Eat Drink Chic

I'm such a sucker for pretty packaging. Aren't these candles gorgeous? 

{ photos from Le feu de l'eau website }

The planter collection is growing...

Had one of those days, recently, where I kept finding all these awesome things.... so I thought I'd do a huge link dump, get it all out of my system!

summer lookbook | planters | card | skirt

ss2013 collection | cushion | shoes | blouse

silk scarf | tights 

( all photos from their respective websites )

Loving these beautifully composed illustrations by Laine Fraser. Be sure to check out her portfolio and blog.

If you're familiar with stationery brand Typo- you may recognise some of her work!

Loving the pastel colours and elegant gold touches in this new line of luxury stationery by Sarah Silver (whose previous venture, Brown Paper, sadly closed its doors last year). 

Be sure to check out all the prettiness over at Studio Sarah.  

{ all photos from Studio Sarah }

Kilim Birds in Hot Pink Cushion from Frankie and Swiss

Pink Paper Poppy from amor y locura

Hand Turned Table Lamp by Douglas and Bec

Oh Happy Day card by Ma and Grandy (via Frankie)

Outfit by American Retro and Alexander Terekhov

Bamileke Feather Headdress in Turquoise from Safari Fusion

Jai Cross Artwork from Fenton and Fenton

Carved Wood Coffee Table from West Elm (New shop open in Sydney!!)

Elroy Mug from Freedom

Lila Chair from Urban Outfitters

I'm at a loss for words today.

In my flu-ridden downtime, over the last couple of weeks, there was an abundance of words. And so I wrote- A lot. And now I'm fresh out.

I hope to share those words with you someday... but I'm not quite ready yet. Best to stick with the pretty things...

I designed these gift tags quite awhile ago. Not sure why I've taken so long to share them with you! If you like them, you can download them inside this post.

Oh, and the pretty raindrop giftwrap (shown above) is a free printable from Mini Eco.

Speaking of pretty things, I have an obsession with quirky and unique planters at the moment. Would love to cover the top of our bar with a huge cluster of them! I found the one shown above at Mr. Kitly. Such a lovely store. I never leave empty-handed.

Also, I recently chopped up an old Gorman brochure for the gorgeous patterns. What do you think- frame them? Make gift tags... or envelope liners?

I have to say, I am actually enjoying Autumn and the return of the cooler weather. It's nice to watch the daily, yellow foliage showers in our backyard. Although, perhaps not quite as nice to have to sweep them up...

Thanks to those who sent well wishes! I'm feeling a lot better now. No more 'fuzzyhead' and I'm feeling all inspired again! :)

Oh, and don't forget to read on if you want to grab your freebies!

I turned to Mark the other night and had a big fat whinge about how I didn't think this flu would ever go away and I would feel like this forever. Long Emphatic Sigh. 

Sorry for the lack of updates recently... it's hard to impart inspiration when your brain's gone seriously whackadoo. 

I am extremely grateful for all the kind and encouraging comments on my last post! You guys rock! I truly have such wise, insightful and beautiful readers. The overwhelming response was, when it comes to this blog I should 'do what makes me happy' and just 'follow my heart' and even though this advice may seem simple and obvious, I think I just needed to hear it! Thank-you for your support! xo

So, I'm off now. I will be attempting to master the art of being non-productive (so I can get over this bug) but before I leave- Do you like the above drawing by David Shrigley? It is available as a tea towel at Third Drawer Down... I think it's kinda cute.

I guess it's probably not a good idea to write a blog post when one can't think straight. It's probably the flu, or hormones, or lack of proper nutrition (I think I had chocolate for breakfast yesterday... and lunch ). More likely, it's some hideous cocktail of all of these things. I'm going to do it anyway.

I'm on the couch today, a tissue box beside me, a quilt wrapped around me, the Codral has just kicked in and I'm staring at this stunning new treasure that has recently made its way into our life.  

