Anne's Absolutely Favourite Things

Anne Harwell is a name known throughout Blogland. Anne is a talented artist and her gorgeous work has been featured on blogs worldwide. I absolutely adore Anne's chair series. I purchased a set of her chair note cards from her Etsy shop a while ago and every time I write a note on one of her cards I think I must order some more before I use them all up. I think her work is so fresh and vibrant and inspiring. She is also very gracious and never leaves it too long with out leaving a comment on my blog to stay in touch. Today I'm thrilled to be able to share with you some of Anne's favourite things...

"The arrangement includes a tole container that I re-painted with a lavender color I mixed myself (to get it the shade I wanted). In it is my dwarf braided ficus. In front of that is a cross I bought in Florence, Italy. Then there's a porcelain votive from Anthropologie, a fuschia glass bowl from Spain, a carved box I gold-leafed myself and a Tiffany box from a special gift. Atop that is a sea urchin my sister brought me from the Florida Keys. To the left is some coral and a shell, my pink reading glasses and one of my quote posters that I made to remind me to be thankful for what I have. I love these things for their color and beauty, but also because they remind me of special travel memories, people who are dear to me and what's important in life!"

Anne your favourite things are so pretty...love all the pink and aqua!! Thank you for sharing your special things with us!!

This ends Series 1 of Absolutely Favourite Things. Series 2 will start on Thursday 30th October. Thank you to all of the amazing bloggers who have contributed to series 1. It has been so wonderful to see your favourite things and to hear about why they are so special to you. Thank you also for the wonderful feedback I have received about this series. I can't wait to share the next series with you all!!

Shannon's Absolutely Favourite Things

Today I'm so excited to show you some of Shannon Fricke's favourite things! Shannon is an Australian Stylist, Interior Decorator and has also written 3 beautiful books; Sense of Style: Space; Sense of Style: Colour; & Sense of Style: Colour & Space. Shannon has also recently started a blog. I love her style and her love of white and colour makes me feel like we may have been sisters in another life!! Let's see what she has to say about her favourite things...

"I've always been fascinated with colour and texture - whether applied to fabric or the fabric of one's life. It is the colour of the things that I collect (whether ornaments or experiences) that keeps me feeling alive and it is the texture of these things that enables me to relate, in a tactile way, to the environment that surrounds me.

This collection of colours and textures represents various aspects of my life and my influences. Selvedge magazine never fails to provide me with a plethora of inspiring ideas and this issue, with Frida Kahlo gracing it's cover, is my favourite so far. I've been in awe of Frida Kahlo's life and paintings for many years now - her work is stirring and layered - and represents my love of Latin cultures and colourful fashion ensembles!

I love to travel, and am always at the ready with my passport in one hand and a Luxe City Guide in the other - which never fails to help me really penetrate the city that I'm in - on a local level. I picked up this Tamar Mogendorff handmade fabric peacock on a recent trip to New York with my daughter Inez - the colour palette has inspired the decoration of my new home and the piece reminds me of a beautiful week spent in this beautiful city with my beautiful daughter.

My children are a constant inspiration for me - they are my guiding lights and keep me grounded. This picture was taken at my son's 2nd birthday - and reminds me of our days spent living at our fisherman's cottage in Sydney (also shown).

The postcard is of the painting - La Chambre Bleue by Suzanne Valadon. I just love the interior and way the colour and patterning work together.

It's always about decorating for me! The collection of fabrics and felt - in calming colour of green and blue (with a dash of yellow) just makes me smile at the end of the day - that's what all it's all about!"

I absolutely adore this collection Shannon - the colour combination is divine - so fresh and vibrant against those painted white floors! I absolutely LOVE it all. Thank you for sharing this with us!!

Nb. Click on image for a closer view.

Absolutely Favourite Things will appear here every Thursday so stay tuned!!

