My Castaway Christmas - Over 20 Gorgeous Creations to Inspire

Having been very inspired this Christmas by all the wonderful creations out there that people have handmade, my Christmas decorating took a slightly different path this year to what I had originally planned.

You see I had full creative intentions of going tropical in the spirit of Oceania Island Living and this would fit quite nicely as it's summer at Christmas in Australia.

However, we've had a mixed bag on the weather front and it's made me pine a little for an English Christmas, plus with all the Christmas cooking shows on TV at the moment courtesy of Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson etc. and the quirky crafty country girl Kirstie Allsopp I've been inspired to return to a white Christmas with a good splash of vintage, ample helpings of Scandi and festive glittering crystal galore.

So I've weaved my own Nostalgic, English & Coastal roots through my Christmas decorating this year and these are the results. I'm three quarters done so the final sparkle still awaits - I hope these ideas inspire you this Christmas - you'll also see I've been a very busy little elf this year.

These are angel wings I bought from a dressing up shop. I added bits and pieces in neutral colours and hung it up. It needed something more so I added the raw MDF word and now it feels complete as a beautiful ethereal Christmas artwork adorning the dining room wall.

These are so easy to make. I ended up having 2 different Christmas looks in the house due to the insistence of my 7 yr old for colour.

So in the lounge we have a very elegant white Christmas theme and in the family/dining/kitchen we have a colourful look.

Both looks have a vintage coastal theme running through them to connect the decor.

Here I've used blue, green & silver on a back drop of white to keep things fresh, modern & summery.

Simply hot glue magnets to the back of Christmas baubles - they really look great.

I'm not a big fan of Christmas cards scattered all around, so I like to group them. This year I had some fun with my daughter and we created a collage of Christmas cards within a frame and put it on an easel to display. This sits in her play room as it delivers a good dose of cheery Christmas colour.

I fell in love with Crabtree & Evelyn's Noel scent 3 years ago. To me it's the perfect essence of Christmas. It largely smells of pine and when you take a sniff it magically transports you to a Narnia snow covered forest.

I bought this Noel candle last year in the Jan sales and have been waiting for whole year to light it.

I love the porcelain container & the mirrored lid - it is so magical, so its the star of the show on my Christmas tray-escape on the coffee table.

Another detail from the tray-escape.

I really think hand painted white Moroccan tea glasses are so festive, so I've added one to the tray, it's so beautiful I want more of them for next year.

These are 2 wood carved decorative pineapples and my link back to the tropical style I love.

Their royal crowns remind my of star bursts and add a regal touch to the festivities.

 I've taken India Hicks printers tray concept a step further. I found a small wood jewellery box, stained it in walnut colour and added beachcomber finds and some vintage Christmas inspired items - it's so cute and sits on the coffee table in the family room for all to admire.

The beauty of this is that you can use it all year round and fill it with whatever you want - so it's not just for Christmas.

 I found these little metal angel wings last year in Villeroy & Boch. They have spikes on them so you can stick them into candles to create little illuminated angels - aren't they delightful?

In the family room I have a large white cubed open bookshelf. Each cube has its own little vignette, and I've added a couple of Christmas ones to add to the festive spirit.

Here I've played with coastal blues with a small Nordic inspired laser cut Christmas tree - I love these colours.

Insider collectors tip - crystal/glass decanters are now becoming collectible. I've always loved them, like large cologne bottles they sit so pretty on a silver tray adding a nostalgic yesteryear touch to a decor scheme. Crystal always makes an appearance in my home at Christmas time. I love its sparkling, twinkliness at this time of the year - its very magical.

Do watch out for these Ranleigh stainless steel trays too. You can pick them up for a song at the moment in op shops. They have a such a wonderful art deco look and as you can see work really well as a display item.

This is the only red & green festive display vignette, but I do love it. The jug & book where finds from op shops in Wollongong NSW (very cool place for vintage gems).

To create coastal inspired Christmas decor simplicity to the best way forward. Here the bowl in filled with silver baubles and only 1 seashell nests in this glittering display - you can see how effective just a little touch can be.

