All the Pretty Dresses

Did you enjoy the Academy Awards the other night?  The event itself always drags on
 - I always find the Red Carpet parade a lot more interesting.

So many beautiful dresses this year - the stylists are getting really good at getting it 'perfect' for their star clients ...although there's always one or two shockers coming through..too bad for the fashion designers, the media, blogs and twitter are all out with their opinions - good or bad, dont you just love the internet?
I was suprised to see lots of White frocks this year - its quite stark against the Red Carpet, some gowns looked very 'bridal'...lots of safe looks, lots of messy looks (Helena Bonham Carter, Im looking at you!) and lots of sparkle too -  Naomi Watts in glitzy silver gray  - Amazing!!! I loved it!

* images
top - Elie Saab runway- beautiful fabrics and detail.  Bottom - photo by Judy Pak

Brunch for One 
I have a Pinterest board titled ‘Way too pretty to eat’ and currently I have 460 pins of delicious looking recipes & food ideas – beautiful photography helps seal the deal (those clever food bloggers!!) but the ratio is leaning to sweet, sugary pins compared to the healthy options…

I don’t know if Id ever get a chance to try out all these recipes, since I’m pinning faster than I’m cooking but it’s been a great ‘Go to’ tool for food inspiration.
Last week on my day off I decided to go all out and make myself something special for brunch - brunch for one!
So I dropped my boys off at school, and then when I felt ready I headed into my kitchen...
Now if you are watching your waistline & calories look away because this is extremely indulgent (and very satisfying)
Ricotta Stuffed French Toast
In a small bowl mix some fresh drained Ricotta, a Tablespoon of sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Add a splash of cream or milk to make it smoother (optional).
Cut a 'Panini Di Casa' bread roll in half but not completely - enough to form a pocket.   You could use any type of bread roll, I just had this one at home.
Slather the bread roll pocket with Ricotta filling

In another bowl mix an egg with a little sugar, cinnamon and milk - beat until combined.
Add your bread roll to the mixture and let it soak - flip over and let it soak some more.
Melt a little butter in a small fry pan and then gently fry your bread roll until golden brown on both sides - sprinkle with honey and pecans.
Eat and enjoy!!!...(ps this is so filling and delicious you wont want anything else until dinner time - promise!)

ABCD Sydney Meet Up
at LifeInstyle

Last night I went along to the
'ABCD Meet up' organised by
 Steph and Lisa.
I couldn't attend the last two gatherings due to other commitments and sometimes after a long day at work I really need to force myself to go out and socialise.

It was a great chance to catch up with Sally, Melinda and Suzanne too as I hadn't seen them in a while.

The event was extra special because it was held at 'LifeInstyle' Trade show - big thanks to Jaclyn who organised our 'Media' passes!!
The stalls, displays and products were just beautiful and very exciting!
I'm sure if I had a brick & mortar shop Id want to stock SO much of what I saw last night - what fun it must be to be a buyer!
Inspiring!!

Afterwards there was a gathering at a local pub and I got to see Amanda and meet some other lovely girls - I think its great we can get to chit chat and share what we've been up to, our ideas and dreams!
Steph and Lisa organised to have a few creative business owners talk to us about their own creative business, their start and how they took it to the next level - it was very generous of them considering they had a busy first day at the Trade show...we broke up into smaller groups and I had Katy of KatyJane Designs talk to us - she was lovely!!
Overall it was an awesome evening and I'm looking forward to the next event!

*instagram images by me 

Noir et Blanc
Its been a while since Ive done an ' Etsy picks of the week' post - looking forward to getting back into the swing of things, blogging and getting inspired plus I never tire of finding gorgeous items at the Etsy site!

