Lifestyle Treats

Nursery

2012-02-22T21:18:00.001+10:00

As you can imagine, my pregnancy news was a big thing last weekend for our family. It's the very first grandchild for both of our families and everyone was just over the moon with our happy news. My father in law in Germany already started sending me all the possible names... lol

It's a funny thing. I'm telling you that I have never felt clucky or never visited the baby section in the department stores (oh I did once to buy my friend's baby shower present) since we got married. But after I found out that I'm pregnant everything has changed. I found myself at David Jones on the weekend window shopping for a possible stroller. Also I started gathering nursery images for inspiration.

Anyway below are some of my favourite nurseries that I found online. Hope you all had a great day x

My life recently.

2012-02-20T21:28:00.000+10:00

How are you all!? I have millions of stories to tell you, so get ready. Where should I start? Hmm, let's go back to Valentines day last Tuesday. Did you all have a lovely Valentines day? I loved watching so many happy girls going back home with big bunches of roses in the city... yes, love was in the air everywhere! Mr.R also came back home with this beautiful big bunch of flowers.

Mr.R organised Valentines dinner at the cliffs restaurant at Kangaroo point.

Everything tasted good with this spectacular view... Apparently this restaurant only offers dinner once every month. Brisbane bloggers, it's not a touristy spot, it was beautiful and the food was so tasty, you should try!

My entree was yellowfin tuna with goat cheese and pea salad.

I had barramundi for the main.

I love everything about salted caramel... worth every calorie!

I'm revealing something very exciting here... this is what I gave to Mr.R as a Valentines day present. A card with a positive pregnancy test! Yes, I'm pregnant! Mr.R was beyond excited and so was I. We actually planned to have a baby this year but I never thought it would happend this fast. We're in the early stages and I have to be extra careful as I have a sore tummy, but thank you god for giving us a little angel!

I went to see my GP this morning and she told me I'm at 6 weeks preganant, my little baby in my tummy is now developing teeth and hearing. She asked me to decide whether I want to go through the process with public or private. I have my private health cover (and we can afford it too) but as it is a totally new experience to me I really don't know what to do. Any suggestions!?

I'm experiencing a whole new stage of my life now. Firstly I'm very sensitive with smells. I found this little organic skin care shop right next to the food market, apparently they are from Thailand. I bought the lemon grass oil to make my bedroom smell like a day spa. The oil came with those paper flowers and I just need to put a few drops on them. Smells good so far.

I'm also using my candle bunner to spread the scent everywhere in my room.

This is another find with a strong lemongrass scent. This is also an organic brand from New Zeland. I'm loving it crazy now, you can find it at David Jones.

I'm also experiencing big hair loss and pimples on my face, maybe it's got something to do with my hormones? I got freaked out and I bought a bunch of skin relief producs including this aesop scalp shampoo and treatment. Hope it helps...sigh!

My friend told me this is a preggie's best friend. I already started putting bio-oil everywhere on my tummy and hips, I hate to see stretch marks and I hope they never come to me NEVER!

I also purchased new swimming gear to prevent from getting FAT! I'll enjoy every single process being a mum but I'm still scared about gaining weight...

I'm waiting on another piece of "BIG NEWS" which could possibly change my career, hope I hear some good news some point this week.

Well, thanks for reading my story, hope you all had a lovely day x

Happy Friday!

2012-02-10T18:33:00.000+10:00

Did you know our prime minister Julia Gillard just debuted with her first movie called "The Bodyguard"? I laughed out hard when I saw this image today. I'm curious... do you think this happened because her bodyguard is resonably good looking??

I'm off to Mr.R's family home tonight. I was thinking it's been a while since I dressed up nicely to go somewhere on the weekend. My eyes have been busy checking some glamorous fahion websites, below are some of my favourites.

My friend B rang me today with a super depressed voice and she told me her house got robbed. They took all her lifetime collection of designer bags, diamonds and even her Mercedes... I know... what scumbags! People in Pulenvale... lock your houses, apparently 7 houses got robbed yesterday.

Enjoy the weekend xo

My weekend action

2012-02-06T20:34:00.000+10:00

On the weekend I catched up with my dear friend Becky at the Hillstone, St.Lucia golf club for brunch. I always thought Hillstone was a place for weddings or a local golf club but surprisinly they had a beautiful restaurant overlooking the golf fields. This is the view I had while enjoying my salmon benedict, I know what a view! I kind of had enough of the usual Brisbane brunch scene... small, packed and similar food.... at least when you enjoy this beautiful view everything tastes great!

We had a little walk after brunch, everywhere was lovely. Actually the most exiting thing was finally checking her gorgeous wedding ring ( she got married overseas last month and unfortunately I couldn't make it). Darling, you deserve it!

I just got a call from my friend who lives in Dubai. She is a flight attendant for Emirates and this is me stealing her uniform while she was here. She is stopping over in Brisbane soon again and I'm beyond excited!

Well, how did your Monday treat you? Hope you all had a lovely day xo

My weekend action

2012-01-29T22:39:00.000+10:00

Hi, how was your weekend? I'm watching men's tennis final now and Mr.R was wondering why I'm not updating my blog often these days.. So here is my lazy update about my weekend. Here in Brisbane, we are having extremely wet days lately, nearly raining for 10 days non stop... I kinda like rainy days, the main reason is I don't have to worry about watering my garden. But I hope for a sunny morning tomorrow as I think we've had enough rain already. This wet weather also doesn't make me feel like doing anything, we spent a lot of time in our bed cuddling, playing with paul... how adorable that photo above?

I managed to go to my hair salon on Saturday afternoon while the rain was pouring down crazy. And we went to Bar Alto at the Powerhouse for dinner with our dear friends who are getting married soon.

We sat inside the park room which was so lovely (photo's from their website) and the food was really nice too.

Today we went to Carolina Kitchen in Cooparoo for dinner take away. My American neighbour told me they make genuine American food. We are exploring American cuisine lately. Ribs, hotdog, NY french fries... I know it's all about fatty food but worth the calories. We went to Ribs and Rumps in the Valley few days ago where I would never go back again. For Amenrican food, you can't beat Blue smoke bbq in New Farm!

Who do you think will win the game tonight? Djokovic or Nadal? I keep thinking Djokovic looks like Robert De Niro... Anyway hope you all had lovely weekend!

Beautiful Paddington house in Sydney

2012-01-25T20:26:00.000+10:00

I'm sorry to my regular visitors for my lack of blogging lately. It took me an extra few weeks to settle back into our normal life after a 4 week long holiday... Today I'm sharing with you this gorgeous house in Sydney, I especially love those sky lights in the kitchen. For my Aussie fellow bloggers, enjoy your Australia day tomorrow and the rest of you have a great day x

My front veranda

2012-01-18T21:47:00.001+10:00

Hi all! Yesterday I bought this 3-piece cane sets for my front veranda. I couldn't bring them back home with my small mini so I need to pick them up sometime on the weekend. Slowly but surely our house is filled with lovely items. It was an organic process of collecting & buying, and I can proudly say every single piece of furnitures in my house has its own story and special memory. ( oh, I must admit it took extra-long as I don't like to buy "mass-produced" items) Below is some of my inspirations for my front veranda.

Apart from my decorating stories, we went to see The Descendants a few days ago and I loved it crazy. It's been a while since I cried while watching movie and I did cry a lot. It was such an emotional and touching story, George Clooney surely deserved the Golden Globe award, strongly recommend!

Hope you all had a great day xo

My first yellow skirt!

2012-01-12T20:59:00.000+10:00

Do you rember this fashion coordination which I posted a while ago? Since that time I've always wanted to buy a yellow skirt and I found one today.

I saw this yellow linen skirt from Herringbone and I couldn't resist it. It was down from $299 to $99! Oh, it's also my very first piece of yellow clothing in my wardrobe!

This is an image from their website. They are still on sale, do not miss the chance girls! xo

Linen for summer

2012-01-11T20:54:00.000+10:00

I wonder how my fellow Aussie bloggers are dealing with this weather. Here in Brisbane the weather is crazy hot and all my greenaries are drying up... I'm heavily relying on our air-conditioner, sorry to our struggling poluted earth for not helping the global warming issue. I'm also using my linen clothing and bed covers to keep me cool. Nothing better than linen during summer!

I want to decorate my house like this now... I need a summery and beach look to cool my mind down. This homeware boutique opened at the end of last year near my house. So many beautiful homeware shops in Brisbane these days!

I found a new lable called Bianca Lorenne where they are selling beautiful linen bed covers...

And I'm loving that Herringbone's linen dress...

Fingers crossed I survive this summer, hope you all had a great day x

Holiday is over!

2012-01-08T22:15:00.000+10:00

We are finally back home again from Byron Bay, what a great holiday we had in Australia this time! From Hamilton island to the Gold Coast and Byron Bay, everyday we had so much fun and possibly ate too much so that I actually feel heavier now! Well, it's time to go back to reality and the gym and work hard for another holiday next time. We already have a few overseas holidays confirmed as it's my dad's 60th birthday and he suggested we meet up half way somewhere between South Korea and Australia. Also my old brother's getting married this year (not sure about the exact date yet) so we are expecting to fly there for his wedding. Back to the Byron Bay holiday, the beach house was so relaxed and beautiful just like its name "the bella beach house".

This is the Bella beach house. I love a house which is so warm and welcoming, this house was exactly like that.

Paul was happy too, checking out everywhere...

The dining area was lovely...

So was the living room.

Kitchen, hardly used as we love eating out...

