A sad day

The old double edged sword ... always hits you when you least expect it, doesn't it?! Umm...

We knew that my Grandmother was very ill and even though you know it still doesn't make things any easier when the time comes for their spirit to leave you here and they go off to be with their soul mates.

On Friday I found a link and perhaps a connection to my Grandfather's missing family.... We have been searching for over 40 years if not longer... an email was sent off to them with a huge amount of hope that we have a connection...

My mum was so excited by the news when I told her on Friday night and her excitement was also that she would have a chance to tell my Grandmother ... something small to make her smile and give her something else to think about other than being ill and in pain....

Then on Saturday night my Grandmother decided that her time here with us had come to an end and she passed away peacefully in her sleep to be with my Grandfather ...

Love you both so much xx

A little light..

I have been searching for such a long time now, trying to find out any information that I can that would perhaps lead me to my Grandfather's family ...

Although I don't know if they survived WWII or not, I have space in my heart that I keep for them in the hope that there is someone for me to find.

Today I went onto the net again as I always do and typed in my Grandfather's surname and for the first time a listing came up ... the spelling of the surname was the same.... similar towns came up .... a family tree is trying to be established!

So today I wrote to this family in English and then translated my letter into Polish and sent it off .... I hope with all my heart that we may be a 'together' and that I get to share this news with my Grandmother before she passes away ....

Now the waiting for the reply .... xx

Image: Baltic Sea, Poland Photographer: http://www.socksoff.co.uk/walls04.html

Happy Holidays

Wishing you all a wonderful and very Merry Christmas!

Time spent with family and friends

Lots of laughter throughout the house

Warm hugs

Tinkling of glasses

Kisses from your little ones

Chatter around the table

Smiles all round!

Image: Vintage Christmas Card unknown

Albert Hall

Beautiful image of the windows in Albert Hall.... we had such a fabulous time at the End of year Celebration concert for our little guy's school yesterday.... wonderful wonderful time ..... so many talented children!

The youngest performer was 3 years old with the oldest being 16 years old ... so good to see all the children working together and being part of a community!

Congratulations to you all xx

The Harvard Book store

When I started travelling, one of my wish list places to visit was the Harvard Book Store ... I had this amazing image in my head about what it would like inside, the books that they carry, what the people would be like that worked there ..... and how it would feel to be an author and have a book in store!

Such a dream....

I did visit the Harvard Book Store and of course fell in love with ... it did turn out to be everything that I had imaged from 8 years old... still not 100% sure how I got to fall in love with it from 8 years old though!

It was warm and inviting, had beautiful books all around .... I still remember purchasing my copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" ... to me it was perfect!

Image: Harvard Book Store photographer; unknown

Christmas Tree fun

We were looking for a few different things to do for Christmas this year and came across this on the Donna Hay website .... what fun to do this with the kids!

Looking forward to having a go at it with my little one!

From Donna Hay's Style Ideas, Celebrations:

A fun alternative to a traditional tree is to outline one in nails on a board, then run string or wool around the shape and decorate it with these spiced cookies. Full of Christmas flavours – cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice – and sparkling with a dusting of sugar, they make a delicious change from the usual decorations. Roll the dough a little thicker than normal, pierce a hole at the top with a skewer (to loop with strong thread or pretty ribbon) and cook for a little longer than usual at a lower temperature to make sure the cookies fully dry out.

To see more styling tips, please visit Donna Hay http://www.donnahay.com.au/index.htm

Image: Christmas Tree, Donna Hay

Text: Style Ideas, Donna Hay

Around the corner

Working away ... feeling a little behind with the new book ... focusing on getting it back to where I'd like it to be next week ...

Christmas and the Holiday season is definitely upon us as we jump straight into December, finishing up the school year, Christmas concerts, tree decorations .... all the fun things that make us smile!

Image: Heidi Tree with sparkles; unknown

Just keep swimming

Today I feel like Dora from Finding Nemo as I chant "Just keep swimming Just keep swimming" over and over to myself...

A hectic few weeks ... strange things happening ... sad things happening ... writing writing and some more writing is what I feel my soul needs...

