Totally torn....

{ the boho in me is in love with this image... those pants are divine, and soooo comfy } 

{ but this look is tres chic, but still in a fun casual way.... totally works for me } 

{ my inner boarding school girl just can't resist this little ensemb! }

{ and then there's this "I just threw it on and look how perfectly casual I look" look. One of my personal faves }

{ I'm pleased to say that this officially proves that trackies are capable of being chic }

I had a funny thought about myself today... I realised when it comes to my style (and I think this applies to both fashion and my home) I am totally torn between a relaxed boho vibe with lots of colour and playfulness but I am also a complete lover of a more refined, sophisticated preppy kind of look. I oscillate between the two - pretty much on a daily basis. It's like being Carrie with a big dose of Charlotte thrown in for good measure. Is it possible for Carrie and Charlotte to merge?  Well, apparently it is, and it's me!!

Something to think about....

"I don't know what good it is to know so much and be smart as whips if it doesn't make you happy" JD Salinger  Franny and Zooey

I was wondering what to blog about today and then I came across this quote whilst perusing the world wide web this morning (found it here). These words strike a chord with me. Sometimes it feels like there's a real price to pay for progress. I'm often torn between wanting to keep things simple and yet my mind wants to complicate and over-analyse certain things. If only we could strip back all the layers and really keep things simple and just be happy. Easy as that.

These are a few of my favourite pins!

{ this lady (CZ Guest), is as good as the Kennedys as far as I'm concerned. Love this image of her. }

{ cutest couple award this week goes to ellen and portia. loving the outfits chicks. }

{ call it random but this picture makes me feel like a glass of ice cold champagne. now. }

{ fiddle dee dee, i love vivien leigh as scarlet o'hara in gone with the wind. }

 { I originally pinned this because I loved the door but actually I think it love everything about it. Don't you just want to step inside? }

Still going with the sound of music theme.... (see post title if you're confused). Today I thought I'd share some of the favourite things I've "pinned" of late. Seems my board on The Kennedys is getting quite a few followers. Turns out I'm not the only one obsessed with the first family. If you're keen, check it out here. 

I've had to carefully curate this selection... when you're a pinterest addict (as I happily admit I am) we could be here all day if I showed you everything I've pinned in the last week so instead I'm sharing my true favourites, totally random.... only took me a couple of hours to wittle these down!!

Mothers know best!

{ if you visit me one day I hope to be showing you a garden that looks just like this! }

I love shopping with my Mum. But she does make me chuckle! When I was a little girl my Mum and I would go clothes shopping and I'd have my eye on all sorts of fabulous outfits, some ridiculously expensive, and my Mum's response would be either "but there's not even a metre of material!" or..... "oh Sarah, I could make that". 


Well, fast forward a few years and we're still shopping together but this time for plants. Last week I set off with Mum to really hit the nurseries for some plants for our new garden. We must have visited about 5 or 6 of them and I was on a mission to purchase. However, any time I'd find something I'd hear this voice saying "No, don't buy that. I can give you some of that from my garden". 

History repeats itself. Turns out the little voice won MOST of the time but sometimes it's nice to have something that's a bit established in the garden rather than a cutting here or a transplanted (and often sick looking) something there. But it also made me realise how much money I was saving having Mum with me. And rest assured, with a Mother like mine I will have a beautiful garden (I'm channeling the one in the picture above). My Mother is super talented and has a bit of a green thumb. With her help, and lots of plants from her garden (I'm currently visiting it on almost a daily basis) I plan to have a cottage garden in our backyard in no time!!

Golf

I'm not usually one to blog about sport but today I'm making an exception. Why? Because Adam Scott was just the first Australian to win the US Masters. It was nail biting stuff and with 3 Aussies in the top 5 we had a good chance.... and then it went to a play off (the other 2 Aussies didn't make it). Tensions were running high.. and then Adam took it out with a killer putt. Now, if you're really not into golf (although I kinda am) you possibly won't be that excited. But, let me just fill you in on an important detail I have missed so far - Adam Scott is super cute to boot, and I'm not being biased - just ask Burberry, they think he's pretty cute too although I don't believe he's with them anymore (shame on you Burbs - bet you're kicking yourselves today!). Anyhoo, it's a great day to celebrate Australian sport and Australian hotness and that's worth blogging about.

