Flowers Everywhere

We've had an endless bounty of beautiful flowers from the garden this week.  The Zinnas are flowering in full glory and the Dahlias just seem to keep on coming.  Here are some sitting on our fireplace mantel this afternoon.  There's no doubt about it, they make me so happy!!

Hope you've had a happy weekend!

xx

Anna

Wedding Preparations

As I write this post I am preparing 8 large rectangular tubs with chicken wire inset into each tub ready for all the flowers I will be cutting from our garden very early tomorrow morning.  After the big harvest I will be loading the tubs into my car for the journey down to Northern NSW tomorrow ready for my cousin's big Wedding this coming Saturday.  We will be filling approximately 60 mismatched vintage vases with Dahlias, Zinnias, Daisies, Calendulas and Foxgloves all of which I have grown here at home in our garden.  You should see the Foxgloves.  They are amazing.  I will try to take some photos of them before they are all cut tomorrow. 

Here's a snapshot of some of the gifts wrapped at Black & Spiro today which have been purchased for Ben & Phoebe.  They were so kind to mention that B&S is their favourite store on their wedding invite and I must say they have some divine gifts coming their way!!

I won't be back here now until early-mid next week.  Hope you all have a great weekend!!
xx
Anna

First Dahlias Flowering

Earlier in the year I was so impressed by the pretty Dahlias one of my clients had flowering in her garden, I decided to plant some in our garden for this Summer.  About 4 1/2 weeks ago we planted 60 Dahlia Bulbs and this week I cut my very first bunch.  My Mum and my Grandmother and Aunty came over yesterday afternoon and each of them picked their own large bunch to take home.  It really is such a joy to be able to give flowers from my garden to my family and friends.  I can't wait for the Asters and Zinnias to flower in the week ahead...

Today

After what has been a kind-of yucky start to the week, today I arrived at the front gates of my clients home and I was greeted with the most beautiful sight...masses and masses of agapanthus in flower.  Not only do they line their driveway, they pretty much line their entire property.  The very generous J wouldn't let me leave without a huge armful of flowers.  I was absolutely delighted.  They certainly cheered me up.

I brought them home and arranged them in one of my large glass vases.  They are so pretty.  You might notice the black and white card sitting on the table...

I was thrilled to receive an invitation today to attend the very exciting Chanel party at old Government House in a couple of weeks time.  I can't believe little old Brisbane town now has it's very own Chanel store.  I tried to visit the newly opened store on Saturday just gone but I don't do queues so I'll be sure to enjoy my visit when the queues slow down.

As I go by my maiden name Brad sometimes gets tagged with it too!  It was funny to see the address on the invite with him as Spiro! 

This will be one party we won't be missing.  The WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR conversation has already begun!!

xx
Anna

Dishevelled Perfection

Last night I did something I haven't done in a very long time.  I got caught on a couple of tumblr sites and I couldn't get off.  I just kept on scrolling.  Back in the early days of this blog I spent a lot of time reading other blogs and tumblrs but I have to be honest, these days I don't read many blogs.  Maybe it's a time thing or maybe it's because there are just so many out there now and I can't keep up.  Not sure.  However, I did find this fabulous image on Matchbook's tumblr last night.  It stopped me in my tracks.  I love how imperfect and dishevelled it is. 

Have a great Monday! 

Anna
xx

A Basket of Fresh Garden Flowers



Early this morning I headed out into our garden which is currently in full bloom.  I spent about 20 minutes in pure heaven collecting this basket of fresh flowers for Black & Spiro.  It has been so great having lots of vases of fresh garden flowers in the shop over these past few weeks.  As you have probably guessed I am a little bit obsessed with fresh flowers.  Maybe if I decide to give up decorating I could just grow and sell pretty bunches of fresh garden flowers...I'd really love that. 

xx

Anna

Alfoil Packages

We have this thing in our family of packaging up food parcels in silver alfoil after big family events for everyone to take home.  My grandmother's soirees always end with a divvy up of the amazing left overs which she has often spent days preparing.  This similarly happens at my mother's house too.  But it really hasn't been a thing which happens at my house as I don't love to cook.  It's just not my thing.  I mean I can cook but I really don't get the enjoyment out of it like my mother and my grandmothers do. 

I think I am starting to become known in our family for a different type of silver alfoil package....

Whenever anyone has visited our house lately they have left with a big bundle of fresh flowers from our garden which are wrapped at the base with wet tissues and silver alfoil for the trip home.  Here's the little bundle of fresh lavender, calendulars, basil, bougainvillea etc. I collected out of our garden today for a special family member.  I hope she gets lots of enjoyment out of them this week.

I am yet to tell the family that our huge trellis of sweet peas will be in flower next week...I'm sure they'll all be dropping in for a visit once they know this!!

xx
Anna

Random Snippets

I arrived home last night to this arrangement of flowers from our garden on our fireplace mantel.  A little fairy had been to visit.  Gosh they were a lovely surprise.  As I've said many times before, there's nothing like flowers to bring a smile to my face...

