Creative Inspiration: from bedroom decor to paper goods


i love a little creative challenge especially on rainy days like today!
i have a folder full of magazine clippings, images that inspire, that Id like to keep for future reference, to dream about or that I just cant throw away - I found this image, a serene bedroom featured in Australian Home Beautiful magazine
in my pile of pretties.
Its simple and unfussy but i love the pop of colour on the pillows nestled amongst the beige, cremes and taupes, the large mirror bouncing off beautiful sunlight - really pretty!

It inspired some Gift tags I made. I used textured vintage wallpaper that reminded me of the bedspread. I also used some waxy watercolour pencils to draw some flowers....they turned out cute!
What do you think?




*image from Home Beautiful and Gifttags in my shop now

Easter 2011
Happy Easter!
no spare time this past week led to a little blogging break - its been busy with Easter prepartions and I try to keep up with the customs and traditions that were special to me growing up...here are some of my favourites.
Traditional Flaounes (Cheese pies) - these take such a long time to prepare and bake but 'oh so worth it'.
My husbands Uncle owns a Greek cake shop and they make hundreds of these every Easter for their shop along with all the custom orders they receive
but for me there is nothing like the rustic look and delicious taste of home-made pies...

Dying Eggs - the Greek tradition is to dye them deep red (signifies Christ's blood) but this year I experimented with purple and yellow - i used half of the dye only and added more water and vinegar -I loved the splotchy lilac purple shade, the yellow not so much...

Royal Easter Show - we go every year...im worse than a kid! i love everything about the show...the animals, arts & crafts, fun rides, the greasy fair food!

Easter feast - Easter Sunday is all about family and food! im still digesting lunch...normally Greeks will fast for 40 days leading upto Easter but i just cut out meat for the week before.

My lovely Sister in law Freda hosted Easter lunch this year, a slow leisurely lunch that lasted for 5 hours....

so year after year i hope some of these traditions that i love, become family favourites for my boys too!

monday....

i do hope you all had a lovely weekend!

we had a busy one catching up with friends, exchanging Easter cookies, chocolates and gifts for the little ones -i do love Easter, its one of my favourite celebrations.

Thursday will be spent baking Easter treats ...we always make traditional Greek Cheese pies, plaited breads and baked Easter baskets - my mum is always so organised buying her ingrediants way in advance so my sister and I are happy to help out.

Its always an early start and my dad has freshly made coffee ready to go ...by mid morning the house is warm and smelling amazing!

we always cut up a warm pie from the first batch and share it ...someone has to taste test right?

hot cheesy pie straight out of the oven, - delicious!

i found these images on pinterest - Im loving pale powedery tones in these home - elegant, beautiful and very calm...

top image: Domino magazine, bottom image - India Hicks at home in the Bahamas

A Girl called Caitlin

ive been wanting to post all week...my little ones are on school holidays and i cant get away from them! ha-ha, its been crazy at our house and we still have another week to go! help. anyway...Im here now!

Its time to meet another Creative girl and today im featuring Australian artist and illustrator Caitlin who i first came across over at Flickr ages ago - her illustrations just blew me away and she's so talented - im a huge fan!

Caitlin also runs two Etsy shops, blogs and is currently part of the exhibition 'This little teapot' at Paper plane gallery in Rozelle.

Welcome Caitlin! Can you tell us what is currently inspiring you?

pressed flowers,

betty boop cartoons,

scott pilgrim,

art deco, black dresses,

the future.

Name 3 things you couldnt live without right now?

my bed,

my diary and peaches.

Can you define to us, your personal style?

I love 1950's fashions - so my wardrobe is full of vintage dresses or repro styles with nipped in waists and voluminous skirts.

I tend to wear alot of black and i am amassing a collection of ferragamo shoes because they are the best! I also like to wear wine red lipstick and tacky/playful jewellery with plastic gemstones.

Do you have a favourite colour (or colour combinations)?

blush pink,

duck egg blue and deep purple.

Favourite Smell/Frangrance? Peaches, Toffee apples,

mexican food,

basil

What do you love about your City?

I live in a beachside suburb - and the things i like are the ocean, the wildlife, the abundance of trees and the sunlight.

Do you have a favourite quote you'd like to share with us?All art is autobiographical. The pearl is the oyster's autobiography. - Federico Fellini

Thanks Caitlin! to see more of Caitlin and her work head on over to her Blog.

Caitlin is also on Flickr and sells her Art prints over at her Esty shop .

She also has a fun vintage shop at Etsy called 'Tap Shoes'.

Easy peasy mini brownies

Last week i spotted this brownie recipe over at the lovely blog savory sweet life - not only did they look delicious (beautiful photos) but there only 4 ingrediants, the main one being Nutella! ohhh thought me ...perfect!!

i love love Nutella. nutty sweet goodness! I can eat it by the spoon straight from the jar ...and I have! im sure im not the only either ha-ha.... so i made a batch and they were a hit! so easy...ready in 12mins! serve warm....delicious!

