oscar and ruby

How to sew a paper valentine

2012-02-10T13:31:00.000+11:00

Here is a little tutorial on how to sew a cute valentine for your loved one (s)

I have been making these as placecards and it occurred to me that they would make a pretty cute and quick valentine.

Step one: Trace your shape onto some thick card stock

Step two: use a pin to make holes in your design.

* matching the colour of your pin to your embroidery thread is not necessary

It helps to use a piece of foam behind your card stock.

Prevents stabbing yourself or making bends in the card.

Step three: Thread your needle with some embroidery thread

Step four: Sew your design

Step five: Repeat!!

Have fun and happy valentines lovers!!

P.s excuse the white paint on my perfectly shellaced nails.

Got a few projects on the go.......

Props and pieces

2012-02-02T11:57:00.000+11:00

We are slowly slowly adding some props and pieces for hire to our facebook page.

Apologies if you are a follower of our page as you most likely have been bombarded with images today!!

All items are pick up and drop off in Alexandria.

The Obliteration Room

2012-01-31T11:09:00.000+11:00

How fabulous and creative is this interactive exhibition at the Gallery of modern art Queensland.

You can even play a little at being Yayoi Kusama the artist right here at your desk

Images sourced from the GOMA website

Final wedding for 2011

2012-01-08T13:12:00.001+11:00

Just scraping in as the last wedding of 2011 was the Sydney reception dinner for our New York based couple Amy and Josh.

This event was an absolute joy to work on.

Not only did we have full reign over the private dining room at Flying Fish, but Amy and Josh asked us to style a bridal shoot for them at Nielsen Park.

Having never met Amy in person, and only ever having 2 phone conversations (and many, many emails)

I was quite anxious to be sure that her vision was bought to life.

Thankfully, it was. (phew!!)

Here is a little behind the scenes video of Aleksandra and I setting up at Flying Fish.

Aleks, as always created the most amazing floral installations for the table, and this time out did herself with a spectacular rain forest like display high above the main dining table.

Hope you all had a fab New Years.

Here's to a great 2012

Watch the movie here Be warned it is quite the amateur production! Anyone interested in doing some behind the scenes footage of our next event, let me know!

coming soon..........

2011-12-14T14:22:00.000+11:00

We get a lot of requests over here at the O&R studio.

Some of which are for styling weddings, some for planning weddings and some for prop hire.

(wish there were more requests for people to take me on overseas holidays but hey, you take what you can get.)

Anyway, at long last we have put together a small inventory of bits and pieces that will help inspire and create beauty at your wedding or event. Or photoshoot. Or where ever you see fit!

Will be up on the website by next year.

Which is only 2 weeks away so I don't feel too bad saying that.

Thanks to Nadean and Marissa for setting up the camera so I could pretend to be one of them for the day. Tough gig being a photographer! I have a whole new respect for all of you out there.

Some images of our work.....

2011-12-05T12:55:00.000+11:00

All the way back in July we had the pleasure of setting up a wedding for a fab couple who were getting hitched at The commons in Sydney.

Len from I love Wednesdays came along and took some great detail shots of the space before guests arrived.

The couple wanted to keep things nice and relaxed, so there was no official photographer on the day.

They did however, have a photobooth and stacks of mates with their iphones, so I'm sure they've plenty of excellent snaps to preserve the memories of their day.

I hope they do, as the bride looked absolutely stunning, and the Commons was the perfect backdrop for their style of wedding.

Relaxed mixed with a little crazy.

Emerald and Ella Pop up SALE!

2011-11-17T11:17:00.000+11:00

If you follow Emerald and Ella on facebook, you may have noticed they are having a fab pop up sale in Woollahra this weekend.

A great opportunity if there ever was one to bag some super cute vintage goodies.

Sourced by super stylist Jane Collings.

I'm hoping to pop over myself on Friday. So I might see you there!

Special thanks to my mate Jaclyn for reminding me about the sale xx

pics from the party

2011-11-02T13:53:00.000+11:00

Last week we celebrated the launch of new wedding gift registry From the owl with a little Spring Soiree at our studio. We kept things nice and simple with a few cases of beer (that ran out ... oops!) couple bottles of bubbles and some delish pizza from the local.

Love this pic of my two studio buddies Nadean and Marissa and I hamming it up on the stairs.

Me thinks a few glasses of bubbles were consumed prior to these posing shenanigans!

Nadean, yours truly and the From the owl team Alex and Marissa

Dylan played for the duration of the event (quite the long haul!). His amazing voice created such a great atmosphere. Thanks Dylan xx

My handsome hubby sampling the Liana Raine icy poles.

And me doing the same below.

Yummo!

Seems it's not just us girls who were hamming it up for the camera.....

Love you boys xx

A huge thankyou to all our friends, family, wedding industry folk (well you count as friends, but you know...) that came to help us celebrate (and clean us out of beer!).

Also super duper thanks to Luisa Brimble and Milton Gan for the pics, Aja and Bianca for the icy poles and Patricia for the cakes xx

spring soiree

2011-10-14T16:09:00.000+11:00

Did you know we are having a little spring soiree at our new work space next week?

Please shoot me an email if you'd like to come!!

Dropped past to see Libby at Polka Dot Cookies in Newtown today.

And picked up some super gorgeous cookies for a shoot AND for our lucky guests next week.

(fresh ones of course!!)

Candy bars are so popular at the moment, the addition of some super cute mini cookies is a great way to add substance to the table!!

Free printable place mats

2011-10-08T09:00:00.002+11:00

A little while ago we headed up to Bells at Killcare to help out on a bridal photo shoot. The results were gorgeous, you can check it out over at Ms Polkadot's site here.

For the bridal table, we used these frenchie style placemats that added a little bit of glam and depth to our design. Plus they were fun to scribble little notes on under the plate!

Very excited to have found that you can download and print similar mats for free........

Right here at The Pretty Blog.

new lights

2011-10-06T09:35:00.000+11:00

So excited to have just added these little sparklers to our propery!

Bring on the summer wedding fiestas!!

It's a gift

2011-09-29T09:05:00.000+10:00

Gift buying is, a gift. Really.

Not many people are gifted with the gift of excellent, appropriate gift buying.

(I'm having a Dr Suess moment right there....)

I'm guessing this is why the wishing well is so popular at weddings these days.

Begrudgingly guests pretend that they're ok about handing over cash.

But really, they're not.

Guests would be so much happier to send the newly wedded couple off into a life of happiness with a gift that will be treasured and forever remembered.

Case in point:

My mother in law has a plastic pink sugar bowl. It is ugly. And at least 35 years old, but EVERY time we sit down for a cup of tea and said sugar bowl is bought out, we are told the story of how they received it as a gift at their wedding. (Treasured & remembered right there)

Soon to launch new kid on the block, From the Owl is breaking down the idea of a traditional gift registry.

