Steph Bond

Halloween Printables from Modern Printables

2011-10-10T14:52:00.000+10:00

Great Halloween party printables back over at Modern Printables. Lots of fun pieces to print out, cut out and hang up for an instant spooky party. This pack is designed by much-loved retro-inspired illustrator and graphic designer Pilgrim Lee (of draw! pilgrim) who has injected her cool folk art style into the design.

The Halloween party pack is made up of editable invitations (you can type in your own info for a polished look), fold your own envelopes, cut and hang bunting flags, cut, fold and tape cupcake wrappers, cut and hang round circle garlands (or envelope seals, or cupcake toppers), cut and fold placecards for a food buffet or seating, and cut, fold and tape treat boxes. Lots of orange, green, gold and black ghosts, pumpkins, bats and witches hats add to the fun.

BUY NOW in the Modern Printables store.

Images: Modern Printables

Modern Printables: Strawberry Party

2011-09-24T18:39:00.001+10:00

The first amazing printable pack to launch Modern Printables online stationery store is the strawberry party pack by Lisa Tilse from the red thread. Simply download, print out, cut and you have an amazing strawberry party with invitations, thank you notes, gift tags, bunting, cupcake wrapper, tented place cards, and round toppers for cupcakes, garlands and sealing envelopes. Look at a real strawberry party for inspiration and ideas.
BUY HERE

Images: Modern Printables.com

A Rock and Roll Wedding

2011-08-07T17:40:00.002+10:00

This couple had a fun rock and roll theme for their wedding in Wollongong. There are lots of great handmade elements, from red, black and white music bunting to tissue paper poms. You can read more about this rockin' wedding over at Wedding Ideas Australia.

One of my favourite weddings this year

2011-08-07T17:34:00.004+10:00

This really is one of my favourite weddings this year. The couple seem so relaxed (even their dog got in on the action), everyone seems happy with flat shoes, the handmade details are lovely, and I just love the combination of white, pale blue and red. It makes me want to go out and buy red lipstick straight away. You can read more about this retro wedding at Wedding Ideas Australia.

Image: Bruce Loves Susie

Lovely Autumn Wedding in Brisbane

2011-08-07T17:22:00.003+10:00

I love the colours that this couple chose for their Brisbane Autumn wedding. The cream, baby pink and green of the bouquet, the Bride's cream gown and the olive green Bridesmaid dresses compliment the Bride's auburn hair and fair complexion beautifully. Read more about this Autumn wedding over at Wedding Ideas Australia.

Image: Photo City

Travelling by helicopter from the ocean wedding ceremony to the vineyard reception

2011-08-07T14:23:00.004+10:00

How very James Bond-esque! This couple flew from their ocean-side wedding ceremony at Scarborough, QLD, to their vineyard reception in the hinterland by helicopter. Read more about this glamorous wedding over at Wedding Ideas Australia.

Image: SOUL Photographics

Mum Must-Haves Feature on Mini Must-Haves

2011-07-05T14:34:00.003+10:00

It was so lovely to be featured on great Australian kids style site mini must have recently. I was asked to nominate my top must-have items to get me through the day. Fun! There's even a recent pic. Thanks Kellie!

Sydney Winter 2011 ABCD Meetup

2011-07-05T14:30:00.003+10:00

We always have a fantastic time at the ABCD Meetups and last Thursday night was no exception. Thirty-five creative, interesting women (and one man) turned up on a cold night (and dodgy parking) to chew the fat. It's optional to contribute to the goodie bag, but there was an all-time record of goodies (check out all the photos over at Bondville). Such as great way to meet fun, like-minded souls.

Image: Steph Bond Hutkin

Indian Hindu Wedding in Sydney

2011-07-05T14:18:00.004+10:00

Gorgeous couple featured in a new wedding up on Wedding Ideas Australia. This couple's wedding was held over two days and started with a traditional Hindu ceremony in Concord, NSW and ended with a gorgeous reception at the QVB Tea Room in Sydney. The colours are glorious. Read more on Wedding Ideas Australia.

Image: Milk & Honey Photography

Barefoot Bowls at New Farm Park Wedding in Brisbane

2011-06-22T08:20:00.002+10:00

Maddie and Tim kept it fun and casual with a summertime wedding in New Farm Park, Brisbane followed by barefoot bowls at the New Farm Bowls Club. Must check out the Bride's amazing ink! Head over to Wedding Ideas Australia for all the photos and details.

Paper Runway article

2011-06-19T21:12:00.003+10:00

I'm more than thrilled to have contributed to the latest issue of gorgeous paper good magazine Paper Runway. This is the wedding issue "Ever After" and if you flip over to page 98-99 you'll find my article with tips for your wedding day. The whole magazine is fabulous - enjoy!

Image: Paper Runway

Romantic Spring Wedding at Adelaide Japanese Gardens

2011-06-19T15:20:00.004+10:00

A lovely new wedding is up over on Wedding Ideas Australia today showcasing the gorgeous greenery of the Adelaide-Himeji Garden in Adelaide and Somerset Beach. The couple look so natural and relaxed. You can read more over at Wedding Ideas Australia.

Images: Angelsmith Photography

Bring back the hankie

2011-06-18T13:50:00.005+10:00

We're almost out of tissues in our house, so I stashed a pile of cotton muslin squares (aka baby wipes) next to the bed last night which came in very handy. They were nice and soft on my snoz, and it's so easy to throw those little squares in with a load of wash. Then I thought what a good idea it would be to get rid of my tissues altogether (the cost and the waste of trees) and use the reusable baby wipes all the time.

Of course I got excited about a new product idea - cotton reusable squares to replace tissues! Think of the savings! And then I realised. I was talking about handkerchiefs. How bizarre that we no longer use hankies. they are cute, useful, reusable, and cut down on waste. Now it's probably not too hygienic to keep using a wet (yuck) hankie, but that just means you need to carry a few more cute hankies in your bag. Bring back the hankie!

PS - cute hankie above customised by Teneale from Wicked Child Designs for the ABCD Meetup goodie bag in Brisbane November 2009.

Image: Kim Wallace

Retro-style wedding at Luna Park in Sydney

2011-05-30T21:02:00.004+10:00

I totally love this new wedding up on Wedding Ideas Australia - Lyndsay and Matt are an Army couple who had a beautifully simple wedding at the Kirribilli Club in Lavender Bay, Sydney. I love the 1950's style tea-length wedding dress, particularly against the old-school Luna Park backdrop. Read more over at Wedding Ideas Australia.

Images: Natalie Page Photography via Wedding Ideas Australia

Sheraton LAX

2011-05-25T09:20:00.010+10:00

I was reading an interesting post on new furniture trends over on Decor8 and it reminded me of the style at the Sheraton LAX, where we stayed the night on the way home from our US trip in May 2010. Here are a few of my favourite shots from the lobby. I thought the legs shot was a must-have LA souvenir. I particularly loved the silver stool, grey cushions, and picture frames on ledges. The kids loved the high-backed chairs for hide and seek!

Images: Steph Bond

Spring Wedding at Mt Lofty, South Australia

2011-05-19T10:53:00.004+10:00

Another gorgeous new wedding is up over on Wedding Ideas Australia. This time a loved-up couple from South Australia who married at the Mt Lofty Botanical Gardens and then drove to The Sebel Playford in Adelaide for a fun reception. The highlights are the cream jacquard cake which is truly a piece of art, and the groom on bended knee taking care of his lady's shoes. So sweet. The whole article is here. For more lovely real Australian weddings, check out Wedding Ideas Australia.

Image: Mink Studio via Wedding Ideas Australia

Yellow Tulips at Spring Hill Church Wedding

2011-05-09T14:40:00.005+10:00

A new wedding is up on the Wedding Ideas Australia site showcasing the lovely St Paul's Presbyterian Church in Spring Hill, QLD. It's such a happy, sunshiney wedding with gorgeous yellow tulip bouquet and button hole. And a sweet groom on bended knee saying his vows. Head over to Wedding Ideas Australia to check it out.

