Thank you

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I've been a bit AWOL this last week...

Thank you so much for your kind words re my birthday pictures and thank you SO much for your lovely comments, emails etc with sympathies re my Granny.

The funeral is tomorrow, so that will probably be quite a hard day, and I'm doing a reading in the service so I'm just praying that I can keep it together (my Dad is my stand-in if I can't get through it).

So here is a lovely bunch of flowers from me to you to say 'Thanks'.

And on other news, in the past week I've seen my little angel William display every tendency of 'the terrible twos'! EK! This morning in particular, as we've had about 20 episodes of crying/demanding/tantrum/stomping on toys/throwing food. As Will would say 'Uhhh Ohhhhhh'!

Here are pics from my efforts to distract him this morning with the photobooth ap on my laptop which always works a treat...

That little face would never do anything wrong would it...?
(NB please ignore my face with my lack of makeup/un-brushed bed hair/clip stuck in my fringe look).

So anyway, I just wanted to check in and say HI and THANKS and sorry I've not been around much this last month blog visiting but I think you all understand.

Wishing you a lovely day,

30th Birthday Party Pics

Here are the pics of my birthday party! It was the best party EVER and the photos don't even go half way to show the fun and atmosphere of the night but you'll get the drift I think.

I used black and white with hints of silver as the colour theme. You might remember I was going to do B&W and turquoise but I couldn't find any turquoise things that I liked so I just stuck with B&W. The kebab sticks in the glass were for the chocolate fountain.

I had a DIY cocktail bar set up at one end of the deck and a dessert table at the other. Above is a pic of the Cocktail Menu I made and my Mum laminated. It was really fun as everyone could make their own cocktails and there were different juices in clear jugs.

I bought one of those white metal trays from Spotlight to hold all the alcohol which kept the 'bar' nice and tidy.

Here is the party dress I wore which I bought for the occasion, I was really happy with it. You know when you feel comfortable in something but you still feel 'special'? hehehe.


Here is the dessert table with the chocolate fountain.... ahhhhhhh.... my mouth is watering. We had strawberries, bananas and marsh mellows that people could skewer and dip, it was a big hit!

Another view of the dessert table. I put licorice Allsorts in cocktail glasses. And I used the black and white stripped cupcake cases as tea light holders. They looked so pretty glowing away. I bought the cupcake cases from Suzanna of Mon Tresor you may already read Suzanna's blog, but her shop is fantastic!

Here I am just before the party started, I think I'm about to put the wrap on (I look like I'm being a bull tamer or something) standing in front of the dessert table. I used black and white damask wrapping paper as a table runner and also used it as 'wallpaper' behind the table.

Hanging from the roof of the deck I had about 18 white paper lanterns with little tea lights inside which gave off a beautiful subtle glow. I also had black sheer fabric draped across the roof between the lanterns.

My sister in law made my birthday cake which was my favourite Black Forest and was YUUUUUMMMMO!

Here I am with my girls...


And that's my Sister in law on the left and my friend Tania who travelled down from Forster for my party.

And here is my Dad and Glen trying to get the fire grate thingy we hired started. It was great for keeping people warm on the pavers and we also had our gas heater on the deck so I didn't even need my wrap for most of the night.

I have a really nice photo of me and my Mum which I WISH I could share with you because I have the prettiest Mum in the world but she would kill me if I posted it :(

And thank you all for your tips and tricks when I was preparing for the party... I hired a pie warmer like (I think it was Simone) suggested which was soooo good for keeping the food warm and we had those lantern stick things in the front and back garden with citronella in them which looked cool as well as serving a purpose.

So it was such a fantastic night, I wish you could have all been there.

It's been nice writing this post this afternoon as it has cheered me up... as I've got some very sad news - my Granny passed away yesterday :'(

I wont really write anything more because otherwise I'll cry but it's been a sad two days.

I hope you all have a great weekend,

Our Zoo Trip

We had a fantastic time at Taronga Zoo yesterday with Mothers Group, as you can see the weather was great, not too hot or cold . Look at that view will you??!?! I think the Giraffes have the best real estate in Sydney.

As I sort of expected, Will wasn't that into the animals... he more enjoyed exploring, touching feeling and I think his favourite area was the vegie garden...