And throwing into the mix worthwhile and un-dust collecting wares such as Pony Rider goodies, Creme bicycles, and i pads.

Pop up shop

2011-09-23T10:51:00.000+10:00

Working on an exciting wedding that's coming up on the 1st October. We're running with a palette of yellow and white with shades of grey thrown in for good measure.

So, as always my radar is tuned to anything and everything that fits the brief.

( you know when you buy a new car, and all of a sudden you see that same car EVERYWHERE!?)

Danni over at Oh Hello Friend is also having a yellow moment.

You can find these great decals at 5 bucks each over in her pop up shop.

Oh and I'll keep you posted on the wedding. It'll be shot by Trish at Tealily.

With Aleksandra providing some floral wonder. Hooray!!

Hunter and the hunted

2011-09-14T13:51:00.001+10:00

It's always great to see things from a different perspective don't you think?

In this shoot we have the talented photographer Nadean becoming the photographed!

Nadean and Ed were recently married in a gorgeous castle in Ireland

(watch out for those pics by Sugarlove).

Before they left, Jenny Sun shot these light and laughter filled images of the two of them loving it up in Centennial Park, Sydney.

Enjoy xx

Cute right!

Would love to hear from anyone that has had an e-shoot or love shoot done.

I think they are a great, natural record of such a fun time in your life.

Props and styling by oscar and ruby

p.s don't worry Nadean didn't fully take off her photographers hat.
Had to get the ok on which images to post before I hit publish.
Thanks for giving me the green light on these Nadean!!

Skulls and butterflies

2011-08-31T11:31:00.000+10:00

Gorgeous wedding over at Ruffled Blog.

The couple DIY'd the butterfly plates! What a great idea.

For a similar look try colour me mine in Crows nest where you can design and create ceramic plates.

Or upload any digital image here, and they'll print it up on melamine plates.

City Hall wedding

2011-08-27T08:05:00.000+10:00

Did you catch this gorgeous City Hall wedding over at a cup of jo?

2011-08-15T12:31:00.000+10:00

Excellent cigar box centrepieces over at Grey likes.

They would be super hardy and very portable too!

Best place for well priced succulents I've found in Sydney is Rozelle Markets.

Chance you could also find vintage boxes there if you're lucky.

Killcare shoot

2011-08-09T11:13:00.000+10:00

We're off up the coast on Sunday to help style a bridal shoot up at Bells, Killcare.

Some awesome vendors have jumped on board so it should be a fun if not completely crazy day!

Milton our rock star photographer took this pic last week when we went on a little reccie trip.

A trip that ended with us wining and dining at Bells. Delish!

Somehow, I think this Sunday will not be so relaxed. With 10 of us (including two gorgeous models) in the entourage, there will not be much scope for perusing wine lists or snacking on anti-pasto.

P.s if you ever do get the chance to visit Bells, order the rosemary potatoes. Best. Ever.

You can thank me after!

Melbs wedding

2011-08-04T11:54:00.000+10:00

Some very special pieces we're hiring from Prop.d for a wedding in Melbourne.

Can't wait to see it all come together.

wedding guest

2011-08-01T13:56:00.000+10:00

This little guy strolled in off the street to join the wedding festivities last night. He even got involved in some photo booth shenanigans! Lucky he put on his best hoodie for such a special occasion!

Bird and banner

2011-07-23T09:30:00.000+10:00

Divine vintage handkerchief invites designed by the creatives over at Bird and Banner

The commons and a recipe for mulled wine

2011-07-15T11:50:00.000+10:00

Super excited to be working with a couple who'll be getting hitched at The Commons in a few weeks.
The venue is filled with character and the menu is just divine. Jump over and check it out! I highly recommend you drop in for a Sunday lunch or a cosy midweek dinner.

On the topic of cosiness, we recently went on a little trip to the Southern Highlands. Our accommodation consisted of a huge barn on top of the hill in Mittagong. Gorgeous views and lovely huge open fire completed the experience. After days spent antiquing (and freezing our butts off!), there was nothing better than sitting around the fire drinking mulled wine. Here is the recipe I used, just go easy on the brandy!!

1 x 750ml btl dry red wine
225g (1 cup) white sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) brandy
125ml (1/2 cup) water
2 oranges, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 x 7cm cinnamon sticks,
lightly crushed
6 whole cloves
Pinch of grated nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir over a gentle heat for 15 minutes. Strain into glasses and enjoy!

P.s thanks to my twitter pals esp Joanna for recipe tips!

Portobello Markets

2011-06-28T14:37:00.000+10:00

Via so many different sources, but eventually here.

Unfortunately it appears, due to unforeseen circumstances the Markets will not be taking place this August in Sydney.

Such a shame, but good to know they're not cancelled, just postponed.

Will keep you all in the loop for sure xx

To market

2011-06-24T12:36:00.000+10:00

At risk of sounding like a Nanna and saying 'back in the day', I'm going to say, back in the day when I was planning my own wedding (all of two years ago) I struggled.

There was so so much gorgeous inspiration on all the fab wedding blogs, such as Polkadotbride, Style me pretty, Portobello bride, The Lane etc etc.

But, for the life of me I couldn't source any vendors or suppliers here in Sydney with a similar aesthetic.

My BM's dragged me (ok, I dragged them) to a bridal expo, that almost drove me to elope.

I just couldn't relate to any of the suppliers, and felt most rude just walking past them all with a look of disinterest on my face.

I'm sure I could hear them whisper bridezilla, as I ignored one after the other.

It wasn't that they weren't good and talented.

They just weren't what I was looking for.

To top it all off as we left we walked past Salvatore Coco .

Spruiking his services as a wedding MC.

This, for me was the final straw. I loved Con Bordino in heartbreak high. And to see him at this expo, with that look of desperation in his eye, it just.............well, broke my heart!

So, it is very exciting to see markets like this being held in Sydney, for all those couples that are after something a little different. A little eclectic or bohemian. Not only will it be a great opportunity to meet some fab vendors, but as it is a market (yes, my all time fav way to spend a lazy Saturday) you'll be able to buy stuff.

These pics by Kate Robinson are from the Melbourne Markets. Sydney will be just as fab I'm sure!

More info available at Portobello Bride

Clever Kozue

2011-06-09T10:56:00.000+10:00

Personalisation city. These stamps made by Kozue and featured over at elsiecake take the idea of diy to a whole new level. How realistic is the print? Amazeballs.

Or you could pretend to be one of those super important people, too busy to sign their name. Just stamp it! Cute to forever immortalise a child's script also.

These are my all time fav. Just yesterday I bought this stamp from papersource of the dog I wish I had. Little did I know that Kozue could make one of the dog I actually have.