Crisp

{ white perfection... check out more fashion inspiration here }

Just as everyone has a little black dress, I personally think the little white dress is equally as important. In summer, when you  have a little bit of glow (fake or otherwise) there is nothing better than slipping on something crisp and white to make you feel tres chic and tres fresh. I recently found this one (yes, on pinterest) and my heart skipped a beat. I would love something like this to make its way to my closet in time for next summer.

Kate calls in the decorators

{ the pictures that led to this shocking discovery, you can find more here }

Yesterday on pinterest I stumbled across Kate & Andy Spade's Hamptons house (of course they have a hamptons house!) and was completely shocked (read = disappointed) when I read that it was decorated by steven sclaroff. Not because I have any clue who steven sclaroff is, my shock was that Kate & Andy Spade get the decorators in. What the? Now, maybe I'm completely naive but I would have thought that between them Kate & Andy would have been able to decorate their house with their eyes closed (so to speak...). Don't get me wrong, I know that neither Andy or Kate are interior designers/decorators as such but I just assumed that their incredible style would translate across to their home effortlessly. I thought wrong... and might I say that I'm slightly devastated. Kate has just taken a step down from her pedestal.

Make a Wish

{ and if Tiffany & Co. says birthdays are important then they are.  full stop. }

Yesterday was my birthday..... and although I have a pang of uncomfortableness about adding another number to my age I have learnt in this past year to be very grateful for every number you are fortunate enough to clock up. And.... that it's important to celebrate. Yes, it's just another day.... but it's not. It's a day that feels different and it should be celebrated with the ones you love. I had a great day and I got to spend it with my favourite people and had phone calls and texts from all my other favourites. And the pressies I got this year really knocked it out of the ballpark.  Wow! I was seriously spoilt and I loved every minute of it!!!!

Fabulous Lilly

 { a young lilly in what I believe was her first shop in Palm Beach, Florida }

{ jackie sporting one of Lilly's dresses....  jackie was a fan -  need i say more } 

{ a lilly changeroom on the left and a cute shot on the right }

Well, yesterday the doyenne of preppy style passed away. Not being American it took me a little while to discover Lilly Pulitzer but when I did I felt a certain kinship with this woman. She was all about bright prints, shift dresses and was a lover of the classic preppy combo of pink & green (you know, hot pink & kelly green). One of my favourite bloggers (based in Boston) wrote a great blog post on her with her own very cute personal story. It's worth a read and can be found here.

One of my favourite Lilly quotes is this:

“Style isn’t just about what you wear, it’s about how you live.”

The whole package

I have no idea who this chick is but I am seriously loving the whole vibe. Her hair, the make-up, and hello, her body is amazeballs! Not to mention her bone structure. Loving. The. Whole. Look. 

Actually, on second look at this pic it is really her hair that I am totally jealous about right at this minute. So natural and cool in a casual way equals total perfection in my book. I've recently been to the hairdresser for my colour and decided to try something a little different. Bad idea. Bring back my old colour (minus the greys), or better still just make my hair look like hers! 

Read it and weep....

{ the person who came up with his title is sheer genius. trace it back here }

One of my biggest pet peeves (i have a few) is when people use 'your' when it should be 'you're'..... really. irritates. me. So, you can imagine my delight when I came across this book... Any book that uses 'your' and 'you're' to make a point and includes the word 'sh*t' along the way gets my vote big time.

Bunny time!

Happy Easter to everyone! This Easter is a little bit of a non-event for me.  The hubby has gone fishing for the day, leaving at some ungodly hour this morning. So I've got a day of relaxing, watching some of "my shows" - completely uninterrupted which is sheer bliss, and am having lunch with my Mum & Dad at their neighbours house. Hope the bunny found everyone today.... personally, I prefer my eggs to look pretty like the picture above. 

Mix & Match it...

{ find this and more inspiration here }

This sort of style cannot be ordered bought at a shop or ordered online.... the mix of elements make it so unique and personal and let's face it, I'm always a sucker for a bit of fabric interplay.... in fact, being someone who LOVES fabric so much (and has soooo many, most of which are in a cupboard) I really don't use them enough around my home in an interesting way.... this has inspired me to do just that..... one day.....

How much is that doggy in the picture...

{ the top 2 images were found via elements of style and the last one I couldn't resist including although I can't remember where I found it... sorry x }

Given my love of my four legged babies I have recently turned my attention to incorporating art that captures the little personalities of these beautiful creatures. It seems I'm not alone..... people have been commissioning artworks of their pooches for centuries. I love the beautiful oil paintings in those elaborate and ornate frames. I'm thinking I might start a little collection of art featuring dogs... and of course I'll have to commission one of my own for our gorgeous Gus. He is too divine for words!