Images Bride's Best Friend via Wedding Ideas Australia

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T12:45:00.004+10:00

From a post over at Bondville...

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mums! We're all doing a great job; make sure you give yourself a pat on the back today (you deserve it). I know that flower sellers increase their prices for the big day (price elasticity and all that), but if you didn't receive blooms today, make sure you treat yourself to some tomorrow when I'm sure they will be half price or less.

Today and tomorrow are also the last voting days for the Top 25 Kids Style Blogs awards, so please click here and click on the thumbs up to vote for Bondville. I'm sitting at #33 and would love to get closer to the Top 25. You can vote today and tomorrow. Thank you!

Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

Steph

Image: Steph Bond

Happy Easter 2011

2011-04-24T13:47:00.002+10:00

from a post on Bondville...

Happy Easter my friends! I hope you are having a lovely holiday, whether you celebrate or not. And I hope that the Easter Bunny is good to you. Make sure you enjoy yourself - a tiny bit of good quality chocolate is good for you!

If you're looking for some lovely things to do with kids, the lovely Draw! Pilgrim has some fun Easter printables over at Modern Kiddo and on her own website.

And if you're in the mood to play around online, why not head over to the Circle of Moms site where voting is on for the Top 25 Kids Style blogs. I'm sitting around #48 with 33 votes (#1 has 725 votes!) so every click of the thumbs up counts. You don't have to sign up :) Vote here.

Don't forget to comment here to be in the running to win a professional photo shoot by Milk & Honey Photography in my Mother's Day competition. Entries close 7th May, 2011.

Have a lovely long weekend!

Steph
x

Image: Steph Bond Hutkin

Greenhouse by Joost in Sydney

2011-04-17T11:22:00.006+10:00

We managed to get a weekend afternoon to ourselves recently, so took the opportunity to take in the amazing Annie Liebovitz exhibition at the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art. It was inspiring, touching and a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

On the stroll back through the drizzle, we decided to check out the Greenhouse by Joost pop-up restaurant on it's last day. I knew it was a great concept (sustainable, fresh food in an eco-friendly makeshift temporary restaurant on the harbour), but was taken back by how gloriously perfect the structure was, perched in a quiet spot next to the Overseas Passenger Terminal. The edgy shape, the eye-popping colour, the sweet David Bromley artwork, the wall made entirely of strawberry pot plants, the truly amazing view and the small footprint made it an really exciting piece of architecture.

There was an umbrella-carrying line right out the door for service on the last day, so we didn't get to try the goods inside. But I've heard rumours that the pop-up restaurant may come back to stay later this year; let's keep our fingers (and toes) firmly crossed.

Images: Steph Bond Hutkin

Shannon and Nathan's Wedding at The Tea Room

2011-04-08T16:58:00.006+10:00

There is a new gorgeous, moody wedding up on Wedding Ideas Australia held at The Tea Room at the Gunners' Barracks in Mosman, Sydney. Shot by Milk & Honey Photography, their special day features a sophisticated palette of mocha, cream and latte. I love the vintage styling and the Bride's barely-there gown.

Image: Milk & Honey Photography via Wedding Idea Australia

Bread Box Charger

2011-03-27T20:32:00.003+10:00

This idea popped up on Pinterest recently (thanks Chantal for pinning it!) and has gone *nuts* on there. Everyone just loves it. Such a simple, elegant way to keep all those cords and cables tidy and out of the way. Find out more about the bread box charger here on Better Homes and Gardens.

If you have Pinterest favourites, head over to Kate's blog to add your faves.

Image: Better Homes and Gardens

Sara's Party Perfect

2011-03-13T12:25:00.003+10:00

I was so thrilled that my daughter's first birthday cake was featured on beautiful party blog Sara's Party Perfect. Sara is a former art director for Martha Stewart, so to say I am honoured is an understatement! See her post, "First Birthday Cakes".

Bondville's New Banner

2011-02-24T17:22:00.005+10:00

Bondville and Bondville Kids have a new look courtesy of the amazing Australian artist Rebecca Cool. The banner features part of the original artwork New Baby using mixed media (including vintage fabric) which I think is just perfect for the site. Rebecca's art brings me such joy, so I'm hoping to share her magic with lots of new people.

Red Velvet Heart Cake

2011-02-14T14:06:00.001+10:00

From a post on Bondville...

Happy Valentine's Day to you! I saw this amazing cake on Pinterest (first pinned by the ever-so-cool Joy Cho of Oh Joy!) a few weeks ago and thought you would love it too. It's an amazing Red Velvet heart cake, made by I am Baker. If you're feeling super-creative, there's even a tutorial (promise to send me your pics if you make it). There is also a really lovely Valentine's Dessert Brownie recipe on the sister blog I Am Mommy - chocolate heart-shaped brownie covered in cream cheese and strawberries. If fact, there is a totally amazing list of Valentine's baking ideas on the site here. Drooooool.

Steph
x

Image: I Am Baker

Chocolate Mint Icebox Dessert

2011-02-02T12:39:00.001+10:00

From a post on Bondville...

Whether it's flooding, a crazy cyclone, bushfires or 40 degree temps, we've all got a lot to be disturbed about at the moment. So I thought I would cheer us up with this fantastic chocolate-mint icebox dessert from the great Inside The Kaganoff Kitchen website. I repinned this image on Pinterest a few days ago and it has gone nuts on there - everyone seems to love it. So I thought you might too. Keep cool and keep safe everybody.

Steph
xxx

Image: Inside The Kaganoff Kitchen

No More Telephone Books Thank You

2011-01-29T20:04:00.005+10:00

If, like me, you haven't used an actual telephone book for years (and simply dump them in the recycling bin as soon as they arrive), you can now tell Sensis directly that take you off the delivery list!

Please take the time to click and fill in your details; this initiative will greatly reduce the amount of phone books that are printed, and that end up in land-fill (let alone take up valuable resources in a recyling plant).

Click here to go to Directory Select, and go to 'cancel books'. YAY!

Images: Sensis

Lah Lah's Big Live Band at The Famous Spiegeltent

2011-01-21T09:42:00.006+10:00

Have you seen The Famous Spiegeltent at Hyde Park, part of The Sydney Festival 2011? Built in Belgium in 1920, it's a fantastic antique "European Mirror Tent"; one of only a handful left in the world. Inside the circular tent it's all cosy saloon seating around a circular central dance floor and stage. The spiegeltent just seems custom-designed for cabaret, circus, burlesque It reminds me a lot of the venue for Teatro ZinZanni that we saw in San Francisco (oh look - that was a spiegeltent too!). It was a thrill to step inside and feel the vibrations of countless shows and late nights from all over the world.

Not such a late night for the girls and I thought. We were lucky enough to enjoy a rollicking show by Sydney's own Lah Lah's Big Live Band - a brilliant jazzy band for kids. Check out our favourite song:

I highly, highly, highly recommend getting along to a Lah Lah's Big Live Band performance if you can (there is a show in June 2011 at the Sydney Opera House for years K-6) - they are fun to watch, energetic, the music is brilliant and the kids adored it. Ah, Sydney in summer!

Images: The Famous Spiegeltent

The Last of the Hydrangeas

2011-01-20T14:04:00.004+10:00

We are soooo lucky to have gorgeous hydrangea bushes in our garden - mostly white with a slightly pink or blue tinge. As they age, they turn a lovely vintage green. This is our very last bunch. See your fluffy heads next year :)

Image: Steph Bond

Shop The Flood! QLD Flood Appeal

2011-01-16T09:17:00.004+10:00

I received some photos by email last night from our old stomping ground Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We literally visited Lone Pine every week when we were living in Brisbane - it's an amazing resource for tourists and locals with a huge number of native animals in a comfy "no frills" setting. The zoo has been inundated by the QLD flood but luckily the staff had enough time to relocate the animals to higher ground. They are welcoming donations to get the zoo back into action. More details here.

