Tome: Bushland and Seashore by Robin Hill

Cover: photography by Eclectic Kate

Upon cleaning out my grandparents’ home, I have stumbled across the most beautiful book. It’s called Bushland And Seashore and it’s written and illustrated by artist and naturalist Robin Hill.

While I felt like I knew every book in that house, I don’t ever remember this one. However the illustrations are just so beautiful, I keep flicking through it, over and over again.

Bushland and Seashore was first published in 1962 and depicts native Australian flora and fauna in their natural habitat. Painted in watercolours, unlike other naturalist painters, Hill is able to bring the animals to life on the page. From the snake ready to strike to the hawk circling it’s prey, the images are evocative and moving. It became an award-winning book, but it is unfortunately no longer in print. I did find a secondhand copy on Amazon.

Illustration by Robin Hill: photography by Eclectic Kate

The other thing I love about this find is that my grandparents gave this book to my uncle Harvey for Christmas in 1963. Proof that books make great presents.

Inscription: photography by Eclectic Kate

Funny how a book can outlive a person.

For more information on the incredible Robin Hill and to order prints online, please visit his website here

More images from Bushland and Seashore below, sourced from Robin Hills’ website.

Terra Terra Terrarium

Terrariums are having a moment.

I have very fond memories of my Nanna making them in the 80’s. She loved anything oriental, so along with bonsai’s, we’d make miniature Chinese gardens in these balloon shaped glass jars.

Driftwood would be collected as logs and we’d cover the soil in moss for grass.

Recently we’ve been cleaning out my grandparent’s home as they’ve now both passed on.

One of the many treasures I found was two unused terrarium jars, so I set about making a set of terrariums of my own.

Everything I know about terrariums I learned from The Terrarium Man website here.

Instructions after the jump…

One of my terrariums. Photography by Eclectic Kate

Instructions:

Tool Kit:

Large open jar or vase (available at thrift stores, Etsy, Ebay or $2 stores)

Stones, river pebbles or fish rocks (purchased at Bunnings)

Spagnum moss (purchased at Bunnings)

Potting mix

Plants (I used succulents as they don’t need a lot of water)

Terrarium essentials

Method:

1. Ensure the jar is clean and free of dust and finger marks

2. Layer stones, sphagnum moss, potting mix in that order

3. Play around with arrangement of plants before planting. Remember that terrariums are often viewed from all sides and the top, so you want to consider what it looks like from each of these angles. Place plants in soil once arrangement has been finalised

4. Give plants a water.

Tips:

Think about where you are going to place your terrarium before you create it. They don’t like to be in direct sunlight.

Feel the soil every few days and if it feels dry, give plants a little water. I use a water bottle with a drip nozzle so I don’t overwater.

Snip off any dead leaves as you see them.

This is a pretty cool project to do with kids and something they could have in their rooms. To add another element of fun for kids, let them choose a carnivirous plant such as a Venus Fly Trap. Small toy dinosaurs, wild animals or fairies can be added as decoration after planting the planting stage.

For more inspiration check out this beautiful book – The New Terrarium by Tovah Martin and Kindra Clineff on Booktopia. 

Finished Terrariums

Let it rain, Let it rain, Let it rain

So it’s torrential outside but dams and water tanks are filling up so it’s a good thing.

Post Christmas will be full of grass that needs mowing and potholes – yay!

A friend and I made these easy cupcakes the other day with our kids and I had as much fun making them as the kids did. Instructions after the jump!

Christmas wreath cupcake. Photograph by Amor Sexton

Holly Cupcake. Photograph by Amor Sexton

Reindeer Games cupcake. Photograph by Amor Sexton

I thought they could be great rainy-day-play activity to keep your kids/husband/boyfriend/international guests occupied while you cook, clean, wrap or sleep.

I just buy Greens Vanilla Cake Mix which is only a few dollars and comes with icing mix… as lets face it, it’s not really about the cake, is it?

Cake mix tends to be a dollar or so cheaper and I find you can make more cupcakes with it. Just remember to pick up some cupcake patty cases as I ran out and we had to use happy birthday ones.

Method:

Bake cakes as per packet directions, add some orange zest and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon for a more festive tasting cupcake.

The Christmas Wreath and Holly designs come from a great cupcake book by the Australian Women’s Weekly called Easy Cupcakes by Colour. Once the cakes have been iced with vanilla icing, cut mint leaf lollies in half sideways through the lolly so you end up with two leaves and decorate in a circle around the circumference of the cake. Start at the top and work in one direction to get the layered effect of the wreath.

The berries are jaffas for the holly leaf or a red jube cut in half for the holly berry. Jubes and Jaffas are interchangeable depending on your taste.

The cute Reindeer Games design is one that my friend Amor and I came up with. The antlers are a strap of licorice cut down to size and then spliced 3/4 of the way through the middle so that it curls outwards.

The ears are a block of mint Aero bar cut through the middle and down to size.

Jaffa for the nose and star shaped sprinkles for the eyes. The star shaped sprinkles were picked up at Aldi, but you could use silver cachous or mini M&M’s.

Enjoy!

The “don’t panic, it’s Christmas” guide to last minute gifts

My gorgeous niece Ruby, panicking. Photo by Kylie Jacobsen

The week before Christmas is usually the week where I run out of Christmas steam, I’m running out of good present ideas and the budget is getting tighter.

