Small things

I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but I'm putting it out there...
I hate that saying "Small things amuse small minds". Mostly because it's wrong. And it can sit there in its wrongness and be wrong. I think big minds are amused by small things.
This has been a week chock full of small things - there was only room for small things because it was already full of other things. Mostly work things. A couple of creative things. And organising a trip to Melbourne to see him (you-know-who) over the Easter weekend. We haven't seen each other since January. And that was months ago. MONTHS. Sigh.

I'm also amused by Flight of the Conchords and one of my Facebook friends posted this video last week - it's an oldie but a goodie, so I thought I'd share.

Pinterest-ing: Golden brown

1./ 2./ 3./ 4./

You can follow me on Pinterest here if you like. Or you don't have to follow me, you can just have a look.

Details:

1. Brass lampshade originally pinned by Meg Biram via Urban Outfitters.
2. 365 days of hand lettering  originally pinned by me via Lisa Congdon.
3. Danish teak dining chairs by Borge Mogensen originally pinned by sfgirlbybay/Victoria Smith via Etsy.
4. Gold stripe tray originally pinned by Lidy Dipert via Etsy.

That's what weekends are for...

For coffee and breakfast at Bruce's.
For running errands and getting groceries.
And for going a bit nuts with Instagram while doing it.

Weekends are also for listening to songs.

Cake *sigh*

I've come to a realisation. And that is that mid-week birthdays are quite awesome. This is because not only do you get your good self celebrated on the actual birthday day, but you get your good self celebrated on the following weekend as well. It's a licence basically to extend your birthday for a few extra days. This is a good thing.

I made a cake for morning tea at work on Friday. Did you know that you can buy little itsy-bitsy mini choc bits that are covered in bright colours? Well, you can. Did you also know that you can buy polka-dotted birthday candles? Well, you can. You can also buy candles that have a ribbony kind of thing that joins them and when you light the first candle, it burns along and lights the rest. I was very tempted to get those for morning tea, but figured it might be a bit of overkill. But I'm still thinking about those candles, so I'll be looking for an excuse to use them another time. *Must find out whose birthday is next at work.*

A birthday week in Instagrams

A birthday present to myself.
A sunny spot in my backyard.
Looking like Where's Wally (with the specs, minus the beanie).
Lauren at work on Harmony Day (making hats with Year 7's).
Getting distracted by doing housework (of all things).
A birthday haircut.

I wish I lived here ... Dorothee Monestier's home (featured on Design*Sponge)

Dorothee is the co-founder of My Little Day and lives in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris. Her family home is vintage-y, eclectic, cute, stylish, light and bright and just about everything else I like.

Featured on Design*Sponge.
Photographs by Melanie Rodriguez.
For more photos (and a much better write up than I've done here), read the original article by Anne.

Birthday present to myself

I just bought this cabinet as a present to me, from me, for my birthday next week.
I'm pretty excited about it.
It's not a mid-century, Danish-inspired buffet like I originally wanted, but I think it's a little bit awesome (and just between you and me - it's a little bit cheaper too).

Here's where I got it from.

Compare & contrast & a song that gets stuck in your head, 'Zimbabwe' by New Navy

This week has been one of rather stark contrasts.
I have been wearing colours and neutrals (sometimes together).
The weather has been warm and cool; hot and cold; sunny and stormy (and windy and rainy)*.
I have been reading colourful brochures with awesome graphic design and black & white ink in textbooks and novels (one at home and one at work).
There have been work days of rest (amen for public holidays) and work days of ... not rest (very not rest).

Do you ever have days like these? Has your week been one of contrasts as well?

And just because the summer holidays feel like such a long time ago now, here's a song that makes me think of warmer days.




*We like to live up to the whole "four seasons in one day" malarkey in Taswegia - especially in Autumn. Yes, even our inconsistencies are consistent.

My creative space - a new print

I've been working on a sketch for a new print for my madeit store, Look See.
It's for Mother's Day (which isn't for a little while yet, but I wanted to get a head start).
It will be available for purchase in April. Check here and here for updates.

Linking up with Our Creative Spaces.

I wish I lived here ... Paula Mills' home (featured on Design*Sponge)

I love the combination of light bright white and splashes of colour in Paula Mills' family home. These photographs by Tigs Macallan of Paula's home were featured a fortnight or so ago on Design*Sponge and I haven't been able to get them out of my head since.
There is a perfect eclecticness to this home that just works on so many levels.
I also love the way that neutral textures and tones anchor the white and allow the splashes of bright colour to pop.
It's a totally liveable space if you ask me. And looks darn pretty to boot*.


*Seriously, that washi tape star on the wall next to the fireplace is too cute for words.

50% off plus free postage within Australia...

It's your last chance to purchase these items in my madeit store at 50% off - and with free postage in Australia, that's pretty much a bargain!

The following items are still available for purchase:
Street Scene, Paris {SOLD!}
Summer in Paris
Lounging in Paris
At Last  {SOLD!}
Alice and Co.

To buy, either click on the links above, or head to this Facebook album and make a comment on the photo you want to buy.

Payment is through Paypal.

Gather

Featured in Shutter Sister's One Word Project for the month of March. Theme: Gather. Featured: 8th March, 2012.