New issue of Toffee is out!!

Yayy!

I was thrilled to be asked to contribute some paper craft projects for Issue 2 of

Toffee magazine - the bonus printable papers are so lovely and I kept my tutorials fun and simple ...you can see a sneak peak below.

The latest Toffee magazine is another fantastic issue and only $2.99 to download to read over and over!

Lots of crafty creative projects, baking , inspiring interviews and a great read!

Get your copy today!!

Etsy picks of the week: Black Lace beauty

feeling a little moody with Black lace this week but you cant deny its beauty and web-like intricate detail...ive always loved lace and have a few lace pieces in my wardrobe - its a classic! ...heavy or fine & delicate...black lace beauty indeed! Carman Kass by Koray Birand * Anemone Black Lace necklace by StitchedFromTheHeart * Chantilly Lace Notecards by Smilelifestyle * Antique Lace Mantilla by Laboheme

Indulgent

Time to myself always feels very indulgent...I feel a little guilty but I quickly get over that as its so easy to think we don't deserve it or could be doing something else with our time. I generally give a lot of myself to others - my boys and hubby are my number one priority, my home, our extended family and friends too, so I think its important for some time just for ME!

So my Friday was very indulgent in that I booked myself in for a Thai massage, it was pretty stressful getting there as I was amongst peak hour traffic which is getting kind of cr-aaazy in Sydney lately! (note to self, avoid peak hour anything!) ...the massage was not the relaxing kind but i felt so invigorated afterwards.

The lovely staff offered me some herbal tea when it was over but I politely declined and ran down the street looking for a strong coffee!..ha-ha

Once I got home I made myself a simple lunch, ignored the housework and sat down to enjoy Holly Becker's new book 'Decorate' which arrived during the week.

Its so lovely and heavy and thick just like a decorating book should be!! I can see it easily becoming one of my favourites - so full of information, ideas and beautiful images - it features so many different decor styles space by space! I bought mine from Book depository online which offers free postage worldwide on all its books. I also loved the European cover of 'Decorate'... Holly is always an inspiration - her blog and her new book is fantastic!!

London Calling..... The lovely Allison is having a 'Very British' street party over at her adorable website Lark - go have a look at her sweet items and join in on the celebrations for the upcoming Royal Wedding next month. I thought I would also share some Cool Britannia with my 'Etsy picks of the week' ...Enjoy!!

Top image by Marcel Van Driel * Hand Printed Union Jack Flag Cushion by Helkatdesign *English Tea and Dessert Setting by TheFoxandTheSpoon * Take me to London Zoo print by TheHouseSparrow

Pinterest - a Visual delight! have you heard of Pinterest? I joined up ages ago but only really figured it all out a couple of weeks ago haha (im slow on the tech side). Im so glad i did though, as its a great way to capture all your favourite images, blog links and cool website links within one cozy page. You can organise your categories which are called 'boards' and each board contains your 'pins' which are your visuals...

the easiest way to 'pin' something is to add the little pinmarklet via the Pinterest site onto your browser tool bar so that way if you see something you love on a website or blog and would like to keep for reference, inspiration or for a future day, just pin it to your account - SO easy!! keeps your computer desktop and picture files clutter free.

The best part is you get to follow others and they can follow you so you can repin from them and they from you!! another great little visual community to join in on....

You can see all my Pinterest pins here - lets be Pinterest friends!

*image by Hallie Burton pinned by ElsaMay repinned by me!

the Chic Garden Shed
Wouldnt it be lovely to have a small space devoted to all things gardening! Pruning and repotting would be much more enjoyable!
I wish I had more of a green thumb, both my parents are keen gardeners growing lots of vegetables, fruit and pretty flowers
and my sister does so well growing beautiful plants.
If only i had more of an interest ....maybe its because my father in law does our gardening - bless him! we never ask him to do it but he pops on over whilst we're at work and so we come home to perfectly manicured lawns, weed free garden beds and hydrated plants - he does have a whine at us for neglecting the garden and the poor plants so dry and thirsty....shaking his head.

This months issue of Country Living has some inspiring features of country home and beautiful green spaces - its such a gorgeous issue!
it even has an article on how to create an instant Garden Shed - you can see it on
their website here
all you need is a spare wall!! looks so chic and very organised....







top image - Laura Moss for Country Living
Middle - Francesco Lagnese
Bottom - Dana Gallagher for Country Living

a new batch of goodies
heading on their way to Leeloo and the Finders Keepers Market in Melbourne!
Hoorahh!!
so if you are down in beautiful Melbourne
this weekend head on over - its sure to be a fun day out - go say 'hello' to Angela at the Leeloo stall!



Speaking of Leeloo have you seen their new look website?
looking good...looking good!

once again its late and way past my bedtime, the house is quiet and its gently raining outside...so peaceful...

I still have to put a load of washing on, make tommorow's sandwiches and tidy up before I head off to
bed!...nighty night!
(always burning the candle at both ends!)

*Bespoke* Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to....

