Prettiness

As I was meandering through the blogosphere this morning, I came across several lovely pics that I want to share:

{The Design Files}

{Design*Sponge}

{Lemon & Lavender}

{Caught the Light}

{decor8}

{Up in the Air Somewhere}

I think I have a thing for pink, yellow and gold?

Maternity Leave Bliss

Adele 'Rolling in the Deep'

Maternity leave is lovely! No work! I can go at my own pace and do the things I want/need to do all in my own good time. I'm going to savour every day of this as I wait for the day when I meet little Cuddles. Dr Zap and I are soooooo excited to be parents... it's really incredible that we have been entrusted with such a beautiful and precious gift!

Glamorous Maternity Wear?

I have a wedding coming up that I need to look appropriately glam for, however I'll be 36 weeks pregnant by then and have no 'big lady' items that will do the job. Thanks to cankles, my gorgeous heels are a big no-no and my preggie dresses are all too casual. I have been hunting around all the maternity shops to no avail (unless I wanted to look like a gigantor tomato or black lacy blimp) and I have therefore ended up looking online for inspiration. Here's a few ideas I have so far:


Queen Bee - Cameron Angel Nursing Dress



Kate Spade - Hula Too Sandal





Kate Spade - Shimmer Triple Chain Necklace

Kate Spade - Single Ball Earrings



Bloom - Millie

OR...

Queen Bee - Yvette Pleated Nursing Dress

Kate Spade - Vonya Hot Pink Sandal



Kate Spade - Tutti Frutti Collar Chain



Kate Spade - Dot to Dot Studs



Bloom - Ginger

 So, what do you think? I think the first combo is probably more evening wear than the second, but I like the colour and fun in the second outfit. It's pretty easy to tell I'm a huge fan of Kate Spade! All her dresses, shoes and jewellery are just dreamy!

Lounge Room Wishlist



Jardan 'Sky' Modular



Grant Featherston 'Contour Lounge Chair R160'





Miranda Skoczek 'A Simple Tiled Floor'



Exhibit 'Badroom Mirror' 



Table Tonic 'Moroccan Pouffe Powder Pink'

Table Tonic 'Bamileke Feather Juju Hat Yellow'



Tord Boontje 'Garland Light Shade'



Madeline Weinrib 'Wool & Silk Paisley Bone'

Ahh if only money weren't an issue! I'll just keep dreaming...

Daylesford dreaming

A few weeks ago, Dr. Zap and I tripped off to Daylesford for an emergency baby-moon. Knowing we were going to be there no more than 24 hours I had my doubts about how relaxed we could become, but the town oozes with so much calm and relaxation we found the one night had the just right effect on our work weary bones. I must say thought, the trip was made all the more perfect by the beautiful accomodation we found. I booked the little cottage in the morning and stayed there that night. It was only $175... the price was right!

NEST Daylesford is the name of this quirky little cottage. I believe it is used as a holiday house for the owners and serves to create a little extra dosh for them as well when they are not holidaying in it themselves. Due to this fact, the snug wee abode house many homely decorative items of an industrial, feminine, vintage vibe.

There was one bedroom boasting a queen bed from Ikea. A second bedroom was locked up, maybe so they didn't need to clean it later knowing one couple were staying?

A wood fire, cozy couch and shaggy rug all made for a very snuggly lounge room. The owners also kindly offered an eclectic collection of DVDs, anything from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'Caddyshack' to 'The Count of Monte Christo' and 'Moulin Rouge'.

The cottage is baby and pet friendly and has a lovely fenced-in backyard perfect for special four-legged friends. Also, the lake is but a short walk across the road and main drag two blocks away! Bliss!

Only 1 1/5 hours drive north of Melbourne, this little beauty is a delight we will be sure to visit again!













You can find this little gem on the Stayz  website.

Another dull day

The National 'Bloodbuzz Ohio'

It's just the beginning of March and it's only 18 degrees outside... the weather has been rather dull of late with the sun is always hiding behind grey clouds. Oh well, I'm just thankful it's not 40 degrees! Then I'd really be complaining! I love the temperature, just wish I could see a little more sunshine for any trace of summer has gone. Anyways, enjoy this song... Most definately one of my favourite songs at the moment. When I hear it I imagine I should be in a car travelling deep into the countryside without a care to where I am going and how long I'll be. Happy Friday!

