Monday, February 28, 2011

Thank You Emma...


I decided to give this novel a post all of it's own because it certainly deserves a recommendation. I can honestly say I have never read a book like it before. EVER. 

My sister in law recommended it to me; but without any description or analysis, and I'm going to do the same. 

Put it this way - If you love to read, if you love language, if you love... love - then this journey is a must.

Thank you Emma. You've altered my world forever.

Love at home...

I'm coming to the end of my "labour of love" at the studio with Hubby and that means more time for my home (YAY!)
So this post is dedicated to all mums who work full time 
and still manage to keep house 
(and sanity AND clean toilets!)

"Hats off to you!!"

 You see, I found myself neglecting the "little things" in an effort to stay on top of the "bigger things" (Turns out men do want clean underpants from time to time... go figure)


So here are a few of those little things 
 that make my house a home... 


and that make me smile


whenever I 


happen upon them


This is a new blend from T2 that I'm LURVING at the moment.
It's called Earl Grey Royale. Seriously. If you love your Greys, like me, then for heavens sake...Order some NOW! The photo above that is of my lovely tarnished tea strainers which you can also purchase from T2 - of course T2 don't sell them looking like that but believe you me, it wont take long before they look like mine. Tributes to tea and all of it's finery.

So why not put the kettle on and make yourself a brew...(don't forget to grab something sweet!) NOW, let us indulge in a little tour of your home - What makes you smile? Do share.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Myalup Magic and a Dream Come True...


How often do we have a dream come true?
I'm aiming for my answer to be "daily" but for now I'll have to stick to "often enough to keep dreaming bigger dreams" 
I'm getting there.

So we travel down to Myalup with dear dear friends the "Crazy Clarkes" (In this case CRAZY = UNIQUE) who love the beach, with a capital L. Now the JAm family are not your quintessential sandgropers but if there's a beach to behold then it's Myalup for us. This particular visit proved why....

There I was bobbing up and down with my bestest buddy Jax, chatting away as ladies do - politics, fashion, tea... 
Then, in a moment I can only describe as comically Scooby-Doo-ish, she yells "*#!? a fin!!" and I proceed to um... swim?... not quite... fly?...sort of... flail and flounder(prob more accurate)... with a swimming stroke yet to be defined. The rest of the family respond to this comical sight with much laughter since they could tell, from their vantage point, that it was in fact a young Dolphin.

So when did the dream come true you ask?

Well first of all it was not Jaws. So that's "avoid aquatic related death" ticked off the bucket list and secondly...

Our young friend chose to swim around (and in between) us, observing us with great curiosity, bobbing in and out of the water, squeaking (probably not the correct term for this noise but I'm sure you know what I mean)and generally "checking us out" - It was MAGICAL.

I've always imagined that I'd have to visit a resort and enter a tank to swim with a Dolphin. Even then I would have enjoyed the experience I'm sure. However, to have a Dolphin swim with ME, in the ocean!! Well that's just more than I could have ever hoped for! 
Hubby ran back to the beach and grabbed his I-phone - the above photo is one he took. Not very indicative of how close we really came but then again, I'm glad he chose to be present for the moment rather just capture it on film.

The whole trip was fabulously hedonistic 
scenically stunning...
and wonderfully relaxed

Thank you Crazy Clarkes!
Thank you Myalup!
And a very special heartfelt Thank you to Mrs Delphinidae for
"letting your young un stay a wee while
XXX


Tick tock...Tick Tock...

Well I'm helping out at hubby's recording studio. Most of the time the people, the atmosphere and the perks (I can read blogs in my downtime!) make the day fly by. However this "labour of love" is moving along rather tediously today. Still.

I'm at a desk & I have a camera so really.....
  there's no excuse not to try and find 
a point of interest, 
a detail worth sharing.
There just has to be a glimmer
of colour somewhere?
Aah... the pencil pot!
OK - as you can clearly see - I'm no artist so perhaps a mental doodle may be what's needed to pass the time. 


A short poem by me

here I sit
alone, not quite.
i have my tea, my pen, my phone,
my label-maker, my staples, my paper, 
my pod, my pad, my mouse, my bag, my book!
just look! just look!

not alone am i
perhaps just lonely?
a little longing
a tad listless
a teeny bit boring
but certainly, most assuredly
not alone.


Sunday, February 20, 2011

Lovers of Storage Unite!


 I'm the kinda gal that gets oddly excited about storage options and fantabulous (new word) ways of organising my world. Baskets, Boxes, Bags, Shelves, Suitcases -
 all aesthetically pleasing of course! 



So it was with great delight that I procured myself this cutie pie shelf from Gill & Hill Merchants in Subiaco. Owners Murray and Juanita* were really friendly and happy to help. The store is a heady mix of textures, treasures and vintage gems. They stock art supplies, handmade paper, stationary, stamps, gifts and STUNNING vintage items - basically everything I love and more. Oh well yet another excuse for me to visit Subi ...sigh.

(*Thank you guys for allowing me to lay-by this charming find)



With nooks for all my precious bits and bobs


and little metal drawers for the messier stuff



 I love the little library cataloguing labels
(For a nerd like me this is important stuff)


Now I can arrange my stamps and such in 
a most fashionable manner
And hopefully stay organised...um...yeah right.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Is that Autumn I spy?


I know, I know... Complaining gets you absolutely nowhere but if I call it "longing" then surely I'm allowed to moan and wallow and wish and whimper?

