Happiness - On the Weekend

Saturday was one of those glorious weather days here in Sydney - after a week or so of cold weather that made us think we were in for a long winter, autumn returned in it's glory.

So after the Saturday morning routine of taking kids to singing and dancing, my friend Natasha and I decided to throw 4 of the kids in the car and head to a beautiful part of the world know as Palm Beach.  We had an ulterior motive of course as we had been longing to visit a few hidden gems that could be found in this part of the northern beaches of Sydney.


First stop was the gorgeous store Little Paper Lane in Mona Vale - a stationery lovers paradise - admittedly not the best place to be with 4 children in tow as between every "Oh look at this" was a "put that down", "don't touch that", "no you can't have that".  Little Paper Lane was stocked with so many delights we could have spent hours just searching each little corner of the store - I can see a child free visit coming again soon!
Palm Beach was our next stop where we ordered lunch and found a lovely spot by the water to sit back and soak in the gorgeous weather.  

Fish and chips, stationery purchases to admire and kids on the beach (they even went in the water a week before it is officially winter!)



Our final stop was a beautiful little shop called Love Loans and Linen - lots of delicious finds in here and this time we were smart and took it in shifts with the kids so we could enjoy a little bit of shopping heaven.  
Such a beautiful part of the world were the lucky locals really do live with the philosophy in the sign 
"Happiness is not a destination, it's a way of life"

Linking Up over at 
and

come and pay a visit


Images: Sweet Style


Leanne

baby bump love


here are a few of my favourites from a recent baby bump photo session
& hopefully in a few weeks time
I will be able to introduce you to
this gorgeous couples
little girl

XO




 my girls wanted to be apart of the fun!





Squint Cushion 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 Squint Cushion Giveaway is...

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

Birdie Blue, of the gorgeously sweet interior blog Birdie Blue who guessed correctly that Lisa Whatmough is the brain-child behind Squint . Please e-mail me your details.

Congratulations Birdie Blue, you will receive a $300 bespoke Squint Limited cushion courtesy of the My Deco Boutique US!

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

For all my UK readers, you can still enter to win a gorgeous Silver Leaf Mirror by Juliette's Interiors by commenting here.

Have a sweet day!

Dream Creative Spaces

Hello to you, did you have a nice weekend? Sunday was 'family' day, and with the sunshine beaming upon us we all kitted up in our cycling gear and went for a spin around the waterfront cycleway, stopping once for a play in the park and again for some well-earnt fish and chippies! Yummo!

Today I am surrounded by scraps of fabric, shards of lace and tulle, wayward buttons and an overwhelming desire for a creative space that is not shared with the children's rice bubbles. Ok, I know Peter Alexander started his business on the kitchen table, but let me tell you the novelty wears out real quick! Ours is but a humble three bedroom home and those kiddies of mine insist on sleeping in their own space. Downstairs we have a largish 'rumpus' room that will one day be magically transformed into a fourth bedroom with separate little sewing nook... but it is currently unloved, uncleaned, and currently a holding bay for all our outgrown and unwanted household items, home to the odd little field mouse (gross gross gross) and altogether not a place I can see myself being creative in. Sigh. One day........

I dream about having my own little space. For me and my sewing machine. And all my bits and pieces. Old buttons and rolls of ribbon thoughtfully stored in little jars on open shelves. Inspirational artwork and beautiful fabrics adorning the walls. Soft pinks and lemons and aquas and greens. White furniture. A bit like these gorgeous little morsels; my dream illustrated in the following amazing images.  I'm filing them all away while I save. And dream. One day, folks!

from here
from here

from here
from here
from here
Do you have your own creative space? What do you love about it? If not and you are dreaming like me, what would yours look like?

Crafting Bright

Crafting Bright
This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you gorgeously bright crafts. I so need to learn how to crochet! Check back soon for some more of the most inspirational photographers on Flickr.

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

Have a sweet day!