Milton Moon

I may not have made much progress with this blog lately, but elsewhere, I'm doing ok. My husband (I'm not even going to pretend I had anything to do with it) has finished the main room downstairs and now it's up to me to do the finishing bits; furniture, rug, sideboard, mirror...
Last update, we had a thousand colour swatches on the wall. We went from white to blue, grey to green. Nothing was happening and in the end we had to put the anchors on the airy fairy swatches and get ourselves to the paint shop and make a decision. A bit of pressure can work wonders with procrastination.
After a few minutes we laid our peter pointers on a wee square of colour called Milton Moon and walked out with 10 litres of it.

The cane is a recent purchase and another work in progress. The covers are off getting made, hopefully as we speak and should be here in a week or two.

Originally when that light was hung the room wasn't painted and we weren't so keen on it, but now it seems to fit in a lot better. The outdoor lights on the other side of the French doors are a very similar style, plain glass with a black metal frame.

How's that grey? We are also happy with the oyster lights in the coffered ceiling. They were also quite the decision.

 

Both the girls have these el cheapo, yet a la pretty lights in their rooms. I got them on sale at Recollections.

It was my birthday recently. My people gave me this jardinière which I'd spotted up at Paddo Antiques. It will roost downstairs, maybe with an orchid or fern in it.

Riddle me this. Why is it that all the best television shows aren't on television or they are shown at 2.30am? Arrested Development, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, 30 Rock.

One more thing. I'm reading a great book at the moment called The Baroness by Hannah Rothschild. It's about her great aunt Nica who ran away from the Rothschild lifestyle to live in New York with her African American jazz musician boyfriend. Those Rothschilds were a wacky bunch.

A Study in the Classics

Remember when I posted a photo of this beautiful house, and some of you pointed out that it is actually in Rockhampton. As I've said many times, I grew up in Rockhampton. It's a town that usually makes the news for all the wrong reasons, but it actually has some ridiculously beautiful old Queenslanders, so many in fact that some of them are sitting in a state of decay.
This one however, Cooloola, is quite the opposite. It is the picture of perfection, and I've now had permission of the owner to show you the inside.

Let's skirt around the outside a tad more first.

This house is a perfect example of why some bits and pieces are considered classic. They just work, they're beauitful and they don't go out of fashion. Take that timber planter box at the front door,for example. That style of planter is at the front door of many a fancy address on Park Avenue in New York.

I recently bought a white Didier Parakian dress. Five minutes after I put it on, I had spilt make up on the front of it. I could never live in a house like this, but I take great delight in looking upon it.

It's all in the details.....

There's a young lady in the house. This is her quarters.

What more can you wish for than a pink bath tub?

A study in blue.

This is what life in the tropical north should look like.

Rhythm and symmetry. So reassuring.

Excuse me. Pineapples.

In case you're wondering, and I'm positively sure you are, this is the lady responsible for this big pile of wonderful.
Frances Russell, wife, mother of three, interior decorator, designer. I imageine Frances' home is a tomato sauce/soy sauce/red wine free zone.

If you're needing any decorator services, go to www.francesfussellinteriors.com.au
You can also read Frances' blog at www.beautifulinteriorsand18thcenturystyle.blogspot.com

Thanks again Frances!

The New Rug

Our issue du jour for downstairs is currently the lighting. In a moment of desperation, I suggested we go to Ikea to see if there was a light there we could alter. My husband considers Ikea a four letter word, and rightly so. They're producing a frightening amount of land fill in that enormous blue and yellow shed.
To his credit, after some pacing in the carpark, he got on board with the idea. He even spotted this cream and black geometric rug there, and threw it over his shoulder on the way to the check out, like a caveman with a mammoth's shin bone. I have to admit, it is a very lovely rug, but at $129 there has to be some sort of slave labour involved doesn't there?
The new rug prompted a bit of movement at Chez Motherwell. A freshly arranged room is as good as a holiday if you ask me.

Indeed, this chair begs the question, 'why am I facing away from the sunset'?

The dingo had her first birthday on August 1st, which is apparently every horse's birthday? We didn't know that.

She's behaving like a little truffle pig here because the girls hid food around the garden for her, like a party game.

New Cushions and Angel Food Cake

I picked up some new cushions yesterday from the lady who makes our cushions. I had to get new covers made for some cane footstools. They came up beautifully, albeit very safe. There's nothing avant garde about this stuff.