That lady in the pic above was talking to me and Will and I told her that Will felt quite at home in the Vegie Garden as he helps his Daddy out in our Vegie Garden at home. Well she was very impressed and said 'What a very special little boy!' - I had to agree of course! :)

Here is Will saying 'Hi' to Mr Scarecrow.

We spent quite a bit of time at the baby animal farm part of the Zoo, nice and toddler friendly and the bubs could run around to their hearts content.

Here is Lucas and Will checking out the sheep with their matching teddy backpacks on (I think this is my fav pic).

We got some really cute shots of the bubs all sitting in a row and I would LOVE to show you as it is just the cutest thing ever but I didn't ask the Mum's permission to post them so I better not include it.

We also saw the elephants, gorillas, kangaroos, emus, monkeys, wombats but I didn't share the photos of them as you've all seen those animals before I'm sure :)

It was a pretty cool feeling to be taking Will to the Zoo for the first time, the same Zoo that I went to as a girl and my Mum went to as a girl (where back in my Mum's day, she went on an elephant ride, not very PC anymore!).

Do you have any special Zoo memories?

Wishing you a wonderful day,

What I'm loving today...

1. The first thing I'm loving today are all you blog friends! Thank you for your very sweet birthday messages yesterday, they were so nice to read - thank you all! xoxox

2. I'm also loving these cute little shoes I bought for Will yesterday at Cotton On Kids, aren't they gorgeous!

3. I'm loving new ideas!!! :)

4. What I've read of my new Real Living issue so far, particularly the cover house - white, neutral, subtle modern and simple!


5. The thought of taking Will to the Zoo tomorrow for the first time with my Mothers Group - can't wait to see how he enjoys the animals.

What are you loving today???

30 is looking pretty good so far!!!

Ok so it's only been 24hrs but being 30 has been pretty fun so far!!!

My party on Saturday night which was titled 'Come help celebrate the last night of my 20's' was soooo much fun. It was the best party I've ever had and I enjoyed every minute!

I can't wait to share the photos with you when I get them. I'll post about it, probably later this week but all I can say is that it was my most perfect party night EVER!

I was overwhelmed to receive so many lovely things, cards, gifts, flowers and I can't tell you how much my Mum, Dad, Sister, Glen, sister-in-law, best friend, helped me out before and during the party and made it such a nice night for me - I feel so lucky.

Then last night Glen took me out for dinner - Sans Bubba, to Harbourside Indian at Lavender Bay. It was soooo nice, the food was yummo and the views.... well, the camera on my phone does not do it justice and you can see the reflection of the restaurant in the picture but I think you get the idea...


So yes, 30 is looking pretty good so far!

Have a great day everyone,

Customer Photo & playdoh

A really lovely customer, Sarah from the ACT, sent through a photo of her Bedtime Bus Roll Poster on display on their book shelf.

What blew me away in the photo was the colour coordinated books, how fantastic does that look and the Mr & Mrs Potato head, cute drawing and multi coloured blocks just make the whole thing look like such a fun place to play and read.

Thank you Sarah for sharing your photo with us!


Well the Playdoh didn't go down as well as I thought it would. Will has a very technical mind so he was more interested in trying to put the lid of the Playdoh jar on and off than playing and squooshing the Playdoh.

Here is my little mechanical genius ignoring the Playdoh and playing with the jar instead - bless his little cotton socks!

I'm sure he'll get into it in a month or two - maybe I should get out the garlic mincer and let him squish it through there and make worms, that's a bit more mechanical for him.

And thank you everyone for your Play Dough tips - very appreciated!!!

While we're on the subject of kids etc, the latest issue of the online magazine 'lmnop' is out now, go check it out, I'm hoping to read it tonight.

Have a great Friday everyone,

Kids craft blog

My Mum is very cool, not only is she the best Mum in the whole wide world but she always fills me in on cool things like this Kids Craft blog she found last night called 'Filth Wizardry - Sharing messy art and craft fun for Preschoolers...'

The blog author's name is Lindsey and she shares heaps of really cool arts and crafts to do with your kids. Check it out!

I hope you're having a great day, Will has now got my cold too so it's just a quiet chill out day for us today. We're going to play with Play dough this afternoon, it will be Will's first time playing with it so this will be interesting... I'll be sure to share photos :)

I made a delicious vegetarian Lasagna last night with pumpkin, spinach and eggplant. Just had leftovers for lunch - YUUUMMMMO!

