DIYers we are not

Moving into a new home puts your DIY skills to the test. There is always a little something to hammer, tighten or repaint. Jordan is going to go all diva and bluster at this but we are seriously crap at DIY. Like there should be a law against us owning power tools. My debilitating impatience ensures that I regularly fail at DIY tasks. I never let glue set, I complete projects by skipping steps, I half-arsed read the instructions and can’t possibly wait for paint to dry. Jordan is an overzealous DIYer who would rather make four holes in the wall to hang a picture than one, who once got overenthusiastic with a dollar store hammer and nearly concussed himself when the head flew off and who recently tightened a loose kitchen tap so hard that it popped right off  (true stories by the way). Somehow we manage to get by but some days I do wonder if there is some sort of boot camp that could whip us into shape. In the meantime, I am hoping to follow through on my dream of doing a quick upholstery course to keep my waning creative edge (anyone done this Intoo one? If so, please drop me a line). I feel decidedly inspired by this project below (and yes, that is hand block printed linen)!

Before:

After:

During:

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Source: Remodelista | Photographs by Ariele Alasko

Ride upon the storm

The weekend is finally upon us. I was hoping to do my usual weekend ritual of heading down to the shore but the rain is still with us (notice the quiet restrain in my tone?). I’m going to suck it up anyway and grab a hoodie and some closed shoes and a very strong cup of coffee and feel the wet sand between my toes for a change. Although I am not jumping for joy over the endless rain Sydney has been experiencing, I am loving the extreme changes in weather. Hot winds, dark ominous clouds, thunder, lightning, hail – it all makes for very dramatic pictures and Jordan has been having a ball storm hunting with our camera. Pity we didn’t manage to capture anything quite like these pictures in the SMH. Instead, I just sat at my office desk and watched it roll in like a formidable predator.

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Every little thing – week 1

I am feeling much more balanced, centred and more myself (if that makes sense) since I started blogging again, which is funny because I was sure my rigorous daily blogging schedule was the very reason I was feeling not quite myself in the first place. I am not back at full whack though but that’s intentional –  blogging on a whim suits my current mood and is keeping the pressure at bay. But I still love my  little corner of the internet and I want it to continue to grow and give me the creative outlet and challenges that my somewhat sterile office job lacks. So my latest challenge to myself is to have a little blog revamp, get a good series going, sort my social media shit out (Twitter is still my mortal enemy and Facebook has locked my account) and post more of my own pictures - which in turn means taking more of my own pictures! I’m getting there so thanks for sticking by me. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few pretty details from my weekend. Notice a theme in my life at the moment? I’ll give you a clue: it starts with b and rhymes with teach.

- A neighbourhood walk around Paddington -

- Coffee table driftwood from a long walk on Palm Beach -

- Beach rocks at Maroubra -

- Coral, ready for it’s close-up -

- Time to move to the beach, oh wait, I already live there! -

Holding on to the sunshine

I think I have webbed feet. And I can hardly believe that I am saying that sitting over here in my Australian ivory tower. Sydney has been in the midst of a deluge for the greater part of a week. I know that we desperately need the rain but I can’t help the funk it has put me in. I got so used to flip flops and sunshine that when I put my tootsies into closed shoes, I ended up with a mahoosive blister on my baby toe. True story. Oh well, it was only a matter of time before my 7-month summer came to an end but I am not quite ready to say goodbye yet. So I am taking us all on a tour of an outside space that epitomises summer. White washed pool area, outdoor fireplace, outdoor shower area and even an outdoor kitchen. You can thank me later.

Source: Gardenista

There is no sincerer love than the love of food

As you well know (if you have read my blog for any amount of time), I researched and worried, stressed and mulled over the various aspects of Australian life. In all honesty, the one thing that truly stuck with me was how expensive everything seemed. Now I wish I could say we got off the plane and didn’t wince at the price of a bottle of water, but all in all we were pleasantly surprised at how affordable it is to eat out here. (I joke that it’s because everything is SO expensive that it’s all relative but in comparison to groceries, eating out is cheap-ish. And boy oh boy have we been putting that theory to the test. Fruit toast with lemon curd. toe curlingly good coffee, alpaca burgers and thrice fried chips, burritos and pancakes, pizzas and Thai. You name it, we have consumed it. It’s beginning to show. So much so that I no longer feel the need to do up my top button on my jeans. I can’t say I am complaining.

*Title quote by George Bernard Shaw*

I just swooned myself right out of the room

Tania Handelsmann. Now here’s a woman who has oodles of talent. I’m probably a bit late to the party with this one but I had to have this Sydney north shore residence immortalised on my blog. It’s got my name written all over it with its pale timbers, Bertoia chairs, whisper soft and cloudy grey tones, subway tiles and light fittings I wouldn’t think twice about pinching.

This, my blogging friends, is my happy place.

Source: EST Magazine | Photography: Jem Cresswell

Sssssshhhhh…

I’m currently tucked up in bed, savouring the fact that it’s cool enough for me to snuggle into the duvet (it’s been a sheet and nothing else round these parts lately). I spent the day resting in the cocoon of my bed getting over the stomach flu. Wow. I soooo needed a day like today – well, minus the stomach flu and just pure rest. It’s oh so quiet outside apart from the distant croaks of frogs and chirps of crickets, I’m watching the sun go down and I’ve got Jordan making me a sandwich in the kitchen which I am going to consume in this bed, crummies and all. Here’s a little moodboard that reflects just that – my mood.

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