Our bedroom... it had 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms (good for families), unfortunetely already booked out for the bluesfest...

Loved the checked floor bathroom.

Front balcony.

Where Mr.R and Paul were hanging out everyday...

That umbrella (christmas present from my mother in law) was very useful as it was so hot during our stay...

There's a restaurant called "The tree house" in Belongil beach, where we normally stay during Bluesfest, we always go there whenever we go down there, such a great atmosphere and the woodfire pizza is crazy good.

This evening Mr.R shaved his beloved beard which he grew during the holiday. This is photo before.

And after!

We are trying to go back to the gym tomorrow morning ( we had a month break) so I better go to bed now xo

Byron Bay here we go!

2012-01-04T20:25:00.000+10:00

This morning I booked a beautiful holiday house in Byron Bay to stay for the rest of the week. We are heading down there early tomorrow morning and I'm super exited as it is one of my most favourite destinations in the world. This is Elle Macphereson surfing at the main beach in Byron Bay a few weeks ago, I would like to try paddle-boarding this time.

Do you remember my Byron Bay post last year? I booked Bella house, it's a bit big for 2 of us (4 bed rooms) but I love the look of the house! Visit their website for more info (http://www.byron-bay.com/bellabyron).

The good thing about renting the holiday house is... it's pet friendly! Paul is super exited too, he loves staying at the beach... This is Paul at our friend's beach house at Noosa a few months ago...

I'll be back again next week! xoxo

Hello 2012

2012-01-03T22:55:00.000+10:00

Happy new year everyone! Did you all have a great holiday? Well, I had crazy fun with family during this Dec holiday, I'll try to report some of my holiday story on this post, it's going to be a long one, get ready. As I mentioned in my previous post, all our family members flew to Hamilton island for a week before christmas. I had to drop off my furry son Paul to pet hotel on the morning we left, this is where he stays whenever we go on holidays.

This is his room. Oh I've just noticed they got his surname wrong... it's RIEDEL! His hotel room comes with a bed, walk-in wardrobe, mirror, TV and the room is air-conditioned, oh what about the complimentary bath service? Paul deserves everything! I always have a very emotional goodbye with him whenever we visit here, lucky this time it was only for 1week, he normally stays for 1 month minimun.

Shortly after the emotional goodbye with Paul, we arrived at Hamilton island. I really miss waking up with this amazing view every morning. I had such a blast of a time, thanks to my super generous & lovely family for the trip!

That's me and my sister in law G, and my mother in law K. My stripe cotton dress was a freebie from a Marie Claire mag. I loved how people were driving around in the golf buggies on the island!

We all stayed at this wet bar for awhile, drinking cocktails and swimming around, what a paradise!

My hubby (aka Mr.R) underneath the palm tree!

And this is me sun-baking all day long, my Helen Kaminski and Karen Walker sunglass were the best friends during the trip!

After the Hamilton island trip we came back to Brisbane for christmas. This is Paul opening his present, he got an organic squeaky monkey and he was absolutely happy!

We had a lovely christmas lunch at Mr.R's grandma's place. She's 81 and is still a super stylish lady. This is what I wore that day, sorry for the dark photo, I'm wearing a white lace frock.

And I added a little christmas theme by wearing green Zara flats and the red pedicure.

This is what my santa(aka hubby) gave me. I was carring around my motor bag for nearly 10 years and it was time to change. Don't get me wrong, I have way too many bags but somehow I only felt comfortable with my motor bag. Now my motor bag is proudly retired and I'm happy with my new Tod's.

This is some of my most favourite gifts of this year amongst so many other presents. The Red's season ticket for me and Mr.R and the beach umbrella! (both from my mother & father in law!) This year I'll be at Suncorp stadium every weekend for sure!

Did you go to the boxing day sales? It was my first year staying in Australia on boxing day and of course I couldn't miss the chance to get some hugely discounted stuff. These Hugo Boss platform sandals... were $720 and I only paid $180...

These Jimmy Choo style Witchery heels... were only $49.

Bought a 50% off Ralph Lauren knit, love bargains (I'm the bargain queen actually)!

Simona sport's stripe T shirt and green linen scarf, all 50% off!

Even Steve Job's biography was 50% off too! I bought so much stuff that day, and these photos only show a little. I absolutely enjoyed my first boxing day sales experience!

After the boxing day sale, we went down the coast and stayed at Mr.R's family beach-front apartment for a few days. This is how my mother in law decorated her beach unit inside. It's a very spacious 2 bedroom unit and the view is just to die for.

This is the view from the side of the balcony.

And this is another view from the balcony. I know... it's just beautiful!

This was my uniform down the coast. My mother in law bought me that cute fringe top for christmas this year, and I've been wearing it since the day I got.

One day we went to Marina mirage for shopping, I loved how Tommy Bahama decorated their changing room! I'm a big fan of Tommy Bahama, so is Mr.R.

Sorry about the crappy iphone photo. This is what Mr.R bought at Tommy Bahama, new swimmers! Apparently the 2012 men's swim look is above the knee and paisley.

We came back to Brisbane for the new year's eve party. We went to Cha Cha Char for dinner ( I don't really like this place but everywhere else was all booked out!) and started my night with my usual drink, Amaretto Sour.

I didn't really like my main meal ( I think I don't enjoy steak anymore... maybe I'm ready to be a semi vegetarian?!?). However their dessert was one of the best desserts I've ever had. I heard that they just hired a new dessert chef from Paris, and this French chef surely knows how to make yummy stuff!

Just before we counted down the numbers we went to our friends unit in the city and we were lucky to watch some beautiful fireworks from their balcony. We were dancing like no one was watching with Michael Jackson's song (Beat it), drinking like there was no tomorrow (my new year's resolution would be drinking less alcohol?) I hope you had a great new years day and also hope your 2012 will be filled with success and happiness.

Our official summer break ends this Sunday. I'm searching for Byron Bay houses to stay at for the rest of our break. Again, happy new year to my lovely readers!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:36:00.000+10:00

Merry christmas to all my blog readers! I hope you cherish this day with your special ones! It was such an exiting morning opening my present from my santa (aka hubby) and at the moment we are cooking a 10kg ham for our family, for lunch at hubby's grandma's place.

Thanks for visiting my blog this year, I enjoyed every single day spending a little time to write something, I'll get back on track next year with more exiting stories!

Merry christmas and happy new year! xo

Holiday!

2011-12-14T20:56:00.002+10:00

Finally only two days to go until we are off to Hamilton island. Fingers crossed for the perfect weather this weekend and next week! I slowly started packing some stuff (mainly all swimwear and kaftans anyway), I know, very exiting indeed!

Raffia hat and beach bag, comfy t-shirt dress is a must!

Also white linen pants and black bikini is the perfect resort look!

A light hoodie is also needed for the poolside late afternoon...

I really want this Michael Kors clutch bag, I need a some summary clutch bag to carry to a nice dinner!

Today I ordered another 8kg ham for christmas day lunch. We are planning something very special for this christmas at hubby's grandma's place, love the festive season! I hope all my blog readers have a wonderful time with their families xo.

My weekend action - Christmas party

2011-12-11T18:18:00.000+10:00

I've been slack lately by not updating my blog. There are so many things to do towards the end of the year and I'm glad to say we are officially having holidays from next Saturday! Last night we hosted our first christmas party with our close friends. Here is a photo of our table setting, hubby helped me hang those lanterns and pompoms, and the hugely discounted fabric from spotlight did a good job creating christmas atmosphere.

I bought a few bunches of white and red flowers at the market in the morning and created this christmas centerpiece. I made those christmas leaves for the napkin decorations, you can buy that sparkly paper from the spotlight as well.

I used my jasmin vine to make the candle wreath and added a red carnation to create some christmas vibe!

We served prawn cocktail salad for starters. Sammy's seafood never disappoint me, fresh is the key! I also served homemade gyoza which I forgot to take a photo of.

For the main, we couldn't go pass christmas ham, we glazed it with brown sugar, BBQ Sauce & Seeded mustard, it was absolutely delicious, thanks to my local butcher for supplying us the best ham ever!

This stuffed turkey breast was so yum, it was our first attempt at cooking a turkey dish and I think we did a pretty good job!

My friend Monica baked this truffle chocolate cake with glitter almond toffee...

She also baked these mini cupcakes and pomegranate cookies... thanks Monica, your dessert is always pure enjoyment!

This bloody mixed berry pavlova was damn good too!

I went crazy with this fruit punch... which gave me big hangover this morning.

Everyone loved my table settings!

My honey did a good job with the lanterns! I strongly recomend thelanternshop.com. The lanterns arrived within 24 hours... what a superb delivery job!

I wore Leona Edmiston's frock with some jewel necklace... I was so busy cooking I forgot to put my wedding ring......sorry hub!

There are presents from our secret santa under the tree!

And this is what my secret santa gave me... The veggie twister!

My flowers looking gorgeous today, found a new home in my living room. Thanks to our lovely friends who made the night with so much fun and and filled it with laughter!

Before I go, I'll show you another christmas decoration in my house. Don't you love this festive season? I'm goin to another christmas party next Friday night and then off to Hamilton island for a week the next day, exiting indeed! Hope you all had a lovely weekend xo

Dream house in Brisbane

2011-12-06T20:23:00.000+10:00

I just told my hubby that our next house will be a brick house. Sorry Queendlander, I betrayed you. I just found this absolutely stunning house in Hamilton and I'm dreaming to live there one day... one day!

The million dollar view from the pool...

Luxurious living spaces...

