Aprons

One day I'll face up to the fact that I'm no domestic goddess. In the meantime I'll drool over these aprons by an Australian company called Mozi.

If your mum likes to cook then I think these will make sweet Mothers Day gifts. I'm considering purchasing one for my mum but I won't say which in case she's reading this - which I doubt because she keeps forgetting the blog address.

Images copyright Mozi. The last three aprons are on sale!

Has anyone else received their June '09 copy of Real Living yet? I did yesterday and I LOVE! Pages 42-43 features Mozi's Ingrid tea towel framed in an IKEA Ribba frame and hung on a wall. Clever!

So tell me, what are you giving your mum for Mothers Day?

I should get started on 'accidently' leaving magazines lying about with pages turned to products I would like as a gift. Do you think my husband (who is buying on behalf of our 6 month old son) will get the hint? Maybe I need to tape a list to the fridge, his suitcase, the back of the bathroom door...

Hey, if he buys me one of these aprons I might even cook him a nice dinner!

In the style of Collette Dinnigan

I was browsing Collette Dinnigan's website this morning and came across this editorial image from Marie Claire Mar '08.

Image copyright Collette Dinnigan

Pretty, huh?

My son had a long sleep so I thought I would bide my time by putting together a collection of some of my favourite homeware items in the style of the Collette Dinnigan image above. You know, instead of cleaning the house, doing laundry etc.

Clockwise:

Anthropologie Hire-Wire Act Table
Follow Me III Print by Etsy seller lushbella
Warwick Istanbul Pear Fabric
French style large tassels by Ebay seller alleray75
Warwick Kinkkale Pear Fabric
Mademoiselle In Missoni chair available by Top3 by design
Neiman Marcus "Lovebirds" Rug
The Pashmina Store Pure Cashmere Throw Blanket Zebra Animal Print

Pretty tumblers

Beautiful chocolate wrapping and orange herringbone twill.

But wait there's more! Each tumbler was carefully wrapped in tissue paper.

So much pretty!

I came across Brown Button Trading via Amanda at Swish and Swanky. It is run by Kimberlee who authors the Brown Button blog which is choc full of eye candy.

I ordered these three pretty tumblers from Kimberlee. I was thinking of using them to store pencils, paint brushes etc in my studio but I think they might start their lives in my home as vases first.

Sooo pretty... Thank you Kimberlee!

Porch reveals

You MUST check out these lovely porch makeovers by two of my favourite bloggers.

Click the banners above to see their transformations

These makeovers were part of the 48-hour challenge by Better Homes and Gardens which you can read more about here. They have inspired me to work a little more on my front balcony. WELL DONE Nicole and Brandon & Sherry and John!

Nicole I am still amazed you managed to do all that while 9 months pregnant! The pink and green accents and the beautiful floor 'rug' are my favourite elements.

PS: Does anyone else wish they were Burger with his own special little corner of Sherry & John's porch?

Studio sneak peek

Want to see what I've been up to?

The poster on the left was given to me by my sister from her trip to the Moulin Rouge in Paris. I had it professionally framed.

I've used vintage milk jars to store pencils and paint brushes. I may replace them with these I recently purchased so I can use the jars elsewhere in my home (thanks Amanda for the link to Brown Button Trading!).

Do you like my little army of acrylic paints all lined up and ready for battle?

If you have purchased from my store then you will know I like to wrap orders like a gift. I like to receive carefully packaged goods in the mail myself so I figured my customers would appreciate the effort I put into their orders.

I plan to install this IKEA towel rod against the wall and place the paper on the rod to keep it handy.

And look! Progress on the painting. It still has a loooong way to go...

My husband recently painted the walls of the studio using left over paint. He painted EVERYTHING - power points, a sticker on the wall, picture hangers. As I mentioned on Twitter, thank goodness I wasn't leaning on the wall at the time or he might have painted me too! PS: You can follow me here if you would like to: http://twitter.com/ishandchi

And today, the electrician installed extra lighting because it can get quite dark down in the dungeon. There's more to organise/arrange and I'm on a strict budget. I'll be sure to do a full reveal soon with a cost breakdown (if I can find all of my receipts).

Have a lovely weekend!

Wallpaper for the master bedroom

Images via Apartment Therapy

The master bedroom needs work and I still like the idea of installing wallpapered panels like above.

This seller on ebay sells fairly inexpensive wallpaper for about 15 pounds + about 10 pounds shipping to Australia per roll.

I have my eye on this Graham & Brown paper:

Image by Decor Supplies

Pretty, huh?

My plan is to purchase a few large MDF boards from Bunnings, paper them and then trim with white moulding to hide any ragged edges. Not sure how easy it will be to do but I'm up for the challenge.

Stay tuned!

Have You Met Miss Jones

Bird ornament by Have You Met Miss Jones

If not, you must visit here.

Meanwhile, this lovely ornament is the latest addition to my home and now lives on a shelf in my kitchen display cabinet.

Self-imposed spending ban starts NOW.

The Black Apple print

Images copyright Ish and Chi

Hi, my name is Viv and I'm a shopaholic.

The print I ordered from The Black Apple arrived today and it is lovely. I am thinking of hanging it together with my latest Butterfly art.

When the Rosie Music print I ordered arrives I will post a photo of them arranged on my wall.

Shopping online is ADDICTIVE. The postman may as well move next door to me he's over so much. A lovely man. He always asks me how my son is, wishes me a good day and ends with "See you tomorrow?".

