J'Adore Toile de Jouy

Such a busy week - i havn't had a chance to get online much...

My friend Melissa was in New York last month and stayed in a hotel room that was covered in Toile - she said she felt like she was in a gift box and that the room reminded her of me...i do love Toile but must admit I only like it in small doses...here are a few nice samples

Dita Von Teese in a gorgeous toile dress - image from Perez Hilton blog

Stunning chairs at a French Flea Market - image from Ellebee on Flickr

adorable Craft Tags from Small Treasures on Flickr










Not playing tourist today - Ive been home doing housework and lots of tidying up - we are off into town tonight for a nice dinner and some drinks...should be fun!

Even time for crafting.....

We sat up last night crafting - Tammy even brought some of her crafting goodies all the way from the USA!!
crazy as I have enough supplies to last a lifetime (note to self : no more crafting purchases!!)

we made collages and then I cut mine up to ATC size as I had a ATC background swap to send off ....i love using all my scraps this way....

Speaking of craft purchases i bought these last week from Ruby St Designs. I love Kris's craft kits as they are always vintage inspired - just my style!! Cant wait to create with these....

This is something I got but have yet to use....
This week's topic suggested by Flossy-P is a good one!!!
i have plenty of things i bought and have yet to use - craft goodies for sure , wool pants that I bought last Winter and have yet to hem....even my latest cookbook purchase PiriPiri *Star Fish by Tessa Kiros!!
its so beautiful to look at & the food styling is just gorgeous but i have yet to try out a recipe!!
i really need to though - everything looks so delicious....and i do love Portugese food!!

Tammy arrived yesterday and we havn't stopped talking - we've all been out and about all weekend - i love showcasing Sydney!! Today we went to Watsons bay and to Bondi beach! tiring fun!!

This is.... how I recycle
We always separate our rubbish - we have 3 huge garbage bins from our local council so that makes it easy, they also arrange large item pick ups by appointment!

I donate a lot of my boys clothing to the local salvation army as well as offer them to friends who have boys younger than my own.

I also use Freecycle.org groups to off load any unwanted items - ive given away a TV, a bed mattress and Neo's baby cot...there is always someone who might need something!


I also like to keep tags off clothing - ive collected these from christmas gifts, birthday gifts and general purchases throughout the year...a lot of thought goes into branding and the tag papers are nice and thick so perfect for some altered art fun!!
Ive got plans for this 'Alice Temperly for Target 'tag!!
stay tuned!!!

For more This is...posts check out Angela's blog

Happy Crochet....

im onto scarf number 2...the first went to my little niece Styliana
this one is for a friend...
Im really loving this pattern - so easy and once you get it down pat its a breeze...
Look at this cute
Crochet Necklace...so pretty, im going to have to try that one day!

ive been busy cleaning the house as we're having a visitor from the USA for 3 weeks!!
my friend Tammy whom I met through an Ebay transaction back in 1999
is coming this Saturday...cant wait to see her!!
we've been email friends for so long now....will be great to finally meet her!! im sure she'll love Sydney!

Home again!!!

Road Trips are wonderful but its so tiring coming home isnt it....??
we got back early evening but I ended up staying up late doing loads of washing, making sandwiches for lunch, packing up library books ready for return....dont you wish everyday was a holiday!!

I will be posting my 'This is...' post later on in the week! ive got a few emails to return too and lovely blogs to visit too...
See u soon!!!

* images are Kate Spade

ads - I adore all their ad campaigns*

Lightening Up!!
my hallway BEFORE (eeekk look at that awful yellow!!) and AFTER...
its been 4 months since Andrew painted the whole interior of our home and i still love coming home, opening the door and admiring it!!
this little corner here in my hallway is my favourite as you can see the paintwork nicely.

Neutrals teamed with white create such a fresh and airy feel and teamed with dark wooden floors its just my thing - love it!

We hope to find a new home soon but the market is at a standstill right now - nothing great for sale in our area, its pretty depressing as we're SO ready to move and have more space...cant wait to have a gorgeous new kitchen
imagine something like this

or this! both found on FLICKR....
now a girl can dream huh?!
have a FAB weekend everyone - we're off to Canberra for two days, should be fun!!

Illustration Friday - Electricity


a hard topic this week but this is my take on it
...the human touch
I hope you've all had a chance to feel it ....

For more illustrations on Electricity
click HERE

To school.....

ive got my first parent/teacher interview at Peter's school today!
im SO exited!! i have a few questions to ask but he is only in Kindergarten,,,, haha i need to loosen up ....

i just want the best for my boys -like any parent really, we just want them to thrive and be happy yeah?!!
he's so keen to go to school - i love that!!

I havn't really pushed the boys into extra activities yet -we do swimming lessons once a week and Peter plays soccer too but in our
crazy busy busy world i want them to have time to just be kids - time to play, imagine, draw & explore their little world...when we're at home I shoo them out into the garden - somedays they whine that they just want to watch cartoons - most times they just wrestle each other on the couch but thats fine too...its all fun!

Vintage Piggy image sent to me by Gillian
Vintage Greek book from my own collection

Shades of girl

I havent been feeling very creative lately...do you ever get like that?

so many ideas swirling around in my head but I cant seem to put anything to action!

i recently did a good clean up of my craft goods - I had stuff everywhere and our spare room was looking crazy ...now that everything is neat and tidy and in its place its probably affecting my creativitiy....out of sight out of mind....