And a beautiful courtyard... I know, stunning!

Hope you all had a lovely day x

Adore online magazine's new summer issue and magnolia interiors

2011-12-05T21:22:00.000+10:00

Did you all read adore magazine's sizzling summer edition? I especially loved to see my favourite homeware store Magnolia Interiors in Brisbane, isn't this fuchsia peacock chair so lovely?

See magnolia team's fabulous black and yellow christmas styling! Who would thought of decorating the christmas table with yellow and black!

Love these summery table settings, bright, vibrant and colourful, just perfect styling for the Queensland living!

I'm throwing a big christmas party this saturday and I was thinking of using a glass bowl as a namecard holder. It's so much fun organising the food and decorating stuff, I'm basically booked out with events every weekend until christmas day, hooray for the festive season!

Hope you all had a great Monday x

My weekend action

2011-12-04T19:54:00.000+10:00

How was your weekend? I'm dead tired right now after the big party last night, not a good feeling at all. On Saturday morning, I met my fellow blogger The stylish shoe girl (aka TSSG) for breakie. I've never met anyone through my blog before and I was very excited to see her because I've been reading her blog for nearly a year and I've always loved her sense of style. She was friendly and fabulous in real life too, thanks TSSG for the lovely time! This weekend we finally finished decorating our christmas tree. We decided to go with a red and gold theme this year to create the classic christmas tree look, and I think I'm pretty happy with the final outcome. Now it's time to start some crazy christmas shopping to fill the space underneath the tree!

Here is a close-up shot of our tree...

On Saturday evening we attended our family friend's 21st birthday party, his mom Tracy hosted a fabulous party at her place. Talking about Tracy, I first visited her house last year for a christmas lunch and I must say her decorating taste is just to die for. She is a devoted antique collector and if you take a photo anywhere inside her house, it will easily make the cover of Vogue living. She also has a serious collection of blue and white crockeries and guess what?! she gave me this beautiful blue and white pot last night, thanks Tracy you are so sweet. I hope I get the chance to take some photos of her house to show my readers, when I see her next time, maybe I'll ask her.

If you have been reading my blog for a long time, you would know I always throw a sunday BBQ. My dead tired body couldn't stop me throwing a bbq today, quickly made some goat cheese garden salad and a glass of sauvignon blanc is a must!

That Mexican marinated chicken was damn good, of course I didn't make it, my deli did!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend xo

Fashion inspiration - Christine Lagard

2011-12-02T20:55:00.001+10:00

Christine Lagard, is a laywer and the managing director of the IMF, she is a total inspiration to me. She is poweful, smart, confident and even so stylish, I know she has it all! I really love her sense of style, yes she is tres chic!

I can't believe it's already Friday again!?! Time flies! Hope you all enjoying the weekend x

Lynda Kerry's beautiful Sydney home

2011-11-30T09:50:00.000+10:00

I stumbled upon Lynda Kerry's beautiful Sydney house from Australian house and garden's December issue and I couldn't resist sharing this gorgeous home with my readers. Her house is just perfection and I love her fabulous christmas styling too! Hope you all have a lovely day x

My weekend action - Australian PGA

2011-11-27T21:27:00.000+10:00

I'm exhausted. This extreme hot and dry weather caused this, it's just too hot! This weather made me feel like drinking some draught beer, so last night we went to the bavarian beer cafe in the city to meet Mr.R's family for some German food and beer. We ended up having dinner somewhere else but I love how the bavarian beer pub displays the beer glasses on the ceiling!

I wore my mango silk top and a sequin skirt which I bought ages ago but never wore it before. My skirt made me think of TSSG's new Elie Tahari sequin skirt, I know, every girl needs some bling!

I wore my Sergio Rossi sandals from back in the day and this is my new OPI orange pedicure which I absolutely love!

This is my mother in law, she pulled out her camila kaftan so nice with her white pants, I know she is tres stylish!

Today despite this crazy hot weather, we went up to coolum to watch Australian PGA.

We were all in our golf attire with comfy shoes, hats and sunscreen are a must! There were so many stylish golfers up there today, ladies pulling out their best with Helen Kaminski with white shorts, loved the atmosphere 100%!

Actually there was a specific reason why I went to watch PGA today... I've been a long fan of Adam Scott! This afternoon I met him in real life and as you can imagine... I died! He's god damn gorgeous and despite my hubby's dirty look on me, I was the happiest girl in the world today.

His swing posture... just perfection!

I also saw Greg Norman, watching him playing in real life was just surreal! I haven't played golf for months now (well, also I'm a terrible player anyway), maybe I'll go and hit some balls with hubby next week.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend x

Hamilton island

2011-11-24T20:37:00.003+10:00

This afternoon I got the most exiting call from my mother in law, she said we are all going to Hamilton island for a family holiday in December! I know, we are lucky ducks! Thanks Kay & Dan, you really made my day! Every December we normally go to the resort somewhere for a quick holiday (mostly Fiji coz it's near Brisbane) , I just love laying under the sun drinking cocktails accompanied with some trashy magazines and books... ohh la la! I'm already counting down the days!

I just opened my photo folders to see what we were doing during the December festive season over the past few years. This is Mr.R back in the day sometime in Dec 2007 at Hilton in Fiji, I remember they just opened the resort a few months before we arrived, everything was new and modern.

This is me swimming with a turtle in Dec 2008 at Lady Elliot island. There were so many turtles swimming around and I was following them everywhere. Mr.R took this photo, good job hubby!

In Dec 2009 we were in Fiji again for 2 weeks, as you can see I spent quite a lot of time under the sun and my skin was nicely baked!

We missed the resort holiday at the end of last year because all of my Aussie family headed to South Korea to meet my family. This is me this year in the Maldives, sun-baking again! (oh, this was in April) I'm looking forward to this year's sun-baking session!

If you are wondering how Australian's enjoying their summer Christmas, here are some good photos on christmas day at Mr.R's family home. First, everyone opens their christmas presents...

Followed with a big christmas feast & drinking!

And then we all jumping into the water! That guy diving into the pool is Mr.R. They love juming off the top of that bridge, don't worry, the pool is about 4m deep. Mr.R is wearing his christmas crown and others wearing santa hat.

We finished our day with some fire-works...!

I can't wait to have a lot more fun with my family, christmas is all about family x
Hope you all had a lovely day xo

Wednesday update

2011-11-23T20:48:00.000+10:00

See my nail... I know ouch! (sorry for sharing my disgusting looking nail photo with you). It's broken. Last week I had to put the acrylic gel over the top to glue it together but today it's broken again! My nails are struggling terribly these days, so I had to make a big decision today. No more nail polish for the next few weeks. I'm feeling totally naked. Maybe I need to take some calcium? Any good suggestions guys?

Yesterday I bought a few books. This is one of them. I didn't buy this book because of its flashy gold cover. I bought another version of Haper's Bazaar book last year and that's my most favourite fashion bible now. I haven't had time to open this book yet, I'm sure it will be worth it.

Above is the book I was talking about, the one I bought last year. Get this one, so useful, let's get fabulous together!

This is another book that I bought yesterday. The author used to work at Goldman Sachs but later she reaslized her love of food, so I'm going to find out her tips for staying healty and fabulous while eating what you want.

I don't have many interesting stories with me these days, just struggling to do all the high-technology computer program stuff daily (archiCAD, you gave me a big migraine today) and waiting for the christmas holidays... My frangipani is in full bloom now, it must be summer.

Here is my garden update. My roses are still doing fantastic, new buds are coming out everyday. I found this lavender looking flower alongside the path, so pretty. I'm hoping for rain tonight but maybe not. My garden is desperately waiting for the rain, please god send us some rain here.

That's all for today, I hope you all had a lovely day.

Sewing project - making hubby's pj shorts

2011-11-21T20:56:00.001+10:00

Paul has a slight obsession with Mr.R's pj shorts. This is the third time he has destroyed Mr.R's Peter Alexander pj's... This was one of my valentine's day presents, I know... annoying, P-A-U-L!!!

Last week I went to Spotlight to get some christmas ornaments and see what I found! Very summery and bright lorikeet fabric! I instantly thought of making Mr.R's new pj's.

Sorry Mr. Alexander, I had to cut your lovely pj's to see your pattern! Talking about sewing, it is my biggest hobby and I never get sick of making something new. I don't make my clothes as I don't really like home-made feeling outfits but I sometimes make my own cushions and a little things for my friends and family.

See the end result! It took me a week to make it. (I spent half an hour per day, very-very slowly...)

I put the red ribbon in and I even recycled the buttons from Mr.R's old pj's. I'm thinking of making another one for my father in law, I'm sure he will love it!

Talking about fabrics again, this gorgeous fabric arrived today from the States. It's 100% linen and the prints are just to die for.

Apart from the fabrics and sewing stuff, I'm in love with Jimmy Choo's festive gift guide, I definitely need some pop-colour sandals for this summer, it's time to say goodbuy to my boring black sandals!

It is very colourful and bright, I'm not sure about other countries but this is what we need here in Australia! I hope you all had a colourful day xo

My weekend action

2011-11-20T21:40:00.000+10:00

How was your weekend everyone? My weekend was action packed again with lots of eating, drinking, shopping and some quality time at the hair salon. On Saturday night we went to a Japanese restaurant called Wagaya which had this fancy touch screen ordering system! It was easy as pie to use this screen and the food came out with no mistakes, fast service and the food was good for the price.

We went to the limes hotel for some cocktails afterwards, I believe they make the best cocktails in Brisbane. This is my lychee moiito and their amaretto sour is crazy tasty!

