Jikana Damaru: May 2010

A New Look

What better way than to kick off the first day of winter with a makeover!

I hope you like my new look - it always feels so exciting and refreshing when things are new so welcome to the new Mrs A in The Cove - I hope you stay a while.

Thank you to Carolynn from I Love My Blog Makeover for my lovely new look.

A Lamp for the Price of a Sushi Roll!

mmmm, Sushi.

Oh by the way, here's the world's easiest way to pimp a plain Ikea lamp:

Buy a packet of pom pom trim for $2.50 at the local haberdashery store:

... and lazily stick to said lamp with a bit of double sided tape. Finished product resembles this:

Ok, the trim is a bit higgle piggle but no matter, I think I'm going to pull it off to glue it properly down anyway. The tape was just to sample the finished product to see whether I liked it. And I do!

Quick, what can I do next?

If the shoe fits... and even if it doesn't.

The Badoo has adored shoes since birth. She was my only baby who wore shoes prior to walking, simply because even at 6 months it was obvious that she loved them. I bought her a little pair of 'pre-walkers' and they were never off her feet. She graduated to her sister's shoes as soon as she could stand, worked her way through my collection of flatties not long after and then before she could run she was in her Zia's sky-high stilettos which even 13 sizes too big she walks in better than I ever could. At almost-two she insists that everyone around her is wearing shoes (she heads off and gets you a pair, brings them over and puts them on you. Doesn't matter if they're not actually yours). She carries extra shoes wherever she goes and is not fussed if she is wearing a different shoe on each feet and on the wrong feet. She changes her shoes a minimum of ten times a day. She wears shoes to bed.

So it comes as no surprise to learn that while viewing the Biennale exhibition on Cockatoo Island with her daddy on Saturday (mum was burning up the tarmac on the Snowy Mountains Highway at the time) she decided to help herself to a shoe that was part of one of the exhibitions. LOML said her look was one of utter concentration as she carefully tried this way and that to manoeuvre the shoe out from under the guard rail. She was beside herself when she was dragged away. My shoe, she screeched, MY SHOE! (My art, the artist shrieked, MY ART!)

Back when I had normal-size feet (a dainty size 9) I too had a glorious shoe obsession. Prior to pregnancy stretching the ligaments in my very high-arched feet one and a half sizes (up to a, gasp, no really, not joking, 10 1/2) I owned over 30 pairs of loveliness collected from all over the world. The best thing about coveting shoes was that no matter how much my weight fluctuated, a beautiful shoe still fit. Little works of art, lined up by colour and giving such pleasure.

Now I'm shopping for shoes at the chemist.

But, no mind. The Badoo is here. And she loves my old shoe collection even more than I do.

made it

my little made it store is full to the brim

have you popped past to see?!

let me know what your favourite is

all purchases between now & end June

will receive a free surprise gift

free shipping too

Postcards from the coast

I have often wondered what the view would be like from inside these small windows? but since I am not very comfortable in small spaces thought the view from the outside would be much more appealing!

more photos to come of our travels along the Great Ocean road (sorry not Tassie like some of you thought from the photo of the ferry. We caught the Sorrento/Queenscliff ferry to mark the beginning of our time away)

Pretty garden pastels

I spent the whole weekend in my garden, painting the fences, painting my pots, weeding and planting. All in an effort to make it a more enjoyable place to sit during the Summer months.

I love all the pretty pastels in the above pics, especially the pastel bunting which is made from triangles of plywood painted in Cuprinol Garden Shades paint. You can read more about them here. I so need to make these, perhaps adding some polka dots to them!

This year I also need to repaint my garden shed due to general wear and tear and, after seeing these pics, I am considering painting it in a lighter colour.

Have a sweet day!

Point + Shoot: 16

Almost didn't have a P+S photo this week - we had a wacky weekend, but wont bore you with the details :) I'd hate to skip a week now that I have come so far..

We finally got to visit Matilda's on Sunday and

had to get quick snap of the massive pram jam

Sunday 30th May 11am

We did get to see lots of my favourite designers and wares - Little Miss Emma, Tea & Jam Photography, Lark, One of my lovely Stockists - Just Treasures, Ensparkle, Buttons by LouLou and I got to meet the lovely Jo from Lovestamp and have a lovely chat with Jeanne from MiniVintage!

Come and see what everyone else did this weekend

Linda xxx

Sunny and Inspired

On Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting Sunny Mummy Stacey at a Sunny Mummy Breakfast - it was wonderful to catch up with lots of other happy and positive people - it really is what the world should be all about.

Stacey's blog post today is one that has made me smile - it really is about my life and I love my title of CFO - Chief Family Officer.

I would encourage anyone who is in need of some inspiration and motivation to pop on over and visit Stacey's blog - she is on a mission to change the world - good on her.

