Byron beauty

I've always had a soft spot for Byron Bay and the surrounding areas. Besides boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in Australia, the area is bordered by rolling green hills and quirky little country towns. This month, <a href="http://www.homelife.com.au/magazine/inside+out/">Inside Out magazine</a> featured a lovely white beach house, with a touch of the Caribbean thrown in for good measure. It probably comes as no surprise to hear that the story was styled by our very own <a href="http://shannonfricke.blogspot.com/">Shannon Fricke</a>, and photographed by <a href="http://taverneagency.com/">Prue Ruscoe</a>. Are you ready for some Byron magic?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluU037uvkYt6P2wz5xPyK2INuX3tFz9YOITtUnYt7m7GlSpMqfcr_RuprR3BBHyxhHQlMXz1czB-8Av5FNwAYi6MJXV0GcP6xsrt5fd3gKJ8EWXNRPvNYjc-MlGMlbiYDoOpEXjHSzLA/s1600/00032500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluU037uvkYt6P2wz5xPyK2INuX3tFz9YOITtUnYt7m7GlSpMqfcr_RuprR3BBHyxhHQlMXz1czB-8Av5FNwAYi6MJXV0GcP6xsrt5fd3gKJ8EWXNRPvNYjc-MlGMlbiYDoOpEXjHSzLA/s640/00032500.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zaBO3MR911Or4tMflnuewTYGcAg__YoqRlboF4kBKqGcVPA806g72PQhNEeQrWe35zpjQYBWDDNTrn-Hl1dnUy3-3xe0dMMRkJ06UyxoahIJU5Yn3tE5ce8VZ8B0kifWtMXzx5d_HxU/s1600/00032515+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zaBO3MR911Or4tMflnuewTYGcAg__YoqRlboF4kBKqGcVPA806g72PQhNEeQrWe35zpjQYBWDDNTrn-Hl1dnUy3-3xe0dMMRkJ06UyxoahIJU5Yn3tE5ce8VZ8B0kifWtMXzx5d_HxU/s640/00032515+%25281%2529.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXeoXKrjwqVfKA0mXGGnrDBdqtDdmk-36mIjfo5FWiA_j4gPAuKWsUGuQfcs_OaLG94gyMzJxAjKXE5qGtbC6xh9E9C38EN55Q5o_8u3KJPP0ZXcf9FK1jPDvn_XqLTP5VXOTJQapp78/s1600/00032490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXeoXKrjwqVfKA0mXGGnrDBdqtDdmk-36mIjfo5FWiA_j4gPAuKWsUGuQfcs_OaLG94gyMzJxAjKXE5qGtbC6xh9E9C38EN55Q5o_8u3KJPP0ZXcf9FK1jPDvn_XqLTP5VXOTJQapp78/s640/00032490.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivS6cAl9xu70L-SVZASo4c2pie_Jmy787xpoxdNE3efq-PLa89PveRGnT81wUKvk_WJ06_b4mGHrMqvquhyclyJGoSMtfPrQO3ZMe5MpvwPWLdlM3lOoa2a1ELOW7CMQR3WFESFrez9BA/s1600/00032491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivS6cAl9xu70L-SVZASo4c2pie_Jmy787xpoxdNE3efq-PLa89PveRGnT81wUKvk_WJ06_b4mGHrMqvquhyclyJGoSMtfPrQO3ZMe5MpvwPWLdlM3lOoa2a1ELOW7CMQR3WFESFrez9BA/s640/00032491.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQbXuTdrgMT5wXXhR26qT4-ZmaiYlcHDF8_RlrqRZtxJwdce4f7myTkDdXcCeva2_k_gE03Z3Vp0EOuNQ-NEAur1AJLHXP7YSoPIt56BcMq33PSE2sYQM3pZ3Eg-KIIZ_AQuHpin3tgU/s1600/00032493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQbXuTdrgMT5wXXhR26qT4-ZmaiYlcHDF8_RlrqRZtxJwdce4f7myTkDdXcCeva2_k_gE03Z3Vp0EOuNQ-NEAur1AJLHXP7YSoPIt56BcMq33PSE2sYQM3pZ3Eg-KIIZ_AQuHpin3tgU/s640/00032493.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvo0h3ym4dz5ZaltnzCvDw5ar5I1pyZMank5QXWenmPZq-VlOrULUHufTfi0yhQA1qYacOkiJVvjI-iDsHh1W6SaiaSRk8Y3tUwLRttJwcSCxp7dW_fnLA24ghgIyerSPgqczTK2OKX8/s1600/00032517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikvo0h3ym4dz5ZaltnzCvDw5ar5I1pyZMank5QXWenmPZq-VlOrULUHufTfi0yhQA1qYacOkiJVvjI-iDsHh1W6SaiaSRk8Y3tUwLRttJwcSCxp7dW_fnLA24ghgIyerSPgqczTK2OKX8/s640/00032517.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUmRKal4ZxLcpXmTvizO7YfpC7HXhFKN1JeOQWJXYrUesmF5j1-EJjrEoNiwvPyVop_36PFa3lgEUuSPcAyFfbjJ05zqYdsmWKRJjtiGYn_CxPt_PdmeEqsyU9nQtnVos-RnVLVWzLj8/s1600/00032527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUmRKal4ZxLcpXmTvizO7YfpC7HXhFKN1JeOQWJXYrUesmF5j1-EJjrEoNiwvPyVop_36PFa3lgEUuSPcAyFfbjJ05zqYdsmWKRJjtiGYn_CxPt_PdmeEqsyU9nQtnVos-RnVLVWzLj8/s640/00032527.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDy8gdBDVn2J_SMPplBGgohf6dK3dY-hlH7hjTygw1mDXwsPrZ95c9fJ_DpVDdvkEdcOnZVK5Jrx7B0BNPACs16HwYB2LbFtcttae5LWBC87nvC1U-7p5U2EAGL4BHzIVl6p3SupJWuI/s1600/00032531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKDy8gdBDVn2J_SMPplBGgohf6dK3dY-hlH7hjTygw1mDXwsPrZ95c9fJ_DpVDdvkEdcOnZVK5Jrx7B0BNPACs16HwYB2LbFtcttae5LWBC87nvC1U-7p5U2EAGL4BHzIVl6p3SupJWuI/s640/00032531.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSmwmmtGCFQmG-BvfqzHq4zghEisECY0OlpEwMGLBEK62z0qAFYxk-hrYZBTar4xo6EVteywT3uqD3zJuY6NfZ3BVBZb6kWNfzOW-1GSQqw071w9SXm3cauOxELnliFPsEMBoWcSkxqc/s1600/00032533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSmwmmtGCFQmG-BvfqzHq4zghEisECY0OlpEwMGLBEK62z0qAFYxk-hrYZBTar4xo6EVteywT3uqD3zJuY6NfZ3BVBZb6kWNfzOW-1GSQqw071w9SXm3cauOxELnliFPsEMBoWcSkxqc/s640/00032533.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://taverne-agency.com/">source</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We've finally had some decent weather, and at long last, work has resumed on the pool. The pool guy put in a solid six hours yesterday (!!!) so hopefully it will be all done and dusted next week. But you know, when I see the floods in Wagga (thinking of you, <a href="http://katrinachambers.blogspot.com/">Katrina</a>!) I remind myself to stop whining. Having the pool finished is rather insignificant in the whole scheme of things, you know? As is having the letter 'i' pack it in on your keyboard :)  </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have a lovely weekend everyone, </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85794/shatay01/57292ae3db79c6d939a1f2a85508a076.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></div>

