how to ensure you keep getting emails from the life creative

Hello Creatives!

A big thank you for your support of TLC blog this past year. As you know, The Life Creative has a glorious new-look website to make interacting and reading even better than before!

In moving over to the new-look blog, sadly a new ‘follow’ button had to be implemented, which means you’ve not been getting emails from me for the past week or so.

It would be fab if you could hit the new-look blog and enter your email address into the ‘follow’ button – it’s in the bottom right of the screen and looks like this:

A big thank you for all your support so far! I’m very much looking forward to my posts hitting your inbox once again and always welcome your feedback on the blog and social media.

Happy decorating,
Chris

old-world wares at moss nest in berry

I went on a road trip to Jervis Bay recently and drove through the quaint and charming town of Berry to get there. The best part of Berry, I have to say, is a gorgeous store by the name of Moss Nest on the main strip of the suburb. Filled to the brim with eclectic homewares, it’s a must-see for both locals and out-of-towners alike. I made a pit stop and wandered through this little haven, snapping some photos of the most charming – and interesting – items!

inside the festive new issue of inside out mag

Nothings sends me around the twist more than Christmas decorations (and I mean that in a good way), although when the magazines release their festive issues it always makes my heart skip a beat. The latest issue of Inside Out mag not only covers all things Christmas, but it manages to mesh the themes of the silly season with one of my other great loves: crafting. Buckle up, Creatives, this is an all-stops train to Blissville that’s sure to inspire you to get your DIY on!

real room: jenna bain’s quirk-filled living space

I love an all-stops train to Quirk-ville and this week’s Real Room is just that; an eclectic living space that embraces interesting art and casual furniture while giving a generous nod to craftiness. It’s the home of Canberra Creative Jenna Bain, who like me admits to finding editing a challenge in her home when it’s filled with so many much-loved pieces. She also admits that not everything in her space matches perfectly, which I think is what makes this room so good!

trending: obsessed with ombre (and how to pull it off at home)

One of the big trends to come out of Paint Place’s 2014 forecast was Ombre – the art of graduating colours from light to dark. It’s been big in hair for a while now (think balayage) and as with most things, the fashion has spilled over into home decor. I’m currently obsessed with it and love that it can be applied to an array of materials from fabric to wood to ceramic and plastic. Let’s look at some successful applications and figure out how to apply it yourself at home!

i’m solving your decor dramas in my new segment, interiors SOS!

Don’t you just adore my Harry Potter-esque smart glasses? Now that I’m graduating from my design course at the International School of Colour and Design, I’m equipped to assist you in ensuring you’re living the life creative at home in my new segment, Interiors SOS. If you have a room that’s feeling drab, one that has been left for dead or a space that’s in need of some style assistance, I’m now at the ready (with my smart specs on) to offer advice on the blog!

brights and whites team up for spring in this gorgeous new homewares range

I love the freshness white and brights bring to homewares and Spring is certainly the time to celebrate the union of these colours. While we’re on the topic of celebrations, I’m toasting kikki.K for releasing this gorgeous new homewares collection, Svenska Hem, which takes the brand a step further in its glorious world domination. In stunning yellow, pink and minty shades, the new collection is all about crockery and kitchenware – and makes for distinctly colourful Spring entertaining.

where is all the purple decor? (my homage to this polarising hue)

I dare you to open your latest homewares mag and find a spread – or even a page – that’s laden with purple. I’ve tried this and I can assure you it’s no easy task. It seems this misunderstood hue is often left behind when it comes to interior styling – and having spent time last week looking at colour psychology, purple’s omission from the mags has been playing on my mind. Today I’m paying homage to this hue and giving you a little inspiration to use it in your own home (and figuring out why it has been so neglected).

this week’s top seven creative finds

1 | I couldn’t be happier to see Christmas bibs and bobs out in all the stores. These Santa baubles I spotted in Bed Bath N’ Table were perhaps the cutest from the stack of decorations they’re currently selling. Christmas brings the little kid out in me and these baubles are so playful – I want to overhaul my colour scheme with these bad boys immediately!

what’s your can’t-do decor colour?

I’ve been studying colour psychology this past week in my course at ISCD and my most recent assignment was to think about – and then make a collage using – my most loathed colour. The purpose behind the exercise was to make you think about how you could come to like the colour, or at the very least appreciate it, if you were asked to use it in an interior design scheme by a client (a real ‘make it work’ moment). It didn’t take long for mint to come to mind as my most-loathed hue. The harder part was figuring out why I didn’t like it and then finding a way to appreciate it stylistically.