Zippy trippy to Ippy

Last week I made a trip to Ipswich to meet with the following three Internet doyennes: Katherine of the Old Boat House; Anita of Fun and VJs; and Jo of Desire to Inspire.

Before meeting up at Jo's incredible home, I had a quick scout around her neighbourhood, and was amazed at the diversity of architecture and the marvellous views of Ipswich.

I have always wanted to visit Jo, as I've seen snippets of her home on her design blog desiretoinspire.  And I always love seeing Katherine and Anita because they're always such great, down-to-earth company.

Truly, I felt as if I'd pipped Vogue Living at the post by being allowed to photograph Jo's stunning home which is chockers with eclectica, books and art works; over-flowing with colour and textiles; to-the-brim with wooden-cavities bursting with treasures.

If I didn't have such a pissant camera, these photos would be so much better. 

And the house has red cedar everywhere - bannisters, wall units. Mind boggling.

I soon learned that when one follows Jo around her incredible home, one's arms become quickly filled with various items from Jo's collection.

She says things like: "Here, take this piece of Ruska. Oh, and here's another one. You can fight over it. Who wants some art work? I really only want the frames. Look, there's some Scandinavian ceramics for you. And do you have a lamp? Do the Solid Gold Dancers wants some budgies? etc etc"

She is incredibly talented and generous and had me imagining myself ditching my career and trawling op shops, filling a studio and pottering-about looking groovy for the rest of my life ...

Back to reality.

The below is now a photo of my tawdry place - namely the au pair's room.

Care of Jo, it now contains a framed embroidery.

We have some cute Japanese crockery.

There's a teak ice-bucket and a ruska pot which have settled themselves with other brown crockery.

And bless. Four Scandi glass figurines. One for each of the Solid Gold Dancers.

With an Iittala bowl for good measure. Divine.

Jo even passed on to me two leather dining chairs. Similar to the ones I saw sometime ago in a posh interiors store in Paddington ... remember?

Can you believe it? I can't.

Martha can believe it because she balances choc-chip biscuits on the chair she's adopted as-her-own.

And while in Ipwich, I forked out the princely sum of $2 for a glass plate.

When I returned to Brisbane, I was so inspired by design and individuality and all things chutzpah that I threw myself into cutting-out ephemera and scattering them on the plate. 

There could be a tutorial in that, where women in their hundreds flock to pay good money to attend, but unfortunately it's back to the grindstone next week so I won't be able to host it.

Fin.