Over the weekend, Mark and I found a beautiful Indian sideboard at Fenton and Fenton and were quick to snatch it up. It arrived yesterday morning and it is just PERFECT. In typical 'Amy' fashion, before I could even rip the price tag off it, I immediately started placing various knick-knacks on top and shuffling them around. Ahh... the styling possibilities. I'm gonna have some fun with this one...

And how wonderful to have all this incredibly useful new storage space at my disposal.

So here's the thing I'm really confused about at the moment. I started my Sundayland tumblr recently in an attempt to create a photo journal of a more personal, less polished nature. The truth is, I would love to take this blog in the same direction. As a result, I am experiencing big-time confusion as to where to post my content these days! I would love to hear your thoughts on the issue. Would you like to see more content of a personal nature, my home decorating pursuits, my creative process, on Eat Drink Chic? What is it about this blog that you most enjoy?

In other random news...

Do you remember this cutlery tag project? Well, I've gone back to hacking my Jamie mag to decorate these amber bottles. Newspaper kinda works well too...

Above is a pic of our purple vintage bar, an impulse purchase from a few years back. For the longest time it was just this big, superfluous object that was kinda cool but didn't quite fit in anywhere. Consequently, it was shuffled around the house in an aimless fashion, finally settling by our living room windows. Strangely enough, the addition of the new sideboard to our living room has actually balanced it quite nicely and made it feel more like it's part of the room. I think I've grown to love it again.

Our living room is starting to take shape.... slowly.

Have a happy weekend everybody! :)

Mark and I decided to take a trip to the People's Market on Sunday. We filled up on gumbo soup, shrimp po'boy and some 'Wonderbaos'.

We also dropped by to visit Mel (the artist responsible for the stunning floral arrangements at our wedding) in her beautiful flower shop in East Brunswick. I am completely in love with her style. She has a wonderful design eye and is just so inventive... you can see more of her work on her blog. Picked up one of her poseys to brighten up our home!

In other news, I think I've finally caught the cold that's been going around. I've got 'fuzzyhead' and I'm moving very slowly this week... blegh.

Ok, so I'm not really a cat person, but after seeing these ridiculously cute Cat Tipis, I really wish I was! Can I just get one anyway?

{ photos from Cat Tipi website. via DailyCandy }

The cold weather is well and truly settling in and I'm getting very 'nesty' again.

In the evenings, I've found myself adopting all those Wintertime clichés - reading a good book (or flicking through mags) curled up on the sofa under a blanket... candlelight softly flickering in my peripheral vision... dog curled up at my feet. Well, there's nothing like the classics, right?

As a result, I've become increasingly obsessed with scented candles. Yes, I'm one of 'those' people now. I used to think they were over-priced nonsense but I've converted. (Ok, I still think they're over-priced nonsense, but it's become a tiny bit of a guilty pleasure). 

For those interested, I'm currently loving the 'Quince' scent from the Palm Beach Collection. And, yes, I'm aware that sounds posh.

I'm also making use of the 'dimmer' switch on our ceiling lights and stringing fairy lights around the place. I think I've upped the 'cosy' factor quite significantly. 

"Wow, it smells... girly... in here." is my hubby's reaction to my newfound fancy.

In the creative department, I've made these cloud magnets. You like? It was actually really easy. Kaisercraft actually sell wooden cloud embellishments which I simply decorated with paint and glitter, then stuck magnets to the back.

My lunches these days have become 'bitsy'- I'm a huge fan of variety. I also make no secret of the fact that I'm no cook so we've been stocking up on pre-prepared goodies from Leo's. We try to make sure the majority of what we buy is made from natural ingredients and preservative free, sometimes even organic. I really enjoy Darikay pumpkin soup. It contains no onion which is good for my irritable tummy. It's kind of sweet so I add some paprika to spice it up. I also like overloading my soup with parsley and Solomon's Sippets and occasionally the green parts of a spring onion. If I could handle onion better, the asian in me would also appreciate adding crunchy fried shallots to the mix. Yum.

