My visit to the Donna Hay Store in Sydney

Ever since I spied my first glance at a

Donna Hay

magazine, I have been quite impressed over just how 

gorgeous her styling is for every dish

put up on each page.

Love her or loathe her,

you gotta admit, 

Donna Hay could make wall-paper paste look delicious 

simply by the light, the angle and the vessel in which 
she (and her team of stylists) select and then photograph it!

In thinking about what's in my cupboards, (or at the moment my boxes)

without even realizing it 

somewhere since spying that first magazine,

 I guess I have aspired to have a similar collection of both 
modern and vintage

cakes stands, bowls, platters and dishes,

wire 'bread' baskets, french onion chopping boards, 

and dinner sets (all white dinner sets of course) including some of Ms Hays range, which are yet to be opened, 
bought through David Jones a few years ago in anticipation for the renovated kitchen I will have one day! 

Most of my collected vessels are currently in storage awaiting the end of this renovation...

and this ever growing collection goes on 

with every little op-shop and market, bric-a-brac and antiques stall I mooch past.

The reason I have amassed this collection is so, 

 I too,

can serve up the delicious dishes set forth in each

magazine!

Only thing is - I rarely get around to whipping up a 5 layer Chocolate torte,

let alone a apple and fennel salad with salted caramel pecans! 

(See pg 156 of Issue 60 if you're after that recipe) 

With a half built house and much of what we own tucked up and in storage,

my family consider themselves blessed 

if 'mum' can be bothered pulling up whatever I have managed to stick to the base of the pot 

let alone plonking it out onto a plate 

(but at this point I should let it be known 

that I am using all my Very best chipped 'n'ugly crockery as we shlep through this renovation)  

So when our invitation to attend a wedding in Sydney was received,

I was a little giddy!

Not because of the wonderful opportunity that attending a wedding presents 

in being a part of the blessing and celebration of two souls committing their love to one another for eternity 

 or going off shopping for new shoes, outfits, accessories, and make-up... 

I was instead giddy with the possibility of at last 

making the 800km trek up the Hume Highway in the car 
(albeit with the family) 
to go see the 

 Donna Hay Store

which I have rambled and blabbered about wanting to visit - for ages!

(Much like this post - I hear you thinking)

Anyhoo, we were lucky to squeeze our visit in between

the wedding ceremony held in the morning

and the reception which was scheduled in the evening!
So with the rest of the VintageNobility crew that afternoon, 
I managed to hotfoot it across town
to that little shop in Holdsworth St.

So here are some promised pics of the lovely little bits to be found at   

The Donna Hay store 

40 Holdsworth Street, Woollahra NSW 2025

(02) 9328 6555 

When we arrived we were offered a coffee to sip while browsing - how good is that!

I think my 15yr old son ate 2 of those chocolate brownies while we were there!

Bought a few of those little enamel pie dishes!

Love that shade of blue!

Up the stairs we go

To discover towers of pretty Cake Stands!  

Pretty pink bowls! 

Must get me green juicer next time! 

And maybe a jug! 

The Lovely Ali, 

taking great care in wrapping up my purchases for the long trek back to Melbourne! 

A big thank you to both Ali and Poppy for looking after us during our visit, both the ladies made us all feel so welcome as we browsed and as I wandered about with my big cheesy grin urhmming and arrhing over what to purchase!

Can you guess what I bought?

Underneath the blue tissue is something big and Pink!


Hope you enjoyed the my little tour of the Donna Hay store too!


Love&Light my dears...


VintageNobility


Please note - this post is purely a personal account and there is no profit or kickback for my ramblings and love for this shop...it's all from the heart and purely for your enjoyment!

Connecting one to another!

So it's almost the end of our beloved January!


It was a busy month for me and the family here in this 
'Worlds Longest Renovation'


We have worked hard, and somewhere in between the hard work
we also had a quick drive & 3 day fling in Sydney, 
where we attended a 
Beautiful wedding at a most gorgeous venue called 
Curzon Hall





and as you can see I had fun posing while we waited for the bride and groom arrive! 





After our 3 day fling we returned to the half-built home





with the realization that these long lazy days are coming to a close!

1. 

