Holes of Happiness

Guerrilla gardening at it's finest! The pothole gardener.... putting a smile on many bemused faces by planting gardens in the pock marked pavements of East London. I love it.

Congratulations on your Holes of Happiness. It's such a clever way of highlighting a problem while bringing a little joy to the situation. 3 cheers. xox

Found via Susannah Conway.

Flippin' Pizza's

Waiting for Pizzas
after a day at the beach.
Totally transfixed
by the art of flippin' dough.

Tired, sandy & ready for bed
the entertaining dough show made the wait worthwhile.

Thank you Pizza Pizza they were truly delicious.
I do believe you've inspired a new generation of Pizza flippers.

xox

Moose on the losse

I discovered the delights of Gretel home this morning. I'm totally smitten with this moose of the loose & these pendant lights by Iacoli & Mc Allister.

Simplicity, it's so damn beautiful. x

Happy Australia Day. x

Have a wonderful Australia Day whatever it is you do!
We'll be celebrating with a couple of mandatory Aussie traditions... good mates, a BBQ, beer & the Hottest 100.

#1 song? Any clues? I have absolutely no idea this year.
I'll be happy just to enjoy the ride. xo

Summer PJ's

You may remember this sweet Liberty fabric from way back here. I was going to make a pair of pants for the Z man to take away with us...but somehow in all the holiday preparations it slipped off the list.
With the midday heat bearing down on us yesterday we retreated from our blow up pool to the air-conditioned indoors. We only need to use our air-conditioning around 3 times a year as our house stays pretty pool. Yesterday however, topped the charts and so on it went.
Z, to his great delight, watched a movie while I whipped up a pair of pj's using this very rock star pattern by Dana at Made.
They have a slightly flared leg with a low riding elasticised waist... perfect for emergency toilet scrambles!
The second pair I made with one eye on the Nadal and Berdych match last night. They're not so rock star but there's plenty of room to run around in.
The pattern is a ripper, super easy and so fast to whip up. No previous sewing experience is needed to succeed, I promise. I'm thinking a pair of these may be in order for Z's first day at kinder next week.

Homemade lemonade recipe

German Vintage Lemonade Bottle available over at luvredford's Etsy shop.

We've been making our own lemonade since Christmas day. It was a special treat for the kiddies. It sure beats the sickly sweet commercial lemonade which tends to send my little man a touch manic!
The mint in this recipe makes it.
Since Christmas I've whipped it up on a number of occasions as it a brilliant thirst quencher on a hot, sticky day. With today's temperatures heading towards 34 degrees I figure another batch is definitely in order.

Homemade Lemonade
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
6 sprigs of mint
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sparkling mineral water to serve.

Place sugar, water & mint in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Once dissolved remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Once the syrup is at room temperature add the lemon juice. Then strain the liquid through a fine sieve.
Decant using a funnel into a bottle with a tight fitting lid.

To serve, pour 1-2 tbsp of syrup into a glass and add mineral water.
*It can be stored in the fridge for up to a month.

As I don't have a gorgeous vintage bottle I found these cute free printable labels. Whalla, totally professional.
If giving the lemonade as a gift these kitchen printable gift tags from The Homemade Home are super sweet too.
Enjoy, especially my lovely cousins, Simone & Bec. It was great to share a glass with you on the weekend x

A fortunate find

'One mans trash is another mans treasure, what he don't appreciate the next man will.' -unknown

Z and I seized 2 of these incredible 50's style bedside tables last week. I am totally smitten with them.
They make our bedroom feel so grown up. Previously I had two wine crates, painted in one of the beautiful metallic Porters range, stacked as my bedside table. I'd carted these crates from one rental to the next dreaming of the day I'd be a grown up...... with matching bedside tables.
I'm pleased to announce the day has arrived and the tables are even better than I'd dared dream.

The world sure does work in mysterious ways and I'm totally delighted and grateful it does. I LOVE our bedside tables. Thank you for passing them on were they are truly appreciated and adored. xox

savouring sweet sounds

Looking forward to The Shins launching this album late March.
Music feels like a forgotten friend I'm so pleased to be reacquainted with these last few days....may have something to do with digging out a couple of well loved albums..... Lisa Miller's Version Originale & Jimmy Little's...Messenger .

I also discovered 8 tracks and have been enjoying this mix. So many fantastic play lists straight to my computer. I love it.

The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils.
- William Shakespeare

Have a great weekend. x

Let your light shine

I am totally loving our new light stickers. Light up your Mood Stickers by Henrietta Swift. She's one clever little lady and these are so much fun for everyone. We have pirates, pussycats, professors & cheeky little monkeys lighting our days. They were a Christmas present for Z which we've all had a great time creating. xx

ps. Ladle, I only realised yesterday that they were for lights. They're brilliant. Thank you.

a little Etsy love

Loving these Etsy products.

1. Vintage Orange Juice Pitcher & Cups from Tree House Club.
2. Vintage Danish Red Enamelware Teapot from Ratty and Catty.
3. Mid Century Broyhill Brasilla Coffee table from Modernismus.

I've realised I have a thing for enamel tea pots... yellow, blue, burnt orange.... there's something so solid and inviting about them. Like they'd really show up for you at that early morning cuppa all shiny and bright....."Good morning! It's going to be a bright one today".....that's what they'd say. x

Good morning

The friendliest piece of litter I ever did see. I came upon in on an early morning jog last week and it made me laugh.