And now to my next obsession- colourful, patterned socks. Yes, I'm not entirely sure where this one came from as I don't even wear socks. Clearly, I've been missing out and must start immediately. (Socks from Happy Socks, Hansel from Basel and Gorman)

And finally, I've started to print out some photos of us, our wedding and of Sukie. We don't have any photos up around our house yet so I think it's well and truly time. It makes the place more of a 'home'.

Bring on the Winter...

I don't often post about cool branding. Why is that? I love the stuff. 

Nor do I post very often about men's fashion. Although, technically, I suppose laces do have unisex appeal. 

I stumbled upon Mavericks Laces while looking up the design group responsible for the Melbourne Pub Group newsletters that I've been inexplicably receiving in my inbox recently and, despite not being a pub person at all, have not unsubscribed to because the newsletters are so dang pretty.

Anyway... I discovered that the talented designers behind them are Condensed and while browsing their lovely folio happened upon their branding for Mavericks Laces. Pretty branding to match some pretty products.

I also love how Mavericks has a page dedicated to different ways of tying your laces. Cute.

{ branding pics from Condensed website and all other pics from Mavericks Laces website }

'Sundayland' is a term coined in our household for the dreamworld we inevitably escape to each Sunday.  Our minds abruptly descend into a kind of thick fog that provides incubation for a lot of half-finished sentences... vague, incoherent mumblings... thoughts that are half-baked at best....

So I felt that 'Sundayland' was an apt name for this brand new playground I've created for myself!

'Sundayland' provides a fuller, somewhat less polished, portrayal of my lifestyle. It takes a more personal approach, offering tidbits from my home and family life... but also strives to document my work process.

You see, I can be ridiculously perfectionistic when it comes to Eat Drink Chic. I take my time (sometimes a LOT of time) to source, curate, create and edit images and content, most of which ends up in a large, steaming pile on the cutting room floor. So I'll also be sharing some creative works-in-progress, half-baked concepts that have been long abandoned and outtakes from projects you've already seen on this blog. 

Hopefully this will also mean that I can churn out more content for you in between blog posts!

Have I successfully piqued your interest? Good. Check out Sundayland. :)

Pretty handmade porcelain jewellery and vases from Australian designer Erin Lightfoot. See more in her shop!

{ photos from Erin Lightfoot website }

Don't these images put you in a party mood?

Top left: Loving these fashion editorial pics for the latest issue of Rue Magazine. (Photography by Lara Rossignol. Fashion styling by Kate Riney for Aim Artists. Props created and styled by Jess Hammer.)

Top right: The most adorable photo of a dog I have ever seen! ( via Creature Comforts )

Bottom left: Bonbon Balloons- these are simply awesome.

Bottom right: Neon fabric bonbons by Wholehearted Studio- A lovely blog, by the way.

Love love love!

Cushion from Lumiere Art + Co.

Ombre spot magnets from Typo

Bedding- Ashley G for Urban Outfitters

Outfit from Dear Creatures Spring 2013 Collection

Mina Perhonen mini bag at Mr Kitly

Ceramic cups by Leah Jackson at Mr Kitly (Unfortunately some of these are sold out but aren't they gorgeous nonetheless?)

Card by Sugar Paper for Goop

Hand-painted pine wood keychain from Nane  (via Frankie)

Mark, Sukie and I spent a quiet sunday at Emerald Lake Park. It's been awhile since we've had a little family day trip and we thought we'd take advantage of the good weather before it disappears. The forest walk is a nice little hiding spot to get lost for awhile...

Oh, and If you're ever in the area, you should try The General Food Store for lunch. Yum.

So, I basically dropped my iPhone yesterday and put a few chips into my polka dot Kate Spade case! First world problems, I know, but I must admit, I did allow myself a moment to grieve :(

Don't you just love these phone cases from Rifle?! Would it be okay if I just got them all? Who would like to buy them for me? ;-)

Check out the full collection here.

I'm also loving these cases from Julia Kostreva. So pretty...