A Dream House for Trish

Theres been a crash!

2012-02-13T12:40:00.000+11:00

A crash of the technology kind!!!

My laptop has crashed, so I am sneaking a turn on someone else's right now just to let you know...

I am temporarily

OUT OF ORDER.

My laptop died about 10 days ago now. She was 8 yrs old( which is a dinosaur in the computer world) We have spent lots of hours together over the years, especially since I discovered blogging.

I feel like I have lost my best friend, luckily she can be replaced, Shhhhh, don't tell her, he he he!!!

The lovely people from Dell will send something my way ASAP, thanks to the dream guy & his credit card.

I will be sure to drop by & introduce my new peacock blue bestie in the very near future.

AAAHHHH, she is going to be sooooo much faster than the old girl..

Im so excited

YAY!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

P.S Sorry for the lack of pics, guys just don't keep pretty inspiration files!

One month down

2012-01-28T10:23:00.000+11:00

Well its the end of January already, all major celebrations are over, the school holidays are ending & most new years resolutions will have been forgotten...

OR HAVE THEY!!!!

Not for me, Im still powering on...full steam ahead I say....

Look I will show you!

Here we are at Week 4 over at

Family volley

& the challenge this week was "Daily Routine" & although this isn't exactly my daily routine, it is my goal to make it just that.

How often do you exercise?

I have done some form of exercise 3 x a week for the month of January, but I plan to step it up to 4-5 x a week in Feb.

Just gotta improve my diet & i will be a "yummy mummy" before I know it!!

I am really pleased that I have stuck with it so far...remember one of my goals was to exercise consistently...so....one month down....eleven to go!!!

One of my other goals was to get more creative & of course skillful with my camera.

These photo challenges have been very motivating. Having a theme to prompt you each week really does get you thinking & I have to say, I am really enjoying it so far....it's not to late to join in if its something you have been thinking about. You don't have to have a fancy camera or any great skills, some even just use their iPhone.

I find I have really taken a lot more notice of what goes on around me & how we live as a family because of these challenges & I think that's the part of I am enjoying most!!!

The theme this week over at

Life with my 3boybarians

was "Self portrait"

& seen as though we celebrated Australia Day this week I thought it would be the best time to take a mug shot of me!

We have an annual BBQ with family & friends.

We have the same core group of people at the party, all people from our old home town, that have also relocated here to The Hunter Valley & we try to have someone different from that group host the BBQ each year &then they invite a few extras from their circle of friends.

This year was at my sisters house, you all know Erin from her blog

Life...Style'n

I am hoping its my turn again next year, I do love having a good excuse for some decorating!!!

It is always a fantastic day with lots of fun food & games, like back yard cricket & of course your Aussie themed hats, glasses & any other accessories you can get your hands on...

My family refused to pose for a photo & this is all I got from dream child no4.

I hope all of my fellow Aussies enjoyed some great Australia Day festivities.

Have a great weekend everyone!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Stunning Study Nook

2012-01-27T14:57:00.000+11:00

Ok I think this space speaks for itself...

Image via Diary of a Renovation

What a fantastic use of space & a great way to finish off the underneath of a staircase.

I could see myself happily blogging away in this little study nook...

How about you?

Happy friday everyone!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Lounging around in luxury

2012-01-24T09:43:00.000+11:00

Image via cottage & vine

I love to see beautiful white chairs & sofas.

They look fantastic in this ink blue room don't you think?

Image via Decorpad

I am assuming this lovely chair is in a bedroom being located near that gorgeous mirrored dresser.

I can only imagine how glamorous the rest of the room must be. I expect it is very formal due to the symmetry in the lamps & the grouping of art on the wall, but I think it would be a rather romantic space as well looking at the pretty mirror over the dresser.

How does your imagination recreate the rest of this room?

I am visualising a tufted bed head & plush white bedding!

Image via Decorpad

I dream of one day owning an ottoman like this one, only not in white.

My family & white would never work well together, he he he!!!

I certainly wouldn't say I lounge in luxury but were not to shabby here either.

Oh that's right, I am not meant to be lounging at all, I am meant to be exercising.

Catch you all later.

I am off to honour my new years goal to exercise consistently.

So far, so good.

I have been working out 3 x a week & next week I plan to up the ante to 4 x a week.

I will be a yummy mummy before we know it.

YAY!!!!

How are you going with your goals, are you still on track?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

My week

2012-01-22T09:55:00.000+11:00

I have been a slack blogger this week & with NO real excuse other than I just didn't get around to it.

I have however taken the photo's for the two weekly photography challenges I have been participating in & I have also been staying true to my other new years goal of exercising consistently.

Now the theme for week 3's photo challenge over at

Family Volley

is "hands"

The whole idea of this 52 week challenge is to slow down & notice the everyday things around you, so I chose to photograph Dream child No4's hands

She starts school in 10 days time & I am all to aware of how quickly she is growing up...

all those little dimples that she has instead of knuckles will disappear & her hands will transform into big kid hands, just like the rest of her body. She has really slimmed down & sprouted up this past year, she has lost all of that cute baby pudge that I love...

We call her our little "merbaby" because she will swim ALL day if you let her...

gotta love those dimples!

I really will miss hanging out with my little best friend all day, everyday, but I know she is just going to luuuurve school, she really is a little sponge, she uses words like "brilliant, fabulous, wonderful, awesome & delicious" in her everyday conversation & its so cute. I can't wait until she can write a story with this large vocabulary, I think it will be "Fabulous!"

Now the theme for week 3 over at Life with my 3 boybarians is

"I dreamed a dream"

I found this one rather difficult, which is why its called a challenge, he he he.

I have many dreams, first & foremost obviously to build a house, but, how DO you photograph these things?

One dream I do have is to eventually travel.

I would love to travel around Australia first, you know, see my own back yard.

Australia has so many incredibly beautiful places to explore...

Once my kids are all older I would really love to travel overseas as well.

I want to see some of the iconic cities of the world, like New York, Paris & London.

I would like to experience Gallipoli on Anzac Day&I would also like to learn to scuba dive enabling me take in some tropical island underwater scenery.

So what better way to capture this dream than with a world globe & a destination sign.

Do you have a fabulous dream?

Could you photograph it?

Have a wonderful week everyone!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Building update

2012-01-14T08:47:00.000+11:00

Well there has been some building going on alright, just not in the form of a house.....

Its a fence

It's progress...

We still haven't had any luck selling our old house, so no start date for the dream house yet. That's ok cause there is still plenty of work to go on the fence,

& there are more retaining walls to build,

as well as more driveway to concrete.

Now I am linking this post up to week 2 at

Life with my 3 boybarians

This weeks theme is

"Made with love"

Now technically the fence did start out being made with love, but.... now I think its been thought more of as back breaking, time consuming & never ending!!!!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Favourite shoes

2012-01-12T12:43:00.000+11:00

Well its week 2 of the photo challenge over at

Family Volley

This weeks theme

"Favourite shoes"

Ha!!!! Who doesn't have a favourite pair of shoes!!!

Now I have 3 daughters & we are all big fans of a little bit if "bling", so I couldn't resist these sparkly little peep toe stiletto's

I actually purchased them to wear to my eldest daughters Yr 12 graduation formal(Prom) & that's how they became my favourites, because I think of her every time I wear them.

She really loves these shoes as well.

Mind you I don't think she would ever be able to choose a favourite shoe, as she has a little bit of a shoe obsession.

I think she inherited it from my sister Erin from

Life...Style'n

Erin is also doing the photo challenge so I can't wait to see if she can choose just ONE pair of shoes for her pic!!!

Ah the anguish it will cause her, he he he!

How about you, do you have a serious shoe obsession or are you more of a practical girl like me, I like to admire, but then move on!!!

Or perhaps Im just to poor to indulge, no no, I will call myself practical, it makes me sound much more grown up, he he he!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A place to ponder

2012-01-08T23:00:00.000+11:00

The weather this past week has been fantastic providing us with lots of outdoors time.

You just have to love an Aussie summer.

image via home-designing.com

Wouldn't it be lovely to have a daybed like this to just sit & ponder where 2012 will take you!!

A beautiful verandah with a glorious view....Ahhhhh the tranquility!!!

Have a great week everyone & Thank you for all of your fabulous comments, I really do love to hear from you!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Project Resolution

2012-01-06T20:03:00.002+11:00

I prefer to call them goals rather than resolutions, I feel like it gives me a better chance at succeeding...crazy I know!!!

Can you guess what this goal is going to be?

Ah yes, you are close.....

My goal is to be

CONSISTENT!

If I am consistent with my exercise program, eventually I will build my fitness & strength & eventually I will loose a few kilograms & eventually I will get back to being a Yummy Mummy....yes that's right, I was once an awesomely fit healthy & super toned mum, but, unfortunately I let it all go & joined the land of the flabby sloths...bummer.... it really does hurt when you have to get fit again!!!!!

I am also continuing on with my goal to be a fabulous & creative photographer so I am joining

Darcy from Life with My 3 Boybarians in her project 52

This weeks theme is "Resolution"

Do you make resolutions or set goals?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Self Portrait

2012-01-04T09:37:00.002+11:00

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Did you have a lovely evening seeing in the New Year?

We celebrated by having a mini street party with several of the neighbors & it was a really great night, the kids had a ball!!

My self portrait!

I have set myself lots of goals for 2012 & one of those goals is to improve my photography, not just my technical skills but also my creativity.

To do this I am going to attempt to take a photo a day....Don't worry I wont post every single one of them, but, I am joining up with two other bloggers to post one photo a week.

On Wednesdays I will be joining in with

Heather from Family Volley

for her 2012 Photo Challenge.

This weeks theme is

"Self Portrait"

Its going to be a fun challenge, you should come & join us!

I have a few other goals for 2012 that I will share with you as we go along, I don't wont to bore you with all of this me, me, me talk...... not all at once any way, ha ha ha!!!

What are your goals for 2012?

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Awards

2011-12-30T00:07:00.000+11:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful christmas & is enjoying the post christmas relief that I'm feeling right now.

My family where all very happy with their gifts, so I did well this year...YAY!!

We also had a fantastic christmas day with family & friends, we ate great food, played crazy games & just had an all round relaxed day, with lots of laughs to go with it!!