Ive been busy watching cooking competitions on TV....highly addictive, reading books (yes, real books) watching DVDs with my hubby (free Quickflix trial) and still trying to get over this respiratory infection...
but here are some 'black and white' pretties to share with you
* top image via Stockholm Streetstyle blog *
Ceramic Bowl in Black and White Hearts by RossLab *
Handwoven Hand Towel by
AllOrganic Textiles  *
Black Butterfly necklace by BeautySpot

Love (on a budget)
Love should be free and I know many hate the consumerism side of Valentine's Day but here are some beautiful downloadable and printable Love Notes to give your loved one.
A Card and a big hug is perfect for VDay!!
...even better a Love Note, steaming coffee and warm doughnuts!
Sweet!

Love & thanks by 'Eat Drink Chic'  (downloadable for personal use only)

'Amour' card by MisterM Studio via 'The Barefoot Bride'  - so pretty non?

Some other downloadable Love goodies around the blogs
* Giant Valentine Posters by 'Oh Happy Day'

* Free Printable Valentines by
 Jones Design Company - i love the Ombre shaded one!

* Valentine's Day Poster by
Gerbera Designs
via Heart Handmade UK

Vintage Love 
Every Love story is a beautiful one.

Love isn't something you find, its something that finds you....
Love is
Intimacy and
Tenderness.
Love is trembling happiness.

Iconic Lovers
Grace Kelly & Rainier III, Prince of Monaco.
Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton
and
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

Love-ly
I thought it would be nice to celebrate all things 'LOVE' on my blog this week.
Its become a bit of a yearly tradition but since Valentine's Day is 3 days away I thought, why not?  Love is a beautiful feeling!

I'm home today - I'm feeling a little under the weather so its me, a cup of weak tea and a pile of magazines.  I came across this lovely LOVE spread in
Marie Claire magazine...I enjoy fashion layouts that portray a story, a mood...emotion (with beautiful clothes too...)
Sweet.

*images by
 Corrie Bond for Marie Claire.

Vignettes & Instagram - the challenge continues.. 
Did I tell you how much I'm enjoying Instagram?
I told myself I didn't need another social media tool to take up more time that I dont really have, but Im so glad I joined in on the fun - its totally addictive!
The Instagram filters are so cool...no wonder Mr Zuckerberg and the people at Facebook bought this FAB little App as part of their internet empire! (and for a whopping $1bn dollars...yes $1bn!!!!)
I'm loving it,
I'm super inspired by everyone's images and I've met loads of new creative peeps!
...the Vignettes challenge finishes up today but here are my images taken for
Love -  set up at my desk, the vintage book is by Beverly Cleary, her books are a childhood favourite!

and for 'Cushions', a snapshot of Neo's room in the morning light - the boys are back to school now...back to a routine  (and order!)

Vignettes
I wanted to share my first two instagram Vignettes.
The first challenge was 'Books' - I tried to keep it simple and a little graphic too.  This partridge paper weight is quite heavy and sits on my bookshelf amongst my books anyway.
The Je'Taime print is meant to be on the wall - Im still waiting for my hubby to find time to hang it up... Grrr....

Challenge 2 was 'Texture' - this was a little tricky and I had something different in mind which wasn't working out the way I thought it would - the light was leaving fast
so I ended up with this shot - its a mixture of textures that I wanted to use - handmade paper, cardstock, crochet table runner, fabric pouch (so pretty!)
cardstock and tags with string, glass and some mini wooden pegs.

The ' 7 Vignettes' challenge is back!!!

....and I'm going to give it a go again!  It starts today so if you have instagram and love to style up & decorate your space why don't you join in too?

All the details are here on Jen's blog - The Interior Addict

here are the challenges
1. Books
2. Texture
3. Love
4. Shiny
5. Cushions
6. Old
7. Pattern


*images via Australian Country Style - scanned by me

Sales & Shopping

I once read that the best things to buy during a Sale are
*Shoes 
*Designer Labels
*Wool Coats
*Cashmere
*Leather Belts
*Jewellrey

This is what I bought during the recent Summer sales
*Shoes (tick) – wedges, flats and light Nike sneakers in lilac (sneakers and I don’t mix but they are cool – promise)
*Books – always books....just bought ‘Granny Chic’ with a birthday gift voucher, it’s lovely!
*Kitchen goodies – cute new bowls, cups and drinking glasses.
*Undergarments - Bras & Undies ( always in a sale!)
* a soft Leather bag – this one, it came the other other day, Im happy!

