creating a covetable brand

i am off to this workshop tonight.

should be fab.

'Branding is not just about the font you choose for your logo - although that's important. It's also about the way you communicate your core values to others. You need to be clear and consistent, and so this workshop will give you all the tools you need.'

super!  and not a moment too soon.

jane xx

giddyup

it's snowing here this morning.  it also snowed yesterday.  i live on a mountain 1 hour and 10minutes out of sydney and it snows!  statistics that never cease to amaze me!  

consequently, i am spending lots of time at my desk,.  making contacts for the new business..  designing business cards.  thinking strategy..  business development.. planning,.  planning.. planning.

i must admit, the more i get into it, the more excited i am about launching back into the world of events.

i can now tell everyone that the new business name is

show.pony

we will concentrate on quirky, bespoke one off events.  something left of centre.  something guests have never seen before.

it. will. be. amazing.

for now, my contact details remain the same, and i will update you all with the show.pony details when the time comes.

who wants to book us for the first, official show.pony event?  book launch?  private party?  media hoo-haa?

call.

jane xx

arabian nights

when we moved to the mountains, the first thing i bought was a persian daybed.

i had been eyeing it off for months, and finally had the perfect place for it.  next to a roaring fire, of course!  

i bought it from a place in newtown, called afghan interiors.

to be honest, i'm no longer loving it. so much red velvet.  doesn't really work for me.

tragically, it has become the 'labra-bed', as our labrador, hazel has decided that she rather likes languishing in front of an open fire.

as you do.

that is, until i saw my 'labra-bed' in this months issue of home beautiful magazine.

look how amazing it looks when you cover it with some different fabrics on the bolsters, some gorgeous clashy cushions, and, the piece de resistance, a table tonic vintage moroccan wedding blanket.

(a table tonic vintage moroccan wedding blanket is now on my lust-have list!).

a couple of table tonic moroccan pouffes would seal the deal.

and, don't get me started on the berber rugs!

i also popped in to orson & blake in woollahra on friday and bought this divine 'suzani' plate.

so, at least the labrador will have something gorgeous to eat her dinner off when she officially gets kicked off the labra-bed!

jane xx

honey, it's cold outside.

it's cold.

i'm sick of it.

seems everyone is escaping to bali,..or port douglas,...or thailand.

even 'the designer' is off to lie on a beach.

hmmmm,...

got me thinking about beach houses.  shacks.  

this is one of my favourites.  it is owned (and has been styled) by the sister of a friend of mine, and you can find it just outside of bellingen, on the NSW north coast.  it was featured in real living magazine in 2010.

i adore it.

check out some more images here.

and then book yourselves a week in the sunshine!

jane xx

can i help you?

so, the news today is that a lovely girlfriend of mine has asked me to present a session on 'interior styling' at her next conference.

(i will link you all in with the details as to when / where and how to buy tickets when she launches the event.)

but.

in the meantime.

if *you* were coming to a conference to learn about interior styling, what would you want to hear about?

colours?

fabrics?

furniture?

styles and periods?

where to source items?

Let me know, people!

email me on

plainjanestyling@bigpond.com

jane xx

food glorious food.

hello!

i'm back!

i have been deep in the trenches of a large show for the last couple of weeks.

exhausting.

totally exhausting.

but also exhilarating.

there really is nothing like working for days on end with a crew of people who are equally as committed to the same end result.

there is nothing better than getting to that moment, minutes before the event starts, standing back and looking at the beautiful space you and your team have created.

i will post photos in a couple of days.

in the meantime, i thought i would share with you an amazing company who was also pulled in to work on this event.

catering is incredibly important at any event.  whether it be a cocktail party for 30 or a sit down, 3 course dinner for 300.

so many catering companies get it so very, very wrong.

cold, uninspired food.  chicken or beef.  

sigh.  boring.

we worked with an amazing catering company this week.

an 'a-list' caterer, if you will.

one glance at their website, told me that we were on the same page.

john&peter

look at the styling on their website!

gorgeous.  they get it.

'catering is a personal business and john&peter view it as such.  we don't have pre-printed menus, we don't believe in formulaic food.  for us, every job is particular and personal and what we provide is the result of discussion and am implicit understanding of our client's expectations.  we are not into frou-frou food.  our ingredients are as fresh as we can find and we handle them with respect........'

it was lovely to work with such a creative, professional team.

it's good to be back in blog world, friends.

jane xx