How was your chrissy this year?

Now I have also been rather privileged of late & proudly accepted a couple of blog awards from two of my favourite bloggers.

The first is The versatile bloggers award & it requires me to share 7 things about Christmas with you!!

I know, I know, I am a little late...

The very talented cake decorating Katena from
Taylor Made Baking

has honoured me with this award so pop by & say Hi to her if you haven't already. Be prepared to drool on your keyboard when you see some of her home baked goodies.

I thought I would share a few of my crazy Christmas secrets

1. I am obsessed with how my Christmas tree looks, it MUST be colour co ordinated with my gift wrapping. I let the kids help decorate & then once they are over it, I move everything until I feel like its perfect..... he he he!!

Everyone thought the tree in the last post was mine, but alas here is the real dream house tree, LOL!!

2. My son asked why I always get to choose the colour scheme for the tree & expressed his desire to take on this role next year. I happily agreed to this & silently prayed that I could have 2 tree's next year...his tree & MY tree. Obsessed....never!!!

3. I get so excited by the thought of my kids opening their presents on Christmas morning that I can't sleep. I am usually so tired on Chrissy day that I feel sick & never enjoy the food!!!

This year was a little different though as my kids slept in until 8:30am, are we the luckiest parents on the planet or what!

4.My husband & I rarely exchange gifts, we leave it all for the kids.

5. This year I almost managed to resist the temptation to go back to the shops & add little extras to my gifts.I was so proud of myself until we discovered on christmas eve that Harvey Norman where offering a huge discount on the Xbox 360 game consoles, we have one that no longer works so we decided to replace it & use it as an extra christmas gift. Needless to say we have the happiest son on the planet, but I did feel we went a little overboard.

6.I love that we get to enjoy the company of our family & friends, I can't imagine how lonely it would feel to not be lucky enough to enjoy this privilege.

7. I love boxing day, I get to sleep in, eat leftovers & the kids never complain of boredom, definately a relaxing day!!!

The next part of the award is for me to pass it on to four more bloggers!

I have left it a little late to pass this one on, so I hope you all had a merry Christmas.

I think everyone should take this award!!!

xxx

I hope you have enjoyed my pics of my chrissy decos!

Now I have been a little slow off the mark to post about this award & I didn't realize that my followers have snuck over the 200 mark. I was so proud to see I have over 200 friends YAY!!!!

The beautiful Mimi from

At home with Sam & I

has passed this along to me & here is what she had to say about the Liebster award.

Liebster is a German word meaning "dearest" and the award is given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. The award has a few stipulations:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it you.
2. Reveal your five blogger picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that people you have sent the award to forward it on to their favourite bloggers.

So first & foremost a huge thank you to the beautiful Mimi for honoring me with this lovely award

xxx
Now to pass it on to just 5 bloggers is proving to be very difficult as I love literally hundreds, in fact I dont post as often as I should because I am to busy blog stalking to take the time out to write, he he he!!!!

Any way the award must go on so here are five lovely blogs that I think everyone should stalk...
Style at Home

B is building a house

Melli's Designs

Two beaches and a lake

Ledamae Design

Be sure to pop on by & say Hi to these lovely bloggers if you haven't already.

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T23:13:00.002+11:00

I thought a tree full of clocks was appropriate this year, seen as though I have to count down the sleeps until Santa's arrives, with my 4yr old!

Have a fabulous Christmas everyone & thank you all so much for a very inspirational year. I cant wait to see what everyone gets up to in 2012!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Slow down Santa...Slow down

2011-12-07T21:39:00.001+11:00

Does anyone else fell a little overwhelmed by how quickly Christmas is speeding towards us.

I am actually almost done with my gift shopping, my tree is all decorated & looking fabulous.

I have all of my gift wrap & ribbons ready to go!

The christmas day celebrations will be at my brothers house, so minimum thought or effort is required by me for the day.

Are you hosting the festivities this year or do you get to put your feet up & enjoy someone elses hospitality?

Why do I feel like this little Santa in the above pic???

I feel life needs to slow down, just a tad!

The past month has brought about so much change in our lives, all positive but hectic all the same.

Seeing my older 2 children instantly transform into adults has thrown me a curveball I was expecting them to do this, one at a time, with 2 years between them.They both have full time jobs, dreamchild no1 has moved out & is living 4 hours away at her fathers house. She is really happy & earning great money& with only 7 more days to wait to get the results from her higher school certificate exams, fingers crossed she gets the mark she needs to get into University.

These are pics from her Year 12 formal (Prom)

Time to cut the apron strings Trishy & accept these babies are grown ups!!!!

How about you, do you think 2011 could do with an extra few weeks or will you be glad to see the back of it & start fresh for 2012???

CHEERS

Trish xxx

P.S I will post some pics of my tree soon, I have been enjoying seeing all of your amazing Xmas decor!

Table scaping

2011-11-29T11:05:00.000+11:00

I had to share this beautiful dining room table scape with you.

dining room design by Chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

There are so many different elements at play here, I guess you would say its an eclectic take on a traditional style

design by Chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

I love glass & silver teamed with timber.

Chandeliers always make me swoon!!!!

A simple floral arrangement is something I would like to master.

The colour scheme is very warm & inviting.

A rather relaxed take on what I imagine to be the formal dining space.

What do you think, love it or hate it????

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Spaces to love

2011-11-22T16:25:00.000+11:00

I have had these images saved to my drafts for a while now & thought I should share them with you.

Prepare yourself for some divine eye candy!!!!

living room design by Toronto interior designer Jennifer Brouwer

I am seriously loving this look. I am hoping we can afford to put timber floors in the dream house & then I will work towards talking the dream guy into painting the internal doors black, I don't like my chances though, its a little to out of the ordinary for him I think!!!

closet design by Toronto interior designer Jennifer Brouwer

Is this the most incredible wardrobe you have ever seen? I love the mirror doors...

contemporary kitchen design by San Francisco architect Mahoney Architects & Interiors

A beautiful room with a tranquil view...

traditional family room design by Detroit home staging The Yellow Cape Cod

There are those black doors again, not to mention that stunning wing chair, don't you just love it?

traditional staircase design by Seattle general contractor Logan's Hammer Building & Renovation

and here we have a great little study nook atop a very lovely stair case...

& do I spy another black door?

traditional entry design by San Francisco architect Gast Architects

traditional exterior design by San Francisco architect Gast Architects

Whats not to love?

I especially fancy those stone walls...

traditional living room design by San Francisco architect Gast Architects

The same stone repeated on the fireplace...I am all for continuity,

inside & out

contemporary kitchen design by Minneapolis architect Charlie Simmons - Charlie & Co. Design

As you may know I am a little obsessed with white kitchens so it would be NO surprise to see one in this post.

Isn't she pretty!!!

contemporary kitchen design by Minneapolis architect Charlie Simmons - Charlie & Co. Design

Fabulous!!!!!

traditional bathroom design by San Francisco general contractor Dijeau Poage Construction

I'm just going to put my feet up here on this little window seat & dream for a while, the kids will never think to look for me here..

He He He !!!

Which one was you favourite?

Now I know the beautiful wardrobe/closet is naturally every ones first choice, especially if it came full of designer clothes, bags & shoes,

Sooo

I will let you have a second choice....

Oh & what do you think of the black doors, have you, or would you, be daring enough to paint your doors black?

Have a tremendous week everyone!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A blue christmas

2011-11-13T10:10:00.001+11:00

I have finally settled on a theme for this years Christmas tree

I'm calling it

"Glitter & Ice"

as its going to be blue silver & white!!!

Here is what has me inspired this year!

source Decorating Ideas

source She Knows

Love the co ordinated wrapping, I will be seeking out some fabulous paper & ribbon.

Do you like to wrap your gifts to match your tree or do you just get an array of christmas gift wraps & go for it?

source House of Turquoise

Im wishing for a fireplace so I could decortae a mantel!!!

I am thinking I might sew a tree skirt to dress things up a little, this one looks kind a pretty don't you think?

I am seriously in love with this one, I think I could adapt it to my colour scheme. I would need to whip up some of those cute cushions & perhaps a fur stocking.... or 4...one for each offspring :)

Notice how I say "whip up" like I am some sort of cushion sewing pro, ha ha ha, Im sure it will be a long winded task with all of the interruptions one faces with children & a husband, but do able all the same!!!

Above images all from Pinterest

Now i am not hosting Christmas lunch this year, we are heading to my brothers house, but if I was I think I would want my table to look like this one.

Ooh, I have a sudden urge to have an Xmas dinner party......

Happy decorating everyone!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A working Class Girl

2011-11-10T16:54:00.001+11:00

Hey Ya'll

Long time no post!!

I have been a little slack in the blogging arena over the past week or so, very little computer time at all really.

There are so many things going on in my life at the moment & its all rather positive stuff.

First up

I have literally fallen back into the work force. After almost 3 years as a stay at home domestic goddess/family slave, LOL, I have stumbled into the most perfect hairdressing job on the planet. In case you didn't know I have been a hairdresser for the past 24 years with a few brief breaks in between babies.

I am working one day a week at the moment & only doing school hours which means I don't need any after school care or long day care for my kids. In the new year once my little one goes to "big school" I will take on an extra couple of days, but still only school hours. I can't believe my luck.

This story gets better though, the shopping centre that the salon is in, is located right next door to the school I will be sending my 2 little kids to next year...total convenience!!!!

Secondly

Dream child no2 has been successful in securing herself a hairdressing apprenticeship. She finishes her final exam on Friday for her school certificate & starts her hairdressing career on Saturday.

No time like the present hey!!

Once again there is a fantastic convenience factor to this story, its at the same salon I work at. We obtained the jobs independently of one another, I hadn't even started working there when she was selected for the position.

I have to say I am very very proud of her as she was the youngest applicant for the job & over 100 people applied for the position.

She will be able to do my hair soon...YAY!!!!

Thirdly

My little one goes to big school next year & had her first kindergarten orientation this week. She went off without even an inkling of hesitation & was so happy when I picked her.I am wrapped to know she is going to settle in so easily.

I am transferring my son to the same school next year to start Yr 4 & he also had an orientation day this week.He had such a fantastic time & has already planned to join the drum classes, gymnastics squad & the gardening group. He made new friends in the first hour & we came home with phone numbers to organise play dates.

