Pinspire for colour

I'm getting a little colour inspiration tonight.
Its one of those quiet nights at home (not complaining at all...).  The TV is on but nothing to watch, hubby is reading...the boys are now asleep.
...I've jumped onto Pinterest to see what is inspiring people, what people are pinning and what is standing out for me!

Colour creates a mood within us - we shouldn't neglect the power of colour and what it can do!
here are some of my pins teamed up to create lovely feelings
Top: soft, cozy, quiet, minimal ...gentle  * Middle: bold, punchy, zesty, crisp...fresh
Bottom: unwind, boho, independant...free
* all images via my pinterest

Girl on Go...

Not too long ago you would always find me in heels.  As I get older I cant seem to handle the wobbly, pointy heels of my youth but I always felt I needed some height to feel polished off.
I love a high wedge or stack heel…I just love heels!
Lately though, I've been wearing flats and I find any excuse to wear my sneakers!
Comfort first please!

Incorporating sneakers into your everyday wardrobe, especially a work wardrobe
does need some thought otherwise it could go sloppy real fast...I love all these looks here for their simplicity and ease.

*I think if you stick to clothing thats timeless and classic - teamed with sneakers, it just feels right.

*Here's a tricky one - try to keep yours sneakers clean, that's hard...but if you want to look on point....

*Go for a streamlined sneaker or sport shoe.  If its too bulky, too bright (hello fluro!) keep it for your gym workout.

*Go for solid colours over print & pattern and lastly
Invisible socks - no pop sock/cheerleader look please!
Give it a go! I know I will...

Images
1/2/3/4/5/6/7

Summer in the city

Happy Monday friends!
I had such a busy weekend...My eldest boy turned 12 and we celebrated with a family gathering at our house and a 'KrispyKreme' tower cake just as he requested - that went down well...sweet!

 I'm a little relieved it’s the start of a new week, I'm on my way to work right now.
I've got a busy day ahead and Mondays can be a slow start after a sunny weekend...looking forward to a tall coffee!

Summer in the city.
what to wear when its warm outside but you still need to look cool and collected at work
Here are some lovely ideas...

a flippy dress, every girl should have one (or two) in her wardrobe!  I love me a dress - so easy to wear, add accessorys and off you go...
Okay when it comes to work and high heels - I cant cut it, I need a low wedge or low stack heel so I can walk with ease and comfort..but I do love wide legged pants, so flattering. Culottes for Summer?? maybe?....maybe not...
I'll take that long skirt anyday though...love that 'all white' outfit!
Printed pants can look great teamed with a crisp Tee although I haven't dared buy a pair...yet.

all images via my Style-board on Pinterest

a charmed life...

I'm so glad its Wednesday...mid-week, I'm feeling a little tired already and longing for Friday, my day off.
I have a sick boy at home and so thankful my mum took care of him today because work is full on right now.
Both boys are now asleep, they wanted to check out the lunar eclipse tonight but there's too many clouds in the way.  Its a shame as I was keen to see it too...
They need rest...and this girl needs a cup of tea, cheesy TV and Pinterest (multi-tasking)!

I found these images on Pinterest - pretty florals, hedges and lawns...dreamy...they take me to another place, (Pinterest does that a lot ...)

Coconut Buttermilk Cake

I've been a little obsessed with coconut lately - If you open my pantry you'll find coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk...coconut flakes (in the fridge)...and shredded coconut - Yum!

My mum always make a super sweet, drenched-in-syrup, coconut cake.  Its one of my dad's favourite cakes so she makes it often but these days I prefer a coconut cake that is dense but still moist...almost like a sweet bread.
I found this recipe by Martha Stewart and it turned amazing - toasting the shredded coconut first that takes it to another (delicious) level!

1.5 cups shredded coconut toasted (slowly so it wont burn)
2 cups SR flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder pinch salt
125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup butter milk
Cream the butter, sugar and then add the vanilla extract.  Add your eggs one at a time and beat well.   Fold in the sifted flour, salt and baking powder alternating with the buttermilk.
Lastly, fold in the shredded coconut.
Bake until golden in a preheated Moderate oven for about an hour.  Cool in the cake pan.
Serve warm and Enjoy!

denim on denim on denim....

