Stormy Seas

I spent many hours and days of my childhood playing in the surf at Wainui Beach. As I grew older I became a little intimidated by the ocean and it's strength, but I've never stopped admiring it's beauty. I am drawn to the colours - the glittering turquoise of a calm sea, and the emerald greens and deep teals of a stormy sea.

It's this rich, dark, and moody palette that I'm really loving right now. I love the drama and the sophistication it brings to a room. I would recommend using these colours in a room with plenty of natural light, because you get the most beautiful effect as the light moves and changes in the room. If the room lacks natural light the colour may just appear a bit flat.

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Despite the fact that my school uniform was green and blue, I still love this combination in an outfit. Choose shades with some depth for maximum impact.

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If you're not sure about using these deeper colours on your wall, start by introducing them in smaller doses. Whenever you're working with colour, whether it's in your home or your wardrobe, make sure it moves you (in a good way). What colours are you drawn to when you enter a shop? What pages stop you in your tracks in a magazine? These are the colours you should be surrounding yourself with.

Girl in Sea Print: Bibby + Brady | Deadly Ponies Handbag: Superette | Resin Bowl: Dinosaur Designs | Monmouth Tumbler: Mekka | Essie Nail Polish: Farmers | Ceramic Whale: Bibby + Brady | Burberry Prorsum Jacket: Sohelee Tahmina | Luxembourg Bar Trolley: Jardin | Blue Velvet Sofa: order via Bibby + Brady

Coastal Mood Board | Saben

Happy Monday to you all, here's to another fabulous week! I recently put together a mood board that reflects our coastal lifestyle here in New Zealand, and the relaxed-chic style we, at Bibby + Brady, love so much. Our inspiration was a selection of gorgeous Saben handbags in soft sky blue, warm caramel, and glamorous gold - Yasmin, Charlotte & Tilly's Big Sis...

What's your favourite colour palette? Look all around you for inspiration, and use it as a leaping off point for decorating your home. Pop over here for some more tips.

Tech Wish List

My eldest daughter turns 12 in a week, and it seems she shares my love of cool tech accessories - she's left me a ton of clues for birthday presents. The wish list below is mine, but it does cross over with my daughter's (she might get one of these if she's lucky). If you need a USB cable or a charger, you may as well make it a good looking one!

Skinnydip London USB iPhone 5 cable | Layla rose gold headphones | Nacre striped iPhone 5 case
Ban.do back me up mobile charger (also available from Alex Fulton Design) | Clare Vivier oversize clutch
- to hold my laptop and accessories | Kate Spade bluetooth speaker

New Tassel Necklaces

It's a particularly busy time for me at the moment... Dael & I are working with some fabulous Bibby + Brady clients helping with their interiors; as well as ordering some great new pieces for our online store. A new order of tassel necklaces has just arrived, and no sooner do I put them into the shop, then they are flying out to happy customers. They make great gifts also, as they're small for posting, and always well received.

We have some amazing new art on it's way, and some new additions to our poufs, did someone say velvet?! Our hairpin tables (featured here) will be joining our other new products. We made a first small run to see how they would be received, and sold out of them straight away. We are working at getting some more to you very soon, and they will be available to order with the option to customise the leg colour. So keep watching this space, and I'll be sure to blog about all our new arrivals. Have a fab weekend!

Ses + Jen Online Shop

I first met Ses and Jen when I featured Ses' cool home on the blog last year (see more here). The colour-loving mother and daughter duo share a passion for interior and fashion design. You can imagine my excitement when I heard that they were launching an online shop stocking all their favourite pieces for your home and wardrobe.

Yesterday the postie delivered a beautifully wrapped package from the girls, and I got my first taste of the goodness they're stocking.

I love my Ourlieu Jungle Kitty Clutch, it's just the right size for all my essentials - phone, purse, lippy, iPad mini. Thanks so much Ses + Jen!

The store is jam-packed with delicious colourful and patterned, quality pieces from their favourite designers. I wouldn't expect anything less from the stylish pair.

Here are few more of my favourite products, all going straight onto my wish list. Go and have a look for yourself, and make sure you sign up to their mailing list to see all new arrivals and specials offers.

Birthday Wish List

Today is my birthday! Yay, it's shaping up to be a brilliant day. I decided the perfect post for today would be a selection of items on my wish list.

The Gerard Bar Cart is just a dream, as it would cost too much to ship it from Australia. I haven't been able to find similar in New Zealand, so maybe I'll have to have one made! 

I really need one of these cute Back Me Up Mobile Chargers, as I often chew through my phone's battery life when I'm out & about. 

I've already got the Absolutely Beautiful Things book on order, but it's not due til the end of the month - can't wait.

I love this Vince Camuto gold bangle, and the "V" for Vic is a sure sign it's meant for me.

This Hay chair has been on my wishlist for quite some time, and I really hope to have six of them around my dining table one day. Love, love, love!

I loved the first Roundie towel that was released, but this Moroccan-inspired Majorelle Roundie towel is my favourite, and a must for me this Summer.

I recently bought a MacBook Pro, so I can blog on the go, and now I need to find the perfect laptop bag. I'm a big fan of Clare Vivier, and her Oversize Clutch is a front runner.