Its great to see your kids with big smiles even though you are changing their world in such a major way.I have to say, this new school really is lovely, with so many extra curricular activities to choose from, how could they not be happy.

Lastly

I'm in the middle of baking a mud cake for my fabulous dads birthday, chocolate mud cake, wheat & dairy free of course, but delicious beyond belief.

Now as a good daughter I could never reveal his age, but like every girl I have to say he is definitely the "bestest" dad a girl could ever have. We do like to keep him on a pedestal and in my 40 years of life he has never fallen off it...not even once.

Happy birthday Dad xxx

Now enough raving about my currently happy world, what have you all been up to lately?

Has anyone started preparing for Xmas yet, its definitely creeping up fast!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

News Update

2011-11-01T00:48:00.001+11:00

So much to tell & its all good!!!

The local council have approved our development application to build our house

YAHOOOO!!!

Now we just need to sell a house to raise some cash...I am sending many positive sale thoughts into the universe, hopefully some good news on that front soon!

My little guy turned 9 last week. We had a great pool party as well as a few games of Laser Tag.

I completely forgot to take photos of the yummy treats & this was all that was left of the cake. This is a wheat free, dairy free butter cake with vienna cream frosting. It was a huge hit. I also made jelly cups with 4 different coloured layers & they looked fantastic. I wish I had taken a few pics, oh well!!!

We got into the spirit of Halloween, only after my kids guilted me into it.

These 3 terrors had a blast, my sons friend just had everyone in hysterics. Nobody expects to see a 9yr old boy in pink fairy wings & a tutu. He is a real hoot, this kid, our whole family just loves him to death, tutu & all!!!

I recently did a post about dream child No1 graduating from high school & her plans for the future. You can read about it here if you missed it & I am leaving you confused.

She went for a portfolio interview at Billie Blue Design College & has been accepted to study a Bachelor of design in branded fashion. She is still in the running for their scholarship, she now needs to submit a second lot of her work & wait for the final result.

Fingers & toes crossed she wins the scholarship!!!

She is really excited for this opportunity & has decided this will definitely be the path she follows.

I have still have more news but I think I will save that for another post, I don't want to bombard you with useless tidbits of my life.

Do you have those times where life just feels great?

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week :))

CHEERS

Trish xxx

For the love of an organised space

2011-10-30T16:55:00.001+11:00

Be still my beating heart!!!

This my friends is an office, craft room & laundry all in one & I have to say it is the most incredible space I have seen in a while.

It is the work of American company

Ohara Interiors

You should pop by their website & take a peak, there is so much eye candy.

I think I'm in luuuurrve!!!

Does anyone else have a passion for organisation like this?

Have a lovely, organised, week everyone !!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Feel the serenity

2011-10-25T07:28:00.000+11:00

No words required really...

Image via Coastal Living

Can't you just feel the gentle breeze coming off the water, what a fabulous place to relax.

Feel the serenity my friends!!!

CHEERS

Trish xx

Pottery Barn mirror & dream house update

2011-10-20T09:26:00.000+11:00

In my last post, as you know, I was dreaming about this fabulous mirror from Pottery Barn & wondering had anybody seen something like this available here in Australia

would I have to go to the expense of having it sent out from the US, if I really really wanted it in my dream home.

Well, the wonderful land of blogging truly is a valuable resource & the very helpful & ultra stylish Melinda from

Georgica Pond

Melinda is mid way thru a major renovation of her own home & I really love her style. She has some really great ideas & always gives me lots of inspiration.

She is also a super sleuth when it comes to researching & finding just the right decorator items to get the finish she is after.

If you haven't seen her lovely blog you really should pop over & take a peek!!!

Any way Melinda found a similar mirror at

Recollections

for a mere $59.

Now I am fortunate enough that Recollections have a Newcastle store which is only a 40 minute drive from my home so I will be able to go check this baby out in person. What a great excuse for a little shopping trip.

I don't know about you but I am always a little fearful of ordering something online....will it look as good in real life as it does in the image.

Image via Rehkamp Larson Architecture

Image via Alamode

These are my ensuite inspiration images, the second one is my all time favourite & is from a movie scene, I just don't recall which movie!

Now the dream house plans are still slowly progressing thru the council building approval department, we had to give them some more information this week, so at least we know our plans are actually being looked at.

Unfortunately we still haven't managed to sell our old house, we have four interested buyers, the only hic cup being that they have to sell their own homes first & the market seems to be at a stand still in Lithgow...

Oh the frustration!!

Mind you there is lots that we can still do leading up to building the actual house. We still need to build a fence down one side & across the front, we have some more retaining walls to go in & we can also continue on with concreting the drive way. When I say "we" I really mean the dream guy, he he he!!

So fingers crossed for council approval on our development application, a house sale in the Blue Mountains.

In the meantime I think I need to take a little trip to Recollections to investigate some mirrors!!

Have a fantastic week everyone & thank you for all of your lovely comments & wonderful, I really do love & appreciate every one of them.

Do you love seeing new comments on your latest post?

I am a little like a small child getting a letter in the post, I can't wait to see what it says!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

2011-10-13T21:16:00.001+11:00

I just love these oval mirrors from

Pottery Barn

Its called the Sussex Pivot Mirror and is $261 plus shipping of course which is another $96.

Now I do believe that this is still a reasonable price for what it is, as I have found mirrors can be rather pricey here in Australia,

BUT....

If anyone has seen something similar in our lovely country I would love to know about it. After all it is better to shop locally & keep Aussies in jobs!

It is nice however to see we are able to get things shipped here from Pottery Barn,things that just aren't available here. I fall in love with so many things that I see on some of my favourite US blogs that come from this store.

How about you, do you lust after American decor?

Do you have any hot Aussie mirror tips for me?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Problem solved

2011-10-04T22:36:00.000+11:00

Thank you all of my lovely commenter's who gave me some great advice on my inability to leave comments on any blogs.

I have to wonder why you can cruise along problem free & then all of a sudden things just don't work any more. This drives me a little nuts, but I guess each time I experience these inconvenient little glitches, I learn something new in order to fix it!!!

Image via porch light interiors

So the cure was to enable third party cookies.

I did this by clicking on

"TOOLS" up on the tool bar.

Scroll down & select

INTERNET OPTIONS

then

PRIVACY

then push the dial down until it says

"Accept All Cookies"

I use Internet explorer & this has worked for me.

I would love to say I'm off to enjoy this fabulous pool, but....... dreaming is free, he he he!!!!

I am off to check out a few blogs & leave a comment tho....YAY!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Disappearing Comments

2011-10-02T22:37:00.001+11:00

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend.

The weather isn't being particularly kind here, it is supposed to be spring, but it actually feels a lot like winter, it is raining, cold & miserable

I have spent my weekend sewing some new cushions & I will reveal them as soon as they are all complete, it has been fun to do something a little creative!!

Image via Decor Pad

Now I also been popping by every ones blogs this week, but for some reason when I try to leave a comment, as soon as I post it it disappears.

I tried searching for an answer in the google help section but got no joy.

Has this been happening to anyone else?

Does anyone know how to fix it?

Help me please...somebody....I'm not good at remaining silent, LOL!!!!

Here's hoping for some sunshine for the last week of our school holidays & an aswer to my little problem!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Just dreamy window Seats

2011-09-29T22:42:00.001+10:00

I don't know about you but I always fall in love with a room with a built in window seat.

design by San Francisco architect Feldman Architecture, Inc.

I could definately see myself sitting here to read a story to the kids

image via wicker & stitch

You just have to love all of those wonderful cushions

source unknown

Very inviting & cosy

Image via wicker & stitch

OOOHHH!! I think I need a glass of wine whilst I'm relaxing here....

What do you think, is a window seat something you lust after?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

I need some mummy advice...STAT!!!

2011-09-26T10:49:00.001+10:00

As most of you know, but for those who don't, I have 4 children...3 girls & 1 boy.

My little boy will turn 9 yrs old in October I do believe in many ways he is wise beyond his years.

He made a comment to me last night about something I was already troubled about & it has made me sad that he also notices my problem.

He said " Mum, you need to learn how to have FUN !"

Now there is a story behind this issue.

My little man has been a difficult child to manage from birth & I find I am always on guard, just waiting for what is to come next.

He can be downright, rude, cheeky, obnoxious, aggressive just an all round difficult person to deal with & when you get mad with him, he can be completely enraged & so insulted that he will turn the whole situation around & make you feel as though you have committed a crime against him.He will be completely taken over by anger & say awful things to you, just because you said the word NO, but 5 minutes later he can be hugging you & calling you "the best mum in the world."

Earlier this year he was officially diagnosed with ADHD ( attention deficit hyperactive disorder). Now I know that a lot of people believe that this is an over used excuse for poor parenting, but I am here to tell you other wise. There is a huge difference between a kid being naughty & a kid with ADHD. When my little boy came along, I went from being that mum with those beautiful girls that always brought me compliments for their good behaviour & lovely manners to being "THAT MUM, with THAT KID". Life got to the point where if I had to go some where & I had no choice but take my son, I would have to assess what mood he was in first & 90% of the time I just didn't go & the job didn't get done.I just couldn't bare to be humiliated, again. I tend to live most of the time as a single parent due to the fact that my dream guy is generally at work & this make the situation all the more challenging

BUT

There is an upside to this story.

Whilst being assessed by the clinical psychologist he recommended a book for us to read

This book is my new bible. When I first began to read it I cried, it was like the author had been spying on us & even written down our conversations, word for word. After reading this, I knew with out a doubt, that he really did have ADHD

My husband & I where very hesitant to go down the path of sedating him with drugs for the rest of his life, so we have opted to try out alternatives first & with great success.

We have been seeing at Naturopath & bio chemist for the past 4 months & I have to say that the transformation is astounding

He is following a wheat free, dairy free diet, taking homeopathic drops & Chinese herbs specifically designed for him & its like we have a new boy. Don't get me wrong, we have ups & downs, but now its just like regular naughty stuff with regular kid reactions.

His teacher now says he is a pleasure to have in the classroom..YAY!!

