Saturday Scrapbook : DIY blogs

Creature Comforts

I'm often asked what other blogs I read, and I have to confess my addiction to DIY blogs and websites. They are an endless source of fun for home decoration, crafts and arty ideas! So, today I'm sharing a few of my favourites. Enjoy.

Curbly

(PS: I love love love this DIY hanging wine bottle planter)

Eat Drink Chic 

Mini Eco 

What I made

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Saturday Scrapbook : My imaginary dinner party

Salvador Dali

I love playing games that force you to think about the who or the what, for example, if you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today? Or, what would your last ever three course meal consist of? Or, in today's example, who would you have at your ideal imaginary dinner party? Here is my list. 


First up (other than me of course - I haven't included a picture but if you really want one go here) is Salvador Dali. He is one person that I would travel across the world to meet, if he was still alive today. Visiting his house in Spain is still one of my favourite Europe experiences, and I'm already smiling, imagining the conversation he would inspire around the table. 

Colin Mathura-Jeffree

Charming, hilarious and always immaculately styled, I think Colin might just be the perfect dinner party guest. (Read my interview with him here)

Elsa Schiaparelli

Coco Chanel's nemesis, and muse to several Surrealists, I can only imagine the crowd of shutterbugs that would gather to snap Elsa for their street style blogs. I wonder which of her dresses she would wear? The Lobster? Or the Skeleton? 

Nicole Richie 

In particular, my inclusion of Ms Richie seems to divide people, but I love her ballsy humour and I'm sure she would have a few cracking stories to tell.

Tom Ford

Rounding off my list is Tom Ford. This man fascinates the heck out of me, not only because his taste is immaculate but because he is so darned talented and makes magic wherever he casts his hand. The only question now is what I would serve at this dinner party. I've certainly made life interesting with the guests...


How about you? Who would you have at your ideal imaginary dinner party? 


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Saturday Scrapbook : Poems without words

Emma Leonard

I have a folder on my computer that is absolutely bursting with illustrations I wish I owned. Every now and then I manage to snag one, but most of the time I just stare and drool, and wish I could visit the Land of the Birthdays so I could learn how to draw too.


I love illustrations because they are easy to love. Unlike other art forms which require serious research and a huge leap of faith before investing, illustrations, especially in print runs, are accessible in every way.


So today, I'm sharing a few of my favourites, enjoy!

Zach Terrell 

Maxim Dalton

Rob Ryan 

Wayne Pate

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Saturday Scrapbook : Plaits Amoré

Valentino, from Style.com

The title says it all, this is pure b-raid porn. Enjoy....

Alexander Wang, from Style.com 

From Altamiranyc.com 

From Bellasugar.com 

Diane Kruger, from theHollywoodreporter.com

Image credit: Vanessa Jackman 

Alexa Chung - image credit unknown 

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Saturday Scrapbook : It's the little things

I'm a big believer in little luxuries. It's the things you come in contact with every day, sometimes several times a day, that add up to a big chunk of potential happiness, especially when those little things make you feel good.


So, this week's Saturday Scrapbook celebrates the finer details in life...starting with hand soap. Until recently I was a hand soap cheapskate, buying whatever was on special, but then one day I discovered EcoStore Coconut & Vanilla. The beautiful packaging is just the beginning, and don't get me started on the brilliant dispenser that squirts out the perfect amount of soap each time (you need much less than you think). The actual soap is silky and gentle, and rather than smelling of synthetic coconut and vanilla like most commercial cosmetics, it has the faintest aroma of a freshly cracked coconut.

Next up is sugar. I like mine ragged with a good caramello flavour, and that's just what I get from my Chelsea raw sugar crystals. I use these instead of white sugar in everything, from coffee to baking to an impromptu hand exfoliation (combine a teaspoon with some olive oil and rub gently into your hands then rinse off and hey presto - softest hands ever).

Chickadee Smoke Alarm

Unfortunately I don't own this little sweetie yet, but I will as soon as they hit the shelves. Traditional smoke alarms are so ugly, but if they all looked like this I'm pretty sure more people would actually use them. 

Night Owl Paper Goods wooden card from MagNation

Friends and family will tell you, I'm hopeless when it comes to cards; unless I can make one myself I generally give card exchange a wide berth. $6 for a tacky picture and cheesy one liner that soon gets lost in the bottom drawer? Daylight robbery! My one exception are these beautiful wooden cards by Night Owl Paper Goods. They are substantial enough to want to keep forever, and sweet without being syrupy.


Which little luxuries make you happy, Beaunz belles?


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Saturday Scrapbook : Cinemusts

This awards season, there are so many brilliant films hitting cinemas; I can't remember the last time my list of 'must-sees' was so long. I won't bore you with the whole thing, but here are a few films on the top of my list, starting with 'Like Crazy', which is out 2nd February. Two words...heartbreaking, beautiful. 

George Clooney, a Hawaiian setting and a (not your usual) love story. 'The Descendants', out 26th January.

This trailer makes me smile, I can't wait to see the film; 'Vincent Wants to Sea', out 23rd February.

Annie Goldson was one of my lecturers at Auckland University, and I'm excited to see her latest documentary, due out 8th March.

As you may know from this beauty icon post, I'm a Marilyn fan and have been waiting for the release of 'My Week with Marilyn' for months now! It is finally out 8th March.


Plus, honorable mention goes to upcoming kiwi flick 'The most fun you can have while dying', due out in April.


How about you, Beaunz belles? Which films are you hanging out to see?


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Saturday Scrapbook : 2012 Wishlist

2011 was a year of great ups and downs for my family. There was a lot of joy, but to be truly honest it was a year we are all pretty happy to see the back of.


