Black & Spiro Today

This morning I pottered around my garden at home and collected a few flowering things for the shop. I arranged some pink bougainvillea and some native gum leaves in a couple of shell encrusted baskets I picked up in Bali a while ago. There's something so Summery and vibrant about bougainvillea and I do love it mixed in with a few classic blue and white ginger jars.

Above is one of a pair of amazing hand beaded African chairs we have in the shop at the moment. I think these chairs are a favourite of mine right now. To think of the work that goes into them...

We just received this gorgeous geometric patterned rug in today. The girls and I couldn't wait to put it in place under our bright orange coffee table in our front lounge room display. I think it has added so much colour to the shop...I just love it and I am very tempted to take it home!

Just thought you might like to see a few of the new things we have in at the moment.

Sweet Dreams Guaranteed

Hamptons Cottages and Gardens

                                                                            Andrew Twort
                                                                     

Bella Casa Design

Need It Now

I'm completely loving these vintage Indian embellished shoulder bags Louise over at Table Tonic just got in!! I love, love, love the silver necklaces too!

It's not turning water into wine, but it is turning dull brass into shiny silver.

Magically turn that worn, dull brass piece into a shiny, sleek and rejuvenated silver one.  Found on Style North, I am amazed at this transformation.  Brass seems like a good idea until it starts turning green?  Not a big fan of the brass patina, but stripping the brass plate off to expose the base metal silver is something I have just learned of and I had to share it ASAP.  Click here to see the whole DIY for Style North.  Hope you all have a great weekend.  Enjoy, Heidi 

Style North

Style North

Serious Undercushioning

Finding the time to work out a few little things I need for home has proven to be a bit hard lately with a baby in the house and a busy shop to juggle.

If my friend Faux Fuchsia could see my very undercushioned sofas right now she would be in shock as undercushioning {her very own term for not enough cushions} in her world as well as mine is a big NO NO. Actually, I think many of you would be in shock. So, late this afternoon I spent a few little minutes with myself and my collection of fabrics in our stock fabric room at Black & Spiro. I found a few old pieces of fabric I have been saving for a rainy day and let me tell you my rainy day has come. So I whipped them out and packaged them up and off to the workroom they will go tomorrow.

I can't wait to get some fresh cushions in the house. It really is amazing what a few new cushions can make to a room!! How's your cushion situation at the moment?

Graphics Fairy

What a great look for the Autumn months ahead.  Graphics Fairy is responsible for these wonderful ideas, plus you can download for FREE the Parrot and Squirrel prints.  I love that Fairy.  Enjoy, Heidi

Graphics Fairy

Graphics Fairy

In Fashion

A couple of weeks ago we played host to a Spring fashion shoot at Black & Spiro for Q Weekend as above which was featured in the Saturday morning paper here in Brisbane last weekend. Thanks Elizabeth for wanting to use our new store.

Rustic Romantic Home

Southern Living

Southern Living

Southern Living

Southern Living

Southern Living

A New Trend?

Could this pin wheel inspired design be a new trend similar to that of the chevron/zig zag phenomenon?

image 1 - fine little shop, image 2 - via this is glamorous

Happy Weekend!!!

     Cote Ouest Via Garden Rooms

Yes, it is a Thatched Roof Play House.  It is the cutest thing I think I have ever seen. 

Happy weekend to you all.  Love, Heidi

A New Multi-Media Sculpture by McGahan Signature Glass!

Here are some photos of a new Multi-Media sculpture we just installed this evening in Edmond. The place we installed it is beautiful! The home is going to be on the "Garden Tour" this Saturday. The backyard at this home is simply stupendous! There are places in the backyard where you can stand and think you are way out in the middle of nowhere, when you are in one the nicest neighborhoods in Edmond! It's amazing! You can go to the Oklahoma Horticultural Society's website and find out about tickets for the tour! We are going to give it a whirl ourselves!

Our sculpture is steel, copper, blown glass, with low voltage lighting. It stands about 5 foot, 5 inches tall. We used copper for the "stems" and we fabricated leaves out of sheets of copper. We cut the leaves out, textured them and soldered them to the stems. We then blew the "flowers" or "buds" to go on top of the stems. To give it that beautiful "aged" look, we applied a patina to the copper and "wa-la" beautiful blue-green patina! After we got it all together and "aged", we "electrified" the sculpture with low voltage lighting. Looks almost as neat as the backyard it's in! The "buds" or "flowers" can of course be changed out to different colors for different seasons. White would look pretty cool in the winter. Red, gold, and/or orange could be attractive in the fall. Hail shouldn't be much of an issue unless all "hail" breaks lose and it's a complete "toad strangler". We blew the "buds" a little thicker than we would normally blow something and they are pretty sturdy. We are really pleased with how our first one turned out!

A Peek At The Big Doors To The Glass Studio in Edmond

Here is the lovely and gracious Christi Mitchell standing in front of the new big entrance to the glass studio right on the main drag in Downtown Edmond. These are some HUGE doors! We'll probably keep them open most of the time while we are blowing. Peeps can walk right on in to the studio while they are strolling in the downtown area. This place is gonna be super, super, COOL!

