New Home

We've been working on a new website for CHALK and finally I have worked out how to add my blog posts to it - http://www.chalkconcepts.com.au/chalk_concepts_for_kids/

Now I have to decide if I should ditch the original blog or try to import it into the new one! All so hard and after using Blogger I'm finding Typepad much harder to use. What do you think?

Home Work

Over the last couple of weeks I have been doing a few little finishing touches at home. Last week I collected together some paintings I have and had them hung in a cluster on a wall in our kitchen. There are a couple of drawings Harry has done for me, a painting which I picked up down in Bangalow last weekend and a few other special things I have collected over the years. The trick with cluster walls is laying the paintings down on the floor in a layout you like first and then hanging them. I always have a professional picture hanger hang them for me, after I have laid out the design, as my husband is {unfortunately} hopeless with a hammer.

Finally The Crafting Bug Has Bitten

While Surfer Boy is out in the shed making me some frames for my new potato garden I thought I'd show you what else I've been up to.

I had been putting off a visit to Spotlight all week as I had to buy some filling for a quilt order and I just wasn't motivated. When I finally made myself go I fell in lust with some fabric and decided my project to redo the cushions on my couch should begin now. I spent the rest of the afternoon throwing out my old covers and making 6 new ones.

.

I'm pretty happy with the result and more than happy with the $29.00 it cost me. Even Surfer Boy likes them and he usually isn't a fan of couch cushions.

The only problem now is that the cat seems to have taken a major shine to them and is hard to oust from the couch.

Sunday Lunch

I love the idea of a Sunday lunch like this with family and friends around a beautiful old table with lots of flowers, wine and great food. Now that Winter is almost here I think I need to plan a lunch like this out on the grass in our garden under our big old tree around our old French dining table.

Image - via Interior Divine Blog

A Bed for Ned

Ideally it would have been great to have had a bed built for Ned just like this one above when we were renovating last year however, we weren't considering a new puppy at that time. So, after all my thoughts of where or what Ned will sleep in it seems he has opted for the easiest option of all. He loves to sleep on a towel, albeit an Ralph Lauren towel, on the floor right next to my side of our bed....yes I know I am a softie letting him sleep inside but that's just the way I am. I couldn't sleep knowing he was outside all on his own. He has found his resting spot and I'm thrilled.

Image 1 - via Brabourne Farm Blog

Super quick post :: Heading out the door

Matt, I and his brother are heading out RIGHT NOW and need to make it up before dark so we can set up our campsite. Just wanted to say that I have the following orders finished and will list them Monday in my shop (I just ran out of time this afternoon):
1. myra1210
2. ccjt24
3. NicoleB
I have others nearly finished and will get those posted Monday/Tuesday also. Thank you so much for your patience!!!!

Grateful :: Blossom for a bride

Matt, his brother, and I are leaving to head north to Hoodsport, WA over the weekend and we leave this evening. We were scrambling to find someone to water our garden after a ton of plants wilted in just 1 day with out water (we planted a ton over the holiday weekend). Anyhow, at the 11th hour last night, I asked a lovely bride I'm working with, Janene, if she could do a totally strange favor and water our garden since she and her fiance would be passing through our town while we were away. She agreed! Whew! Thank you, Janene!!! Matt and I are completely grateful - especially knowing all our hardwork won't die during the hot weather this weekend! Among some other compensation, I whipped this blossom up for her:

I like! I added it to my Etsy shop too.

Click HERE to view.
If you are a bride/lady in the Salem/Portland, Oregon area that might be interested in trading for a custom hair piece in exchange for watering our garden or maybe caring for Indy this summer, shoot me an email: info@twigsandhoney.com
Matt and I will inevitably be away some weeks this summer and would love the help!

Hoorah! :: Lauren Moffatt dress is mine!

Remember that fabulous giveaway for the Lauren Moffatt dress I love? Well, I didn't win it, but I feel like a winner because I just received it yesterday after snatching it up for over 50% off from Gilt Groupe. It shipped quickly too and I cannot wait to wear it. Action pictures to come.

Photo from here: Shop Lauren Moffatt

It fits beautifully and has such an unexpected shape. The pattern is refreshing and the linen is perfect for summer!
Update on the last post: My sis and I both got fabulous pairs of Paige Premium jeans before they sold out. Yay! To enjoy Gilt Groupe benefits, click HERE.

