Live * Lush * Laugh

Ten out of ten

2010-09-24T08:20:00.004+08:00

I am over the moon with my results for the second photography assignment of my course. I struggled over this one for a lot longer than I should have and in the end it turns out I should have just trusted my instincts and not tried to over think the lessons. Anyway, I feel so much more confident and excited to keep going with this new venture.

Part of the assignment was to submit a picture utilising some of the techniques we had learned, this was my submission…

So I also feel a little justified in my splurge on this fabulous jewellery from a truly talented Ayala Bar. I found her fabulous designs in a shop in The Rocks in Sydney called 'Hathi'. Absolutely stunning pieces, so beautiful that I was unable to stop at just this one, I chose another necklace and some earrings too. Naughty me!

Latest Buys

2010-09-06T13:37:00.003+08:00

Do you remember I was harping on about wanting lots of lovely Iron furniture back around the time of my Birthday? (here)

Well, we finally picked up some simply DIVINE pieces on the weekend. I am yet to take delivery of these lovelies, but here are some sneaky iPhone pics I took in store at the wonderful Empire shop in Mt Lawley.

This fabulous old filing cabinet is huge and will be a delight to fill with all my little table items, candles, stationary, napery, cutlery, photos… and so on…

(Ooo, how did i miss that fabulous Mirror in the above pic? Hmmm…)

And then there is the long searched for 'perfect dining table'…

I love how the cabriole style of the leg bases completely transform this very industrial cold material into a rather classical looking design piece fit for even the most uppity of dinner parties.

We actually went out looking for a house, but having failed in that search we settled for things to put in one!

A taste of home

2010-09-01T09:24:00.005+08:00

illustration by julia rothman

I was chuffed to discover this fabulous post about my home town on Design*Sponge.

Sarah Hopkins has made mention of some fantastic Wellington institutions, some of them my old favourites and some of them are new to me and I cannot wait to check out when I visit home again in January 2011.

Thanks Sarah, and yay for mentioning the lovely Small Acorns, Amanda's store is truly gorgeous and a visit to Wellington isn't complete without picking up a little item of loveliness from there!

Floriditas is a second *must visit* spot, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Mmmm.

If you are planning a trip to New Zealand, read Sarahs' post and whatever you do, don't skip a visit to this absolute gem of a city.

I did it!

2010-08-29T10:40:00.005+08:00

I am so unbelievably shocked and proud of myself, I never in a million years thought I would a) do anything like this and b) Do it as fast as I did…

This morning I ran the City to Surf 4km run with the Mr Person and Master No. 2. My training consisted of three runs over the past couple of weeks on the gym treadmill, the best time I achieved on the treadmill was about 25 mins. Today I crossed the line at a fraction over 20 minutes.

Yay for me!

Despite the fact I was sure I was having a heart attack at the finish line, I actually survived and I now feel fantastic for it.

Mr Person did really well, a shade over 16 mins, so he too is quite happy. Master No.2 did an impressive 17mins, a great effort for a ten year old!

Right, we're off to the pub…

A Dating Agency for Socks

2010-08-24T20:52:00.004+08:00

Do you have one in your home?

My dressing table stool is the venue where all hip single socks mingle these days, it used to be that the telephone table in the living room was the hot spot in town, but now that place is just sooo 2009. Recently, any sock who is any sock heads to the dressing table stool in the hope of meeting their true 'Sole Mate'.

How these couples end up apart in the first place is a mystery, it just seems that a whole lot of agitation occurs in the old Fisher & Paykel and one ends up running out on the other or worse, getting mixed up with someone else's partner.

As they say though, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and usually, after a bit of time to think and a few rejections from other seemingly like minded but not quite compatible partners, these lone fellows end up finding their way back to their perfect match.

Today, at the Sock Dating Agency, we witnessed such a reunion take place… Oh how we wept with joy….

Here's to all you lucky socks out there who remain happily paired up. x

Spring has sprung in Perth!

2010-08-23T21:36:00.005+08:00

And look what else has started to pop up in my garden…

Yep, for the first time in my life, I made some bulbs turn into pretty flowers!

I cannot wait to see what more lovely blooms will start to appear.

Happy early spring everyone! x

Images by Aimee

I'm Baaaaack!

2010-08-16T12:27:00.003+08:00

I have been somewhat distracted since our holiday to Bali last month and have some serious Blogland catching up to do!

Reason for the distraction? I am now Engaged! Yay!

Mr Person popped the big Q on our first night in Ubud, all very spontaneous, a surprise to both of us really, but it was the perfect moment and we are both over the moon.

So now there is a wedding to plan and many wedding blogs to visit! But I will try to keep up with the posts too. x

Image via Once Wed

A funny thing happened on the way to Bali this morning....

2010-07-21T08:57:00.002+08:00

A woman at the duty free shop just explained to me the concept of spraying perfume onto cards and how it is best not to spray on a card that has previously been sprayed with another fragrance. OMG. Do I look like I have special needs or something?

The Great Southwest

2010-06-23T06:25:00.006+08:00

What a fabulous weekend away we had. In addition to the sheer enjoyment of spending time in the company of great friends, it was also the places we visited, the food we ate and the wine we drank that made the weekend as superb as it was, in that beautiful part of the world that is the Southwest of WA.

We stayed at the lovely Bunker Bay Resort, which was as wonderful as it was the last time we stayed, sensational service, beautiful rooms and lovely food.

An evening in Dunsborough on Friday, included a few rounds of pool at

the towns' tavern (less desirable than most places in the area but serves a fun purpose and makes for some entertaining people watching!)

This was followed by a couple of drinks at the 'Wall to wall' bar (not it's correct name of which I actually have no idea, but a moniker that was given to it on a boys weekend, due to the number of attractive females drinking there.) We then went on to one of our favourite spots, Caves House in Yallingup. I first visited Caves House a number of years ago, when I was still living in Sydney, to attend my cousins' wedding reception which was held there. The entire place has been renovated since then and looks fabulous. The pub is cosy and serves fabulous food which is great when it's a bit cooler and it has a huge decked outdoor area which makes for a fabulous afternoon session spot in the warmer months. The restaurant serves top notch food and wine at not too ridiculous prices. We had a lovely meal there before heading back to the room for a wee kip before watching the England match in the early hours. I wont say any more on that topic though.

Saturday was without question the highlight of the weekend, with a lovely champagne breakfast under our belts we were picked up by Lovely Len the Limo driver at 10am and we headed of on our tour. First stop was Happs, Lynn was our hostess and she greeted us wearing a purple bra (over the top of her t shirt) for the Breast Cancer charity day that had been on the day before but that she decided to extend in order to milk her busiest trading day of the week. We donated to the cause then got down to our cause du jour, sampling wine.

Good wine was tasted, bottles were bought and we were off to the next spot. We opened a 'traveller' for enjoying in the limo between wineries and things started getting merry.

We visited, tasted and purchased at Windance and Pierro (BEST!) before heading to Brookland Valley where we were booked for lunch in their 'Flutes' restaurant. After a superb long lunch we were reminded by Len that we were running out of time, so we threw some more money at him and he took us to out last 'must-visit' spot of the day, Gralyn Estate. They have some amazing wines, we love their Reds and have a number of them already, mostly due to the fact that they have a good knack for calling the Boy Person on an evening when he's had a few wines already and therefore feeling a little 'richer' than normal, and selling him cases of wine that have three figure per bottle price tags. We stocked up on a few of their whites and their simply AMAZING Artisan fortified wine which is pure liquid GOLD.

This is probably a pretty accurate depiction of what i was seeing through the lens at this stage of the day…

The four of us discussed tipping Lovely Len the Limo driver but we forgot to discuss who was going to do the deed. So at the end of the day when I handed him a three figure amount of cash and he nearly started crying with happiness, I had no idea that our friends had already done the same. Len is officially the best paid Limo driver in WA. Bless him though, he was really great.

The Australia/Ghana game was on that night so after a fantastic meal at the resort restaurant, we headed back to the villa to watch.

A sleep in on Sunday was followed by a visit to the Olive Oil Soap Factory, which makes and sells the most beautiful oils, pestos, olives, sauces and so on. They do soap as well obviously, but it was mostly all about the food for us! We had an awful scare though, we managed to fill a basket with quite a few items, not really checking prices because, well, its Olive oil isn't it, how pricey can it be? We knew it was not going to be a particularly cheap visit, however, we were not quite prepared for what happened when we went to pay.

The woman was very grateful to the Boy Person (BP) for helping to re-fill the empty oil tasting bowls with bread earlier (she apparently mistook, greed and impatience with helpfulness) so she said she would apply a 10% discount to the total sale. "ooh lovely" we thought. She said, "so thats a discount of…. $48".

I came over all light headed...

I felt BP's eyes boring into my skull...

I felt the heat rise in my face and a trembling began…

Trying to lighten the atmosphere, I quipped "Ooo gosh.. how did I manage that?!" [insert nervous giggle here]

Our friends looked on with a combination of horror, amazement and mostly, amusement.