So, it is with great anticipation that I await the slow unfurling of 2012 and all that comes with it...

In 2011 I acquired a lot of beautiful antique crockery, and I hope to continue to add to my collection this year. Where is your favourite place to buy antiques? I would love any recommendations.

I'm not the healthiest of eaters (as you will know from my many posts on cupcakes and ice cream), but I have glugged through my fair share of Udo's Choice Greens, and am looking forward to reaping the benefits from my latest health recommendation - coconut oil. Have any of you tried this? 

The Auckland Craft Fair was a treasure trove of gorgeous arts and crafts, and top of my list is to acquire some illustrations by Wellington-based artist Heike Theis.

Taking photos, along with writing, is my favourite creative outlet. I'm not very good yet, but I am practicing every moment I get (99% of the images on Beaunz are mine) and this year I hope to refine my skills even further.  

In my previous life as a Brand Manager for L'Oreal, I regularly traveled to Queenstown and Arrowtown, and I have missed seeing these beautiful towns wax and wane with the seasons. This year, I want to see more of New Zealand again, starting with the Queenstown/Lakes and Canterbury regions. Any suggestions?


What about you, Beaunz Belles? What are you wishing for in 2012?


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Saturday Scrapbook : Smell Belles

DL&Co Pomme Rouge candle

You can't go wrong giving something beautiful and smelly for Christmas. Actual perfume...not so much, unless you know, without a doubt, exactly which one to buy.

Instead, go for genuine perfumed candles that have had fragrance oil worked right through the wax, not the cheap ones that are just dipped in scent. Good candles cost more, for a reason! They smell divine, they usually have a longer burn time (look for something with 40hours plus), if properly cared for they don’t smoke, and they look beautiful too. Once you’ve burned a candle from Jo Malone, or Diptyque, or Cire Trudon, you can't go back to $2 vanilla pillars from Spotlight*. Trust me on this; I’m a candle maniac from way back.

So, today’s Scrapbook is a carefully curated collection of candles (that alliteration came naturally – like it?) that would be a delight to find under the Christmas tree next weekend. Just make sure that whoever the lucky recipient is actually burns it. An unburned candle is…to quote my favourite character from Princess Bride…Inconceeeeevable!

Jo Malone candle (more on Jo Malone next week)

Diptyque Oyedo Candle

Cire Trudon candle from World Beauty Store

Curio Noir ‘Lilith’ candle

Happy weekend Beaunz belles.

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*Although Spotlight pillar candles are perfect for burning outside when no one can smell them anyway!

Saturday Scrapbook : Please feed the book worms

The Flavour Thesaurus

One of my favourite gifts to give (and receive) is a beautiful book. The best ones are a work of art; tactile, heavy tomes that make your book shelf a prettier place as well as expanding the mind. Amazon.com is a dangerous place for me, it always ends with a mad dash to the letterbox each morning to intercept incoming parcels before they are discovered by the husband, who boringly (and rightfully) reminds me that we are in fact trying to save money, not spend it. 


So, I am going to live vicariously through you, Beaunz Belles, and share with you a few of the bookwormy treats I have found lately. Click on the book titles if you want to know more, and if you buy any of them, tell me what you think.

The Elves and the Shoemaker 

Terry Richardson's GAGA 

 Pop-up Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty

Irreverent

Book Clutch by Olympia Le-Tan

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Saturday Scrapbook : Dreaming of a white Christmas

Miss Marc Headphones from Shopbop.com

One of the things I feel nostalgic about is the cold, sometimes snowy Christmas you get in Europe. Wrapping your hands around a steaming cup of mulled wine and perusing the Christmas markets is so traditional it feels like you're in a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale.

The last Christmas I spent in London, it was so cold and snowy we finished a packet of toffee pops and a bottle of Champagne before even getting out of bed, and that was just to stumble up to our local pub for a 7 course Christmas lunch. Needless to say, we were in bed again by 4pm (it was dark anyway, and Santa Claus the Movie was on - the real one, with Dudley Moore). So, although my photos of the day are beautiful (it was the only snowy Christmas Day I spent in London), I actually found myself wishing for strawberries and cold chicken salad in the sun. 

So, today's Saturday Scrapbook celebrates a different kind of white Christmas. One that can be enjoyed wherever you are in the world; the white Christmas wishlist.  

White bag from the Saben colab with Madeleine Harman

Moochi Hideaway Hat

Snowberry Instant Deep Cleanser from MyBeautyStore

Karen Walker Double Frill Cuff Shirt

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Saturday Scrapbook : Christmas Shopping with heart

Trade Aid Farmyard Finger Puppets $51.99 a set

Until this week, it had been years since I stepped inside a Trade Aid store. Why? I'm not sure. I love their model of paying a fair price to their trading partners (you might think this is standard, but it's not) and facilitating positive change through a combination of direct trading, development work, campaigning, and education. Did you know that Trade Aid supplies more than 70% of fair trade beans to New Zealand’s coffee industry? Me neither, but it sure makes me feel less guilty about the second latte I had this morning. So, today's Saturday Scrapbook is all about the beautiful things I spotted this week at Trade Aid. They have a number of stores throughout New Zealand, but they also have a great online shop too. I'll let the images speak for themselves, click on the links if you want to know more about any of the products.

Trade Aid Felted Floral Tree Design Rug $199.99

Trade Aid Small Stone Chess Set $179.99

Trade Aid Blue Floral Queen Quilt $199.99

Trade Aid Jute Ranu Place Mat $9.99 each

Trade Aid Multicolour Decorative Flags (Bunting) $22.99

Trade Aid Set of 5 Hanging Decorations $12.99

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