Apartment 34: Live Here, Decorate With This

Until that moment arrives when we actually can buy a beach shack of our own, we'll have to be satisfied drooling over homes like the one above, which just so happens to belong to furniture designer, Mark Tuckey.  

I was lucky enough to share my slight obsession with his home over on the Apartment 34 blog this past week as part of the 'Live Here, Decorate With This' series. I'm a huge fan of this US blog and can't thank blogging superstar Erin enough for choosing my post - admittedly I did a little happy dance when I saw it! 

i heart newtown

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, city living agrees with me (my skin not so much, but that’s another story). Now it probably seems strange to move to Australia and then move away from the beaches (where we previously lived) and delve further inland but I have to admit that lately I’m loving the whole city vibe. Despite the noisy traffic and the gas station that blew up down the road, I’m really digging Newtown. 

For starters I actually like walking everywhere (which is lucky since we don’t actually have a car at the moment) and it  helps burn off the dozen or so pastizzi’s I consume on a weekly basis (yes there's an insanely good café across the road and I blame them completely for any weight gain I’ve experienced. I simply can’t resist them). Secondly I love that I never have to go far to get something delicious to eat or drink. Every single time we go out there are 20 different options in either direction and it makes meeting up with friends the most painless experience ever.

On the weekends I’ve taken to exploring the side streets only to have fallen in love with the cute Victorian terraces that are most certainly out of my price range but do provide endless photos ops and day dreaming. So in my own way I’m getting to live the NYC (read: Carrie Bradshaw) experience that I always wanted but never had. The only thing different is that I’m not anywhere near NYC, I rarely run down King St in heels, in no way does my apartment (or wardrobe) resemble that of Ms. Bradshaw's and my face most certainly isn't on the side of a Newtown bus. Well, not that I know of...

adore home magazine

Sydney turned on her charm this past weekend with some unbelieveable weather, putting what seemed like the entire city in high spirits and ready for summer. I normally love quiet weekends but this one was action packed and but yet somehow perfectly busy. 

On Friday night I finally got to meet Loni from Adore Home magazine. Despite briefly working for her, we have never actually met so it was fun to finally say hello in person at the magazine’s 2nd birthday party held at the stunning Passionate About Design (PAD) store in Waterloo. It was great to see Jen, Emma, Leanne and other familiar faces and a perfect way to end a busy week – but the weekend was just getting started.  

On Saturday morning I was up bright and early to meet up with my old college roommate, Heather, who I hadn’t seen in over 10 years. She was in Sydney for work and we had an amazing day walking around Surry Hills, grabbing breakfast on Bourke St, touring the botanical gardens and walking around Circular Quay. I loved catching up with her and and getting to see the city through someone else’s eyes. Later that day I popped into Koskela to check out the Ritual exhibit before meeting the girls for a much needed night out.It was action packed and although I’m tired just thinking about it, it was just what I needed.

sports girl

I’m the first one to admit that I don’t know any of the rules to Australian footy but that didn’t stop me from having a great time at last week’s Manly game. I was even caught dancing on the ‘dance cam’ which triggered flashbacks to the Red Sox game I went to a few years back and was caught on national TV, in an extreme close up, shoving a hot dog into my face. I didn’t realise that beautiful moment was actually shared and captured on live TV until I started receiving texts from people I hadn't spoken to in years, all asking me how the hot dog tasted. Classy…

Luckily I kept the embarrassing moments to a minimum the next afternoon as we met up with Jimmy’s extended family for a game of lawn bowls, a sport that is much more my speed. You have to love any country that embraces a sport that requires you to lounge around barefoot, in the sun, with a cold drink waiting on the sidelines. The best part? There wasn’t a TV crew in sight…

p.s. - a huge thanks to Erin over at Apartment 34 for featuring my blog post in her Friday links!

what would you tell your 25 year old self?

The week I turned 25 I ran my first marathon and got drunk at the Playboy Mansion.  

