susie homemaker.

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

lately i have been a real ‘susie homemaker’. it has been so much fun ! a lot in our little world has changed to help me jump on the homemaker bandwagon …

when we got married i didn’t really have much direction in how i wanted our place to look … renting can be so hard because you never really feel settled. i think i just thought ‘anything will do, we’ll be out of here before we know it’. in hindsight, this was a bad attitude … it meant that we just collected stuff that was functional & that fit into the space of a shoebox rather than collect things we love.

i also didn’t get a chance to ‘nest’ when joey was born because i went into labour the day i left work (things are always on the move in my world !), nor with the baby because i had joey around my feet 24/7.

since we have moved, it finally feels like i have the space and the head space to actually start collecting things i love for our home. i am sure that things will constantly be changing and improved around the place & i am totally happy with that ! it means that we’ll get a lot of creative stimulation, i get the benefit of frequenting op shops, and we will grow with the space as we grow as a family. yeah !

here are my latest finds from the glorious world of op shops …

the beloved new green couch*, the blue dress (just like my grandmothers <3 ), the pink blanky …

aperture for when peeps come over & i want our rest room to look fancy ..

fav pyrex dishes & blanky …

retro pink cutlery … sorry mark !!

the sweetest vintage toy corvette cars that i ever did see !

so fun hey?! just loving living the dream.

i have a few more items that are on my ‘look out for’ list … if i can’t find them in the next little while i’ll have to try etsy.

* the night the green couch was delivered we had some friends over for dinner. they could not believe that it only cost me $30 & it was so hilarious that now everything i purchase is compared to ‘the cost of a couch’. my friend called me the next day to say she was so inspired by my op shopping that she visited vinnies & found four cushions that she had been looking for (& had been told were sold out of every store in Australia) for ‘the cost of half a couch’. how ’bout that! love it.

eurovision 2012.

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

when i think of Eurovision all i can say is: wow ! at points during this year’s Eurovision i was speechless. i was without speech. wow. i still haven’t worked out whether or not the performers are actually serious, nevertheless, they give it their absolute best & i’m happy to be entertained by their many talents! the SBS commentary was outstanding this year & the twitter feed was genius.

the winner of Eurovision 2012 was truly outstanding. a friend of mine messaged me during the performance of Loreen from Sweden,

“Sweden just does it for me. Is there something wrong with me? I want to go and download it now.”

she echoes my thoughts exactly. Loreen was a cut above the rest – she was so elegant & beautiful … the snow & the slo-mo at the end were a very very special treat !

but i must say, i keep coming back to my favourite Eurovision winner … Alexander Rybak from Norway in 2009 … check this:

Eurovision 2013 in Sweden … i’m counting down the days already !

who was your favourite performer in this year’s Eurovision?

* fact: Celine Dion was discovered when she won Eurovision 1991. wow !

** and yes… ABBA were discovered at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest … they sang ‘Waterloo’ which I love & found it hard to believe that during the interval act on the second night of the semi’s the performers forgot the words???!!!!

new sponsor !

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

introducing our new sponsor peek-a-boo party cakes !

on saturday joey & I went for a drive to the sweetest little kitchen we ever did see packed with the most tempting cupcakes. here we are just about to delve into some $1 cupcakes… yum ! (joey looks a bit scared, but really he was just sad that he had to wait for me to take the picture before he could demolish the cupcake !)

neil from peek-a-boo party cakes is from the UK & he has just opened up his shop front & kitchen on the northern beaches. he specialises in all sorts of party cakes including kids party cakes, wedding cakes, birthday party cakes, … there was also a whisper of him starting cake decorating courses for adults & kids parties … shivers !! after my last post i think i definitely need to attend ! My favourite bites from peek-a-boo party cakes include the carrot cake, vanilla sponge with strawberry jam & cream, and the oreo cupcake … YUM-O !

best of all, on the last saturday of the month neil sells delicious cupcakes (as pictured) for only $1 !!!!!! WOW !!!

welcome neil to the eachpeachpear family ! may we enjoy many more of your cakes in the years to come.

have you tried a peek-a-boo party cake recently? if so, why not share your experience with us all !

#fail.

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

i love the hashtag #fail. not because i like to see people fail, but because on so many levels every day i fail ! i don’t think it is necessarily bad to fail at all … for me it only weeds out my strengths & weaknesses & gives me a reason to laugh at myself & remember that i am not perfect

today’s fail was no exception. i was up late last night baking for this morning’s biggest morning tea at our local church. my intention was to bake little lemon cakes and top them with cream cheese icing. yum huh !

it is time for me to face some facts: with regard to baking sweets i need to shape up or ship out ! here is some photo evidence:

ariel view is not so bad …

closer up shows that they are a little bit wonky … next time i will try to bake them in the cups rather than in a tray …

ok … #fail. what is that?! terrible …

ariel view of cream cheese icing not so bad …

but it is as hard as a rock dear oh dear !

needless to say, I was too embarrassed to even put these on the table (thank goodness there was HEAPS of food!) & I’ll be taking these sweet babies (which probably taste delicious because they’re packed with sugar) out to dinner tonight with some friends.

