Thursday, May 31, 2012

Most fabulous room ever

This is the most amazing room I have ever seen. If I had this room in my house I would never leave. Imagine being here at night when the stars are out and you have lit candles all over the place.


Happy Friday all, hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Sally
xo

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Grilled Panzanella Salad

So winter officially starts tomorrow, my least favorite season of the year. But this year I'm determined to enjoy it. I have my new UGG's which I plan to spend as much time in as possible, and it's so nice to curl up with a glass of red wine and watch DVD's or read knowing that it's cold outside and you don't want to be out there anyway.

I know salads are mostly reserved for summer, but I saw this beauty on Camille Styles blog this week and thought it looked so amazing that I really want to give it a whirl this weekend. This version has no meat in it which may cause GK's toes to curl (maybe add some chicken??)





    • 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, quartered
    • 2 yellow bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, quartered
    • 2 zucchini, trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 1/2″ thick pieces
    • 4 slices crusty white italian bread
    • olive oil, salt & pepper
    • 1 english cucumber, peeled and chopped
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
    • 1/3 cup mint leaves, chopped
    • 1/3 cup basil leaves, chiffonade
    • 1/3 cup olive oil
    • 1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
    • 4 oz piece of feta, broken into chunks (I’d love to try this with fresh mozzarella next time!)
    1. Heat grill to medium. Brush peppers, zucchini, and bread on both sides with oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Grill peppers and zucchini until slightly charred and just tender, turning often, about 6 minutes. Add bread for the last 3 minutes of cooking, and grill until lightly charred and just crisp, turning often. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool.
    2. Meanwhile, combine cucumber, tomatoes, olives, mint and basil in a large bowl. Chop peppers, zucchini into 1/2″ pieces and add to bowl. Tear bread into 1″ pieces and add to bowl.
    3. Whisk oil and vinegar together, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add dressing to salad, toss to gently coat, and add feta.
Sally
xo



Sunday, May 27, 2012

Winter blues

 My little fury friend is not a big fan of winter. He prefers to snuggle on the couch when it's cold.


For that matter it's not my favourite season either, but no chance of cold feet in my house this winter - I am never taking these off!


I can't believe I blinked and the weekend was over and now I'm back at work. Looking for a necklace like the one below to jazz up a few of my work outfits.


Sally
xo

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

WD-40

I find this totally fascinating - I'm buying some WD-40 on the weekend!

The following comes from snopes.com

Who knew? I had a neighbour who bought a new car. I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of his car (for some unknown reason). I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news. He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do.... probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open. Another neighbour came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off. It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job on the car. I'm impressed!

WD-40 who knew? 'Water Displacement #40'. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and de-greaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'water displacement' compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Convair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you... When you read the 'shower door' part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stove top ... Viola! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed.

WD-40 uses:
1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps flies off cows . (I love this one!)
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewellery chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots .
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
18. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers...
22 Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open..
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes splattered grease on stove.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida's favourite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'
38. The favourite use in the state of New York , WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls.. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.

P.S. The basic ingredient is ... FISH OIL!
 
Sorry if this is a little boring, but I had no idea one can could do all this, so I hope it works.
 
Sally
xo

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

See - I need to go to New York

 Majorly loving Tory Burch's spring summer line, so sad they don't ship to Australia. This is why I need to go to New York. How cute is the dog posing in the basket, there is no chance Harley would sit in a basket like that.










Sally
xo

Monday, May 21, 2012

Grand Central - I love you

I am constantly dreaming up way's of getting back to New York, but sadly it's not going to happen this year. House renovations are not nearly as fun as running around New York shopping and eating all day long.

One day as we wandered through Grand Central Station we came accross this tiny Aesop shop. I have always loved this brand, not just because it's Australian, has gorgous packaging but the products are really lovely.

Fun fact about this little Aesop shop, its made frin 1800 copies of the New York Times stacked together like bricks, how cool is that!



Sally
xo

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Kate Spade color splash


Image: Kate Spade

Really love this color combo from Kate Spade that Jessica Alba has put together. Wish Kate Spade delivered to Australia! Although that could be very dangerous for my credit card...

Sally
xo

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Blueberry Lemon French Toast Cups


Yes please - how amazing do these sound. It's only Wednesday and already I am so looking forward to the weekend so I can try these out. The Effortless Chic blog recently posted this recipe and I have not been able to get it out of my head...

For the french toast:
  • 2 pieces of whole wheat bread, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup of light cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces of laughing cow brie
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • Dash of cinnamon
For the syrup: 
  • 1 cup of fresh blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 lemon, zested

Directions: 

  1. Grease two mini cocettes with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1/2 piece of bread into the bottom of each cocette. Pour 1/4 cup blueberries and 1 ounce cheese over the bread in each cocette. Cover with remaining bread.
  2. In a bowl, whisk eggs, light cream, lemon juice, vanilla, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour mixture over each cocette. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
  3. Preheat oven to 350F. Once mixture has chilled, remove from fridge and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Then bake, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes, or until bread is toasted.
  4. While mixture bakes, prepare syrup by mixing the corn starch and water on medium high heat until smooth. Add blueberries, lemon and maple syrup and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
  5. Once cups are finished baking, top with the blueberry syrup and enjoy!


Enjoy your Wednesday!

Sally
xo

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Pretty pink for a Friday



So looking forward to the weekend, hope you're having a lovely Friday.

Sally
xo

Monday, May 7, 2012

Met Gala 2012

Few of my favorites from the most glamerous party ever...





Sally
xo

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Jacket - work in progress

So excited - I have just been to the tailor who is making a jacket for me. It's not fitted properly yet and still needs some tweaking, but I thought it was going to be so hard to decide what to do with the collar and it turned out to be be super easy. The frilly leather collar looks much better in reality and I'm so excited that it's all coming together and nearly finished.

Do you like the collar or do you think I look like a frilled neck lizard?

Sally
xo

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Napping

I have such a weakness for good quality bed linen, and now that the weather has well and truly dropped us smack bang into winter all I really want to do is jump into bed with a good book. I have recently come across the most amazingly beautiful range of bed linen that I desperatly want - just adding to the list...




Images from John Robshaw

Sally
xo