Lucky coops can't read. Don't think she'd appreciate the comment above!

special delivery

2011-05-23T21:05:00.000+10:00

Boots and Gus

Blues and Branches

Via

Today was my lucky day. I received some excellent news about the future of Oscar and Ruby, and a huge box of blue mason jars arrived on my door step.

Mason jars are EVERYWHERE in America and all over the wedding blogs. But they're just too gorgeous to be put off by that. I'm dreaming and scheming of different ways to utilise them, &

looking forward to hiring them out to my equally gorgeous brides.

Candy shoot

2011-05-21T07:54:00.000+10:00

I'm so fortunate to get the opportunity in my job to work with some fantastic photographers.

Here is a sneak peek of yesterday's shoot with Marissa from The Simple Things Studio.

Although, this pic is not hers!

(it's an instagram -- anything can look great when it has been 'instagramed' don't you think?!)

We have another shoot currently being edited, that was shot by Nadean.

Can't wait to share those with you, but it's all a bit secret squirrel right now.

Have a great weekend, I'm off to Finders Keepers today.

Perhaps I'll see some of you there???

boy in giant bow tie

2011-05-10T12:54:00.000+10:00

Cutest wedding accessory I've seen in a while!

Mini man in a giant bow tie.... Shame we don't have one in our props department.

The other gorgeous accessory is, of course the flower necklace by Emerson Made

Photography is by Lucida Photography, who's blog you must go over and check out. They've just done the most adorable Mothers Day shoot with another super cute mini man.

Thanks so much Melia for allowing me to share your work x

DIY pinata

2011-05-06T09:56:00.000+10:00

Steve and I went to a kids party once, it was a friend of a friends, daughter.

Who knows why we went.

We didn't really know anyone.

Anyway.

They had a pinata that no matter how hard it was hit, it didn't crack.

After about 10mins of nothing happening kids started to get bored and of course thought it would be fun to hit each other with the sticks. Not fun.

Steve, being the hero he is, took it upon himself to break the stubborn pinata. He managed to crack it open & the kids went nuts for the lollies and toys etc.

Unfortunately, in his excitement when Steve turned around to sit back down next to me, he sat right on top of his champagne glass that he'd left on his seat.

It cracked too. And shattered every where.

Cue red-faced pinata hero.

Ouch.

Ha ha. Poor Steve.

These mini pinatas look much easier to break, and easy to put together. Full tutorial is over at One Charming Party.

business tags

2011-05-04T14:20:00.000+10:00

I just ordered 100 of these awesome engraved wooden tags for 50 bucks. Even with my pathetic mathematical skills I managed to work it out to be 50c a piece.

I don't know who Greg and Addie are, so obviously mine will say Oscar & Ruby. And will be packaged up with my brand spanking new business cards by Tabitha for some very lucky people.

If you're not into self promotion, how great would they be tied around napkins/cutlery/glasses/beer

at your wedding?

If you'd like, I can send you one in the post. Just email me your address! Gotta be better than bills and snail mail spam.

The Royal kiss

2011-04-29T22:38:00.000+10:00

What a wedding. Congratulations Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Slush and boots

2011-04-29T17:18:00.000+10:00

Image credit: http://www.pixelume.com/trashthedress/beauty-and-the-boots/

With two weddings booked this weekend (neither of them 'royal', although both equally as important!) rain has been on my mind (as it is every week before an event).

But, you know what, it's not so much the actual rain that is the problem, as umbrellas and such take care of keeping you dry. It's more the soggy ground underfoot. Ugh. It's always great to have a plan B as mentioned in this article on Amour Amour.

But even better is to rock out a pair of beautiful gumboots for your bridal pics & embrace the weather!

These are my top three options (as a stylist needs her 'work' boots too!).

Yellow and pink from Hunter

Super cute booties by Vivienne Westwood Melissa Shoes

P.s Or, there is always the DIY option.....

!!!!

confetti

2011-04-27T14:37:00.000+10:00

A super simple DIY perfect for thankyou tags/place cards or any kind of wedding stationery. It seems my confetti obsession continues! At least this way is council friendly.

Dots can be purchased here

And this awesome project can be seen over on Joke's blog. Along side many more inspirational paper projects!

brick work

2011-04-22T12:07:00.000+10:00

Love this clever Lego as brick work art by Jan Vormann. Found via honestly WTF

Sunday's

2011-04-15T21:12:00.000+10:00

So so true. Sunday mornings are the highlight of my week! We have a little tradition where we pretend we are back in Paris, St Germain in our little appartement which was our home for a while last year.

We venture out and fetch beautiful fresh croissants and coffee from Copo across the road here in Drummoyne. Then enjoy a leisurely breakfast before hitting the flea markets.

This Sunday we'll be packing up and heading to Garigal National Park for a little bridal photoshoot.

Hopefully we can still squeeze in a little bit of Paris before hand!

Poster from etsy store reconstructing ideas found via a life so peachy

P.s What are things like for you on Sunday mornings? Is there anyone out there who doesn't love this time of the week??

World class

2011-04-05T13:51:00.000+10:00

So, I live in Australia. But, I don't like views. Or bush walking. Or landscapes that much really either. Steve and I have been on lovely weekends away up in the Blue Mountains, which is such a beautiful place.

But I never really valued how beautiful until I saw it through the eyes of photographer Andrew Follan.

Hm, perhaps I owe those three sisters and their home turf an apology.

Natures provides. A lovely organic ceremony space. Imagine the energy surrounding the couple in this moment.

Pretty magical I'd say.

Vegan food never looked so good! Love when couples have huge sharing plates for their guests.

One of Andrew's recent weddings he worked on was in New York . At first I thought he'd mixed up his files and posted the wrong image. But, nope. This is the dance party to end all dance parties.

In the Aussie bush, no alcohol and neon lights.

Awesome.

P.s Steve, if you read this, I'll graciously allow you to take me on a romantic weekend away so I can apologise to the Three Sisters in person. No guarantee's I'll be bush walking though.

Too many rules

2011-03-31T13:13:00.000+11:00

Working with a couple at the moment who are getting hitched in a beautiful rotunda that was built in 1901. Unfortunately this rotunda is heavily guarded by its council. My phone conversation with them re restrictions went a little like this

Me: Are chairs allowed?

Them: Yes. 10 only

Me: How about a signing table?

Them: No

Me: A sign to direct people?

Them: No

Me: Some kind of non permanent, weighted sign to show guests they are in the right part of the park?

Them: No

Me: Steamers? Balloons? Temporary flower arrangements? Ribbon? (at this stage I'm getting desperate & clutching at straws, throwing it all out there)

Them: No.

Me: So, we can bring in 10 chairs?

Them: Yes.

Now, I respect old buildings, and parklands wherever they are, and appreciate their simple beauty. I know they don't need much dressing up, but I think things are getting a little out of hand!

I'm a big girl, I was taught to pack away my toys, so how about a little discretion Mrs Council?

