Throwback Thursday… Peek-a-boo…

I’ve been going through old posts and I just loved this when I came across it. These photos of H are so much fun and so innocent. He was so little…

“H loves playing Peek-a-boo…

He turns nearly everything into a game of peek-a-boo…behing the couch, the ottoman, the kitchen island, the dining room table, a jumper, his bath towel, his washer, his teddy, a book and the list goes on…

I love seeing him so pleased with himself. I have tried to capture it…”

Wasn’t he the cutest? I love the sweet innocence. So playful and happy… such great and special memories…

Jx

All images copyright Jessica Flett

Some cushion love…. a mini couch makeover…

Our couches have been screaming for new cushions for ages now. I found the perfect ones at Pottery Barn…

The Brief: I wanted really lovely ones but didn’t want to go to the expense of getting them made as they are for the living room and are constantly used for making oceans, beds and little reading nooks so they had to be reasonably priced, functional and look good…

The Product: We wanted linen as we like the feel and look. It’s a smart, elegant and classic fabric. I was trawling around the web one day and knew pottery barn did great reasonably priced cushions so had a look and really liked these… thankfully I am near Bondi Junction so was able to head in store to have a look. They were going to work so I needed to work on cushions to compliment it. I went for this one first…

I bought both cushions and took them home to try them… knowing I could return them if I got it wrong and head back soon to get the balance… When I got them home…. they worked!!! YAY! Now to work out the configuration of what I wanted/needed. YIKES!

The Result: I went back the following day and discovered these…. they were beautiful and were double sided…  I was a little unsure about that at first but love them now as they offer more depth in the colour combinations and more configuration choices and are tonally complimentary.

I am typically a symmetrical person but really wanted to step out and try and mix it up so we went for 3 on each couch… 1 big and 2 middle size. When I got home I still had the small one here and put it on the couch too and thought it worked so I kept it… we have 4 on one and 3 on the other… I recently read in Jason Grant’s new book that items are best grouped in pairs, odd numbers or even fours… so it’s a win/win!! Who knew!

Side note: When buying from pottery barn you do need to buy the inserts. This is an initial larger outlay but they don’t change their cushion sizes so you can update your look by replacing the cover and reusing the insert for relatively little cost down the track.

Is linen your fabric of choice? Did you know about pairs, odds and fours? Think they’re too big for the couch like my husband does?

Jx

Playing #7vignettes with Interiors Addict…

This month I completed my second round of #7vignettes run by Interiors Addict on Instagram… It’s a terrific monthly challenge and I’m really enjoying it. There is a daily prompt/theme for the first 7 days of the month… I love seeing them all together as a group at the end of the week.

1. Yellow 2. Forever Summer 3. Holiday 4. Stripes5. Nostalgia 6. Family 7. 4-legged friend

This is my collection from August… You can see it’s not as cohesive as this month but still a nice collection. I hope to keep getting better and better…

If you have a creative styling itch this is a great way to scratch it. Be warned…you will suffer withdrawals at the end of the week.

Some of my favourite vignetters are; @thestylistsplash, @adiandbert, @juliabesidethesea, @kerrieanne4artonparkdesigns, @24cherrys, @the_vintage_palace & @samphireandseasalt just to name a few. There are soooo many talented people out there. Go and check out #7vignettes on Instagram to see all the talent.

Jx

You can find me on Instagram here, Facebook here and Twitter here…

Don’t forget to sign up for email updates so you don’t miss anything…. it’s just at the bottom of this page.

Meeting a sibling for the first time…

Lovely friends of mine have just welcomed their second child and their first born has coped really well with meeting her little brother.

This got me thinking about when H met E and the advice we received going into it.  Their first meeting went really well… we couldn’t have hoped for anything better.

He walked in and we had huge cuddles and kisses… it was the first time I had been away from him and I hadn’t seen him for two nights. I had E wrapped on the bed and I was standing waiting for my little man to walk in. We had big cuddles and then I just let him go and explore. He went straight to the phone and then E squeaked… all of a sudden H looked and saw her and exclaimed… look Sis, it’s Sis and he was so interested so we had a look and they got to meet. he was fascinated with her facial features. After a minute he was done and we went on to check out the rest of the room and open some presents.

From then on he was and still is a wonderful brother. He is very patient and on the whole very loving and protective.

