Monogrammed Soap

The Hubby loves bars of soap, but being the evil wife that i am, have banned it because of all the scrubbing that the shower recess requires. Sometimes i surprise him with a bar or two and his whole face lights up! It really is the little things that make a person happy… Imagine his face when he sees hand made goats milk soap with his initial on it!

iPhone Case

Im about to inherit an iphone and am in the market for a case/cover to protect it from the key, wallet, pens, coins, Bakugan and Ben 10 paraphanelia in my handbag. Love the pattern on this one and im forcing myself to try colour instead of my usual monochormatic pallette.

ANtique Typewriter Key Wine Tags

I think my sister would like these. They are a bit quirky but practical. A unique way to mark your glass and a talking point for dinner guests.

Wine Bottle Holder

This gravity defying wine bottler holder would be really intriguing on my Dads dinner table. The sheer physics of it all would certainly get you talking and drinking! Love the clean design and the effort thats gone into this handmade beauty.

Pretty Letterpress Note cards

My mum loves nice stationery and bright colours and beautiful details, so this set of notecards is right up her ally. I love the detailed effect of letterpress and the gorgeous vibrant ink. The peacock feather pattern is pretty special too and that lined envelope just seals the deal!

Web Carved Glasses

My little guys are obsessed with spiders and webs and all things related so they’d be reallyinterested in these glasses. They are hand carved votive holders and would look really pretty with a little tea light in them.

Chic Advent Calendar

Something stylish to help my impatient little guys count down the days till Christmas.

A Silly Love Card

So the tortured hubby knows that behind the nagging and excessive eye rolling i really do love his inability to work out the coloured clothes basket from the whites, the mystery of where the cheese grater lives, and that he’s finally accepted that its his job to retrieve foreign objects that the kids keep throwing in the toilet.

Zombie Brain teacup

Hubby and I love zombie movies, so if the crazy love card doesnt get the message across this certainly will, it reads : “I love you more than Zombies love brains”!

So that all comes to $196, not a bad haul! I think i’ll spend the extra $4 on some Fry’s Turkish Delight…

This post was inspired by Blog This’ weekly challenge

Every week i bake.

I meal plan and i bake. I mean i cook and plan our meals but i MUST bake. Cakes, muffins, biscuits, slices, healthy stuff, wickedly sinfull stuff, stuff just to use up fruits and things that are over ripe or close to expiry. I can certainly do without the added effort and calories but its so nice to have that gorgeous aroma of bread, pastry, cake, biscuits wafting through the house and collecting in little windowless pockets like the stair-well or the back bedroom.

I love being able to pick up a strawberry muffin on the way to my desk or grab a handfull of peanut butter cookeies when i sit down to watch a TV show. Even better when someone drops in and theres a fresh slice of banana cake ready to accompany a hot cup of tea. When we first moved into this house in July. I was a crazy baker. I didnt realise it then, but i was baking to get that comforting homely smell into the house and sweep away the aroma of new carpet and paint.

I once stumbled into Crabtree & Evelyn and found a room spray that was named “Baked Goods” or something to that effect, i gave the sample a small spritz and was assulted with the aroma of a freshly baked apricot danish. It smelled warm and sweet and very much like pastry! Of course i put it down and backed away because whats the point of having a house smelling of delicious patisserie delights when there is actually none to offer! What a tease!

So then i guess baking is the one thing i can do without… but choose not to!

I’ve been trawling through etsy and other sites looking at things for inspiration or things for my closet and home, so heres whats on my gift wishlist:

* This cool cardigan from Kaylim: because i have plenty of ordinary cardigans and this one has the ‘IT factor’ for me.

* A sweet pendant from BrooklynRehab: i love that it so ornate and vintage and black, of course!

*Murchison Hume Cleaning products: these ‘green’ products are created with love and are a non-toxic way to cleanse your home. A friend of mine recieved a pack for her kitchen tea and i turned GREEN with envy on the spot!

* The Envirosax Graphic Series 5pf of totes in “Monochromatic”: My grocery bags are starting to look a bit tired and they dont fold down very well so storage is such a pain. These envirosax bags look cute and are quite big in size. They have a heap of colour themes to suit all tastes too.