I sat near Marilyn Manson as he played pinball and waited for his then wife, Dita Von Teese, to get ready for her burlesque show. Later she did a striptease while splashing around in a life size champagne glass (as you do) and yes, just for the record her skin really is that flawless. Needless to say it was a pretty surreal week (well worth the hangover) but as I sit here now writing this post, wearing my Snuggie and watching How I Met Your Mother, that time in my life, living in LA, suddenly seems like a million years ago. Okay, maybe even 2 million...

When I saw this post from Erin at Apartment 34 and then this one, it got me thinking about what I would tell my younger self at the ripe old age of 25. It made me think about the places I’ve seen, the people I’ve met and the many unbelievable moments I’ve experienced and accumulated in the 8 years since that memorable birthday. It made me happy to think about how much I’ve changed and how much I’ve stayed the same. 

Here’s the profound pieces of wisdom I’d impart on my younger self…

• Run. Far and fast, for as long as you can…your knees will never be the same
• Call home more often. Someday you’ll be even further away and wish you had
• Wear sunscreen…every day
• Live in the moment but accept you’ll always be a wanderer and a dreamer. That’s a good thing
• Soak up those beautiful west coast sunsets…you’ll miss them (*same for In & Out burgers)

• You’re single. Be confident, have too much fun, sleep in the middle of the bed, don't return his call, control the remote - enjoy it
• You will get to travel and it will change your life - stop stressing about it
• Happiness will hit you like a train on a track. You won’t see it coming but your heart will never be the same
• Quit your job, sell your stuff and don’t look back. It will all be worth it…I promise
• And for god’s sake, start a blog

* Me and my LA ladies..photo circa 2004.

save the date - cwc sydney

Save the date...
27 October, 2-4pm. 
You’ll want to mark your calendars for this event – trust me.

Very excited to announce that the CWC will finally be hosting an event in Sydney in just a few weeks, which is great news for all you local creative ladies.  I’ve been writing over on the CWC blog for a while now and continue to be impressed with founder (and new mum) Tess McCabe.  She’s a bit of a wonder woman and where she finds the time is beyond me, but she’s put together a little event that promises to be a great afternoon and one you won’t want to miss. 

Can’t say more at the moment but I’m excited to be lending a hand and will keep you posted once more details are available…watch this space.

the week that was

Blogging has taken a bit of a backseat this week (thank god for Instagram) and I've been feeling a bit all over the place - it a good way. I feel more relaxed than I have in ages, I'm back at the gym (shocking!) and I'm really looking forward to the months ahead. Good things are happening, I can feel it in my bones and summer is almost here, bring it on I say. 

Since getting back from our trip it's been a blur of catching up with family and friends, doing laundry, missing home, then more laundry, getting through the work days and trying to squeeze in some time for rooftop drinks. A word to the wise...always make time for rooftop drinks.

p.s - a big shout out to the beautiful ms mango on her engagement - let the planning begin!

L.A Story

Everyone in LA drives.

At least during the five years that I lived there, it certainly seemed that way. I had an '88 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera called the Tom Flurkey (the ultimate granny mobile) and I drove everywhere. I loved that car.  

Geographically speaking, LA lends itself to adventure. Yes the traffic is horrific but the vast freeways beckon. When I first moved there, my friend Kristin and I would hop in the Flurkey and take a drive every Sunday. We were homesick, jobless, carefree and the open road provided us with cheap entertainment and the endless promise of possibility. Oh to be young again...

After a sad farewell in Boston, we had a 12 hr layover in LA on our way back to Sydney so I jumped at the chance to distract myself with a cruise around my old haunts. We hung out in Santa Monica and Venice, drove through Bel Air and Beverly Hills before ending up in Hollywood for a long awaited trip to In & Out burger - it was worth the wait. Other than locking our keys in the car while in Venice, the rest of the day went off without a hitch. Just as you'd expect it was warm, sunny, relaxing and as a bonus I didn't even get lost once...the only thing missing was the Flurkey.