Have you enjoyed March? I’ve had a lovely month. It looked a little something like this.
Category: Little bits of lovely
Winners of the internet
These are the best things I’ve come across on the internets this week.
Plus:
This story about a pregnant lady who sailed from Canada to New Zealand.
What have you come across that you’ve loved lately?
Pretties
There will soon be a baby Kat
That stripey little bump down there is my friend Kat’s tummy. Inside is a little boy, who I’m lovingly referring to as Matty for now. He’ll more than likely have an Irish first name and a Maori middle name, but for now, he’s Matty.
This past weekend, Sheelster & Kys threw Kat a delightful baby shower. I got to play sous (pastry) chef and I must say it was a job I relished! No thinking required, I just did as head chef (Sheelster) requested. There was a Saturday afternoon cookie decorating session and a Sunday morning cupcake bake-a-thon. Oh, and a complicated Sunday afternoon funnelling project where I had to get squashed limes and crused mint into mini milk bottles.
The Sheelster of course did a stellar job of pulling it all together. Nobody does a function like the Sheelster does a function. She’s a genius that one. I plan to hire her for all future events that I host!
As for Kat. She’s going to be such a rocking Mum. I can’t wait to see her in action and I can’t wait to meet you little Matt-ster!
All photo credit goes to the Kat herself.
Serenity
Fresh flowers, canoes, staring at the water & anything love heart related makes my soul feel calm. How bout you?
Source
How do you build a rainbow?
The olive grove
Ian’s parents grow olives. Lots and lots and lots of olives. They have hundreds of trees in their grove and every second April, we harvest. Some say it’s back breaking work, but I find it cathartic.
Mumzy-inlaw is happy her son married into an olive loving family with Lebanese (ish) heritage. I think I’m lucky to have married into a family that produces hundreds of kilos of my favourite food. It’s win win.
My family have always bought olives in bulk. Now I’m lucky to have them grown in bulk! Year round, I have massive jars of olives on my kitchen bench.
This is my favourite recipe for marinating olives. It’s quite sharp and tangy.
170 grams mixed olives
85 grams capers, (the large ones)
grated zest from 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2-3 fresh springs of thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Let the mixture sit in the fridge 12 hours before serving.
I love the olives themselves but my favourite thing is the oil. It’s fresh, light, tasty and I have an endless supply. We infuse the oil with lots of different things – cracked black pepper, rosemary, thyme, garlic and chili.
My other favourite thing about visiting my inlaws is their cute herb garden. Bath tubs of herbs! Yeah!
If E and I are ever to separate, I’m keeping his family ;P
A curation of cute
There’s a few arty farty peoples who’ve caught my eye recently.
Cake with Giants is one of them. I love everything about this style of illustration.
I also love this gentleman who appears to be quite clever at making things using colorfully painted wood. I’m in the market for some door mats and I’m thinking very hard about whether I could make some of these work at my place.
This crocheted camera bag would be a sweet gift for instagram die hards. The whole range in this little etsy shop is adorable!
There’s something kind of Mary Poppins-ish about this. Of course I love it.
Even though I’m utterly hopeless at it, I love anything origami related. From here.
Have you come across any cute items online lately?
Cute gift idea for the small people in your life
If you’re like me and have a whole bunch of kids parties to attend, then boy oh boy do I have a cute gift idea for you. Scrabble frames are a great gift for kiddies who have a first and middle name with one letter that’s the same. The lovely Amanda Holmes will whip one up for you. If you’ve got a kiddywink who doesn’t have a ‘crossable’ middle name, then you can still have scrabble tiles, but with a cute vintage picture instead.
Below are a few I’ve ordered before.
You can contact Amanda at baileyholmes@optusnet.com.au or on 0432 695 393. I think maybe I need to get one for Husband and I. Ian and Janine cross quite nicely don’t you think?
Illustrator crush
Everybody who knows me or who has read my blog for awhile will know that I am a big lover of illustration. I guess you could say it’s my one of my passions. I can draw not a whit myself but I am most certainly drawn to the drawings of others.
Last week I tried very hard to explain to someone what kind of illustrations I like. And I couldn’t really articulate it. Not exactly. I guess that’s what often happens with art doesn’t it? You can’t always put your finger on what it is that attracts you to a particular piece. It’s just something that you feel.
The illustrations I have in my house are mostly of the whimsical variety. But they’re all very different kinds of whimsy.
And then there’s Becca Stadtlander who I have just recently discovered and whose work I have a big crush on. To me, the scenes she draws are simple, serene and somewhat subdued. They speak to where I’m at right now.
But which of her beautiful pieces should I purchase? Which?
I think I’m most drawn to the light house. Partly because it has stripes but also because I’ve always liked the idea of living in a light house. Something about the solitude that a light house keeper would experience there appeals to me.
I shall think on which to buy. In the meantime, if you’re interested, you can see Becca’s lovely work here.
The random musings of Neen 
