The Candy Cane Cooler
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Get into the Christmas spirit(s)
I've already decided Mojitos will be my drink of choice this summer... but then I came across this recipe and thought perhaps, come the 24th/25th of this month I may switch to something more festive.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Madeleine - 3 Months
This little baby is literally growing before my lens... I love catching up with the babies as they grow, offering me new expressions and smiles. It's also great watching the parents (mostly friends of mine) changing as they adapt to this new life as a parent.
So here we have Madeleine Beth Du Toit... at 3 months.
So here we have Madeleine Beth Du Toit... at 3 months.
Ok...
My internet is absolutely driving me nuts!! It's taking forever to load images. So, unfortunately...I have to leave you in the lurch. I'll return with more when my internet sorts itself out!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
A Little DIY
As I mentioned two posts ago... I've been working on a little project. A new desk for my computer...
A few nights last week were dedicated to the project, cleaning, sanding, priming, painting and finishing, ready to be moved into the house come the weekend.
I wasn't too fussy with the project, mostly due to my DIY inadequacies ...but despite this I'm really happy with the end result.
A few nights last week were dedicated to the project, cleaning, sanding, priming, painting and finishing, ready to be moved into the house come the weekend.
I wasn't too fussy with the project, mostly due to my DIY inadequacies ...but despite this I'm really happy with the end result.
The desk doesn't look as beaten up in the photo...
My DIY Assistant...
Because of my poor sanding efforts, I primed and sealed the desk with my beloved BIN. This stuff is awesome. It gives the desk a "sanded" finish without sanding. Perfect!
I primed the faces of the drawers.
After the primer had dried I gave everything a light sand to reduce the brush marks.
You can kind of see the primed surface in this shot...
After this I painted 2 top coats using a small roller brush. I used an Enamel Acrylic in Semi Gloss. It will wear quite well and I already had some in the supply cupboard.
And now.... The big reveal....
My sunny new workspace in between the lounge and kitchen. It's the perfect spot!
The chair is very badly recovered I know... but it is just a piece of fabric tucked in as a temporary fix. The chair was made by my Mr D's Great Grandfather ( I maybe wrong there but it was someone in the family history anyway), so not really a piece of furniture you'd attack with white paint!
I put a few items on the desk to personalise the workspace. A vase, a photo of Mr D in Paris and a small print by his talented Poppa.
Another angle....
My new favourite place!
The best part: The cost... or lack of...
For those interested:
Desk - Free
Paint & Primer - Already Owned
Sandpaper - $5
Handles - $12
Small Photo Frame $3 from Typo
Vase - $16 from The Warehouse
Orchid (fake) - $12 from The Warehouse
Small blue journal - $17 from Typo
Total cost $65.00
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Oh Me Oh My
After my photo shoot last weekend, Mr D came home with my birthday present...
Maybe he read my blog/mind/dreams?
Thank you... so so SO much.
I'm not usually one to gush, (especially publicly) but seriously, I love this guy. I FREAKEN love him. Not only because he arrived home with fresh vegetables, kisses, flowers and an iMac...
but it does swell the heart just a little more than usual...
Ok, enough mush... back to learning how this thing works!
Maybe he read my blog/mind/dreams?
Thank you... so so SO much.
I'm not usually one to gush, (especially publicly) but seriously, I love this guy. I FREAKEN love him. Not only because he arrived home with fresh vegetables, kisses, flowers and an iMac...
but it does swell the heart just a little more than usual...
Ok, enough mush... back to learning how this thing works!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Dear Time, Can you lend me a few more hours?
I know there are 24 hours in a day, but where do they go?
Life always seems busy at the moment, and weekends are filling up fast. By the time the week is over, I have a full schedule to complete before Monday comes around. In saying that, my weekends lately have been filled with beautiful babies to photograph so it's not exactly a drag! What is a drag is coming home to edit photos on a 13" laptop... my poor eyes. I am hoping the birthday fairy will remedy this problem for me.... (please please please Mr. D).
I already have the perfect desk picked out to go in my new photo editing area. I found it over at my neighbours house the other night whilst discussing wine orders ($5 bottles of delicious Rose, yes please!)...
Whilst putting in my orders, I noticed this cute, beaten up old desk with a FREE sign on it. I asked her kindly if she could leave it there and not put it on the roadside or into the skip as I may just be in the market for a desk....maybe....
So it's mine... Now I just need a computer to put on it. Enter stage left the birthday fairy... or Christmas fairy? or birthday for the next 5 years fairy?.... any fairy.
Watch this space - a desk transformation post will be here in the near future. It may have a computer on it, or nothing on it, but it will be transformed either way.
I will make sure I find time to complete this project (and document it), in between replacing the deck (boys job), shampooing the carpets, completing 2 more photo shoots, hosting my birthday party/BBQ and planning my friend's baby shower.
So many fun projects! So little time....
Life always seems busy at the moment, and weekends are filling up fast. By the time the week is over, I have a full schedule to complete before Monday comes around. In saying that, my weekends lately have been filled with beautiful babies to photograph so it's not exactly a drag! What is a drag is coming home to edit photos on a 13" laptop... my poor eyes. I am hoping the birthday fairy will remedy this problem for me.... (please please please Mr. D).
I already have the perfect desk picked out to go in my new photo editing area. I found it over at my neighbours house the other night whilst discussing wine orders ($5 bottles of delicious Rose, yes please!)...
