Things to make

There is a tutorial to make this mirror on Design Sponge, I'd like to make one. Luckily my Mum has some leatherworking tools!

The forest wall art is sold at Freedom Furniture. I want to make something similar using three wood panels, painting them white and carving out some trees. I want to paint our fireplace a green colour ( I think) and hang them there.

I want to make similar cushions using some of my cherished fabrics from Cloth, Ink and Spindle and Umbrella Prints. Photo from the home of Shelley and Stephan as seen on the Design Files. I also love the old ladder in the background which holds picture frames.

And because I think this would look lovely with the other things pictured here, a vintage lamp - I would love to find one similar!

Found on the Design Files from Lyn Gardener's White House - photo by Tim James.

Home Inspirations....

Photo from the home of Eleanor Grosch on Design Sponge. I just love the detail on this sideboard and the little house and the pom pom trim on the lamp. I might try that somewhere, it's so cute!

From Heather Frazier's place on Design Sponge. I love her space for the use of light and colour. I personally wouldn't use so many pale gelato colours, but I admire what she has done and the coloured glass collection is to die for! I'm also aiming for the same lightness and brightness in our place by painting all the doors and skirtings in crisp white. I'm also in love with those curtains, have been since I saw similar in Home beautiful a while back. I have chosen this picture as inspiration for our place because we have a fireplace which is in a main thoroughfare, so somehow I want to create a cozy place to sit while not getting in the way of the flow of the house. I'm thinking some small armchairs on either side of the fireplace.

John Murphy's place from Design Sponge. I love the plant on the window sill and the lived in look of the thrifted peices.

This image is for colour inspiration. A little while ago I bought a cushion which is designed by an Indigenous Australian artist. It has some of these terracotta orange tones in it and I want to match it with some blues and other orange things I have. Photo is from the home of illustrator Sanna Annukka and Jasper Goodall and found on Design Sponge. Take a peak at the rest of their home it's very interesting!

Visiting friends

On the way to and from Queensland we stopped in on our friends in Coffs Harbour. Going by what fun two days we had, I think we should have stayed there the whole time we were on holidays!!


My friend Fi created all these fun things for us to do. Steve and her husband went fishing whilst we took the two boys to look for soldier crabs. We didn't find any crabs, but the kids and us mum's loved splashing in the water! Then we had a little picnic and played on the play equipment. When we got home we filled up their canoe for the boys to splosh around in. We threw in some beach toys and empty squirty bottles for them to play with. Then I decided we should do some painting so the boys did some painting and then hopped back in the canoe pool to clean off. Now that's what I call toddler fun! Fi's husband makes homebrew beer, very good ( a bit like bees knees) so Steve had a couple. Fi made 100% fruit sorbet with mango, banana and peach, it was so yummy and healthy. The boys loved it too.

Fi sent me home with some vegies and some orchids she grows in her garden. While we were there she was sundrying tomatoes on the washing line. I admire Fi's energy and resourcefulness in everything she does.

Back from the beach

Fallen yellow hibiscus lit up by the morning sun.

Artist - Maira Kalman

I recently discovered this excellent artist Maira Kalman and read her NY times blog in the pursuit of happiness and an interview with her. I instantly felt some affinity with her art. When I was in highschool I would sometimes paint picures quite similar to hers; bright colours, a bit naive, quickly painted, at the time my style was somewhat influenced by Chagall and Matisse. Also I have recently been toying with the idea of painting a lot of "brain dump" sort of pictures for my blog, rather than using so many photos and using hand written text like Penelope Dullaghan and Jenny Kostecki-Shaw.