Back On Board!!!!

OH what a slacko I have been!! There's something about cold winter nights that sends me straight to the lounge to snuggle under a lovely throw and sip Pinot instead of sitting in my office and being a good girl and blogging. So I have been on a little break and getting back my work/life balance (well watching Master chef,Big bang, Glee and London Bachelor) So what has been happening here at Lily-G? So many Interior Jobs we've gotten our little teeth into and due to the frenetic pace I have been going at, I have to thank my wonderful staff for helping me to cope both mentally and physically. If it wasn't for these truly creative and energetic employees I would have gone a wee bit loopy. My partner in crime and creativity Natalee has also kept the little white men at bay the last couple of months and as you can read on our blog "LILY G Homes" we are very very busy rolling up the sleeves and tackling some big renovation jobs. Also I celebrated my much dreaded 40th birthday and I must say not as many tears as I was expecting and certainly not as much angst. I cruised into my 41st year with much grace and good humor and it is all thanks to the comfort of my lovely girly friends who stood shoulder to shoulder with me as I drank a disgraceful amount of Champagne and laughed a tad too loud at my birthday dinner. Also being whisked away for a weekend at The Park Hyatt in Sydney and taken to Tetsuyas doesn't hurt (thank you MM) So a new year financially and a new year creatively and so much possibility out there makes me feel very blessed to be a woman in such a fortunate country. On the subject of women (even though she is not a style icon and we must remember that fashion sense or the lack there of has never been a pre-requisite in the past when it comes to competent leadership) Julia Gillard is our new P.M and I feel so inspired that we actually have come so far in Australia (such a traditionally patriarchal government) as to finally see a female PM. What an inspiration to women all over the world and a reminder that we are truly unstoppable in any arena!!! On that note I'll say night night and promise won't be gone for so long next time....in fact hold onto your laptops as we are going to be bombarding you with many an image and a many many ramblings as well. Melinda.

Sex and The City!!

Here we are all frocked up for the Premier of Sex and The City!! This is Shelley, Tanya, Myself and Natalee. Me & Natalee with Two of The "Ladies" that were there to provide extra entertainment at the function.

We just received boxes and boxes of amazing stock!!! Unbelievable pieces from all over the world.

Selling and Building

We have decided to sell our house at Birkdale and build. I am in love with the idea of building as I can finally get the home I want. I am a very picky little puppy and cannot for the life of me find a house that I would be happy to make the monstrous effort of selling, packing and moving into for. We are very fortunate to live on the Bay and I will miss the lovely views and the Summers when it is 5 degrees cooler than the rest of Brisbane. But the commute to work and to all our favourite haunts is becoming too impractical. So my partner M.M and I are now looking for a perfect block of land to Build our house on and it will also be our First Official Lily G house. A proto-type for the gorgeous homes that we will be building for our clients. So if anyone wants to buy a lovely home on the water....Come and get it!!! Contact me at Lily G for details :) 5 bedrooms all with Bay views and 180 Degrees of Moreton, Manly and Green Island. Will miss it but too excited about the possibilities!!

Lily G Bedding!!! Qld Homes

Get this months issue of Queensland Homes we are featured amongst some very big names!! We are very proud of the work and think it looks the best (of course :) )

Here is our amazing bed all set up in the middle of the shop!!! Gorgeous Lily G linen and mountains of pillows and the most luxurious quilts all ready to snuggle into on those cold winters.

Bunnies have arrived in Lily G!! Decided to run with these soooo cute bunnies and some of their friends!!! because they are just lovely and so gorgeous. We have given them their own little shelves and they look very happy in their new home.

Off to Sex and The City premier tonight!!! very excited and will take some pics to show you all the Lily G girls putting on their best Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte !!

Samantha Wills will be there tonight and we are very excited to be getting her amazing jewellery in at Lily G!!! It is featured in the movie so double-ly excited!

Lily G linen & Sex and The City

We are receiving our gorgeous aprons featured in S.I.T.C any day now....Makes me want to take up baking.....nearly!!! We have received all our linen today and it is absolutely luxurious and after testing it last night I can genuinely say it gave me a lovely nights slumber. Nothing is as lovely as waking up in a mountain of fresh white linen. Lily-G linen is made at the same Mills that make linen for Harrods and The Ritz hotels it is high thread count (not so high as to make it unaffordable) and long staple combed cotton. Feels so soft and smooth!! We have Herringbone, Damask & lovely plain white with Satin piping. Available in King, Queen & Double.

