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Wednesday, September 30

Introducing... 'Blog Of The Moment' - Inside Out.


Today I'm starting a new category on Heartfire At Home which will get added to when I find fabulous blogs that just have to be shared!

So I'm excited to introduce my very first 'Blog Of The Moment'...

Inside Out.

Have you seen the Inside Out Blog?

Whilst it's only been going since March this year, it's a wonderful addition to reading the Inside Out magazine off the shelf!

Always something to be eagerly anticipated and delightfully devoured, I can now get a dose in blog form as well.

Their tag line 'Inspiring Homes With Heart' cuts right to the core of my design philosophy!

Our homes are not stagnant entities.... I see them as living, breathing characters with heart and soul. A heart and soul that should align with your heart and soul.

Vibrate on your wavelength!

The Inside Out crew do an insightful job of collating delights, surprises, visual feasts, intriguing information, design ideas, beautiful interiors, shopping must haves, stunning artists and crafters, and general Inside Out desirables.



Look at these amazing works of art that are actually office memo blocks! They can be individually 'sliced apart' and used as post it notes.... gorgeous, colourful, and useful!



Featured on the Inside Out Blog, they're stocked by Third Drawer Down in Melbourne.




I'm constantly astounded by the beautiful things and innovative designs people like the Inside Out team reveal to us all. Thanks guys!

To discover more, visit the Inside Out blog today!

Cheers,

Linda.

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Tuesday, September 29

Dining In The Presence Of Books...



I love to eat, and I love being surrounded by books, so these dining rooms represent the perfect comfortable eating experience for me! What a delicious atmosphere to dine in!















The top one with the yellow chairs is my favourite!

All images from Jamie Meares (flickr).

Cheers,

Linda.

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September Showcase Snapshots... Allison Trentelman and Lauren Perkins

September brought the chance to feature two lovely artists.... Allison Trentleman of Rocky Top Studios, and Lauren Perkins.

Allison is a photographer extraordinaire, and sells her work on Etsy. Lauren is an Australian Artist who paints dreamy, whimsical, feminine paintings.

Before September leaves us and two new Showcase identities are featured, here's some 'snapshot' links to revisit their posts!



Snapshot 1:

An Interlude With Allison Trentelman Of Rocky Top Studios. Allison produces fine photographic artwork from the coast of Maine. Her meticulous work brings the magic, mystery, and stunning ruggedness of the Maine coast alive, and into our interiors. And, her beautiful closeups of botanicals and animals are astounding.


Snapshot 2:

An Interview With Australian Artist Lauren Perkins. Lauren's work is largely influenced by her life, memories, and imagination. Closing her eyes, she'll often be inspired by how she wants each painting to feel, rather than working directly from real life images.

Stay tuned for October's featured Showcase Artists!

Cheers,

Linda.

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Monday, September 28

September In Seven Snapshots....

As 7 is my lucky number, I've decided when I do a 'round-up' of posts at the end of each month, I'll choose the 7 most popular ones and give you a 'snapshot' of what they were about in case you missed them!

Here goes... click through on each title to read/see more about them...

Snapshot 1:

What've Two Fields Of Wheat Got To Do With Interior Design? A post about how our early memories connect to the way we design our interiors.

Snapshot 2:

Where Did The Music Go? Alternatively Titled - Hugh Grant And I Have Something In Common With Our Bottoms. All about the difference music makes to a home's atmosphere and some great tracks to listen to.

Snapshot 3:

The Simple Perfection Of Poppies And Why My Jaw Dropped In Admiration! Lovely images of poppies with 4 astounding photos of a poppy opening up in sequence. (Image from Easy Art)

Snapshot 4:

Suzy Chiazzari Thinks No Home Should Be Without These. Do You Agree? Is Yours? A post about books and home libraries. Over 20 pics and ideas of how to display your books at home. (Image from Remodeling Center)

Snapshot 5:

Heather Bailey's Colourful And Inspiring Studio... A Soul Nourishing And Inspiring Space. Take a look at a workspace we can only dream about. What a beautiful place to create! (Image from Heather Bailey Store)

Snapshot 6:

I've Gotta Thing For.... Butterflies. A post about the reasons behind my fascination with butterflies and some gorgeous pics of decorating ideas related to butterfly images. (Image from Irene Suchocki)

Snapshot 7:

Have You 'Gotta Thing' For Maps And Globes? I Do! Over 20 pics of maps and globes used in different ways in different interiors.

Cheers,

Linda.

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Sunday, September 27

An Interesting Question - No. 3


Time for another of our 'interesting questions'.

You can find Question 1 and Question 2 here.

Here's Question Number Three:

If you had to leave your home, and could only take 5 items/objects with you, what would they be? (Not including important documentation, money, jewellery, clothes, and photos).

Take your time and reflect carefully.

Now, think about what you said.

What did you choose?

A favourite statue given to you by a friend? Something that was handed down to you as a family heirloom? Your favourite painting or print from the wall? Some little sentimental objects that have special meaning to you? An old book you've had since you were little? Pictures the children drew or painted? A favourite wedding present? Some china that used to be your mothers? The stamp collection you inherited from your grandpa? A favourite piece of furniture?

Image via Posy (flickr).

Whatever the 5 things were....... would they be easy to get to, or were they locked away in a cupboard somewhere for safe keeping? Or, forgotten at the back of a shelf or hidden in a box or the basement?

The things we really love, and the things that are most important to us should be on display where we can see them and enjoy our connection with them every day.


One of my favourite quotes is this....

'Don't save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is a special occasion'. ~ Anon ~

Too true.

We often get lost in the every day hurly burly of life and fail to be thankful for how lucky, special, and wonderful it is to be alive.

