happy halloween folks!

casa azul: frida kahlo's house.

what with these itchy for travel feet of mine and dia de los muertos coming up, i have been thinking of mexico recently. i have never shared with you these moments from frida kahlo's house; a highlight of my trip to mexico city. there are so many inspiring curious corners of her space that this will have to come in two instalments.

same, same?

i loved stumbling upon the similarities between this image from the Issey Miyake fall winter 2001/02 campaign by: Friedemann Hauss and my moroccan berber bride image by: Fiona Galbraith.

here

first snow fall.

home has had its first snowflakes for this winter this morning. it always seems to snow right around halloween every year, never fails; then comes christmas! i cannot wait to be home for the holidays!

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henna me happy.

i went to a festival for Diwali -the indian festival of light- last night and was completely overwhelmed (in the best way) by the sights, sounds, smells and colours. we ate incredible food, drank mango lassis, watched awesome bollywood style dancing and watched the spectacular burning of a Ravan effigy (felt like i was at burning man...not that i've been), followed by fireworks to ward of evil spirits. my favourite part is that i have a beautiful mehndi now that will last for about a week. i'm smitten. *also, i cannot wait to actually go to india someday!

don't stop thinking about tomorrow...

oh no!!! fleetwood mac have cancelled their Australian & New Zealand tour...there goes seeing my favourite band for the first time ever live and for my birthday as well. so devastated! founding member John McVie is apparently scheduled for cancer treatment at that time. my thoughts and well wishes are obviously with him, his family and the band. here's to a full recovery and another tour down under in the near future x

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Garage Sale Trail 2013.

hello all, i am just getting ready to be a part of the Garage Sale Trail taking place all across australia tomorrow- saturday, october 26th. so far, i am teaming up with two others girls for our sale, warmly titled: bits & PEACE. there will be leftover stylists' items, homewares, handmade items; new, pre-loved and vintage clothing and fresh little posies from the florist in the bunch. mostly, i am looking forward to a saturday in the sun with bright shiny people watching and sharing the vibe with friends.

come and see us outside the post office in bondi: 20 hall street from 9 am onwards!

peace X

put a crown on it. 8.

the last in the spring flower crown series is a more outrageous take on the cherry blossom headpiece. these photos turned out as my absolute favourites and the shoot proved to be the most fun as well. you wouldn't believe how ridiculous you look and feel in the middle of a public park with branches stuck on your head as antlers; giddiness ensued. i'm so pleased they ended up as ethereal and magical as they did, considering how unromantic they seemed at the time.

Photography: Fiona Galbraith Crown & Styling: Nicole Valentine Don

This outtake is probably my fave of all the flower crowns, it really captures what a lovely time we were having taking magical little moments from our imaginations and bringing them to life; the joy of creating. See our floral crowns for winter, here.

fire in the sky.

sydney experienced some devastating bush fires this past week; some that burned through the night. the crazy weather has certainly stirred up some incredible skies. my thoughts are with all those affected.

inspired by a FRIEND.

this warmed my heart and has made me want to keep on keepin' on.

homemade: almond milk.

ice, cold almond milk is so refreshing and delicious. we make a litre every three days around here, so i thought that made us some sort of experts and that i should share with you how to make your own perfect drop.

what you need:
1 cup almonds
3 cups water
2-3 dates

what to do:
soak your almonds in enough water to cover them overnight.
drain this water and add fresh water to soak them again.
drain again after they have soaked and put almonds into blender.
add 3 cups fresh water and 2-3 dates for sweetness; blend.
once blended into a pulp, strain through a piece of muslin into a pot or bowl.
once thoroughly strained, refrigerate.

that's it!  *you could then save the almond meal to use as a flour substitute, but we have not had as much luck with this.

for some reason, i just love how we hang out the muslin on the back of the chair afterwards to dry. it reminds me of something my little grandma would have done.

happy thanksgiving canada!

i'm thinking of home today and pumpkin pie xo

put a crown on it. 7.

i couldn't do a spring floral crown series and look past the poppy. these beauties sing spring with their bright colours and delicate shapes. i used to find that i would often get a bunch that would be tight in their buds and never really open (i have since discovered that, when you buy them closed, you must cut the ends a little bit, put them in a small amount of warm water and place them in direct sunshine or even under a lamp. they will surely bloom this way!), so i tried to embrace the bud in this piece. poppies are so beautiful at every stage...

check out the winter crowns too.

Photography: Fiona Galbraith  Crown & Styling: Nicole Valentine Don

same, same?

i'm finding perfect pears pairs, again. how similar are these fruit lamps to my apple lamp from japan? and they are made by a japanese designer- hisakasu shimizu- to boot.

whale watching.

this past week i have been blessed with whales breaching out in my ocean view. they journeyed north in the winter to give birth and are now making their way home with playful, energetic babies in tow. i get a free whale watching show twice a year! it has been such a magical way to start the day; such majestic creatures.

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kindred spirits.

i love finding similarities in little things...especially when you make the connection ages after you have seen or even thought about the first item in the mix. to me, this solidifies that both have made a strong impression in the first place, if you are able to recall something that the second article you encounter down the track reminds you of. am i making sense?

this happens with me all the time and it gives me a little thrill. i noticed it recently in these two works; the first by my good friend and talented artist - Tiffany Wollman - and the second, a collection I stumbled upon by American artist - Cat Lauigan. do you see what i see?

both women have awesome websites as well: WO//MAN & cat.

gypsy caravan.

swooning over these images of kate moss for V magazine. if only it could be a gypsy life for me...

shibori love.

i have spoken of my love affair with the japanese hand-dyeing tradition of shibori many a time before. also, i have mentioned the amazing duo (and my inspiration for delving into the craft in the first place) - pepa and karen of shibori- here, here & here.

their latest creative endeavours however, take the cake. shibori wallpaper?!!!  yes please!! 

 

deck your walls, here. Photos by: Luisa Brimble

i cannot decide whether i am more excited about their wallpaper or the collaboration with Sibella Court & McTavish Surfboards. how awesome would this beauty look down at the beach, surfing on indigo; even propped up on display at home or fins up on the roof rack on your car (ideally a kombi), driving around town? so, SO good and apparently there is another design on its way!