"Just Keep Swimming Just Keep Swimming"

Image: via free wallpapers

Do what makes you smile

Do what makes

you happy

Be with who

makes you smile

Laugh as much

as you breathe

Love as long as

you live

~Anonymous

Image: unknown

Smile & Dance

Enjoy the beautiful weather, time with your family and friends and have a lovely weekend!

Image: Sunshine - unknown

Beautiful Berrima

The old Bakery in Berrima ... such a beautiful historic town

One of the many gorgeous garden paths throughout the town

Wishing all a wonderful weekend xx

Am working away at making it become a reality!

Thank you Dr Martin Luther King for your inspiration .... you inspire many to this day!

Love this image of Hunt & Gather in Vancouver..

Image via this Wall Street Journal article ~ interesting concepts and make sense to me;

Thoughts?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122956327447316785.html

Enjoy your day!

New York ... no other place like it

New York city is one of my favourite places in the world. I have visited this beautiful city many times and always long to go back...

I love the hustle and bustle and the style that just is New York.

It's the sort of place that you just feel your energy levels rise as soon as you hit the sidewalk ... the amazing stores tucked into little streets here and there, the food is just fabulous and

well the fashion is everything and more!

The words from the Jay-Z song "New York, the place will make you feel brand new, there's nothing you can't do" are so true.

One of my favourite spots is Bryant Park in the winter where you can watch everyone ice skate whilst sipping yummy hot chocolate... I still remember having my birthday there back in 2006 with my husband and my little guy who was only 10mths back then... we had the most wonderful time all snuggy in to our hats, scarves and gloves... bliss!

I LOVE you NY xx

Images: Interior Retail Stalls, Washington Market NY 1917 via New York Word-Telegram & Sun Newspaper Collection

YSL Vintage Window display via Treehugger.com

Bryant Park via 39andbroadway.com

Dance of Youth

"Every Child is an Artist

the problem is

how to remain

an Artist when he

Grows Up! "

Pablo Picasso

Image: The Dance of Youth, Pablo Picasso

No records yet ...

I have been researching and looking for any information that might be around that wasn't destroyed during or after the war with the hope that I may just come across a name, a place... something, anything that relates to my Grandfather or his family.

Unfortunately still nothing... makes me a little sad that I can't find any type of information... I have always hoped that there would be something that I could use as a starting point for the search.

I will not give up just yet... I will continue looking around, reading, researching, sending emails to different organisations - I hope with all my heart that I might come across a little piece of information that will open up a door to something more.

xx

Image: Sending the Sunset,Prozac1 http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=732

Quick Hello!

Such a busy week!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and inspirational week xx

Happy Weekend

Enjoy your weekend where ever you are!

Smile

Sing

Dance

Imagine

Explore

Laugh

Just be and be happy xx

Image via: http://16sparrows.typepad.com/16sparrows/2009/01/free-vintage-knitting-patterns.html

Vintage Letters

I have been on the search for a little while now for a vintage letter 'E' for my little guy's room...

He loves the idea of having his very own E and we have been doing some research on the net and via online stores, it's been fun.

The thing is that we can find every other letter in the world but not an E .... so amazing! We've found E's in lots of words ... so our little treasure hunt continues....

Fun findings xx

Image: http://www.antiquaireonline.com/?p=4496

Smiles, Hugs & Adventures

My little guy has been away visiting and spending some very precious time with my parents over the school holidays...

He loves them to bits and they of course love him to bits right back!

They have had so much fun together, playing with lego and building grand things, playing outside in the sunshine, watching movies together and sharing words of wisdom... My little guy told me when I picked him up that "Did you know mummy? Pa knows everything!!! He is sooo clever!"

Hearing about their little adventures makes my heart sing. I love that they get to spend this special time together.

I also love the huge hugs and smiles that I get when I pick up my little one - priceless xx

Sunshine come back!

Our Spring started with a beautiful burst of colour and has now gone away again....

These very lovely flowers are Frangipanis and today I found out that they were the national flower of Vanuatu.

A hint of sunshine, summer & fun until ours returns xx

A lazy afternoon

A lazy afternoon .....

Listening to some jazz music and dreaming of cupcakes....

Enjoy your Sunday!

A book is born!

