At Luscious we simply love flowers. There’s nothing that quite compares to receiving a beautiful bunch of roses from the person you love or coming home to your house smelling incredible from a fresh arrangement.

While it is a wonderful feeling to receive such gifts, sometimes you have to roll up your sleeves and test your creative flare.

We recommend a good pair of Floral scissors as your number one tool.

These look a great deal like ordinary scissors but are amazing at cutting the base of stems so as not to crush or damage them.  Also, a good sharp knife is a great asset to have too for thicker stems and shaping branches.

Now you have all the tools, you have to look the part. Time to channel the perfectly primed housewives of the 1950’s. We adore the cute apron creations from Jessie Steele.

Remember Charlotte’s gorgeous cupcake apron from SATC? Well there are far more to choose from and all just as deliciously adorable! Our pick? The Dotted Parlor Floral Courtney Apron, rose, corsage, cute little frill. So deliciously luscious!

We adore floral photos (perhaps you have seen a photo album or two on our Facebook page?), so we believe that some of the best inspiration for creating floral masterpieces is a book of inspiring photos.

Whether it be photos of gorgeous country gardens, or wedding bouquets, these images help to give you ideas about colour combinations and complimentary flowers. 

For excellent tips on arranging flowers and determining your bouquet style, we love ‘Simply Elegant Flowers With Michael George’, and for easy inspiration? Our own Luscious photo galleries of course!

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Beautiful and practical things to have around the house

Aesop hand wash or body cleanser (with pump) at the kitchen sink, guest bathroom sink and in your ensuite

Scented candles - Diptyque are worth the investment - check out some Diptyque options here.

An old fashioned bicycle with basket which will inspire you to go shopping like a Parisian

Pretty-and-practical gardening gloves such as these Jubilee ones from Ethel - great for gardening, bringing in wood for the fire, putting out the rubbish, and getting a grip on awkward boxes

Lamps with dimmer switches to enable mood and reading light

A retro fridge from Smeg

A boxset of Audrey Hepburn films and a pretty ironing board cover such as these ones from CityChicCountryMouse's Shop on Etsy will help with the boredom than can be induced from ironing

Handpicked flowers or container of herbs from your own garden on the kitchen table, on hallway tables and next to sinks in bathrooms

A bowl of lemons for cooking, cleaning and delicious extra scent

An Art Deco cocktail stand or Chinoiserie lacquered tray containing Vermouth, Gin, Vodka, Rum, Brandy, Whisky, Cointreau, Tequila, Bitters, cocktail shaker, cocktail-making implements, toothpicks, and at least 4-6 cocktail glasses - we like Riedel - plus olives, anchovies and lemons for garnishes ready in the fridge

Tea towels from Cath Kidston

A folding trolley and folding kitchen steps which can help move and lift items between the car and around the house more easily, and with hopefully fewer injuries

A cherry red KitchenAid stand mixer

A dedicated guest room (if you're lucky!) or a large box for unexpected-and-weary guests, filled with beautiful linen, towels, pillow, quilt, Frette waffle robe and slippers, as well as a bottle of mineral water, eye mask, magazines and books, and mini pack of toiletries. You could even include some chocolates and DVDs (see our recommendations) if you won't be free to entertain them.

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Mr Luscious and I are very excited to have a pool and tennis court this summer. It is very luscious.

We've gone with a traditional nautical theme for the decor, with red, white, navy blue and turquoise stripes.

It started with the deckchairs, cushions and throws as the base elements, and the other items evolved from there. As usual, there is a nod to vintage with our collection of floral tea cups, silver and linen.

It's been easy to manage, thanks to large plastic containers to store the cushions and throws which get wheeled out from the garage, along with the easily-unpacked umbrella, and spread out on the lawn.

See the photo gallery of our luscious finds.

The red candle lanterns are permanently hung beneath the wisteria canopy, all tablecloths and napkins are kept in a dresser near the kitchen door (which leads directly out to the patio), and beach towels are kept rolled up in the poolside powder room.

Tennis racquets and balls are stored on shelves and hooks in the patio area, and all hats, swimwear and beach shoes have their own section in the dressing room, also not far from the pool, because the main bedroom opens straight onto the pool area (heaven!).

BTW, Mr Luscious now has a divine Frank-Sinatra-by-the-pool hat which goes beautifully with his Mad Men glasses. Yum.

See our tribute to eye glasses from the 50s and 60s. 

See the full photo gallery to see what we've purchased to create our own little resort. For more visual inspiration, check out:

• Australian summer: Celebrating the pool
• Vintage poolside
• Poolside: Photos by Slim Aarons
• Tennis pavilions and pool houses

We are having a rah rah tennis and pool party and have encouraged guests to think 1920-1930s English Country House (tennis whites, floppy hats, G&Ts on the lawn and a butler called Jeeves) OR 1950s-early 1960s America (“Mad Men” and “Rat Pack” with martinis, fedoras and jazz by the pool in Las Vegas, Miami or Palm Springs).