Last week we began working with a massage therapist using Kinesiology. He has only had an assessment so far & we are waiting on her report to see what direction we need to take in this department ,but our particular therapist has had some wonderful successes in this area, so here's hoping.

I don't know if anyone of you has a child with this disorder, but I do hope our story can help some one.

(I am capable of being fun, LOL!)

So back to my original problem, can anyone help me learn how to have fun with my now charming, happy & very quick witted little boy?

I do lots of activities to ensure he is entertained & stimulated, I have just lost my way when it comes to actually connect & laugh & play with him, its like I have built a bit of a wall to protect myself & I don't know how to break it down...AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!

I'm sure all of you wise owls with have some very insightful & creative suggestions :0)

CHEERS

Trish xx

Graduation

2011-09-24T10:11:00.001+10:00

WOW!

What an exciting day we had yesterday. My eldest daughter graduated from high school!

I am so very proud of her, she received 3certificates of merit for chemistry, photography & visual arts.

She sang at the ceremony & her photography was used on the program.

Now its time for some serious study so she is ready to sit for her higher school certificate in October.

She is hoping to go to university to study & become a photographic journalist so, as you can imagine this camera is regularly attached to her.

She is an extremely creative soul. She designed & made these dresses. They are all made from coloured garbage bags that she stretched, melted , fused layers & sewed to create her major art work for her HSC(higher school certificate)

She then added some props, trekked off to a beautiful local park & photographed her work.She certainly attracted some curios glances from onlookers & a few small children wanted to eat the giant cupcake!!

These are not her photo's, these are the ones I took whilst stalking her photo shoot.

Her photo's are MUCH better!!!

Her piece is called

"Alice in Reality"

This fabulous model is "Alice"

& here we have "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum"

This is my youngest daughter, she spent most of her day sulking because she just wanted to play on the playground equipment.

I should have gotten a close up of how the dress laced up at the back, it really is quite pretty.

She did a similar thing last year also constructing her costumes from garbage bags

It was titled "Snow white & the lost boys"

For this reason her teachers have recommended her for a scholarship at

Billy Blue College of Design

to study Brand Fashion

So she is having an interview to present her portfolio in a couple of weeks. I imagine there will be a lot of kids in the running, but you never know where life will take you. Will she study fashion or journalism, I guess we will know by Christmas!!!!

So WELL DONE my beautiful clever girl, I can't wait to see what wonderful adventure life takes you on & thank you for being so wonderful!!!

Are any of you going thru this stage in life with your children, are you full of mixed feelings too?

I am excited for what her future holds, but terrified of it at the same time, she is most likely going to have to leave home & go out into the big wide world all by herself, making decisions as an adult, being responsible for her own life, this makes me a little sad :(

BUT

I do think we have provided her with many of the lessons she needs to be ready for this next step in life,

time to cut the apron strings Trishy & let life unfold....eeeeek!!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Bathroom Niche...Take 2

2011-09-18T09:38:00.000+10:00

OOPS!
This is my second attempt at this post, unfortunately the first time around I didn't have any pictures, just HTML.
Sorry if you previously popped in for some eye candy & all you got was text...I have no clue as to why this happened...one of life's little mysteries I suppose.
Unfortunately I only ended up with one pretty picture after all of that, lucky its fabulous!!!

I love the thought of a niche set into the bathroom wall to make way for some shelving. I think its a great way to soften the room.

If you re a neutral colour scheme kind of decorator like myself, then a set of glass shelves is a great place to create a vignette, adding a pop of colour or added textural elements to the room, that is changeable whenever the restyling urge strikes.

You do experience these urges, don't you?

Ha....of course you do!!!!

blue tangerine art

Love love love it!!!

Now I love how these are accessorized, I imagine it would have a nice little inconspicuous light installed to highlight things in the evening.
Now I just have to convince the dream guy, you know, the one that will actually be doing the building, that it is worth his manpower to actually add this into the bathroom.
I can see I will be pushing the friendship A LOT in this house building process!!!

CHEERS
Trish xxx

New blogger in the family

2011-09-12T20:34:00.000+10:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Today I have the pleasure to introduce a new blogger into this ever so friendly blogging community.

Now I am biased as this fabulous new blog has been created by MY little sister Ez(Erin)

This pic is about 2yrs old( don't tell anyone, but she is 11yrs younger than me, so I get to relive my younger years thru her, she is a social butterfly)

Now Ez has been a blog stalker since the day I wrote my first post & has been following many of you this entire time, admiring your talent & enjoying your story We have enjoyed many a glass of wine whilst discussing the hundreds of blogs we follow. I don't know how many times we have said to one another "did you see such & such's post today" LOL, you all know how it goes.

That giant behind her is her fiance, he does have a face!!

Well all of that blog snooping is contagious, so here she is, with her very own blog, telling her very own story & sharing life, as she lives it!!

Life...Style'n

So drop by & say a quick Hi to my gorgeous sister/best friend & follow her story as she plans a wedding, renovates & decorates her home & enjoys her last year in her twenties.There will be parties, fashion, fitness, oh, did I mention parties & a wedding!

Perhaps you will be like me & want to chat with her EVERY day. We talk on the phone, we text & we email pretty much everyday. My dream guy is astounded that we NEVER run out of things to talk about, he he he!!

You will be guaranteed to fall in love with her, she really is rather charming!

CHEERS

Trish xx

Another step forward

2011-09-06T07:34:00.001+10:00

We have made another exciting step forward & have finally been able to submit a development application to our local council & are now eagerly awaiting for approval to build.

This step could take a few weeks OR a few months depending on their work load & this area is currently experiencing a housing boom, so we don't envision that it will be a speedy process!!!

This is an old photo & those shipping containers are no longer there, but basically in the middle of this lovely green patch of grass is where the dream house will go!

These are the sketches of the exterior, the first one is the back of the house the second one is the front & then each side.A little on the small side for decent viewing, I know!!

This is the front of our house, in the centre the door on the left is our entrance & the door on the right is a set of french doors into the formal lounge, there is a blank section of wall between the two that we don't feel is quite right but couldn't find any way around it. We wanted the windows and doors to not sit behind veranda posts. The three posts in the centre section are very large as they support a lot of weight. We will have to put some sort of feature there, like a seat and a nice plant, or something, any suggestions greatly appreciated!

This is the back view

Im not sure if you can see, but only two thirds of the house are double story as it is a sloping block, although the veranda on the left side is still reasonably high.

This is the upstairs floor plan.

We have 3 bedrooms on the left side, 2 bedrooms on the right & living ares in the middle with a large alfresco area off the back.

This is the downstairs area, it is only the garage & one large room with a toilet in the corner . It opens onto a large veranda that sits directly under the upstairs alfresco.

Our plans where done by a guy named Neil Finney & he was really fantastic to deal with. Having recently designed & built his own home, he definitely knows the process of being an owner builder well. Neil has been very helpful with his advice & although we actually designed our own floor plan, he was able to tweak it & offer up a few ideas to make things more efficient or less costly to build, which was great!!

If you are planning a house in the Newcastle, Hunter Valley area of Australia then I would highly recommend you look him up.

ARGUS BUILDING DESIGN

0403 392 484

Let me know what you think !

CHEERS

Trish xxx

P.S I do apologise if some of these plans are a little hard to read, I had to scan them to get them to upload to blogger. I will do close up veiws of some of the rooms as we progress as I will be needing some advice along the way & who better to ask them my clever & oh so stylish bloggy friends!!!

Fashionable friends design inspiration

2011-08-31T22:50:00.000+10:00

Ive been helping a very fashionable friend with some ideas to add some finishing touches to her brand new home.

Source Houzz

She has a very neutral colour scheme & would like to add some pattern & texture to create a stylish, yet relaxed feel to an otherwise modern home.

We are opting for a few feature walls in either paint or wallpaper to give a real WOW factor!!

Source Houzz

Love this pattern...

In the main living area she was looking at a nice green feature wall with a few pops of a deep red as an accent colour. There is a kitchen, dining & lounge area in this space.

Everything else is cream with dark timber furnishings & a wall of large windows to let in tonnes of natural light. It really is beautiful already!!!

Source Ish and Chi

I love these wallpaper swatches framed as art. What a fabulous way to carry a theme through the house!

We talked about a possible feature wall in the bedroom & adding a few extra accessories around the room for some added cosiness.

Source The Lennox

We talked about layer picture frames of different heights & sizes she has a lovely sideboard that sits in a recessed area in the dining space of the room. There is a long narrow window that runs horizontally above it.This side board is a place to display treasured family photographs & by layering with different height & sized frames it creates a connection with the window & keeps the feeling of the space casual.

Downstairs there is a lovely sunny kids activity area, that is an L shaped room. It is also painted & carpeted in neutrals with a light brown sectional. She would love to inject some fun into this room choosing a nice deep red paint for a feature wall behind the couch & one of the small walls to be painted in blackboard paint, to entertain the kids. I think a zebra print rug would add to that sense of fun.

This one comes from Buyster & at a very affordable $203.00 I think a wonderful choice for a kids area.

I suggested adding a few baskets around this room for toy storage & added texture

Source Brabourne Farm

We talked about a picture wall running down her staircase, this one is particularly glamorous don't you think!

Source The DIY show off

I like the relaxed feel of this asymetrical layout as well as the whimsical images!!

At some stage we will head off on a girlie shopping trip, scouring the home wares stores & peruse through some wallpaper books at a local paint store.

Oh how much fun will it be!!!

I really do enjoy playing decorista with friends & I am always very honored to think they would be interested in seeking my advice.

Do you enjoy the opportunity to help your friends to decorate?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A problem solved

2011-08-28T09:35:00.000+10:00

For months now I have had trouble leaving comments on some blogs.

Unless your blog was set up so that your comments where in a pop up window I could not comment.

I would just end up on a never ending loop of signing into google.

I have fixed the problem!!!!!

source The graphics Fairy

When you are sent to the sign in page you will see that you have ticked the box to keep you signed in

WELL

un check that box & problem solved!!!

source Emily A Clarke

Trust me, I AM the most useless girl on the planet when it comes to technology, so this brings me sooooo much relief.

I hope this is of some help to anyone else having troubles...Mmmmmm, perhaps its just me, LOL!!!

source unknown

Anyway, I have some lovely old bloggy friends I need to catch up with & let them know....