Faith

{ stumbled across this image on pinterest last night... it's for a wedding but seemed to fit the bill perfectly}

Patience is not my strong point.  However, it turns out that patience is a key ingredient when making a garden, along with a bit of faith. Over the past few days I have planted some seeds..... Seeds make me very nervous. I never know how far down to put them, do you put them all in the one hole, will they all grow, will any grow??  Being a visual person I think I prefer buying a punnet or a small plant and watching it grow. At least there's some sign of life from the get-go... With a seed you just have to plant, wait and hope for the best...... which I am doing right now. I promise to reveal in the coming weeks whether I have had any success.... in the meantime I am doing my best to have faith in the process of life, and willing my little seeds to grow...... 

A delightful day for a Garden Party!

{ me in the red & white spots and shimmers in black and grey.... hat sisters for the day }

{ a marquee, bunting, pom poms & flowers - all the ingredients for a garden party! }

{ post party enjoying a glass of wine - our friend lesley in front, my dad, shimmers & my mum in hot pink }

{ the wine fitted so perfectly with our floral theme! }

On Wednesday, my Mum and I hosted a Garden Party for my darling bestie Shimmers (who I like to call my sister), as she battles brain cancer for the 2nd time. It was a wonderful day full of love and generosity and tea and we raised $1600 for her. We both said a few words (Shimmers & I) but unfortunately neither one of us could hold back the tears - a little embarassing in front of 40 people!

It really does restore your faith in the goodness of humankind when things like this happen and how kind, generous and supportive people can be - often even strangers. So once again a big thankyou to everyone who gave so generously for our day and to the weather Gods who really turned the sunshine on for us - something that is not a given when you live in this part of the world!

One day....

{ if you feel the need you can trace this image here }

One day I hope that I will be able to step out into my garden and pick a beautiful bunch of flowers like this..... However, I'm learning that the garden is a slow build... it takes time... and I'm impatient. Bunches of flowers like this one don't just happen overnight... the garden is a process. I'm pretty sure it's going to teach me a lesson about life. Something along the lines of good things take time and a lot of tender loving care. Occasionally you'll plant things and expect brilliant blooms only to find that they weren't in fact suited to the soil, position or just didn't happen. Other things will be a wonderful surprise and will blossom to a point that takes your breath away.

Wow, that was deep. Amazing what a picture of a beautiful bunch of roses can do!

Picture Perfect

{ taken by yours truly }

Have I shown this picture before? I can't remember.... It's the front entrance to our house and I stumbled across this piccy in my files the other day and I must say that I was a little bit chuffed at how good it looked! You see, it doesn't seem to look like this every day.... particularly when it's raining and the pooch has run all over those pavers with his muddy feet. Anyhoo, this is photographic evidence that it can look fabo - no retouching required!

We are set for a cracking sunny day today in the Highlands which makes me extremely happy - especially since it's Saturday and I can do with the day what I please! Happy Saturday to all x 

Cute Pooches

{ source of pic is from this little blog that I check out occasionally }

Apart from our pooch, who is the most adorable, divine creature that ever walked this planet, these two little guys are pretty damn cute! Not to mention their gorgeous accessories and don't even get me started on that pink chair with the cream piping. Divine with a capital D. Love it almost as much as I love the fact that it's Friday afternoon and it's almost time for me to clock off from what has been a very hectic work week and enjoy a cheeky glass of vino... xox

We made it!

{ not a picture of us but I would very much like to own that dress! }

Yesterday we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary..... I know 3 years doesn't really sound like much but for me it is somewhat of a milestone. Given we were married in a Catholic church we were required to attend a marriage preparation course. Sam, not being Catholic was not thrilled at the prospect and in fact turned up the first night wearing a t-shirt with a picture on the front which if you looked closely revealed a bare chested woman - with stars for nipples! I imagine it was a subconscious protest about being forced to attend something he didn't believe in!

Anyhoo, I digress.... I remember the first night of the course them revealing some alarming statistics about the divorce rates in Australia and the one that stuck in my mind was that the majority of marriages that breakdown will do so in the first 3 years. So, we've hit that milestone - not necessarily with flying colours, we've definately had our moments, but in any case it's onward and upward for Mr & Mrs Nott.... Cheers to that!