Paris, France. 2010

Paris, France., a photo by mollieandfinn on Flickr.

I'd so love to be sitting on one of those fermob chairs right now!

Summer - your here, finally!

The weather has been very un-sydney like this summer - but we managed to scrambled down to the beach and enjoy a splash and some vitamin D during the week.

Enjoy your weekend :)

My First Blog Mention...

Hello

I've just stumbled on French76's first blog mention, thanks to 'a festive occasion' !

Also some new necklaces in store, inspired by the beautiful beaches and idilyic coves in cornwall, England.

Feel free to drop me a note to say hi! xxx

Custom Made...

A quick sneaky peak at a custom made necklace, the request was for pale pink and beige beads... A great colour combo don't you think?

I've also just started up a new facebook page for French76 - I would be delighted if you popped by and left a comment or 'like'. Thanks xxxx

NEW BLOG NAME

I've changed the name of the blog, bye bye Mollie and Finn - HELLO French 76 which is the name of my Etsy store... I hope you don't mind!

Local Community Garden

We visited Manly Vale Community Gardens today, the weather was beautiful as were the gardens. The play park was great for Finn and had plenty of shade for Luella. Finn was very keen to sample some of the strawberries growing in one of the plots - I'm going to plant some at home in the hope that he'll be willing to sample them again! Happy Days....

New necklaces listed in my store Mollie & Finn, handmade polymer clay beads. Labour of love, I've only listed a few because I'm still waiting for more leather cord, but if I didn't list them I know I'd just want to keep them for myself! All feedback is greatly appreciated.

Seize the Day...Don't sweat the small stuff

Source: etsy.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kate on Pinterest

Welcome Luella Iris.....

It's been a while, 6 whole months has passed since my last post, but we've been too busy, too tired and too besotted with our new addition to the family Luella Iris, who we welcomed into the world in late March, pictured here with big bro Finn...

Check 'The Glow' for its ahhh cute family factor, plus some uber chic homes and inhabitants.

Arlington Milne_Yes Please Santa!!

Arlington Milne Gracie in tan

Arlington Milne AVA bag in tan.

I'm hoping for an Arlington Milne bag for Christmas.... particularly in love with the Gracie Bag in tan. Do I need ANOTHER tan bag - Of COURSE!

Summer Lovin'.....

Finally the rains have eased and we've been allowed a peak at what summer might bring.... SUNSHINE! The kiddies pool is out and so are my legs! Here's a peak at our daybed in action, perfectly positioned to view the pool in action (book in hand) and to cool hot feet! xxxx

Rustic Charm...

With the back garden almost complete...

plants purchased, potted and pots painted, the patches that haven't quite
taken on the lawn filled with chamomile and seat covers (crudely) sewn and in
place on the day bed, just yellow stripey cushions to make and place on the
bench - once I've located the material, it appears I'm rather fussy over these
small details - so once the sun comes out to play again I'll post some
pictures.

....now my attentions are turning towards the inside again, in our old apartment we used reclaimed wood in our bathroom it was both cheap and provided depth and warmth to the room, now I'm dreaming up ways of using recycled timber when we eventually find the funds to add an extra storey to the house....

Shelve IT!

Some shelving idea's to mull over.

BackYard.... Story so Far...

We've said goodbye to a spa, a palm tree, a garden bed and our blue wall. Now we have a small spot of grass, a more uniform, lighter and useable back yard. The spa had to go to make more space and also for safety Finn was getting more and more fixated by the water and I didn't feel comfortabe leaving him out there alone with temptation so for space, sanity and safety good bye to the last bastion our former child free lives!!

There are still a few more plants to plant, cushions to make for the day bed and we ran out of pebbles for the garden bed but its far better than it was! Now I can look forward to lazy, sunny sundays and general mulling around with Finn and Clement the Westie.

BEFORE....

AFTER...



X

Welcome Spring!

Think Pink!, originally uploaded by mollieandfinn.

Not that today show's much sign of it - but yesterday was the first offical day of spring... Time for some fresh spring tones - like the beautiful pink used in this image....

& ..... time for our little herb garden to Bloom!!!

Woodland Wonderland...

Image from Design Sponge, originally uploaded by mollieandfinn.

Image from Design Sponge

Swoon - I love this woodland cottage / shack.

Also features my favourite flowers at the moment 'cone heads' .... I planted some in the front garden but they weather has been too wet and the lack of direct sun in the position they are in means they've all but died. Now the supplier has 'sold out' of coneheads so this rules out attempting to grow them in another part of the garden

Springs coming - time for some Garden Inspiration!

In Sydney we're in the last month of our 'winter' - which is more like early Autumn in the UK. The backyard is still in the midst of its make over, the spa has gone and the empty space has provided us with enough room for a little bit of lawn.

I'll post some before and after pictures in the next few weeks - but until then I've added some of the images that have provided some much needed garden inspiration. Hopefully by the start of spring next month we can enjoy the benefits of our hard work.

St Ives, Cornwall, UK

St Ives, Cornwall, UK, originally uploaded by mollieandfinn.

St Ives, Cornwall, UK
Glorious Times as always in St Ives, Sun, Rain, sleet or snow.

That's where I've been hiding - on a UKcation, plus a little bit of Paris, London and the Loire Valley. But I'm back now safe and sound although feeling a little homesick, to subdue my old country sadness I've a large to do list for the house and espeically the garden here in Sydney. So stay tuned.

x

Food for the Mind...

The Internet is a great source for inspiration and knowledge but it can also be a void into which we delve only to discover that the quick half an hour turns into two hours which out much achieved and a house still full of mess.

One of my resolutions at the start of 2010 was to not only be inspired but to act on those inspirations, I'm also trying to tune into more informative "food for the brain" websites and podcasts. So today I thought I would shared some of these with you....

1. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has so many great podcasts that are easy to download and completely free - Start the Week a 45 minute radio show hosted by journalist Andrew Marr covers every conceivable topic and really gets those cogs turning.
2. I subscribe to updates from the skin care company Aesop - each month when the monthly updates hits my inbox I'm in raptures, concise, funny and a font of knowledge from great wines to great pod casts and music (and a little on their products).
   
3. Persephone Books "Persephone Books reprints neglected classics by C20th (mostly women) writers. Each one in our collection of 88 books is intelligent, thought-provoking and beautifully written, and most are ideal presents or a good choice for reading groups"
4. Faculty of Philosophy Podcasts - Cambridge University, OK so not every one's cup of tea but check it out, they have a Philosophy of wine podcast - sip and listen!
5. Twitter SarahBrown2010 and Mammamia are my hot fav's, the former is Sarah Brown wife of the ex British PM leans a bit to the left but she's passionate about women's issues and child health, providing informative links and updates on charities across the globe.
6. GOOP Blog written by Gwyneth Paltrow - great recipes, info on kids, thought provoking posts written by Gwyneth or guest writers.
7. The Guardian Online - British Newspaper internet site that has everything you might want to know tucked away somewhere, amazing interviews, travel information, recipes, gardening tips - you name it it's here...

Enjoy xxx

A Splash Of Black... ?

A Splash Of Black... ?, originally uploaded by mollieandfinn.

I have an old spindle back chair that I found in a council clean-up, it needed a lot of TLC and the cane seat repaired. I'm not sure if I should paint it of leave it as a it is, especially as I'm thinking of painting it - black...

J.E.N's flickr page has inspiration galore especially for noire interiors.