Time to eat cake!

The latest issue of Real Living (one of my favourite mags) has this most divine looking chocolate fudge cake recipe inside - complete with the tag line 'One part brownie, one part fudge. Two parts delicious!'   Oh my.  I actually want to crawl into this picture and start devouring.  Now...... it's my birthday next week.  I'm still doing my 12 Week Body Transformation, but dang it - I have been SOOOOOOO good for 9 weeks now.  Surely it wouldn't be wrong to make myself a little treat on my birthday?

Or should I be making the Chocolate and Walnut cake featured on The Biggest Loser Masterclass a few weeks ago, at only 260 calories per slice?

OH CRAP.  Michelle Bridges would beat me over the head if she could see this post.  The Choc Walnut Orange Cake it will be. 

A beautiful home

Yesterday I stumbled across the home of Penny Leaver Green on Flickr.  Not sure how I got there, and her style is not really like my own - but I did fall a little in love.  I think it's her colour palette and the homely feel each room projects, I just really want to be there.  Penny has a rare talent for working in really interesting vintage pieces without it feeling like she's trying too hard.  You can tell each room has grown organically and that it's a home that is really lived in.  I love it.

All images via Flickr.   Penny also has her own website with details of her artworks for sale.

Vintage inspiration

I love this vintage unit found on My Farm House on Tumblr.  The colours!  Divine.

Bedheads

I recently came across a company called Heatherly Design that do reasonably priced upholstered bedheads in a range of fabrics and styles.  I am not loving our bed and think a simple upholstered bedhead would be the way to go at some point down the track.  Just something to keep in mind.....

All images via Heatherly Design. 

A holiday

Autumn is my favourite month.  The weather is completely divine and the trees changing colour around Canberra are nothing short of spectacular.  This year, however, I'm feeling sad to see Summer end.  The thought of the long, cold winter ahead is getting me down.  So there's nothing for it but to book a Spring holiday!  Something to look forward to over the frosty months ahead.  I particularly love it around the Byron Bay/Bangalow area, but have never actually stayed there - we've always carried on further north to Queensland.  We also always seem to be tacking our holidays on to some other commitment or family visit, so this year - no more.  I have decided it will be a holiday just for the sake of a holiday, no family ties, no-one expecting anything of us - just our little family of three doing exactly what we want to.

I found this gorgeous little cottage right in the heart of Byron on the Stayz website.  How cute does it look?  The perfect place to relax, within walking distance to shops, restaurants and beaches.  Now I don't know about you, but I simply can't relax if we are staying somewhere ugly.  And I definitely judge a place on it's bedlinen.  It can have the most magnificent outlook, be straight across the road from a pristine beach - but if there are blue and yellow starfish spritzed across any piece of fabric that I will be in 100 metres of, it's out of the question. I am already feeling relaxed just looking at these pics.  Now...roll on September!

All images San Juan, via Stayz.com.au

Jealous!

I so wish I lived closer to Daylesford!

Chilewich. Again.

I've said it a million times and I'll say it again.  I love Chilewich!  How gorgeous are these little iPhone covers?

Have You Met Miss Jones?

 I love Have You Met Miss Jones.  So many things to lust after......

The church on the hill

For Easter, we headed up to Nelson Bay to spend a few days with my husband's rellies.  We go there often, even though it's a five hour car ride away from sunny downtown Canberra.   For years I've had my eye on this lovely old church on the hill looking out over the marina.  I pass it nearly every day on my early morning run and I've had many a day dream about how fantastic it could be.  Until recently, it was practically in a state of disrepair.  My mother-in-law actually looked into purchasing it a while back, with plans to renovate and turn it into accommodation, however it was not zoned to be any sort of a business, only a residential dwelling and I think it all got a bit too hard.  Someone has obviously decided to give it a new lease on life however, as it now sports a fresh white coat of paint and new red roof.  Hmmmm, it was sort of cuter when it was looking tired.   I would have gone with a charcoal roof and windows, and possibly a softer shade of white.   Still - time will tell what the new owner's are planning.   I'll definitely be keeping an eye out.....and continuing to day dream.

More poms anyone?

I'm fairly pom-pommed out after some friends and I made about 90 for the Hats & Gloves fundraiser we were on the decorating committee for recently, but I do love these fabric versions I came across recently.  A tad more complicated than Martha's tissue paper version - but there's a full tutorial at Once Wed.   Maybe one day.....