Real Living 2011 reader decorating contest

This year, for the second year in a row, I'm entering the Real Living reader decorating contest. I really don't think I'll have much of a chance against the many other great entries they'll have, but it's worth a shot. I don't even want the prizes. I just want to get my home in the magazine!

My entry for the living room will consist of around 20 photos. I think I might need to post a CD or USB! Here's a sneak peek of a few of them.

For more information about this year's contest, visit the Real Living website.

Design*Sponge Brisbane city guide update

Remember the Brisbane city guide I wrote for the Design*Sponge website back in 2009? I've just recently written an updated version, which is now available to read on the site here. This much more comprehensive guide also includes a link to a Google Map with all the highlights pinpointed. Handy!

Do leave a comment to let me know what you think, either here or on the Design*Sponge site!

Birthday flowers

During the week it was my birthday. It was the first birthday in a decade that I haven't spent at my old workplace, so the day was tinged with a tiny bit of sadness for me (given that the last decade equals most of my 'adult' life). I did, however, get to catch up with some wonderful friends for a picnic in the park today. Much eating, drinking and chatting took place.

I got some great birthday gifts from my husband, friends and family, many of which I will share in a blog post soon. For now, here are some lovely flowers given to me last weekend by my mother-in-law.

Greetings...

Hello my dear (neglected) readers. I haven't disappeared off the face of the planet. I have been settling in nicely at my new job, so much so that I am no longer asleep on the couch at 8.00 on a Friday night! Therefore, rather than sitting on the nerd box all weekend, I took the opportunity to spend some time catching up with some wonderful old friends and colleagues, many of whom I hadn't seen in a long time. This little furry friend was also there...

This coming long weekend will also be one of relaxation, when I head with my family (sans husband) to Coffs Harbour to pop in and visit my grandparents. I intend to spend my time sitting in the sun catching up on my growing pile of unread magazines.

Until my return, here's a little taster of what's been going on in the Flying Ducks house lately. The office pinboard is still updated on a regular basis (except for a few things that seem to remain there every time I change it!). This is its current incarnation.

 

Farewell gifts

On my last day at my job, I was treated like a princess! It's no secret that I love my cakes, and I was certainly indulged in that department. This is just a small selection of what was provided for morning tea...

Lovely Laura also baked me this platter of amazing brownies!

My colleagues all chipped in to buy me some truly wonderful goodbye gifts. My love of both books and design must be really obvious!

By far the BEST (and most thoughtful) present was this vintage milk glass vase, complete with a red bird print! Followers of this blog will no doubt recognise just how many boxes are ticked by this gift. Apparently this lovely item was hurriedly shipped over from the US. How lucky am I to have worked with such thoughtful people?! 

Ampersand

The day I accepted my new position, I decided to treat myself to a little gift. I've long admired the wares of Bespoke Letterpress, so when they released a French navy version of their ampersand print I was ever so tempted. As I am an editor, this print really was an appropriate purchase.

Thank you to everyone who left kind comments and sent emails in response to my last post. I finished up at my 'old' job yesterday, and I have a couple of days off before launching straight into the new one on Monday. I got some truly lovely farewell gifts, and I promise to reveal them here soon.

My heart wanders...

Yesterday Tracey and I had the pleasure of attending an afternoon tea at St Francis in Milton to celebrate the launch of Pia Jane Bijkerk's new book my heart wanders.

We had a little hiccup on our way there (as a delightful little canine chap named Tedwin needed to be rescued from his adventures on a busy Nundah road), but we still made it with plenty of time to spare. We sampled some of the tasty treats on offer, and couldn't resist sitting on the very green (and very soft) grass. Later, we were lucky enough to meet Pia herself and have our copies of her book signed, and I look forward to reading it one winter's day with a blanket, a chocolate slice and a big cup of chai.

A big thank you goes to Kylie Johnson of Paper Boat Press and, of course, Pia for organising the event.

