Wrap Up for 2013

 Wow what a year it's been, 2013 has been a roller-coaster ride for me personally; starting my own business and this blog, finding my feet in the amazing world of motherhood & generally trying to to 10 things at once everyday.

Christmas is a magical time of year especially for your little ones, there's so much anticipation and mystery going on as the build up draws closer!
Here are a few simple goals that I have set myself for the next 12 months. I wanted to share them with you to see what you have in store for this next year? I think the key here is simplicity; setting more than a few will make them harder to achieve.

Tackling a new meal once a week
 I want to set this to both broaden my horizons in the culinary world and also to show my little girl and husband there's no need to stop experimenting and trying new tastes my the kitchen. I have been getting pretty damn boring with my standard meals, and don't want to lose sight of how many amazing combinations of food there is to be had!
 This meal can be breaky lunch or dinner, there's no need to go overboard with complicated recipes but with the access to recipes out there now with various apps and sites it's hard not to get carried away.

some of my favourite inspirations for recipes are:

A Beautiful Mess   One Handed Cooks   Oh Joy    BlueBird    Donna Hay

Starting a Special Christmas family tradition
Some of our ideas have been:
making a special box of cookies and delivering it to random people like nurses, ambo's, homeless shelters etc.
Creating (thinking about it can be half the fun)  a new decoration every year for our tree
Making our own advent calender and putting specially chosen treats in there (we started that this year using this cute folded paper houses, it's quite fun although a bit time consuming!)

Find the tutorial we used here: Mr Printables

Keeping track of milestones both big & small
Admission- I've been pretty slack about keeping track of Sophia's progress through her first 19 months but not any more! We've recently started a milestone journal in which we keep track of all of our achievements or big events in our lives. I love the idea of keeping track of small things as well as big, often they can be the little gems that will set us off on a new path. I can imagine sitting back one day soon to giggle and cringe at our little family story.
Some notable mentions so far have been;
-Sophia's first time at taking her nappy off in the cot (sorry Nanny!)
- Jen launching the Bright Interiors website
- My husband learning how to dye my hair (winning!)
- Sophia jumping (apparently that's a big milestone)

May you and your family all enjoy a fantastic festive season and let 2014 be the year you shine!

Love xxx

Xmas guide-> kiddos decor gifts for under $50!!

I know right?! You've probably seen about a million gift guides already but I thought I would cater  mine specially for those out there in need of kids decor, without breaking your piggy bank; I've also made sure that you will plenty of time for delivery time, as I know from experience-that can be a mega stressful wait if the cut off it too close to your big Christmas-day!

Let's get this straight, Christmas time is really only made for the kids in the world isn't it. When you spend it with the little ones it just takes you back, to how amazing and magical this time of year was when you were small. The joy and wonder on their faces is priceless, unfortunately the gifts you buy them will not be.
Personally, I really enjoy reading through the masses of carefully curated gift guides, the more specific the better I say! I need as much help as possible sourcing the perfect presents for family and friends and am looking forward to doing it all this year in the comfort of my own home & leisurely visiting my favourite local shops, to make sure the presents I buy this year are something special, and aren't mass produced crap that the recipient can buy any time of the year! phew ok enough of my ranting, here it is:



Rain Cloud Wall Stickers

$16.95

Wire Storage Baskets

$22-$45

Aeromobile

$48

Motastic Fox Print

$32

Ice-Cream magnets

$9.95

Fergus the Frog Knitted Toy

$35-$45

Kids Floral plates

$19.95 each

Robot switch sticker

$20

Smartie pillowslip

$45

Rabbit Night Light

$29.95

Hooded Towel

$29.95

ABC Print

$34.95

What have you got on your wish list this year? I hope this helps makes things a bit more fun for your shopping needs, and wish you a Very Merry Christmas xoxoox

The amazing paper world of Fideli

Most of the time I am on the quest to find images that make my heart melt or sing! There are so many resources out there now for us designers and creative types it can be a bit overwhelming, but then you come across someones work that really stops you in your tracks, makes your heart beat a bit faster I had this the other day when I stumbled upon the fantastical works of Fideli Sundqvist and her intricate paper cut out worlds..... 

Her work really sucked me in thinking about all the hard work and imagination that have gone in to all these stunning little scenes she's made. How the heck does someone cut that precisely? I'm also a fan of  Rob Ryan's beautiful cut out work but Fideli's is quite something else her use of bright coloured paper and imaginative scenes really bring the paper to life.

Swedish Fideli grew up in a creative environment with her artistic mother and historian father, she started to cut paper very young and found that music also influenced and inspired her  "During one period in my life, I was completely engrossed by album-cover art," she says. "I particularly remember one cover that was made from a linoleum cut, it was a real eye-opener to discover that art form." 

Whilst studying Graphic Design and Illustration in Stockholm Fideli started to experiment with possibilities of cutting artworks and creating shadows with them. She has since gone to to produce many artworks both cutouts and illustrations and also written a prize winning book. When asked about how she makes her art she says "I start doing sketches in Illustrator to decide the shapes, colours and compositions, sometimes I sketch in print/office paper (white 80 grams paper) just to do quick tests to see how to make the shapes. To build I use coloured A4-paper around 100–200 gram." 