Then the woman said, "oh, hang on…"

And I SWEAR that at that very moment, the sun shone in through the window a little brighter.

She had entered a qty of 25 on a couple of the items, instead of 1. Understandable mistake (?!).

Oh how we laughed. Once we had recovered.

We lunched at the Duckstein brewery and had one last tasting at Saracen before heading back home.

When home, I counted the bottles as I put them away in the 'cellar'. 52. We had bought 52 bottles of wine. In ONE day. Oops.

Now thats what I call a 'Lush' weekend :)

Images by Aimee and Friends

Mini Break!

2010-06-16T20:27:00.008+08:00

On Friday, the Boy Person and I are heading off on a 'mini break' with two great friends for a weekend of fun, food, far-too-much-wine and football.

A few hours south of Perth is the fabulous Margaret River region famous for its fabulous wineries, scenery, wineries, surf beaches, wineries, chocolate factory, oh and it has great wineries.

The Bunker Bay Resort will be our base for the weekend, a place the two of us stayed a couple of years ago and loved. This time we are sharing a two bedroom villa with our friends.

It is just a short stroll from the villas down to the beach...

The heated pool looks fantastic but I'm not sure we'll be braving it at this time of year...

Last time our villa had a private garden, I wonder if we'll be on the resorts' lake this time…
The rooms are comfortable and stylish with HUGE bathrooms...

On Saturday we have a 5 hour tour of the wineries booked in, and this is to be our transport…

We're stopping for lunch at the famous Flutes restaurant at the Brookland Valley winery where we will line our tummies with gastronomic delights to soak up the mornings tastings and prepare for the afternoons'.

There is of course the World Cup to consider, so we will be having to huddle around the villa TV (which looks worryingly small in the pics) at some horrible hour of the morning on both Saturday and Sunday to ensure we catch the England and Australian match's.

I had to call ahead before booking the accommodation (conditions imposed by the Boy Person) to specifically ask for confirmation that all four Fox sports channels were available in the villas. Thankfully I spoke to a sports fan who understood the importance of such a query and was happy to check and double check before confirming that we would indeed have access to all of the requested channels. Well thank heavens for that :)

I hope you too have something nice to look forward to this weekend x

Images from: Bunker Bay Resort, Flutes and South West Limousines

I'm Floored…

2010-06-12T14:02:00.008+08:00

I am having a serious case of the 'It's nooooot FAAAAAAAIR!''s, complete with stamping feet and spouting tears.

I stupidly thought i'd see what lovely new things were to be found over at Anthropologie and found some divine rugs, the most divine of all being this one…

The 'Festival Rug' in blue.

A rug is a household item that seems to be impossible to find (a decent version of that is) over this side of the world for under $3k, but that I so desperately need (tr. want).

It seems that although the delightful peeps at Anthro. will ship 'some' items to Australia, sadly, they can't ship this one. Boo.

They have lots of other gorgeous ones in addition to the one above, including different colour ways of the same pattern.

Some more that tickle my fancy are…

The 'Conure'...

The 'Vernal Cusp'...

The 'Gloria's Garden'….

and the 'From the Grey' rug...

Images all via 'Anthroplogie'

FIFA Fever

2010-06-11T16:20:00.005+08:00

Our house is about to become a Football (yes, that's 'Football' not 'Soccer') mad zone for the next few weeks, the Boy Person is at this minute, out stocking up on beer and homemade Pizza ingredients whilst texting me every few minutes to tell me how excited he is that this momentous occasion is finally upon us.

The FIFA 2010 World Cup opening ceremony is on the box tonight, and we will be, sat as a family of four, firmly on the couch, all together (whether we are 'all' interested or not…), for the entire duration.

Then, by the sounds of it, my house will become some sort of doss-house to many English expats who are temporarily leaving their wives and girlfriends while all this hoopla is going on to become creatures of the night, gathered nervously around our television, or pacing up and down the living room, or hiding in the guest bathroom only to peek out every now and then to see if it is still as bad or as close as it was last time they peeked.

I shall be tip toeing around quietly while all this is going on, waving a wee NZ flag, well, for a little while anyway until the not so unpredictable happens at which point I shall swap it for a wee St Georges flag to show support for the Boy Person (and all of our temporary lodgers) in this ever so stressful time.

Let the games begin!

Images: NZ & England Official World Cup 'Away' Shirts.

Busy Busy and Bargains Aplenty

2010-06-11T08:43:00.003+08:00

I have been too busy for blogging lately, which is sad as I should find time for it, however there has been so much going on at the moment with my first Photography Assignment (9/10!), completing a course on share trading on the ASX and the ker-AZY sales on in Perth at the moment.

We have been making the most of the huge discounts at David Jones and stocking up on a multitude of quality household items. I am very fond of my new Jamie Oliver saucepan set ($500 off), Le Creuset grill pan and French Oven (half price!), new additions to my Wusthof knife collection (30% off), and the only thing that has managed to distract the Boy Person from the upcoming world cup madness… his new Jura coffee machine (which had an amazing $1600 off!) from which I am enjoying a delish flat white at this very moment.

So I hope to settle back into normality next week, and get some time to browse blogland a bit, I do miss it so.

Have a fabulous weekend people! x

Image: By Aimee for Live Lush & Laugh

A Sweet Surprise

2010-05-26T18:17:00.007+08:00

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

2010-05-22T09:28:00.005+08:00

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

2010-05-20T12:19:00.008+08:00

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!

2010-05-17T21:49:00.005+08:00

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!

2010-05-15T09:37:00.003+08:00

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

2010-05-14T10:39:00.002+08:00

Away We Go

2010-05-12T13:49:00.005+08:00

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!

2010-05-11T13:17:00.005+08:00

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

2010-05-10T11:03:00.002+08:00

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

2010-05-06T22:06:00.007+08:00

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...

2010-05-06T17:29:00.003+08:00

... 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!

I've been tagged

2010-04-28T11:35:00.005+08:00

Jan over at Fancy That tagged me to play along with a wee game, all I have to do is re-post the 6th photo I ever posted here on Live Lush & Laugh. Well thats easy enough! And here it is:

I fell for this wee oil painting in a great second hand store here in Perth called Turnstyle Collectables, it is packed with amazing items and inspired my current interest in finding old but beautiful treasures at estate auctions, fairs, antique stores and online. This little painting is now part of a cluster wall with a few other friends that I have collected along the way….

To the lovely bloggers listed below, if any of you would like to play along then just re-post your 6th photo ever posted and take a wee trip down memory lane.

Tag! You're it:

Jim jam jom jimlesticks

2010-04-27T22:01:00.006+08:00

I have been a bit quiet on the blog front for a while, its been my first week of not working at the Mint and we've just had ANZAC weekend so we had all sorts going on. I've really enjoyed getting back into the 'family' business and not waking up dreading the days ahead of me.

I was doing some laundry today and I was confronted with a realisation of something quite astonishing, something that had completely escaped my attention until now, despite its quite alarming obviousness…. I have an addiction. To Pyjamas. Peter Alexander Pyjamas to be exact. Since visiting Sydney many many years ago from NZ, when i first discovered the genius that is Peter Alexander PJ's, I have always gone back for more… But this many more? I had no idea!

The Boy Person now wears them also, just because they are there… And they are there, because I buy them. I may have a problem.

But let me be clear here, this is not a thing about wearing PJ's to bed, this is more about throwing off the days business attire, and blobbing out on the couch in front of Inspector Morse or Midsomer Murders in some elasticated, brightly coloured, cotton, breathable, baggy comfy loveliness. Daggy? Yes, perhaps. But do I care? No.

I will not wear them to the shops,

I will not wear them without matching tops.

I will not wear them when visitors knock,

I will not wear them before 5 O'clock… (hmm… that last one was just for rhyming sake.. not true at all)

You get my drift.

So thank you Mr. Alexander, I love getting into your pants!

Images by Aimee for Live Lush laugh

Fridays Fancy

2010-04-16T23:20:00.004+08:00

Just watched some episodes of Blackadder with all the Boy persons and I was reminded of my soft spot for Hugh and that I had not yet done my Friday post. So here is a very late (but still Friday here in Perth) fancy man post…

Sideboard Makeover

2010-04-14T21:28:00.003+08:00

A few months ago I picked up this fabulous solid oak sideboard at an estate auction for an absolute steal. I loved the 40's decor detail and the fact that it was in such superb condition.

The varnished wood look does not fit with the look I want so I set about giving it a makeover for its new life in my home. After an expensive trip to Bunnings (I am incapable of leaving that place for less than $100) I set about about stripping off the stain.

This took some time.

Eventually, a butterfly emerged. Lovely and natural, light and oaky and a little bit rustic. I was torn. I had planned to paint it but this new layer that had unveiled itself was an unexpected delight.

I decided to sleep on it.

After coming to the conclusion that it would be wrong to paint over such a lovely natural piece of oak antique furniture. I went outside to tidy away the striping paraphernalia and give my new sideboard a light sand before coating it in a clear, natural, matte finish.

It was then that I learned a valuable lesson about wood, metal, the sun and what happens if you leave them alone for a couple of days whilst deciding how to finish off your furniture restoration/upcyling project.

