Free - Botanical Prints - Create a gallery wall

Remember the old Redoute Rose our mothers may have had hanging in our childhood homes? Botanical prints when grouped together, however can be really effective and a modern twist on the old Redoute images. Depending on your decor, carefully selecting the right frames and mat boards, you can create an eye catching gallery wall. To help, without breaking the budget, I have found some free botanical prints from the The Graphics Fairy. 

When printing, I recommend a slightly heavier paper than normal printer paper. You can buy suitable paper in most stationery shops. If you go to the art section you may be able to purchase individual sheets of lightweight card. I have selected four botanical designs. The rose in the second image dates back to 1855.  A simple black or white frame and suitable mat board is all you need to set off these images. Framing in narrow gilded frames would create a more expensive, traditional feel. Alternatively slick black frames and white mat boards would create a more contemporary look. 

1. white bulb  2. Rose  3. Sweet orange  4. Apple

The prints should print full size, I have reduced the images above to fit my blog. If botanical is not quite your style, there are hundreds of images on the Graphic Fairy's site, so definitely worth a visit.To print out the images, click on the links above. Note: Please don't try to print out from the images from my blog as they will not print the correct size (use the links).

Tip:  When shopping for frames, visit a nearby 'large' framing shop. Often they have ready to purchase frames made from off-cuts and they are usually well priced. They should also be able to cut the mat boards to fit your frame.

To help inspire you, I have found some lovely gallery walls with botanical or nature prints. 

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3. These lovely graphic prints are available from Pernille Moller Folcarelli Paperwork

4. Fellow blogger Kim updated her dining room with some prints from ebay....Read more here

5.  Another blogger, Leah from 'Fabulously Organised Home', downloaded these free prints for her master bedroom...Find out more here

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Image sources: 1|2|3|4|5|6

From the images above you can see how effective botanical or even simple leaf designs can be when grouped together. I have a Pinterest Gallery board with examples of 'all styles of art/photography', if you are thirsting for more clever gallery displays.

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If Your A Minimalist, 'Look Away' - Tour a French Style Home

As my heading says, look away if your a minimalist or your style is contemporary, as this Georgian home is the perfect background for the owner's collection of French antiques. I love symmetry, it just seems to work effortlessly and there is a lot to be seen in this beautiful home. I also like the way the owners have mixed artifacts of differing materials such as brass, silver and ceramics. The two over-sized ceramic pots on the mantel below, are real 'statement pieces', their bold shape draws the eye away from the smaller more ornate pieces. With 5 bedrooms and so many beautiful images, I have picked out my favourites.

All images copyright of jjlocations.

I hope you enjoyed the tour, I have been inspired by the bedrooms as I am hoping to create a similar atmosphere, maybe a little less grand, in my own bedroom which is due for a makeover. This beautiful home is available for photo and magazine shoots. For enquiries or if you want to see more images, please visit, jjlocations. 

If you really love French style, check out my Pinterest board, 'French Style', where you will find lots more images to inspire you.

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Chalk Paint™ Decorative Paint - Two Great Makeovers

Recently as part of the launch of Chalk Paint™, decorative paint by Annie Sloan, in New Zealand, I had the opportunity to give away an inspiring book titled, 'Creating the French Look'. I asked readers to leave a comment as to what project they might tackle if they were the lucky winner. One reader, Sheila from Christchurch, wrote how her house was damaged 2 years ago by the devastating 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Sheila's home has since been undergoing repairs and it is only now she is able to move back in. The theme of Sheila's interior is French style and planning to upcycle a few pieces of furniture for her new start she had already purchased some Chalk Paint™ from Femme de Brocante in Rangiora. A little unsure where to begin and meanwhile putting the paint aside, winning the book, was exactly the inspiration Sheila needed. Deciding to tackle a chest of drawers and a couple of chairs, Sheila sent me images of her first makeovers. Sheila praises Annie's paint and says she is "completely hooked" and I am not surprised seeing her results below.

Painting directly over a dark varnished Queen Anne set of drawers with Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan in Duck Egg , Sheila then used a thin layer of clear wax which she allowed to dry overnight. A further thin layer of 'dark' wax was applied which was quickly wiped off. Once dry it was sanded back in areas to give the drawers an aged look. Sheila said using a clear layer beneath the dark wax gave the dark wax a better finish.