Ive recently signed up for two swaps so I hope to start soon - Im ready to jump in....and get messy!!

loving all these beautiful shades of pinks and purples...my favourite colours!!

Norman Parkinson photos from

Vogue ArtGroup
and
to see details of my 'Shades of Girl'
flickr mosaic click HERE*

This is....what reminds me of my mother
Growing up I remember
* the noise of her sewing machine - she made most of our clothes & was always sewing late into the night

* her perfume bottles (lots of Avon) high heels and draws full of makeup & faux bijoux - i was happy to spend hours playing with her stuff...

* Baking & Cooking. she was always swapping recipes and would even take ages to make homemade yoghurt, cheese and sausages from scratch!??!!

* Strict house rules...school uniforms off as soon as we got home, baths before dinnertime, Saturday morning chores...from about 8yrs old my sister and i were helping out a lot!

* Summer picnics - we were forever going on Sunday picnics and the car would be full of food like we were going away for a week!! hasnt changed much...we still overpack and overcook!!

* pic of Neo with my mum - Summer in Cyprus 2006
& vintage images from
Vintage Advertising Flickr group*

For more THIS IS... posts check out Angela's blog

a lovely day + 6 things....

a great start to the weekend....a good hearty breakfast to start the day...i love breakfast especially when you have time to really enjoy it! eggs with tomato and asparagus on yeast free bread yummo!!!

Did you see the post by Decor8 about Australian design and blogs! yay for the Aussie love!! she even mentioned my blog...how exciting!
i love Holly's blog - so much inspiration and new discoveries!

i found this small floral plate last week at the Old Wares store...so pretty! its in my bedroom now keeping some bracelets tidy ....I also scored some vintage children's annuals and a gorgeous illustrated Dictionary from the 40's!!

recently I got tagged by
My two cents
and Kitty's Caboodle
ive done this a few times, im running out of things to say about myself but here goes

* My favorite chocolate bar is a 'Peppermint Crisp'...oh and its better when slightly melted
* I cant drink soft drink(Soda) straight out of a can, it has to be in a glass or with a straw...my hubby laughs at me but I think im going to choke...i just cant!
* Sometimes I find being a mother overwhelming....so many choices to make...will they be the right ones?
are my parenting skills OK? am i too strict? do they watch too much TV? (probably)...will the sugary cereal make them hyper - what if they wont eat anything else? its too much sometimes...i try to do my best!
* My latest purchase is flannel pyjamas (yes, i buy my own mothers day presents)
*I hate talking on the phone....especially about nothing really important...a time waster!
* i have freckles!

oh and im currently making a scarf....saw this post on Cath's blog
ordered the pattern and realised I have a similar one that Marianne emailed me a while back... oh well... its pretty easy so far!

Illustration friday - Seed

Sowing the Seeds of Love....

Show me your walls....

Marilyn of PulpSushi blog has a category 'Show me your walls'...this week she has featured my walls

so if you like
click
HERE
to see more of my walls & home....

you can also show off your walls and artwork - just drop her an email!!!

May already!!!

I cant believe we're in May already - how fast is this year trucking along?
this is the May page from my 2008 calendar by brazilian illustrator FernandaGuedes
Pasta girl enjoying her meal ... who doesn't love pasta huh? but I'm avoiding all yeast and sugary foods right now so none for me for a few weeks...

I made some personal goals this year - one was to start an Etsy store but I haven't done much about that yet...I'm such a procrastinator and I do need to get more organised with my spare time especially now that Neo is at Preschool twice a week - no more hanging out in cafes for me!!

another goal was to draw more and after receiving 'The Age of Feminine Drawing' for Christmas, such a beautiful book that totally inspired me .... I started up a Flickr group ' A Fashionable Challenge'

it was to push myself to draw more and I've always loved fashion illustration... other members were keen to join in so each week I post a word or theme and who ever feels like it can participate ...here are some of my illustrations from past challenges

tonight once the boys are in bed I'm going to make sure I take time out to draw something for Illustration Friday - its been 2 weeks since I've participated... its hard to get back into it sometimes but Ive got to stop making excuses!!
I hope to post something here by tommorow!

This is....the pair of shoes that I would sleep in if I could....

well not really ...
but my favorite shoes are always my latest purchase...i got these last week, they'll be my winter shoes for work or play, the heel isn't too high and its cone shaped so very comfy!! plus they remind me of flamenco/tap shoes so maybe I'll just dance away in my living room....
* For more This is...posts check out Angela's blog

Colour my world: white
ever since I started blogging i notice colour & texture and the beauty in the everyday...its like everything is more vivid to my eye...the other day I took Neo to our local GP as he has a chest cold (my poor shnookum) and the lavender floral tiles - definitley 70's decor - in their office toilet really stood out ....im sure pre-blogging days I would not have looked twice but here I was thinking ...oh if only i had my camera....haha

Im not really sure how to add all the details of the flickr mosaics I created,
but you can link into the photos here

A week of Vintage Australiana : Books
Im enjoying the Vintage Australiana posts over at Pips
here is my next post.....

From my vintage stash I have a 1958 edition of 'The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill'
i found it a book fair in the 'clearance' section for $1.00 - what a bargain! its leather bound and beautiful!!!

I also have a few vintage school readers - the illustrations are adorable! Peter gets a new school reader every week and I love our reading sessions every night but I must admit the books these days are no way as cute as these....

the story of Mrs Kangaroo....and 'Teach and Learn'...how cute is that knitting girls illustration!!!