Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Wall Decorations

I love decorating the walls in my house and I am quickly running out of wall space to decorate! When we first moved into our house I remember how our house felt more like a home the instant that we out up our first pictures on the wall. 


I was asked the other day where I purchased this wall decoration from. This cute wall decoration is actually a framed tea towel. I know that there has been a bit of a back lash lately against framed tea towels...but I don't care. I love my bright and fun framed tea towel.





The tea towel is from Typo and the frame is from Ikea (of course!).The over sized wall clock (product name is Bravur)is also from Ikea. I first fell in love with this wall clock when I spotted it on A Beach Cottage blog. Here are some of Sarah's great photographs from her lovely blog.



Here is another wall - well sort of a wall decoration. This was going to be a wall decoration but this cute heart wall decal (from Typo) is instead a mirror decoration. The mirror is propped up against the wall - so yeah...lets call the heart sticker a wall decoration. Anyway, here is a little picture of the sticker.


The canvas on the wall that you can see in the mirror is of my daughter just before she turned one. She is now three! My neighbour and my mum have a love hate relationship thing going with my buffet that you can sort of see in this photo - mostly they don't like it. But I think the buffet looks great with all of the white candles on it and who can resist the disco ball hanging above it!
Fi xx

Monday, February 27, 2012

Vintage Style Kitchen

My most favourite magazine ever is Real Living and I just had to quickly share an image of a really cool vintage style kitchen. I love the floor rug with the warm red tones and the exposed pipe for the rangehood. This kitchen also has an industrial vibe going - and I am currently really digging the whole industrial interior style trend. This kitchen has a great combination of girl and boy. It has masculine features (the exposed pipe, vintage furniture, industrial light) but also has pretty elements too - like the flowers, the crisp white walls and subway tiles and the sweet fruit bowl.
Image via Real Living.
Photography Martin Lof.
Styling Tahnee Carroll
The current edition of Real Living, on sale now,features a story on this apartment - owned by vintage furniture retailer Edin Kjelvertz and his partner, Lina ThofeldOoohhhh......and who loves that awesome pendant light?? Me!!!


Here is a similar style pendant light from Ikea. This pendant light (Ikea name = Foto) comes in aluminium, dark grey or off-white. It also comes in three sizes - 25cm, 38cm and 50cm. Prices start from $14.95. Bargain!


Fi xx

Sunday, February 26, 2012

My first trip to Masters Home Improvement

I visited a new Masters Home Improvement store for the first time the other day. The store is very much like a Bunnings store but has additional products for sale such as a great range of interior lighting and wall decorations.


Here is a picture of my daughter and my mum at Masters. Check out the cute trolley that my daughter had so much fun riding in. I think the car/trolley is a great idea! Well done Masters.




Here are a few items that I picked up from Masters - two new fibreglass pots (the big one is on wheels - very handy) and two new plants. 



I also picked up this industrial looking tap which we have had installed in our back yard next to our bbq. This tap was so much cheaper than other similar style taps sold elsewhere. I love how this tap adds a bit of bling to an otherwise boring sink.


I must admit that I really love semi-industrial style kitchens right now. Here are a few of my favourite images that I have just found on the web:

Image via
Musings - Flor's Blog on Design
I love the subway tiles and pops of fun colour in the kitchen above. This kitchen looks so fresh!

Image via Ideas to Style
OMG! Check out the pink Smeg fridge. I'm in love! The pink works well - without looking too girly - due to being mixed with the stainless steel and the painted white brick wall. Don't know if I love all of the stainless steel. My little girl would have her little finger prints all over it in seconds.

I hope that you are having a great weekend. I'll be back soon.
Fi xx

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Gnome Sweet Gnome


I have previously mentioned how I am currently loving gnomes! My hubby bought me an awesome plant pot for Christmas and we have finally filled it with a plant (mother-in-laws tongue), white pebbles and.....a very cute garden gnome that we picked up from Bunnings (very cheap).



I love how this little guy provides a surprising feature to a traditional pot plant. He adds a bit of playfulness to our back yard space.



The little mushroom was ordered online from Lark. You just have to check out this amazing online shop. I am sure that you will fall in love with all of the whimsy products just like I have. The little mushroom is a night light for my daughter's room.

Images via Lark.

Lark also stocks another really cute mushroom lamp. This lamp (mushroom on the left) has an awesome whimsy vibe to it. I can definitely see it in my daughter's room.



