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Summer Holiday Inspiration

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are now enjoying some down time. Having been the first Christmas since starting the blog, I was unsure about how much time to take off. Unfortunately we're not going away this year - the downside to building - but I thought I'd take it day by day rather than give you a date that I'd be back posting. As passionate as I am about blogging I believe that taking some time out to recharge the batteries is essential, as is spending time with my family and stopping to cherish the little things in life.

Unfortunately the weather packed in just before Christmas here, but when the sun decides to grace us with her presence again the boys and I will be spending lots of time at the local beaches. I've been trying hard to stay away from the internet in general although I still love my daily dose of Pinterest! So today I thought I'd stop by and say hello, and leave you with some images that have caught my eye over the break - all Summer holiday inspired.

For more inspiration take a look at my Summer Pinterest board.

All images: source

Colour Tools

I could lose hours looking through the colour boards of those who I follow on Pinterest. My favourite colours? Black, white, grey, pink and yellow. These are the colours I like most when it comes to interiors and design but that's not to say I don't like other colours too. I'm obsessing over pastels in all shades right now. I have an inherited love of purple - it was my Grandmother's favourite colour - and I can't go past a bit of shimmer with golds and silvers. Oh, and did I mention turquoise? When I see it paired with white I crave Summer. Even more than usual! What colours are singing to you right now?

Besides Pinterest, there are many blogs I follow that focus on colour and today I wanted to share a couple with you.

There's a blog I love called Color Collective by American graphic designer Lauren Willhite. Using the work of photographers, designers and artists that inspire her, she cleverly extracts colour palettes from the images and shares them on her site. A wonderful resource for designers, it's also lovely eye-candy for us visual junkies!

Images via Color Collective

Another blog that offers awesome colour inspiration is Creature Comforts. With the tagline 'The simple things that make life sweet', California-based blogger Ez (pronounced Ee-zee) writes about the beauty in everyday living which she often finds in the tiniest or most unexpected things. I love her gorgeous photo layouts and the way she uses colour to categorise her posts. Using photoshop's eyedropper tool, she also pulls colour profiles from images. I particularly love her collages.

Images via Creature Comforts

If you don't have photoshop, there is actually a site (found via Ez at Creature Comforts) that does this for you. The Color Palette Generator by DeGraeve.com takes your image and produces a matching colour palette. How cool is that? You just copy the URL (right click on your image), paste into the URL box on the site and presto - you have your colours! It's that easy.

Images via Pinterest

Try it out for yourself here. I'd love to hear how you go!

Blog Love | Bodie and Fou

If you're not yet following the blog Bodie and Fou, I'm sure you'll want to after you've read this. Firstly, I recommend you check out the Bodie and Fou online boutique, where it all began. Created by sisters Elodie (Bodie) and Karine (Fou), it's a haven for design lovers, mixing European design and chic French style. Providing loads of creative ideas and inspiration you will find an extensive collection of carefully selected products for the home, including lighting and furniture, wallpaper and blinds, kitchen appliances, bed linen, babywear and more.

The store was launched in 2005 and the blog followed almost a year later. Starting out as a great place to let readers know what was going on with the shop, Karine says that 'eventually the blog became more of a creative space to share things, people and places that inspire me.' Lucky for us, Karine does just that, and everything reflects her exquisite taste and enviable French flair.

You can read about Karine's DIY projects and the decorating of her family home in London, as well as conversations with her gorgeous daughter Mila, who is seven. I love how family-oriented Karine is. As well as running the business with sister Elodie, she also works on styling projects with her photographer brother François Kong.

Photos from Karine's London Home....

European styling at its best, with a monochrome palette and warm brown leather. I love the photo wall.

A gorgeous DIY kitchen transformation. The black cabinets look fabulous paired with the stainless steel workbench.

Cluster Light by Kathleen Hills, from Bodie and Fou.

An old pallet turned into a coffee table. Of course I'm lusting over this cowhide rug.

