Lovin' the little things.....

1. A pretty perfect Saturday afternoon with friends at Dandelion & Driftwood. Celebrating my 30th birthday with the best chai ever and a rather delicious macaron or two (amongst other yummy things).

2. She didn't want to touch the wet grass with her bare foot. It made me laugh, as did the one legged attempt at gardening that followed.

3. A rainbow after the storm.

4. A lovely birthday gift from my brother and his girlfriend. So happy to have this in my collection.

5 & 6. She's been wearing her favourite hand-me-down dress again. Colour and pattern are definitely her thing.

 

{Linking up with Em from The Beetle Shack}.

Happy days to you!

Melinda x

Lovin' the little things.....

1. 2014 is looking grand!

2. Christmas Day 2013. We took this photo on Christmas Day 2012. Oh my, how she's grown!

3. Christmas gifts for imaginative play.

4. Summer reading.

5. Gingerbread baking.

6. At her blackboard. A Christmas gift from her Nana & Grandad.

7. Happy mail from the lovely Ashley over at Piper & Poppies. I'm so grateful for the beautiful people I've met through this blog.

 

I hope your days, post Christmas, have been slow and fancy free. It's beyond hot here today so we're doing all we can to keep cool. I'm almost tempted to buy a swimswuit.....the first one I've owned in over nine years!!!

  

{Linking up with Em from The Beetle Shack}.

 

 Happy days to you!

 

Melinda x

Lovin' the little things.....

1. An afternoon spent in Mum & Dad's garden.

2. Sorting (and admiring) Christmas decorations ready for December 1.

3. The beginnings of a festive headpiece.

4. Millie laughed out loud when I read this book to her. I laughed too. Have you read it?

5. A little girl sitting on a big girl chair. Her latest 'must do' activity!

 

I hope your weekend has been a beautiful one. The busy festive season is officially upon us.....may your Christmas preparations be merry and bright.

 

Happy days to you!

 

{Linking up with Em from The Beetle Shack}.

 

Melinda x

 

P.S. Talking about the festive season. I'm hosting a festive giveaway over here.....I'd love it if you entered!

Books I Love: Vintage Wedding Style

Top Left: pinned here. Bottom Left: pinned here. Bottom Middle: pinned here. Bottom Right: pinned here. Top Right: pinned here. Middle Right: pinned here.

 

From the moment I saw Vintage Wedding Style by Elizabeth Demos on the shelves of giddy and grace at Maleny I was in love. I could just tell that it was going to be the most perfect wedding style book I had ever seen.  Every page is a bundle of inspiration.....there are lovely DIY projects and each chapter features a different couple and styling theme. So, if you're soon to be married or you're organising a special party or celebration you should definitely get your hands on this beautiful book. I really really really highly recommend it.

If you've already read this book I'd love to know what your favourite theme was. I can't decide between Fall Colour, Flea Market Charm or Farmhouse Fete.

I hope your week has been a lovely one so far!

Happy days to you!

Melinda x

Lately.....

Loving.....our little lady. As each day passes we love her more and more. We marvel at every little achievement, every clap and every blown kiss. We can't believe we created such a 'perfect' little being.

Eating:.....Lately we've been eating quick and easy meals. I find dinner time the trickiest time of the day to juggle. Blake isn't home from work yet and I am trying to feed Millie and make a somewhat edible and healthy meal for us. So quick and easy it is. Zucchini Slice and Tuna Mornay have made it onto our plates in the last week.

Drinking.....Smoothies. I'm craving smoothies at the moment. Mango, mixed berry, raspberry, I really don't mind. I have a yummy smoothie recipe to share with you soon.

Buying.....Paper pineapple decorations. Just Because. We also bought this delightful Wooden Mixing and Baking Set for Millie for Christmas from Oliver's Twisty Tales. Oliver's Twisty Tales on Down that Little Lane has the best wooden toys for kids, you should check it out.

Making.....I finally finished a custom order for three dolls which I've been working on for weeks now.  Next on my make list is a new hat for Millie, followed by a few Christmas presents for friends and family.

Reading.....I've been reading lots of recipe books lately. Particularly ones by Annabel Karmel that involve baby and toddler finger food. What foods did your little ones enjoy when they began to feed themselves?

Feeling.....Inspired.

Looking forward to.....Christmas. Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year. I've started my gift buying and am planning my decorations, gift wrapping and the all important Christmas baking. I think festive baking is the best part.

Dreaming.....After visiting a friends lovely new 'old' home I'm dreaming about our house in the country again.

What have you been up to lately?

