A fine place to dine

What can I say...I Luuurve them all !!!!

This colour...

These chairs...

Images House Beautiful

Oh so elegant...

Stripes & urns...

That view....

Images from Home Beautiful

The serenity....

Hows a girl to decide....I think I will have one of each PLEEAASSE!!!!!

If you could only choose one, which one would  it be???

Cheers

Trish xxx

My First Blog Award!!!!!

Thank You Kym At Kyandra Rose for honouring me with my FIRST ever Blog Award... I was beside myself with excitement!!!

It has made me feel like I am a real  blogger...Yipee!!!!

Thank You Kym for making my day & being such a fabulous support, its great to know someone with so much talent is enjoying my blog!!!!

Kym has a beautiful blog with some very inspirational decorating ideas, she also shares my clock addiction!!!Kym  manages to do all these amazing things whilst working as a teacher & being a mum, I think that is impressive.

 I am a SAHM & write my blog because I was looking for a challenge & I wanted to have something to do, other than just being a housewife & mum. I couldn't imagine trying to fit in a full time job. 

I take my hat off to all you clever people that work & blog...

WELL DONE!!!

Now the award rules are that I have to list seven things about me

So here goes:

1. I have 4 children, 3 girls & 1 boy & they bring me a huge amount of joy, but like all mums cause me the most worries in life as well.

2. My husband is by far the most inspiring & motivating person in my life.

3. My sister Erin is definitely my biggest supporter in EVERYTHING I do & is also my partner in Design crime... I cant live without her ( she is also my partner in wine crime, LOL)

4. Teaching my teenage daughter to drive is by far the most challenging & terrifying task I have ever  had to undertake.

5. It makes me crazy if someone sits on my bed after I make it, I love to see a beautifully made bed decorated with lost of fabulous pillows!!!

6.I love an organised home with lots of storage.

& lucky No. 7

I have been so inspired by the talent I have come across since I started reading so many amazing blogs, that I now have very huge aspirations to refurbish, upholster & paint things, rather than purchase everything brand new.

 For this I say THANK YOU!!!!

The second Privilege is that I get to Pass this honour onto 15 other Fabulous Blogs.

Here is who I have chosen

The Five Year Project

Perfectly Imperfect

My Sweet Prints

The Paper tree Design

Blog Brew Review

From here to There

My Summer house

Nestled in Rosenberg

Driftwood Interiors

A Beautiful Mess

Being Ruby

The Pennington Point

fattii goes public

Design Dump

Colour me Happy

A Beach Cottage

So if you haven't already been visiting any of these blogs you should drop on over & check them out. Some are about design, some about life, some put a smile on your face, BUT, all of them are written by incredibly inspirational & clever people.

Than You again Kym

Cheers

Trish xxx

A cellar to celebrate

I am off to a party tonight to celebrate the opening of my hairdressers new salon

Mystic Hair Studio.

I am planning on taking her a nice bottle of bubbly to celebrate!!!

It would be nice if I could just grab a special bottle of something  from my own personal wine collection ...I wish!!!!.
 Perhaps I could keep my wine in a cellar.

 I think one of these would do just fine!!!

modern wine cellar design by vancouver general contractor billy carpenter

wine cellar design

I would also like to send a fabulous bottle of (virtual) bubbly to a wonderful blogger named Ange over at Chair up . Ange is an extremely talented New Zealander living on The Gold Coast & like me has a serious addiction to blogging & house magazines. She does the most amazing rehupolstering & furniture refurbs, I'm always excited to check out what she has been up to. You have to go over to Chair up & admire Ange's handiwork.
 WARNING you will be inspired to create!!!! 

 

Cheers

Trish xxx

Serious addiction update

Hi, My names Trish & I am still a blog addict.....BUT.... I have been working on beating toning down my addiction.

I did a post last week entailing a 5 step plan to help manage my days as a blogger, so I would have a more functional life.

 If you missed it you can read it here

Well I have made definite improvements.

I did make To Do lists & checked them off, some days I was unable to complete them due to a change of plans.

Dan Marty Designs

Time management is the key!!!

Another skill I must get back in touch with, LOL!!!

I have only exercised 3 times, so I wasn't to pleased about that. I am looking into a gym membership, so someone else can get me moving.

I have ensured all of the daily tasks are complete before turning on my laptop, although this

morning I have broken this rule. My husband had an early start to his work day(4.30am) & in true man style he was as quiet as a baby elephant, therefore, I had an early start. I was unable to get back to sleep. I was however lucky to capture a couple of snaps of the beautiful sky as the sun was rising.

I have taken these with my little pocket camera, I'm no fab photographer but I still think they capture the beauty.

The colours are amazing.

After several days of rain I think we are going to get a fabulous day, Thank You Mother Nature!!!

Oh that's right, time management, I better get back on track, back to that 5 step plan...

I have managed to produce MUCH nicer meals, this week, as well as bake a few yummy treats....Go me!!!

I did visit my parents & a girlfriend & we are off to a BBQ on Saturday.Yay...I am social in the real world again.

So in conclusion, I AM improving, BUT, still need  to do more work!!!