I have just bought a new camera due to smashing the screen on my old camera - hence all of the photos! I am loving my new camera. I think that it takes a much clearer picture than my last camera.


I did a simple web search for some interior images of gnomes in "real houses". This is what I found:


This image comes via the decorator blog. This image features a pair of series 7 chairs by Arne Jacobsen, a painting by Australian artist Melinda Harper and a Kartell (by Philippe Stark) gnome stool.

Image via Reuter Badshop
I think that this stool is really, really cute and I think it would look really cool in a modern back yard space to give a punch of colour and fun.

The stool can also be ordered in gold and black. These adorable stools can be purchased from Space Furniture.



I have just spotted some very cute gnome artworks on the etsy website. If you have never visited this site....a little warning - it can be very addictive. It is an online shop made up of homemade and vintage items from all over the world. It is really amazing. Here are two of my favourite gnome products from etsy.

Canvas from Moxie Madness Etsy Shop.
8x10 fine art print from
Sentimental Heart Photography
Etsy Shop
Catch you later gnomies!

Fi xx

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Happy Yellow

I am enjoying the burst of happy yellow whenever I go past my tv room (in my last post). I feel a little burst of energy and happiness whenever I catch a glimpse of my yellow gnome and lamp. 


While my little girl was having a nap today I decided to jump online and see how other people have injected a bit of happy yellow into their spaces. This is what I found.

Awesome styling!!!!!!! Check out the cool light fitting.

I just love the above image. No....I mean I really LOVE this image!!!! I want my kitchen to look like this. I love how this kitchen looks fun, fresh and bright. I am also loving the colourful bunting hanging in the kitchen. I wonder if I would be allowed to do this in my kitchen??? I want to go to a party at this house! The gorgeous image is from Lolalina's blog. The image was taken as part of a photo shoot for an ice cream party for an Ohio hand made ice cream company (Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams). Cool!


This is how I think yellow can look great in a home. Simple. Neutral colours and theme with an awesome pop of happy yellow. I think this works really well. This image comes from zaInteriora - a blog about all sorts of interior designs.


I am also digging this image from Urban Kaleidoscope (awesome name for a blog). Kate Challis from Urban Kaleidscope also has a post with an 'ode to yellow'. I agree with Kate - when decorating an interior - yellow looks best when used sparingly - just like in the image above. I am also a big fan of these eames chairs!



Not sure if I would ever have the courage to purchase a yellow couch but I do like this living room. I think that the yellow couch works because the rest of the living room is pretty neutral. What do you think? Could you do a yellow couch? I also really like the art work collage on the wall. The yellow in the art works ties in well with the couch. This pretty living room image is from Infoteli - a blog about architecture and interior design.


I like this last image because once again there is a lot of white in the room and the beautiful timber dining table contrasts well against the yellow chairs. I am secretly (not so secret now) thinking of purchasing some of these chairs (maybe one or two) for my dining area. The image comes from Home Design - a blog full of interior design ideas.

Have a great week. 

Fi xx

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Yellow - I think I dig you right now!

I have been wanting to inject a little yellow into my home for a while now. The latest Target catalogue arrived in my letter box a few days ago and was advertising an industrial style lamp....in yellow. I decided to head off to Target to purchase the yellow lamp (thanks Dad for the Target gift voucher).


I have decided to put my new lamp in our tv room (I will probably change my mind in a few days...I do that). I have not done yellow in my house before but I am liking the fun burst of colour and energy. The tv room was looking a bit dark. Dark and gloomy no more. Hello yellow!


You will probably notice that I love gnomes and you will more than likely notice a few random gnomes throughout my posts. I received this little guy from hubby and daughter for Christmas. The gnome (named "Patrick") is from Freedom.



The cute pictures in the background are painted by my little three year old daughter. I picked up the black baroque picture frames from Big W. I am pretty sure that they are still in stock.


What fun colours do you have in your house?

Fi xx

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Plywood Moustache

Hubby launched into a little weekend project early this morning (after a cup of coffee and a read of the newspaper of course). He had some left over plywood from a recent project and he asked me if there were any shapes that I would like him to cut out of the timber. Hmmmmm....I decided on a moustache shape!!! I have previously written about being a wee bit taken by the whole moustache trend lately. I just think that anything moustachie,(yes - made up word)except on hubby...too prickly, is cute and fun.


Hubby found a template from the internet and off he went into his workshop.




I have seen a similar version at Typo. The Typo moustache was made from cork rather than plywood and the moustache was much larger and intended as a wall hanging. I think that this one will be a quirky ornament rather than a wall hanging.

