Catch Up and a little Dessert Table

Hi Everyone - sorry for my lack of posts but things got rather hectic last week so while I was busy having lots of catch up's I now have been left with lots to catch up on!

My week began with the Sydney Reed and GHA Gift Fairs in which not only did I get to look for lots of fabulous things but I also got to catch up with my wonderful blogging friends Katena, Sharnel and Tracey. We had all been trying to catch up for a while so it was wonderful to all sit down and have lunch together and walk the fair.   While Tracey and I have met a few times before it was wonderful to meet Katena and Sharnel in real life after our regular online and phone chats - Katena joked that she needed to phone her husband to assure him that I wasn't some crazed blogging nutter that was there to abduct her and take her off to my fantasy world!

After a great couple of days with the girls at the fair I had also another catch up during the week with one of my other long time blogging friends, Meredith who writes the blog Count It All Joy.  Again we had been trying to catch up for what seems like months but every time we planned a date something seemed to happen.  Meredith came over for coffee and bought not only the most decedent lemon meringue pie (sorry we ate it so fast that we didn't take a photo!) but gifts for my kitchen - yes wonderful gadgets including one she blogged about here!  We felt like old friends and were sure our paths have crossed many a time growing up - it really was such a treat to meet her and two of her lovely boys who do have real names and not the alias' they go by when she writes about them!  

So then it was on to Thursday in which I was hosting Sofia's kindy class lunch at our house - 16 mums and 2 teachers - thankfully I didn't have to provide all the food but did put out some yummy desserts seeing as sweets seem to be my thing.

The functions then got bigger as on Friday Mr A and I hosted the Year One Cocktail party in our home - 75 for cocktail style dinner this time.  My friend and fellow class mum Bek put together a fabulous menu to serve to everyone and I put together a bit of a dessert table with loads of tasty treats - it was a big hit and had everyone talking all night.






So there was my week - lots of catching up, yummy food and great friends.
The weekend well that is another story as it involved a fabulous dessert table I put together for my gorgeous friend Natasha's 4 year old son Tom - I will blog about it later in the week after I have done a bit more catching up on things at home!

So how was your week?

Leanne

tips & tricks


the lovely Carly from Carly Webber photography has started a new website with lots of info & tips on getting the most out of your digital slr camera. Please head over here & have a look around.


You will also be seeing a few guest posts by myself starting in the next few weeks. I am really excited to be working along side Carly & supporting her in this new adventure.

Farewell Summer!

:-) This is my 100th POST :-)

and for my 100th post I would like to say...

GOODBYE SUMMER!! 

You have bought laughter, tears, fun and tragedy and I believe it will be a summer that we will never forget. 

Mother Nature surely did test us! She sent us everything she could and it has been a very tough and trialling time for all of us here in Queensland and now in New Zealand. I am so very lucky that I was not effected by the tragedies first hand but many people around me were and it has just been so heartbreaking to watch! On the flip side I did have a beautiful summer that was filled with many special moments with family and friends. So thank you summer of 2010 and 2011 you have certainly made your way in to the history books and I believe you have made us all stronger and brought us all together! 

MY SUMMER...

 ~ My car bursting at the seams with donations for the flood victims ~


 ~ Australia Day BBQ at our house ~ 




 and endless days that were filled with fun, laughter, sun, food, amazing friends, and special memories! 

Thank You Summer and Goodbye!!! 
I'm looking forward to a brand new season with brand new challenges!
Bring it on Autumn!

x S.K.K x

Happy Birthday to Hub!

Just popping in to say Happy Birthday to this guy:
DSC08664
My wonderfully awesome Hubby who turns twenty-six today!

Without getting mushy I'm just going to say how lucky I am to have found my one true love when he was only a baby at sixteen, and I was only fourteen.
Cancun young
Cancun, 2004

Ten years later I still could never imagine my life without him. We have so much to look forward to and so many memories to remember. 
fav5

Happy Birthday Babe!! I can't wait to be here with you again in just five short days....
DSC08591
Cancun, 2009

P.S. I WILL be back around here soon!

