To Grandma's house we go

I have always had a strong connection to my Nonna and Nonno's place.  As a little girl, I would visit during the school holidays and never want to leave.  Each day was filled with excitement and joy which will forever resonate as one of my strongest childhood memories.  

A little of a year ago now my Nonna passed away.  It has been such an emotional time for the family but we all find comfort knowing we can still feel her presence in the home.  

One of my most favourite rooms in the house would have to be the kitchen.  It truly is the heart of the home - where family members would gather over the years to eat, do their homework, catch up over coffee, make pasta and crostolli, have their pants hemmed and buttons sewn on shirts.  

All of the finishes are a little faded but still originals...complete with the Bessemer pots and pans in the cupboards!

My most favourite feature would have to be the wine rack converted into a sauce holder.  It just sums up my Nonna completely and we all still have a laugh when we look up and see it.  

Another original feature of the house is the backyard.  Like every other typical Italian home you will find your standard veggie patch, makeshift barbeque area, salami handing from the rafters of the shed and grapes suspended from a sheet of lattice.  

The rawness of these images evoke a sense of culture that will always be in my blood.  They remind me to keep things simple and to stay true to your needs and wants. 

Small acts of kindness

I these modern times, thank you gifts have become such a rarity.  Back in the day, small acts of kindness were acknowledged with a pretty hand written note, a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers.  

Next time you want to say thanks, try something not so cliche.  

Recently I went with a tea themed gift for a family friend.  I started with a cute little mug and filled it with a vanilla tiny tea from T2.  I also included some white chocolate macadamia cookies from the Byron Bay Cookie House for her to dunk in the tea...yum!  

It was gift wrapped in a plastic basket, tied with ribbon and finished off with a tag attached by a paper clip (as if to look like a tea bag).

A gift like this one will probably set you back about $30, which is not bad considering a good box of chocolates or small bunch of flowers starts at about $15.  

Technical Difficulties

Unfortunately I am having problems uploading images which is such a shame because I have so much show and tell to share with you.

Hopefully all is fixed soon.

Lightly Does It

Last week I paid a visit to the Life In Style trade show at Fox Studios. As I entered the doors I was immediately pick up and blown away by all of the wonderful products standing before me. I felt like a kid in a candy store - pretty much wanting to purchase everything I laid my eyes on!

The 'Lightly' stand was one of many that stood out for me. I have always been a fan of their homewares but on this particular evening, I was fortunate to have met the very talented designer behind this Melbourne based design house - Cindy-Lee Davies.

The company was first launched in 2005, taking inspiration from 'nostalgia and domesticity'. With each piece Davies tries to 'evoke the romance of time gone by', creating something that is unique, each with their own story to tell.

As a tribute to her grandmother, Rosemary Estelle Lightly, Davies named the company after her, and what I find so sweet, is that her lace collection comprises of 4 patterns named Tia, Sophia, Rosie and Lovey, who were all named after her grandmothers bridge playing friends. Too cute!

On the night Cindy-Lee took us through some of her new pieces - each challenging the limits of different materials. My favourite would have to have been the lights but I do always enjoy those pretty little butterfly plates that seem to adorn walls in every second shop and residential photo-shoot I see.

We also discussed her recent find in China which involved pallets upon pallets of fine bone china plates that were going into landfill. She is currently rescuing them and plans to continue her range of butterfly, bird and clock plates with some of them perhaps finding their way into Anthropologie in the U.S.!