Are you or someone you know getting married soon or at least thinking about it? Do you have a penchant for fun, cute and different creative ideas? If so, you are sure to be inspired at the upcoming First Comes Love fair next weekend. In its’ second year running, First Comes Love is an alternative bridal fair for those seeking that little something different for their wedding. Run by super cool ladies Angela Mitchell and Leah Dent of Studio Bomba and Mitchell and Dent, the show is bound to be packed full of fun (and if it’s anything like last year), is sure to be a raging hit!

As part of All Of The Above Creative, I have been asked to design the stall for this year. I am really excited about my ideas and have been busily propping the last few weeks. Watch out for the AOTA stall and have a chat to the lovely Emma and Hannah, they love visitors! There will be plenty of loveliness to see from stalls including Paper Fusion, On A Whim, Mr Sparrow and The Seventh Duchess, just to name a few.

If this sounds like your kind of thing be sure to check it out. The fair will take place at The Oxford Hotel in Leederville on Saturday, May 26th and Sunday, May 27th from 11am till 4pm. Tickets are selling for $10 at the door.

You may also like...

Tags: , , , , , :: Leave a Comment »

Whilst flicking through my favourite Donna Hay books yesterday for a bit of dinner inspiration, a couple of soup recipes jumped out at me and I knew it was the perfect solution for a quick and tasty Autumn dinner. In the end I decided to go with my Mum’s famous, tried and tested pumpkin soup recipe. With a couple of unexpected ingredients like apple and a pinch of curry powder, this is a real kicker with packs of flavour and a family favourite. I did use a few alternatives (you could omit the curry powder if too spicy for little mouths) but it was still delish. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Soup

1 brown onion, finely  diced (I used half a red onion as we were out!)
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 a sweet potato (optional)
1kg peeled pumpkin, diced (I used queensland blue but many pumpkin varieties would work.)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Granny Smith apple (chopped with peel left on)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 cups of chicken (or vegetable) stock
1 cup water
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1/2 cup of pouring cream or milk
Dry chives to serve
Bread to serve

Place all ingredients (except cream and chives) into a pressure cooker (or whatever pot you have available to cook with!) and allow to cook for 15 minutes on high (a regular saucepan or pot would take longer, maybe 40 mins on high). Allow to cool for 10 mintues and blend ingredients in the pot with a hand blender. Add milk or cream and stir through. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or extra pouring cream, a sprinkling of chives and salt and pepper to taste, and some crunchy bread. Yum, yes?!

 

 

You may also like...

Tags: , , , , :: Leave a Comment »

All photographs by Meghan Plowman

I have decided to begin a series of posts called verge finds; documenting all the wonderful and interesting things we find on our adventures throughout Perth.Essentially this is what The Orchard is all about, celebrating a love of the found item and ways in which to use them for creative projects.

To give you a brief background as to how Dave and I became what we call ‘Pickers’ (Our American inspiration airs on Wednesday nights on 7Mate), I must admit it began long before I even knew what styling was, when I was around 10 years old. My Dad always manned the ‘trash and treasure’ stall at the school fete each year, bringing us home a box of goodies which he selected for us three kids individually. Be it a netball ring, an old cutlery set, dust covered books or even an intricately cut glass ornament, I found a real joy going through the pieces. They had a story, and often a lot of character. My Dad has a great eye for that, and maybe I inherited it from him. Now I think of it, at any fair or fete we attended when I was growing up, I would often find myself drawn to and easily losing myself at the second hand stall, patiently taking in piece by piece in the crowded displays in the hope of finding that rare trinket, and some history along with it.

This interest of mine was ignited a few years back when it was verge side collection in my neighborhood. I found an old dusty timber chair and instantly thought of what it could look like if painted and with bit of a spruce up, perhaps even a cushion in a great fabric. I asked my Dad to jump out and get it, and to my surprise his response -  yes the man who introduced me to and appreciates junk collection – was, “What are you going to do with that?!” I simply told him “You’ll see!” Since then, I haven’t looked back (except if we drove past something that caught my eye) and what Dave and I have also found is a shared interest which led to us quickly becoming pickers!