#fail.

this is how the pro’s do it … thank you ! i enjoyed your cupcakes immensely

weekends are the best.

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

i wish every single day were the weekend.

i love having mark home. i love family time. i love relaxing. i love bending the rules with routine. i love eating croissants on a sunday morning & having a chai at our favourite place on earth.

what do you love about weekends?

may gibbs installation.

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

may gibbs was a huge part of my childhood. i love her. the adventures of snugglepot and cuddlepie were some of my all time favourite books. i was pleased to the MAX when frankie did a little bio of may gibbs & her work. it was just gorgeous – they even printed some of her beautiful illustrations ! i knew these prints could not go unnoticed & i kept them since before we moved knowing that i would put them to good use one day.

since i have just finished my studies for this semester, and i am fully inspired by this course, i thought it was best to use the prints for a little may gibbs installation for the baby’s room. this project is just the first of many little projects i have up my sleeve for the next few weeks (so stay posted!). i am really happy with the result ! once we paint the room i’d like to get some proper may gibbs prints and frame them so the baby can keep them forever.

happy friday everyone !

golden slippers.

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

i blame dorothy gale from the wizard of oz for a girls obsession with sparkly shoes. there’s something so magical about her ruby slippers that makes every girl want a pair of their own. for me, it is gold slippers. they go with everything ! yesterday my second pair of gold shoes had their debut. i was a bit hesitant because they were a sneaky little DIY job that i completed for christmas 2011 from this blog. i made a pair for my sister, my sister-in-love and for me. the weather is now just getting to the point where my ballet slippers will need to be shelved until spring, so yesterday, out came my new gold shoes !

i honestly thought i could not pull them off… but once i got going (& got complimented a million times in the space of a nano second) i was well on my way to confidence in the wearing. i even wore them again today

next time i will put silver glitter on the toe rather than rhinestone because the rhinestone is a bit clunky & i am too scared that they will drop off one by one.

what have you worn lately that has been out of your comfort zone?

mother’s day 2012.

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

mother’s day this year was filled with a plethora of emotions for me.

i am insanely thankful for my mother, who i become more and more and more appreciative of each year. she is intelligent, strong, beautiful, successful, caring and incredibly right in everything. i am also insanely thankful for my mother-in-love. she is gentle, musical, generous, fun, and also incredibly right in everything. thank you both for your example to me of a wonderful wife, mother, sister, friend. thank you !

i also can’t believe that i am allowed to be mother to joey and the baby. i love them so much it hurts ! they are so different from one another and yet they complement each other, and mark & i so incredibly well. i have no doubt that God ordained us to be together as a family. thank you !

my emotions were mixed, however, as my heart could not stop thinking (& praying for) my friends who, in this last year, have lost their own bubs, or who have not been able to have bubs (yet!). days like yesterday must be really hard. what strong, corageous, and faithful women. i don’t know if i would have your strength & grace if i were in your position. thank you.

with these feelings in my heart, i was able to host (yes host ) a lunch at our new place with mark’s family. this made me so incredibly happy.* this is what we were created for. we ate salmon, creamy mash, and key lime pie with homemade ice cream. spesh ! in the tradition of mother’s day, we took a few family photo’s … this is a series of seven pics starting out ‘serious’ going to ‘happy’ … just want you to note my sister-in-love’s face …

Next year we’ll have a new little bub in our midst and kate will be the proud mother ! yippee !!!!!!!!!!!! i love our expanding family.

much love

*I am yet to celebrate mother’s day with my own mum & will hopefully do that asap.

op shop op shop op shop …

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Emmy Liddell

one thing that i am really enjoying at the moment is decorating our house. it is something that i did (to a very limited extent) in our unit, and now have a lot more freedom with loads more space. it is really interesting to see how my style has changed over the years. for example, when we first got married, i wanted every piece of furniture in dark wood. now, i am trying to change everything over to white ! it may be that i am more confident in who i am and therefore i am more certain of what i like and dislike rather than following trends. i also think it is a result of having more time now to think about such things – being a mum who is at home rather than a full-time worker. our home space is my office so i am in desperate need of it looking good & feeling good.

since we are living on a budget (like the rest of the world !) i have been skipping around to all the local op shops (thrift stores for you north american peeps). i have always loved op shopping so needing to fill a space is an excellent excuse for me to make a trip or two a week ! here are some finds from my most recent trips:

The Entrance Cabinet:

Guess who fits inside?

One of my best days this year (tupperware & prue acton no less !!):

Blankets:

i plan on re-covering the chairs in white vinyl (LOVE vinyl with kids … wipe on, wipe off & it’s clean !). one of the blankets i will keep, the other is a gift for a special lady in my life (who will it be?!). my entrance display cabinet makes me smile every single time i walk in the front door. i have had fun changing it around, and i can’t wait for more installations to come !

as i start to complete each room, i will keep you posted on how i’m going & what i’m doing. i am getting a few hints & tips from this blog (i’m thinking of perhaps doing her e-course as a reward for finishing this semester of study) as well as this friend … so i am confident that as our home evolves it will have our mark on it & look amazing too !