a baby shower - sans photos

it's been a while since my last post - quite a while! i finish work this friday to have a bit of a rest before bub arrives - not long to go now! and yesterday i had my baby shower. i went to all this effort with my thank you gifts for guests and decorations such as pink, white, purple and yellow flowers in simple jars - and forgot to take photos! how annoying. and everyone else forgot to take photos too. i guess that's a good measure of how good a day it was!

i used these party bags from emerald & ella for my thank you gifts - i filled them with chocolates, home made heart shaped biscuits and a home made paper fortune cookie filled with a personalised thank you message - you can find the DIY here.

note to self: next time take photos!

Images - emerald & ella

if you surround yourself with things you love, your home will make you happy

says Michele Adams from Lonny. I couldn't agree more.

A daybed on a new deck in the backyard could make me very happy! On my interweb search for the perfect daybed I came across Ashley Ann's daybed (via Apartment Therapy and ohdeedoh) which happens to be in her daughter's nursery (total coincedence!). The daybed is dubbed the 'reading pallet bed', made from wooden shipping pallets. The bedhead is an old door.

I can see my dream of owning a daybed not being so unattainable after all! We have a lolly factory down the road always getting rid of wooden pallets - we'd just need some castors, a big single or twin bed and some lovely bedding and cushions.



What I love most of all was that she filled the room with handmade objects, keepsakes such as family photos and gifts given by family such as quilts, art prints, antique handkerchiefs and a mirror which was a wedding gift. It doesn't all match but it works.



And as another coincidence, like the first image in my last post, Ashley hung lanterns to great effect. I love this look and the more I see it the more I want to do it! I don't like the idea of hanging lanterns above a cot, but above a chair (or daybed as Ashley has done) could work..



Find out here how Ashley hung her lanterns.

Images via: 1 - Apartment Therapy, 2 & 3 - Ohdeedoh. All images copyright Ashley Ann Photography.

i'm lovin...emerald + ella

You may have seen this online loveliness pop up over the blogosphere lately - Emerald + Ella is my new favourite obsession. Gorgeous name, gorgeous finds for the home and kitchen, including vintage goodies! Ever since I found Amy Moss's use of cherry striped twine for hand sewing I've wanted some myself. I'm thinking I could use it to hand sew more gingerbread men, or use for packaging - especially for Christmas presents.

    

And I love the bunting as red is my favourite colour...I'm thinking a good way to spruce up a pretty bland white wall in our second bedroom or as a substitute Christmas tree?

I'm off to make some purchases! You can find Emerald + Ella's shop here. Have a great weekend x

(p.s Thank you for your lovely messages from my last post - your kind words made me smile)

Images - Emerald + Ella

market finds - fabric & paper

Here are the goodies I picked up at the Bowerbird Bazaar markets on the weekend. Last time, I bought prints from printspace, this time it was about fabrics and paper...

Fabric from Ink & Spindle. I thought they'd look great framed in white Ikea ribba frames. I couldn't go past this yellow (which looks mustard-y in the photo) which works really well contrasted against navy.

Fabric from Cloth Fabric. I picked up a few remnants I could turn into cushions. I'm not usually into pink (funny considering it features in my blog colours a fair bit!) but with chocolate, I think it's a winner!

Cards from Able & Game. I'm going to use these as birthday cards...they give Hallmark a run for their money, don't you think?



I can't wait to get stuck into these fabrics, handy considering I had my first sewing class last night. I seem to start things with the best of intentions but then when it comes down to it I tend to lose motivation. Maybe the idea appeals to me more than actually having to get off my butt and do it. I borrowed a sewing machine I had never set eyes on before, let alone used, so I didn't get to sew. Hopefully at the end of the 5 weeks I'll have something to show you!

irving baby!

I have always wanted to cover a wall with magazine clippings - it's such a great look, and an affordable one too. A great way to use all those magazines that we seem to accumulate. I have only had the guts to create this look using a framed chipboard (I think I'm worried about chipping off paint and damaging walls). I think Irving Baby! have executed this look really well. Irving Baby! sell original, retro and vintage clothes and accessories and in line with their brand they have used old 1950s/60s vintage newspaper clippings.

If done really well I think this look has the ability to transform a space, or a wall - like in Julie from Olive & Joy's dressing room. I think Julie has nailed it here.

Have you done this or is it something you'd like to try? Real Living have tried it, see here.

I know it's only Thursday but I have an extra long weekend planned. We are taking a road trip to the Grampians in Victoria, we'll be camping and soaking up the fresh air. I have a picnic rug, snacks and the new Real Living so I'm all set! I'll be back Tuesday, till then have a lovely weekend.

beautifully bespoke

I started this blog last month and doing decor8's Blogging Your Way course is really challenging my ideas and thoughts around my blog and why I'm here. I'm here to write about the beautiful and lovely things I come across .. and stuff in between. Something lovely I wanted to share with you were two prints that I have and love. From Bespoke Press who create gorgeous paper products, I discovered these guys when I was organising my wedding and looking for invitation inspiration.

All handmade in Brisbane and letterpressed with love, their prints are really gorgeous. The first one graces the wall in our bedroom...and the second is a surprise 1st wedding anniversary present for L (here's hoping he doesn't read this). Perfect - traditionally you give 'paper' for the 1st year (I think!). They ship internationally, you can find their shop here, and their blog here.

Images - Bespoke Press

Melangerie NYC

Image courtesy Melangerie Inc

I love the work of Melangerie NYC. I first came across Melangerie when planning my wedding in April this year. Their work is so original and so hip - in that way only New York is capable of! I am totally biased as New York is one of my favourite cities in the world. Their genealogy charts and 'to have and to hold' totes are my favourite. Check them out at their etsy shop here, and also here and here.

Image courtesy Melangerie Inc

Melangerie have also been nominated as a "Best of New York" wedding vendor by bridepop.com in the Invitation, Favor and Gift Category. Support them by voting for them via the following link: http://bridepop.com/contest/wedding-vendors-in-new-york (scroll down to the bottom "New York Wedding Invitations, Favors and Gifts" category).

My vote is in - good luck Melangerie Ladies!

Le Papier Studio Giveaway

Image courtesy Le Papier Studio

The lovely Vana from Le Papier Studio is giving away gorgeous twine from the clever people at The Twinery. It's not your average twine, they come in luscious colours such as mandarin, lemondrop, peapod and cappuccino. I am dying to get my hands on some of this twine - the only twine I have been able to find is the normal brown/beige twine (which I love) from Bunnings!

To win yourself 1 of 4 spools check out Vana's 'Le Papier Studio' blog post here.

I will be posting about Le Papier Studio's Smitten Sticks in a future post...

Good luck!