I didn't forget you......

I still love you!!!

MWA!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A plan at last

2011-08-21T21:41:00.000+10:00

We finally have plans together & are ready to submit a development application to our local council to actually get this long awaited dream house underway.

source A view on design

We have been working hard on pricing the whole build. We will be sitting down with some kitchen guys in the near future for some quotes on, not just the kitchen, but laundry, bathroom vanities & a few other joinery items I have been dreaming about( some will stay a dream, I have NO doubt, LOL) but this is definitely an area I am most excited about.

I have selected the white goods I would like, giving myself a plan A & plan B, depending on how the budget stacks up. I have prices for carpet, tiles, tilers, blinds, now its just a matter of shopping around on these items for the best deal.

Any recommendation's greatly appreciated.

source Tinkaliscious

We have set budgets for all areas of the house, so far some have come in under budget, but others a little over budget, hopefully this will balance itself out in the end.

source BHG

I will be calling on all of you stylish bloggers to help with some decisions & advice along the way. No doubt I will, at times, bomb bard you with questions??????

source Decorpad

You can be sure it will be a very long & drawn out process as we are doing this as owner/builders, whilst the dream guy maintains the all important income source, that we refer to as his day job.

I will be the full time wife, mum, cleaning lady & trades assistant. Apparently I'm not allowed to paint any tools pink & claim them as my own....some men are NO fun ;)

source The Lennox

My dream guy is rather clever with his hands,so we will be hiring very few trades to help along the way, although this saves money it will no doubt take A LOT longer to complete the build.

I am guessing that the whole journey will be the ULTIMATE test on our relationship, we are currently great mates,but we do have very different ideas of how this place should look.

Originally the plan was that I had total control over the choices involving color scheme & how the inside looked. My dream guy was to have total control over landscaping & his man cave(shed).

Since he has decided to take on the role of building this fine joint, he now seems to want a little input into things... scoff scoff..., "How dare he!!".

So fingers crossed, we come out at the end of this with a dream house & a great marriage, he he he!!!

source Veranda

I do have some plans to show you, but, unfortunately I was unable to upload them. Once I sort out this small technical issue there will be a post for sure!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A fabulous gift & a shopping tip

2011-08-13T23:57:00.000+10:00

I am very behind on my blog posts of late & I apologise for my lack of effort . I really do love blogging & have a back log of ideas clogging my little brain at the moment...

The trick is getting the fingers to the keyboard & tapping them out, so here is a little catch up!!

I have been following a lovely blog for a little while now called

A cream cottage

Now Ange loves to cook, loves to decorate & has a very stylish home that she & her hubby are renovating It really is a pleasure following their progress. You should stop by & take a peek!

The lovely Ange is a fellow Aussie blogger from sunny Queensland & she recently hosted a give away, the prize being some gorgeous items from an online store owned by another Aussie blogger & fellow queenslander Jenny from

The five year project

Jenny & her husband are also renovating a beautiful old Queensland home & having some fantastic adventures along the way!

This is the fabulous cushion I won..

As well as this great Fluer de lys silver paper clip.

Don't you just love it!!

I was so excited to have won, especially when I found out I was entry no.13, I guess its a lucky number after all!!!

Now I promised a shopping tip in this post & here it is

Jitta Jack Homewares

Jenny's on line store that she shares with her sister Sandy, they have some great products for you to purchase.

I have my eye on a few more cushions, but I also have a thing for globes so one of these fabulous

world map bottle stoppers appeals to my wish list greatly

or this map cushion

or perhaps this beautiful Paris clock to add to my clock collection

Be sure to stop by & say Hi to both of these lovely bloggers if you haven't already & I hope you enjoy

Jitta Jack Homewares

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Open concept Vs Galley Kitchens, A guest post

2011-08-04T21:16:00.000+10:00

Today is very exciting for me & my little blog as I am hosting my first ever guest blogger!

So please extend a HUGE welcome to the lovely Jennifer!!!

Hi all! I’m Jennifer and I write for Arcadian Home, a site that specializes in home decor, home accessories, and decor trends around the world. I've been writing about home decor since graduating university and have loved it ever since. I'm addicted to patterned fabrics, Jonathan Adler, chaise lounges, old doors, milk glass jars, antiques, and chandeliers. I adore A Dream House for Trish, and I'm honoured to contribute a blog to Trish's fabulous website on vastly different kitchens styles (that I equally love).

Open-concept kitchens versus galley kitchens - which one reigns supreme? Each style has its own home decor pros and cons, and when designed properly, they can each be a wonderful addition to a house. From long, functional spaces to airy sprawling eateries, here's what we love about both open-concept and galley kitchens.

Whitewashed spaciousness via The Lennoxx

An open-concept kitchen that occupies the entire end of a home takes full advantage of the room's configurations, with a large island in the centre that doubles as a work and eating area.

A mix of materials via decor8

A stylish contemporary kitchen with both stainless steel and wood works well in this open space - this is a perfect example of where a galley kitchen may falter.

Smart showcase via Decorpad

Instead of hiding items like charger plates and table decorations, this open-concept kitchen utilizes shelving instead of cabinetry, with three oversized pendant lights perched above an island.

Lovely with an L via Elle Decor

An open-concept kitchen built into the corner of a house, like this classic country cuisiniere, takes full advantage of the L-shaped layout, with high ceilings and a window that makes the view look like wall art.

Sunshine and lemons via Kitchen Design

Bright yellow is always a lively hue for a kitchen, and we love that this galley kitchen is open at both ends, with the entryway on one side and a double-pane window on the other.

Slate and purple via Beautiful Kitchens

Similar in design to the last entry, this galley kitchen opens into a backyard. The soft grey and bright fuchsia backsplash provide a striking contrast.

A touch of turquoise via Kitchen Design Ideas

A galley kitchen in soft tones, such as light wood, can be amped up with a colourful detail, like simple square turquoise tiles.

Form and function via Canadian House and Home

A galley kitchen such as this, which opens onto a casual eating area, is both functional as well as visually appealing, with modern cabinetry and frosted glass doors to add to the home decor.

Content provided by Arcadian Home Decor, a site that specializes in top quality home accessories at extremely affordable prices. If you like this post, be sure to stop by the Arcadian Lighting blog and let us know you saw us here at A Dream House for Trish!

Thank You so much Jennifer for taking the time to write such a fabulous post & provide me with a little more inspiration for my dream house & also for being my first ever guest!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

More kitchens to dream about

2011-07-31T23:37:00.001+10:00

Ive been on the hunt for the perfect kitchen ideas for my dream house.

I have collected various inspiration pics because I like a little bit of this & a little bit of that.

Of course the ones that I think are perfect are no doubt way to costly for my budget.

Most of my inspiration tends to come from American homes, where the cost of building appears to be a lot less expensive than here in Australia.

image via Houzz

I love the range hood design & the tile splash back in this lovely kitchen. Shaker profile doors & cabinetry is a given, as well as a concealed range hood.

modern kitchen design by photographer Elad Gonen & Zeev Beech

I love a good appliance cupboard & I am yet to decide what sort of door to use. These pocket doors are fantastic to look at.

I had a mini roller door in my last kitchen which was very practical & still looked great!

A lovely example of the roller door...

Image House & garden

I love this appliance cupboard, it appears to be a bi fold door.

The open shelving beside the range hood is a lovely finish that I could definately live with.

What do you think?

source unknown

I think this coffee making set up is Divine, I don't actually have the space to create such a lovely area in my kitchen, but, a girl can dream, cant she!!!

Image The house of turquoise

Now this kitchen is a dream come true, I love the island, the range hood, the overhead cupboards, the open shelf above the fridge & don't forget that lovely ceiling.

Oh well dreaming is free!!!

What are the must have features for your kitchen?

Do you have an appliance cupboard to conceal the everyday things, like the kettle?

Have a fabulous week everyone :)

CHEERS

Trish xxx

The winner is...

2011-07-25T20:20:00.000+10:00

Today I have the pleasure of announcing the winner of my first ever give away

I chose the old fashioned method & put all the names in a vase & had my handsome son select the lucky winner.

He was so proud to be given this VERY important task!

The winner is

JANE

from

Life on Planet Baby

Congratulations Jane!!!!!

Now its actually Jane's first blogiversary & she has recently purchased a lovely home in Tasmania, Australia, so what perfect timing to win a beautiful enamel house number from

Ramsign

So please, drop by Ramsign & take a peek at their fabulous signs & if you haven't been to Life on Planet baby & met the gorgeous Jane, you really should, her adventures are fantastic!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Clever way to hang art

2011-07-19T20:00:00.000+10:00

Well the school holidays are over &the kids are all back at school, hopefully life can really get back into some sort of routine.

We spent a large part of the school holidays sick with the flu, so we lazed around on the couch watching movies, everyone is now on the mend, thank goodness.

I am also a very proud aunt to a bouncing baby boy, born yesterday, weighing in at a healthy 8lb4oz,

Finn James, welcome to the family little man!

I have a crazy, busy week ahead of me, my eldest daughter turns 18 on Sunday & we are having about 50 people over for a party to celebrate.....should be lots of fun!!!

We have a healthy production line, producing tissue paper pom poms at the moment, next up, cake pops & all that other fun party fare!!!

There will be a post to come next week, just to reveal the shenanigans we get up to in our crazy house!!

Image via Houzz
I couldn't do a post without something stylish to look at. I was very impressed with the way they used to art & cabinetry to create a transparent wall.

What a fabulous way to display some of your favourite art & create a room divider at the same time!

Now don't forget to enter my

GIVE AWAY

A fabulous house number sign from the very clever danish company

Ramsign!!!

I hope everyone is healthy & well & having a creative week!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

My First Give Away

2011-07-13T11:48:00.001+10:00

How exciting, my first ever

GIVE AWAY!!

The lovely people from Ramsign have asked if I would like to host a give away for my lovely readers.

I love their house signs so, how could I say no!

Ramsign are a small Danish company that is specializing in manufacturing and selling classic enamel signs (house signs and house numbers) based upon original designs and techniques.

They are offering a FREE house number sign to one of YOU, if you enter my GIVEAWAY....YAY!!!

The Highlander

They have a variety of styles to choose from...