I take it these super cute confetti hearts by Lilac Saloon are not an option then?

I'll follow the guests with a dust buster, if that's what it takes!

Credit due

2011-03-23T17:26:00.000+11:00

Blogging, just as in life there are rules. Spoken and unspoken.

I'm no expert, and as I muddle my way through blogging life, I'm still trying to figure it all out.

Common sense and courtesy obviously go a long way. But as far as official 'rules', well, they're not so black and white.

Doing the rounds at the moment is this helpful little diagram/flow chart. Helpful for people with a short attention span like myself. It's like a choose your own (mis) adventure!

Image source: unknown

Just kidding! Get the low down on Pia's blog here

It all adds up

2011-03-18T09:04:00.000+11:00

Aussies online donations @ red cross

Camp wedding

2011-03-14T19:51:00.000+11:00

Image credits

1. unknown

2. Lilyvale National Park

3. Wednesday Custom Design

4. Real wedding at Little Stream

5. This tumblr via we heart it

6. Grey Likes

7. We heart it

8. Simondfilip

9. Lilyvale National Park

In two weeks we're off down the South Coast to set up a wedding for a lovely couple getting married in the Royal National Park. Images two and nine are taken at the property, Lilyvale where the celebrations will be taking place.

And celebrate they will!

No curfew at this wedding, as guests have been invited to bring a tent and stay the night.

There is a large homestead on the property, where the bridal party and family will be staying. We'll also be serving pizza and cocktails from the large verandah while guests mill around and enjoy the beautiful grounds. I have a feeling this wedding will be one to remember. Filled with friendship, love and good times!

My best friends wedding

2011-03-09T13:32:00.000+11:00

Be warned: This post is picture heavy! I guess emotional involvement = severe lack of editing skills!

A wedding I've been meaning to share with you for a while, is that of my great mates Shannon & Terry. After many happy years together (some of which involved living with Steve and I) they were hitched at the stunning (and popular) Gunners Barracks, on Sydney Harbour.

Steve and I were so honoured to be their bridal party. One newly hitched couple plus one soon to be hitched couple = a whole lot of love and fun!!

All photos are by Nerida Mc Murray who I'm looking forward to working with again in a few weeks!

Mothers of the Bride and Groom, dressed so super stylishly. Great choice of colours.

Bridesmaid dress was from Matthew Eager

This was when I started crying. That look of love. Gets me every time.

Haha! Poor Shannon and Terry, trying to be romantic for the camera with your two mates hanging around teasing you can't be easy. You can see the little smirks on their faces......

Shannons dress was by Karen Willis Holmes. Having to travel from Perth for her fittings, the ladies made it all too easy, and the dress was perfection.

The obligatory girls hamming it up for the camera shot

Showing exactly how honoured he is to be best man by whooping it up on a canon.

My boy is all class.

What do people do all day?

2011-03-02T13:26:00.000+11:00

Did you ever read this book by Richard Scarry?

Following the lives of the folk of busy town? With Huckle Cat, bumbling Sergeant Murphy and my personal favourite Lowly the Worm, who did many things during the day like going to school, driving a street sweeper and operating on people in the local hospital.

Such a multi talented worm.

Well, I know what Scott and Alia from Whitewall Photography do all day.

They make beautiful!

Beautiful photos with beautiful styling. Like this engagement shoot.

So, Tom the groom is a chef. And yep, he made all of these dishes. Clever boy.

And the shoot took place in a friends vineyard, as what's the use of beautiful food without a beautiful glass of wine to enjoy?

Congrats on your engagement Tom & Sarah. And thanks Whitewall photography for letting me share these pics!

For more of this shoot you can go to Scott and Alia's blog.

Alternative guest book

2011-02-25T11:10:00.000+11:00

Ah, the good old wedding guest book. Sometimes a cross between an address book and a school diary. All nicely lined and perfectly spaced. Confining your wit and wisdom, mis-guided humour and well wishes into 1cm spaces.

I'll be the first to admit, sometimes I've just signed my name. Perhaps with an 'all the best' (smiley face).

Saving my heartfelt sentiments for the card.

For this wedding however, we are trying a little harder. Each table has their own envelope, with individual cards inside. Whilst they relax, have a glass of vino and enjoy their entree, guests are encouraged to leave a little love note for the bride and groom. Anything goes, poetry, sketches, words of wisdom or they can even unleash their inner Matt Preston and play food critic. Whatever. The page is blank.

No lines.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Faye Toogood

2011-02-23T11:03:00.002+11:00

After reading this article by Natalie Walton over on Daily Imprint about talented stylist Claire Delmar I fell down the rabbit hole into the world of stylist Faye Toogood.
How I would love to style a wedding based on any of these images!
Perhaps I'll start working on a design concept just incase the right bride comes along.

Life in style

2011-02-21T10:49:00.000+11:00

As a last minute decision I dropped into the life instyle trade show over the weekend. I was so glad I did! As so much of my work is done online these days, seeing stock and people (people! real live people!), in person was great. I especially love seeing all the stall holders break out their inner stylist and pimp out their individual spaces. Creativity overload!

The photos above were my personal highlights, but only the tip of the ice berg of talent represented.

(these guys have some super cute stamp sets, worth checking out. I'll be buying some as obviously stamps are my current obsession, plus these lovely people are based just around the corner from me! Gotta love keeping it local!)

Wah wah wears

(So, I had no idea Zoe would be showing her beautiful, handcrafted jewellery at the fair. I was happily walking around, rocking my porcelain purple love heart that I purchased from her at finders keepers in Melbourne. Then I saw her..... yikes! Tres embarrassing. Felt a little like those folks that dig out their old band t'shirts to wear to a gig to prove they are true fans. Oops.)

life instyle

2011-02-19T21:58:00.000+11:00

Stay tuned x

Age appropriate

2011-02-17T12:15:00.003+11:00

At the moment I am working through the design process with two girls. Twins. Who are nine years old. We are working on a new design for their bedrooms, and discovering as we go along that they are kind of stuck. Not quite a child, but not quite a teenager either. Playing with dolls still features heavily on their agenda, but the word 'babyish' now features in their vocabulary.

Quite the conundrum!

I love these works by blancucha. But perhaps they are too young? Or too old?

What do you think? Any tips??

Be you Be loved

2011-02-15T07:10:00.005+11:00

The amazing creative minds behind Anthropologie & Urban Outfitters launched their latest creation BHLDN yesterday.

(how appropriate to launch a wedding website on Valentines Day!)

The site is overflowing with beautiful images and will soon provide a mood board tool for brides to compile all their ideas in one spot.

The selection of shoes, accessories, and dresses are so beautiful, and not typically 'bridal'. Definitely worth a look bride or not!