This is limes hotel, aka a botique design hotel. I stayed at a boutique hotel a few times and I personally prefer the big chain hotels rather than small boutique ones, but it would be a good hotel experience if you are visiting Brisbane.

This is their roof-top bar. Small but the atmosphere is great.

This morning we catched up with our friends for brunch. We've never been to this place before (called Brio) and the food was great. We discussed our christmas party and the secret santa idea, exiting indeed.

Followed with some window shopping... Loved that desk on the top image. After some quick window shopping I spent my entire Sunday afternoon at my hair salon. I wanted to perm my hair to give it some volume (my hair is super thin and straight) and below are my new hair inspirations.

Love Cat Deeley's natural wave. I adore her, her bright personality and happy energy, I just want to be her friend!

This is another look I was aiming for. I'm also a big fan of her. She has great happy energy too.

So I came back home with full volume and wave, aka unbrushed look. 100% happy so far with my new look ;)

Talking about my christmas tree, it's 50% done. I think I'm kind of glad we started to decorate it early, it may take another few weeks to finish it. It's not because we are lazy, we are just super busy. This is one of my favourite ornaments from our tree, it was a wedding gift from Mr.R's god mother, swarovski love heart. I have a few things to finish before November. First I need to choose my wedding photos ( we're not recently married, it's been nearly 8 months and we still haven't chosen the photos yet, yes we paid a few thousand dollars already so the photographer is not in a hurry anyway) and second I have to finish decorating my tree.

I'm going to bed soon, hope you all had a great weekend xo

Modern cottage living

2011-11-18T19:55:00.000+10:00

Who knew this cute little cottage would look like this inside? I'm normally not a big fan of cottages with ultra modern renovations but I must say this house is just perfection. The outdoor landscape is just wow. Thanks to my readers who left lovely comments about chiropractors and I hope you all have a great weekend x

Window seats

2011-11-16T21:37:00.000+10:00

Don't you love sitting on window seats when the sunshine is coming through your window? It's a great way to use the space and can be a clever storage idea too. Hope you all had a lovely day x

Your experience with chiropractors...

2011-11-15T21:36:00.000+10:00

My fellow blogger friends I need hear your experience with chiropractors. Last Friday I had my first visit to chropractor. It was simply because of my sore pelvis and knee (I know, sounds terrible for a 29 year old girl) and I thought I could get some help from them, also I thought it wasn't serious enough to see a specialist. After he examined my body he said he could already tell my spine and pelvis were not right. Somehow I was pushed into the Xray room (oh, they asked me to sign an x-ray agreement and I did) and I ended up taking about 9 X-rays from my knee to my neck. I told him that I didn't like the feeling of absorbing so much radiation... he laughed and said I'm a funny girl. It happened so quickly and he was a damn good talker so I lost my some of my dicision making skills. I paid a total of $260 and he asked me to visit him on the following Monday. He showed me my x ray images and told me I needed to fix my body (he started to really say some scary stuff) otherwise it's not good for the future. I didn't want to start my treatment but somehow I let him do it, as I told you he was a very good speaker with a big voice and stupidly I couldn't say no. I paid another $55 and he asked me to visit him 4 times a week for the first 6 weeks, and then reduce the visits over time. Hmm... you know what I'm thinking right now... ripped off... So what experiences have you had with chiropractors? Sorry for posting something not related to my blog subject, just need to know your stories.

Mood board and today's fabric inspiration

2011-11-14T22:01:00.001+10:00

Here is a quick post to share what I was working on today. I'm creating a modern french living room at the moment which is perdect for Queensland's relaxing life style. Also below is my new fabric crush. It is 100% linen blockprinted fabrics, aren't they gorgeous!?

My hubby is putting some christmas ornaments on the tree now, very cute hubby indeed. Can't wait to share our tree with you soon. Hope you all had a lovely Monday x

Summer christmas party inspiration

2011-11-13T22:20:00.000+10:00

I'm throwing this year's first christmas party at my place on the 10th of December with our close friends before they leave for their holidays. This weekend I went to a few different homeware shops to get some party inspiration and I must say Brisbane is in a high Christmas spirit! Every shop was showing their best with their impressive christmas decorations. I still haven't decided on the theme for this year's tree but I think I'm going for a classic look. It was hardcore work shaping my 220cm and 1000tips faux pine tree, after shaping the tree I couldn't bother doing anything else.

Here are some inspirational images for my party next month...

Relaxed table settings...

The centre piece inspiration... fill a glass vase with cranberries for a touch of red! Martha Stewart! You are a genius lady!

The place card idea...

Candles are a must!

I also want to put hang some pretty lanterns...

This Lilly Pulitzer's day dress would be a perfect outfit for the day!

Hopefully you all had a lovely weekend xo

Martha's christmas decoration ideas!

2011-11-11T18:41:00.000+10:00

Today I finally bought a 220cm tall christmas tree. I didn't buy any ornaments yet as I thought I need more research for this year's decorations. I found some interesting christmas decoration ideas from Martha Stewart's website and this is one of my favourites, bird ornaments!

I found a lot of places were selling felt animal ornaments. You remember the raindeers from my christmas wreath? I would love to add some hand-made touchs to my tree this year... hmm I'm thinking what to create!

I thought this is a really creative idea... using a cooking cutter!

Walnut ornaments... using a floral form. It's pretty easy to make!

I really love this idea, shell ornaments! I think it's a perfect idea for the summer christmas!

Well, I guess I'll be super busy this weekend with christmas ornament shopping and decorations, I'll post the photo once I finish decorating them, have a great weekend x

Marcella Kaspar NSW beach-side home

2011-11-10T18:47:00.000+10:00

To celebrate the season of peony here in the southern hemisphere I thought I would share my favourite artist Marcella Kasper's NSW home. She is very famous for her signature peony paintings. Her house is so open, beautifully collected and I especially love every single piece of furniture in her house.

I love how they designed their house in a U-shape and put a little courtyard and plunge-pool in the middle, every room has a beautiful green view and nice sunshine coming through which is so lovely.

Her bone-inlay washstand and mirror... yes I die!

Her kitchen, dining area and her home studio. I asked my hubby whether he can buy me one of her peony paintings for my 30th birthday present next year. Well, fingers crossed! Below is some of her work that I really love, I'm sure you'll love it too.

And this is my peonies in my blue and white jar...

Enjoy your peony season my Aussie readers and my international readers, thanks for visiting my blog x

Paula Joye's Sydney home

2011-11-09T19:33:00.000+10:00

I love Paula Joye, she's beautiful, stylish, smart and bright. Her hampton inspired house is just gorgeous like her, love how she used neutral colour to create a warm and inviting house. If you want to know about her visit her website www.lifestyled.com.au.

I'm off to the storybridge hotel for dinner, yes I feel like big steak and a cold draught beer now x

My christmas wreath

2011-11-08T18:49:00.000+10:00

Today I finally finished decorating our christmas wreath. I made those love hearts with some left-over fabrics and put on those popular raindeers which I bought from the shop. Now... it's time to create my christmas tree. I know it's a bit early but I'm fully in the christmas spirit now, already strarted organizing a christmas party with friends and family.

Here is a close-up shot of my love hearts...

What about these popular raindeers? I bought 5 different colours...

So how's your christmas decorating going? Have you guys started yet?

House of the week

2011-11-07T09:12:00.001+10:00

We walk pass this house nearly everyday (on my usual walk with Paul). Whenever I see this house I always make compliments about it to Mr.R like... oh that house is so pretty or I love that house or I love this street or we'll buy this house in the future. Now this house is on sale and I'm kind of feeling emotional... the fact that we can't afford to buy now and when we’re ready to buy it, it may no longer be available. I hope they find the perfect family to live in it! Happy Monday xo

My weekend action

2011-11-06T20:54:00.000+10:00

How was your weekend my readers? I'm pretty tired after the big weekend activities which started with us atteding Mr.R's younger brother's BBC speech night on Friday (I know, what a big age-gap with us, 11 years difference!). It was very good night and I'm very proud of my hubby's baby bro, William. You deserve to have crazy fun at schoolies!

Last night we went out for dinner at SAKE with our friends. Sake is my no.1 favourite at the moment, I can eat their food 24/7 with no problem. I was wearing my sexy Charlie Brown frock, she knows how to make a women's body look fabulous. After the dinner, we were all in a good spirit, so we headed to Friday's for drinks afterwards and as you can imagine, we came back home very very late...

Today we had a low-key birthday party at the park for mr.R's mum & uncle. Here is my baby boy Paul having a fun time at the park.

We gave a little birthday present to Mr.R's mom, I know what she likes... Jo Malone.

There was an old school ice-cream truck at the park, how cute is that!

My one had a chocholate top with a flake! Yum!

This weekend I started to decorate my Chrismas wreath. I didn't put much effort into decorating christmas trees before as I was always overseas for the past 12 years, but this year we are staying in Brisbane and I've decided to do a full-on decorating job to enjoy my second summer christmas. These handmade raindeers seem to be populer in Brisbane at the moment, everyone's using them! I bought 5 of them in different colours and I made those love hearts. I have a small faux christmas tree but I'm thinking to invest in a 2m tall christmas tree this year. I'll update the photos when I finish decorating them!

Hope you all had a great weekend xo

Summer fabric

2011-11-03T21:30:00.001+10:00

I've been searching for new fabrics for this summer's new soft furnishing range. Summer's nearly around the corner here in Australia and all we need is some fresh and bluish hues to brighten up the space. Here are a few fabrics that I fell in love with today...

