a design match made in heaven

I love the shots of these interiors, which combine the modern simplicity of white walls and furniture with pops of vibrant colour and unexpected textures within the furnishings, fabrics and other decorative elements. The wonderful, unusual light fittings in both pictures and the chair in the bedroom are amazing pieces, creating a real focal point and adding character to the room.

Something like this would be the perfect solution for my dream home- merging together the minimalist, clean and simple design preferences of my husband and at the other end of the spectrum, my love of all things colourful, shiny, patterened and vintage-esque. I certainly need to add these to my scrapbook for future reference, though we may need to trade out the pristine white sofa as it certainly wouldn't stay that way for long with the grubby little fingers around here!

Images photographed by Rachel Whiting.

the glow

The Glow gives a glimpse into the world of inspiring and fashionable mothers, sharing their styling ideas, go-to gear, multi-tasking secrets and enviable decor. Very much an aspirational concept, and fun in a 'Let's daydream for ten minutes that I also have an equally amazing wardrobe, gorgeous home, amazing career and angelic children' kind of way. The shots are beautiful and I like some of the insights and wisdom imparted by these hot mamas. It's always motivating to see proof that it is possible to have kids and not morph into a frumpy shadow of your former self.

However I will admit when I first found this site I wasn't sure if I was feeling thoroughly inspired or if I should just give up and lock myself in a small dark room. It's definitely one to be avoided after a bad day when you're sporting greasy hair, have been dealing with a crying baby whilst simultaneously trying to convince your child it's fun to make a collage with bits of fabric and glitter glue when all they're really interested in is squirting said glue into the carpet when you're not looking.

Also on the topic of motherhood, there are a series of amazing posts on the topic of juggling work and children over at A Cup of Jo. It's so interesting to see how other women schedule their days and make it all work. Achieving the right balance between prioritising family and bringing in an income is definitely a tall order sometimes and I think all parents beat themselves up about it to a certain extent but there's some great food for thought to be found there.

All images from The Glow (which I discovered via Ascot Friday) and photographed by Kelly Stuart.

just a minute in... july

Haven't done one of these posts for a while but thought it might be fun to reinstate it. So here's a snapshot of what I've been up to this past month. Accompanied by some pictures from our weekend.

Reading... The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Watching... Curt and I are quite into a cooking show they have over this side of the world called 'My Kitchen Rules'. An unfortunate choice of name but very addictive viewing, sort of a mix between 'Come Dine With Me' and 'Masterchef'. New Zealand's Next Top Model is fulfilling my quota of essential trash TV.

Listening... I'd love to be able to list some amazing new band or even just some good old indie rock 'n' roll but the sad truth of the matter is that all I seem to listen to these days is 'The Wheels on the Bus' CD that Lila insists we have on in the car EVERYWHERE we go. Obviously all that great music we played for her when she was still in the womb to refine her music tastes early on did not have the desired outcome. A very sorry state of affairs which needs to be rectified immediately.

Buying... Currently on a bit of a spending hiatus after the ridiculous amount of goods I purchased when back in the UK but I did buy a new cake tin this morning and we just bought tickets to see the Foo Fighters play in December.

Loving... Talking to baby Rose, seeing her smile and cooing back at me, family trips to the beach for long walks in the crisp Winter sunshine and epic birthday parties such as the one we attended on Saturday night.

Wanting... More hours in the day or at least a little more sleep would be great.

paint riot

Currently loving the work of artist Vince Contarino who is based in New York. The colours and marks are so bold and attention grabbing, they refuse to be ignored. A couple of these hanging on an empty white wall would be a wonderful thing. Not that we have many of those- my magpie tendencies mean that most of our wall space is already taken care of with an array of artwork, photos and illustrations. And of course there is a constant rotation of Lila's latest and greatest art creations displayed in pride of place on the fridge :)

These amazing works are inspiring me to remove the pile of clothing off the top of my art supplies chest which has been sadly neglected in a corner of the bedroom and dig out my paintbrushes, acrylics and an empty canvas. It's been too long.

All images by Vince Contarino, whom I discovered via Simple Lovely. See his website here.

beach goddess

Although it may be the middle of Winter here in New Zealand, reading the new issue of online magazine Matchbook has got me all excited about sunny days to come (as it's a US based magazine this is their Summer issue). I adore this image above from their Guide to Summer and it has got me motivated to stop eating so much cake- especially now I don't have the excuse of being pregnant anymore- and start thinking about doing some exercise again. On a side note though, one of the best things about the colder months is wrapping up warm, settling in for a night on the sofa with good friends and indulging in yummy homemade apple crumble with lashings of cream which was a highlight of this past weekend.

But back to topic, the chances of me ever being able to pull of such a glamorous look on the beach, in fact make that anywhere, are slim to absolutely-never- going-to-happen but it's always fun to have something to work towards.

If you haven't seen Matchbook magazine yet, check it out here. Toting itself as a 'Field Guide to a Charmed Life', it's full of pretty pictures and inspiring articles and best of all it's free.

Image by Jenna Alcala

one month old

Our sweet little girl is now a month old. It's unbelievable how quickly these first weeks have passed. She is very happy to be reunited with her Daddy again now we have arrived back in New Zealand, and for the past two days she has been smiling at us (I know, I know, babies aren't supposed to smile until six weeks old but I swear we have seen real smiles!) She is a joy to be around and has been sleeping well at night- two nights ago she managed an almost six hour stretch which was bliss but there was no such luck last night as she was waking for a feed every two hours so feeling a little weary as I type this.

Her favourite thing to do is sit in her bouncy chair and just watch her big sister intently, she could do this for hours and her eyes literally follow Lila as she moves around the room. She also loves to wave her little arms and legs around and make small noises. Next week Lila starts Montessori school for 3 days a week which she is wildly excited about so I am looking forward to some time with just me and my littlest lady.

Picture Credit- Jill Thorning-Jensen. This was taken on the morning of my sister's wedding when Rose was only five days old, being held here by her Dad.