Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christmas Gift Wrapping, Merry Christmas!


I usually (secretly) love Christmas, but for the last two years it seemed to come around so fast I barely had time to get into the spirit of things! But this year, just in time I found my festiveness and have really enjoyed preparing for Christmas day. Right now I can smell the gingerbread cookies I'm baking, I have last minute Christmas cards and stickers next to me, our Christmas tree and lights look glorious, and I put the last of my presents under the tree this morning. 

I had so much fun wrapping this year. I picked a theme and just really went with it after finding this gorgeous teal, red and white wrapping paper set at Typo. One paper is a teal background with adorable owls wearing hats and scarves, one is a slightly darker/bluer teal with white snowflakes and hedgehogs and deer, and the last is a simple polka dot in matching colours. What a gorgeous combination! I already had some plain bright red wrapping paper, white and red washi tape, teal washi tape, and these cute mini Christmas cards from the supermarket which matched in colour! I also got some various red and white ribbons to finish it off.



I made these bow decorations with off-cuts of the wrapping paper. They are super easy to make - just cut a rectangle to whatever size you'd like, fold in a concertina back and forth to the end, and then secure the middle with tape and fan out both ends to make it look pretty. You can secure them with tape or tie them on with ribbon. I first heard of this idea a long time ago from the wonderful Hello Sandwich, go check out her amazing wrapping ideas.




I can't believe how well these mini Christmas cards matched the wrapping theme! What a happy fluke. 

Blue wrapping with a big red paper bow...

Or with a white ribbon and polar bear gift card...


Or with a matching blue paper bow as well as white satin ribbon!




Contrast this simple paper with a bright red paper bow...
Or decorate with a thick red ribbon...

Or put both together for a big pop of colour!



For a different set of presents, I also re-used this old gift bag, alongside some of last year's wrapping paper, and a piece of a clear Christmas wrapping. I put the clear bow together with some gold and white striped washi tape, which I also used to wrap the present. It definitely jazzed up some pretty ordinary wrapping paper, and I'm always for re-using and up-cyling things where you can!


 I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas has a fantastic day, and happy holiday season to everyone! My favourite things about Christmas are the pretty lights everywhere, and all the gorgeous decorations, the food, and of course giving gifts. I'll be seeing family tomorrow, eating a huge spread of delicious food, and having a swim. Can't wait! I'm so happy to have a few extra days off. I had better go and ice these gingerbread cookies... ;) Merry Christmas!

Nina xo

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Kikki K Clutch


I bought this leather clutch from Kikki K a while ago and totally love it and have been meaning to share it here since! I kept seeing it in store and thinking about it, but I eventually just bought it and I'm glad I did. I'm normally a massive bargain hunter, and Kikki K can be a little pricey, but I just love the black with gold polka dots, the two separate pockets, the size, and the hand strap!



The front, with a main zipper and then a front pocket


The back


The inside, with cute fabric and some sewn in pockets.


It doesn't fit a HEAP of stuff in it, but it's definitely big enough for my phone and money and things for going out. It also came in this super nice box which I kept and have been using on my shelves in my bedroom. ^o^ I really love Kikki K, I could really go crazy in there if I didn't restrain myself haha. I'm considering a Kikki K planner for next year, but I'm so picky I'll probably take ages to actually decide on one!

Lots of posts planned, stay tuned! 
Nina xo

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Quick Hello!


Hello! I'm still alive! I am sorry it's been a long time between posts again. I have been very busy with things that I can't really show much of on this blog, unfortunately. I have been doing work experience in the interiors industry, along with my regular two jobs, and a new third job which I got in a local homewares and interior decorating store. Yes, that's three jobs and a work experience placement! So I've been pretty busy and feeling a bit exhausted.

Making decisions about where to go in life is difficult. My problem is I have a huge list of things I want to do, or feel like I have to do, and I often get overwhelmed and don't know which direction I really want to go in. I keep reminding myself to live in the moment more instead of worrying so much about the future. Having said that, I do want to work hard towards a better future - I really want to find a job which I love and which also gives me the ability to do all the things I want to do outside of work, like travel and experience new things. I guess that's pretty much all anyone wants, huh?
Do you have a dream job or career goal you're working towards? I'd love to hear about it.