Kristen Bell's eclectic & colourful house

2011-11-02T17:51:00.001+10:00

I love how Kristen Bell used Schumacher's Chiang Mai dragon fabric in her living room and kitchen. I also love how she mixed and matched colourful vignettes, such a bold and eclectic house!

Melbourne Cup fashion highlight

2011-11-01T21:32:00.000+10:00

I enjoyed watching all the fabulous and stylish ladies at the Melburne Cup today. I loved this colourful pom-pom fascinator which reminded me of Sonia Rykiel's pompom head piece, love those great neck details too!

What a show-stopper! This fascinator is a piece of art!

Jennifer Hawkins and Rebecca Judd both looking fabulous as always!

This is my favourite fascinator, so glamorous!

Designers from Sass and Bide are also looking oh-so stylish!

J Alexander was there too, although his outfit looks like his daily look!

I think the worst dressed was Brynne Edelsten... Hmm, her dress looked like my mom's swinsuit in the 70's? It was indeed an exiting day watching the racing although we lost our bet.
Hope you all had a fun Cup day x

It's Melbourne Cup day!

2011-11-01T11:51:00.000+10:00

Happy Melbourne Cup day everyone! I've picked Niwot for Melbourne Cup winner! Fingers crossed xo

Leona Edmiston's Sydney house

2011-10-31T20:39:00.000+10:00

I stumbled upon Leona Edmiston's house from last year's Madison mag while I was making a scrap book. For those who don't know her, she is an iconic Australian fashion designer. I love her laid back mediterranean house. Her house was is nicely decorated with collected pieces, just beautiful like her creations!

I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween Monday x

My Saturday

2011-10-29T18:32:00.000+10:00

This is the coffee that we ordered this morning, mine is the normal one on the left side and Mr.R's one is that impressive bowl sized cappucchino. The weekend brunch is my most favourite meal, we went to Anouk in Paddinton this morning and the food was fantastic.

This is my hubby aka Mr.R. He surely enjoyed his coffee bowl.

After the brunch "the hubby team" went to paddo for a beer and "the wife team" went shopping. I love this patchwork armchair and Missoni cushions from Olive home.

This Missoni patchwork ottoman was also my favourie!

I bought this summary cotton/silk pom-pom scarf from olive home today.

We also visited the antique centre for a quick look. These lamps would look lovely in my house...

Cedar wood desk and ballon back chair circa 1890.

We started carving our pumpkin... Halloween is actually not a big thing here in Australia but we had a few visits from trick or treating kids last year, so we decided to prepare properly this time to support the little kids in our area...

Not bad is it?!? I hope you all had a fatastic Saturday and hope you enjoy your Halloween weekend xo

Colour Inspiration - Yellow

2011-10-28T18:10:00.000+10:00

Yellow is always a hard colour for me. I hardly get the chance to use yellow, and I don't even have any yellow clothes in my wardrobe. As a designer, it's very important to have my true style, but at the same time I'm always trying to adapt to new styles and colours everyday. So I'm sharing some inspiring images of yellow today with you... I saw a few designers (including Kelly Wearstler) that used patent leather before, what a showpiece!

Loving those yellow cane stools!

I saw this parrot fabric from beach vintage blog, isn't it lovely?

Loving those yellow ikat fabrics!

I know, yellow and black never fails!

Love those yellow chippendale chairs turquoise curtains.

I would love to have Mariska's painting at my place...

I love that yellow ikat prints skirt! This look would be perfect for a windy weekend here in Brisbane. If you've been reading my blog for a long time you would know I've been dreaming of owning the Hermes bag crazy...

TGIF! Yesterday Mr.R and I bought a holloween pumpkin so we'll carve it nicely this Saturday, also we bought heaps of chocolates for trick or treating... but I've been eating them all day?!?
Hope you all enjoy your halloween weekend xo

Think pink!

2011-10-26T20:06:00.000+10:00

I'm sharing these beautiful pink images tonight to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation. I'm supporting them with tiny little things such as buying pink ribbon products, whether it's a small thing or a big donation, don't forget to support them so the money can go to someone who really needs help.

Think Pink xo

Lovely room with cherry blossoms

2011-10-26T10:53:00.001+10:00

I'm loving this gorgeous room with pink cherry blossoms... such a lovely, bright and fresh room!
Hope you all have a fabulous day xo
(image source from http://homeiswherethecouchis.tumblr.com)

Our house's quick make-over

2011-10-25T20:14:00.001+10:00

Do you remember these cast iron corners and friezes which I bought from the lady who was renovating her house last week? After the hardcore repainting job (it was in pretty bad condition), I finally put them on today.

This is my house before. That clear PVC outdoor blind was my no.1 enemy. I hated it so much since the day we bought this house 3 years ago, but there was so many other things to fix first, so that lucky PVC survived for 3 years... but now goodbye forever!

This is after we put them on... Horray my magic handy man! He did a fantastic job!

The view from inside...

The view from outside!

I can't believe it's already been 3 years since we bought our "very first house". When we bought this house we were young (I was 26) and all we cared about was it had to be inner city, possibly near the river and near the M1 and with no traffic to the M1 in the morning as Mr.R works down the coast. Our first choice was Paddington and the second was somewhere near Rosalie and we even thought about West End too. It's funny East Brisbane wasn't even on our list. When Mr.R's mum told us about this little Churchie pocket, we started to looking at this area and we bought this house within a week. It's been slow but a great journey fixing & updating our house, and we've really enjoyed the whole process and most of all we are so happy here! My dream of creating a city cottage is getting closer!

Hope you all had a lovely day x

Welcome to Brisbane Queen Elizabeth II !!!

2011-10-24T12:47:00.002+10:00

I totally forgot that Queen Elizabeth II was coming to Brisbane today, I was busy emailing this morning and I opened the Brisbane Times website for a quick check up... and she was already here cruising around New Farm! I couldn't resist, so I ran to Mowbray park to greet her, thank god I live near the river! Paul is nervously waiting for her to come.

See the happy crowds!

She's coming, she's coming!!!

There she is! Can you see!? Hello my Queen Elizabeth, welcome to Brisbane!

She's heading to South Bank now... It's a beautiful day here in Brisbane I hope you all have a lovely day xo

Interior idea - Wicker trunks

2011-10-23T21:21:00.000+10:00

I love a wicker trunk. There are so many different ways of using them, you can use them as a coffee table or you can throw some cushions like the image above, and use them as a seat or you can use them as a bed bench too. They are great for storage and perfect for a beach house.

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend xo

Saturday!

2011-10-22T15:38:00.001+10:00

I went to the farmer's market this morning and bought some avocados, 6 avocados for $2! Farmers! Are you guys making any profit?!? I can't stop going to the West End market, it's just so cheap and fresh. I also love watching the lovely hippies... I think West End has a such a great mix of people, I love the atmosphere there!

One big reason I really love this season is... the sweet mangos! I'm a mangoholic, crazy mangoholic.

This perfect shaped pink rose is also from my rose garden. It's so big, seriously nearly the same size as my hand! I thank my lovely dad who visited me twice this year from Seoul and created the most beautiful garden for us.

A part from that, I went to see the King Arthur ballet at QPAC last night with my friend Kate. It was a beautiful show and reminded me of my childhood back in the days when I used to wear a tutu to go to ballet class. It's windy here in Brisbane, thinking of what to eat for tonight... Hope you all have a lovely weekend xo

Fabric love - Ikat

2011-10-20T21:08:00.000+10:00

I love using Ikat fabrics, their bright and bold patterns are perfect if you want to create an eclectic look xo.

Cottage dining

2011-10-19T20:33:00.000+10:00

If you have been reading my blog for a long time you know I'm a big fan of country living. I would love to have a warm and natural style dining area in my house, but unfortunately we don't have a separate dining room. Also the previous owner installed a modern Ikea kitchen which is a BIG NO NO for me. We couldn't renovate our kithcen / dining area straight away as we had so many other things to do, but I don't think I can take the modern kitchen any longer... I keep pushing & whinging to my hubby everyday, and hopefully I can have a beautiful cottage dining area like these some day soon.

Hope you all had a lovely day x

Tuesday

2011-10-18T20:57:00.000+10:00

This perfect looking red rose is from my garden. My rose garden is doing so well this year, I get all the different colours everyday, how lucky!

Today I met Amanda who was passionately renovating her water front house. It was an old brick house which had a charming character with these beautiful cast iron corners and friezes wrapped around. Surprisingly she decided to ditch these beauties because she wanted to create a chic modern house. So here they are, I bought them... I asked her to keep them and paint it with glossy black but I guess everyone's taste is different. I love to keep the original character whether it's a house or furniture. Well, I can't wait to put them on top of my veranda, need to call my handy man tomorrow!

Hope you all had a lovely day xo

10 years ago...

2011-10-17T21:02:00.000+10:00

Do you sometimes open your old photo folders? This afternoon I was organizing my archives and found this old photos of my uni time. It was in 2003 and my interior group was designing a display house at Indooroopilly shopping centre sponsored by Dulex and other furniture & homeware retailers. Do you guys ever miss your uni days? I do. All the sleepless nights at the computer labs designing buildings, reading ridiculous amounts of the art history books for essays and we all had a fear the future and jobs.

This was the mood board that we made for the client, my very first client Indooroopilly shopping centre manager! There was 4 mood board but the others look too blury to share.

So this is what we've done... in front of the Myer centre on the ground floor... please remember that the whole design could look a little bit outdated now as this was nearly 9 years ago. We created a living area, bedroom and an outdoor area and in my memory our client was very happy with our job.

