Projects, projects, projects

I don't know about you but I always seem to have heaps of projects on the go which I inadvertently leave half completed ('I mean they're almost finished!') or projects I intend doing but never do.

I keep pretending I just don't have time because of my job and busy social life outside of it but I know I do really! Time management.

The top little side table with cupboard I found while driving through a neighbouring suburb one day headed for brunch but a lady was having a little garrage sale so I put on the brakes and stepped over to have a little look. Pure curbside thrift, it cost $20. I'm planning on painting it white as it's currently a deep cream which isn't really matching anything else right now. I took this snap when we first got it, you can see the grey felt under the legs protecting the floor! They have been replaced but that's all so far..

The victorian-style side table I picked up ages ago from Gumtree for the same cost. (Anyone remember me mentioning it here?) It was a bit scratched on the surface but I didn't care as I had a plan. This is one of my half completed projects as I've sanded it back and put on an under coat and one coat of white paint - it looks almost completed...in low lighting...

Hmmm are you like me or are you better organised?
xx

Thrifty Tuesday

I bought this vase some time ago for $7, again from the local charity shop. I can't quite put my finger on the style nor the country of influence, any guesses?

This vase though perfectly demonstrates that I don't have one partioular style, I just buy what I love and hope it comes together!

Hope everyone is having a good start to their week. Can't believe England got smashed by Germany the other day! Whoopsie daisy!
xx

Trying my luck

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend? I had a really lovely one, packed to the rafters with laughter with friends, a lovely dinner out on Saturday, a trip to Cockatoo Island for the biennale art exhibition and a big Sunday dinner with my other half's godparents.

We also found time to make a quick trip to Ikea as we are in currently in serious need of a sofa up grade. I probably shouldn't admit this but the one we have is about fourth hand and was given to us from friends who no longer had a use for it about 2 years ago. Yup, we seriously need a new one!!

The one we had our eye on in the store just didn't give enough back support and the others looked really grandparenty-ish so we left empty handed. Before leaving we did spot, or I spotted, this beauty below which is a day bed. I have always wanted one of these and while it's not a sofa as such, I thought a mass of cushions and throws (which I already have) would look great on it.















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I know I'm trying my luck and I don't think I stand a chance of getting it, especially because it only comes in powder blue, but what do you think? Day bed or not day bed? :-)

Breakfast a la Cornflake

Just had to quickly show you this: mini rice crispy cases for breakfast! The BF was given a box full from work yesterday much to my delight. May be I should have called this post 'breakfast a la rice crispy' - cornflake's breakfast competition, lol!

Nothing beats a bit of chocolate first thing in the morning surrounded by beautiful pink roses :-)

Wallpaper love

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Love, love this wallpaper and pretty much everything going on in these pictures, divine!!

I'm joining Joyce from I Love Pretty Little Things who's running Friday Pretties this week, she has a gorgeous blog please feel free to stop by to visit and see everyone's Friday pretties! :-)

Wow, what a day yesterday was for Australian politics. Australia has it's first female Prime Minister! Can't help feeling a little sorry for KRudd though, he really did care about what he was doing and while he was certainly losing popularity it all came about very suddenly...anyway politics spolitics they all end up advocating one thing and doing another and we never get told the full story! Oh dear I'm so cynical for one so young! ;-)

Anyway Cornflake isn't about politics (thank goodness, lol). Now ladies, I have an important update on the T2 teacups. I took the lead to check them out in the shop first to see what I really like (before I put my order in, haha) and they are selling like cupcakes, sorry I mean hot cakes and some have run out of stock almost enitrely :-( so if you want some I'd make a dash or better still order online or ring around the stores.

It seems they're limited edition for the moment from what I've been told...but international readers some great news, T2 is soon to be offering international shipping so you too can order these beauties, hurrah!! And to celebrate they are planning to offer free postage to everyone ordering online for a limited time. Yippee! Just check their website for full details to be sure of dates and the offer as I was told this verbally by a sales assistant.

They are very reasonably priced for how pretty they are, I don't know any equivalent in Australia that isn't one of the old established top chinaware makes. Hmm I think I should get a free cup and saucer for this huge plug what do you think? lol!

Have a lovely, lovely weekend everyone!

xx

Tea and a little Q+A

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Lovely Shawna from Poppies and Sunshine, and Amanda from Homely One tagged me in a little Q&A recently. It took some thinking but I finally managed to do it! You may want to make a cup of tea for this one as it's a long one! :-)

1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I'm already living somewhere quite spectacular which isn't my original place of residence but if I could choose somewhere other than Sydney it would be a toss up between New York and Provence in the south of France. Two polar opposites!

