Merry Christmas

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and a relaxing Boxing Day.

After a very tiring three days of family dinners and lunches and way, way, way too much food, my husband and I had a much needed day at home today and enjoyed a walk to the nearby conservation park and waterfall late in the afternoon.

I'll leave you with some photos of Christmas in the audrey & addison household.

Michelle
xoxo

Our first tree

My gorgeous paper garland handmade by Belinda at The Happy Home Blog

Belinda's gorgeous paper garland

Hubby bought 15 kilos of cherries straight from the farmer's gate

yumm... but they weren't all for the two of us

Delicious brown paper packages tied up with string.
We hand-delivered a box of cherries to both sets of parents.  

more is more

I just can’t get enough of chunky necklaces. My husband rolls his eyes whenever I come home with a new one …or he spots me trying to fly under his radar and casually sneak a new necklace into my outfit (I don’t even try any more – honest!).

Until recently I only wore silver jewellery, but now I’m embracing gold jewellery as well – and the chunkier the better. I also tended to follow the mantra of Coco Chanel without even meaning to. Before I left the house, I’d look in the mirror and remove one accessory.

I feel naked without earrings and a chunky cocktail ring, and unless I was heading off to exercise I wasn’t going to take off my watch or wedding and engagement rings, so it was usually the necklace that I forfeited. I don’t know what it was but I often just felt ‘overdone’ for some reason.

Now I’ve gone in the complete opposite direction, rarely leaving the house without a necklace and even layering necklaces.

As seen this year on the catwalks and sported by celebs, layering different necklaces on top of one another can create a unique statement piece without breaking the bank.

Only trick is to use items you’ve already got, and refrain from hitting the shops and leaving with twice as many necklaces!

Image via Pinterest

Image via Pinterest

Kristen Wiig - image via Pinterest

Sarah Jessica Parker - image via Pinterest

Image via Pinterest

Totes impressed

On my trip to New York back in August, I spotted a woman carrying the most gorgeous colour-block tote.

I exclaimed to my husband that I loved it so much I felt like going up to her and asking where she bought it. I think he replied with something along the lines of ‘don’t be stupid!’.

A few cities later I spotted the bag again, this time on the arms of a fashionista in Milan. I realized that it wasn’t likely I was going to find it hanging in the accessories section of Zara or H&M.

Not the woman I saw, but this is Chiara Ferragni from The Blonde Salad with THE tote.
Image via The Blonde Salad

Chiara again with the gorgeous tote. Image via The Blonde Salad

Strolling through the accessories department of the Galleries Lafayette I spotted the bag, mystery solved…. It was a Céline tote. It was gorgeous, but at more than $1,100, way more than I could afford to spend.  

Image via Céline

However, back in Australia a few weeks later I was browsing the bag section of ASOS, and this little copycat tote practically jumped into my online shopping cart. It has one extra colour than the Céline tote, but I figured in the world of colour blocking the more the merrier!

Image via ASOS

Image via ASOS

The ASOS tote is now sold out, but at just over $100 and made of gorgeous soft leather, I’m pretty chuffed with my Céline-inspired tote.

And if you’re after a similar one in the colour blocking genre, ASOS is currently selling this synthetic red and pink tote for $34.00. If you overlook the black handles it looks a bit like the inverse of one of Céline’s new colour block totes for Spring 2012.

ASOS colour bock shopper
Image via ASOS

  

Céline colour block tote
Image via Céline



Fete

 

Stuck on how to style your table for Christmas lunch? 

Fete, a new bi-monthly free online magazine may just be what you’re looking for.

Launched last week, the magazine is full of simple, beautiful entertaining ideas for the table, the setting and the host.

I’m loving the white-on-white styling by Jesse James under Party of friends and the red and white theme for Eliza’s third birthday party.

The first issue is set to come out in February, and if this preview special issue is anything to go by, it is going to be fab!

