Royal wedding in review.

Despite the Royal Wedding Fever that enveloped much of the country in the last few weeks, I remained fairly ambivalent to the whole thing and managed to avoid most of the hype. I was, however cordially invited to attend a party last night in celebration of the nuptials of Will and Kate. Michael and I attended the party predominantly to catch up with fiends, however once the coverage of the wedding started I was totally hooked.

The balcony kiss (image via Associated Press)

Something about the pomp and circumstance of the whole thing really drew me in. It all started when we arrived and were immediately thrust into the intrigue of the dress, with our host offering us a chance to enter in her 'guess the dress' competition. We were given some pencils and a dressmaker's figure outline and had to quickly sketch out what we thought the dress would be like.

Having done absolutely no reading on the subject, I sketched out a giant meringue dress with a tiara and cathedral veil. I was going to lose this competition according to some far better appraised of the subject than I. Well, sucked in. I was pretty damn close. I must say that I did not pick the sleeve situation, but apparently you have to cover your shoulders in Westminster Abbey. News to me!

I must say I'm not the biggest fan of the dress, although the 'twitterverse' would disagree with me. I didn't really think it suited her and found it altogether a bit 80s. Also, I found that the lace gave the unfortunate illusion that she was 'high-beaming' the whole world. I did love the tiara though, which is a phrase I never ever thought I would utter in my life.

There were two outfits of note that I would like to discuss. One; Pippa's Maid of Honour dress. Holy WOW batman! That was absolutely jaw-dropping, and the general consensus among the party-goers last night is that her dress out-shone that of the bride herself. In fact, several entrants in the 'guess the dress' competition came closer to Pippa's frock than Kate's. It was simply gorgeous! Stunning silhouette and absolutely flattering.

Oh Beatrice... really? (image via news.com.au)

Two;  Beatrice's "hat". What the heck was that about? It looked like she was wearing deer antlers- the kind you get at the two-dollar shop for your dog to wear on Christmas morning. One friend of mine commented that perhaps she was performing a public service and would offer to use it to hang the royal family's coats at the reception. Other people thought that it must have been a bet. I have to say though, I really did love the jacket that she was wearing.

So I did get rather caught up in the Royal Wedding Fever pandemic that swept the Commonwealth, if only for the few hours of media coverage. I was rather excited that Ita Buttrose (one of my idols!) was commentating on Channel 9, but then I was completely miffed when they stopped the coverage halfway through to go to Friday Night Football. That's Australia for you.

Luckily, almost every other channel was covering the wedding, so we did get to see the all important 'balcony kiss', or rather 'slightly stilted and awkward peck'. Perhaps we should refer to the dry-lipped peck as 'The Cambridge' in future. Do you think it will catch on? For a couple that's been together that long, you'd think they would give it a decent snog for their adoring public!

The vintage Aston Martin (image via Daily Telegraph)

The vintage Aston Martin Volante that Will took his princess for a spin in was pretty awesome, especially as it belongs to his environmentally conscious daddy Charlie, who has had it converted to run off ethanol fuel generated by wastage from the royal vineyards. Uh huh! I am still really confused about the L-Plates though. Surely the man can drive... he flies a damn rescue helicopter! And does that mean that Kate is the fully licensed driver accompanying him? I think it's probably a joke, like learning to be husband and wife type thing...surely.

There's something about weddings, you just can't help but feel a little bit excited, even if it is two people on the other side of the world who you have never met. I wish the happy couple all the happiness in the world, and I also wish Beatrice the best of luck in recovering from the deer-antler hat fiasco.

The most creative and romantic proposal in the world!

There is the most beautiful photograph hanging in our bedroom. It's a kind of quirky and unusual photo, taken by our dear friend David Sundstrom, an amazing photographer with whom I occasionally exhibit. This image shows a stolen moment that and the tenderness and love that two people share with one another.

Nat and Michael

While I love the photograph for a myriad reasons, but it is so dear to my heart because of the very important job it once did, and the very important job that it continues to do every single day.

Let me start from the beginning; Michael and I had a weekday off to spend together. We were house-hunting at the time so we had some properties to look at in the morning, and Michael suggested that we go to Stills Gallery in Paddington as he'd heard that they had a good exhibition on. That struck me as a little weird because he's not usually the one suggesting that we go to a photography gallery, but I put it down to him just being sweet and thoughtful.