Living area...

Bedroom...

Outdoor area... It was indeed very fun project!

I think I was lucky that I knew what I wanted to study at uni and I enjoyed every single day studying interior design. So how was your uni years, what did you study?

1st birthday post & my weekend action

2011-10-17T13:43:00.000+10:00

Last Saturday was my blog's first birthday. Of course I couldn't pass this special day and not doing anything, so I organised a little day trip to Mt.Tamborine with my hubby. Our first stop was this beautiful antique shop near the gallery walk. Mt.Tamborine is a great place to buy antiques, there are so many devoted antique collectors up there and price wise they’re much cheaper than Brisbane.

This is inside the antique shop... I know, gorgeous!

There are so many pretty houses in Mt.Tamborine. This little cottage is my mother-in-law's favourite. She always mentions this little one whenever we come up here together.

What about this poker house?

We had lunch at George's Paragon... I always feel a little bit disappointed about their food. Santuary Cove one was like that too... I haven't tried the Eagle Street Pier one yet, but probably never going back. I've given them one more chance and that's it!

I didn't bother taking photos of the food... but the dolmades... hey George's Paragon people, did you guys buy them from Coles?!? and I think that reduced balsamic sauce must have been bought from the deli???

Our last stop was the Witches Falls winery. It was beautiful day but on the way back home the sky sunddenly changed black and the heavy rain started with some small hail.

See the cloud! I know crazy!

Thanks for my small but supportive followers who visited my blog and left comments over the past 12 months. Special thanks to my local followers who I haven't met in person but always given me big support. I wonder sometimes who's visiting my blog as I have an average of 120 visitors per day. Please don't be shy in leaving a lovely comment and if you can follow me it would be even better!

Happy Monday xo

Want to be my neighbour?

2011-10-14T18:44:00.001+10:00

I was driving pass the churchie anglican school this morning and saw this gorgeous little cottage house with a for sale sign on it. I instantly fell in love, isn't it gorgeous? It's a small house with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom which is perfect for a young family.

I know... gorgeous!

I chopped these gorgeous hydrangeas from the back garden and arranged them on the console. Someone told me there is a soil for the hydrangeas, so I can grow the flowers with darker colour, is that true?

I'm having a BBQ at my place tonight to celebrate my friend's engagement, can't wait to see her ring! She actually caught my wedding bouquet in April, so I'm extra happy for her! Hope you all have a great weekend xo

Beautiful flower arrangements

2011-10-12T20:48:00.000+10:00

This is the best season for beautiful flowers here in Australia. I love seeing pretty pastel coloured hydrangeas, pink peonies and some rananculus these days. Here is some great ideas for arraning flowers, aren't they gorgeous?

Hope you all had a good day xo

Balloon vase

2011-10-10T18:55:00.000+10:00

Today I'm sharnig some beautiful images with balloon vases. I especially love using them as a lampbase, it's the perfect item to decorate a beach house. Hope you all had a lovely Monday x

(Image source - absolutelybeautifulthings, mydeignchic)

My weekend action

2011-10-09T19:25:00.001+10:00

I spent my Sunday afternoon gardening, all my greenaries were very happy about the big rain this week and they were asking me for some more water. This is my front garden, that triangle section is my rose garden and my baby hedges are still fighting with its bad soil, damn clay, I hate you.

My jasmin vines are doing so well, they started flowering from a few weeks ago...

Camellia's in full bloom...

My cream rose is about to come out, welcome to the world beauty x

I'm even growing some long stem roses... I wonder what colour rose it is!

Do you remember my orchid that I bought a few weeks ago? They are still growing so well and I love them crazy!

I chopped some lavender from my back garden and arranged them in the vase...

My fellow Brisbane bloggers, where do you go for seafood shopping? Today I went to Samies girl seafood market in portside and bought heaps of prawns, barramundi and Moreton bay bugs.

Yum yum prawns!

Cooking Moreton bay bugs on the grill with butter and garlic sauce.

Our barramundi was perfection.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend xo.

Natural & warm spaces

2011-10-07T20:27:00.001+10:00

My interior taste is very diverse but I always come back to my true style which is natural and warm, a bit like country living. I love to see houses with collected items, every piece has its own story and history.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend xo

Attention "Blue and White" lovers - Domayne's ceramic drum stool

2011-10-06T11:51:00.003+10:00

I have to share this news with my Aussie followers. The giant retail group Domayne furniture is now importing some blue and white ceramic drum stools from China, apparently their first shipment is all sold out. I can see why, the retail price is only $150 (they are normally around $400 mark from the interior shops... I know...big saving! I think it comes with a few different colours). Their second shipment is due to arrive in December and you can pre-order them now. I just ordered mine ;)

Here is a few images of gorgeous spaces with drum stools...

I am very sad to hear the news about Steve Jobs. Rest in peace Steve...

Hope you all having a good day so far xo

Arancini

2011-10-05T20:43:00.001+10:00

Tonight there was big action in my kitchen cooking arancini. If you have some left over risotto, it would be a perfect recipe for you. I cooked some mushroom risotto and made them into balls (about a golf ball size).

Cover them in flour and put them into a beaten egg all the way around, so the bread crumbs can stick to it nicely.

These are the breadcrumbs that I used... they're Japanese style for tempura prawns... it's more crispier than the Aussie ones!

Cover them in bread crumbs too...

Fry them until they go golden brown, it only takes about a minute...

Nearly getting there!

I served them with a bolognese sauce... hubby was indeed very happy!

I also made some blueberry pie... I know, what a cooking night!

I'm feeling lazy and sleepy after the big dinner, I say it's bed time soon... Hope you all had a lovely day.

Trina's country farmhouse

2011-10-03T10:22:00.000+10:00

I love reading Trina's blog. Her farm house is so beautiful, it's the lifestyle that I've always dreamed of. It's a lovely day here in Brisbane, hope you all have a great Monday xo

My weekend action

2011-10-02T19:21:00.000+10:00

It's been a long time since I've fallen a sleep with my make-up and contact lens on. Gosh, how many glasses of beer did I have on Friday night? It was an Oktoberfest weekend here in Brisbane and as a wife of a half German husband, I had to attend it, no excuse!

We went to the German club in Woolloongabba. Sorry about the low quality iphone photos!

My neighbour Tiffany (she's 50 Tiff and I'm 48 Tiff, and not ages, but house numbers :p) bought these hats for everyone. I'm wearing the black dress again (who am I?).

Mr.R the half German boy seemed to be enjoying himself too!

I did some gardening and domestic work this morning. I found this red rose in my garden in full bloom.

The yellow one is about to bloom...

My rose garden is doing so well this year, I think my cream roses will come out sometime next weekend.

Can you believe it's already October? I know... time flies!
Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Home office

2011-09-29T18:07:00.000+10:00

Here are a few beautiful images of a home office. I really need to clean and re-organize my office room at some point soon, I've been procrastinating for months now and yes feeling guilty about it.

Hope you all had a great day xo

5 things that made my day

2011-09-27T19:36:00.001+10:00

1. Starting my day with a fresh fruit and yogurt smoothie... my juice making skills are getting better and better everyday. Watch out Boost!

2. My little gardenia arrangements in my kitchen... I die for their beautiful scent!

3. My friend's surprise visit this morning, she gave me this gorgeous bone china for my belated birthday present. Thanks sweetite, you really made my day x

4. Beautiful spring fabrics, lovely linen and striped cotton...

5. Got to wear my new wedge espadrilles...

Hope you all had a lovely day xo

Beach house

2011-09-26T22:17:00.000+10:00

If I own a little beach cottage one day, I will decorate my cottage like these images... xo

My weekend

2011-09-25T22:02:00.001+10:00

We went up to Noosa this weekend to visit our friends, we stayed at their family beach house in sunshine beach, it was a beautiful house with a stunning view, just next to the Noosa national park. I love this season so much, not too crazy hot, just perfect for tanning. Don't worry people, I made sure to put my sunscreen and hat on.

Paul loves the beach too, no wonder... he was born on the Gold Coast.

Mr.R and Paul were having fun together, we saw some whales jumping out of the water today, how lucky!

Some stunning properties along the coast line. Am I ever going to own one of them? Maybe within 10 years? Well, it's free to have a big dream anyway, I'm dreaming of owning a gorgeous beach house with a classic red Mercedes convertable parked in the garage for the weekend...

We had a fantastic poolside seafood BBQ on Saturday, cooking some snapper and corn...

Moreton bay bugs with garlic and butter...

Salad collection from Coles...

Our friend Amanda made some fantastic fruit punch. I can't remember how many glasses of punch I had that day, we started in the early afternoon and finished at midnight.

See my snapper, only need one word... perfection.

This is Rosie, she's seemed to be enjoying herself too.

I'm feeling pretty tired after the big weekend, going to bed now. Hope you all had a great weekend x

My birthday

2011-09-23T21:43:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. I know... my last year in my twenties! My day started reading lovely birthday cards from my hubby and family. See my birthday cards... they know what I like, the shoes!

This card was from my hubby, he specially designed & manufactured it by himself, I was very impressed!

He didn't forget to put the copyright sign on the back, very smart indeed.

I loved it crazy and I felt so emotional reading his letter, my furry son also put his signature underneath, can you see his paw print?

A lovely gift from my hubby, lime and basil body oil and gardenia body lotion!

This was another set of birthday gifts from my mother in law, she said it's a summer beach theme gift, I know, what a perfect gift!

