Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Another article for Style Collective

I noticed my postings have been a bit neglectful of  boys lately so I thought today I would share with you a recent article I wrote for the very stylish online magazine, Style Collective. This magazine is so clever at seeking out gorgeous children's brands and is well worth a look at leading up to Christmas.

My Favourite Boy’s Room

Decorating tips for your little man - Author Vanessa O'Sullivan (Gelati Art)

I’m thrilled to have been asked to write another children’s decorating piece for Junior Style. This time, I thought I would share with you my current favourite colour scheme for boy’s rooms - this gorgeous red, white and caramel bedding that Red Plum Linen released this year.

My favourite boys room - decorating tips

Images courtesy of Red Plum Linen

It’s a new look for boy’s rooms that I must confess I fell in love with immediately. It looks stunning on cots and in older boys’ rooms and is such a lovely alternative to red, white and navy. I absolutely love the spots and stripes pattern, the pom-poms on the personalised throw cushion and the ribbon banding on the doona. It just goes to show that boys can have lovely detail on their bedding too!

There are so many ways to complete this room… you could include chocolate coloured accents, red coloured accents or stick with the caramel and red colour scheme. You could do a fun animal safari on the walls or even a retro circus theme… A stylish option from Gelati Art is the Red Racer canvas and Beep, Beep, Zoom canvases; colour-wise, these co-ordinate perfectly with the bedding.

Gelati Art Kids Canvases

For a baby or toddler’s room you could consider the Cute Pirates set of three canvases or the singular Cute Pirate canvas. These are trimmed in a chocolate coloured outline so again they tie back perfectly…plus they are so friendly and sweet!

Gelati Art Boys Wall Canvases

Our white and red You’re A Star canvas and Play, Laugh, Dream set of three canvases also look great if you are partial to a more classic look.

Gelati Art Boys Wall Canvases

I hope you love this new colour scheme as much as I do. Thank you for allowing me to share it with you. And finally, to end, here are a few tips that I thought you may find useful to keep in mind when decorating your own baby or child’s room:

Vanessa’s Tips for Decorating Children’s Rooms (part II)

  1. Children’s rooms should be unfussy yet cosy.
  2. Children’s rooms should be filled with toys, books, décor and treasures that encourage fantasy, possibility and imagination.
  3. Children’s rooms should be spaces where children can enjoy being carefree. Their room should be a fun place where they want to spend time.
  4. Children’s rooms should have some music in them. Something as simple as a CD Player and your unwanted CD’s will do (my daughter loves going to sleep at night with my old Enya CD playing). Music can be fun, uplifting or calming and a way they can enjoy “alone” time in their room. Include some tranquil or classical music in their collection for times when they want (or need) to “chill”.
  5. Children grow up quickly and their tastes change fast. You should therefore plan to refresh your child’s room about every two years.
  6. Children’s rooms should include lots of storage space so that they are encouraged to keep their room tidy. If you provide plenty of places for them to store their treasures, you will encourage them to take care of their belongings. The playroom pictured below is a perfect example of how clever storage can facilitate an orderly room (and encourage reading – how great are those bookshelves and how inviting is that reading nook?!).

    Boy's Room|

    Image courtesy of Black and Spiro Interiors
  7. Involve your child in the decorating of their own space as much as you can so they feel comfortable and at home in their room. Strike a balance by giving them the freedom to add some creativity while ensuring their room is in keeping with rest of your home.
  8. If possible, include a full length mirror in your child’s room – on the inside of a wardrobe door is a good place – to help your child to develop a sense of self.
  9. If possible, include a lamp close to their bed to encourage night reading.
If you would like some more children’s bedroom decorating tips, please see My Favourite Girl’s Room, Part I of this series.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Dear Santa

My name is Isabella and I'm 6 years old.


