Eat Drink Chic

Vintage flower necklaces from Tamar and hairpins from Oh Hello Friend. Just lovely.

On this side of the world we are entering the depths of winter. Cold and Grey. Dark and Rainy. Don't get me wrong it's not all bad. 'Tis the season of hot chocolate, toasty warm fireplaces and blanket snuggles. But I still prefer the summertime. I miss the sunshine.

Inspired by the enviable weather in the opposite hemisphere and some vintage floral fabric designs, I've created these summer-themed gift tags which I'm sharing with you all.  Bright and cheerful, I've personally found these designs uplifting during this dreary season.

Regardless of whether you're actually heading into summer or you're simply dreaming about it you might find these little tags come in handy for decorating homemade drinks, gift packages, wedding favours, bunches of flowers... whatever you can imagine.

Continue to grab your free downloads.

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So you've probably heard that Mark and I cheekily surprised all our guests with a civil wedding ceremony during our 'engagement' party. Well, the following article contains the whole story along with all the sweet little details of the event, styled by yours truly with the help of some very talented folk.

Just in case you're looking to create a similar style of event in Melbourne, I've also provided a detailed account of where to source all the bits and pieces and have compiled a list of some of the creatives in the industry you should know.

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Well, it took awhile to dry but I'm really loving Eat Drink Chic's brand new coat of paint. I'm calling it the 'Sexy Salmon' edition. Feels like a brand new home.

Speaking of homes, have you met Constance? She's a cute vintage caravan for hire and she's mighty photogenic.

Constance was featured in this cute little book called My Cool Caravan with pictures by Hilary Walker.

Me-oh-my HIlary takes some adorable photographs.

When my mother and father got married, it was in a registry office in Sydney with 10 guests. Simple, small and intimate.

My mother wore a beautiful floral summer dress that cost her $45. She carried three red roses.

They married on New Year's Eve 1977.  I arrived 2 years later...

Just thought I'd share this sweet, nostalgic moment with you all :)

I'm still eagerly awaiting the engagement photos. So much so I'm having dreams about it.

I'm so inspired by the bright colours and bold patterns in these 60's vintage Scandinavian fabrics collected by Giddy Giddy. Don't they look amazing all together?

Gorgeous vintage cookie-cutter inspired holiday ornaments by Art School Girl. Printed on super thick printer-remnant coaster stock. Available at Little Paper Planes.

I popped into Chapel St Bazaar today and found this gorgeous vintage Christmas card from 1946!

I love the colour scheme and the adorable snowman in a tophat!

If you can find some good ones, vintage cards can be re-used to decorate your home or even gift packaging for the upcoming holidays.

I spotted this in the latest issue of Frankie mag and thought it was too adorable not to post! A collection of vintage-inspired clothing for little girls  by Olive's Friend Pop. They call it "nostalgic playwear". So cute!

Today I thought I'd share with you some floral inspiration along with a 'show and tell' of my ever-expanding bottle collection! Continue for more details and pics!

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Aren't these gift tags gorgeous? I found these little gems at Pepe's Paperie at Doncaster Shoppingtown. I was told that they were made by an employee. Such a subtle yet beautiful embellishment for any gift. More pics ahead!

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Currently, I've got vintage floral patterns on the brain...

TOP:  Ornamental butterflies recycled from old saucers from Lightly

BOTTOM: Notebooks from Mustertussi

Love these fun, home made printers block stamps by The Upcycler.

Wooden thread bobbin handles- how inspired!! Check out the article here. Such a great DIY idea!

Also love these Toothbrush Holders found at Baileys Home and Garden (via Follow Studio)

In the past I've received quite a few requests for home made jam labels. I finally thought it was about time I took on the challenge!

Home made jam makes a great gift with a personal touch. It also works well as a party or wedding favour, especially for an event with a bit of a 'crafty' vibe. Part of the fun of creating the presentation of your jam jar is searching for interesting fabrics and ribbon! To facilitate this, I deliberately kept the design of the labels quite simple, allowing for more freedom and variety in your decorating choices.

Read on for more pics, ideas and to download your freebies!

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There's something compelling about the good old-fashioned Penny Farthing. Decorate your home, or yourself(!) with this classic vintage icon.

TOP: Cute illustrated shrinky plastic 'Sven' brooch from Melbourne Artist Cserpent. (I've also seen these available in Peter Alexander stores in Melbourne)

MIDDLE: Penny Farthing brooch with wood-burned details from Melbourne's Princess Tina available at Magic Pony.

BOTTOM: Penny Farthing wallsticker available at Rockett St George.

Inspired by Jordan Ferney's brilliant wedding concept for an Old Fashioned Soda Bar, I set out to create these fun, retro-inspired label designs for soda bottles that hark back to the glorious era of soda fountains! These can be used for your party or wedding to create your own Soda Shop or to add a gorgeous beverage stand to your Ice-Cream Parlour theme. Guests can select from a brightly coloured array of flavoured sodas to make their own delicious Ice-Cream Sodas!

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I am lactose intolerant. This probably explains my unhealthy obsession with ice-cream. My favourite dessert is nothing fancier or more sophisticated than a simple Ice-cream Sundae. Nothing satisfies my sweet palate more than vanilla ice-cream with hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, crushed nuts, caramelised banana, wafer biscuit and the all-important cherry on top!

Despite evidence to the contrary (what is with this crazy Melbourne weather?!), warmer months are just around the corner down here in Oz and I've got ice-cream on the brain! So I came up with a design concept for an old-fashioned Ice-cream Parlour "Make your own Sundaes" buffet with all the accoutrements. Read on for more pics, ideas and freebies to help you with your own ice-cream parlour buffet for your party, kids party or even wedding.

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I'm sure my obsession with bottles and labels is blindingly apparent by now! I just love The Tub Hand Soap from Anthropologie (top) and Lime Tree bath products and Orange Blossom Foam Baths from Côté Bastide (below). After finishing the contents, they'd become great vase alternatives.

It's always a real thrill to see my little babies being put to good use! I have found a couple of bloggers who have downloaded my vintage labels and have used them for their own projects including Sarah's Loft (top) who used my Apothecary Labels to decorate a soya-bean milk bottle that she turned into a vase and Footprints (bottom)- who has actually customised these labels for her magnets and recycled crayons.  Awesome! If anyone else has used my freebies in their projects and has them on their blog, please send me a link in the comments. I'd love to see them!

Growing up in a family that originally hailed from Singapore I was extremely blessed to be exposed to the wonders of Rose Syrup. I love this stuff!

Rose Syrup apparently originated in Singapore and as far as I'm concerned, Singapore's T.G Kiat and Co. is the best brand to get! Established in 1935, the company have obviously tried to retain an air of tradition in their branding with their awesome vintage label.

I have yet to find a syrup that compares and we've only found one asian grocery store in Melbourne that stocks it. If you've never tried the stuff, I urge you to hunt it down. I think it's the perfect summer drink, a unique idea for entertaining and definitely the perfect afternoon pick me up!(In fact, I"m having a glass right now!)

I recently found Mymouné Rose Syrup online from Simon Johnson (above)- It's a Lebanese brand. I've never tried it before but I'm intensely curious to see how it compares. It also has a pretty cool label! If anyone has tried it please let me know if it's any good.

Happy friday afternoon!