Here are my top 5 tips for introducing your older children to their new sibling…

1. Have a present from the baby for the older sibling/s

2. Don’t be holding the baby when your child/children walk into the room. Have your arms free for cuddles and kisses

3. Let them find the baby of their own accord

4. Allow the older child/ren pay as much or as little attention to the baby as they want. Don’t push the issue

5. Lots of cuddles and kisses and make yourself available as much as possible

Any tips to add to it? Would love to hear your meeting story…

Jx

The years may pass…

I have a wonderful friend I have known for 11 years. We first met when we worked together in Country NSW. I have since moved away and our lives have continued on. We have both married and had our families. We have kept in contact all that time but have sadly only seen each other about 4 times in the last 8 years. The last time being at my wedding just over 4 years ago.

We were lucky enough to see each other on Monday and it was so wonderful. We have 5 children between us and we got to meet the 4 we haven’t met yet. Despite time and distance it was like no time had passed and we picked up where we left off. We laughed and compared notes and sat back and watched our children laugh and run and play together so well and happily.

Don’t kids have it right… no matter who they are, where they’re from, it doesn’t matter, they just see a playmate and someone to have fun with…. but I digress…

One of my favourite memories was chatting on the phone one day. I was ringing to apologise for not being able to see her one day she was here in Sydney for the day. I was so bloody sick with E (morning sickness) and could barely get my head off the pillow. I told her I was pregnant and she said she was too and was planning on telling me over lunch. We laughed and asked when the other was due…. we were due THE SAME DAY!! We couldn’t believe the coincidence.  Really… what were the odds.

Seeing her this week just made me think about good friendships and how lucky we are to have certain people in our life. No matter where we are or what’s happening we know we would be there for each other.

The years may pass but being able to sit down after time apart, and we can just pick up where we left off is the sign of a true friend.

I love you LJ…

Do you have one or several of these friends in your life?

“We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?’ asked Piglet.
Even longer,’ Pooh answered.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Jx

Image Source here & here

Breaking up is hard to do…

On Friday I had to give notice to H’s kindy that he will be leaving at the beginning of next year for Pre-school. He has been at this kindy for the last two years and we have been really happy there. When you entrust people with the care of your child you become quite attached to them and telling them we will be taking H out felt like breaking up with them.

He has been accepted into the local council run pre-school. I wasn’t expecting it as it’s hard to get into. When we went to have a look it was gorgeous and very much a traditional pre-school. The super added bonus… it’s near half the price of his current kindy.

Let me be clear… we didn’t decide his care solely on the basis of cost. However, when we had two places of care that we felt were of comparable quality, the most cost effective and convenient one won (it’s closer to home) The downside… it runs on school hours and terms so will be an adjustment from long day care.

The blow was softened somewhat as hopefully E will be joining H’s old kindy next year. Out with the old and in with the new!

Have you ever broken up with a childcare provider? Did you find it hard? Are you like me and get attached?

Wish us luck for next year… it’s going to be a cracking start…

Jx

Father’s Day gift ideas…

I have 3 wonderful men in my life I buy for come Father’s Day… My own wonderful Father, my loving and caring Father in Law and of course the incredible man I married and the Father of my children. Each of them different and all 3 are very hard to buy for. I have been having a look around for some ideas and thought you might like some ideas too…

1. Sterling silver collar stays | 2. No. 1 Dad card | 3. Shoe shine kit | 4. Hankerchiefs | 5. Classic panama hat | 6. Flash Boy by Michael Lewis | 7. Anchor memory book | 8. Tiffany and Co. T-clip ballpoint pen | 9. Digital meat thermometer | 10. Leather passport cover | 11. Wheelmen by Reed Albergotti & Vanessa O’Connell

Have you got Father’s Day sorted? Care to share?…. I need all the help I can get.

Jx

Beauty… 3 items you need in your life…

 

1. Chanel – Les Beiges, All-in-one healthy glow fluid – I had my makeup done at Chanel recently as she used this product on me. I have been in love ever since. I am not a foundation wearer and even struggle to wear tinted moisturiser. This formula is a mix between a tinted moisturiser and a BB cream. It has an SPF in it and it’s is just divine. It’s light coverage that really does smooth and light the skin. You can’t tell I’m wearing anything but I just look better.

2. Essie – Instant Dry Oil – I love having painted nails and with two kids I rarely find the time to paint them and wait for them to dry even with quick dry polish. At night I was always too tired and when they were sleeping I had other things to do and murphy’s law would state as soon as I sat down to do them or I had just finished they would wake. Not to mention that my mani’s never last that long. I wash my hands so often during the day and with the kids I am just really hard on my hands so it just never seemed worth it. Well…. enter Essie’s instant dry oil. It really does dry my nails in an instant so having to wait for your nails to dry is a thing of the past. I LOVE this product and now find myself with my nails polished all the time. YAY!