I had stupidly left the empty paint stripper cans on top of the sideboard. I picked them up to reveal two very black rings that appeared to be bleeding into the wood in all directions like black rays of sunshine. Shit.

I sanded. I scrubbed. I even tried the left over paint stripper. (This brought back memories of a horrible time when I was about 10 and I accidentally left a hot iron face down on the carpet, and then spent ages scrubbing, bleaching and even trying to trim away the burnt bits of carpet. Before giving in and deciding my only hope was to blame my brother. Yep, I know what you're thinking…. What kind of mother makes their 10 year old do ironing?!)

So, that was it. Back to the drawing board. Well, painting (side)board actually.

As we had a party planned that night I moved it inside anyway and covered the black rings as best I could with some vases etc and we enjoyed its somewhat battered looking naturalness for a little while longer before I decided on the final look.

Many hours were spent turning pages of interior design mags, searching through blogs and staring at the wall of paint sample cards at Bunnings before deciding on the final look. Boring? Perhaps… Safe? Yes I suppose…. Do I love it? Yes. I do. You simply cannot go wrong with Black and white.

With a sort of Chanel/Mary Quant flavour in mind, I decided on sleek, glossy black lacquer finish with these adorable rose drawer pulls that I found at Anthropologie.

I think this look will work fabulously surrounded by both old and new pieces and I do prefer the crisper, cleaner, more striking look than its earlier natural state.

I am so pleased with the result and after all the kerfuffle, I think that in the end it was the best outcome. This look is much more me and with a few changes to the choice of artwork on the wall above and some fun accessories, it is now my favourite spot in the house. For now at least anyway. x

I ♡ Lonny

2010-04-11T10:27:00.003+08:00

Issue 4 out now! Yay!

Images from Lonny

Fridays Fancy

2010-04-09T11:21:00.002+08:00

Mr. Darcy: Miss Elizabeth. I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer. These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you... I had to see you. I have fought against my better judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth by rank and circumstance. All these things I am willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony.
Elizabeth Bennet: I don't understand.
Mr. Darcy: I love you.

2010-04-09T09:04:00.008+08:00

We recently celebrated Miniature-boy-person-R's' 12th birthday.

Boys seem to be so much simpler (and less interesting) than girls to please in the birthday department. Despite my visions of throwing a sophisticated, glamorous, gossip girl-esque event that we could invite all our friends to, with mountains of beautifully wrapped gifts, live entertainment, fabulously crafted and wonderfully tasty food that would show up every other parent who dropped off their young Masters to 'THE' year 7 party of the year... This was not to be.

All that is required is:

A Swimming pool with a slide.

Chicken Nuggets and Chips.
Cash gifts only.

And a store bought cake (gasp!)

According to Boy Person senior and Mrs X, this was all that was required and it would be pointless to try and do anything more. (Although if I thought I would not be treading on certain toes, I still think a home made cake would have been preferable).

Determined to add my little stamp of 'hey look at what a fun and cool step-parent I am', I decided that I could at least throw together some fun treats for the few boys that stayed over at ours after the party. The treats seemed to go down very well, even if the groovy presentation packaging that I scoured all of Perth for did seem to go somewhat un-noticed.

Feeling very pleased with my discovery that the four boys initials spelled out a very apt word for what I intended on feeding them, I bagged up an assortment of sweet treats for that ever important midnight snack and labelled them accordingly....

The labelling was also important due to the fact than one of the visiting young men, Master 'A', does not like chocolate. Yes I am Serious. Weird child. So he had to have some alternative junk thrown in.

For movie and games time, homemade, buttery popcorn was guzzled down happily, (although a couple of days later we were somewhat mortified to hear Miniature-boy-person-C announce to us that "only poor people ate popcorn at the movies". Oh dear. I think perhaps we should watch what we say, even in jest, around impressionable ears from now on!

Happy 12th Birthday Master 'R', may it be a long and happy year, because I fear it is inevitable that you will soon be turning into that teen monster that we all turn into as part of the complete life experience. Yeah yeah, I know... "What-evA". ;-) x

Happy Easter Everyone!

2010-04-01T13:34:00.007+08:00

I've rounded up some of my favourite Bunnies to help celebrate...

The White Rabbit: Alice in Wonderland

Peter Rabbit

Watership Down

Donnie Darko

Aimee's Own

Have a good one everybody and enjoy some good old guilt free choccy eating! x

A light at the end of the tunnel

2010-03-31T08:10:00.004+08:00

An all too familiar scene in our house in the morning....

Is there anything worse than having to waste time doing something you really don't enjoy? Simply because, you HAVE to. Well, things are looking up, and I no longer have to spend precious time doing something I am not passionate about. I am ever so fortunate and ever so excited to be able to have the opportunity to change my mind career-wise. You see, I very naively made the decision many years ago, to follow the money, not my heart. So I ended up becoming very good at, and well paid for, something I quite frankly don't love doing.

In just a couple of weeks I will be free to spend more of my valuable time following the dream of doing something that makes me spring out of bed in the morning with a big smile on my face and joy in my heart and nurturing my 'much more creative than technical' brain.

So, if I am a little quiet on the Blog front in the next couple of weeks it is only because I am busily finishing up what has to be done in order for me to be free to spend much, MUCH more time here in my world of happy!

Fridays Fancy BONUS ISSUE!

2010-03-25T21:47:00.005+08:00

It's been a long time coming, but here he is girls… The Doctor is in the house!

Mmmm… McDreamy Indeed!

Fridays Fancy

2010-03-25T21:37:00.004+08:00

Richard Branson Pool Party

2010-03-25T09:00:00.010+08:00

Wow. Friday nights 'Branson by the Pool' party was fantastic!We had been a tad concerned because of the somewhat ambiguous dress code which simply read; 'A splash of white' (is that a formal splash? a cocktail splash? a bikini splash?!) But we arrived downstairs to a fairly eclectic bunch of whom we felt we were on the dressier side, and as my clever mummy always told me, "There is no such thing as being over dressed". So we were quietly confident that we had the sartorial element well covered and we headed to the VIP section with our heads held high.
What a lovely setting it was. We were welcomed into the VIP area by some buff, smiling, grass skirted, bongo beating, dancing boys, immediately followed by a sea of smiling wait persons holding trays and trays of french champagne, red and white wines, beers, and some strange clear looking liquid which I think someone said was called 'worta' or something ?? Anyway, dont you worry, we steered well clear of that dodgy looking cocktail!

Plush lounge areas were set up under lovely white canopies, beautiful, colourful lighting lit up the trees surrounding the large pool area, and there were, amongst a rather alarming number 'C.U.B.s' (Cashed Up Bogan's) lots of lovely, beautiful and interesting looking people.

We did a quick tour to assure ourselves that the VIP section was in fact much much better than the other bit, and once we were satisfied that the extra charity offering was indeed well worth it, we set about finding some people to mingle with.

We ran into the couple that had told us about the event in the first place and chatted for a while. Their son was lucky enough to be spending the day following Sir Dick around Perth filming for a doco about the charity that he was involved in making, so they were, quite rightly, very proud indeed.

A number of photographers were milling about the place, rounding up the beautiful people to snap for the society pages, the four of us laughed as we were time after time over looked and ignored, despite our best attempts to look pouty and important. It became quite a joke until one such woman of the press approached the Boy Person and I and asked if she could please get a shot of us for the 'WA Today'! Feeling mixed emotions of delight and smugness at passing the 'good enough for Perth's society pages' test and discomfort that she hadn't asked all four of us, we posed happily and the outcome was this:

The night rocked on and Sir Dick eventually turned up in a chariot type thing that was carried by some of those buff, grass skirted men, and did a spiel on stage about the Strike a Chord for Cancer Foundation, then we we were entertained by the singer of the Baby Animals who was joined by some of the very talented young beneficiaries of the charity. They did some great AC/DC covers!

We met some lovely people, drank loads of the lovely champagne, ate too little of the lovely food, and had a thoroughly wonderful time. We never did get to meet Sir Dick though, despite being only inches away from him at most times, he was so swamped with eager and quite disturbingly grabby people, that we decided to just enjoy the event and leave him to it.

So I received no invite to fly to the moon with him, but I did have a magical night, for a very good cause. Thank you Mr. Branson!

Photos, From Top: WA Today, My Own, Mix 94.5, WA Today, Mix 94.5

Won't be too long

2010-03-23T12:00:00.012+08:00

I've been so busy having a lovely time over the last few days that I'm afraid I have neglected my bloggy duties. I even missed Fridays Fancy! I may repay you with a double feature this week... lets just wait and see.
I will be back with more news soon but in the meantime, here's a sneak peak at part of what we got up to on the weekend (looks stressful, right?), I will tell you more soon when I am not at the office trying (unsuccessfully) to look like I am doing my work...

Retail Therapy

2010-03-17T14:17:00.003+08:00

On Saturday I went out to start my great search for a dress to wear this weekend. I did not have a great deal of luck in that department and ended up getting terribly side tracked, as one so often does, and came home with a pile of lovely, but mostly unwearable, goodies. I thought I'd share with you my little pile of loot...