PS: The Amy Butler fabric I've used for the Butterfly has been discontinued. I can only make a limited number of these in this fabric and will be available while stocks last.

Cushions by Hettle

Aren't they lovely? I came across Hettle via decor8 and had her work on my favourites list since then. I was pleased to find out that Gina, the designer behind Hettle is also an Ish & Chi reader (hi!).

I purchased this lovely cushion today for my living room.

Images copyright Hettle

I tried to make it a sneaky purchase because my husband and I are on a little spending ban but do you think I succeeded? No. My husband saw the BIG HUGE green 'Commit To Buy' button on Etsy's checkout screen a mile away (he's seen it *ahem* a few times before).

I can't wait to receive this cushion. I'll post photos of it in my living room when it arrives.

Also, Gina tells me there will be new Spring designs to be released shortly so keep an eye on her shop for when these arrive.

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

ALSO NEW! Butterfly in Amy Butler fabric

Well, well, well.. guess who had a productive week!

This Butterfly art is also now available in my Etsy store. I have used Amy Butler Lotus Wall Flower fabric in cherry for this piece. This fabric is to be discontinued so grab one for your wall before it is no longer available!

If the colour doesn't suit your style or decor then watch this space for more fabric options in the next few days. Happy weekend!

Image via winetravelandfood.com

Oh and Happy Orthodox Easter this Sunday! I'm looking forward to cracking red dyed eggs with my family. Every year my egg gets badly cracked though. Please wish me better luck this year!

NEW Peony Roses

NEW! Now available in my Etsy store is this colourful Peony Rose using Erin McMorris fabric.

I have also created a Peony Rose in a soft yellow colour using this beautiful fabric.

* No longer available, sorry *

The space underneath this table

This mirrored table was given to us by my parents when we first moved into our house. It is the first thing you see when you walk into our home and my favourite piece of furniture.

Unfortunately, the space underneath is currently a dumping ground for bags, shoes etc and when it is bare you can see a power point and telephone line that were cleverly photoshopped out of this photo of my son.

I'm thinking of filling the area underneath with a pair of Eames stools (possibly replicas). That way they can double as extra seating for our very small living area just off to the right of this photo.

Image copyright Design With Reach

If it is left bare I might have the power point moved. Such a hassle though. What do you think I should do?

My version of the table runner

Last week I posted photos of a table runner I liked. I was considering using doilies to create something similar until I came across these coasters.

At first I was going to glue/sew/somehow stick the coasters together but leaving them as separate pieces means they can still serve their original function. It might drive me crazy to keep piecing it together whenever I want to clear the table but I rarely eat here (I usually eat on the kitchen bench) so it should be bearable.

And anyway, it sure beats the old table runner I had on there before. Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

Real Living dinners

Image copyright Real Living. Click to view larger.

Embarrassingly, I've had the word 'food' in the blog header with only one food post. I honestly haven't had the time to cook anything worthwhile lately. It's either frozen meals or takeaway.

What I used to do a few months ago was rip out the shopping list page of Real Living and shop for my groceries that way. Easy. No more staring at shelves trying to decide what to cook that week.


Anyway, the May issue of Real Living has some yummy recipes. I've tried two of them - fish in parchment and chicken pot pie - recommended!!

Old desk

I may have taken my junk collecting obsession a little too far with this one.

It's in need of lots of love. Some of the laminate is peeling. I'll either need to try to stick it back down or re-do it. Not sure it's worth the effort though.


Maybe I'll keep it for my son to draw, fingerpaint etc on and if he makes a mess of it, well, it won't matter. Hope you are having a lovely Friday and have a Happy Easter!

Buying from Etsy

LEFT: Too Shy No. 3 by Rosie Music

RIGHT: Birdnest Girl Print by The Black Apple

Sometimes I am embarrassed to admit to myself how much time I spend on Etsy. I not only sell my own work there but I also use Etsy to find gifts for family and friends, things for my home and get to know other sellers.

I wish I could say that the horrible Australian dollar has stopped me from spending but it hasn't.

Today I purchased the two prints above from The Black Apple and Rosie Music to add to my collection of prints.

If you have come across any great artists on Etsy, please feel free to share links in the comments below.

Old chairs

Hello! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Did you do anything exciting? I did a little roadside shopping and picked these up. They were ready to be thrown out along with other furniture until I saved them.


I'm going to try my hand at recovering them in one of the mod style fabrics below. Which do you think might suit best?

Image copyright cicadastudio

Crocheted table runner

I was over at decor8 this morning admiring a lovely New Zealand home that was featured. I really like the crocheted table runner on the dining table. Unfortunately I don't live in New Zealand to be able to pick one of these up from Trade Aid New Zealand.


What do you think if I were to instead sew together a few doilies? I don't think I'll achieve quite as nice a look but it might work? Do you have any other suggestions?

Check out the beautiful balcony as well:

(All images via decor8 of Bernadette Sipkes home)

New lamp

The weather has been terrible lately. I haven't had a chance to enjoy my new outdoor setting yet. Oh well...

I bought a new lamp for the living room to replace another that could be a potential safety issue for my son. I'll post a photo of it another time so you can see what I mean. In the meantime, I'm liking the curves on my new lamp - va va voom!

I'll try to take a better photo of it next time

I picked up a couple of these IKEA Ribba frames over the weekend and made some little hearts to go inside them. The green polkadot paper backing is handmade and luxurious. I felt awful when I ruined a sheet of this paper trying to cut a straight line but don't worry, I got over it quickly :)


What do you think?