What about you?
Have you bought anything awesome lately? (and on a personal note, there’ll be no more purchases for me until our trip overseas! )

* illustration by me - I haven't drawn anything in such a long long time...a fabulous illustrator that I admire told me that the only way to get better at illustrating is to do it daily....think I need to take his advice!

Decor Inspiration ....on a Rainy day
Its been one of those days today, gray, wet and miserable - the day is dragging on with no escape.  We tried to venture out earlier but the rain got even heavier and we hesitated.
I love a chance to be at home with no plans, but this weather is making me feel extremely lethargic.

The TV has been stuck on the 'Lifestyle Home' channel most of the day - usually its very inspiring but today its just making me itch to make changes to my own interior.
Sitting at home on a rainy day gives you a chance to observe your home in a little more detail, close up and in different light (gray & dull)...the 'before' and 'after' room revealings from the entertaining Home Decorating shows always gives some hope that change is possible...


One of the shows I love is
Emily Henderson's
'Secrets of a Stylist' - her style is fabulous mixing vintage and classic, bright, airy, cozy without feeling cluttered.

I spotted her home office/workspace
on pinterest today - its gorgeous!
I adore the traditional blue rug,  teamed, crisp white furniture, gold accents, scattered green plants makes the whole look
very fresh!

*images found on Pinterest via StylebyEmilyHenderson blog - more pics on her blog!!!

We’re going on a holiday! 
***California here we come ***

Our tickets are booked,  Accommodation booked!

Now I’m giddy with excitement and the count down begins...

Six weeks to go!

We’ll be spending time in Los Angeles and taking our boys to Disneyland!!! (Yayyy)

Then it’s off to Palm Springs and then we’ll be hitting the coast for a drive all the way
 to San Francisco baby!

Last stop will be Las Vegas for some fun, food and shopping! 

Don’t you just love these vintage Travel Posters – they ooze happiness, Glamour and the sizzling Californian heat, I love them!

 Vintage posters found on Pinterest



Stamp Inspiration
Last month when we were receiving Christmas cards in the mail, an envelope from a friend in Cyprus caught my eye...the pink floral stamps were so beautiful!

I love stamps and used to collect them as a child and still have my small collection from 30 years ago!!   I knew I had to save these pink beauties for a 'rainy day'
and so a few weeks later I added the the pretty beauties into a collage card.  I love the black ink on the 'pretty in pink' flowers and I love that the date is 12.12.12 - very cool!

The card is in my shop now

A girl called Shiva Rose
Im so happy to feature Shiva Rose on the blog today.
Shiva Rose has been one of my style icons for such a long time and not only does she have an awesome sense of style she is a busy mother, actress, writer and blogger.

I was thrilled to discover Shiva Rose's lifestyle blog ' The Local Rose'  a few months ago -  so many informative posts about holistic, healthy living,  as well as features on natural beauty products, handcrafted goods, and delicious organic recipes - can't wait to try her 'Daal with Tumeric' recipe.  I love the little gatherings Shiva Rose hosts in her home, the Perfume making party and her recent Holiday Craft party  - lots of creative fun!

Welcome Shiva Rose!
Can you tell us what is currently inspiring you?
Currently I am inspired by nature, organic fresh produce, vintage dresses from the 1930's,

great music from folk singers like Jose Gonzalez and First Aid Kit. 

What 3 things couldnt you live without right now?
I couldn't live without my daughters,
my roobois tea with vanilla almond milk, all the natural 

oils that i slather on my skin (on my site you can see the ones I have tried and like). As far as 

electric devices I suppose my Apple mac book and music system in my house.