Nappy Bag Dilemma

Oh my goodness there are far too many nappy bags to choose from! From chic leather to funky functional, there are many gorgeous bags. Basically, I want a bag that will hold all my essentials, can be easily cleaned and looks fashionable too. I don't want a huge chunky thing that is awkward to lug around or anything too small that only holds enough for a walk around the park. I have done some reasearch and found several I like for different reasons. We are getting this pram, so it would be nice for the bag and pram to look good together too.

Here they are (in descending order according to price):

Storksak Kate Black Patent Nappy Bag $299.00



OiOi Pompeian Red Leather Pocketed Hobo Nappy Bag $280.00





Storksak Jess Red Shoulder Nappy Bag $219.00



Storksak Dori Black Leather Messenger Nappy Bag $199.00

 

Isoki Reversible Hobo Retro Paisley Nappy Bag $177.00

Skip Hop Duo Delux Pop Flower Nappy Bag $99.95

Skip Hop Dash Delux Red Nappy Bag $99.95

So what do you think?
I think the OiOi bag looks just like a handbag, a bit more chic than your average nappy bag. As is the Storksak Kate bag.
The Storksak Dori bag looks very versatile as a gorgeous and simple nappy bag for Mum that Dad could also wear without looking twee.
The Storksak Jess bag is a beauty of a casual bag, but may be hard to keep the canvas outer clean.
The two Skip Hop bags come with enviable price tags and look super functional and cute.
However I think my favourite is the Isoki Reversible Hobo. It comes with a removable insulated bag that can hold 4+ bottles and snack boxes of nibblies; a fully wipable change mat; and a removable storage bag to hold nappies, wipes, wraps, toys, etc. The storage bag can also be clicked into the large strap and function as a mini bag for those quick short trips. And of course being reversible, you can have two different looks in one!
Hmmm... much food for thought!

(All prices found on Tots N Tales.)

Artwork I Covet

Nguyen Ahn Ha - The Rear

Pretty much all the artwork in our house is done by me... this is all fine because it means I can proudly see my work shown off and can do something that suits the decor of the room without having to fork out big bucks. But there are quite a few artists that I adore and would love to have their artwork proudly displayed in my house too, I just can't fund it at the moment. Here are some paintings that I am really loving at the moment:



Eliza Piro - Banyan Birds

Todd Hunter - Locust



Meredith Gaston - Milly Masquerade



Sarah Hvass - Meeting

Nikki Perzuck - Fiesta at Sunset



Nellie Zimmerman - Underwater Jewels



Martine Emdur - Underwater 01

Miranda Skoczek



Greenhouse by Joost

Yesterday The Design Files posted this most beautiful and inspiring video about Greenhouse by Joost in Sydney. I'm very jealous that I am not there to be able to visit the gorgeous place myself, so I soaked up all the gorgeousness in the video instead. Joost Bakker has a very strong belief that we can all do so much to be more sustainable in our living by really just doing so very little. The Greenhouse was designed to be 100% sustainable and without waste. All food was delivered in crates that are returned to the farm that delivered them, there are no nasty chemical glue thingys keeping the buidling together... it goes on and on... You must watch the video and hear Joost talk about it... Very inspiring!

Makes me think I should really do more that just put my empty glass jars in the recycling and get my veggie patch up and running... We should all be a little more environmentally responsible!

Go here to find out more.

Silhouettes

 A few months ago I decided to personalise some of the artwork in our house with silhouettes of Dr. Zap and I. Most of the artwork is either drawn, painted or cut out by me so they are already "personal", but I wanted something special of us. We don't really have many photos up of ourselves or our family so these act as photos in a way.

Here they are...

To make the silhouettes I took side-profile photos of myself then Dr. Zap on my iPhone. I made sure the photo was taken against a plain white background so the edges would be clearly visible. Then I uploaded the photos to my computer and printed them in black and white. I drew around the heads onto baking paper (el cheapo equivalent to tracing paper) then took the silhouette drawings to Officeworks to enlarge the images on the photocopier. I had premeasured the size of the silhouettes I had waited to fit inside the frame and made sure as I was enlarging the images, both our heads would be about the same size. Once I had the right sizes I took them home and cut out the heads. I traced around them onto the pink card and cut them out. I used card to make sure the heads would not curl at the edges or warp once framed.

The heads were then mounted onto the backing paper with raised foam dots to give them a little 3D effect... Hey PRESTO!

P.S. Sorry for the dodgy photography, the Hipstamatic just would not take the right angle.