A very belated Merry Cheer

Where did December go I hear you ask? It has 11 months before it to warn me it's coming but somehow December always takes me by surprise. With Christmas, a few birthdays, end of year parties, concerts, cooking, shopping and decorating it seems to whir by me and dump me in January in a daze.

With the arrival of a little one of our own in our house this year Christmas was a little more low key than last years neon Christmas effort but I still thought it was bright and cheerful.

It all started when I found a garland of owls - 4 to be precise - and as we became a family of 4 this year it was perfect; daddy, mummy and 2 little baby owls. What's more it was red, my favourite colour and spots and gingham - it was made for me right?

And here is what they sparked off - I found some red and white spot and red and white star ribbons in my op shop stash, I threw up a crochet tablecover over the bookcase as a bback drop, found more red and white decorations at a bargain store, some spotted paper chain at a party supply store, pulled out my santa cross stitches and old red and green tins and voila xmas was a red and white spot, stripe and gingham affair at ours this year.

 

When all was done we realised the tree was still a little bare and we decided to make some himmel style decorations using paper straws and this tutorial From Nalle's House discovered on pinterest. I need to work on technique a little to be neater and more efficient but it wasn't too hard - I may get more elaborate with them next year?

All that was left to do was wrap the presents

And start the festivities. I am hoping December doesn't catch me out this year, I think maybe I will pretend November is the start of the silly season and maybe it will feel a little less silly come December. I hope you had a colourful, bright and fun filled Christmas with your loved ones.

Appreciate or Emulate - Participate

The last of the weeks love fest with the combo that IS! - stripes and florals

I was having so much fun with this combination - in case you couldn't tell - that I had to join in.

I picked up this skirt from the op-shop the other day and with no shortage of stripes in the wardrobe here I am dressed for a lunch date with my mum and sister - perfect excuse for a new skirt.

I also fancied dressing up the house so I grabbed a $2 'vase' (aka a ceramic toothbrush holder) from a variety store then some black electric tape and a $5 bunch of fruit shop snapdragons later and these are prettying up our house right now

So there you have it my love affair with stripes and florals comes to an end, on the blog anyway, because I don't think I will ever tire of this perfect match for me or my home.

Appreciate or Emulate - Celebrate

Continuing on from this weeks Finding Everywhere theme, Stripes and Flowers, how to celebrate with this pattern perfect match.

I am in love with the stripes and floral combo for a party - bold and bright and festive.
Add a bit of gold or silver tableware bling and it's a classic soirée setting.

Image Source: hellomay.com.au

Image Source: greenweddingshoes.com

Image Source: Two Delighted

Image Source: Miss Brache Etsy Store

Image Source: southerweddings.com.au

Appreciate or Emulate - Decorate

In last weeks Finding Everywhere I showed just some of the graphic and pretty stripey meets floral items I am noticing all about town for spring/summer.

I am a huge fan of a pattern mix, especially a bold one and this has to be a favourite of mine. 

Here are five of my favourite examples of how to decorate with this look. 

Do you think I need a black and white striped rug?

Stripes and Floral

Image Source: Au fil des Couleurs

Image: Pinterest - Original Source: Mixr 

Image Source: Lonny

Image Source: A Beautiful Mess

Image Source: The Glitter Guide

Finding Everywhere

I'm getting the band back together!

Well not really but I am back, from an absence of no small amount of time. I can attribute my absence to the presence and addition of a new and wonderful small human in my life and my home - more on him later.

In the meantime here is what I have been finding everywhere and you will find it everywhere too this summer - the stripey and floral, the graphic and pretty have arrived! Some of my picks

1. Decorative Cushion Cover by Habitation Boheme on Etsy
2. Also via Etsy iPhone case from Another Case
3. You know I love Etsy right? Love these Lacey stripey, floral nickers - pretty and graphic!
4. Valentino dress - vintage and groovy elegance
5. Marni Edition shopping tote
6. Wishing I had the body and confidence to pull these off Giejo Bikini
7. My size please - Stella McCartney Kids Rosie striped knit dress
8. Two vintage floral combined with stripes queen pillowcases
9. Stripped Cabbage Rose shower curtain from Urban Outfitters. They also did a rug but sadly it's sold out
10. Last, but by no means least, a great upcycled dress combining an 80's graphic dress and a vintage print scarf by Janavi on Etsy

There is so much more to this trend so an Appreciate or Emulate will be coming soon.

