Merry Christmas

Christmas is almost here, only two more sleeps. It is not looking likely that it will be a white Christmas in New York this year and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed. We are looking forward to sharing Christmas day with a couple of Australian friends, eating lots of food, drinking good wine and laughing at each other in our ugly Christmas attire!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, and if Christmas is not your thing, Happy Holidays!

Sweet Slumber

Image from Elle Decor

Image from Lonny Magazine

Image from Lonny Magazine

Image from Elle Decor

I am loving these light filled bedrooms with their moody blue and grey hues. They are each so simple and inviting, and yet so elegant. They have such a calming and serene vibe that would be prefect for a restful slumber.

Moroccan Tagine

It is no secret that I love cooking. I love experimenting with different flavours, textures and cuisines. I love trying out new recipes as much as I love whipping up an old favourite. The more I cook, the more I enjoy it. I have grown confidence in my ability to make up a meal from scratch, and know that it will taste good.

Last night, I tried my hand at my first ever tagine, thanks to a great wedding present we received. I used this recipe for a Moroccan Chicken Tagine With Preserved Lemon and Olives. It was delicious, even if I do say so myself. I will definitely be cooking this again, as well as trying my hand at all sorts of other tagines.

The recipe said to serve the tagine with Moroccan bread to scoop up the chicken and sauce and that French fries are frequently served with this dish, and may even be placed on top of the chicken. I opted to serve mine with coriander/cilantro couscous and oven baked sweet potato fries. They were the perfect accompaniment.

Pretty Party Hair

Images from Elle.com

Looking for some New Years Eve party hair inspiration, I came across these gorgeous styles on Elle.com. After a year of growing out a short hair cut, I am finally able to get my hair up and style it in lots of different ways. While I am not blessed with too many hair styling abilities, that doesn't stop me from trying out new styles as often as I can. Sometimes they succeed and sometimes they don't.

I can't decide which one I like best. What about you?

My Favourite Day...

At the same time that our wedding feels like a lifetime ago, I still can't believe that it was over two months ago now. Having finally had time to process the craziness of the weeks leading up to the big day, the amazingness of our honeymoon, and how quickly life returns to normal afterwards (although so much better, because now we are married), I thought I would share a little more of the details that made up our special day. I have already shared what I wore, so now I will focus on the rest...

We were married at St. Joseph's Church in Port Melbourne, a gorgeous little bluestone church. The ceremony and particularly reciting our vows to each other, was my favourite part of the day. It was such an intimate and personal moment, almost like it was just the two of us. In that moment I was feeling so many emotions but above all of them I was just so happy. My one last minute addition was to have a Violinist and Cellist play throughout the ceremony, and even though I heard nothing because I was so focused on the job at hand, I was told that it set the mood perfectly, just the effect I was after.

The weather was something that I had prepared for all possibilities, especially considering that Melbourne's weather can be unreliable at the best of times. The weather held out for us though, it rained on my way to the church and during the ceremony only, which they say is a sign that you will have blessings "showered" upon your marriage. I'll take it. The rest of the day was fine and mild, and the sun even came out.

Our reception was held at the beautiful Port Melbourne Yacht Club, overlooking Port Phillip Bay. We arrived just as the sun was setting over the water and the Spirit of Tasmania had departed from the nearby Station Pier. As Michael and I share a love for food, it went without saying that one of the most important decisions for our wedding day would be the food. That is part of the reason why we chose the venue, because we knew we could rely on Peter Rowland's culinary delights. Considering we planned everything from New York and weren't going to be able to try the food before the day, we decided it was best to go with a trusted and reputable source. We are so glad we did, the food and drinks were a highlight.

Our cake was both stunning and delicious and was made lovingly my my amazing brother Ben. After several trial cakes, over many months, our cake was perfection and I could not have been happier with it. Ben has said that it was his first and last wedding cake, due to the work involved. I am so grateful for the effort that was put in and for the amazing end result. I ordered the fondant hydrangea petals from Modern Luxe Events on Etsy. They are based in Los Angles in the United States, but were more than happy to ship to me in Australia.

As for everything else I knew I wanted lots of flowers so that is what inspired everything from the invitations, to the centerpieces and even the cake. Flowers were something that I was very particular about, which was quite a feat given that I planned the entire wedding from New York. I was very disappointed to learn that our wedding was going to be too early in the season for hydrangeas, my favourite flower. Then in the week leading up to our wedding my florist contacted me to say that there was a freak early crop of the beautiful blooms and I could not only have them in my bouquet but also in the centrepieces. I also wanted to tie in the venue so I added a touch of navy and cream in a nod to nautical. We went with cream with a touch of green for the flowers so everything tied in beautifully. I absolutely loved the results.

