Summer Sessions - a Hawaiian Luau

Last weekend Gabrielle's sister in law turned 30 and to celebrate she put on a Hawaiian Luau. It was a hot 36 degrees and everyone had a lovely time relaxing in the sun, drinking Coronas while watching their kids have water fights with one another. It was the perfect summers day and to wish Erin a happy birthday, we set up a Hawaiian themed photo booth.
Photography by Mary&Gabrielle

Stationery Sunday - Abracadabra!

Love it when we come across truely fun, inovative and inspiring invitations. This one, designed by Black Squid was sent out inviting guests to the Bone Growth Foundation fundraising dinner with a magical theme. Brightly coloured silk scarves (made from remnants and ends of rolls - yay! go recycling!) were tied together and pulled from a tube to magically reveal the details of the event at the end... loving the interactive element, what a great way to truely engage guests in the theme in preparation for the event!

Foodie Friday - Australia Day Super Styling

Check out these amazing images by Katie of 'What Katie Ate' for 'Real Living' Magazine that we discovered while searching for inspiration for this years Australia Day celebrations. Loving the way the food styling has given a nod to the green and gold, and completely adore the decorative and floral elements that have been incorporated, fun & unique but refined - love it!

Aussie As

It's one week exactly until in true Aussie style we enjoy another public holiday... can't wait! Last year the invite went out alright vegemite & we celebrated with a back yard bbq and a bit of driveway cricket, but in true m&g style couldn't resist imparting a stylish touch to the green and gold... hessian, yellow gingham & gumnuts with home made treats with an aussie flavour, lamingtons & pavalova - yum! An intentionally fun and kitchy spread that went down a treat :) 7 sleeps to go and counting until a mid-week mini holiday yay!

Eat cheese and be merry

Gabrielle recently celebrated her birthday, and decided to throw a simple yet marvelous dinner party for 26 of her closest friends and family. With Mary's help, the tables were set, the salmon was baking, the potatoes were boiling, the Pimms was flowing and the Cheese quickly vanishing.

Coming up Roses

Absolutely loving these gorgeous images from over at Design*Sponge... What a fabulous signature cocktail for any girl to add that wow factor and memorable element to any occassion! We're thinking simply fabulous for birthdays, hens days, wedding receptions... endless opportunites for this feminine and delicious martini. Get the recipe here.

All Set For Christmas... well the table anyway

Drum roll... So here's the result of the christmas styling concepts we developed for Sally of Poppies Florist featured in this months SA Style Mag. Stay tuned for more pics of our fab styling efforts as we have a heap of detail shots that we can't wait to share! We were also super happy with the brilliant stationery elements we briefed and commissioned Alicia from Akimbo to contribute check them out here...

christmas merriment

this past monday night & tuesday was spent styling up a fab christmas spread for a photoshoot with the supertalented Sally from Poppies. With Christmas not far off now (- yay for holidays!! ) we thought we'd give you a sneak peek into the palette & style inspiration we collated for Sally & the shoot.

Memorable Marquees

In the spirit of the day we thought we'd share our two all time favourite Melbourne Cup Marquees... These are both absolutely fabulous examples of how the skills of qualified & talented interior designers can transform spaces into truely unique and memorable environments.

Both of these amazing marquees demonstrate clearly that event design is far more than just styling, choosing a colour theme and table decorations, these marquees exemplify design through their dedication to the attention to detail, the considered maniuplation of space and creating atmosphere through the innovative application of layering texture, colour, light, movement and object... yay for design!!

Check out what PTW Architects helped realise for Moet Chandon... could you get any closer to being inside a glass of champagne?

and we love this playful interpretation of 'The Village Green' in the Birdcage that Interior Designers Hecker Phelan & Guthrie helped realise...

OO! Brooches & Balloons!

who says bouqeuts have to be floral? we LOVE these fabulously playful alternatives...

Oh Doily Doily Me...

Doily inspired details are popping up all over the blog world at the moment & will definitely be a beautiful detail flooding into weddings over the next season. These sweet little pieces of inspiration embrace the gorgeous lacey touches in a refined and sophisticated way without screaming nana, (from design work life, country living, martha & elisa).

We love the feminine & romantic connotations of the gentle & muted tones above, but if your after some colour and quirk consider punching it up a little & appropriating these fun alternatives.