My GREAT.LY Boutique

Have you heard about GREAT.LY yet? It's such a brilliant concept and website, and I'm really excited to now be a part of it. There are three important players... the makers (all those clever people that create amazing products), the tastemakers (those who spend their days searching and writing about beautiful things, and who have built up an online presence - that's me!), and the shoppers (who want to buy all the awesome products - that's you!).

I am a tastemaker, which means that I have created a GREAT.LY boutique and filled it with my favourite products from the GREAT.LY makers. It's a win-win situation... the tastemakers promote and market their boutique, leaving the makers free to do what they do best - create. The tastemakers take a small cut on any products sold through their boutique. And the shoppers get one clean, non-cluttered market place with amazing products from around the world curated by the tastemakers who they already know and follow.

I have created seven different categories in my shop. For the Little Ones...

For your Home...

Stationery...

Beautiful Art...

Also, Great Reading, For your Office, and Accessorise. Pop over to check out all of my GREAT.LY boutique, and make sure you bookmark it as I will be adding and updating it all the time. Go on, become part of the GREAT.LY family.

Emerald Accents

Apologies for my absence on the blog yesterday, I took a day out with my girls as their school holidays are coming to an end. Back to work... while looking through my Pinterest boards I noticed an abundance of pins where emerald green is used as an accent colour. Pinterest is such a brilliant way to discover your style, it's amazing how quickly a pattern will form.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Such a strong, vibrant and fresh colour, it looks great with white and black, or balanced with bright pink or orange. If you're looking for an emerald or jewel green paint colour, try these options... Dulux Emerald Green, Resene Watercourse, and Resene Salem. Start with a test pot to make sure you're happy with the colour, which can change in different light - enjoy!

Rue Magazine Update

I've just found some time to sit down and read the latest issue of Rue Magazine. Two of the feature homes struck a chord with me, although they're both very different to each other.

The first belongs to New York illustrator and style expert, Dallas Shaw. An older house, Dallas has retained the charm and details while adding her bold, punchy style to each room.

The second, amazingly, is a rented apartment, also in New York. The occupant, a young corporate attorney, hired the services of Common Bond Design to help him turn his bachelor pad into a refuge from work, and a place to entertain friends. They did a brilliant job with a low-cost overhaul, investing in pieces that could be taken with him to his next home.

The only addition that will remain is the fresh paint on the walls, which was absolutely necessary. A clean coat of fresh white was used throughout, but in the bedroom a bold statement was achieved with a gorgeous blue stripe the same height as the headboard.

When extra storage was needed in the bedroom, the designers custom painted a credenza the same colour as the wall. I love the way the framed print hangs slightly over the blue, linking the two halves.

There is plenty more goodness to be found in the latest Rue Magazine, so find some time to check it all out for yourself.