She also made the rectangular spotted cushion on the chair, and the square one at the back, which is actually silk. I'm using a lot of 'peacock blue' in this room, so Perry the Peacock feels at home.
This cushion below is very large and for the floor. It's a heavy duty, outdoor canvas, so it'll be handy out by the pool in Summer too.

This floral fabric is far more beautiful in person than in the photo. They have blue ticking on the back. I've had three made and later this week will have to trek down to my least favourite shop in the world, Ikea, to pick up some feather inserts. I think they are about $10 for the 60cm x 40cm size?

I had 12 egg whites in the freezer left over from various things I've made, so I whipped up an Angel Food Cake. I've never had one before, so I'm not sure if I got it right? It's like a cross between meringe and sponge cake? It has almond extract in it, which I'm not mad about. I think I'd leave that out if ever I find myself at a loose end with 12 egg whites on hand - hopefully I won't.

I actually can't find the recipe I used, but if you click here you'll find another one which sounds good. It's called Angel Food Cake because there's no fat in it, but there's a truckload of sugar.

Adios Amigos!

Green Chandeliers and Lemon Delicious

As I write this post tonight, I can hear the crowd singing Advance Australia Fair at the British Lions vs Australia game at Suncorp. My husband is watching the game at a hotel just up from the stadium, along with some of the other hood husbands.
Work is progressing very nicely downstairs. Remember, last update it looked like this?

It has suddenly turned a corner and is become much more exciting. The walls are being sheeted and now we can see proper rooms forming.

We are building in bookshelves on either side of the french doors, you can see them coming together.

We're currently looking into what to put on the floor, but more on that at a later stage.

We really want to use green somewhere in the main room, whether in a floor tile or a light. I've come across some very beautiful green chandeliers.

I love these beaded styles.

I found this chandelier at Recollections. Could I possible change the colour? Probably not.

Tonight I made one of my most very favourite old fashioned puddings, Lemon Delicious. A perfect hybrid of souffle and self saucing pud.

I use a recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly Original Cookbook, first published in 1970.

To make Lemon Delicious separate three eggs and beat the yolks with half a cup of caster sugar. Beat in a cup of milk and a tablespoon of self raising flour, a tablespoon of lemon zest, pinch of salt and half a cup of lemon juice. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites with a tablespoon of sugar until peaks form. Fold through the lemon mixture and pour into an oven proof dish. Stand the dish in a pan of cold water and bake at around 180 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Serve immediately with a little dobby of vanilla ice cream on the side. It will be meringue-y on the top half with a lemon sauce underneath. You'll love it. Guaranteed.

I have all manner of sewing/crafty odds and ends. A burglar breaking into our house would think he'd arrived at Martha's house, but alas, my hand skills do not match my ambition. Having said that, I had some success recently and I thought I'd share with you in case you are in the same boat.
I got this idea from a beach towel I saw at a shop at The Barracks, possibly Robe?
All one does is take a non descript towel, in my case, a child's beach towel, and cut a piece of complementing fabric which is the same size.
You then stitch the two together, with the fabric's right side facing out. Then take some bias binding and sew it around the edges - I'm not sure how that stuff is meant to go, but I managed to sew it in a crude fashion. Then to finish off, sew some pom poms or other trim onto the ends. It becomes a beach towel slash picnic rug, and it looks like this.

I think even if you're a faux-sewer like me, it's pretty self explanatory.

Hey presto! A monkey could do it.

Thinking about the design of your new house? Have you heard of Twigitecture, probably should be a small 't''. Twigitecture is the art of building nests for humans. This one is for rent at Big Sur in the US for US$110 per night. We may now call that AUD$121 per night. Spectacular, but very uncomfortable looking. You can read more about them here if you really want to.

  I got these cane stools recently. They're the same style as our lounge setting. It's all getting a bit matchy, matchy, but don't fear, I'm onto it. The stools are a bit high and bulky to fit under the bench, but they'll be ok. For now. The stool cushions are getting a Hawaiian style makeover. Stay tuned.

Did someone mention pineapple? I thought so. Have a look at this gorgeous lamp. I think it's at Pad in Sydney.

Now I'm off to make the most of having the television all to myself. This is a rarity, we're a one-tv-household. I'm going to watch Karen Blixen and Dennis Finch Hatton running around Kenya together. That move gets sadder and sadder every time I see it.

'I had a farm in Africa, at za foot of za Ngong Hills.....'