picture frame feature wall

I received a request from the lovely Kim yesterday, she wanted some advise on how to pull her photo wall together. This is what i thought - what do you think?

1.It's really important to experiment with the configuration on the floor first - play around with the frames until it feels right to you.

2. use an important piece as the focal point and then spread them out in all directions, thining out at the edges.

3. Seperate similar-sized pieces/frames with a smaller frame and keep the spacing tight.

4. and lastly, to bring the whole story together, i like to use the same color frame, not necessarily the same frame style.

image: www.housetohome.co.uk

some DIY inspiration

make you own unique wallpaper inspired by stylist Clair Wayman for Real Living magazine. Make use of all those fashion or interior mags you have lying around and make a collage. Tear out your favorite sheets to create your very own stylish wallpaper. Very cheap, easy to change and makes the most of your favorite pics. I can see it looking fabo in a walk-in robe.

this week has been all about............

sometimes pictures speak louder than words!

hunter gatherer

this week has been all about gathering and hunting for samples. I have been to a number of retail outlets gathering paint swatches and fan decks, collecting as many "real" samples as I can to better understand the products i am learning about. Since starting my course I have noticed that I am looking at things/places differently, not just passing a fleeting eye over things but trying to guess what the actual product or material is, this also applies to my mags - I am not just flicking through them but really looking at the pictures and reading the blurbs to gain a greater understanding. I was talking to another student in my class this week, Luke - he has just started the course also, he wants to venture down the product development track of interiors, and it got me thinking. All those years of buying and developing products really is interlinked with interior design - I loved my job and on reflection, without really realising it back then, I think it helped with expressing my creative side, I'm loving the way this course and the people are getting my brain thinking - i must say i am really enjoying it.

why can't Bangalow be closer?

I have just finished her book, and I have seen her many times on the lifestyle channel and this weekend just gone she held a decorating workshop in her home town of Bangalow on the NSW coast.
Imagine a day doing nothing but talking and learning about decorating, my kind of Heaven! Have a look here, maybe we can go next time????

update

couple of updates really, I am a little snowed under with my course - trying to get time to get my first assignment completed is proving a little difficult, you see I have this problem - I really only operate around tight deadlines - as much as i hate stress, i really do thrive on it. I'm trying really hard not to leave everything to the last minute, but the last minutes are fast approaching!
At this stage I am doing one subject for the semester - I was hoping that maybe I could do two, but I really can't see that happening right now.
Last week our teacher was back on board and all family accounted for - good news.
We did Metal last week and I am still getting my head around it, actually I am still finishing off Timber and Concrete (which by the way, have I mentioned how much I really enjoyed that!),anyway must get back to it - more updates later!

tonight it's............

tonight is school night, my first subject is "Materials and Finishes", so far we have covered Timber, Concrete and Cement (which I really enjoyed - so many uses for this product, I especially like it in the bathroom and kitchen) and tonight it is Metal. We are a week behind you see, because our lecturer is "Chilean" and last week she was quite distraught, she was missing family from the earthquake. I wonder what the update will be tonight.

today i love..........

a new addition to our house by the lovely A!

one of my first projects

good by old,dark,way too much wood, 80's kitchen, hello lots of natural light, neutral toned pallet. After much thought and consideration, I am very pleased with the mirrored splash back - contrary to popular belief, it is very easily maintained and adds loads of light and space into this area.

ready, set, sold.

here are some pictures of our first house.These pictures were taken by the very talented Rohan@viva images, apparently he worked for Vogue in a previous life, he specialises in Real Estate Photography. I have a special interest in preparing houses for sale, I think this is an area I would like to explore more in terms of Interior Decoration. Our house sold after the second "open", it would take me about two hours to get it fully set up, mind you there were 3 young children in the mix, but by looking at the photo's who would have known that! I really like the idea of working with existing furnishings and decorations, along with a few special touches to maximise the selling price. Whilst I remember it being quite a stresful time, I also remember really enjoying the whole process and being quite excited by the potential.

how I got to now!

well it sort of just happened, those of you who know me, know that I have this passion for interiors - I love moving things around, nothings stay in the same spot for too long. I decided that I was going to use this year to explore the possibility of studying interior design with the ultimate aim of working in the industry somehow. Friends and family say I have a flair, I know I have a passion for it - I guess I just need some confidence to take it further!

I decided to write a letter to an interior designer and ask for some help and guidance before I committed to anything. I chose to send my letter to the lovely Andrea at Jemden Interior . I'd been into her shop and on her website many times. I sent the letter on Monday, she called me on Tuesday and we met on Friday. She was so wonderful, she shared her knowledge and experience of the industry with me, she shared her passion for interiors, and most importantly she gave me the confidence to give this interior design thing a go! She saw my passion.
So I applied to NMIT to start the course part time and I got in and so here I am, a wife, a mum and a student!