Commonsense & Perseverance | Monday Wisdom

What a significant amount of wisdom in the below quote. It’s amazing to think we often work exceedingly hard to the point of striving, whereas often the result could be achieved with far less stress and ladders in our stockings. A good dose of commonsense (using your noggin at the right moment and thinking clearly and objectively) combined with perseverance (often the end goal takes a bit of sticky-getting-there but you know if you put your head down and work at it, you’ll get there) is sure to get you places in life.

I would add that a reliance on something other than yourself is likely to help you here. I have faith that God is always with me, and that confidence ensures I’m never alone when things are hard, when life gets tough and when deadlines loom scarily in the near future. So this is my Monday wisdom 🙂

Desert Style Inspiration | Cacti & Sand Dunes

My aunt just donated some lovely desert roses for our (rather sparse) garden, and so they are now flourishing in our succulent bed, with all the other cacti-related plants! I love desert-inspiration, whether it’s gardens or interiors. I think it’s because my love of the Karoo and the wide open spaces match my love for a country like Namibia – the desert scenery is just something so spectacular and awe-inspiring.

Here are a few ideas on how to incorporate a desert theme decor into your home, party or garden – it’s pretty easy actually and can be achieved with minimal effort. Enjoy!

Desert Vase & Cactus | source The Collection Agency

Velvet Couches & Desert Skulls | source Pinterest

A Cactus from Mexico | source fab.com

Desert Rose in a Can | source Jill Thomas Photography

Tea Party in the Desert | source Ruffledblog.com

Classic Desert Retreat | source Cabbage Rose Blog

Cactus Garden | source Pinterest

Plascon 2014 Colour Forecast

Plascon has always been front and centre when predicting the trendy paint colours for the upcoming year. 2014 is no different with four distinct themes that take into account what is happening in design, decor & interior decorating right now. Here’s the blog post as originally published on www.plascon.co.za:

The 2014 Forecast Themes:

Urban Tribe is a response to the growing trend towards national pride – especially amongst BRICS nations. With countries like South Africa and Brazil coming to the fore as global centres of design, their unique aesthetics are being showcased around the world. Urban Tribe expresses this with a warm and grounded palette of contemporary brights, plus gold and black accents.

Key Influences – African and South American vivid brights, high contrast combinations, retro-modern design, raw and refined.

Second Nature takes a new look at our relationship with the natural world. As more and more people live in cities, the urban space becomes our key reference point, and combining this with the natural world becomes vital to keep our lives balanced. This sentiment is captured in a bright, vibrant palette of greens and blues, activated by a bright yellow accent.

Key Influences – South American rain forest, jungle and acid green tones, tropical inspired motives, urban pattern, eclectic combinations.

Calm Contrast tracks the evolution of pastels in modern design, showing how they’ve moved on from being purely “feminine” colours. This palette shows the combination of classic pastels with grounding neutrals, plus dark blue and copper, creating a balanced, contemporary feeling.

Key Influences – Faceted geometry, contemporary romanticism, modern meets classic, subtle contrasts, natural finishes.

Inner Space is inspired by the ways in which we use sanctuary environments to rest and reflect in a busy world. Drawing colour inspiration from the stars and universe above us to enhance the contemplative mood, the theme is expressed through a collection of neutrals and blues for a deep, tonal palette.

Key Influences – Space and the galaxy, deep and moody colour, lunar greys and neutrals, night sky blue.

10 Unique & Beautiful Wedding Bouquets | Floral Inspiration

One thing I love about weddings is the flowers, and in particular, the bouquets. Many brides I’ve known have had the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, some traditional and some a little different. I’ve decided to put together 10 gorgeous and unique bouquets, just to show that you don’t have to always use the typical baby’s breath & white roses combination, or even real flowers at all!

From jeweled bouquets, to posies made out of sweets, lace, soft fabric and even wire butterflies, there’s really a whole lot you can do with your wedding bouquet. My advice if you’re keen on something a little different, is to still make sure it fits in with your general dress/design/decor of the day – maybe even follow through with same treats on the table, vintage books covered in the same fabric or jewels in your hair…

Be inspired ladies! Here’s 10 of the best 🙂

Mint Green Protea Bouquets | source Green Wedding Shoes

Rainbow Rose Bouquet | source SnapKnot

Lace & Fabric Bouquet | source Etsy

All Green Bouquet | source SnapKnot

Woodland Wedding Bouquet | source Bespoke Bride

Candy Coated Bouquet | source GadGether

Pinecone Bouquet | source GadGether

Bouquet of Jewels & Rhinestones | source Weddbook

Peach & Grey Cloth Bouquet | source Etsy

Simple King Protea Bouquet | source Love and Lavender

10 Cute Nooks at Home | Living Spaces

So we’ve been in our new house now for a month and it’s amazing how much there is to do! In terms of DIY we have lifted carpets, sanded wooden floors, painted two bedrooms (including skirtings – a slight backache nightmare) and hung curtains. And there’s plenty more to come… In the meantime though I’ve started dreaming of a few little nooks – places to retreat to and spend time in.

I’ve seen some great nooks in some houses – from under the stairs sitting or storage space, to an alcove or bay window. I’ve seen cupboards changed into walk in book shelves with a cosy chair, and cute kitchen corners turned into a newspaper and coffee nook. I’ve seen quaint wash nooks in old-fashioned restaurants and quiet outside spaces where wrought iron furniture and potted plants make the place their own. I love a good nook – the whole point is to USE it, and not to simply create it and leave it.

In that vein of thought, here are 10 cute, stylish and elegant nooks that I thought I must share with you 🙂

Cute  Bistro Nook | source madisonhome

Stylish Window Nook | source Pinterest

Nook for Girls | source Pinterest

Nook Under the Stairs | source decoholic

Colourful Storage Nook | source Pinterest

Beautiful Glass Corner Nook | source Pinterest

Bright Outdoor Nook | source Pinterest

A Framed Kitchen Nook | source Pinterest

Adorable Book Nook | source hellobee

Little Wash Nook | source Pinterest

Combining Neutrals with Colour | Paint Inspiration

We’re looking for a neutral paint colour for our home interior at the moment, and while it’s hard enough to browse through all the shades of stone, beige and cream, it’s often harder to work out what colour goes best with neutral! Well, what I’ve learnt is that pretty much everything does – that’s a good thing.

One of my favourite websites (EVER!) is Design Seeds – dishing up gorgeous colour palettes on pretty much a daily basis. I’ve used their colour selector to find a nice neutral stone colour, and they gave me these amazing colour palettes that just go. I think I love this! Here’s to my visit to Plascon this weekend… will let you know how it goes! Be inspired x

Candle & Cranberry

Mocha & Cocoa

Beige & Berry

Halo & Horse

Clarity & Candy

Fur & Feather

Apple & Autumn

Nice & Neutral

Fierce & Fresh