Gordon Ramsay showed me a better way…..watch him below.

 
Is your life all about salad at the moment?

 


 
If, as I did,you made some sort of vague resolution about losing weight, or eating in a more healthy fashion in 2012, your life is probably all about salad at the moment as well.

 
So I bought some new salad cookbooks. Misnomer,very little cooking in most of them,salad are more about tossing together.

 


 
The best of these I bought for the store. This one above, is wonderful,the chunky cookbook on salads. Chock a block full of interesting recipes and great pictures

 


 
And one of the Womens Weekly salad cookbooks. You can’t beat the WW cookbooks for great, basic,delicious,every day recipes. Both of these books are in the store at the moment.

 
So, I have been eating lots of salads and learning even more. For example….dressing a salad. Typically I would make the dressing and pour it over the greens in the bowl. WRONG!

 
You don’t have to watch many youtube or celebrity chefs to realise the intention is to COAT the leaves….GLAZE the leaves. I think Gordon does it best. I love his big timber bowl.

 

We have big bamboo bowls on special at the moment. Were $39.95 NOW 19.99 until they sell out. BACK TO GORDON. The quintessential vinaigrette.

 

 
See you in the store.

 
I was talking about our preference for whitewashed and neutral colours in my blog post the other day. We, I mean coastal dwellers. It suits us. Light and bright.

 
Well, take a deep breath. The hottest colour predicted to make it big in 2011 is very dark. Different paint companies call it different things. Here it is on a wall.

 

I LOVE it!
Here, quite rightly, it is used on one wall, in a space you just pass through. VS. all walls in a living or bedroom where you spend more time.

 
In Dulux I would choose a colour called HATSTAND. You would need lots of natural light in the room to make this work well.

 
BY THE WAY.

 
The picture above is the cover of an online catalogue from a company in the US called Serena & Lily. CLICK HERE to have a look at the full catalogue. One of the most beautiful I have seen. Their products are WOW! their use of colour, very directional.

 
See you in the store.

 

No one is more aware than I the preference we Noosans have for white washed and neutral colours. They are an easy choice.
I taught colour theory to interior design students at TAFE for many years, and even they had trouble using bright colours in their assignments.

 
Day after day I assist customers buying paint, and long to direct them to the brighter end of the colour spectrum. No more White Watsonia, Antique White USA and Hogs Bristle.

 
So, yesterday I decided to have the strength of my own convictions when painting the wall of the front window display.

 
It is hard to go wrong, using some of our beautiful Craft Studio table linens as the inspiration. The jumping off point, a colour scheme called ROCK.

 

 
Olga is wearing a Craft Studio apron in the Rock colour scheme. (I think she put on a little weight over Christmas. But then, didn’t we all).
Our Olga has an interesting background. click here. to find out more.

 
We also have tea towels, oven gloves and double mits to match. If you don’t want to repaint, maybe just some bright tea towels!

 

See you in the store.

 
Are on-line magazines the best invention of the 21st century? Well, in the big scheme of things……probably not, BUT, terrific just the same.

 
This magazine is quirky. Foodie Crush. The first edition published only two weeks ago. I have not read it from front to back but got stuck on page 44. A wonderful 20 page spread on cookies. AND, some of the tastiest looking cookies I have seen for a while.

 


 
If your baking with the kids over the holidays, you might find something new and interesting to bake together.


 
See you in the store.

 
The weather is very unpredictable today. There is a low pressure system off Fraser Island. Considering this, there is a surprising amount of blue sky.

Tony left early to look at the surf. The verdict is ‘epic’. So much so, A. there are no car parking spaces B. it would probably be too big if he could park and get his board in the water.

So, back early, by 7am we have had our croissants, coffee, and bucks fizz.

I have read the special Christmas book I bought a few weeks ago. (Just a coffee table book. Not so much reading as looking at the beautiful pictures.)

 


 
Now I am on to the on-line magazines. I have posted about Sweet Paul before. On an overcast day this is a wonderful read.

 


 
Click on the image to go to the Sweet Paul web page. Make sure you look at the chocolate pages. The photography is breathtaking.

 
Prawns and oysters on the menu next. I love Christmas!

 
See you in the store.

 
A new member. This is Micah with his best friend.

 

Micahs favourite place to eat out is Canteen in Noosa Junction.

He is a good cook. Loves cooking a lamb roast. His secret ingredient, he says, is a dash of love.

 


 
His favorite song is a hard choice. Mason Jennings or something from Jack Johnson.

 


 

Micah loves shopping in the Junction because it is easy, and close to home.

 


 

Congratulations Micah.

You win $50 to spend at Simpsons Mitre 10.

 
See you in the store.

 
Here it is Virginia. All about you.

 

Virginia has been a VIP Member since June this year.

Her signature dish is Panang Curry which she learned to prepare at a cooking class at the Spirit House.

 

Virginias favorite tool in the kitchen is her stick blender.

Her favorite place to eat in Noosa is Bistro C.

And Virginia loves shopping at Noosa Junction because there is such good variety and it has a great atmosphere.

Thanks Virginia. For taking part in our ABOUT YOU blog post you will receive $50 to shop with us.

See you in the store.

 
Have you ever wondered what your PASSION is? That thing you were born to do. It’s in your bones.

 

Maybe you found it. Maybe your living it.

 
There are days when I am hopeless at it, make some HUGE mistakes, but I think my THING is retail. Having a shop, selling things.

I get far more pleasure when buying something for the shop than anything I buy for my home. Especially if it is something I really love, and I want to see if you love it as well. And then you do.

 

That thing I bought for the shop, you love it and get so excited when you see it in the store, and cant wait to take it home. And I get so excited watching your excitement.

 
I love it.

 
Balls of string with frenchy scissors, old tables, painters drop sheets as tablecloths.

 
When the photographer comes from the Journal Weekender magazine to take photos I am really proud and excited.

This is Ben. A man of few words. Taking photos for the Journal Weekender, the current one.

Ben takes lots of shots and you never know what’s going to be featured and what’s not.

 
Kylie Jakes from the Journal Weekender makes the selections. Then makes the page look wonderful.
Like this one. Part of a three page spread.

 

Once Ben takes the photos, I’m impatient for the edition to come out. It’s often two or three weeks. But when it does I can’t wait to show people. So proud to see my stuff in print.

Have a look at the latest edition if you haven’t already. My things are on the second page. You will recognise them . They are the nicest things there.

 

See you in the store.

 
You saw the slideshow in my last post?

I looked on the web for inspiration to decorate my Christmas table in the store.

 
So, how did it turn out?

 


 
In this picture you can see the gorgeous driftwood Christmas tree I used as a centre piece. That was the last one until tomorrow when lots more arrive.
I used the painters drop sheet again. Just love how it looks. The seagrass placemats look great on the ”tablecloth”.

 
As the place settings I used little vintage style cream bottles full of shells with a luggage tag.

And a small Christmas decoration as a napkin ring.

Keeping with the coastal theme I draped a driftwood hanger down the centre of the table.

What do you think?

Come in and have a look. My photography skills do not do it justice.

 
See you in the store.