It doesn't look like the
denim on denim trend is going anywhere..
do you like it?
...or are you thinking ...lets leave this for the cowboys of this world and move on already...

Blue Denim is perfect for any season - its a classic wardrobe staple but denim on denim outfits take a little more thought - especially as you want to avoid a dorky 'got it wrong' moment.
Mix up the blue shades, the textures - go fitted and refined for a chic pulled together look or slouch and soft for a relaxed, carefree look!
Either way it'll look gorgeous!
Denim on Denim actually smells like Summer to me - maybe I'm just hanging out for warmer days...
Have a wonderful weekend peeps!

images
Top 
1/2/3/4 

its so Pinteresting...

Todays post is so 'Pinteresting'...okay, that's not a real word but 'Pinterest' is my go-to place where I can get lost in visual beauty and not have to deal with anything else.
I needed to surround myself with goodness today, I had a coffee and lovely (comforting) chat with my sister this morning, I even bought myself some fresh flowers during my brief trip to the shops - an instant pick me up, plus they make my house cheerful too.
..I had a difficult meeting with my boss yesterday afternoon that left my soul a little bruised and whilst I not going to wallow in misery about it, (my rebellious streak says 'gahhh screw it!!') instead I did some reflecting - about whats important to me and not just whats expected of me...
le sigh..breath out...tomorrow is another day

What's caught my eye on Pinterest lately...
1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * 6 

Inspiration Now: Black and White prints

Happy Friday friends!

I was looking at my Pinterest pins last night and found some some black and white themed images that I had pinned the past week...

Im feeling the inspiration of this timeless colour combination.
When used with prints, splatters, dots, splotches...it all looks very interesting.
I read somewhere that your Pinterest boards are a visual resume...i guess this would only work if you pin images that you really love.
Its great to see what you (or others) visually collect.
Pinterest is a beautiful reference and inspiration tool for me!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead - it was my 14year anniversary this week and the hubby and I are going on a cinema date tonight to see 'Wolf of Wall street' looking forward to zoning out for a couple of hours into another world - love going to the movies!
Im also going to join in on Laura's February challenge - 30 minutes exercise each and everyday for the month...its not hard and Im sure I can spare 30 minutes from my day to devote to my body?! fingers crossed!




Top image: Let it Be
Middle image: Rebecca Atwood's workspace
Bottom images: Zoey Grossman photography for  'For Love & Lemons'
and splatter ink background from my 2014 Art journal (yes! I started an Art Journal)  - by Me!

  

Dreaming of White...

I've been eyeing lots of Winter White blog post in bloggy-land lately.
Im loving it!  The Northern hemisphere is getting colder...and everyone is getting excited about Winter coming and Christmas just 19 days away!
As a little girl I always dreamed of a White Christmas - snow falling softly outside (just like in the movies) twinkling lights, hot cocoa and Santa arriving in his warm red suit.

Still, I love our sun filled Christmas season
...December in a hot climate means the beach, loose clothing, flip flops and Santa arriving in his board shorts!
We too can have a
White Christmas Summer style!

Winter Whites vs Summer Whites

images from Top -  1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6

Pretty Rooms & an Auction!

I've been browsing through beautiful room images over on Pinterest..its nice to dream but
hopefully by the end of the weekend I can get serious with my interior mood-boards and inspirations...
tomorrow we're attending a house auction with plans to bid!
Eeep!!
It all feels very odd as I don't feel attached to the house (yet)  - maybe I'm trying not to feel emotional about the whole 'buying at auction' process -  bid with your head and not your heart.

Sydney property prices have gone a little crazy lately especially in our neighbourhood which recorded a
24% increase the past year - I just don't get it!
I'm a little scared too as I love our current home - so many happy memories, but I think we've outgrown it and I'm keen to move now that my boys are still young.
I'm also keen to get my hands dirty and put my stamp on another house. The home is solid, character filled and has so much potential - I can already envision what we can do with it!
wish Us Luck!!!


Images:  BHG, Country Living 

Colour crush - Pastel Spring

Happy Friday friends.
I hope you have some exciting plans for the weekend!

