Sounds like a plan, Abraham.

Love this.

The Fault in Our Stars

Last year I read John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and cried my eyes out. This film's going to be amazing.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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I hope you all have a magnificent Christmas and a wonderful year ahead! I'm going to take a little big of a blogging break and I'll be back in early January with more wonderfulness. Thanks for your constant support, love and comments - you are just lovely. : )

Kate xx

What's coming up: April, May and June

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Inspired by Eileen's excellent  list, I've decided to make my own. This is a list about, broadly, 'things I'm looking forward to in the next few months' as it begins to ger slightly warmer and then, well, slightly cooler, because it's San Francisco.

Fancy Pants Events
-Big Bang Gala at the Academy of Science: I'm sort of cheating as this was last week, but super fun.
-Janelle Monae in concert. I saw her last year at the Sydney Opera House and I can't WAIT to see her again.

Crafty things
-Craft Night #3 is coming up soon - I'm very excited about it.

-Calligraphy classes at Makeshift Society

Good friends
Two lots of very good and very old friends are coming to stay in the coming weeks. Hooray for R & E and D&G!

Trips
-Mini getaway to LA
-Bachelorette party in New Orleans
-Camping trip to Lake Tahoe
-Possibly another week away - maybe Mexico or Hawaii?

Red Wedges

What's that red wedges? You think you'd look good on my feet? Yeah, I know red wedges. I like you, too.

Post Christmas Memories

Too late to show you some Christmas memories?  I was pretty sick leading up to Christmas and spent much of it having naps and trying to dose myself with vitamins. But these photos really sum up the feeling of cosiness and happiness to have my family in town. (Photo credits to my sister Bec and The Pal).

Happy 2013!

Ah it feels good, this beginning of a New Year. I had a wonderful Chrissy with my family all around me - it felt so special to have a Christmas away from our home, all together.

I'm busy thinking about the year ahead - what will happen, what I should aim for, prioritize. A wonderful sense of possibility.

Happy New Year, lovely readers. Hope it brings all you wish for.

Kate x

A great mantra

I loved Roald Dahl as a kid, and this print makes me beam. Probably from the sunbeams inside.

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Today is my 30th birthday! It's funny - I don't feel any sense of trepidation or feeling 'old' - I just feel very happy and lucky.

Here's to fun times ahead, more adventures beginning and good friends to share it all with.

Thanks, as always, for reading. So wonderful to read your comments.

Kate xx

We got the apartment!

Thanks for your lovely wishes - they must have been granted! In what might be the fastest ever San Francisco rental process, we got the apartment! I am still a little in shock - we had expected (and been warned) that it could take months, so I feel super lucky and excited about the place we got. Above is a picture (with the side street very obviously blanked out!) - ours is the middle floor - we have the whole floor which makes it feel a bit like a house. Built in 1882, it's exactly 130 years old, which makes it both the oldest (and incidentally the biggest!) place in which I've ever lived.

This probably used to be the dining room, with a built-in cabinet for dinnerware, but we're going to use this as a bedroom. When I saw this online, I was so excited to see freshly painted and plastered walls, and such beautiful light coming through.

The original fireplace in the lounge room and front bay window. Can't wait to put a reading nook under the window. And the chandelier - well, it's a bit unfortunate, but it's a Victorian original, too.

A clawfoot bathtub! Pretty excited about this. I haven't lived in a house with a bath for about 5 years, so I plan on using this one frequently.

And this is my closet. Yes - The Pal will get a separate one! This one is off the main bedroom (yes, those are also original drawers with original drawer pulls that you can't see well here). The Pal's is off the dining room/2nd bedroom. I cannot WAIT (maybe I'll be alone on this one) to set up this room :)

Yes - back to the dining room/2nd bedroom mention. That's sort of a weird combination, I know. But we are super keen to both entertain here, and also to have friends come to stay. So we're thinking of making the 2nd bedroom into a dining room for most of the time (where we can eat and do work etc) and then push it to the side and have an AirBed when we have a guest. Not a perfect solution, but likely the most sensible.

