Eat Drink Chic

The planter collection is growing...

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!

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...

For our Australia Day BBQ back in Jan, I put together this little Ice-Cream Sundae bar. (Yes, I am obsessed with Sundae bars.) It is now a permanent fixture in our home.

It may appear to be intended for small children but no, it, in fact, catered for full-grown adults. All of the objects I've used to style it are part of my own collection because, basically, I am a large child. This table design is totally a manifestion of my colourful, eclectic and exceedingly infantile mind. 

And yes, perhaps including a pic of Audrey Hepburn these days is a tad cliché, but I don't care, she's awesome. (It was a toss up between her and Audrey Tautou.)

Oh and, by the way, if you ever plan to use plastic amber bottle dispensers for your toppings, don't get anything too thick- it will be a massive fail :(

I'm so in love with my test tube rack of colourful sprinkles! (I've re-used some old Happy Lab tubes.)

Confetti sprinkles are the bomb.

Happy Easter/Passover weekend everybody! :)

....I've been collecting lots of little knick-knacks... and rediscovering some old ones...

... I've been painting watercolour flowers and stringing a cute garland....

Hope you're all having a lovely day :)

Just felt like showing off my fabulous hand-carving efforts with this heart-shaped stamp I made recently... Took a few attempts to get it right but I got there eventually!

Also, in light of Valentine's day, I thought I'd share with you what I'm loving at the moment:

• First and foremost- my beautiful family :)
• Super-cute Japanese stationery. Can't get enough of it.
• Audrey Jeanne- so talented!
• Pink. The colour, not the recording artist.
• My new iPad! (a birthday pressie from hubby)
• iPhone/iPad wallpaper from here and here.
• Yellow.
• Pretty + colourful tech accessories- got a real thing for them at the moment.
• This cute-as-pie craft book from Hello Sandwich!
• Children's toys, books and clothes. Basically, I'm a big kid.
• My workspace and all my creative and colourful clutter- it's amazing how an inspiring environment can boost your creativity!
• This gorgeous summer weather...

Do you ever look at some of the awesome work out there and think- wish I'd thought of that!! I do this on a daily basis with EVERYTHING on Minieco.

Kate's D.I.Y projects are always ridiculously stunning and this Valentine's Day holiday is no exception... If you haven't already, you should check them all out here.

{ photo credit: Minieco } 

These cutie-patootie cards I created may be a tad last minute for Valentine's Day. But hey, romantic gestures don't need to be reserved merely for the holidays.  

All you need is a printer, good quality white card stock, patterned masking tape and a mini pink (or red) colour pencil.

I hope you like them! :)

READ ON to download your freebies!

One: Dear Creatures Spring 2013 Collection | Two: Kiko+ Tanabata Domino Set from Rakuten | Three: Gorgeous DIY gift wrap tutorial by Anastasia Marie | Four: Karolina Bow heels from Kate Spade

Things are finally starting to come together in our home, which I've been slowly and (sometimes) painfully working on for almost 2 years now. I love surrounding myself with lots of colour, texture, graphic and typographical items and my various collections of treasured objects- things that will constantly stimulate and inspire me.

The above photo is of my current workspace which is actually our dining room! It has become a weird hybrid of both work clutter and entertaining bits n' pieces. However, I have tidied the table specifically for these photos! Usually it is covered in a mass of paper bits, craft tools, props, breakfast leftovers and other random remnants of my project work. I'm currently hunting for some yellow industrial pendant lights to hang above the table. 

The 'Sugar' artwork is something I created in an effort to emulate this gorgeous piece from Dough Pizza in Perth. I ended up using coffee staining to create the textured background. I've used Gelato Script font for the lettering. Because the word was so big I had to print out the lettering over multiple A4 sheets, cut them out and stick them together in order to create a template. I then traced around the template onto the canvas and used hot pink acrylic paint to colour it in. It took some time but was a fun project to do.

We are currently preparing for our annual Australia Day BBQ and, in typical Amy fashion, I am going all out with the details. I'm thrilled to finally get to use my drink dispenser for my homemade lemonade with orange blossom water.

We bought this beautiful outdoor table almost a year ago and have never used it! I'm also looking forward to finally breaking it in this Saturday. Should be a lot of fun dressing it up!

{ photos by Amy Moss }

If you're anything like me, you've left all your holiday gifts and projects to the very last minute so for those in the same boat, here's a last minute freebie for you! 

A set of mini patterned bonbons in pretty colours which can be filled with candy and used as small holiday gifts or as festive table-setting favours. You may even choose to simply use them as decorations.

Read on to download your freebies and for instructions on how to construct your bonbons!

For those looking for a spot of bright colour for your gifts these holidays (or for any occasion really) you might want to try these pretties...

Wish a loved one "Peace, Love and... (personalise with your own hand-written wish here!)"

Read on to download your freebies!

I've whipped up this mini 2013 calendar for you to download and print.

As you can see, it clearly flaunts my obsession with all things sweet!

Each month comes on a separate colourful card that you can pin or hang up, use on your desk or carry with you in your bag. 