And if you're feeling a bit helpless and want to support the QLD Flood Appeal in some way, check out all the great auctions and designers listed over on Bondville that are donating proceeds (in many cases 100%) of sales. Shop The Flood!

Image: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

First Birthday Cupcakes

2011-01-14T08:55:00.000+10:00

Sigh. My baby is not a baby anymore. She's a sweet, funny, happy one-year-old with four teeth and no hair. Too cute. We were at Nanna and Pops' place for her birthday, just after Christmas, and celebrated with rainbow cupcakes and cherries. Happy Birthday little one!

Image: Steph Bond

Christmas 2010

2011-01-11T08:41:00.000+10:00

We had a lovely relaxing Christmas at Nanna and Pops' house at the Sunshine Coast this year. That meant lots of sleep-ins and opportunities to go to the movies as they are great babysitters. We loved Lil Fockers and The King's Speech. Unfortunately there wasn't much to like about The Tourist (hard as I tried). We even managed to go out for New Years Eve on Sunshine Beach (and see in the new year!), and get away for a night to a great little hideaway at Maleny.

One of my favourite parts of the holiday was pottering about in the kitchen with Mum making food for Christmas. We made strawberry martinis, prawns wrapped in ham and grilled, potato salad, half a leg ham glazed with cranberry sauce, carrot and cashew salad, and a pistachio, cherry and rose semifreddo with strawberries for dessert.

The strawberry martinis were a hit and we made those for the rest of the holidays. I also fell in love with Jamie magazine (Jamie Oliver is one of my favourite cookbook authors/tv personalities - I just love his relaxed, rustic style). I think I might have to try a few more.

We managed to get to the Eumundi markets a few times, despite the rain, and I picked up my yearly Wild Bear dress for my big girl - so beautifully made and gorgeous material. After making the cupcake dress, I appreciate the work that has gone into these handmade dresses so much more. Read more about Wild Bear on Bondville.

Images: Steph Bond

Stylish Blogger Award

2011-01-08T19:55:00.000+10:00

What a lovely way to start a new year - a blogger award from one of my favourite Bondville readers, Kate from Another Donkey Design. In order to accept the Stylish Blogger Award I need to:

Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award (thank you Kate!)
Share 7 things about yourself
Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers
Contact those bloggers and tell them about the award

So, 7 things about myself! I have shared 7 things I love here, so in addition to that...

I have two middle names that make my name so long that it doesn't fit on one line on my driver's license (this is a major pain in the neck when people are checking my ID).
I'm only 5'2" (157cm) tall. People are always surprised by this for some reason.
I played the trumpet from 10 - 17 years old. I still have it stored away and pull it out from time to time to prove to myself that I can still play. I can't imagine what the neighbours think of that.
My first car was an oyster-hued Nissan Pulsar Vector with a blue stripe that lasted forever.
I worked at Coles Supermarkets for 7 years, all through high school and Uni. I was mostly a Checkout Chick, with a stint as a Deli Chick thrown in for good measure (and yes, I was a bagger when I first started out). Oh, and this will reveal my age - I started out on a manual cash register, before scanners!
I studied Japanese for 6 years (high school and a year of Uni) and now can hardly remember anything (except the speech I learned off-by-heart when I was 13).
I was once a member of the Aswan Dancers in San Francisco. But I had a heck of a time remembering those choreographies.

And here are 15 recently (and not-so-recently) discovered great bloggers. Please pop over and say hi to these fabulous folk - you'll love them to bits:

Lovely Little Parties

Thank you again Kate, I'm honoured!

Best iPhone and iPad Apps for 3 Year Olds

2011-01-07T19:27:00.004+10:00

My friend Bron passed along this list of the best iPhone and iPad apps for our 3-year-olds. Our big girl already loves iWriteWords and her writing skills are improving in leaps and bounds. Can't wait to try out the rest:

Thanks Bron! These are going to be soooo handy at the bank, at the checkout, in the car, .... (you know, the list goes on).

Loving Pinterest

2011-01-02T14:09:00.002+10:00

From a post on Bondville...

Happy New Years my friends! I hope you have some big things planned for 2011 (I have some huge ideas. Will share more soon). I have spent nearly all my holidays immersed in making boards, adding pins, re-pinning and finding amazing images from like-minded souls on Pinterest. It's dangerously addictive and just made for a serial bookmarker like me.

Think of Pinterst as a kind of virtual mood board. You can "pin" images that you have found online to your boards, re-pin others' images, and then share with your friends. The site is still in beta and you have to apply for a username, so there is a relatively small community using the site. I LOVE IT! Most of the users have incredible taste so it's truly a selection of gorgeous gorgeous finds. And it's been perfect for me to pin and find gorgeous images for inspiration for my friend's wedding later this year.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the site maintains the high level of quality images that you can find there now (please stay away junky mass marketers of the world). It's less about self-promotion and more about sharing beauty, and that's pretty awesome.

I hope you enjoy the site, and if you manage to spend some time on there, please friend me :)

The Cupcake Dress

2010-12-21T10:06:00.005+10:00

Also posted on Bondville...

It's been a loooooong time since I have done any serious sewing. And recently I bought this fabo dress kit from Aunty Cookie to make for my big girl. But I was too scared to cut into the divine fabric straight away, so I bought some practice material, my Mum helped me make a pattern, and this is the practice dress that I made! I'm totally thrilled with it. In fact, this will be the Christmas dress, and the real thing might get made in the new year ;)

Image: Steph Bond

Baby Bondville's First Birthday

2010-12-20T09:11:00.014+10:00

Also posted on Bondville...

The cake! Melt and Mix Chocolate and Coconut cake from Donna Hay Modern Classics Book 2* with vanilla bean buttercream frosting from Donna Hay Kids magazine volume 7.

My friend Bron provided the cups and I provided the retro striped paper straws (from Lark). Tablecloth from Dandi. Hydrangeas from our garden.

I just love this bunting. It's a printable (my new secret weapon), which means you can print the design on your own printer. Download from the Ruffled blog (thanks Carolynn of Two Brunettes!), choose the letters you want, print on your own printer, cut each letter out, hole punch the corners and string with baker's twine. Soooo easy.

My friend Bron made the blue smartie cake which was so popular with the boys, and the matching patty cakes.

Fruit skewers courtesy of Mr Bondville. I think he did an amazing job.

Super-sneaky chocolate brownies (laden with pureed spinach and carrot) from Deceptively Delicious* by Jessica Seinfeld and Bron's palmier-style cookies.

I used icing sugar to spell out the initials of the two birthday babies on the brownies.

The cake! That's me cutting a slice for my big girl who is a fantastic big sister.

The lovely birthday girl enjoying eating (and smearing) her food.

Baby Bondville turns One! Well, almost. Her birthday is actually 28th December, but as it's such a tough time of the year to get everyone together, I banded with my buddy Bron whose little boy is also just One and we hosted a wee party together at the park. It was a great, low-key way to share the day with friends, split the hard work, and the hosting. We're already planning to do the same for the number 2's!

Images: Steph Bond and Carmen Lee

* = Amazon affiliate link. If you are kind enough to click on the link and end up purchasing from the store, I receive a small commission which goes a little way to keep this site running.

Oh, Christmas Tree

2010-12-15T14:59:00.003+10:00

Ta da! Our made-in-one-hour easy peasy Christmas Tree. Simply take one big branch, pop it in a vase filled with pebbles (for stability), and pop on the decorations. You could also string it with lights, paint the branch white or silver, or wrap the whole thing in ribbon (lush!). Simple, and my big girl did a great job helping out.

Photo: Steph Bond

Printable Advent Calendar

2010-12-14T21:00:00.004+10:00

I just love our super-stylish printable advent calendar, designed by UK lighting and homewares studio Mibo in 2009. It was sooo easy to make. Simply print out the .pdf on card, cut a door for each number (following the dotted lines) using a craft knife, glue the 2 cards together, use a hole punch and thread through some cute ribbon. Voila! Super-easy and our big girl loves opening up a new door each day to reveal a cute holiday-themed illustration. Easy on the waistline too.

