Where I just want to crawl into a flower bed

Recently I started a new, and permanent! job as an Administrator and Event Manager. Its local and in a beautiful heritage building with lovely people.  So though its not shiny/glittery and exciting or fast paced, I'm finding out that it suits me quite nicely at the moment.

It also gives me more time to get back to this, Birdy Num Num.  I've been very slack lately, no inspirational thoughts and frankly, no energy or desire to create anything by the end of the day.  The new job is also handy in that I can finish at 4.30pm and it only takes me about 10 minutes to get home.  So there was no problem about accepting Sheridan's invitation to look behind the scenes at their head office in Ultimo recently (yes this is a review of a product, but its not sponsored and I just love to look at lovely bedding!) and get a preview of next year's designs.

Something I learned about Sheridan products is that they not only have their own designers, they do the artwork in the actual head office with paints and everything! There was even a design that was based on one of the designers' little girls' artwork that she had bought into the office to put up at her desk.  The other designers spotted it as something special and adapted it to this ...

I also learnt that they have branched out into lounge wear and candles, room perfumes and soaps, which base their scents on nature (beach, forest, flowers etc).  In fact all of the new range is based on the sea and Aussie bush.

Their lounge wear have a vast range - from as casual as the trakky dak and tshirt style to the long, loose cashmere cardigan which I coveted and hope to be able to afford one day.

My favourite of the day was the children's bedding.  It was bright, stylish, fun and lush - and not a Disney character in sight!  Though my kids may be a little too old now for some fun kids' decor, it made me want to demand they make some of it in queen size. Once again its based on nature, it was reversible and the little touches like the tiny (baby-safe) pom poms on the cushion made me just want to slip into every one of those beds (which may have frightened some of the crowd).  Feast your eyes on this (hopefully some of you are just as obsessed with pretty rooms as I am) ....

 

(look at those pom poms! and the other side is patterned)

Then there was the baby bedding - so gorgeous and gentle I was jealous I wasn't a baby myself.

All the materials used were thoroughly tested and approved by SIDS Foundation.

Lastly came the towels and tablecloths and runners. One of the invitees, a twenty something boy-man, was particularly taken with the hooded towel for kids and requested that they make one for six foot little people - didn't sound like too bad an idea.

All in all I was pretty impressed by the goods and look forward to selecting one of these sets for my new improved, non cluttered and fresh new look 2015 bedroom. Which is your favourite?

**Joining up with Essentially Jess for #IBOT**

p.s. I just watched the last ever At The Movies with David and Margaret - 28 years of movie love shared with the oddest couple on TV.  There will be no others that could replace them, ABC.

Forever House

I love my house.

Together we have lived in and done up and sold 3 houses in 12 years. So this is our Forever House. There are no major renovations needed (other than after the kids move out and we turn one room into a sauna/spa and the other into an office/gym - yeah right) and we can do little things to spark it up a little.

I have plans to convert the garage into a rumpus room so the kids can watch TV in there rather than in our bed (for Saturday DVD nights). And we are going to replace the pool metal fence and balcony fences with glass (safer for the dog AND any little visitors).

But that's a few years down the track when we can chip a little off the GIGANTIC mortgage.

Anyway, after overdosing on home magazines (my porn), I need some suggestions on how to jazz it up a bit. I'm thinking a really bright red funky chair instead of that round green thing the dog is lying on and an antique chaise lounge where the blue rocking chair sits (the previous owner had a beautiful worn brown leather lounge that I imagined myself swooning on which I absolutely love, but they wouldn't sell for under $2000!). And maybe a shabby chic table behind the couch where the phone could sit.

So have a look at these pics and let me know what you think I can do to spice it up. And if you have any before and after shots of what you've created, please show and tell!

The chaise lounge should be to the right (rocking chair out of shot as its a bit daggy).

This last one of the back verandah is me just showing my favourite spot on a warm morning. Also I need to improve my gardening skills to make the raised herb garden (out of shot to the left) grow! I've killed more basil in the last 8 months than John Cleese. Any hints on that would be welcome too.