Beautiful Things Everywhere

It's true, sometimes I can hardly sleep thinking about all the beautiful things I see. Here are a few pretty things I have spotted lately. Everyone thinks I just like bold colour but actually I love subdued tones too as noticeable above. Isn't Brooke Giannetti's bathroom sublime!

PS. Thanks for all your encouraging comments on my last post...I am not stopping the blog {for now anyway}. I was really just saying how thrilled I was that my client was inspired by a few of my posts as I have been feeling like my posts haven't been up-to-scratch lately. To see that she actually created a leaf arrangement and purchased a lamp I posted was really satisfying!! I'd love to see any pictures of things you have created from ideas you may have picked up here at ABT...it would be really lovely!! Thanks for all of your messages!! xx Anna

image 1 via pretty stuff, image 2 - brooke giannetti's pink bathroom, image 3 - paul costello photographer for house and garden via moodboard blog, image 4 - source unknown {please let me know if you know the source}, image 5 - image source uknown {please let me know if you know the source}

Bird Silhouette Pillows .....in progress

Ok, I give in. I decided to jump on the silhouette bandwagon.

I usually veer away from doing what everybody else is doing, and let's face it, a bazillion people in blogland are putting their spin on the silhouette craze right now.......... but, that was before I found some great new bird stencils. I didn't care who was doing it - I was going to use those stencils.

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I've had some black and cream houndstooth fabric and a stash of washed canvas sitting in my fabric closet for a while, and I really wanted to use them for some pillows, but I couldn't decide what to put on the fronts.

And then I saw this over at Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures, and I had to have it.

Not the bench, although it's fabulous, but the bird stencil.

She said she got it at HL, so I immeditaely put it on my shopping list.

(If you don't already know Tracy, you should really check out her blog and see all of her great projects.)

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To my surprise, when I went to HL, I discovered that stencil was from a whole new line.

So, I bought all the bird stencils in that line. When I got home and opened them, I realized there were 2 different stencils in the smaller pack.

Woohoo, bonus score!

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I'm not finished sewing all of the pillows yet, but I wanted to show you anyway,

mainly for the purpose of showing how something so easy can make such an impact on your decor.

When I get them finished later today, I'll come back and add the pictures.

Here's a start.

I got so excited about getting these done that I forgot to take many before pictures.

TIP: When I use stencils, I prefer to use the small bottles of acrylic paints, but I always mix them with a little bit of clear glaze to 'water' them down a bit. Makes it so much easier to paint on fabric!

TIP: Another tip for using stencils - invest in the stencil adhesive spray. It's a lightweight ashesive that you can spray on the back of your stencil to hold it in place. I was out of it at the time, and I really should've waited until I got more. These stencils had lots of little pieces that would've stayed in place much better if I had.

See, aren't these great stencils?

Here's another. (I added a few buttons to the smaller stencils to fill in the space a little more. I also added a rhinestone for the eye to give it some sparkle.)

And the last one. (I see I have some overflow paint that needs cleaned up. :( )

(More on placing and marking buttons in an upcoming Tips on Tuesday in the Home Decor Series.)

Here's what I've finished so far, along with the pics of the other two I still need to put the backs on.

I love the contrast of the black houndstooth on the back and in the cord.

If you want a complete tutorial on how to make a corded, zippered pillow just like a pro, click the link.

What have you made with birds?

Let me know so I can go see.

Working On

This afternoon I visited some lovely clients who I have been working with for quite sometime. We are just finishing off the final bits and pieces in their home like framing and lampshades.

You may recognise the green vintage lamp on their antique entry chest of drawers which they purchased from the antique shop in Marburg I posted about a few weeks ago. Although I love the colour of the old shade, we are making a new one as this one is a bit too vintagey and also has a few dints. We decided today that the new shade would look best made in a very similar vibrant green silk.

We are also having a set of antique copper etchings framed and hung above the chest of drawers. The etchings are actually of entry facades which is so perfect. We have selected a gold bamboo frame to work back with the gold detail on the lamp base and handles on the chest.

Throughout the house we have used lots of blue and white and we have also added some green. I love this fresh palette. The blue and white plates pictured above are from Black & Spiro. We are hanging them on a wall in their informal dining area.

My client was also inspired by the post I did on green leaf arrangements the other day and has used some golden cane palm fronds from her garden in a blue and white umbrella stand which she placed on the antique oval table in their sitting room.

I know I have said this in the past but sometimes, lately more than ever, I feel I am writing this blog for no reason and I also question my ability to continue to inspire with so many other wonderful blogs out there nowdays. However, when I see that my clients are inspired by my arrangements, selections and finds it really does make me understand why, after nearly 4 years, I continue to write this blog.

Tommy Smythe

Shut the front door!  This kitchen is 100% PERFECTION in my book.  You all know Tommy Smythe,(he's Sarah Richardson's side kick) yeah.  He knows whats up.  Standing ovation over here at Heidi Claire.  Enjoy, Heidi

Tommy Smythe

Tommy Smythe

Tommy Smythe

Tommy Smythe