I blame this week for the plethora of gift-pack cosmetics, socks and singing Christmas kitchiness, because if you’re shopping this week, chances are you’re pretty over it, delusional and lost for ideas.

On top of that it is the week where you get gifts from people that you had no prior gift-giving relationship with… the random kid at preschool you’ve never heard of or the neighbour who moved in last week.

Cue another trip to the shops.

Therefore here is my guide to simple, inexpensive and thoughtful last minute gifts, that are available almost anywhere and that will hopefully save your sanity.

For the kids who have everything:

1. ART & CRAFT: My general rule for kids is they can never have too many books, art & craft or outdoor toys. Most $2 stores have a great selection of canvases, paints, glitter glue, crayons and pencils. Present them in a box or basket so that you’re also providing a storage solution. A trip to the thrift store may also uncover excess art supplies, still in packets and good quality used baskets.
2. BOOKS: Books are also an easily accessible gift, you can pick up good quality used books at thrift shops or new ones at the supermarket. The books to avoid are ones that come from movies or cartoon shows, from experience they’re either too wordy for the age group they’re marketed at or worse, they’re poorly written. The exception to this rule is for kids who never read… these books are good to at least get them interested in story time.
3. OUTDOOR TOYS: Outdoor toys and in particular water toys are great for holiday entertainment and get kids out of the house and burning off some energy. There’s nothing better than a water fight, so water pistols, water balloons, bath toys and anything that connects up to the hose are great for summer. Water & kids must always be accompanied by adult supervision. A simple gift could be a jar full of water balloons and ‘Just Add Water’ written on a sticky label across the jar.

For the adult you don’t know what to buy:

1. RECIPE CARDS: Think of 3-5 of your favourite dinners, type out the recipe for each and get them printed on A5 pieces of card. Present cards wrapped with a ribbon and a tag that reads, “Dinner ideas for 2012”. Go the extra mile by thinking of clever names for your dishes i.e. ‘One Dish Wonder‘, ‘Cupboard is bare spaghetti‘. You could do the same with cookie recipes and present with a few assorted cookie cutter shapes. If you really suck at cooking, that is what the internet is for, go to www.taste.com.au and cut & paste a few recipes.
2. INSTANT HERB GARDEN: Most supermarkets now sell small pots of parsley and basil. Purchase one or even three small pots of herbs and replant them in a more decorative planters available at hardwares, garden centres and department stores like Target, Kmart and Big W. Label pots with permanent marker or purchase garden labels which stick into the soil. Tie a simple bow around the pot rather than trying to wrap a living thing!
3. THE BEST WAY TO GIFT DECORATIVE SOAPS: Scented soaps on their own may seem a little lame (personally I love soap!) however by teaming it with a small decorative dish and a set of white hand towels, it becomes a more thoughtful gift. This is a great host gift if you are staying with someone over the holidays. Try and buy the nicest soap you can afford and/or something in either an interesting shape or with pretty packaging. The dish can be found at thrift stores or even a small blue and white china soup bowl. My tip is to not buy an actual soap dish, they’re always ugly and practical looking. Hand towels for the bathroom are always, excuse the pun, handy. Unless you can afford striped Missoni hand towels, stick to plain white as colours fade  & tend to look raggedy much quicker.

Be Still

All images in this post are credited to Robyn Stacey

Imagine being given free range to fossil through the archives of your favourite museum or library.

Access to back rooms, sorting through large-scale pull-out drawers while wearing white cotton gloves and perhaps even a lab coat… sorry I’m getting away from myself.

Last Wednesday night I was lucky enough to attend a talk at the Museum of Sydney (MOS) called Creating beautiful images with the things you love: Sibella Court on House. 

Sibella Court is a successful Sydney-based interiors stylist who works in publishing and commercial interiors, she also has a great little store in Surry Hills, Sydney, called The Society Inc, which she describes as “a haberdashery meets hardware store.”

Court has three published books, Etc., The Stylist’s Guide to NYC, and Nomad and is currently working on a fourth due out in October 2012. I could go on (and on) about Sibella Court’s work however things are better said from the horses’ mouth, so please click on The Society Inc link at the end of this post to find out more.

Wednesday night’s talk was held to open a new exhibition at the MOS called House which showcased sumptuous, still-life images by photographer Robyn Stacey. Stacey was given access to pillage the resources of the Caroline Simpson library and a selection of Historic Houses Trust properties to create a selection of evocative cornucopia’s of food, fruit, books, textiles and historical objects from around the home. While I don’t think it would be fair to Robyn to replicate the images in full here, I’ve cropped a few of her shots as a teaser in the hope that you all either attend the exhibition or purchase the accompanying book (written in conjunction with Peter Timms) and is available to purchase here

Sibella talked on her love of still life and the art of creating a perfect balance of object d’art. I feel this is something everyone can take and use in the context of your own home.

I encourage those who have even a smidge of an interest in interiors and design to either go see the exhibition or view the book, it’s as inspiring as it is beautiful.

I loved the spines and pages of the old books in the photograph below, this is a snapshot of a much larger image… you have to read the book or visit the exhibition to see more!

A great selection of covers, pages and spines

LINKS:

For more info on Sibella Court and The Society Inc click here

For more info on the Museum of Sydney, The Historic Houses Trust or the House – Robyn Stacey exhibition click here