Happy Halloween!

Mariah Carey and hubby Nick Cannon

Kim Kardashian

Lance Bass

The Today Show Crew

Lydia Hearst Shaw

Sam and Lindsay Take The Subway

Spotted: Samantha Ronson and Lindsay Lohan at an NYC Spring Street subway station. Who knew they rode public transportation?! That's actually pretty cool : )

Bathroom Furniture

James Michael Howard

I am very fond of placing small pieces of Antique furniture in bathrooms. I think it adds an element of coziness. It also adds interest and personality to a room which we usually don't think about furnishing.

Whether it's a small table {like above} to place some towels on & a beautiful tray with lots of perfume and lotion on for your guests or a lovely old chair upholstered in a pretty fabric, I think it's a great look.

In the Gumdale house I have been working on I suggested this concept to the client and she went with it. We painted the old pieces we found for her bathrooms white and they look fantastic.

So, if you have room for a lovely little old table or chair or even an old mirror in your bathroom my advice is...go for it!

Oh and while we're on the subject of furnishing bathrooms - I also love little paintings in bathrooms too!!

Introducing Zuma

Gwen Stefani took new baby Zuma out for his first public appearance! Spotted in Beverly Hills, the two were going to the library. How cute is he?!

Passionate About Blue & White?

Well then you must get your hands on a copy of Carolyne Roehm's new book - A Passion for Blue & White. Look at this dreamy image from the book! I think my mother will flip out when she sees this post! I think this book would make for a wonderful Christmas gift! Jennifer over at The Peak of Chic has done a great post on the book today and Lily-G also posted about the book earlier this week too! Can't wait to get my copy!!

Cakes & Flowers {A Post by Felicity}

When I saw Vicky Crease's beautiful work on South African blog Anything Goes I thought she would be perfect for Absolutely Beautiful Things and when I saw her quote in one of her press articles .......

"I love to bring people joy"

I smiled and knew I had to contact her.

Vicky is a South African based cake artist and events coordinator who has created and styled events for Nelson Mandela, South African President Thabo Mbeki, Tiffany's of New York and Richard Branson. Here's a couple of questions I posed to her as well.........

Vicky, what project are you currently working on?

Amongst others........

Christmas at Cartier,

The Twelve Apartheid Heroes Gala Event for 800 guests,

the Reserve Bank Governors' Awards Ceremony;

and Miss South Africa.

Also lots of events for the FIFA Soccer world Cup in 2010

What is your favorite event that you have created for?

1. Nelson Mandela's birthday Cake

2. The Launch of Cartier

3. The Launch of Virgin Money in South Africa

4. A private dinner party for Celine Dion

What's your most popular cake that you make?

Definitely the Death by Chocolate double chocolate fudge cake with a decadent ganache icing, topped with a mass of fresh roses and drizzled with icing sugar.

What's the best thing about of living in South Africa?

The sunny skies, great climate, deliciously diverse food, fabulous South African hospitality and the fact that there are no rules within a design framework, thereby allowing you to express your creativity freely. Also, my fabulous family.....

What are 3 of your favorite fashion/homewares boutiques in South Africa?

My sister's store "Life" in Sandton for rare objects and stylish homewares,"Wizards" in Hyde Park for great fashion pieces and"Woolworths" for everything else (food, clothing, body products, linen, towels etc.)

Thank you so much for chatting to us Vicky, I'm sure Absolutely Beautiful Things readers would agree, your creations are works of art.

All Images Vicky Crease

Quote of the Day

"He's a bit of whore this year" - Chase Crawford on his Gossip Girl character Nate Archibald.

MK & A Launch Influence

Today fashionista style icons, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen launched their coffee table book Influence. They celebrated by holding a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Union Square, NYC. The book features their own interviews with respected artists and designers who have influenced them throughout the past 10 years including Christian Louboutin, Karl Lagerfeld and Lauren Hutton. There are great photos, personal touches and if you love fashion and MK & A, you'll more than appreciate this work of art!

