Window Shopping; The Country Trader

Sometimes I think I am the last to find out about places.

In this case the most amazing homewares place in Sydney, The Country Trader. We went in the other day and I fell in love, the most beautiful mix of new and vintage furniture and home goods.

Stunning.

AA xx

Summer Food

One of the things I love about summer is the opportunity to experiment more in the kitchen, there is just something about long hot days days makes me want to be a little more creative with the menu, light, fresh, healthy.

(Disclaimer; none of the photos below are mine, food normally doesn't last long enough to be photographed in my house)

Prosciutto, Fig & Ricotta Salad with honey

Watermelon, Pinenut & Feta Salad

Traditional with a twist, Salmon Nicoise Salad.

Jamie Olivers Carrot, Beetroot and feta salad.

How about you cooking up a storm? trying any new ideas? what are your go to's in the warmer months?

AAxx

New Year, New Style focus

Well, the Christmas tree is down and all of the decorations packed away, why do the decorations never fit back into the boxes they come out of?
So now is a good time to have a good look at our space and give it a little shake up, and I do mean little as the new house should be ready in the next couple of months. (Fingers crossed)

Here goes 5 trends old and new that I am going to try on for size in the coming months.

#1. Hang Art on a book case, 2014 was all about perfectly styled bookcases, with creative arrangements of books along with a unique mix of non book items which can really personalise a space but what if your like me and you need all the space on your book cases for actual books and said book cases take up a lot of wall space, (we really do have a lot of books) utilising the space and hanging large pieces of art over the shelves is a good option.

One Kings Lane 

#2. Abundant greenery indoors, I love the Urban Jungle concept, I started building my collection in 2014, so for 2015 I want to double down on what works for me and expand with a few bigger plants, maybe even indoor trees, although I do know that there will be a bit more trial and error after we move figuring out what works best in the new house. It's a simple concept really plants in the house make me happy and they help filter out crap from the air around me, it's all good all round.

Style by Emily Henderson 

#3. Colourful rugs with a Moroccan, Turkish,  type vibe. As much as I love my white and black Beni Ourain rug and my white flotiki which I will continue to use in the bedroom, I am feeling the need to incorporate a little more colour into the living spaces. The washed out colours of flat weave kilim, the more vibrant colours of moroccan boucherouite  or beautifully  faded vintage turkish rugs might just fit the bill.

sf girl by bay

#4. Switching things up a little with vertical string lights. The concept of utilising string lights in a variety of formats to highlight a bookcase, frame a doorway or just generally balance the light in a room has been around for ages. But normally they have been strung horizontally, I'm going to try seeing things in a new light (sorry I couldn't help myself) and hang them vertically.

Hannas Room 

#5. Warm metallics, here we are looking at brass, gold and especially copper accents. I would love to add a brass or copper tray to the coffee table and during our work secret santa someone received a beautiful tea light holder, black on the outside and gold on the inside, it look all of my self control not to swap it for the book I ended up with while she wasn't looking. So I may have to settle for something like the accessories below.

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

Refinery29

So what about you, any changes in the new year? Home or work?

AA xx

Food Glorious Food

I finished all of my shopping today for Christmas day so I thought I would share my menu for the day with you.

(Disclaimer: None of the photos that follow are mine I have shamelessly ripped them off from a simple Google image search of my menu items)

We always start the day with Croissants, coffee and orange juice (and champagne, shhh).
This year we have smoked salmon and avocado, or ham, brie and mustard as a back up if we have extra guests.

Christmas breakfast is a tradition my mother started as all us kids got older,  just one of the many reasons I will always love her.

For Christmas lunch I am cooking a traditional stuffed bird, this year de-boned and rolled turkey stuffed with cranberries and walnuts.

The traditional trimming just don't make sense during an antipodal  summer so this year the bird will be served with a crisp Waldorf salad.

We had Waldorf salad and a glass of champagne for lunch at the Waldorf Hotel in New York a few years ago, it was the smallest and most expensive lunch of the entire trip but so worth it, (sort of like having a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, again very x'y) I would do it again in a heartbeat.

For evening grazing I will throw together a very simple antipasti, marinated veges, cured meats, cheese, one of my favourite ways to eat any day of the year.

