Burst of Summer Colour

Boo! Did I surprise you with this? I know... been out of action somewhat. I received an email this week from The Family Love Tree and it has filled me with excitement, to the point that I just had to share it. How delightful are these pieces of furniture from their range? Loving the summer pastels! My favourite would have to be the peach followed closely by mint. 

Images via The Family Love Tree

Inspiration

After a crazy busy month of pretty much just surviving, it was nice today to finally get a chance to relax and indulge in a bit of me time. Something I don't get too much of these days. Something I am sure you might be able to relate to as well. After a day like today I find myself contemplating life, (and my garden and pile of housework) and feeling keen to put it all back into perspective. One thing I think that goes missing when life gets busy is fun. It might be exercise (yes, when making the time, I do actually find this fun), movies, spending a day on the couch to do nothing because you can, seeing friends, laughing....
Getting back to the simple things, I think it's about filling your day with at least one thing you are passionate about to take the mundane out of the everyday and bringing back some vitality and enthusiasm. So if you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow, try and squeeze some of that into it. Call the friend you haven't had coffee with for ages, take flowers to your Mum just because, or step away from your desk and actually take that lunch break you are entitled to, buy a magazine and go and sit somewhere in the sun, read it and soak up some of the good life.

Image from Simply Grove

Adelaide Secrets

I hope you've had a great weekend. It's been incredibly wet and cold here in the Adelaide Hills this weekend. I'm still fighting off a winter cold, but managed to have a wonderful girls night out last night staying at a funky new accommodation option right in the centre of the city. The Franklin Hotel on Franklin Street has had a make over. A fully renovated bar downstairs and upstairs is one of the funkiest boutique hotels I've come across. The owners certainly have an eye for detail. It's incredibly unique, decked out with recycled wares, modernly restored and all the mod cons. Highly highly recommend.

 It's quirky too, as you can see... I love that! The mini bar is included in the room rate plus a bag of goodies, which was just spot on when getting ready to head out. I feel like a cider... and chips... oh well there they are, have some. Don't mind if I do.

I finally got the chance to check out a handful of new wine bars in town too. Some of them not so new, but new to me because I don't venture out much these days. I have to say my pick of them all was Cantina Sociale on Sturt Street. If you didn't know it was there, well you wouldn't know it was there. Unobtrusive from the road and just quaint and exactly my kind of place. Bare brick walls, rustic corrugated iron ceilings, funky lighting, perfect nooks to sit with a beau, or larger spaces for a group of friends, quaint bar... and incredibly friendly and welcoming staff. Start a tab and order a tasting plate with your first wine. You can honestly just sit there for hours in good company.
And so here I am... it's not even 7.30pm on a Sunday night and it's almost lights out for me. I did say I don't venture out much these days, and that is why. Haha. Have a great week!

Weekend

It's officially the weekend for me, so feeling slightly chilled tonight as I write this sipping a Coriole Reserve Chenin Blanc. I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post. Crazy. It's been an interesting month, filled with love, happiness, work, friends, laughter, planning approval (yes... excited)... wine, movies, gardening, a cold, warm fires, frosty mornings and lots of carbs and cheese arrrhhhhh! Welcome to winter in the Adelaide Hills.
Excited by the month ahead and what's in store. Also excited by another night in the city this weekend checking out some new wine bars (all in the name of research for the tv show I work for of course ;-)
I am filled with inspiration and have lots of cool places and things to share with you that I have come across while filming for SALifeTV for Channel Seven. I promise I will.

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Bathroom love

Ahhhh. So many decisions to make shortly, and for those who know me well know that most decisions I don't take lightly.  I wish I was the 'fly by the seat of your pants' kind of gal. I am sometimes, but only that. We are getting to the pointy end of our extension plans now and I'd like to be as organised as I can be with regards to fit out, so hopefully it is a smooth process. I know I am about to learn a lot with this process. We've done renovations before, but nothing like this scale of project.
So my dilemma lies with the bathroom and kitchen. I was all set to go modern, but my classic side is starting to creep in a little. Then enter my love of all things Scandinavian. Ahhhh. At the moment I am loving reproduction tiles like those shown in the above bathroom from Jatana Interiors. Stunning teamed with white subway tiles. A few more weekends flicking through magazines to come I think. Happy days.

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Love

Hope you are having a good week. The weekend is near which means just over one more week and I am going to stay in the city for a girl's night with my best friend. It's funny how the little things you crave are simple things like time with special people, or alone time for that matter. I hope you are sneaking some of that in for yourself. Oh yeah, and the pic is completely unrelated but I love it. The stairs, the tiles and the pendant in the distance. Interior eye candy. Have a great day!

