Rocking work spaces

Havent done a work space/desk/home office post for a while now and of course i have plenty more to share!Here are the latest from my inspiration files!

House & Home

I think its the bamboo blinds & black & white drapes that make this space!

And of course that amazing lamp!

If the lampshade fits

Apartment Therapy

Loving those pouffs!

Ballard Designs

SF Girl by Bay

Decor 8

These two images below are of the same space ive just realised!

 Ariana Belle

Stylizmo

House of Turquiose

The Alex Storage unit from Ikea

My Ideal Home

hmmmm, a bed next to your desk may be a bit tempting when pulling an all nighter!

miu miu glitter excitment/sadness

stumbled across these!

got super excited!

followed the links to net-a-porter.

got excited on sale for 127 pounds!!!!

sold out. devo.

Bold Doors!

Theres just something about a brightly coloured door! Even if its the only daring thing you do in your home- very simple & effective! My mum once asked me what colour to paint their front door & i joked "hot pink"....came home that night...the door was hot pink! I was only kidding but it looked awesome & stayed for years & years!

Image: Gingerella

Our front door was a bit like this!

Image: Elle Decor Norway via Bright Bazaar

Corban & Blair Giveaway!

Last week i was lucky enough to be able to ask Gillian Corban, the co-founder of Australian Stationery company some questions about how Corban & Blair was created. I love stationery and am also really inspired by Australian women who go it on their own & grow amazing businesses!
Here are a couple of my fav Corban & Blair items.....

Leather warp Journal - great colour too!

Love Birds range - would be cute as a wedding guest book i think!

Recipie folders - i have a few of these!

And here is my chat with Gillian.....

When & why did you start Corban & Blair?

We started in 1988. We had an interest in stationery- 20 years ago stationery and stationery needs were very different to now. We were the first Australians to do stylish, eco concerned designer stationery collections. We still create 2 collections a year but the nature of the collection has changed. We started it as a bit of fun and then decided if we were going to do it as a business we needed to approach it properly. That is business plans, strategies, understanding materials and techniques, customers etc. We did courses, got support and had a steep learning curve to build a strong foundation that we have continued to build on.

What was your background before this?

I was in education- art, media and curriculum development. I am very interested in learning, curious about new knowledge and seeing what is happening in the world especially in new technological opportunities

What advice would you give to others starting their own small businesses?

Have a realistic business plan, know that your service or product is something people want or need. Understand your customer. Be adaptable, curious, flexible and be prepared to learn every day and change.

What do you see in the future for Corban & Blair?

We are in the business of solutions- gift and marketing type solutions. We alway strive to find better and more interesting ways to be meaningful, stylish, useful and recyclable. We have developed a sustainable business model that we work hard to maintain- ie our size and position in the market place.

The lovely folks at Corban & Blair have also been nice enough to provide me with a few goodies to giveway to my readers! Ill be giving away 2 sets of prizes! The first one is a gorgeous silver a5 leather journal & a bright orange leather luggage tag and the second is another gorgeous leather a5 journal in apple green & fun box of food themed 'conversation cards'.

All you need to do is become a follower, then go & 'like' Corban & Blair' Page on facebook (while your there you may aswell 'like' the once.daily.chic page too!) and then leave a comment on this post to say you have! Extra entries for mentioning it on your blog or facebook page! I will announce the 2 winners next monday! Good luck!

Casa Na Areia

I recently came across Casa Na Areia a stunning sandy retreat in Portugal. These pictures are just a taste - you really must have a look at the website!

THE dress! tick!

I have found my wedding dress!! Im obviously not going to give too much away on this one other than to say its from Karen Willis Holmes & i love it! I had tried on quite a few and all looked nice, and were pretty, but this was the one i put on & felt really excited about & was all 'wow i love this'! Before you go hunting on the website to guess which one it is...its not on there! And its actually a combination of two dresses! Which makes me feel a bit like im the only one who'll wear this exact dress! The girls in the boutique did think i was a bit nuts when i suggested it, but we loved the result! I went to the Paddington boutique & really enjoyed the experiance - They were reccomended to me & i would highly reccomend them to anyone else!

