Real Living -Leah's Inside Story

Are you enjoying your break? I hope you are. I'm spending some time with family and friends and hoping the phone doesn't ring ...

I love to do stories in my local area to share what I love about it with the rest of the world.

In this month's cracker issue of Real Living there is a story we did on Leah Atkins (check out her wonderful blog Leah-The Inside Story). I met Leah about five years ago when she and her mother started "Home At Last" in Milton, one of the best homewares stores on the South Coast.

Leah is an incurable creative with a well-honed stylist's vision. Every corner of her house is a beautiful still life. I first did a story on Leah and partner Dave about three years ago. Since then they moved away to a new house they were building and moved back in again and it was interesting to see how her style had evolved and what she changed now she had a chance to revisit.

The biggest change was the colour palette. She has taken most of the colour out and gone for a more neutral grey theme mixed with natural textures. The other big difference was that she has painted the floorboards all white to create a lighter backdrop. It has definitely worked a treat and gives the house a fresher, more unified look.

Leah is always working on a new project and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. Luckily for Leah, Dave is a builder and talented cabinet maker so he can make just about anything she dreams up. His current project is Leah's garden "shed" but something tells me its going to be more than a colourbond lock-up!

Check out her blog - her recent posts showing her christmas decorations and "practice" christmas table are fabulous.

Happy Holidays

The year comes to an end and I will close the blog for a couple of days between the years! Time to recollect my thoughts and to think about my future plans and ideas. I am so looking forward to the next year filled with new adventures.


The last days before every new year are a good time to think back and to look ahead. It is for many a time to make resolutions and start with fresh ideas and flip open a brand new page. I love the idea to begin anew!


I do look back on my experiences, the joys and sorrows, the times with friends and family, work and play!
This year was wonderful for so many reasons!


We had a long time to be with our family in Europe, we traveled with the children and showed them a new culture!


We have stuck to our plan to simplify our life, we have learned to live with a little less buying, more reading, vintage shopping instead of new!
We have cleaned our attic and the basement...
Life has been good!
And the way ahead is full of promise!


I am filled with gratitude and hope! My plans for the new year are within me and I do not have to wait to January 1 to put them into action: To live a mindful life, to love my family and be true to my friends, to always keep an open mind and a open heart!
I want to learn something new and I want to discover more of old...



Wishing you all a festive days ahead and a happy New Year! May your hopes and dreams come true!
See you all back in January!

With love!
XX
Victoria




Photography all V.Zlotkowski, painting 'The five Senses' by Jaques Linard.

Real Living Stories

One last post before knocking off for Christmas celebrations...

I had almost forgot to post that I have 2 stories in this month's Real Living magazine! I was up in Sydney in a mad frenzy and bumped into it at the newsagent. It's a cracker issue and a great holiday flick, so grab a copy to take to the beach.

First up is the colourful home of Melanie Parker who works with the fabulous Anna Spiro (Absolutely Beautiful Things) at Black & Spiro in Brisbane. Mel is an adorable girl who has done a great job decorating her first home (with hubby Stuart) with lots of vintage finds and confident colours.

I don't know how she finds the time, but Mel also runs homewares business Ivy and Piper with good friend Elizabeth Raptis and they have a great new online magazine.

Here are some shots from the story as well as a few that didn't make the final cut. We narrowly missed out on getting the cover with the top shot - oh well...

I'd also like to thank you for dropping by my blog this year. I have really enjoyed your comments and feedback and getting to know all of you out there in this online world of all things stylish!

Please take care and enjoy the festive season wherever you are in the world.

* Give - away * winner *

We have a winner!
Melissa from the lovely blog Reverie is the lucky winner of my last week's give - away!
Congratulations, I hope this will be a guiding light during the move into your new home! New beginnings are filled with promise and are wonderful opportunities to turn a fresh - green page!!

Mel, please contact me for your address, so I can mail the book out to you!

