nanna antiques

Just over a month ago my family decided that my darling Nan should move into a Nursing Home. After a few too many instances of her forgetting to take her meds etc, and worrying about her being on her own, we thought it was about time. I think I've previously blogged about the amazing place we found for her, more of a mansion 5 star hotel than a typical nursing home.
Well once she settled in to her room, we had to sort through all the remaining furniture and bits and bobs left over. She only live in a small homette in a retirement village, but wow she sure fit alot of stuff inside that little home! I was so glad when my folks offered me some of her things that they knew I would appreciate. Floral vintage pattern serving plates, antique bowls, hand-sewn vintage serviettes, antique spoons (we tend to use so many teaspoons with our coffee machine that we collect them just so we have enough!), lots and lots of bags and belts, and so much more. We even found an old baby seal furr coat that was made for my Great-Grandmother on one of their travels to America, with a matching shawl! We are thinking about donating it to a museum, it's so ancient, and I would probably get arrested if I wore it in public!
Here's a sneak peak of some of the amazing things I got given, that I will treasurer forever:

disco fever.

I've just spent the night decorating for a "disco" party tomorrow night. 70's disco to be exact. Lots of gold & silver & stars, & my favourite the old vinyl records feature above where the DJ will be. Some oldies like Streisand, Barry Manilow, and the Beegees hanging covers and vinyls, and then at the end I can take them home for the collection! And of course it's a dress theme night, so everyone has been busy swapping possible dress ideas. I can't wait to see what outfits will be on show!

Anyway the theme of 70's disco has got me inspired this week, and not just for decorations and fashion. I'm talking about design theme, in particular invitations. What makes an invitation retro theme? What colours and type style can you use to make it look funky. Most importantly I think it's about the shapes and patterns too, which was the huge style craze in the 60's/70's. Well I searched around and found designs which I thought suit the theme to a tea, hope you enjoy! xx

pastel weddings.

It's been a busy last couple of months with wedding bookings for Mint Event Management (whose Wedding Planner is yours truly). When I have weddings on my mind, I find myself sitting for hours browsing through blogs and inspiration boards to get ideas for my clients. The one theme that always leaves me breathless is vintage & contemporary, especially a soft pastel colour palette. Mix it with a touch of country flair, i.e. wooden baskets, native flowers, cake stands and the open space. Here's a touch of inspiration of my most favourites:

 Images provided by: Willow Hastings Designs, Magnolia Rouge, Style Me Pretty, Coralee Alex Photography.

Mint Event Mangament can help plan any size and style wedding. For a copy of our Wedding Packages email me at: jessica@minteventmanagement.com.au

wishful wednesdays.

Today's wishful wednesday is all about .... the USA!

I am so very excited to share with everyone that we are planning to visit the US later this year. We've  been so lucky to be able to travel already in our lives: Europe, UK & Canada.... but the US is a childhood dream for me. It took a while to convince Simon who thought his travelling days were done and dusted, but his arm has officially been twisted! One of my best friend's is living in Rhode Island at the moment, so it all ties in well, and on the way home we'll visit another of my besties who lives in Canada. Catching up with old friends while having a great time travelling, what more can you ask for!!

Guess I should say that one of the other reasons I am so excited to visit the states is because of all the television shows and movies that I loved as a kid. I think growing up on a farm meant we were often indoors watching movies together, when our 'townie' friends were hanging out in the streets! So I've seen a lot of movies, and fell in love with a lot of characters, and imagined myself living in a lot of movie sets. And I have always said to myself "one day I'm going to go there!" Nerdy? Hmm yeah I guess so haha!

I guess it's not really "wishful" as much as "come true", haha!

envy.

This post is top-secret. So much so that I can only show you half a picture.
A friend of mine is just about to open her own store. How exciting! I am just so happy for her, what an achievement when we are still so young (well I like to think we're still young anyway!). I am also just as happy because I got to work with her on the shop logo design, and very very soon we can unveil it! It was so much fun working on the project, my friend *Melody (we shall call her) really let the creativity run wild with ideas. She wanted a chic rustic look to reflect the kind of style shoppers can find inside her store. Also with a modern colour palette. I can't wait to stand front row at her opening in the next couple of months!

the grates.

A very short post today. But I have to express my MUCH LOVE for The Grates, which I had an amazing time seeing last Saturday night at the Uni Bar (one of Adelaide's best gig venues in my opinion!). Once a 3-piece band, the now twesome have just released their 3rd album "Secret Rituals". Their live set was a great mitxure of the golden oldies and the fab newbies, and my friend Kenny and I didn't stop dancing all night! Just amazing!! xx

 

wishful wednesday's.

I'm a avid wishful thinker, but not wishful in the way that I'm completely unrealistic about it. My wishful thinking is simply about exploring the options. Some days I've gone from wanting to visit Vietnam, to buying a house in the hills, to starting a business turning thrift clothes into everyday household items. Just imagine, a hot-water bottle cover made from a turtle-neck wool jumper, how cosy would that be!
So in honor of my often distracting and hard to keep-up-with train of thought, I will be dedicating every Wednesday's blog posts to wishful thinking.

Today's wishful Wednesday is about.... opening a Tea Parlour.

While I was travelling last year, I had a few days to myself in London which was spent wondering the streets. On one of the days, I popped into Harrods, and amongst the fabulous restaurants and cafes in the food level I found Lauree. It was a jaw-dropping site, a french inspired tea room with the most exquisite furniture and decor, like something straight from a Palace.
When I recently read about a tea parlour opening in Sydney, I started to ponder the thought of opening something similar in Adelaide, or somewhere regional like the Barossa. Since tea parlours have such a rich history (Lauree was opened in the late 1800's!), a vintage theme would work so well. A decor much like a grandma's lounge room - china plates, patterened table covers, brass candeliers, fresh flowers. Plus I've grown up with a love for tea and scones, no matter where in the world you are, if there are tea and scones on the menu you can feel right at home. Partnered with french delicacies and original Australian Women's Weekly recipes (hedgehog slice, strawberry spongecage, lamingtons), and a range of tea blends from all over the world. It would be a dream space to be surrounded in every day!

Laduree in Harrods, London. Even the napkins were stunning!

Tea Parlour, Sydney. My ideal vintage inspired decor. Odd matching plates and crockery, wall hangings, French-inspired furniture!

Victoria Room, Sydney. I love the idea of dressing up in your Sunday best for an afternoon at the tea room.

Thanks to fellow bloggers for some images:

Sunday Collector