Magic City Farm

Tamara Hendershot painted her 1,200-square-foot 1918 house yellow, coral and baby blue. The interior is a mix of Caribbean colors and Asian textiles

Tamara Hendershot shares Magic City Farm, her home here, with 4 dogs, 7 cats, 20 Muscovy ducks, 8 chickens and a 350-pound Vietnamese potbellied pig, all of which were adopted from animal shelters.

Magic city Farm sits with 8 other properties on an acre of land, all of which Tamara lets out for print, television and film shoots. Everything, that is, except the 1,200-square-foot house where she lives and has honed her aesthetic, which she describes as a mashup of Caribbean colors and Asian textiles. In fact, it takes in more territory than that: the furniture is covered in ikats from Indonesia and jewel-toned embroidered Suzani cloth from Uzbekistan, and the curtains are sheer Indian fabrics. It’s a vibrant, tactile mix that is somehow inviting rather than jarring.

Ms. Hendershot has lived in Miami since 1989, when she left her job as the director of a photo agency in Manhattan. “I drove down to Miami,” she said, “and never went back.”

Early on, she owned an outsider-art shop. Then she began buying, renovating and selling houses. She bought this one on the Little River in the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami for $260,000 in 2001, and spent $150,000 on renovations. It came with a boathouse.

Five years later, when she heard that the Magic City Trailer Park in Miami was selling 20 bungalows that predated its trailers, she bought 6, for $9 each, and spent another $100,000 moving them to her property and renovating them, naming her little village after the trailer park.

With her expertise as a photographer’s agent — and with a collection of some 500 pieces of fabric, including embroidered silks, linens and wools, as well as quilts, coverlets and sheets — she can style an entire house in a matter of hours. When she travels, she said, she always adds to her textile collection: “I am constantly thinking of ways to change things for the shoots, without much cost.”

Her own house is constantly being redecorated as well. But she credits an article in The World of Interiors magazine in August 2010 — about a Russian cabin cloaked in layers of floral and geometric patterns — with helping her crystallize her ideas about layering textiles. Casual groupings of folk art and textiles from Africa and Asia punctuate her living space, and pillow-covered furniture invites napping.

The exterior, which was once “dirty white,” she said, is now painted yellow, coral and baby blue. Just past the entrance gate is a lush garden with more than 50 varieties of palms, several types of bamboo and trees bearing various kinds of produce: mango, jackfruit, guava, avocado, ackee and litchi.

Read the Full article and set of Photos over a the NYTimes

'My Nest' .... Erin Ashleigh

This fortnights 'my nest' is the home of Erin Ashleigh. This beautiful bohemian home caught my eye a couple of months ago and I have wanted to live in Erins beautiful Instagram feed ever since... Enjoy!

Who lives in the house? 

Erin-24, Kody-25, and our five month old daughter, Willow. Also our cat Cleo and a roly-poly bulldog named Baba!

Where is your home?

Our current home is in Perth, the capital city of West Australia. Both Kody and I grew up in small beachside towns amongst nature and we both want to get back to the quietness and stillness of this as soon as possible. However we are making the most of living here for now before we set off travelling, and luckily Perth is quite a beautiful, nature based city. We are also just 15 minutes from Fremantle, which is a dream for anyone who likes art, music, organic food and vegan cafes!

What attracted you to your home?

Ohhh, everything! It is a beautiful old cottage which has not been renovated into a shiny modern box like so many (sadly) have in this area. Dark, creaky original wooden floorboards, detailed ornate ceilings, an old kitchen, beautiful windows and lots of incredible natural light. The windows throw rainbows all over the walls at a certain time in the morning , which is so magical! There is just a general good vibe about it, I feel as though a lot of happy people have lived here in the years before us. 

How long have you lived there/ will you live there?

We have lived here for ten months and we will be leaving in a month or so. When we found out that I was carrying Willow, we did the exact opposite of what most couples would do - instead of settling down, we sold our previous house, and decided to rent for a year while we were deciding what to do/where we would base ourselves. Since then, we have bought a gorgeous old caravan and have decided to travel around Australia as a family. We just really want Willow's life to be rich with experiences, fun, and constant love from both of us.. So travelling around in our little portable home visiting national parks, forests, waterfalls and all the beauty that our home country has to offer, with our daughter, is our dream come true! I am currently on the hunt for a house for us to live in for the next year, with a driveway so that we can park and renovate our little old caravan before we leave. Unfortunately our current home doesn't have any room for him, otherwise we would stay here until we set off on our adventures. I will be so sad to leave this home , it is where we truly came together as a family, there is so much love between these walls.

What are your favorite and most treasured items?

All of my plants and crystals would have to be up there, they are like babies to me, haha! I also have some beautiful vintage kantha quilts which I will treasure forever. A little wooden carving of an elephant which I bought while in the U.S a few years ago. I have also received two beautiful dream catchers recently from soul sisters of mine , they are so special. 

Which is your favorite Room in the house?