Martha's Absolutely Favourite Things

"Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."- William Morris

Today I'd like to introduce you to Martha B. the writer of one of my favourite blogs, Nibsblog. Before having her son, Martha studied Anthropology, Art & Interior Design. She also worked for two major department stores doing window displays and fashion shows. Martha inspires me on a daily basis with her Vocabulary posts, her Then & Now posts and her Lil'Pix posts. I like her intelligent and witty approach to design and I definitely think she's a traditionalist at heart which I love. Overall, I love reading Martha's viewpoint and the pictures she posts are beautiful!! Let's see and hear all about Martha's favourite things...

"On our fireplace mantle are some of my favorite things:

Brass candle holders were a wedding gift. Look closely- the candles are in the shape of tree branches!

I love books and you'll find them all over our house. A small stack of them with a beach stone (found by my son) on top.

Polaroid of my father-in-law and his sail boat held in a vintage metal florist "frog."

Behind it is a starfish (a gift from my mom) and some old letters from my grandmother.

Antique pottery holds flowers from my garden.

For my 30th birthday my parents gave me the mantle clock- something I had always wanted.
Woven mirror was a sale item at Pottery Barn ten years ago.

Deer antlers (above the mirror) were from an antiques mall in upstate New York. At Christmas time I love hanging ornaments from them!"

Oh, Martha your favourite things are lovely. They are all obviously very special pieces which hold lots of special memories. I'm sure you will treasure them forever. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!!

Absolutely Favourite Things will appear here every Thursday so stay tuned!!

(Photo by Martha B. August 2008)

Grace's Absolutely Favourite Things

Gracey Bonney from Design*Sponge is one of the original design bloggers and is believed to be one the very best by many readers worldwide. Based in Brooklyn Grace originally started Design*Sponge as a place where she could talk about her love of chairs with anyone who was interested. Today her site is HUGE with a worldwide readership and hits of more than 30,000 a day! How does she do it? I know that when I have had any email conversations with Grace she's very quick and always seems to be very organised and always so, so pleasant!! I was thrilled when she said she would send me some of her favourite things. Let's see what Grace has to say about her favourite things...

"This is our new "landing strip" in the living room. Our living room space is impossibly small and cut-up into odd alcoves with walls jutting out here and there. So without cutting into the room, we wanted to create a space where we could leave notes for each other (without paper clutter) and keep mail, keys and magazines that typically pile up pretty quickly in our house.

The chalkboard frame is a vintage piece from Blue Bell Bazaar at Etsy- I love the way Gosia (who runs the shop) thought to reuse found frames and give them new life with a little bit of chalkboard paint. The little hutch by the door is a fleamarket piece that our friend Carl from Repop NY found for us- it's got a drawer where I stash my laptop and houses a rotating collection of my favorite books of the moment. I bought some el-cheapo wire baskets at the hardware store and used some Benjamin Moore test pots to paint them a bright blue (which contrasts nicely with the grey and orange wallpaper we have on another wall in the room). I made the little pencil cup one afternoon with some of my favorite gift wrap from a local paper shop.

It's been rainy in Brooklyn lately so I've been getting a lot of use out of my favorite umbrella from Pare- it's so girly and I always get compliments on it when I walk to the coffee shop in the rain.The prints on the wall are favorites from Hammerpress, Camilla Engman, Sugarloop, Alice Stevenson and Little Doodles at Etsy. Most of all I love the Paul McCobb chair beneath it from Scout in Chicago. The plaid upholstery makes me wish for Fall to hurry up and come soon."

I'm in love with that chalk board and of course I love the art cluster wall!! Thanks so much Grace for taking the time to put this together for us!!

Absolutely Favourite Thing will appear here every Thursday so stay tuned!!

