Stylist Anna Church's Island Sanctuary

I picked up the latest Inside Out Magazine and completely fell in love with Anna Church's home. Anna is both a successful stylist, having worked for many of New Zealand's lifestyle brands and magazines, and an artist.

She lives on the beautiful Waiheke Island and has turned a seaside shack into a stylish family home with a relaxed beachy vibe. Her talent of arranging objects is evident throughout the home. Go check out her portfolio and artwork here.

(Images: Kevin Emirali for Inside Out)

Bedroom sanctuary

Some people's bedrooms are a calm sanctuary, mine in all honesty is usually a complete mess. I have an inability to put clothes away and they end up all over the floor and bed. I must have always been like that as I remember my mother regularly threatening to throw everything out the winder. My poor husband has reluctantly gown used to it - but that's ok because it's really the only flaw I have (hahaha).

Since I have started studying again our bedroom also functions as my office and I have a little desk set up in there. I found it hard to concentrate when the room is messy, so now I just throw everything into my wardrobe before I sit down in the mornings - easy!

You might recognise the painting from our lounge in our old apartment in Germany here

I do like it in our bedroom as it's very soothing. Another bonus is that a canvas on your head at night during an earthquake hurts less than a wooden picture frame. Got to keep these things in mind around here :-)

I have only one more week to go until the Uni semester finishes and will hopefully have some more time to visit this space. I have also been busy sewing up a storm - my bump is growing by the day and these maxi skirts are a lifesaver. I whipped up three yesterday - so easy. 

Tschüss...

I'm back!

helllooooo! I am back and I have certainly missed this space and my blog break turned into a rather long absence. Will you believe me when I say I have been busy?

My last post was in May, and we were just heading into winter. I can't blame you for wondering if I had gone into hibernation :-) Turns out I have done quite the opposite, I started working part time, enrolled in postgraduate studies at University AND created another little human being which if all goes well will be joining our family in early January.

The New Zealand winter has been mild but felt long nonetheless. I am excited about spring and noticed that I have been taking a lot more photos now that the days are getting longer and the light is all that much brighter. 

With life so busy I felt that one thing had to give and it was this space - now that I have settled into a routine and things are ticking along nicely I feel ready once again to devote time to my own blog and of course to my dear reader's blogs as well - something I have been missing very much. 

I have so much to show you and I hope you will once again join me on my journey.

Tschüss...

German "Gemütlichkeit"

Hello friends, thank you for stopping by today. While the northern hemisphere is enjoying the start of spring, down here autumn has definitely arrived. The days are getting shorter and cooler but the air is crisp and clear. I love the mood of autumn - the leaves are turning golden and we can witness the most amazing sunsets and sunrises above the sea. More time is spent indoors than out and while we love wrapping up and bracing the cool winds we love coming home to a hot drink and that lovely feeling of german "Gemütlichkeit".

My long awaited Moroccan plate arrives all the way from Germany. I simply couldn't find one here at a reasonable price and so turned to the wonderful Dagi who sent one all the way around the world for me. I love it and it will no doubt get used in many ways as I decorate my home.

Last week I was invited to my friend Fran's new house. I was very impressed with her little slice of paradise. She spoilt us with the most delicious afternoon tea and after a little search I found the recipe online. I was cutting a few corners and used my bread maker to knead and rise the dough but you can find the full recipe here.

One of my big projects last months was making four little flower girl dresses. I loved the job and was pleased with the way they turned out. Sewing was once a huge part of my life but with two little ones it is tricky - now that they are getting older and one is at kindergarten I am hoping to steal a few hours here and there to get back into it. Who knows where it may lead...

Finally I went on a major hunt for some bedding for the boys. I spent what felt like a whole month searching for something that did not have Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder or any other cartoon figure on it. Bad enough they watch these things on tv they don't have to dream of it at night :-) I wanted something plain and simple that would work with a red roman blind I made for their room. 

I finally found a blue and white striped cover and it works perfectly with their small letter cushions I made for their old room in Germany (here).

The room is tiny but sleeping is all they do in it and they have a large playroom for all their toys.

With one million interruptions by my little one this post has only taken me 3 hours to complete :-) 

See you again soon, I promise.

Tschüss...

Weekend Getaway

I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend.
Today I want to share some photos of a trip we went on a couple of weeks ago. We visited friends In Dunedin, which is about five hours south of Christchurch. It was lovely to get away from the city and once more appreciate this magical country we call home.

Oamaru was our first stop for the night. The small town along the coast has a beautiful historic part with Victorian buildings constructed of the famous Oamaru stone.

Our next stop was Moeraki - the home of the famous Fleur's Place and of course the boulders - clusters of perfectly round stones that have formed over millions of years and now sit in the sand like sleeping giants.

Container Art in Christchurch

Thank you for stopping by today. It is a beautiful late summer day and I am lapping up every bit of sun knowing we are heading into autumn. 

Christchurch as you may know has been devastated by many earthquakes over the last 18 months and although life has returned to normality for most people there are constant reminders of mother natures forces - one being shipping containers. This might seems strange to people but shipping containers have been used around the city for many purposes. 

The city mall which was almost entirely destroyed has been turned into the first container mall in the world.

You can read more about it here.

  

Containers are also used to temporarily hold up historic buildings and protect roads agains rock fall. 

Obviously containers aren't a pretty sight so a clever initiative was started by local artists to turn them into giant art canvases. Below are just a few of the banners that are gracing containers around the city. I absolutely love them and hope to see many more being put up over the next coming months.

I really love how Christchurch people are quick to turn tragedy into an opportunity to start something new and different . Art in any shape or form brightens our lives - and even more so in this case. 

The first two and the last image are curtesy of Becker Fraser photos - for more of their official Christchurch EQ images you can visit their gallery here.

I hope you all have a very relaxing weekend. I will be going on a big hunt for my easter decorations box which somehow seems to have gone missing after our big move. 

Tschüss...