So, now onto one of our most exciting finds of the season! Last year we came upon what could only be a deceased estate, and I think that the story in the items on that verge collection was by far the most interesting we have come by, one that made me positively giddy with excitement. We gathered that the previous owner was a doctor back in the 30′s by the mounds of first aid kits and vintage medical equipment, medical history books and maps with dates and bookmarked with birth certificates! After picking up a few small items and watching afternoon turn to dusk, Dave came across this old Imperial typewriter wrapped in a garbage bag. After an impulse victory dance, we actually ran to the car like thieves we couldn’t believe our luck. I am so proud to own and display this rescued piece of history and sometimes wonder just how many prescriptions were typed out on this in days gone by….

 

You may also like...

Tags: , , , :: Leave a Comment »

In any season, particularly the cooler months, I simply can’t resist soft, earthy neutrals. But I am loving the pops of fresh berry and citrus brights seeping into design collections as of late. The unexpected bursts of colour make for great features. I might just have to add a splash of raspberry somewhere this Winter, even if it’s an inspired floral arrangement to brighten things up. Are you daring enough to incorporate these into your interiors?

Links: {Clockwise from top left} Dream velvet sofa, succulent by Scott, Smeg fridge, photo by Lara Robby / Studio D for Country Living,  the beautiful ‘Jake’ chair from Koskela, Graham and Brown wallpaper.

You may also like...

Tags: , , :: Leave a Comment »

Bedroom furniture, like any furniture, is a really personal choice and will determine the kind of look you want to give your place of rest in the home.

Recently I have seen some really creative and interesting ways to incorporate bed heads into a room, and they aren’t necessarily expensive or your typical idea of what a headboard might be. These inspiring ideas are a good reminder that things can be done in a different and inexpensive way, to achieve stylish and unique results.

Credits: 1.Framed bed head idea 2. Lovely, inexpensive and personal project by House Tweaking 3.A cool stencil 4. Shelving in place of a bedhead – functional and pretty, 5. Reclaimed doors to create height, My favourite – a great use for an old palette!

You may also like...

Tags: , , , :: Leave a Comment »

Above are a few snapshots from the launch evening of the Fabricate Exhibition, a collaborative effort between myself and fashion stylists and All Of The Above Creative directors Emma Bergmeier and Hannah McGrath. AOTA is Perth’s newest creative agency representing fashion stylists, photographers and makeup artists and I’m excited to have now joined the team as their interiors, food and prop stylist!

The exhibition held at the AOTA pop up studio at 140 William a couple of weeks ago was a great opportunity for us to showcase our different styling  skills. The theme for the exhibition (and also the affectionately named studio), was ‘urban woodlands’. I had such a fun day with Emma, Hannah and the team to bring my ideas to life, and it was a great turnout at the launch. Thank you to my friends and family for their support!

There’s lots of exciting things going on in the growing heart of Perth at the moment, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. If you are interested to know more info on just some of these encouraging projects, head on over to the 140 site.

You may also like...

Tags: , , , , :: 1 Comment »

After a pretty hectic week, I am looking forward to a chilled weekend which involves a fun styling meeting for a close friends’ new wedding gift business, Little Sparrows, then off to help paint the new (joint) kid’s room for my niece and nephew. We are thinking stripes!

I hope everyone has a refreshing weekend…

Image by Bùi Linh Ngân

You may also like...

Tags: , , :: Leave a Comment »

I don’t know about you, but amongst my busyness I’m finding it challenging to keep up with all my reading – a good indication is the slowly growing stack of magazines waiting for me and a relaxing Sunday!

This past week I finally picked up my January issue of Franki (I told you I was behind!), and as usual was engaged from cover to cover. Especially to my delight, was the article about ‘No Lights No Lycra’, a now international dance movement class for those who don’t like the formalities of a typical dance lesson. How does dancing in the dark to your own groove sound? Pretty awesome I thought. Coming from formal ballet and jazz training I have always loved dancing but not necessarily the structure or competition of it all. Give me an empty room, a radio and I’m a happy girl!

After checking out the NLNL site I saw they do classes in Perth, so if you are local check out the NLNL facebook page for more class details. I look forward to letting loose in the dark!

Image from B for Bonnie

 

You may also like...

Tags: , :: Leave a Comment »

I hope everyone had a terrific easter weekend. I have always loved Easter times spent with family and friends. It means trips away, cooler weather and of course lots of afternoon teas with guilt free treat tasting! With my sister Heather expecting her third bub in June, she asked me to paint her belly and photograph as an extra special memory of the season. I’m so happy with how it turned out and we had such fun too.

You may also like...

Tags: , , , :: Leave a Comment »