Fideli is inspired by everyday existence. "I think you have to give yourself a varied life, expose yourself to different types of impressions. Mostly, I think it is the work itself that gives birth to new ideas. Desire drives the work forward, as I heard someone say on the radio, and that is so true." 

Maybe I'll give cutting out something now I've had some inspiration.....

An English tea party comes to life in cushions & blankets!

I'm loving the intensity of colours that are sweeping across the kids range of linens and art at the moment, it really creates a good sense of life and zest in a child's life to have lots of primary colours intwined in their daily life.
This new collection from UK's Hokolo centres around graphic prints of fried eggs, tomatoes and blueberries! Can totally envisage using their fun rugs and pillows to brighten up a room very soon:

What do you think of this new range fun and quirky or too bright?

Spotlight product of the Month!

I'm constantly on the lookout for products I love, are practical, beautiful and i myself would use for my daughter..... Through writing this and other blogs it still astounds me how much cool amazing stuff is out there for our little people!
Here's a company I have recently found that do just about anything with>> Cardboard yes that's right... plain old cardboard. So it covers all three bases
a) eco-friendly
b) affordable (yey)
c) attractive
just try not to get them wet I guess...


Karton

make cute little kitchens for $40!

Chest of draws for $25 (say whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?)

And no bull even a............

Change the way you think about this material and support this fantastic independent company!

Sophia's Room

Almost 2 years ago I embarked on my first real interior design job, my first baby's nursery! At the time I didn't know it was a she, so I wanted to go with a neutral palette but still keep it bright fun and calm.

 I firstly decided on the wallpaper, after searching high and low for perfect wall decal I figured I would take advantage of owning our place and went with the most difficult of the two, wallpaper! There is such a great range out there around the world I fell in love with a particular Florence Broadhurst design until I discover the impressive price tag... per meter?! Whaaaaat!! I then went on to fall even more in love with the Hygge & West range of wallpapers and found this adorable Julia Rothman print. This set the colour scheme for the whole room.

I came up with my first story board (that I've since tweaked to fit in with the Bright Interiors layout)

I liked the idea of using vintage furniture for the big pieces and was lucky enough to have a cot and change table already in the family, which we sanded back & repainted white. I managed to hunt down a bargain chest of drawers on eBay, which we again stripped back & painted white (not as easy as it sounds) I also found some lovely vintage handles to replace on the chest of draws.

I was lucky enough to have a talented friend make a gorgeous mobile for my baby shower:

that fit perfectly above the changing table. Sophia has spent so much time gazing above her trying to figure out all the bright patterns on the birds, it's something she will recognise forever. I plan to feature them in her toddler room later on but in a different context.

The wallpaper was quite the laborious task!.... Luckily my husband is quite handy and he You Tubed some in depth tutorials for how to prep the wall and then apply it. We were so happy with the results and need I say Sophia loves pointing at all the yellow birds around her when she wakes up!

the colour scheme should work well as we make the change over to a junior bed soon. I'm keeping my eye on the awesome new range from Incy Interiors in particular this gem.....

You can purchase the funky yellow peacock chair in the storyboard from The Family Love Tree although in the end we didn't have enough room to fit it...... but as soon as the change table is out that chair is totally in, I know Sophia will love sitting in it, as it's quite throne-like! (she's a little princess)

The rug is from here.

So my first design job went pretty smoothly all in all, it's a room I love to spend time in; it feels really bright, fun and airy the elements I really wanted to achieve.

What do you think? I'd love to get your thoughts on this room....


xx

Study area essentials

A few quick ideas to simplify a child's study area....

We live in a fast paced world, with hardly any time to think about the big things sometimes in home our home lives we want changes to the design of our kids spaces to be easy, efficient & ergonomic right?
Here are a few can't go wrong ideas from me:

Limited space works best for small children:

A desk with storage underneath is paramont to reduce clutter!

 

Bookshelves can be used for so many interesting options

Hanging their artwork or making a simple inspiration board can be used to inspire the child to continue their work (or adult in my case!)

  

Lighting will play an important role in aiding your child to stay focused, especially if they're looking at a monitor for long periods. Speaking to Smart homes automator Matt from JFK Automation (AKA my husband) Halogen bulbs in down lights will be the best choice for a study area, as they radiate a nice, warm light although they aren't very power efficient. It's a good idea to add a table lamp to avoid casting a shadow over their work. LED's are now being produced to be less cold, white light in more varieties and will save money on your power bills; so that may be a good choice when they're available!

Planning this space no matter how big or small, will pay off allowing your child to have easy access to reference books or art materials setting it near a corner of the room may also allow more wall use for shelving. Remember that the space should be reflective of the child's size and also their abilities as it will increase their confidence and independence. Choosing the correct, ergonomic furniture for your toddler, tween or teenager will cause less physical discomfort them in later life, Ergokidz have a great selection of chairs.

Try not to make the space dull and boring, studies have shown that adding colour and life to the space will keep the child engaged for longer periods and encourages creativity!

Happy planning people, I hope these tips help with your next study. xx