I went a little bit book mad. I went in to the store with the intention of buying the Silver Spoon, but as you can see, I also managed to sneak a few more into the cart. A little book on French Cross Stitching, because I have been wanting to try it for so long, but the patterns and books you normally find on the topic look like they belong in the home of someone rather more senior in years. If I am going to take up old lady activities, I shall at least do it in the styliest manner I can manage!

The Europe Book appealed to my itchy feet and is full of inspiration for new places to visit next time I am over there. And finally, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, because I know I have to read it at some point and even though I have a pile a mile high of books not yet read, I decided now was the time to part with the cash for that one. Because it was there. Do I need a better excuse?

With the French Cross Stitch book purchased, I obviously had to immediately buy some hoops and thread, so I did. And finally, because no shopping trip would be complete without a new item for the wardrobe, a gorgeous navy and white tee, shoulders bejewelled and padded (eek.. first shoulder padded purchase since I've been old enough to buy my own clothes!). Lovely.

I was done then, and ready to head home. However, a gorgeous display of luscious new Mor products was there to see me out, and as it just so happened that we were getting quite low on hand wash in the en suite (only about 2/3 of a bottle left), I grabbed some of the lush Italian Blood Orange hand wash and lotion...

Not a bad wee stash at all :)

Dress Drama Over

2010-03-17T10:53:00.002+08:00

Thanks to Mr. Baker, I am now 'Frocked Up' with a lovely little number, its not white, but cream, and I figure thats good enough, I mean Sir Dick is a man after all, he's not going to know the difference!

Now for the shoes...

Fitting Room Nightmare

2010-03-16T09:17:00.006+08:00

I have an event this weekend that I am quite excited about, and I have stupidly put off buying a dress for it until this late stage. So I shall be trawling the shops every lunch break and after work all week until I find something 'with a splash of white' as the invite suggests.

I did not get off to a good start yesterday. I went to a department store in the city, a fairly well known Australian department store (no, not Target) in order to peruse a number of different collections all in one hit. I found the only two dresses in the entire store that were white and not completely hideous and ventured into the changing rooms.

One sexy little Sass and Bide number was whipped on and then directly off again at lightening speed due to it being wrong on so many levels. So that left one option, not the ideal dress I had in mind, but a very simple shift, a little bit chic, a little bit fun and a little bit sparkly, a little bit Hepburn and a LOT expensive.

Oh well, I'll give it a whirl, I thought. It was one of those zip down the side under the arm jobbies due to its lovely snug and shapely fit but lack of stretch. It slipped on nicely and once zipped up it looked 10 times better than it had on the rack, I was quite pleased and satisfied that I looked pretty good in it, but the stripes of sequins were not really doing it for me enough to shell out the cash there and then. I'll pop it back and keep it in mind as a last resort.

Now this was at about 4:10pm.

Fast forward to 4:12pm... Oh S#%@! How do you get it off?!

4:13... Sequins... falling... seams...popping....

4:16... OK, just keep cool... lets try another approach...

4:17... F*%$#! F&*^! SH#@! BOLL@KS!

4:18... Oh it's really hot and stuffy in here... arms are tired... perspiration forming...I feel faint...

4:19... Is that a sales person I hear out there?? PLEEEASE don't remember that I am in here... go away...GO AWAY!

4:19:30... Phew she's gone. Now if I can just wriggle the lining up a bit with my pinkie... while I dis...lo...cate... AAAAAAAAAAGHH... I am going to have to pay for it. Its the only way. Rip it off, confess, and part with lots of cash for nothing.

4:21... Text to the Boy Person: "Stuck in dress, send help"

4:21:15... Reply from Boy Person: " :D "

4:21:30 Thanks love. Really helpful.

4:23... Don't start crying, there must be a way, you got it on easily enough...

4:24... Wriggle... pant... squeeeeze... puff.... YES! OH THANK YOU GOD, ALLAH, ZEUS, MICK JAGGER, JOHNNY DEPP.... All you gods out there that I prayed to... Thank you.

4:24:30... Dress still OK, QUITE a few sequins on the floor though.

4:25... OMG! Who is that monster in the mirror?! I look like I've just had THE best shag of my life. SERIOUS bed hair, sweaty red face, boobs have escaped from bra in the struggle...

4:26... OK, dressed, hair brushed, face less red, make up smear on dress hidden.. Go go go!

4:28... I made it. I am free! Free from the dress, free from the store, free from buying the stupidest dress I have EVER had the misfortune to try on.

I mean really, that has to be a serious design flaw. I would just like to clarify here, that the dress was a lovely fit, it slipped on easily enough, it was NOT too small for me.

So why could I not get it off? I mean, there was no warning label "This dress requires a shoe horn and an assistant to help remove it in one piece" and I am sure it was from the 'Ready to wear' collection, not the 'Ready to wear... Once, and then cut it off with a pair of scissors' collection.

Or was it designed with the confidence that any woman who wore it would look SO good that as soon as she went out in it, men would immediately fall all over her, seduce her and then ultimately tear it off with their teeth?

Who knows. All I know is that it was the most terrifying fitting room experience of my life.

So my tip for you dear readers is this, if you see the dress below (under coat) on a rack anywhere... leave it there.

Fairytale Wedding

2010-03-13T10:06:00.005+08:00

I absolutely adore every detail of this AMAZING wedding of Eunice (Hello Lucky Co-Founder and Creative Director) and Daniel… I would find it very difficult to NOT rip off all of the fantastical, magical and wonderful ideas used, should my time come to toddle off down t'aisle. Check out the details here and here.

Fridays Fancy

2010-03-12T09:37:00.001+08:00

That's not a knife.. THIS is a knife….

2010-03-11T19:04:00.004+08:00

I have been terribly slack on the blog front this week, not for lack of news but mostly because I have been spending almost every spare moment at the gym in an attempt to work off the past two weeks of fabulous birthday indulgence and a number of nights out seeing more bands than I'm sure most people see in a year (ACADACA!!!!! more on that another day..)

Anyhoo… I thought I should pop in quickly so any readers out there know that I am still alive.

So, if you didn't think I had already done very well on the birthday present front, then this should make amends. On Saturday, I returned from a trip to Bunnings (I should have shares in that place, I LOVE it!) with my shiny new power drill (yes, MY power drill… I am the official pants wearer and man about the house in this relationship :)) to be greeted by the lovely Boy Person doing the old 'pick a hand' routine…. I chose the right and was presented with a knife sharpener. Hmm… exciting? No, not really… but then I noticed a little logo on it, a logo I was quite familiar with, a logo I had discovered whilst researching what the best kitchen knives were… And that logo, combined with cheeky grin on Boy Persons face, combined with the fact that left hand was still hiding something behind back resulted in a light bulb moment of sheer excitement and shouts of "NO WAAAAAY?!!?!" at which point that lovely Boy of mine presented me with the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (OK, well, most beautiful kitchen utensil I have ever seen)… My very own, brand spanking new, Wusthof knife!

So apart from working out, I have also been chopping, slicing and dicing at every opportunity I can get.

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-07T08:51:00.006+08:00

I cannot say enough about this wonderful wonderful film. It was quite simply superb. Go see it. Go see it now!

Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, brilliantly evil….

Johnny Depp, the Genius Nutter...

Mia Wasikowska, a beautiful and almost grown up Alice….

Anne Hathaway, the nice but quirky White Queen...

Paul Whitehouse, the hilarious March Hare
And oh so many more adorable characters and performances. My favourite of the year so far, thanks Mr Burton! ♥

Eats

2010-03-05T15:02:00.009+08:00

As I mentioned here, we decided to go to Nine Fine Foods for my Birthday dinner last weekend. I am so glad we did! It was absolutely stunning. More on that in a minute....

Before dinner, we decided to have a hit of tennis for an hour or so , you know, to 'earn' the calories we planned on consuming. So, after a bit of back and forth on instant messenger about where we would play (apparently, well, as I understood it) all the courts at our club were booked up for the evening. So after work I nip home, change into my tennis gear, then quickly pose for a 'Tennis Weekly' shoot....

.. What do you mean? Of course that is me!

Anyway, then I nip off to meet the Boy Person at the courts around the corner from our house, because of course, as Boy Person said, there were no free courts at our normal club. Looking forward to our game, I stand in the main meeting area doing lots of stretches and warm ups...

I called Boy Person to confirm that he was meeting me at the club rather than at home and yes, that was all sorted and he would be there in minutes. I waited, and waited, and waited...

So I called him, "how far away are you??... I'm here!... No you aren't!...I am so!..." and so on. I explained that I was waiting next to the shop, at which point he realised.... We were at different clubs.

Well, clearly there had been a misunderstanding, and CLEARLY it was HIS fault. So with that I stormed off home trying to ignore the looks from the 'ladies who lunch' who had been watching me and assuming I was being stood up.

On the way home though I started to giggle, was quite funny really and hey, we'd just have to start the birthday celebrations a bit earlier instead!