Lily G Homes

So have created another blog to track our progress on all our interior jobs and the different ideas and creative processes that we go through at Lily G as we build on our Interiors department. I will continue to blog about the shop and my little purchases and drama's and both myself and Natalee will blog at http://www.lilyghomes.blogspot.com/. Problem was being a techno phobe I was trying to blog here and ended up blogging in the wrong one. But you HAVE TO READ my little blog in Lily G Homes as it sooo funny.....well I made a complete fool of myself and that is always funny!! As you will see we are in Melbourne at the moment and just happened to bump into someone that made me as excited as a school girl.....to my shame I acted like a crazed fan but that's allowed sometimes.. Have a lovely week. Melinda

Lovely Things

NEW STOCK!!! Just some pickies of all the lovely pieces and fabrics, cushions and little creatures that have arrived recently. Love, love my pink Monkeys. Here are some new cushions that I have had made. I love the faded blues against the distressed white of the screen. This French Industrial Cabinet is fabulous for craft storage, veggies, bits and pieces, toy rooms.

This lovely new cupboard just arrived yesterday!!! Lined in a Chinoise Teal Silk, absolutely gorgeous for all your little keepsakes and perfumes. We have put all our beautiful Jewellery in it and it looks AMAZING!!!

These little fellows are the stars of the shop after arriving 2 days ago....they are so cute and look very pretty and fresh.

Out with the old. In with the big!!

Can't wait for winter, and here's why....

Aaahhhh!!!

Well getting colder, so thought I would go through the old wardrobe and try and sort out some semblance of a winter wardrobe for the wee bit of cool weather we get here in Queensland. FORGET IT!! Cannot deny what I was desperately trying to avoid acknowledging...3 months to the day after taking over Lily-G I have gained 5 Kg's and none of the old winter is going to fit my expanded girth.

When I try and ponder the weight gain I can't exactly put my finger on it!??

OK working so hard at the shop one gets low blood sugar and well the bakery is just across the road....and the convenience store....and there's the duck wrap place just up the road.....or there's Harvey's in James st...or Cru for business lunches..and then there's the Friday afternoon's 3 C's: Chippies, Clinkers and Chitto's for that sugar fix when it's been a long day.

But other than these little indiscretions I've been very good. Oh and then there's the Wine that has become a lovely friend. Just a couple of glasses......Oooops!!

I desperately Need to go on the Food & Wine Wagon but Master Chef every night isn't really helping!!!

So here's my plan for now......COATS!!! Yes Coats cover everything!!!! and lovely black clothes with leggings!!! I will hide my weight gain from myself with big roomy coats and will look fabulous as I walk past my Gym which I donate to every week.

P.s Am getting very well defined upper arms from much heavy lifting of furniture though!!! :)

Courage to follow a dream

We have again been very busy at the shop, changing displays, wallpapering, organising furniture. We have had a great response to our Carribean Room and as always it is wonderful to meet all the lovely ladies (and gentleman) that make that special trip to Lily-G.

Everyday we hear such lovely and positive feedback from our clients. This is the main reason I wanted to go into retail to get that immediate gauge on how we are doing as a service and how we can improve on an already successful business model.

We are still in the process of deciding what stock to put on the on line shop.

I have sourced my own Linen Range which will be classic and elegant and from the same mill house that supply for The Ritz and for Harrods!! So am very very excited about that and will be selling that on line too. That is only a couple of weeks away so I guess I better get my Toosh into gear.

I know that shopping on-line is convenient and easy but I still feel that a tangible experience is the most integral part of the experience, and I watch my clients walk dreamily around the store touching the fabrics, languishing on the comfy lounges and smelling the gorgeous candles and soaps...I know that having a store and an ultimate location for people is vitally important.

We are all working very very hard here at Lily-G to keep enhancing an already good experience into a great one.

The shop is transforming into what will be it's final carnation.. A gorgeous retail space and Complete Interior Decorating and Design consulting space up on the Mezzanine level.

