Happy weekend...

from Gardening in Heels

Thought for today...

from LifeLivesOn 

Paper art...

I LOVE these paper heart artworks from London-based Sarah & Bendrix on etsy.

Wonderland room...

Cute animal cards from Wonderland Room via Follow Blog

It's been raining all week...

Hope the sun comes out for the weekend.

This cute cloud watercolour makes me want to bring out my box of paints 

(which have been packed away, sadly, for oh-too-long)

By Draw Gabby Draw (also via Share Some Candy)

Macaroon ring...

Whimsical French macaroon ring from Divine Sweetness
(via Share Some Candy)... such fun!

Happy Birthday to me...

My 'birthday weekend' officially starts now, beginning with friday off work... Hooray! The official day is Sunday the 25th but I have lots of fun things planned with family and friends over the next couple days. 

Do you try to stretch your birthday out to become a "birthday weekend" or a "birthday week?" We were talking about this at work today: Jess managed to stretch her 21st into like, 2 weeks or something. It seemed to go on forever.
Very impressive.

via we heart it

I'm having a mini weekend break from the blog to spend time away from the computer, to celebrate my 28th (am I getting old yet? I feel like I'm getting little old) and catch some winter sunshine outdoors.

See you next week x

I recently discovered Calico & Co blog by Amanda Fuller. It's a treasure trove of Australian content with a spotlight on local indie design & handmade goodies.

Having said that I now post a non-Australian piece from the blog- Angela Adam's beautiful ocean inspired rug. If it wasn't so dear to ship I would buy this rug for my house. I have a little seaside thing going at my place...
one day I will live back by the sea...

pssst... here's some news: looks like Amanda and I will be working together on redesigning my blog. How exciting! It will be a little while yet but one day you will visit the bower and be surprised by a beautiful new layout. I can't wait.

Always inspired...

... by Follow Studio blog. There is a certain softness about the posts there.
It's a peaceful place to visit...

domino via follow studio

everything fabulous via follow studio

Chocomize...

Spotted on Simplesong the other day was Chocomize custom made chocolate bars.
Makes me feel hungry...

Chocomize is US-based, so my Australian friends could try: Chocogram where you spell out words in chocolate and they arrive gift-boxed for a special occasion. Such fun!

The letter C...

I like this letter C I found on ffffound, which is the branding from this company.

Of course I was attracted to it because it's the letter C, which I have a preference for (for obvious reasons). The delicate botanical illustrations
make for such a pretty letter.

Jewelled display...

An idea for a creative jewellery display:

via This is Glamorous and Pottery Barn

Little Viking Girl

Love this little hand-modelled bird necklace by Little Viking Girl...

 $28 from Made it.

Sun Lantern

I was reseaching imagery at work today for a new project
and came across this shot I thought I'd share with you... 

from here

Watercolour typography...

Beautiful, beautiful typography work by L'atelier Bidule. Ever so inspiring...

Via ffffound & Graphic eXchange

Ah & Oh...

Perfect packaging for honey by the Polish Creatives at Ah&Oh...

delicious hard drives...

Ice-cream external hard drives by Korean tech company
Mintpass make me smile...

via notcot

Take note(s)...

How fun is this book ring by Ana Cardim via Design dust..!?

Craft with a cause...

I found these interesing 100% wool felt vases the other day by Crafted Systems.
I love the texture & pattern. Crafted Systems believe that in a world of modern consumerism & convenience, we have lost the skills of craftsmanship and handwork. "We crave meaning in handcrafted work which cannot
be produced by a machine..." 

They partner with women from YWCA shelters, teaching them new skills and giving them a creative outlet. A lovely story behind a unique and beautiful design. Read more about the Portland, Oregon-based company here.

via The Contemporist

Have a lovely week...

I'm pretty busy with work & life at the moment so I might not be fluttering around the bower until later this week. See you then x

Falling star ring from Inmost Light.

Jamie's 'Victoria Sandwich'...

I wanna eat this 

right 

now

From the ever inspiring Frolic... recipe here.

Flower love & pancake party...

 I love this look when it comes to flowers.

When they look like they've been plucked from nanna's garden is best...

And here's the rest of the shoot which was set up as inspiration for 

a rooftop wedding...

Even if you aren't getting married, a pancake breakfast / brunch is a cool idea.
From Green Wedding Shoes via Lovely Clusters

When life gives you lemons...

Make lemonade.

I made homemade lemonade this weekend. First time I've tried. It was super easy and the result was so refreshing and delicious (& much better than the store-bought kind). I think I'll be making it again for summer BBQs now that I know how easy it is. There's lots of sugar involves but oh well... it's ok for a treat & probably not much different to the usual soft drinks. I used the recipe from Taste.com.au

Photo from Luke Burgess via Taste.com.au

Sand Art

These sand artworks by Jim Denevan are pretty spectacular. At first I didn't believe they were real. See more on his website. He doesn't just do sandy beaches- he does deserts too. Worth a look.

Spotted via All The Mountains

[Pretty] words of the week...

by Sarah Gardner via the ever-inspiring Polished Objects

Happy winter days...

Hello, hope you're having a good week. I'm trying to think positve thoughts about winter and not grumble about it. I think my positive thinking is working...

A lovely wintery pic from this Flickr page via Polished Objects