After spending the morning being disappointed by the property market, we decided to shake it off and head over to Stills. We wandered the gallery at a very leisurely pace- I tend to really look at artwork, so I was spending a few minutes on each image. I thought that Michael was starting to get bored as he seemed a little fidgety as time wore on, but it was a good show so I carried on looking thoughtfully at each image.

Then we got to the last photograph, in the very last room of the gallery, after looking at every other picture for a very long time. It was the photograph pictured here. I immediately recognised it as a photograph of Michael and myself and then my eyes fell to the text 'Natalie Pullen, will you marry me?'.

I was truly taken by surprise! My hands flew to my face and I turned around to see Michael on bended knee with a ring in his hand. I believe I said "Are you serious?" and a few choice expletives before he managed to stammer out "Natalie Pullen, you are the love of my life. I never want to be without you. Will you be my wife?"

I forgot to say yes. I just looked at him in stunned silence. He actually had to prompt me by asking me if I was going to accept. Of course, I did so with great enthusiasm and excitement. He slipped the ring on my finger explaining that it was a 'stunt ring' because I'm way too fussy for him to ever be able to choose a ring for me. Cute, he knows me well!

We went downstairs to the main area of the gallery where the staff were waiting with a nice bottle of french champagne. It turns out that it had taken Micheal months to coordinate the proposal, right down to the bottle of bubbly. I knew that he was going to propose, but this I did not expect! Props to Michael for managing to make it a surprise even though I was expecting it- and it's little wonder that he got fidgety as I spent forever looking at every photo!

Now the 'Proposal Photo' as we call it is hanging proudly in this dear little house, forever reminding us of this romantic story and how disgustingly happy we are with one another!

7 instant ways to lift the mood of a room.

With this gloomy weather we've been having here in Sydney this weekend, I thought I'd share some tips and tricks to quickly lift the mood in a room and brighten up your day without spending too much time or money.

Fresh and beautiful, antique roses

1. Beautiful, fresh flowers will instantly add a nice, natural splash of colour to a room. Potted plants are great too, and they have the added bonus of lasting a lot longer- provided that you are one of those lucky people that can keep them alive! Fresh flowers and flowering plants can also lift a room with their lovely scent.

2. Open the blinds, or better yet the window. Letting in some natural light -even if it is a bit gloomy outside- will liven up your space. A little natural light goes a long way and you may find that if the weather has been a bit icky lately that you really haven't let the sun in for a while. If it's not too cold and rainy, a breath of fresh air will do your room (and you for that matter) wonders.

3. Re-arrange the furniture, or if that's not an option change up your accessories. Swap the cushions from the couch with the ones in your bedroom, clear off the bookcase and try a new arrangement, put the TV against a different wall- all of these things can completely freshen a room without you having to spend money, just use what you have already!

4. Light a candle. The glow of a candle gives off a soothing and calming vibe, as well as providing a warm tone of light to a space. This can be particularly effective at night time when you can't let the sun shine in. Scented candles are also lovely, but be sure that the scent is not too strong for you as that can create a stifling atmosphere.

5. Put some music on. Music can certainly set the mood of a room and change the tone of a space. Something relaxing, happy, joyful, loud... whatever takes your fancy! Even better if you can sing along- who cares if you can't sing?

6. 'Spring clean' a little. Dust, vacuum/mop and de-clutter. A less than perfectly clean space can start to become a little depressing, and dust or odors can make the air in a room less than pleasant. Try using some essential oils (citrus or peppermint are best) to enliven a room a freshen it up. Throw out or store any 'clutter' that might be lying around- it makes a huge difference!

7. Invite a friend over for a cup of tea. Nothing adds energy to a space like a friend to share it with! It also tends to make you do a bit of a tidy/clean up- and the cup of tea doesn't hurt either.

What are your favourite ways to instantly brighten a room?

Lest we forget.

Today is ANZAC day, a very special day in which we remember those who sacrificed everything to secure our way of life. It is also a day on which I remember my grandfather, who fought in  Papa New Guinea on the Kokoda trail during World War Two.

Joe's fuchsias

He was a signalman, or a 'dah-dit' man as he would say, sending and relaying messages by Morse code. Joe would rarely talk about his experiences during the war as it was not a part of his life that he wished to remember. When he did, I remember sitting to listen attentively as he described the people he had met and how beautiful they were, as opposed to ever imparting to us the true horror of his experiences.