Gilt Groupe :: Paige Premium on Friday

Remember how I love Gilt Groupe? Well, I already have my sister signed up and she put an alarm on her cell phone to make sure she doesn't miss the Paige Premium sale tomorrow at noon EDT. I've been waiting for this sale for a long time now. I hope they have this pair available:

Woman Blue Heights. Perfect for summer. Clean and modern.
Remember, you need to have an account (free to sign up) to get in on the sale. You can click HERE to be invited. :) Enjoy!

Friday Flowers & Ned

It's been kind of a crazy week in our household. Yesterday I went to the airport to pick up our new little family member, Ned an 8 week old Golden Retriever puppy. He is divine. I thought I would take a photo of him with my Friday Flowers. He really didn't want to sit on the chair, hence the not-so-great photo. I hope you have a great weekend wherever you are, whatever you do. See you next week!

Whimsical and versatile new piece :: In my Etsy shop today

I felt inspired by the sunny weather to create a fun new piece... multi-purpose! It's in my Etsy shop and you can view it HERE. You can wear it as a...

Bridal belt or strap embellishment (great for spaghetti straps or create one for a strapless gown)...

a necklace...

a headband...
So many choices...

More Pretty Vintage Style

Another great example of pretty vintage style above. So many lovely things in this photo. I adore the red and white stripe armchair with the floral cushions and the white cane table displaying lots of gorgeous things is divine.


Image - Country Homes & Interiors via Brambourne Farm

A slice of pride pie...

So we know you shouldn't brag about yourself, but is it o.k. to brag about your kids? We think of our paper lines as our children so we feel inclined to brag a little. It's been a few months since CHA but the June 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes had something in it that made us smile. Mimosa was voted CK's #1 Favorite Find from CHA! This was their reason for loving it so much:

"With its warm, pink tones, big flowers
and beautiful, golden highlights, this Mimosa
line reminds us of a splendid summer morning."

We were pretty excited to see that we were given this celebrated award. With summer here and beautiful weather, it's a great time to use Mimosa. Have a tea party, make some invitations, frame some gorgeous pictures on a layout... Whatever your summer needs are, Mimosa can be your best friend.

The Mum Song

One of the Mums at school just sent this to me and I thought I'd share it. How many of these lines have you used on your kids?

Pretty Vintage Style

I love this pretty vintage style room. It's amazing how inexpensive it is creating a room using vintage pieces. My friend Simone recently started a great blog called Beach Vintage where she shares her passion for vintage finds and how to create a great vintage look on a budget. I can't believe some of the gorgeous things she has collected and created and she always does it so inexpensively!!

Image 1 & 2 via House of Bliss

I had to drop everything to do a quick post...

Thank you, Elizabeth Messina!
I know I keep gushing about Elizabeth Messina, but with good reason... as talented of a photographer this lady is, she is equally kind, professional and thoughtful... and stunning! I've been seeing more of the gorgeous photos from A Lovely Workshop appearing on blogs including Style Me Pretty (go HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE), and I just love to oogle every single one. A few minutes ago, I got a UPS package... a big package. I thought, "hmm... what did I purchase recently??" When I opened the box, I found within it, a beautiful and heavy wooden box with gorgeous embellishing. I would have been giddy with just the box, but the contents just made me squeal out loud. Countless high-quality prints all wrapped in bundles with raffia, a disc from A Lovely Workshop, and an oh-so-pretty card. Elizabeth... you ridiculously sweet lady, you!

Above and beyond... this lady exceeds expecations in every way and I am so grateful to have worked with her. Thank you, thank you Elizabeth Messina!! Be sure to visit her blog, kiss the groom (I know I do everyday!). I think I need to update my website soon... expect to see more of her stunning work soon!
Photo credits for photographed photos: Elizabeth Messina

Few new pieces in the Etsy shop

I never have time anymore to create pieces for myself and I always kick myself when I throw on an outfit and hit the town with Matt without a perfect little topper. Over the holiday weekend, Matt and I worked the earth, hard, and got much of the front sidewalk garden finished. It took three days over a couple weekends, but it is 100% better. I'll have to take pictures soon! Anyhow, I treated myself to a couple pieces. One of my favorite current designs is Mist. I made two for myself, finally... in a lovely blush pink/champagne, and one in bright turquoise. I love them so much I threw up a couple made to order listings in my Etsy shop for others to enjoy. Click HERE to view the pink one and HERE for the turqoise version.

