She's making a list, and checking it twice . . .

Is it that time already?

You'd better believe it, Christmas season has well and truly arrived.

In Adelaide, my family always kicked off the festivities with the Christmas Pageant. Only then were we allowed to start talking about the big man in red and the upcoming holidays. Mum put a stop to decorations though - we had to wait until 1 December to put the tree up and then of course, there was the opening of the first advent calendar door that was always a special occasion.

I'm going home this weekend for the cricket (my favourite time of the year) and can't wait to put up the Christmas tree with my niece and nephew at Mum and Dad's house. Then I have to come home and work out how I'll deck out my new little pad - I move into a new flat in two weeks and can't wait to style it up. Pink as far as the eye can see . . . and noone to complain :)

Moving house is always a good excuse to ditch the old and invest in the new. I am sick of living like a uni student in a share house and want to start enjoying the finer things in life. I'll be dusting off my Kate Spade plates and Laguiole cutlery and start living like a grown up for a change! The timing is also perfect to put in some sneaky requests for some home related Christmas presents from the fam.

And so we begin Kate's annual Christmas wishlist. As self indulged and spoilt as it must seem, it's so nice to pretend that money grows on trees!

I'd love a cool new doormat for my new flat. I'm up on the first floor and there are two other doorways in my little alcove so I want to make sure mine is the best dressed! The Woodsfolk have a great range, but there are so many cutesie ones out there.

I've been coveting these Celine sunglasses for a while now and am trying to get Mum to cave and buy them for me before Christmas so I can wear them to the cricket this weekend. She's adamant I need to wait until Christmas #firstworldproblems

Market shopping is one of my favourite things to do in the world. If I could swan around all day with a baguette and bunch of fresh flowers in my basket, I'd be the happiest girl on the planet. Lady Chatterley's Affair has just brought out the most fun Portobello Road Baskets that would make market shopping such an adventure. I've got my eye on the pink and green one (aka 'Watermelon Fizz') #hinthint

Food is always a safe bet with me as a gift. I love to give it and I love to receive it. I'm desperate to try out a famous Lune croissant and am psyching myself up to battle the early morning crowds over Summer. I'm trying to work out the best way to get around the queues and think maybe I've struck gold - a Lune Lab experience. Did someone say three courses of croissants? Yes please!

I'm all out of perfume and I feel like a half human. Dramatic, yes. Time to restock my Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia - let's go for the big bottle this time!

I am desperate for some new champagne flutes. Now that I'll be out on my own and it will be so much easier to entertain, I'll need some nice flutes for all that cheersing! I adore the stemless variety they use at Ombra. Can someone kindly track them down for me, please? And the recipe for the eggplant fritte while you're at it!

I'm loving my Spotify beats like noone's business and am struggling with the playback through my handset. Time to invest in some proper speakers - my old ones were for an ancient iPad and my new phone doesn't fit. Apple is infuriating like that. These Bose ones will do just nicely!

My current laundry bag is . . . my bedroom floor so it's time to get my grown up on and invest in some proper storage solutions. I'm open to suggestions, but I want it to look pretty in my room. Not like the blue, white and red striped bogan bag I use when Mum and Dad come to visit (because surely that's a step up from the floor?).

And there we have it. Kate's epic wish list for Christmas 2015.

I might add a few more down the track but it's a start (are you reading this, Mum?)

xx

Adore-able

One thing I miss about living in my own home, is the freedom to decorate a shared space in your own taste.

I took great pride in my coffee table stack in my living room in the Rads, but my share house in Melbourne doesn't have a coffee table, nor the support of my housemates to extend my penchant for the colour pink beyond my bedroom.

So I was over the moon when my gorgeous friend Kelly (mother of the world's cutest Godson, Max) gave me the new Adore coffee table book for my birthday. It's pink and it's gold and it's fabulous.

And it's the perfect addition to my little sanctuary upstairs at home.

My friend Melissa and I went along to the launch at West Elm on Chapel Street (eeek, papped above!) and it was lovely to meet Loni . . . and enjoy a glass of bubbles or two. Kelly flew over that weekend and we joined Loni on the Adore Home Shopping Tour around Melbourne.

