Face The Foliage X Moda Operandi.

my homegirl Justina Blakeney has been featured on Vogue.com this morning with her #facethefoliage series collaboration with Moda Operandi. she's always doing little things, big things, beautiful things, but this is h u g e! i consider her a mentor in a way and it has been so wonderful to observe her journey and growth and success- hooray! without having to make a conscious effort, she has encouraged me to push my own creativity and grow my brand (I'm sure I'm not the only person who feels this way). she has been so generous towards me, today I am very glad to share her with you!

seasonal floral crowns.

Photography: Fiona Galbraith All crowns made by: Nicole Valentine Don

four seasons have come and gone since I started my floral crown series; I thought it would be fun to look back at some of my favourites. the top 3 images are winter, then 2 for each season thereafter (even though we technically did more). which one is your favourite?  i think mine are still the cherry blossom antlers, but they wouldn't fit in the grid!  

flowers and plants: italy and france.

along the coast of the south of France and into Italy (we visited San Remo for lunch one day), the plant life is in. cre. di. ble. never have i seen such huge cacti and vivid flowers in bloom. i think my favourites were the giant mother in law's tongues, but if you like bougainvillaea

3 creative ways to dress up a window.

Photos by: Fiona Galbraith

i might be on a holiday in Europe, but i'm still up to something this week over at JB Est 1979, check it out HERE.

the window boxes (and the like) of Italy.

the plant life in Italy is just incredible. this is just a small sample of the flowers and window boxes i saw around Rome and Tuscany. there were plenty we drove past that i couldn't get a photo of as well...my senses were overwhelmed by the colours, lushness and creativity behind them all. click through for more:

a mosaic for momma.

my very first DIY post is up on JB Est. 1979!! it has something to do with this photo, affectionately known to me as the prettiest picture on my instagram feed. check out the full story: HERE.

still, so long, sweet summer.

in light of this beautiful day, i thought i would share another fun collaboration with my little sister. she embellished this crown for me and i added the text. stay tuned for the autumn (southern hemisphere that is) crowns coming up just around the corner…

check out the rest of the seasonal series, here.

Photography: Fiona Galbraith  Digital Design: Madelaine Rumball Crown & Styling: Nicole Valentine Don

for goodness' sakura!

this is now the third year in a row that i have enjoyed cherry blossom (sakura) season in japan via instagram and it is so beautiful, it kind of hurts. this time of year is always bittersweet, because as much as i am in total awe of the spectacular blooms i see vicariously through others' lenses, i wish to be in tokyo so badly. i'm a firm believer in 'if you want something, you should be doing it' (though i know too well, this is often easier said than done)…yet, another end of march has passed and i did not spend it in japan. i vow right now that this time next year (unless there is some unforeseen circumstance, like i am giving birth or something…?!) i WILL be in tokyo for a sakura spring. yes!

all images via here

insta peek.

we had a very fun and exciting shoot at our house yesterday…i cannot wait to share the real thing with you. stay tuned…for now here is little sneaky look via instagram: @little_nicki_

put a crown on it. outtakes.

there are always a bunch of leftover images from a day's shoot that are still really fun, but just don't make the final cut. i thought i'd share with you some of the outtakes from the most recent daisy crown; the sunshine and crisp blues of the ocean meeting the sky, made this a favourite from the series.

Photography: Fiona Galbraith  Crown & Styling: Nicole Valentine Don

put a crown on it. 12.

you can't look past the daisy when thinking of summer floral crowns…and neither could i! to re-invent this sunny day staple, instead of a simple crown, i made it into a hat (well, that's what i'm calling it). i used the most picture perfect, crisp, tall, white daisies you have ever seen from garlands in sydney. my bangs were getting quite long around this time, so i parted them down the middle (which i never ever do) for a very 60's flower child do. the dress and sunnies give it a bit of a 90's spin for a fun little drew barrymore inspired moment, maybe? needless to say, i am very happy with how this headpiece turned out for the floral crown series and i love the blue skies that went with it. do you have a favourite yet?

Photography: Fiona Galbraith Crown & Styling: Nicole Valentine Don

pretty picture of the day.

leftovers after a week-long shoot, so pretty all wrapped up in newspaper.

flowers by: garlands

pretty picture of the day.

peekaboo pretty pink peony perfection:

put a crown on it. 10.

okay, so maybe even better than feeding the chickens...our weekend stay in the country had an outdoor shower! this feature is high on the requirements list for my future dream home. showering in the great outdoors was so wonderful and refreshing; i made a native flora crown for the occasion and felt a little like brooke shields in blue lagoon or something. i used the bright red grevillea that you tend to see everywhere in australia and have just since learned that it is part of the protea family - one of my favourites!