Decided On Camellias

I have been thinking...thinking...and thinking of what to put in my planters along the back fence of the courtyard, originally I wanted climbers but I couldn't make up my mind which ones. So this morning I thought I would wander down to the nursery and take a look around to see if anything jumped out at me. The staff were just putting out some beautiful camellias and I found my all time favourite 'Desire' which features the most exquisite palest pink formal flowers with deeper pink petal margins. It got me thinking why don't I make a hedge with these camellias instead? Oh, I think that is it! I am so looking forward to planting these beauties on the weekend.

Blue Birds, Sparkles, Sweet Smells & More

I had a great week treasure hunting last week, take a look at all the treasures I found...

Oh...and I found a beautiful antique oak mirror which I am going to mosaic when I get some time??? Hopefully soon!

My hubby is home with the flu today so I am going to go cook him some homemade chicken and corn soup, hopefully it will help him feel a little better.

Sweet Sundays...

What are you up to this Sunday? Well, after my market trip this morning I am finally going to sit down, put my feet up and read some wonderful magazines my friend Tracie sent me a little while ago. She has such a beautiful soul!

Oh, and I can't forget to put my rose order in tomorrow so I need to pick out some more favourites to add to the garden...hmmm...which ones to go for???
And here is our work in progress courtyard...still need to pick up the planters for the back fence, choose the climbers and get the tiles put down but I love how it has turned out so far! I planted lots and lots of pansy in various colour under the water feature ~ pinks, mauves, purples, yellows & whites.
And here is some artwork from my sweet little man Jake...there is not a day that goes by that he does not give me big squashy hugs and tell me how much he loves me...I have to say...I am one lucky Mummy that's for sure!!! :)
A beautiful heart for Mum...
Hugs, kisses and flowers for Mum...oh aren't I so lucky!!!
And look at this beautiful note my little man gave me...he has a heart of gold...I tell you...he is going to make one girl very happy one day but till then I'm sorry but he's mine and all mine! xo

P.S. I had a great time at the market this morning and will share my treasures with you all soon.

An Award From A Beautiful Friend

I received this award from my beautiful friend Tracie at My Petite Maison, thankyou so much for this award sweet Tracie!

The rules of the award are....

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for creativity, design, materials used, and their contribution to the community no matter what the language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his/her blog to be visited.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and the name and link to the blog that awarded it.

4.The award winner and the one who has given the award have to show the link to "Arte Y Pico"(if you search for them through Google, you can translate their page into English)

5. Show these rules.

Ok, so here we go...I would like to pass this award onto...

1. Cathy at Avalon Rose Design

2. Gail McCormack

3. Janet at Shabby Fufu

4. Joy at Cupid's Charm

5. Last but not least im going to give this back to Tracie at My Petite Maison

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...we will be getting into some landscaping in our courtyard so I hope to have some pics for you soon. xo

A Visit To Rupertswood

OK, I promised I would post about our trip to Rupertswood Mansion a little while ago and still have not got around to it so with a little time up my sleeve today I thought I would get stuck into it. Cane & I were married at Rupertswood back in 1999 and we always love going for a visit, it is truly amazing!!! There is so much history to Rupertwsood so I am going to share some of the info I found while searching with you all.

About Rupertswood...

At the end of a long winding drive, nestled amongst mature trees, stands Rupertswood. A remarkable architectural expression of the more genteel, Victorian era.
Its magnificent proportions and unique gardens lay testimony to the privilege and power that prevailed on these grounds. Built as a residence for Sir William Clarke, (first Australian born Baronet), it became a power seat in the great English tradition.
Balls, hunt meets and week–end house parties were frequent.
Anyone of note, in Victorian and Edwardian society, was entertained by the Clarkes.
Many historical figures visited Rupertswood, including Dame Nellie Melba, several Governors of Victoria and a rumoured visit by the Duke and Duchess of York, (later to become King George V and Queen Mary).
Rupertswood is a place steeped in history, perhaps best known as the birthplace of the “Ashes”, a tradition created from a social game between the visiting English Cricketers and a local Sunbury side, made up largely of Rupertswood staff.

Today, Victoria’s most famous country house returns to its original function as a centre of great entertaining.
I'm going to leave you with some photos from Rupertswood's website showing the inside of this exquisite Mansion. I hope you enjoy them!

The main entrance & staircase

Dinning Room

The Old Ballroom

Smokers Room

Last but not least one of their beautiful rooms which you can stay overnight in.

(History courtesy of Rupertswood Mansion)

Sale, Sale, Sale!!!

Just a quick note to let you all know that Vintage Mosaic Boutique is having a sale with all mosaics discounted so do pop by and take a peak.

Warm Thoughts & Fond Memories

Mother's Day...

a time for warm thoughts

and fond memories,

for expressing

the feelings and words

that often go unspoken,

for letting

those special people

in our lives know

that they are loved

and appreciated always.

Courtyard In Progress...

Well...just like the above says...courtyard in progress!!! Hubby has finally let me create the courtyard I have always wanted! It started out with just a concrete slab which was a little sad looking so we called in dad's friend to give us a helping hand and within 15mins we had a nice square cut out to the center. Now, what do you think we are going to put in here???

Jake even gave daddy Cane a helping hand with the jackhammering...sure looks like Jake is enjoying himself! lol. It was pretty hard getting him away from it once the job was finished.
Off we went to our favourite nursery where I found a beautiful antique water fountain...Please Cane...can we get it??? Its just perfect for our courtyard!!! Jake said something is getting delivered this weekend for Mothers Day and it is big, white and rusty, lol. What do you think it could be??? Could it be this???
Some large planters for along the back fence...not sure what climber to use yet as we have allot of shade in here...any ideas?
Up to my dads house, oh...I think these tiles would go lovely in my courtyard as well!
And a stop at the Daffodil Farm around the corner from Dad's where I bought a bag of pearl daffodils & blue bells in shades of blue, pink and white. Cant wait to get them planted!
We still have lots to do as you can see but its all very exciting and keeping us busy as you can imagine. I hope to share more photos soon with you all.

P.S. Jake and I stopped by Rupertswood Mansion where Cane and I were married and took some beautiful photos that I will post the next few days so do pop by soon. xo

Finding That Special Something

Don't you just love going to the market and finding that very special piece? Something you have been looking for, for that special somewhere? And at a bargain price? Well, a few weeks ago I attended my favourite market and found some lovely treasures but the best part of the day was finding this antique cherub planter which was tucked all the way down the back of a little store on the floor. I could not believe my eyes when I saw it as I have been looking for that 'perfect something' for my outdoor entertaining table for a very long time. Needless to say, I would have spent allot more that $15 for it but that was the asking price so without a thought I snapped it up and popped it straight in the car for its journey to its new home.

I have a bouquet of silk roses sitting in it at the moment because I have not made up my mind what to plant it there, the hole is so small so there is not much space for the roots to grow. Any ideas?

Its raining here in Melbourne which is a good thing since we have not had much of it but I think im coming down with a cold...my nose is all blocked up and runny at the same time so I think im off to curl up in a ball on the sofa now. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day xo