Inspirational Pins - I Love Macarons

I Love Macarons by Torie Jayne
Today in my series of posts "Inspirational Pins", I bring you gorgeous pink macarons inspired by my I love Macarons Pinterest board.

Have a sweet day!

Calling all wearers of Clever Crafty Clogs



You know how I admire you. You know how you inspire me. You know how much I want to find out more, more, more.

So, if you have some type of art or craft or creative gig going on (via a Blog, a Shop, a Market, a Nything) and you would like me to interview you via email for Maxabella loves... let me know!  Leave a comment below or email me via maxabella@gmail.com
The interviews will be short, sweet and packed with meaning (ie, nothing like myself).

Can't wait to hear from you! x

print giveaway: abby try again 'sparkle' print

On the verge of a new month, it's time for my first ever giveaway.

Up for grabs is this beautiful 8" x 12" sparkle print purchased from talented film photographer Abby Powell of Abby Try Again fame. It's a delightfully feminine print and if I had my own little office space (instead of the dining room table), it would surely take pride of place there. But I bought it with the intention of giving it away, so give it away I must...to one of my dear blog readers.

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me the name of your favourite photographer, or photography blog (excluding mine). Open to international readers. Please leave a blog link or email so I can contact you if you win. Ends in two weeks time (midnight, 11 March) and the winner will be randomly drawn soon after.

Good luck web friends!

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED - THANK YOU FOR ENTERING AND GOOD LUCK***

this weekend

I had the privilege of photographing a wedding. It was a gorgeous celebration of love & commitment 




here is a little piece of the day & I will share more once the newly weds have returned from their mini honeymoon. 


how was your weekend?

Fern's Party Dress...

Over the weekend, I travelled solo with my two kids up to Maitland (an hour and a half away) for a dear friend's child's first birthday party.

It could have been fraught with disaster; missing sleeps... long car journey... hot weather... too much cake... at one point I even contemplated ditching Fern for the day and just taking Elliott. But Fern loves parties, and I took the chance. And I'm so glad I did! We had the most wonderful day; Fern made a 3-yr-old bosem buddy and spent almost the entire day being led by the hand by her new bff. She played with balloons. Danced through a bubble machine. Ate a little cupcake. And a million cocktail sausages.

And Elliott? My little champion made me look like a good mother by being a happy and content little bubba - not shedding a single tear all day long, and went to sleep on cue in his pram for well over an hour! (He normally hates the pram with a passion!)

And I got to hang out with my friend and meet her other friends and family, all lovely people who made me forget I was a single-mother-with-a-daughter (and son) for the day!

But on the morning of the party, I deliberated on what to wear. Well, not I but Fern, specifically. (I don't have time to care about what I wear, I grabbed a black dress from the back of my wardrobe, teamed it with a vintage beaded necklace and hoped for the best!) I have been so busy making clothes for everybody else that Fern hasn't got a single item I've made for her in her wardrobe! So, when I popped the 2 of them down for a morning nap I dragged out the sewing machine and made Fern a little costume!

I have some gorgeous lime fabric with flower print that I've wanted to make something with for a while. I also had a line of sequins that Fern stole from Spotlight one day when I had my hands full and didn't notice til I got back to the car (sorry, Spotlight). And, with an hour-and-a-half up my sleeve I came up with this:




I didn't have time to measure properly, so the skirt was a little short but overall I thought she looked very cute, and I am loving the sequins! I am going to make some outfits for my shop with this fabric shortly, and I'm even thinking of adding sequins, I like Fern's so much! But is it overkill? Do tell me, fashionistas!

Me 'n' my party gal... 

Have a great week!

Hampton Blue giveaway winner

Torie Jayne Giveaway
My contest ended yesterday and I just picked a winner using random.org and I am delighted to announce the winner of the Hampton Blue Giveaway is...

Drumroll please? Without further ado, the lucky winner is...

Christy from the lovely blog Sweet Tidings. Who would like to spend some of her voucher on the East of India mug in a box. Please e-mail me your details.

Congratulations Christy, you will receive £30 worth of store credit for Hampton Blue

Thank you to all of you sweets that entered, to my loyal followers and new friends.


Have a sweet day!

