today's inspiration / (more) dining tables and bar carts

the rug in the above dining room is an ebay purchase and it is gorgeous, isn't it? found it here

bar carts are on of my favourite things (they are super cool aren't they?) I just adore the cart above
found here

another lovely table (with bar cart in the corner!) love the wall art 

found here

two more adorable carts (above) found here - isn't this orange one great? Love it!

And now...
here are the recipients of the sweetest blog award:

mix and chic;
dolce dreams;
a kiss from the past;
jarrah jungle;
la-la linh;
hattatt;
melli's designs;
fryd+design;
thea and sami;
the white shed;
carla loves photography;
mom's turf

congrats everyone!

and now...
for the 7 random things about myself...

well...I'm an aries which means...
I'm stubborn, bossy...a perfectionist,
I hate clutter (infact you can find me sorting out wardrobes and cupboards in my spare time!)
I love my children &
I love entertaining :)

there you go, this is all from me for now...

have a great night everyone and


take care,


Claudia xo

inspire me monday / dining table love

Found the above image on pinterest and instantly loved it, I think it's so much fun!
Talking about dining tables, ours is in need of attention (and this is what it looked like on the w/end)

we have had it for eight years now and it's served us well, we've had lots of dinner parties, family gatherings, children birthdays and shared lots of delicious food on it, we definitely do not want to get rid of it (it would be a shame I think, it's a great table and very sturdy) hubby has started taking the varnish off it, once the old varnish has gone it will be sanded back ready for the new varnish (Buster supervised the whole operation from the couch as you can see...such a spoilt dog!)

On Sunday morning I made pancakes for the children (both hubby and I were tummy sick and didn't feel like eating) but the cakes looked delicious
my youngest had hers with maple syrup, strawberries and icing sugar (below)

I, on the other end, had this for lunch (below)...(not very appetising I know but incredibly soothing for the stomach!)

Wish you all a great week

Take care,

Claudia xo

on a beautiful winter day

The sky is blue and the air is warm...it's a stunning day in Sydney.
Been to yoga, done my grocery shopping and dinner is almost done
yes...feeling very energetic today...

dinner is going to be chicken, leek and mushroom pie (slowly cooking at the moment in my
favourite pot)

On a different note I wanted to show you a gorgeous present my hubby and I received yesterday (from a lovely friend of ours) two lovely little vases from dinosaur designs - here they are in all their glory in our kitchen, on the counter near the window

they look incredible when touched by natural light :) 

And there's an amazing light today...

the kitchen enjoyed a bit of it 

and so did the middle of the house :)

(impromptu shots, no styling I'm afraid)

now for the best part of my post, here are the 15 blogs I'm passing the "one lovely blog award" on to:

sanctuary ;
the buzz;
blue fruit;
gold and gray;
anya adores;
lovely things;
oh it's just perfect;
my sweet prints;
pretty green tea;
st john's wood;
schue love;
living a goddess life;
finishing touch interiors ;
tales of a tai tai;
always dreaming.

Congrats guys! Some old favourites and some new ones (all wonderful and inspirational)

Oh and stay tuned because my next post will contain the names of the 15 "sweetest blog" recipients.

Bye for now

take care and enjoy the week-end


Claudia xo

a cowhide for me

Today I finally bought a cowhide rug (from I like birds in Paddington)
I've been wanting one for ages and it's sooo exciting to finally get one!!!

here it is.

isn't it gorgeous? the hair is slightly longer and the colours are lovely -
I think one of Louise's pouffes (love this one) would look delicious on it :)
I don't really have a spot for it yet but I will find one.

On a different note I'd like to thank Jerome from Maison de lin and Jess from Avant-garde living
for sending their love (in the shape of awards) this way. I'm so, so flattered! thank you guys!
Now I have to nominate 15 lovely blogs for Jerome and 15 for Jess (but I need a bit more time, there are so many lovely bloggers who deserve the award) the deal is that I also have to reveal some things about myself (I'll do that in my next post :)

Have a lovely afternoon everyone 

take care,

Claudia xo

cafe series / a project

An idea I had a few years ago sat in my drawer for a very long time an then one day, a few months ago, I decided to bring it to life so I sketched it and now...well I've decided to share it
I wanted to create a collection of "work with a view" from (sitting at) famous cafes around the world. Here I'm showing my Rome and Paris sketches, the year: 1969, the look: faded, the colours: pale, muted, soft, like someone's (beautiful) memory.
It's a moment in time being caught forever on paper.

what do you think?



Claudia xo

A colonial homestead in country NSW

here

Built in the 1840's and recently restored this beauty is a fine example of what country NSW has on offer in terms of land and properties, for keen buyers/renovators. It's become a bit of a trend (lately), to own a "weekender" a place to escape to whenever possible and where to relax, slow down, de-stress even entertain family and friends on special occasions...Sounds great, doesn't it?
Personally I would love to own a country property (...one day...) perhaps starting form scratch (?) would be very rewarding (and satisfying for the designer in me?)...a lovely dream...I'll keep working at it :)

How about you? do you dream of owning a weekender? Or are you already living the dream?

Have a wonderful week :)


Claudia xo

Have a lovely week-end

wish you were here

A bit cold still here in Sydney but I'm happy it's Saturday (finally!)
Am a bit sore from yoga but feeling great. Went for a long walk this morning and felt energised afterwards...Bought some fresh flowers...I'm ready to tackle the w-end!

What are your plans? Anything exciting?

Hope you have a great one. Enjoy :)



Claudia xo