Finally after many years of working on it and pulling it all together ... I published my first ever book.

I have to say that is an amazing feeling, albeit a little scary at first, to see everything look like it should or better than you had originally expected when you started this journey of making a book for others to read.

A friend said to me today that it must have been like showing off your new baby when you did the book signing, and to be honest, I hadn't thought about it that way prior to her comment.... but yes that is such a great way to capture the essence of those feelings... a very proud moment indeed!

Enjoy your weekend xx

Image: me

Shoe Heaven!

It's no secret that I have a love of shoes... perhaps an obsession with them!

Christian Louboutin has opened his very gorgeous shoe parlour in Selfridges in London.... I would love to peruse these pieces of art!

Enjoy your day xx

Image: Christian Louboutin, Selfridges London

Spring into Flowers

It was the most gorgeous day here on Sunday and we ventured out to visit a Tulip farm situated just outside of Canberra in a little place called the Hidden Valley.

From the Highway you would have no idea just how beautiful this place is...

You walk through the gates and down a little lane that has Flowering Pear trees down the middle, over a very quaint wooden bridge that takes you across the stream and into another world of flowering trees and gardens - the word stunning is just not enough to describe the amazing site of flowers and colour everywhere you look!

We spent the afternoon wandering through the grounds, going up the hill to look out over the valley, had some very yummy dutch pancakes to celebrate "Dutch Pancake Day".... how could you not celebrate that?!

We all had a fabulous Spring day xx

Images: me

Vera Wang Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection

The new Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection by Vera Wang is so stunning! Whilst looking through the photos today, I feel in love with so many of the pieces.... so elegant and sophisticated!

Generally I will tend to go with very similar pieces, garments with a hint of Japanese influence will always catch my eye - which happened with a few of these pieces.

However this dress, the "Grey Cupro Jersey dress with twisting pleats and sheer organza back drape" is just so gorgeous! The detail is amazing and I love the way the fabric looks so effortless with the pleating.

Definitely on my wish list! xx

Kitchen bits and pieces

We are in the process of looking for some new bits and pieces for our kitchen especially now as my dear husband "cooked" our stovetop kettle to a point of no return.... I really loved my blue heavy based kettle....

In looking at what we need and what we'd like, I came across the very cool looking blender from KitchenAid. Love Love Love the colour and found out that they did have a matching Food Processor which has now sold out..

I like to have things that match ... yes, I admit that I am a little OCD and feel the need to have things colour co-ordinated and matching - for me it really is a necessity!!

Anyway, enough about my OCD! Looking for new kitchen bits and pieces is fun and I am out and about searching for some quirky things.

Enjoy your weekend xx

Celebration time!

Saturday was a wonderful day!

We launched our client's label at a High Tea & Fashion parade on a gorgeous spring day... everything was perfect... the weather, the flowers, the parade went smoothly, the Jazz was Divine and the food delicious!!

I also launched my latest Spring/Summer collection and my little ones looked so cool .... all was fantastic!

So grateful for the wonderful women that I worked with in pulling this all together - appreciate their talent, their drive and their passion.

My book also made its first public appearance and Wow! is all I can say... there are really no words that can express that feeling from deep in your heart when you see your book out there and some one you don't know loves it enough to purchase it!

Blessed and Grateful xx

Emerald

I love the colour emerald .... I think that I feel in love with it when I was a little girl watching the Wizard of Oz...

I wanted to live in that beautiful Emerald City with the horse that changed colour and everyone was sooo happy, singing and dancing!

Over the years I tend to gravitate back to greens and the various tones of green. I find that green makes me feel energized and ready to go. Funny isn't it how much influence colours have on our moods and in particular how they can change the outlook of your day?!

This image is via the ColourLovers blog post, and was put together by Olan, an Interior Designer based in New Jersery. To read here blog about the colour Emerald and others, please visit:



http://www.colourlovers.com/home/blog/2010/09/04/interior-design-trends-emerald

Enjoy xx

Beautiful Embroidery

This dress is amazing... silk embroidery onto leather!

The level of detail and workmanship in this dress is beautiful... such talent

Dress by Christopher Kane

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yournextshoes.com%2FChristopher-Kane-Silk-Embroidery&h=ca844

Thinking of you....

