Inspiration board

I took this picture out of a House & Leisure a few years ago.  I love inspiration/mood boards but I am not always very good at keeping them!  In fact, the one I have is in dire need of updating - and looks nothing near as glamorous as this one!

Baking day: Lamington Squares

Colour

I have promised Sarah that I will paint her wardrobe a lovely bright red and came across this pic that I tore out of an Elle Decor mag a while back.  I have decided that painting her cupboard can be one of my 4 simple goals....  I love this colour and the baskets too!

Weekend

After a chilly and rainy Saturday, we woke to a glorious spring day yesterday.  I spent a bit of time in the garden - my first Iceberg rose has bloomed and I can't wait to have roses in the garden again.  I took the girls to a friend in Constantia to dance a Highland fling for an old relative.  While they were dancing I took a stroll down the road to look at some horses and I felt like I was in the country - so pretty and tranquil.  

Brilliant Ideas

I love magazines and once I have read them a couple of times I go back and tear out pictures and articles that I love.  I have many flip files lying around the house full of magazine cutouts from years and years of collecting.  I go back and look at them often and I have decided to scan some of the things that I love most.

These are two brilliant ideas that I have yet to put into practice but plan to do so soon!  Both are out of SA Elle Decor mags in the last 6 months.  The idea of rolling you pastry over a piece of embossed wallpaper before baking it is too beautiful for words!  I also think the idea of 'branding' pita breads with a design before serving them is quite genius.

Beautiful gift from a beautiful friend...

My lovely friend Nats (Friends of Timba and Lula) gave me this beautiful vase.  It is just perfect at my front door with, for as long as they are in bloom, snow drops.  When they have stopped flowering I will fill this vase with lavender or something else from my garden  Thanks Natsy!

Breathtaking

My cousin and her husband bought a camper van in the UK a few months ago that they revamped into a mobile home for the two of them and their two young daughters.  They have been traveling throughout Europe ever since and just basically living 'the dream'.  That's not to say that it has been plain sailing and blissful throughout, not all the camp sites have been lovely and Jax has been home schooling the girls while trying to run their lives out of a space not much bigger than a bathroom!  But it has been an awesome experience by all accounts and they currently find themselves in yet another piece of Paradise, the Dalmatian coast of Croatia - if this isn't inspiration enough for a European holiday then nothing is!

As I said, the living space is SMALL!

4 Simple Goals

I love reading other blogs - there are so many amazing ones out there - if only I could dedicate a couple of hours a day to reading them!  Ah well, even though I don't have hours to spare, a couple of minutes here and there still gives me lots of inspiration and ample ideas!

Elsie from A Beautiful Mess suggested to her followers that we start a 4 Simple Goals project with the following guidelines:

1. choose simple goals that will make your life richer and happier on a daily basis. choose things you may not otherwise get done, but that are not difficult to accomplish. 

2. do not choose result oriented goals, choose activity oriented goals. for example.... instead of "lose 10 pounds", choose something like "eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day". get what i'm saying? positive actions instead of just the end result! 

3. choose goals that are personal that you believe will truly make your life richer just by doing them! they can be daily, weekly or one time experiences. 

4. choose a reward for each goal as it is accomplished! it can be a small or large reward. 

5. blog your goals, each one as you achieve it and a big post when they are all finished before the new year!

Such a wonderful idea and a challenge I am without a doubt going to take up.  

Bedroom inspiration

I have been wanting to 'update' the girls bedrooms for a while now, and since sewing the lace onto Emma's blinds I am more inspired than ever.  Its going to be a bit of a process (not least of all because finances aren't great right now!), but I am starting to collect inspirations pics.  I love these off Design Sponge....

I LOVE this bed!

Even though this is a room for a younger child, I love the map and reds and blues (always a favourite)

This is inspiration for the room in the roof when we eventually get around to doing it!

Bon Voyage

My mum leaves for Scotland this evening for 5 weeks.  My girls and I are dead jealous of course, but I know she would dearly love us to be coming too and it isn't just a holiday for her, she has various family obligations to attend to.  Emma and Sarah have been cyber shopping on Top Shop and H&M, making up their wish lists for my mum to get them!  They are so lucky to have a grandmother who is (a) prepared to shop for them and give them lovely gifts, and (b) has a wonderful sense of style herself so they are guaranteed to like what they receive.

Image from here

Weekend crafts

It was a cold, wet weekend that provided just the excuse we needed to stay indoors, watch movies in front of the fire and eat!  I also found a piece of lace we bought a few months back for I can't remember what, so Emma and I sewed it onto the bottom of her blinds.  Its amazing how something so simple can change the whole look of a room.  We ended the weekend with a fondue with my mum and my sister - lots of laughter and absolutely delicious!

Dreaming of Greece cont. - inspiration pics

Images from here

Image from The Style Files

Dreaming of Greece cont. The honeymoon isn't over!

Dreaming of Greece

Next year we are hoping to have a holiday in Greece, or more specifically, on the Greek island of Skiathos.  I am extremely fortunate in that my stepmother owns a beautiful villa guesthouse on the Island so our accommodation is sorted and all we need to do is get there!  Danie and I spent our honeymoon there 15 years ago and we have been dying to take Emma and Sarah so that they can experience that azure ocean, afternoon siestas in the coolest, shadiest spot you can find and strolling through the village when the sun begins to set as you decide which taverna has the most tantalizing smells to lure you in for retsina and delicious Greek food.....

I have decided that the girls and I should make a Greece inspired inspiration board so that we can focus on it daily and wish our dream true this time next year.

 

I ♡ Spring

Despite it being a cold and wet day, there are little signs of spring everywhere!  I found a couple of snap dragons in one of my window boxes and there are all sorts of shoots coming up - I have no idea what they are but can't wait to see.  I also decided to add a little decoration to my garden and paint a heart onto my almond tree - I got the idea somewhere on the web and now I can't find where!  I'll post the link when I find it......

The Sunday constitutional

Our weekend would not be complete without a bike ride or walk, it was also perfect conditions for Danie to fly his plane.