My new favourite .....

Hello friends - thanks for all the birthday wishes!! I had an especially nice day!

One of the reasons I enjoy travelling so much, is the excitement of trying new foods! And I was not disappointed on this recent visit to China. I discovered a brand new fruit I have never tried before - YANG MEI.



I spotted the lady selling this interesting fruit, and decided I must try this immediately :-) So my friend and host Mary bought me a bag to sample!



Mmmmmmmm - they taste as delicious as they look!!! Sort of like a cross between a raspberry and strawberry!!!



I have not seen this anywhere else in Asia that I have been, so was very curious ....
This is how it looks after a bite :-)



Have any of you tried this before?? I hope you get the opportunity one day!!! I even brought back home with me a bag of dried yang mei which I'm saving for a rainy day .... or a day very soon i think!!!!

Wishing you all a very lovely week!!

Custom-made silk signage

Hello friends! Look what I got in China!!

A custom painted silk scroll in Chinese characters for 'Lanternshop'. I just love it. Its now proudly hanging on my office door - I'm positive it will make me more prosperous!! :-) I also have some other styles which I'll show you when they are photographed - these will go in my warehouse/shop!



And here's my happiness hanging - love this too :-)



I've just about finalised the details for the next container!! So many great new designs of solar, led, paper, metal lanterns, fans, party decorations and more!! Very exciting .......

Also, its my birthday tomorrow!!! :-) Yippeee!! I'm having a 12 hour sale at www.lanternshop.com.au to celebrate!
Guess this means I'll be extra busy on Wednesday!! Have a happy week!!

Dress Lanterns

Rice paper lantern shipment is coming any minute now! We are literally waiting for the truck drivers phone call ...... So, while I'm waiting, I've been browsing the web for lantern inspiration - and look what I found!!



Isn't this such an amazing picture by the very talented Tim Walker. Sadly, I'm a little late for the calender which not only features this stunning pic but plenty of other inspiring shots too! I love, love, love his work!


Have a lovely day my friends! I will be adding pics of the new lanterns in the next few days .... so exciting :-)

Look what I found :-)

As you all know I'm on my way to becoming a computer nerd! Well, I'm trying hard anyway!
So today, for the first time in forever, I visited the computer mega store ...... and look what I found .....



quite unbelieveable to me - a mini mouse in my favourite colour purple!!!



Who would have known such a magnificent item existed????!! It even has a retractable cord - so magical :-)
I can even tell that Patsy, the hard-working assistant is impressed!!

There will be no stopping us now!!!!!!

Have a lovely weekend my friends. We are still waiting for the rain to finish so we can photograph the new silk lanterns!

I'm inspired ... cupcakes for me and Patsy

Happy Friday everyone! Wishing you all a lovely day and fantastic weekend to follow!

Patsy and I feel like making cupcakes!! We've found the best Etsy shop that can send us all the cutie things we like :-)


Edible dogs!!


Edible bones (Patsy's favourite)


I love anything paisley - so definately must add these to the shopping cart!


I have a bit of a thing for butterflys too .....


Valentines day is nearing - I can use these for my sweetheart!


Edible hearts :-) All items and pics from here

I'll be posting the pics for my giveaway soon. There are 99 lovely people following, so when I get to 100 I'm going to giveaway some of the paper lanterns from my new shipment (and I will post anywhere in the world)!!! Stay tuned :-)

I changed my background yesterday! I really like the glittery heart, and the soft watery blues. What do you all think?

Origami Tea Bag

Yes, I'm supposed to be working on my tax receipts all morning ... yawn ... but instead I've been blog-surfing, and having a very enjoyable time!!! :-) (big smile)

Anyway, look what I've found!! I just think this is the greatest thing ever (well the greatest thing I've seen so far in 2010)!!

Designed by a very talented Russian lady Nathalia Ponomareva - what a genius!

As you all know I have a HUGE love of tea, and also anything with an oriental design.

This origami crane tea bag combines everything that I'm into - so cooool. I don't think these are in production yet, as I can't find anywhere to buy them. (I've spent about half an hour looking so far). But if anyone out there in blog-land has seen them for sale anywhere, pleeeeeeeeease let me know!



Image from monoscope.com

Now that this is out of my system, perhaps I can get stuck into some work ..... or perhaps I can blog-surf some more. Maybe I'll just pour myself a delicious tea (blackcurrant and peach is on the menu for today) and see what happens! :-)

Have a great day everyone - hope you enjoy this little find as much as I have!

Are you thinking of drinking this Xmas?????

Beware my friends - this is what alcohol will do to you (as demonstrated by Patsy's friends)


After a few glasses of champagne!


A couple of beers,


A few cocktails,


A few wines,


A couple of cosmopolitans,


A jug of sangria! (I'm sure I've woken up looking like this on plenty of mornings).

Thankfully, Patsy isn't featured here, as she's just a sensible milk-drinking gal :-)

These cute and hilarious pics were sent to me in an email and put a huge smile on my face. I decided to post them here to bring a little cheer to my blog friends too!!

Have a great weekend (but don't overdo it)!!!

I spy with my little eye ......