2. What is your favorite band/singer?
Too many but I want to share Adiemus with you. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but I adore this track. It makes my spine tingle and often makes me cry! The music is by the legend, Karl Jenkins. His music is hard to define but for me it feels very wordly which is what I love.

3. If you could be someone else for a day who would it be?
Haha, I really don't know the answer to that one. When I was a teen I desperately wanted to be Baby Spice or just an additional Spice Girl, lol! (The BF really takes the mickey with my previous taste in music). Hmmm, I'd probably want to be an actress and a really good ice skater!

4. Concert or Broadway show?
Hmmm, both! They both have their merits and it totally depends on my mood! I used to play in an orchestra so I always have a soft spot for concerts. I love ballet too!

5. Do you have a theme song for your life?
Oh my goodness no! But I'll have to think one up at some point just in case someone makes a movie of my life haha (yeah right)!!

6. Would you choose a fancy dinner at a nice restaurant or a picnic in the park?
Oooh picnic in the park or anywhere outdoors every time. I get taken to fancy restaurants a lot through work but I'm just NOT a fan. A place full of character, unaffected staff, good manners, company and hearty food is what I appreciate and value most when I eat out.

7. What is your favorite place to shop?
There are some lovely gift shops I love around Sydney some of which are fair trade and ethical which I'm very supportive of . When you go to a country where families are paid $4 a year for a beautifully woven Ikat (I know these are very popular in interior design at the moment) then you begin to reassess how you buy things back home. But I favour most my local charity shop, the markets and I'm glued to Gumtree.

8. Favorite movie?
My favourite movie? Arghhh there are so many! Amelie and Micmacs are two that stand out. I love them because they are light hearted and quirky but yet deal with very real life matters.

A big thank you to Shawna from Poppies and Sunshine too for her Sweet Blog Award and Bren from Chasing Beauty for her blog lovin award! Please check out their gorgeous blogs, they provide so much inspiration daily!

Hope everyone is having a pleasant week so far! :-)
xx

Wednesday's wish list ♥

I know I haven't done a Wednesday's wish list for a while...but I just had to blog about these gorgeous tea cups and saucers (I have an obsession with them) from T2.

I've seen them before but I think they discontinued the line for a while so now they are back on my wish list, quite close to the top in fact...

Hmmm....maybe if I leave the computer on this page the BF might get the hint. What do you think? ;-) I still have that T2 loose leaf tea to finish up and a stunning cup and saucer would be the perfect complement. Hint, hint!!

Thrifty Tuesday

My crystal cut vase which I bought at the vintage/second hand markets in Rozelle (along with my two mini vase/pots ~ one of which, without its lid, you can see here) the other weekend. It cost $4, is in mint condition, is classic and I love it.

I'm so addicted to market and op shopping it's not true! It's much more fun than going to regular shops but while I'm espousing the virtures I secretly don't want everyone to start doing it or there will be fewer bargains for me!
;-)

The turquoise picture you see is a photo of a door in a street in Albania which has been printed straight onto wood. I picked it up at my local markets by the beach. It's not thrift ~ and here's an example of me mixing thrift with handmade (which I'm a huge fan of) ~ I love the fact the photographer has used her own pictures taken from when she travelled around the globe. Makes me think though I must do something with mine!

I still haven't got my new camera, as this photo and my others attest. I will do soon though I hope. Such a big purchase, I want to make sure I get the right one and if I'm honest I'm a bit scared making such an investment although I know it will be worth it!

Happy Tuesday everyone, I hope your week is kicking off to a great start!

xx

Room with a view

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A room with a view and what a view! I love the navy and white polka dot chair and stripy footstool. Can you see the little seahorse on the cushion? Cute!

I can’t seem to move past the beach thing at the moment, probably because we’ve had some really beautiful weather recently (almost warmish) which has afforded me the opportunity to stop by my local one more frequently (although raining again today!)

I hope everyone had a great weekend.
xx

p.s. my Dad read my last post and commented too, how sweet! I'll have to introduce you to his Man Eating cake (yes really!) sometime which is the origin of his sponge making tactics!

Beach bonding

I saw this father and his little boy at the beach today and I couldn't resist capturing this moment. Aww bless. Which reminds me, happy father's day! Daddy, you taught me everything I know...

...about cake making! ;-)

To those celebrating today I hope you're spoiling your daddys rotten and having a wonderful day with them. Being the other side of the world I'm skyping mine tonight!
xx

Beach dreaming

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I wish I was spending my Sydney winter here. How nice is this place?