Lighthouse

As well as a range of colours to suit every house

Arrowhead

I personally love the address plaques

Metropolitan

Especially in black & white

Engelhardt

So if you would love one of these very stylish porcelain enameled signs to display your house number just leave a comment, for an extra entry either post about my give away or pop it on your side bar & leave an extra comment.

Ramsign

will ship world wide so EVERYONE can enter.

The lucky winner will be drawn on Monday 25th July.

Mmmmm, now how can I enter my own give away.....just kidding!!!

Good Luck everyone

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A chilly Date

2011-07-12T12:13:00.001+10:00

Mydream guy & I like to get out at least once a month for an evening without the kids.

I like to call it date night!!

Most of the time we go out for a lovely dinner & often end up finishing the evening off by heading up to the shed on our block of land, lighting a fire in the chiminea & having a few drinks. Its always very peaceful & a good chance to chat, uninterrupted!!!

This time we decided to go to Stockton Beach & as you can see, it was a cold stormy afternoon &

NO ONE

was around.

I took my camera so I could experiment with my photography.
Stockton has lots of sand dunes, which are fantastic for 4wd adventures & sand boarding. It is one of Australia's longest beaches, stretching from Newcastle to Port Stephens, approx 30kms long if my memory serves me well.

Ive been learning lots of photography tricks from various blogs & web sites. This pic was done by experimenting with my shutter speed.

The Signa wreck is great for taking photo's of, my dream guy has taken some great pics here on nice sunny days

He took his fishing gear along to occupy himself, but the wind was to strong & the surf to rough to even get a bite!

He has a great set up for the back of his ute to make the whole experience fun...

This a photo looking thru the rear vision mirror on the ute.

Sunset is always pretty at Stockton Beach

We soon tired of the wind & decided to relocate, so we ventured into Newcastle harbour.

This is a picture of one of the numerous coal loaders, filling a ship at Walsh Point in Newcastle harbour. It is a huge industrial port.

These 2 pictures are of the same coal loader. I cant remember what they call this abstract style of photography

but, basically its just a long exposure & you move the camera around in all different directions for this fun effect!!!

All in all, we had a lovely relaxing evening, I took lots of photo's, experimenting with my aperture, shutter speed, white balnce & ISO settings. I have learn't so much about photography in the six months I have owned my camera & i cant wait to learn more!

Even though my dream guy went home empty handed, he did have a story to tell about the one that got away, like a true fisherman always does, LOL!!!

Do you & your husband/partner have date nights ?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Progress on the dream house

2011-07-07T21:52:00.000+10:00

We have had several meetings over the last couple of weeks with our architect & I have to say THIS time around all is going perfectly.

The guy we are working with has been fantastic to deal with & a wealth of knowledge.

He has offered us some simple & very practical solutions to things we had been unsure of, as well as being very conscious of our budget.

Eeeeeekkkk!!!!

We are both extremely happy with his work, I haven't asked him yet if I can give him a plug on my blog, but I will be sure to reveal his identity as soon as I have his blessing

So we have a rough draft of our house & now the changes are being made. Everyone is holding their breath, that I wont have any new ideas between now & then, he he he!!

Best to speak up now while its just lines on paper, I say!!!

So, let the fun begin.....

Now for the hic cup....we still need to sell our old house in Lithgow to get the actual building process underway,

SOOOO

if anyone needs a gorgeous home in the Blue Mountains

BUY MINE

check it out!

We had 3/4 moved out when we decided to put it up for sale, so the photos are a little sad, unfortunately!

Hows your plans going for your projects?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Secret Door & a lucky win

2011-07-02T10:27:00.000+10:00

Heeelllllooooo!!!!

I'm sorry for my lack of posts of late, I appear to have lost my bloggy mojo :(

I have however been thoroughly enjoying reading all of your blogs, I'm still having a few difficulties leaving comments on some blogs. I just keep getting redirected back to the sign in page for google....

very frustrating, I must say....grrrrrr!!!!

Image via Conspicuos Style

Its the school holidays here for the next two weeks & I'm sure some days I'm going to wish I had a secret door just like this, to sneak off to another part of the house & escape the kids.Isn't it a cool idea!

We have had so much rain here of late, I can only hope & pray it doesn't hang around for the holidays,these kids really do need to get outside & burn off some of that energy!!!

I do have a little celebration going on here as I have been the lucky winner of a set of these gorgeous pencils.

Each one is adorned with a Crystallized Swarovski element, mine are blue & I love them!

I have to say a huge

Thank You

Sanela at

Madeleine Life & Style

Sanela also has a an online store with sooo many beautiful things my wish list has grown enormously

She stocks, bags, books, cushions, flowers & so much more & currently has a SALE running

Don't you just luuurve this zebra rug, I have bumped this one to the top of my wish list!!

pop on over & see all the eye candy for yourself

Madeleine life & style

Perhaps you might even pick yourself up a set of pencils, just like mine.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Dedication

2011-06-20T23:10:00.003+10:00

Dream child No. 4 is a huge book worm, in fact if she is not reading, she is drawing & should I add singing whilst she is drawing!!!

She REFUSES to go to bed at night unless she is read at least one story

Sometimes though even after the lights are out she likes to gather some books & read a little more, in her own special 4 year old way.... lucky she has a big bed!!!

I guess tonight she was a little tired!!

(she is sound asleep in this picture)

How about you, do you enjoy a good bed time story?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Fabulous colour scheme

2011-06-13T11:54:00.001+10:00

Heather Garrett Design

Im really loving this colour scheme at the moment. This lounge or sitting room has so many features I would love for my own home...

Heather Garrett Design

I dream of a fireplace & a tufted ottoman, love the round mirror & the patterned cushions.

I still have plans of attempting to make a tufted ottoman, BUT, haven't decided if it should be rectangle like the one in this image, or square(900x900mm)

I am generally a girl that paints my house a warm white right through, but I am considering adding some drama into the more formal areas with the use of a darker grey, perhaps not quite as dark as this as Im not THAT daring, unfortunately.

I also love the drum pendant light, I wonder how it looks close up?

The weather has been rather miserable here this weekend, so I have had plenty of blog reading time which has been fabulous.
Unfortunately blogger hasn't always allowed me to comment.
I just wanted to let you know I have dropped by to visit. I have been inspired by so much creativity, Ive learnt from some fabulous tutorials & chuckled at some fun stories of your weekend adventures & thoriughly enjoyed the beautiful images you have all displayed.
Hopefully these commenting issues will be ironed out soon. I am now trying to learn how to navigate the new changes to my dashboard.
Have you been converted to the new blogger or are you still enjoying the old system?

Have a tremendous week everyone!!

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Progress at last

2011-06-08T20:29:00.022+10:00

Progress at last on the dream house front, WOOO HOOO!!!!

We actually sat down with an architect yesterday to get some plans drawn up for the dream house.This will take a couple of weeks for the first draft.

We will go through the process of plans & development application to council & hopefully by this stage we will have one or two properties sold & be able to begin building.

We will be going owner builder so it will all happen slowly but from cost estimates so far it looks like we will save approx 30% on what the two different builders quoted price.

traditional living room design by atlanta interior designer Niki Papadopoulos

I thought I would leave you with a little eye candy as well....Dont you just love this gorgeous room...the rug...those cushions...Oh I love it all!!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Bloggy manners

2011-06-03T23:21:00.002+10:00

You know even though I am a crazy obsessed blogger, I really don't have very good computer skills.

I love when I receive an email after leaving a comment on someones latest post, I don't know about you, but, this really does make me feel wanted & that my time & interest have been appreciated.

Image via Apartment Therapy

Now I didn't know how to do this without making it a labor intensive task & lets face it, I want to read everyone's posts, not spend forever tracking down email addresses, then ....

along comes the very clever Jane over at

Life on Planet Baby

Mind you, Jane posted this fabulous tutorial back in February & I have only just gotten around to implementing it.

SO from here on in I can have lovely bloggy manners & shoot you back a little email, answering any questions you may have & returning the luuuurrrrrve!!!!!

Image via Mark Burstyn Photography

Thank you Thank you Thank you Jane, these flowers are for you because I know life at Planet baby is preeeeetttttty hectic right now!!!

Jane has a fabulous blog telling of her adventures with her 3 beautiful pixies in Tasmania Australia, she inspires, educates & brings us readers lots of smiles with her wonderfully honest & witty posts,if your not already a planetarium you will be after your first visit.

I cant remember where I got this image from but I thought a giant clock was a great representation of how I take my sweet time getting around to things, LOL!!!

So are you using follow up emails for the lovely readers that leave comments?

Do you think its good bloggy manners or it doesn't bother you either way?

I'd love to hear what you think!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A trip to the Red Centre

2011-06-01T23:57:00.000+10:00

The dream guy & I had an amazing time at Uluru (Ayers Rock)

This is Uluru at sunset.

It really is a magical place, you can watch it change colours throughout the day, but the changes are dramatic at sunrise & sunset!

Sunrise at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Sunrise, the sky was incredible

Kata Tjuta at sunrise

Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) has 36 domes & looks so different depending on where you are at, but like Uluru it changes colours before your very eyes

Kata Tjuta at sunset

Also Kata Tjuta at sunset, you can see what I mean about the colours changing...

We actually went out there to climb the rock, you know, conquer one of the 7 wonders of the world, but on the day we planned it, the climb was closed due to gusty winds...I was very disappointed about this.

The next day we had a tour booked that included a base walk & there was enough time for us to climb part of the way.

I have to say that after starting the climb I realize I wouldn't have gone all the way after all, its extremely steep & I found it a little terrifying. This is a pic of the dream guy & I sitting on what they call chicken rock, apparently if you make it past here, you can make it all the way!!!

This is the view looking down from as far as I managed to climb, which is approximately 25metres up, the entire climb takes you to a great height of 346 metres. I can only imagine how incredible the view would be!!!

These incredible chairs are placed at all the viewing areas throughout the national park & each one is individual, apparently you can have them made for your own place, you just have to get on the end of the 2yr waiting list!!

We attanded a Sounds of Silence dinner, which was at a secret location in the desert with incredible views of the sunset & a variety of Australian cuisine & wines.

I sampled crocodile, Kangaroo & of course barrumundi. The food was superb & we got to meet some really lovely people.

