let the silly season begin

With only 1 more sleep til christmas day it's time to wish you all a very merry little (or big) christmas.I'll be off for the next few days celebrating with family and then hitting the road to head up the coast with my besties for some much needed sun and sand to bring in the new year. Hopefully i'll have plenty of adventures to post about upon my return but until then stay safe and enjoy the silly season!xoxoFree Christmas Tag Printables from Eat Drink Chic

DIY christmas crackers

Christmas just isn't complete without crackers! The pop, the crappy jokes and the silly hats worn for the entire christmas lunch.Kate over at minieco has a do-it-yourself tutorial to make your own christmas crackers. Not only do they look great but it means you can fill them with your own crappy jokes.xx

sydney summer guide

Photo by Eugene Tan

For those of you Sydney siders who are staying in town for the silly season (and there is nothing wrong with that!) it's hard to know where to begin when it comes to celebrating summer.

So look no further. Concrete Playground have put together the inaugural Summer Guide - a comprehensive shortlist of the best this city has to offer over the next three months, from roof top bars, beaches, picnic spots, outdoor dining and much more. Available to purchase for iPhone/iPad or in softcover; The Summer Guide means there's no excuse for a wasted summer in Sydney this year.

casa dos chicos

The countdown for next year's trip to Mexico has well an truly started, but when I stumbled across this post over at design tripper it actually made me a little depressed. Why? Because I wish I had of known about Casa dos Chicos earlier so I could have booked it for myself.

A designer holiday rental perched on a hill in the surf town of Sayulita on the pacific coast of Mexico, Casa dos Chicos is right out of the pages of a luxury travel magazine. Decorated with colourful furniture and textiles from the local market, Patrizio Fradiani's newly renovated villa features four private suites, a swimming pool, a tree-top plunge pool with ocean views and a mexican-style open air living area which includes a rooftop living room and kitchen/dining dramatically linked by a bridge.

I can just picture myself rocking in that hammock with mojito in hand.

cool kids: ms g's

By no means am I a restaurant critic, but when you find something this good you just can't help but want to share. A few months back the work girls got together for our not-regular-enough 'wine & dine' at the latest Merivale venture Ms G's in Potts Point (can Justin Hemmes ever put a foot wrong?)

As soon as you step foot in the door you can't help but absorb the 'hip' air. Hip decor (who else but Sibella Court), hip soundtrack, hip staff and hip menu: one that can only be described as modern asian share food. Too cool to take bookings, you can however wait for your table in the upstairs bar where you can sip on bubble-tea inspired cocktails in sealed cups with giant straws - the Good Morning Vietnam goes down a treat.

Food wise, most of the meals are designed to be shared and you really can't go past the pork belly or chicken katsu mini bánh mì, prawn toast with yuzu aioli, fried baby chicken with kimchi mayonnaise and last but not least Ms G's grilled corn on the cob with parmesan and lime.

Even for the sweet tooth, the Stoners Delight is a dessert best shared. Doughnut ice cream, mars bar slice, pretzels, peanut brittle and marshmallows all on the one plate may sound like someone raided the pantry of left overs but gee whiz the combination is amazing!

Pictures courtesy of Spicy Ice Cream 

painted driftwood

Can't you just imagine this crafty little arrangement in a beachside cottage this christmas?
Leslie from A Creative Mint and decor8 was inspired by artist Ginette Lapalme and her painted driftwood (below).

Looks like a holiday project to add to my list this summer.

society6

Wander by Wesley Bird

If you are yet to discover Society6, get there now!!!

Society6 is a global art collection, where artists can showcase and sell their work. Apart from traditional prints Society6 also convert the art into iPhone covers, laptop covers and clothing. 

I have my eye on this print by Wesley Bird, but I can't quite make up my mind about a new iPhone cover.

Scales by Steven Womack

DG Aztec by Dawn Gardner

let's picnic!

These free picnic printables from Amy Moss at Eat Drink Chic have inspired me.
Time to get the gang together for a little gourmet picnic, me thinks.

Image from H&M Home

tallow - sands of solace

While over at Studio Home I discovered these amazing images for Tallow's Spring 2011/12 range.
Shot on the mid north-coast of New South Wales, Tallow's collaboration with artist Jim Denevan and photographers Justin Crawford & Samual Lindsay has resulted in the surreal.

While they may look like crop circles on the beach, these are actually free-hand temporary drawings created in the sand by Jim using a rake and driftwood which are eventually erased by waves and weather.
Jim currently holds the Guiness World Record for creating the largest artwork in history.

365 diary

Back in late 2009 I purchased the classic 365 diary from kikki.K with the intention of cataloguing an image of inspiration each day for a year. Like most diaries, I never quite managed to fill every page, not because I had lost interest, but because I just got too damn busy!!
So, when I stumbled across it again this week I realised I really should give it another good go. So i'm off to kikki.K (like I need an excuse) to buy myself a fresh new 365 diary, ready for 2012.

Here are some of the pages from my diary.

acapulco chair

Santa, pretty, pretty please can I unwrap an Acapulco Chair on Christmas morning?

I'm practically drooling over my keyboard as I write this post. So i'll keep it short and sweet.
The iconic 1950's mexican chair is now available in Australia thanks to self proclaimed latin-o-phile Mandy Paton of Amour y Locura (love and madness).

Order online or Sydneysiders can purchase theirs at Terrace Outdoor Living or Mark Tuckey Home.