My favourite room in is by far the kitchen. It truly is the centre of our home. I love spending time in here, amongst all of my herbs and spices and random witchy potions that I usually have brewing on the bench. Willow naps at about 1oclock in the afternoon everyday, this coincides with the time that the sun starts streaming through the kitchen window.. So I sit in here and bathe in it, diffuse essential oils, read books and just breathe - it is bliss.

Where do you buy most of your furnishings ?

Our furniture is mostly a mish-mash of op shop/ second hand store finds, roadside pickup (We have scored some gems that other people have thrown out), and items that we have bought second hand on Gumtree. Our giant couch is just from Ikea, and I love it, but I am finding it more important as the years go on to only buy pre loved furniture. There is too much plastic-y , cheaply manufactured furniture in the world - it is all being used for a few years and then going straight to landfill. This is a huge problem and I think that we all need to be making conscious decisions in every aspect of our lives to take care of Mother Earth! Sure, you can't walk into an op shop and find something you love instantly, pop it on the credit card and have it delivered to your home that afternoon.. but the amazing, one off pieces that you find are worth it! It took me a few months to manifest our coffee table, but it is a beautiful, handmade wooden piece, and it is one of my favourite pieces of furniture.

How would you describe your style?

Hmmmm… That is a tricky one, I'm really not sure!  I just like a lot of intricate patterns, natural textures like wood and ceramics, and lots of greenery. I don't know where that falls in on the style scales! It's a bit of a jumble really.

What or who inspires your home style and decision making when buying a new piece? 

Something that I have been conscious of lately, being someone who is in love with ethnic and tribal style prints , is making sure that the profits of what I am buying are benefiting the people who are creating the items. Because the "bohemian" style is so in vogue right now, I think a lot of larger homewares companies are taking advantage of this, making profits from patterns and styles that are traditional & sacred to certain people, and mass producing them. I would LOVE to see more online stores opened where the profits go directly to the communities who are hand crafting items :) So this is something that I try to have in mind when making decisions! 

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 What and Where would be your dream home?

I have been dreaming about building an Earthship! Or a tree house built with reclaimed timber and recycled building materials, that would be a dream.  Kody and I visited a giant salvage yard last year and the things that we found were unbelievable - stained glass windows, beautiful doors, claw foot bath tubs. As for location, anywhere lush, green and abundant with life makes me happy. Northern NSW is incredibly beautiful, and I feel so at home there, but I'm sure while we are travelling somewhere will touch our heart and we will want to settle for a while. 

What was the last item you brought?

I found a beautiful print of Manasa, the Hindu goddess of snakes, at a market a few weeks ago, and she had to come home with me. And a flower of life print, because I am thoroughly obsessed with sacred geometry!

A massive thank you to Erin for letting me share these photos and taking time out to answer the Interview questions

xx Gabi xx
To see more of Erins beautiful home visit her instagram feed at.... @erinashleighh
To view more house tours from the 'My Nest' feature visit here 
Have or know of a home that you think we would enjoy please hashtag moontomoon xx

'My Nest'... Laura from Fat Lama Vintage

A selection of Laura's Kantha Throws which she sells in her Etsy Shop Fat lama Vintage

Welcome to tthe second part of the 'My Nest' feature here on Moon to Moon. The aim of the new 'My Nest' feature is to get a glimpse into real life readers homes. That means no stylists re-arranging furniture and adding props, and no fancy photographers with light meters.... All photographs are by the owner ensuring all the 'nests' are the homes as they really are, lived in and perfectly imperfect, dirty dishes and all. . Alongside the photos there is also a set of 10 questions to get a bit of juicy background on the property and the family.

Laura.....

The image of the meditation room is one of my all time favorite images. Everything about that room is just perfect. I have featured Laura's beautiful house on Moon to Moon before but now a couple of years later Laura has opened up her beautiful front room, I have one of her beautiful Suzani's from her Etsy shop Fat Lama and we are now proper facebook buddies!!

So it seemed logical that Laura's beautiful home feature in the 'My Nest' series..... I was also just desperate to find out more about her influences and sources!!

1) Where do you live and what do you do for a living? 
 I live in Reading, Berkshire (England) and have done since I came here to start Nursing training when I was 18. I have left several times, but always seem to find my way back.

 2) What attracted you to your current home
I work part time with homeless women with substance abuse issues, and I run Fatlama on Etsy.

3) how long have you lived there/ will you live there
 Nige and I were mooching around town one day and we saw a sign saying outside an estate agent saying that we could probably buy a house for the same price as renting, so we went in....ours was the first house we looked at, it just had a really good feeling about it...it seemed to say 'ah, youre here at last!' we have been here for 22 years now. I'd find it hard to move as the place has a lovely vibe and has cared for us so well over the years.

We do plan to move to India when we have paid off the mortgage, but we will probably keep the house and rent it out.

4) what is your favorite/ most treasured item.
My most treasured physical item is a beautiful hand painted 1930's Thanka of White Tara....it hangs over the fire place. We bought it in Nepal when we were traveling for a year.