Image from Simply Grove

French Apartment

After living in a small apartment close to the city for a number of years I am always intrigued to see what other people do in similar spaces (our place was nothing like this by any stretch of the imagination).  A couple from LA, with the help of Parisian architects Flora de Gastines and Anne Geistdoerfer, have transformed this gorgeous 130m2 apartment in the Paris disctict of Saint-Germain des Prés with lots of colour. Loving the bench seat in the kitchen and that bath!

Images from Marie Claire Maison

Happy Monday

If only I were packing to stay in this little beauty for the week instead of the commute to work. What a beautiful retreat.

Image from Pinterest

Lazy Sunday

I hope you are having a great weekend.

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The power of Brad

Completely mesmerised by the eyes of Mr Brad Pitt today. Walking through David Jones in the city in my own world staring at the huge Chanel campaign image of Brad Pitt on display I narrowly missed another shopper browsing at jewellery across the other side. Focus Kelly focus! Makes me laugh though... it's the kind of thing I do. The weekend is near, and the Autumn sun is shining in Adelaide!

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Spring in your step

Do you ever get excited for no apparent reason? I have got that feeling today. It's almost like something great is about to happen. A spring in my step. It could be the Lady Bug red MAC lipstick I bought Monday that I am wearing today. Red lippy always adds a boost, especially on a cool rainy day. Also when I got into work this morning, a lovely email from hardtofind. greeted me with these striking blue and turquoise inspirations. A turquoise Gina handbag, stunning blue sofa with a Danish woollen throw and the Winter Blizzard necklace. Aren't they gorgeous?! Have a wonderful day!

Images from hardtofind.

Stationery Love

Today I came across a new store on Etsy that I have fallen in love with. Pockets of Film based in LA. The store predominantly sells art, but the store owner started making cards (also art in my opinion) after friends mentioned how difficult it was to find a simple birthday card. I am glad, because I completely agree with the friends and absolutely love the simplicty of the designs. Sometimes you just want a simple card that just says what you feel... without the rest. The other gorgeous thing about this site is that proceeds from certain cards go to supporting a young girl who has had a heart and lung transplant. Gotta love that.

Image from Pockets of Film

Wonderful weekend

I hope your weekend has treated you well. I must've been dreaming quite a bit of my lazy Sunday this morning as I shared a photo that I had only posted in February. It was gorgeous though so if I have to look at it twice it's not a bad thing. A relaxing Saturday night in and dinner with my parents tonight has made for a wonderful weekend. My Mother's Day present was the icing on the cake. A night's stay in the city with my best girlfriend in June. Ahh it's the little things.

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Dreaming of a lazy Sunday

It's Mother's Day here today, and this is where I would love to spend my day (well at least a few hours) curled up listening to the rain outside. How inviting does it look?! But, I have to get ready and go into town to work at a careers expo today. For now I am just dreaming of a lazy Sunday. x

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Vietnam ~ Part Two

It seems I am not very good at regular blogging lately. A little tardy to say the least. Tonight I have started the task of putting our holiday photos into an album (something I still love to do in this day and age of technology) and I thought it was about time I posted some more.
When travelling I love to take photos of ordinary things, gorgeous flowers, an abandoned alley or bright fruit piled high (I took lots of these).  I also love looking back at the streetscapes from one city to the next to see the differences, and there were a lot unique to each city. From Hanoi to Hoi An and then on to Ho Chi Minh. Here are some of my favourites. You can see my daughter on her Dad's shoulders in a few... it's how she spent most of the holiday when she wasn't in the pool.

From the craziness of the traffic in Hanoi, to the serenity in Hoi An and then the manicured gardens and marbled buildings in Ho Chi Minh. I loved it all. What I really admired were the manicured gardens. The Vietnamese sure do love their hedges, which I do too. Ahhh after my own heart. Hence I have since taken to my garden with the shears for a tidy up (actually my Dad did most of it, but I helped with the rosemary and box hedges). Not quite as exquisite as we saw in Vietnam, but getting there.

Vietnam ~ Part One

We arrived home from our holiday last Friday and it already feels like we never went away. How quickly you slip back into life as you know it... slightly more refreshed and inspired though I must say.
Vietnam was a fantastic place to visit and our holiday was a brilliant mix of socialising, relaxing and cultural experiences. We travelled with my husband's family for his cousin's wedding which was an incredibly fun night in itself. Reminiscing now curled up on the couch (in my flannelette PJ's haha!) and looking back over our photos I have so many things to share that I am going to have to break it up into parts so that I don't crash my computer or yours, so... here is Vietnam ~ Part One.