What a brilliant day we had discovering hidden gems in my adopted home. I was all over the shopping haunts in Radelaide, but out of the loop in Melbourne, so this was the perfect way to get my bearings and find new faves.

Lunch was also delicious!

The highlight for me was Montebello Emporium in Camberwell. Tina, you will love it here! I picked up a gorgeous box of Liberty notecards and they have heaps of Kate Spade stationery in stock.

It was a huge day of shopping and I've made lots of notes of where I want to go back - present shopping will be so much easier now that I've found my feet!

Check out the loot I picked up - and most of it was from the generous goody bags from Adore and Safari Living.

V spoilt.

Thanks for making it an Adore-able birthday, Kelly!

xx

Lemon

TGIF friends!

It's been a good week, and it's going to be a great weekend.

Taking inspiration from one of my favourite TV characters Lemon Breeland and am going to reeeelax this weekend. I might get a manicure and sleep in and watch some catch up TV. I might even do some blogging - shock horror!

On the more active side, I'm also taking part in the Field of Women on the MCG on Saturday, and running the Mother's Day Classic with the fabulous and inspirational Bree. That girl can run. And I kind of 'joggle'. So it's going to be interesting. I've never run 8km in my life #whatwasithinkingsigningup?

Luckily I have my new iPhone arm band so I can look the part on Sunday. And I have some hot pink shorts I might pull out. Or not. Let's not scare the other runners. Stick with black Kate. Black is safe, black is slimming. Hot pink earrings will be enough.

I have also just received the gorgeous Adore book (the birthday celebrations continue!) from my friend Kelly and it's sensational, can't wait to flick through the colour on the weekend. Looking forward to the launch party on Thursday! Then we're all signed up for the Adore Shopping Tour next weekend, can't wait!

Wish me luck on my run!

Did you hear?

 

Did you hear?

 

 How am I the last person to find out?

 

Kate Spade is coming to Australia.

 

Hello Sandra Sully with the late news.

 

I'm beyond excited, ecstatic, I'm lost for words.

 

She's opening her doors tomorrow . . . in Melbourne. Yes, Melbourne. Where I live!

 

After much anticipation, Emporium is throwing open its doors and welcoming a bucketload of international designers to our shores. Uniqlo, Zoo York and Brooks Brothers are just some of the big names to be settling into my 'hood.

 

So much fashionable fun to be had in Melbs of late. I haven't even been to H&M yet, and am still in 'tourist' mode whenever I walk through Zara's doors. But Kate Spade? My mecca, my safe haven, my happy place. Only 15 mins away from my office and home. Too much. I'm giddy.

 

Such good timing with my birthday only two weeks away. Friends and family, you know what to do.

 

xx

Get your shop on

I have finally uploaded my pics from New York and thought I should share with you - after all, you suffered through the countdown as I prepared for the holiday of a lifetime so it only seems fair to give you a sneak peek of what I got up to.

I am going to break down the pics into categories to try and give it some order. Looking through them all, I'm alarmed by how many are photos of food. Is someone a bit obsessed? Possibly.

So here I begin reliving the fun . . . and we kick off with a shopping theme. I'm just so annoyed I forgot my camera at Woodbury Common. Now that was something else!

1. C.Wonder at Columbus Circle. Gorgeous. Colour to die for. Gorgeous jewels and patterns and homewares. Bought myself some leopard print flatties and also a few goodies for some friends. 2. Fifth Avenue.  Hello lover. 3. Tiffany & Co. What's a visit to NYC without taking home a little blue box? 4. Kate Spade New York in Soho. My kind of heaven. Bought a beautiful classic black purse for my birthday, care of my very generous girlfriends. 5. Eataly. Food lovers paradise. I was like a kid in a candy store! A must if you're struggling to find a good coffee. 6. ABC Carpet & Home. Beautiful store, just wish we'd had time to stop for lunch at ABC Kitchen. 7. Bergdorf Goodman. A NY institution.

Not a bad effort considering we had my Dad with us who doesn't care for shopping as much as us gals!

Pop goes the weasel

Have you heard?