Pretty in Pink Macarons

Pretty in Pink Macarons
This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you the prettiest pink macarons wit these gorgeous pics. Check back soon for some more of the most inspirational photographers on Flickr.

Some beautiful shots from my Flickr favourites (From left to right):
Have a sweet day!

Week-a-Boo

I've been missing! I do this a lot! Get taken away by different parts of my life that leave me with no time to blog! Usually it is school holidays as they are the busiest time for me with work. But I am back and boy oh boy have I missed my writing! I never knew how much of a big part it played in my life. I know this sounds silly but it was almost like something was missing! I love sharing my stories, my feelings, my life and my journey with you all and when I can't write something just isn't right. So here I am back with my favourite time of the week with my blog...WEEK- A- BOO

I had a wonderful weekend this weekend and enjoyed the special moments that I created with my husband and family. On Saturday we woke and the weather was just too beautiful to work or stay at home! Rob works most Saturdays but this particular Saturday we decided to throw everything out the window and enjoy the glorious sun that was peaking through our bedroom blinds! So Rob packed up the boat and I packed up a lunch and we headed down the coast with our wonderful neighbours. We arrived at the gorgeous Paradise Point and oh my goodness it was picture perfect! The water was crystal clear, the sun was shining and the ocean was screaming our names! We launched the boat and headed out for a day of fun in the sun. I love going out on the boat. Which for people who know me may think this comment is crazy as I get severe motion sickness. But with a dose of qwells and plenty of snacks I deal with the sickness. I just love being surrounded by water with the wind and slight ocean spray hitting my face. It is the best feeling in the world. We pulled up at our own little paradise. It was heaven. It was a little island in the gold coast waters and we had it all to ourselves. We talked and ate and enjoyed a massive dose of vitamin D. It was such a glorious day!






Saturday we headed off to a special 30th birthday party for Rob's boss' wife. It was 'red carpet' themed so we dressed up and headed out for a night of glamor. I had never met anyone there but it was nice to meet some new people and spend some quality time with Rob's new 'work family'.


This photo completely describes our Sunday....well our Sunday afternoon. We had a massive sleep in til 12.20 pm (woops) so we totally missed Sunday morning. In our defense we didn't get home from the 30th until 2.30am so we needed to catch up on our sleep! :-P We had some breakfast lunch and then got our butts into gear. We decided to do a massive cleanup of our house. From top to bottom we scrubbed! We scrubbed those ceilings, architraves, walls, skirtings, and floors like nobodies business. It was so disgusting to see the dirt that was on our walls. YUK! I never noticed it until we actually wiped it off! After the house was completely scrubbed down I went a bit crazy with the eucalyptus oil and water in a spray bottle. I sprayed it on every curtain, carpet, matress, pillow, lounge and fabric surface. Our home will be dust mite free! We have a huge job ahead of us as we are totally rearranging our home. Moving rooms to different rooms, changing furniture around. So although the house is free of dirt, dust and mould we still have a HUGE job ahead of us with de-cluttering and moving.  At the moment it looks like a bomb has hit it but hopefully by next weeks week-a-boo I can report a completed house :-) Fingers crossed! Wish me luck! 

Sunday nights are always spent at my parents house for 'family dinner'. It is a nice ending to the weekend where we can sit back, enjoy a beautiful dinner cooked by mum and dad, talk about our weeks and spend some quality time together. I also get to see my beautiful baby Roxy. She was my first puppy I bought who now lives with mum and dad.

~ My beautiful baby girl Roxy ~

 ~ Enjoying a cheeky ice cream ~

 ~ Mr Murphy - Mum and Dads Westie ~

So that was my perfect little weekend! 
It had a mixture of adventures and chores but the laughter didn't stop and the fun was never ending! 

How was your weekend? Did you have some special moments? 
Head over to Claire's special blog and share all of your joy with us! 

x S.K.K x

Is it easier to be nice in blogland?


On Friday night an exchange occurred that made me realise that it's easier to be a nice person in blogland.

We were at the school 'Icebreaker' function, where the grown-ups hang out without their cling-ons and have an uninterrupted conversation for longer than 30 seconds. It was fun. I mean, it was held under the covered area in the school playground with a couple of candles for 'atmosphere' and there was a lot of standing up involved and I couldn't shake the P+C President who insisted on being her own version of a cling-on, but, hey, a night out is a night out, right?

