Patting the elephant in the room


We all know I'm not exactly a 'subtle' sort of person. I find it extremely difficult to ignore the bleeding obvious. In fact, I am more likely to give the elephant in the room one great big cuddle rather than ignore him.

How do other people do it?

Like, the other night at the pre-school Parent Committee meeting there was a new dad there. Whilst it was lovely to see a new dad getting involved with the pre-school, when asked if he had anything to add he just went on and on and on. That's the Boring bit. The Elephant bit is that he had his eyes closed the entire time that he was waffling on. So he was speaking to about ten people in the room with his eyes closed.

I thought it was just hysterically funny and had to hide behind the Tonka Truck shelf to stop myself from laughing. Worse than that though is that no-one else in the room appeared to either notice or be phased by this bizarre public speaker.

This sort of thing happens to me all the time. Not the Sleeping-Dad-Waffling part, but the wondering why no-one else looks like they just want to leap up and say "oh for gods sake, open your eyes when you're talking, you look deranged!'.

Other recent elephants have included:

A room full of business people ignoring the fact that one of their own was crying quietly throughout the entire meeting.

- and -

A mother at school waxing lyrical about how sweet her boy is when everybody knows he is the boy who took a knife into Kindergarten last week.

I had to walk away, wide-eyed on each occasion.

So help me, please. How does everyone else seem to be able to ignore the elephant in these scenarios? How do they keep from mentioning the bizarre? How do they keep a straight face because it's all just really a bit too funny?

[Image by DecalHappy via etsy]

Oscar and Ruby

Have I introduced you to Jessica?

Late last year I took part in a fabulous online blogging course (you can read more about it here).   A few of the Sydney girls on the course arranged to meet and we have stayed in contact ever since.   One of the great girls I met on the course was Jessica.  Jess is a very talented lady who runs Oscar and Ruby, a boutique event styling and planning practice.

Just last month Jess also won first prize in a styling competition held by The Lane.  



After I spied these gorgeous photos I emailed her to tell her how fabulous the shoot looked and we got chatting about all of her gorgeous props -  Part of Jess' business is the hiring of these fabulous products you see here in these pictures.  Some of the gorgeous fabric in this photo was used as the backdrop in the dessert table I put together here.  I added various colours to help tie in with my theme but isn't it great that all these wonderful items can be used at different locations and events and take on an entirely different look.


Oscar and Ruby have recently launched a new website which you can check out here and Jess writes a very stylish blog which you can find here.

Hop on over to Jess' blog to check out what else she has been up to lately.  Her fabulous wedding was also featured in Cosmo Bride last year - all styled by her of course!


Leanne

Inspirational Pins - Happy Valentine's day

Happy Valentine's day by Torie Jayne
Today in my series of posts "Inspirational Pins", I bring you gorgeous Valentine's Day treasures inspired by my Sweet Valentine inspirational board.


I love making mosaics!

Have a Happy Valentine's day!
little hearts to love...

...we had fun threading a little pasta heart garland ... 
counted and sorted into little piles, added some to our little home corner kitchen play space and created a garland with love... hope your day has been filled with precious little moments!


I will be back with some images for a perfect weekend away by the beach ... x

I used to think I could, but now I'm sure I can't!


I'm saying it... it's gotta come out sometime... here I go... I am mad for So You Think You Can Dance.

The minute I hear that boofy, doofy music start, it's my happy time. I get a drink ready. I get a project ready (currently making 150 'cake toppers' for the 2011 Kinder Welcome Lunch... how's my life?) and there I sit, contented as a firmly wrapped newborn.

Is it the dancing? Is it the athleticism? Is it the hot bods? Is it the amazing moves? The reaching?

I don't know.

I just know I love it about as much as I like dancing like nobody's watching (even when I'm pretty sure they are ALL looking at the crazy dancer going flat out doing Solid Gold moves under the disco ball - yep, that's me!).

Do you?

[Image by julia_prokhorova]
____________________________________


Speaking of Dancing with Cameras (well, we were, weren't we?), my friend at Faith, Hope and a whole lotta Love needs your support in a photography competition. Click and if you love her image (as pictured above) please vote!

a little love goes a long way

 Raspberry heart tarts
recipe for these little heart delights here

I hope you are feeling lots of love & happiness today XO

Cherry Trees and Skateboards!

Hello there,

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Me? Well, unexpectedly over the last couple of days, my husband developed a lump on his elbow that turned into an angry welt that turned into a bizarrely rare bacterial infection and he ended up in hospital! We now have a nurse visiting us at home twice a day to give him an intravenous something-or-other and the whole thing is v perplexing indeed!

That aside, things are going well as I continue to build up my little shop (this sewing malarkey takes time!) though my poor blog may gather a little dust for a couple of weeks... but don't worry. I'm a clean freak and I won't allow the dust to settle! Ironically, I have so much to write about at the mo; no writers block, just so little time!

Before hubby became my 'third child' over the weekend ;) I did manage to get in a bit of sewing, in particular a new little 'peasant shirt' design I've been playing with. Perfect for both babies AND little girls, these tops are so versatile! This one, using a gorgeous 'Cherry Tree' material (in this season's hottest colour - pink - ) is designed to fit a baby aged 6m+ and would start off as a dress... becoming the perfect top as your baby grows older! Despite the fact that I designed this for a baby, I tried it on my 'model' Fern and she still fits this one, though it is a little on the short side! This top features pink and purple ribbon detailing with a white button on the top right corner.

My peasant tops are generously proportioned and super comfy for your baby and can be worn with pants... shorts... bloomers... jeans... and best of all look super cute when layered with long sleeves in the cooler months! And, at just $29 this one is a steal even if I say so myself!



Grab the peasant tunic top here. And beware -- ther'es only 1 available in this fabric!

I also made one of my signature bloomer/ singlet sets with this fabric (which I love, can you tell?) and which also features a little vintage lace... oh, how I wish Fern was still a baby so I could try it on her! This set will be loaded onto Etsy today...

And, groovy baby boys surely couldn't help but look super-cool in this little 'Sk8 boarders' set:



Like it? Get it here for just $25!

Back shortly... have a great day!