The Joys Of Retail 'Be careful what you wish for' is an age old adage that is ringing true for me in the running of Lily-g. I wanted new stock and by god I'm getting it!! By the truckload...so much in fact that I am finding it hard to get it out onto the shelves. Oh well more working bees for this Thursday and Sunday. Also, a huge box turned up today, which is about the size of the divine french double vanity that I ordered! Either that or there's a fridge sitting up on my mezzanine level. I have jewellery, fabric, throws, candles, bath products, pots, plates, cups and cutlery everything BUT the kitchen sink but I DO have the bathroom one. lol Soon the bed I ordered will arrive and I'll set up the boudoir upstairs and then if I get too exhausted I'll just sleep at the shop!! So please if someone sees my family tell them I love them and mummy will be home soooooon.

Charming and authentic old battered suitcases have arrived...lovely for storing linen, photo albums, baby keepsakes.

Hooked on pineapples as you will be able to tell by my carribean room.

Lovely occasional table for your entry or loungeroom.

This Camper Desk is stunning in real life and have found the perfect chair to go with it. Very Ernest Hemingway.

Fabulous Chairs At Lily-G Was reading Judy's blog and to my surprise and delight saw that she had shown 2 of the gorgeous chairs we are stocking in lily-g's Carribean/Coastal room (the bottom style are in a beautiful dark timber but white looks great too). I have two of the chairs from the top picture myself and they are fabulous! They also have pockets in the side for tucking your morning paper into while you sip your coffee...

Painting & Sometimes Decorating

Well have finished first two coats of paint (pistachio green doesn't go down without a fight!!) and probably need another two before I can call it Caribbean White....then it's full steam ahead! Have picked the wallpaper and the deliveries have started....12 boxes arrived today alone! So tomorrow, myself and my busy little team of worker bees are going to be unpacking, invoice checking, computer inputting and then displaying all my lovely, lovely goodies that piggy brought back from market...SO EXCITED!!!

Got all the new staff who are fabulous, and lovely and very user friendly for a boss that has her learner plates on. The girls are fully qualified decorators, designers and over all creators of gorgeousness. I am a very happy bear (insert smiley face here....I'm too embarrassed)

Have a great weekend.

Melinda

This looks so pretty. We are getting similar Charger plates at lily-g. Wonder

what was served up?? Sorry am girly girl love pink and green together. What a

wonderful colour in the vase....love the candles sticks....gush gush

What a beautiful happy space. I love the light fixture with all the collected beach flotsam and shells.

Loving the soft mint and the tin pannelling on the front of what must be the FRIDGE!!

That is absolutely gorgeous.

Aaah whats not to love in this kitchen?? Strong and clean, with fabulous

cabinetry and the panelling is gorgeous. Perfect balance to the soaring white exposed beam ceiling We are getting big cane shades similar to this and

I think they will look perfect in my Carribean room.

Claude Monet was so far ahead of his time. I have always found his use of colour inspirational and his gardens in Giverny are a must see experience if you go to France. Monet's house

The kitchen...you can't see them, but there are

dozens of copper pots hanging, just ready for making

preserves, terrines and all sorts of yummy french country

dishes.

When I went to Monet's house I bought his cook book, it has all

his favourite recipes from his life in Giverny.

Friends and I had a Claude Monet dinner party. We all

prepared a dish from his book, decorated the table in gorgeous

flowers and lots of mismatched french crockery and drank french wine.

After dinner we got the paints out and did our best impressions

of french impressionism!

A great evening! lots of fun, creative..and best of all...lots

of food!! Highly recommend it!

No wonder he was inspired to paint!!! His fabulous

gardens and water lilies outside....and these amazing

rooms inside.....Now where are my canvases and easel again??

Love old trunks for stacking, coffee tables and storing all your old baby keepsakes.

On my wish list....authentic vintage Louis Vuitton!!

Travel was once so grand...high tea on the main

deck, dinner dances and lulled to sleep with the

rolling waves. A tad different to the travel "experience" now don't you think??