Does anyone else have any weird (but cute and quirky) ornaments on display at home?


I must also mention the cute drawing in the background. My daughter's little friend drew this picture of her one day. I thought that it was soooo cute that I just had to frame it - in an Ikea Ribba frame of course (if you haven't noticed I love Ikea)! The other Ribba frame has an Amy Butler fabric in it - and then there is the picture of my little girl at about ten months old. The photograph was taken by my very awesome wedding photographer from JSC Photographics.

I'll be back soon.

Fi xx

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Yummy Maple Banana Bread

Hello. Today it was my turn to take something yummy to my daughter's playgroup. I decided to make some yummy maple banana bread - it has bananas in it so it must be healthy...right?


I think that it turned out really well - and the whole loaf got eaten so it must have been alright!






I found the recipe in my favourite magazine - "Real Living" - in issue 71. Here is a scanned copy of the recipe. Yummy!



Here is the recipe from issue 71 of Real Living magazine:

Makes one loaf. prep time 25 minutes. Cooking time 1 hour.

Ingredients -  2 cups self-raising flour, 3/4 tsp of bicarb soda, 1/3 cup firmly packed sugar, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, pinch of salt, 4 overripe bananas, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup of maple syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 70g of melted butter (cooled).

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan oven). Grease loaf tin (10cm x 20cm tin) and line with baking paper.

2. Sift  flour, bicarb sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

3. Place  bananas in a medium mixing bowl and mash well with a fork. Stir through the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, sour cream and cooled butter until well combined.

4. Pour  banana mixture into flour mixture and stir through to combine.

5. Pour  into prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted into centre of load comes out cleanly. Remove loaf from oven and cool for 10 min in tin. Turn loaf onto wire rack to cool completely.


Go on. Give this recipe a go. It really is very yummy - and really easy to make. 


Fi xx

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Cute Cubby House

Hello. I hope that you have had a lovely weekend.


My husband has been up to another weekend project. This weekend hubby has painted my daughter's cubby house. The weather has been a bit over cast here today so I do not have any photos of the finished project. Instead, I have some cute photos of the cubby house before hubby painted the blue and red trims.


Hubby was able to use the white paint left over from his pool storage box project (from his project last weekend).




I was not able to take a photo of the other side of the cubby house because hubby was in the middle of painting the trims of the cubby house. I am really happy with the way that this little cubby house has turned out. The little windows open up and my daughter and her friends love standing inside the cubby while they pretend they are working in a shop and serving me drinks and food.

I am so impressed with hubby who has made this cubby all by himself over a couple of months - with nearly all the building materials being left over from when our new house was built. Go hubby!

Some of our inspiration for this cubby house came from Belinda's kids cubby house from one of my favourite blogs - the happy home.

Here are some very pretty images from (the happy home blog) of the cubby that Belinda and her hubby built.




Thanks for the inspiration Belinda from the happy home blog. I will post some photos of my daughter's finished cubby sometime later this week (when the weather is a bit more sunny) and hopefully I will provide some inspiration to someone just like Belinda images have done for me!

Fi xx


Saturday, February 11, 2012

Moustache Trend

I am a little bit obsessed with moustaches at the moment. I know that moustaches are a bit of trend at the moment - and I am definitely on board. I think they are cute and fun. 

I made some little 'Ring Master' moustaches on sticks for Sophie's circus party. The party guests had lots of fun taking photos of themselves with the little photo props.



The very cute label "Ringmaster Moustaches" comes from Papermints Etsy Shop.I was able to order the text that I wanted on the little labels and then print them out on my own computer. Too easy! 



Sorry about the flash in this image. The text reads "Don't forget to use a cute prop".



I also made some very cute "Ringmaster Moustache" biscuits. I ordered the biscuit cutters from Bondi Top Seller's ebay store.



This photo was taken at the end of the party - so as you can see there at not many biscuits left...and the ones that are left are a little bit burnt. Woops!


While I was surfing the internet looking for free moustache templates to download and inspiration for Sophie's party I came across the most adorable kids party - with a moustache theme. Here are some images from Le Partie Sugar's Blog. I just love the images from this gorgeous party. Who knows, one day I might try and have a little party like this one. Thanks Cristina (from Le Partie Sugarfor the inspiration and the ideas!










Hope you are having a great weekend. My hubby is busy painting my daughter's cubby house so I will post some photos as soon as he has finished.


Fi xx