Belated Christmas Wishes

A Belated Merry Christmas to all 

How could I have missed such an important post

Well......

Came back from a marvelous week away in the Whitsundays.

Realised with 6 days to Christmas I hadnt started any preparations as the last month was so full of  medical appointments for hubby , ballet rehersals , end of school events , more ballet rehersals . I was nearly too exhausted to even pack for our holiday.

Rushed around buying presents , menu choices , table schemes, ordering organic hams & turkeys (not a easy feet this close to Christmas) , cleaning the house etc etc.

All while trying to keep Christmas week  entertaining & stress free for my two wonderful children.

But I did squeeze in Christmas drinks with a dear friend.

Thats when I took this picture , waiting for a cab to take us home.

Enough about me

Thankyou to all my beautiful followers who still read my rather spasmodic posts this year.

I trust you had wonderful times at Christmas whether they were quiet or hectic & look forward to hearing from you all in the new year.

I will be busy in the new year working on new projects , there are some changes in the air for

Hope Island Home.

Karyn x

Image Hope Island Home 

Where in the world ?

Holidaying......

View from a room
come with me
let me take you closer.......

step out the doors.....

stop at the hammock.......

roll out .....

just a few more steps to the water ......

you made it.....

Guessed where we are ?

Stop by tommorow & I will share more

Karyn x

Searching for this table

I saved this image a while ago

as I loved this table

Searched high & low

Does anyone know what it is made of ?

or

Where I could  find one or something similar ?

Just need a few touches to finish the main bathroom renovation

Karyn x

Image source unknown

No Sweat ,No Calories, Refreshing Summer Drink

With our sweltering summer days upon us

I had a urge to share with you my favourite thirst quenching drink

I usually use a wine glass as it feels like I am having a wine without 

the 'side effects'

 No calories (maybe 1 from the lime)

3 magical ingredients is all required & 3 easy steps.......

1. A glass bottle of San Pellegrino

(of course you could use any sparkling water but hey you must admit 

the green bottle looks much prettier in the pantry)

2. A slice of a juicy lime

3. Ice

Step 1

Add the ice to your glass

Step 2

Add a slice of lime

Step 3

Pour the San Pelegrino

Done !

Now wasnt that easy

Look at those bubbles !

( Drawing a touch of the lime juice out )

Ahhhh

Now Chill Out.....

Karyn x

All Images

Hope Island Home

Around the house

 Image - Hope Island Home

 My little vignette next to the computer

(need a few more white shells)

This morning I looked in the garden for any trace of gardenias or roses 

that this summer heat hasnt sizzled up

The last remaining few

not as glorious as last week , but the scent is amazing.

We went for a walk early

and picked these pretties hanging over a fence.

I noticed in the background another vignette 

Lets take a closer look shall we ?

Image Hope Island Home

Maybe its a bit of a mix mash but its homely to us

Note the figurines , not usually my style

but my  8 year old daughter & I were

taking a walk one day

& saw this charming couple at a garage sale

she adored them. At first I cringed a little ,

 turned them over & they are 'Made in Japan'.

They came home with a little reluctance from me.

Image- Hope Island Home

There is something sweet & elegant about them

of a time gone by.

Ive grown to love them & they fit in with my Vicki Archer Books.

And I will have memories of the time a little girl 

 saw something special in them.

Have a wonderful Sunday

Karyn x

Bathroom tile help , pretty please.....

I took this photo of our ensuite 2 years ago when we started the 6 month 'renovation'

last week I contemplated painting the walls white & changing the handles & taps

just because I was so tired of looking at it.

I see it when I wake up in the morning , eekkk

But then I still have to live with 'this' 

mmm , beautiful blue tiles.

I could put the new frameless shower screen in

but we are taking out that hob eventually

so that would create more work later on.

And we need a new one of these

Double vanity ,

 there's those tiles again

Must choose a tile that dosen't date !

Usually have pretties & towels 

I took this quickly one day , in case we tore it all out

& I forgot to take a before shot.

(yes ,  I did forget for our laundry)

When you are deciding on tiles for me 

pretty please

should I take the tiles to the ceiling or retile to the same height

so I can put some artwork or the like on that wall.

When you are choosing my tiles 

( pretty please ) 

should I take them up to the ceiling or leave the wall to put some 

artwork or the like on ?

image via the house that A-M built

These are the floor tiles of my dreams

image via the house that A-M built

This is my dream shower......

I do love the combination of the two different sized subway tiles

More white & light bathrooms

Originally I was going to do a travertine bathroom 

to go with our french style bedroom

taken last christmas 

during the long renovation process the colour of the carpet choice was changed

we laid a light charcol carpet.

I realised travertine wouldnt go well

 & I do love whites.

I have thought about white subway tiles which I love

but our kitchen & laundry splashbacks are in those

so something different would be a lovely change.

This is what I do know

1. The bathroom layout will stay the same

2. There will be a double vanity with a stone top

chrome lever taps

3. Frameless shower screen

4. Chrome fittings

5. We are on a tight budget for this bathroom

6. We dont have a contemporary theme

7. Create a classic timeless look

So why the rush

Hubby has been unwell & it may get worse before he gets better , 

it would be nice for him to have a lovely room to relax in.

We purchased the whole house carpet 5 months ago 

& the carpet was laid except our bedroom because the ensuite needs to be stripped.

