Garden State



How lovely is
the Silence of growing things -

i love that thought.

I think Mario Testino's new images for the
Burberry campagin are gorgeous,
what better than an English greenhouse to showcase the iconic British label?
i love English gardens with their wild flowers, hedges and neat gardens...
foxgloves and forget-me-nots, such pretty names!
reminds me of 'The Secret Garden' one of my favourite childhood books....a garden to escape in would be ideal!
we've had another gorgeous warm day in Sydney.
Saturday mornings at our house are busy with boring house chores but it was great to have all the bedsheets washed and dried (its hot!) by 11am...the house is now dusted, vacuumed and tidy...a happy house!
not sure how long it will last this clean though!
have a wonderful day!

*images from Burberry

it started with a kiss

some lovin in my house today.
Andrew and I celebrate 9 years of marriage today!
we didnt do anything too exciting this anniversary but it still means so much!

amongst the busy day to day stuff that life & living present, plus our most important responsibility - parenting two active ( & cheeky) boys we do our best to make time for just the two of us - two hearts joined as one!
always and forever!

*Love and Valentines Day Cards in the SHOP

Over Indulgence

After all the overeating during the Christmas festivities I had a little one on one with myself that Id try to cut back (a little), but a week on vacation means eating out all the time so Im feeling a little over-indulged right now.

I have a wedding to attend in two weeks and my evening dress just fits!
Just.
so its back to healthy eating, small quantities, lots of fresh stuff, lots of water

i mean figs, fresh from my parents garden are the most delicious things to eat - just pull apart in quarters and eat but no, no,no I had to have them with bread and mascarpone cheese, walnuts and a drizzle of honey...it did taste fantastic though!

Here is the recipe for the RoseWater Pudding

that I mentioned.

The traditional cypriot Summer pudding is usually made with just water, no milk but it kind of makes me feel like Im eating a Jelly fish so I add milk to mine!
80g rice or corn flour

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 Tablespoon Rose Water

550ml Milk

550ml Water

bring to the boil, whisk constantly until thick

pour into small bowls (makes 4-5) cool then refrigerate.

Syrup

80g caster sugar

1/4 hot water

2 teaspoons Rose water

stir over heat until sugar has dissovled - cool

add syrup to 3/4 cup iced water

and drizze a few spoonfuls over
the pudding!

you can even add a little pink food colouring to the syrup if you like
It tastes better than it looks!

EyeSpy...something beggining with J

Jiggle that teabag...

a nice cup of tea after a long drive home from our trip, a restless night tossing and turning in bed -our room thick with heat and humidity....boy its hot in Sydney huh?

Im not complaining though as last month I was wondering where Summer disappeared to...

a cup of tea whilst opening a week's worth of mail was a nice quiet moment in my morning ...no matter how much fun you have its always great to come home!

we're lucky to have an extra day off tommorow being 'Australia Day' - looking forward to a sunny day out somewhere celebrating with the rest of our nation!

EyeSpy: A Taste of Summer ....

im a little early with my EyeSpy post this week as we're heading north to the beach first thing in the morning!!
a well deserved week off, cant wait to relax and enjoy some lazy days!

Summer for me means
Apricots, my favourite Summer fruit
fresh corn cob grilled on the BBQ
White Tshirts
my mum's chilled Rosewater pudding
the colour green
having my legs waxed ( who can be bothered in Winter?)
Thunder Storms after a scorching day

Have a great week everyone!
I'll see you when I get back!
Hugs
Anastasia
* image by Polly Wreford via SarahKaye
For more EyeSpy posts visit Cindy's blog

EyeSpy theme for next week

the lovely Cindy asked me to

choose the theme for the next

'EyeSpy'

and this is what ive chosen

A Taste of Summer

can be your favourite Summertime memory,

a photo from your latest Summer trip or one when you were a wee little tot,

your fav Summer fruit or dessert, a song that reminds you of Summer...totally upto you!

anyone can join in -

just visit Cindy's blog!

*image illustrated by

Charlie Allen via Leifpeng

Eye-Spy : Something Id like to try in 2009

i have a few of those super cool Japanese craft books
and i think id love to try a sewing project.

Im not very good with needle and thread or a sewing machine but love the aesthetic of Japanese crafts....these little purses are adorable dont you think?!
thanks to RedChocolate for this week's theme and to Cindy for hosting!!

Hey Ive been featured
on Amy's lovely blog
Giggleberry Creations
have a look if you like!
Thanks Amy!!

Paper Lanterns

i tried to make some paper lanterns today.
i actually remember
making these as a young girl so when I saw some
in a craft magazine i thought it would be fun to try
but I struggled....
by the third one it kind of looked like what its meant to
and opened up with ease .....oh well
sometimes you just have to give it a try huh?!







Have a FAB saturday everyone!
Its nice and sunny here!
*Vintage image via Gatochy on Flickr*

Green on The Inside...
im slowly trying to get back into blogging, life's been busy with both boys home from school - we had a bit of drama yesterday after Peter lost his front tooth during a sleepover at his grandparents, silly me then forgot to bring the tooth home so we had to write a letter to the tooth fairy explaining what happened - lucky she was kind enough to leave him $2 but hey for a 6year old in 2009, seems like $2 is not enough for a tooth exchange...sigh!

just loved the touch of Green and use of green plants in this gorgeous Dutch apartment!
i think id like more green in my home too, i only have one little pot plant in our family room - Ive actually bought it back from the brink of death not once but twice..its thriving now and I do remember to water it!
any tips on indoor plants?

* All images from Australian Home Beautiful

Nov 2006*

Eye-Spy
Memories of 2008

thanks to Kat for this week's topic!
2008 was a great year

* i got published for the first time
* i started a Fashion illustration challenge group
* i joined in on some crafty swaps
* i finally opened my Etsy shop - a big one for me as i was kind of scared to do so!!
* I joined in on some fun memes & met so many great people via my little space here in big
blog-land
Thanks for inspiring me and making my day brighter with your comments, your blogs, your discoveries and creations!!
oh and all the birthday wishes and kisses - i really really appreciate it!!

After the celebration......

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

I hope 2009 will be a fun filled year for us all!!

Today I turned 38!

i feel SO good!!

after a great night last night the celebrations still continued today!

I got spoilt with some lovely presents, and after a leisurly day with family Im now enjoying a cup of tea, winding down for the night ....I hope you all had a FAB day too, the 1st day of a brand new year!

Image from 'Paris Tango' ( a Christmas gift)

by Carla Coulson