Inspiration for my store

4 weeks till we take over the shop and re-design, inspiration is overloading in my wee head. Here are some of the beautiful things i have seen to set my creative mind alight!

Via: Lanalou Style

Via: This Is Glamorous

Via: Florence & Florence

Q&A

I read the following on Latte Junkie's blog:


"There's nothing quite like reading a blog and thinking "Wow, great idea" and then discovering that you have been tagged to do it too"


Then i had the same done to me...he he. I love these so there is no stopping me now!!!

Q & A

Which living person do you most admire, and why? I know it sounds corny, but my husband. He is the most ambitious, driven, determined person i know. He always see's things like it is, no fuss kind of guy. Has the ability to say no (i'm a yes to everything person and i need to say no every once in a while). He sees the potential in people, i love that.

When were you happiest? Pretty much now, life is good.

What was your most embarrassing moment? Goodness, where do i start! Child birth was up there :D

Aside from property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought? 
A car, ouch! took me 3 years to pay it off, never again.

What is your most treasured possession? A Boh Runga necklace my husband bought for me and a picture of my daughter that my husband brought back to the hospital room from the SCBU unit when she was ill.

Where would you like to live? Central Otago, maybe Arrowtown.

What’s your favorite smell? Crisp clean linen.

Who would play you in the film of your life? Geeze, i hope they don't make a film about me! But maybe Aurdy Hepburn if she was still allive.

What is your favorite book? Lately, Decorate

What is your most unappealing habit?  Biting my nails...gross!

What would be your fancy dress costume of choice? A pirate. 

What is your earliest memory?  Sliding down a slide in my friends back garden.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?  Wine and cheese and crackers. I would have that every night if i could.

What do you owe your parents? A lot, i am adopted. I am thankful they picked me! How lucky are they hahahaha.

To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why? Hmm probably to my parents for being a little madam when i was younger.

What or who is the greatest love of your life? My aunty Audrey, she died of cancer when i was younger. She was my most treasured relative and i miss her.

What does love feel like? Everything and anything all wrapped up into one!

What was the best kiss of your life? Hmm hard choice between my husband on our wedding day and kissing my daughter when she was born.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Everything happens for a reason

What is the worst job you’ve done? Bleugh, cleaning toilet blocks as part of the job whilst working at an outdoor adventure camp.

If you could edit your past, what would you change? Nothing, i will learn from my past so i can change my future.

What is the closest you’ve come to death? Suspected meningitis whilst traveling in Ireland, and nearly breaking my neck at uni where i was carried off neck brace and backboard. both pretty frightening. 

What do you consider your greatest achievement? Ha ha getting this far without killing myself! Oh and having my daughter.

When did you last cry, and why? Hmm probably the other day, i cry a lot (but in hiding so no one can see me cry at the silly things).

How do you relax? Run, cycle, etc. Or a good cuppa and a magazine!

What single thing would improve the quality of your life? An early night!

What is the most important lesson life has taught you? Dream big, live life and most importantly laugh! 


Hmm i tag a couple of mama's:
Mama J'adore
Mama wears jandals

Wordless wednesday: This is your life...

Via: Holstee

Good Friday: Abel Tasman

Initially we saw rain clouds, wondering why we hadn't stayed at home with the heat pump. But the sun came out, it was lovely and warm, i wore shorts and jandles and we wished we had brought our togs for a swim! Instead we had a picnic and a lovely drive. A well deserved break from daily life, fun at the beach and monster eating sand! We even ate subway at Ruby Bay beach too, something that doesn't happen very often but it was YUM!

Were not religious in any way, apart from our own "beliefs" but we are planning "egg day" and dawn service on monday. Happy Easter everyone!

When monsters attack...

Cue JAWS theme music...

(Monster was swiftly removed from table shortly after this pic, 
she was trying to get the fish on High 5!)

Creating my place in the sun

Since the other day and the jump into the deep end, i have had brain overload! Ideas galore, plans in my head, looking through design magazines and online to gain inspiration for the design of the shop inside and the sign outside and all the little things like business cards and "stuff". I wanted something clean, smart, but not too fancy. So this is design number 2 (number one was poo poo'd by the other half, his face said it all!).


What do you think?

Proud owner of this...

My better half and i are now proud owners of this little store, it's going to be my new baby (now that my other one is officially a toddler). It will be getting a makeover into this millennium inside, and i'll show you the progress as we go! A little store that stocks NZ gifts and a bit more, lots of Nelson and NZ artists have their fantastic design items in these four walls and i am going to make this the best little store in our region...no NZ...no the WORLD hee hee. And best of all i can stock my own Little Sabine Creations too hoorah!

Winter garden

This is the last of my beautiful roses, winter is really nipping at our toes here at the top of the south, so the garden is slowly loosing the bright flowers, leaves are turning and falling and a touch of frost on the ground too. It's nice to see the autumn colours though, and a dusting of snow on the ranges across the water from us. It was only 3 degrees this morning, i had to defrost the ice from the car before i took the monster to pre-school! She is wrapped up so warm she probably can't move! The dog (who is skin and bones being a greyhound) has is fleece jacket on it's so cold, lets hope his friends don't see him, it's not very masculine!

All you need is a cardboard box!

After we moved down here, we never got around to throwing out all the removal boxes. With the help of a Stanley knife, a door and 2 windows were cut out and Sabine's cardboard house is now one of her favorite hangouts in our living room. She loves playing peek-a-boo through the windows and stashing away her teddies inside. I think i might just add a little bit of wallpaper inside, some curtains and a lick of paint on the outside!