And look at those views! I love the open fire too. This place has everything, even a pool! Sigh....I wish I was posting from here this weekend :-)

Cupcakes by Cornflake

Here are some of the cupcakes I made the other weekend when it was raining. Posing on my vintage and antique thrift plates of course!

Cupcakes are about the only thing I can cook which are guaranteed, every time, to always turn out right. Yes I know ladies, sad but true! And do you know why?

Because of my Dad's recipe!

So all you need to do to make cupcakes or any classic sponge cake according to Dad is this:

1. Weigh your eggs (in their shell)
2. Weigh your flour, caster sugar, butter each to the same weight as your eggs!
3. Then just do the usual.............. and hey presto, cupcakes in 25 minutes!

If you haven't worked it out yet this recipe came from my Dad because it's super easy and you'll never forget it! Just what a man (AND me) needs when having a little 'kitchen time'!

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend full of sunshine, happiness, love and if you're lucky, cupcakes!

xx

Faking it

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Do you see what I see?

Who needs a fancy French side table or chandelier when you can paint one on your wall!

Great thrifty chic decorating idea. LOVE it! Now if only I had a stencil for these...hmm...

A beautiful table setting

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These photos were recently published on the one and only, Style Me Pretty. I love this table setting, it's divine. Credit to the flowers as they are clearly the main attraction and what a beautiful feature they are!

My friends Tanya and Rich are tying the knot this month, in 10 days to be exact. We can hardly believe that they will soon be Mr and Mrs! Unfortunately due to time and distance (they're in Bucks, England) I cannot be there to see them for this happy occasion :-( but I can't wait to see the photos and avidly look forward to hearing all the details :-)

I actually introduced Tan to Style Me Pretty when she was planning her wedding (she loves it) so this post is for her along with many happy returns for a wonderful day!!

xx

Cheap Chic - Part I

Here we are, at last, the first installment of Cheap Chic! I'm jumping around the book a bit selecting ideas that resonate with me and I think would be interesting to share.

This week none of these pretty interior design ideas cost a cent, unless you count the shelves (if you don't have some already) they are purely based on using what you already have!

1. I love this idea. Colour arranging books. I colour arrange my wardrobe which no one but me sees so why not colour arrange my favourite reads? This idea just requires a bit of organisation and patience.

Unless you're a complete book worm though I challenge anyone to be able to achieve quite the rainbow effect above but even different shades of red, brown, black, cream, orange can look just as nice!

In fact the penguin classics that have recently come out at an affordable $10 each would look great as they're all orange and cream with the same design.

2. Displaying existing mismatching china on your wall. Always a winner, saves you having to wallpaper, paint or fret about filling the space with more typical accessories such as mirrors and paintings. Also all those saved plates that didn't smash or vintage finds can now find a home. For me I just need a pretty display shelf and license to do it! :-)

3. Hanging bright, fun, colourful clothes on rails outside your wardrobe or even on the wall, window or door if you like! They're so pretty why hide them?

4. Matching effect with a practical storage solution, store your shoes, boots, slippers on shelves or racks to create a feature instead of shoving them into cupboards and under beds (yes I do this, tut tut).

I hope you found these ideas interesting. As I always say to friends, family (and anyone who'll listen) and truly believe, you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to accessorising your home not your wallet!!

xx

Surf's up

Some pictures I took yesterday at the beach, thought you might like to see them.

The swell has been pretty good so the local surfers took advantage and caught some pretty good waves. Loving the pink and purple board one guy had (just visible in the first picture).

Stay tuned, it's the long weekend, an installment of Cheap Chic is on its way!!

Sunday Sunshine

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far?

We have been enjoying the most gorgeous sunshine at the moment with the most vivid mediterranean blue sky. However there is a very strong chill in the air! A beautiful day at the Rozelle markets yesterday with lots of treasure hunting (yet another blue and white find above - a pair in fact, for just a few dollars amongst other things) and coffee!

I'm just about to head down to the beach for a quick walk (really need to stretch my legs!) before meeting some friends at the movies.

Wishing you lots of sunshine and happy days! :-)

A beautiful tea party

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I would love to be here today eating cupcakes and cookies, drinking tea, laughing, chatting!

We have a long weekend this weekend much to my delight. I'm really in need of it as the last fortnight has been immense! We were going to go away somewhere but never got organised enough so we're going to enjoy some lovely 'down time' in our beautiful city :-)

Oh, and I'm going to be snuggling up with Cheap Chic - stay tuned for the first installment!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

xx

Wardrobe musings

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Having Sex and the City back on the big screen has made me rethink my wardrobe, along with 3 million other women I'm sure!!