I've been a really good girl this year so please could you bring me:
  • some fairy books
  • some Littlest Pet Shop animals
  • a new skooter like my brother's 
  • and most of all, please, please, please, a Princess Ratbag Pettiskirt (Baby Pink coloured please - just like the one in the picture)
We're going to sprinkle some magic oats on our lawn so your reindeer can find our house.


We will also leave out a nice cold beer for you as we always do.


I can't wait to wake up on Christmas morning to see what you bring!


Until then, I'll be dreaming of dancing and prancing in a fluffy, floaty, pretty, pink ruffle pettiskirt.


Lots and lots of love,
Isabella xoxo

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Rosy Heart in My Child Magazine

 

Our lovely Rosy Heart giclee print has received a mention in this month's issue of My Child magazine. Thanks My Child!


Don't you think this would make a stunning gift for Christmas? And what about the gorgeous pettiskirt too? More about that later...

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

More lovelies just in for Christmas


We are very excited to let you know that we are now selling these super cute decor trees for girls' bedrooms. The Elephant Decor Tree pictured above is $64 and the Squirrel Decor Tree pictured below is $49. Perfect for hanging hair accessories and necklaces on. Email us at online@gelatiart.com.au if you would like to order one for Christmas.

We hope to also have our new line of "gelati coloured" hair accessories on our website soon too. You can see some of the items in these photos, which were taken and Mathilda's Market and Magnolia Square. Aren't they bright and colourful?




New Sarah Jane prints - framed


Above and below are some photos of some of the designs in our new line of Sarah Jane prints in their beautiful white box frames as promised. The photos are not so good, sorry. We will have some professional shots for our website after Christmas hopefully.

They are very beautiful and would make a special gift for that special little person in your life this Christmas. Please email us if you are interested in purchasing any of these items.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Introducing new Sarah Jane vintage prints

I'm back from a flying visit to Sydney where we sold our wares at the beautiful boutique market, Magnolia Square. The trip was a resounding success and I'd like to take this opportunity to say hello to all my new friends who I met there. Over the coming weeks I will do some postings on the lovely things I came across at Magnolia Square. There was so much gorgeous stuff. I think I spent most of my profits before I came home!

In the meantime, I've been dying to let you know about our gorgeous new line of vintage style prints from Sarah Jane Studios. We are going to be selling these unframed ($30) and framed ($50-$55) so please pop by our website to take a peek soon. They were a huge hit at Magnolia Square, with lots of shoppers stocking up on them for Christmas gifts.

I will have the complete range on our website soon but in the meantime, here is a sneak peek. Thanks for your patience while we are updating our website.



Just Stay Little

Read with me

This much

You can buy the prints individually but they also look lovely hanging together as a story. One of my favourite sets is this one:

Make a wish
Take the plunge
Jump in puddles
Listen to the ocean

They look so much better framed so I will post a photo of them framed soon.

This is the set my daughter chose for her bedroom. I have to say, it looks stunning in her room. I'm so pleased she chose this one. It's called Grace, Friends and Freedom.

Grace
Friends
Freedom

How sweet are these ones little tea party ones?

Addie and Ella play tea party 1

Addie and Ella play tea party 2

And of course we can't forget the boys....


Le ballon
Everyone loves a bit of French finesse in a room...

And The Three Bears are a must-have classic.
The Three Bears: Bowls
The Three Bears: Chairs
The Three Bears: Beds

We're very excited to be able to bring you this new range. Thank you so very much Sarah Jane!!

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Perfect Christmas Dress(es)

I was so excited to receive a beautiful package from the postman today I just had to share it with you.


Inside this beautiful package were two beautiful Audrey dresses I had ordered online from The Emperor's Laundry. I have long admired this dress and so with Christmas just around the corner I decided to buy it for my daugther. However, I couldn't decide between the green or the red - they are both so lovely - so I ended up buying both. I think I will keep one for my daughter and give the other one to her friend.





But which one should I keep?

We'll be back soon, I promise!