Karine says 'I love blogging, I love sharing and I love the interaction with people, so being able to connect with so many people around the world is simply fantastic.' Her passion and energy is contagious and this has resulted in a fast growing blog which has been voted Top 20 Best Interiors blogs by VOGUE magazine, The Telegraph in the UK, Bolig magazine in Norway and Remodelista.

Not long after I'd fallen in love with Bodie and Fou, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was a New Zealand connection. Karine's husband Steve was born in New Zealand and they regularly holiday here in Waihi, where Steve spent his childhood.

The New Zealand Typemap print, duvet cover, linen scarf and Urbanears Plattan headphones are all available from Bodie and Fou. Beautiful styling by Karine and photography by her brother François.

Karine and her family also have a holiday home in France which has featured in several top interior publications including Grand Designs and Home Beautiful Australia. Having undergone a big renovation, the result is a 'Southern-Hemisphere style beach house' which Steve describes as 'a little slice of New-Zealand in a far-flung corner of France'. Here are a few pics.

If you do check out the online store, and I highly recommend you do, you might want to have your credit card ready because not only do they ship worldwide, they have a fabulous sale on right now!

All images: bodieandfou.com and pinterest.com/bodieandfou

Thank You!

Oh my, what a weekend! My eldest son turned five today so there were lots of celebrations! It left little time for the blog, so no 'Homes to Inspire' yesterday but I promise I'll post one this week!

On Friday I received a wonderful surprise - a One Lovely Blog Award nomination from Anu of Decordots. Thank you Anu - you made my day!

As part of the award, I must tell my readers seven facts about myself and then, the best part of all, I get to share the love by nominating up to 15 other blogs.

All images: source

01. I studied ballet for all of my childhood and beyond. We're talking serious stuff - exams, competitions, full-time ballet training in Melbourne.... It wasn't an easy journey but it shaped who I am today and I still have a huge appreciation for this beautiful art. Check out my dance board on Pinterest.

02. I'd love to learn how to ride a horse.

03. My favourite number is 8.

04. I love peonies.

05. My father's passion was home textiles and furnishings and that was always the family business. My Dad also dreamt of becoming a writer. If he were still alive today I think he'd be pretty proud of me for starting this blog.

06. My favourite season is Summer and the beach is my 'happy place'.

07. I have two older sisters.

I've chosen to nominate some beautiful and inspiring Scandinavian blogs that I'm following right now....

Darling Things

Cherry Blossom

Fjelby

Mamamekko

Solid Frog

Stil Inspiration

Mokkasin

Have a wonderful start to your week. I'll be back tomorrow with some more design goodness!

Blogging My Way

About a month ago I started an e-course called Blogging Your Way that was founded by Holly Becker of Decor8, one of the first blogs I ever read and loved. Although I anticipated good things I had no idea how brilliant the journey would end up being. Holly is such an inspiration to new and seasoned bloggers alike and we are so fortunate that she shares her wealth of experience and knowledge with us. Joined by some amazing guest teachers the classes cover everything from interior styling and photography to how to publish an e-mag. Although I have yet to master photoshop, find my voice a hundred percent or take my own snapshots, I now have the tools to help me get there.

I've always loved design and I know I've said it before but I get such a thrill from sharing what I find with you, my readers. There is so much inspiration to be found around the world and web, in books and magazines. In fact, I really believe you can find it wherever you look.

The course has inspired me to take risks and reach my goals. What's really special is that I have you lovely readers to share every step of the way with. So I hope you will come with me as I continue to do what I love and build on what I've started. Some things you can expect to see are updates on our home build, when it gets underway, progress with my own interior styling, photography, and interviews with some creative people.

I'm also currently working on the redesign of my blog, with the help of a professional, so changes are in sight...

And that's me, The Design Chaser. Blogging MY way.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I'll be back tomorrow with 'Homes to Inspire'.

All images - source