{Travel} The colours of New York City

Yes, that short break turned into a long one! I've had issues with my old PC, which is where my photoshop lives, so being able to play with my photos has become tedious rather than fun.

I've managed to compile a few, and present to you "New York in Yellow".  Fall leaves, taxi cabs, school buses and traffic lights, yellow is all over New York.

I promise to get around to sharing some more about the trip - if you have anything you'd like me to cover, please let me know!

If you have stopped by, it would be lovely if you could leave a comment or just say hello so I know that you've been here. Thank you!

The Paris Blues

Exactly one year ago, I made my first solo trip to Paris. I didn't really post many images from the trip, so I thought I might share some now.

Paris is such a wonderful city, that when I'm not there, I do have the Paris blues.  These were all taken in Le Marais area, my favourite part of Paris. I can't wait to get back there one day - hopefully soon.

This is part 2 of my "Colourful France" series. If you missed part 1, you can see it here - French Pink.


If you have stopped by, it would be lovely if you could leave a comment or just say hello so I know that you've been here. Thank you!

French Pink

I've been slowly making a few changes to the blog, including adding a touch of pink. Anyone who knows me would be aware that it's my all time favourite colour - something I share with Miss TikiBoo. It's soothing, soft, fun and a little bit girly, so in order to make my blog represent "me" a bit more, the addition was required!

Something else I'm trying to do is to use original content whenever I can, which includes using my own photos. Now, obviously I'm no photographer, but I figure that if I'm making this commitment, then I shall set myself a challenge to improve my skills in this area. I will also need to make the effort to take my camera with me to places, and actually use it - the number of times I've missed a great photo opportunity because I have left the camera in the car! (It's really heavy!).
Somehow in the move I managed to lose the (expensive) head for my tripod, so that is a small restriction for taking indoor shots, but there is always a way around these things.

This afternoon I started looking back through some older photos, looking at them with a fresh perspective. Travel photos in particular. When you return from a trip you tend to view the images as a tourist and want to share them as places you explored and things you saw. Revisiting them years later you notice things you might not have expected would be something worth sharing - or in this case placing together in a montage. Colour is always a great one to start with.
There wasn't a lot of pink in my folder of images taken in France, but it was fun searching through them trying to spot glimpses! Miss TikiBoo was only 3 at the time these were taken - a chubby, giggly, curly haired little ratbag.

Next time you have the chance to sit and peruse your image folders, pick a colour and try and find 4-6 images featuring that colour - then share them with us!

Have a great weekend!


If you have stopped by, it would be lovely if you could leave a comment or just say hello so I know that you've been here. Thank you!

{Home on Wednesday} - Potted Daisies

Way back in 2009, we travelled to the south of France, along the French Riviera.  Somewhere along the way, by a shop doorway in one of the many villages we wandered through, I saw a daisy plant in a galvanised iron tub.  It's been an image that stayed with me the past few years, so I finally decided it was time I had my pot of daisies.

The Queenslander split front staircase at our home starts with two not particularly attractive concrete slabs.  Completely uninspiring, and just begging for some attention and some sort of makeover.  It was here I decided my potted daisy should go.

But, hey, why stop at one!  I now have eight tubs and pots in various sizes, evoking those memories every time I walk up the stairs.

And what's the best thing about daisies?  According to Miss TikiBoo, they are perfect for picking!

Here are some tips if you like this idea:

• Look around for different sized pots and buckets.  I visited several different nurseries and hardware stores to source mine.  They cost $9 - $15 each. My large tubs are actually designed to be tubs to hold ice and drinks, the medium pots are actually buckets and the smaller pots are from Ikea, similar to this.
• Make sure you drill holes for drainage in the base of each pot or bucket prior to planting.
• I selected Federation Daisies (Yellow - "Surfer Girl"; Pink - "Summer Pink" and a traditional white).  I also have a potted lavender in the arrangement.  Herbs would suit as well, and would add to the "cottage garden" feel.
• Daisies like a sunny spot, but will dry out quickly so don't forget to water regularly.
• If you "dead-head" (ie: cut off the withering flowers) your daisy plants regularly, it encourages your plant to continue blooming.

What have you done in your garden recently?