Image: Steph Bond

The Whoopie Pie Extravaganza

2010-12-10T18:55:00.001+10:00

From Bondville...

Happy Weekend my friends! Hope you are having a great silly season - it's in full swing at our house. This week I finally made whoopie pies (after my post about them back in May) for our little friend Archie who turned One. And let me tell you... they were INCREDIBLE. I used the The New York Times recipe (buttercream filling instead of dubious marshmallow + synthetic mystery ingredients filling) and we all thought we had died and gone to sweet things heaven. I'll have to find a better buttercream recipe as this one required taking the egg + sugar mixture to 180 degrees in a double boiler and then whisking until cool etc etc.. fiddly. But give it a go - they suited Archie much better than cupcakes and apart from the filling, were easy to make. Let me know if you do!

Only two weeks until Christmas and I hope you've been getting the most out of the Australian Christmas 2010 series on Bondville. From your comments, it sounds like you have been picking up some goodies. Another congrats to Kate for winning the Polli Christmas Wreath giveaway this week - lucky thing. And a shout-out to the Finders Keepers gals for featuring my top picks for kids on their gorgeous blog.

We have some more one-year-old celebrations to attend in the next few days and some family time at the beach planned. Hope you have a restful and special weekend. See you on Bondville next week,

Steph
x

Thanksgiving Pie

2010-12-03T20:28:00.002+10:00

Well the pie was amazing last weekend. Big thanks to Linda for using up her Libby's tinned pumpkin that our friend Greta smuggled in her suitcase on her visit from San Francisco. She made both a delicious pie and Aussie-style meringue for our Thanksgiving last weekend. Sweet pumpkin was such a strange concept for me to grasp initially but now I love all those lovely comforting flavours of a North American holiday season - pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, eggnog, cranberries, and gingerbread.

This week I also got to see the amazing new Harry Potter movie and had a fantastic adults-only dinner out with our neighbours at Red Lantern (we were pretty anxious - our taxi was an hour late and there was an accident on the eastern distributor, but the restaurant host called to let us know everything was OK and not to stress and offered us complimentary sparkling wine on arrival to help soothe the nerves - talk about fantastic service).

Don't forget about the Polli Christmas Wreath giveaway over on Bondville. Entries close on Tuesday 7th December 2010. Enter here. There are also lots of Australian-designed Christmas decoration ideas in the Bondville Australian Christmas 2010 series.

Wishing you all a great weekend (is that the sun peeking out?) with family and friends. I'll be finishing up Christmas cards and doing my Christmas shopping online so I can dodge the crowds at the mall. And hopefully I'll finish the Christmas dresses that I'm making for Big Girl Bondville and her cousins. Will share soon. Have a lovely break,

Steph

xxx

Polli Christmas Wreath Giveaway on Bondville

2010-12-03T08:40:00.003+10:00

I'm hosting a fantastic Polli Christmas Wreath giveaway this week on Bondville. You could win this gorgeous laser-cut acrylic wreath to hang on your front door, a window or anywhere that takes your fancy. Entries close on Tuesday 7th December 2010. Enter here.

Image: Polli

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T20:33:00.001+10:00

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend. Our trip to the Hunter Valley was fantastic and we've got quite the collection of Semillon going on now (if you can call 6 bottles a collection...). This weekend is all about celebrating Thanksgiving the best we can (we're an Australian-American household). It doesn't feel exactly like Thanksgiving with this glorious warm weather and the native trees all in bloom, so we're going to swap out the turkey for ribs and have a BBQ. And maybe a mango salsa (aren't the mangoes incredible right now!). But there will still be pie. Oh yes there will.

We made our tree this week in under an hour (some pics to come). I hope you've been picking up lots of great Christmas ideas from Aussie designers in my Australian Christmas 2010 series on Bondville. More to come in the next few weeks.

Thanks also to Bee from Beehive Designs for her kind words about Bondville on her blog Honey Jumble this week. Oh and I just got news that my dear friend Leon's amazing laptop desk is featured in the latest issue of Real Living magazine. Congratulations Leon! Read about the Leonhard Pfeifer laptop desk here on Bondville. Take it easy this weekend. And to all my American family and friends, Happy Thanksgiving!

Steph
x

Image: Steph Bond

Paper + Craft

2010-11-18T09:40:00.002+10:00

I won, I won! Thanks to the lovely Amanda from great Australian blog Calico & Co., I won a copy of the new book Paper + Craft from Chronicle Books. Authored by Minhee and Truman Cho with Randi Brookman Harris, Paper + Craft includes 25 projects to make gifts, accessories, decorations and more from paper. I'm beyond thrilled. Thank you Amanda!

Image: Calico & Co.

The big reveal - our new chairs

2010-11-18T07:14:00.004+10:00

It has literally taken us months to work out a seating solution for our living room.

With 2 little ones and frequent guests, we have outgrown our old 2.5 seat couch that we bought in NYC as a newly married couple. We were tossing up a new L-shaped couch, leather, fabric, occasional chairs... with the restrictions that we have another 2-3 years of toilet training to go and an aging dog. I knew I wasn't alone when I read about Louise's predicament on Table Tonic .

I tried eBay, I thought about a cheap couch, we looked at custom-made, and finally, after much talking through between ourselves and with friends (thanks Julie, Estelle, Paul, Linda, Mal, Geordie and Mellissa!), we decided to keep the old couch until toilet training is through, and get 2 special occasional chairs from a pre-loved source.

And so I found them. These two gorgeous Walter Knoll/EOOS 'Scoop 443' armchairs from a like-minded soul that needed a good home. And I couldn't be more thrilled. And I feel just a little bit more grown-up now!

Image: Steph Bond

Sydney Opera House Babies Proms: Music For Tutus

2010-11-11T13:18:00.006+10:00

We just had the most lovely morning playing ballerinas at the Sydney Opera House. We joined a throng of be-tutu'd little girls to listen to the Babies Proms Orchestra and dance along with two ballet dancers (male and female) as part of the Babies Proms: Music for Tutus program. The dancers were young and lovely and performed excerpts from The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. The kids (including a few little boys) just adored it all. Miraculously they all watched patiently during the three performances, and then sprang to their feet afterwards for a mini dance lesson, and then lined up for photos with the ballet dancers. The Mums loved it too. I had tears in my eyes. A really lovely experience.

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T09:10:00.001+10:00

... from post on Bondville ...

Happy Halloween! Hope you had/are having a fun day. Here in Sydney Halloween is becoming a bigger event year by year. We had so much fun trick-or-treating at Cliona's house in Lilyfield this year - a very exciting day for a bunch of 3-year-olds.

Images: Steph Bond

A Cup of Tea

2010-10-30T14:12:00.003+10:00

This is my favourite tea cup. It was my Nanna's tea cup, Edna Casey, and is one of the only things I have of hers, which makes it even more special. Tea always tastes better from this cup. I loved my Nanna; she was fun and cute and everyone called her Little Ed. I have been having fun this last month researching my family history using ancestry.com and have found out all sorts of interesting things about my Nanna's lineage. She was brought up in northern England, her grandfather was German and her grandmother English, traced all the way back to the 1500's. Her grandmother sadly died in WWII when a bomb landed on her house, just 10 minutes after my Nanna had stopped in for a cup of tea. I guess that cup of tea was lucky for me!

Sydney ABCD Meetup Spring 2010

2010-10-29T12:48:00.001+10:00

... posted from Bondville...

We had an *amazing* turnout last night for the first Sydney ABCD meetup! 30 fabulous women from around Sydney met at The 3 Weeds in Rozelle for a relaxed chat. It was so great to finally meet the faces behind the online names and everyone was truly so nice.

