Displaying posts labeled "Sponsored"

Happy Friday everyone! I am back from Vegas, having attending the Vegas Market for the first time and holy smokes did I see some fantastic stuff! I had a great time so a huge thanks to Traditional Home magazine for sending me. I also got a rare opportunity to meet a bunch of fellow bloggers including Jill, Cassandra, Victoria, Naomi and Kelly. To let you in on what I was up to this week in Vegas, I thought I’d start by showing you a peek at the lovely hotel we stayed in, and my favourite showroom at Market.

We were booked at the Aria hotel, which is relatively new on the strip. I brought my mom with me (she needed a holiday desperately) and we both really enjoyed the room – the beds were heavenly, and it was very tough call to climb out of bed each morning. Lots of great restaurants (Julian Serrano’s tapas restaurant was YUMMY) and shopping too.

P.S. I have to mention this because I am so shocked. My mom flew home to Ottawa from Vegas with Delta airlines (I flew with AA). She missed her connecting flight in Detroit because the Vegas fight was delayed by about 2 hours. With more cancellations and a whole bunch of dumb excuses later, she finally got home – nearly 24 hours later. So just a tip for anyone traveling around the States – DO NOT fly Delta. And their heartless staff didn’t give a shit that almost 500 people ended up stranded – not for weather reasons but because of pilots not showing up and other ridiculous reasons).

On Tuesday after all of us bloggers had finished a tour and “treasure hunt” at the Market, we were invited for cocktails at the Four Hands showroom. This showroom became by far my favourite of the entire event. Their aesthetic is so up my alley – lots of pieces created from reclaimed wood and furniture made from metal creating a very industrial look. YESSSS!!!!! I had my margarita in one hand and my camera in the other, and did a quick tour around. Fabulousness at every turn. (I must add that there were such beautiful groupings of wild flowers everywhere that just made the displays perfect – one photo below shows flowers tucked into rolled magazine pages. Cute!)

Just for our Australian and New Zealand readers. A sneak peek at the new Freedom Winter collection. My Freedom insider sent me a teaser of what is in store in the coming weeks. “A lot of the homewares are arriving in the next week or so – and furniture March 5 onwards.” That black and white and colour pop rug is definitely coming home with me and I’m still hankering after the Drum coffee table and side table from last season. As for the chaise below…  yum. Wonder if I can ditch my table and chairs and move it into my dark blue dining room? Change it into a library? Friends can surely eat on their laps when they come round for dinner. Styling for the catalogue is by Megan Morton so I can’t wait to see how she puts the collection together.

At the end of the summer I blogged about the sad news that one of my favourite Ottawa shops, Green Light District, was packing up and moving to Toronto. On our last trip to the shop before the move, I decided to make a rather significant purchase and ordered one of their lounge chairs. When these chairs first arrived at the shop, owners Deborah and David insisted on taking the chair out of the window so I could try it out. OMG it was like sitting on a cloud! Amazingly soft leather that you sink into. I dreamt about that chair for weeks afterwards and knew it would be a perfect addition to the living room in my new house (which btw has yet to get past the planning stage). I was able to choose the colour of leather (I went with black) and cord colour (black again). I waited several months for the chair to be made in South Africa and get sent here with some other pieces Deborah and David had ordered. A couple of weeks ago on a quick trip to Ottawa, they delivered my chair. It is now my favourite piece of furniture. I cannot wait to get my new house finally built to show it off in. I finally managed to get some photos taken this morning (with my new Fuji X10 that I am still trying to figure out). Thanks Deborah and David!!!

Of course, with 7 cats I am incredibly fearful they may harm my chair (they know momma will freak if they do so they are pretty good about just laying on it and nothing else) so this is what the chair looks like when my arse is not planted on it.

P.S. Green Light District was featured in the latest issue of Toronto’s Designlines! A fantastic magazine I may add, that had me dying to take a trip to TO to check out GLD’s new shop and a ton of other shops listed in the mag.

37 days till Christmas… or is that 38? I hate writing a blog post that appears simultaneously in all time zones. OK just over 5 weeks till the big day. Too soon for Christmas ideas? Not in my part of the world. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia so it’s a clear downhill run from now until the 25th. I thought I would ask one of Australia’s top stylists and author of the fab book Homelove, Megan Morton for a little help on how to make sure that Christmas in summer is cool. Please turn away and weep now Northern Hemisphere readers at the sight of Christmas on a gorgeous beach. We live in paradise in Australia!

