...and the WINNER is...

...according to random.org, #14- VART LIV I NORR!!!! which is a wonderful blog from lappland and features photos from home shots right through to beautiful scenes of Husky dogs towing sled (yeah like a mush! mush! thing). It is well worth the visit to see extreme weather and beautiful things.

Congratulations!! you have won any 2 prints from Opart courtesy of the lovely Tim Irving.

To all of you who entered, I thank you for visiting me each day and leaving your always lovely comments..it means alot to me.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend,

Ness xx

Note - I did try to copy the actual draw, but couldn't figure out how to do it, but trust me it said #14 =0)

LAST CHANCE GIVEAWAY POST

"First Arrival"

"Devotion To The Ocean"

OK. Today is the last chance you have to WIN ANY TWO PRINTS from Tim Irving's range at opart.etsy.com

All you have to do is leave a comment and you will go into tonight's draw. I will let you all know who random.org has chosen after boot camp tonight.

Good Luck,

Ness xx

images thanks to Tim Irving

Outdoor wishes...

via velvet & linen (I think)
I am loving this porch with its white and fresh hits of navy blue and seeing I am over being indoors, my thoughts have turned to what need to be done outside once the warmer days arrive.Tim Irving
..which is why today's pick from Tim's range in "The Yellow Jersey". Not only because I am on a serious health kick (2 dress sizes, 8kgs and 8.5" of my waist so far), and would like to get back on the bike in the sun, but Mic (Husband) was a serious cyclist for a long time and the recent Le Tour de France has reignited a fire in him to get peddling again...so this is my pick today.
Don't forget to leave a comment as tomorrow night the winner will be drawn to win 2 of Tim's beautiful prints!!!
Ness xx

Wednesday Wantings & GIVEAWAY!!

bh&g
Today I am wanting a beautiful Kitchen, just like this because I am sick of looking at our 70's wooden doors in the one we have now.

via the vintage rose
somewhere I could have my lovely white ironstone pieces out with pride, and possibly with a work wooden counter like this table top...

Tim Irving
...somewhere I could hang prints like these in...

This one of a Metro sign in Paris.
Tim Irving
...or this one called "Ripe Red", which would amazing with a huge white mount board around it...

Tim Irving

...or this one called "View Of Paris". All of these prints are from the very talented Tim Irving, and have been shot with an antique camera lens to give the appearance of an old photo. I love them and their ageless appeal...and by leaving a comment this week, you can WIN TWO OF TIM'S PRINTS!!! and he will ship to any where in the world...yay!

I hope you all have fun working out what two you will pick if you win. It will be drawn on Friday.

Good luck,

Ness xx

Mrs. Delany and Her Circle

I was excited to learn that the Yale Center for British Art will be exhibiting the work of Mrs. Delany in a show titled Mrs. Delany and Her Circle. Some of you might remember my posts on Mrs. Delany, one of 18th c. England's most noted paper mosaic artists. The show, co-organized with the Sir John Soane's Museum, will feature many of her paper cutouts as well as what is described as a court dress embroidered with naturalistic flowers. The show runs from September 24, 2009 through January 3, 2010.

While you're there, you might also want to see Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill. The exhibit made its debut at the V&A a while back. Alas, I never made it to the V&A to see it, so now is my opportunity.

To read more on Strawberry Hill (a home that Carolina Irving cites as inspiration), there is a great book that came out a year or so ago-Strawberry Hill: Horace Walpole's Gothic Castle by Anna Chalcraft. Yale University will be releasing a book on the Delany exhibit in December titled Mrs. Delany and Her Circle .

Tulu Textiles

Thanks to the recent House Beautiful article on the Miles Redd project (July '09), I learned about a new fabric line, Tulu Textiles. Based in Istanbul, Tulu was founded by American ex-pat Elizabeth Hewitt and includes hand-printed fabrics, bedding, pillows, and other decorative items. What I like about the line is that it has that Ottoman look to it, but the fabrics and pieces aren't so heavily exotic that they wouldn't work well with more traditional, or contemporary, fabrics. That's one complaint that I oftentimes have with some exotic fabrics- you use a lot in a room and you look like you're trying too hard to channel Talitha Getty, or you incorporate one and it sticks out like a sore thumb. Tulu's don't feel like that at all to me.

Tulu's website will be updated within the next month, but do try to visit their site in the meantime to see additional photos of their line. For information on how to order, email Tulu at info@tulutextiles.com


"Madame Farfalla" fabric- I am so taken with this print. Gorgeous!


"Kezban" print


"Clara" print


"Yejiju"- love the colors.


"Mejiju"


Pillows using "Mejiju", "Clara", and "Yejiju"


Bedding by Tulu

Image at top: From left to right, fabrics include Pink Gigi, Tashkent, Kezban, Madame Farfalla, and Cream Bathing Beauty.

Wedding Ideas and GIVEAWAY!

Tim Irving

I have found some of Tim's images that relate to today's post (don't forget to win 2 of his prints, leave a comment) about Wedding table layouts. As some of you know I am styling a Wedding in Spring, the brief being 'simple and stylish'. I am very excited about it and this print of Tim's, "The Embrace- French Cherry Tree" gives me inspiration to cut beautiful branches to put in glass fish bowl type vases as center pieces...very chic and Spring!
Tim Irving
This one called "White Tea Pot On Cotton Lace", is such a beautiful print and reminds me of a Brides delicate detailing on her dress...the fact that I LOVE white Ironstone probably helps.

Martha Stewart
I love this idea. If you are on a tight flower budget, you can use real leaves and fake flowers, and considering some of the faux varieties give the real deal a run for their money, I think if you select your faux flowers carefully you can pull it off.

