Artists

Some gorgeous designs by Cassie Thring who sculps with coils or rolled slabs of clay and decorates the pieces with paint, shells, broken china and mosaic tiles.

Unique pieces of art that would be perfect in a niche.







Porcelein by Tamara Hahn, Susan Frost, and Bridgette Minuzzo

winter warm soup

One of my most successful potato and leek soup recipes which is beeewtiful.

35 g butter
3 thickly sliced pieces bacon
paremesan cheese
2 leeks sliced (white parts only or it will turn green and not taste as good)
1 medium brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
600 g potatoes peeled and chopped
3 cups chicken stock or veg stock (I did half and half)
1 x 375 ml tin evaporated milk (alternative is cream or milk)
salt and black pepper to taste
pinch nutmeg

method:
melt butter and gently saute onion & garlic & leeks for 3-4 minutes. Add roughly chopped bacon and cook for extra 5 minutes. Don't let the saucepan get brown. Add potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add stock and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender. Don't overcook the potatoes. Puree mixture (you can use a potato masher, bamix or blender). Return to heat and add evap. milk or cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to boil and serve with grated Parmesan, garlic bread or brown bread.

Another version is to cook the bacon first until crispy and take it out of the pan. Then put it back into the soup at the end for some yummy crunchy pieces.

Gorgeous soup... even Miss Fussy loved it.

kids pressies take 2

Found these ruffled pettiskirts from Princess Ratbag .. strictly for the girly girl who loves to twirl. These gorgeous floaty pettiskirts are made from 7 metres of chiffon with an elastic waistband and draw string waist. Mia just loved them.





The printed tights and light weight stockings are pretty cute as well.

Kids presents take 1

I've been looking around for presents for our daughter's upcoming birthday and came across these laser cut acrylic necklaces. The animals have zwarovski crystal eyes, and are finished off with a cute heart logo charm and box for safe keeping. I'm sure she'll love them.

Measurements
Charm is about 1 1/2 inches tall
Chain length adjustable from 16 to 18 inche

You can get them in Australia from Monkey and Wellington or from the US (Destroyed by Design).




etsy - destroyed by design

Mix and match

This week I've been on the lookout for a side table for the family room and coffee cups. This Zaishu stool from Nicola Cerini caught my eye as did the coffee cups

Changing fabric

This is the fabric I am thinking of purchasing to recover my antique chair


the cushion that I just purchased - Cloth Fabric


I'll update with pics of the room/chair soon, so Kate can help select the right fabric.

Supporting a creative mind

While hunting for something special that was reasonably educational for Miss 6, I came across Lyra pencils from Waldorf and Stockmar crayons. She loved them so I purchased a few metallics and a pencil roll from Dragonfly. They are long lasting, soft and highly pigmented pencils that have a triangular grip for little hands. Fantastic for school projects and artistic flights of fancy. Best of all ... she takes care of them!


Another favourite has been the Djeco range from Thats My Toy that are designed for preschool and primary school children. She has enjoyed the felt tip brushes, coloured sand kits and beautiful collages.

Next stop for her birthday is a few natural beauty and craft kits that will help her create her own recipes, inventions and concoctions ..... from Seedling.

Natural Textiles

I adore these screen printed textiles from Cloth Fabric. Julie Paterson creates the designs on natural fabric in Sydney using the beach and local landscape as her inspiration. The small batch production ensures that each piece is unique. I fell in love with several of her designs and purchased a stunning patched cushion from Little Bird in Port Elliott. Kate, the owner personally picked the fabric remnants for the emerald/grey cushion. I think I've found the perfect colour story for my family room and the old chair that is desperate for an update. Here are a few products and fabrics that caught my eye but there are many more to choose from:
fabric

rugs

cushions

Industrial design

A few unique creations by Marc Pascal who creates unusual stoneware ceramics and modern accent lighting. He works with a small team in his Melbourne studio.

Lamp

Mimi chair

Eyoi Yoi Table lamp

Wish list

A couple of my current drool items - I think I need to start a wish list for Christmas.

Emogayu hancrafted bowls and vases replicate nature and lava. The series is called 'Volcanoes'. The artist is originally from Japan but nows lives in the US.





Stainless steel and ebony inlaid jewellery from Tivi at Polli.
Greeting cards that turn into lovely hanging decorations.


A gorgeous Bird Zaishu stool that would work well in our bedroom as a side table.

Family Organiser

I'm always looking for ways to organise and coordinate our individual schedules and get us to school and work on time. Only yesterday I was thinking that we should ditch the electronic gizmos and go back to the old fashioned diary system. Our phone batteries are often flat, the computer takes a while to fire up, and we can't find phone numbers when we need them. It would be nice to surprise the rellies by turning up on time for family events and dinners.

Here is a neat family organiser from Milestone Press that lets you see a week at a time with areas for birthdays, dinner and space for individual activities. It also comes with a separate address book with a planner that you can transfer to the next year.

The new diary starts October 2009 and finishes January 2011. They are sending them out in August. Click on the post title for a link to their website.

ouch ... new Sennheiser headphones from ebay

Likes and Dislikes ... music

Purchased Michael some wireless headphones so he can listen to his creatures of the night without waking the dead (albeit Mia and I). What does this have to do with decorating you ask ... well I need my beauty sleep.

The 140 Senn's are great. I'm loving them far too much.

Teepees - a dream abode

On the hunt for teepees .. a young girls dream abode and secret hideaway from parents, visitors and the hectic bussle of everyday life

I purchased this one from Monkey & Wellington ...




hope this matches: a waterproof pink/chocolate damask all season blanket from etsy

Funky stationery for kids

Came across a few sites that sell handmade greeting cards, lolly bags and the like for kids and tweens whilst hunting for invitations and bags for Miss 6.75's birthday. Here are some faves from:
shopforcards.htm
fairydustdesign

I usually make my own ... but these are adorable if you're time poor:

Yummy textiles

.. these Galbraith and Paul textiles ... I'd bend over backwards and do a cartwheel to get a few lengths for my lovely chair and a matching lamp shade. Hmmmm maybe not the cartwheel.