Stamp & Ink

2011-02-14T10:28:00.000+11:00

As I wait patiently for my custom made Oscar and Ruby stamp to arrive, thought I'd share these pics.

These stamps are made by Brownpigeon and would be so great to use for a bit of DIY stationery. Grab a couple of ink pads from Spotlight (15 bucks each) and away you go!

P.s Happy Valentines Day!

I hopped in my car at 6.30am this morning to discover Steve had placed a single red rose on the steering wheel, along with a handwritten card. So sweet. It really is the little things that get to me. Tonight we'll be eating leftovers and watching an old classic b&w movie. As is our Valentines tradition. Can't wait.

I am baker

2011-02-07T11:04:00.001+11:00

Have you visited the blog of I am baker? Amanda is one talented lady. And generous too, as she includes tutorials and step by step guides to help mere baking mortals like myself attempt to recreate her works of art. The heart cake is her variation of the rainbow cake which has been all over the blogosphere, and even I was able to make. Think I'll be leaving this heart one to the experts though!

A dorothy moment

2011-01-30T21:19:00.000+11:00

Cutest shoe clips ever. Available here

As fate would have it

2011-01-29T11:26:00.000+11:00

I tend to find myself heading out on a lot of 'blind dates' in my job. Meeting clients, wedding pro's and even sometimes awesome twitter and blog friends, where the web world and real world come sliding into one excellent reality. I'm always excited to see which twist of fate brings a connection into my life.

Yesterday I met Marissa, who found me through the ever resourceful Ms Polka of Polkadotbride.

I knew it was fate as she suggested we meet at a super cool cafe called Clipper (have you been? You should, it's on Glebe Point Road and has vintage bikes on the wall).

Marissa is a photographer and runs a studio called The simple things studio, she also collects props (see...fate). And even has a cute little old red fire-engine for kids to play on.

Sun spotlight anyone?

Yup, she makes camera shaped cookies!

Um, excuse me? I NEED to pinch those cheeks! So adorable

Have a lovely weekend.... xj

Mae Mae

2011-01-26T12:34:00.001+11:00

Friends of mine just returned from an epic trip to the U.S of A, they had a great time and of course posted numerous awesome pics on Facebook (what did we do before FB? Slide nights?*).

Once my jealousy subsided, I got to thinking how fab a Miami/Art Deco themed wedding would be!

This invite set by Mae Mae Paperie isn't art deco (or even Miami) per se, but those cool colours and palm trees are kind of the vibe I see this theme heading towards.

Megan is one talented designer and stylist! I've posted some more of her work here, and she was recently featured on the Queen of all wedding websites here

*nope. That was our parents. Slide nights, cheese fondue and punch. What an era.

Thankyou for voting

2011-01-23T20:16:00.001+11:00

Thank you so much to everyone out there that voted for Oscar and Ruby in The Lane competition!

It was an honour just to be invited to submit a design, so be be announced as the winner is a dream come true. 2011 is off to a great start, I hope it's the same for you.

Accolades

2011-01-15T19:26:00.002+11:00

A big congratulations to our fab wedding photographer Andrew Follan!

He won an accolade of excellence at the WPPI awards for this pic of Steve and I on our wedding day.

Nice work Andrew, a well deserved award x

Style shoot part three

2011-01-10T15:06:00.001+11:00

These are the last ones, I promise! A few more little details that didn't make the cut for the final six.

Voting over at the lane closes on the 20th, so please take five seconds to vote for Oscar and Ruby.

Thanks!!

style shoot part two

2011-01-07T15:51:00.002+11:00

Some more out takes from our shoot for the lane.

Being extremely fussy, I didn't trust any ice-cream brands to colour match my scheme, so I bought vanilla ice-cream and gently coloured it, blue, green, pink and yellow with food dye.

Georgia is studying the blue in this pic, trying to determine if it is exactly the right shade.

Think I may have created a stylist monster!! Lucky she's so cute right??

Style shoot part 1

2010-12-30T21:39:00.001+11:00

A few weeks ago I styled a summer themed shoot for a competition over at The Lane. It was loads of fun and, as you can see, involved lots of ice-cream! Only six shots were to be submitted in to the competition, which made things difficult, as our little model Georgia is just so adorable.

So here are some of the pics that didn't make the cut.

I'll post some more over the next few days.

P.s If you have the time, duck over to the The Lane and check out all the beautiful submissions. While you are there you can vote for Oscar and Ruby! (please)

2010-12-24T09:48:00.000+11:00

What did one snowman say to the other snow man?

Is it just me, or can you smell carrots?

hilarious

A merry thankyou

2010-12-23T20:19:00.001+11:00

Merry Christmas!

I'd love to say thankyou to each and every one of you.

Thankyou for your reading time, your comments, support and love on this here humble blog.

I appreciate everyone that has paused here for a while at Oscar and Ruby and hope that you'll continue on this adventure with me into 2011. It is going to be a big year, with many great things in the planner.

I hope your year will be the same.

Much love

xxj

Sneaky 'YAY"

2010-12-16T14:12:00.000+11:00

Yesterday Oscar and Ruby styled a wedding table for the fab new blog

The Lane.

Photos will be up on the blog soon as part of a competition. I'll be sure to let you know when they are, & you can vote for me!! (please)

A big thankyou to Nadean for being official photographer,

(although this one is mine. You can tell I'm not a professional!)

Best present ever. Obviously.

2010-12-12T20:42:00.001+11:00

Just in case I haven't told you, I've written a little something something about Christmas over at the wedding blog Amour Amour.

As a matter of fact, so has Polka Dot Bride, and I'm sure Bonnie has many other fab people guest posting over the next week or so. Yipee! Its beginning to feel a lot like..........

A most beautiful dress

2010-11-30T11:06:00.001+11:00

Tell me this is not the most beautiful dress you have ever seen? I am emailing frantically to find out it's origin. Photography is by Lizelle and I discovered this object of beauty via Kate at magnolia rouge

summer cleanse

2010-11-24T14:07:00.000+11:00

So perhaps I am a bit behind on this one, but I've just stumbled across this clever and informative little blog.

It is full of inspiring and non-preachy ways to get your body clean and healthy.

Here is an easy juice recipe they have over there

Apple, mint & lime juice
3-4 Granny Smith apples
2 sprigs of mint
¼ lime

I'm seriously looking into their cleansing juices too. They look responsible and full of nutrients, unlike the lemon detox I'm slightly sick of hearing about!

Let it snow

2010-11-12T18:13:00.000+11:00

so, even though our Christmas is more BBQ's and Aeroguard than snow flakes and mistletoe, these simple homemade snow globes are easy to make and simply stunning. And don't need to be hidden away in the roof space until December.