But I was complimenting a woman on how beautifully she was dressed and half-way through realised: Too Much. She was staring at me like I was a perverted stalker (and I wasn't even looking at her boobs!). This is what I said:

"You look so gorgeous tonight. I love how you've put that necklace with that dress... such a stylish touch. Really unique and special."

Weird IRL, huh? But a comment like that on, say, Kymmie's 'Fancy Pants' link would be just the warm-up, right? We'd go on to discuss the cute shoe, the hair, the studied pose. IRL, a casual 'you look nice tonight' is about the maximum expected or appreciated.

How often do you randomly go around complimenting people? Noticing the details? How often do you go out of your way to let someone know that they've made your day? That they're unique and special and talented and kind? That they are insightful, clever and fun? 

No wonder we are all addicted to this special blogging community. It's probably not that we're all more caring and thoughtful - just that blogging allows us to be!

[Image via weheartit... I gotta get off weheartit because I hate not being able to find the correct source! Those darn tumblrs...]

shadow shot

   join in over @ Hey Harriet

my girl loves to run!

Sweet treats to make, decorate, and give by Laura Tabor

Sweet Treats to make, decorate and give by Laura Tabor
This month I'm reviewing sweet treats to make, decorate and give by Laura Tabor from illustrated lifestyle publishers, Ryland Peters & Small and CICO Books. Laura Tabor is a successful British jewellery designer. After an acclaimed and successful graduate show from Central St Martins Laura launched her eponymous label, which adorns boutiques and department stores in and around London as well as internationally. After moving to a new home with a fabulous kitchen, and having just completed a collection called Sweet, Laura decided to turn her hand to one of her childhood passions, baking! I chose to review this book as it sounded a great fun baking book full of magical ideas!

In my opinion this is a wonderful hardbound book full of whimsical sweet treats. It combines beautifully styled photography with great recipes and ideas.

Sweet treats to make, decorate and give contains over 35 delicious decorating ideas for cakes, cookies and candies. Laura Tabor has combined her passions for jewellery and baking, producing a range of beautifully decorated edible gifts; from shimmery marshmallow pearls, Fabergè-inspired Easter eggs to a pretty fondant Valentine's rose locket.

Each culinary treat is styled beautifully and photographed by Stuart West. Not only is it a delight to look at, but as you leaf through the pages it is full of practical instructions that are clear and easy to follow, with lots of photos, hints and tips to help you get it right first time.

The first chapter, covers the equipment you will need, basic cupcake and cookie recipes, how to's on icings and butter creams and pretty gift wrapping ideas. The second chapter, entitled 'Beautiful Treats for Girls', has jelly gems that catch the light, intricate art nouveau dragonfly and butterfly cookies and beautiful chocolate cameos. 'Gentlemen Adorned' has recipes for eccentric peppermint monocle cookies, cute button bites and peanut butter filled moustache lollipops. 'Celebration Gifts' is packed with ideas for all occasions, like the stained glass and rosette cookies, teeny baby cakes adorned with milk chocolate golden safety pins, mini wedding cakes and romantic juicy jelly hearts set with real gold leaf. The final chapter, 'Fun for Children' has easy-to-make bright candy necklaces and bracelets; from the gobstopper ribbon necklace, cookie charm necklace to the rice paper blossom jewels.

At a recommended price of £14.99, I think this book is good value for money as it offers inspiring ideas with very clear step-by-step instructions for the novice baker, while more experienced cooks will be inspired to create uniquely different sweet treats.

Some of the sweet treats that really caught me eye are:
Sweet Treats to make, decorate, and give by Laura Tabor



Sweet Treats to make, decorate, and give by Laura Tabor



Sweet Treats to make, decorate, and give by Laura Tabor



Sweet Treats to make, decorate, and give by Laura Tabor


To summarize, sweet treats to make, decorate and give is a wonderful book full of recipes and ideas for uniquely different sweets, all with clear, informative instructions.

Please note that my opinions are my own and I am not paid for these reviews (apart from receiving a free book, of course!).

Have a sweet day!