Harry's {New} Room

Skona Hem

SR Gambrel

James Michael Howard

When it comes to boy's bedrooms I personally prefer a classic navy and white scheme with some red thrown in and even some pale blue thrown in - see inspiration images above. I have always decorated Harry's room in this manner. When we moved into the cottage we put Harry into the only other bedroom we had which is the size of a shoe box!! At first I thought it was very cute and charming but then as time went on I found it to be completely impractical for him will all of his toys and books and things overtaking the space...don't forget he's a collector/hoarder just like his mother!!

So, Harry is now moving into a new room which was actually the original lounge room. I think he's very lucky as it has the most beautiful old ceiling in the entire house.

With his move comes new curtains and a few new pieces of furniture will also be required. I will be incorporating his old red and blue striped armchair and of course I will be using his beautiful old Antique bed {images above}.

Now that Harry is a little older it isn't as easy as it once was decorating his room. He is now old enough to have an opinion. I have been bringing home lots of fabric samples over the last couple of weeks to look at against his armchair and I have been quite surprised by his response. After much thought and consideration we have FINALLY made our decision. Of course I am the one who makes the final decision {definitely no Spider Man bed linen or racing car beds in my house!!} but I have enjoyed the challenge of him putting forward his opinion. This has actually made me consider other options and I think it has resulted in a perfect solution for the room.

I just purchased an old chest of drawers on Ebay which we will use as a bedside table for him. I will be painting these drawers a pale blue and I will replace the handles also. This will be a great storage piece for him to keep some of his toys in and it will be a fun weekend project for he and I to embark upon. Once we have finished painting it he can actually say that he painted it himself{with my help of course}!!

I rather liked the navy blue lamp bases which Tory Burch used in her boy's room {pictured below}. I have found a very similar lamp base which I will paint navy with shades made in the blue and white fish patterned Lulu DK fabric in the below image. I was a little concerned at first that this patterned fabric was a little too 'girly' but I decided it looked a bit like a pair of vintage board shorts...well that's what I told Harry!!

We decided on the navy and white geometric print {above - bottom right} for his curtains which we will install on an existing white painted timber pole.

I thought I might frame some old flags I have and also some old vintage sailing boat prints which I will hang around his room. His new {vintage} sailing boat will fit in perfectly!

I haven't made a decision on the bed linen yet however, I may use his existing patchwork quilt which I bought from Douglas & Hope a couple of years ago or if I decide to do something new {budget permitting} my choice would be to go for something very plain....maybe even a denim doona cover. I have lots of cushions I can re-use from his old room which I will place on his bed along with a couple of his most favourite teddies.

I'll be sure post some after pics once we are finished!!

What colours/theme do you like in a boy's room?

Rug Love

I'm loving these gorgeous rugs from Elson & Company!!

Tragedy Strikes Jennifer Hudson

Friday afternoon, the mother and brother of Oscar-winner/songstress Jennifer Hudson were both fatally shot in Chicago and her 7-year-old nephew Julian went missing. In custody is William Balfour (sister Julia's estranged husband), stepdad to little Julian. No charges have been filed as of yet.

Hudson left a message for her fans on her MySpace page this weekend:

"Thank you all for your prayers and your calls … Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely. If anyone has any information about his whereabouts please contact the authorities immediately. Here is a picture of Julian and what he was last seen wearing. Once again thank you all for being there for us through this tough time."

Update: Sadly, this morning, Julian's body was found in the rear seat of the SUV investigators had been searching for.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jennifer and her family during this most horrific time.

Antique Hunting with Harry

Harry with his ship and the pink bentwood

Hello how was your weekend? Mine was lovely. Harry and I went hunting for vintage furniture on Sunday morning. As you may or may not know we are currently smack bang in the middle of a renovation. Stage one will hopefully be completed in about four weeks! Anyway, as we are extending our cottage we have the need for a few more pieces of furniture. I have been collecting old furniture and bits and pieces my entire married life and I think I may have a bred another little collector!! Whenever we go Antique shopping I always let Harry select one little thing for himself. I love watching him select his piece. This time he spotted this fantastic old ship in the back of one of the stores at Paddington Antique Market and I was so impressed! We bought it for his new bedroom. I spotted this gorgeous old pink Bentwood chair which I am going to add to my collection of mismatched Antique dining chairs. I also found a few more bits which I am thrilled with. Overall it was a very successful mission. I love that my son is learning to appreciate Antiques and vintage pieces and its just so lovely to have him give me his opinion on my finds too...even if we don't always agree!!