Pia's Absolutely Favourite Things

Beautiful, talented and super kind Pia Jane Bijkerk is an inspiring Australian stylist, photographer, writer and blogger {wow she's one busy girl} currently based in Amsterdam with her 'French boy' {French for lover}. Pia and French boy live on a houseboat in one of the beautiful canals in Amsterdam - how exotic!! I was recently lucky enough to meet this talented multi-tasking woman and her French Boy in a city we both love, Paris. I'm sure our blogging friendship will endure for a very long time and I hope she finally fulfills her dream of one day returning home to Australia to live!! Let's see what Pia is absolutely crazy about!!

"I was very inspired by your request for a few of my favourite things and found myself collecting little treasures from my various travels ever since you asked me. As a stylist, I find I have phases of 'object love' and at the moment I am finding so much inspiration in handmade ceramics. As it turns out, all these pieces come from the three cities that hold my heart (and that I call home) - Paris, Amsterdam, and Sydney. And as wonderful luck would have it, today was a gorgeous sunny day here in Amsterdam,casting a lovely soft haze across my vignette and making it the perfect opportunity to capture 'a few of my absolutely favourite things'. I think it looks a bit like Polaroid which I love!

Anna, do you remember when we met in Paris a couple of months ago, I had a little parcel of handmade ceramics that I had just purchased? I found them in the quaintest little boutique in the backstreets of Le Marais, and ever since then I have had a penchant for little ceramic vessels to add to my new collection. So last week when I was in Sydney I had a chance to take a quick trip to Paddington Markets, one of my favourite market places in the world (I have a few favourite market places, but this one is definitely in my top 5!) - I spotted the stall of ceramicist Samantha Robinson. I used to use her pieces as props when I was styling in Sydney, and it was great to stumble upon her work again, I couldn't resist taking a few pieces home with me (they are the little hand printed espresso cups in the front right of the photo). And back in Amsterdam this morning I visited one of my most treasured ceramic stores, Vivian Hann's on the Harlemmerdijk. Everything here is from these special boutiques. Each piece brings a smile to my face, and I love picking them up every now and then and feeling their rough and smooth textures. And yes, every now and then, for special occasions and when we have guests, we use them. But for now, this is where they sit, on a shelf, in 'le petit bateau' in Amsterdam."

I must say I love the simplicity of these pieces so much and I do love the story behind them too! Thank you for sharing your collection of things with us Pia!

'Absolutely Favourite Things' will appear here every Thursday so stay tuned.

Michelle's Absolutely Favourite Things

I'm so excited to share with you today some of Michelle Adams' 'Absolutely Favourite Things'. Michelle is certainly a very talented young woman and is the founder of Rubie Green an eco-friendly textile company based in New York. Michelle's fabrics are fast becoming a favourite by designers both here and in America. I absolutely adore her fabrics and currently have two chairs covered in her East Village {raspberry chevron design} in my front window at Black & Spiro. Some of my other favourites are Tillinghurst and Portobello. Her fabrics have been seen in Domino Magazine and featured on blogs worldwide. I certainly think this inspiring woman is someone to watch and I am just so thrilled to be able to share with you today some of her most favourite things!!

"While rounding up my favorite things to shoot, I realized that many things make me very happy! So I thought it might be fun to show them both laid out flat, and also as a tablescape. I started with my favorite piece of art, which is a vintage Czech movie poster of The Knack (1966). I spotted this beauty on Kate Spade's 'Behind the Curtain' website, and hunted it down at a local vintage movie poster shop! To the right is a framed photo of my grandparents shortly after they got married. It's literally such a great photo that people always ask me whether I left the fake photo insert in my frame! (I have to laugh and explain "no, I do in fact know these people!" haha.) The rest of the pieces all have some significance in my life, such as my Rubie Green fabrics, an issue of Domino where I used to work, a subway map of New York, a small bottle of Stella McCartney perfume (I never leave home without it!), a special note from a friend, etc."

Oh my goodness, I LOVE all of her favourite things too and in actual fact I have some very similar favourite pieces of my own!! Thank you so much for showing us your beautiful things Michelle. If you want to see more you must go and check out her gorgeous blog, M.A. Belle.