If I get my way and I can downsize

my house on the bay for something

smaller closer to the city I will be able

to finally buy my dream 'beach shack'

Nothing grand or over the top (budget won't allow it anyway)

I just want a little house that we can fix up

and spend the weekends in. Bare floors, high

ceilings and big verandahs with lots of lush green

and hopefully a sniff of the ocean (not expecting views ha!)

These pictures are mainly from a beach house from

the site Coastal living, and I think they are a

fabulous example of the fun you can have when decorating a

a little beach shack. The colour pallet is one that

has always inspired me. Pristine white with fabulous teal, aqua and green

accents. Fun, childlike fabrics and clean fresh lines.....all beautifully

executed and all do-able on a small budget..hunting for all the

accessories would be half the fun.

If you were driving past lily-g last night and looked in you would have been witness to the most impractical moving team in the history of furniture manoeuvring!!!! Me (with my ineffectual muscles) and my lovely friend Tanya with the help of her sister Lisa were attempting to move a very large and ridiculously heavy buffet into the other side of the shop. There were many pauses for strength building glasses of Cloudy Bay and team building laughter but alas it proved too heavy and way too funny. Thank you to the lovely man out with his wife on a walk who came in and took charge and moved it while his fabulous wife had a twilight shop :) Oohh the glamour!! p.s bet he won't walk past our way again at night.

I know I might seem a little

obsessed with bedrooms at

the moment, but with a new

business to run and two small

little boys...sleep seems to be

becoming an obsession. I like

elements in all these bedrooms.

Definitely the last one with

the white bamboo four poster

would be a haven of heavenly

snugness. Which one suits your

sleep fantasy?? They are all

different but all appealing in

their own right.

Love how the bold print on the

floor just packs a clean punch

amongst all that feminine billowy white.

I love this room from Velvet and Linen it is such a great use of space and such an inviting area to sit and have chats with friends. Love how the television is no where to be seen and that the chairs are all positioned for conversation and not for watching t.v I'll take watching the fire any day. Love the corner where she has collected pieces more so for their shape and the contrast of tones and textures than for any purpose. The balance is lovely.

New Instore

Stunning new pieces due to arrive in store, with Easter not far away now is the time to start thinking of decorating your table. I'm loving the wiener cake stands perfect for placing individual cup cakes or part of your Easter egg display. We can organise to send direct to you email us at lilyg1@bigpond.com

An update

Had Harry's bday party on Saturday, and of course mummy went crazy over the top on all things Hawaiian for the luau theme, just can't seem to do things in a sane and measured way...I have some deep neurosis when it comes to any type of entertaining in my home. Everything has to be perfection and matchy matchy and themed (crazy) just adds 10 times the workload... but I do love that moment when I stand back and see how lovely everything looks and there is something about a perfectly presented table that makes me strangely contented (I know, I know!!) Anyway it was a fabulous day even when some rude guests actually had the NERVE to move things around and EAT!! my beautifully organised food (nearly slapped some hands ha ha) The day was a success and I was very proud of my big 7 year old. Sharnel from http://www.thecupcakecompany.blogspot.com did a gorgeous job on Harry's little surfer cupcakes :) On a non neurosis note had absolutely fantastic time in Sydney yesterday running all over the Eastern Suburbs with Judy looking at gorgeous things and buying some fabulous pieces for lily-g. I can't wait for it all to arrive at the store!!! I am madly loving all the absolutely gorgeous fabrics I saw from Designer Guilds new collection today.... I went a tad overboard and bought a sinful amount of their amazing sample books (oops!!) Aahh well a girl must shop. Turning the upstairs mezzanine level into something new and exciting...I see all that space and I just have to fill it with beautiful things. I will be posting lots of photo's and inspirational pieces to keep you all up to date and would love to see what you all think of my ideas as they blossom. xxx ps here's some clues