Gumdale House Update

It's been another busy week in my little world. Apologies for my lack of posting. This week we started installing the wallpaper and window coverings at the Gumdale house which I have been working on for over a year now. Next week we are installing all the furniture which is very exciting. I thought I'd post a few little snippets to get you excited. This certainly is one of the most beautiful houses I have ever had the pleasure of working on. I'll hopefully have more photos for you next week. Until then I hope you have a great weekend!

On The Red-Carpet at Gabrielle's Gala

Wednesday night the Empire State Building was lit purple and red and downtown, NYC’s famed Cipriani Wall Street was abuzz for The 2008 Gabrielle’s Gala hosted by songwriter Denise Rich and her daughters in memory of Gabrielle, her daughter who died of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) at the age of 27. Created in 1996 because of Gabrielle’s own wish for a foundation to help spare others the suffering she endured, Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research is one of the largest non-governmental sources of grant support to blood cancer researchers at the nation’s leading institutions. With performances by Patti LaBelle (who sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) and Gladys Knight, along with the help of a live auction, (items included tickets to the 2009 Academy Awards, jewelry from Lorraine Schwartz, a walk on role in ABC’s Desperate Housewives, and a luxury trip to London and Paris) last night’s event raised over $1.6 million! From SATC’s Evan Handler’s own personal battle with the disease and Christina Milian’s cute shout-out to newly married Nick Cannon, to Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin’s upcoming cameo on Gossip Girl, take a look at what the stars on the red-carpet had to say as they came out to support such a good cause.

Denise Rich

Who are you wearing tonight? "Valentino and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry."
Talk about tonight and your friendship with Patti LaBelle? "I’m so excited! And Gladys Knight is performing and also Patti LaBelle. Gladys is a good friend and Patti is a sister. I love them both so much. I feel so honored that they came out for me tonight. It’s really special."

Alan Cumming

What brings you out tonight? "Well, I’m a friend of Denise’s and I want to support her and I love the way this awful thing happened to her and she’s made it into a very positive, helpful thing for the world. She’s a really great lady."
Upcoming projects? "The Tempest with Helen Mirren in Hawaii. I’ve never been to Hawaii. I’ve never been to Helen either" (Laughs).
What celebrity would make a good president? I think Susan Sarandon would be great because she’s very fair and has a great grasp of politics. And she’s sexy. "

Nastia Liukin

We hear that you’re going to be appearing on Gossip Girl? "I shot the scene yesterday so I got to meet Leighton and Ed, nicest people ever, it was so much fun and I got to know them and take a few pictures and the scene is with them. It’s a really short scene, but it was an honor to be asked to do it and I’m really excited to see it."
What about more acting in the future? "Maybe, I would love to do a little bit more, so we’ll see."

Donald Trump Jr. and wife Vanessa

Donald Trump Jr. spoke about the new baby on the way as well as the new season of Celebrity Apprentice.
Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl? "We don’t. We’re leaving it a surprise. It drove me crazy the first time. I really wanted a boy, ended up with a girl, and she’s so cool now. If I had all girls it wouldn’t be an issue. Also now I’m just totally indifferent, as long as it’s healthy."
Has your dad ever given you any parenting advice? "I’ll take advice from my father on a lot of things, that’s probably not one of them. He’s great at business! That’s where I keep my relationship. Anything business, I’ll ask him. Relationship, baby stuff, I’ll go to other sources or I’ll figure it out on my own."
How’s Celebrity Apprentice doing? "It’s been great. Really great guys, it’s going to be a lot of fun. You’ll see some interesting antics in the boardroom."