We flew from Singapore to Hanoi where we stayed at the amazing Hotel Metropole Hanoi. Stunning! Oozing French style it was built in 1901 and is one of the top hotels in the world and a must to stay at (for the pastries at breakfast alone). I am a proud Francophile with a huge desire to visit France again and so this was perfect for me to get a brief taste of it while in Hanoi. The interior design within the hotel is a stunning mix of French and Vietnamese style, as you'll see for yourself below. Also, see if you can spot teddy. Enjoy!

Sweet words

I have been absent for a little while as we have been traveling in Vietnam for the past few weeks and I tried not to connect myself to a computer for too long while we were away. What a trip. I will share some gorgeous photos with you soon (once I get time to upload them onto the computer). Hoi An was my highlight! It's been a whirlwind since we've been home. My sister-in-law and beautiful niece are moving to WA so we've had family gatherings to boot to farewell them over the weekend, but we're now settling back into routine which is kind of nice.

I couldn't resist sharing this sweet little message with you from hardtofind. You can buy it in the form of a 100% linen handscreened tea towel and send it to someone special. Something to do today perhaps?... Enjoy your week. x

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Lazy Sunday...

Lazy Sundays aren't really a regular in our household, but I think it is time to start embracing the concept. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. x

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Splurge

Why is it when you are doing everything you can to save money... in my case for a trip to Vietnam, do you then feel the need to splash some serious cash?! I had a week like that last week, and after last year's experience of shopping for winter clothing when everything was sold out in my size (that's my excuse anyway) I thought I would purchase my winter wardrobe while the stock is still on the shelves. I also have the added danger of working within a very close proximity to David Jones, which is my regular go-to when I don't know what to do on my lunch break. The result, a gorgeous wool cardi, sequinned sweater and French navy skinny jeans all from Witchery. I love that store! I also can't resist Midas shoes. I haven't yet parted with the cash on this number but I am still seriously eyeing off the Everly ankle boot. Who knows what tomorrow will bring - I do happen to be busy on my lunch break tomorrow, so budgie will be smiling for another day.

Images 1,2,3,4

Love

This made my heart smile.

Image from here

Ahhh the weekend

Another busy week has come to an end, and now looking forward to the weekend. Mine is full of sport on Saturday and then we are heading to the beach on Sunday... hopefully after a little sleep in which are few and far between these days... Can't wait! It might be one of the last beach weekends we have this Summer. I hope not, but making the most of it.
A fun week next week,  I start filming my segments for a lifestyle television series which'll air in a few months. I'll talk more about that in the coming weeks and months. Have a great weekend.

Image from Pinterest

Thursday Etsy Finds

1, 2, 3, 4

Easy Baked Lemon Cheesecake

This baked lemon cheesecake recipe has been a favourite of mine for years. My friend Lorraine used to make this for my husband and I every time we visited them in Hamilton as she knew it was our favourite (my husband's especially). It's always my go to dessert because it is simple to make and always a hit with friends!

BAKED LEMON CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

250g Ricotta cheese

250g cream cheese

300g sour cream

1 cup castor sugar

1/4 cup corn flour

2 eggs

Finely grated rind of 2 lemons

Preheat oven to 160 degrees and grease spring-form tin. Mine is 25cm I think. Mix all ingredients together well. Put in tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool. 

The second time I made this I cracked the top and we were taking the cheesecake to friends for dessert. I couldn't bare to serve it up like that so I went to our local supermarket on the way to dinner and bought two punnets of fresh blueberries to put on top to hide the imperfections. It was so tasty with the blueberries that I do it every time now. 

Renovation Wishlist

Well we are moving a little closer to the "one day renovation" which is exciting. We have the plans and are now meeting with builders and then have the glorious task of getting the plans through council. Fingers crossed it's not a drawn out process like I have heard it can be. Anyway, with all of this planning my brain is going on overload looking over my collection of magazine cut outs I've been storing away for the past year. I am obviously going to have to re-look at them as the budgie unfortunately won't stretch that far, but it's nice to dream. A few of my favourites include the Invicta Ove combustion fire (I'm going to try my hardest to make this dream a reality), Craig Bassam Tractor counter stool and the Tom Dixon Beat pendant shade, or something similar. Better start saving.

Images 1, 2, 3 (iPhone shot from Home Beautiful mag)