It's from Sandra, whose dining room and den we've blogged in the past. She had an antique Victorian chair redone and wanted to share it with us. I absolutely love the fabric she selected - so fun! Thanks Sandra!

Stalking families

Ooops! Sorry! That was meant to read "Stalking family homes". I'm really taken by the casual yet stylish feel of this seaside home. Not beachy. Definitely not beachy but I can just imagine kids in wet bathers and sand trekked in from beach trips. Lazy evening dips in the pool and toys strewn across the grass. Cricket on the gravel and dogs barking madly. Family movies. Big breakfasts after a morning dip. And friends. Yes friends making the pilgrimage every weekend to visit. Link here while it lasts.

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Reader request - purple

Today's reader request comes from Kate: "I'm moving to Florence, Italy in January (so exciting!) and the apartment we are renting is partially furnished. In the living area there are -- gulp -- two purple velvet armchairs and a purple sofa. They are in great shape and high quality pieces, I just never thought I'd be living with so much purple! I've read enough design blogs to know there has got to be a design solution to tame and balance the colors." My 2 cents = embrace the purple! I wouldn't try to tame the purple because why not have fun with it (plus I think it could easily look like you're trying to hard to make the purple disappear). If you're allowed to paint I'd either paint the walls (or at least the main wall) the same purple as the furniture or a lighter, lavendar shade. (If you can't paint then I'd get a huge canvas and a couple cans of purple paint and do some funky simple art). Dark charcoal walls, purple velvet drapes would be hot. Accessorize with purple, and black and white geometric patterns. Below are some photos I found of living rooms with purpley sofas/chairs, and then a few photos where bold coloured furniture matches wall colour. (If you have ideas for Kate please drop a comment!)

Home & Decor
Sköna hem
Alex Papachristidis
Steven Gambrel
Shoot Factory
Côté Maison
Designers Guild
heyhome
Andrea Garuti

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