It's a tricky thing to get back into the 'routine' when you have had
over a month to enjoy being so utterly 
out of one :)


Anyhow, the bonus for me when the family gets back in the
"routine"
 will be umpty-eight dirty dishes less to wash throughout each day, and x(100+1) less 
sullen mood-swings from 'oh-so-bored' teenagers/kids who 
just love to stir each other until one or all are in tears and 
old Mummabear here is
growling and waving her paws about with claws out and ready to swipe at the one who pretends they had 'nothing' to do with the whole shebarkle!!


Yep the return of kids to school/Tafe
means I might get a little more time to concentrate my time on things I want to achieve.


The one thing I have set out to achieve for myself this year is 
the Instagram photoaday challenge,
and the pursuit of this 'ere blog called 


VintageNobility


and connecting it all up with 
my VintageNobility Facebook page 
and my VintageNobility Twitter account 
oh and let's not leave out my VintageNobility Pinterest account! 


I think the hardest part was figuring out how to link and connect them all...it's much like unravelling the Christmas lights!


So, if you're on any of those sites do stop by and have a look-see for 


VintageNobility


tell me if I am doing it right
and if not - be kind and drop me any valuable hints you might have discovered in your pursuit of all things Blog and Social Media associated!


I'm new to this fun - so please be kind and drop me a line!





Above is one of my Instagram photos, taken as we were leaving Sydney...Share the Love!!


Love and Light Always...


VintageNobility 


Coming up...
My visit to the Donna Hay store in Sydney





with
lots of delicious pictures to view! 

I LOVE January!

 I Love January!

I mean I REALLY love this month!

Not only is it My birthday in January 

January is the month where I get to relax!

Really relax, with my husband and 3 children. 

The eldest who is now an 18year old 'adult'

and Master 15 and my baby (no more) Miss 7

They're growing up too fast - so January is my time to slow that down just a little,

and hug and cuddle and take pictures of them before they grow

another year taller and smarter than me :P

In January, I get to sleep in, stay up late and cook for fun! 

,

 Made carrot and orange salad with sultana's, walnuts and orange/macadamia oil dressing!

In January, I get to have

have lazy brunches, long lunches and even longer dinners with those I adore! 

My Breakfast...January 8th!

January is the month, I get to put summer dresses on and twirl and foof'n'flounce - if I want to!

During January, I get to sit with my laptop,

I get time to look at blogs/ebay/facebook/pinterest/and the rest...

 and drink cups of coffee and waste hours doing the things

I hardly ever get the time to do 

the rest of the year!

The scent of the gardenia's are strong and heady around my garden in January!

January is the month you can live off platters of

Fruit,

Cheese and biscuits,

sliced veggies, dips and pita bread!

January is the month where I can go to the shops and not have to rush back to the school pick-up zone before 3pm! 

Yep, I'm snap happy - with all good intentions in January.

I'm ready to move on from the festive season and start a new script with the New Year!

January is the time great memories have been made for me...and every January I want MORE!

January is certainly a month of appreciation for me!

All through January I appreciate the family time,

On the 25th ;) I appreciate my life - both -in reflection and my hopes for the future,

On the 26th of January we celebrate Australia and what a blessing it is to have been born in and raised in this beautiful country!

And by the end of January, I will be ready to appreciate the rest of the year and the quiet I will experience once everyone goes back to school/work and life goes back into it's annual spin that keeps us longing for Next January!

We're almost halfway through January

- if I could I would press the pause button and make it last longer-

but alas I can not do that,

So I will continue to take time to show my love and appreciation of everything

that makes January so wonderful!

I hope you are enjoying January too!

Here are some happy snaps I have snapped so far this January!

Beauty in my messy back garden!

My new necklace!

Me...just loving January!

You can find

VintageNobility

on Instagram and Twitter now!

  



xxx Love and Light

 From Me to You xxx 

Freshly washed linen dresses drying in the breeze...just waiting for me to wear and twirl...January 7th!

Hi ho, Hi ho...

It's been a Long day

So this is a quick post to celebrate my slices of Joy!

Calorie Free but nonetheless rich and delicious.

Today me and my loves were working to transform the old house into a luvly castle;

so this Vintage loving, Noble ol' Rapunzel can let down her hair - and yes my hair is quite long!

Here are some pics taken before the workday began.

Loving my new iPhone 4s and the fun of discovering Instagram!

Took a ghostly picture - taken in the reflection of a window!!