You see I am spotting more and more of Autumns promise - like this divine Plane Tree leaf - but alas the weather is still 235 million degrees outside (tad exaggeration) and every time I open the office door (I'm working in an office TEMPORARILY)I spot the outside world  and it greets me with very un-wintery (a new word) weather. Grrr...Mumble mumble...Grr!

Lovely brown leaf are you taunting me?
Do you know how much I long to see more of your kind, dancing around the streets in choreographed swirls and twirls?


No - you are perfect and patient and not in the least bit concerned. Just as a lovely brown leaf should be.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Anthropologie

Dreamy outfits and dreamy home wares all from one 
of my favourite places to visit online. 
Thank goodness there is no 
Anthropologie store here in Perth. 
Methinks I would do a Novalee Nation and just move in!


Buyer at large for the store Keith Johnson travels the globe in search of obscure and unique artefacts and procures them for the store. Um....
Can I have your job please Mr Johnson
I have yet to see the documentary made about his adventures (titled Man Shops Globe) but it sounds right up my alley. 

Here are a few more gems I have been imagining in my home...



Ceramic birdbath by Frauke Stedman
of Cape Town, SA


Unique Turntable by Audiowood

Ladies in waiting Dinner Plates
by Parisian artist Florence Balducci

Nimbus Bedding

Ceramic Hooks

and in my wardrobe....


I'd like to own this



and wear it with these


perhaps accessorise with these?



and finish the look off with this


What do you think? 
Quite frankly I'm sure I could be a "buyer at large"
 (or small, or just tag along with a buyer)

All photos taken from Anthropologie Website 


Friday, February 11, 2011

Love n Stuff

 Valentines Day is not revered in our home. This is probably because my hubby is such a romantic at heart, that I'm spoilt most days of the year. Thank you darling! 

For me VD day is about teenage anxiety. I was never the girl given flowers or anonymous cards at school. This usually led to a little teary eyed dreaming; post VD celebrations. Of course I'm over that now, but the empathy continues. So much so that, every year come the 14th of Feb, I have this overwhelming urge to order a dozen red roses; head off to the local high school and make sure that all the awkward, spotty (short haired!) girls get their moment in the sun. Now why is this so? 



Ah! Mystery solved.
Now if your wondering what bizarre 80's band this young lass crooned with, then wonder no more. 
I am (finally) at the age where I can look at this without laughing. I would even go so far as to say...
"I LOVE it"
She is young, enthusiastic, free and spirited.
She is ME.

And so in honour of all that love represents I am dedicating this (early) Valentine post to none other than Moi. I am filling it with things I love and and things (I feel) you can do to celebrate this global day of happiness, cupidness and sometimes stupidness.

To begin my list of pleasantries I would like to recommend my most favourite of all pastimes: listening to music AND instead of recommending specific artists or songs, I would rather recommend activities to be carried out whilst listening to the composition of ones choice. 

A bath? - filled with something that smells delightful, drinking something that tastes delightful and thinking about something that simply IS delightful.
A dance? - remember if no one can see you, no one can laugh, so just go for it!
A meal? - perhaps you can pull out the good china, light the candles, open the vino and belt out an opera tune or two; all the while remembering Duke Orsino's words: 

If music be the food of love, play on,

Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.



If you are short of inspiration for the tastebuds then do check out Aran's DIVINE work and recipes on her blog 


Her food is shamelessly healthy, appealing and hedonistic. What more could you ask for?









Now you may want to wear something special for that date with yourself, with Romeo, with Juliet?



Perhaps some delicate bloomers?
Pattern provided by the ridiculously talented Rachel, With a blog that will knock your silk socks off!



 Or perhaps something unique



... a one of a kind just like you.



Well then you simply must visit the cyber homes of Clever Nettle 
  



The only thing surpassing their style being their blogs - and bonus... they sell online!

Or is there an anniversary, a proposal, a somebody sexy?
Do they need a "one of a kind, handcrafted memento?
Please visit the supremely talented Artemis and Nao at Rust.
Warning! You will swoon, if not over the jewellery then certainly over their "wedding from heaven" 
(This blog is a magic carpet ride)


Perhaps your great passion is dirt? Mother nature luring you with the promise of fresh herbs, seedlings, trees and earthworms? Well Anna will have you sorted with an array of gardening gems made by local and international craftspeople, all conveniently sold at my favourite shop in Australia.
The Moss Gardens above are her own creations - Cest Magnifique!



If curling up on a couch with a good book is your thing then please take the time to knock on 
This fantastic artist struck a chord with me from the 
first moment I was a guest in her home.
I usually overstay my welcome - as I'm sure you will too - only because there's music, there's a library, there's tea, there's art...sigh.


...and just before I bid you Adieu, 
here is a very cute Valentines Day idea from the craft heroes at Design Sponge. So simple that any body could make it 



Petite homemade teabags, 
sweet yes?




For a loved one, a deserving mummy, a bestest friend or even just the most important person in everyone's life....









YOU!


PS - This post has inadvertently become a sort of dedication to some of the amazingly talented and generous artists out in the Big Ol World Web.
So I'll make it official, pop open the bubbly and toast you all.
Thank you. 
You inspire me everyday and I know there are so many more out there who agree. You're all stars! 

Having said that credit where credit is due:
Photo 4 - Rachel Red Lips
Photo 5 - Clever Nettle
Photo 7 - Rust
Photo 8 - Mr Sparrow
Photo 10 - Design Sponge

All the other pics are mine

Happy Loving Peoples!