I found a few other samples of green cleaning and an eco friendly lifestyle. You can find them online or at your favorite book seller!
There are many more, I just picked some I liked!






Here is to a green planet!

xx
Victoria



Image via Emily Anderson website and Amazon.com

What I am reading now

I had written this post only a few days ago and send out on my House and Living part of the blog. I realize more and more that this blog part has become the "forgotten garden"... Since I feel this is such a wonderful book I decided to re-post it today. Now I can report that I have finished it and it held me captive until the very last minute!
I wish somebody would take on the task to make a movie out of it!

Image

Lately, with winter upon us I love to read more and hang out next to the fire place, after all the day's work is done.
I can hear my daughter singing upstairs, my son playing guitar and my husband still working next door on his computer. The dog cozies up next to me, expecting a neck rub and perhaps a treat and then I curl up on the couch and open my book! Heavenly moment! Well, until the familiar Maamaaa! call is heard from upstairs....

Last year I had read Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden and when The Distant Hours came out a couple of month ago I could not wait to find the right moment to begin with it! The immensely gifted young writer, Kate Morton, a native Australian, lives in Brisbane with her family.
Her first book The House at Riverton is still on my list. I like to tease myself...Another long winter is ahead!


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So that's where I am now: An old English castle, family secrets and a young heroine, a wonderful recipe for a tale which has me in it's grip way later then my usual bedtime....I have been captured by the castle...
I found Kate Morton's website and check out this fabulous trailer to her new book!

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton from Pan Macmillan on Vimeo.

So if you are in with me for a mystery with all the trimmings, go ahead, find a reading nook, get comfortable and open the first page!


xx
Victoria

PS: Click on the book titles to go to Amazon to shop!

And: There is still time until tomorrow! Do not forget to sign in for my give away here!




Pictures as indicated.

The Gardenia Hedge

One of my favourite things about summer is the smell of gardenias. When I was a little girl, I planted a gardenia tree outside my bedroom window so I could smell the perfume when the window was open on warm summer nights.

I now have a gardenia hedge which, despite being neglected this year, has nevertheless produced beautiful blooms. This would be thanks to the weeks of wet weather, most likely.

I keep a bunch on my desk so I have the fragrance with me all day and park my car near the hedge so I can smell the flowers every time I go out!

Funky Christmas D.I.Y.

A simple silver paper chain - even I can do that!

Baubles hanging from a lamp shade? Dead easy.

Pinecones, spray-painted and wired onto a frame? Tricky but do-able.

Paint an old tree branch and hang the stockings...

Make a more chic stocking for oneself out of a glam fabric like fake fur.

A bit of pink ribbon on a bare wall - too easy.

Little kids (and big kids) like a bit of Christmas craft. I think this is part of the fun and build up to the big day. Problem is I am always looking for ideas that aren't too "twee". Here are some funky - and pretty simple - inspirations from Living Etc magazine. They get my award for the "coolest" christmas ideas for the second year in a row.

Bubbly chandelier

A few years back we bought some bubble lights for our chandelier at Captiva Island. We spent a few times there over the holidays and after visiting the Bubble Room - a quirky and very entertaining dining spot on the island, we fell for the old fashioned fun! The place is whimsically decorated year round for Christmas -yes - one of those....but the children were considerably younger at the time and yet they still remember!
Adjacent to the restaurant is a small shack, selling everything decorative for holiday fun, from masks to ornaments, wigs to toys!
Since then we pull out those bubble lights every year and our dining room transforms! Having painted the old thing red a few years back, they fit in perfectly!



If you like them, go here!



We love the effect, and we need candles at every meal now, since it's much darker suddenly...it only adds to the festive party atmosphere! Do you have some quirky decorations you want to share with me?

Happy weekend!

XX
Victoria


PS: Don't forget to check out my give away on the post below!!! Still time to enter until December 22!

Best Xmas Decor ideas

Tim Rundle's still life with baubles, above and modern Christmas below.