This post is the first in a new series I'm introducing to my blog "Home on Wednesday". Look out for my At Home posts each week to see how things are progressing around our home and garden!

If you have stopped by, it would be lovely if you could leave a comment or just say hello so I know that you've been here. Thank you!

{Home on Wednesday} - Life is Beautiful

I've been frantically trying to get my workspace in some sort of order. Going from using a bedroom with a large built in robe and loads of natural light, to a converted "sleep out" is proving to be a little bit of a challenge organisation wise, and it's been trial and error to find the right spot for things.
There are still piles of homeless items on the floor and plastic tubs everywhere.
My work table was in the corner, but I have moved it to under the window so I can use it for photographs - although those stained wood window frames are again annoying me! Unfortunately the neighbours have also planted sky high bamboo right outside as well. But there is always a way around these things, and in the end, as the print says, "La vie est belle"!

I also think the fabric pictured is rather "belle". These will be curtains on Miss TikiBoo's french doors (which open onto this workroom). Hopefully there will be enough left for a cushion as well.

Let's hope we all have a beautiful day!

By the way...if you look up in my pages bar, up there under the banner, you'll see a new tab "Blogroll". That's where I'm adding banners to blogs I love!


If you have stopped by, it would be lovely if you could leave a comment or just say hello so I know that you've been here. Thank you!

Holiday snaps

A few photos of the place where we spend our little weekend getaway. Planning the next one now!

For you

A flower from Grandma's garden xxx

How much fun it is to be 4.

We are having fun playing with outfits right now. Next year Miss Boo will be at school, so I'm letting her explore her creativity with her choice of clothing before she has to be a clone in uniform. At this age she can get away with wearing pretty much anything, so letting her decide what she wants to wear is usually safe.

I picked out the navy Ouch dress, and told her to find things to wear with it. She's a bit obsessed with the Seed bow headband at the moment, so she started with that and went from there with the stripey red socks (I can't recall the brand, but they were from Urban Harmony) and long sleeve top. Once she had these on she decided it wasn't warm enough and the leggings were a last minute addition. The necklace is from Shanghai Ruby. The shoes are Converse Chuck Taylors.

As an aside, I've just realised that I didn't purchase any of these items online, they were all bought locally, a little unusual for us! The dress, socks and necklace are all from Urban Harmony in Coorparoo, the Seed headband I bought in the city and the converse from Harbourtown.

A cozy winter nook

We recently rearranged the living area in our house. Most of our furniture was bought when we lived in an enormous open plan unit, and although our couches fit fine, our rather heavy 8 seater dining setting has always been a squeeze.
It was located at the front entrance of our renovated workers cottage, and made the whole place feel cluttered. After months of complaining, I finally convinced hubby that it should be moved. As it is so seldom used, it's now located in our small back room and with a bit of effort can be moved out when required.

Anyway, the point of this post is to show my current favourite little spot. This front corner gets sun for much of the day in winter and is the perfect place to curl up with a cup of tea and favourite magazine. You can see the sun streaming through the window in the above photo.

Someone else enjoys this spot.

Cushions, made by yours truly.

Part of my rather extensive collection of pink china cup & saucer sets.

Do you have a favourite little winter nook? Would love you to share!

No Grey Days

I wanted to try and find a few props for photoshoots, so last Friday Miss TikiBoo and I visted a few of the antique stores here in Brisbane, along with a visit to a cafe/bookstore for coffee, hot chocolate and a new book - she selected Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
It was rather slim pickings, I wanted some sort of small table and chairs, but the closest we managed to get was this stool. It's not exactly what I was after, though it will be useful and works for our mini tea parties if we are very careful!

It's rare for Miss Boo to not either run and hide, or touch every.single.thing in these type of stores, so I told her we would have another quick look to find something special for her. She really wanted something pink, however it's a rather popular colour for small vintage items so we managed to find a pretty, delicate pale green china cup and saucer set, edged in gold. It's smaller than the typical set, so perfect for a little girl and Miss Boo is very proud of her new treasure.

As soon as we got home she asked if she could have a little tea party, and how could I resist?!

Skirt - TikiBoo Kids 'No Grey Days'
Top - Myer
Headband - Seed