Happy days to you!

Melinda x

New Vintage {2nd edition}

Pssst.....that's one of my pillows right there!

A few years ago I was approached by Tahn Scoon (interior stylist/consultant/author) about using some of my products in a book that she was styling and writing called 'New Vintage'. I was over the moon, my pillows were going to be in a real book! That was back in 2011. In August 2013 the second edition of 'New Vintage' was realeased and I was lucky enough to win a copy on Tahn's Facebook page last week. Hooray!

For anyone who hasn't seen 'New Vintage', it is a french inspired guide to decorating and living beautifully. I would like to thank Tahn for using my products and also to Anastasia Kariofyllidis for taking such beautiful photos of them.

I am forever grateful!

I hope your week has been lovely so far. My little lady has been under the weather since Monday so we've been taking it slow today, pottering about the house, only popping out breifly for supplies and a visit to the pathologist. Fingers crossed she starts to feel better soon.

Happy days to you!

Melinda x

Collection: Little Golden Books

The other day Millie and I were playing on the floor in her room when she looked up to the very top of the bookshelf beside us. She pointed towards the little books with the gold spines, as she so often does, and it got me thinking about what a treasured collection of books these are.  Some of them were mine when I was little, some are new and others were thrifted. I particularly love the ones with the older style illustrations and I can't wait to share them with Millie when she's a little older.

Do you have any treasured collections? I'd love to know.

Happy days to you!

Melinda x

P.S. I've shared some of my other collections here and here.

Books I Love: Pearl Lowe's Vintage Craft

Pearl Lowe's Vintage Craft: Craft Projects & Styling Advice for the Modern Vintage Home

This book has been my lunchtime companion over the last couple of days. It's full of advice and handy hints on creating a vintage inspired home and there are lots of crafty projects too. I've marked a few projects to add to my very long 'Make & Do' list. There is a great little 'Bohemian Herb Planter' DIY which I would love to try, as well as a great 'to do' on customising vintage plates.....which I've got plenty of. The project I loved most, however, was the 'Midsummer's Dream Wreath'. It is the perfect Springtime project.....a wreath of fresh hydrangeas, roses, lavender and flowering mint and rosemary. It is delightful!

Have you been reading any lovely books lately? My next read is Vintage Wedding Style by Elizabeth Demos.

I hope your week has been lovely so far.

Happy days to you!

Melinda x

Books I Love: Bazaar Style

Earlier this year I read Selina Lake's 'Pretty Pastel Style' and 'Homespun Style' and immediately fell in love with them. Over the past few days I've been reading one of her earlier books called 'Bazaar Style' and my heart has grown fonder. I love the market style of the bazaar interiors with their clash of colours and patterns, their non-minimalist aesthetic and their use of vintage finds throughout. If you haven't read any of Selina's books before you really should, they are all kinds of lovely!

You can also follow Selina on Pinterest over here!

I hope your week has been lovely so far.

Happy days to you!

Melinda x

Lately.....

Making.....a posie of pom-pom flowers.
Reading.....looking forward to reading Blog, Inc. by Joy Cho. Have you read it?
Listening to.....'The Wire' by Haim.
Baking.....my 'go to', quick and easy Apple & Yoghurt Slice.
Loving.....these elk sandals.
Buying.....craft supplies for our new Ikea craft trolley.
Playing.....in the garden. It's Millie's favourite place to be!

I hope your week has been a lovely one!

Happy days to you!

Melinda x

 

Flicking through lately.....

Top Image: taken from 'Decorate Workshop' by Holly Becker pg 125. Middle: taken from Australian Home Beautiful March 2013 pg 77. Bottom: taken from Country Style January 2013 pg 20-21.
 

The pile of magazines and books that is growing wildly on my coffee table is a sure sign that I haven't had much time for reading of late. I've always been incredibly inspired by the images and text in books and magazines so I'm trying hard to make time for a little bit of reading here and there. This is what I've been flicking through lately.....

• Decorate Workshop by Holly Becker - I particularly loved the chapter in this book about translating your decorating ideas. How to collect, organise and create moodboards. I loved putting together moodboards when I was a design student.
• Australian Home Beautiful March 2013 - my favourite house feature was that of Charlotte and Philippe, founders and owners of Danish homewares brand, Rice. I love the quirky details and colours in their home.
• Country Style January 2013 - the home of one of my favourite artists was featured in this issue. I love the work of Meredith Gaston! And Frankie the caravan is featured too!

I hope you have a lovely weekend planned, with a spot of reading perhaps?

Happy days to you!

Melinda x