Use it as a cute little christmas/holiday gift for friends and family, or just keep it for yourself!

Have a sweet new year!

Read on to download your freebie!

I know the incessant carolling can be mind-numbing, the overly crowded shops are tear-your-hair-out frustrating and the tinsel is overwhelming but I love this season. Probably because it gives me an excuse to go details crazy. And we all know how much I love my details. Wrapping, baking, decorating... oh my!

With this holiday freebie, I decided to go for a little more of a traditional vibe... because the classics can be fun too!

It's a kind of tag/card hybrid to adorn your gifts or send in the mail- and it's available in 2 designs. I have also included a cute red and blue plaid pocket to tuck the tag into. The recipient can put the tag on display, much like a greeting card, except it can be tied to the Christmas tree or a hook, or decorative branches...

Oh, and the little toothpick signs that you see in some of these photos are part of freebie set that I will make available soon, so stay tuned!

Read on to collect your freebies!

Firstly, I want to send out big hugs to all those who sent sweet comments and tweets regarding my new site- it makes me so happy to receive such positive feedback!  It's always a little nerve-wracking when you make such a major change so it's been wonderfully encouraging. You guys rock- Thank-you so much!! xo

Now, onto some holiday goodness...

Down here in Oz we usually celebrate our Christmas in the scorching heat. Our festive season is a flurry of barbecues, pool and beach parties, picnics and warm sunshine... not exactly the typical motifs associated with the holiday season.

So I thought I'd create a series of patterned gift tags in bright colours to reflect a more modern and summery feel for your holiday gifts! If you're interested in trying a slightly less traditional look for your gifts this year, these tags may be for you!

Read on to download your holiday freebies!

My husband and I are working very hard to get the new site design up and running soon. My sincerest apologies for the long delay!  I also have some brand new holiday freebies waiting patiently in the wings. (I'm reserving these for the new site!) but in the meantime if you want to get in to the holiday mood, check out some of my projects from previous years:

Free Holiday Knit Tags

Free Typographic Gift Tags

Free Holiday Mail Stripes Gift Tag

Free Paper Reindeer Postcard and Tag

Free 'Peace, Love and Reindeer Hugs' gift tags

Free Jumbo Gift Tags

Free Holiday Treat Bag

See more holiday goodness in the Holiday Archives...

The weekend is almost upon us and the first project for me to tackle is catching up on some much-needed sleep! I've recently found myself trapped in a ridiculous little ritual. Each morning at some dark, god-forsaken hour, I wake to an onslaught of thoughts and project ideas for this blog and for our home.... It then takes me hours to get back to sleep.

Speaking of ideas, I recently came up with this cute and simple little DIY project... 

Believe me, nobody hates the idea of hacking up magazines more than I do but there is so much seriously beautiful photography going on in cooking mags these days (the rustic textures, the vibrant colours, the scrummy styling...) that I thought it would be great to turn fragments of these images into gift tags. Or, perhaps more fittingly, tags to attach to cutlery for table-setting decorations. 

Cut out some visually interesting segments from your magazine (in a uniform size), then stick them onto thick kraft card and cut to size. Punch a hole at the top and attach some twine. Voila.

I find the best mags are the ones that use thick, rough-textured, matte stock. Jamie Magazine is a great example.

Of course, If you're super lazy like me and don't mind spending a little extra money on the project, you can cheat and get these awesome heavy-weight kraft tags and just stick the magazine cuttings directly onto them.

Oh, and if you really hate the idea of hacking up your mag, just buy a second copy to keep!

There's a weekend project for ya.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the weekend. Apart from catching up on sleep and tackling some decorating projects I'm also intent on spending some quality time with Sukie in our (newly tidied up) backyard. She has a new toy that has actually survived an entire week. It's still fully intact and functioning. We're so proud. 

Happy Friday! xo

{ photos by Amy Moss }

As promised, here it is, another "Bon Appetit" cutlery tag free download. Brighten up your table-setting with this summery floral pattern!

Continue to download your freebie!

So I promised you another 'Bon Appetit' cutlery tag freebie. However, I'm still awaiting those props I ordered. {Sigh}. Crossing my fingers and toes in the hope that they'll arrive next week. 

In the meantime, I thought I'd play around with watercolour paints...

These are just a bit of fun and super-easy to do. Using thick watercolour paper (not exceeding 280gsm) I've cut out tag shapes with a craft punch then basically just messed around to see what kinds of pretty and striking colour effects I can make with watercolour paints, (e.g, gradients, colour-blocking, etc.)  Nothing fancy, just keeping it simple. I've then used some mini alphabet stamps and coloured inks, to print some messages on them. Voila. Easy as pie.

You can use them to decorate gifts or to add a splash of colour to a table-setting!

Happy Friday! xo

{ images by Amy Moss } 

As you probably have figured out, I love details. I'm a consummate 'details' nerd.

Some might say that attaching a tag to your dinner party guest's cutlery that wishes them 'bon appetit'  is gratuitous nonsense. I, on the other hand, live for this stuff.

You know you do too.

Continue to download your freebie and for information on your nearest 'details freak' support group.