Appreciate or Emulate

With a photographer as a partner I am never short of a visual feast. Living with great images is truly a joy.

In Monday's Finding Everywhere you would have seen how living with great pics can be taken to new extremes, and onto anything you could imagine, here are some more ideas on how you can take that great image off the camera, computer or phone and bring it into your home and life.

Ordinarily I would also include here ideas on how to Celebrate, Titivate and Participate but this time I have just found too many beautiful images and pin-spirations so decided to break it up.

I am lucky enough to have access to some great pics but like builders houses never being complete we haven't gotten around to hanging many of my partners photos yet - one of the reasons is we need it to be BIG - the bigger the better - and that takes finding the right wall and the right frame and, well, the funds. Soon though we will maximise the prints and I can only hope to achieve something like this.

Below is a selection of interiors that truly sing because of the great photo print on the wall.

If you are feeling even bolder and more cashed up make it even BIGGER - the whole wall in fact.

The serenity created by the first two is something special but this last one is beautifully whimsical and 70's esq. I am regretting the fact that I once lived in a house in my early 20's with a pine forest scene wallpaper in the foyer and didn't take a photo - memories.

Great photos can truly take you places - even in your own home.

Appreciate or Emulate

If you have seen yesterday's Finding Everywhere you will know there are many ways with the Japanese art of Shibori.
Here are just some of my favourite examples of how it can be all tied up in your life too:

There are shibori workshops happening all around
here are just some I have come across
Megan Morton's The School - Sydney, Joanna Fowles Make Your Own Shibori Scarf
Harvest Workroom - Melbourne, Shibori Silk Scarf Hand Dying 
Koskela - Sydney, Shibori Dying with Indigo

I also found these great DIY kits put together by some of the masters
Joanna Fowles make your own shibori scarf kit
Shibori's Dye da Vida - Indigo dye kit with 2 wooden shapes
Noon Design Studio's Indigo kit with shibori wrapper

P.S In case you missed the INXS emulating Bob Dylan reference and thought I may just have gone a little rhyming mad I share it with you here. INXS Mediate

A special day

Recently I helped my sister in-law organise and celebrate her baby shower. It was a great team effort by myself, Kelly, Cara and Lauren, the guest of honour.

The venue was a little church hall in Sydney's inner west; perfect for an afternoon of friends, family and food. We celebrated, chatted and crafted.

The craft kicked in with a crafternoon at mine a few weeks prior. One of the joys of DIY decorations and favours is the coming together to 'make'.  The crafternoon was a mini gathering in itself, we had lunch and cakes and catch ups - a crafting coven of sorts - making is made better when you can share it!

We started with a lose dandelion theme based on the way they softly grant the wishes we make. The colour palette was yellow, green, creams and whites. Going DIY meant we were able to personalise the day in some lovely ways. The ideas are not ours as such - they are gathered from various blogs and the web - then reinvented. We pulled them together in this pin board which is something I share so you can link through to our inspiration sources but also find inspiration yourself for your next party.

Here is what we did:

From the rafters

Pom poms, bunting and lanterns, a combination of bargain store and party supplier lanterns and paper bunting and home made tissue paper pom poms Martha Stewart style

On the tables

We made our own table runners with craft paper and paper doilies - over yellow spotted fabric it was just so pretty. Other tables were covered with a selection of my vintage tablecloths, sheets and fabrics in the yellow and greens of the day. We hung hand made pin wheels from windows and pews and topped the tables with paper wrapped jars of carnations and daisies.

In our tummies

There is no point in an afternoon tea looking this pretty if it didn't taste so good - it did. I had fun making the layer cake topped with meringue icing (Martha Stewart again) and coconut. I made the mini cake bunting using scrapbook papers, skewers and twine, I am delighted to say it now hangs over the lamp in the nursery.

And gifts for everyone

As a party activity and a keep sake we bought a beautiful bound blank book which we covered to say "Wishes come true" then we provided guests with a crafting table full of an array of cut outs, paper, pens and washi tape and let them go wild decorating a page each with a message for the parents to be or the baby that's nearly here. This lovely excerpt above is, I believe, from one of the grandma's to be.

Lastly, with our dandelion theme in mind, we hand made pom pom flowers for each guest as a take home reminder of our lovely afternoon.

A special day for a very special person in my life and a very special person soon to be.