Here are some bursts of sunshine to brighten your day via Martha Stewart.com

Have a lovely day,

My DIY blind

Do you remember this post where I got this material for sooooo cheap and planned to make a Roman Blind for the kitchen window, and you all convinced me that Roman Blinds were easy?

Well the thought of making the Roman Blind has been freaking me out a bit (I know, I know it's easy right?) So anyway when I saw the very lovely Tina's post the other day with the roll up blind she make for the little window on her front door, I got inspired!

So on Saturday I got to it and made a roll up blind for the kitchen. Take a look...

Sorry, not fantastic photos, the light has been bad the last two days.

I attached two sets of ribbons to tie the blind up with and I lined the material with a white calico I already had. I think I may get a slightly thicker stick for the bottom of the blind just to make it feel a bit sturdier. I made a pretend pelmet thingy like Tina did...

I painted my wooden branch in a light brown colour to match the brown going through the fabric. So all up I think it probably cost me around $25!!! Pretty good hey!

And just to give you a bit of contrast, here is a photo taken back before we bought the house, when we were just doing an inspection so that you can see the original cafe style curtains and the wood panelling and see, there was no deck...?


I am pretty close to finishing my kitchen makeover so when it's done I'll do a big post with all the before and after pics.

Anyway, what are you up to today???
The cold has taken hold unfortunately so lots of Vitamin Cs for me today :)

Have a lovely day,

Happy Monday

Happy Monday everyone, I hope you had a brilliant weekend!

Mine was busy with final preparations for my party, so I was running around a bit but it was a nice weekend. We had a fundraising dinner at church on Saturday night with a yummy Indian Banquet it was lots of fun with some trivia and a silent auction, it was to raise money for blankets for people in India. And during the day on Saturday I also found the time to make a little DIY project I've previously blogged about, I'll show you pics soon!

Above is a photo of the two sprigs of Jasmine which I picked yesterday from our back garden. Aren't they beautiful! And whenever I come into the room I can smell their yummy perfume.

I hope you're having a great start to the week, I think I'm getting a cold which is a bummer so I'm hoping I can get a little nap in today to try and give myself a chance to shake it off :)

Sorry I haven't been blog visiting as much as usual over the last week and a bit, life is just a little hectic at the moment.

Have a lovely day everyone,

Having fun with stickers

Will and I are having a fun and cosy afternoon playing with his first ever sticker book.

Noses, hands, forheads and cheeks are currently being covered and we're having lots of fun.

Hope you're having a fun afternoon too.

Giveaway... Better Homes and Gardens LIVE event tickets

As promised, I have 6 packs of 4 tickets to the Better Homes and Gardens LIVE event to giveaway.

This fantastic event will be held at Sydney Showground, Olympic Park 15 to 17 October and will feature inspiring talks and demonstrations hosted by your favourite Better Homes and Gardens personalities; Graham Ross, Tara Dennis, Rob Palmer, Jason Hodges, ‘Fast’ Ed Halmagyi and Dr Harry. There will be thousands of products for your home and garden to try and buy and plenty of activities for the kids, to make this a great day out for all the family!

To Enter:

• Please leave a comment on THIS blog post.
• Even if you don't have a blog but would like to enter please comment and leave your Name and Email Address to be in the draw.
• If you don't live in Sydney but you know someone who does and would love to go to this event, I can always post the tickets to them.
• The winners will be drawn next Friday the 17th September.

Good luck and I hope to see you there!

Have a great day,

The colour of spring 2010...?

I'm thinking that Lilac is the colour for this beautiful new spring season, what do you think?

I've been seeing Lilac everywhere and I'm very drawn to it... I've also noticed a few bloggers blogging about it in the last few days eg. Anna Spiro and my lovely friend Sarah at Palatial Living.

And I noticed something in the newsagency yesterday....


Do you love it??? I do and it is triggering some creative juices, I wonder what my crazy brain is coming up with?

Here are some beautiful Lilac interiors to help inspire you.

First Image via here, Mag covers via here, Interior images via here.

Speaking of spring, I am loving the smell of jasmine each evening in my backyard it is soooo lovely. What is your favourite spring flower, colour, feeling?

Have a lovely day,