It's so exciting!

Brown Button Trading is going 'real life'!

The gorgeous Kimberlee is holding a Pop Up Shop in a few weeks' time, perfect lead up to Christmas.

She'll have all the BBT goodies we know and love, pre-wrapped to make your life easier.

And did I mention there'll be bubbles!? Perfect.

If you're in the Adelaide hood, drop Kimbo an email and she'll send you through all the deets so you can head along.

Home theatre

Loved my latest issue of Vogue Living and was especially taken by this Italian transformation of a turn-of-the-century theatre into a modern loft.

All that light, it's just gorgeous!

Got me thinking of how I love high ceilings and a sense of grandeur.

And also how much I love it when a 'venue' is used in the most unexpected fashion. Like a church for a home, or an old tomato tin for a herb planter.

This recycled theatre concept is used beautifully in Adelaide at One Rundle Trading Co.

Those ceilings are just beautiful. Really adds to the shopping experience.

I'd love to set up a tea house in such an establishment - like The Tea Room in Sydney's QVB. Just gorgeous.

Cucumber sandwiches, citrus tarts, scones and jam and cream . . .

On that note, anyone for a cuppa? (My drink of choice during Dry July!)

Pics

An icy reception

Popped over to visit Miss Brown at the SFC the other night and celebrated the new house with a few ciders and some delicious Thai.

Miss Clements got us excited with her decorating talk and we spent hours surfing the net for side tables, bar carts, lamps, you name it.

But back to my area of expertise (because I'd hate to confuse a Hamptons style with Hollywood glamour!) . . . let's talk about the food and drinks.

I made my easy 'taco' dip but I'll save the recipe for you when I have a better pic. Kind of looks like your fridge has exploded unless you get the right angle.

On to the drinks. We cracked open a few Pipsqueaks by the fab team at Little Creatures and Kimberlee served them up in the most gorgeous coloured glasses. As Emma said, it was like we were in the Mediterranean somewhere.

But the wow factor for me (I'm so easily impressed!) was the shape of the ice cubes!

Kimberlee produced long, thin sticks of ice that were so much more elegant than your usual cube. They'd be GREAT for Pimms.

Further investigation has hunted them down at IKEA . . . and prepare yourself for the shock, but they're only 75c each! Bargain of the century!

So guess where I'm heading this weekend. And you know what? I might even pick up a heart tray while I'm there! Talk about breaking the bank!

Bag lady

Greetings dear friends!

How was your Christmas and all that jazz?!

We had a lovely little celebration at my parents' place - not without its fair share of dramas - but the turkey was moist, Michael Buble was cranked loud and Dad stayed awake the whole day, so a success in my books!

Hit the shops for my first little shopping adventure today and while I'd love to stroll the streets looking oh-so-stylish like the glamazon above, I have to confess I arrived home with only two pairs of shoes and one pair of bra - a boring nude coloured t-shirt style at that. 

How dull!

Hope you've all had some more luck and have found the perfect party dress for New Year's Eve . . . I'm still on the prowl (all that Christmas pudding has not made the search any easier - zips are somewhat harder to do up this side of the festive season!)

Happy holidays x

Pinterest

Good things come to those who wait

To say I'm excited would be an understatement.

Zara is moving to Adelaide and I'm like a kid before Christmas . . . only we're not really sure when this form of 'Christmas' will come! Lots of construction going on when I walked past last week, so surely before the end of the month?

The new Burnside Village is looking very chic. Even the lifts to the carpark are posh!

I'm just dreading the line ups. Ergh!

Vegetarians not invited

As daughter of a meat wholesaler, I consider myself a bit of a meat snob.

None of this minute steak business, it's all about a quality porterhouse for me - medium rare of course.

So you can imagine my joy when Emma returned from Sydney to tell me about this incredibly beautiful, over the top, decadent and mind blowing shop in trendy Woollahra . . . that was a butcher shop!

Victor Churchill. My spiritual home.

Finally, a shop that honoured the beauty and grandeur of a good cut of meat! (At this stage I should apologise to any vegetarian readers - nothing wrong with a slab of tofu every now and then, but I just can't lie about my love of red meat!)