MeandBoo and Msartist

Yayy!!

I will get in touch shortly and big thanks to Jess, the creator of *Bespoke*

for this lovely giveaway!

*photo taken by me - dont you just love fresh flowers in your home? I do!!!

A Girl Called Yvonne....
Im so happy to be featuring another creative girl and this time we're heading on over to Germany to meet Yvonne!
A crafter, a blogger, a keen decorator and a super creative wife and mum of three!
Yvonne loves to crochet and sew and has a fun workstudio in her home where she paper crafts
and creates fun collages and cards for her Etsy shop.
She also collects dolls and enjoys decorating her gorgeous home.

Yvonnes lives life passionately creating beauty for her family.
Welcome Yvonne!
Can you tell us what is currently inspiring you?
Next to everything!!
I would say, The seasons, magazines, shops and cafes we are visiting, other people's homes seen in blogs, on Flickr, Tumblr or Pinterest.

Name 3 things you couldnt live without right now?
okay, 'my family' is not things so I have to admit my computer who keeps me connected to the whole world, chocolate in any form and books.


Can you define to us, your personal style?
Juxtapositional if that exists.
It is a mix and match of old and new, modern and vintage and it is coming from all over the world

Do you have a favourite colour (or colour combinations)?
I tend to come back to Green all the time.
The main scheme for me and the house would be all sorts of natural/neutral colours like beiges, taupes, sand, grey.
Sometimes it gets more exiting on a particular wall or in my clothings and you"ll find a touch of Purple, Green or any variety of Blue

What about a Favourite Smell or Frangrance?
My favourite smell is my husband's skin, my favourite fragrances are 'Cashmere mist' from Donna Karan and 'Caleche' from Hermes


What do you love about your City?
It is so picturesque and beautiful and green and yet upspringingly stylish - maybe because of all these students who are roaming the scene. There are a lot of tiny shops and cafes along the cobblestone streets. It is small and you can access everything by foot from our house in the centre of the small town. And the big City Hamburg is just 30 minutes away if you ever need it!. For a family it is perfect - having everything at hand, the children can go everywhere on their own and a great landscape is just minutes away - not to mention the seashore within 1 1/2 hours of driving.

Do you have a favourite quote you'd like to share with us?
There are so many and I am collecting them but what I liked the most over the last few weeks when I was so occupied with looking for a new home and sorting out things in the old one
was this one i found via Pinterest: "What I love most about my home is who I share it with!" from Ted Carpenter

Thank you so much for having me over!
and thank you too Yvonne for stopping by!

If you want to see more of Yvonne
you can visit her blog, Moline
and follow her new adventures as she prepares to move with her family to Seoul, Korea!
Exciting!!

Yvonne also has a cute Etsy shop ,
and shares her home and crafts and life through photos
on Flickr
so head on over and say hello!

a flower on a flower .....

such a pretty way to style up beautiful flowers for a photo-shoot.

Layers of flowers from wall paper to plates, table clothes to floral day dresses! Its amazing how much inspiration can be taken from nature all around us and put back into everyday items - sometimes we cant see it but there really is beauty everwhere! we just need to stop for a moment in our crazy busy days to just observe....and appreciate.

These were all shot by British photographer Polly Wreford the world through her lens is always so uplifting!

*Bespoke* Giveway ....yayyy!
If you haven’t yet got your hands on a copy of this sweet full-colour Australian print zine, here is your chance!!!

*Bespoke* is published by Jessica Van Den, the talented blogger behind EpheriellDesigns.com

Issue 2 of *bespoke* features a huge array of Aussie and International crafty types.

Here’s the best part – Jessica has kindly donated 2 copies of the mag (RRP $10) for me to give away to two of my lovely readers!

Issue 2 includes heaps of arty, crafty stuff like;

- vintage crafts – rag ruggin’
- how to find your vintage era
- a tutorial on how to carve a sweet birdie stamp
- the stories of 3 women who gave up corporate careers to launch thriving creative businesses
- thrive – an interview with a crafty lady making a full-time living from her upcycled kimono jewellery

What makes *bespoke* so lovely is that it’s written totally by the community, for the community.

Jess is always on the lookout for submissions from artists, photographers, handmade and vintage biz owners, so get in touch with her if you’d like to contribute (yes you!!!)

For a chance to win a copy of *Bespoke* just leave a comment below! so easy!

I will draw the two winning names on 21st March 2011.
Goodluck!

Etsy picks of the week: Sheer White



inspired by Sheer Whites - always beautiful to wear during a hot Summer
but extremely luxurious for a chilly Winter.
.....think a sheer dress teamed with black opaque tights and flats - adorable!

Top image Alberta Ferretti Spring Summer 2011 photographed by Paolo Roversi * Simple White 5 x 5 Fine photograph by Diemdesign * Drops of Dreams - needle lace earrings by Staroftheeast * CHLOE Embroidered Mini Shift Orgnaza Silk Shift Dress by SarahTrotterVintage *

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