A few more photos are up on the Facebook page (feel free to add yours) and we'll be putting up a poll to vote for favourite goodie. And oh, the ABCD goodie bag was amazing. Check out Bondville for the goodies we all received.

Thank you so much Lisa (The Red Thread) for co-hosting the night; and a huge shout-out to new friends who posted about the event - Amanda, Jaclyn, Sally, Kate and Fran. And a big hello wave to everyone who came, it wouldn't have been the same without you:

Sarah (Twice Designs) * Kate (Katie Crackernuts) * Jaclyn (Little Paper Trees) * Melinda (Paperklip Designs) * Jen (Paper Lion) * Nina (puka puka) * Jessica (Oscar & Ruby) * Fiona (Fiona Kate) * Sharon (Pepper Stitches) * Anika (Miss Luzi Design) * Kate (Another Donkey Design) * Anastasia (Anastasia Drawing & Dreaming/Percival Road Designs) * Sally (Jambo Chameleon) * Michelle (Shelbyville) * Amanda (Calico & Co) * Melissa (The Art of Teddy Bears) * Saffron (Saffron Craig Designs) * Tara (Dudley Redhead) * Mindi, Leezar and Manuela (Dandi), Kristen (Lilypad Designs) * Fran (Miss Alison Regrets) * Janette (My Sweet Prints) * Michelle (Me We) * Svenja (identitat) * Leanne (Mrs A In The Cove) * Britt (Stitchy Britt).

See you next time (Feb 2011) and at markets/Brown Owls/online in-between.

For more information on ABCD meetups in Sydney and Brisbane, check out the Facebook page and here on Bondville.

Images: Steph Bond

The 2011 Foodies' Guide to Sydney

2010-10-26T07:56:00.002+10:00

Look what's coming my way! Thanks to one of my all-time favourite bloggers, Helen Yee of Grab Your Fork fame, I won a copy of the new 2001 Foodies Guide to Sydney. Thrilled! Helen is a contributor in the 2011 edition. I can't wait to pour over all the secrets to good food, produce and grocers in Sydney. Thanks Helen for the great prize.

Image: Grab Your Fork

Featured on Alannah Rose and Easy Peasy Organic

2010-10-04T09:16:00.000+10:00

... from post on Bondville ...

A couple of huge thank-you's today to lovely Suzi and Amanda.
Suzi from Alannah Rose kindly featured my big girl's 3rd birthday party on her gorgeous blog. Suzi designs beautiful stationery for weddings, engagements, new babies, kids parties and more read more about Alannah Rose here on Bondville). Please check out her site.

I'm also so honoured that Bondville was chosen as Blog of the Week by Amanda on Easy Peasy Organic. Check out Amanda's great recipes, tips and hints for living a good life on the site. Amanda also reminds us that it's National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and has written an excellent account of her experience fighting breast cancer here. (you can also read more about Easy Peasy Organic here on Bondville).

Thanks again ladies!

Images: Alannah Rose and Easy Peasy Organic

Featured on Hip Hooray!

2010-09-29T09:18:00.000+10:00

... from post on Bondville ...

I was thrilled to discover today that my big girl's 3rd birthday was featured on the fantastic Hip Hooray! blog on Monday.

Have you checked it out yet? Hip Hooray! is written by Siobhan Watkins and Vanessa Baird who manage the excellent Details, Details online party boutique. Their blog is one of the preeminent party websites in Australia and features lots of inspiring birthday parties, baby showers and events to make you drool.

Stop by and say hi (although I must warn you that you might be there a while checking out all the gorgeous posts). Thanks Siobhan and Vanessa for including our party too!

Image: Hip Hooray!

Lola's 3rd Birthday Party

2010-09-27T22:05:00.016+10:00

... from post on Bondville ...

Some photos from our friend Lola's 3rd birthday party. It was such a gorgeous day at the park and all the kids went ga-ga over the amazing rainbow cake that Lola's Mum and Dad made together (Mum made the cake, Dad did the icing). And how about Dad's gorgeous bunting and the lovely tent? A lovely, sweet day for a lovely, sweet girl. Happy Birthday Lola!

Images: Steph Bond

Interview on ShoppeGirls

2010-09-27T08:39:00.001+10:00

I'm excited to be featured on the ShoppeGirls blog today! The lovely Vicki (blogger, online boutique owner and cool hunter extraordinaire) interviewed me about family life for her Mum Revelations column. You can read all about it here.

I'd love for you to take some time to visit ShoppeGirls; you'll find lots of great posts on fashion, handmade, shopping, decor, baking, books and fantastic insights into mini celebrities.

Images: top: ShoppeGirls bottom: Steph Bond

Bondville 3-Year-Old Birthday Party

2010-09-20T10:44:00.001+10:00

... from post on Bondville ...

Well this birthday, and especially this party, has had the world's biggest build-up at our place. The anticipation for almost-three-year-old big girl Bondville was huge. And so the big day came and it was glorious. And gloriously imperfect. At 10:30am when guests were supposed to arrive, the laundry was still on the line, there was no food on the table, and no decorations (for which I had such ambition).

Luckily I have some amazing friends who arrived right on time and saved the day. Julie stepped in and started whipping cream, arranging flowers, bringing in laundry *and* she brought tasty tomato galettes for the Mums. Mellissa came with a 3-year-old and a baby and still managed to string up all the doilies and set the table. LOVE you guys!

The little ones had a great time at the craft table personalising their own wooden wands, and then breaking into the new PlayDoh Cake Makin' Station birthday present. It unexpectedly made a great party activity and kept the 3-year-olds entertained for hours.

And so onto the details:

Marble cake with pink buttercream frosting, freckles, Callebaut white chocolate and cachous. My big girl made the cake herself (with help from Mum). Pink geometric table cloth from my friends at Dandi (thanks guys!) - this particular design is no longer in stock, but there are some lovely new designs in a similar colourway coming soon.

Raspberry jellies with whipped cream and raspberries. Another easy thing for kids to make.

Robert Gordon pink heart doilies strung on pink and white butcher's twine from Jay Gee's Nook.

Rieme pink grapefruit and sparkling water drinks. The mini bottles are recycled Italian fruit juice bottles that I have squirreled away over the past few months. The gorgeous fuchsia retro paper straws were from my friends at Lark in Victoria (thank you Allison!).

Wild fresias picked from the side of the road. Pink and white meringue caterpillars with cachous and sprinkles (lots of help from big girl for these too).

Vanilla cupcakes (which my big girl also made) with left-over frosting from the cake. Heart edible toppers from Enticing Icing (part of the goodie bag at the last ABCD meetup). Robert Gordon cupcake wrappers.

Pink rice crispies made with brown rice cereal. Red-striped goodie bags from Paper Eskimo filled with Daisy Lane swapcards (thanks Lark!), eeni meeni miini moh stickers, The Wiggles stickers, yoghurt frogs, freckles and marshmallows.

And there you have it. We've had so much fun planning today and my big girl has been involved every step of the way. And that makes my big girl's 3rd birthday gloriously perfect.

Images: Carmen Lee and Steph Bond

How to love Making The Bed again in 10 easy steps

2010-08-20T16:16:00.005+10:00

I procrastinate about doing it as much as the next person – changing the sheets on the bed. It's always so awkward and tiresome. But you have to admit that the end result is supremely satisfying. Ah, new sheets! So here are my top tips to start loving those old bugbears - Making The Bed and Changing The Sheets. Let me know if I have left anything out :)

1.Take off your shoes. Especially if they are slippers or ugg boots. Barefoot is the best way to get the job done quickly, so you can hot foot it around the bed quickly and effortlessly. Shoes/slippers and especially ugg boots slow you down and are a lot more effort.

2.Remove anything hanging around your neck. That includes scarves, long necklaces, anything that can get caught when tucking in sheets.

3.If you can, play some music (that old trick).

4.Get the new sheets out first, so you see them all the time and are guilted into starting.