Where did you get your dress from or where would you like to look when the time comes?? Did you know it was 'the one' when you tried it? The funny thing is, when i look at the images of dresses id saved in my inspiration folder, its nothing like any of them! I was just having a look & thought id share some of my favorites as they are too nice to keep to myself!

Vera Wang - the holy grail of wedding dresses!

stop it! these textures are killing me!

So chic!

and again - vera can do no wrong!

ok...no more vera.

Love the big bow detail & the dramatic black & white! My nanna wasnt so keen on the idea of black on my dress though lol, the bow below would pass the test though!

the detailed lace is divine on this one too!

Gorgeous vintage heavy lace & beading on the Margaret dress by Henry Roth

The lace & shape of this back are so pretty & flattering..... also love the buttons!

Love the fluttery skirt on this one! Sooo cute! I did try on one or two with this type of detail on the skirt which was generally met with snorts of laughter from whoever was with me...kinda swallowed me up! Fun to try on though! I imagine i would have been totally swallowed up by the one below (via honey & fizz) but it is so beautiful i could look at it all day long!

The detailing on the back of this one is so Romatic!

Via The Lane

Pallas - another romantic flower/low back detail

Alix from The cherry Blossom Girl's soft & flowy wedding dress, with exposed structure on the bodice - very chic!

Style me Pretty.

love the ivory colour & soft tulle

So - tell me your dress story!!

The Beauty Department

Image: The Beauty Department

....and yes that is Lauren Conrad under that divine headpiece!

I have recently discovered her new blog The Beauty Department, looks gorgeous & has lots of daily hair & beauty tips! And just quietly how amazing would that fresh flower headpiece look on your wedding day head!

Cocoa + Hearts launches

I am so excited to see Jen Ramos has just opened
Cocoa + Hearts!! 

She has amazing eye for colour...no doubt they will sell out super fast! This is my favourite i think!!

Oh & this one...

actually any of them!

Corban & Blair + Mothers Day

I love stationery! And one of my first loves was Australian brand Corban & Blair -  an avid diary writer,  i would go to David Jones every year & buy one of their leather wrap journals, then used their notebooks as travel journals & framed special pictures in their box frames. Last week i heard that this mothers day Corban & Blair are giving you the chance to win this amazing piece of Aboriginal art by Aborigional elder Aunty May. Head over here for the details....

Aunty May is one of nine women co-founders of Euraba Indigenous Artists and Papermakers co-op. Euraba specialises in hand-made paper at their mill in Boggabilla, in Northern New South Wales. The paper is then used to create artworks and a range of paper products. Gillian Corban, the co-founder of Corban & Blair, first met Aunty May in 2007 when she took on a business mentoring role within the community. I was really interested in this as i love aboriginal art and I was lukcy enough to be given the oppoutunity to ask Gillian Corban a few questions about this inititive & her thoughts on mothers day

...........................

Gillian on the right with her cousin & business partner Amanda Blair

How did you become involved in the Euraba Indigenous Artists and Papermakers co-op?

I was assigned to them as a mentor through the Australia Council 5 years ago. I did this in a formal way for 3 years now we maintain the relationships we have built up.

What has working with the aboriginal community taught you?

That education, knowledge, contacts, curiosity, taking risks, getting out of ones comfort zone is the way forward for them and for us. I have met some wonderful people both Indigenous and non- indigenous through this process. It has been a humbling experience and have learned heaps and made some very important friendships.

How do you relate this work back to Corban & Blair?

We have collaborated with Euraba on products, they have bought our frames to display their work, we have used our contacts to sell their art work, we have supported their business initiatives and we have both made new contacts as part of our relationship.

What is your pick of the Corban & Blair range for mums this mothers day?

A Native Flora or Colour album - I would fill the first few pages with photographs of my mum over the past year with a little letter stuck on one of the pages acknowledging her and her long life- she has just turned 87 and still plays golf!

The Flora Collection

Colour Albums

 If you could give any gift for your mum this mothers day what would it be?

Good health for the next 10 years.

I also asked Gillian a bit about starting & growing the business and will post that interview this friday along with a giveway of some goodies from Corban & Blair!