Mosaic Monday.

Mosaic Monday is hosted by Mary of “The little red house”. Thank you Mary for making this happen for us every week.
Today I thought I’d make a red mosaic. All summer flowers, so bright in the summertime.


For more mosaic photo’s go here: http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/





About my give-away.
This is to say thank you for following me and for all your sweet comments all this time.
What to do to enter this give-away. you are a follower or will be one.
Leave me a comment here or on some of my next posts and tell me you want to join. It will give an extra point for the draw when you put a link about my give-away on your sidebar.

Voor mijn Nederlandse volgers heb ik een ander pakket, ook andere trekking.  Geef een reactie op mijn blog en vertel me dat je mee wil doen.  Je krijgt nog een extra punt (nummer) voor de trekking als je op de zijkant van je blog vertelt over mijn give-away. Dus, hoort zegt het voort! De trekking sluit op 7 Augustus. Op mijn andere, Nederlandse, blog, foto in sidebar, staat een grotere foto van de prijs.
Riet

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!!

Decoration And Furniture Design In Home

Decoration And Furniture Design In Home








Decoration And Furniture Design In Home

Rural Sanctuary

Joppa Baptist Church, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky  © Doug Hickok


There was a time in the 19th century when the Kentucky hills, in the area that is now Mammoth Cave National Park, were populated by several scattered communities of settlers. Many had small churches like this for sanctuary on Sundays. Although the original church of 1862 no longer exists, this simple country church was built around 1900. A church such as this often served as a center for community activities as well. Country churches in this region typically had two entrance doors, one for men and one for women. Many a God-fearing soul has walked the creaky wooden floors past the pews shown here. The communities have gradually disappeared, but this little church and the cemetery next to it survive and are still used occasionally for special gatherings. Surrounding the church are miles of dense woodlands that conceal what lies beneath.

Located under this church is the largest cave system in the world. 390 miles of caves have been explored so far. Only about 10 miles  are open to the public, who can see the caverns on guided tours. We didn't have enough time to join one of these tours while on our road trip, but later this week I will show you the sink hole we hiked to. 


Because, really, what IS a vacation without a visit to the local sink hole?

Interior Decoration of Bedroom

Interior Decoration of Bedroom







Interior Decoration of Bedroom

Ludlow Avenue Walkabout

Bulletin Board, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok

Red Car and White Van, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok

Design of Overhang Underside, Wine Room, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok

Blue Door, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok

Storefront Facade, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok

Dress Shop, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok

Window (??)  Boxes and Brick, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok

Facade of Esquire Theater, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok

Esquire Theater Lamp Post, Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok


Not far from the University of Cincinnati campus is a cool, colorful, trendy little area along Ludlow Avenue centered around the Esquire Theater. This is an art house movie theater where we were fortunate to see Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Toulouse Lautrec, Auguste Rodin, and others, all in a movie called Midnight in Paris. This is a Woody Allen film I think you would really enjoy. My daughter has a short article about it on her book blog.

Pink Saturday.

Pink Saturday is like every week hosted by sweet Beverly of “How sweet the sound”

This Saturday I want to show you a few pictures of the 17th century mansion Wimpole Hall that we visited on our first day in England . We would stay in Cambridge and this was quite near. After the death of her husband captain George Bambridge in 1943 , mrs Elsie Bambridge, daughter of writer and poet Rudyard Kipling, went on restoring  the house until she died in 1976. After that  the National Trust took over the care for the estate.



The house is full of the most beautiful paintings and  furniture  and in the library there are more than 10000 books.









Look at that wallpainting over the mirror in this formal reception room..


Wimpole hall .


I have a lot more  photo's of Wimpole hall on my other blog , go here: http://wandelmetmemee.blogspot.com/ for that.


If you want to know more about Wimpole hall and its history go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimpole_Hall

Happy pink Saturday.

Is Big Brother Watching You?

Ticket Center, Union Terminal, Cincinnati, Ohio  © Doug Hickok


Although this giant "eye" looks Orwellian, it is not 1984. It is 2011, and what you see is not Big Brother watching you, but the interior of an art deco era train station. Except these days it is featured as a museum complex. Tickets are still sold for trains to Chicago or Montreal, but are also available for trips back in time to exhibits about the Jurassic period, ancient Egypt and the early settlement of Cincinnati along the Ohio River.

So don't be paranoid. You are not being watched.
You are free to do as you wish.

But wherever you go, whatever you do, and whomever you speak to,
keep an eye out for those hidden security cameras.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you!

When you put all your efforts and thoughts and energy into a project which you are so passionate about you can become extremely stressed and nervous and anxious as to whether it will work, whether people will embrace it, whether it will happen the way you had hoped and dreamt it would. 

Yesterday saw the launch of our online store which has been a project I have been dreaming about and working on for a very long time.  Seeing it come to fruition in the last month or so has been an extremely exciting yet anxious time.  It is different and sometimes when things are a little different to the norm people might not understand how it works or what the idea is behind the concept.

To my complete relief and excitement yesterday's launch went extremely well and I was completely overwhelmed by the wonderful and positive response to our concept.  I think the vintage items sold out within the first couple of hours which was amazing.  We also sold out of the geometric throw rugs but we were able to restock those later in the afternoon so there are a few more left if anyone wants one.  The 8 pink cockatoo lampbases have also sold out.  I am considering getting some more in so keep checking back for updates on those if you missed out on one yesterday.  The stock levels are going down rather quickly which is just so incredibly exciting.