I thought you might like to see some photos of our new bedroom display at Black & Spiro which we have just finished decorating.  It's so nice having our back rooms looking beautiful again.



We've also had an influx this week of some beautiful new cushions and a few vintage treasures which is always very exciting but they don't seem to last long!!

This vintage blue and white lamp is one of my favourite pieces at Black & Spiro at the moment.  I found it covered in dirt at an auction a few months ago.  You couldn't even see that it was blue and white.  We wiped it back to reveal this beautiful vintage lamp base...divine!

Things on Tables

You may wonder why I seem to have an obsession with lovely things placed on tables and chests and mantels.  I think it stems back to watching my mother arranging flowers and shells and paintings and books and bits on tables around our house and our beach house growing up.  I remember thoughts going through my head whilst she was playing around arranging things like - 'What on earth is she doing that for?  What's the point?  She is weird.'

But it seems that for some very strange reason I too now love moving things around on tables.  There is something so therapeutic about it.  I love it.  I love seeing a table in a house against a wall or behind a sofa which has so much stuff on it.  It is so interesting and really shows personality and a love of beautiful things. 

I recently came across this painting above on Pinterest by Elizabeth Cummings via Brabourne Farm blog.  It is so beautiful.  That's how I want my tablescapes at home to look.  Filled with interest and imperfection and love.

 

Talking about tablescapes I thought I would post this one above which sits in our front window at Black & Spiro at the moment.  With all that has been going on with the online store I feel like Black & Spiro has been a bit neglected of late.  Gosh it's hard juggling everything!

Oh well, all you can do is try I suppose! 
xx
Anna

Fun In The City

Kate & Emma at Sourced Grocery in Teneriffe

Have you ever played tourist in your own home town?  Let me tell you it's so much fun and it makes you realise how wonderful the place is that you live in. 

I left home early Saturday morning and met up with Kate & Emma who I have got to know through blogging.  Earlier in the year they hosted me in their home town of Adelaide and this weekend was my turn to host them here in Brisbane.  We hit inner-city hot spots like The Pink Flamingo, Crosstown Eatery, Paddington Antique Market, Les Salles, Blake & Taylor, Woolloongabba Antique Market, Absolutely Fabulous, New Farm Park and a Brisbane newbie  Sourced Grocery in Teneriffe.

Sourced Grocery

The girls were so impressed with Brisbane which made be feel so proud of our city.  I have never done a 'Best of Brisbane' style post here at ABT but I'm thinking it could be fun to do and great for anyone who might be looking at visiting our fabulous city!!

My weekend finished on a bright note with Harry arriving home from his grandparents house with this branch of gumnut for me.  He spotted it whilst at the park and thought I would love it.  He was spot on.  I love it!!

Big Week Ahead...

It's a big week in this neck of the woods.  Our online store goes live on Thursday...eeeekkkk!!  Scary!!  If you want to be one of the first to know when we actually go live on Thursday make sure you sign-up on our holding page over at http://www.absolutelybeautifulthings.com.au/

We are also very busy getting our back rooms at Black & Spiro ready to open again.  Hopefully they will be ready to open by Friday.

So, lots happening and lots to do.  Thank goodness I have lots of fresh flowers in the house which we picked from our garden over the weekend.  They keep a smile on my face in busy times like these!!

A Fresh Garden Rose

Whilst on a bit of a reconnaissance mission today for something exciting down the track, I was very lucky to be given this beautiful fresh rose stem from a public garden which is currently full of roses in bloom.  I am shocked and horrified that tomorrow the roses in this garden will all be cut back and most of them will be sent to the rubbish.  Isn't it so sad that they don't bunch these beautiful things up and send them to the hospital for patients to enjoy...??  What's with that??

I hope you all have a great weekend.  I need to apologise now as my posts will be a bit sporadic over the next couple of weeks due to all of my efforts going into the launch of our very exciting online store on the 28th of this month!

See you soon...

x

Anna

Mid-Week Tulips

These fresh tulips arrived at Black & Spiro today.  They were such a surprise.  I took them home and arranged them in the vintage bird vase I picked up a few weeks ago.  They have brightened my week. Thank you Janet!!

Fresh is Best

The other day we had a lady in the store ask us for some fake flowers.  I had to bite my lip and very kindly advise her that we only use fresh flowers.  I don't go for anything fake.  I'm a real or nothing girl in all aspects of my life.  If I can't have real flowers then I would prefer to go without.  Today I brought into the shop some of the succulent pots I have been potting up at home which I placed onto a tray on one of the coffee tables.  They look great mixed with the fresh lemons in the clam shell.  It just goes to show that fresh really is best.

A Perfect Flower Stall

When I was a little girl I was as obsessed with flowers as I am these days. 

