We're baaaack!!!

Well, we're back in Sydney after 5 wonderful weeks in Europe. I have squillions of photos to trawl through before I can do a proper post but just thought I'd share this pic in the meantime...

Thanks to our wonderful families my hubbie and I managed to escape to Paris for 6 nights WITHOUT THE KIDS!!! It was a fantastic, much-needed break. One morning we took the TGV up to Annecy in the French Alps for the day, what a beautiful town, I'm pictured above in front of the canal in the old town. Kelly and Penny, you guys are very lucky to live somewhere so beautiful!!!

Watch out for some very lengthy posts coming soon on Ireland, special times with family, Paris and shopping :-)

PS Happy New Year!!!  :-)

Winter!

A sight that warms my heart, my boys throwing pebbles into the Irish sea :-)

We're spending our Christmas in Ireland, having a lovely time with our family, so excited for the boys to experience a Northern Hemisphere cold, wintery Christmas!!! Logs on the fire, rosy cheeks from the cold, perfect (ignoring the fact that we've picked up every virus going so far, but are all on the mend :-)

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!!

Dear Santa...

This year, I ask nothing of you. I have more in life than I could ever have possibly wished for.

So I repeat I ask absolutely nothing of you...

BUT

If you did manage to fit any one of these in your sleigh just for me I would not complain one little bit...

Not one little bit  ;-)

Kids' Study Nook

For quite a while now I've been on the lookout for a sweet little desk for my boys to use for doing homework, looking up "stuff" on Google and working on projects. I have been very inspired by cute study areas such as these...

Aren't they all GORGEOUS?!? I have been itching to create a cute little study nook of our own and finally in Vinnie's this morning I found this...

A gorgeous wooden vintage desk for just $10!!! AND they now have FREE delivery! I LOVE it, 4 drawers for lots of paper and craft supplies and the 2 shelves will be perfect for books, mini-figs, pottery creations and whatever else the munchkins deem necessary :-)

I also spotted this fab chair last month at council clean up, FREE on the side of the road!

I am planning to paint the desk a lovely pale vintage blue (I won't need to bother giving it the distressed look, my boys will sort that out ;-), red gloss on the chair and lots of little bits and pieces on the desk such as the lovely retro orange lamp I got earlier this year at a flea market.

Tip: If you are ever looking for inspiration to decorate your kids' rooms you need look no further than The Boo and The Boy - a fantastic blog full of gorgeous rooms, designs and ideas!

Here and there

There is no particular theme to the little collection of things I am sharing today, just some pretty items I have picked up here and there...

A pair of pretty dishes - $1 each.

A gorgeous turquoise Royal Winton jug - $4.

Another vintage Persinware scales - $3. I already have one of these in red, I love the fact that they were made in Australia.

When I found this little clay snail for 50 cents at a market I couldn't resist painting him blue :-)

A cute little birdie - $1.

A pretty jar with etched floral design - 50 cents.

Yes!!! Another Figgjo piece in the Market design - this little square bowl was only $1!

And finally, at last a piece of Pyrex in the Butterprint design in TURQUOISE! I have wanted this design and colour forever and was lucky enough to win it over on Emma's blog! Thanks again Emma, I love it :-)

OK, a little warning - you know I am a Christmas FREAK and with it being November I am officially excited and feel a festive post coming on very soon!!!

My Le Creuset Addiction - New Additions

I LOVE cooking with cast iron cookware, especially Le Creuset, it is an absolute pleasure to use so when I see it at bargain prices I can never resist.

I bought this fab retro Le Creuset roasting tray/baking dish on eBay for $24.99. It is from the "Mama" range by famed Italian modernist designer Enzo Mari, I've been looking for one of his pieces for ages so was overjoyed to get such a great piece in such a fab colour for SUCH a low price!! The eBay seller didn't mention the designer in the item description or title, if he had it would have sold for a lot more! I know from watching Enzo Mari pieces on eBay a lot!

This lovely pink ceramic mixing bowl with handle and spout is from the new Le Creuset "Junior" range, aimed at kids, well I'm a big kid at heart and this is MINE!!! I got it on Amazon in the UK, their prices are a fraction of what Le Creuset costs here in Australia, even taking shipping into account.

And finally, another teal / Caribbean blue piece to add to my collection. This lovely shallow buffet casserole was another Amazon purchase. How I LOVE shopping online :-)

White

Well, it's no secret my absolute favourite colours are blue followed closely by green. I'm usually drawn to items in these shades when shopping but sometimes I see beautiful elegant items in white and can't resist...



How lovely is this rooster platter? It cost $1 at a flea market, perfect for serving up scrambled eggs to my hungry boys :-)



At the same market I bought this lovely cake stand for $1. No, I didn't NEED another cake stand but it's so pretty...

I bought this large mixing bowl this morning at Vinnie's for $5. I think I may need to cover my mixing bowl addiction in another post.

These gorgeous Villeroy and Boch mugs were also a find from today, I got them for $2 each at the same Vinnie's where I bought a gorgeous collection of Villeroy and Boch cups a while back.

A small mixing bowl with a spout, very useful! $2 in Salvos.

I love lotus shaped bowls, these were $2 at a market.

A tiny bowl - 50 cents.

I love the retro shape of this teapot - only $4 at a market.

These soup cups were 50 cents each in Vinnie's

A cute little birdie - 50 cents, he lives with my little collection on the windowsill of our laundry room.

I love this little dessert bowl, I have a nice collection of mismatched bowls in this style, the boys know when I take them out of the cupboard ice-cream is on its way!

I have a weakness for ceramic tumblers, these ones are particularly nice, 50 cents each in Vinnie's.

And finally a cute birdie shaped platter - $3 in Salvos.

So much for decluttering eh ;-)