Fabric tree at Black & Spiro, above, and Martha's golden-toned tree at Bedford, New York.

Silver on silver - keeping it monochrome at Martha Stewart's New York State home.

Black & Spiro tree of rainbow colours!

A table decoration at Martha's East Hampton home.

It has been fun getting into the Christmas spirit and here are some of my picks for best festive styling. this year.

1. The team at Martha Stewart (or is it just Martha?) who decorate her houses. Most of us can only dream about having so many gorgeous houses and the time to decorate so many trees! I love the fact she has christmas trees in the hall, in the kitchen as well as the living room.

2. Tim Rundle is a natty stylist who has glammed up his seventies bungalow for Christmas for Living Etc. So many decorations... love the ideas for decorating a modern home for the season.

3. Loved Anna Spiro's colourful Christmas tree made from fabric strips. She posted it a while ago but here it is to enjoy again!

Eco - chic Emily Anderson leads to my first give- away

A few weeks ago I was approached by Emily's PR office and asked if I would be interested to introduce Emily Anderson and her latest book' Eco -Chic Home' to my readers.


After learning about her and seeing her books I readily agreed. Her philosophy, ideas for green living and her radical attitude to a more sustainable life had me immediately interested.
I subscribe to many of her ideas. Mindful living, re-use and re-purposing has been a part of my daily life for many years. To reduce waste and wastefulness in general is something I try to teach my children.

Emily Anderson has published two more green living books, and is an industry recognized lifestyle and eco-living expert. Previously, she worked in marketing and brand management at Vanity Fair Magazine and Donna Karan New York, leading to her role as Marketing Director at Martha Stewart Living Omni media Inc.


She left her corporate life to write her first book, Eco Chic Weddings, which was published in 2007 by Random House. Emily then wrote a green home book for Popular Mechanics (Hearst Publishing), and in May 2010, Emily’s book Eco Chic Home was published by Skipstone Publishing.


A unique take on green living has given Emily the opportunity to have her work featured in national and international newspapers and magazines, including Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post, Canadian Living, Martha Stewart, and more. Emily has also been a frequent guest on television and radio shows such as NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ The Early Show, Martha Stewart Radio, and NPR. Emily’s keen insight into consumer trends has given her the opportunity to work with businesses on eco-lifestyle brand development projects including the recent re branding of Origins (Estee Lauder) and Scott Brand Naturals line “green done right.”
Through her regular articles, appearances and social media Emily has a growing and dedicated audience of influential, green-minded style-seekers who want to be green but don’t want to make unrealistic sacrifices in the process.
Emily Anderson’s writing and designs promote sustainable style, fair trade, environmental awareness, and being a good global citizen, but she also stresses the value of business and its power to effect change.


I posted a couple of questions to her and she was kind enough to answer:

V.Z. What inspires you?

E.A. When it comes to design and decor ideas, I find a lot of inspiration from vintage items I have in my collection, fabrics from the sixties and seventies, things from my mother who was an interior designer and owned a home decor store. I also have a huge collection of vintage clothes, much of it handmade by the women in my family, my grandmothers, mother, and aunts who all loved fashion. I also draw a lot of my inspiration from everyday people--people I relate to, whether they're parents, or single people working in a city, even someone living in the middle of the country--I try to come up with things that resonate with a lot of different people who have two things in common--they like style, and they want to make more thoughtful consumer choices that are sustainable and support social justice.
In terms of my focus on conscious consumerism, making eco-friendly choices, thinking about how people are treated in other parts of the world who are making the stuff we buy. I read a lot, pay attention to the news, what's happening in places like Haiti, China, and I also read about what big businesses are doing. Companies like Wal-Mart can tell you everything you need to know about what's happening in the consumer market--domestically and internationally. They spend millions on consumer research, market testing, product placement. So I use them to help me with my own business. I also think that working for successful brands helps me have insight. When I develop an idea, such as my Paper Crane Chandelier, I know not everyone will take to it, but to make it accessible I have to make is very user-friendly, and not just pretty to look at. I take this approach with all of my designs, and all of the things I write about.