Byron beauty

I've always had a soft spot for Byron Bay and the surrounding areas. Besides boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in Australia, t...

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Aargh!

My computer has gone on str1ke - can you guess what key won't work? So now 1'm off to buy a new keyboard as a temporary measure th1s morn1ng. Don't you just love technology?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-HTpT6exZizf3JxlrFj1W49uQzOarfS0F-2uqvALFyQSEG53BwBbNdLe1QblkuwnqsCGrUSMbHkqJENhk1gPe2Jv85WMz-xRSt9Qx374qEUiTjDvWWnGWiDQBaJS28VgLGz5eX6PloU/s1600/42-22684837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-HTpT6exZizf3JxlrFj1W49uQzOarfS0F-2uqvALFyQSEG53BwBbNdLe1QblkuwnqsCGrUSMbHkqJENhk1gPe2Jv85WMz-xRSt9Qx374qEUiTjDvWWnGWiDQBaJS28VgLGz5eX6PloU/s640/42-22684837.jpg" width="443" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://corbisimages.com/">source</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">See you when 1 get back from the shops - now 1 just need to muster the energy to brave the crowds!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/85794/shatay01/57292ae3db79c6d939a1f2a85508a076.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>

Aargh!

My computer has gone on str1ke - can you guess what key won't work? So now 1'm off to buy a new keyboard as a temporary measure th1s...