La Luna Rose Jewellery

Dael & I are so excited about our newest arrivals in the shop. We have selected a gorgeous range of La Luna Rose jewellery designed by the lovely and free-spirited Rosie Shelton. The pieces combine sterling silver with beautiful Japanese glass beads, which add a fabulous splash of colour and pattern. Rosie's love of colour and endless travel has resulted in this amazing jewellery - pieces of happiness for you to wear.

These have already proven super popular, before we were even able to get them into the shop, so pop over quickly and check out the whole selection. As some of the pieces have started to sell out, please don't despair if your favourite has gone - drop me an email and I will put your request in with our next order. With summer and Christmas just around the corner, these pieces will make great gifts, and will definitely enhance your wardrobe for the party season.

A Touch of Gold | Three Ways

I love gold! The smallest addition can make the biggest impact. The emerald green wall below is stunning, but add the gold mirror and it takes it to a whole new level.

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A painted front door is a lovely welcome, but a gold painted front door is extra special!

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I love a touch of gold in the wardrobe. I've just bought these boots, and they are my new faves. I love the style and the length, but it was the gold details that sold me on them.

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Here are a few more ways you can bring some gold into your home and life...

Adore book | Harriet sandal | triangle pendant | Moroccan pouf
Tilly clutch | petite gold cutlery | hammered candle

Winter Warmers

Winter is only days away, and it certainly feels like it's already here. Some people complain about the wintery cold, but I say 'embrace it'! We knew it was coming, it's not going away for a few months, so what's the point in complaining about it? Winter to me is hot chocolates, open fires, snuggly socks, good movies, and red wine - enjoy.

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I love getting cosy, and the change in temperature is an excellent excuse to get shopping. A new wooly blanket over the sofa, some cute pjs that you can put on as soon as you get home, a yummy scented candle. Here are a few things to tempt you...

lambswool throw |  kaleido mug | cable knit cushion
vanilla bean candle | mug cosy | pompom hat | pyjamas

Pony Lane

I'm excited to introduce you to a fabulous online homewares and gift store belonging to Wellington sisters, Karina and Jennifer. When travelling overseas they filled their suitcases with treasures and souvenirs, and friends back home were very envious of their finds. 

After many requests for items on their next trip, the girls decided to share the love and Pony Lane was born. Instead of packing items into their luggage, these days crates of goodness are delivered straight to their door.

Pony Lane products are individually sourced with a focus on everyday staples for the home. But they're also the exclusive stockist of the gorgeous range of 'Craft Me Up' products by a third clever sister, Angela. As a big fan of Florence Broadhurst fabric, I absolutely love Angela's cushion range, and she also creates a fabulous range of bags and jewellery.

This is a just a fraction of what's on offer at Pony Lane, so pop over and see more. Be sure to check back, and follow them on Facebook, as the sisters plan on many more treasure hunts to share with you.

YouShop | part two

You may remember my first post about YouShop, a service by New Zealand Post. It allows you to set up a free account on their website and provides you with a shipping address in the US and the UK. It means you can purchase items you previously couldn't because of their lack of international shipping. By having an international YouShop address, your products will be shipped to the YouShop warehouse in that country, and New Zealand Post will handle the shipping to New Zealand.

My first YouShop order was a Kate Spade purse to hold my business cards. I'd been looking for something for this purpose and hadn't found quite what I wanted. Kate Spade are based in New York and don't ship to New Zealand, so I used my US address. Even better, Kate Spade offer free shipping in the US, so there was no extra cost to ship my purse to Oregon.

I received an email from YouShop New Zealand Post, once my parcel reached their US warehouse, with the cost of the shipping to New Zealand. If you want to have an idea of what this will be before you purchase, check out the YouShop pricing on their website. I simply logged into my YouShop account and paid for the shipping online.

I was kept up to date with the progress throughout the whole process. An email arrived to confirm payment, and another once the parcel was on it's way to me. When my purse arrived in Auckland I was informed that it was clearing customs, and once it had, another email informed me that the expected delivery time would be 1-3 days. It was comforting to have that regular contact and know what was happening, and I was really happy with the overall shipping time of three weeks from purchase to delivery.

I love my purse, it's perfect for holding all my cards, and slips nicely into my well-worn, much loved Clare Vivier clutch. I definitely recommend you all to set up your own YouShop account, and I know I'll be using mine again.

The offices of Free People

Have you heard of Free People? It's one of my favourite online fashion shops - down to earth, free-spirited, Boho at it's best. They have a great background story too, which you can read here.

I recently stumbled upon the amazing offices of Free People while reading French blog, Garance Doré. I've worked in some cool, and some not-so-cool office in the past, but if any of them had been as fabulous as this, it would've been a pleasure going to work each day.

Located in Philadelphia, they reflect the Free People image perfectly - relaxed and cool - and are complete with a book store, two restaurants, a workout room, and you can even take your dog to work - yay! With meeting rooms everywhere you can choose where you want to work, which is super inspiring. Especially in a creative job, you sometimes just need a fresh environment to recharge your brain and your senses.

It's obvious Free People value their staff and treat them accordingly. What do you think... would you be happy to work in this environment?