AND

Im just over this reno !

So I put away my beautiful bathroom pictures

& decided to try to go budget tile shopping 

until

the lovely A-M (from The house that A-M built ) 

did a beautiful post on bathroom tiles

where my very favourite floor tiles came up.

This is where my lovely readers come into play.

Any suggestions , helpful tips would be 

GREATLY APPRECIATED

Karyn x

5th Birthday cake overload !

A couple of months ago my gorgeous boy turned 5

Here is his offical birthday cake I made him

Looking back at the pics , I had to ask 

when is too much cake

too much ?

Lets take a look at his birthday cake week.......

Day 1 

Night before kindy day

Panic 

OH no ," I havent made cakes for kindy birthday celebration"!

Quickly whip up cupcakes , too hot to ice before bed.

Ice in the morning , mmm how will I decorate , 

mix up green icing & stick on dinosaurs I had ready to put in the kids party 

boxes on the weekend.

Tick !

One happy Boy

(actually lots of happy boys , mums came up to me saying how their sons had said how cool

James's cakes were)

Im such a girly minded girl  lady ,  Im never quite sure what boys might like.

I got this one right. 

Day 2

Actual birthday 

A.M

Chocolate Whoopie 

Special morning tea out (daddy took the morning off to spend with him)

Day 2

P.M

His actual birthday day

Poppa bought him a surprise cake when we stopped in for a visit 

"Its ok (I guess) boys arent dainty"

See the spoon there ?

Where would the fun be if we used a spoon.....

Apologies for this graphic shot

Day 3

Party Day

Loved how it turned out even with the candles on it

Happy smiles &

a clean face this time.

So when is too much cake , too much ?

Maybe next year we should invite all the extended family & friends 

to 'one' special day.

Karyn x

Afternoon Tea By The Sea ?

 

When you dont have a view of the sea

What do you do ?

Compromise of course.

In the school holidays when we have a girlie day at home ,

Miss. S loves to set a little table for our morning tea.

Usually its flowers from the garden,

but on this particular day 

she thought our new little courtyard could do

with a backdrop view.

This is her own painting she did at art class, clever poppit.

Why did I not get the artist gene ?

It came from my mum , 

apprently skipped a generation in the middle.

Karyn x

(for tea connoisseurs an apology for using teabags instead of leaves in the teapot)

Been away a while.......

Ive been away some months now from sharing my thoughts , my joys , my life........

Its 4am , tea & toast , ready to return to embracing life for anything it may

throw my way.

Its been a turbulent year for our little family 

Always saying though " there are people much worse off " to get us through

Trying to put in perspective the events unfolding around the world & our own personal events

  eventually got too much 

People have said to me what a strong person I am at different times over the years

Its funny that I dont feel strong though. I am a quiet person who keeps her hurts close to the heart

Maybe I feel if I let them go I am weak or I will fall apart

Maybe that is the strength , but is it good for one to hold on ?

Maybe this is like a test to see what it feels like to let go a little , 'put it out to the universe'.

I know longer knew how to see joy in the beauty around me

I wanted to be sad , yet couldnt let myself  'totally' because of the children

I needed to use all the strength & energy I could muster to be there for my children

I took some time out from making commitments , blogging & even interacting with friends 

to quieten my busy mind  

Did it help ?

To a degree, but we still have a long road ahead 

I have come to the realisation I cannot put everything on hold waiting for the unknown that may 

or may not happen.

Like this photo I took of sunrise over Burleigh Beach , its a new day dawn &

I need to bring hope , harmony & positive thoughts into our life....

Be well my husband , our prayers are with you

Karyn x

The wedding day !

This is such a loving embrace ,

so protective....

I am looking forward to the wedding of William & Kate tonight.

Wishing then many happy years ahead

Karyn x

Anzac Day

They shall grow not old

as we that are left grow old,

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun

and in the morning

We will remember them......

Lest we forget

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Blogging Friends !

If you are not from Australia you might be wondering what these funny little chocolate creatures are.

They are Australian marsupials , the one on the left is a 'Wombat' & the the other is a 'Bilby'.

Sadly the timid little Bilby is becoming extinct , thousands of these eggs are made every Easter to highlight their plight.

They are made of delicous Aust. Pink Lady Chocolate 

( I think gives Lindt a run for its money ) 

Our 4 year old son was delighted with them this morning !

Mummy & Daddy were equally excited with these ones chosen by the kids 

Of course no easter would be complete without  a Lindt chocolate bunny

Karyn x

Laundry Makeover Sneak Peek !

Towards the end of renovations , the budget has worn a bit thin. 

So I decided so I can still purchase my "pretties" I would cut out the 

tradies where possible. 

Goodbye Painters !

Hello Paintbrush For Me.

I was going to paint the laundry this colour & wallpaper one wall.

But after coming home 

with paint I thought was the perfect match (but alas wasnt ) , I had a change of mind.

I had painted a large patch on the wall by this time , I realised

even though the laundry is very light , painting a colour & wallpapering was going 

to make it appear smaller...... 

 So out came the white paint

It looks fresh and light , I am using accessories to add colour.

Makes it easy to change the look too, when the fancy takes me.

Just a few more details to go......

We will be ready for the reveal next week !

Karyn x