A canny DIY couple could even use them as wedding favours. *

Instructions as follows:

You will need to buy/beg/steal

*A jar of your choice (with a lid)

*Figurines or jewellery

*Anti-rust sealant for metal pieces

*Clear-drying epoxy

*Distilled water

*Dash of glycerin

*Large silver or white glitter (smaller versions will float at the top)

Steps:

1. Use clear-drying epoxy to adhere your piece to the inside of the lid. Let dry per instructions.

2. After the epoxy dries completely, fill your jar with distilled or boiled water (at room temperature, of course).

3. Add just a dash of glycerin so the "snow" falls slowly.

4. Add as much glitter as you like. If you don't like the look of glitter, you can usually find faux snow at craft and haberdashery stores.

5. Screw your lid on tightly and enjoy your snow globe

Courtesy of Nicole

* I'd be one happy camper to receive one of these at a wedding. Especially the butterfly one!

Supporters support

2010-11-02T15:17:00.000+11:00

I always liked the idea of giving Steve a really thoughtful gift on the morning of our wedding. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way this intention fell by the way side. I figured me just showing up on the day would be special enough* .

When I stumbled across these precious drawings by Pepper, I realised I had struck gold! As I am quite possibly the least interested person in rugby league on this planet, I think he would quite appreciate the gesture. Steve is a huge** Tigers fan, but no tacky paraphernalia is allowed in our house (I'm such a dragon). This drawing that Pepper is going to do of/for him will however, be accepted.

*kidding

** I once found a tigers championship ring in a bargain bin somewhere. I gave it to Steve as a joke. He wears it to every game. His friends kiss it for luck. {!}

engagement shoot

2010-10-27T09:14:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow I'm off to style an engagement shoot in Wisemans Ferry. Fingers crossed it doesn't rain (much).

The couple have requested a picnic shoot, and, as the proposal happened in Japan, I'm hoping to introduce some Japanese elements too. How fun!!

Above are some inspiration pics to help us stay on track.

The super talented Andrew of Follan Photography will be behind the lens, so stay tuned for some lovely pics.

Information overload

2010-10-22T14:20:00.000+11:00

So, you're engaged and are planning the 'destination' wedding you've always dreamed of.

I use the word 'destination' loosely, because personally, any venue that is more than an hours drive away or requires a map is classified 'destination'.

Planning a wedding that is out of town comes with responsibilities.

If you would like your guests to travel to celebrate* then you need to provide them with a fair amount of specific information. Everything from accommodation suggestions, transport information and most importantly directions need to be included on the invite to not only ensure your guests arrive on time, but also in one piece**.

Providing all this information can get messy. I'll put my hand up and admit I ALWAYS lose parts of invites that we are sent and ALWAYS end up at the last minute scrambling around phoning people trying to get the details of time/address/dress code.

How appreciative would your guests be if you very kindly included all necessary info in one neat little book?

You could even play out your life long dream of becoming published and include any little short stories/poems/song lyrics to your beloved you've been squirrelling away.

Amazing.

For some great examples check out

here (It's a date event design)

here ( Ice Cream social)

or here ( green quince)

*read drink

**not on the verge of divorce/break-up/homicide due to lack of clear and specific directions on how to get to/dress for/behave at your wedding

My parents were awesome

2010-10-18T10:44:00.000+11:00

It's funny to think that, before they were parents our, ah, parents were just regular people. Just like Steve and I are now.

They had lives and passions and hopes and dreams. Loved all the things that we are probably taking for granted right now, as newlyweds pre children. I loved scanning through this website, checking out other peoples parents, before they were parents. I wonder what our future children will think of us as we are now? How long will it take for them to realise we were once young and carefree? Think I might prepare a little photo book of our lives right now, so I can prove to them that yes, we were once awesome too.

My parents were awesome found via a cup of jo

Short visit

2010-10-13T10:04:00.000+11:00

Today you can catch me over at hello, splendor
talking about rules that are meant to be broken!

When Beth asked me I wanted to answer ' ah, all of them??'.
But that wouldn't be very responsible now would it?

If you like, leave a comment. What rules do you think are made to be broken?

My sister says

2010-10-12T13:19:00.000+11:00

My sister says she loves me every time we talk to each other on the phone. Kinda sweet and kinda weird as she only just started saying it, after 25 years! Who knows, maybe I'm nicer these days, since we don't live with mum and dad anymore and there's no arguing over who's going to set the table/feed the dog/buy mum's mothers day gift. Maybe it's because she lives in Darwin now, so every conversation counts that little bit more.

Anyhow, the name of this sweet little cafe is my sister says. Unusual and a great conversation starter. So is everything about this place. Everything appears to be 'upcycled' from tin can vases to filing cabinet storage. It is all well thought out and was a great intro to Melbourne. Little dog Bean was our furry guest at the table, his manners were impeccable and we loved watching him fall asleep whilst sitting up, classic old man style.

My brekky was called the mixed bag, you can pretty much tell what it was from the pic. It was delicious!

my sister says

118 Bridge St

Port Melbourne VIC 3207
(03) 9646 1117

Southern Style

2010-10-08T08:37:00.000+11:00

Photographed by sensesmaybenumbed

This weekend we are taking off to Melbourne to hang with our good friends southern style. Their names are Shannon and Terry, but we call them 'Sherry' ( I know.... the whole 'brangelina' joining of names is taking over the world). If you happen to have in your possession a copy of the latest Cosmo Bride, they are on page 184. Check them! They are too cute.

Anyway, Melbourne. I haven't been for years, and can't wait to go exploring. Here are some of the places I hope to get around to investigating.

Brunswick Street Gallery

Rose St Market

Cutler & Co

Little Creatures Dining Hall

The Emerald Peacock

We have also timed things perfectly well, as we will be in town for the first ever Melbourne Finders Keepers.

You beauty! Lucky I've paid up on my credit card......

When we get back I have some exciting news to share about a wedding we're styling in Feb. It's pretty cool.

Have a great weekend! And please share any tips for our weekend away. I know you Melbourne readers have some cool places you'd like to expose.....

new bike

2010-10-04T19:56:00.014+11:00

new bike by oscarandruby on Polyvore.com

Finally I am the happy owner of a brand new (well, second hand actually..... new to me though!) super cute vintage bike! Hooray. I'm constantly thinking up excuses to take her out for a ride. It is so much fun.
At the moment she lives in our lounge room, she is really part of the family. I've been trying to coax cooper to spend some time in the basket on the front. So far she has lasted half a lap round the house. Seems my Dorothy/Toto moment will never be realised. Shame.
A new bike deserves some cute accessories, so I've attempted my first ever polyvore collage. If you click on the link above it'll tell you where everything is from. But, you already knew that didn't you?

Do you ride? Got any advice for a newbie like me?

Seven things about me

2010-09-23T11:13:00.003+10:00

I've been tagged by the lovely Mrs A to write seven interesting/random facts about me. I hope you find them, ah, interesting!