The fit out has won many an award for the family business and Dreamtime Australia Design, including ‘Best in Retail’ at the 2010 Interior Design, Best of Year (BoY) Awards in New York.

With my penchant for parties, I was also weak at the knees for the beautiful Victor Churchill Events handbook that Emma brought back from the shop. What a gorgeous setting for a dinner party or cocktail celebration. And with a French chef at the helm? Perfection!

It's such a fabulous space that it played home to the oh-so-exclusive Chandon Supper Club, raising money for Camp Quality in 2010. ModelCo hosted an intimate dinner party for 12 in the butchery last year, with the 'paddock to plate' theme carried through into the gorgeous table centrepieces of moss, lamb tongue leaves and white cyclamens.

Click here for the menu . . .

Check out Grazia's coverage of the event here.

Righto, I think steak's on the menu for me tomorrow!

Pics from victorchurchill.com

Going Walnuts for my shoes

I have been coveting these Kate Spade shoes for aaaaages but a little thing called Mr Mortgage (oh, and my soft spot for spur of the moment tropical holidays) has reared its ugly head and put a stop to my flippant spending (well, almost)

So I was over the moon when I stumbled across these gorgeous hot pink suede ballet flats that will quite adequately fill the void in my heart.

Gosh, not the prettiest of angles (and let's ingore the horrid office carpet) but aren't they pretty shoes?! They are uber comfortable and well priced. Love my Walnuts.

Ahoy there!

Miss Kim has packed her bags and headed abroad.

No, she's not stranded on a desert island (although her luggage might be!), but when I searched 'philippines' in wehaeartit, I found this and thought it was much prettier than a pic of a hustling bustling city!

Stay in touch with her adventures over here.

Oh, and don't worry, it's still business as usual with the little shop! And I just can't WAIT to see what goodies she gets her mitts on overseas

xo

Have you met these lovelies?

Meet Lisa and Emma.

They are the masterminds behind White & Wander, the most fabulous, unique, eclectic approach to design I've seen in a long time.

There's something special about a mother and daughter team - and these ladies are no exception.

In their own words . . .

Introducing White & Wander's creators, mother & daughter, Lisa & Emma.

Emma, Creative Director, chief stylist and harbinger of the White & Wander signature style is author of the White & Wander blog which for four years has proven a tantalising ‘go to’ guide for friends seeking design inspiration.

Lisa, Managing Director, experienced business woman and master of the helm of the White & Wander mother ship has earnt her stripes creating beautiful interiors from the most unlikely of sources.

Emma & Lisa share a love of many things – fallow antlers, navy and white ticking, nautical themes, aged wicker, flags and their most favourite, heraldry – shown to advantage in the White & Wander logo.

Their love of and passion for design and style is contagious - it's so easy to get caught up in their enthusiasm.

And the best bit? They're from Adelaide!

 

Dive into their wonderland here.

Happy Launch Eve!

The buzz around blog world this week has been centred around the very exciting launch of Anna Spiro's absolutely beautiful things tomorrow.

Emma and I are headed to Brisbane tomorrow and look forward to coming up with the lady herself in the wake of the big launch.

Do you think she'll be tired, much!?

What an exciting concept . . .

I want to be the 20th person to place an order!

Read more about it here

PS. Thanks to everyone for their Brisbane "must dos". We have a very busy few days planned and I'll be sure to report back on our adventures next week x

Secret squirrels . . .

Okay, so not today but LAST FRIDAY!

(Hmm, yes, hello Sandra Sully with the late news, but I've been sans internet for the past week so please excuse me!)

The fabulous Emma has revealed the long awaited and highly anticipated masterpiece that is White & Wander.

Think old professor's study x art gallery x museum x boat shed x much loved barn.

It's an eclectic mix of whimsical treats.

In their words, "A discovery of time worn treasures and imperfect luxuries... "

Anna Spiro has posted a beautiful intro to the store here.

But get in quick - orders are flying in thick and fast and with so many unique finds, you've got to grab them while you can.

It's not every day you find a goat's head called 'Gruff' for sale online!