* This cute cover-up from Victorias Secret, for our summer holiday: perfect for poolside or for throwing on over the swimmers and ducking off to the shops to fetch ice creams.

Thanks for joining me on my virtual shopping trip!

My little guys have a big steep hill to walk up on our trek to the park. Nicholas will often complain that he’s too small or ‘too heavy’ to walk up but is always triumphant when he reaches the top of the hill! The good thing about living velow street level , at the bottom of a dead end road, is that we rarely get cars going by and you can hear every bird, cricket and tree swish in the wind.

Theres endless blue skies and trees streching up to the heavens.

Magnolias unfolding to welcome the sunshine on their creamy petals.

The gum trees are very considerate, parting ways to accomodate the power lines.

Even these funky bugs don their best black and white outfits to explore their barky terrain. They must have known I was coming!

There are bursts of unexpected colour and texture. When the sun hit the wattle it was almost luminescent… amazing!

This is a shot taken in my backyard. There is a single ghostly gum tree standing at attention, overseeing all the new growth and saplings like an old grandfather. When the moonlight reflects off its white bark i liken it to a lighthouse shining a beacon out into the green seas.

This is my backyard too. We have dubbed it ‘Narnia’ because im positive, if i trek down that hill, carpeted in ivy, it’ll take me to another world where fairies, goblins, centaurs and other mythical creatures frolic. There is also an old abandoned art deco wardrobe in my backyard so you never know!!

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to plan a fabulous dinner party. You’ve been given a healthy budget, so don’t scrimp!
Guest list – 8 people, dead or alive, real or ficticious. The menu – will this be your very own masterchef moment, or is outsourcing more your style? Is there a theme? What will be the entertainment for the evening? What will you wear? What will you talk about? Don’t forget the wine!

Ive decided to have A Sunset Pool Party! Nothing too formal, just some mingling poolside, flitting from one conversation to another with a bubbly beverage in hand…

Santorini, in Greece is pure heaven for pool parties. All the little island resorts have their pools built into the cliffside so they jut out over the embankments and the blue of the pool merges with the blue of the ocean- horizon pools at their best. The summer time air is warm and smells of salt. The lights are low encouraging guests to lean in closer when they share a laugh or two.

The soft soulful acoustic sounds of India Arie would welcome guests as they have a drink placed in their hand. Her honeyed voice creats such beautiful ambience. Then later in the evening when the light cocktails have done their job making everyone feel warm and fuzzy, Groove Armada would pipe up with some dancey numbers to encourage a bit of shimmying.

We’d sip light icy cocktails and fresh spritzers, sparkling whites and fruit infused champagne and vanilla vodka infused granitas in a rainbow of colours.

Pool parties are certainly not the place to have a ’sit down’ dinner. Instead i’d have waiters circulationg with delicious canapes. Smoked salmon-creme fraiche-dill on blinis, fresh rice paper rolls, mini sushi, polenta rounds with diced roasted eggplant and aioli, salt and pepper squid on skewers, tiny caramel tartlets, one-bite berry meringues, gelati in a rainbow of colours… you get the idea. Little mouthfulls of flavour to soak up the alcohol and keep the bloated tummy at bay.

These kaftans by Camilla are just made for poolside lounging. Airy chiffon in a riot of colours and Yes, the heels too!

All of my chosen 8 have interesting lives and a billion stories to tell.

• Johnny Depp, actor- this ones pretty self explanatory!

• Anna Wintour, Editor-in-chief of Vouge- someone to talk fashion with

• Nigella Lawson, domestic goddess- she’d be a laugh and an excellent source of food advice

• JJ Abrams, creator/writer of LOST- so i could get inside his head about LOST (im a huge devoted fan)

• Bear Grylls, adventurer- this man has been on so many wild adventures, im sure he’d have many an interesting story

• Drew Barrymore, actor- i just love her down to earth nature and admire her as a keen business woman

• Seal, singer- another down to earth personality who’s life i’d like to know more about

• Patience from The Grates, singer- well she’s just a bundle of fun and energy!

Hope you liked my virtual party! Searching for the perfect pictures was a nice little holiday in itself!