She also gave me Clinique lipstick and a make-up bag filled with sample goodies! She spoilt me with so much stuff, lucky me!

I went to a wedding that afternoon at Mt.Tamborine with my Riedel family, it was perfect weather for a wedding and the venue was spectacular! I wore my black dress with pink heels and Chanel bag and Mrs.R wore a white shirt and a black skirt with her Christian Dior clutch and Stuart Weitzman bow heel.

You remember the Japanese food chef Shaun Presland from Master Chef? He opend his restaurent Sake in Brisbane not that long ago, so we decided to have my birthday dinner at his restaurent.

This is what we ate, only two of us (me and my husband), I felt extremely full after that but it was indeed a good dish.

Only 12 months to go until I'm 30, I will definetely enjoy my last year in my 20's, I'm thinking of doing all the silly things before 30 (well, I'm pretty sure I'll be like that after 30 anyway).

I'm heading to Noosa for the weekend, hope you all have a lovely weekend xo

Tory Burch Spring 2012

2011-09-21T15:46:00.001+10:00

I loved Tory Burch's first runway show, these are my favourite looks from her collection. I love those pointy mary jane with bows, so cute! xo

Flower's at my place

2011-09-20T22:24:00.001+10:00

I'm in love with this happy and warm (maybe too hot for spring though, it was nearly 30C on the weekend) weather in Brisbane now. My garden loves this weather too. Everything is so green and flowers are everywhere! This is my front door with two topiary trees, aren't they pretty? I'm thinking of making a white plant box instead of that heavy black pots.

My second yellow rose in a year! Who said roses are hard to grow!

Gorgeous pink oriental lilies in the entrance...

My orchid in the living room...

I love orchids, apparently they are hard to keep alive. This is my first baby.

Murraya flowers are everywhere right now and our house is filled with its beautiful scent.

What about my little lavender garden, love it!

I hope you all had a beautiful day, it's bed time for me, good night xo

Sasha Adler's daily style

2011-09-19T12:52:00.002+10:00

I'm a big fan of Sasha Adler's interior work & style and I was happy to see her gorgeous daily outfits which featured in Lucky mag recently.

Day 1- Thakoon dress, Vionnet heels, Hermes watch

Day 2 - Missoni blouse, J.Crew pants, Christian Louboutin heels

Day 3 - Giambatista Valli top, Marc Jacobs wide leg pants, Miu Miu leopard shoes, Dominique Aurientis vintage gold earrings, Hermès bag

Day 4 - Marc Jacobs leather skirt, J.Crew striped shirt, Gucci fringe booties, vintage python clutch and necklace

Day 5 - Derek Lam jeans, Chloe blouse, Bottega Venetta Wedge, vintage ivory necklace

Day 6 - TSE cashmere shell, Jil Sander skirt, Christian Louboutin heels, vintage crystal necklace

Day 7 - Crewcuts button down, 3.1 Philip Lim shorts, Christian Louboutin flats, Chanel sunglasses

Sasha Adler, co-design director for interiors guru Nate Berkus, doesn't just know what makes a space work, she also has a knack for creating amazing outfits. "It's about contrasting styles," the Chicagoan says. "I don't like to look too of-a-moment."

I think she looks great with those wide leg pants! If you want to read more about her, click here.

Hope you are all having a lovely day so far xo

Happy Friday!

2011-09-16T18:40:00.000+10:00

The weather in Brisbane these days is sunny and absolutely beautiful. I know the "colour blocking" thing is a big fashion trend right now, but I still haven't ditched my gloomy winter hue outfits yet. I realized how depressing the colour of my outfit was this morning, black and charcoal shouldn't be happening in this beautiful sunny weather!

I also wore black flats that I bought it in recent trip to Seoul, they are as comfy as my PJs!

My lavender loves this warm weather too, bees are busy flying around, ooh la la I love spring so much!

This afternoon I visited my favourite blogger Sandy's shop at WAC (visit her blog). I made a big tour in Brisbane to check all the antique dealers and found few treasure items.

This is a few items that I liked from her shop. I think this white french drawer would be good in a nursery?

I nearly bought these gorgeous rose candle holders, aren't they lovely?

I hope you all had a great day and enjoy the weekend (any big plans?).
xoxo

Interior idea - Gingham

2011-09-15T18:16:00.000+10:00

The fabric pattern that I never get sick of is gingham. I love using it to cover chairs or cushions as they can look traditional but also casual at the same time. Here are a few images that I've saved in my image library.

Blue and white checked bed throw... looks great with the mahogany framed bed and duck egg blue painted wall.

Looks great with balloon back chairs too!

Red and white gingham chairs.

Blue and white gingham chairs, just beautiful!

Gingham curtains. I love this warm and cozy feeling in the living area.

This is my favourite image as well. I love how they used red and white gingham as a point on that wingback chair, also matching curtains!

This is a cushion that I was working on yesterday. Gorgeous blue and white gingham with pleated piping!

The main point of my cushion is... this red zip! Isn't it gorgeous?
I hope you all had a lovely day, I'm off to Mr.R's family home for dinner x

Nelia de Wet's beautiful home

2011-09-13T12:24:00.000+10:00

I read Nelia de Wet's interview from Living sense mag in Korea and I instantly fell in love with her beautiful style. Nelia de Wet has always been drawn to beautiful things. She studied art and over the years, through trial and error, she taught herself furniture-painting techniques inspired by the French. Five years ago she combined her passion for painting and her love for antiques, and set up shop in Somerset West.

Hope you all have a lovely day xo (All images from www.gapinteriors.com)

Home sweet home!

2011-09-12T22:06:00.000+10:00

I'm finally back in Brisbane today. It was a teary and emotional goodbye to my family but as soon as I saw my hubby's face at the airport I had a big smile on my face. It's crazy that it's been nearly 12 years since I visited Seoul in September (I normally go back there in Dec). It was late summer and I could see autumn was just around the corner. My dad's beautiful garden was about to turn red and yellow. Also it was so good to wear summer clothes not big heavy winter coats. I think I took that photo just after I painted my nails.

Talking about my dad's beautiful garden, this is a lucky lion sitting in front of the house, oh hang on, maybe it's a dragon... okay it'a a dragon with a lion's body. You remember my previous post of my dad's gardening work at my house? He is a great gardener and my family home was so pretty with summer greenary.

My dad loves those pine trees (it's different to the Australian ones, it's korean pine trees). Can you believe those pine trees can cost up to $10.000? I remember my dad used to collect rare bonsai pine trees and we had more than 100 bonsai trees at home.

So green, that tall tree on the left is a persimmon tree. There were so many green persimmons, they will be ready to pick late October when they turn orange.

Can you see that green persimmon? I used to love it when I lived in South Korea.

My dad had so many fruit trees... this is his pomegranate tree. I think it's almost ready to pick.

This is his little rose garden. It's funny I was never interested in his garden before. Living in Australia and looking after my garden totally turned changed my life... I kind of fell like a big country girl when I went back to Seoul. One evening I went to my brother's work place to have dinner together, and it was at peak hour on the subway station. I felt a little closterphobic and I thought I was going to die at the subway station. Seriously thousands of people were pushing me and I nearly vomitted... maybe it was normal in my life before but not anymore...but I have to say I do miss the big and busy city, brisbane is way too relaxed sometimes.

Here is some shoes that I bought while I was there. Black patent leather flats, very comfy!

I bought these Zara green sandals with for a 70% discounted price.

My mom bought me these crocs from Costco. She said I have to wear them for summer gardening (no more gumboots!). Who would have thought I was going to be a big fan of the crocs! I know they are not stylish but they are the comfiest thing in the world!

Some duty free skincare stuff... I was always a big fan of Kiehl and that ultra facial cream was my absolute favourite. Did you know now you can have an oil free ultra facial cream? It's so light and I love the gel texture, highly recommended.

Oh, I have another one to recommend to you. Have you ever tried bourjois 10 hour sleep foundation? I seriously tried every brand's foundation but nothing can beat this (it's cheap too). It's a light as tinted moisturizer (not heavy texture or big covering) and it instantly gives a healthy glow. I mix it with Clarance beauty balm and it will make your face so glowy and beautiful. People always ask me about my skincare and the secret is this foundation.

Hope everyone had a lovely Monday xx

Today's quote

2011-09-06T12:44:00.001+10:00

"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth."

William W. Purkey

My apologies for the lack of blogging the past few days. I'm still in Seoul haing a great time here but I must say I do miss my hubby and Paul in Brisbane. Hope you all having a lovely day so far xoxo

@ Hong Kong airport...

2011-09-02T00:39:00.002+10:00

I'm waiting for my next flight at Hong Kong airport now... all I can think of right now is a comfortable bed and my soft goose down doona... I really need some sleep! It's going to be a busy weekend catching up with my family, I hope you all have a lovely & happy Friday xx

Colour Inspiration - Orange

2011-08-30T15:59:00.001+10:00

I'm in love with the bright orange hue today... I especially love the orange and green hues together... Hope everyone's having a great day so far xxx

Oh before I go I have to show you the dress that I'm wearing today. I'm wearing orange too! Sorry about the low quality iphone photo xxx

Summer @ Byron Bay

2011-08-29T21:29:00.000+10:00

We have been talking about staying at Byron Bay during the Dec-Jan summer holiday instead of going on an overseas trip. I kind of like the idea, it just feels a little bit weired staying in Australia in December, I was always away during that season from the first year I moved to Australia. It means for the past 11 years, I've never stayed in Australia during the Christmas season. Anyway staying at Byron Bay for 2 weeks sounds fantastic to me, I love the atmosphere there and we have a very sweet memory there too (Mr.R proposed to me at the balcony restaurant in Byron bay). So I started to search for some pretty beach cottages, it's no surprise that so many places were already booked out... This is one of the houses that I found this afternoon which is called the Bella house, how pretty!

