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Colour, colour, colour

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I have been living in the Bay Area for just over a year now, and I’ve really enjoyed witnessing the full rotation of the seasons: Autumn had beautiful yellows and ambers and browns, the Winter – soft blues and greys, Spring – a verdant green with pinks and lilacs, and Summer is currently full of dry golden grasses, a muted blue sky and white clouds.
I really love it here.

One of the newest contributors to the greatest design blog on the web, Design*Sponge, is Lauren Willhite. She’s a Graphic Designer based in Portland, Oregon, and her blog, Color Collective is a treasure trove of loveliness. It’s been years now, but I’m still really gravitating toward the blue/green/grey combinations, with pops of warm colour like yellow and orange.

Greens, blues, soft hues

[Source: Color Collective]

I love this combination because the greens and blues are balances out with the warmer tones of yellow, orange and bone. And how cool would it be to paint a room more than three colours?

I'd love my world painted like this!

[Source: Color Collective]

This above is quite possibly my favourite pallette out of all the ones I have featured. I love the ‘pop’ the orange gives this work without dominating the blue and green tones and the yellow-based neutral. Compliments it perfectly. Splendid!

The slighty muted tones relax and inspire

[Source: Color Collective]

I love the inclusion of a deep, rich grey in this colour palette above. And I adore the ethereal quality of the photographs, too.

Why not use all of these colours?

[Source: Color Collective]

By using the pink and purple alongside the blues and green, it feels slightly more whimsical, and high energy.

Oranges and periwinkles

[Source: Color Collective]

And I included this one because I responded to it. I love the periwinkle walls we have at the moment, and love it balanced with the warm oranges instead of the pops of red we currently have.

I love the resource Lauren offers designers, artists and others like me through Color Collective. Would be a great place to stop by and have a poke around when you’re next deciding on colours for paint, projects, etc.

What colours are currently inspiring you?
What colour palette would you choose if you were to revamp your space?

xTRP

Someone super special has a birthday coming up…

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Someone very special has a birthday coming up on the 6th of July, and I am excited about what the day will hold for him, for us. I have been scouting for locations for birthday celebrations, and even managed to pick up a gift for him. And wrapped it! Six days before his actual birthday! I am really getting myself into tip-top organisational shape here (which has been an aim of mine since year naught).

All wrapped up -- six days ahead of schedule! WHOA!

This was my first attempt at collages using Picasa. I like the ease with which I can lighten and brighten my photos without using the fiddly little parts of PhotoShop (especially considering PS just takes all of the juice out of my little Netbook). However, I’m not quite sold on Picasa’s collage capabilities. I like to have a little more say in the way collages are presented: like the degree of space between the photos, how they’re arranged and whether or not I’m feeling rounded corners etc.

What photo editing tools do you use?
How do you find their basic functions and collage options?

But back to discussing birthdays, I will leave you with this beautiful image from Amanda. I love the way she’s so enthused by living in her new home in Canada and so in love with her lovely Canadian gentleman. I love her zest to capture the beauty around her and share it with people like me.  And HURRAH for Aussie expats!

Amanda recently celebrated her first Canadian birthday, and captured some beautiful and special moments with her trusty Polaroid.  Happy Belated Birthday, mate.

A beautiful breakfast, captured by a Polaroid

[Source: Mockingbird]

I always wanted my own Polaroid… and now that Polaroid’s no longer making instant film, I’ll have to learn how to make my own “dreamy, film-like photos” HERE. It was marvellous to stumble upon a new and inspiring blog today, so thank you, Amanda!

xTRP

More summer…

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Over at Design*Sponge, Amy just posted a ‘Living In: Parent Trap’ guest blog! Whoa! LOVE!

Let’s get together/Yeah yeah yeah!

Miette!

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I love Miette, the Pâtisserie & Confiserie located in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. But for my inability to actually choose something so beautiful to and destroy it, I’ve only ever walked away with organic almonds from the Farmers Markets outside. Time to rectify that!

Beautifully decorated and stunningly presented sweet treats from Miette

[Source: Miette]{via simplesong}

One of my Life List goals is to make a cake/cupcakes from scratch and decorate them. And the beauty is that Miette offers baking classes! I doubt I have the attention span for the three week baking basics course, but I rekon I could handle three hours of making and decorating cookies…

Nevertheless, one of my new Life List goals is to treat myself to something beautiful from Miette the next time I’m in the city. Hopefully that will be sooner, rather than later!

The Miette Scarffen Berger

[Source: Miette]

Miette Yellow Strawberry Cupcakes

[Source: Miette] {via Oh Happy Day}

Creative applications: cookies decorated like wallpaper

[Source: Miette] {via Design*Sponge}

Everything Miette makes is desireable...

[Source: Miette] {via Pretty Pretty}

Miette Vanilla Tomboy

[Source: Miette] {via Oh Happy Day}

xTRP

Currently obsessed with: Land Carpets

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Loving these ‘Land Carpets‘ (otherwise known as rugs), that are inspired by satellite images of various landscapes.  I adore flying over places such as New Zealand and Ireland, as they offer such breathtaking patterns and colours below of the of fields and farms and homes, and Florian Pucher has brought the joy of flying over far-off destinations right to your living room floor.

They’re made from New Zealand wool, with each design being handtufted and limited to 88 pieces.  If I had between $1200 (for the USA, Africa and Europe versions) and $2100 (for the Netherlands), I’d already have it underfoot.  Nevertheless, LOVE!

Land Carpet: USA

Land Carpet: Europe

Land Carpet: The Netherlands

[Source: Florian Pucher] {via Lost&Fawned}

Summer is here in the Bay Area!

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For me, summers in Australia were always about spending all of our sunlight hours outside: in the pool, at the beach, riding our bikes, playing backyard cricket with all the local kids, riding round to the milk bar and buying red frogs (and Bubble-o Bill ice creams without telling Mum!), lounging in the shady Jacaranda tree across the road. When we weren’t watching the Aussie cricket team punish everyone on TV, we watched The Parent Trap endlessly on our trusty old VHS.

Formerly dreamed of meeting my twin at a US summer camp...

[Source]

They were such carefree times, when all we feared was a neighbourhood dog (a la The Sandlot Kids), you lost your turn when you hit the cricket (tennis) ball over the fence in cricket (to be ‘6 & out’), and you lived for ice cold Cottee’s red cordial with your triangle sandwiches at lunch.

I have such fond memories growing up in Australia, and I am so thankful for the opportunities it provided me… and I guess, I’m a little nostalgic. And having spent the day out in the searing 100 degree heat in the far East Bay, I have been thinking lots about the season of summer, what it means to spend summer in the Bay and what kind of traditions I can be a part of…

Here’s a few beautiful images to get you into the summer spirit, especially if you’re enjoying the first of the winter cold snaps back home in Oz.

Marilyn: she makes me feel a smidge more okay with having a rather wobbly posterior for summer...

[Source: L O L I T A] {via Mary Ruffle}

Mmmmm....Homemade lemonade

[Source: Design*Sponge] {via Mary Ruffle}

Ponytails with ribbons

[Source: Audrey Hepburn Complex] {via Mary Ruffle}

Evening dinner picnics in style

[Source: Once Wed] {via Mary Ruffle}

And I’m LOVING this engagement photo I stumbled upon on Flikr. That’s just too beautiful for words… I would love something like that on my wall. SIGH…

What do you love about summer?
What traditions do you have when the sun’s high in the sky and the mercury’s rising?

xTRP