So we dolled ourselves up and headed over the road to our local for a pre dinner drink. And it was just our luck too, it just happened to be... Karaoke night! woohoo! [please note strong levels of sarcasm here]

But in actual fact, It was quite amusing. A rather scary looking group of dolled up old girls, who looked like they would be better suited sitting in the Rovers Return, and who clearly took their Karaoke nights very VERY seriously, rocked up and proceeded to warble and strut their stuff like there was no tomorrow (to be honest there may not have been in some of their cases).

After resisting the temptation to quietly tell one of the old ducks that she really wasn't pulling of the Tina Turner shift dress she was wearing, we headed off around the corner to Nine Fine Foods.

After perusing the menu we decided that the set menu was the yummiest and best value option. And we were right. The starter of mixed Sashimi was the best I've ever tasted and there was plenty of it, the next course was a delectable plate of seared Scallops and Duck, the main was a melt in your mouth beef fillet with a creamy mash and crisp fresh tempura veges. Then the desert, which was obviously their signature sweet, a Banana, Chocolate and Red Bean Spring roll with Chocolate ice cream. OMG it was DIVINE!

We washed all of that down with a couple of lovely chardonnays and headed back to check on Vera, Beryl, Betty and Hilda who were still rocking out the pub next door.

Next morning (Birthday) we were up at sparrows fart and headed off to try a cafe near us that I'd heard great things about. West End Deli. It is a great place, very rustic in its decor, chairs hang on the walls, and old cash register sits in the corner and the paint on the walls is peeling off by the metre. The coffee was the best I have had in Perth. That is no exaggeration, it is near on impossible to get a decent coffee (more so if you are a Wellingtonian like me and therefore used to THE best coffee in the world) and this one was fab.

For eats we both ordered the Smoked Salmon on brioche, with poached egg, coriander and a date and egg plant chutney. It was amaaaaaaaaazing.

I cant wait to head back there to try some of the other delights on offer!

I've made myself hungry now.... so I'm off to get supplies for tea. Have a great weekend! ♥

Fridays Fancy

2010-03-05T13:10:00.002+08:00

I could hardly let the week end without honouring the lovely Mike Patton of Faith No More as part of Fridays Fancy, could I? So here he is, in all his gloriousness....

Birthday Presents

2010-03-04T10:02:00.006+08:00

Well I certainly had a wonderful Birthday, and it lasted all weekend long. I will update you on the wonderful culinary delights tomorrow, but lets get the most important stuff out the way first...

PRESENTS! I love presents, who doesn't really. Except of course when you get something really crappy that you don't want, that makes you think, "has this person not met me? Have they confused me with some tasteless dodgy distant relative of theirs? Are they MAD?!"

And before you all start accusing me of being a spoilt, ungracious and ungrateful little so and so... COME ON! We have all thought it at some point. You just don't say it, its the saying 'Thank you' despite the fact it's a crap gift that makes you gracious.

Anyway, I thankfully had a 'crap present' free Birthday this year, in fact, quite the opposite.

{I must apologize for the decline in photo quality at the moment, Mr. Canon EOS has come over all squiffy and is not playing the game any more so I have had to bring out young Master. Cybershot, who quite frankly, has had a bit of a rough life travelling from country to country, pub to bar to pub and so on and so forth so he now has trouble focusing on the world, much like his owner}

First up, the miniature Boy Persons (11 & 9) gave me this wonderful book that you may recognise from my wish list. I have not had a chance to read all the wordy bits yet but the photos are wonderful, and indeed Inspiring!

A gorgeous parcel from home contained some lush goodies from my lovely Mum and VIN. Dawn French's book I have been wanting to read (that's her peeking out in the first photo) and some lovely treats from the wonderful Wellington store Small Acorns. Funky fabric stickers are now adorning my MacBook, which is ideal as the Boy person and I have been known to pick up each others by accident on occasion!

And the Bloom Sea Salt scrub (far right above) is absolutely divine.

On Saturday, we went for a fabulous breakfast (more on that tomorrow) then we went to a shop that I have been meaning to visit for ages. Oh. My. God. Where have you been all my life? Distracted is a wonderful little place that includes shop, cafe, hair salon and Brazilian waxing salon!

I fell in love immediately and declared that "this is where I want my Birthday present to be purchased!" So, given that I had actually already been given my (rather generous) birthday presents including lovely meal out, and tickets to a couple of festivals, I was told I was allowed to pick ONE item of extra birthday goodness, so I (pouted and frowned) my way around the store for about 30 minutes trying to pick which ONE item I wanted most (I mean really, ONE?).

I decided (to great surprise even to me as it was not the most expensive item in the store) on this lovely little vase...

So, happy with my little treasure, I popped it on the counter to pay.

But then, I spied behind the counter, a Glass Dome, I have been needing (yes that's right, needing) one of these for a while. Panic overcame me, what do I do? Shall I just stick with the lovely little vase and simply sneak back at a later date for the Dome (lets face it, Boy Person would probably never notice if it suddenly appeared a week later) Or should I bat my eyelids and beg to add just one more little tiny extra treat?

Then... His phone rang. It was his mate calling about our evenings plans. He went outside to chat. And then I remembered something someone very wise told me a few years ago...

'It is easier to ask forgiveness, than to ask permission'. GENIUS!

So I said to the girl at the counter quickly, "actually could you just pop one of those lovely glass domes in the bag too please... no don't bother wrapping it....it will be fine really.... Just get IT IN THE BAG NOW!...."

Shoot. He was back. Still on the phone, but standing at the counter next to me with eyebrows raised and a look of... well not surprise that's for sure. Oops. So I started batting my eyelashes furiously while he relayed to his mate that his phone call had probably just cost him hundreds of dollars. I grinned with smugness and advised that it was actually much less than that and took that to be the vindication I required. Yay!

And so, birthday treat number two from Distracted is now sitting proudly where he was much needed....

A busy day followed, watching 'Miniature Boy Person of the Smallest Variety' get a Personal Best at his Athletics event, then a bit of pampering in the city before arriving home many hours later to find that not one, but TWO big bunches of roses and Lillies (one from Dad and family and one from Big Brother) had been delivered and left sitting on the front porch in the stinking 40°C heat.

Whilst they were looking a bit desperate, most of them actually survived very well. I quickly rescued them from their nearly dry blocks of florist foam, trimmed, watered and separated before dotting them about the house. Wasn't it lucky I bought that lovely wee vase?!

A very blessed '30 and some months' year old I am indeed. ♥

You gotta have Faith!

2010-03-02T22:32:00.006+08:00

…and boy did I get it!

Faith No More were AMAZING. I have very few more words to say about it I'm afraid. Just more like that one really; awesome, beautiful, talented, rocking, brilliant, sensational, superb, better than ever, magic…. I think you get my point.

So anyway, here's a few piccies I took while there, the first is not of FNM, obviously, but I love the pic and It was a fun swingy round-abouty thing that the Boy person and I went on after seeing Placebo (and before things turned to custard for a while).

I wont go into great long winded detail about the Custard situation and evening to follow, but I shall summarise it for you as follows:

Lost iPhone (his)

Lost Boyfriend (mine)

Angry and upset Girlfriend (his)

Lost opportunity to see Janes Addiction due to lost boyfriend (mine)

Trip home alone on bus so he could call girlfriend from landline to tell her he had no iPhone and could not find her (his)

Fall from great height due to B&E attempt because girlfriend had the keys (his)

Slightly damaged tree in courtyard due to a falling man thinking it was strong enough to climb down (owner of our rented house)

Broken face due to punch received from some angry FNM fan who appeared to be alone, upset and trying to get past a guy who was being an aggressive and slightly scary jerk (guy who was being an aggressive and slightly scary jerk that thought it was funny to push me around and not let me out of the crowd)

Temporary loss of Tag Heuer watch and handbag after having slight tussle with aforementioned jerk (mine)

Feeling of pride and super-heroine-ness due to face punching and ass kicking of Jerk (mine)

Relief to have not lost very expensive watch and handbag contents (mine)

Joy, elation and excitement at watching Faith No More live again, albeit alone (all mine)

Mike Patton even sang a number just for me as you can see here below by reading the ACTUAL speech bubble that conveniently and miraculously appeared out of his mouth just as I took the photo and was real and in no way fabricated or added after the fact by utilising digital editing software or anything like that…

Honest.

♥♥♥AM ♥♥♥

♥♥♥EVA! ♥♥♥

✌✌✌ FAITH NO MORE ROCKS!!!!! ✌✌✌

OK, that's it. I assure you that all the 'teenager-ness' is now out of my system and I promise to deliver more mature and less groupie-esque nonsense from now on.

Images all taken by moi

Excuse me while I revert back to being a teenager….

2010-03-01T14:16:00.005+08:00

I am heading off to see one of my all time FAVOURITE bands this evening. I last saw them in Wellington in 90-something and am so so SO excited to see them again. My lovely friend, Ange, from back home went to see the Auckland show and assures me that they are still superb and that the gorgeous Mike Patton is still as lust worthy as ever :)

The poster above was designed for the Auckland Show, I cant wait to see what the Perth one looks like. I may even have to put one on the bedroom wall for a while just to feel young again.