I have to say, this really is a place you have to see for yourself, the sheer size is overwhelming, the colours are stunning & the history behind why it is so sacred to the aboriginal community really does make you feel priveledged to be there.

If its on your travel wish list, then you must go ASAP, you wont regret it!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

P.S Ive been catching up on everyones blogs & really would love to leave some comments, but, unfortunately blogger wont play fair.

Thank you so much for dropping by, hopefully blogger will get it togethor soon & I can let you know I dropped by to appreciate your work.

Downloading photos for this post took FOREVER!!!!!

( I actually took 360 photos in 4 days, LOL..... I luuuuurve my new camera & all of the tricks I have been learning from the internet on how to use it)

Alfresco Dining

2011-05-31T16:40:00.000+10:00

Here in Australia we really do have great weather for outdoor dining & a fabulous alfresco area really is a must for our dream house.

I have been on the hunt for some images to show my dream guy just what I would like to do with our alfresco area.

Logans Hammer Building & renovating from Seattle, USA

had just what I was looking for...

Although I would like that timber ceiling & hand rails painted white

I do love the stone fireplace surround. It would be great to have an outdoor kitchen like this , but I think something a little less extravagant will be more in our budget. A cupboard with some bench space & a built in BBQ would do the trick, don't you think?

My dream guy likes the look of stack stone used in home decor, whether it is indoors, part of the facade or even used in the landscaping, this would give him the opportunity to use that product within our house design.

This outdoor kitchen actually has a built in fridge, freezer & sink, not to mention a flat screen tv!

I don't know, I love to escape the tv, not have it follow me outside!!!

We will definately be having a ceiling fan as they actually keep the fly's away. You can pop your food on the table & not worry that it will be covered in flys before you blink your eyes!!!

I'm seeing a lot of images with curtains on the outdoor area, but I don't think that is something I will use in my Alfresco design!

Have you got a fabulous outdoor dining space to enjoy & does it have a fireplace to extend its use into the chillier months?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Vintage books & camera vignette

2011-05-28T06:24:00.001+10:00

image via the old painted cottage

What a fabulous way to display some vintage treasures.

I have 3 antique cameras of my own & I am always looking for some inspiration on how to show them off to the world & this is fabulous!

Do you have a love for vintage camera's & whats your tip for creating a vignette with them?

Home gym inspiration

2011-05-26T12:34:00.001+10:00

Well my friends the time has quickly arrived for the dream guy & I to head off on our little kid free getaway to the centre of Australia, Uluru

But I think when I get back i will be needing to hit the gym!
After shopping for a few new bits & pieces I have discovered I don't like what I see in the mirror at the moment, so a serious workout on a regular basis is whats in order!!!

A large wall of mirrors certainly helps to add a bit of light if you don't have a lot of windows, which is exactly the case for the space my gym will occupy in my dream house. It will be in what you would probably call the basement, so I think I will need to keep an eye out for some mirrors.....don't think the weight will sneek on then, LOL!!!

On that note, we will be sitting down with our architect in about 2 weeks to get the ball rolling on some official house plans ....
YIPEE!!!

I will post some pics of my holiday as soon as I return.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Beach house dreaming

2011-05-25T02:30:00.000+10:00

Stunning!

I love this ceiling, the soft blue really oozes style & charm...

(not so sure I could live with the ceiling fan)

This living room is definately inviting, the colour scheme is so soothing

I think we should sneek up that gorgeous staircase that is peeking out of the corner & see what eye candy lives upstairs

OH! what a devine view

more lovely ceiling detail with a fantastic lantern

Heavenly master bedroom complete with ocean views & the soothing sounds of waves crashing

Dinner anyone?

Preparing meals would be a pleasure in such a well thought out & superbly decorated kitchen.

Love love love the pendant lights

This lovely home is situated at Point Pleasant Bleach NJ and is the work of

Richard Bubnowski Design

What can I say.....

Location Location Location!!

I read quotes from designers about choosing colour & using the palette that mother nature provides us with...Bringing the outdoors in.

I have to say it really is spot on in this beach house.

Blues from the ocean & sky, white from the clouds & white caps of the waves & then of course the sand colours used throughout give a serene, calm & soothing feel amongst the architectural details.

This house is finished to perfection.
The furniture, lighting & architectural details all work togethor to give a relaxed WOW experience to anyone that walks in the door!

What do you think, is this a dream house for you too?

CHEERS
Trish xxx

Black & White living

2011-05-19T22:30:00.001+10:00

Dont you just hate when life gets in the way & leaves you NO time for blogging.....

Hopefully things will get to normal in the next few weeks & I will be able to get back to visiting you all...

To make up for my lack of posts lately I have left you this little bit of black & white eye candy from

Atmosphere Interior Design

Enjoy!!!

Have a wonderful weekend every one, I miss you all!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

I missed my 1st Blogiversary

2011-05-11T23:11:00.000+10:00

I cant believe it....

I actually missed the 1st anniversary of my blog, my obsession, my link to the inspiring world!

I guess time flies when your having fun!!

I started this little blog on May 6th 2010, with no clue as to how addicted to blogging I would become.

I now have an incredibly lovely 175 followers, who I appreciate & treasure.

Your support & encouragement has been wonderful, I look forward to reading any comments that you have time to leave & I love looking at my stats to see lots of others have dropped by to read my rambling!!!

Image via Decorpad

Then there are the blogs I follow myself, HUNDREDS, actually.

I sometimes find it difficult to stop reading long enough to write my own posts!

So many beautiful images, fabulous make overs, tutorials, family adventures, weddings,divorces, parties & babies born.

I have laughed for some & cried for others & layed awake at night worrying & wishing I could solve a total strangers woes...crazy stuff really!

I guess that is what blogging becomes, a world where the people you meet are caring, thoughtful & supportive...even though we really are strangers, we are friends at the same time...

No wonder we become addicts!!!

Image via Ethan Allen

I started this blog thinking I would be beginning the building process of my dream house in the near future & would be telling of the journey we take in the process. Well here we are one year later & no ground has been broken, ALTHOUGH

all is not lost. There has been plenty of research, lots of highs , lows, frustrations & uncertainty & it appears we are now ready to move forward.

We are now FINALLY ready to sit with a draughtsmen to start some plans, we are pretty certain that we will follow the owner builder path & knock this baby up ourselves( well my dream guy will anyway)

Things are moving forward, slowly but surely, perhaps the next 12 months of blogging will see a dream house break ground!!!

So thank you for being my blog friends & I hope you stick around a little longer, a dream house will come,

I promise!

Now I have to go, bloggers are posting wonderful eye candy for me to drool over....

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A little shoe storage

2011-05-07T22:38:00.000+10:00

This is a post for my younger sister Erin, who always inspires & encourages me to follow all of my dreams & goals no matter how big or small!

Sometimes its even just buying a new pair of jeans Ive fallen in love with, even though we only went for coffee, OOPS!

Erin has a real LUUUURVE for shoes....

In fact I think she will find a pair of nude coloured stiletto's we searched for today in this very shoe closet.

& here is a little closet I had built for her, its ready to fill with wonderful shoes & fabulous jackets, in fact I have one ready for you all.....LOL ...I sound like Oprah giving away some of my favourite things as gifts!!!

Enjoy Ez

Happy mothers day to all the mummy bloggers & happy Sunday to everyone else!!

Happy mothers day to my mum, my other sister Deb & sister inlaw Jaime xxx

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Advice needed for A trip to the red centre,

2011-05-03T00:05:00.002+10:00

Later this month my dream guy & I are taking a 3 day KID FREE trip to Australia's red centre or as most Aussies would know it

AYERS ROCK

also called by its traditional aboriginal name

ULURU

Uluru is the largest monolith in the world standing 348metres above ground level & has a circumference of 9.4km . I have booked to climb it after watching the sunrise & the next day a base walk with sunset canapes & wine. I think that should be a spectacular sight.

We will be attending "The sounds of silence" dinner on the first night, which is basically dinner under the stars, in the middle of the desert, sampling some traditional Aussie cuisine & a star talk....

sounds rather romantic!

We will also be doing 2 different treks at Kata Juta, which is also known as The Olga's.

Kata Juta is a series of 36 big round domes that rise up from the desert floor, the highest being over 500 metres tall.There a 2 different walks you can do, so we will experience one at sunrise with a lovely picnic breakfast & then after the second trek we get to watch the sunsetting over the Olga's, whilst sipping champagne, so glad my chatterbox children wont be there to talk me thru such serene moments!

There are so many tours you can do in the area, as well as many other places to see, it was extremely hard to decide & now I am concerned I may be missing something fantastic by just choosing only cover two destinations.I figured we might as well experince the most of the rock & the Olga's rather than only seeing half of each location. I am also trying to keep in mind we only have 3 nights there & we would like to relax a little as well.

I have dream't of travelling to Ayers Rock for what feels like a lifetime now, so this really is a dream come true. I can't wait to take photos out there with my new camera, thank goodness for sd cards, I can snap away as much as my little heart desires!!

There is a safari you can do to a place called Mount Connor which is situated within a large cattle station, you get to see some salt lakes & all the flora & fauna that live amongst it, as well as experience sunset at Mt Connor & dinner at the homestead, I would have enjoyed this alot

there is the Kings Canyon tour which is a 300km trip from the resort & then a spectacular 7km trek around the rim of the canyon with some pretty incredible views to reward you, after climbing 500 rocky steps at the start of the trek. This tour last 12hours, starting at 4am. The thought of being on a bus for 6-7 hours all up was a bit of a turn off,but you can have an overnight stay out there & do sevaral different walks, so perhaps that would be better as a whole other trip!

Mmmmm, so many choices & to top it off the dream guy says

" you choose, its your trip, its just a rock to me"

he is NO help!!

Have you been to Ayers Rock & do you have any advice of whats good & whats not, all tips are greatly appreciated!
Check out the website if your keen to visit this incredible part of Australia, you can book everything right down to your air fares .

Ayers Rock Resort

Any way I am soooo excited, I can't wait to share with you all!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Holidays

2011-05-01T19:27:00.000+10:00

Well the school holidays are over & we are rested up & ready for another term of rushing around & trying to maintain some sort of routine.

I feel rather fortunate that none of my kids have chosen to play a winter sport , leaving our weekends free for rest relaxation or whatever we choose...YAY!!!