Sorry our posts this month haven't been happening. I've been flat chat with orders and getting all our lovely things ready for Magnolia Square. I sold so much stock at Mathilda's Market it was crazy. So it's been heads down for the past little while to replenish stock levels. I can't wait to show our wares in Sydney - my home town. It will be lovely to catch up with all my family and I am very excited to be launching two gorgeous new product lines. Our new products will be available online from December....just in time for Christmas...so be sure to pop back then.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Pick of the week!


This girl's bedroom really appeals to me. As soon as I saw it I fell in love with it. I wonder what lucky girl sleeps here? Is she very young or is she a tween? The room certainly suits a wide age range, which in my opinion, is very clever decorating.

I love the mix of traditional and modern styles. I also love the colour scheme -  the vibrant pink and green accents are fun and cheery and they really "pop" against the white backdrop.

As soon as I saw this image I thought our Cherry Cupcake canvas print with satin ribbon trim and embroidered hundreds and thousands beading would look absolutely perfect in this room.

What do you think?

Visit us at Magnolia Square Sydney


Royal Randwick Racecourse
Alison Rd
Randwick
 


 Thursday 19 November - Saturday 21 November 2009

Sorry our postings have been few and far between this week. We've been so so busy getting all our lovely new products ready for Magnolia Square (19-21 November in Sydney).

We can't wait to be a part of this beautiful boutique shopping event with 90+ designers, artists and creative types selling their homewares, accessories, fashion, craft and paper goods. It's a must to attend with Christmas fast approaching.

If you're planning on dropping in be sure to pop by our stall. We'd love to say hello.

See you there!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Article for Style Collective

A little while ago I was asked to write an article on decorating children's rooms for the very stylish online magazine, Style Collective. I thought I would share it with you here. So here it is. If you would prefer to see the more stylish version please visit Style Collective.

My Favourite Girl's Room!

Decorating tips for your little miss - Author Vanessa O'Sullivan (Gelati Art)

I’m thrilled to have been asked to write a piece for Junior Style about a few of my favourite décor items for children’s rooms along with some decorating ideas. I thought I would share with you my favourite room of the moment – my friend’s daughter’s new bedroom. My friend has recently finished building her dream home and I can honestly say it is every bit as stylish as she is. It’s a classic Queenslander with a modern aesthetic. She’s decked it out with everything new so her daughter - Lucky Miss 7 - is now sleeping in the most delicious bedroom a girl could wish for, a room that is brimming with personality and individuality – just like her!


What I love about Miss 7’s new room is that although it is fun and playful it also feels serene. This is due to the fact that the foundation of the room is white – it has white painted walls, white timber furniture and white plantation shutters on her beautiful bay window. White is a perfect base from which to start when decorating any child or baby’s room. It’s fresh, practical and most importantly versatile. With white as your base you can easily update your child’s room as your child grows and as their tastes change. As a colour trend, white is increasing in popularity and the experts say it will continue to be fashionable for a long time to come. Everything looks good against white and, in my opinion, you simply can’t have enough of it in a child’s room.


I absolutely I adore the bed linen my friend chose for her daughter (pictured above). It’s a new Neapolitan colour scheme that combines spots and stripes from Red Plum Linen. The chocolate, caramel and pink colour palette is such a nice change from the pink and green we have seen so much of for girls in recent times. The spots and stripes are such simple patterns but it’s this simplicity that gives them their timeless appeal. I especially love the retro feel of the dots and the gros grain chocolate ribbon trim on the doona cover – such lovely detail. And check out the tassels on the candy polka dot cushion – what little girl wouldn’t love that – so glamorous!
I love that the lamp shade is in a different fabric to the bed linen and incorporates a new pattern – florals. It works with the colours on the bed but it doesn’t match exactly. I’m not a big fan of having everything fully co-ordinated and themed in a child’s room. I think it can look a bit contrived and overdone. Instead, I much prefer a room that is layered with different patterns and with a personality all of its own.

