It's beginning to look at lot like ...

.. Christmas on the coast! Although half a world away from any chestnuts being roasted on an open fire, Christmas in Australia has become synonymous with hot Summer days and eating prawns on the beach.  Having said that I think we have the perfect "front yard" to do just that this year:

X marks the spot for Christmas Lunch 2011

The Tree 

The outlook of our apartment today

Perfect weather for lazy days watching the surf

We're hosting Christmas Eve celebrations this year and backing the festivities up with an "orphan" Christmas Day lunch. Hoping to walk down to the trawlers who sell straight off the boat and pick up some deliciously fresh seafood, throw together a few salads and have a very low key, stress free holiday!

After a rather extended period of leave...

... I was pleasantly greeted by ...

A nomination for a Liebster Award by the lovely Brooke over at The House on Chambers as a gentle nudge to lure me back into blogland.

Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" and the award is given to blogs with fewer than 200 followers. The award acceptance has a few requirements:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal the five blogs you have chosen and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Request that people you have sent the award to forward it on to their favourite bloggers.


As I am only new to the world of blogs I have made the selection more exclusive to include the top three blogs that I love to read on a regular basis. These three women post beautifully inspiring posts and never fail to tantalise the creative senses! 




The House on Chambers


Gild & Grace


B is Building a House

Afternoon Sugar Hit!

Not nearly as fancy as some: but here's the final result!

Now what to do with all those jars! 

Candy Buffet Inspirations & Farewells

This friday I finish up at my work after being there for almost three years. As a little way to thank those who have now become my friends, and due to my sometimes excessive nature, I have decided to put on a candy buffet. Here are some beautiful examples that were my inspiration;

the candy buffet company

the candy buffet company

the candy buffet company

amour amour

the little big company

the party dress 

the candy buffet company

the candy buffet company

the candy buffet company 

the candy buffet company

the candy buffet company

After making some calls to companies who service the local area I decided that it may be more economical to pull a DIY job and source the jars and sweets individually. As these things go I seem to have managed to have already spent $200+ on the glassware already so what initially seemed the cheaper option has become quite an investment! At least I'll have them for decoration after!

I am awaiting for the final touches to arrive from the Queen of lolly buffets from the online store Sharnell Dollar Designs including black and white paper party favour bags and aluminium candy scoops. The service was prompt and while they only unfortunately had limited stock left of the black and white bags were helpful in offering alternatives and shipping was prompt.

sharnell dollar designs

I will post on the final result, wish me luck in pulling it off! The real challenge will be however managing to not eat too many of them from now till Friday!

Pretty in Print

 I am drawn towards prints as the content and style can be quite eclectic yet can be tied together quite nicely. As mentioned in my last post, these prints below were sourced from the southbank markets in Brisbane and are hanging over my dresser in the bedroom. 

I instantly fell in love with these gorgeous cards after seeing them on the house on chambers blog, purchased from sappling press store on etsy and had them framed. The series of three include the Dear Fork, Dear Noah, and I just couldn't resist the Dear Twilight Fans letterpress print. I framed them with the lovely brown paper envelopes inside them, creating a little bit more texture to the final product.

sapling press

sapling press

I was given this Decorative Victorian Era Initial "N" wood engraving (London c.1860) from the Antiquarian Print Gallery by my dear friend B.  This was my first antique print and it takes pride over my dressing table.

The latest print I have my eye on (excuse the pun) is this fabulous I Spy Eye Chart from hunting for george. I want to frame this in white and add it to the beside table. Hopefully the white frame will help for it to blend into the room as I'm becoming aware of diminishing space available for anymore prints!

Finally, this little beauty I spied on art.com has been sitting in a virtual shopping basket in my browser for months! After a little investigating into the sport and quickly becoming aware of the associated costs, one thinks that this print and the occasional visit to RL will be as close as I'll come to polo in this lifetime. 

I was thinking of framing this one with an oversized matt board and an ornate black frame. Any thoughts?

Vanity & Vanities

I can cite that my obsession with makeup vanities was the source that fuelled my obsession with makeup. So much in fact that I now can add certified makeup artist to the resume and the truckload of makeup to prove it (not to mention the gaping hole in the bank account). 

A little look into the inspiration behind the quest for the perfect dressing table.

  

homes direct

the white cottage company

dibor

brown turtleneck sweater

french boutique

Unfortunately again, the limitation of space ruled out many of the above options. Just when I was about to give up or succumb to the fact that I would have to get rid of my bed and sleep in a ball on the floor I made this find at  home sweet home:

The size is perfect for apartment living and provides a little feeling of luxury each morning while getting ready to go to work.

Books, Shoes & Tea Cups

In life, only one thing is certain, apart from death and taxes. While there is apartment living so too will exist the ongoing quest for the elusive concept of storage. The main needs for storage at our beachside abode is for the six s's: shoes, stories, shirts, skirts, shorts & sweaters. The dresser was a nice little find on ebay, and the ladder shelf was converted from a children's bookshelf purchased at kmart. The prints were sourced from the South Bank Markets in Brisbane, QLD. This shoe storage has provided me with some much needed space in my wardrobe which only means one thing. More room for shoes!