If your item has a previous dark varnish, Annie recommends you test a small area and leave it for a week to make sure it doesn't bleed through. If this happens you can seal the piece with clear shellac, alternatively I would recommend a 'sealer'. However, it is said that Chalk Paint™ decorative paint will cover most surfaces with no prep work required.

 Even the handles got a coat of paint. 

 Before a rather tired chair

After,  the chair has been transformed, even the upholstery seems to have come to life

I also wanted to share a fabulous makeover by Mary at 'Orphans With Make Up', a professional with paint techniques Mary used Paris grey to update a dark, Queen Anne sideboard. What a lift the colour gave this piece, a totally new look. I am excited by this makeover as I also have some Paris Grey for my first project, a rather sad chest of mahogany drawers I found stored in my mothers garage. It is about time they were given a new look and I know she would love them to have a French style makeover. You can see more images, along with Mary's 'before' image at Orphans With Make Up. Or you can view some of Mary's incredible past makeovers.....here.

Thank you Sheila and Mary for letting me share your projects with my readers. If any of my readers have their own makeovers with Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan, I would love to hear from you. I have more projects from myself and readers coming up over the next few weeks.

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Create A 2D Room Design With Neybers App

I love to have fun creating and designing 2D rooms and when I was recently invited to test a new website called 'neybers', I was keen to see how they compared. This clever app enables you to use your design skills or simply have fun creating the room of your dreams. I had read neybers features were more advanced than similar internet sites and after putting them to the test, I would have to agree. Neybers products have transparent backgrounds, there is no need to remove a background from a product which can occur with similar websites. Another great feature of neybers is their background images can easily be altered, such as the placement or removal of windows and doors or change of materials in floors and walls. I also found it easier to create my own style when I started to shop for products. Well known designers and brands can be found such as, Cappellini and Fritz Hansen, and I even spotted some Louis Vuitton handbags.

I put neybers to the test by creating a contemporary kitchen. I went to their site for the first time and logged in through Facebook, however if you don't have Facebook, there is a quick registration. The next step is to select your room from their range of templates. Floor or wall areas can easily be altered by clicking on the selected area and choosing your appropriate texture from the images provided below the room. A wall texture can be changed from wood to brick, with a simple click. The shadowed people that appear in the rooms can be moved around or 'removed' using the 'bin' icon to the left hand side. You can then select furniture and accessories from their existing library. To make it simple, neybers have catalogued their images into styles, such as Antique, Asian, Bohemian, Roccoco, Vintage etc, simply find your style and this will lead to a library of products. Other ways of searching is through colour, brand, designer, store etc.

I created the contemporary kitchen above by following these easy steps;

• Selected my room from neybers existing templates
• Removed the shadow people by clicking on them to select and then using the 'bin' icon on the side bar
• I selected areas where I wanted to change textures such as floors or walls
• I then clicked on 'shop' to furnish my room. I shopped using 'category' and then 'kitchens' where I found my basic cabinetry and appliances
• Note: it is easier to shop a few of images at a time as the images will overlay each other in your room
• Shop a few items, return to your room and adjust their sizes and place them, then continue shopping
• Note: after shopping, click 'shop' again to return to your room to place the item
• I then began to choose my furniture and accessories, listed alphabetically under categories
• I chose my shelving, kitchen unit, appliances, range hood and lighting
• I selected the photo image for the wall and completed the room by adding some bar stools

I could have continued to add or remove furniture from the neybers library of images but decided to keep my first room less complicated. However, preferring lighter floorboards, I decided to switch the floor from dark to light wood as below simply by clicking over the floor area to select and then choosing my new texture from images below the room.

Deciding to play around a little more, I changed the texture of the walls, removed a window and made a few other changes. You can also take a snapshot of your image cropping it to whatever dimensions you prefer.

It was hard to stop once I got started so created a couple more rooms...

