Hummingbird Hunt

There is no denying it now - Christmas is coming! I thought I would have a look around at the card offerings of some of my fav online paper maestros and this is how I came to find the Christmas collection from The Hummingbird Card Company. They are a British company specialising in laser cut cards. They have some very sweet cards for all occasions and some of the cut work is incredibly delicate.

Here is a small selection from the Christmas range.

From left: Snowflake, Folk Bauble, Christmas Tree and Vintage Baubles

See the rest here.

What I am more in love with however are the Christmas Decorations - laser cut card decorations. They are a bit of a steal I think for about $13 aussie for a set of 6 - however you will need to organise postage from the UK.

 

 

I really like the way they cast shadows on the wall. I will keep a look out for something similar locally for my own tree.

{all images from The Hummingbird Card Company}

fake it

Pretenders, originally uploaded by luvpublishing.

Can you imagine a more beautiful image of roses? Then can you imagine that these are fake flowers? Incredible.
This totally delicate and lovely image is from a beautiful flickr stream. Visit luvpublishing's photostream to enjoy the light-filled, soft and pretty pics for yourself. It just makes me want to say ahhhhhhhh

A quick brag

It was with much joy that the stars aligned for me at the end of last week and I was able to make it to Magnolia Square this past Saturday. What a treat, it was actually a bit of a sensory overload with so much prettiness from many creative and talented people. I certainly have collected some great new blog topics for the coming weeks!
I will be bragging today about the purchase I made from the lovely Bride and Wolfe.

I am now the happy owner of this little guy - Blackwood Flying Bird. He is a lovely maple colour on one side and black on the other. I just adore the little squirrel climbing up the tail with his paws up! I will admit it was a tough decision to choose as all the pieces are so sweet.

These Heart Birds were the close runners up for my purchase - again spot the little squirrel chasing the heart.

 

Then there is this lovely Hummingbird piece. I really like the shape this makes on the wall and the way it captures the bird in full flight

This Bird with Eggs piece really needed to be seen to be fully appreciated. The little coloured eggs come out from underneath the bird and can be arranged separately. The perch also can be flipped around so the bird nestles into the curve. The you can choose to have the timber finish on one side and a either black or white on the other. What a versatile piece! Perfect if you are like me and like to play around with how things are displayed around you home.

Another really cool piece is 'Monsieur Chapeau'. Made up of 3 pieces you can turn the hand to be pointing up and balance the moustache on the fingertip. Very cool huh?

Pop over to Bride and Wolfe and enjoy more of these beautiful timber silhouettes. They make really great decorative pieces for kids rooms. Oh and everything is all hand made in Melbourne with free shipping within Australia and New Zealand right now.

A splash of colour

kitchen wall, originally uploaded by misspfui.

Something quick bright and colourful for this Friday!
I have a new all white shelf unit in my dining room ready for objects and
I'm quite excited at the prospect of decorating my new surfaces.
I'm very inspired by this image above. What a clever use of paint swatches which anyone can pick up for nothing from paint stores!
Definitely an idea to boorw

Sweet nothings

I have labelled this post Sweet Nothings purely because I am so short on time, but find that these are precisely the moments when I need "prettiness" the most. So today's short but oh-so-sweet post is pure eye candy from the incredible gallery of Amy Atlas Events.

 

 

 

I promise another post in the future about this beautiful website - but for now I will leave you to explore for yourself as I gobble down some lunch! Unfortunately mine is nowhere near as appealing as this spread looks! mmmm sweets for lunch what a great idea :-)

the simplest things

So things are pretty crazy lately and just now I took a few minutes just to "pretty-out". My version of a time-out where I escape to blog land and just get my fill of pretty things. My usual starting point is Decor8 and today I have fallen totally in love thanks to Holly's post here about bailey doesn't bark, a stunning homewares and "life accessories" company. The beautiful Brazilian born, New York based illustrator Re Jin, has created sublime products which are just so simple...yet so perfect!

I am totally in love with this Teabag Mug and Teaspoon Plate

The simplicity and cleverness is right up my alley.

Having just had a picnic lunch fighting off ants, the Ants On My Mug  isn't quite as appealing, but fun and clever none-the-less.

 

There is also a beautiful stationary range including this Happy Holidays card. I know I would very happily receive this card for Christmas - it would go straight into a frame and on display!

Pop over to the shop here and find your favourite pieces.

Creative people like Re Jin really show that it is often the simplist things that can bring joy!

{all images from bailey doesn't bark }

A unique type of jewellery

How clever and unique is this jewellery from Typekey? Yet another clever and creative person who will be selling their goodies at Magnolia Square.

Keys have been rescued from all sorts of vintage typewriters and then are crafted into silver settings to make some truly unique jewellery.

 

 

And there is even something for the gents with these totally unique and funky cuff-links.

These would make great gifts don't you think? Hopefully I will come across her stall at Magnolia Square.

I guess this is a vintage take on the funky typography jewellery I wrote about here.

Bauble Up

It's certainly getting closer to Chrissy time now and that means it is time to start pondering the decorations! I LOVE this part of Christmas. For the past few years I have gone minimalist and used sticks (spray painted black) and kept it quite non-traditional. Last year I didn't even unpack some of the decorations I bought because we had just moved into our new home and unfortunately much more practical boxes were unpacked first.