I was going to transform upstairs into a bedroom but our Interior Jobs are happening so fast that we need to expand into a much larger area...so It's upstairs we go!!

Saying that though my bed should be arriving any day and it will be featured beautifully right in the middle of the shop so that is going to be something new and exciting.

Interior Job

Here is a little job we have just finished. The Client wanted a re-vamp of her existing pieces and I wanted to bring the gorgeous outlook inside. It wasn't a huge job but a lovely one as The Client was the most fabulous and happy individual. All jobs are important but it is the relationship with the client which matters most to me. I like to develop a strong collaboration with anyone I am working for.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEDROOM BEFORE

AFTER

Again, The Client only wanted a re-vamp and we lightened the room with neutrals and lighter tones.

DECK BEFORE

DECK AFTER

I used lots of Green to bring their magnificant outlook inside. The colour scheme became prominantly Greens with black accents, lots of natural finishes and colour.

Mother's Day

Haven't posted for a while....it has been completely mad in my little world for the last couple of weeks! So much going on and only one me. Trying to juggle being a good mummy, partner, friend, employer, daughter and sister to all the important people that exist in my little universe...and to top it all of I hurt my back whilst nursing a head cold...something had to give; and it was the blog. Finally disaster diverted. Life continues in same topsy turvy fashion. Back is better. Head cold evicted....so now back to business. WHATS BEEN HAPPENING: Lily G has been crazy busy with photo shoots and shameless self promotion in QLD HOMES and Brisbane News. We have been doing lots of Interior Design work and re-jigging the shop to keep up with my ADD...and trying to get Newsletters out and getting our little brand out on some cute products that we are stocking in the shop now.

We are introducing yummy french Macarons for mummy's on Mondays..add a cup of Byron Bay organic coffee and I can't think of a more civilised way to start the week. I am designing my packaging now so they will be available in a gorgeous take home pack. I have taken on a new Interior Designer to add to the Design & Decorating Department. We are very excited about Natalee joining us. She has added a great energy to the Interior Design department and we are taking on exciting new Interior Design projects...Kitchens, Bathrooms, whole renovations and Total Builds. We are brain storming constantly to build the ultimate female friendly group of building professionals and tradesmen. A bespoke Lily-G building team who are managed by us for our Clients. Very very badly needed from all the horror stories that come to us every day. Just about to head down to Melbourne for a shopping trip. Planning winter with lots of beautiful cashmere throws, velvet comforters and lots of lush fabrics. I will post some photo's of some jobs we have been doing and will keep you up to date with my new building venture. I'm imagining all my Tradies in lovely Lily-G polo shirts and tan pants....a tad over ambitious??? Here is Bella wearing our Lily-G Apron and the Beach Bag!! Not necessary at the same time of course :) I'm sorry but this is sooo cute. Taupe and black with black pom-poms and a little pocket. I might even start up cooking so I can wear one?!?!? hmmm again over ambitious.

Just a quick pic of the shop. Looks so pretty with these Designer Guild Fabrics and the Designer Guild throw. Love my green chinese drums they are a gorgeous colour.

Carribean Room is getting a great response. I love my chairs here with this gorgeous mirror just leant on the wall.

New York

At the moment planning our New York trip for this year.....Last year we went for our birthdays...Michael and I share the same birthday so we have a double celebration (hard for me to share the day but I manage :) ) Last year we had the most fabulous time. When I travel I try not to do all the touristy things....long lines, over priced everything. I like to try and mingle with the locals and live their lives for the time we are there much more exciting and a better taste of the city/location you are staying in.

But Of course there are some very important things a girl must do while she is in New York.....and here is a few of my favourite things to do and some must do's

Stay down town in Tri be Ca or Greenwich village or any of the other down town areas it is fabulous in the villages....lots of my girlfriends like uptown but give me down town any day!!

If you are going to New York thoroughly recommend the 'Greenwich Hotel' OH MY GOD!!! it is amazing. Robert De Niro is a part owner and it is such a lovely boutique hotel. All reclaimed doors, cabinetry, mirrors, old worn velvets and big fire places. A big favourite of celebrities because very private and elegant and low key.

The service is amazing and a big basket of cookies and yummy treats every day (not very healthy but great for that sugar hit after a long day of shopping)

Always, always go to the iconic Ralph Lauren store...love, love, love it. I wanted to move in...didn't want to leave!! The home wares, the clothes, things I didn't even know existed I wanted ha! ha!