Also appearing before the headliners are a couple more of my teenage (and current) faves, Placebo and Janes Addiction. WooHoooo!

Right, time to put my dancing/moshing/crowd surfing shoes on…. Here I come Mikey!!!

Fridays Fancy

2010-02-26T14:38:00.004+08:00

I know I know... three posts in one day. But I nearly forgot! Its Friday :)

I am aware I may be on my own with this one, my friends dont seem to agree, but what can I say? I have always had a thing for bad boys...

Hot stuff

2010-02-26T13:57:00.007+08:00

I am sooooooo not cut out for this Perth heat. Its bad enough that it was 42c degrees yesterday, but just to really make my day, a tree, that had clearly decided it was just far too hot to stand around outside, keeled over taking down some power lines with it. Yup, power cut in the city. No air conditioning. No refrigerator. No happy Aimee.

As soon as a slight (warm) breeze could be felt we moved from the sweatbox (living room) to the mosquito trap (courtyard) and entertained ourselves thusly....

Warm wine and magazines, a little camping light and some bug spray.

Unfortunately, the aerogurad did little to keep the biters away so I now look like I was made in the Fenton workshop....

However, the wine and mags kept our spirits up until we finally noticed the inside light was on.

I shall tell myself it had only just come on that very second so as not to despair at being out in that heat for longer than necessary.

And so, another hot day greets us today. It is 36c degrees at this very moment (2.21pm) and this little note appears in my inbox...

Today, really does feel like 'a Hell of a day!'.

Birthday Wishlist - Part V

2010-02-26T08:57:00.007+08:00

Tonight I am being treated to a romantic dinner out at a lovely place from my wish list of the following great Perth Restaurants....

Jacksons - Quite possibly the finest restaurant in Perth. Absolutely stunning in every way, food, service and ambiance. I love it. However, I have been there so I've decided against it this time...

Balthazar - Love Love LOVE this place, again, the food, service and ambiance are fantastic, and the wine list is SUPERB! We ate here for the third time last weekend with two of our lovely UK family members who have just gone home after a wonderful year long visit... I digress... So anyway, we're not going to go here tonight....

Star Anise - I have heard wonderful things about this place, its one of Perth's best and I have not been yet, so will we be going tonight you ask???......

Nope. We are going to try another one we have been meaning to try ever since moving to a house just a few houses down from it...

Nine Fine Foods - It has fabulous reviews and is supposed to be the best Japanese restaurant in Perth. It is BYO which is a rare and excellent treat for such a nice place. So I am very much looking forward to trying some of their wonderful creations tonight.

... along with a bottle of this and maybe some of this too which I spied in the fridge last night. Aren't I a lucky birthday girl?!

Nine Fine Foods Pic from here
Balthazar Pics from here
Jacksons Pics from here
Star Anise Pics from here

Birthday Wishlist - Part IV

2010-02-25T15:27:00.007+08:00

No birthday wishlist could possibly be complete without some Tiffany & Co. Bling! Come to mama my pretties.....

Hmm, I really dont like my chances with this lot. Ho-hum.

Birthday Wishlist - Part III

2010-02-23T12:23:00.012+08:00

Some lovely... Chairs

These ones...

a couple of these...

and this one...

Birthday Wishlist - Part II

2010-02-23T08:43:00.009+08:00

I love a good hardback coffee table book, one that is both interesting to read and also looks great as an featured item in your home, these are a few I am currently lusting after...

"About the book
The 20th Century Art Book was hailed upon its release as an exciting celebration of the myriad forms assumed by art over the last century. Complementing the phenomenally successful Art Book, and most recently The American Art Book, it presents a new and original way of bringing art alive. Covering the truly international nature of the modern art scene, it encompasses established, iconic works of art and the classics of the future. 500 artists are showcased in alphabetical order, each represented by a full-page colour plate of a definitive work and an incisive text which sheds light on both image and creator. This book is above all easy to use: cross-references help the reader make connections between artists; there is a jargon-free glossary of artistic terms and movements; and an international directory of museums and galleries lists the works on public view. Ideal for those approaching the subject for the first time, it is a fun and unintimidating look at the ever-expanding boundaries of art. " - phaidon.com

"From Dickensian charm to modern cool, London has it all–and this guide will help you find it. With a selection of stylish hotels, from classic to designer; antique markets, vintage stores and the hippest boutiques; and all the best of the capital's restaurants, bars, tea rooms and pubs, Angelika Taschen's compact compendium is a must for the discerning traveller." - Taschen.com

"Helmut Newton (1920–2004) always demonstrated a healthy disdain for easy or predictable solutions. SUMO—a bold and unprecedented publishing venture—was an irresistible project. The idea of a spectacular compendium of images, a book with the dimensions of a private exhibition, reproduced to exceptional page size and to state-of-the-art origination and printing standards, emerged from an open, exploratory dialogue between photographer and publisher..." - Taschen.com

"The Silver Spoon, the most influential and successful Italian cookbook of the last 50 years, is available in English for the first time. Originally published in 1950, it became an instant classic, selling over one million copies in eight editions. Considered essential in every household, it is still one of the most popular wedding presents today..." - phaidon.com

"People say that the most successful homes are the most sustaining and invigorating to live in, or even just to visit. This is true of Barton Court, the house in Berkshire where Terence Conran has made his country home since 1977. It has been a family home, a centre to his Habitat Design business, a factory and studio for producing commercial and domestic furniture, a laboratory for testing his recipes and writing cookery books and has a working fruit, vegetable and herb garden, supplying produce for his restaurants. Through the objects that Terence has collected, and the things he finds on his travels, we can learn, not only about the man behind a multi-million pound empire, but the processes that stimulate his creativity and the sources of his inspiration."- Amazon.co.uk

Birthday Wishlist - Part I

2010-02-22T14:04:00.006+08:00

It turns out that all I want for my birthday is not listed in Fridays post. I want lots more. Lots and lots and lots of luscious lovelies from all over the place. So this week, I will be dropping some seriously unsubtle hints in the hope that someone, somewhere out there (someone with rather a lot of disposable cash, therefore someone I probably, sadly don't know) will shower me with all that i desire on Saturday morning.

What a shame I am not meeting Sir Dick until next month. I suppose I could always refer him to this post when I do meet him and then and happily accept some belated goodies from my new BBFF (Billionaire Best Friend Forever).

Anyway, here goes. Do you have your Credit card ready?

I would be happy to add all or any of these bags of gorgeousness to my Orla Kiely collection.

All I want for my birthday is an Iron...

2010-02-19T12:59:00.005+08:00

An Iron 'locker' style wall unit...

An Iron table...

An Iron display cabinet...

An Iron side table...

An Iron pair of bucket chairs...

(Apologies for the poor photo quality, iPhone was all I had with me.)

So for all you lovely people wishing to buy me exactly what I want for my birthday (i'll be 30 and 'some months' next weekend) You can find all the lovely pieces at my fave furniture store here in Perth, Empire. ♥

Fridays Fancy

2010-02-19T09:34:00.002+08:00

Rubie Love

2010-02-17T12:10:00.003+08:00

I need a little Rubie in my life. Rubie Green that is. I just love these fabrics and I may have to rethink my bedroom decor (for about the millionth time) in order to accommodate some of these lush prints.

Images found here and here

Tretchikoff Treats

2010-02-15T08:43:00.003+08:00

I am so excited to have found some original vintage Tretchikoff prints that are in very good condition, these two lovelies are winging there way to me today and I cant wait!

Magnolia:

The Balinese Girl:

I also love the wotk of J.H. Lynch, my Grandfather had Tina in pride of place in his Billiards Room and I was always so intrigued by her. Many hints have been dropped that I would love to babysit her for him for an extended period of time, however, it seems that she is as loved by my grandparents as by me. If I find one that is in as good condition as my Grandparents one is, I might just have to add it to my wee collection of gorgeous retro art.

images via here and here

Happy Valentines Day Beautiful Boy….

2010-02-14T12:29:00.003+08:00

Image: My own, Inspiration for valentine bulb: http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/02/diy-project-valentine-lightbulb.html

Fridays Fancy

2010-02-12T10:57:00.002+08:00

Happy Valentines Mr. Owen and Readers! ♥

Inspiration Aplenty

2010-02-11T10:03:00.005+08:00

I LOVE discovering great new blogs. I always need more to distract me from my proper daytime desk job duties, to cheer me up, to inspire me, to stay up until 2am reading and bookmarking, to envy and to share with others.

Thanks to the clever Jen over at Made By Girl, I have discovered the absolutely delightful blog of dottie angel. She is a genius of handcrafted goodness in a way that I envy bitterly but am so so so inspired by. I have a list a mile long now of little projects I want to either start, finish or completely re-do because of what I have seen of hers.

Tif (the dottie angel herself) has the most adorable way with words and storytelling, you cant help but 'goofy grin' your way through all her lovely posts.