Read it for free here.

flourish

One of my favourite South Australian gift stores – Flourish on King William Road, Hyde Park - has just opened a second store on Magill Road.

Flourish is nestled amongst Magill Road’s best furniture and gift shops, next door to Louis Bond and My Friend Louis in the former A.P. Bond Gallery at 139 Magill Road.

I always loved popping into Flourish on King William Road when I lived nearby. They have such a great range of unique cards, purses, bags, books (from fashion, to cooking, to travel), classic toys and books for children, and an endless range of interesting pieces to inject instant style to any home.  


Flourish sells Apple&Bee accessories.
A friend gave me this gorgeous purse as a gift the other year.
Image: Apple&Bee


My favourite, however, was their gorgeous jewellery. I’d go in to buy a gift for a friend and come out with something for myself (or if I was being good, something to add to my wish list).

I’ll need to check out the new store next weekend, but I’m tipping that it will be one of my go-to places for gift shopping from now on.



Flourish stocks the gorgeous Elk range of accessories.
I’m loving this necklace – another one for the wish list!
Image: Elk

Elk necklace: Image: Elk

Elk necklace and bracelets
Image: Elk


Lovely Pratten Eelskin wallets. Flourish stocks these in many bright colours - green, hot pink, red, yellow, orange, purple, electric blue, royal blue....just perfect for colour blocking!



 

we'll be riding on the horses...

That's the way it's gonna be little darling, we'll be riding on the horses yeah yeah

Way up in the sky little darling, and if you fall I'll pick you up, pick you up...

Image: Pinterest

Image: Pinterest

Image: Pinterest

Image: Pinterest

I'm having Christmas drinks in town tonight with two very special ladies.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Michelle
xoxo

Summer in the city

This summer the people of Adelaide will be treated to series of pop-up events as part of a new initiative to inject life into the city.

My hubby and I stumbled upon this unusual ‘installation’ in Rundle Mall yesterday after leaving work  – Volkswagens painted in white and used as giant planter boxes. I wasn’t sure what it was all about, but I was quite intrigued…and not just because I’m a fan of painting things white.

All the action was finished when we strolled past and they were packing things down for the night, but I’m told that during the day it was a hive of activity with jazz bands and an open air café.

Launched yesterday, this is all part of the Adelaide City Council’s greater initiative where they will fill a series of streets and laneways across Adelaide’s CBD with outdoor entertainment and dining to enliven neglected corners of the city centre over the summer.

The council has taken their inspiration from similar laneway projects in the centre of New York, Melbourne and other major cities.

I look forward to seeing these pop up events in full swing over summer and soaking up the lively atmosphere they’re sure to create.

Adelaide Botanic Garden Restaurant

I don’t think I’ve been to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens since attending an outdoor jazz concert with my mum on Valentines Day 2006. With new pavilions and re-developed gardens, it certainly has changed since then.

I was there today to help host a lunch at the Botanic Garden Restaurant. The restaurant is such a light and gorgeous space with everything white… white walls, white wood panelling, white pendant lights, white chairs and white linen. Some would say all white is bland and boring - but I think it looks classic and simply stunning.

Image: Botanic Garden Restaurant

The interior of the restaurant was given an update sometime last year. Built in 1906 as a kiosk, the restaurant’s decorative woodwork arches are beautiful - complete with quirky cut-outs in the shape of teapots, cups and saucers and love hearts (albeit upside-down love hearts).

The food was just as gorgeous as the setting. I ordered the duck leg on a bed of mash pumpkin with cherry glaze for main and ‘chocolate cake’ for dessert.

But this wasn’t an ordinary chocolate cake – this was the richest dessert I’ve had in a long time. The cake was coated with some sort of chocolate ganash or icing and then covered around the edges with crunchy salty caramel flakes, accompanied by delicious soft caramel toffees and finished off with a dob of cream.