This is another one called abaccus house. It's very close to the beach and I love the country charm feeling of this house. How cute is that checkboard floor bathroom? I couldn't find many two bedroom beach cottages, everything seems three bedroom and they are so expensive! Do you know any good places in Byron? If you do, please let me know.

I love the weather in Brisbane right now, so warm and sunny... I can really feel that spring is around the corner, maybe it is already spring! Hope you all had a lovely day xxx

Online shopping & Natalie Massenet

2011-08-28T21:35:00.003+10:00

How was your weekend? My weekend was a bit slow, I actually don't feel very well at the moment. I just watched a very interesting interview with Natalie Massenet on 60mins, also it was a bit sad to see those two fabulous ladies who are closing their boutique in Melbourne (due to a struggling retail market, but they are continuing to sell their collections online...).

Well, do you love shopping online? I do... I love buying things online, but I hardly buy clothes unless I know the brand well or it's so attractively cheap it's hard to resist. I failed many times buying clothes online... you know... models always look so good with everything in the photo but you can't feel the material (that was the main reason I stopped buying clothing ever since I recieved crappy fabric dresses which looked really good on the screen). But it is so true that so many times online is so much cheaper and it is very exiting to wait & recieve your item from the delivery man.

You don't need to worry about anything when you buy something from Net-A-Porter anyway, you already kinda know what you are buying...

This 60mins thing automatically let me to open net-a-porter webpage, I thought as my birthday is coming soon, I should give a list to Mr.R to make his life so much easier... I love this fuschia miumiu clutch.... I always give him a wish list a month before my birthday ;p

I'm flying to Seoul on Thursday for a week which was a very unexpected event, I only bought the ticket yesterday... anyway I hope you all had a lovely weekend xxx

Flowers @ my place

2011-08-25T18:12:00.000+10:00

I'm in love with my yellow lillies and orange orchids this week. They are such happy and vibrant colours and they bring my whole house atmosphere up.

I also made this pretty arrangement with redish flowers, roses, red rhondadendon, red hyperciums, ivy berries and moss...

Have you ever seen this pink blusing protea before? I love the texture, so blushy and papery...

I'm off to my in-law's place tonight, the original Mrs.R normally cooks for us on Thursday, I know I'm lucky. I hope you all had a lovely day xxx

Brisbane Mercedes fashion festival

2011-08-23T21:15:00.001+10:00

Apparently Brisbane is the fashion capital of Australia now. We got two free tickets for yesterday's evening show which was showing some of our great local designer's frocks. Here we are doing the Anna Wintour thingy again, me wearing my own label black python pointy heel and hubby wearing Paul Smith's suede lace-up. Talking about my own shoe collection, I once bravely created two small collections with exotic materials, it was very fun and an absolutely valuable experience. I travelled overseas to go through all the manufacturing process. I don't know whether I will ever get chance to do that again, maybe...maybe not.

Okay, here is my five favourite looks. This Paul Hunt dress was absolutely gorgeous, loved the pattern and colour. I've never been to his boutique before, I knew he was a wedding dress desiginer, looks like he is making some ready to wear dresses too. (All the images from MBFF website)

This is another Paul Hunt gown. The fabric looked so luxurious... the photo can't do it justice.

This is a dress from Jacqueline Buck. I love the colour match of this dress, it actually looks a million times better in a real life.

I also loved this sparkly pink dress from Gina Kim, it has an open back and looked very sexy.

This dress reminded me of a short version of Carrie's dress when she fell asleep while waiting for Aleksandr Petrovsky in the hotel room in Paris.

It is cold, windy and rainy in Brisbane but I'm enjoying the rain as my garden seemed a bit dry.
Hope you all had a great day xxx

2011-08-22T14:58:00.001+10:00

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My weekend update

2011-08-21T17:46:00.000+10:00

How was your weekend? My weekend started early Saturday morning with a zumba class, shopping at the farmer's market and some domestic work at Riedel de maison. My rainbow gumboots circa 2010 from Byron bay bluesfest were in good use, I think it's time to invest in another pair, I'm thinking of red hunter.

My casual visit to Bunnings ended up with some big spending... The gardening guru at Bunnings recommended the blood and bone stuff, she said it's magical how they change the conditions of soil. If you have bad soil, try it.

I mentioned about the birthday parties this weekend, it turned out I had three birthday parties to attend. I just came back from a Sunday pub bday party with few glasses of beer... Anyway last night's birthday party was a bit fancy. I offered my friend to bake her a birthday cake... So here is my main ingredients for her bithday cake I made... strawberries! I went crazy at the farmer's market buying humongous amounts of strawberries. Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, watermelon and mango... I can't resist myself with the fruit. Yes, I'm a fruit-case!

I'm in big action melting chocolate and butter, you remember Nigella's cake that I made last weekend? I decided to bake that cake again... but a little bit of an upgraded version.

So here I am dipping strawberries into white chocolate. By the way I'm having a break with an OPI. My nail looked bit sick when I try to put another colour, so I decided to have a month break. I know, crazy!

All my strawberries looked fantastic with their white coats on. yum!

And I put my lovely strawberries on the top of the cake, not bad huh?

Alongside with my birthday cake, I bought a spode cake knife for her birthday present. Yes, I'm spreading my blue and white love to all my friends.

So after the hectic morning and afternoon, we finally went to my friend's place for a birthday dinner. This was her impressive table settings.

She didn't forget the name cards too, very fuschia-licious indeed.

What about her food? It was pretty amazing dinner, we love it crazy.

So here is my birthday cake again. She loved it so much. It makes you so happy to see your family or friends really enjoy your food.

There was one under age guest at the birthday party, little princess Chloe, she's 5. She drew a pretty impressive portrait of me and I love it crazy. She didn't miss my long eyelashes and a long hair. Thanks Chloe, you are a such an angel.

I have to go out for my last birthday party tonight, a Mexican joint! I hope you all had a lovely weekend xoxo

Blueberry yoghurt crumble cake

2011-08-19T18:23:00.000+10:00

I have quite a lot of cooking books but the cooking book that I use the most is the free recipe magazine from Coles. It's easy and the ingredients are so simple. I've been collecting them since their first issue and today I decided to bake something from issue circa 2009.

A Blueberry yoghurt crumble cake! How good does it look! Mr.R started to complain about too many fruit cakes going on these days, very spoiled indeed. He's never happy unless it's something caramelly or chocolatty.

So here comes the recipe that I used...

(serve 8, preparation & cooking 1 hr 45 mins)

125g butter, softened
2/3 caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 and 3/4 cup self-raising flour
1cup French Vanilla yogurt
1 big apple (I used granny smith), peeled, cored, sliced thickly
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (I used 2 cup, a girl never have enough blueberries)
60g butter, extra, chilled, chopped
1/2 cup plain flour
2tbsp caster sugar, extra
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup slivered almonds

1. Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan. Grease a 20cm round springform pan. Line base and side with baking paper.
2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl with electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a timebeating between additions until just combinded. Stir in sifted flour and yoghurt, in two batches.
3. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Top with apple and bluberries.

If you were following okay till this point, it would look like this!

4. Rub extra butter into flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in extra sugar, cinnamon and almonds. Sprinkle crumble mixture over fruit. Bake for about 1hr 15mins or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

5. You can serve it with vanilla yoghurt. Bon appétit!

A busy weekend is waiting for me as I have 2 birthday parties this weekend. I hope you all have a lovely weekend xxx

Our style icon - Princess Mary

2011-08-18T21:05:00.001+10:00

If I have to pick the most stylish princess out of all the royal family in the world, I'm going to say it's princess Mary. I just love her elegant and timeless style and most importantly she's our girl, Aussie! I absolutely love this family photo from Vogue Germany, she was pregnant with her twins at that time, gorgeous!

She looks fabulous with this black one shoulder dress with matching black earings... I found that she often matches colour with her shoes and bags...

This is the full image with her black one shoulder dress.

She also loves prints! I always loved her fascinator choices... When you wear a print dress, you better tone down with your accessories, she knows this very well indeed.

Another pretty print dress, colour matched with her shoes and earings!

Our Mary looks so classic and elegant with her lace dress. This is one of my favourite outfits of hers!

Our Mary with her handsome hubby prince Frederik... who would know the girl from Tasmania now lives in Denmark and is called princess!

Our Mary's evening dress choice is never disappointing. The hot pink dress next to Mary reminds me of my friend Gina's pink dress...

Can you believe tomorrow is already Friday? Geez, time flies!
I hope you all had a lovely day xo

Dreaming of a gorgeous cottage garden...

2011-08-17T20:37:00.001+10:00

I'm dreaming about this gorgeous cottage garden filled with hydrangeas... I'm on a big mission this summer to plant lots of hydrangeas on my back garden.

So pretty with white hydrangeas...

This is just my dream garden...

Lavender, lilies, roses and beautiful greenaries... divine!

It's been nearly 3 years since we bougth our first house and it has been a learning process with planting, pruning, fertilizing and most importantly figuring out what type of garden I want to create. Sometimes I wish we bought a house with an already established garden. I'm definitely a cottage garden lover and my garden is going in the right direction (I guess...). What type of garden are you dreaming of?

Hope you all had a lovely day xo