Play houses

Adorable little play blocks. When visiting Japan, I was struck by a huge trend of kid's toys being nice, adult colours, and not crazy, branded Dora catastrophes. It's nice to think that if I wanted to buy a child a toy, it could be simple, natural-looking and still heaps of fun. Also, ahem, I wouldn't mind these blocks....

Gallery Wall Love

Really and truly, I've never met a gallery wall that I didn't love. And this one is no exception, of course. It feels like I might have even posted it before, or it feels like home. One of the two, I guess. 

Perfection

My friend C sent this to me, and said it reminded her of The Pal and I. And I have to say, she's totally right. This is probably the list I would write and a pretty great list of resolutions for this year and next. More of all of these, please! (Sorry, I don't have the link to the source: let me know if you know where it exists!)

Kitchen Love

I never thought there would be a time where I would miss all my kitchen things. But that time has come! Our things are hopefully arriving soon, but it's been five months without things like our plates and chopping boards, and I can't wait to unpack everything and feel better equipped. (One saucepan has been a real challenge!) This picture is providing much inspiration in the meantime.

Dipped wooden boxes

One of the things about living in the US that's tricky is the feeling of everything being so attainable. Living in Sydney, one is very used to thinking "that website probably doesn't ship internationally" or worse, "that website charges $100 for shipping, so that's no bargain". But here, everything ships, often free and always fast. This is a problem. It makes me think I *need* most things, or at the least, should buy them because there may be a day that I can't! Ridic, I know. In the middle of these deep, consumerist musings: voila! Cute wooden boxes. They probably won't come home with me, but they're pretty to admire in the meantime.

Ten Great Years

I'm a sucker for a good Beatles infographic and this one is no different. Quite unbelievable that they spanned this golden decade so successfully. Off to listen to I Am the Walrus...

Scandinavian Packaging

Love that English supermarket Tesco has such adorable tea packaging. If only all brands thought through how their products will look on shelves - I'd be so much more likely to 1. buy these and 2. display them if they were in cute, Scandinavian packets.

Hedgehog measuring cups

Um, hedgehog measuring cups? Completely adorable. Not practical, probably, but delightful.

Old Becomes New

Just such lovely covers by Mr Boddington's Studio. I'm a sucker for beautifully re-designs of old classics and these are no exception. 

Peaceful bathtimes

Not sure what I love more: the bathtub or the polka-dot robe. Maybe both? At the same time? Now there's a plan. Excuse me while I steal this room....

Tiny House Love

I do love a tiny house, and this one is no exception - imagine having a many-sided house in your backyard to escape in and read or write or craft? Heavenly.

Patient, loving and kind

My Mum always used to say a very similar thing to us each night before we went to bed: "Be loving, patient and kind". And it came up for me when I saw this print - what a sweet reminder.

Table settings

I'm getting increasingly excited about my family coming over to San Francisco for Christmas. I'm dreaming up color schemes and table decorations for us - and this one is such a pretty one. No spoilers, of course, but I really am thinking about it a lot!

Lovely bedroom

Just love, love, love the colors of this house. The wood and the white is just delicously clean and lovely.

Geometric Marilyn

Would love a print of this blown up on my wall - what a wonderful image and a stunning geometric print.

Cosy living rooms

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Thanks for all your comments on the sewing machine! The box actually arrived last night and even though I haven't opened it yet, I'm very excited. :)  Meanwhile, these living rooms are proving very inspirational. I'm trying to think about how to make our place look homey before our boxes arrive (sigh!) and these are pretty great to make my head start thinking about what to do.

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Sewing Machine

I've wanted a sewing machine pretty much ever since I arrived in the US almost four months ago. But I've been also worrying about investing (or over-investing?) in a machine, as the voltage differences between Australia and the US means that I won't ever be able to take it back home, when I do return one day. (See, Mum? "When" I return!)  But then I saw this Limited Edition (what is it about those words? They make me impulsive!!) black vintage-style Singer, and thought, This. Is. It.

Anyway. I bought it. It was, including shipping and tax on Amazon, $206, which isn't too crazy in the world of sewing machines. And it had great reviews. And hopefully I can re-sell it one day or gift it to a crafty friend. I'm pretty excited for it to arrive...

More scarf love

It's getting cooler each day over here, and a little darker in the mornings, too. I've been wearing more and more layers and slowly, more and more scarves. The one above is actually San Francisco - I found it on Kickstarter (which, by the way, is a great place to look for Chrissy presents - you can support artists + give things to your friends at the same time!)

And this one?  Well goodness. It's actually a furoshiki which is a Japanese cloth for carrying goods. I'm going to use it as a scarf - yep, I bought this one already from Jollygoo's delightful new shop Uguiso in Tokyo.

Geometric Jewelery

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Ok, it's no secret that I like triangles. So here are some delicious geometic shapes which look pretty amazing to me. Enjoy!

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