SEEDLING have arrived...

Colour Me Gnome and Make Your Own Snow Globe $29.95ea

Good Things For Boys and Good Things for Girls $39.95ea

Make Your Own Tugboat $29.95 and Make Your Own Indie Bangles $24.95

New to Bliss this month is the 'hands-on' kids range of toys from New Zealand company Seedling. Each product is designed to engage and nurture your childs creative side. They're all about making and experimenting. Here's just a few of the great kits we have in stock. Priced well too they're a great option for the Xmas stocking this year. Most will post easily for the little people in you life that live afar.

Visit the shop or purchase online here.

Design tips from Josh & Jenna

On Sunday Iain & Kylie and the kids had the opportunity to attend a design workshop hosted by The Block's Josh & Jenna. Aside from getting a pic taken with the couple (aren't they cute?) Kylie also took a few notes from the day. Here's some of what the design guru's had to say.

• Do a floorplan of the room you plan to decorate (can use free online software such as SmartDraw).
• Ask yourself, what’s the purpose of the room? A room to relax and unwind or be inspired and motivated?
• Choose your style. Create a mood board of the style you like from magazines and take with you shopping! This helps greatly and will reduce any random purchases that won’t work in the overall style you’re creating.
• Use occasional chairs and place them facing towards the main sofa, this creates a more social and intimate space.
• Use pendant lights to create warmth and purpose in a room and they create striking features.
• Keep larger purchase items, ie. Sofa and dining table neutral colours that you can work around. You will find you’ll hold onto them for longer.
• Have a focal point in the room and then all other things in the room need to compliment that piece. ie. wall papered wall or multicoloured bedspread (not both).
• Soften your rooms with rugs, feature lighting, soft throws, vases.
• Scandinavian and homemade style is in, this can be introduced inexpensively with cushions, art etc.
• Be bold with colour but keep it in the accessories so it can be updated inexpensively.
• Don’t over clutter, love the space your in without being overwhelmed.
• TV’s should not be your focal point in a loungeroom.
• Practical and comfortable can still be beautiful, sit on the furniture you’re going to purchase!
• Add soft furnshings to soften hard surfaces such as timber and steel.
• Timber doesn’t have to match.
• Blank walls? Use art, mirrors, photo collage, mix up the frames to create a more dramatic and artistic look.
• Small space, low ceilings. Use narrow furniture to give the illusion of more space and low lying furniture.

More information about Josh and Jenna go to www.bickerdesignco.com.au

New b.sirius is at BLISS

"Get lost in the garden of b.sirius this Spring/Summer. Dive into a field of posies or be whisked away by a whirlwind of blissfull berries and opulent oranges. This range is bursting with fresh colours that go hand in hand with the glistening sunny skies and budding blooms."

The new range from B.sirius is now in stock at Bliss and by gosh, they've outdone themselves again, it's pretty as ever! Annabelle and the team have made some gorgeous new fabrics this season and some very clever bag designs as well. Clever enough in fact, to earn them a Melbourne Design Award last month.


The extra special part for you, is that we're the first in the ACT to get the new season stock. So if you're keen to get your hands on it then come and see us quick before they all get snapped up.

Perfect for Pots - Sago Palm

The Sago Palm (Cycas Revoluta) is native to Japan and is not a palm at all but a cycad. It's a very striking plant with it's symmetrical circle growth and lush dark green leaves and certainly looks great in a pot. It doesn't need a lot of water or fertilizer just a large pot or deep soil with good mulching.

Maintenance is quick and easy as it only needs the lower yellowing leaves removed. They are largely pest resistant if kept outside but if kept inside they are prone to mealy bugs and spider mite.

The good news for us Canberrans though is that they are tolerant of frosts up to -10c (there's a Cycad planted at Bliss which gets the full frost, come and see it!).

New at Bliss : ECOLOGY kitchenware

One of our more exciting finds at the gift fairs last month was the Ecology serving and kitchenware range. The classic white ceramics mixed with gorgeous acacia wood pieces caught our eye immediately and we just knew we needed them in the shop. Why? Well there were several reasons. Firstly, It’s the kind of range that will fit easily with whatever taste or style you my already have in your home. Secondly, as the name suggests, all the materials used to make the products, including the packaging, are ecologically responsible and designed with our earth’s future in mind. They are made in energy-efficient factories and are virtually free of chemicals. Thirdly, we were genuinely surprised at the price, considering the style, quality and finish.