3. Chanel – Eau Douceur cleansing water – I am really quite lazy with my skincare routine. When this was introduced to me I instantly fell in love. You squirt it on to cotton makeup pads and wipe over your face. It removes all makeup and is gentle and cleansing on your skin. There is no need to additional cleansing. So no running water and a washer. I love it and find my skin has never been better because I am more consistent with my skincare.

So, anyone already use any of these? Any other awesome products I should know about?…

Jx

Toddler books… our favourites…

For the last day of Book Week 2014. I thought I would share some of our favourite toddler books.

H is a great lover of books. He gets so much pleasure out of them and it just thrills me to see him get so much enjoyment out of something I love too.

We keep things on high rotation and as he now gets to choose what we read before bedtime it is quite wide and varied which is lovely. It’s always nice to ‘rediscover’ a book we haven’t read for a while.

A big hit with us is anything by Julia Donaldson. Her books are so lovely and varied. Her writing has a lovely rhythm to it and it can actually be a little tricky to read the first time until you get the flow of the words. She is most famous for The Gruffalo (he even has his own website). Some of our other favourites are Stick Man, The snail and the whale, A squash and a squeeze and Sharing a shell. We are working on owning her whole collection and still have several to go so no doubt there are more favourites to discover.

We also love the Dr.Seuss books. They are such fun and the best ones to start with, as they are shorter and easier to get through with short attention spans are. The eye book, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, 10 apples up on top.

H was given the Gum tree farm series from his Grandparents for Christmas and it’s been a huge hit. It was bought through a book club but I have managed to find them here. Bluey’s Bone, The broken quad bike, The hungry rabbit and When will it rain?. The broken quad bike is a particular hit thanks to his Grandfather’s quad bike he LOVES when we’re home at the farm.

Ladybird Favourite stories for boys is another favourite. Every story gets a turn but in particular I think his favourite is the 3 billy goats gruff.

There is also the much loves classics… the Beatrix Potter collection. H is really enjoying them at the moment. We have started with the original The tale of Peter Rabbit. We have so many copies of this one… we have the box collection (a beautiful christening present for E), the complete collection in one book, a small collection of the original little hard cover books (my mother has also kept the complete collection we had as children too) and The tale of Peter Rabbit board book which is great for E as she’s not great with soft cover books.

The current favourite is How to be a Pirate which is a little golden book. H is very into all things pirate so this was one book he flipped over. It’s a really cute book and a really fun one to read aloud.

There are lots of other but will save them for another post soon.

I’d love to hear your favourites/recommendations. I have a real love affair with books and am always adding to our collection. What’s on rotation in your house?

For other favourites check out my instagram – I have been posting a book a day for book week.

Jx

DIY: chic and affordable children’s artwork…

I made these when I was pregnant with E. I looked around on the web and couldn’t find exactly what I wanted (an initial on a canvas) and what I did find wasn’t quite right or not in the right colours. So, I decided to make my own and this is what the finished product looks like…

I bought my supplies at Eckersley’s and Spotlight. I have provided links below for each item you need for the project.

To make these you will need…

• Canvas
• Letter or any other decorative item. More letter’s here
• Paint – minimum of two colours – one for the canvas and one for the initial / decorative item. You could use as many colours as you want if you want a rainbow effect or just something more colourful. The sky is the limit. I used acrylic paint but I think any paint would do. Depending on how many you are doing you won’t need much. Some more options here and here.
• Glue

1. Paint the canvas – I gave it a base white coat (in hind sight I don’t think this is necessary) and then two coats of colour. Allow it to dry in between coats. Most paints come with instructions of time recommended left between coats.
2. Paint the letter – I gave it at least two coats. Just judge for yourself what the coverage is like and stop when you are happy.
3. When everything is dry line the initial up on your canvas where you would like it and very lightly with a pencil mark some small guidelines.
4. Put glue on the back of your letter and place it carefully on the canvas being sure to look for your guidelines. apply some pressure for a little while to make sure the glue bonds.
5. You’re all set to hang or place around your child’s room.

You could also do smaller versions, larger versions, fluro or glitter versions. Really the only limit is your imagination and your decor aesthetic.

I hope you have fun with this…

Have you made your own artwork before? Ever made something similar?

Jx