I recently acquired a great little retro display cabinet, not too dissimilar to the one below, I had planned on using it in my sewing/craft studio to display all my fabrics, I hope it looks as great as this one does full of lovely balls of yarn!

I dont think I will ever stop loving and wanting this wallpaper of Orla's..

As it goes in the great world of Blogland, one great blog always leads to more. Tif led me to another clever lady from Belgium. Yvonne Eijkenduijn. Check out her blog here.

I just love this print above the toilet!

Just had to share those with you, I must now get back to discovering more and more loveliness to feed my soul ♥

Fridays Fancy

2010-02-05T08:05:00.002+08:00

Quite possibly, THE hottie of the century....

Have a dreamy weekend ♥

On Yer Bike!

2010-02-03T22:02:00.013+08:00

Ever since my last visit to Europe, in particular Belgium, where EVERYONE cycles around their cities, to the shops, out for coffee (and waffles!), meeting friends for a drink, to school, to work, to church.... EVERYWHERE, I have loved the idea. Despite having finally procured a drivers license only two years ago, I now dream of nipping around town in one of these beauties....

Fendi:

Gucci:

Hermès:

Chanel:

A little prohibitive perhaps. There must be more obtainable versions out there... Where did all these glamourous looking cyclists get their lovelies?

I dont know where they got theirs, but I am picking up MY little lovely from the cycle shop over the road from work today!! Yep, Boy person and I spied some fabulous Schwinn Cruisers a while ago and set about selling our old crappy 'modern' looking bikes in order to replace them with these.

Here's my 'Cream' Schwinn:

She will look even lovlier when the man has fitted her little cane basket on the front....

And here is the Boy Persons Schwinn, named (rather aptly I think) 'Willy'....

Of course, it does not go un noticed that all those gorgeous persons above are not wearing the dreaded old Australian enforced Bicyce Helmet. However, I have discovered that there are better options out there, so next on the list is one of these, or something similar at least....

Oh, and of course, apart from all the looking cool and chicness of it all, our main reason for purchasing these was to help reduce the size of our nasty ole carbon footprint. Honest!

Pictures found here: (1-4. found in my file, credit unknown sorry) 5. Marie Claire 6. porhomme.com 7. cycleisio.us 8. porhomme.com 9. cyclechic.be 10. porhomme.com 11. velocummuter.com 12-14. thesartorialist.com 15. ridingpretty.com 16. kidlazy.wordpress.com 17-18. cyclestyleshow.com 19. bikehugger.com 20. (my file, credit unknown sorry) 21-24. Bikes from Schwinn 25-29. Helmets by Yakkay.

Look Look

2010-02-03T08:09:00.004+08:00

I love my Mac book. I hate that it took me so long to discover her. But now that have I want to look after her and love her and enjoy her for as long as she is still one of the newer models at least and then I shall cast her aside without a thought and get a better, funkier, shinier new one to love.....

Anyway, until then, I want to buy her one of these. The Book Book has done the rounds a bit on the blogosphere already, but I am so taken by it that I felt the need to express my admiration.

I love old books too, so I think the idea is genius, to protect and disguise your prized macbook in a lovely old leather Book Book!

Book Books are from here. ♥

Fridays Fancy

2010-01-29T14:50:00.004+08:00

Every Friday morning a friend of mine emails around pics of her fave 'hotties'. I thought I might introduce this idea into my blog. So from now on, you can check in here to see my latest 'Fridays Fancy'....

Fly me to the moon...

2010-01-28T08:51:00.015+08:00

...Is what I shall be saying to Sir Richard Branson when I meet him on March 19th.

I am very excited to be attending a fabulous charity event at the Burswood. The event has been organised to raise funds for the Strike a Chord for Cancer Foundation which you can read all about here.

I have decided that Sir Dick and I shall become great friends and he is sure to invite my lovely friends and I on one of his Virgin Galactic voyages.

We treated ourselves to VIP tickets for a few reasons, a) It's a good cause b) we get to meet the man himself (and become BFFs of course) and c) French Champagne, lots and lots of French Champagne.

So the obvious dilemma remains to be solved. What does one wear to a pool side charity event hosted by one of the richest men in the world??

How about, a little Jonathan Saunders?..

Perhaps Roberto Cavalli?..

A Wee Pucci?..

Get wrapped up in Herve Leger?..

Or a Sunny Thakoon?..

Hmm... I may have to aim for a slightly more achievable target where the wardrobe is concerned. Ho Hum. Well, it's nice to dream isnt it?

All shoes (Jimmy Choo) and Dresses Found here

Fantastic Indeed

2010-01-27T08:11:00.007+08:00

If you have kids, if you dont have kids, see this film. It is such a refreshing change to the G rated genre, clever, funny and stylishly filmed. It was easy to spot that it was the work of Wes Anderson, it certainly had that Royal Tenenbaum vibe.

I'd never heard of the book, it must be the only Roald Dahl book i missed, I have no idea how that happened! However, the smallest boy person informs me that it was a bit different to the book, but that he really liked the movie. Medium and biggest boy persons also rated it highly.

This one gets 4 and a half hearts from me ♥♥♥♥♡

Silly Season Part Two

2010-01-10T17:51:00.008+08:00

We had such a fantastic NYE. I have always thought that a masquerade party would be the perfect compromise between the utter annoyance of having to come up with an fun, witty, unique, comfortable, flattering, inexpensive costume and the ennui of the 'every saturday night with a few friends and an esky of beer in the backyard shindig'. So, a masquerade party is what we had. And it was fun!

The boy person and I were the only ones with home made masks, and these were bit rushed on the night before but nonetheless did the job. In actual fact I was quite pleased with the very simple solution I came up with for his mask… I painted a plain mask in Blackboard paint so that he and others at the party could decorate it as the night went on.

I made these cucumber cups with homemade boursin after seeing the recipe at design sponge and they were absolutely divine, great for a warm summers evening…

Towards the end of the evening (or should that be, 'as the sun was coming up'…) this is pretty much what everything was looking like, a blur of dancers, sparklers, music and laughter. A wonderful start to 2010 indeed!

Silly Season Part One

2010-01-06T22:04:00.004+08:00

Christmas day was a huge hit at our house, we had such a great time… I'm going to let the pictures do the talking though, because quite frankly, i'm still knackered.

Food…

Fun...

And Family…

Party Time!

2009-12-31T09:10:00.007+08:00

We're hosting a NYE party tonight for some of our favourite people, unfortunately a few cant make it though, so to them and all of you out there in blogland... I wish you a safe but fun filled evening and a very happy 2010!

See you next year ♥

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-25T08:07:00.004+08:00

There was much laughter in our house last night when we saw this…. Hope you enjoy it too….

There are more here that are also hilarious… Penny Lane is another favourite of ours. Enjoy ☆

My Very Own Christmas Elf

2009-12-21T22:44:00.006+08:00

Why I decided to do soooooo much for xmas this year escapes me sometimes, but I know that it will all be worth it on the day, and I certainly know my efforts are appreciated. I was pleasantly surprised this evening that the Boy Person was so keen to roll up sleeves and get crafty with me.

Tonight it was mostly Cracker duty, and I was well pleased to have someone else to assist with the fiddly bits. The tacky cracker kits that I used as a base needed to be disguised with some nice plain paper, so I glued and he cut. Would you look at that concentration!

Bless his little heart ♥

A little rest and relaxation before the Xmas celebrations

2009-12-18T09:31:00.006+08:00

This time last week I was a bit concerned about our decision to go away the weekend before Christmas, however after a busy week of shopping, wrapping, decorating (oh and the odd bit of work at the office...) I am definately ready for a bit of rest and relaxation. A couple of days of blobbing on the beach and drinking a cocktail or ten will be just the ticket before next weeks mad dash to the Christmas finish line! So lookout Rottnest, here I come....

I do hope she has moved from my spot by the time I arrive tomorrow morning.

Yep, it really is that blue over there...

Its always nice to see these friendly little guys....

Quokkas, very cute animals that look like miniature Kangaroos are found in great numbers on Rottnest Island, it is apparently one of the only places in the world that they live.

The Quokka Arms is another sight I shall be happy to see...

Mmmm... Only one more sleep to go. ♥

Brown paper packages tied up with string...

2009-12-17T22:29:00.003+08:00

...Christmas is one of my favourite things!

Getting right into it now, most of the shopping is done, started wrapping parcels and even made a start on the food (the frozen xmas dessert part that is). The ugly rumours of a 46 degree day have been quashed too thank goodness, heres hoping the forecast of 33 is fairly accurate… That I can deal with! ♥

First Presents

2009-12-16T20:07:00.004+08:00

I can always count on my very clever and very stylish Mum to add some class to any event. A big box full of goodies arrived in the post yesterday and as expected it held some beautifully wrapped parcels to give our tree something to proudly stand guard over. Lovely felt bags, handmade gift tags and a cleverly used paper doily. You always deliver the goods when it comes to creative flair and making a gift that extra bit special, thanks Mum, we cant wait to see what lies beneath! xXx

Festive Feathers

2009-12-13T20:27:00.009+08:00

Aaaarh! Is it really only a week and a half until Christmas? I am going away next weekend which i'm sure I thought was a brilliant idea when we booked it, however, that means NO MORE WEEKENDS! Why oh why did I plan so many home made xmas things?

