Making the most of my time..

..some of the time..!

A new dress AND muffins.. busy Mama!

Crafternoon Tea tomorrow, people! Tres excited!

Old T-shirt = New dress!

I also made this:



Cute! It's an old t-shirt that I really loved but the cut was never as flattering on me as I would've liked.. but no point in throwing it out! I have a few recyclables stashed away in my sewing box, so you might see more new toddler creations on here from time to time.. I seem to be getting my sewing groove back. Although, I have a sick little girl on my hands so I'm sure any spare time is about to be swallowed up with sicky snuggles the next few days. Poor mite!

It's nothing to do with my house..

But I made this today:

Lila will probably wear it around the house this summer.. does that count?

This is my first ever attempt at making her something, so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Hence the need to share! :)

Happy Weekend!

Need Inspiration - look closer!

Picking the perfect colour scheme for your little cave can be overwhelming, and inevitably leads to people (me) over thinking things completely. There is so much choice; and what mood am I in today? Am I light and airy or dark and dramatic? Could I live with my garden palette over my walls or do I need something completely different as a means to escape? Whatever you're envisioning - here's a tip from Apartment Therapy: Look to the things you already love, and go from there.

Makes sense! And it's not the first plan of attack you think of when you first start out.. well, it wasn't for me.. What about you?

Apparently there are many colour match generators on the internet (I've never heard of such a thing.. but then I've never looked..). Their preferred one is Colour Hunter.

All you need to do is find the thing that inspires you most; something you LOVE, take a picture of it and upload it to this site. Sounds pretty magical actually - once you've uploaded your photo, the program then generates a colour scheme based on those in your picture. Imagine the possible combinations you could end up with! If unique is what you're aiming for - then this could certainly be for you. Some of the programs include the hex value (i guess this is the tint code/number?) so you can identify the colour exactly. Awesome!

Do you have a dress/ city/ animal that inspires you? How would you go about choosing between the myriad of paint colours on offer? Would you take a risk or go for neutrals to be safe? How daring would your colour choice be?

My Dream Home

I think i've found it.. In the pages of another gorgeous new online magazine Rue.

Featured is blogger Victoria Smith's amazing, amaaaaaaaaaazing pad. And I think i'm in love!

The 'hopeful' photographer, photo stylist, design junkie and flea market queen has taken a raft of styles and flung them together to create the most inviting, invigorating, eye catching and just plain delightful home I have seen in a long time. It's a mix of all the photos I keep as inspiration on my hard drive, organised into the perfect clip art montage. In Rue they've labelled it 'Mid-Century meets Modern Boho'. I'm gonna go ahead and adopt that sensibility for myself, because I have found it rather tricky to isolate my design asthetic to one label - and I think that sounds pretty good!

My love of old nana plates and ikea tv trundles; statement 60s Fler armchairs and striking modern graphic prints framed up on the wall.. with this handle, it all makes sense. And so does the way Victoria has thoughtfully styled her own haven. If only my 20month old would allow me to have such delicate ceramic arrangements within hands reach.. they are unfortunately banished to the very top shelves for now.. but one day!

Take in every delicious morsel of her San Fransisco Bay home and just tell me you're not full of love for this light, airy and creative space that has that perfect mix of quaintness and quirk. I especially love the duvet cover on her bed.. mmmm... looks like one of the many I have been eyeing up at Urban Outfitters (did you know they ship here now! LOOK OUT!!!!). The only thing she's missing, I reckon, is a fabulous wallpaper feature wall! hehehe.

In other news - I made something like this today for my nieces room:

via DecorPad

The cluster of lanterns on the ceiling... mine isn't quite finished yet. I need to make some tissue pom poms, and there aren't as many lanterns, but it still looks cute! When it's all done i'll upload a photo of mine. In the meantime, just imagine my one looks JUST AS AWESOME as this one ;)

x

Hello? How are you?

Well, I'M good - but my poor bathroom isn't...

Ok, so it's 'good' just not 'great'.. or finished for that matter. Damn this depressing weather, a boyfriend who is allergic to tools and a Father-in-Law who took leave somewhere sunny o'er the ditch for a few weeks. Pah! Yes, those are my excuses. That is why my bathroom sits unfinished. On with the show!

Actually, amateur dramatics aside, I keep thinking I should just take the damn photos and put them up. Because minus some lovingly placed decorative items and some shelves, it's pretty much done. For now.

