Eat Drink Chic

Our bedroom, still very much a work in progress, has had a recent and super-colourful addition to it! This week I splurged on a gorgeous kantha quilt from The Family Love tree. It was love at first sight!

It's fun playing around with cushions and bed linen and seeing what interesting combinations I can come up with. Country Road have some fabulous bed linen at the moment. We're using their polka dotted duvet cover and striped cushion on our bed, currently. Still in the market for a bedhead and struggling to find one that I absolutely love. Also on the hunt for more exciting European pillowcases... Any suggestions?

Been a tad obsessed lately with bright abstract patterns and geometric shapes. I'm trying to incorporate them a lot more in my own designs.

I visited the Chapel St. Marimekko store, for the first time, on Wednesday. I was in absolute paradise surrounded by all the bright, bold and colourful patterns! I'm thinking of framing the front page of their brochure- the Sanna Annukka pattern is so beautiful! Their summer collection is really quite stunning.

I also stopped off at Dinosaur Designs. I'm so in love with their work produced in collaboration with Designer Rugs.

My favourite book at the moment is about Japanese textile designer Katsuji Wakisaka who, incidently, worked for Marimekko and produced some very inspiring designs.

Not long ago I picked up this Torafu Stamp Kit from Mr Kitly- having lots of fun trying to create patterns from the different geometric shapes.  I'm using neon stamp pads from Hero Arts. Would be awesome for giftwrap!

Happy Friday everyone! :)

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!

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.

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...

'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. :)

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.

As a three year Anniversary gift from Mark's parents we received a beautiful new bed! It's perfect- super comfy and not at all conducive to early risings.

Our bedroom, presently very bare and bathed in an over-abundance of white, was screaming for just a little something to fill the void. So I draped a string of colourful lights over my bedside ladder shelf. It's just added that little bit of warmth and fun. I think it's a cute temporary solution!

Speaking of colours... whilst out and about recently I just had to take a happy snap when I was confronted with the unexpected sight of a beautiful rainbow of balloons at the entrance to a car wash. There really should be more of these around.

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! :)

Always and Forever card from Rifle Paper Co.

Making Shapes necklace by Stampel

Yellow Astrid chair from Anthropologie

3 to 2 tee by Alice McCall

Photo of us- Almost 3 years since our magical wedding. Happy Anniversary for the 28th, love of my life! xo

Confetti dot cake server from Leif

Drinking the stars comb from Ban.do

Pastel Playon Crayon from Big Dreams

Langazela cushion from Safari Fusion

Bow ikon shopper from Ted Baker

Face it pillow from Lucky Boy Sunday

Lately I've been using vibrant floral wallpaper across all my devices (Macbook Air, iPhone and iPad). These are my current faves!

Top: Beautiful floral print by Lilly Pulitzer found here. (Lots to choose from!)

Bottom: Hello Blossom by Kate Spade.

Another collection of both new and old objects that make me smile... (Including a design that will be a part of an upcoming freebie that I'm currently working on- stay tuned!)

By the way, don't you just love the two-toned balloon!? Picked up a set locally from Handworks in Prahran.

Also recently picked up this cutesy card by Apak.

Silly me, didn't take note of the designer of the necklace. Anyone know? I got it from Crate Expectations in Malvern.

Toodles!

Sometimes simply taking a moment to tend to the little details in life- like brightening up an empty wall with a colourful tote, a string of twinkly lights and a decorative wooden star- can really lift your mood and make you smile...

Happy Friday everybody! :)

So, after spotting a brand new Melbourne shop over on The Design Files today and appropriately salivating over the gorgeous pics, I made a mad dash over to Hawthorn to check it out. It ticked all my boxes- Bright, whimsical and colourful with cutesy homewares and knick-knacks and a logo to-die-for. PLUS they stocked an item that I desperately wanted- A retro style label maker by Motex with pretty neon coloured tape.

The Woodsfolk truly was a retail wonderland. Of course I couldn't resist picking up some goodies while I was there (although, I could have bought the whole shop!) They packaged up my buys beautifully and it was such a delight to unwrap it when I got home. You can see the cute package and some of my purchases on my Instagram... 

If you haven't already, check out some gorgeous pics of The Woodsfolk over at The Design Files...

....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...

Last Thursday was my birthday! I turned 30 again (for the 4th time in a row). So, naturally, I felt it was time for a wee bit of a shopping spree. You know, to spend some of my hard-earned birthday cash. Took a stroll through Fitzroy on Saturday and spotted this pretty + colourful necklace by Stampel at Dagmar Rousset (such a cute shop!) It even came in the most gorgeous little box. I just couldn't resist...

Happy Birthday to me.