Holly of Decor8 introduced these gorgeous lamps this morning. I love them. They are the creations of a British girl called Jo who now lives in Canberra, Australia.

Jo chronicles her work on a blog. Her company is named The Owls are Hunting. She specializes in handmade, vintage inspired lamps and lampshades. They ship worldwide on request, if you are interested.

+ The Owls are Hunting’s online shop $80-$120

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The Retro Milk Bottle is a new product by the Australian brand Make My Day.  The milk bottle is divided in two parts to create a unique milk and sugar serving set. The bottle part is the sugar container. A silicone lid adds a touch of color to the creamy white ceramic old-fashioned milk bottle. I did not find a retailer in the United States or Canada but there is a distributor in each country.

+ US distributor: The Sarut Group

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This project illustrates the versatility of stickers. Out of necessity emerged an awesome way to add character to a two-story house extension. Rules regarding overlooking dictates a 75% opacity for second-story spaces. The gorgeous UV stable stickers simulate a grouping of mature trees. The stickers cost way less than any curtains or screens.

I love it when somebody find an artistic and efficient solution to an every day problem. I am not alone who appreciated their clever solution since they won the Master Builders national award 2008, the Master Builders Victorian award 2008, the best renovations of 2007 of The AGE and made Mocoloco’s top 5 for 2007.

+ photo by Peter Bennetts for Maynard Architects
+ via 2Modern Design Talk and  Acquitectura Arkinetia

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If I had to resume in a few words the work of Donna Hay, I would say: Time-saving and Special Touches. Donna Hay’s philosophy fits very well within my way of life. This is probably why I am a long-time fan.

The current issue, which is not yet available in Canada, will be her Entertaining Issue. While I am looking for it, I browsed her site for great simple plating ideas that you could do at home. Individual serving dishes instantly add a special touch. You probably noticed that they are in vogue.

+ Donna took further the individual serving trend with this simple green salad presentation. To reproduce, collect small juice or water bottles. Make sure the small bottles all look the same since it is the fact that you are repeating a simple object that elevates the look. Pour the dressing in the small bottles. I suggest that you make more dressing than you need because you need to fill about 1/3 of the bottle for the optimal look. If you are against throwing away food, you can serve one bottle per couple or 2 guests.

+ Instead of serving a cheese platter, make a single-serve cheese board for each guest. You could split the cheese plate with its wild fig compote on an original way.

MORE:
+ Donna Hay

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As a follow up to yesterday’s garden and jungle creatures pancake molds at Williams-Sonoma, I found these no-fuss designer cupcake kits. You will get the upscale look with the satisfaction that you did it yourself. Sadly, they are from an Australian brand called Sweetiepie Cakes.

They currently produce 16 themes from baby showers, kids birthdays, bridal showers, weddings, women have tea partys and more. The kits are not cheap but each kit contains more than the typical cupcake kit.  You get the vanilla cupcake mix, ready-to-use icing, shaped decorations, cupcake wrappers, 2 paper cases for baking, a mini spatula, a round cutter for sugarpaste icing. You only need to supply the kitchen tools and the perishable ingredients.

If the cupcakes are for a hostess gift, you can get Kraft cupcake boxes for 6 with a cute gift wrap tag. Or you can print your own gift tag and use a string to secure the box. They also sell two styles of gift box for individual cupcakes.

SOURCING:
+ Sweetiepie Cupcake Kit S42.95 AUD

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This is a recurring topic lately. I worked too hard and by the time I returned home I do not feel like stopping at he grocery store. Ordering in can do a few times but you want more. Tonight, we ate dinner at 10 pm. But I took the time to prepare a quick and delicious pasta dish with items I always keep in my pantry. Keeping a well-stock pantry is one way to ensure that you cook a home made meal.

Since we need variety, our fast-forward world often calls for recipes that require few ingredients and can be prepared quickly. Besides revolutionizing food photography, Donna Hay came to our rescue by making recipes with less than 6 or 7 ingredients. Her latest book, No Time to Cook simply puts more attention on tricks for saving time.