5.Strip off your old sheets and banish them to the laundry basket. Seriously consider changing the mattress protector (that thing needs a wash too).

6.Start with the easiest step first. For me, that's the pillows. That first step is always hard to take, so make it an easy one. There. Done.

7.If you can, pull the bed away from the wall. Don't be lazy. This will make your job 100% easier. You might consider sticking a little floor protector pad underneath each bed leg to make this easier and protect wooden floors.

8.Now for the fitted sheet (hopefully you've replaced the mattress protector. See step 5 above). This is important – start with the hardest corner first. Usually that's the corner that is against the wall and hard to reach. Then the 2nd hardest corner. Then finally, when you have to struggle and pull that fitted sheet to get those last 2 corners in, you will have lots of space and easy access.

9.Now for the flat sheet. Bed-making styles are usually personal preference, but the easiest in my opinion is to line that sheet up with the top of the bed, and then simply tuck in the end and bottom corners.

10.The extras. A doona/duvet is great for hiding imperfections and throwing on top of the bed. Then pop your pillows on top. And for a luxurious look, add another 2 pillows, and maybe a scatter cushion or 2 in contrasting colours (or 3 if you are me).

And there you have it. One beautiful, freshly made bed with new sheets. Minimal pain, maximum efficiency, and hopefully, an experience you might repeat at least once a week. Enjoy!

Image: Steph Bond

Deck Chair Reno Project

2010-08-16T10:12:00.001+10:00

Oh I'm so happy with how my renovated deck chairs turned out. Mum rescued the originals from Council pickup and all I had to do was sand them back, stain them, make 2 new 'slings' and staple them on. A normal person would expect it to take one, maybe two days. Call it a weekend. But these beauties took me 20 months to complete; during which time we moved cities and had a baby. I can't even tell you how glad I was to cross them off the to-do list! Please tell me I'm not alone in my well-intentioned but snail's pace DIY.

P.S. that's Molly the schnauzer looking not-so-impressed.

Images: Steph Bond

Fishing, Family and Friends in the US

2010-06-09T10:40:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone. We're back from our great family holiday to the US which included spectacular countryside in Virginia and West Virginia, Deep Creek Lake (pictured top) in western Maryland, my first time to Pittsburgh (pictured bottom), and the always fabulous Los Angeles.

In LA we feasted on great Mexican food, found an amazing merry-go-round and spent a day at the LA Zoo. Virginia and Maryland were all about family and fishing. A definite highlight was a trip to idyllic Catawba, VA in the Roanoke Valley for fantastic Southern-style home cooking (The Homeplace - magical!). I really enjoyed Pittsburgh where we visited the Carnegie Science Centre and the Duquesne Incline. Oh, and a 'Gelati' (layers of frozen custard and Italian ice) from Rita's that I will never forget. And of course I did a little shopping at my all-time favourite store, Whole Foods.

Before our move to Sydney we're sneaking in some time at the Sunshine Coast.

Images: Steph Bond

Livingstone's 2nd Birthday

2010-03-30T13:22:00.011+10:00

lolly bags by Karla

cupcakes by Karla

Vintage Tiki food cover; Liv in dress by Alice Thompson

Vintage thermos (drool...)

Sophie in Eeni Meeni Miini Moh dress and Wild Things Of Noosa hat; cupcakes by Karla

cupcakes by Karla

We had a lovely time on the weekend at Livingstone's 2nd birthday eating cupcakes and playing at the "Fairy Park". I just love the lolly bags that Livingstone's Mum Karla handmade, and am totally coveting the original 60's duo thermos.

Images: Steph Bond

Caro's Baby Shower

2010-03-16T13:18:00.001+10:00

I was lucky to spend Saturday with some beautiful girls to celebrate Caro's Baby Shower, hosted by her sister Anna, sister-in-law Alarna and Mum. That's Caro above in green with her cousin Sue. The hyacinths were gorgeous and the cupcakes from Cupcake Couture just perfect. I also love the lolly table with milk bottles, bananas and other lovely pink and yellow lollies. We don't know whether Caro will be having a boy or girl, so it was a nice idea to have a goodie bag option of pink or blue to take home. Or both!

PS: see my round-up of cupcakes in the Australian Cupcake Directory.

Images: Steph Bond

Big Girl's Bed

2010-02-08T16:14:00.000+10:00

My big girl Sophie scored big at Christmas this year. First of all, I just have to gush about the incredible quilt that she received from Nanna. It's a custom-made quilt by Vicki Anderson-Bain (a friend of Nanna's) on the Sunshine Coast, integrating a gorgeous Kristen Doran Matryoshka Doll craft panel and the border of Red Letter Day fabric by Lizzy House. We gave Vicki a colour palette and she went to town creating this incredible piece. We'll treasure it forever.

Then there was the sweet Sophie wall art canvas that arrived from Mooo.com.au as part of a sample of products. Thank you Mooo! It fits amazingly well in her room. The wall art pieces are just a small selection of personalised products from Mooo including stickers, t-shirts, backpacks, invitations, announcements, and a whole host of other stylish goods.

And of course the favourite toy of the moment, Ruby Red Shoes, who arrived from dear Kate Knapp, the artist behind the adorable world of Twigseeds. Ruby is the real-life incarnation of Kate's drawings and is such a sassy addition to the room.

Oh, and the tissue paper poms are the leftovers that I made for Sophie's 2nd birthday party. I simply attached them to her bedroom ceiling with 3M Command sticky hooks. What a lovely sight to fall asleep to.

Thank you so much Nanna, Vicki, Mooo and Kate for all the lovely gifts.

Images: Steph Bond

Happy Holidays

2009-12-19T17:29:00.012+10:00

Here are a few glimpses of our low-key Christmas/Hanukkah at our place this year. It's a special Christmas for us with the imminent birth of our 2nd child and all the expectation and mystery that surrounds it. I've been doing a little requisite baking (melting moments!) and lots of prepping/cleaning/resting.

I've also had some lovely surprises from friends including this gorgeous package of cards and holiday goodies that I won from Percival Road Designs. Thank you Anastasia!

Mum also made us the most divine Christmas cake, which we topped with glace cherries and flaked almonds. So delicious.

I just wanted to take the time to send a huge thanks to all readers of my sites for a wonderful year. It will be a little quiet in the new year as we get used to the new rhythm, but please stop by to say Hi and catch up.

Best wishes, keep safe, and happy holidays,
Steph xxx

Images: Steph Bond

Wedding Ideas Australia Now Live!

2009-12-15T19:04:00.003+10:00

I am so proud to introduce you to my latest online project, Wedding Ideas Australia ... a searchable collection of real Australian weddings categorised by location, colour, theme and style.

There are lots of inspiring weddings featured on the site, from elegant affairs to very casual garden weddings. Brides/grooms share with you the places that they sourced all their wedding details from, as well as tips for keeping it budget-friendly, eco-friendly, and handmade.

I hope to be able to show that you don't have to spend a fortune or conform to a particular style, to have a beautiful wedding. And I encourage you to send me your wedding pics (and those of your friends too!) to share on the site.

Please pass the site on to your engaged friends, or just have a look through for some beautiful colour palettes and interesting craft ideas. Let me know what you think!

Also, a huge thanks to Kim at Udessi for the gorgeous design and Harris for his energy and skill on the programming side and tireless support. Enjoy! www.weddingideasaustralia.com.au

Brisbane ABCD Meetup November 09 Photos

2009-11-19T19:08:00.002+10:00

Wow - what a great night we had at the Powerhouse on Thursday for the last Brisbane ABCD Meetup for 2009. Twenty-four of us (plus one gorgeous 4 month old), chatted at Bar Alto about all things art, craft and design (Brisbane ABCD stands for Artists, Bloggers, Crafters and Designers).

Rebecca (Edward & Lily) and Sam (Jetta's Nest)

Check out all the photos from the evening as well as the goodie bag goodies on Bondville.