Just before my grandfather passed away from lung cancer, he propagated this fuchsia for me from a cutting taken off the plant he grew in his backyard. Apparently, it is an old variety that isn't very popular any more. As a child I called them 'Joe's ballerina flowers', as they reminded me of a graceful dancer in a pretty pink tutu. Now they remind me of my grandfather Joe and what a truly amazing and inspirational person he was.

Thanks for teaching me so much, Joe.




They shall not grow old, as we who are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, not the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

Happy Easter everybody!

Wishing everyone a very happy Easter and a super relaxing long-weekend! Don't eat too many creepy chocolate bunnies.

Lazy Saturday Yum Cha.

So technically Yum Cha isn't supposed to be a dinner food, but we decided that it would do just fine for us and a couple of dear friends tonight when we wanted something cheap and cheerful that hits the spot.

Tasty, home cooked pork buns

This handy dandy steamer basket is just the ticket for your home-cooked Yum Cha. They are available for around $10 at your local Asian supermarket, and dollar stores. We just stock up on frozen pork buns, shrimp dumplings, dim sims etc when we go to the Asian supermarket and keep them in the freezer for times when we don't have a lot of time!

Easy to cook, it takes around 12 minutes per course. You can get multiple steamer baskets and stack them on top of each other, or just do one course at a time. All you need to do is boil some water, put the steamer basket on top full of tasty Yum Cha goodness, and wait for a little bit! Never fails to please.

Pinkie the typewriter, my dear friend.

You may have noticed that we're changing and re-arranging here at dear little house. I'm trying to funk the blog up a little, you know, make it look hip and suave. I'm getting there! I just pulled out Pinkie to help me with the next little bit of the 'funkifying'. I love Pinkie, I don't know what I would do without her.

Pinkie the typewriter

I did have another typewriter before Pinkie but my mum threw it out once in a spring clean mistaking it for junk. I went about a year bereft of typewritten goodness, but then I walked past Vinnies one day and there she was in the window! They wanted the princely sum of $2 for her.

Now, this was in the 90s and I'm under the impression that vintage typewriters these days are a hell of a lot more expensive than that, but at the time the dear lady behind the counter thought I was mental. I can still find ribbon for her on eBay, and I love the sound that she makes. Much more satisfying than a computer keyboard!

It's great to take her out of her special plastic carry-case and tap out a few little notes every now and again, and everyone appreciates a nice little note from Pinkie and me.

This week I discovered -My Messy Room

I went to Summer Hill yesterday with my mummy dearest for a little shopping expedition and stumbled upon this great little shop called My Messy Room. What a magnificent place! Predominantly stocking stuff for the kiddywinks, there are also a few choice pieces for grown ups!

My Messy Room

The shop has such an inviting atmosphere and the decor is too cute for words! Lots of reclaimed/refurbished vintage pieces, and a feature wall with the most exciting retro-look wallpaper I have seen in a long time traversed by a simply gorgeous staircase that doubles as a display area for toys and other cute bits and pieces.

While they do have an online store, I suggest you visit in person if ever you get the chance! It's just too spunky.

Art Spark: The funkiest chicken!

My littlest brother Cameron is quite the sewer and has been having lessons at a funky little place in Balmain called Art Spark for the past couple of years now. The things that he makes are truly amazing! He did one of their holiday workshops today and this is what he made:

The funky chicken at Art Spark

How cool is it? I'm told that the chicken's name is 'Jonny Smith' and that he is a scientist and rock star. Sewing is such a great creative outlet, and he loves that he can use his 'hands, feet and brain' as he puts it. It's also really great because he gets a real sense of achievement from it, and because he makes such incredibly creative things everyone comments on how wonderful it is!

The staff at Art Spark are wonderful, and all of the kids there have a great time. Cam can't wait to go back! Apart from sewing classes and holiday workshops for kids they also offer art classes for kids and sewing classes for grown-ups. Such fun!

The ideal bottle.

There's something so gorgeous about vintage glass, so when I came across this 'Ideal Agee' Pyrex baby feeder I could not resist. The thickness of the glass causes the light to fall in quirky slivers, and the proportions of the bottle are geometrically beautiful in their ever-so-slightly wonky way.