Whilst putting in my orders, I noticed this cute, beaten up old desk with a FREE sign on it. I asked her kindly if she could leave it there and not put it on the roadside or into the skip as I may just be in the market for a desk....maybe....
So it's mine... Now I just need a computer to put on it. Enter stage left the birthday fairy... or Christmas fairy? or birthday for the next 5 years fairy?.... any fairy.
Watch this space - a desk transformation post will be here in the near future. It may have a computer on it, or nothing on it, but it will be transformed either way.
I will make sure I find time to complete this project (and document it), in between replacing the deck (boys job), shampooing the carpets, completing 2 more photo shoots, hosting my birthday party/BBQ and planning my friend's baby shower.
So many fun projects! So little time....
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Ava-Lillie
I had the pleasure of photographing my very first birthday party - Ava-Lillie. I made sure I was there an hour before her guests started arriving which allowed plenty of time to capture a variety of photos. I then stayed on after the party to snap some candid shots of everyone else so they had a collection of special photos to remember this day by.
How adorable is she! Those big blue eyes loved my lens, but not as much as she loved the pancakes her dad fed her in between shots!
Priceless...
How adorable is she! Those big blue eyes loved my lens, but not as much as she loved the pancakes her dad fed her in between shots!
Priceless...
Remember me?
I broke the one rule of blogging... lack of regular updates...
If I told you I had to go to paradise for three weeks to lie in the sun, attend a wedding and drink cocktails would you forgive me?
Perhaps not...
Would you forgive me if I shared some photos of my holiday?
Ok.
If I told you I had to go to paradise for three weeks to lie in the sun, attend a wedding and drink cocktails would you forgive me?
Perhaps not...
Would you forgive me if I shared some photos of my holiday?
Ok.
3 year wedding anniversaries
Marriage
Sunsets
Bintang
Seafood
Resorts
Broken Stuff
Boats
Monkies
Rice
Transport
Paradise
Monday, October 4, 2010
Travel anxiety
This time next week it will be three years since the day I married my best friend and I'll be two sleeps away from heading off to Bali.
I have a feeling that as soon as they witness those waves face to face, and realise they are competing with crowds and locals for barrels, my plans of white water rafting or cooking school may seem quite appealing. I'm sure their other halves will appreciate them returning home with expert culinary skills... as opposed to stories about the wave that got away.
At the risk of becoming a drill sergeant, I have decided not to create an itinerary. The boys can breathe a sigh of relief here. Instead, I am compiling a list of activities, accommodations and sights that appeal to me, and depending on where we are, what the weather is like (what the surf is like) I can wake up in the morning and select the most attractive activity for the day. Some days the activity may be simply to lie on the beach and read a book. Bliss. Other days may be slightly more energetic activities.
It usually will depend on the activities the night before, as we discovered in Thailand. Booking an elephant trek the day before seemed like a great idea, but the next morning, after some buckets the previous night... riding an elephant was hard going.
I just remembered, the title of my blog was Travel Anxiety, which really has nothing to do with the ramblings above. How do I do that?
The travel anxiety dreams have started... turning up to the airport realising I've left my new bikini at home, haven't packed any underwear, or the dress I want to wear to the wedding. Then I wake up (in my dream) and go whew! and proceed to dream the exact same thing again... forgetting other various items. I woke up exhausted! I guess as long as I remember to collect our tickets and find our passports, the rest isn't so important. The other element of travel anxiety is pulling myself away from work for three weeks and delegating tasks for others to take care of for me. I have a book about successful delegation at home on the coffee table. I should probably read it.
We are spending a week with a whole bunch of friends and attending a wedding at a beautiful villa in Seminyak before meeting up with three others who will be joining us for two weeks of adventure and exploration.
The boys talk alot about surfing and I have kindly been told I will be designated photographer... but I have other plans...
I have a feeling that as soon as they witness those waves face to face, and realise they are competing with crowds and locals for barrels, my plans of white water rafting or cooking school may seem quite appealing. I'm sure their other halves will appreciate them returning home with expert culinary skills... as opposed to stories about the wave that got away.
At the risk of becoming a drill sergeant, I have decided not to create an itinerary. The boys can breathe a sigh of relief here. Instead, I am compiling a list of activities, accommodations and sights that appeal to me, and depending on where we are, what the weather is like (what the surf is like) I can wake up in the morning and select the most attractive activity for the day. Some days the activity may be simply to lie on the beach and read a book. Bliss. Other days may be slightly more energetic activities.
It usually will depend on the activities the night before, as we discovered in Thailand. Booking an elephant trek the day before seemed like a great idea, but the next morning, after some buckets the previous night... riding an elephant was hard going.
I just remembered, the title of my blog was Travel Anxiety, which really has nothing to do with the ramblings above. How do I do that?
The travel anxiety dreams have started... turning up to the airport realising I've left my new bikini at home, haven't packed any underwear, or the dress I want to wear to the wedding. Then I wake up (in my dream) and go whew! and proceed to dream the exact same thing again... forgetting other various items. I woke up exhausted! I guess as long as I remember to collect our tickets and find our passports, the rest isn't so important. The other element of travel anxiety is pulling myself away from work for three weeks and delegating tasks for others to take care of for me. I have a book about successful delegation at home on the coffee table. I should probably read it.
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