I didn’t find it too rich at first, as the cake was really light, but by the end of it I was definitely on toffee and caramel overload and regretting that I hadn’t offered a larger piece to one of my colleagues for a taste-test.

Some of us quickly popped into the relatively new Amazon Waterlily Pavilion on our walk back through the garden.  

I remember visiting the old (now demolished) waterlily glass houses as a youngster in the 80s, and thought there were a few things in the new pavilion that looked familiar. Turns out I was right! The new pavilion has been re-built around the original 1868 waterlily pond.

As a child, a visit to the Botanic Gardens wasn’t complete without my parents or grandparents taking us for a stroll around the duck pond, followed by a trip to the kiosk to buy a lemonade icy-pole.  If only I’d had an icy-pole this time round instead of the 'death by caramel' chocolate cake.

Canberra in bloom

I’m currently in Canberra for work – taking part in a two day workshop with our comms team.

I was in Canberra a little over a month ago, playing ‘tour guide’ to a group of 20 teachers from South Australia. While the schedule was jammed-packed I managed to schedule in some free time for the group at the Floriade Flower Festival.

Featuring more than a million blooms, Florade is Australia’s celebration of spring, as Canberra’s Commonwealth Park is transformed into an explosion of colour.  

While I wouldn’t make the trip to Canberra especially for Floriade, it is definitely worth going to if you are ever in our nation’s capital during the festival. Entry is free and even Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II popped in for visit on her recent national tour.



Queen Elizabeth II with Floriade head gardener on October 20 2011. Image: Zimbio.com



By the time I had some lunch I didn’t have enough time to see everything and properly take in it all, but I managed to snap a couple of pics.

Christmas in a box

I’ve never really been one to put up my Christmas decorations early, but with December around the corner and Christmas a little over three weeks away, it is definitely on my radar and something I hope to get around to this weekend.

Last year I was the lucky winner of ‘Christmas in a box’ – a box of hand crafted Christmas decorations from the gorgeous Belinda Graham from The Happy Home.

I’m just crazy about red and white colour combinations on any given day, but for Christmas I can’t go past red and white for its simplicity and vibrancy, so I was most excited about adding Belinda's decorations to my festive décor.

Image: The Happy Home 

Some of the 'Christmas in a box' decorations displayed in Belinda’s home -  including the Christmas carol garlands, tissue-paper pom pom garland (on the tree), the doily star and the red and white paper fan wheel decoration (both on the wall).

I LOVE this garland! Image: The Happy Home
Belinda’s stunning red and white paper garland which I am now the proud owner of, together with Christmas cards and gift tags on the branches.  Belinda’s instructions for the garland and other Christmas crafts can be found on her blog here. 



A very special brown paper package tied up with string.

 

Unwrapping the package in my bare, yet-to-be styled lounge room. We moved into our house the week Belinda’s package arrived, so looking back now, I’m actually surprised the room wasn’t in complete and utter chaos.

My home: A festive entrance.

We hosted a family dinner at our place on Christmas eve and Belinda's letter garlands were definitely a talking point.  See Belinda's instructions for this project here at Kidspot.com.au

Not the best photo… but shows Belinda’s paper garland perfectly complementing the red and white striped baubles on my stick 'tree'.

I also displayed the rest of the 'Christmas in a box' decorations last year, but with every window in the house temporarily covered with construction plans in lieu of curtains and lots of other last minute mini-renovation jobs and unpacking chaos still going on, I was limited as to where I could put them. The spots I did find weren’t exactly photo-worthy, so I've included some more of Belinda's photos of her crafts below.

I hope to have better pictures to share of my 2011 decorating efforts, and I may even trade in my sticks for an actual tree. Stay tuned!



Paper decorations. Image: The Happy Home  

Belinda’s instructions for making these can be found here on Kidspot.com.au

Doily snowflakes. Image: The Happy Home



Cute as a button. Belinda’s white button wreath. Image: The Happy Home