Last week (in eight Instagrams)

Made With Love in March {warning: long post, lots of photos}

I heart March. Mostly because it's my birthday month and partly because ... okay, all because it's my birthday month.
But there are other things I like about this time of year. I like it when you get an unseasonably warm stretch of weather. I like it that the mornings are starting to get cool (I'm a bit weird that way) and the light is starting to get softer. I like it that I can pull up the extra blanket on my bed overnight to keep warm, but I don't have to have the heater going all the time.
I like that this year, I don't mind the fact that Autumn is arriving because we actually had a Summer for once. (Why are Summers never like they were when you were a kid? Someone should look into that.)
I don't like the March flu that I always seem to catch (and the fact that it seems to be even worse this year than ever), but I still like March. I'm loyal like that.
I also like the Made With Love Market Bazaar in March (and every other month it's on). As proof positive of that fact you can peruse at your leisure the following photographs I took today. You can see the whole shebang (this is just a small, minute selection - please make sure you do - I'm not even kidding, this is just the tip of the iceberg) on the market's Facebook page here and I'll be updating my Flickr page regularly as well. You can keep an eye on that here, if you feel so inclined.

Linkety-link:
Lisa. (Lisaloo.)
Michelle. (Rock My Roll.)
Made With Love Market Bazaar.
Made With Love Market Bazaar - March Photo Album.
My Flickr. (Look See.)
Nardia. (Crooked Stitch.)
{Urmm, that's all I have! If your work is featured here and I haven't linked to it, please email me, click on my Blogger profile to get the address, and I'll rectify the situation, pronto!}

*Linking up with Pip's Words & Pictures: Warm

A long weekend that's Made With Love

Hey! Psst! You over there!

Secret squirrel wants to tell you something...

The March Made With Love Market Bazaar is on this long weekend, tomorrow, Saturday the 10th of March from 9-1pm at 45 Jackson St, Wynyard.

You've been told - don't blame secret squirrel if you miss out on a locally crafted, handmade item of goodness!

See you there ...

I wish I lived here...Barbara Hyman's home (featured on The DesignFiles)

As soon as I saw Barbara Hyman's gorgeous home featured on The Design Files last week I wanted to up digs and move on in with them.
Barbara: adopt me? I don't take up much room. Promise.
Photographs by Sean Fennessy. Styling by Lucy Feagins.

Shout out for Sophie @ Her Library Adventures

Sophie @ Her Library Adventures.

A short time ago, I was mucking about on the internet (what - me and the internet, surely not I hear you gasp). It was a weekend. I know this because since school started I haven't had the time to even think about blogs or blogging during the week. The whole edumacating childrens thing takes up a lot of time, as it happens.

Anyway, I was just about to pack it in for the day and make some dinner, when I did that thing that I'm sure everyone does. I told myself I'd just oh-so-quickly have one last look at Facebook before shutting the laptop down so it could get some beauty sleep. And we all know that those "one last looks" at Facebook results in another two hours faffing about on it.

However, this time, luckily I did, because I just happened upon an update from Sophie about this little old offer of hers. I was all over that offer like a five year old eating fairy bread at a birthday party. The result of which I have a free sponsorship spot on Her Library Adventures for the month of March. If you click on the link above and scroll down, you can see my ad which looks a bit like this:

As you can imagine, I'm pretty chuffed about that and so pleased that she has offered up this opportunity. Can I suggest that if you haven't started reading her blog, then you do so. You won't regret it. She's a crafty, creative, inspirational lady and her blog is always a highlight in my weekend.


If you do start reading her blog, you may also be interested to hear about the online shop Wilde Asher she is starting with her mother. Check out the Facebook page here. If you're after bespoke jewellery and vintage goodness, then I'm sure these are the ladies to help you out.

Thanks Sophie, not only for this opportunity, but for the inspiration you provide on your blog every day. :)

Words & pictures: High school

Left: Michelle, Right: Me. Year 7 Camp. 1992.

When I started high school, I remember it being such a terrifying time. I went to a teeny-tiny primary school and only knew a few people beforehand. I remember struggling to figure out who already had a BFF (because remember how important that was in Year 7?!) and which friendship groups would include me and let me hang out with them.

Eventually I made friends (in fact, Michelle up there is still my friend and we're now in our aherm 30s and being grown-ups and stuff) and sort of settled in, but I don't remember ever feeling really great about school until I started Year 11. We changed schools and big fish became small fish and it was actually a bit refreshing to see those oh-so-confident people have to re-adjust and find their footing too. (Not in a mean way, just in a "Phew, they do get to feel what I felt too, maybe they'll cut me a break" way.)

Now I'm a high school teacher - a Year 7 high school teacher - and I watch and (try to) help a whole bunch of kidlets make the transition from child to adolescent. Sometimes it's a struggle, sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's hurtful and overall it's chaotic. It's also brilliant when you see those little kids grow up into young men and women and head out into the world. I've got a pretty good job, really.

Linking up with Pip's Words and Pictures.

Two songs for a rainy Saturday

Image source.





See you later, summer. It was nice having you around, don't be a stranger.

A week in four Instagrams

One: a sunny afternoon at home after work. Two: a treat for dessert. Three: details from the bedside table (early nights most nights this week). Four: my Friday at school.

You can follow me on Instagram @lookseebynaomifenton, or online here.