I rarely wear anything other than thongs in summer

Stevie and I lived in London for three years, and drove around Europe in a camper van for four months. Five years later we still talk about it. It was the best time of our lives!

I absolutely can not stand icy pole sticks. I avoid them at all cost, even if that means missing out on ice cream.

Striped t'shirts feature heavily in my wardrobe. None however, are in umbrella form.

Not really random, but I love talking weddings.

The ring tone on my phone is Florence and the machine .

{You've got the love.} Because I do!

Sometimes, if I finish work early, Stevie and I will take a bottle of champagne down to the park near the bay and watch the sunset. We look a little like bogans, with paper cups, but meh....... it's so lovely.

Now, to share the love......I'm passing this task to

Lyndsay.. It's a date design.

Anastasia...Anastasia drawing and dreaming

Julie.... Olive and Joy

all images via we heart it. except florence.

Not extinct

2010-09-18T10:32:00.000+10:00

I was reminded yesterday by Julie over at Olive & Joy that it is time again for the Dinosaur Designs big sale. This is big news and a great opportunity to pick up some great pieces by a truly iconic Aussie brand. Their story of success is inspirational, and well worth a read, especially if you are completing the e-course run by Holly and Leslie. These guys started off running a market store and have grown into internationally renowned design dynamos exhibiting in places such as New York, Milan and Canada. You can check out their online store here. They even do wedding registries!

simple really

2010-09-14T11:12:00.000+10:00

{via}

I'm going to be really happy. Are you?

Beautiful torture

2010-09-10T21:11:00.000+10:00

This week I embark on a nine week challenge with my gym. nine weeks to get super fit and ready for summer. nine weeks of no alcohol*, minimal carbs, stacks of protein and multiple visits to the gym.

as an indication of what I've signed up for, my personal trainer sent me a text this afternoon, kindly reminding me it was 4pm and not to eat any carbs from then on. hmm, right. so I'm guessing ordering our standard friday night pizza is out of the question. I'm also guessing if i happen to win the prize at the end of the challenge, which is a trip to Hawaii, i should probably send the boy. alone. if he makes it out of this alive.

in the mean time I'll torture myself (and you) with images of these beautiful cakes by maggie austin cakes

* I can handle the strict rules relating to everything else, but, alcohol? No booze for 9 weeks? That's a challenge

misguided pennies

2010-09-06T11:57:00.000+10:00

How sweet are these drawings? I discovered the work of Nan Lawson via the green wedding shoes blog.

As my quest to buy a bike continues I thought purchasing the bike drawing above to put on my inspiration board would make perfect sense! Let's just ignore the fact that it is perhaps slightly counter-productive to be spending my pennies on pretty drawings, rather than putting them in the piggy bank!

Is time on twitter time well spent??

2010-08-31T19:17:00.000+10:00

As you know I am fairly new to the world of blogging and twitter and various other social media options that I am yet to discover. I really enjoy the world that has opened up to oscar and ruby through these mediums and honestly believe time on twitter is time well spent. Not just for helping to grow as a business, but for making friendships and genuine connections with vendors all over the world.

If you have the inclination there is a wealth of info out there on how to use twitter well.

To save you the trouble (if you are interested!) I've linked for you here a great article by chris brogan.

It's worth the time.

And the groom wore tartan

2010-08-31T12:48:00.000+10:00

{images}

{ images }

Here for your viewing pleasure are two beautiful Scottish weddings.

I'm positive i'm not the only girl or guy, who adores a groom in a kilt. Not sure what the attraction is, but could perhaps be that it's such a rare occurrence that when a groom does choose to wear one it's all the more amazing.

the boy considered* getting kilted up for our wedding, but it seems just because your name is McLeod and some where way way way back in the depths of history someone else called McLeod could possibly be your relation does not give you free reign of the national dress.

My dad, on the other hand can lay a claim to a slightly closer relationship to the bonny land. He also considered wearing a kilt in the Anderson family tartan, however, after witnessing the somewhat immature behaviour of some of our friends at our engagement party, dad considered the chance of said people lifting his kilt as a joke too risky. And opted out.

Shame really.

* if considered means politely agreeing after months of pestering, then, yes.

I guess you could say he 'considered' wearing a kilt.

what do you think?

kilt or suit? or tux or shorts?

what's your fav groom attire?

5 floral ideas for Spring!

2010-08-25T13:56:00.000+10:00

It doesn't seem to be so dark now, when I get home from work. And it has been a few days since we have turned on the heater. The boy doesn't groan as much when getting out of bed and the dog is less reluctant to go outside.

I don't want to jinx anything but, I think it may almost be spring time (shhhhh).

This is exciting, not just for me but for all you brides out there, looking at flowers for your bouquets and centre pieces.

Flowers can take a huge chunk out of your budget, especially if you have your heart set on something that is not in season*. Below I have listed for you five beautiful options that are available in spring and are budget friendly.

1. Carnations. No longer last minute service station favourites.

But a super stylish and colourful addition to any table

2. Sweet peas.

So appropriate if that just happens to be your pet name

3. Ranunculus. The peonies understudy and great all rounder

4. Ranunculus again.

Just because I think they are highly under-rated and deserve a second mention

5. The Peony. If you are getting married in November, you are lucky.

As this is the only month peonies bloom here in Australia.

* I'm looking at YOU peonies. You might be popular but you are very elusive. Grrrrr

Images all from Martha

The big five

2010-08-20T15:51:00.001+10:00

image via apartment therapy

exciting news. oscar and ruby has been commissioned to plan what could be the most important party in a child's life. the big five.

important because it marks the transition from pre-school to BIG school, important because if you impress the right people they could be your best friends for life.

i totally get the importance of fifth birthday parties, as I managed to turn my own in to a complete disaster.

being the birthday girl and therefore person of very important status i simply assumed this gave me the right to do and act however i pleased. unwrapping presents with ungrateful haste and shoving chips and jelly beans in to my mouth at the same time was slightly acceptable behaviour. unfortunately shoving patrick from across the road off the top of the monkey bars, was not.

patrick, his crumpled little body on the ground screamed so loud his mum came running from across the road.

i was in big trouble. with tears stinging my eyes i was sent to my room ( at my own party, the shame) and all the guests were sent home. party and queen status - ruined.

i really hope this party goes a little better.

p.s patrick, as it turns out was fine. i still think to this day he was just jealous it wasn't his birthday and wanted to steal the lime light.

do you remember your 5th birthday?
did it go a little better than mine?
i hope so!

