Overcoming the tyranny of distance

I've discovered a fabulous family home in Argentina via an equally fabulous blog in Poland, whose author discovered it on a blog in the UK, who originally sourced the images through a great website in Sweden - and there the trail runs cold.

Did you keep up with me there? Well, no matter. The important thing is this is a wonderful family home.

Enjoy.

Affordable Alternatives... sneaky midweek wine ;o)

I have to admit to being a little judgemental in the past of a certain friend who had a "Mum's Reward" glass of wine (or three) every night when the kids went to bed. These days as I sit here searching for pictures with a Sauvignon Blanc in hand I am much more understanding.


Here are a few personal bars I wouldn't mind visiting.

I have to end this post with a disclaimer: I am not an alcoholic!

Cash To Splash... or at least some time

You know those nights when there's a gazillion things to get done? The Little Person recognises them ... and he always seems to take the opportunity of being especially needy. And of course his Daddy was working late at the office tonight.

Anyway, I'm not looking for sympathy. Just a night off. Back in the pre-Mummy days my favourite place for a night out with the girls was The Argyle in Sydney's Rocks district.

Australia's oldest surviving commercial building has seen many transformations in its long life. From warehouse to customs house to an antiques market, art & craft fair and now nightspot.

There is something a bit special about sipping cocktails in a heritage listed building.

Cheers to all of you!

Love Your Work! Anthropologie

While we're talking blackboards - have you seen this campaign for Anthropologie homewares?

Such great backdrops! I love the simplicity of it and how the rustic feel works so well with the product.

On My Mind... blackboards

I have often admired homes in magazines with whole walls of blackboards. I had several pictures in my inspiration file for when the little person was old enough to understand the difference between the blackboard wall and the rest of the walls in the house.

from Oh Dee Doh

from Velvet Palette

Then my Little Person was given a blackboard and easel last Christmas. We set it up in the kitchen/diner for the first couple of weeks, but I soon realised that chalk dust is an insidious thing that invades your home very quickly. By the start of the new year the easel became strictly an outside toy and was moved to the back deck. There it has enjoyed much love and attention and I have enjoyed a dust free kitchen.

from Style Files

Until now. Our new home has a blackboard on the side of the pantry. So far, the Little Person has been preoccupied with all the other newness around him and hasn't asked to draw on it but the time is coming. I think the pleasure he'll take in it will far outweigh any chalk dust issues.

At least one family in Australia will be getting not one, but two new houses this weekend.

In Sydney...

 
And Canberra...
 
 

I'd like the opportunity to poke around in either of these properties.

Love Your Work! Eddie Ross

Did anyone else watch the first season of Top Design a couple of years ago? My favourite contestant was Eddie Ross and this year I rediscovered him through his blog.

Eddie leans towards traditional, country stylings and has a great eye for flea market finds. Recently he featured a before and after that I thought was just fabulous.

I would love to have:
a) this bench on my new front porch
b) the time to search through second hand markets
c) the time and skill to refurbish my finds
d) all of the above

How are your DIY skills? Do you have pieces in your home that you've breathed new life into? I have several projects in mind for the coming months, but for now they are still more shabby than chic.

On My Mind... a little remorse

I'm writing this post for two reasons.

1. I feel I owe our old house a bit of an apology and this is my way of saying "even though I wasn't always so nice to you I do love you and appreciate you." 
2. Considering I'm planning to share our new home I felt a little background on where we've come from was appropriate.

Since I moved in with the man four years ago I really only ever saw this house as a holding space. While I had a miriad of ideas for improving it, we wanted something bigger and both had the attitude "why waste money and effort on this house when we plan to move anyway." We made it comfortable for our life together, but we didn't go the extra mile to make it special.

Here are the two rooms I was allowed to redecorate in my time there... only because we deemed the bathroom and lounge room carpet too old and unsanitary for our new little person.

It's a little bare as we'd already started packing when the real estate photos were taken, but it demonstrates my preference for clean, fresh spaces.

And here are some samples of the salmon pink that took over the rest of the house during an early nineties makeover.

High ceilings, large windows, polished floorboards ... it really has a lot going for it. So house, I want you to know that you are beautiful in your own way. Thank you for providing us with so many happy memories. I hope the family we have chosen to live in you treat you with the kindness and respect that you deserve.

Rug Envy

I'm hooked on house hunting! Even though we've just moved into our new house I can't help but browse the real estate websites. Yesterday while flicking through Domain in the Sydney Morning Herald I fell in love. Not with a whole house (thank goodness!) but with this rug.

And just because I love it so much here it is from another angle.

 It's magnificent.

We're in... sort of, nearly.

Well, I'm happy to report the move went well. After a mad flurry of packing 99% of our stuff was transferred to our new house last Friday with no breakages, spills or panic attacks. Thank God!

We had great removalists who got the whole job done by 2pm, which I thought was very impressive. I wanted to make it my mission to have the Little Person's room set up by the time he arrived home - you know to make the transition as smooth as possible for him. Unfortunately, at 2.30pm we got a call from his daycare centre to say he had conjunctivitis could we please come get him. So, after an afternoon waiting at the medical centre and pharmacy he came home to a room full of boxes and his bed in pieces on the floor...

He loved it! We had kept his tools aside so he got to "help" Daddy put the bed together. Then he took absolute joy in pulling all his toys and books out of the boxes and spreading them over the house. Sometimes when things happen by accident they turn out for the best.

We then spent the weekend painting and cleaning the old house ready for our new tenants, so apart from making beds and finding enough crockery to eat off pretty much nothing has been done at the new house. We're back at work today so I guess it will be slowly, slowly setting things up. I'm choosing to see it as an opportunity to get to know the house and come up with the right layout for us.

Anyway, the whole experience has provided lots of fodder for blog posts that I can't wait to start sharing.

I have the keys!

Couldn't resist popping in to say I just picked up the keys to our NEW HOUSE!!!

Let the fun begin!

Unlucky for some...hopefully very lucky for me.

Our move is only a week away now. We pick up the keys next Tuesday and actually move next Friday the 13th. I'm really not the superstitious type myself, so I don't see anything wrong with that. A few people have raised their eyebrows when I tell them, though.

Sorry I haven't had the energy for any proper posting and commenting this week. It'll probably be quiet from me for a little longer, but I'm really looking forward to sharing some meaningful personal posts very soon.

For now, here are some pics I'm taking inspiration from at the moment...

Any guesses the colour combo I'm loving right now?

I'm also loving the idea of disguising the television among some framed beauties.

Cash to Splash! On my wish list

I actually got to browse through some furniture and homewares stores this past weekend. I picked up a few new things for the soon-to-be house and a lot more ideas...

... for inside ...

from Domayne

In white from Oz Design

... and out ...

from here

I'd like to say I brought these home with me, but alas they are on the wish list. What's on your wish list at the moment?