'Absolutely Favourite Things' will appear here every Thursday so stay tuned!!

Courtney's Absolutely Favourite Things

I'm so thrilled to present our second 'Absolutely Favourite Things' piece from a person I admire very much; Courtney Barnes from Stylecourt.

Courtney's blog is a plethora of inspiration and her knowledge of Design History, Decorative Arts and Art History never ceases to amaze me. I am certainly very inspired by this amazing woman along with many, many other people from around the world and yet despite her popularity and her achievements she remains very humble. Courtney has been mentioned in Elle Decor, Domino, Country Living, Time, The Washington Post, Real Living, 1st Dibs, Apartment Therapy, Design Sponge and many other blogs including mine many times!! I must say she is one of the most gracious women I have come across since I started blogging and I am very grateful to her for always encouraging me and supporting me. Well, without further adieu, let's see and hear about some of Courtney's favourite things...

"This picture is an homage to one of my favorite decorators, Suzanne Rheinstein, and it is filled with a few pieces I love: the vintage highball glasses came from High Street Market and have a chic silver Greek key rim. (They look equally great filled with pink punch for a little girl's birthday lunch, holding adult cocktails, or serving as vases.) When I think of Suzanne, apple-green and English Regency come to mind so here I have crisp hydrangea and an English tray that belonged to my grandparents. Reflected in the tray is the painted sign that used to hang outside my uncle's art gallery. (The mix of black with green reminds me of Suzanne too.) And lastly, some of my favorite fabrics are peeking through, with the linen on the bench being very much like a print Suzanne used years ago for a showhouse."

Thank you so much Courtney for sharing some of your favourite things with us! Your vintage highball glasses are divine but I must say your ottoman is one of my all time favourite pieces!!

'Absolutely Favourite Things' will appear here every Thursday so stay tuned!!

Felicity's Absolutely Favourite Things

I am so excited to present our first 'Absolutely Favourite Things' piece which is from the very lovely Felicity at All Things Bright & Beautiful. Felicity is an Australian painter living in Hong Kong and her colourful blog is full to the brim with beautiful and inspiring images just as her title indicates. Her blogger help series has helped so many bloggers including myself and she is always so willing to offer her help and advice to anyone who asks. Felicity was the first person to respond to my new series when I sent out the invitation a couple of months ago. Here is what she has to say about her favourite things...

"Ah my favorite pieces - well, I can't really set my 3 children and hubby on the table and photograph them :-) so here are 2 of my favorite pieces.

My mother's cut crystal and sterling silver perfume and cream bottles pictured here (in need of a polish!!) with some other things from her dresser.

My mother appreciates beautiful things and there are so many lovely things in the home I grew up in and these are my favorite because they remind me of her. They are so pretty, lady-like, timeless and elegant all at the same time - a lot like her I guess."

Thank you so much Felicity for showing us a few of your favourite things! I must say I absolutely LOVE your special things but then again I think I just about love anything which is blue and white!!

'Absolutely Favourite Things' will appear here at ABT every Thursday so stay tuned!!!

Image by Felicity @ All Things Bright & Beautiful

Introducing 'Absolutely Favourite Things'

Hello there. I am so excited to announce a new series I will be featuring here at ABT which I have been working on for a couple of months now. It is called 'Absolutely Favourite Things' and it will be a once a week series which will showcase the favourite things of some of my favourite bloggers out there. I have asked each blogger to select a few of their most favourite things and work them into a tablescape/vignette which they will then photograph for us to see. I have also asked them to give us a brief blurb as to why these things are their favourite. There will be one blogger featured each week. I hope you will enjoy this new series. I will be featuring the first blogger tomorrow...how exciting. Until then I thought I'd put together a little tablescape of my own which includes some of my favourite things I recently purchased on my trip away and a few other old favourites. See you tomorrow!!

All Images - Anna Spiro 2008