As a finishing touch to an already stunning room I’m going to give Miss 7 some artwork for her walls. We’ve selected a large statement piece to go above her bed (Gelati Art Cute Winking Girl canvas print with ric-rac trim), which co-ordinates with the overall colour scheme in the room.
Artwork is a perfect way to add a personal and fun touch to a child’s room and these days we are so lucky to have so much choice in this area.

I’m also going to give Lucky Miss 7 a co-ordinating set of Gelati Art Play, Laugh, Dream canvases to inspire her to live life to the full! I hope she likes them and I can’t wait to see them hanging up in her room. By using white as a base and combining it with a pretty colour palette my friend has created a room that is a perfect balance of playfulness and serenity for her daughter.
Vanessa’s Tips for Decorating Children’s Rooms

1.Use white as your starting point – walls and furniture painted white are practical, versatile, fresh and serene.

2.Develop a colour palette from a significant source in the room – generally your child’s bed linen.

3.Choose simple patterns for bed linen and accessories such as spots, stripes and florals as they never go out of style.

4.Don’t be afraid to mix and match patterns – mixing, matching and layering will give the room personality.

5.Don’t over-theme or over coordinate a child’s room. You and your child will tire of it quickly.

6.Use artwork to personalise and add fun to a room.

7.To achieve a perfect balance of playfulness and serenity in a child’s room use white as your base and a combine it with splashes of colour on the bed, walls and floor.

Pick of the week!


When it comes to boys' bedrooms you can't beat a classic navy and white theme. I'm totally in love with this bedroom. I just love the simplicity of it, which I believe is important in decorating children's rooms. I imagine it would inspire a boy's adventurous spirit...it's certainly got me dreaming of far off places.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love white timber furniture in children's rooms and this room definitely ticks that box. I also love natural rugs - especially for boys. Tick again. I don't know if I would be brave enough to wallpaper but I think it certainly gives this room its personality. It adds a sophisticated and slightly nautical touch to the room, don't you think?

When my little boy gets too old for spots (which I also adore) I think I will do his room just like this. It's definitely a room that I would never tire of. Until then, perhaps I will try it in our guest room or perhaps even in my own room...

Image via Swish and Swanky

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Win This!


 

Our Play, Laugh, Dream red/navy set of three 25cmx25cm canvases would have to be one of our all time best sellers. It's so popular we decided to make it available in a few other colourways. You can now find it in: white/red, red/light blue, white/pastel blue (this one's popular as a gift for baby boys), white/vibrant pink and white/neapolitan pink (this one's popular as a gift for baby girls but big girls love it too).

If you would like to win a set of Play, Laugh, Dream canvases for your child's room visit Swish and Swanky to enter.


Monday, October 12, 2009

More Fabulous!


And our Speedy Motorbike also made it into Style magazine. Looks like it is flavour of the month! Thanks Style x. 

How Fabulous!


Our Speedy Motorbike is getting lots of press lately. We were thrilled to see it featured in this month's issue of Inside Out magazine. How totally fabulous! Thanks Inside Out x.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Vintage Pink Mini


I'm loving a bit of vintage right now. So I thought I would share this gorgeous vintage pink Mini with you to follow on from yesterday's post. I came across it recently on annechovie. It's a giclee print of an original gouache/ink painting by the very talented artist Anne Harwell. Super cute! Thanks Anne!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Pink Mini Cooper

A customer recently contacted me to see if we would customise our Red Racer design for her daughter, Arianna. Of course we were only too happy to oblige. She wanted the racer to be pink and personalised with her daughter's name on the numberplate. My customer had owned a Mini Cooper prior to having Arianna but sadly had to sell it for a larger car to accommodate her growing family. We hope her new Gelati Art canvas print will be a lovely reminder of her beloved car.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

More Summer Colour


I was excited today to receive Seed's latest email showing their new 2009 Spring/Summer childrenswear range. As always, they don't disappoint. Check out these new items...how yummy is the candy necklet? Irrersistable!!