I don't take compliments easily, I am not often happy with the work I produce, always seeing where it could be better – I can thank my perfectionist mother for that character trait! But today I'm happy because one of my favourite blogs, The Design Files, featured a story on Annabelle and me and our new magazine fête. I still can't quite believe the author of the site, Lucy, would be interested in our little project that we're producing from Adelaide in South Australia.
And today, we launched our new website. This was not without its problems. Only days ago we decided to cease work with one web developer and employ another after weeks and weeks of ongoing problems with the first. We've ended up paying twice to have our website built but we wanted to be sure it was right - right from the start. I designed it to be simple and in keeping with the fête ethos. I'm not sure if it's the weeks of stress leading up to today or the pure relief that the site is actually up, but for today, I'm pretty happy with how things are working out.
Here is our first issue of Fête for 2012. I hope you'll like it and help us spread the word if you do. Please visit our Facebook page and like us too if you have a moment, we'd really appreciate your support.
Today I took some photos for a beautiful homeware store that they will be using on their upcoming website. I actually really enjoyed it but I did feel rather peculiar being the photographer as it's not something I do often. I am far more adept at being the designer sitting behind a computer screen using other people's photographs.
It is something I'd like to do more of though - practice makes perfect I guess.
My sweet little pony, Nat, got very sick just before Christmas. At 22 years old, I feared the worst for her but by some miracle, she had made enough of a recovery to accompany her little rider, Poppy, to the country show today.
After countless shows, being primped and preened for most of her life, Nat's earned her retirement and only gets prettied up once or twice a year now for special occasions.
Recently I celebrated my birthday and one of loveliest gifts I received was from my very good friend Jeannie and her husband Damien who gave me a box of produce from their farm – herbs, eggs, garlic, potatoes, zucchinis – a real bounty. My mum gave me a beautiful black-washed trug which was the perfect partner for these homegrown goodies.
Jeannie and Damien live on a beautiful property near Macclesfield about 45 minutes from Adelaide CBD. They have done so much work on the place, having almost finished a much-anticipated extension to their home. After a long-overdue visit this morning to see the new house I was really taken with Jeannie's vegetable patch that she lovingly tends. It was so full of different fruits and veggies, everywhere I turned there was another surprise. I love how she has incorporated old gates and farm equipment within the garden. It was also great to see the pencil pines that I gave Jeannie for her birthday a few years ago looking so healthy. Lots of rain this year has ensured good growth but Jeannie surely has a green thumb or two.
Jeannie's a graphic designer like me – we went to the same high school all those years ago and then went to Uni together to study. The logo for her business, Cultivate Design, reflects her love of the land perfectly. Please do visit Jeannie's blog if you have a moment, I hope she'll share many more pics of her property as it evolves.
Good grief, what a whirlwind Christmas I have just experienced. A poor sick little pony leading up to the day, lunch for 26 on the day and then we hosted a party on the 27th - which is the epitome of insanity – to celebrate my birthday. If it's any indication of just how chaotic our festive season was you won't be surprised to learn I only decorated the tree on Boxing Day – and very sparsely at that!
Many years ago I made the tree decorations using found seed pods. I was shopping at the local supermarket and noticed all these beautiful little pods on the ground under the trees – some variety of Acacia I think, native to Australia. I returned one Sunday afternoon and spent a couple of hours collecting them. Goodness knows what any passers-by must have thought. I then drilled a tiny hole into each one of the them and then strung them together, punctuated with a gold bead every so often. I was addicted and couldn't stop making these blessed things – I found the larger seed pods that I used for the mantel garlands in the parklands which coincidentally is now only five houses away from where we live.
I don't decorate with them every year but this year, teamed with some fairy lights they were quick and easy and I was happy just to have something up! I also like the idea of celebrating Christmas in an Australian way minus the snowflakes, the reindeer and the frosted windows – yesterday was 40 degrees for heaven's sake!
Billie had the right idea, she's lounged around pretty much the entire time and no, we are yet to eat the pudding – it's still hanging from the mantel. I wonder if it will keep until next year?
Yesterday we celebrated my adorable nephew's third birthday. My sister threw him a little party with fairy bread, homemade pasties and lots of sweet treats. I made the cake which was topped with toffee crumbles. He had a ball and made us all laugh with his funny faces and dress-up antics. I feel so lucky to have him and my niece in my life.
What a crazy few days it has been. The response to our new project, fête, has been fantastic – more than we could have hoped. Thank you so much for all your lovely emails and comments, we both really appreciate them.
Here is the recipe to the mincepies in our Special Issue. They are so very delicious, I'm sure you'll love them too. Annabelle and I pretty much ate the whole tray in this photo not too long after they were shot. Official testing of course!
Please let me know if you can't read the recipe and I can email it to you.
It is with much excitement Annabelle and I have launched a special issue of fête - just in time for Christmas. We really hope you'll enjoy this taste of what's to come in the new year with the first of our bi-monthly online issues releasing in February 2012.
Yes, I can finally reveal the project that Annabelle and I have been working on is a new magazine we have named fête – a celebration of all things entertaining and party related. I don't know about you, but we are both seriously time-poor but still want to celebrate the good times in life in a simple, easy but beautiful way. fête will show you how easy it is to make your next event just a little bit special without all the bother.
Yesterday we launched our press kit which we've sent out to prospective advertisers. We've had such a positive response already it's been really encouraging. We're just two girls with a crazy idea, it's nice to know others share our yearning for a simpler, less complicated – but no less beautiful – life.
The beautiful photographs in the press kit were taken by Jessie at Follow Studio and Scott & Alia from White Wall Photography and we couldn't be happier with them – they totally sum up our whole ethos.
We will be releasing six online issues a year and one speccy printed annual later next year. Our first mini 'teaser' issue will be released on the 9th of December which is just around the corner so please keep an eye out for it.
I do hope you'll let us know what you think, and please like us on Facebook to hear all our news – when we find the time to post that is!