Can you define to us, your personal style?
My personal style fluctuates with my mood. I love mixing vintage pieces with new shoes and bags.

Sometimes I feel like dressing like a poet from Big Sur and other times like a Parisian night club singer

from the 1920's and 1930's.
I suppose my style is Bohemian with a touch of lady!

Do you have a favourite colour or colour combinations?
I like creams, black with touches of vibrant colors. I like prints as well especially if it's an old rayon

dress from 1940's. 

What about a favourite smell?  Do you have one?
I really love musk and vanilla together with a splash of rose.
Kiehls makes a great musk and I like an oil fragrance called 'Faith'. I also love the smell of bread baking and fresh roses from our garden. 

What do you love about your city/town?
I love that we have the mountains, ocean and desert so close to us. I also love that we have so many 

holistic and organic options here and of course the farmer's markets. I also feel we have a wonderful community of artists here and that can be helpful of you're trying to start a business venture. 

Do you have a favourite quote you'd like to share with us?
 I always loved the quote by John Lennon: 'Don't regret things you've done. Regret things you haven't done.'

I also like
 'live in love, not fear.'

Thanks so much Shiva Rose for the inspiration!!

To see more of Shiva Rose
head on over to her beautiful blog, The Local Rose
and Facebook page.
Shiva Rose is also on
Twitter
Pinterest and
Instagram so be sure to follow on!

Vignettes - Flowers and plants
 What I set up for this challenge.
 Fresh yellow snap dragons that I had at home, add a little punch to the Purple Gray tones...my sister's oil painting 'Silver roses' she gave this to me for my birthday a few years ago -  I still love it!!

Vignettes challenge: Colour
For this challenge I gathered a mix of soft colours.
A mix of prints, patterns and 'girly' things that I  love.

Ive really enjoyed playing stylist this week...its been great and I hope to create more Vignettes in my home!

* To see all my Vignettes take a look here

7 Vignettes in 7 days challenge
'The Interiors addict' blogger Jen,  along with stylist Kara have a little instagram challenge going on
 - 7 Vignettes in 7 days.
I've been totally inspired playing around with my 'things', things I already have at home creating little displays.

We all have lovely things at home, in closed draws, packed away in boxes, or even in the garden.
We even have things that we keep for years and years just because they mean SO much we won't ever throw away...but do we display them with love?
The interior experts always tell us to only buy and decorate with things we love....

I've had the same things decorated around my house for such a long time but this challenge was a great way to shake it all up...play around and create a lovely story with what I already own,
have and love!

7 challenges in 7 days - Nature, Colour, Fun,
Flowers & Plants,  Mementos & Souvenirs,
Coffee/Side table, Kitchen.

Here is my Vignette for 'Nature' - hope you like it!
I'll share my others soon...

Emerald City

I love, love that Pantone has chosen 'Emerald' Green as its 'colour of the year 2013'.
Pantone describes the shade as a lively, radiant, lush green
and I'll just add
elegant, sophisticated and
timeless to that too...

Growing up, green (along with brown) was never a favorite colour..
but now I find I'm mostly drawn to deep moody shades - Purples, Navy, Grays...ha! what does that say about me?
What about you?
Do you like Green?
It can be a little intimidating but look how beautiful those green chairs are in the top interior image?  they sure have presence - a stand out as is the elegant girl below....

Images
Johann Alexander Stuetz
A Fine Fashon Frenzy

Hello 2013

Here we are again a brand New Year…it sure comes around fast doesn’t it?
It’s also a birthday celebration for me – being born on the 1st day of a New Year always feels special, the whole world is celebrating with me!

Let’s all welcome 2013 and make it a good one shall we?
No set goals or resolutions for me this year, not yet anyway – I need some time to think haha
but in the meantime
I will do my best to live 'in the moment', to take the time to daydream, be inspired, be creative and brave and above all to be true to myself!