Jikana Damaru

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: Jan 23

I have to say this weeks scavenger hunt's prompts were a bit challenging! I had ideas for a few that just didn't work out. And it's been SO cold outside that I'm feeling a little unmotivated...inside shots are definitely harder to capture! But here's what I came up with anyway...

Memories- We did a sand ceremony at our wedding! This is the bottle we mixed our sands into.

Silhouette- An archive. In New York (Little Italy) with hubby and our friends!

I'm also adding this one. It's not a great silhouette but it's what Hub & I did this weekend- went to a college basketball game!

Doorway- For birds :)

Reflection- Typical car mirror shot while Hub was getting his hair cut.

Silver- Our front door.

At The Paper Mama the challenge is 'friends'. This is from one of my nephew's third birthday party. Two on the left are my nephew's. On the right is their friend. How cute are they?!

Sort of Here - Staying Calm

I did think I was back last week but it appears things turned out a little different and it was a false alarm!

I had great plans for last week as Mr A was still on holidays and going to be house dad while I got on top of things, made more plans for my business and got back to blogging. One small problem with that plan - while ever mum can be heard in the next room house, dad believes that this means he can come and go and do as he pleases and mum will just stop whatever it is she is doing and fix it (or feed it as the case may be with my children).

Our week then ended on a very sad note with the passing and farewell of a very courageous friend James - James is the son of Mr A's good mate from school. He was just 10 and lost his battle with cancer having struggled with it for more than 8 years of his life. I do like to think that my life experiences have helped me to never take my loved ones for granted but watching how James and his family have fought this disease has given me a new perspective - none of us really know what we will be dealt in life or how we will cope - one thing is for sure, things in our house have become much calmer this week and the spilt drink on the floor is no longer the end of the world.

So we will see how this week turns out - I do plan to get back to blogging - my new calmer perspective means that I will not get stressed if I don't quite make it to the blog and seeing as we still have a week left of school holidays this plan will be a wise one. This final quote is perfect though - just what I need right now.

Miss Etoile @ Top Drawer

Miss Etoile Glass jars with ceramic lids

Miss Etoile bird weights, card holders and pill boxes

This week for my 'shops i love' page, I bring you Miss Etoile, a Danish brand started in November 2008 by ex-Lisbeth Dahl designer, Anne Lassen, with backing from Bahne Sørensen A/S.

"Miss Étoile is a fictive person, created by Anne Lassen, who lives in a glamorous universe, surrounded by beauty and femininity in her boudoir home in Paris. She is the centre of every collection. Everything is designed to fit into her universe. Miss Étoile has everything a woman can dream of from home accessories to furniture and textiles. Her name, Étoile, means star in French and she loves all that shines and sparkles."

I discovered the brand last week at Top Drawer and am in love with the ceramic lid jars, bird paperweights and the pretty embellished China. I am also delighted to tell you that charming lifestyle boutique Bohemia, one of my sweet sponsors, will be stocking this adorable brand soon...

Have a sweet day!

pastels and chalk

Shots from the only photography post published to my old blog. Seems fitting that I find them new digs over here. I know that Christmas cheer and New Years wishes have just been exchanged, but just wanted to say THANK YOU (again) for your friendship and generous comments. We're greeting 2011 in a mini state of flux so it's kinda nice to be reminded of a few familiar constants like the online community. Our family is fine (healthy, far from wealthy, striving for wise)...just waiting to find out whether or not another move is on the cards. I know they say a change is as good as a holiday, but we've shifted so many times that the sentiment is overrated.

Ms Nosybella: I really must do something about that...

Hello Bellas

My sister Al from the Pink Fibro and I were having a laugh the other day about all the little (and not so little) things around the house that need fixing. All the things that have probably needed fixing since we moved into our respective homes but time has passed and these days we just put up with the constant irritation. Women are good like that.

On this occasion, rather than wondering about our own homes, we were commenting on each others'. You see, we'd swapped houses between Chrissy and New Year and because we are no-holds-barred sisters, the conversation was full of things like:

"OMG, what's going on with your kitchen tap?!"

and

"Are pool pumps supposed to be that loud?"

and

"Aside from nearly killing myself on your front steps..."

and

"We couldn't lock the doors upstairs... um, do you ever actually lock the doors upstairs?"

So, here is an abridged list of things that desperately need attention in Maxabellaland:

The front steps are crumbling sandstone. Nice if you live in a castle.

Yes, it's true, the upstairs doors don't lock. Hello Hamburglar.

There are no working door handles. Hello shut out of my own house on more than one occasion yet still we have not fixed the door handles.

The seat on the second toilet is loose. Slip sliding awaaaaay.

The stove does not work. The oven works well. This is why I'm a baker, not a fighter.

I could go on...

Alongside your 'To Do' list, do you have this kind of 'Things that never get done' list?

If so, my question today is:

What are your top three 'Never get done' items?

'Til next time

[Image by Michael Wildsmith/Getty via The Guardian]

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The auction for Lori starts at 9am on Australia Day (26/1). Click here to be a part of it.

shadow shot

I have missed joining in shadow shot Sunday recently but I am back on board today. This was taken on a holiday a couple of years ago now....I was looking back on all the memories & thought this would be perfect to enter today.

♥ you can join in too @ hey harriet

have a happy Sunday.

Marc by Marc Jacobs bird love & $100 Shopbop giveaway

Clockwise from top left:
Save the Birds Snow Bunting Donna Necklace from Marc by Marc Jacobs
Save The Birds Grosbeak Fauna Studs from Marc by Marc Jacobs
Love Dove Bobby pins from Marc by Marc Jacobs in the Shopbop on sale
Save the Birds Confetti Inlay Bangle from Marc by Marc Jacobs
Love Dove Safety Necklace from Marc by Marc Jacobs

I'm so pleased to announce a giveaway of $100 worth of store credit for Shopbop, which you can spend on anything, and it's open to readers worldwide!

Shopbop is a premier online shopping boutique for the fashion-savvy female. Carrying everything a woman needs for her wardrobe from dresses to denim; swimwear to shoes -- Shopbop has over 200 different designer labels such as Marc Jacobs, Superfine, Catherine Malandrino and Antik Batik. Shopbop has become recognized by consumers and the media as an excellent one-stop fashion resource. Unique site features, such as styling tips, Look Books and Season Trend Previews are highlights on this easy to navigate site.

I am loving their totally on-trend powdery pink finds from an array of designers.

Clockwise from top left:
Marc by Marc Jacobs Utilisexy Max Messenger Bag in the Shopbop on sale
Rose gold ring watch from La Mer Collections, in the Designer women's watches section
See by Chloe scalloped suede flats
Original Shashi bracelet

To enter, please visit Shopbop and then leave a comment below this post letting me know what you would spend your store credit on. The giveaway ends on Wednesday, February 2nd 2011 at 10pm (GMT) and I will randomly select and announce a winner on Thursday, February 3rd.

To increase your chances of winning this fabulous prize, you can gain one additional entry for doing each of the following:

tweeting about this giveaway
blogging about it
following/subscribing to the Torie Jayne blog/twitter

For the first two, please leave a comment below with the link to your tweet or blog post.

This giveaway is open to readers worldwide.

Good luck and have a sweet day!