Today I'm home with my boys and two of their friends.
They are currently outside playing ball in our tiny garden (boys are SO loud!) - they've already kicked the ball over the fence a couple of times - lucky my sweet neighbours are patient and kind enough to throw it back over - I'd probably ignore it and get on with my day...ha-ha oh I'm not that mean but being home with young kids sure can test you!

I thought today I'd showcase some colours that Im loving right now - Spring time pastels...soft blues, white, coral and a pop of yellow...
Ive been slowly trying to finish a watercolour chart so once thats done I can start to play around and experiment with more colours!
...and now its time for an afternoon coffee, I might even head outside in the garden and enjoy it under the tree hoping the boys ball wont come my way!

Images
From top - Fjeldborg * James Geer for Jason Grant via SFgirlbybay * Kerry Cassill journals  * Anna Peters

Bad Pinterest! (bad bad bad...)

Oh the title of this blog post is so unfair...surely I can’t blame Pinterest for all the sugary temptations I keep pinning.

So many delicious (and  sweet) recipes to try!
I blame the beautiful food styling, and I guess pinning on an empty stomach doesn’t help!

So I spotted these ‘Salted Caramel & Nutella Stuffed DoubleChocolate Chip Cookies’ by food blogger 'Top With Cinnamon'  on my pinterest feed   – they looked divine and so a couple of weeks ago I gave them a go...the boys were excited! Anything with chocolate makes them perk up and take interest in what I'm baking.

The recipe says Double chocolate but I think its more like quadruple chocolate – cocoa, nutella, chocolate chips AND chocolate caramels – if you have sensitive teeth or are cutting out your refined sugar intake stay clear of these!

They were good - Very good...we all agreed!  My boys squealed with glee whilst eating them!

I totally ignored the calories and with a strong coffee the biscuit was a real luxury on an average day!
Lucky for me they were so rich and intense that one was enough, my boys had two each, we saved one for Andrew and I gave the rest away!  
For the recipe click HERE

Its a little Nippy outside....

I'm snuggled up in my warm pyjamas as I type this...hot tea by my side!  a comfortable setting and  the best way to blog...
It was really cold today, we had a simple bean stew for dinner tonight served with crusty bread -  perfect for such a nippy day.
… I came across this image on Pinterest - I adore cable knit jumpers, her complete outfit is adorable dont you think? but I love the idea of a cozy bakery on a chilly day...the smell of warm dough in the air...

speaking of bakeries have you ever tried to make a batch of French croissants ...from scratch?
'Why bother?'  you ask,
when its so easy to buy one somewhere nearby...?
I just think it would be a nice  challenge Id like to try sometime...and the image below is from 'Adventures in Cooking' blog - the recipe looks easy enough?
I must admit I really enjoy
baking more than cooking- I came back from our USA trip  eager to learn to bake Cinnamon rolls (yes, we ate many rolls during our trip! SO good!)
I made coconut bread last week - it took 4hrs in total but was so satisfying and my loaf looked awesome - I was so proud!  It was also a big hit with  my boys - we ate the whole loaf by the end of the day!

*images via Pinterest 

Vintage Style Icon: hey there Bridget!
I sometimes wonder who got the paparazzi going in the 50s and 60s...I know Marilyn Monroe would have caused a stir with her every move but on the other side of the pond, I'm sure it was Bridget - the camera loves her!!!...and I think she enjoyed getting her picture taken!

Her iconic look from the 60's always feels fresh...I love pinning images of the French beauty...  * images via my  'vintage life' Pinterest board

  

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!)

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!!!

Blogtoberfest - Day 23 
...This goes with that on Pinterest 

Im on the home stretch for Blogtoberfest, its day 23 already.
I did miss a day (...or 2.. okay maybe 3) but life gets super busy, so crazy busy some days that blogging has to take the backseat...

Blogging can take time and thought.   Some days I feel like I have a ton of things to share, other days I feel stuck with no idea what to blog about.
Pinterest on the other hand is a perfect way to spend some free time...
I can get inspired just by scrolling down a little...its always interesting to see what people are pinning, all the visual inspiration and discovering new sites along the way...

*some 'hey!! this goes with that' pins