Nielsen Park for real

2010-08-15T18:17:00.001+10:00

a few months ago I wrote about the planning of a wedding for a lovely couple who have chosen to have their ceremony and reception at the equally lovely nielsen park. you can check out that post here and more on the details here. as we draw closer to the date there has been much discussion of the styling and theming of their big day. some plans have changed, the wildflowers and whimsy have been replaced with a more chic/vintage vibe, and the bridesmaids will be wearing black vintage inspired dresses. we will still be incorporating parasols, fans and cute little touches. you will be pleased to know however that frangipani's still don't get a run (phew!)

i'm so excited about the ideas el (bride) has come up with, it is going to be a stunningly memorable day.
i've been painting pictures in my mind ever since that first visit out to the venue, so imagine my surprise when el forwarded me this amazing wedding at nielsen park.
it was like seeing some of our ideas played out for real! parasols? check. vintage dresses? check. cuteness and all out loveliness? check!!

amazing

if you duck over to marzena's website here not only will you see more of this super wedding, but you just might recognise some of her other work. it's beautiful.

eleven

2010-08-11T12:12:00.000+10:00

eight, nine, ten

2010-08-10T13:37:00.001+10:00

these beautiful photographs are by Aaron at feaverish photography.

they summarise my last three days better than i ever could.

eight was a lovely day out at tempe, surrounded by rockabilly folk in all their finest.

nine was a crazy rollercoaster as i was pulled over by the police
for the first time ever in my life,

realised my license had expired and was in big trouble.

today I figured life would be much simpler if i just rode a bike.

seven

2010-08-07T17:01:00.000+10:00

rozelle markets. day seven.
11.27am. purchased vase in the most perfect shade of yellow.
11.29am. gazed wistfully at flower market stall hoping someone* would buy flowers for new vase
4.59pm still waiting

*read 'the boy'.

six

2010-08-06T17:56:00.001+10:00

so it only took me six days to post a photo of my dog. in all her corn chip loving, heavily depressed, blank faced glory. i promise it will be the first and last.

cruising

2010-08-05T14:44:00.000+10:00

At the start of spring I am buying a bike. That is all.

four

2010-08-04T17:21:00.001+10:00

remember when we spoke about my (lack of) photography skills? well, here you go! note the use of fancy text to try and distract you from the bicycle shadow. did it work? tell me what you love... brownie points if you say this photo!

three

2010-08-03T14:24:00.001+10:00

Wish this was mine, but it's not. I found it over at the lovely junebugweddings blog. It is by Catherine Hall

two

2010-08-02T11:56:00.000+10:00

Putting the final touches on the website at 12.47am. Technically Monday.
Thanks to Craig. Our ever patient tech support

one

2010-08-01T15:19:00.003+10:00

Found at Rozelle markets 9.30am

Break it down

2010-07-31T18:04:00.001+10:00

for a bit of fun over the next couple of weeks, i'll be joining a community of bloggers in taking up this challenge for the month of august. basically, i'll be taking one photo per day and posting it here on my little blog. don't really know where it'll end up, as my photography skills are *ahem* sub-standard to say the least, but, can't hurt to try hey?? here's hoping i don't end up with 30 photo's of my dog. could get a little...repetitive*

if you have a blog, you should join in. just go here to sign up

*not sure if it's just our dog, or if this is a trait common to all friends of the four legged variety, but Cooper tends to have the same slightly bored expression ALL THE TIME. this does not make for interesting photography, but does however make us laugh. at her. a lot.

magic in a photo

2010-07-24T09:44:00.007+10:00

so, in case you haven't noticed, i have a small crush on the photographer josh goleman. his stunning pics inspired some of the details for our own wedding which you may have already read about here. in the heavily saturated world of wedding photography seeing his pics, for me, was like a bolt of lightning through a storm. magic.

It's trash I know but I

2010-07-21T14:28:00.001+10:00

when it's council clean up time. especially in the area where i work. it's a goldmine. yesterday i picked up a comfy single couch, two old school suitcases and a stool for the boy for when he is cooking dinner on the bbq*. will post some pics tomorrow, then will post the afters, well, after. they've been fixed that is.

* figured the more comfortable he is, the more likely it is that he will cook. for me. more.
p.s image is via 'we heart it'. Amanda from calico & co told me about it. i heart it.

congratulations

2010-07-16T16:22:00.000+10:00

image here

to polkadot bride on the launch of their new website. if you haven't already heard/visited/become addicted to this stellar source of bridal info. you should check it out. they even have a section for the often neglected but vital component of a wedding. the groom.

good things

2010-07-12T12:14:00.000+10:00

how special is this packaging? would be nice if everything in life were this simple

I love, you love, watermelon

2010-07-09T14:39:00.000+10:00

Ok, so these pics have absolutely nothing what-so-ever to do with watermelon, but this is the song running through my head when i gaze upon the beautiful work of megan from maemae paperie. when we were little we would grab a whole watermelon, chop it through the middle and attack it with spoons. so juicy, fun and carefree. this is what i get from this stationery set.

juicy

fun

carefree

my friends and i are currently going through a baby shower phase. which generally sends us screaming to the hills. how can we possibly cling to the pretense of still being in our twenties* when our friends are popping out babies all over the place?? perhaps including some pretty stationery would help to soften the blow. love that these cards don't shout BABY and could in fact be useful for any occasion. like acquiring a new puppy, or starting a new job perhaps? would be nice if we could have parties** for these life changing moments too.....

this is just the smallest, tiniest example of megan's work. promise me you will check out the rest of her stuff sometime.

* when it was hard enough managing my own life, let alone another humans
** read: presents

a little ray of sunshine

2010-07-02T12:20:00.001+10:00

days like these make me feel like we may never have days like these

ever again. it has been so freezingly bitterly cold here in sydney lately that i'm finding it hard to even imagine the bikini wearing, ice block eating, sunshine filled days of summer. it's kind of hard to conjure up these images whilst pouring hot water on my windshield to melt the ice (ice!), or eating dinner in our lounge room so we can sit near the heater (nanna blankets included) then going to bed at 9pm just because it's too cold to stay up.

daniel kiyoi has kindly given me permission to share these super cool/hot images. perhaps they'll help jog the memory of summer days and sunshine. he has a whole lot of beautiful images on his blog.... if you need more!

enjoy

p.s in case you were wondering, this super creative couple diy'd almost everything. mr made the photobooth and mrs made the pinhole cameras from scratch! amazing. their wedding is also featured in the 2010 issue of real simple weddings if you want to see more. keep a look out for the yellow ping pong table. it looked like such fun!

holiday fun time

2010-06-23T19:53:00.016+10:00

next week i'll be on holidays. lucky me! this time of year most people would be taking off to go skiing in their holidays. lucky them. me, i can't ski. never even saw snow until i was 23*. so, on my holiday, if i was to go 'skiing' i think i would prefer to stay inside. by the fire perhaps. drinking hot chocolate and getting crafty. these projects seem pretty appropriate. don't you think?

sweet diy here

i might buy these tags to tie around our mugs of chocolate

and these to hang in our chalet

*and even then it was only in london. more slush than snow really