My Christmas tree this year was bought from Bunnings (hardware shop) and is a tomato trellis covered in willow. It can be used time again and lends itself to many different looks.

Here it is in full. I've elevated it off the floor onto my Z table.

I have boxes of precious vintage finds waiting to be released (this will happen when we finally get around to renovating the kitchen).

Here a vintage tea strainer has been upcycled as a quirky and rather unexpected Christmas decoration - I love it.

I've always said that starfish make the best Christmas decorations.

Inspired by a Nordic Christmas.

I found this in Spotlight (Haberdashery store) I think it makes a cool little decoration.

This white carved wood Christmas tree was bought from Freedom Furniture about 5 years ago. It hasn't dated a bit and I love the cockatoo on it - very Aussie. The decorations are from Freedom this year (on sale so be quick to get some). Aqua glass baubles look so beautiful on this white tree. I have it perched onto some white covered books on top of an old bar stool I spray painted red - it looks so Christmassie.

If you do see things like this go grab them. I always look at decorations in the Jan sales to add to my collection - you'll thank yourself when you rediscover them the following Christmas.

Christmas decorations do not have to cost a fortune.

Keep it simple and it can look a million dollars.

And finally whilst I was tinkering around creating all these wonderful visual festive delights my little puppy Charlie was busy creating his own festive delights in the garden.

This is a photo of a busted puppy, yes he's been digging up the garden again and yet he's so happy with his creative work that Santa just has to put him on the good list this year - right?

So whilst I go fill up the holes in my lawn, do let me know how you've all got on with creating your own gorgeous festive endeavours around the home.

(All images & Styling by Zoe Milburn for Oceania Island Living. The term 'tray-escape' is credited to Zoe Milburn and is copyrighted).

Merry Christmas Island Styling.

Trick or Treat - Stylish Creepy Coastal

I absolutely adore styling, but unfortunately I rarely get the time to do any of this good stuff at home.
So today spurred on by my very excited 7 yr old who was dressed in pink tights with black witches on them, I indulged in some spooky styling, just in time for ye ole Hallows Eve.

I really enjoyed playing around this morning creating a spooky yet stylish Halloween inspired trayscape. Trayscapes are my adopted invention, they are genius for styling in a real home, need space just move the tray off the table and your creative vignette is still intact - marvellous thing for a designer at home.

So here are the results of my spooky stylin' Sunday escapade.

My spooky inspiration was to inject some stylish and romantic Gothic elements into the mix.

I played with the images in Coral Paint shop and love this effect.

It's edgy, hard, masculine and a little eerie.

My main aim with the spooky styling was to abandon all the cheap Halloween rubbish out there, so only the stylish remained, tricky bit is to do this in a coastal setting.

I  love the way the silver pineapple has replicated in this stylised image, I think I've just invented a new twist on Halloween - Spooky Glam.

Come on girls, lets set this new trend!

This was an experiment - I have a zebra inspired rug and I quite like the contrast of the smooth white coral and black bat on the contrasting stripes, very Film Noir.

This is an overhead shot of my trayscape, I quite like the orange filter over the black and white image - very Tim Burton. 

Whilst searching around home for props I looked at the India Hicks Island Night candle I have.

How perfect it is for a coastal Halloween with its Gothic silver coral sprawling around a dark glass holder.

The final image, my stylishly spooky coastal trayscape.

Mixing Coastal and Halloween elements is not an easy thing to do, but I'm happy with the results - what do you think?

I'm very excited about this new take on Halloween decorating that a lot of you are creating and sharing online.

Let me know what cool creepy coastal creative you've styled recently in your home.

 

Happy 'Spooky' Island Styling.

 

(All images by Oceania Island Living)

 

 

Cushion Queen

Confession: I am a cushion queen!

It's an occupational hazard and a strange phenomenon to most men who just don't 'get it'.

Cushions are one of the cheapest, easiest & effective ways to change an interior look. I love their versatility. A pop of colour in a cushion is literally like a face lift for your room.

So when the latest catalogue from Kas cushions arrived on my desk, I went into a tail spin.

Their latest summer edition is divine - let's take a peek.

I love the Kelly green, so fresh & vibrant and the pineapple design is terrific.