35 degrees, a head cold and a 3 year old..... we're off to see this today. I can't wait. x

A flaming flurry of flowering gums.

The flowering Eucalyptus trees are incredible this time of year. We counted 5 vibrant variations on our morning walk through the park today. These two were our favorites.

We returned home to find two books had arrived in the mail. When God Was a Rabbit & The Happiness Project. Books which have been on my list for a while. I love my local bookstore but there is something so fun about a book arriving in the post. It takes me back to my childhood and the pure excitement of receiving a letter in the mail. It sure beats bills!

With summer evaporating temporarily and the nights being so cold it's perfect weather for curling up on the couch with a book at night. Now to decide which to read first.

Have you read any great books this summer? Recommendations welcome. I'll add them to the list.

no detail left to chance

We spent an evening at Shannon Bennetts incredible Vue de monde for my sister-in-laws 'significant' (as the L.F. so tactfully referred to it on my big day) birthday last night. What an experience. I feel so absolutely privileged for the invitation and a huge thank you goes out to my s-i-l and her hubby for taking us.
There was so much to love about the experience.
The company and.... the occasion. It was a celebration of true style for a fine milestone.
The food was sublime....my favorite dish? So hard to choose but at a push I'd have to give it to the marron with brown butter emulsion (which surprisingly tasted like toffee when combined with the delicate flavor of the seafood. So delicious and so completely left field. I loved it).
The wines were impeccably matched to each dish.... now that's a lot of wine tasting with 10 dishes! Thankfully the quantities were well portioned (even so, I do feel a tad dusty today).
The venue, oh Melbourne, how I love you. You sure did put on a spectacular show for us.
The Christofle cutlery not only was it stunning it added another textural element to the food.
The unpretentious waiting staff and chef's were informative without being overbearing or obnoxious and they added an informal touch to a totally decadent affair.
The gnarly wooden cutlery props on which our knives and folks rested were actually the original Grange Hermitage vines. Impressive hey?!
Little take home packs were given to each lady in our party and were filled with delicious breakfast treats 'For The Morning After'.
As my s-i-l said there was 'no detail left to chance'.

Vue de monde at the Rialto is a testament to Shannon Bennett living his dream and following his passion. My hat goes off to Shannon for such vision. An experience, like what you receive at Vue de monde, can only come about when someone truly loves their life and what they are doing with it. This rings true in every minute detail at Vue de monde.

It's a moment in time I will cherish, for the experience and also for what it represents.... always follow your dreams. xx

Happy Birthday s-i-l and thank you.
Believe me this 'significant' birthday is not nearly as bad as they would have you believe.

It's a hill, get over it.

1. A pre swim dip, before the Pier to Pub kicks off, 2. Sea beads, 3. Summer cloauds, 4. Lorne Fisheries, 5. Storm clouds approaching, 6. Pink sky at night....

We spent a gorgeous weekend in Lorne for the annual Pier to Pub. The day prior to the big swim they hold a fun run, the Mountain to Surf, which I ran with 4 friends. The course is 8km with 2 intense hill climbs, followed by a slightly treacherous bush track for a couple of km's which then opens out onto The Great Ocean Road for the final sprint limp home. I struggled up the hills singing this and hoping dearly to strike a deal with God to swap places. We did it though and all with good running times. It was a huge sense of achievement. We'll be back next year, with a little extra hill training under our belts.

I've always wanted to walk the Mountain to Surf and never dreamed I'd be capable of running it so I'm entirely pleased with myself and my friends for making it such a win! Thank you. xx

Sore legs & a few Radox baths later we enjoyed a weekend full of family, good friends, amazing food, frivolity, relaxation and the delights of balmy (I kid you not) Lorne weather. The storms loomed, threateningly, on occasion but never did any more than that.

Thank you.... & now, to the new.

Notice things look a little different around here? It's been fun playing around.
It's also given me a chance to look back on my year and be thankful for all the incredible beauty in my life (and realise how slack I've actually been at uploading to Flickr. Oops, there's a New Years resolution right there).

Here's some summer lovin' linkage to kick start all this newness...... and say thanks to the last 12 months.

Seam Magazine discovered via Floating World.
All the beautifully inspiring content over at Lou, Boo and Shoes ...via Beautifully, Suddenly...equally as stunning.
This fabric just ordered for my latest chair.
I may have posted on a previous list but really....I'm still in love with this photo by nehmzow
This makes me laugh.....
Dreaming of a new quilt to sew... either this, this or this.
Loved the Beci Orpin & Sportsgirl co-lab this Christmas! They made for excellent gifts and stocking fillers.
All the playfulness over at Mamamekko.
The Train to Crazy's homemade car track for boys...perfect for camping holidays!
This for 2012!

and to finish off I couldn't resist sharing this quote from a letter Jessica Mitford wrote to her daughter while she was away at college "Only vegetables and fibbertigibbets go through life with no problems or pain about the future, as you are unfortunately neither, I guess you can expect a few ups and downs."

Life, so simple.
xox

2012 and we're taking off

Happy 2012!
If you are here in Melbourne I hope you're managing to keep cool. Whoowza! 40 degrees today. It's a scorcher.
I do love this weather.....
There's nothing quite like an early morning dip in the sea before the sun starts to bite.

I snapped this photo last night on our evening stroll. Jonathan Livingston Seagull.... what better way to start the year than with the delightful J.L.Seagull.

Whatever your goals, aspirations and desires for 2012 I hope you are as committed to them as Mr Livingston. Success can only follow. xox