Eat Drink Chic

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 } 

I've been stumbling across lots of inspiring and colourful bits and pieces lately. As a result, here's double the 'Fab Four' fun...

one: graphic stripes wooden utensils from brown button trading | two: tennis ball gift bucket from harry barker | three: leather mousepad in neon yellow from freshly picked | four: malmo stool in mint from crate expectations

one: hearts and crosses coaster set from pony rider | two: you + me card from sugar paper | three: little heart note cards from anthropologie | four: rainbow gel pens from kikki.K

Happy New Year everybody! Did you all survive the holidays intact? I hope you all made time for some serious rest and relaxation after the holiday rush.

I'm really excited to be back for another year. I thoroughly enjoyed my break (despite getting a nasty flu and spending my last week glued to the couch). It was a wonderful opportunity to get refreshed and re-energised! 

I am happy to announce that I have LOTS of ideas brewing for new creative projects, (so many that I fear my head may explode) and I'm just itching to get back into it again! :)

I hope you enjoy what's in store for you on Eat Drink Chic for 2013!

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 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!

Loving the simplicity and elegance of Besotted Brand.

{ via Creature Comforts }

This Gift Paper Book looks adorable- 10 sheets of 50's inspired designs for all your gift wrapping and crafting needs! From Frankie.

I'm back! Did you miss me? ;-) I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

I'm still putting the finishing touches on the new website design that I promised you, but I hope to push it live early next week! A huge thanks to the hubby for all his hardwork in building it.

During my break I also managed to get a bit of a head start on some holiday freebies which I look forward to bringing to you over the next few weeks.

In the meantime I'll leave you with some colourful bits n' pieces to inspire your parties and gift packaging...

Pink wooden { forks } from Pretty Pickles 

Sunshine Yellow reversible { wrapping paper } from Sugar Paper 

Stripes and Dots Paper Bakeware { Loaf Pans } from Little Ink 

Wooden { feather gift tags } from Anthropologie 

Felt rainbow { garland } from Little Nest Box 

Striped { envelopes} (as part of Stripe and Dot envelope set) from kikki.K

As promised, here's the final installment in the "Let's Do" series. Go forth and make cocktail dates with your friends!

EDIT OCT 5th: Ok, so here's the thing. Turns out I accidently used an older version of the card in the photo shoot which is why the lettering is different in this photo as compared to the PDF artwork. Whoops! Anyway, I've now included both versions for you to download. Apologies!

Read on to download your freebies!

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 }

{ Artwork } from Castle

Yellow Jielde Signal Table { lamp } from Daedal

Small { bowl } from By Joost

Zulu Ilala palm { basket } from Baskets of Africa

{ Seed packets } from The Balcony Gardener

{ Outfit } from Spring/ Summer 2012 collection by Gorman

{ Succulent } tea lights from Leif

{ Thanks } folded note cards from Sugar Paper

{ Hello } speech bubble stamp from Wit and Whistle { via Papercrave }

Calvin { leather chair } from DwellStudio

Here are those "Let's Do Ice-Cream" cards that I promised. Print them out and use them to make Ice-Cream dates with your friends!

Read on to download your freebie!

Ahhh... coffee. I gave up caffeine a number of years ago because I found that it did strange things to both my mood and my stomach. When I say 'strange', I don't mean in a good way.

I deeply miss coffee.  Especially that first cup in the morning that provides you with the all-important ability to function as a normal human being. In truth, I find the ritual of it more compelling than the actual taste. Also the social aspect-  sharing a cup of coffee over a deep and meaningful (and oftentimes, not so deep and meaningful!) with a friend.

So, for all you lucky coffee drinkers out there, (as envious as I am of you all), I've designed these "Let's do Coffee" cards that you can use to make coffee dates with friends. They are business card size which means that you can carry them around in your wallet. 

Furthermore, I was inspired to create a series of "Let's Do" cards. Above is a sneak peek.... I will be releasing the other two soon!

Read on to download your freebie!

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!

Some very sweet cards from Saint Folly. 

{ Dress } from Summer 2012 collection from Kling. Check out their cute campaign with photos by Adrian Gonzalez.

Free patterned { tape strip } clip art from Pugly Pixel

Ceramic { owl } cookie jar from Hello Polly

Colourblock { ballet flats } from J.Crew. Check out the whole colourful range of ballet flats at their Ballet Boutique.

'Stardust I' sparkly { camera strap } from Bloom Theory. Check out all their gorgeous straps! (via Daydream Lily)

Purple 'warped triangle' hardwood { iphone cover } from A Skulk of Foxes.  Check out all their pretty geometric patterned covers

{ Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones } book by kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker and Dabney Gough from Amazon*

{ Gold heart card } from Brown Paper

Marion { shoe } in Whiskey from Merchant

Mason Jar { drink dispenser } from Pottery Barn

Black eyelash print Luisa { tote } from Lulu Guinness

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* Please note, I'm an Amazon affiliate which means I receive a very small percentage of any sales made when you follow an Amazon link from my site.

Delicata pencil { skirt } from Anthropologie (I'm in love with this!!)

Electric pink neon aztec  { earrings } from Love Sexton (via plenty of colour)

Pink { Neon Nail polish } from American Apparel

Molly toe cap { shoes } in natural and pink from Office

{ Ice-cream } card from Charlotte Love

Pink Happy { Bag } from Dooney and Bourke

Jarritos guava flavoured { soda }

Very cute postcard set from Lemonni. Love the little hand-painted touches of gold.