Today, I've had a lovely day! I had a client to visit at Boonah (one and a half hour drive west of Brisbane) in the countryside. Its such a great place, so quiet and serene, and a really lovely drive.
I saw lots of cows everywhere, (nice, but not that exciting), but then I spotted these beauties! I had to stop and take some pics to share with you all!

This first cow has been made from scrap pieces - 100% recycled goodies. I have a bit of a thing for animal sculptures!!

And this cow (you might need to enlarge the pic to see it well - sorry I didn't wanna go walking through the long grass as its snake season to get a close-up, and I got scared)!
This one is a burnt tree stump, and it has been decorated with white paint to look like a cow! Cute!!
Have a lovely weekend :-)

I'm getting a dragon fruit!!!

As you all know, my newest obsession is the dragon fruit (see my earlier posts). I've been putting it out to the universe now for two weeks that I want to be able to obtain some here in Brisbane - and guess what?! I've purchased two cuttings (one for red flesh (which I've never seen before) and one for regular dragon fruit), and they are on their way to me as I type!!! I can't believe I'm gonna have my own trees!! Such an exciting day for me :-)
If you are wanting more info on where to buy, click here!
Here's the beautiful flower

The flower bud

and the tree .... I hope mine looks like this soon!

Here's a few interesting facts about this unusual fruit:
* The plant originated in South America and the French bought it to Vietnam (where it's now one of their biggest export products)
* They are a member of the cactus family, so they need far less water and fertiliser than most crops. The stems can grow up to 7m!
* In Australia, the flowers will begin in October, going through til May - but when they flower its only open for 1 night. The flowers are 30cm long.
* The fruit is ready approx 40 days after flowering.
* They are full of Vitamin C - Yay!!

I will keep you updated with their progress! Have a great weekend all :-)

My dream powder room ......

Image from homebeautiful.com

Isn't this the most beautiful little room you've ever seen???! I found this image this morning whilst scrolling through blog-land and I'm soooooo in love!!! I've been thinking about it all day! Where can I put this most wonderful embroidered dragonfly wallcovering in my home??? (I know I'll find a place)!! I want it, and I'm sure I need it too!!!
Maybe I can ask Santa if it can appear in my stocking ......... ;-)

Look what I found!

Look what I picked up today at the Finders Keepers markets in Brisbane! They are officially now my new favourite hair clips and I can't wait to wear them!
Here's the link if you'd like some too.





And here's my special offer for this week (dragonfly tea set for 2) - there's only a limited number left so be quick! Visit weekly special offer page at website.

Look what I found!

Extra hot in Brisbane today - feels like summer! So lovely!!
Perfect time to add to the lantern website the new party decorations!!
These are sooooo cute - gold fish (for prosperity and good luck) paper/plastic decorations for Chinese New Year, parties, or even kids bedrooms! They fold flat when not in use - so you can use them over and over again!

Good news for lovers of the cherry blossom paper lanterns - I have more in stock now!!! I can't believe (actually I can cause they're stunning) they sold out in 3 days ..... thanks for your patience for those of you waiting. Orders have been sent out this afternoon! Enjoy :-)

Heading to my kitchen now to make a big summer salad! mmmmmmmmmmmm I LOVE summer!

One of my favourite blogs ....

Advanced Style is one of my favourite blogs - its guaranteed to put a smile on my face and lift my mood. It features 'real' fashionista's of the advanced age, all of them about and about doing their daily thing, in an incredibly stylish way. I really hope that I too can take pride in my appearance and still look fabulous when I'm 99 years young (just like the lady in the lower picture). And I just love the couple who were snapped at a restaurant!

This blog was recommended to me by my friend Thea - and I'd like to 'pay-it-forward' and recommend to all my lovely new blog friends.

I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!!

Daffodil Day

In Australia today its Cancer Council's Daffodil Day. The proceeds from the sale of 'live' daffodils and other merchandise is used for research, education and support services. Such a worthy cause, and I'm especially happy to support any charity that gives me something to brighten my day (and my home) in return for my donation!!

These are just so beautiful! Sunny yellow and orange - actually two of the 'hot' colours for the coming season. If only they would last for a few months .......

You can see my silk mini lanterns in the backdrop in yellow and orange from Lanternshop.

Here is Patsy sort of admiring the flowers before I put them in water. They are looking just a little sad here, probably something to do with the fact its over 30 degrees again today in Brisbane!

Have a lovely weekend.

Fun Illustrations!

Hello all - Look what I found!!! I thought I'd share these with you too.

I love these fun and colourful drawings I found on flickr. They are by the very talented Karin Knowlton.

I really like the lantern drawings, and I'm also a yoga fan so thought I'd add in one of her yoga illustrations. She does lots of other great stuff too!

Hope you enjoy these!

Kazuyo's Collection

Hello all! A beautiful day in Brisbane today - and especially nice as I visited a gorgeous new store in Paddington, and met the lovely Kazuyo over a nice cup of green tea.

Her shop is stocked with beautiful Japanese fabrics, her handmade bags, teas, jewellery and more.

102 Latrobe Tce Paddington

http://www.kimonohandbags.com/

Well worth a visit!