Blushing Mist

Turquoise Mist

Sweet...

Remember the Miniature Vampire Killer's kit that I found via Peony :: Love blog? Well, later that day, I was showing Matt on my laptop and I was slightly sad because it had already sold. Over the weekend, Matt surprised me with it. I guess Matt read the blog post and knew I wanted it, so he snatched it up! Thank you, honey! Isn't he the cutest and sweetest?

What a silly thing... but hey, I'm prepared now... are you? You never know. Find more cute/quirky things HERE.

baby blocks

As you might have learned in our introductions last year, Maria really likes babies. To our surprise she announced to us earlier this year that she was having a baby! As soon as we knew, we decided that we wanted to make her something really special. When she found out that she was having a baby boy we knew we wanted to use chick-a-doo.

Chick-a-doo has these great monograms and how cute would they be as blocks? Pia had a an electric saw at home and cut 3.5" x 3.5" squares from wood. There were 4 of us in the art room so we scrambled up the alphabet and each took home 6 or 7 wooden blocks. We decorated them individually with paint, patterned paper, velvet paper and of course the monogram alphabet. Maria was so surprised when we gave them to her and we all loved looking at how each person executed their individual design on the blocks. It's really a simple project (max. time= 2 hours/person) and a fun way to give a group gift to a special friend.

Maria's older boy hasn't stopped playing with the blocks. He's warming them up for his baby brother. Since they're a larger size block, they're really fun to build with. Hope you like this gift idea as much as we did!

Today I Love...

Today I love this gorgeous clipping of a Tiffany & Co. advertisement which Emily posted last week. Some lovely reminders don't you think?! Click on image to supersize.

Painting Treasured Things

My mum's friend who has been painting some paintings for me at Black & Spiro has a very talented son. He is actually studying to be an Architect but thought he would pick up a brush and paint one of my vignettes. I love it so much I can't bear to sell it. Isn't he talented?! He obviously takes after his mother!! The crystal vase is one which my grandmother gave me and the colourful box is one I picked up a few years ago which continues to be one of my most favourite things. If anyone would like a painting done of their treasured things just let me know as Tom or Diana could certainly create something wonderful for you...

From The Files

I have had this house on file for quite sometime. I re-discovered it the other day when I was hunting for something to show a client in one of my many magazine tear out files. It belongs to Danish jewellery designer Marlene Juhl-Jorgensen. I adore her collections which she has featured against an all-white background. In my opinion this house seems so glamorous yet so simple and family friendly at the same time.

All images via - Interiors Magazine

Happy Memorial Day

garden anywhere / wicker pot / apple tree / gloves / wind chimes / journal

Did you know that Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day? I think I like the sound of that better. It's literal and explains it's purpose. I have always really enjoyed Memorial Day. Not only because you get to show respect to those who have passed away but the activities you get to do throughout the day. After you visit memorials or cemeteries, don't you feel reinvigorated to live the life you have? Well my sister and I felt very grateful for life and planted a garden. We're hoping that we're not marching our little plants to a horrible fate, since it's our first year gardening. I found some wonderful gardening items on Anthropologie.com that are all under $25! Maybe if we have the right tools we'll be more successful with our garden... even if that's not true at least we'll have some cute memorabilia. How do you spend your Memorial Day?

Don't forget to check back tomorrow. We have a wonderful gift idea!

Timbaaaaaaa

I was going to show you my mulching - very boring - but I realised this was much more interesting. I have the kind of husband who actually does stuff as soon as I've asked. I happened to mention that nothing would grow in one of the beds because the tree was blocking the sun so five minutes later he had the chainsaw out and half the tree was down!! I'm sure he thinks I don't appreciate him but one day, if he ever reads this blog, he'll see that I do - very much.

Now to abuse his kindness and think of some more things I want done...

Glorious

Autumn is not the time of year when I usually feel inspired to hit the garden but this year the weather has been so perfect for gardening in Melbourne that I can't help myself. I even bought myself some gumboots today! Now that the veggie garden is nearly done I'm moving on to the next bed.

.

Happy Weekend!

Wishing you a lovely weekend filled with fun and whimsical ideas!
Image via fffound, by illustrator Chris Silas Neal.