things that make me happy...

There are many things in life that make me happy. Sleep-ins, sunshine, long distance phone calls and parcels in the mail, crafty projects, flowers, chocolate, and endless re-runs of Friends on channel 4. But lately, I have discovered a whole new WORLD of homeware-y goodness that is making my home-y ventures even more enjoyable! Sometimes, the excitement in my life is just too much.

And as I sit here and happily munch away on my Australian Cadbury mini eggs (thanks Kimmy!), I thought it only right that I share some of these lovely discoveries. Starting with this gorgeous pottery from Little Walton Bank, one of my newest homeware crushes! There's nothing quite like an excellent mug, and my gosh, is this an exellent mug. And might I add, the 'fill your day with lovely things' plate is a wonderful cake/biscuit plate. Yummo!

Check out their website for the other colours in the range (bee-yoo-ti-ful!), and be sure to say hello to the lovely ladies who are so handy with ceramics. If only all crockery was this pretty...then we'd be eating all the time*!

*Possibly already true...

pics from Little Walton Bank

happy birthday!!

a very special happy birthday to my very dear sister who turns 30 today! if we were in the same country we would hang out, have a family party with lots of good food and presents (and a rather excellent rendition of happy birthday, which my niece may want sung time and time again), and perhaps go out for a coffee somewhere. happily take for granted being within a few metres of each other. and consume much sugar. good thing postage to australia is quite the reasonable little parcel sending er, business. look out for the mail man jilly!

i miss you dear sister! very much. we'll have coffee and presents (i like presents) soon, even if via skype xxx

image via we heart it

cosy...

Learning how to dress warm and look good. Harder than it looks...

top and last image from topshop, 2nd and 3rd image from milan fashion week - street fashion, 4th image from paris fashion week - street fashion

auction FUN!

Ok. Where we live is directly across the road from the auctions. This is both an excellent thing, and a financially bad thing. But mainly an excellent thing! Because it means that every Monday afternoon we get to go to a chilly concrete warehouse, dig through a room full of treasures, decide what to bid on (apparently I don't have to bid every week, however I say phooey to that), then wait and see what we win! I have also had it explained to me that I'm not 'winning' when I'm 'paying', but again, I say phooey to that.

Last week we got these three pieces of furniture for £10! It was like Christmas! We've taken the glass out of the shelves and cleaned them up, and the drawers have become a makeshift dresser for moi with a gorgeous antique mirror hanging above that I won the week before...for £1!

Is it bad if the auctions are the highlight of my week?

xx

navy & brown...

Good Monday morning my lovelies! I do hope you've had a wonderful weekend filled with sunshine (it was even sunny here!) and craftiness!

I managed to get myself a job, the boy found his wedding ring (!), we visited a lovely little art and craft market, and I used the word 'wee' unknowingly for the first time. Turning Scottish already! We also visited some rather lovely UK shops...Topshop, H&M, Primark...I need work clothes, you see. But with my decision to makeover my wardrobe to clothes that are nice and warm, and as we continue to hunt for pretty little (and big) bits and pieces to fill our new home with, I have discovered this excellent little online shop, Navy & Brown. It even has a cute blog attached! Go visit, say hello for me, and don't buy the good stuff. I have a home to furnish and all...

Vintage delightfulness!! xx

i may have used this before...

...but I love it! I do hope you have a wonderful weekend, whatever it is you have planned! I might start painting my new furniture! Who knew homemaking would be such fun!? Probably all those people making magazines about homemaking and such. And probably all the lovely creative people making things to put in our homes. So maybe quite a few people. Ah well, I'll just be at the forefront of another grand idea. Like 3 day weekends! Or chocolate as a mandatory food! Genius.


xx

comfort eating...

having made them, it's only right to eat them, yes? i agree! comfort eating. not the most sensible, but my gosh it works xx

ps - many other exciting things happened this week, like our 3 pieces of furniture from the auctions for £10, discovering loads of lovely little shops filled to the brim with gorgeous goodies i'll show you next week, and many mail treats being happily pushed through my letterbox. for now, i am wearing my tracky pants, and it is glorious. hope you're having a lovely week wherever you are lovelies! xx

top image - that's not mine, but i used a donna hay recipe and boy, was it delicious

bottom image - bill's apple and blueberry shortcake...try it, it's really good. like, really really good.

So today my Mum and Dad go home to Australia.

Rats.

I'm consoling myself with tea, pretty plates and many layers of cosy clothing. Now it's time to plan our first holiday back home, right? Right.

image via weheartit

lovely looking treats...

Exciting news my lovely readers! Well. Exciting compared to perhaps a very good biscuit or an excellent repaint of a piece of furniture, but I guess excitement is all within the eye of the beholder yes? I think my threshold is low. I find chocolate exciting. But! My very exciting news is...drum roll please...that I made a sponge cake! And it worked! And not only did it work, I put my own home made jam in the middle of it! Excitement all round! That's a lie actually, I was the only one excited.