Ideal Agee Pyrex baby feeder

The embossed glass is so enchanting, and while the words themselves are not intrinsically beautiful the gentle relief and rigid font truly are. The lip of the bottle- so narrow and rounded- is simply gorgeous. As a tactile person I cannot resist touching this almost every time I walk past, to feel the gentle curves of the embossing and explore the not-so-flat angles of the glass.

I shall have to search for some similarly proportioned objects for this dear little house, I can imagine a neat little cluster of vintage glass bottles sitting on the end of a shelf, perhaps with a fresh flower or two?

Cute as a cupcake!

Yesterday I was looking after a seven year old, and what do you do when looking after a kid? Naturally, you ply them full of sugar not only by baking cupcakes together, but also by allowing them to lick the bowl, and the spoon, and the leftover icing...

Dear little cupcakes in Robert Gorden cupcake pans

These two lucky cupcakes escaped the terrible fate of the other six- the boys chose grey icing and green sprinkles, leading me to christen theirs the 'Death Metal Zombie Love-Heart Cupcakes'. But I thought these pretty ones were much more appropriate to show off the cutesy cupcake pans that I could not resist buying a few weeks ago. Of course, it probably would have looked a lot better with vanilla cupcakes, but chocolate cupcakes rule.

Robert Gorden cupcake pans are available in a variety of designs from Shack and other retailers, and we used Deliciously Free gluten and dairy free chocolate cake mix available at Woolworths etc

Big bone head.

It's not every day that you purchase a cow's skull. This is what occasioned the rather bizarre conversation that I had with my brother (Cameron, he was 5 at the time). I purchased it for the amazing bargain price of just $10 from Rozelle Markets on sunny Saturday morning, after about an hour of me schlepping it around in a green woolies bag he stopped me dead in my tracks, stood straight in front of me and looked me in the eye, asking "Natty, why did you buy that big bone head?".

Cow's skull

The answer I gave him was that I purchased it for my students to draw. I remember spending hours at uni drawing various animal skulls and skeletons, attempting to get the shading correct, render the most intricate of shapes and observing the fall of the light. While never reaching the level of being a particularly 'good' drawer, this practice certainly gave me a far greater appreciation for the subtleties of light and the sumptuous curves that nature makes look so effortless.

The cow skull may be kind of creepy, it may be a little macabre, but it still has some amazingly beautiful qualities. The texture of the old bone is enchanting, and the shapes created by its various structures are actually really stunning to observe. I'm rather glad that I went out shopping one sunny Saturday morning and came home with a big bone head.

Hang ups.

Hanging up the laundry is squarely my job in this dear little house. It works out for me only because it means that I never have to do the washing up- a 'fair trade' deal between Michael and myself ensuring that I never have to ruin a manicure! So imagine, if you can, the goofy grin on my face when my love of stationery met fatefully with my laundry-hanging duties.

Coat hanger paper clips from Kikki K

I was almost on my way out of the store (of course with a bag full of cool stuff!) when I saw these on the counter. I already have a rather large collection of paper clips in all different shapes, but these were just all kinds of cute!

As an added bonus, you can 'hang' little notes, cards, lists etc from them! I think I may have to create a 'mood board' using twine so I can 'hang up' my inspiration too! Well, that is after I get around to hanging up all the clean laundry...

Available from Kikki K.

Pewter shoes and nursery rhymes.

There was on old woman who lived in a shoe. Are you serious? How did she fit in the shoe, especially with all those children? It's no wonder that she didn't know what to do, I'll tell you that much for free. This nursery rhyme perplexed me greatly as a child ( I was an over-thinker) and I could never figure out what that children did wrong to deserve little dinner and whipping, after all, it wasn't their fault that there were so damn many of them!

Pewter shoe money box

I was given this by a relative as a child. It used to have a pale pink satin ribbon where sensibly there ought to be laces, but I seem to recall appropriating it for a much more important (yet now utterly forgotten) purpose. I never was very good at saving my money, but much to my surprise when I recently unpacked this I found a handful of coins from foreign countries.

I just love how this supposedly nasty old woman with so many children lived in a shoe that had love-heart shutters on the windows. Following the picture that is painted of her in the nursery rhyme, I highly doubt that she would have chosen such cutesy window furnishings. See, there I go over-thinking again.