Congratulations Stacey on a successful breakfast (the take home goodies were fantastic and the sweet table was devine - you are a girl after my own heart) - hope that the event has inspired you even more to change the world.

Have a positive and inspiring week everyone.

Little Rose Collection

This delightful little angel is Rose, she wears her very talented mother's designs from the label Little Rose.

I fell in love with Mijke's lovely designs when I first started with Madeit and simply love her Winter 2010 Collection. Rose is also the proud little owner of several Lulufroufrou pretties so when I dreamt up the idea of a collaboration I new it would be a great match. Thankfully Mijke was more than happy to let me have a go at making some hair pretties from the wonderful fabrics she has used for her beautiful collection.

Here is a small sample of what I have made so far - there will be more designs coming soon

Both the Little Rose Winter Collection and the Lulufroufrou 'Little Rose' Collection will be listed in our Made it shops very soon!

Sunny yellow

This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you some sunny yellow pics with these gorgeous pics. Check back soon for some more of the most inspirational photographers on Flickr.

Some beautiful shots from my Flickr favourites (clockwise from top left):

The gorgeous doll fru Elvenes by Ravenhill Designs
The wonderful egg still (2/2) by Thorsten TK
The delightful favorite-bowls by Creature Comforts
The pretty Sunny Poms by My Silly Bear

Have a sweet day!

Fabrics to 'Dwell' Over...

Is it me, or are the pickings a little slim in the nursery linen department? In Australia, I mean. Because when I trawl the web for gorgeous, modern nursery linen I find a whole bunch of stuff avail overseas.... and little here in Oz that (a) doesn't have Winnie the Poo motifs or (b) isn't over $300 per sheet-set!

The only company I've found that has exactly what I'm after and distributes here in Oz is Dwell Studio:

... gorgeous. But the pricetag on each of these sets is A$290 (ouchy) and that doesn't even include the crib skirt or bumper! I know I know, bumpers are frowned upon here in Oz, but they are so darned beautiful! And even without the bumper, these sets are just miles ahead of anything else I've seen in the stores. And, what tortures me is that in the US, there is a 'Dwell Studio for Target' range where designed a line of gorgeous and affordable nursery linen:

But have you ever seen anything like this at OUR Target?? I certainly havn't!

I've fruitlessly searched every baby store around me for some inspiration and come up with nought. So, I've decided I'm going to take matters into my own hands and make my own nursery linen (or some of it, anyway!) I've found a pattern for a gorgeous crib skirt:

... but because mine needs to be gender neutral, I'm thinking this sort of vibe:

... in this fabric:

... and making just the skirt, plus a matching pillow cover. I could team it with plain white sheets and maybe this blankie?

Guys, I'd really like your thoughts and/ or ideas on this. Have you found anywhere in Oz to buy gorgeous nursery linen that doesn't cost the earth? Do you think I've completely lost the plot thinking I can actually make the linen myself? What should I do??

ps. I loved your comments re the stuff you bought that you loved/ hated for your first child. It gave me a good ole laugh! And reminded me of a few goodies I left off my own list!! x

Things I learned this week including a well known truism

It's been a big week and my learnings are varied.

1. Better late than never!

2. A hagiologist chronicles the lives of saints.

3. If you discover a word that you have never seen before like hagiologist, you will invariably stumble over it time and time again in the next 48 hours.

4. Sitting in a peaceful, beautiful garden, reflecting on the road behind and the road ahead is the best form of meditation there is.

5. The GPS Navman lady is very bossy and if you disobey her stern warnings she will lead you in a merry circle as punishment.

6. There isn't a town on the East Coast of Australia that doesn't have a chinese restaurant.

7. The official ski season starts in the Snowy Mountains next weekend.

8. The paintings in the National Gallery of Australia's Masterpieces from Paris exhibition somehow looked even more interesting and vibrant than when I saw them all shuffled together at the Musee d'Orsay. Perhaps this is due to the 'important exhibition' nature of the NGA's showing.

9. I love an open road.

10. There is no place more exciting, more inspiring, more fun or more delicious than home.

shadow shot

more here

Pretty garden finds

1. Calico garden sun umbrella
2. Friendship birds
3. 'GARDEN' sign
4. Seashore collection lanterns
5. Fleur trough
6. Villa Verne metal planter set

This week in my new series of posts, "Fridays Finds", I bring you a collection of pretty finds for the garden inspired by Monday's post, pretty relaxed garden. I am so in love with the cream parasol but as we already have a blue parasol for our alfresco dining table I just can't justify getting one... yet!!!!

Don't forget you can click on any blue lettering in any of my posts to link through to the relevant store website or blog post for more info!

Have a sweet day!

P.S. Please check out my guest post "When I think of England I think of..." at the wonderful blog, Hydrangeas and White Daisies.