A wedding...

We went to a wedding last night, one of my coffee group mummies. It was fantastic to be out with my friends all sharing the same excitement of being "out" without a buba in tow. Not that we don't love them to pieces, but you know what i mean! We even had our husbands there to share in this fabulous day/evening. There was drinking and dancing and lot's of pics of the bride and groom. It was definitely a lovely day. The weather wasn't the usual sunshine capital day, but the rain held off just after she arrived and the grey sky's actually made the white bali flags stand out more as they waved in the breeze over the sea.

The T-Mobile Royal Wedding

Oh i had to giggle at this, if only the Royal Wedding was going to be this funny and this short.

Wordless Wednesday: Quiet Dusk

A yummy summer preserved gift

YUM

Don't you just love it when people give you yummy homemade (with lots of love) gifts, like these 3! Boysenberry jam, Lemon curd (that will turn into a lemon meringue pie soon) and crabapple jelly. The beautiful glass jars they came in, almost too good to open, but my tummy couldn't wait.

Homemade gifts just seem so much better, it has taken time to make these, and patience! So i appreciate them so much more, now i just have to hide them from my diabetic husband who eats more sugar than anyone i know!

And talking of handmade gifts, Sabine received this from my wonderful friend in Devonport. Isn't she clever!

Cheeky wee arachnid

I looked over last night whilst deeply engrossed in Desperate Housewives to find this fella happily sitting on my arm. Luckily, with my cherub sleeping, i did one of those inhaling silent screams, along with a power flick to send it flying off my arm and onto the couch. The other half jumped out of his skin, mainly cause of my reaction not the spider. A quick photoshoot and the little blighter is now outside with all his friends (i can't squish things, they were only being spiders after all!). But whooooa muma, this is the chunkiest spider i have seen in a while! We have also had 3 huge white tails and they saw a different exit sadly, via the toilet!

Friday fives...

Had to laugh that my cat got stuck the other side of the river, high tide made it worse. She then got stuck up a tree for 24hours and slinked home to sleep for an entire day! 

Was brave and died my blonde hair brown, i actually liked it (usually it ends in tears and i hate it from the 2nd day i have it). I'm still loving it, and proud i died killed dyed it myself in the bathroom, without coating the walls and me!

Caught this shot and just loved the colour of the Peacock and hen

A shot of me and the monster (very rare) and me with slightly darker hair...still loving it!

Wee monster and her Popa from the UK who came to visit for 2 weeks (and yes she does have gigantic feet, she will be a good swimmer!). 

Multiplying like rabbits

Literally...

I have been pretty busy with orders lately, very exciting for me! In particular the sleepy rabbits have been flying out the door. Must be easter or something! I made this one for a friends little girl who turned one today.

Favorite things in my wardrobe wednesday

They are just sooo comfy, well worn, moulded to my feet. Perfect in size, cushioning and colour. I love my little sneakers, and i'm glad it's a tinsy bit cold so that i can wear them again. A hit of pink, a smidgen of retro appeal, laces never get tied or untied anymore, they are perfect. Apart from the new ventilation shaft...

Autumnal change

It seems as though with the clocks going back, someone has flicked the autumn switch at the same time. Leaves are changing colour and falling, acorns all over the ground and the temperature is definitely on the down turn! We woke up to 4 degrees this morning and snow on the surrounding hills, quite a change from the 25 degrees last week! I have had to crank out the boots and put away the jandals (heaven forbid).

We were lucky enough last week to catch a glimpse of warmth and head out for a picnic at Isel park in Stoke. Beautiful old trees in the park like grounds of the old house. Even the greyhound can come here and enjoy a walk. There were horse chestnuts (conkers) to play with (my childhood remembers this game) and plenty of leaves to pick up and crinkle. Pooh sticks in the river with Papa and some Afghans to fill our tummies. 

Autumn is a lovely time of year...

Moi...

Moi...

Linking in with Latte Junkie who saw this via  Intermittent Blogger who found it on  Drovers Run. I love little snipets like this, you get to see a glimpse of what the person behind the witting is really like!

1. Age: 34 (but typically go by my shoe size - 7)
2. Bed size: Double, but i only get a slither of this space due to the husband taking up the majority of the bed!
3. Chore you hate: Folding washing
4. Dogs: We have one super lazy Greyhound, adore him
5. Essential start to your day: A big kiss from miss Sabine followed by a long black!
6. Favorite color: Grey
7. Gold or silver: silver, gold looks weird against my skin tone.
8. Height: 5'6" (sorry it the english in me!)
9. Instruments that you can play: Flute, but not for a while now
10. Job title: Exercise Physiologist/mama/designer
11. Kids: 1
12. Live: New Zealand
13. Mom’s name: Barbara
14. Nicknames: Cinders, Petal
15. Overnight hospital stays: Far too many to list, illnesses, sports injuries, one cheeky child
16. Pet peeve: People who make plans with you but then drop you for something better/more fun
17. Quote from a movie: "We go together like Peas And Carrots" - Forrest Gump
18. Righty or lefty: Right
19. Sibling: 1 older brother 
20. Time you wake up: Whenever Sabine wakes me, generally 6:30am
21. Underwear: Stickler for good undies, faves are Elle McP
22. Vegetables you dislike: Sprouts
23. What makes you run late: My husband, he is never on time for anything
24. X-rays: Too many to list, mainly sports injuries
25. Yummy food you make: Most things (qualified chef), mainly italian food Mmmmm
26. Zoo favorite animal: Big cats