How about you, did you get your blogging addiction under control, or at least partially?

Did you come up with a plan that works for you, or where you able to follow mine??

Have a wonderful weekend everyone

Cheer's

Trish xxx

Dreaming of Vintage typewriters

I have fallen in love with Vintage Type writers of late, I think they make a lovely decorating item.

Source unknown

Apartment therapy

Anthropologie

Mount one on the wall to create a whimsical feel to the room...

So I am now visiting antique stores & markets in search of the perfect vintage type writer...

Wish me luck!!!!

Family Love

I have to introduce you to my dream child No.4, just cause she is the sweetest little critter you will ever meet!!!

She has just turned 3 last month but her speech is pretty advanced so she is very capable of expressing her thoughts!!!

She has a wonderful imagination & a wicked sense of humour, but most of all she is extremely affectionate & loving!!!

Did I mention she likes to play dress ups!!!

Today I went to visit a friend & dream child No.4 told her that her daddy works lots just so her mummy can go shopping..... he he he....gotta love that!!!!

Dream kitchen Inspiration

Whilst I'm still in the planning stage of my dream house I am putting a lot of thought into what I would like my dream kitchen to look like. The kitchen in my last house was very nice, but dark for my liking. It was made of Tasmanian Black wood with Black granite bench tops.

  Our last house had already been fully renovated when we purchased it & although it was a very nice home, it was decorated to someone else's tastes. Changing major elements would have been over capitalising for the market it was in.

This is why building from scratch is so stressful  exciting, its all about ME & I can have just what I want(within budget of course)

Sorry about the quality of the images, I hadn't even heard of a blog when I took these pics...

As you can see, its a little dark

 This is an appliance cupboard, we kept our kettle & coffee & tea here & the cups  above.

The fabulous wine rack that i never managed to completely fill....

Now for my inspiration:

I love  beautiful white kitchens

I love island benches

I love pendant lights over the Island bench

I love walk in pantry cupboards

I love overhead cupboards that reach all the way to the ceiling

I love shaker style doors

I love double bowl sinks

Home Beautiful

Great overhead cupboards. The marble with white & stainless steel looks fantastic

A little pantry love here...

Is this every bodies favourite, its just perfect in every way....

What a nice coffee making set up, perfect for the connoisseur...

This is pretty close to what I would like....

Great industrial looking pendants...

These bamboo roman blinds add great texture, I think I will have these in my dream house kitchen

for sure!!

I couldn't resist adding this one because I LOVE that clock!!!

 This is a gorgeous idea for along the window side of my dream kitchen...

Colour Me happy

This one looks like it has a tile floor in the colour I would like in my dream house, makes me feel I made need to go for black bench tops....

Home Beautiful

These baskets add a nice touch, giving this kitchen a bit of a country feel.

I am having a tile floor in my kitchen, probably a sandstone colour, I really like warm whites.

Do you have any suggestions for the perfect bench top colour to go with my white cabinets & light tile  floors?

My reading Nook

My Reading Nook

The art is a couple of max Mannix prints, he is my dream guy's favourite artist, he is also an Aussie artist.

I thought I would give everyone a peek into my home. We are only renting this house & its a little smaller than we are used to.  A lot of our things are in storage, ready for when we build. Unfortunately we have already lived here longer than I imagined we would & although the concept plan  for our house is being drawn up by an architect at the moment, I'm sure we are still months away from any construction. My little home drawings that I did with my ruler & pencil don't really qualify as usable, but they do give the architect the general idea( I'm sure he had a little giggle at my total lack of drawing ability)

My little table scape, I can't wait until I have my own place so I can invest in some bits & pieces to improve my table scape's, Ive been learning alot in this department from some of my favourite bloggers.

I have a small home magazine obsession, in fact under the table is 3 sea grass baskets choc full of my favorite house mags.

I love the texture of these bits & pieces.

I love to sit here in the morning & have my coffee whilst the family sleep. AAAAHHHH the serenity!!!

Do you have a favourite place to sit & read?

Saturday Soccer

This was my Saturday ….

My son has started playing soccer, his first year at playing a team sport & he loves it. Today he scored his first goal EVER & I just happen to be lucky enough to have the camera out at the perfect moment. Not only did I capture the actual goal I also snapped this little beauty. The celebration!!!!

That's the happiest face I've ever seen!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend !

Serious Addiction

Dear bloggers, Hi my name is Trish & I am a blog addict!!!!!

Ever since discovering blog land my self discipline has slowly eroded away....

I have replaced exercise with long hours of sitting, its only a matter of time before the results of that begin to show....

I have replaced housework with more long hours of sitting, only doing the absolutely necessary tasks....

I have replaced social interaction with a day of hanging out with my laptop. When your mum rings and says  "Where have you been? We haven't seen or heard from you lately & thought you had disappeared off the planet"

you know you have a problem, by the way, I DIDN'T tell them I had traded them for You, my blog friends....

I think i have probably even developed a blog face, you know that face you get when your getting really involved in something on television, we call that "having your TV head on" at our house. I'm pretty sure I have a blog head on.....

So here is my 5 step plan to break my addiction;

1. 
   