Only slightly more exciting than my homemade sponge cake with homemade jam are these gorgeous hand made treats! I love them. They could sit in my house looking all beautiful and real, and they would not make my thighs one size bigger, not ever! Genius.

And I love this one too. Obviously not food, but so sweet I couldn't resist!

All brilliantly created by the lovely British Cream Tea . Pop over and say hello...and drool over the lovely treats. And then perhaps get yourself a real biscuit. They're yummy.

xx

there can never be enough paper...

I know I post on paper and all it's delights semi regularly, but my gosh how I love them. I miss being able to wander into Jo Neville's Paper Couture in Sydney, merely to loiter about the prettiness. The window display was always particularly delightful! So I live vicariously online! It's rather quiet.

I have many ideas for my creative adventures here, maybe if I can find myself a free shop (most likely), I'll be able to fashion gorgeous paper treats?! Who knows! Certainly not me. Which may or may not be a problem.

xx

1st image - Paper Couture

2nd image via - dearada

3rd image - Dana Barbieri

4th image - unknown

kitchen tea pressie delight!

One of my favourite presents through all this engagament party, kitchen tea and wedding wonderfulness has been this gorgeous tea towel from Third Drawer Down (and the lovely Mel). So whimsical and light, this linen pretty shall not be going anywhere near the dishes, no siree! I'm on the hunt for a frame! And a shop front. For free. But that's a story for another day.

Find some beauty, it's everywhere xx

oh hello...

There are no words. Actually. There are a lot of words. Go to the East of India site. My lovelies, it is my new favourite place! Obviously I don't actually go there, as it's online and whatnot. However! If you are one of my near and dear, once I source myself an arms bundle of these delicious delights, you shall be getting some in your letter box! Especially that top one. I wish you were all here! I could look at you during a shopping moment with eyes filled with 'woh this is cheap', followed by eyes filled with 'darn. exchange rate', followed by eyes filled with 'meh! I'm on holidays!'. Although technically I'm not, but I think I can stretch it out a wee while!

xx

ps - thermal underwear is definitely recommended. in layers, if possible.

success!

Amongst our room bursting full of wedding gift goodness was a brilliant breadmaker! The reason I share this exciting news with you (apart from bringing back glorious memories of our living room filled with wedding gift goodness) is because not only does this brilliant breadmaker make bread (surprise!), it also makes jam! And I, at this very moment, have 3 full jars of sweet red strawberry jam sitting on my window sill! Because after two weeks of being in charge of dinner I have come to the quick and awkward realisation that I have approximately 3.2 meals up my sleeve (not literally. That would be weird. And a bit gross), I will stop short at claiming myself a domestic goddess. But this I will say! Get me a jar of jam and spoon and I will be a happy woman! More so because it has come from my very own hands! With just a little help from the breadmaker...

Enjoy today my sweeties! Imagine what you could do...

xx

tis true...

you are my sunshine

my only sunshine

you make me happy

when skies are grey

you'll never know dear

how much i love you

oh please don't take

my sunshine away...

image via we heart it

the old fashioned way...

Gooooood Monday morning dear readers! How has your weekend been? I had a cosy Friday night in in anticipation for our gifts arriving from Debenhams on Saturday morning. Sadly, and to much emotional deflation they did not show. It would appear there was a mix up with delivery dates. Don't worry, we can get through this together.

But! As I sat indoors not moving of the lounge lest I miss the delivery man, I desperately wanted to be writing letters to my nearest and dearest in sunny Australia. Unfortunately I have no pretty cards or writing paper. My gosh this post is all bad news. Never mind! Don't fear! I have a solution! Drop into any of these gorgeous stationers and stock up on pretty papery goodness. Say hello for me, and perhaps find out how much shipping to Scotland is.

Much love xx

Top two images from Little Paper Pantry

3rd image from Poppies for Grace

4th image from Little Jane St

Three of my favourite things this week! A week of sleet and snow, our internet being connected (oh the excitement), the most wonderful 'welcome to Scotland' pack being delivered to my door bursting full of treats and love, the first night apart from the boy since we got hitched, and eating an entire block of Cadbury Bubbly in one sitting. Delicious. Here they are...

Number one - Two (out of the three) deliciously toasty hotwater bottles from the delightful Primark. Keeping my toes warm in the sleet and snow!

Number two - A super cosy fluffy dressing gown which came as a gift in my 'welcome pack'! Keeping the rest of me warm in the sleet and snow!

Number three - My happy little hydrangea sitting next to me, cheering me in the sleet and snow!

xxx

and of course...the bouquets!

I received a few requests for some close ups of the bouquets...so here we are!! Having the most fun I think I may have ever had (yes I'm a dag), I simply went to the markets and chose what I liked! Twas like Christmas...but better! And flower-y!

From the bottom, gum blossom, hydrangeas, peonies and dahlias. Mine is Pieris Japonica. Someone needs to invent a pretty name for that one.

'The earth laughs in flowers!' - Ralph Waldo Emerson