Also, just a little note to explain my diminished blogging activities of late. Recently, my heart has wandered a little bit too, and this has just last week resulted in me resigning from my job of more than nine years in order to move on to a new adventure in educational publishing. I'll be packing up my things over the next couple of weeks and the tears will no doubt flow, but I am excited to begin this new chapter in my working life.

Crafty folk raising money for the floods

Apologies for the lack of posting. Although we are completely untouched physically by the floods here in Nundah, I couldn't help but be glued to the TV for the last few days. We have plenty of friends in the affected areas, but to my knowledge no-one we are close to lost a lot (although, that may be because we simply don't know yet).

I left work at about 10.30 last Tuesday morning (to get home before transport was potentially halted), and I haven't been able to go back. We've been told that we'll likely be allowed back in on Wednesday, but that's not confirmed. I've had no access to my work email until late yesterday, so today and tomorrow I'll do what little I can to try and help out.

As we all know, there's been a huge amount of support being offered by so many in our community - not just in Brisbane, but elsewhere. John and I spent a couple of days cooking up a storm for Baked Relief, where snacks and meals are cooked for the hungry volunteers around the city. The lovely Kelley from Peppermint magazine was even lovely enough to collect a batch. More food will be needed in the coming weeks, so if you can spare a few hours to cook, please do.

A sample of my baked goods on day 2!

Image: Peppermint

The BrisStyle team has listed HEAPS of items on Etsy for their Handmade Ark Appeal, with all proceeds going to the flood appeal. There are a few similar Etsy groups happening too, such as the Australian Flood Appeal.

Make it Perfect has an auction of similarly crafty items, with all proceeds going to the appeal.

Jewellery-makers Epheriell Designs (until 20 January) and Polli (until 31 January) are donating 20 per cent of sales.

Little Shop of Handmade are donating 100 per cent (yes, 100 per cent!) of all internet sales from 20 December to 23 January. This is so amazingly generous, so I think I'll be doing some shopping!

If there are any more places deserving of a mention, please leave a comment and I'll add them to the list.

Please also don't forget the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal if you wish to donate directly. Also, the RSPCA do not receive any of the appeal funds collected, so are running their own fundraising campaign. They need to rebuild their entire Fairfield shelter (including the veterinary clinic), so please help if you can. Lifeline could also use some help, so they can assist with counselling those affected.

Goals for 2011

Now that I've told you how I went with my 2010 goals, it's time to reveal what's on the list for this year. Most of my goals from last year could be done with piecemeal investments of my time (such as a few hours devoted to sewing or painting), due to the fact that I study in addition to working full-time. But, my studies are coming to an end in about nine months, so I'll be able to tackle some larger projects.

So, here's the list for 2011.

Goal number 1: Get stuck into my interior decorating course
I enrolled in a correspondence certificate in interior design and decoration when I was on long-service leave last year, but haven't really done much of it yet. This year I need to get some of those little assignments done!

Goal number 2: Fix up my sewing table and chair
Some may remember the ladder chair I bought from The Old Boathouse, and the old dresser I found on the side of the road with gorgeous silky oak drawers. I haven't made any advancements towards turning it into a sewing table as yet, but once my studies are out of the way I'll be getting stuck into it!

Goal number 3: Start screenprinting

Ever since I did my course with Thea & Sami, I've been itching to print something. But, the sad reality is that screenprinting takes a decent investment of time, so I've not venturing there until I have some more of that up my sleeve. Hopefully from October onwards I'll be playing around with some little designs of my own in the garage.

Goal number 4: Save save save for a trip to the US
In 2012, we are planning to visit the US! We'll be spending a couple of weeks in Los Angeles with a good friend of John's, followed by a couple of weeks in New York with Shilo! In between, we'll also be stopping off In Louisville so John can go to Wonderfest.

Goal number 5: Post more on my other blog
You may or may not have noticed that I now have a second (and somewhat neglected) blog focusing on all matters of politics. The content is largely drawn from my education over the years in cultural studies and Australian history. Hopefully once I finish my formal studies I'll have more time to write content specifically for the blog, which I'm looking forward to.