The day began with the front of house looking like this!! (You'll have to wait for pics tomorrow to see how this looks now!)

Our Big ol' house has certainly grown - and these tarps are like wings that flap in the breeze...protecting us from the harsh elements of weather.

Now while I long to dazzle you with my decorating style,

 and all my collected, vintage, fancy, frenchy-shabby-chic, bits'n'bobs,

all waiting in storage for the day I can open their boxes

and place them just so,

in a spot for me to fuss over and photo and blog...

This 'ere blog hopes you'll appreciate our journey along the way!

A journey - which is real, messy, and at times challenging

but most importantly... it's cherished! 

Thanks for dropping by xxx

Yep we're not just renovating a house here...

We're renovating

our Home,

Our Home, which holds so many memories and stories in it's walls!

VintageNobility

I'm starting over,

With a new and positive blog
With a focus on:

Love and Light,

Joy and Happiness

The Real and Imperfect stuff... which should be celebrated!

My Family, Friends and Loves... always to be cherished and to be shared!

My Home

My Heart!

Yep...Inspired and ready

Here I am...

Buckle Up... let's ride!

When I was pregnant with my second child, I suffered with pre and post natal depression - at that time I didn't really know what was wrong with me, but I knew I was sad and on a rollercoaster of emotions. It was a couple of months after my child was born, I knew I needed to seek some help, my doctor diagnosed the situation I was in and offered me medication, but also suggested I contact PANDA the Post and Antenatal Depression Association.

PANDA sent me some pamphlets and a big pack or information, which contained stories of other women's experiences of their depression - I began to feel comforted, and acknowledged that there might just be a way out of the tunnel of fog I was in.
I did not want to take medication, I was breastfeeding and did not want to affect my young baby with something I consummed - so I made a choice - though I did consult with my husband and promised that if no improvement was noted by a set date - then if necessary, I'd give the alternative of medication a chance -but I was determined girl - I decided I would focus on positive things!

It was about this time I had come across a book by Sarah Ban Breathnach

(via Oprah - aahh I miss her - bless her cotton socks)

This book was called

 Simple Abundance

This book became a resource for me!

To start the journey out of the funk; I needed to journal 5 things every day which brought me Joy!

It could be as simple as the fact that I was alive and taking breath - to the comfort of a warm bath! Rainbows and green grass to sunshine and colours! New purchases and old salvaged finds...it didn't matter what it was that brought me Joy - just that I journaled

 5 things everyday which had prompted a moment of Joy!

That journal changed my perspective on what brought me Joy on a day to day basis, and so I began to tunnel my way out of that postnatal gloom and discovered the Love and Light that was around me.

The Love and Light 
had been there all along - I'd just somehow got lost in a fog, with much thanks to hormones and exhaustion, (& in hindsight - I was also very young!) 

My second born is now 15years old!

Nowadays, the Love and Light is certainly noticeable and appreciated,

and while I have had the odd foggy moment since then, I can honestly say I am fortunate to have developed the skills to pull myself out of any approaching funk.

With inspiration from some favourite bloggers,  facebook and other positive people who have brought Joy to my life,

I have lately developed a strong desire to reach out and be a link in a Positive chain!

So with a clean slate and my new blog - I am starting
Day1
With this blog I intend to exercise my head and my heart and blog about the things which bring me

JOY!

 Mostly through the medium of words and pictures

And I will try to figure out how to add the usual links of Facebook, Instagram, and any other social media forms I can manage to add into the mix! ...Gimmie some time on those!

So to start Day 1...

Here are some things so far today that have curled my lips upward :)

My Cath Kidston order arrived this morning! Wootwoot, happy dances and gurly squeals!

See this guy...he's the love of my life! Together we are building our castle, technically it's a renovation - in reality it is a rebuild from the stumps all the way up to the newly added second floor! 2 years down and fingers crossed 1 more to finish it up! The story will no doubt unfold as we blog along!

My new iPhone4s – I heart it muchly!

Our Beeautiful Busy Bees!

Even though I am allergic to them - I love them!

JOY!

Just watching them fly in and out of their hives, working for the good of their bee community, striving to bring home the sweetness of the nectar collected, after each flight...and yes -the honey...Mmmmm the honey!

Mixed Nuts = Joy + they're healthy and nutritious :)

So there you have it...some of my slices of Joy so far today!