Well!!! What a learning curve the last couple of weeks have been! Firstly I have been truly humbled by the warm and open welcome that I have received from all the Lily G customers, and wholesalers, it has made such a difference and what could have been a bumpy ride has instead turned into a brilliant one (except maybe the lawyers... they seem to create a huge fun vacuum wherever they go), but other than the legal handbrakes, all has gone fabulously!! I mean, I know how dedicated the Lily. G client base is...I know that I am in terrible trouble from all you lovely ladies out there if I err from our "Look" I have truly big shoes to fill and I'm sitting here with a big cold glass of N.Z Sauv Blanc in hand feeling very confident in my ability to continue to bring to you all the gorgeous furniture, fabrics, home wares and amazing things that makes us all soooo happy!! So stay tuned.....we've finished the first furniture fair have 2 more to go and then the end result will be a brand spanking new layout and absolutely too many fabulous pieces and gorgeous special little treasures that the shop will be bursting at the seams. I have a few secret plans afoot as well so keep checking in and have a laugh at my expense as I navigate through all the minefields that lay ahead and try and keep the bank at bay!! ha ha! p.s my technical ability will improve expedentially... so tonight it's just a few words of thanks and soon I will add in lots of lovely pics. xx

Bedroom love

If you are like me and retreat to your bedroom to escape from all the demands of being a mum, wife, cook, cleaner and all round miracle worker, burrowing down into crisp freshly laundered sheets with big fat pillows and a fabulously intoxicating book is sometimes the greatest pleasure in the world and with all this rain about it is even more heavenly. I love, love, love a great bedroom...I think it is a true reflection of your own individual style. We are turning our Mezzanine level into a Boudoir with a gorgeous french en suite and I can't wait to fill it with all the most beautiful bathroom products, linens and towels... This bedroom has that cozy look of line dried sheets, fresh flowers and some happy light filtering in.....I can see myself there waiting for a lovely cup of tea and some breakfast in bed (ha!) more like the kids to come and jump all over me and eat it all one me :)

Have a great week-end

See you Monday for lots of great new posts, I'm really starting to get the hang of blogging and I'm looking forward to visiting all the great blogs out there. Next week is my first buying trip (Can't wait!!!) we are going down to Sydney, visiting suppliers and of course attending Design and Decoration perhaps breakfast at Bills and shopping in Woollarah just to finish off a great few days!

I'm planning on revamping the garden room, infact its going to be our Inspiration room of Fabulous new season looks, always ever changing and more Interior Design focused, thats just one of the exciting changes that Judy and I are working on.

Have a great week-end

Melinda x

Image from Velvet and Linen, gorgeous bathroom one of our favorites.

It is so hard to source beautiful bathroom furniture so we are on the look out for anything that inspires us. I came across the most fabulous bathroom console.. it is to die for so that will be in store in a couple of weeks we have also found some amazing hand made bath oils, soaps and candles. Will be available soon in store and on line.

Whenever I go to the states I'm always amazed at the access they all have to well made beautiful things..I want that for lily-g, unique pieces of quality and great craftsmanship. The hunt continues.....

xx

New Lighting

We are always on the hunt for new lighting and part of our new collection arrived in store today. We can order the same lamps in smaller sizes for clustering in groups above kitchen benches or the largest lamp hanging in a special location in your home.

Email: lilyg1@bigpond.com for all enquires.

An Update

Lots of exciting news at Lily-g! We have a fabulous new owner and to my relief shares in the Lily-g vision, she has fabulous taste and style and I find her enthusiasm and plans for lily-g very exciting to say the least. She has already worked on several Interior jobs and has wowed me!! of course our very talented Lauren will be contining her work at lily-g.

We have already started our buying and I must admit girls how I'm going to miss the shopping, thankfully Melinda is letting me tag along for the fun, she's letting me go gently!

Well my news is that I am retiring from decorating and retail but working on a very new and exciting venture. To our Lily-g customers my presence will still be there as Melinda and I work together to bring lots of fabulous products, inspiring interiors and in store events to lily-g.

All future posts will be from Melinda, Jo and Lauren with guest posts too!

The picture I posted above is from the Interiors of Bella Casa, we love the classic style!

In store now

We were very excited to get our new range of hand block printed tablecloths, cushions, napkins and accessories in store this week, the burst of summer colour is stunning and proving to be very popular not just because its so affordable but its unique and very gorgeous!