Thanks as always go to Kim, co-organiser extraordinaire. We're looking forward to seeing you all again in around 3 months' time (Feb 2010). More details to come. For more about Brisbane ABCD, check out these previous posts.

Images: Steph Bond

Crumbless Banana-Passionfruit Yoghurt Muffins

2009-08-20T12:35:00.004+10:00

I was inspired by my ultimate Aussie cupcakes post on Bondville yesterday to do a little baking, and found a great recipe for muffins that are super-moist and have very little crumbs. A hit at our place! I found the recipe on Kerri's Millie Molly Moo blog, who found it on Jac and Kate's Three Little Trees blog, who found it on Lisa's ModEco Kids blog from near Toronto, Canada.

I took Jac and Kate's advice and used passionfruit yoghurt and I have to say that the result was stunning. Banana and passionfruit are a match made in heaven! These muffins were so quick and easy to make and will definitely go into the keeper binder. I might try wholegrain flour and less sugar next time. And maybe a cream cheese icing to make it into a cupcake.

Oh, and does anyone know what the difference is between a cupcake and a muffin?

Image: Steph Bond

Brisbane ABCD Meetup Winter 09 Photos

2009-07-31T13:30:00.001+10:00

I keep getting these delightful wafts of lavender from the lovely keepsake that Thea Samios popped into the Brisbane ABCD Meetup goodie bags last night - and what a night it was. 33 talented creative Brisbanites met up at Lock 'n' Load for a night of mingling. Check out the details and photos on Bondville.

Image: Steph Bond

Featured on BloesemKids!

2009-07-20T21:14:00.000+10:00

Wow. I'm really honoured to be featured on Irene Hoof's wonderful website BloesemKids. Bloesem and BloesemKids are two of my favourite design-oriented sites - full of exciting new finds and beautifully curated by Irene.

Irene is based in the Malaysia, although originally from the Netherlands, and has started a new column on BloesemKids called Mom Story. She is profiling Moms around the world and what their daily life is like. So interesting! Please take the time to stop by and let Irene know what a great job she is doing.

And thank you so much Irene for your interest in Bondville and living in Australia!

Image: BloesemKids

Tagged: Things About Me

2009-06-16T12:32:00.009+10:00

I've been tagged by the lovely Sarah from Hardaker and Pope to share some more things about me. I'm touched to be tagged - thank you Sarah! And I pass this tag on to: Danielle from Craft Labratory (who has put together a really nice overview of the Melbourne Design Market), Maaret from Visual Notes, The Cottage Cheese, Alischa from Bespoke Letterpress Boutique, Bec from Beckybean.

Simply answer the questions below, and if you like, replace a question with one you have made up. Here goes:

Q whats your favourite colour?
A I can't say I have a "favourite", but red seems to be my standby although I've gone all blue (pale and turquoise) in the bedroom this year. It's probably some kind of pinky-orangey-red.

Image: Steph Bond

Q whats your favourite clothing in your wardrobe?
A Jeans.

Q whats your dream job?
A Something I can do with Sophie at home that has a creative element and helps people. I'm pretty close at the moment with my web publishing, but to be a dream job it would have to pay the bills!

Q whats the last thing you bought?
A Some Thea & Sami fabric and elastic to make Sophie a sassy little skirt.

Q what are you listening to right now?
A Birds in the trees and construction on the enormous house behind us.

Q whats your favourite ice cream?
A Very, very hard choice - probably some kind of nut with chocolate. Almond or hazelnut are tops.

Q whats your favourite fruit?
A Passionfruit. Then stone fruits and berries.

Image: Stefanvds via Flickr

Q what inspires you?
A Sunshine, light, nature, helping people out, new ideas, creating something.

Q whats on the walls of your bedroom?
A A collection of white frames with wedding and family photos and lots of blue artwork (fabric, cards, calendar pages, prints, photos).

Q who is your favourite artist?
A Rebecca Cool - a WA-based artist with an amazing naive style who currently uses vintage fabric as a starting point in her artwork.

Image: Rebecca Cool

Q do you admire anyone's style?
A I think back to people I have known who are really in touch with what colours look good on them. They don't give into whims (or hide behind black) and just stick with shades that make them glow.

Q describe your personal style?
A Casual and easy. It's not often that I wear heels or much makeup, or much jewellery for that matter. But I do like to add something quirky to anything I wear. Maybe it's a cool hat, or a fluffy vest, or a diamante brooch, or a contrasting bag.

Q what language would you like to learn?
A Spanish. I have to keep up with Dora the Explorer! And I'd love to spend some time in Spanish-speaking countries.

Q what is your favourite quote (for now)
A "What a wonderful bird the frog are. When it stands it sit almost. When it hops it fly almost. It ain't got no sense hardly. It ain't got no tail hardly either. When it sits, it sits on what it ain't got almost." - anonymous.

Q what is your favourite magazine?
A Delicious, Frankie, and then any home shelter magazine. (I have different favourites all the time).

Q if you had $100 what would you spend it on?
A I'd put it towards a designer to come up with a fabulous design for my new project (stay tuned).

Q What is your current obsession?
A Masterchef. I'm really inspired to put more into my domestic cooking, and have started actually tasting my food while I cook (I can't believe that I never did that before).

Q what are you wearing today
A Skinny jeans, converse (sorry fair trade folks, when they wear out I'll get something more ethical), stripey burgundy long-sleeved top with long grey sweater-vest on top.

Q whats for dinner?
A Tacos! Soft tacos, seasoned mince and onions, coriander/cilantro, fresh lime, truss tomatoes, grated cheese, a little lettuce, salsa and a spot of Crystal hot sauce.

Q what would you eat for your last meal?
A Dungeness Crab, roasted and stirfried in garlic.

Q what do you think of the person who tagged you?
A Sarah has such a lovely eye for beauty and a genuine warmth. She's encouraging, a good soul and someone I'd like to get to know better.

Q if you could have a house paid for and furnished anywhere in the world what/where would it be?
A A light-filled modern home with huge deck and combined indoor/outdoor living areas. Built from sustainable timber and designed to fit the environment (with as many eco-friendly elements as possible). Views of native forest and surrounded by wildlife and birdlife. Anywhere on the Australian East Coast or northern California, but can't get too cold. And nearby access to good quality food.

Q if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would it be?
A To San Francisco to catch up with some friends and check out how much has changed in 6 years.

Q what are you going to do after this?
A Write a blog post on Bondville and reply to lots of emails.

Q what are your favourite movies?
A Happy movies and anything quirky - The Life Aquatic, The Darjeeling Limited, Little Miss Sunshine, etc.

Image: EW

Q whats your favourite book?
A I think cookbooks - they are always inspiring no matter how many times I have opened them.

Q do you collect something?
A I have a very small collection of demitasse cups, but no - not really. I'd like to purge more rather than collect more.

Q What is your pet peeve?
A People throwing cigarette butts on the ground. It's part of the ritual that drives me crazy as butts are clogging our waterways and take an incredibly long time to degrade. I've seen people throw their garbage in a bin and then stub their butt out on the ground right next to it!!! Crazy!!!

Q whats the most important rule for life?
A Respect yourself, respect those around you, and respect your environment.

Alischa's Husband's Banana Bread

2009-06-10T13:44:00.003+10:00

We've had heaps of bananas in our house recently so I have been looking for good recipes to use them all up. This banana bread recipe from Alischa's husband is super-yummy and easy to make too. It's quite sweet with more than 1 cup of sugar to 1 banana, but very moist and I especially love the crunchy almond and brown sugar topping. You can find the recipe here. I swapped out 1/3 of the sour cream for thick yoghurt, and used self-raising flour instead of flour + baking powder (only because I had run out of plain flour). Cooking time was 1.5 hours for me. Yum!