Check out our tribute to the English Country House party style. As well as:

• The Savoy Hotel, past and present
• Famous guests at the Savoy Hotel

For 1950s-1960s styles, see these galleries:

• Mad Men: The mad 60s revival
• Mad Men-inspired glasses
• Christina Hendricks
• Dita Von Teese
• Inspired by Bettie Page
• More inspiration from the 40s-60s
  
• Luscious lips: Natasha's top picks
• Veruschka
• Audrey Hepburn: Bridal frock inspiration
• Grace Kelly
• Sophia Loren
• Marilyn Monroe
• Tom Palumbo
• Jon Hamm
• Vintage Vogue - covers up to the 1950s
• Vintage Vogue - covers from 1960-1964
• Vintage Vogue - covers from 1965-1969

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Brunch/lunch/dinner guests:

• Send clear instructions, including a map, if your home is in any way difficult to locate or has tricky parking
• Clean the house and tidy the garden
• Find out if any of your visitors have special dietary requirements
• Plan the menu and do the shopping
• Polish the silver and iron the linen napkins
• Prepare as much of the meal in advance as possible
• If you are doing multiple courses and tend to get flustered once guests are vying for your attention, write a step-by-step plan about what needs to be done as the meal proceeds
• Work out what you are wearing and ensure it's clean and pressed
• Light scented candles or incense
• Set the table
• Have a shower early and freshen up again closer to the guests' arrival time
• Arrange vases of fresh flowers
• Turn on music
• Ensure the bathroom is stocked with beautiful soap and handcream (such as L'Occitane or Aesop), fresh hand towels and toilet paper
• Get as many of the dishes done as you go so that guests don't walk into a sink overflowing with dirty pots and pans
• Put out the general rubbish and compost, and replace bin liners
• Do a final wipe down of kitchen countertops
• Turn on internal lamps and outdoor lights (if arriving at night)
• Be prepared to meet guests at their cars with an umbrella if raining
• Have drinks and hors d'oeuvre ready so that guests feel immediately welcomed.

Remember, your guests are coming to enjoy your company, not to judge you for a competition. They probably won't notice the smeared marks on the glass door or whether there were 3 courses or 5. They just want to have a good time with you!

Overnight guests, as above, plus:

• Dust down the guest room and bathroom
• Remove any items that shouldn't be in there, such as children's toys, paperwork, stored items, and ensure there is room for them to put down and open up a suitcase as well as handbags and laptop bags
• Make the bed with freshly laundered and ironed linens, including an extra blanket or quilt for cooler nights
• Lay out towels, bottled water, eye mask, slippers, pen and notepad, magazines, books and DVDs, chocolates
• Restock guest toiletries in bathroom including toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss, makeup remover, moisturiser, deodorant, razor, shampoo, conditioner
• Check that the hairdryer works
• Cut some fresh flowers from the garden and set in vase on bedside table
• If you don't have space for a desk and chair, at least provide a tray or "stable table" so guests can have a flat space to use for writing, balancing their laptop, or having breakfast in bed
• Ensure guest bathrobes are cleaned and hanging in wardrobe or back of door
• Think carefully about wall hangings - whilst you might not see them very often, they will be prominent for the guest/s sleeping in the room so choose calm, comforting, unlikely-to-offend pictures
• Ensure there are multiple spare hangers in the wardrobe and a plastic bag for laundry items - invest in nice wooden hangers (don't be tempted to dump all your old sad hangers in the guest wardrobe)
• Check whether bulbs in lamps and overhead lights need replacing
• Make sure that the bedside clock is on the right time and that alarm setting on the alarm clock is NOT turned on
• Prepare a power board so that guests can charge up items such as laptops and mobile phones
• Turn on heating or cooling prior to their arrival so the room is comfortable, and if cool, I also turn on the electric blanket to take any chill off the bed (but remind them to turn it off again!)
• Tell them where to find the first aid kit (See our suggestions for what should be in the medical version, but also the "emotional" kit!)
• Give them a set of keys if staying for an extended period so they feel free to come and go freely
• Make suggestions about good local walks (and where the dog's lead is if they want a companion!) or where to stop for a coffee
• Write down any codes such as internet wireless passwords so they can logon easily
• Show them how to use any major appliances such as the coffee machine if you are not going to be around to show them in the morning, and lay out breakfast staples such as cereals and breads.

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Everyone knows how frustrating it can be to have your linen cupboard neat and ordered...except for the pile of fitted sheets.

We did some digging and have put together these options for you and found a few slightly different ones:

• Martha Stewart's version (text with pictures)
• Rachel Yatuzis's version (video)
• Better Homes and Gardens version (text with pictures)
• Molly Piper's version (video)
• Hisgirl777's version (video)
• Jill Cooper's version from Living on a Dime (video)

Images from apartmenttherarpy.com and containerstore.com

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Avoiding work and looking for ways to divert yourself? Then have a flick through our luscious photo galleries on our Luscious on Facebook page. Here's a taster...

Sophia Loren	Sarah Richardson and Sarah's House	Luscious wines and wine regions

 Whilst you're at it, why not become a fan of our FB page and get daily Luscious updates!

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