Martha Stewart
It looks stunning all together and if I hadn't have told you the flowers were fake, would you have guessed??

Martha Stewart

...but this has to be my absolute favourite idea. Little birds nests holding gorgeous Peony Roses and for the place holder, a mini version nesting one bloom.
I am going to try and replicate this and see what it turns out like with my Twisted Willow tree to show the client. I think I will add a candle somewhere though as it is indoors and what is a wedding without candles?

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter into the draw to win 2 prints from Tim Irving...there are 100+ of his vintage looking prints to choose from!!! It will be drawn on Friday.

Ness xx

Michael Taylor's Softer Side

If you were faced with decorating a Victorian townhouse, what you do? Back in 1973, Michael Taylor decorated the San Francisco living room of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Clark, and the result was a room that Mark Hampton once deemed "the prettiest Victorian room ever seen." Victorian is definitely not my look, but if all Victorian looked like this, I might become a convert. It's also interesting to see Taylor's version of Victorian, especially in light of his later, California cool look.


The living room is a sea of pinks and greens in both pale and bright shades. Inspired by 18th c. Chinese wallpaper, Taylor commissioned a muralist, Garth Benton, to hand-paint wallpaper with leafy trees and birds in flight. The green moire sofa supposedly once belonged to Greta Garbo. I like the shape and tufting of the sofa, although I could do without the white bouillon fringe. The chair to the right of the skirted table was slipcovered in a cabbage rose chintz. And note too the straw rug, which prevents the room from skewing too sweet.



On one side of the living room was a bay window. Two blackamoor jardinières stood guard over the bay, while a pale yellow silk sofa was placed within the niche. The tassels on the front of the sofa were an interesting touch, although I believe that I've seen a Syrie Maugham sofa that featured similar tassels. Speaking of which, the Syrie Maugham armchairs here were upholstered in dark brown cotton velvet.

I guess the moral of the story is that not all Victorian is doom and gloom.

(All images and Hampton quote from Michael Taylor: Interior Design by Stephen Salny)

GIVEAWAY WEEK!!!

all images - Tim Irving
OK. Today is the beginning of a new giveaway here at M&L.

The lovely Tim from Opart is kindly offering the winner of this giveaway ANY 2 of his prints and as there are 100 or so to choose from it will be difficult to pick. Today I am showing you 3 of my favourite picks from Tim's range. Each day I will be adding a new one to the end of my post.

So, all you have to do is leave a comment and I will pick the winner out via random.org on Friday...simple!!!

If you comment each day...the more chances you have to win.

Good luck!

Ness xx

My Dream Terrace

A while back I posted an image of a Manhattan rooftop garden that I found so captivating (that image is featured above). Included in a chapter in Tiffany Table Settings, the terrace seems so evocative of chic 1960s New York- at least it does to me. Well, the terrace that I fancy has turned up again, this time in America's Small Houses: The Personal Homes of Designers and Collectors (1964), and I've learned that said terrace belonged to antiquarian Churchill J. Brazelton.

The first thing that caught my eye was the charming wrought iron furniture and those classical statues and busts that stood guard over the garden. But I think my favorite part of the garden is the small pavilion with a small, marble topped table and striped curtains. If only my balcony were large enough for this!


Brazelton's terrace by day, minus the beautiful Tiffany accoutrements. I wish someone still made that iron swan cocktail table.


A white marble Venus de Medici statue held court within a brick fountain. The trellis provided privacy for the garden.


I wish that I knew what color the striped curtains were; "America's Small Houses" did mention that the outdoor furniture cushions were all in "gay colors".

While I was preparing this post, I came across this image below of an outdoor tent- so chic- on Virgil McDowell's website. Those crenellated edges of the tent top...perfection!



(Image #1- Tiffany Table Settings; #2-4 from America's Small Houses - The Personal Homes of Designers and Collectors; image #5 courtesy of Virgil McDowell)

Have a wonderful weekend

Robin Stubbert
It is sooooo cold here right now that I will be hibernating indoors this weekend, trying to get some of my long awaited projects done...and sorting out the details for the fabulous giveaway starting Monday!!!
Have a great one, Ness xx

Flowers for the monsoons ...

Is it just me ... or do you feel it too ... monsoons are here (atleast in Mumbai) ... Rakhi is around the corner ... would Dassera ... and Diwali be too far .... :)


I dug up this old antique brass container ... reminds me of all the flowers I have arranged in it as a little girl ... trying to ape my mum ... as she arranged flowers in the drawing room ...

Well , brass things around the house ... always get me in the mood for Diwali ... I want to get all geared up ... start thinking of all the color schemes I want to use this year ... start collecting the cordinating accessories ... will it be Lanterns ... candles ... votives ... diyas ... what flowers are going to look gorgeous this year ...

... just wanted to add a bit of cheer to the cloudy ... and wet days ... and promptly my florist gets me my fav. white roses with a lil' blush of pink and pink oriental lillies ...

... no we don't get any dried willows out here ... I found some dried morning glory ... all dry and still clinging on the trees ... I love the mix of texture in my arrangements ....

... o.k so Diwali is still good two months away ... but I can't help myself ... I am addicted to celebrations ... gives me all the excuses to do up the place ...

And now to start triming all my candles ,shine up the brass ware... the feel is just right ( I am not the last minute kind of person) I enjoy preparations as much as the celebrations ... are you also feeling the Diwali excitment... are you also pulling out the brass lamps ... shining them up ... thinking up the menu for the family dinner ... uuuu ... what about the linen ... colors ... lights ... and loads of excitement ... well , do share with me if the you are getting in the mood for the festival season ... :)