Contrast Piping

I am coveting a new sofa like this one I found on www.houzz.com

Image from houzz.com

Remember how I told you I get 'Obsessions', well Contrast Piping is one of those obsessions right now. I love the way it brings a degree of sophistication to whichever piece it may be, whether it's a sofa, headboard or cushions. 

I was wandering through Oz Design Furniture, coffee in hand, one day late last year when I came across the most delicious sofa with contrast piping. I instantly fell in love and decided that I realllllly needed a new sofa. Unfortunately my husband doesn't agree with me...yet. 

The Milson sofa from Oz Design Furniture

Of course my little 'Contrast Piping Obsession' has me designing away feverishly in my head, keeping me awake at night dreaming about other less costly ways I can bring contrast piping into my home. IF I am unable to bring my husband around to the new sofa that is.

So to temporarily satisfy my Contrast piping desires I hit the shops and the net. 

Here are some of my finds...

Loving the hot pink dining chairs and the double row of orange piping on the headboard.

Now to try and make a decision. Hmmm...

Love Jade xx

Ooooh.... Check it out, I spotted the judges from The Block sitting on a sofa with orange contrast piping, guess I'm not the only one with this love affair at the moment.

Judges Neale, Shaynna and Darren from The Block

PS Sorry about the terrible pic, I had to use my phone to get it 

Valentines Day Lollipop Cards

Kids just love any celebration there is, especially when it involves chocolates and candy.
Little girls especially love Valentines Day.
Hearts, candy, chocolates, colours of pink and red, flowers and things that sparkle, it's just about every little girls dream day, throw in a tiara and some fairy wings and it certainly will be.
So this year I decided to indulge in my girls desire to give Valentines to their friends, with this very easy little project.

Valentines Day Lollipop cards

You will need

   Cardboard, any colour you wish of course my girls chose pink
   Heart shaped template, You can just draw a heart on a piece of card and cut it out for the kids to trace around
   Markers
   Glue
   Glitter, confetti, stamps, stickers etc...
   Lollipops, enough for the list of Valentines your child/ren has
   Sticky tape
   Ribbon

1.  Using the heart shaped template, trace around then cut out enough hearts for each of your Valentines
2.  Write your special message to your Valentine on the card heart
3.  Decorate your heart with glitter and whatever else your little heart desires, allow to dry
4.  Once dried, flip the card over and stick a lollipop to the back with sticky tape, making sure the lollipop stick sticks out below the point on the bottom of the heart
5.  Tie a ribbon on the lollipop stick at the base of the cardboard heart

Getting creative

A very PINK day as you can see

As with most children my girls love getting crafty, particularly if it involves excessive amounts of glitter (which I'm now finding absolutely everywhere) and they can't wait to give out their little masterpieces this Valentines Day.

 
Love Jade Xx

Mini Strawberry Shortcakes

My husband and I would say we are not romantics.

I'm not saying we're not loving, we're both comfortable with PDA, but when it comes to candlelit dinners, rose petals, sappy songs and grand gestures of love, well we're both just so... practical.

In fact he never even proposed to me, we had been talking about it for so long and then, planning and everything just kind of fell into place.
We'll get engaged... well we should probably get a ring... then the questions about a date started; so we set a date and before long I'd managed to organise our wedding with no stress what so ever.
We did try writing our own vows but in the end just decided you know what our celebrant has provided us with a range of perfectly well written vows we'll just use those.
Sure it would be great to have some fabulous story to tell our children but that just wouldn't be us now would it.

Being the unromantic people we are, we have never really celebrated Valentines Day, it all seems a bit corny to us but last Valentines Day he surprised me with a Cruiser Bicycle.
While this was definitely a grand gesture, it wasn't so much the gift in itself it was that he had at some point heard me say that I would love a Vintage style Cruiser Bicycle.
Now I'm not one to tell people what I'd like for a gift, pretty much because I don't like asking for things and partly because I have a terrible memory... "Oh I don't know, I do know there was something I'd thought of, but I just can't remember". So the fact that he had remembered me saying that, was what made it the best gift he has ever given me, that and that he managed to surprise me, which is almost impossible to do.
Now the gift in itself is practical because now we can all go riding together as a family.

Generally we show our affections for each other in other less extravagant ways, to us it's the small everyday gestures that mean more.
Like a phone call... just because, little love notes on the kitchen bench, the others favourite chocolate bar left to find with tomorrows lunch,  a cup of coffee in a favourite cup, a bottle of wine to share and a kiss every morning and every night regardless of whether the other is awake to know it or not.

One of my favourite things to do for him is bake. I love the look on his face when he sees that I have baked him a special treat, because I know that he knows I've put all that time and effort into baking that special treat just for him.

This is what I'll be baking for him this Valentines Day...

