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...

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.

The spring weather has finally hit in full force! And although I try REALLY hard not to completely inundate this blog with happy snaps of Sukie, I simply can't help myself! I'm a hopelessly smitten doggy parent.

Sukie is largely an inside dog. However, with all the glorious weather we've been having lately, she's spending more and more time outdoors- basking in the sunshine, playing with her beloved new soccer ball and shamelessly scamming the occasional belly rub from suckers passers by. 

Her idea of heaven is when all three activities are performed simultaneously in one epic Sukie-appreciation-fest.

The only thing that could top the experience is the inclusion of chicken.

Happy Friday all! xo

{ all photos by Amy Moss }

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 }

We love our dog Sukie, but she is a bona fide nutball.

The latest is that she's developed a phobia of the doorway to Mark's office. Yes, you heard right. The doorway.

She's perfectly fine if she's either side of it, but it's the experience of going through the doorway itself that is inexplicably traumatic. Even dog treats will not tempt her.

On the odd occasion, however, her determination will outweigh her fears and she will attempt to make a sudden, mad dash through to the other side. In a spectacle that soon becomes akin to a scene from a Looney Tunes cartoon, Sukie's claws, scurrying frantically, fail to get a grip on the polished floorboards and she is unable to propel herself forward. She finds herself suspended in some kind of comical, roadrunner-esque motion loop in the doorway for what seems like an eternity. Her efforts to expedite the traumatic experience, backfiring drastically.

This predicament has made Sukie a little glum. She usually enjoys lying by Mark's side while he works but now all she can do is poke her head around the door and stare at him longingly.

Mark also misses her company and so, in a stroke of genius, was able to come up with this clever solution: He lays down her dog bed in front of her and coaxes her onto it. He then slides the dog bed through the evil doorway until she and her bed have safely reached the other side. 

We call this the Magic Carpet ride. And it works a treat.

We know, however, this is not an ideal fix. It will take time and a whole lot of positive reinforcement to get her traversing that doorway confidently again.

Mark's been a bit down because of the situation but has, unfortunately for me, managed to retain his sense of humour.

Mark: "I hate it when I can't fix things... I don't know why but I just need to fix what's broken"
Me (jokingly):"Is that why you're with me?"
Mark:"Nah, you're not broken. You're just a little... bent"

{ photo by Amy Moss }

I have recently added to our list of nicknames for Sukie.

Meet "Face".

I will be stretched out on the couch, wholly immersed in whatever time-wasting frivolity happens to be gracing our television when suddenly, there it is in front of me... "Face"; looming over me with wide, inquisitive eyes.
Watcha doing?
Where are my pats?

Or I'll be working intently on my computer contemplating world domination through printable jam labels or some such. I turn around and there it is looking up at me... "Face".
Hey, remember me?
I have four legs... I drink water out of a bowl...
I'm ADORABLE.
Give me pats!

9pm. Lo and Behold... "Face".
A large head. An unrelenting stare. A tail wag.
Where's my supper?

When I see "Face" I turn to mush. I must immediately grab it with both hands and move in for a mutually relished head snuggle.

What do you know? Here it is again right now...

Hello 'Face'. What can I do for you today?

{ photos by Amy Moss }

I'm a huge sucker for both dogs and cute pillows and I think this pillow collection from cloud7 is super adorable.

.

Sukie agrees.

{ via design*sponge }

... but I couldn't resist posting these cutie-patootie shots of Sukie with my husband Mark.

It's been over 3 months since we welcomed our Bull-Mastiff cross rescue, Sukie, into our home.

She's a bit of an odd cookie, our Suke. She boasts monster-like proportions but treads ever-so-lightly through life...as if the slightest misstep would elicit her doom.

Watching her negotiate stepping over a hurdle placed a mere 2 inches off the ground is both hysterical and frustrating. She has a set of legs that leave Cameron Diaz for dead, yet she approaches this task with a trepidation most reserve for jumping out of a plane at 30,000 feet.

Continue to read more and see more pics!

Meet Sukie- the new member of our family!  She's an 18 month old Mastiff cross that we adopted from an animal shelter about a week ago.

Continue to see more pics and read more about her!!