Go to Nobu absolutely divine and the signature Black Cod with miso sauce is sooo good.

Go to the theatre (of course) I am a huge musical fan just love all that dancing and singing...but also of course go see a play on Broadway it's a chance to get up close and personal to a star or two...We saw Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon in 'Exit the King' long and exestionalistic but god SHE looks good for her age!!

We got the concierge to find out what events were in town and ended up spending the evening at THE Paul Newman Hole in Wall foundation Charity show......Robert Redford introduced, Julia Roberts M.C'd, Art Garfunkel sang and Jerry Seinfeld did a comedy act!!! I saw Ralph Lauren in person and I was in Star Struck heaven Ohh and the surprise guest was Bill Clinton (and this was an average night) I wish I was a New Yorker.

Up town.

Go to The Plaza for high tea, The Oak Room for a drinky poo and Buddha Khan for dinner....all gorgeous, all divine food and atmosphere.

The Iconic and gorgeous Ralph Lauren Building 867 Madison Avenue....You know there's just some lust worthy something waiting for you in this The Fashion and Home wares Mecca of New York. The decadent and charming Greenwich Hotel in Tri Beca. Came home late at night after dinner and show and got our lovely Charlie to light a fire and open a bottle of something, snuggled at the fire, sinking into lush velvet distressed chairs.

One night we came in and the lead actor from The Soprano's was having a drinky poo too!!

Lovely personal rooms with little touches of home. Antiques and old books and time worn patina. Perfection!!!

Buddha Khan restaurant...Yummy and visually amazing. All these chandeliers are actually carved out of wood and all the panelling and details are exposed timber.

After a week in New York get on the Jitney or any of the other buses and head up to the Hampton's!! We were in house heaven! Walking around the Hampton's felt like being on a movie set. The shops were perfect, the houses were absolutely amazing! As we walked around the lane ways we saw deer, squirrels, bunnies and chip munks felt like I was in a Walt Disney cartoon.

We stayed at the gorgeous Mill House B & B absolute perfection. Breakfast to die for and lots of fresh fruit and juices and cookies on tap!!

The Mill House....Very close to everything and stuffed with East Hampton's charm.

A new baby on it's way...

I've put in my birthday order...1 French Bulldog. I am hoping to get the little boy on the left. Aren't they gorgeous. I have already ordered a french little baby dog bed for him and he will sit in my shop and make the place look even more fabulous. Also the boys need a little dog as the chickens just aren't cutting it as pets!! Now I need a lovely french name.

Mirror, mirror on my walls....

Just a quick note to show you all the lovely mirrors that have arrived. They look so beautiful in the shop will post photos of them hanging...Stunning!!

This lovely oak mirror is absolutely to die for.... It stands about 6 feet and is very very stunning.

I have placed this one in my Caribbean room just leaning and it adds so much interest and depth.

This one stands about 4 feet.

A lovely textural finish with all the chinks of wood. Oh also these magnificent Apothecary drink urns have finally arrived...Iced Tea, Water with cut up lemon, Pink Lemonade....Very gorgeous and elegant. Orders being placed because of limited numbers.

Sugar Coated.

Hmmmm....may be a tad hormonal, but am just loving all the candy colours at the moment. Here's some more fresh and fun interiors of some gorgeous beach houses from Coastal Interiors. Colour against an all white backdrop just really lifts the spirits and as long as it is tempered with natural fibres and elements such as cane, rattan and wood it is never too much. I have the most gorgeous cane chairs in the shop at the moment. I almost wish no one buys them (ha!) so I could sneak them home. Love the fabric...fresh and happy. Very quirky all the fringing on the lounge. Love the Candy Apple with the blue and then a hit of yellow to offset the blues and picks up the lemons and brings in the eclectic collection of jugs and bowl in the background.

Perhaps a tad too much blue and green here, but all is forgiven because I would sell my left kidney for this house!!

P.S if this was my two they would be wrestling each other while swinging from the bannister's!

Colour here but a little faded with a vintage edge...denims and soft raspberry and green with vintage recycled furniture..Very nanna and lovely.

Yes Please!!! There goes my other Kidney ha!ha!