Take Your Bed Outside!

Photo by: Fiona Galbraith

before you head out for the long weekend my friends of the North, check out my post for JB Est 1979 and see more of this beautiful outdoor bed project, HERE. Happy Long Weekend; wish I was there!!!

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!  

rainy day outtakes.

Photos by: Fiona Galbraith

it's hard to imagine a rainy day like this one, when we shot the maple crown. it has been sunny in Sydney for weeks and weeks now! 

happy CANADA day!!!

here's to our home and native land; sunshine and family wheelbarrow races. i wish i could be there for the fireworks!

put a crown on it. 14.

Photography: Fiona Galbraith  Styling: Nicole Valentine Don

this is the final crown in the seasonal floral crown series as winter has gone and come again to the Southern hemisphere. i chose a bird's nest for autumn and have just realised that this is the first crown i have not actually made myself (a little bird did). lack of planning on my part or perhaps i am naturally evolving into a new conceptual crown series? this beauty just happens to be one of my absolute favourites of the year-long series. please let me know in the comments which is yours - i would LOVE to know! thank you all for following along xo

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:

i heart Tuscany.

we went to my best friend's wedding in Tuscany and the event could not have been in a more magical place- most of these photos are from in and around an old medieval village called Certaldo/Certaldo Alto. to get to the nuptials, we had to take a funicular- the Wes Anderson nuances were everywhere! be sure to click through for more beauties: 

i heart Rome.

we did a pretty great job of Rome in half a day, conquered it you might say. my favourite parts were the Pantheon and all of the amazing plants growing crazy everywhere. there will be a separate post dedicated just to the window boxes, i'm sure.

*click through for more of our Roman holiday

stone fox bride.

i loved reading about Jemima Kirke's understated wedding this week, it just made me love her even more. i noticed some similarities between us (or imagined them...?); i'd like to think i've got a bit of Jessa in me ;)

here

itchy feet.

i'm getting so ready to leave on our little European adventure this weekend. it's time to stand on new lands with our feet in fresh soil; looking out from a brand spankin' vantage point. like a breath of fresh.air.*photos from our trip to morocco

le french freak out.

ici

bonjour tout le monde! i am going un petit peu crazy trying to plan our trip to Europe next week (eep!). basically, i want an authentic city by city or region by region experience via hotels or airbnb every place i visit- is that too much to ask? i feel that if you go to Paris for instance, you should stay in a place that has a spiral staircase or an old wooden & iron gated lift, gorgeous chevron hardwood floors and a big, old, skeleton key to get in: like this dream Parisian apartment. likewise, if you were to stay by the beach in Sydney, you should get an array of colourful beach towels at your disposal, a hills hoist out the back and maybe a pair of complimentary 'thongs' (flip flops) for your stay. it's a mystery to me that most hotels are still so bland and run of the mill.

i have been desperate to find a lovely lavender filled place of perfection somewhere in Provence and stumbled upon this incredible place: D'une Ile. unfortunately it is in Normandy, so will have to wait for another time, but the owner was helpful enough to put me onto this incredible website, which i am now subscribed to and outright obsessed with. you choose which region in France you wish to stay in and what type of experience you are after, i.e. cuisine, tradition & crafts, wine, etc. i could not be happier; everything is coming up lavender!

for the love of Rozelle.

the Rozelle markets have long been my favourite weekend haunt. the items in my house that get the most 'where'd you get that?'s are usually from Rozelle, same goes for my wardrobe. even when i was a poor uni student, i'd still find the odd saturday or sunday and a bit of cash to go treasure hunting here. it's on the must do list for my thrifty family visitors too. the selection of goodies is vast and very vintage; most of the sellers don't mind if you drive a hard bargain either. beyond the treasures, i just love the vibe…there is live music and yummy fresh juices and food. i love getting a corn on the cob and just taking my sweet time. i went this week for the first time in what feels like more than a year and i didn't come home with any of these below pictured treats (i only went for storage items), but looking can be just as fun! 

*it reminded me a bit of this favourite.

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