Some people have said that they wished there was more.  I will say that 'from little things big things grow'.  This is just the beginning.  As this concept is so new I really was not sure how it would go.  So, it needed to be small to start with.  It is my plan to hopefully present 8-10-12 vignettes a year.  We will have our seasonal vignettes which will be for Winter, Spring, Summer & Autumn but keep watching as we are going to have some others in between the seasons as well.  We are also hopeful to expand the vignettes to maybe 2 or 3 or 4 room scenes/vignettes per season.

So, there certainly is going to be lots more to come and the scope of this concept is endless.  We have lots of ideas and we can't wait to put them into the works. 

The next vignette we present is for Spring and it is all ready to go so keep watching for it's launch which will be sooner rather than later...it's going to be very pretty and colourful!

I would like to thank a few very special people because without them yesterday would not have been possible.  Here goes...

Kell, Liv, Eve, Claire, Michelle, Tony, Michael, Max, Andy, Katie, Krishna, Mum, Dad, Brad {for putting up with my very cranky and anxious moods these last couple of weeks}, Elouise, Nick, Sam & Pete.

You guys are amazing and I really couldn't have done it without your help, guidance, feedback and support.

I would also love to thank those amazing bloggers who have posted about our store launch on their blogs and for spreading the word.  You guys are just the best and so very supportive.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart - Will from Bright Bazaar, Kimberlee from Brown Button, Kate from Polka Dot Pantry, Kell from Little French Nest, Mrs Blandings, Loni from Adore magazine blog, Natasha from Northern Light, Interiors Addict, Of Beauty & Love blog, Briana from HGTV Blog, Stylishirish blog, Australian Gift Guide blog, Gabrielle from Savvy Home Blog, Gild & Grace blog, Ivy & Piper blog. Chic Cottage Charm blog, Six Different Ways blog, Vicki Archer from French Essence. And if I've forgotten anyone please let me know!!

So, today there's lots to do, lots to ship and a house full of furniture to install into a house which was completely inundated by the floods earlier this year. 

There certainly is never a dull moment around here...

Thank you again for making our launch so wonderful!  I was blown away.

xoxo
Anna

P.S. There's lots of pink parcels heading out our door today! 

WOW Kitchens

LOVE this light backspash and the pops of color!!!! Modern kitchens usually have a monochromatic color scheme with a subtle yet bold pop of color. Designer Andreea Avram Rusu incorporated warm orange tones through the island stools and a stainless steel backs. Although, I am not much a fan of orange, Andreea made this design work well.

A monochromatic color scheme and stainless steel appliances are fundamentals in a modern kitchen. Designer Philip Guarino placed the kitchen island on legs to create a floating effect, which gives the space an airy, open feel.

LOVE the interest of the accent stone and wood!!!

A stone wall, glass tabletop and wood ceiling light fixture bring various textures to this kitchen designed by Elizabeth Rosensteel. The monochromatic gray tones in the countertops, cabinets, stools and backsplash bring a modern touch to the space.

 

Moving from one workstation to the other is simple in this bold kitchen. A thin ladder makes the glossy blue upper cabinets easily accessible. Design by Philip Guarino

Not a total fan of this, feels a little cold to me,  I do love the island stove and overhead lightng design.

The high-end appliances in this kitchen make it any cook's dream. The blue under-cabinet lighting allows the tile backsplash to shine, and the neutral tones in the kitchen create a striking contrast against the dark-toned cabinets. Design by Vanessa DeLeon

LOVE the contemporary style, still feels warm and inviting!!! Dark wood base cabinets are paired with metal-and-glass upper cabinets in this kitchen to create a transition from heavy to light. A white 2x2-inch glass-tile backsplash is illuminated to offset the larger squares of the upper cabinets, adding another layer of rhythm and scale to the space.

Skywatch Friday.

While visiting England we also went to Windsor. We wanted to visit the castle but there were so many tourists that we passed. We just had some nice lunch , made some photo’s and left again. It was raining now and then so the sky did change regularly.

Here I have some photo’s for Skywatch Friday.


Dark clouds over the river Thames.
Look at at least 25 swans and Canadian geese more back to te left.



The Royal Windsor Wheel in the background.



Windsor.

For more Skywatch photo’s from all over the world go here: http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Retirement Home

Two Old Cars, Danny's Classic Cars, Elko, South Carolina  © Doug Hickok


Side Kicks

Old Dodge, Danny's Classic Cars, Elko, South Carolina  © Doug Hickok


Beauty Queen

Old, Old Car, Danny's Classic Cars, Elko, South Carolina  © Doug Hickok


Er... well... some of us just age better than others.


(Quick note: This post was inspired by a fellow blogger. When Becky and I drove past Danny's Classic Cars in Elko during our recent road trip, I was so excited seeing old cars, really old cars, that I simply HAD to stop and grab a few shots. If you would like to see some truly artful photography of old classic cars, please take a moment to see Otto Kitchen's work.)

We Have Launched!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are now open!!  Click HERE to visit our new online store.  I hope you enjoy the experience!!
xx
Anna

www.absolutelybeautifulthings.com.au

Alphabe Thursday.

This week we need to come up with words beginning with the letter O for Ms Matlock’s class. Not an easy letter.
I found a few words but I chose Orange. I found a few flowers in this color Orange and put them On my blog.
I might think it Over and find some  Other Ones.


















For more O words go to Jenny Matlocks blog:http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/
Have a nice Thursday ,