V.Z. When did you begin to think in terms of of Eco- Chic?

E.A. A number of years ago, I wanted to find a way to merge my love of Yoga, my desire to give back, and my experience in fashion and design. I happened to be planning my own wedding, and having spent a few years in the wedding and events business while working for Martha Stewart, I decided to focus on weddings. It seemed the perfect time to take a moment to rethink your lifestyle choices, decor, entertaining, beauty, food, travel--as any bride will tell you, planning a wedding pretty much takes over every aspect of your life. So, going a little more Eco-Chic when picking your flowers will also help you make the same changes in your life after the big day.

V.Z. What is your idea of the perfect holiday?

E.A. Snow on the ground, clear blue skies, a warm fire, and my family all around me. The perfect gifts...Purposeful, made with sustainable materials, wrapped in something reusable, well-designed, and produced using fair labor :)

V.Z. Any eco chic ideas for decorating the halls?

E.A. Wrapping paper: think about using the unusual--the funny papers, kraft paper, leftover tissue paper from a recent purchase, fabric remnants trimmed with pinking sheers (to keep edges from fraying).
Ribbons and Bows: Dried Pinecones or Dried Leaves painted with silver and gold paint, twine, fluffy white pompom made from plastic shopping bags, fabric bows, ornaments--all of these items can be used to decorate your gifts, or your home.
I usually like to work with the natural palette of my home when I decorate--which for me is blues, grey, lavender, honeysuckle (Pantone's color of the year, btw!) One bonus of this route is that you may have extra fabric, tassels, and other accessories on hand that already complement your home, all you need is a little greenery to bring the holiday spirit to life!
The Christmas Tree: I know a lot of people don't like this, but I have a fake tree I use each year (because I live in an apartment, it's a small one) I just hate throwing the dead tree out on the street each year, but that's just me and this is a personal choice. I wouldn't dream of telling you not to have a tree. However, there are some things you must do if you have a live tree for the holidays. First, when you're ready to toss it, you have to remove all decorations, lights, tinsel, hooks, everything--otherwise, it won't be recycled. Second, log-on to Earth911.org to find out when your town is scheduling the tree pick-up day or days.

Thank you, Emily! I am so happy you could take the time! Happy holidays to you and your family!

Reading her latest book inspired me even more to recognize ways to safe energy, re-use materials otherwise discarded and her fun and easy to do projects will appeal to many readers.

Some of Emily’s Eco-Chic Ideas for the Holidays:

1. Have a Heartfelt Holiday: How to make felt out of old sweaters and make a variety of gifts, including: Laptop sleeves, iPod/iPhone cover, nesting bowls, coasters, neck warmer, bracelet, ornaments, clutch bag


2. Re-Newspaper for the Holidays: Five Ways to use Newspaper Paper to Make Holiday Décor: Mini-trees, wrap party favors, party hats, vases, garland, blossoms on the wall, napkin rings, placemats, baskets etc.


3. Fabric in Your Life: Different ways to use fabric, remnants, old clothes for gifts, décor and wrapping paper; make a tree skirt from a real skirt, use traditional Japanese technique to wrap gifts in squares of fabric, recover chairs with temporary “festive” fabric.


I immediately liked her very informative and thought provocing blog EA good with style.
She can also be found on Facebook and twitter.

Many small steps can lead to great results and the idea to take notice of the world around us and to protect what has been given to us is a message I am only to glad to pass on!
Many thanks to Emily Anderson to have given me the opportunity to get to know her and her work!

And this leads - drum roll - to my first give away!


Eco - Chic Home can be yours! Become a follower of my blog and for an extra chance to win follow Emily on her blog and/or like her on Facebook!

Good luck!
Last entry by December 22, 2010 6PM. I will draw on December 23, 2010.

xx
Victoria