Since I owned 6 Donna Hay’s cookbooks, I was wondering if I would succumb to her latest cookbook. I do not seem to use the last two I bought. Honestly, the mouth-watering pictures won me over. This layout of the book is her best so far. For that reason alone, I have to own it. At the end of the day, the pictures give me courage to cook when I feel that I have no time to cook.

The book was released last year in Australia. It seems to keep in countries of the Commonwealth since it is available in Canada but the book is not yet published in the United States.

SOURCING:
+ For Canadians: No Time to Cook by Donna Hay $23.30 CAD

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This is my daily collection of interesting stuff that I saw on the Web.

+ Key Pete is so cute. Peleg Design imagined this magnetic key holder strong enough to hold 20 keys. It is sold in a package of 6 and it is available in red, blue and green. Stick Key Pete to any magnetic surface. Via Interior Design World

+ I experienced a dreamy moment at the view of an Australian modern architecture home hidden on a hill overlooking a coastal view in Sydney. The house displays a mix of Australian and Japanese sensibilities. Via Dwell Blog

+ I spot that this morning. The communal breakfast table sounds perfect for a weekend. The picture was taken at Areus, a spa and yoga retreat built as an extension of a mid-century ranch in Walla Walla, Washington. Via More Ways to Waste Time

+ I am glad for Janick of Nea {Jewelry and Wall Wear}. Her Wall Wear collection is now available at Fact & Fancy in Brooklyn, New York. Via Creativadoration

+ I will be presenting at PodCamp Montreal on September 20-21, 2008. I will talk about: Beyond the Blog – How to Better Serve the Woman Market Through Social Tools. PodCamp Montreal is 100% free. Places are still available so hurry up to register.

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This simple modern family house makes me dream. The public rooms – kitchen, dining room and living room – sit upstairs to get the most of the views. A rational planning allows for privacy between parents and children.

Based in Hobart, Tasmania, Stuart Tanner Architects considers public space, landscape and urban design play in their work. Here, the entrance demarcation wall marks the transition between the street and the house.

The Noye House can be viewed as an evolution of the mid-century modernism that was popularized in California. I like it! I feel the design can appeal to lots of families.

Visit online Stuart Tanner Architects for more photos. Check out the Pirate Bay House at the same time. According to Inhabitat, the Pirate Bay House fuses the subtle, elegant lines of modern architecture with environmentally sustainable goals.

>>> Sourcing:
Images from Stuart Tanner Architects

RELATED POSTS:
+ Modern Australian House Showcase – part 1
+ Great Modern House in Australia

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I wish to share a little bit of my love for modern architecture houses today. This house is incredible on paper with two kitchens, a game room and 4 bedrooms.

Unfortunately, the interior pictures are sparse on the real estate site.

This house is beautiful without a doubt. It is easy to imagine the potential of this $1,975,000 AUD house. The total experience would be to see this house with some furniture.

Home Staging

It shows why home staging a house is important to get the best price. If you try to sell your home, make the most of every viewing by putting attention to lifestyle details.

Buyers want to look at more than empty rooms these days. Not every potential buyer is an interior designer or has developed the capability to see what a room will look like with furniture in it.

You can see the difference that the right furniture and a suitable decor make by checking this other fabulous modern architecture house located in Brisbane, Australia.

Home Designed for Entertaining

I featured the second house last year to discuss the benefits of having a patio and a dining room opening up to the kitchen. This is still one of my favorite design plans.

>>> Sourcing:
Images from 6 Heirisson Way Coogee on realestate.com.au – asking price: $1,975,000 AUD
Images from Modern in BrisVegas [design to inspire]

RELATED POST:
+ Noye house by Stuart Tanner Architects: Modern Australian House Showcase – Part 2

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If you are a fan of Mud Australia ceramic dinnerware and you visit Sidney this summer, plan a stop at their first ever retail store.

The store is open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

mud australia store
134 Edgecliff Road
Woollahra, nsw 2025, Australia
t 61 2 9389 5580

RELATED POST:
+ Handmade porcelain collection of Mud Australia

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I must confess that I am a magazine junkie. A few months ago, I bought a new cooking magazine from Australia called delicious.