I think I might have been around 8 years old when we lived in an old Queenslander at Wellington Point with a beautiful garden which my mother absolutely loved.  I would collaborate with my neighbour Angela who was about a year younger than I was.  We would pick flowers {mostly the daisies} out of mum's very large garden and we would set up a flower stall in front of my parent's house and sell the flowers on the roadside. 

I would never let my children do that these days but back then it was different.  When I spotted these little stalls by Mouta over on Poppy Talk earlier this week memories of these fun times came flooding back.  I wish I had one of these back then.  I think if I did it might have improved sales!!

Today

I think these lilies which we have in the shop at the moment are the prettiest lilies I have ever seen.

I am smitten with our new hot pink {well it's actually fluoro/neon pink} love heart fabric which just arrived onto my desk this morning.

This vintage rug in my office keeps me smiling all day.  I love it.

And these new baskets in the shop are calling out to me - "take me home".....

Flowers, Vases, Baskets, Fabric, Plates & Pots

I've had a busy few days fossicking around the garden, the markets and local Antique shops. 

In my travels I stumbled across these vintage vases which I couldn't resist.  They now sit on our chest of drawers in our entry hallway.  The vibrant orange of the larger vase makes me happy every time I see it and I just love the quirky bird clinging to the other vase/jug....it certainly is something you either love or hate.

I fell in-love with these little yellow flowers at the markets but I can't remember the name of them so please do tell if you know.  

I also picked up one of these baskets which I have been coveting along with this piece of fabric which I am thinking of making into table napkins for an upcoming event I have planned.



On Saturday I potted up 12 little pots with Succulents for my brother as he was having a lunch at his house over the weekend and needed something wonderful to place down the centre of his dining table. I kept a few for myself to add to my growing collection of pot plants.  {Correction to my post last week the little pots sell for approx. $1.20 at Bunnings and the succulents came from there too}.

It seems I wasn't the only one playing with flowers on the weekend. Mum just sent me this picture of the fresh Banksias she collected from the trees on their property at the beach.  I am hoping she might deliver some over to me this week.



And finally I added 18 mismatched vintage dinner plates to my blue and white collection.  We never have enough plates when we have the family here for lunch or dinner so now we will. NB. Mismatched vintage is so much less expensive than heading out to buy a complete set and so much more interesting I think and the best thing is that I can keep on adding to them as I see them.

My Wonderful Weekend

My plans for a weekend in the garden had to be slightly altered due to the weather.  However, despite the rain I did achieve some gardening goals.  I went to my favourite nursery at Wellington Point yesterday.  If I could put their garden surrounding their nursery onto a truck and deliver it to our house I'd be one happy girl.  I just love wandering around the little pathways through their beautiful established garden. 

My aunty and my grandma {the one I photographed here on the blog last week} dropped in for morning tea this morning.  Aunty Jane brought me these pretty roses from her garden.  I love garden roses.  They are my favourite.

As you can see I did go a little crazy at the nursery.  I love the mix of plants I chose.  I really want to add lots of different colours into our garden.

I can't believe our little Max turned 10 months old yesterday.  He is almost walking.  Time really flies...



This morning my brother Sam and my mum, Harry, Max and I went to the Chandler Markets.  I hadn't been before and was so excited by what they had.  I found some beautiful orchids and fresh flowers and a few little vintage surprises too.



Yesterday I collected this bundle of fresh lettuce, beans and tomatoes from our kitchen garden.  I placed them into a basket and took them down to my mum's house.  Today she and Sam made an amazing salad which you will probably find the recipe for over at Sams' Table this week. 

Weekends at home are my favourite.  I always feel so inspired and rested and ready to go back to work on a Monday when I have been pottering around the house all weekend.

The S.A. Crowd & Home on Sunday

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I must apologise as I didn't get a chance to post before I left for Adelaide a few days ago.  I am working on a house in Dulwich which is such a beautiful area in lovely Adelaide.  Whilst visiting I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with The S.A. Crowd - Kimberlee from Brown Button, Emma from White & Wander, Kate from Polka Dot Pantry, Pippa from Tres Dodgeois and Alex from French Navy Stationery.  What a lovely group of positive, happy, inspiring, funny, encouraging and creative girls.  We had a fantastic dinner at Sparrow Kitchen & Bar on Friday night and then went out and hit the Antique shops on Saturday together.  I was amazed by Adelaide's history, wonderful food, pretty tree-lined streets, old stone houses and fantastic Antique shops.  It really is a place worth visiting and I can't wait to head back down there mid-year to catch up with the girls again.

After such a busy few days away, today I loved being at home.  I spent the day with my boys pottering around the house and the garden.  We recently put in a kitchen garden or Potager as the French call them.  Our lettuce is growing beautifully.  I picked one today to make a salad with tonight along with our tomatoes which just seem to be sprouting up everywhere in our garden.  Although all of this rain we've had has done some horrible things to our state, our garden is just so green and full of flowers which I have been picking and placing in vases in the house.  There really isn't anything which makes me happier than arranging flowers from my own garden to place around our house...simple pleasures!!

xx
Anna