Images can be easily moved, re sized, removed entirely, flipped, manipulated or cloned. One of my favourite, features is being able to add light to an area such light shining from a window or down from a ceiling light. After I selected my island lighting I used the 'effects' selection to the right of the page to add beams of light. Shadows can also be added to a room for a more realistic look. Another fun feature is being able to shop for a rug, then use the horizontal icon at the bottom of your room to lay the rug down as seen in my Gustavian room.

You can check out other user's rooms on the neybers website or their Facebook page. neybers is still in beta mode which means the site is still in development and there is the promise of some interesting features coming up that will make their site even more unique.

I hope you have as much fun as I did, I would love to know what you think of their site, any feedback is helpful to the developers as they are still in 'beta' mode. The only downfall I could find at this stage was their library of images was still in its growth stage, however I have been informed they are currently increasing their images and have some great brands and designers from around the world. However, in saying this, I managed to find plenty of appropriate products to create my rooms. Neybers is a fun site that can be used by the novice or the designer, a place to dress up a room and wile away some hours or maybe help you with a decoration project and if your into Nordic style there is plenty of furniture and accessories to keep you busy.

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Cottage Style - Creating Curb Appeal

Don't neglect the exterior of your home, make it as welcoming to your guests as your interior. Until now my exterior has sadly been neglected but it is currently undergoing a mini makeover. There is no better words to describe my homes exterior than, 'plain Jane', a square, ex-state house which is sadly lacking in exterior beauty. In fact, I am so embarrassed by it's lack of architectural design, I will not be showing the 'before' photo until I have the 'after' to wow you with. However, as I know that people love 'before and afters' I do promise to show both images when my challenge is complete next month.

If your not blessed with an elegant portico or charming cottage architecture, I believe you can still create this style with a little imagination. Standard Bay Laurels, box hedging (Buxus) iceberg roses and climbers can add a cottage feel to your home. Add a porch roof or portico and appropriate style entrance door and you should have that much loved cottage look. I realise that some of the images below are a little more grandiose than cottages, however they all have a 'traditional' feel which is what I am trying to portray. From the inspiration I have found, I created a mood board to help me achieve the look I desire.

Symmetry never fails to work

A grand entrance, traditional style...I do love the shutters

Symmetrical potted plants is the easiest way to lift an entranceway

 Roses and buxus for a cottage appeal

A portico is an easy way to add architectural interest

Since drafting this post my incredibly kind neighbours (who are re-structuring their own garden), have given me all their buxus hedging. I had little time to get the plants in so have had to make a really quick decision about where they should go. Already there is a huge difference in the look of my exterior and I cannot wait to complete my makeover.

Addendum: Since publishing this post I have progressed with my makeover, you can now see the 'before' and 'after' photos in progress, here.

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Swedish, Gustavian Antiques - Home Tour

Last year I featured a fabulous home decorated Gustavian style with Swedish antiques. Today I am posting some more images and filling you in a little on the background of Jo Lee and Madeleine's home which they share with their rare, Norwegian Forest cat, 'Uzu'.

Jo Lee and Madeleine moved from London to Hove and when decorating their home, chose a Swedish, Antique style as Madeleine is half Swedish and has been raised with this style. The house was originally Built in 1886 for a well known family who were supposedly friends of royalty.The original house has since been divided into 4 apartments and Jo's apartment is on the original 'ballroom floor'. In fact, what is now Jo Lee's den was the original 'boudoir'. This was discovered when the door was removed for sanding and they found the original craftsman's name and signature inside the frame with a note saying "boudoir". The house has magnificent marble fireplaces in every room. The original Flame oak parquet floors remain, along with the original wall and ceiling moldings. Hand carved door frames and architraves are also still intact.

In the basement of their home lies a butlers pantry, plate room, cheese room and wine cellar and their piece de resistance is the 40 foot balcony overlooking the sea. Decorated with Swedish antiques from Jo Lee's antique and interior design business, this home is just stunning. I hope you enjoy these extra images. If you wish to learn more about Jo's antiques or interior design business, please visit their website at www.swedishinteriordesign.co.uk. they have some fabulous antique Gustavian furniture and after only 8 years are now No. 1 in Europe for Swedish Mora clocks, Gustavian, Biedermeier and art deco antiques.

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of Jo Lee and Madeleine's fabulous home. You can catch up on the previous post and lots more images...here. 

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