Mini Strawberry Shortcakes

Shortcake
2 cups of plain flour
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 cup caster sugar
125g butter, chopped
1 egg
2/3 cup cream

Filling
1 cup thickened cream, whipped
Strawberry jam
1 punnet of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

1.  Preheat the oven to 200*C/ 180*C for fan-forced. Lightly grease and flour a standard muffin pan.
2.  Sift flour and baking powder into a processor. Add sugar and butter, process ingredients until they                 resemble fine breadcrumbs. Transfer flour mixture into a large bowl. Whisk the egg and cream in a jug and add to flour mixture. Mix with a flat bladed knife until a soft dough forms.
3.  Place heaped spoonfuls of dough into each muffin cup. Using your fingertips gently press evenly over the base of the muffin tin cups.
4.  Bake for 10-12 mins or until golden. Cool in the pan for 5 mins. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
5.  Using a serrated knife, cut shortcake in half crosswise. Spread bottom half with strawberry jam. Dollop on some whipped cream. Top with sliced strawberries and replace top of shortcake. Dust with icing sugar. Repeat for each mini shortcake.

Makes 12 shortcakes.

For an adult version of these, soak whole strawberries overnight in champagne or sparkling wine before slicing, and drizzle good quality melted dark chocolate over the assembled shortcake. Yummy.

As for celebrating Valentines Day...
well he started it with that Cruiser Bicycle...
I hope I get some vintage wicker baskets for my bike this year.

Happy Valentines Day

Love Jade xx

This recipe was adapted from taste.com.au

Grayson Manor vs Emilys Beach House vs Nolans Modern Mansion

How can you not be addicted to Revenge.
I'm so excited for the new season to begin tonight. (That and The Block so so so excited for that one, but more on The Block another time)
Revenge is intriguing, it has an interesting subject matter,  and everything in it is just beautiful. The people, fashions,  scenery, sets and houses.
I often get so caught up in trying to take in all the details of the sets that I forget to actually 'watch' the show.

The set designers have done an amazing job on Revenge. I love the interiors of both the Grayson Manor and Emilys Beach House, and there are certainly elements from Nolans Mansion that have me drooling, but which one would I want to live in?

While I love the modern clean lines of Nolans Mansion I could never live there, it's just far too sterile for my tastes, but choosing between Grayson Manor and Emilys Beach House is a little harder. Both of those homes represent my style so well.

Nolans Mansion
Images from hookedonhouses.net

Grayson Manor is just so sophisticated, glamorous, formal and... grand. The spaces, the furnishings, chandeliers, the polished wood and marble and amazing floral displays, wouldn't you just love to have your home filled with fresh flowers everyday.
Flowers, crystals and shiny surfaces will get me every time.

Grayson Manor
Images from hookedonhouses.net and hiphamptons.com

The Beach House on the other hand is so comfortable and appears more family friendly. It has an overall feeling of calm and relaxation and it's filled with all the other things I love, slightly weathered furnishings, wood and natural elements everywhere and colour... I know there's a little colour in the Grayson Manor, particularly the pool house but the Beach House just seems to say come in, kick your heels up and here's a glass of wine to enjoy on the verandah.

Emilys Beach House
Images from hookedonhouses.net and smallscreenscoop.com

I really don't think I could choose one because my dream home is a hybrid of the 2, but for where my life is right now (young messy, noisy, have to touch everything children) I would definitely say Emilys Beach House with a touch more glamour and sparkle perhaps.  

Which home would you choose?

Love Jade xx

Colour Crush Yellow and Pink.

I adore colour, every colour. Sure I have favourites that I seem to always gravitate towards but I get what I call colour crushes. All it takes is one piece, a chair, a cushion, an artwork and I'm hooked, searching everywhere for the right items to compliment my new found treasure. Sometimes its not just one colour but a colour combination.

Last June July holidays I became obsessed with the colour combination of Yellow and Pink.  Not soft and pretty but almost acid bright.

Now let me tell you how I became obsessed with this combination.
During the holidays I took the girls up to the Eumundi Markets on the Sunshine Coast. I told each of them that they can buy something to take home with them but that it had to be something that lasts i.e. not lollies or chocolate... you know how kids are.
We came across the lovely Lyn selling her artwork, www.lynfrancis.com all of her prints were saturated with colour, great for children's rooms. She had one particular print depicting a Flamingo and BAM I just had to have it, now I had to try and use my mummy powers of persuasion to convince one of the girls that they just had to have a print of Phylis the Flamingo. It was perfect for one of their rooms.
Unfortunately those mummy powers of persuasion just didn't work and my Flamingo obsession didn't rub off on either of them. They did however take home one of her artworks each but they ended up with a Mermaid and a Fairy.

The prints we came home with from Original artwork by Lyn Francis

I was a very proud mummy that day because they managed to choose an item that they could keep and because it was their VERY 1ST piece of ART!

I was already obsessed with Pineapples, so Pineapples and Flamingos put them together and you get my colour combination crush Yellow and Pink.
I know a playful combination right, which makes it perfect for a little girls room, although I did consider this combination for my outdoor area.
So now I'm in the process of re decorating my eldest daughters bedroom in my colour crush. I will post some photos when I get close to finishing (my home is never quite finished because it's forever evolving with my ever changing  'love, want, gotta haves', and our needs as a young family) but for now here is my Inspiration Board.

Inspiration Board for my daughters bedroom

Luckily the Mermaid print will work.... but I think I may just have to go back for that Flamingo print.

Love Jade xx

Note: My Flamingo obsession was validated when I saw this little article on Mini Trend: Flamingos in Home Beautiful February edition. Yay! Absolutely love Frank the Flamingo.