Ubabub

Be still my beating heart.  Finally.....FINALLY, a homegrown company making tasteful, modern nursery furniture!  Ubabub is the work of Natasha and Daniel Dumais, a husband and wife team from Melbourne.  It seems they traveled the same despairing path that most modernist parents take a trip down, once the joy of being pregnant wears off a little and the realisation hits that pretty much everything on the market to do with babies is ugly, ugly, UGLY.

Not only is the Pod Cot simply divine, but this image makes me want to rush out and finally buy a David Trubridge pendant, clad all our walls in ply and have Grant Featherston chairs and white rocking horses dotted all over the house.

Great styling.  I've been lusting after that Pierre & Charlotte floor lamp for some time now.

Ubabub officially launched yesterday and is available through Urban Baby or Bebe Online. I think they are very reasonably priced at $1,600 to $1,900 for the cots that turn into junior beds.  If we decide to have No. 2, you so know where I am headed.

All images via Ubabub

Icebergs @ Bondi

I had the pleasure of a lovely, relaxing girls weekend away in Sydney this past weekend.  My friend Amanda and I flew up Saturday morning, did a spot of shopping and then met our good friends Cate and Jane for lunch at Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Bondi.   Such a beautiful location and we had a fantastic table looking right out over the water. The menu was not quite as inspired as the location, but our meals were gorgeous none-the-less.  The pod of seven dolphins frolicking in the water along the beach front made it even more special.  

I do think I have been spoiled, however, by spending too much time in Melbourne where the food is not only beyond divine, but there is no attitude accompanying either the food or the service.  Great to have been to Icebergs though, and to have such a special time catching up with special friends.  Sadly, no celeb spotting! Even though we had our eyes peeled for someone swanky cruising in.

The next day, we headed back to the same area for lunch, after hitting the Bondi Markets. This time we tested out the other end of the beach, North Bondi Italian Food. It has the same owners as Icebergs, although I didn't actually realise this at the time.  Much more relaxed, although much the same attitude, but a fantastic lunch with the girls once again.

All images www.idrb.com

Finishing touches

Isobel is three years old now, and yes - in April, she finally moved into her big girl's bed.  I know, I know - that seems crazy late, but she seriously liked her cot.  And anything a child can't get out of can only be a good thing.   Anyhoo, she is now loving her beautiful new bed.  And I am too.  So pretty!  God bless Ebay.

Now the bed is in, there are a few changes to make to her room.  This is how her room looks at present, with everything just sort of crammed in with the new bed:

 Apologies for the dodgy photos, it was late afternoon when I decided to take them. 

This unit had a removable padded top (in the same fabric as the covered baskets) that served as a change table.  I still like it, but it's just too big for the room now the bed is in, and as you can see in the photos below, it won't work once the wardrobe doors are painted and put back on. 

OK.  So I removed the doors to paint them about two years ago now.  Laziness!  It's been too easy to just reach over and grab what I needed without the hassle of opening doors.  But the doors are well overdue to go back on.  I'll move this piece of furniture out, but keep the baskets in the shelves of the wardrobe as they fit nicely and keep things organised.

This is the other side of the room. I still like the bird/tree mural, but it might be time for a change over the next 12 months or so.  The fairy lights were a spontaneous purchase and have stayed where they were haphazardly thrown about two weeks ago.  They give off such a lovely, soft light.

So now there are a couple of things I have been looking for to update the room.

1) A bedside table.  Don't know exactly what I'm after yet.  I'll know it when I see it.

2) New handles for the wardrobe doors.  I like these ceramic ones by Anne Black:

 Anne Black

3) A book display shelf for the wall at the foot of the bed.   I like the one below, but haven't found anything like it, and neither myself or the hub are handy enough to be bothered making one that wouldn't look like a dog's breakfast.

Skona Hem

Then I came across this one this morning in my travels.  It's only $85.00 and I could paint it white.  I have some lovely vintage books I'd like to display:

I'd also like to make a quilt (of sorts) and some cushions for the bed.  In the meantime, the current bedding is simple and totally rocks.  It's by the same company that make Grobags, and the duvet and pillow are attached to the fitted sheet (the duvet zips on, a bit like a sleeping bag).  Impossible for little monkey's to fall out or lose the duvet in the middle of the night. Genius!  So anything I make will purely be for decorative purposes to go over the top.  They are available through Bambini Pronto and worth every penny.

Oh, and I also bought a vintage story book tile from Lisa at The Red Thread at the Handmade Market on the weekend.  It looks something like this one but is a softer green, and will look really sweet in Isobel's room. 

Isobel helping her Daddy to assemble her new Big Girl's Bed

iPhone 4

Oooooh.  Yes.  It's coming.

A little shopping spree

I did a little spot of shopping for Isobel today.  Found such a cute dress by Monstar that I would wear it myself if it were big enough.  Also loving the t-shirt with little girl/scarf/bird from Seed.  

Oh, and of course, absolutely nothing was on sale.

Monstar Kids

Seed

Seed

Seed

Cicada Daydream

I just came across a lovely little blog called Cicada Daydream by Michelle Engel Bencsko.   She is one of the co-founders of Cloud 9 Fabrics, who make some very pretty organic fabrics. Michelle has put together some really great (simple!) sewing tutorials that I am definitely going to give a whirl.  It's been an eternity since I got out the sewing machine, and I am itching to dig it out of it's hiding place, get it serviced (well overdue), and get busy.  Many, many babies on the horizon and many, many gifts to start making.

Image via Cicada Daydream

Sex and The City 2

Like most other females on the planet, I am very excited about the upcoming release of Sex and The City 2 this week.  Fate has conspired against me, and although I had plans to attend the opening night with some fabulous girlfriends, I've had to pass up my ticket and reschedule for a couple of weeks time.  I'm actually thinking the movie itself won't be that brilliant, but I don't really mind that much.  I just miss the girls like I miss old friends, so am happy to catch up with them in any way I can.  That's a little weird, isn't it?  Such is the phenomenon that is SATC.

So, knowing I won't get my girly fix for another couple of weeks, I was very happy to stumble upon a post on Elle Decor that showcases some of the set designs from the movie.  I have always been fascinated with the 'interior' of each character's apartment - as they are such clear insights into the characters themselves.  Over the course of the series, the first movie, and now this second one, we have witnessed Carrie growing and changing with each new phase in her life, and I love that the producers have taken her apartment and decorating style along for the same ride. It's so true to real life, as I know my taste and style has certainly changed plenty and become more refined over the years.

These shots are from Carrie and Big's new 'married' apartment.  Check out the full story on Elle Decor some some really interesting insights from the set designers. 

Above: Adoring this bubble chandelier by Lindsay Adelman.

Above: This golden artwork is very un-Carrie....but very Big!

Above: Ohhh ahhh, heaven.  Those are my lusted after Heath Ceramics tiles on the kitchen splashback.  The ones we decided would be too hard to clean.  Oh how I still adore them.

Above: Personally, not loving this bedroom.  I miss the old Carrie a little. 

Above: The heavenly walk-in-robe that Big built for Carrie in the last movie.

Above: I actually prefer her old one which apparently she still returns to in the new film.  How many $$$ worth of clothes and accessories do we estimate are in this closet!

Above: Ahhhh, I do still love Carrie's old apartment.....