rose tinted afternoon...

Maybe it was just the way the afternoon sun lit the lilies on our sideboard.., but when I sat down with my afternoon cuppa, I seemed to be surrounded by lovely soft pink. It was a nice feeling, considering I still have my little grey cloud of a cold hanging around...

Wishing you all a rosy weekend! xx

home remedies...

When the icy southern wind blew up yesterday it brought with it our first family cold...

Darling husband was first to fall (part & parcel of working in a busy air-conditioned office I guess), then me and now our little one's nose is a dripping tap (his second cold already this season, poor thing).

Husband doesn't have time to muck around and has already hit the hardcore cold & flu drugs, where as I'm going to try a more homeopathic route...

First up, swapping the flat white for the old hot lemon & honey... with a teaspoon of grated ginger for an extra kick.

And perhaps some homemade chicken soup for tonight's dinner.

I found this recipe on  James (Grow Your Own Drugs) Wong's website. Looks like it could do the trick although I don't know if I feel like venturing out just to hunt down some Goji berries...

If anyone has a tried, tested and easy recipe or remedy they can share, we'd all be very appreciative! In the meantime, we'll bunker down and hope it blows through as quickly as yesterday's wintry wind did...

Ps. Might need a couple of these cute handmade tissue box covers to see me through too. I'm sure seeing the ugly branded ones all over those house makes me feel worse...

found on Etsy here

another Etsy cutie

love the spots... seen here on Etsy (again)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

rise & shine...

Spotted on The Cool Hunter, I'm quite taken with this fun 70's inspired Iphone dock/alarm clock, from Areaware.
It might be just the thing to help drag myself out of bed on these chilly dark mornings... That or a teasmade perhaps, remember them..?

it's a preppy, preppy world...

Prep style courtesy of Vanity Fair

Looking for a little moment of calm yesterday, I sat and revisited an old Vanity Fair and an article on the recently updated Official Preppy Handbook (the original is now 30 years old).

I remember someones older sister owning a copy and loving it's tongue and cheek nature. And having always been a closet prepster wannabe (without the trust fund unfortunately), I was quite keen to check out the new version.. True Prep.

A quick search for a copy on the web and I came across all manner of prep friendly topics.., new season loafers, monogrammed pyjamas, the latest Gossip Girl going ons (I'll admit another guilty pleasure) and this amazing travelling 'Pop Up' Beach House, created by the King of preppy Tommy Hilfiger...

I've seen plenty of Pop Up stores before, but this takes the concept to a whole new level! I mean it's like the Hampton's have landed smack bang in the middle of the city, (NYC in this case).  Check it out below.




Thus inspired, I'm off to pop on a little Vampire Weekend and colour block my twin sets...

Have a super Weekend! xx
ps. I'm ordering my copy of True Prep here  (free postage yeah!)

a cute tea towel a day keeps the washing up blues away...

Our dishwasher has an annoying habit of leaving everything wet at the end of the cycle (it also has a faulty detergent dispenser but that's a whole other gripe..). This means hand drying, which I usually loath.

The one saving grace is my much loved and ever growing collection of tea towels is getting plenty of use... They're kitsch, colourful, functional and they make drying sort of fun, well almost...

These two vintage numbers from the Manly markets are my latest acquisition. They come from the home of a serious tea towel collector, who apparently has over 700! All in mint condition of course...

 I find it hard to resist a mag with a freebie tea towel attached, especially when they're this cute.

My Bestie gave me this one in an attempt to lure us back north, when we lived in Sydney. 

Guess it did the trick...

Some people collect snow globes from their travels. Personally I love a good souvenir tea towel, so much more practical.

new boots...

The Hampton food fest everything I expected. Great food, music and stunning Autumn weather. We came away with full bellies and laden with organic vegies (3 avocados for $2),  home made ravioli, jams & an especially yummy raspberry vinegar...

What I wasn't expecting was the sartorial elegance on show. Those country ladies really know how to dress for the cooler weather... The common denominator on the style front were the boots! Proper country boots, comfortable and tough enough to kick around in all day, then dust off for the trip into 'town'...  I want some!

This Ralph Lauren pair I spied online here would fit the bill nicely.., vintage tan leather, stacked heel, mid calf, a little bit biker... shame they're a tad out of my price range.  Though the mid year Sales are just around the corner, so you never know...

great country faire & crisp mountain air...

Half the week's gone already and another weekend is on the horizon... With perfect Autumn weather predicted, I'll be heading to the hills this weekend, for the annual Hampton High Country Food & Arts Festival

country grown... photo by Fiona Stone

clever friends

So great to see the work of dear friend Emily Engel of Kuber, featured in the Sunday Papers recently. The article (read here) showcases one of Emily's many creative pursuits, her beautiful hand carved plaster letters.

the artist herself...

We're lucky enough to own a little Kuber... "Happy", originally a gift for Thom, currently brightens up our entrance table.

Check out Emily's Etsy Store to see more and pick up your own sweet Kuber piece.  The ampersand and asterisk's are on my new favourites...

my first mother's day :)

I am one spoilt mama!

Today began with a sleep in, tea and presents in bed;  followed by a scrummy brunch down by the water and a lazy lazy afternoon. It was just the loveliest day...

gorgeous and inspirational new books

me & T

my beautiful Moroccan hurricanes & painted bowl below ... 

Hope all the Mama's out there had just as special a day...  

succulents

There's so much I love about succulents... Apart from their sculptural beauty and being so so easy to grow, I love how they're shared and passed on from tiny cuttings from one garden to the next...

I snapped these three beauties in the garden at Cloudlake on the weekend.  Lovely, don't you think?

silvery green against a deep blue glaze

a vertical garden,  cascading down a rendered pillar

overgrown and overflowing