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Fancy Meeting You Here

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So I have a little confession. Ever since I've had a degree in English, I haven't enjoyed writing. I was burned out. And while I enjoy taking photographs, I don't love the lengthy process of downloading photos and getting them 'ready'. (But still loyal to my <a href="http://www.picnik.com/">Picnik</a>!)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then why blog? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, a few things have come to me usually during my quiet time in the shower. These thoughts come completely out of the blue, grip me, throw me around, and drown me with ideas. Within 24 hours of the deluge starting, I have the new project in the works just so the ideas can find their outlet to allow me some peace and quiet. So far, it has happened 3 times.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first time the process occurred, it turned into this:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZkj49yCcHXrmSPuQrBlheBtYH9ZLqJVug41AS666FLw6GnKTK-MefiV1CfqNqFtVJmUbq6SOMIFGjMItG6jQnDdtk9Xv6jM_y0LOvlID4_0ObIyC6H68igA2NrNI9yOaqbJ0wrajqI0/s1600/sweetBloosom-00722244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZkj49yCcHXrmSPuQrBlheBtYH9ZLqJVug41AS666FLw6GnKTK-MefiV1CfqNqFtVJmUbq6SOMIFGjMItG6jQnDdtk9Xv6jM_y0LOvlID4_0ObIyC6H68igA2NrNI9yOaqbJ0wrajqI0/s400/sweetBloosom-00722244.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peasant Dress by Sweet Blossom Boutique<br />(Original photo by <a href="http://www.angiebuckley.com/">Angie Buckley</a>)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sweet Blossom Boutique became my third baby - a whirlwind of ribbons, pompoms, and fabrics in my house - swirling, evolving into kids clothing for four delightful, magical years. It was four years of unforgettable creativity and learning.<br /><br />Some of the people I met along the way have remained good friends today. Had I thought about it, I never would have plunged into owning a business, designing and making clothing, and managing a website. None of this is in my background, but it worked :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second time an idea gripped me out of the blue, this blog appeared 24 hours later. Although I had been enjoying home decor blogs at the time to gather ideas for my new home, I knew nothing about the nuts and bolts of a blog. And as I said earlier, I don't even like to write :) And why put myself out there in the public among strangers?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQNwKyyp2q1nrdN-FYaV_iK7B96wyYNtto-8w_41Pl8LMlSSg5OuWFzscNT2adVSrTZBnskAlSDIYJVBbuRoH_VeItER02TI9OzpUB3Qa0sK98ww_Mg9ZjSnE25CXq-naNpecBsWqV_k/s1600/DSC_0037-12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQNwKyyp2q1nrdN-FYaV_iK7B96wyYNtto-8w_41Pl8LMlSSg5OuWFzscNT2adVSrTZBnskAlSDIYJVBbuRoH_VeItER02TI9OzpUB3Qa0sK98ww_Mg9ZjSnE25CXq-naNpecBsWqV_k/s400/DSC_0037-12.JPG" width="342" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from my first blog <a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html">post</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like Sweet Blossom Boutique, I have made connections with people that I otherwise wouldn't have. I've been approached by HGTV International House Hunters and a mobile phone application company. Like pen pals, I've had great conversations and made new bloggy friends all over the globe (hiya!). Not only am I journaling, but also staying connected with those at home (hi y'all).</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I recently completed a blogging course through <a href="http://decor8blog.com/byw-newsletter/">Decor8</a> to help me figure out what I am doing here :) The best advice I received is to blog what you are feeling at the moment to get the best posts. And sometimes I don't 'feel' anything, so I don't post. But hopefully blogging what I'm thinking at the moment will keep content fresh and real, and prevent me from burn out. I think I'd like to blog for a long time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've referred to my massage therapy days in previous <a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.com/2010/11/ringing-in-holidays.html">posts</a> - which is funny because it was so long ago and so brief I often don't list it as a past career. I did learn valuable life lessons though. How it applies to blogging for me: 'trust you are where you are supposed be when you are supposed to be there'. So here I am!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There have been a few occasions I have wondered, 'Why on earth am I writing this <a href="http://happyhomemakeruk.blogspot.com/2010/11/happy-winds-day-this-thursday.html">post</a>?', but I will be 'moved' to write something, and so I go with it. And then sure enough, someone will email that they were having a down day and it was exactly what they needed to hear. Yea!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;">If I hadn't had a blog, I wouldn't have bothered to take these photos:</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufZPQ1bJcMo8_aPoqoVrp_RRgvCAfLE3inlR-df6yCvxiNV7f7qQUlFWDbpbv_h_iKGSwZKPc7-fRUxINMZltxdeB1UICRzgzJ5yFj8y4Xzbu4svh-JrV2AOflaG2KWuU1JxnHsnNbNQ/s1600/Happy+Homemaker+UK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufZPQ1bJcMo8_aPoqoVrp_RRgvCAfLE3inlR-df6yCvxiNV7f7qQUlFWDbpbv_h_iKGSwZKPc7-fRUxINMZltxdeB1UICRzgzJ5yFj8y4Xzbu4svh-JrV2AOflaG2KWuU1JxnHsnNbNQ/s400/Happy+Homemaker+UK.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the weekends, sometimes my husband will say, 'Let's go do something worth blogging about'. So it can be a huge motivator too :)<br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And the most recent 'gripping' event led to me to start up tours of trendy hot spots in London for a women's group. Some may lead to blog material one day :)</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Do you have a decision process that rocks your world?<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>XO Laura

Fancy Meeting You Here

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK So I have a little confession. Ever since I've had a degree in English, I haven't enjoyed writing. I wa...

Read more »