But then it hits me that it just feels like a bit like cheating, to take photos when I'm not 100% finished with it, you know. And I think that you - the one person, or one of three perhaps - reading this blog might feel a little cheated too! I mean, I need to show you some skillzzzz huh?

I feel, with working and parenting, and being seasonally depressed (I'm blaming my inaction on the weather/temperature), there just aren't enough hours in the day! (Ok, so there are some more excuses.. bare with me). I feel a change a comin' people..!

I was buoyed by the news that someone out there IS in fact someone reading this blog (shout out to you Hayley in Beach Haven)! So now I feel like I've really been letting the side down, after starting out with such enthusiasm and joy de vive and then.. well.. if you've been keeping half an eye on this, you'll know where this is going.

... I know that that was a totally inappropriate use of the phrase 'joy de vive' but I just had to get it in there..! ok!

Soooo the point of this post? Let's see. Well - to weasel out of posting pictures??

NO! I'm teasing you so you'll want to see what's coming EVEN MORE! Yes! Ohh it will be fantastique! Indeed!!

Let me tell you, Hayley, I have a sheet of Florence Broadhurst wallpaper that is burning a whole in it's storage tube, just waiting to be the finishing touch on the ghastly old used vanity I've repurposed, rehandled and rejuvinated; and I have shelves; and I have a fabulous old mirror to paint.

That there is just a taste of what awaits! :) :) :)

In the meantime, I will leave you with a few things I've found lately that I love and desperately want to have as my own. One day... one day..

Lonnymag.com: If you haven't yet found this fabulous online interior design magazine and site, please go there NOW! You can visit the main site and be inspired by the myriad of Interiors on display and dream of how to create your perfect space (and get ideas for how to cheat all those million dollar looks!). Or you can virtually flick through the pages of their amazing monthly online magazine! Trust me, you won't be disappointed. I love online mags and the instant links that allow you instant gratification and drooling rights. MAGnifincent!

Style By Emily Henderson: Formerly 'The Brass Petal' Blog - this is Interior Designer/Stylist Emily Henderson's new place of ramblings. She's an American designer who recently took out the reality tv competition 'Design Star' on US Cable. She has some fantastic ideas on here.. One of which I have appropriated.. very cheaply, I might add!

I love anything graphic, and seeing this vintage flag on the wall struck me as a really clever thing to do with something you might first think of as rather naff! Plus, lucky me, I am half Swiss and the Swiss flag is the same as this, but red with a white cross - so off I scurried to TradeMe and got me a nylon (ok so it's not vintage) flag for $20! I plan to make a frame or stretch it over a canvas, and soon it shall hang nicely (in my minds eye it is, anyway) in my lounge. Hoorah!

Looking on The Design Files tonight I spotted a link to this beautiful store Douglas + Bec - which just happens to be in our very own backyard! It's just opened up on St Mary's Road in Ponsonby, and by God it looks as though I could swallow up every last thing in their divine little shop!! Squeeee!!! I WANT THOSE STEEL LIGHTSHADES!!! Rebecca Snelling, you are a woman after mine own heart.

I love them, and you will love these prints by Auckland stencil artist Flox. There is also a link to her blog here. And, just look at the beautiful work she recently completed for a client in Ponsonby:

This was inspired by a piece of wallpaper her client had. I think it's GORGEOUS!! Possibly a more stylish alternative to this. Depending on how steady your hand is.

And in other Budget Friendly news: I am supposedly getting married at some point in time.. and I LOVE the look of these homemade wedding cakes and I think I could totally pull it off!

OnceWed.com

This post is pretty much all over the place, so I thank you for getting this far! Now that I'm recommitting, I'll be sure to plan more betterer for the next installment, and maybe even learn some english grammar while I'm at it! I shall also have to get back into the DIY'ing.. and not just the LIY'ing (Looking at It Yourself.. hahaaa... hmmm.. lame. It's late).

x

Project Bathroom/Laundry...

Is almost complete!!!

We have re-gibbed, plastered, sanded, painted walls; re-plastered, re-sanded and even given the floors a coat of white paint! Now all that remains is for sealer to go on the floor and white-ware to be reinstalled. Oh my God, you have no idea how excited I am to have a washing machine again!!!!

Proper photos and entry coming soon. x