Donnie Klang

How do you feel about Aubrey O’Day and D. Woods being kicked out of Danity Kane? "Well, no matter what’s happening, me and Aubrey are kind of not talking right now, we had a big fight. But at the end of the day, they’re my sisters and I feel horrible that that’s what this has come to and I think Danity Kane still has what it takes to work it out, but it would take a lot of work at this point."
How is your album doing? "It’s slow right now, but it’s picking up, but I’m kind of glad it’s slow because it didn’t let me settle into the music industry, it keeps me working hard, it keeps me still feeling like I’m working towards something. I’m working on album # 2 already. So hopefully I’ll get to write more on this. I might start letting stuff leak to let it go and just, like keep a buzz going for the next album."

Evan Handler

What do you have upcoming? "I’m about to head off to a 25-city tour. I’m hitting 18 cities in 22 days coming up. I’ll be speaking about the issues of the book [It's Only Temporary: The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive, dealing with being diagnosed at 24 with the incurable disease] and reading from it and telling naked Sex and the City stories."
Is there going to be a sequel? "I have no idea. That’s all anybody asks me about now and I’m the last to know."
What can we except to see in Californication this season? "Well, four episodes have already aired so far. You’ve already seen Charlie Runkle get into loads of trouble...And the rest of the season features pretty prominently the almost absolute destruction of the Runkle family empire. It’s all downhill for Charlie."
How is David Duchovny? "I haven’t seen or spoken to David since the last day of work (way before everything hit the press). In season 1, I thought it’d be nice if I had a closer, more personal relationship with David and now simply because of all the uproar and all of the questions I get asked, I’m happy that I can say that I have no personal relationship or knowledge of his personal life. We have a great working relationship and I love the guy, but I haven’t got a tidbit to give anybody. I hear he’s doing great."

The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson

A little tidbit about the Duchess – Her favorite assets are her legs, red hair, blue eyes and her good heart.

Christina Milian

As the red-carpet came to a close, Christina Milian ran into Cipriani due to the bitter wind, but when asked about ex Nick Cannon’s recent nuptials, the cutie songstress yelled out with a smile, “Congratulations to him!”

- Erin Dustin

Heirlooms & Treasures {A Post by Felicity}

Heirlooms and Treasures by All Things Bright and Beautiful

Here are some of my mother's treasures, which I photographed when I was home last time - there are some more here too. Even though we have little space and they wouldn't really suit our minimal-ish, white, "art gallery" styled apartment, it doesn't stop me from kind of wishing we had more heirlooms here with us in Hong Kong to remind us of home. Family treasures suit any kind of decor really, don't they? Mementos we do have here with us include some of my mother's silver and my grandmother's occasional chair. Most of our other treasures (not that we have a whole lot:-) are in storage back in Australia. What family treasures do you have that you display to remind you of people you love?

Hugs Bugs!!
xx

Felicity

More Hawthorne House Pictures

Here are some more images of the Hawthorne House we have been working on.

Today I Love...

Hello again. How was your weekend?? Mine was lovely thank you...very quite and restful...just what I needed after a hectic week last week. This week we have Felicity back on Wednesday with a lovely post so stay tuned for that. Thank you so much for welcoming her at ABT with all of your lovely comments last week!!

Today I love these three images which I recently added to my I Love Files. What do I love about these images you may ask? In the top image I love all the colourful pretty plates and of course I love the flowers. In the middle image I love the round buttoned ottoman with the box pleated skirt and I love the concept of that bed for a child's room. In the last image I love the natural linen tablecloth and the piles of books and the blue and white jar with the fresh flowers. Actually just looking back at these images now - do you notice something else?? Yes, they all have a little bit of blue and white...mmm I am turning into my mother!!

I hope your week has started with lots of happy thoughts!! See you tomorrow.

Image 1 - Jane Roarty Stylist

Image 2 - Architectural Digest via Decorology

Image 3 - House Beautiful

Happy Weekend!!

These beautiful images, taken by photographer Hugh Stewart, of Collette Dinnigan's Sydney home were featured in Vogue Living a while ago. I absolutely adored her home. Her beautiful pieces of Antique furniture against an all-white background with books and flowers...perfection! I hope you have a lovely weekend.