for the love of colour...

This morning we have been busy cutting vintage paper butterflies in a spectrum of colours for some orders we have on the go. As we cut all our designs with scissors, after a couple of hours our fingers started cramping up. So, we took a coffee break, and inspired by a Martha Stewart Wedding magazine cover we once saw, we attached a few to my birdcage... just for the joy of seeing all the beautiful colours together.

Hope they brighten your day!

what to do with cup cake cases...

We love creating objects out of bits and pieces we already have in our cupboards and drawers. Here is a pretty garland that JJ made from some flowery cup cake cases by Robert Gordon. She simply cut a little slit in the bottom of each case and threaded them on to a length of pom pom wool. You could use ribbon, twine or cotton tape instead - you would just need to tie a knot to hold each case in place. Wouldn't strands of this garland look great across a window or as decorations for a party?

pretty pastels...

There have been some pretty pastels popping up around JJ's house just lately - the perfect cool antidote for hot sticky days. Pastels sometimes have a bad name as tending towards wishy washy or sickly, but in small accents like these we think they look fresh and feminine.

The shell, dish and lantern are all from Bed, Bath N Table, the canisters with green doily trim were from Laura Ashley, and the little bowls and stripy mugs were picked up at Myer. The flowery pin cushion was a gift and is very well used!

this weekend...

This weekend I will finally be planting herbs in these gorgeous little pots JJ gave me for Christmas (bought at Jean and Joyce, Paddington). For the last couple of months I have been quite happy admiring them, all beautifully packaged in their own little crate, just sitting on an outside table, but I am sure they will look great all lined up on a windowsill. I'll just have to keep my boys and their cricket balls at a safe distance!

love this real life laundry...

Doing the laundry is one of my least favourite jobs. Sorting through piles of dirty clothes and linens, popping them into the machine and then into the drier or on the line, and then folding and ironing them is about as appealing to me as a visit to the dentist! (I can only imagine how much worse it would have been, and how much longer it would have taken, in the days before all our mod-cons!) However, the laundry chore would be much more enjoyable if I had a gorgeous room in which to work like this one which belongs to my good friend, Chris. Light and fresh, heaps of storage space, smart white shutters, deep butler's sink and beautiful touches all make this a room worth showing off. I love the shelves for display making this more than just a utility room - the metal boxes were picked up on Chris' travels in South Africa, and the oval trivets belonged to her Grandmother in New Caledonia. And wouldn't those colourful bird pegs (bought in Byron Bay, Brisbane and Paris) make you smile as you pegged up your shirts? Chris (and her husband and son) live in a stately Queenslander, built in the late 1800's, which they have been slowly and lovingly renovating. I promise to show you more stunning rooms in another post!

snippets from the market...

We finally remembered to take our camera to the Boutique Markets on Sunday so we could show you just a small selection of the talented artists, designers and crafters that have stalls there.

JJ buys a different one of these adorable vintage looking dolls from Melinda at Retro Bird every time month, for her daughter's room.

You can find these sweet birdcages on the Retro Bird website - both my nieces got one for Christmas!

The delightful Natalie from Tickled Pink makes the prettiest little purses and a gorgeous range of stationery, all beautifully presented. How could you choose just one?

She also creates these amazing bags in a huge variety of colours and designs. Such a pretty way to finish off an outfit.

And of course being Valentine's Day, we simply had to treat ourselves to these scrummy cupcakes from Tabitha's Place. Surely something that cute must be good for you too?!

happiness is...

... rolling around in the grass on a sunny day. Here's hoping your weekend is just as happy.

handmade hearts...

We spent this morning making a few extra Valentine's Day cards to take to the Boutique Markets on Sunday. Perfect for all those who leave buying cards for their valentine to the last minute, they also make great engagement, wedding and anniversary cards. Or just "I love you cards" for any time of the year. We are also working on some framed artworks incorporating these hearts so look out for those soon.

homework...

Our week 3 homework from the Blogging Your Way online course is finally in! Holly, from Decor8, challenged us to create a mood board illustrating how we would like our blog to look which was surprisingly challenging. When we started blogging late 2007, we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to! From having no proper plan as to what we should post, we have evolved into what we are today - part showcase for our work, another part interior design inspiration and ideas, a good seasoning of creative ideas that anyone can make for themselves, and a sprinkle of our homes, families and everyday lives. Hopefully our mood board shows all that!

new artwork...

We finished these new artworks this morning - two in our fabric button range and one vintage heart artwork, perfect for Valentines Day! It felt great to finish the week off with a productive working session.

We will be at the Southbank Young Designers Markets on Sunday from 10am to 4pm if you are in Brisbane. If you visit please come and say hi - we love putting faces to names and meeting other bloggers.

Enjoy your weekend wherever you are!

Pure...

In celebration of Harvey's first day at Kindy, JJ and I went to James St for coffee. While there, we discovered Pure, a florist, homeware and gift shop, that we hadn't visited before. We just couldn't walk past these rows of gorgeous flowers with their beautiful colours, shapes and textures. But there was a twist as half of these flowers are real and the other half are artificial and it was very hard to tell which were which! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me so these slightly blurry phone photos are the best I can show you (too many fingerprints I think!). I hope you can still tell how stunning the display looked and how these flowers made us smile just to look at them. Do you agree with Emma Goodman when she said "I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."? I think I do!

re-using an old eraser...

Were you sick of wrapping presents by Christmas day? We find the first few are always fun, but then the excitement fades when we get down to the awkwardly shaped pressies that we just can't get neat no matter how hard we try! During the rest of the year we find wrapping is much more enjoyable as we can experiment a bit and the volume just isn't so intimidating. Today JJ was packaging up a gift for a friend and decided to do some stamping to add a more personal touch to the wrapping paper. Using an old eraser cut into a rough leaf shape, (and borrowing a fork for a handle) she pressed it into a white ink pad and then onto brown paper to make a simple yet effective pattern. It didn't quite look right with ribbon, so we added some greenery and twine for a natural look. The little bird tag was the finishing touch. We love getting presents that have been wrapped in handmade paper almost as much as we enjoy getting a handmade card... we hope our friends do too!