Don't save the heirloom china for a special occasion, use it whenever you feel the need to be uplifted and want to consciously enjoy and savour a meal.

Don't lock expensive statues or antique ornaments away where they can't be seen in case they get broken. If you love them, get them out on display where you can see their beauty every day. If you're really scared they'll get broken, invest in a beautiful display cabinet where you can put them behind glass and still connect with them.


Display of vintage teacups.

Make that special piece of furniture the focal point of a room so it receives the love and attention it deserves.

Create a designated space to display items of importance to you. Somewhere you can feel their presence and give them the respect due their significance.

Ask yourself: 'Are the 5 things I chose woven into my interiors in a way that gives them the attention they deserve?'

Which leads to: If not, is there some way you could work these items into your home's interior design so you can experience the vibe and connection this will create?

Because: Your home should be a celebration of everything important to you.... it's your special place to enjoy what really matters to you.

Cheers,

Linda.

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Saturday, September 26

More Maps, Different Things... Look At These Wonderful Purses!


Thanks to Jodie over at Ric Rac (a fellow Ballarat blogger) who gave me this link this morning after noticing my map post yesterday!

Here's a chance to get really personal with your maps.

Map 29 creates purses of all shapes and sizes for Australians who want their very own corner of the world on something they own!



As the artist has a licensing agreement with Ausways who produce the Melways Street Directories over here in Aus, she is free to use any part of them.

So, when ordering, you can choose any capital city or town in Aus and have it on your purse!

The artist suggests you might like to have where you lived as a child on one side of the purse, and where you live now on the other.

What an amazing gift idea, so personal.


Such a great way to celebrate a place with important memories for you.

Love it!

Cheers,

Linda.

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Friday, September 25

Have You 'Gotta Thing' For Maps And Globes? I Do!


When I was younger and I wasn't stuck up a tree, riding my bike, or playing with the kids down the road, I inevitably had my nose in a book!

I used to love fantasy stories... ones where the main characters were on a quest in some foreign land or kindgom against all types of insurmountable odds and good always triumphed over evil!

Sometimes this did simultaneously involve being up a tree reading, but most of the time it was tucked away in the bookcase corner of my room, lying on the rug beside my bed....

....In my own little corner of the world, traveling in my mind to corners of worlds I'd never see anywhere but in my imagination.

And my 3 favourite books or series were...

  • The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe followed by the rest of the Narnia books.
  • The Hobbit (followed in grade 6 by The Lord of The Rings).
  • The Weirdstone of Brisingamen.
All of these books had maps inside the front cover.

Map of  'The Edge' from the Weirdstone Of Brisingamen

You could track the path of your characters, mull over the courses they should take, and journey in your mind across the ground they must have traversed. Awe inspiring stuff for a kid in a bedroom.

I even had a poster of Middle Earth on my walls for ages, right into my late teenage years, I loved it so much.

Map from The Hobbit via Scribd.

And curiously, now that I'm all grown up (for the most part), I've gotta thing about maps and globes.

Whenever I'm out anywhere and I see a map or a world globe, I HAVE to stop and take a look. Here's the thing though.... I don't like the normal old blue globes so much, the ones I like have that tea-stained, old paper, more black and white kind of look with a tinge of colour..... just like those maps in my favourite books used to be like.

Hmmmmm.

For years I coveted a globe. Everytime I saw one the right colour I drooled over it. But only late last year did I find a beautiful small globe on a wooden stand, perfectly tinged in the right tea stained tones! It cost me $14 at the Sunday Trash and Treasure market here in Ballarat, and I love it. It sits on my bookshelf in the living room, and I admire it often.

A bigger globe would cost the earth (pun intended), and take up lots of space, and my smaller globe fills my 'globe' void just fine for the time being.

But in celebration of maps and globes, here's a few more for fun!


Bathroom wall mural.

A chair covered in maps!

Globes in the corner.

Framed maps and free standing globe.

Framed map well chosen for its colours!

Serious globe collection (getting too crowded up there!)
and nice framed map!

National Geographic Globe.
Priced around $7999.00!

Map cushions!

Nice little globe in my colours!

Map plate from Ralph Lauren.

Map in children's room.

Map drawers.

Large framed map.

Decorative globes in a basket.

London Underground Cushion Map.

The whole world and the whole wall!

Map lampshade.

Globes as room dividers!

40's London Map Bowl.

The globe painting reflects the globes on display!

Nice globes against that wall!

If you like blue and green, this room's a great one!

This is the interior of a yacht! They can map
where they're going while they travel!

Map light.

Whoa.... walls, ceiling, and blind!
A bit too much I think!

Very mod and sleek.

A globe turned into a light fitting.

Love this one! There's a map on the pillow too!

And this one.

A globe and a view!

Another very distinct memory from my primary school days involving maps is a game we used to play.

Our school was lucky enough to have this enormous world map painted onto the concrete in our main play area. It was huge, about two thirds the size of a basketball court. We used to line up in two teams along opposing edges of the map. Each member of each team would be numbered from 1 to 8 (we only had 16 kids in the upper school - about 30 in the whole school altogether!!), and the teacher would call out a number and a country. The first person (the same number from both teams) to run and stand on that country scored a point for their team.

I loved that game.

ADORED it!

I was good at geography, and a fast runner, so I got to win at something!

Another great 'map memory'.

Ask yourself: 'What is it that I've 'gotta thing' for? What is it I'm really drawn to?'

Which leads to: Have you included artwork, furniture, objects, or other decor items that feature this 'thing' within your home?

Because: The things we're drawn to are always the things we love the most, and the ones that make our atmosphere magical to us.

It's Hooked On Friday's over at Julia's Hooked On Houses! Head on over and see what other people are 'hooked on' this week!

Cheers,

Linda.

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