Such a cool laid back 'Byron Bay' feel to this shot.

Classic neutrals on a cool verandah.

I love this shot, its got such a cool surfer kind of feel, a real young coastal vibe.

I wonder how many of you lovely coastal girls out there love cushions as much as I do?

Drop me a line and let me know your cushion antics!

Happy Island Styling.

Exclusive Interview - Plumeria Coastal Home

In the second part of our exclusive interview series on gorgeous Australian coastal homeware companies, we proudly introduce you to Plumeria Coastal Home.

Meet Sam the delightful and bubbly Founder and Creative Director of Plumeria Coastal Home. Sam's honourable mission when establishing Coastal Home was to bring only the very best in stylish coastal inspired homewares, particularly those that have a handcrafted artisan feel rather than mass produced items.

Sam hand selects all the items and has skillfully tailored them to key interior styles popular in Australia as well as overseas.

Right now Plumeria Coastal Home has 15% off all products until Tuesday 18th Oct, just visit Coastal Home on facebook, hit the 'like' button and enjoy online coastal shopping from your own sun lounger.

Meanwhile, we caught up with Sam were she gives all aspiring business owners some fantastic advice from her own experience, here's more;

Tell us more about Sam.

Funny, outgoing, champagne lover, determined and headstrong.

How did your career bring you to this point?

I’ve finally found my calling combining my 2 great loves, chic products and the coastal life. Growing up on Qld’s Gold Coast, I spent my youth retrieving sand from my togs and building sandcastles on Burleigh Beach.

I learnt to speak Japanese at school from the age of 13, which spring boarded me into sales roles for some of the world’s luxurious labels, Gucci, Fendi, Versace and Salvatorre Ferragamo.

My love for luxury products, living by the beach and making a house a home have all come together beautifully.

What are you most proud of?

I’ve always believed in myself and taken risks. No matter what I always give 150% commitment to whatever path I choose to take, so I’ll never be left knowing ‘what could have been’.

You may not always succeed at everything you try your hand at, but at least you had the conviction and confidence to give it a go.

Tell us what your best decision has been?

To stay true to myself and the direction I want my business to go in. As a business owner, it can be easy to be led down a path that doesn't reflect your brand ethos or direction by people who think they know better.

No-one knows your business better than you do, so stick to your guns and stand firm.

Creatively, who inspires you?

India Hicks for her idyllic island decor, Jeff Leatham for his amazing floral creations and Kelly Hoppen for pure style.

What is Sam most passionate about?

I’m a typical Taurean, so I love beautiful things and beautiful homes. A home really is your sanctuary, somewhere to retreat to and recharge.

Plumeria Coastal Home is all about sourcing quality, unique products that enhance your space so you’ll want to spend more time there.

I’m also very passionate about timeless 5 star customer service, it’s about the whole experience, which is why we have such a high return customer base.

Can you share with us your best lesson learnt?

Be prepared to put in the hard yards, don’t have instant gratification expectations and never compromise on what it is you stand for.


I’ve also learnt that having a Pinot Gris at 3:30pm after a hard day of wrapping starfish and cushions is totally acceptable.

Which person living or deceased would you most like to meet?

There’s too many ….Princess Diana, Dame Edna, India Hicks, Hugh Jackman, Lucille Ball, George Burns, oh what a dinner party that would be!

What are your future plans for Coastal Home?

To establish Coastal Home as Australia’s premier coastal/beach home wares online store.

I also dream of hating hot chips, white Tim Tams and melted cheese jaffles but that’s a work in progress.

What are you reading?

“Last night at Chateau Marmont” by Lauren Weisberger, I’m still only on page 8, as I’m always running behind on my home décor magazines. Elle Décor is my absolute fave.

How fabulous, thanks Sam it's always a delight to talk to you.

 

 

Here's Oceania Island Livings tropical pick of Coastal Homes beautiful products, they also have a lovely range based on Aussie Beach House, Coastal Home as well as the gorgeous and ever popular Island Style.

 

 

Visit www.coastalhome.com.au to see much more.

(all images courtesy of Plumeria Coastal Home)

Happy Island Styling.