Anyway, this is our bed currently! We got a new bed from Ikea a little while ago. The bed frame is white with four drawers underneath which is fantastically practical. The bedding is from Ikea as well and is reversible - I love having options! The gorgeous little fox cushion is actually from Adairs for kids, but I couldn't resist it. I kept walking past the store and it looked so adorable in the front window, so one day I went in to look at it, and it happened to be on sale! I had to get it.


Here is a quick little photo of some recent things I've gotten.
+ I absolutely love this super cool "Everyday I'm Hustlin" candle by Damselfly. The scent is burnt fig and cassis, which is beautiful and subtle, and I just love the look of it too. I got it from Jack Mitchell!
+ This is the last issue I got of Real Living Magazine - love, love, love this magazine, it's so great for inspiration. Can't wait to grab the latest issue!
+ I picked up this simple black organiser from Kmart really cheaply. I'm in the process of reorganising my desk/office space and coming up with new ideas for how to set it up. I'm sure I'll eventually show you the final result here ;)
+ Simple black pom pom garland from Typo. I love Typo. Who doesn't love Typo? I've used this garland for a few different things so far, I keep moving it around! I really like that pom poms and garlands are so popular right now! On that note, I'm really excited that black is so popular in interior styling right now too, I've always owned so many black things, it's definitely a favourite for me. 

I have lots of ideas for things I want to do with this blog and projects I want to complete! Can't wait! 

Nina xo

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

School of Real Living Magazine



I'm so glad I picked up a copy of Real Living magazine's School of Real Living book! It's a really beautiful volume, absolutely packed with gorgeous photos of lots of different styles of interior decorating, as well as a little back-to-basics design and styling principles at the beginning, and a tonne of little pieces of decorating advice packed into the 130-odd pages. It's printed on beautiful thick paper that's half matte and half glossy.





I love the patterned pages which begin each new section! So cute.








I made my own washi tape diamond on my new pinboard, you can see it here!









I'd definitely recommend this book if you're obsessed with interior decorating like I am, and if you subscribe to the magazine here you can get this book for free! (I should probably have done that!) ;)

It's the beginning of spring here, and I'm feeling all the positive springtime vibes (even though I love winter too). I'm definitely in the mood for spring cleaning, organising, redecorating, and I'm looking forward to starting a fresh month, and a fresh season! It's a busy month this month for me, with lots of fun things to do, and I'll try to keep up-to-date here. Hope everyone is having an incredible week full of adventure!

Nina xoxo

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

BBQ Garden Party Styling


A couple of weekends ago I hosted my bestie's birthday BBQ garden party at my house! The moment my boyfriend suggested we host a BBQ for her and she agreed, I knew I wanted to do my best to make the yard look amazing! Right away my first thoughts were lanterns, string lights and bunting. When I caught up with her to discuss it, we had the exact same thoughts which was awesome!



I love the beautiful jacaranda tree in our backyard. It was the perfect backdrop our outdoor seating, firepit and food table. We also used the tree to hang parts of our lights, bunting and lanterns.



We also used our clothesline as part of the styling, by hanging some of the string lights, lanterns and bunting from the line and stringing them from the line to the tree as well. It worked really well!


We used my Fujifilm Instax instant camera to take photos through the party, and so I set up this little 'Photo Wall'. I painted an old pin board (which I now have in my workspace!) and decorated it with washi tape, string and tiny wooden pegs. People took the instant photos and hung them on the little photo wall! I think this would work even better for a daytime party (it got a bit dark later) or a kid's/early teens party.





We had quite a collection of jars in our cupboard, so we put tealight candles in them and set them up around the seating area. Candles always make spaces look more magical. ;)





We didn't spend a lot of money on anything. The lanterns were all cheap, and the solar string lights didn't cost much and are something which we will continue to use anyway, so they are nice to have. The most expensive thing was the firepit, but I've been wanting to get one anyway, and again it'll be great to have for other occasions! The mismatched seating and candles in jars and cushions and rugs we used were all things we had around the house, and it all served the purpose really well. I had SO much fun setting up the space, just working with the few things that we had.

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures of the actual party or the lights and firepit lit up at night that I can share with you guys. I got quite distracted once people were there and didn't get around to taking photos like I intended to, oops! 

Tips:
+ Milk crates make awesome additional seating or table options.
+ You don't need to spend a lot on decorations to make a space feel really comfortable and welcoming
+ Rugs on the ground with cushions and blankets worked really well as comfortable relaxed seating around the fire
+ Good company and good food is the most important part, with a little bit of effort in the decoration to make it feel special.