   TO DO LISTS- Each day I am going to write myself a list of things I NEED TO DO  & check it off. I hate to not complete a task especially when its in writing!!!
2. 
   
   30 Min's of exercise 6 days a week is a must. I turn 40 next year & I want to be 40 & fabulous, NOT 40 & frumpy!!!!
3. 
   
   No turning on the laptop unless all basic chores are completed eg bed making, washing pegged out, dishes done, floors vacuumed & bathrooms tidied.
4. 
   
   No computer time between 5pm & 7pm so that I will cook a decent meal, I hate cooking & now I have resorted to making the quickest meal possible, this must change!!!
5. 
   
   I am going to ensure I visit 2- 3 real people in the real world every week, not just dozens of cyber friends

Wish me luck fellow addicts......

What can you do to discipline yourself & break your addiction?

 Tic Toc people its time to prioritize our time!!!!

P.s clocks are my other addiction

 Feel free to join me here. We can support each other. Let me know how your going conquering your addiction perhaps we can create a link or a blog party or something? I will be sure to give you an update next Friday.

Have a wonderful event filled weekend everyone

Cheers!!!

Perfectly Imperfect Give Away

I love pillows & the cosiness they create in a room. Like art ,it is nice if you can give something some personal meaning & that is exactly what these beautiful pillows offer.

Made by a clever lady named Lisa at Shop 24 

You can have them personalised with your family names on them

You can have the opportunity to win one of these gorgeous pillows if you drop on over for a visit with Shaunna at her wonderful blog  Perfectly Imperfect

Shaunna is a very clever & creative lady & I enjoy visiting her blog, I hope you do to.

Good Luck with her giv away( not to much luck tho, I really wanna win this one ) I would love to see a 4 on my pillow, with my 4 kids names on it!!!!

All imagesPerfectly Imperfect

Top 8 tips to an organised wardrobe/closet

How does your wardrobe/closet look?

Can you find just what you're looking for in an instant, or do you have to rummage around for that favourite top?

I love organised spaces & really find it hard to focus when I'm surrounded by mess or clutter.I love to have storage solutions for every area in the house & my wardrobe is NO exception.

Not everyone has the option of a fabulous walk in robe or dressing room, BUT, we can all apply some simple systems to keep things organised.

Here are my top 8 tips:

1. Categorise your clothes by season, hang all T shirts together, then group long sleeve tops, create a pants section, evening dresses, pants,skirts,etc.I don't find packing away your winter articles in the summer particularly useful. Mother nature is unpredictable at times & you never know, if you may need to pull out that jumper mid summer, or you might strike a warm winters day from time to time. Now categorise these into colour groups e.g black T shirts, white Tshirts,Denim jeans, red dresses.

2. If you don't have designated shelves for shoes & little floor space within your wardrobe then purchase some cheap shoe racks from a local department store & categorise your shoes, first in colour groups & then in styles, eg all brown flip flops together,brown sandals, brown heels & so on. If you don't have enough room for your entire shoe collection ,grab some clear shoe storage boxes to store them in & store them elsewhere, perhaps under your bed.

3. If you like to keep other things in your wardrobe for personal storage then allocate storage boxes for theses items & label  them appropriately

4. The biggest rule to help avoid clutter is to have a regular CLEAN OUT. If you didn't wear it last season GET RID OF IT. If it didn't fit last season & it still doesn't, GET RID OF IT.... Donate these articles to charity, someone will really appreciate it.

5. Make a space for accessories, you can buy hangers specifically for belts & ties, making them easily accessed.

6. If you don't have the room for shelves to pop your handbags on, you can always hook the handles over the top of a hanger, several together on the one sturdy hanger. Once again grouping in colours. if this doesn't suit your space, try popping them into a labeled storage box.

7. I don't have a jewellery box, so I put sticky hooks on the door of my wardrobe & I hang necklaces & bracelets on them. This way they are on hand when I've chosen my outfit, making it easy to chose the perfect accessories. I have a small sheet of cardboard that I hole punched to hang on a sticky hook, I then stuck pin wholes thru it, to poke my earrings thru. That way they would be hanging right there with the matching necklace.

8.My final tip, when you have finished with something PUT IT AWAY!!!!

What a perfect set up

I would love a chandelier in my wardrobe, I also love the wallpaper

This looks almost like its protecting something precious, must be really nice clothes & shoes in here

This is how I would like my wardrobe to look in my dream house,I just have to break it to the dream guy...

OOH a chandelier, a beautiful chair & a rug, now this is a great space 

& this is the ultimate girls dream wardrobe

Its amazing how much time you save each day when your clothes are organised & you know exactly where things are. It also helps when you are shopping to update your wardrobe for the season, you can remember what you have so rather than accidentally doubling up on things you already own you are able to spend your hard earned cash on some fabulous new season pieces.

Do you love an organised space?

What sort of things do you do to keep your wardrobe tidy & uncluttered?

I do apologise for not giving credit for all of these great pics, I have been collecting inspiration for my home for some time now & hadn't even thought about being a blogger. Please let me know if you see something of yours so I can give credit.