Completely cognisant of the fact that my options are limited when it comes to having a walk in closet (how cool would that be?) I can only wish I could have one like the above or indeed room for a magnificent display of clothes, sigh!

One thing I do, do though which looks quite pretty, is colour match my outfits so my wardrobe looks like rainbow!

Has SATC made you think again about your wardrobe and do you colour match your clothes like I do?

An interesting space

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I really like the look of this room or is it a shop? Hard to tell but whichever it is, it's really interesting.

It reminds me of my Aunty's house which is covered, head to toe with beautiful fascinating things and is often mistaken for a gift shop! She's an artist and loves to collect art, antiques and fun, expressive pieces which she displays in every part of her home.

Each time I visit I find myself completely distracted from conversation as I look at every square inch of every room. Despite having been there many times she likes to change things up to keep it fresh and engaging (as do I, I've just realised!)

Living in an old thatched cottage (it's adorable - I will see if I can get some pics to show you) with beams along the ceilings she has little ornaments lined up and hanging everywhere, including the windows!

Along with my Mum, Annie has been a huge influence on my style. Do you know anyone like this?

A rainy beach day

You don't get many of these in Sydney but they do happen!

A few quick snaps taken by the BF at the beach (check out that moody sky!) with my umbrella just before heading to the markets to buy some presents for loved ones.

Now I'm rugged up at home listening to some Miles Davis as it pours down outside. I'm contemplating making some cupcakes soon...hmmm...actually very soon! Hope everyone is keeping dry and having a great weekend! xx

~my first giveaway~

Cornflake has a 100 followers (over a 100 in fact), yay! So to celebrate I'm running a little giveaway today :-)

Buyster.com.au is kindly offering Cornflake's readers a $40 gift voucher to spend on anything they like on their online shop. How cool is that?

Examples of some lovely things I've found on their website include this gorgeous Royal Albert matching cup, saucer and tea plate.















Buyster has a great range of home decorating and renovating items including kitchenware, rugs, Melbourne bar stools and lighting to name but a few. I've been browsing their collections already and am completely taken with their Royal Albert and Wedgwood china (which are on sale so I like them even more) and their selections of bags, clutches and purses.

This offer is only open to local residents in Australia. Sorry to those living overseas, I will make sure the next giveaway is open to everyone!

You can enter:

1.) once if you leave a comment
2.) twice if you're also a follower
3.) thrice if you do the 2 steps above and mention this giveaway on your blog!

I will pick an entry at random and announce the winner on Wednesday 7.30 am AEST on 9 June 2010.

Good luck everyone!! :-)

Tea for two

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Some friends of ours gave us some T2 selection boxes of loose leaf tea on the weekend. They choose this gift because, how sweet is this, I'm English, lol! There's a whole array of delicious flavours to choose from for you and your tea buddy. Sencha, China Jasmine, Oolong, Gorgeous Geisha and Red Fancy Fruit to name a few.

What to choose? I know, hard isn’t it! Decisions, decisions!

I’m having a busy time at work this week so having a lovely soothing cup of ‘treat’ tea when I come home actually is important at the moment!

Last night we had Lemongrass and Ginger, tonight I think I might go for Sleep Tight, I could do with a good rest! Really looking forward to the weekend...

Chandelier Love

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I just adore chandeliers, I often think you can get away with the most awful looking room as long as there's a chandelier elegantly hanging from the ceiling!

I have a French antique one in my bedroom at home in England (you can see here) which has blue teardrops hanging from it. My Mum gave it to me a few years ago despite being a complete Francophile. I wish I had it here in Sydney though so I could admire it's beauty on a daily basis!

Over the years I've become increasingly attracted to lovely delicate wire hanging candelabras that hold taper candles like the one in the picture on the left.

Are chandeliers your cup of tea and if so what kind of do you like/lust after?

And, how often do you look at an interior and find it's really the chandelier selling it to you? ;-)
x

Thrifty Tuesday

Okay, I admit, this week's thrifty post isn't perhaps what you'd call total thrift but I did get this beautiful blue and white vase for less than half price!
I saw this beauty while perusing the ‘aisles’ of my favourite online 'store' Gumtree (people sell things they no longer want a bit like ebay). The seller was asking $50 which I thought was a lot (I know, even though it's beautiful) for something which had no origin and was second hand (sad fact is I'm way too used to getting bargains too...) so I offered $20 instead and, happy days, my offer was accepted!

What do you think? I have absolutely no idea how much these types of vases go for in the shops (I’ve never seen any) but I’m pretty sure they cost a lot more than I paid!

Now I have it home, I'm utterly and completely in love with it! :-)

Happy Thrifty Tuesday!
x