A Sweet Surprise

I was in the Newsagents today on the look out for magazines and I happened upon the most delightful little recipe book….

From the Frankie team comes this absolutely divine wee book full of, well, Sweet Treats! With young children in the house twice a week I felt I was well and truly justified in purchasing this little delight, and making some of the super yummy things inside.

It is jam (excuse the sugary pun) packed with very naughty but nice things, so if you or any of your nearest and dearest have a sweet tooth, then I definitely recommend this fab book.

Ikea Makeover

After somewhat of a disaster with an attempted repainting of a replica Queen Anne dressing table (paint stripper + apparently plastic moulded drawer fronts = disaster), I had to find a replacement immediately, because that's just how I roll (impatiently that is).

So a quick perusal of the Ikea website at lunchtime yesterday, a stroke of creative genius, a trip to Ikea, Bunnings then home later, meant that by late afternoon I had gone from seeing this online:

To creating this:

Check out the handy hair dryer compartment!!

The little stool was part of the Queen Anne set,, a lick of pain and a lovely new fabric makes it a great match if I do say so myself.

Photos: Aimee for Live Lush and Laugh

Back to School

I am a student once again.

So first things first, I need a yellow headband and Blair Waldorfs' stylist.

Actually, might as well throw in my very own Dorota too… She can bring me coffee when I'm buried in the books.

Some fun and fancy Kikki-K stationary…

And as I am doing a Diploma in Photography, my nice shiny new Nikon D90 will come in terribly handy I'm sure!

It's a bit scary but I am so excited about the course. A 24 week (approx) programme is supposed to turn me from novice to professional freelance photographer, with support and guidance from a pro that has been a success in the industry since before I was born.

My first assignment already has me completely terrified, but I will do it and I will learn, and in no time at all I will be taking fabulous shots and hopefully getting paid for it! (she says optimistically… lets hope that lasts!)

Wish me luck! x

Cane, Bamboo, Chinese Chippendales, Oh My!

I have developed a bit of a 'thing' for cane and bamboo painted furniture. I know its everywhere and not a new or original thing, but I really do fancy it. And I want some. Unfortunately the only remotely decent stuff I ever fond on ebay is 'pick up only' from the Eastern States. Boo.

Some lovely examples that I have found in my bloggy travels…

The above were both found at Desire To Inspire

That fab bed head is a clever creation of the talented Anna at Absolutely Beautiful Things

Mirror picture found at Bijou Kaleidoscope

Via Regency Furniture

I would be very excited to find something lovely like this….

…And I think i would paint it a lovely bright turquoise.

I'm sure it would come as no surprise following my above declaration, that I am also extremely partial to the lushness that is the Chinese Chippendale Chair… Swoon….

Chippendale images: The Love List, The Dining Room Chairs, Elle Decor

Good Morning!

When you wake up and look outside the bedroom windows to be greeted with this image, you just know its going to be a good day. Thank you Perth, you do a great Autumn!

Happy Weekend!

Fridays Fancy

Away We Go

Thanks to an icky dose of the dreaded lurgy, I am at home on the couch, under a duvet, box of aloe vera tissues and a pot of French Earl Gray at my side and I just watched the most fabulous film. If you have not seen director Sam Mendes' (of American Beauty fame) new movie 'Away We Go', then I thoroughly recommend it.

A young (well I say 'young' because they are my age :)) couple are expecting their first baby and find themselves on an adventure to find a home for their little family. With a few friends and relatives that they feel could have potential as local companionship dotted about the U.S. they go about visiting them all hoping to find the perfect place to put down roots.

There are some great characters along the way, in fact I think it was worth seeing solely for the superb performance of Maggie Gyllenhaal, her delightfully nutso character is just genius.

I will watch this one again and again. Definitely one for putting a big smile on your face.

I Won! I Won!

Massive thanks to Karen at Blueberry Park! I am so pleased to have won your lovely prize of a Saints and Pinners voucher. So many lovely fabrics, it will be great fun choosing what to get!

So far I am quite keen on these lovelies…

Snail Mail Joy

It is so rare these days to receive proper hand written or hand typed letters, nicely folded and sealed in a real paper envelope with a stamp and everything! What a treat to get this little lovely in the post box, in between all the usual bills and boring paraphernalia that gets shoved down our throats these days.

I will admit that email serves a wonderful purpose, and I love that Mum and I can just shoot off some instant news without having to make a trip to the Post Office. But once and a while… for a nice change, it is lovely to get one of these….

As Mum has recently procured a fab new old Imperial typewriter, she typed up a wee note to accompany some lovely family photos.

Thanks Mum! I will send something back very soon… x

Fridays Fancy

FF has been awol for a couple of weeks, I have just been too busy and having too much fun "working from home" that my bloggy duties have fallen short.

Something I have been enjoying immensely this past couple of weeks is the return of Ashes to Ashes on BBC. So in honour of the great man himself (whom I have an immense crush on even though I know its wrong)…

All hail, The Gene Genie…

Here are a few classic ‘Gene-isms’…

DCI Gene Hunt:

“He’s got fingers in more pies than a leper on a cookery course.”

“She’s as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot.”

“Blimey, if that skirt was hitched any higher I could see what you had for breakfast.”

“And another thing. I intend to drink the equivalent of the North Sea in whisky tonight so raid your piggy banks.”

“Special Branch are as nervous as a virgin in a brothel.”

“Ray if you come in here again dressed like a math’s teacher I will paint your balls the color of hazelnuts and inform a pack of squirrels that winter’s coming.”

If only...

... the kitchen sink always looked this appealing!

Just sitting here at the kitchen bench, wine in hand (the one that's not typing of course) deciding where in my home these lush blooms should be displayed.

Don't you just love those days when things like where you should put your flowers are the toughest decision you have to make? I sure do!