Thoughts and prayers are with our family and friends in the US on this day of remembrance.

Peace and Love to all on this day, our hearts are with today and always.

xx

Kate Spade

Such a gorgeous piece... reminds of something Egyptian

Kate Spade's Palace of Mirrors bid necklace is just so pretty!!

Enjoy your weekend xx

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.katespade.com%2Fproduct%2Findex.jsp%3FproductId%3D4311907&h=5273c

Warm Weather

Beautiful beaches.... love that the weather is warming up .... bbq's, fun in the sun, laughter and lots of smiles

Eat Pray Love

I read this book at the beginning of the year ... I needed to regroup ... to find some missing pieces and was drawn to this book.

I had wanted to buy it for awhile, however kept putting it off and then I received it as a gift for Christmas ... Smiles

I felt so connected to the journey as I had been in a previous relationship that ended in divorce ... it was not a healthy or happy relationship for me ... and I too had to find my way out of the dark tunnel and through to the other side.

It took some time .... some forks .... some detours ... lots of tears and heartache ... even though at the time I pretended that all was ok .... it was my choice ... it was the right decision for me ...

My life is now my life and I am happy

Happy Father's Day

My Muchkin & his Daddy - I Love my Daddy! xo

No words

No words needed today ......

Family and Friends

A really lovely weekend with family and friends ....

The sharing of a fabulous meal around a table and listening to all the different conversations that were talking place... the laughter and the welcoming of all to be involved...

and of course .... dessert was fantastic!!

Hope you had a lovely weekend and enjoyed it with your friends and family

Blessed to have such wonderful friends xx

Happy

Have had such a busy day working with a client who is launching her new fashion label soon... so exciting seeing her come into her own as we work through all that needs to be done for the launch.

Love her passion and her self-belief.... it's such a beautiful thing to watch when you see someone who loves what they do really shine as they start to live their dream..

Happiness is all around!

Enjoy your weekend xx

Image: Dancing on the Street - Vanessa

A bump

Today I have my little one home with me as he had a fall at school yesterday which resulted in him splitting his head open right above his eye.... very lucky that it was above the eyebrow and not under..

This is our first serious accident and it was the first time that we have ever received a phone call from the school in the middle of the day...

When I received the call that he had been hurt my heart went straight to throat and it was beating like a drum while I waited to hear what had happened... all the time thinking "how bad is it?!"

Lots of blood and tears however big hugs when Daddy picked him up, clean him up and made him feel safe and "huggy" again

I'm sure that this won't be the last time as we have many more years of school and things that he will be doing..... the first time is always a little hard especially when you are not there to comfort your baby in the first instance.

A land of Red

Researching a new project that I started working on this week I found these amazing photos on the National Geographic website....

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My project is all about the Evolution of Nature and Natural Wonders incorporating Earth Reds and Burnt Oranges

.

I love stripping back the layers of my work, take a step back and look around at the beautiful things our earth has to offer.

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These photographers capture the essences of nature and our world perfectly and I thank them for sharing them with all of us!

.

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Images: Sea Oats, Saxis Virginia Photographer; Medford Taylor

Child's Shadow, Welkom South Africa Photographer; Chris Johns

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Visit the National Geographic website here: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

Lots of Thinking

Today there is lots of thinking, contemplating and trying to understand the "why" with some things....

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Many wonderful opportunities have presented themselves over the past few weeks.

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Many wonderful experiences have been had with beautiful new friends, old friends and family.

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Trying not to question or focus on the sad things and the things that hit you unexpectedly from the side as you are smiling...

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Lots of thinking.....

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Image: Bench Thinking Photographer: Unknown

Beautiful Day

Although the rain is falling, today is a Beautiful Day!

I am so grateful for the wonderful things in my life and the amazing opportunities that have come my way.

Blessed!

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Springing into Spring!

This morning our cherry blossom trees have an abundance of buds on them and look like they are ready to burst into flower!

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I love spring! I love the freshness of the days, beautiful flowers and the slow but steady warming of the days...

The promise of long lazy lunches, walks by the lake and stopping for an icecream, picnics and afternoons at the park!

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What a beautiful time of year xx

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Image: me