I had DIY-ed as much of the wedding as possible, to save on costs. I designed and printed all of our invitations, save the dates, guest cards, envelopes etc. My mum sewed all of the favour bags, which we filled with tea and chocolates for our quests to enjoy when they got home. I didn't worry about flowers in the church as I knew that our wedding was the last of about four weddings in the church that day and more flowers would either look overcrowded or just unnecessary, and I don't regret that decision, the Church looked better kept simple.

It was honestly the best day, and so much better than either of us could of imagined. It was filled with so much love and joy, and we were so happy to share it with so many of our friends and family. The day went off without a hitch - and if there was one, I certainly didn't notice.

Christmas Wish List

Theory Dress

Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Balm

Clarisonic Mia

Votivo Red Currant Candle

J.Crew Gloves

The Cambridge Satchel Company Bag

Bundled Up

Images from Pinterest

You can feel it in the air now, winter has finally decided to grace New York with it's presence. I know it will still get much colder, and that we will surely get some snow soon, but this sudden drop in temperature is still a shock to the system. Layers that got me through the mild days we have been having now only keep me warm when I am indoors, outside the cold wind rips straight through.

A sense of dread is setting into this summer loving girl, we have at least four months of cold weather ahead of us. It is now time to start bundling up. Pulling out the layers - sweaters, hats, scarves and gloves - all layered with my warmest coats and boots. Four months of layering up, and layering off when in the overly heated indoors. Lucky for me, I find winter fashion so much fun. Without the beautiful fashions I don't think I could survive the winter months. Bundle me up!

What about you, are you a lover or a hater of winter?

Light up the Heart

All Images from Pinterest

People say that the kitchen is the heart of the home. Well I am not sure that saying can be true in our apartment. We have such a tiny kitchen in New York that it barely fits two people in it at once. I am not exaggerating, it is teeny tiny. To make matters worse, I love cooking, which can be very difficult in my charming little nook. I think that is why I have been scouring pinterest for images of beautiful kitchens. I have found that I am particularly drawn to kitchens with lots of natural light and stunningly beautiful light fittings. Big wide benches are enough to make me weak at the knees and sprawling kitchen cupboards can stop my heart.

I am not sure that I will ever have my dream kitchen while we are living in New York, considering space is so hard to come by. But a girl can dream.

Oh Christmas Tree

 One thing I absolutely love about New York is being able to buy a fresh Christmas tree from a vendor only 200 feet from our apartment. Nothing beats the smell of a real tree, and this year I have to say we picked a winner. It is so full and perfectly shaped. We also decided to get a wreath this year. The original idea was to hang it from the front door but when this proved too difficult we decided to hang it above the window with a picture rail hook. I am actually very happy with the result.

The rest of New York gets into the Holiday spirit and there are beautiful lights everywhere. It is nice to get into it at home too. We are hosting lunch on Christmas day for a couple of friends after all!

An Artist's Oasis

Today I am bringing you pictures of the Berlin home of German artist Elvira Bach (no I hadn't heard of her either). My brother's lovely partner brought them to my attention knowing that I would appreciate them as much as he does. He has a fantastic eye for art and home interiors so is a very good source of inspiration.

I absolutely love the bold striped wall paper. It makes the home feel so formal and elegant, yet still very inviting and homey when paired with her laid back furniture and soft furnishings. I also love that beyond the drama of the living room is a very casual and relaxed entryway. While it is not the kind of place that makes me want to move right in, this apartment has some great design elements that I will hang onto for future reference. Thanks for sharing these with me Nick!

What do you think, would you dare with bold wallpaper? I think I might like to give it a try.

Step & Repeat

Zara Coat and Fur Gilet; DV by Dolce Vita Boots; Ralph Sunglasses

In London I pretty much lived in some variation of the same outfit everyday. Sweater, fur gilet, coat, jeans and ankle boots. It kept me warm, but not overheated, whatever we were doing. I especially loved the days when I had to pull out the sunglasses - because that meant the sun was out!

The only error I made was choosing fashion over comfort (and failing to pack anything in the way of a comfortable alternative). While my boots are exceptionally comfortable running errands in New York, I will say that by day three of walking all day, my feet were feeling a little worse for wear. Maybe some more practical shoes next time!