Jikana Damaru

Craft & Creativity

I wanted to share with you Craft & Creativity, a Swedish lady named Helena who posts the prettiest pics of her house on Flickr. I have been admiring her pics for over five months now and recently featured her necklace hanger in my Flickr Faves post, 'Vintage blue'.

At the weekend she posted some new pics of her little daughter, Annie's, room. I immediately fell in love with the tea/coffee set with the cutest wooden cakes. Doesn't she have just the nicest taste!

How fab is Annie's room with the hand crochet kitchen towels, and pretty storage solutions?

I adore the bright patterned cushions and floral wallpaper in Elin's room, and especially the hand made 'E' cushion.

Miniature plates and cakes by Craft & Creativity

And I have to have the miniature plates and coffee/tea set from Ikea.

Duktig 10-piece coffee/tea set

Duktig plate/bowl

Impending Backyard Blitz

before....

In the early 1990's, red patterned concrete may well have been the fashion-forward flooring alternative for a courtyard. Living with it in 2009... fashion-forward, not so much.

We inherited our landscaping when we bought our home, and mostly the previous occupants got it right. But the concrete courtyard kinda does my head in. There's no greenery, no protection from the elements, nothing to provide privacy from the neighbours. In short, nothing to entice us to utilise it, and so it has sat neglected for quite a while while we worked out how we could turn our sad little space into a functional outdoor room.

Of course, I've watched Backyard Blitz, read all the Jamie Durie books and initially came up with some pretty grand plans for the space. Unfortunately, reality set in with the realisation that maternity leave is not the highest paid job in the world and our plans have now been scaled back a bit. But we have, we hope, come up with something that will transform our coutyard from drab to fab!

Stage one will entail built-in bench seats, a new planter box under the big ugly window, large square pavers (goodbye red brick!), and a large timber screen (goodbye neighbours!).

The building starts tomorrow and I can't wait. Who's coming over for cocktails once it's up?

wow! A feature dog kennel! Wonder why my yard is not featured in a Jamie Durie book?

Drab brick wall... begone!

Blog This Challenge

I couldn't resist the the current challenge over at BLOG THIS - it is to find five wish list items for my next birthday! So sticking with the handmade theme (well for some of it) these are my yummy choices..... now I just have to hope and pray someone in the family reads this....

1. Has to be this necklace from Lovestamp -

2. This Gorgeous Handbag from Rejenerate that was pointed out to me on the Made it forums although the listing is now closed :( but there are a few other nice one's there.

3. An all expense paid trip to Port Douglas and staying at Coconut Grove because a friend has just got back from North QLD and reminded me how damm cold it is here at the moment.

4. Some awesome boots - perhaps these Christian Louboutin boots $1,295 are a little out of my price range and a little impractical with a 2 year old but a cool and comfortable pair would be nice.

5. Gucci Sunglasses - who doesn't want these...

BOY! that was fun... now back to reality. Oh Yeah !! I have started to fill my Esty shop this week Yay and last days for the subscribing comp!!

~ 8 Weeks Until Completion ~

Well the countdown has begun as we are now 8 weeks out from our completion date.

The feature wall in the entry has been painted and while it still has another coat to go I am happy with what I have chosen. The colour is Toffee Fingers and you can sort of get the idea from the picture below.

Bathroom tiling is now complete and ready for fixtures and fittings.

Carpet however still needs to be chosen and it is not an easy choice!!

My mum says that maybe we haven't seen the correct one yet as it will jump out and say "yes" to us when we find it! Let's hope it jumps soon as I can only visit so many carpet shops and take their samples back and forth! Certainly glad though that this is my only problem.

Vintage pastels

This week on Flickr Faves Sunday, I bring you a vintage pastel colour palette, 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 vintage thread spools in notions IV by ohmykozy
The gorgeous colours on these vintage looking cars in Figaro Boots by NWT 2005
The beautiful tableware in the Dresser by Snowdrops in Spring
The array of colours in Pretty Vintage Seam Binding by Only a Paper Moon

Have a great day! x

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by the sweet Oh, French!, so I have to list 10 things about myself and tag 10 other bloggers with the award. Here are my 10!

I am a Marilyn Monroe fan.

I have been sewing things since I was a little kid!

Diet coke is my drink of choice!

I am trying to get everything in my kitchen colour coordinated.

I wear these a lot! They are so comfy.

This is my first purchase from Cath Kidston, a tray I bought over 10 years ago, and is still my favorite print of hers.

I love candy! (if you hadn't guessed already)

I love bows on everything.

I love finding new and vintage trims.

I relax by gardening.

Over to the sweet bloggers:

French Charming - adorable finds and pics.
Mimi Charmante - I love her Treasures post!
A little bit vintage - for inspiring craft projects
Alluring Interiors - for, you guessed, alluring interior photos
Among the hedgerows - for the softest, romantic photos
Bella Dreams - she has the prettiest of homes
Bluebird Notes - for beautiful photographs and more
City of Dionne - for the best illustrations, among other great things
Daisy Pink Cupcake - for beautiful inspiration and ideas
In Bug's Drawers - for great stories and pics

Please check out there adorable blogs. Have a great weekend x

~ Let the Party Continue ~

Another weekend of parties for us! August is a big month for my family so we continue our celebrations this weekend with my nephew who turns 13 and my niece who turns 3 plus the re-celebration of my sisters birthday last week and Sienna's 5th birthday last week! I have had enough cake to last me a good month or two!

Hope your weekend is filled with lots of surprises as well!