5) where do you buy most of your furnishings and accessories 
I buy most of my furnishings and accessories second hand, or on ebay. I find you can get everything and more from Ebay, I have have some fantastic buys and I love it!

 6) how would you describe your style?
Mmmm, my style would be probably boho-electic-rustic I like touches of industrial too.

7) what/who inspires your home style / decision making when buying a new piece.
Who inspires me...hmm, most of my inspiration has come from my travels to to India and Nepal, Bolivia and Peru, many places. My style comes from wanting to re create those places around me, cos those were the happiest times of my life 

8) what/ where would be your dream home?
My dream home...mm it would be in India, somewhere, probably Himachal Pradesh. Just a cosy little place in the mountains with my bloke although I am very happy here too...      

9) what was the last item you bought?
The last item I bought was a lovely Azilal Rug from Danielle Donker of Beyond Marrakech great prices!

10 ) any wish list items?
wish list items...mmm, I need a new bathroom desperately! I'd like a Moroccan style wet room with Tadelakt walls. yum.
Also I'd rather like one of those African Ju ju hats!   

 

And the SoulMakes Kantha winner is.....

Wow, what a wonderfully popular give away. Thank you so much to everyone who entered the Kantha via blogger, instagram , twitter etc....

We can now reveal that the winner chosen by the random number generator is...... Holly From Holly Knitlightly . Well done Holly !!

It was such a popular give away that Trevor and Mack from SoulMakes are offerring Moon to Moon customers a 25% discount online.. to take advantage of this offer simply use code  NEWMOON. The code will take 25% off any items in the House & Home collection only for November.

New Moon Kantha Give Away... Soul Makes

SoulMakes started out as a little collaboration between two love birds, Mack and Trevor Mars. Inspired by our travels from coast to coast, we dreamt up a line of beautiful bohemian jewels, unique in design and 100% handmade. What started as a small collection has blossomed into a label that now offers gorgeous wears to adorn the body, as well as your home, carried in specialty stores across the world. 

We are so thrilled about our new House and Home line, which launched only a few short weeks ago and has seen such a wonderful response. Our home collection kicked off long ago with hand crafted dreamcatchers and slowly began to incorporate other unique and gorgeous wall hangings and ornaments, which pay tribute to our cosmic roots with materials like crystals, birch wood and feathers.

 The collection came off the walls and hit the dining room table with place mats and coasters, it landed on the couch with fluffy, cozy pillows and throw blankets and even entered the world of bath with our luxurious Turkish towels and you can only imagine what other goodies will be hitting the shop soon. We aren't done designing jewelry either and we like to think of our house wears as jewelry for the home! 

SoulMakes have been a sponsor of Moon to Moon for some time and I have been obsessed with their beautiful Jewellery,  so I was thrilled when Mack contacted me to let me know that Soul Makes was launching a Home Wares range...  Kantha quilts, dream catchers and Turkish Towels, whats not to love?

To celebrate the move into homewares, Soul Makes and Moon to Moon are teaming up to offer you a very special New Moon give away......One lucky Moon Goddess (or Moon Man) will win a one of hand made Indian Kantha throw and cushion...

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is visit Soul Makes and leave a comment below letting us know what you favorite item from the shop is... Simple!!

Extra entries will be given for tweets, facebook shares, pins and Instagram shares

The winner was announced on Monday 3rd November

Good Luck

One Room: Bright relaxing bohemian bedroom..

How beautiful is this eclectic bedroom? It is the bedroom of Emma from MarionHouse. The neautral pain scheme is perfect for dressing up with beautiful Kilim and Indian cushions, kantha quilts and baskets from her travels around the globe.

To create a similar look in your own home try:
Kelim cushions from Plumo ,Gypsy River or babasouk
Stunning Small Fair Trade baskets from Baskets of Africa
Tagine Basket (on Table) from Babasouk
Large laundry Baskets from Swahili Imports
Kantha Quilt from Toast or Fat Lama 

The Home of...

Safe within my Womb: I fell in love with this beautiful eclectic den a number
of years ago and been searching for the source ever since. Candles, Kilim, Cushions
and rickety book shelves, I don't think I would ever leave this room

Bohemian bedroom: Suzani, Kilim and Indian Patchwork - such a cozy room

Beautiful eclectic sitting room with Indian throws and  kilim cushions

Sitting room: Light some Nag Champra and relax

Beautiful Handmade Vintage Kantha Quilts from India

The minute I saw that top picture I fell in love.... Everything about it is perfect, the Kilim cushions, the layered rugs, the books, the bed on the floor... all that's missing is me, my current read (Lolita), a pot of tea and my Nag Champra :)

....So my search (thanks to Introducing New Worlds) is over, so here is the home of the Lovely Laura aka Godessofxanadu on flickr. A life long collector of beautiful fabrics, Laura lives in this charming Victorian home with her other half and cute pups. Can't wait to see more snaps of this beautiful homes as the pictures emerge on Flickr

Not only is Laura a great travel photographer but luckily for us also sells the beautiful Vintage Kantha Quilts she brings back from India via her  Etsy shop FatLama Vintage.