Thankfully, I had quite a productive weekend, got lots of the stocking stuffer type shopping done, made the stockings (sacks really… photos to come) for the small people, wrapping paraphernalia was purchased, and I also made these very cool (if I do say so myself) glass baubles with Turkey and Ostrich feathers inside…

I picked up the baubles and feathers from Spotlight, a place that must do incredibly well at this time of year!

I filled the smaller glass baubles with the little coloured feathers, saving the larger red and white Ostrich feathers for the biggies.

I am so pleased with them, isn't it great when an idea works as well as you hoped? Our tree looks so lovely now with these extra bursts of colour.

Have a great week, hope yours isn't as stressful as I fear mine shall be! ♥

Something for the little ones that need it most

2009-12-10T20:48:00.003+08:00

I just love this music video put together for the BBC Children in Need. Apart from it being for a good cause, the hilarious genius that is Peter Kay is behind it so it just had to be good. How lovely to see so many wonderful characters from past and present, so children both young and old can enjoy it. Gets my vote for the Christmas Number One!

Well done Mr Kay. Respect ♥

Bali Dreaming

2009-12-10T14:18:00.012+08:00

A couple of weeks ago we took advantage of a great Jetstar sale and booked ourselves some super cheap flights to Bali in July. We figured that gives us plenty of time to save our pennies for a nice week long stay. Last year we stayed near Seminyac, Kuta which was lovely but this time we're keen to go further inland and stay in or near Ubud. We have been told by many that it is one of the best spots to visit and from what i'm seeing online, I have to agree it looks stunning....

This extract from here sells it quite nicely: "Ubud is arguably the best place to use as a base if you're visiting Bali; if you're looking for culture, comfort, nature and inspiration. Ubud is surrounded by most of the things that bring people to Bali -- scenic rice fields, small villages, art and craft communities, ancient temples, palaces, rivers, cheap accommodation and unique luxury hotels. And it's central location makes it easy to get from Ubud to the mountains, beaches, and major towns."

I rather fancy staying here...

Or maybe here...

I suppose I would settle for here too...

I may have to earn some serious brownie points (and cash) in the next six months in order to end up at any of those lush spots though!

Meanwhile, to help combat the 'Bah Humbugs' that seem to be unavoidable at this time of year, i'll just imagine myself at the edge of one of those luxurious private infinity pools overlooking the stunning River Oos, cocktail in hand, and Boy at my side. Hmmm.....

Wild Things…I hope I love you

2009-12-05T14:24:00.006+08:00

Heading off to the cinema to escape the 37 degree heat and check out Spike Jones' Where the Wild Things Are. A favourite book of my childhood that i can't wait to see come to life on the big screen. I do hope it doesn't disappoint.

Christmas Countdown

2009-11-30T22:21:00.005+08:00

I am very excited about Christmas this year. I am hosting my very first little family Christmas here in Perth. The Boys' brother and his BFF are currently visiting from the UK, so they will be enjoying their first ever southern hemisphere xmas here with us and on top of that we have the Boys' wee lads staying with us for the entire weekend, which of course makes it oh so special.

So whilst this Christmas is going to be very 'visitors and little people focused', I wanted to do something that was just for me and the Boy. I decided to create an advent calendar made up of little notes for each other, to share things that we love about one another, things that make us smile, laugh or maybe just memorable times we've shared. So we both scribbled our 24 notes down on red (for him) and blue (for me) card, and sealed them in 24 individual envelopes ready to be opened each day leading up to Christmas.

How nice it will be to end up on Christmas day with an envelope full of 24 messages of loveliness from my Boy. A little package of smiles that will surely beat any gift under the tree.

Happy first of December! xo

Before and After - Telephone Table

2009-11-30T21:49:00.006+08:00

I have been working on this for such a long time. Not because it was particularly time consuming, just because other 'more important' tasks always seem to get in the way.

Anyway, I am well pleased with the transformation of my little Telephone table. I picked it up at a sale at an antique store in Fremantle earlier in the year and it took me a while to decide on how to 'up cycle' it. I thought that a high gloss white paint with a bold print seat would be ideal and then after I found a fab old, black rotary dial telephone on ebay, i thought it would be great to stick to black and white.

Before:

During:

And after:

Fabrics Anonymous?

2009-11-27T11:28:00.010+08:00

I think I may need help. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my latest stash of fabric from Funky Fabrix. I went a little crazy this time, I only wanted to find ONE fat quarter to use to cover a seat for a project I am working on... However, it becomes quite addictive and by the end I had added lots and lots and LOTS to the pile. I shall be doing some serious cushion duty for quite some time!

The one above is the only one I actually meant to buy.

Have a great weekend everyone! x

AWOL

2009-11-18T19:35:00.003+08:00

I have been struggling with getting used to the 9-5 grind again and unfortunately its meant all the lovely fun things I used to do with my 'spare' time like blogging and creating and 'making house' (as my lovely Mum and genius 'maker of house' calls it) has fallen to the wayside. But I am going to try to re-juggle my life to fit these very important things in. I have many things that I keep 'meaning' to post but just haven't quite got to but I promise to make an effort….

In the meantime here is a pic of my lovely photo board that I made (quite some time ago) with a frame from Ikea….

Cute huh?

My happy place

2009-11-04T08:52:00.007+08:00

I have been home from work for the past couple of days with a frightful head cold, which really sucks for a few reasons…

1. Its is only my second week in the new job and let me tell you, it is very embarrassing having sickies so soon!

2. It was Melbourne Cup day yesterday, for which I had arranged time off work and paid for a fab event with friends. Alas, I was in no state.

3. It has been very warm and today is set to be a real hottie, but of course, our air con is broken. Hmm, a fever and the house is hot and stuffy. Oh Joy.

So, trying to think of a happy place to get out of my funk, I dug out some photos from our trip to the UK and Europe last year. And I think I have found the spot that I would most like to time travel back to right this very second….

The 'Stunning'…

The 'Relaxing'….

The 'Breathtaking'...

The 'Not too Hot'…

The 'Not too Cold'…(well it wasn't when we were there :)

The 'I want to share this place with someone special'...

'Lake Windermere, Cumbria, UK'

But instead… I am here, at home, with broken air conditioning. Poor me.

I want that one

2009-11-03T18:55:00.004+08:00

I was over at 'Absolutely Beautiful Things' yesterday where Anna has blogged about Antique Dealer Wallrocks. Looking through their online store I saw a number of fabulous pieces, but the one i really fell for was this little beauty….

If only I had a spare few grand! Oh well… Its nice to dream. You can check out the full details and see a bigger pic here.

My directorial debut

2009-10-19T23:06:00.005+08:00

I had such a giggle whilst watching Amanda's Monster Mash film over at Small Acorns, that I simply had to do one of my own...

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What a hoot!

Happy Halloween to all my friends, and a big thank you to the films' stars, they were all wonderfully well behaved during filming, although Jodeys insistence on having his hair touched up on every single take was a bit much, especially given the amount he has!
It was a challenge to both direct and star in the production, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience nonetheless. I have to say i did initially have some 'Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia' fears when casting Jason in the main singing role, but darling, you did me proud, a truly outstanding performance.
Keri, you were an angel, that radiant smile of yours never faded, even when the bats shat all over you in rehearsal. And finally to our Monster, Andy you were anything but a monster to direct, and those moves of yours? Boy, have you got rhythm!

Thanks for sharing this Amanda, so much fun!

Hi Ho! Hi Ho! It's off to work I go...

2009-10-15T21:30:00.004+08:00

Yep, it's sad but true. My lovely long break from the 9 to 5 grind has come to an end. But I have managed to land the perfect job for me, the job description was such a scarily accurate description of my skills that it seemed inevitable that I should get the gig. And I did.

So it's time to get back to a bit of reality. The closest i've been to attending an office in the last year or so is the time I have spent losing myself in the fabulous Madison Avenue offices of the 1960's Advertising elite. Hmmm…. i wonder….

A scotch or two while we discuss the budget forecasts?

A secretary as eager to please as Peggy Olsen?

A Marlboro light and a morning gossip with the girls?

No, I suppose not.

I should think it will be more rabbit warren than tastefully styled corner office, answering of my own telephone, swipey card thingamy-bobs to get through every door, perhaps the occasional wine AFTER work on a friday, and probably no dreamy Don Draper. ho-hum.

Oh… but there is lots and LOTS of this….

I shall certainly enjoy any staff discount on offer at my new place of work. The Perth Mint!

Think Pink

2009-10-02T07:33:00.005+08:00

It's October, which means its Breast Cancer Awareness Month, So Live Lush Laugh will be appearing in lovely shades of pink to show support until the end of October!

Have you checked yourself lately?

Have a great weekend x

More new additions to gift card family

2009-10-01T13:49:00.004+08:00

I love these little guys, hope you do too!

This one has button eyes…

This one was a special request...

This one is my favourite...

They are all available at my store.