 This image from Tine K Home sums up the "look" I have had in recently years.

This year however I am thinking of embracing a traditional green tree. We even have a window which we could place it in front of and have fairy lights on for people to view walking past.

I'm yet to confirm a tree - but did just take some time out to look through the Christmas Gallery at Living Etc

It's a wealth of inspiration and I have put together this little collection of baubles displayed in non-traditional, creative ways...

A bowl of baubles

A garland of baubles

 

A bauble cluster hanging from the ceiling

Bauble bunch for the door

I like the idea of spreading the Christmas decorating beyond the tree and gifts. Now I just need to find all my decorations and get started!

Sweeeet macs

I have a current crush to fess up to... macarons! I love to look at them and more importantly to eat them. I think they are the 'new' cupcakes as the sweet of choice for those who embrace the pretty things in life!

What's not to like? These fluffy, divine pillows of eggs, almond meal and sugar, were cleverly concocted by the French and are a delicate, bite-size treat for sweet tooths like me. Don't know your macarons from macaroons - wikipedia can help you out here. The delicate image above however is from Aussie food blog Raspberri Cupcakes (just the name makes me drool a little!) Pop over here to read the fabulous tale behind these beautiful pink creations. She has a brilliant and funny way of telling her story - plus there is a recipe too!

What I really appreciate are the 'work in progress' photos she provides. I really appreciate these when cooking - especially something as complex as macarons. It's comforting to check your on the right path and reading her story it's a little miracle there are any to share at all!

... and then how devine is this shot! Don't you wish it had been you taking the bite! Just rewards for the hard work that goes into making macarons.

For Sydney-siders another local food blogger - Chocolate Suze - has conducted important market research comparing Lindt Maracons with Adriano Zumbo's. Check it out here... and of course if anyone wants to join me in giving a second opinion and verifying the results, I'll be there with bells on. The only question is which ones do we taste test first?

 OH my just read that Adriano Zumbo is celebrating his brithday by creating 60 macaron flavours and turning "the patisserie into a macaron paradise"! When - Tomorrow (november 6th)! 60 crazy flavours including: Iced Vovo, Goats Cheese and Bluebery, Golden Gaytime, Blue Cheese and Pear, Popcorn and Cheeseburger to name just a few! How would you choose?!

Beyond the sea

With Summer well and truly on it's way I thought I would share some beautiful homeware inspiration I have found. I am a dedicated blue and green girl so this colour pallette is a definite fave of mine and it just screams summer.

The image above is from the latest catalogue of Alfresco Emporium, a Sydney based homewares store which also have an amazing website full of great homewares. I actually discovered one of their stores a few years ago and spent quite a while wandering through all the collections. The shops themselves are so well presented. How much fun would it be to run a shop like this and play with all the homewares and displays everyday!

{Seaglass Bottles}

These handblown bottles from Spain go straight onto my wish list!

 

{Portus Cale Butterflies frangrance range}

...as does this sugarcane and lemongrass home fragrance range. I love room diffusers and think this scent combination (sugarcane & lemongrass) sounds amazing! I'll have to visit in store to check it out.

 

{Green Glass Balls}

I also like the idea of these handblown glass balls. I really like layers of glass displayed together and I think these types of decorator items really add the final touch to a room. I like small ones wrapped in twine.

You can go and discover the Alfresco Emporium at one of their stores Sydney-side in Collaroy, Mona Vale or Cherrybrook, or you can browse the website.

I particularly like the collections they have put together. All the products above came from the House By The Sea Collection but there is also a Country Estate and House In The Hamptons collections too.

{All images from Alfresco Emporium}

A pebble for your thoughts

I always love discovering new and creative people, so today I'm happy to have stumbled upon Jo Luping. Hailing from New Zealand she has taken inspiration from the mecca of ceramics - Parc Guell, Barcelona - and created a ceramics business. She is very in-tune with nature and it is a recurring theme in her pieces.

{Blossom pebble necklace}

I am particularly taken by the ceramic jewellery. Inspired by smooth pebbles picked up at the beach, the range incudes plain pebbles in cool, natural colours or (as shown above) printed with a pattern. I really like the blossom range.

{Blossom pendant}

 There is also a range of ceramic bowls with similar patterns, so you can coordinate your house and yourself!

 {Blossom Medium Bowl}

I think the design simplicity and organic shapes create a really calm feel to the pieces. The Japanese woodcut inspiration is very evident don't you think. It reminds me a little of Samantha Robinson's pieces that I am so in love with! There is also a lovely side business JLD Haus, where new designers can get some exposure for their own work through the Jo Luping Design business.

Pop on over the the Jo Luping Design website and explore for yourself.

{All images from Jo Luping Designs}

Bags one

While only in the very early stages of planning a visit to Magnolia Square later this month I am already putting together a wish-list of purchases.
Today it's been about Berlinski handbags and belts.

 

 

I really like the belts - so different!

I can also top off a good market day with a cupcake from Hello Naomi

Check out these cupcakes! So pretty.

 

Hello Naomi is based in Newcastle (NSW) but will discuss delivery to Sydney and other states. Naomi is part of Scissors Paper Cake who are scheduled to be at Magnolia Square, so hopefully she brings along some yummy cupcakes!