Logies Win

CONGRATULATIONS to the whole Better Homes and Garden's cast and crew for taking out the Logie award for 'most popular lifestyle program' for the fifth year in a row. A big thank you to everyone who enjoys watching the show and voted.

It really was such a fun night catching up with friends and partying on until the early hours. For me the highlight is always seeing the beautiful dresses up so close. I love the fabrics, the colours and the detailing you just cannot appreciate unless there in person.

I loved my dress from www.hillsinhollywood.com. It was lovely to be dressed up and out of work clothes for a change, along with the rest of our team. My only wardrobe malfunction was a broken shoe - just moments before I left the hotel! A small 'click' revealed the heal had snapped clean off - my worst nightmare. I was sure I would never make it along the red carpet and up those frightening stairs at Crown. To my rescue came a kind makeup artist offering a very nasty smelling eyelash glue (heaven knows what is actually in that stuff) it didn't really work though. (If only I had my tool box handy!!). Luckily our security guard tracked down a tube of super glue. It worked brilliantly and my heal stayed in place all night. No one was any the wiser.

Rainy Day Sewing

The rain in Sydney continues to fall and as luck would have it, I am inside for a change, working on a quilt for a magazine story. Happy Friday. x

Twiggy Wall Art

A great idea for adding texture to a plain wall.... just scout around your neighbourhood for palms throwing down seeds and pods, that's all this is. Looks like a little tree doesn't it?

Autumn Prints

I was very excited to find these prints as part of a set for only $2.50 each at my local op shop. They instantly made me think of Autumn so I've started creating a few autumn pieces. The candle holders can be made easily by cutting up thin tree logs. Just use your drill and a spade bit to make way for the tealight. For the garland I used jute string and hot glued some leaves back-to-back along. The little log rounds came in a pack of too many to count from Spotlight. Cute to hang or simply draped along a shelf like this.

Pretty

We spent Sunday morning up on the Hawkesbury River, just north of Sydney. How lucky I felt having breakfast with my beautiful family, followed by a swim in such pretty surrounds.

New Vintage

Thought I would share some recent op shops finds. At only 50c a piece, this lovely old cutlery has found it's way into my collection. I love old cutlery, especially bone handled knives and use them all the time for cheese and pate. These bone handled fish knives are so lovely to use and I believe, make the fish taste even better than when using an ordinary dinner knives. I polish all of my old finds with a silver cloth on a regular basis and for all (except those with bone handles), wash them as usual daily in the dishwasher. I love their scratches and patina, just shows how many wonderful dinners they've been part of.

Coral Inspired

I enjoy setting up little table scapes and this one is currently in my hallway. As you can see, I'm quite fond of shells and coral. Nestled in there are some candles which I made using soy wax and pretty jars. I light these at night and the whole table glows. Makes a welcoming entrance to my home.

Magnolia Cupcakes

On a recent visit to New York, I found myself standing outside of the very famous, and amazingly tiny Magnolia Cupcake bakery. I stared through the window as the expert cake icers twirled their knives to achieve perfect peaks with their soft, sugery whips. Licking my lips, of course I had to try one and divine and spongey it was with a very generous portion of perfectly piled icing on top. If you're cupcake crazy, it's definitely worth a visit or perhaps you have already been there? Let me know...

Christmas is coming

If you've been to the shops lately you'll no doubt see that Christmas is in full swing. I've also been crafting my little hands off for some up and coming stories for New Idea magazine. Once they're out I'll post them, in the meantime here's a little cheery face, one of many I made this week from some of last year's baubles.

Thank you

It's so lovely to be thanked, especially by hand. Too often the postman only brings bills and interest rate hikes, so when I received this lovely parcel of goodies, I was naturally excited. It was from Alison at Little Nest for featuring her shop in my blog. Alison, now I'm thanking you for a timely reminder for me to slow down a little, write more note cards and create small gifts to send. A kind and personal gesture like this can go a long way indeed.

Cute Shop

I was lucky enough to travel to Albury in rural NSW last week and visited this cute shop called Little Nest along the way. Filled with gorgeous things, it was a real treat to discover as I was searching for a housewarming gift for my brother. For him, I picked up a pair of pillows for his sofa, and for me - a blue Pratten leather purse which I'm loving. The owner Alison Viney is a local girl with a great eye and seems immensely happy in her stylish little corner of the world. Thumbs up and do stop by if ever you're travelling through town. Little Nest 47 Dean Street Albury NSW 2640

My Outdoor Studio

Today I'm busy working on a stack of hand made Christmas decorations for a magazine and because its a perfect, blue sky day here's my set up on my back deck. Not a bad spot for a little creative play!

My Studio

I find it really inspiring to see where other creative people work, so for those of you who ask often, here are some shots of one of my favourite places to spend the day, my own studio.............

Button Rings

For rings which are as cute as a button, start with ring blanks which you can source from online jewellery suppliers or craft stores. Take your favourite buttons, beads, trinkets or scrabble letters and use a strong glue to secure them. I like to use Loctite Gel glue or similar which you can find from the hardware. For a silver border around your button, glue down a metal washer first - again you can pick these up from the hardware and they come in various sizes. Leave your completed rings over-night to set before wowing your friends with your glam creations.

Add a touch of 'Chanel' chic to your specs with a simple chain that's really easy to make. The chain I used came from the hardware. It's made by Zenith and is called Watchmaker's Chain. Just cut the length you need, open the end links with pliers then attach rubber grips which you can buy in small packs from art and craft stores. Use thin ribbon in your chosen colour and a tapestry needle to thread it all the way along, weaving in and out of each link. Finish the ends with small bows and add a few charms as well.

I travel around a fair bit, and lately I have been lucky enough to have seen parts of Australia I have never been to. Just last week I headed up to Queensland to host some events and this was the stunning view from my hotel room in Hervey Bay. What a pretty part of the world, I would so love to see the whales when they swim through. It turns my creative head to all things coastal. Hmmmm I feel some beachy ideas coming. Watch this space!

Logies Win

A big congratulations to all of my friends from Better Homes and Gardens for our 2010 Logie Award for best lifestyle show. It was an amazing night, very glamorous and lots of fun to catch up with everyone. All of the girls looked stunning as always. For us it was lovely to swap our usual work gear for a little glitz and sparkle. Well done everyone!

Butterfly Pillow

When the weather turns cool I love making my home cosy and inviting. This was a plain white cushion which I layered up with a piece of felt. I started by cutting a square of cream felt to size and then I ironed on a piece of HeatnBond paper to the felt (you can buy this from sewing shops). I drew butterflies across the paper and carefully cut them out, not completely, with small, sharp scissors. I ironed this to the cushion case taking care not to affix all of the butterfly wings so some appear in flight. Easy and fun!

I went down to the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show yesterday for Better Homes & Gardens TV and this was one of the projects I worked on. Jason Hodges is entering into the competition again and this year his garden design included a fun area for the kids, complete with a coloured pencil fence. The pencils were shaped out of treated pine and ready for me to paint in bright, happy colours. They were really easy to do and so effective - I wouldn't mind a few in my own back yard! Good luck Jason! Don't miss the show on Friday 7:30pm on Seven.