The weather is hot for Christmas in the land of Aus but what is cool this holiday season?

GENEROSITY. Christmas Day is even more special when you know you have really dug deep in an attempt to make others day more bearable. Pick your charity – there are so many organisations needing good samaritans. I support as many charities as I can that deal with rehousing, accommodating people. As we all know, four walls and a roof is second to food and water. St Vincent De Paul. The Smith Family. Lou’s Shelter, Potts Point. Youth Off The Streets.
To tree or not to tree?

YES – most definitely a tree! Even when I was in an apartment I made room for a tree. This year mine is a huge wonderful olive tree in a large zinc pot. I am dressing him (olive trees seem male to me) with glass, crystal and mercury decorations and lots of small beads of garland. Its a respite from last years which was a fully loaded, all colour inclusive one.

It’s just over 5 weeks to Christmas and I’m starting to think Christmas table inspiration. (I know but I like to plan ahead.) What should I be doing?  

Best lunches (or dinners) are ones that have the foresight of a console or side table to handle the large plates of food. Even the most elegant of fare takes up table space. I like to leave the table some breathing room and have the food displayed, ready to go on a side table. We celebrate Christmas Eve as our major meal (part-Austrian, part-English husband) which includes traditional fondues at the end. This year I am buying up for the day at Pedlars Farmgate – pig and spanish doughnuts.

It’s the day before Christmas. I’ve done nothing. I’m panicking as I pick up prawns and wonder if I can just forget the turkey. What can I do for my Christmas table? Please Megan HELP!

A Christmas meal is never really about the food, more of the thought.

For prawns I make a pretty ice bowl by freezing some flower heads and herbs in between two bowls (one slightly smaller than the other). Put them in the freezer and remove bowls for your prawn serving bowl that will keep them perfectly cold. Speaking of freezer, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a vodka injected watermelon also laid to chill in the freezer. For the prawns, buy some lovely french proper butter (it really tastes nothing like “butter” as we know it) and serve with fresh Vietnamese baked rolls and aioli.

I would also would suggest huge jugs of rosewater cordial that can be put on ice for children and on bubbles for the adults. Put all in a blender – 1 cup of chilled water, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoons of caster sugar, 1 teaspoon of rosewater, a few drops of pink food colouring and 1 cup of ice cubes. Whizz it up and pour over more ice for kids and over bubbles for adults.

This year Megan has styled these wonderful shots for Freedom‘s Christmas. Just the perfect holiday inspiration!

Last week I flew to Sydney for the launch of Freedom‘s Summer 2011 range. Earlier this year they relaunched their look taking Freedom from dowdy and forgotten to fun and fashionable. Even though Freedom paid for my fares and accommodation I’m not the kinda gal who waxes lyrical about a brand unless I think it is great. This is everyday furniture for everyday Aussies (and New Zealanders) with a clever, quirky and stylish vibe. What really caught my attention was their limited edition range (and I really mean limited as the last season’s limited pieces sold out quickly). A chinoiserie patterned canopy chair in bold red, an in your face ketchup coloured wingback that is willowy at the same time, a midnight black leather wingback and ottoman so matt that it is almost stealthy and a canapé that is a quirky and stylish statement piece. The Jack and Jill ottomans are sure to be a hit too. And the prices are great… but you’ll have to wait until the catalogue comes out to find out just how great 😉

So many other pieces caught my eye. There are wonderful hammered metal coffee tables and side tables as well as a chunky, boxy leather sofa. The Asia Daze range is rich with red and black lacquers and asian influenced homewares. Great vintage posters, larger than life floor lamps, cute rugs and a narrow dining table perfect for limited space. Team the table up with turquoise stools and it’s love at first sight. Summer bright outdoor settings and clever wooden screens and box seats are perfect for apartment balconies. The Freedom designers have come up with a great range. The night was styled by Megan Morton who kept me entertained from the moment she urged me to drink up my pineapple cocktail as she walked me through the range. Hi to Lisa from The Red Thread and lovely finally putting a face to stylist Heather Nette King. Thanks Freedom. I had a fab time and the range is super! Release is timed for August 22. Until then you can see more after the jump…