Image: Steph Bond

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-05-30T11:55:00.005+10:00

I am honoured to accept the Kreativ Blogger Award from the very generous Thea from Thea & Sami. The Kreativ Blogger Award requires you to nominate seven blogs that you believe deserve this award and also list seven things that you love. Seven blogs that I would like to pass this award on to:

1. Helen of Grab Your Fork - for an untiring dedication to exploring the Sydney food scene with humour, grace and a wonderful writing style. And the photos are fantastic.
2. Kim of Udessi - for the vision and determination to promote Australian artists through her online art gallery.
3. Allison of The Lark - for bringing her beautiful country style to us through her site and the amazing products she makes and sells that are touched with nostalgia.
4. Lisa of The Red Thread - for creating beautiful art, a keen eye for amazing design, and a true warmth that she shares with her readers.
5. Raina of Frozen Brooklyn - for writing about one of my favourite topics (gelato! ice cream!) with her characteristic wit and finesse.
6. Alison of Beets & Biscuits - for her gorgeous interpretations of recipes, photographs that look good enough to eat, and focus on local seasonal produce in Oakland, California.
7. Alex of Strawberry Lemonade - for putting her fabulous self out-there and inspiring us all with her colourful, fun fashion finds and life in San Francisco.

And for the second part of the award, 7 Things I love:

Image: Won Sun P. via Yelp

1. Dungeness Crabs, particularly roasted then stir-fried with garlic noodles which brings back memories of a special Valentine's Day at Thanh Long in San Francisco in 2002. We used to drive down to Half Moon Bay and buy a huge pile straight off the trawlers.

Image: star5112 via Flickr

2. Warm summer nights in New York City - the sound of people eating and celebrating outside; guys riding by on their pimped-out bicycles with old-school ghetto-blasters playing hispanic music; wandering around the streets in a tiny dress feeling completely free; rooftop parties; roasted corn covered in contija cheese, lime and cayenne pepper from Cafe Habana.

Image: Steph Bond

3. The Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia - long empty beaches, huge swathes of National Park, an abundance of wildlife, and a carefree spirit.

Image: Steph Bond

4. My crocheted throw. My Mum made this cotton throw for me and it's the most gorgeous cream colour and so beautifully finished. Looks fantastic on the end of the bed and a real keepsake.

Image: Harris Hutkin

5. Our Miniature Schnauzer Molly. We used to organise monthly Miniature Schnauzer meet-ups in NYC (where the breed is not as popular as in Australia) and get up to 50 dogs running around the dog park at Washington Square Park!

Image: Libraryman via Flickr

6. Summery flavours - lime, cilantro/coriander, mint, passionfruit, guava, pink grapefruit, nectarine, peach... yum! And while we're on food - I have to mention gelato. Both the fresh fruit flavours, and the smooth, dairy-based flavours. And of all the gelato I've ever tasted, the best is from Gelateria Cremona in Rosalie (Brisbane) which I wrote about here.

Image: First Glance Photography

7. Of course, our daughter Sophie. She's got a mischievous sense of humour, lots of chutzpah, a love of animals, and beautiful big eyes.

Thank you again Thea for this gracious award and I hope you enjoy visiting the blogs that I have passed it on to.

Brown Owls Brisbane Crochet Granny Squares

2009-04-28T11:05:00.002+10:00

I was never a Girl Guide or a Brownie, but I was in Girls Brigade. And although we had a great time, I have always wondered what it would be like to wear that mushroom brown uniform and bake cookies and do all the things that Brownies do. So I did the next best thing, and joined the Brown Owls group in Brisbane.

This group is decidedly for big kids and we like to get together once a month to have some morning tea and work on a craft project. This weekend we worked on crocheting granny squares. I had worked on crochet with my Mum when I was young, and it's amazing how it all comes flooding back. It was lovely to craft and chat Next step - doilies. I'd love to make some sweet patches to sew onto Sophie's jeans.
I had a lovely time chatting to Alischa from Bespoke Letterpress Boutique, so really didn't get too far in 2 hours, but I think the chatting, baked goodies, cup of tea and relaxed atmosphere with other like-minded people is great for the soul.

A special thanks to Em from EmBelish for the excellent tuition and hands-on help. For more previous meetings, check out this post. For more pics, check out Helen's blog and Rebecca's post on the Brown Owls member blog.

Brown Owls was conceived by Pip from Meet Me At Mike's. For more information on Brown Owls and a chapter near you, check out the official blog.

Images: Steph Bond

Brisbane ABCD Meet-up

2009-04-03T13:54:00.013+10:00

This week my friend Kim from Udessi and I hosted a meet-up for artists, bloggers, crafters and designers in Brisbane at Bar Alto at the Powerhouse in New Farm. We called it Brisbane ABCD Meet-up and it was a fantastic event with 23 attendees (on a cold a rainy night) and everyone contributed something to the fantastic goodie bags that we all took home at the end of the night. It was supposed to run from 7-9pm but the bar had to throw us out at 10:30pm so I guess that everyone enjoyed themselves. It was a great chance to meet some of the people that I have written about on Bondville; meeting in real life was the aim of the evening and I think crucial every now and then to keep these ‘friendships’ meaningful. Hopefully we’ll have another event in about 3 months. Photos below and on Kim's blog here.

Jaime from Paisley St Claire, Tiel from Tsk Tsk, Kylie from Paper Boat Press, Sarah from Red Felt Flower

Madeleine from Madeleine Brown Jewellery, Erin from Blossom Creations, Florence from Flying Star Toys, Kim from Udessi, Bec from Beckybean

Michelle from Pedrosprout and Akiko.

Kristina from Tiny Concept, Sarah from Red Felt Flower and Tiel from Tsk Tsk.

Crowd shot. That's me in the middle in orange chatting to Alischa from Bespoke Letterpress Boutique

Bec from Beckybean, Momo from Studio Kurashi and Michelle from Pedrosprout

Florence from Flying Star Toys and Nadine from Nadine Sawyer

Tiel from Tsk Tsk and Danielle from Nesting Bird Interiors

Michelle from Lily & Cino, Jaime from Jaime Beattie and Nina from Obelia.

Jane from Girls Made This and Akiko.

Kelly from Peppermint Magazine and Ellie from Red Seed Studio.

Kim from Udessi and Alischa from Bespoke Letterpress Boutique.

From the Goodie Bag - Bespoke Letterpress Boutique gift cards and Peppermint Magazine mini-mag.

From the Goodie Bag - Red Felt Flower divine parcel of favourite things.

From the Goodie Bag - Paper Boat Press poetry pencil

A huge thank you and shout out to all the talented Brisbane folks who attended:

Erin from Blossom Creations
Momo from Studio Kurashi
Kylie from Paper Boat Press
Alischa from Bespoke Letterpress Boutique
Anna from Toxteth
Michelle from Pedrosprout
Tiel from Tsk Tsk
Florence from Flying Star Toys
Bec from Beckybean and The Small Stuff
Ellie from Red Seed Studio
Jane from Girls Made This
Kelly from Peppermint Magazine
Kim from Udessi
Kristina from Tiny Concept
Sarah from Red Felt Flower
Madeleine from Madeleine Brown Jewellery
Jaime from Jaime Beattie and Paisley St Claire
Nadine from Nadine Sawyer
Akiko
Michelle from A Lily In Bloom and Lily & Cino
Danielle from Nesting Bird Interiors
Nina from Nesting Bird Interiors and Obelia

Images: Steph Bond, Beckybean and Momo

Brown Owls Hit Brisbane

2009-03-14T12:32:00.007+10:00

This year I'm spending more time on art - I'm doing a short SLR photography course at the moment at the Brisbane College of Photography, and I've joined the Brown Owls crafting group. Our first meet-up in February was a huge success - the venue was great, Bel made incredible cupcakes and I got to sit around and chat with a bunch of girls while working on craft projects. I'm working on my Kristen Doran matryoshka dolls, some teddies and embellished a top for Sophie. I'm pretty keen to learn how to make gocco prints, so I hope we have someone in the group that can share the knowledge.