I'm going to post photos as we slowly accumulate possessions and furniture over the coming months. Please throw in your suggestions - I'd love to hear them!

To-do list: (I'll be posting this weekly as a personal reminder of where we're up to - please feel free to ignore or to play along). Obviously much of this will cost a lot, so we'll do it over time, starting with the most urgent.

Kitchen
-Get a new plug for the sink
-Line cupboards with non-adhesive mats
-Possibly get an eat-in table and chair or a centre butcher's block/workspace.


Butler's Pantry
-Line shelves with non-adhesive mats
-Maybe get curtain to block the pantry from the kitchen? (or go crazy with a beaded curtain?)

Bathroom
-Put up shower curtain cotton liners
-Think about towel warmer/dryer?


Mudroom
-Buy a sideboard to house linen and to use as more bench space for the bathroom.
-Buy a washing basket
-Buy a clothes rack
-Maybe buy a plant for the sideboard when we have it


Bedroom
-Buy a mattress
-Buy a bed base
-Buy new, darker curtains
-Buy wall hooks for the picture rails


Closet
-Line drawers with paper liners

Dining Room/2nd Bedroom
-Research and buy an airbed and linen and guest towel
-Buy dining table
-Buy dining chairs
-Buy rug (this is a lease condition)


Lounge room
-Buy couch
-Buy coffee table
-Buy rug
-Buy a large plant - maybe a Fiddle Fig?


Study nook/Entraceway
-Buy small desk for this space
-Buy a chair/stool, too
-Buy a little lamp


Hallway
-Buy a rug (runner style) - this is a lease condition

I'm sure there are lots more to-dos - but so, so exciting!

One of my favourite details in the lounge room!

Happy Redwoods!

Some more pics from our road trip. We hired a convertible and Internet, apart from the looks from some people like we were douchebags (there is definitely a douchey quality to convertibles), it was so. Much. Fun.  We drive up through the Redwoods and the views and trees are simply breathtaking. No photo could do them justice, but I can shut my eyes and be back amongst green wonderfulness. Have a lovely weekend. xx

Bookish Tree House

Goodness gracious this is a beautiful house. Love the windows, the angles and these books. So comfy and bright - just beautiful.

Office Space Pretties

Yes, I know. I'm not an artist. Or a stylist or in any creative industry. But what I wouldn't give for an arty office like this one. I'm sure the tech company I work at would get behind this, right?!

Freedom

I must be feeling teary as this artwork really struck me today. So stencilly and so beautiful.

Geometric Wallpaper

Usually I like wallpaper for a few moments - and often think I'd have buyers' remorse if I ever decided on a pattern. Until I saw this pattern. I think I could look at it forever.

Merry Christmas!

Hope you're having a great Christmas today. And if it's not your thing, I hope you're having a great day nonetheless! I'm taking next week off from blogging, but I'll see you in the New Year. xxx

Animal rings

Well aren't these just adorable? Think I like the bird the best. But could be swayed towards the giraffe, too.

Sleepy nook

This sleepy nook is another favourite nook of mine. There's something about the angles and the linen that look so comforting. 

1 year anniversary present

Well, he's done it again. The Pal gave me this incredible sculpture for our 1st wedding anniversary (I know - it's been a year!) and I adore it. The backstory is that we saw it a long time ago in a local cafe and I loved it back then. Of course when we went back, it was sold, and I lost hope that it might be ours. Lo and behold on our anniversary, The Pal gave it to me. And of course - the first anniversary is paper. Yep, I know. He's amazing. 

1st wedding anniversary

The Pal and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary on the weekend. We spent a beautiful, sunny day in the park with a Sydney Picnic and it genuinely couldn't have been lovelier. Picnic + sun + The Pal = much happiness.