Easter - Hope it is a dry one.

With Easter just around the corner I have squeezed in an extra couple of runs to cater for the chocolate consumption over the next 4 days.In addition to Easter it is my birthday on Saturday so I am in for a very indulgent weekend. Bring it on!

What do you do over Easter? How do you celebrate?

We are planning on doing Easter show, maybe apple picking in Bilpin, BBQ's, breakfasts, lunches dinners and of course chocolate eating.

Design - House design

Most of you know that we bought a new house with the view of building. I am always adding to my Pinterest board with inspirations. Here a couple of my latest additions.
We need to design a flat roof... well we don't need to but if we want to maximise on height to gain better water views then this is what we need to do. I did have my heart set on interesting roof lines but it would also be criminal not to design a home that captures its amazing surrounds and its water views.

Beautiful Bali finds

Bali is full of amazing things. Clothing and homewards a plenty.
here a couple of lovely pieces I spotted on my recent trip. As always I felt like a bought so much while I was there and when I got home thought... 'why didn't I buy that?'

Next time... always a next time.

Bali - Take Two

This is one of the many fabric stores that I visited on this last trip. I was like a kid in a candy store.
Minimum purchase was 5 yards for plain and 10 yard for print. I only purchased one kind for sample making.

So much too choose from.

And I love this chair. This was in a shop window of a salon near where we stayed. I got my hair cut at the salon on my last day. $25 total cost... Call me last of the big spenders.

I can get hold of one for $100. A far sight cheaper than what they sell them for here.

I'll keep you posted as things develop but fingers crossed all is on the right track.

Also I did receive everything from the dishonest Linda. So that is being shipped back to me as we speak.

Some recent pic of my family

As you know we moved house and are now living about 5 minutes walk to one of the nicer places on Sydney's shoreline. We are making the most of it. Looking for crabs, jumping into bogey holes, swimming, boating and just generally having fun in the sun by the sea. I am the luckiest person going at the moment. Don't get me wrong life can be tough. Very tough. But I am not one to dwell on negative thoughts and actions.
Welcome to my new backyard.

Resent purchases from Ikea and Anthropologie

Two recent purchases: one from Ikea and one from Anthropolgie.
As mentioned in a previous post I am into white at the moment. So no surprise that two of my recent buys are white.
The white orchard is from Ikea. I know who goes to buy Orchards from Ikea. I didn't plan as I went to buy curtain rods.
The owl is from Anthropologie. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this store. We are heading to NYC later this year so I can't wait to visit and buy and save on postage.

What have you bought recently?

The Simple Things Magazine

I am loving this new magazine. It is great. Although in Australia we are experiencing a different season to what's being mentioned in the magazine as it is a UK based publication. Regardless there are loads of great and inspiring ideas.

http://www.thesimplethings.com/

As a graphic designer the layout of the stories and recipes is superb. I take my hat off to the designer and creative director.

The photography is gorgeous, recipes delicious and stories interesting.

So if you are in need of a new magazine to subscribe to then this is a good one.

Happy reading.

My work neighbourhood - Surry Hills

I love living by the beach. It is so lovely.

I do like though also having the opportunity to come to Surry Hills twice a week for work. My design studio, Fresco Creative, is located on Holt St amongst so many cool cafes, restaurants and shops.

What I love about Surry Hills is its diversity. The suburb is a buzz with families, groovers, designers, newspaper people (News Limited is down the road). Basically a real ecelctic mix of personalites, careers and people of different walks of life.

Some cool places to visit in Surry Hills.

You will always find the perfect gift at this store. It is located in the heart of Surry Hills, paper2 is a beautiful boutique paper store owned by graphic designer, Margaret Rockliff. _{In pursuit of her passion for paper and stationery, Margaret searches far and wide, collecting the most innovative and luxurious paper creations the globe has to offer. As well as delivering products from Tokyo, London, Frankfurt and New York, paper2 also stocks it’s own range of products, all designed and printed in-house. 
You can buy online.}http://www.paper2.com.au/home.php

There are amazing places to eat

For some delicious breads, cakes, sausage rolls and sandwiches check out

http://www.bourkestreetbakery.com.au/index.html

Something more fancy I would suggest Movida's. But book ahead. The tapas is innovative and not to mention delicious.

http://movida.com.au/

I buy my coffee here on the days that I am in the office. Their freshly baked muffins and little breakfast tarts are  delicious and I try very hard to not to by one every time I buy my coffee. I limit myself to one a week. The staff here are lovely and so hospitable. Oh and if you do visit have a look at the light/vase display above the bar. Very cool.

http://www.ortotradingco.com.au/

Yummy and classic Thai food. You will pay a little more but you also get a little more when it comes to flavour.

http://www.muummaam.com.au/

So that is very brief snap shot of why I love working in Surry Hills. All of these places are within a 5 min walk from our office. There are so many more amazing place to visit if I had more time on my days in the office. In saying that though I love our little neighbourhood and the people that make it what it is.

I'll doing shopping separately. There are few great shops on Crown street which I want to share.

Bespoke Rugs in Australia

We are in the market for a new rug. I find rug buying very difficult and costly.

I want something that is neutral and natural that would suit the beach feel I am trying to create for our home. The problem I have is whether I go contemporary or more traditional. What do you think?
This company is amazing as you have so much control of the perfect rug.
Only problem is there is so much choice.

Above are some of my favourites so far but still so much more to trawl through and some final measurements of the space.

This site allows you to change colour, pile height and dimensions. A price is calculated based on the information you provide AND only 6 weeks delivery....

Check them out
http://www.bespokerugs.com.au

Bali - take two

two new summer styles

the perfect winter dress

A wise person once said.  'If at first you don't succeed: try, try, try again. Don't give up too easily. Persistence pays off in the end" by American educator Thomas H. Palmer

Well this is my current mantra. I have been totally duped by my original manufacturer. Yes! she has promised and promised and still nothing. Now she doesn't even respond to me.

Luckily I have a lady on the ground in Bali helping me find my stuff. She has all of the board shorts and the screens. Now she is trying to get the rest of my clothing and patterns. Initially I was totally bumbed out when I finally accepted that I wasn't going to be seeing my goods anytime soon. Now I have come to terms with it and I am all systems go for the next round. I am heading back to Bali at the end of Feb to chat to a new manufacturer and also to hopefully retrieve my stuff from the very dishonest Linda.

I remember that when I started Fresco Creative all those years ago there were always set backs. There always are in the world of business so this is just all part and parcel. I am not going to give up. I will keep going to fulfill my dream.

The feeling of disappointment is an understatement to how I feel but no point dwelling on the past. Negativity never got anyone anywhere.

I am back - Gordon's Bay

Gordon's Bay

Oops had another little break. This time because I was moving house.

We have moved to the most amazing street in the most amazing part of Sydney. I had reservations about moving in that we left a beautiful home (which I renovated) to a more modest home. I thought it was all about the house but how wrong I was. I love our new modest little abode and I love being able to walk to the beach. It is so wonderful. 4mins to Coogee and 7mins to Clovelly and 2mins to Gordon's Bay.

Life is good.

what a lovely little break that was

It wasn't planned but I gave myself a little blog break.
What have we been doing? well...

we drank coffee

we swam

we packed

we had sleep overs

we ran through sprinklers

we opened Christmas presents from Santa

we sang Christmas carols at Carols by Candlelight

we danced

Santa came to visit?!!@#$%

we ate... a lot

and we baked.

So much fun, so busy and still so much more of the holidays to enjoy.

We move house in less than a week. Busy times ahead.

What have you been up to?