Dessert again is very simple and something I do every year, piles of fresh cherries and chocolate, this year Lindt Chocolates, which goes on the table after lunch and stays until it is all gone.

Simple yet lush and decadent at the same time, yum.

So season's greetings to you and yours, I wish you the very best for the year to come.

Cheers

AA xx

making a list and checking it twice

Normally I am one of these super  annoying organised Christmas shoppers who by this stage has everything bought and wrapped as either, we would travel for Christmas or else I had to have everything in the post so it would arrive on time.

Not this year, due to several very boring reasons which I won't go into, we are planning to travel post Christmas so I have no shopping done what so ever.

So in order to assist those in a similar predicament I have compiled a list of pressies, some of which I have given with great success in the past others are new inspiration.

First up the previous successes;

One year I gave my brother-in-law a great cocktail book along with a basic bar set, you know the ones with the shaker, strainer and the little knives and garnishing tools. A few evenings experimenting with that won't lose him his father of the year title, but less father and more bachelor than most of his gifts.

Continuing on with the book theme, for work last year we had a Bad Santa gift exchange, our Director unwrapped the Jamie Oliver cook book I had entered, after opening it she said "if anyone takes this from me your fired". Enough said.

For the music lover check out Blender Gallery  for an awesome selection of music photographs, the wonderful Tali helped me pick this out for hubs, now we just need to find the right spot to hang it.

Next a couple of things on the maybe list for this year;

Spotted in Blue Haveli are these super colourful hand woven table cloths and napkins. Now who wouldn't love this gorgeous addition to the table.

Also at Blue Haveli are these totally individual embellished clutches, these are so in right now, I guess everyone is after unique pieces as a counterpoint to the globalisation of mass market fashion.

In a case of everything old is new again, vinyl is having a resurgence, I think this is about being present in the moment, enjoying the music as an experience not just as background as we go about our days, record players not being quite as portable as iPods, plus the sound is just better from an album on a record player. My favourite spot to browse away is Mojo Record Bar, great mix of music and booze, happy times.

Wrapping up the selection of gifts to give, (this one I am planning to giving to my team at work) is office friendly plants, depending on how much you want to spend there as multiple options of, succulents, cacti, the new favourite air plants, (see old is new again), or for a few more $$$, terrariums or earth jars (just google them).

For my family I am thinking of keeping it simple, looking through the Trade Aid online store I spotted gifts for everyone, buying it all online and having it delivered around the time I get there in the new year will make everything so much easier and also making an ethical choice that will benefit those in need of helping hand feels right.

And finally just in case hubs actually reads this in time, a couple of things on my wish list.

 

My obsession with Sass & Bide  is no secret, so on my list list this year is The Grace Tote and the All-Inclusive Necklace.

So happy shopping peeps, but if you have everything sorted, congratulations it's a great feeling isn't it. Otherwise, best of luck out in the maddening crowds.

AA xx

Tis the season…...

When we commenced this building adventure a year ago, the outside estimates had us in the house for Christmas but the 18 weeks in council blew out all time frames, so to still be so far off finishing is a bit of a downer.

So to get us a little more into the holiday mood I have added a few little touches of seasonal sparkle.

I do prefer to keep a slightly mono-chromatic colour palate, white/ silver & green  with just a pop of red with the martini glasses and a layer in the ornament filled jar amongst the candles, subtle. The only thing missing now are the flowers, Christmas Lilies or white roses, I haven't decided yet.

I spotted some great inspiration over on Apartment Therapy, although they indicate that these are ideas for small spaces I think they can work in any space, especially if you don't want to go all out, over the top, but instead prefer a more simple approach as I do.

So how about you? Any seasonal primping going on? If so please share, as I love to see what other people have going on.

AA xx

Progress Update III

The sustained good weather in Sydney has meant that the builders have been able to be on site and stay on site. Yay!! Happy dance!!

So after the slab went down the frame went up
 

The roof tiles went on

And currently the bricks are going on

We are not 100% convinced we made the right decision in regards to the bricks but they do look better the more that go on. If worst comes to worst and we are not happy once everything is finished we can always render the entire thing.

Now we just need to sort out the earthworks in the rear yard while we still have access. Keeping my fingers crossed  that the neighbors on that side are holding off for some reason so we don't have to rush things over the holiday season.

AA xx