Hello Monday

Whew. Nothing like a bit of inspirational pressure to start the week.

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Have a good one 

xoxo

Welcome weekend

Whew this week flew by! (How is it already June 8!?). What are your plans for the weekend? We are going to watch The Rum Diary (Have you seen it? I just feel like a light hearted laugh set in some exotic location). We will also be hunting down light fittings and vintage kitchen taps (as the renovation continues on and on...)

{via here from here}

This had me laughing out aloud at my desk (thanks Julia for the Friday entertainment)

And this is chuckle-worthy too

Polaroids as wedding invites

Be inspired by these coats as winter creeps up on us

A DIY for Father's Day

Things look prettier when they are dipped

Oh yum. Simple but delish 

Love these large-scale family photos 

Speaking of things for the home, I want to give my chairs a make-over with this fabric

Good advice can be found in all sorts of places

Keep warm little llamas xoxo

Kate Spade Wisdom

I love these statements to live by, by Kate Spade. This one is my favourite (another perfect mantra for my kitchen):

 

{via here}

(Speaking of eating and kitchen, we are going to friends for dinner tonight. However, Rochelle is an amazing cook (check out her inspiration for this evening here - my mouth is watering already) so I am sure take-aways will not be on the menu!)

Baroque Obama

This made me chuckle.

{From here}

Guest Post: Today's mantra

A note on public speaking

We all have some occasion to speak in public - be it a presentation, a conference, or a business meeting where you are selling a great idea. I came across this piece of advice which I really useful so thought I would share.

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"Keep this in mind: people at events are hungry for authenticity. Saying something youmight not have said elsewhere is a good way to find your authentic voice. For my own conference, I often give advice to speakers before they come on stage.

Here’s an exercise for anyone who wants to connect with an audience. A few weeks before the event, when you start preparing the talk, write out everything you spend your time doing - professional work, side projects at home, everything. Now pick the one thing you’re most excited about. Now consider: why is that so important to you?  Design your talk from that point, as if you started by saying, “My name is X, and I’m passionate about XYZ because...”

The rest of your talk should fall into place easily enough. Yes, it’s important to know your audience, use A/V materials wisely, watch your time, and so on. But you have to build the talk around your passion. 

Here’s the final measure of your success as a speaker:did you change something? Are attendees leaving with a new idea, some new inspiration, perhaps arenewed commitment to their work or to the world? Be honest, be authentic, and speak from your passion. Yes, it means taking a risk. But the results might surprise you."

{From Seth Godin's ebook, What Matters Now}

Hello Monday (finally!)

Apologies for the delayed post. Been busy busy busy (packing, moving, working, working, building, moving, building, working, working late, working later, packing, travelling, London, working, packing, travelling, working, building and still working). My brain feels like this chalkboard looks.

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Wishing you a wonderful week little worker bees.