Bali

We were lucky enough to head to Bali for a mini break over Easter.  I had never been to Bali and had heard mixed reviews from people we'd spoken to but I was really keen to see it for myself and explore as much as we could in only four days.  Turns out you can get a lot done in four days and we had a fantastic time away.  

While there is so much more to Bali than the shopping, there are some great retailers around with some really creative fitouts and visual merchandising like the below.  

 

Turns out my favourite purchase from the trip is something that didn't come from any of these shops but came from a roadside stall in rural Ubud.  In the pursuit of getting a great photo of the rice paddy fields I had stepped down off the road and stood alongside a local market stall.  Hanging up outside were these amazing buffalo skulls!

Not knowing whether we could get one back into Australia I was hesitant about buying one as it would have been horrible to leave it at the airport.  The lady offered us the top one for $50 which was such a great offer  we couldn't refuse.  Turns out it was absolutely fine to get it through customs so now 'skully' is home with us and I couldn't be happier with it!

Now I just need to find somewhere to hang it. 

M xx

P.S the latest issue of Adore Home is out and look what is on the bottom right corner of page 25! 

Clever friends!

Although we've only been in Perth for a short time I've been lucky to meet some like minded friends who enjoy a DIY project too.  On my latest trip here (when I found my DIY drinks trolley) three of my friends also found bits and pieces that they saw potential in. This is our haul below.  Wiz and Matt bought the hat stand and watering can and Kate got the wooden try and old trunk.  

I've just caught up with both friends this week and saw their finished projects.  How great do all these look!

 

M xx

Drinks Dispenser

You may have noticed in my last post the mason drinks dispenser I had on my DIY drinks trolley.  I bought the drinks dispenser from Pottery Barn a while ago as I had plans to use it for a drinks station at our wedding.  My plan was to buy several vintage looking drinks dispensers and serve fruit cocktails which were to be served in mason jars. 

Unfortunately we didn't get to use them on the day but I have been able to put my mason drinks dispenser to good use at home since.  We've used it to make sangria for our Sangria Sundays sessions with friends, we've taken it to parties to make a pimms cocktail in or simply used it for water with fresh lemon and lime at our bbqs.  It has been a really useful purchase and  visually looks great with what ever you put inside.

  

With Pottery Barn soon to be opening in Sydney you will be able to buy from their great range of drinks dispensers directly and save on shipping fees.  If you can't wait til then Down That Little Lane has a great range too.  You can shop their range here.

M xx

Images: here, here and here

DIY Drinks Trolley

I like the idea of a drinks trolley.  To me it evokes something glamorous and decadent,  straight from the vaults of old school Hollywood.  I am sure any drink I would make from there would taste that much better because it came from the drinks trolley. Whether you fill the shelves with bottles or just use a select few along with some vintage decanter bottles there are so many styling options.   

 

So I was pretty excited when on a recent trip to here I found this run down trolley... as soon as I saw it I thought drinks trolley...  a neon drinks trolley!

The best part of my DIY drinks trolley is that it was super easy to do!

Materials I used:
1. fine sandpaper
2. White Knight spray paint in fuchsia

All we needed to do was give the trolley a good clean and a quick sand with some fine sand paper.  We then sprayed the trolley with two layers of fuchsia spray paint and let it dry.  It took less than two hours and all up cost me less than $15.

Anyone keen for a drink?

M xx

Images: here, here

Talented E!

Back in January I wrote about how much I loved the two images below and wondered whether I could come up with something similar using some photos I have taken in my own travels.  

                   Luckily for me I have a hugely talented mother who offered to edit some of my images for me.  Unsure about what the images would look like once edited I sent the below three photos through.  The first two photos were taken in 2012 during a visit to a local Masai village in Kenya.  The third image was take alongside the Nile River in Egypt in 2011. 

  

All three images looked great edited but the third image was my favourite.  I love his relaxed body language and the cool demeanor he projects.  I can picture him just chilling along on the dock each time I look at it.

We just got the final framed product back today and I love it.  The original pictures that inspired me sell for about $1200 each.. this one came in at just under $100!

What do you think?

M xx

Faux Taxidermy

I am not an animal person and have never really been one.  Strangely though, I have a love of dead ones.  Yes, I love taxidermy.  Whilst I am happy to admire pieces in other people's homes I am still undecided whether I could actually have some in my own home... yet!

So how can I get around this?  Faux taxidermy! 

There are some great and affordable faux taxidermy options around.  Here are a few of my favourite ones:

 

 

Could you have a real piece of taxidermy in your home?

M xx

Taxidermy Fact For The Day (TFFTD):
Anthropomorphic taxidermy is where stuffed animals are dressed as people or displayed as if engaged in human activities.  Just in case you were wondering...
 
Images:  here, here, here; here, and here
TFFTD: Wikipedia

Personalised Art

I have been searching for a wedding present for two of our friends and came across these great personalised art pieces from Alexander & Co.  Designed to be a collaboration between yourself and artist Alexander Doll, you choose from a selection of template pieces and then have the option to change a variety of details such as text, location and even hair colour!  Most of the range on the website is American locations which is not surprising given Alexander's Chicago base but Alexander & Co also do custom pieces too so you could choose an Australian location. You can browse the entire range here.

M xx