Through out the holidays we opted to stay home again & just enjoy the things on offer in our local area. I get the kids to write a list of the things they would like to do & we work our way through it!

We did a little fishing at the Hunter River, which is only about 2km from where we live

the kids love fishing & building a camp fire

we stayed here until after dark & had a bit of a picnic afternoon tea with my sister & brother in law

it was lovely weather & a nice way to relax.

My neighbor & I took the kids to The Hunter Valley Zoo. Its only a small zoo which is perfect for small children

You can feed a lot of the animals & every hour there is some sort of educational display & the opportunity to pat some of the animals that are normally untouchable

We spent a bit of time working on our block of land.

The kids love to sit by the chiminea in the evening & have a bit of a picnic or do some drawing!

We baked cup cakes to celebrate my mums birthday

Maitland is packed with old historical buildings & the Hunter River runs through the centre of town, so they have created a really lovely river walk that is always fun to do.

(excuse my bad hair, it had rained on us a litle bit)

Its also a good path for riding scooters!

We trekked off to Hunter Valley Gardens for an afternoon out, with my brother, sister in law & 2yr old nephew

The story book garden is always a hit with the kids...

It really was a fun & relaxing holiday, my two older daughters spent the holidays in Bathurst with their father. Dream child no.1 did a weeks work experience as a photo journalist at the Western Advocate Newspaper & loved every minute of it. This was a great opportunity for her & has helped her make a definite career decision. She will now apply to universities to study to be a photo journalist. I think this is the perfect career choice for her, she is very creative, a fabulous writer & loves photography, perhaps she will get lucky enough & become a travel writer, what better way could there be to see the world!

I hope everyone else had a FANTASTIC Easter break!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

all photos are my own!

Kitchen style

2011-04-26T22:23:00.000+10:00

This beautiful kitchen is the work of Jennifer Brouwer, who is definately becoming one of my favourite designers

She regularly showcases her very stylish work on Houzz

My previous post was about a lovely bathroom Jennifer had designed

Love those pendant lights

A view looking back at the otherside of the kitchen from the family room

The contrasting island bench is a striking feature

I am really loving the shimmer on the tiles used for the backsplash, I find myself drawn to these small rectangular tiles in a lot of kitchen images of late, I think these are what I will be opting for when I build my house, not that much is happening in that department at the moment...unfortunately!

Having so much inspiration available to me thru blogging has helped me to make so many design plans for my dream home. At first it created a lot of confusion, but now I am pretty certain about the style I love...I guess it will all come down to budget when the time comes.

Mmmmmm.....please don't let my ideas be bigger than my budget!!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Beautiful Bathroom

2011-04-25T12:00:00.000+10:00

I can't decide just what I love most about this bathroom

Generally I opt more for a white vanity, but there are so many things here I just adore, vanity included

It is the work of interior designer Jennifer Brouwer
I love the use of apothecary jars for your bits & bobs in the bathroom, who would have thought cotton wool balls could be so pretty!!

That bath tub is just devine

I found these images on Houzz where Jennifer shares a lot of images from her portfolio

Definitely a love tranquil room, with beautiful fixtures, fittings & finishing touches.

What do you think?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T09:28:00.000+10:00

Happy Easter Everyone

Hope the bunny delivered lots of delicious treats

& everyone gets the chance to enjoy some time with family & friends, relaxing & catching up!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A barn door design to crow about

2011-04-20T14:29:00.000+10:00

Image via Houzz

I am seeing an increasing trend toward the use of barn or warehouse style doors in homes & I have to say I really do like this style when done right.

source unknown

Used as the entrance door to this house, a large door like this gives me a feeling of security, it looks like a big strong door that protects & keeps its occupants nice & safe

Image via Houzz

These gorgeous doors on the left really are a feature for this room

source unknown

Certainly an office space I could be inspired by...

Image via The Inside Story

The timber of this door along side the vase of sticks & leather couch really add warmth & texture to an otherwise all white scheme.

Source unknown

So many styles & uses for barn doors, they really add to the farm house feel of this gorgeous kitchen.

Image via SVK Kitchen & Bath

A fabulous pop of yellow would be a cheery sight to wake up to in the mornings, this door adds so much character to a more contemporary styled room.

Image via Massucco Warner Miller

Welcome to my humble abode....

Image via A View on Design

What an inviting entrance,

I can envision some wonderful little fairy lights entwined amongst the ivy, that lines the ceiling over the entry .

It would look rather magical, don't you think?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

An outdoor dining project

2011-04-12T00:35:00.000+10:00

With the dream house taking a little longer to get off the ground than we ever imagined, we have begun to get a little tired of having a lot of our favourite things in storage.

The house we rent is much smaller than we are used to, it was only meant to be temporary, but, here we are two years later & no end in sight.

At our back door we had a nice big slab of concrete & nothing more, exposing the back of the house to the hot afternoon sun as well as the rain, so my ultra clever dream guy whipped up a fabulous alfresco area...

We have a handrail all the way around with a gate to keep our enormous drooling dog out.This is what he does best mind you!

Its been nice to be able to have friends over & sit outside with nibblies & drinks

I stitched up some cushions from some bargain fabric that I purchased on sale at spotlight, originally

$18.99 mtr, I only paid $4.00 mtr, YAY for me !!

My dream guy gave me this fabulous lantern as a birthday present, I burn a citronella candle in it which smells divine & keeps the mosquitos at bay....

Not only did we bring our outdoor setting out of storage, we also managed to find a place for my beloved "arles clock" . I got it at Freedom years ago, before big clocks became super trendy & I don't think I will ever tire of it!!!

Hope you love our new outdoor space, drop by & have a glass of wine with me anytime!!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Birthday Bash times two

2011-04-10T08:03:00.000+10:00

Ive been a very neglectful blogger this week & I'm very sorry!

Life has been kind of hectic here of late & when I haven't been crazy busy Ive been exhausted instead!!

As you know I recently turned 40, so I had a little party to celebrate & then a week later we had another party for dream child no.4 to celebrate her 4th birthday.

Two parties one week apart for over 30 people each time turned out to be an enormous task.

Not to mention a real estate inspection to ensure I keep this rental we live in in tip top shape.

Then there where the parent teacher interviews for all 4 of my children, I got to sit down with 11 different teachers across 3 different schools.

Thankfully it was all pretty good. YAY!!!

We have done an Easter hat parade at pre school & several doctor, dental & orthodontist appointments. Now it is the school holidays I can breathe a small sigh of relief...Ahhhhh!!!!

Any way on with the party pics....

This is me, last on the right, with my 2 sisters & brother at my 40th. I didn't take any food snaps or table scape pics, but I did have fun all the same. This party carried on until 6am the next morning, we did alot of dancing, which my sister has some fabulous action shots from our version of the nut bush, but "What happens at the party, stays at the party" LOL!!!

My sweet little birthday girl, she did have a lovely party dress on at the start of the afternoon, but, she was given new clothes in her first gift & promptly changed into them!!

I made a pile of these lovely tissue paper pom poms & because none of my party goers had seen them before everyone thought I was AMAZINGLY clever, hehehe!!

We had lovely little cup & saucers made from tic toc biscuits, marshmallows, 1/2 a musk lifesaver & a choc freckle, very cute & delicious as well.

( Not sure what happened to this photo when I uploaded it but it went a little wrong...ooops!)

nothing beats a mars bar car, these little chocolate treats are always the first to be devoured.

We had a cup cake stand for the cake & as I was pushed for time I let my kids do the decorating, they had heaps of fun & no two cup cakes looked alike.

Thanks again to fellow bloggers I was able to WOW my guests with cake pops, easy to make & a fantastic way for kids to eat cake. My 2yr old nephew enjoyed them so much he ate 4 before his mum had to say no more!!!

& this was our cup cake tower with a giant cup cake on top. The birthday girl loved it!

I have been sewing cushions & purchasing a few things to jazz up my house of late, but, that's for another post.

Have a lovely Sunday everyone & sorry for the neglect, shall be popping in to visit you all soon.

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Keep Calm

2011-04-02T22:41:00.000+11:00

Fabulously creative & fellow blogger, my dream child No1 , has alerted me to a really fun website where you can create your very own "Keep Calm" posters.

I did mine after a huge day with the kids & I felt I needed to indulge in a glass of wine to calm myself, LOL!!

Its called keepcalm-o-matic. which sounds like fun before you even get there!!

You should check it out, it really is fun & there are some really great versions made by others in the gallery to enjoy!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Swanky Kitchen backsplash

2011-03-31T21:47:00.000+11:00

I just love the tile back splash in this gorgeous kitchen

I hope I can find something similar to this (in the right price range) when its time to build my dream house

I love the neutral colour & the textural look, in the first photo you can even see a bit of shimmer
, what girl can pass up a little shimmer in her day!

I'm guessing the bench tops are perhaps granite, would you agree?

Not to mention they are teamed with my all time favourite shaker doors

What do you think ?

Images via Houzz

Rock around the clock

2011-03-24T21:59:00.000+11:00

If you don't already know this about me, I have a confession to make.

I have a serious obsession with clocks!

Lola B's

I love all of them, old new, vintage or modern

floor or wall....

Dreamy Whites

loving these swedish banjo clocks

stylizmo

Molly McGinness Interior Design

I love these ones with the numbers & workings stuck on the wall

Dreamy Whites

gap interiors

How sweet is this little guy...

Elements at Home

or how incredible is this gigantic window style clock

Gap interiors

Brabourne farm

I like them on the floor...

Kyandra Rose

or lots of them on the wall...

Decor Pad

Belle Inspirations

Room Remix

source unknown

This is my photo of the start of my clock collection

This is my latest purchase, I can't decide whether to use it on my sons bedside table

pop it under a cloche on a side table in my loungeroom

This is what I am saving for next so I can create a wall display like the one below.

This one is made by Howard Millar & here in Australia is available from Time Pieces Australia or Harvey Norman stores. It retails for $260. If anyone knows where I can purchase something similiar to this for a better price PLEEEEAAASE let me know, my budget would be forever grateful!

Sorry about the poor quality image, its a print out from Porter Davis Homes

Do you also share my clock obsession?

CHEERS

Trish xxx