Follow me...

Hey there friendly readers, I thought I'd let you know how much it would mean to me if you were to follow me on Facebook or Twitter, or through a feed.

Also, I am so excited to hear your feedback- especially as I'm just starting out! I would really super duper appreciate if you could take the time to leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my efforts so far, what you'd like to see more of, how I can improve my work for you, and so on!

Love and thanks!
Nat @ dear little house

Save the benchtop, use the rhubarb.

There are a great many pieces available in this world for -of all things- holding your wooden spoon for you while you are cooking so that you don't make a smudgy mess on the bench top. I myself have always though them a little frivolous, perhaps chiefly because I am a supremely messy cook and the benchtop cops a hell of a mess regardless. That is until I saw this one by Rhubarb.

Utensil holder by Rhubarb

Something about it is so endearing! I can't quite put my finger on it though. First I was trying to remember some cute cartoon worm from my childhood that it maybe, perhaps, ever-so-slightly resembled. Then I moved on to thinking it had some vaguely comical human quality about it, with the way his 'foot' is planted on the ground. Then I followed a train of thought that made me think of a Michael Leunig cartoon... alas.

Who knows what it is about this thing that lures me to it so, but whatever it is it's working out for me. The picture isn't actually showing its correct use- there is a lip that holds your spoon upright at the top- but I needed to show that quirky little leg at the back, with his ever-so-cute foot planted on the bench. See, there I go personifying my spoon holder again.

I bought this fabulous addition to this dear little house at Giving and Living.

Sweet tomato and roast capsicum soup, dairy free.

That winter chill is inching its way into the air as the days begin to grow shorter. Seems like there's nothing too much to be pleased about there, but that's where you're wrong! The best thing about cold weather is that it is perfect for soup! I love soup, and I'll often cook a big batch and have it for lunches throughout the week, and also I'll freeze a container or two to heat up when I've got no time to cook.

Dairy free tomato and roast capsicum soup

INGREDIENTS:
3 cans of whole, peeled tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 oven roasted capsicums (or just cheat and use the ones from a jar)
1 can light coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock (I prefer Vegeta)

METHOD:
Bring the sock to simmer in a large pot, add the garlic and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the capsicum. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes over a low heat. Turn the heat off and stir through the coconut milk. Use a stick-mixer to blend the soup in the pot until you have an even consistency.

Easy as. Not to mention so very tasty! Quick, simple, fairly healthy and dairy-free. My ultimate meal for snuggling up with a blanket in this dear little house! Pictured in a Maxwell and Williams Oslo bowl.

Make my day, milk bottle.

Even the worst day can be brightened by the most peculiar of things! A little ray of sunshine into a stressful afternoon or a long hard day can be all you need to take the pressure off for just a minute and take the time to smile. I appreciate anything that can serve such a purpose, and today I show it to you in the most unlikely of vessels.

Retro Make My Day milk bottle

From Aussie company Make My Day, this quirky milk bottle serves as a sugar bowl and milk jug for your tea and coffee break.Sugar sits in the bottom part that acts as a bowl once you take the milk off the top. The milk jug comes with three different coloured lids to match your decor.

Taking a break from it all is sometimes what you need to 'keep on keeping on'. A cup of tea or coffee, a nice, sweet bikkie (preferably with pink icing, of course!) and a little time out to enjoy it can make a world of difference. It goes without saying that when you have such a cute accessory for your afternoon break, it is all the more wonderful!

Redheads rock!

When I was a child I wanted a great many things. But above all things, I wanted to be the Redheads matches lady when I grew up. So sophisticated. With her amazing, effortless beauty and coquettish, luxuriously long eye lashes she had it all. Yep. I wanted to be her alright! So much so that, apparently, I frequently came home from daycare with red finger paint all through my hair.

Vintage Redheads matches box

Years later I still admire her for all of those reasons. To use a rather hackneyed phrase, she is an 'Aussie icon', being a familiar face on supermarket shelves since the early 1900s. This version of the pack is from sometime in the early 70s, right in between them replacing her beehive hair-do with a red background (to circumvent having to change their design too often as her hair went out of fashion) in 1971, and her going a bit goth and starting to wear black 'lipstick' in 1975.

This box was given to me by an elderly lady who couldn't figure out why I even wanted to look at the box. I guess there's no accounting for taste!