I first read the Entertaining Special Issue, very appropriate for me. Fans of Jamie Oliver will be delighted to know that he is a regular on delicious.

The Entertaining Issue

The December 2007/January 2008 issue featured Jamie Oliver’s fresh festive flavors, Bill Granger’s laidback lunch and a profile on Wolfgang Puck. We visited a Café in Tasmania, explored the Basque cuisine, and baked seasonal sweets with Nigella Lawson.

The recipes are tasty and not too complicated. The pictures are exquisite. Delicious was voted the World’s Best Food Magazine. I do not know when, but I kind of agree since delicious is one of my favorite cooking magazine.

On stand, an issue of delicious costs the same as Donna Hay magazine but I feel that each issue of delicious packs with more stuff.

The Annual Italian Cooking Issue

The May 2008 issue is their annual Italian issue. Discover Valli Little’s collection of all-time favorites, including authentic gnocchi and best-ever lasagne. Ben O’Donoghue prepares a slow-cooked Tuscan ragu, while Jamie Oliver does easy antipasto and fast prawn pasta. Belinda Jeffery whips up creative lemon dishes.

Plus, legendary Sydney chef Armando Percuoco shares home-style dishes. Jill Dupleix stirs up a one-pot seafood stew. Away from the kitchen, we delve into Melbourne’s vibrant Italian food scene and take an insider’s tour of the stunning Amalfi Coast.

It all sounds great to me. I buy my issues at a local magazine shop. In large urban centers, you should be able to find it in kiosk. Since this is an importation, it is cheaper if you buy it in stores. Otherwise, you can subscribe at Amazon or from the publisher site.

>>> Sourcing:
Subscribe: Delicious – Australia at Amazon.com – price: $129.90 USD for 11 issues
Learn more: Delicious Magazine from ABC
Buy online: Donna Hay Magazine at Amazon.com – price: $89.07 for 6 issues

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Event design is a huge market. Big brands have the monetary wealth to indulge in fabulous event decor. They make us dream and inspire us.

Let’s me introduce you to the lavish creations from a prolific Australian three-dimensional design studio Gloss Creative.

Founded by Amanda Henderson in 2001, Gloss Creative merges the world of Visual Merchandising and design. They call their style Grand Simplicity. Gloss Creative works in four areas: marquees, runaways, set design and floral styling.

In case you do not know, marquee is the British term for a large tent set up for an outdoor party, reception, or exhibition. What I am showing you here are tents designed for the haute society horse races in Australia. I am talking about the Melbourne Cup Spring Racing Carnival events.

Three Party Themes

I could resist when I saw the Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast in Tiffany theme done for the Longines watches. It finished the circle that I started Monday with my beauty secrets.

Created in 2007, Fashion Topia featured shades of greens. The poufs with their velvet fabric were the stars. This marquee feels less luxurious but the layout works well for a cocktail event. People can move the seating at will to suit the social exchanges.

The Picnic Luxe Tent is adorable. I enjoy how they display the food. You could recycle this concept for a party this summer. The picnic theme can be interpreted in so many ways from a casual family style to a stylish Victorian era backdrop.

Wonderful Finger Food

I feel bad that I did not buy the February/March 2008 issue of Belle. I read this Australian magazine occasionally. The great article was published on Moët & Chandon’s Le Chapiteau Merveilleux. That tent design raised the bar.

The woman Chef Shannon Bennett of the French restaurant Vue du Monde prepared the lunch platter. Guests were served vintage Moët & Chandon champagne with mini Wagyu steak sandwich, chickpea fries with dijonnaise, rabbit pithivier and the classic Peach Melba served with a modern twist on an Asian spoon. It sounds delicious.

>>> Sourcing:
Learn more: Gloss Creative
Photo credits: Bella article pictures taken by Mark Roper – Copyright pictures
Via: bye bye boring white . walls with dimension [ready 2 spark] + Gloss Creative [design to inspire]

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