So, let me tell you a bit about some of our favourite pieces. First, there’s the 4 piece ‘Seasons’ mug set featuring a different tree illustration on each mug to represent the four seasons ($24.95 a set). Then there’s my personal favourite, the Acacia wood bowls, platters, salad servers and cheese boards. Acacia is a fast-growing hardwood that is extremely durable and naturally resistant to water, but besides all that practical stuff they just look GOOD! Salad servers are $9.95, large salad bowls only $59.95. Lastly, the set of 3 nested bowls are pretty, stylish and only $24.95 a set.

These are just a few of our favourites from the Ecology range (oh look, who are we kidding, we kinda like them all) so if they sound like your kinda thing too then come visit us for a looksee. Selected lines available in our online store also.

 

How to care for Daffodils

Daffodils are the classic heralds of spring. They
bring an element of surprise and excitement
each year as gardeners eagerly await their
emergence from the soil, closely followed by
their breathtaking floral performance.

Daffodils are easy to look after in the Garden

·    They grow in full sun to semi-shade but do best in a position with sun during winter and spring, when they bloom.

·    Daffodils also need plenty of sun when they've just finished flowering, as this is when the bulbs are taking in energy for the following year's display.

·    While they are dormant, daffodils should be left un-watered. If your summer climate is wet or soil is poorly drained, they can be lifted and stored in a cool, dark place and replanted in autumn. Otherwise they can be left to grow and multiply.

·    Daffodils are extremely drought hardy, however, to have them performing at their best I advise to mulch well. 

·    Resist the temptation to pull off or cut back leaves before daffodils have died down completely. Leaving them allows the goodness to return to the bulb in preparation for next season's flowering.

Daffodils are easy to look after in the Pots

·    The main key to success with daffodils in pots is to choose suitable bulb varieties, which are sturdy and not too tall, such as "tete a tete"

·    Always use a well-drained potting mix or a potting mix that has been designed especially for bulbs.

·    If you do bring pots of daffodils inside and you wish to keep the bulbs growing for as long as possible, place them in a cool position in the house, away from any heaters.

·    To have these pots of daffodils looking great year after year, it's necessary to renew the potting mix with slow release fertilizer and wetting agent annually, or to replant your bulbs into new potting mix.

·    Alternatively plant the bulbs into the garden after they've finished flowering, and replace them with new daffodil bulbs the following season.

Daffodils are versatile

·    Daffodils suit all styles of gardens, whether cottage or formal, small or large, and they can even be used successfully in contemporary settings.

·    Grow them in clumps in the garden, as borders, in containers, mass plant them in drifts, or let them naturalise - whichever way, they look stunning.

·    They are an ideal choice as an under-planting for deciduous trees that are bare-stemmed in winter.

·    Growing daffodils in pots enables you to show off the plants while they're looking their best, then move them to a  less prominent position while they're not putting on a show.

·    Dwarf Daffodils such as "tete a tete" look great in pots!

So there you have it. Daffodils look great, they're tough as nails, and they're  even cheap to buy!

S.T.A.M.P.S Watches = Uber Cool

We’re really enjoying our new S.T.A.M.P.S watches here at Bliss. We have been exclusive ACT stockists of them for several months now and just love having them around. So pretty to look at, yet so practical and useful at the same time (there's a joke here about husbands I think but I'll refrain...)

So what makes these watches so super marvellous I hear you ask? Well firstly, they look like a stamp and secondly, they’re a choose-your-own-adventure type watch which you can mix and match to suit your mood. There are heaps of funky faces to choose from as well as bands in all sorts of great colours. Simply choose your favourite face, match it with a band, snap it on and BAM - you're looking mighty fine!

You can also wear them around your neck with the nifty necklace 'stripe' accessory or just stick the face to the fridge, dashboard or computer. The ‘Full Metal Jacket’ accessory is a square metal frame that can be added around the face and is designed to appeal to the male consumer but not exclusively, many gals will love the chunky look it gives.

Founded in 1997, S.T.A.M.P.S are of German & French design and have spread in popularity around the world, with many artists clamouring to design for them. But beware - with the price of a face and band combo starting at just 60 smackers you may get addicted...