more bridal looks for 2012...

Morning a few more bridal looks for the 2012 Wedding Season:

a vintage hairstyle for a vintage themed wedding, it is simple, elegant
and I love the hair accessory this bride has choosen...stunning!
I love this look and it looks amazing on blonde hair.

Beautiful interwoven curls to create a off centre bridal up-do ,
once again the accessory finishes off the hairstyle beautifully.


These are just some of the hairstyles I will be creating this summer for many brides.
This is just one of my many creative outlets.

my new dress...

A few weeks back I was working on a dress for the summer months, I have finally gotten around to photographing it on me...it's taken me longer enough!

I fell in love with this pattern fabric one day when I was on a mission to get something else from Spotlight and so I just had to buy it.

I used a dress that I had in the wardrobe as a guideline for this dress, but technically this has been made from no pattern, just constructed and pinned as I went.  I'm fairly happy with the end result and think I will actually wear it this summer (as most of the time I make things then never wear them), if you ask for a pattern it might take me a while to draw it up ;).

Also excuse those pasty white legs of mine...bring on the summer sunshine asap! I say.

here is the end result, worn with some cork wedged heels,
and red belt I've had for years.  

or worn here with a thin tan belt and my favourite tan leather summer sandals.

my favourite summer sandal....love these!!!

on the market....

It's official...we have listed our house for auction the 29th November, so it is all on.

Open homes, keeping the house clean, tidy, and in tip top shape can be hard work especially when this time of year is the busiest for us.

But it is also the time of year our house looks the best, because we have a pool and leading into summer the pool is a good selling point.

We love the area, the house and it is the first place that Steve and I actually bought together after getting married, so it holds a special place in our hearts.

Alas we must move on, it's time and it will be hard to say goodbye to such an awesome spot in Hamilton.  We've loved our time at McInnes Place more so than Ashurst Ave and we know that the new place will be just as awesome with lots of cool memories.

So in a month we will have sold McInnes Place and a new adventure starts.

I will miss this back yard in summer and even winter time, as there have been many bbq's with friends in this backyard.

Here's to new adventures and new memories to be made at a new house, maybe we'll stay longer at the new house who knows.

I'm excited that I get to have a salon at the new place though.

bridal season has kicked off...

Well this weekend was manic...

wedding season has officially kicked off in the Waikato, I had a bridal party and then two bridal trials (was meant to be 3, one cancelled...phew!). 

To fit into my Saturday this weekend, Steve was out all day so I had to ring in my mother to mind Summah while I created beautiful hairstyles for a bride and bride's to be.

It was fun, and I love being able to create styles for brides so they feel/look beautiful on their day.

Here are a few sneak peeks:

Totally different hair types and length and sometimes challenging trying to get rid of some length...a challenge for some hairstyles.

So that's what I'll be doing pretty much every Saturday from now till April, but I love it.

On a side note exciting news...

After many months of looking at multiple houses we've found one that ticks all the boxes...yay!! 

The best bit is it already has a salon in it, so I will have my own salon space (provided the sale etc goes through...you know).

This means I'll be able to work more effectively from home, I'm excited and Summah will have  lawn to play on.

So fingers crossed we can sell ours quickly, not looking forward to the open home process though...arghh! trying to keep everything looking amazing is hard.

Have a great week all.

summer time ankle biters...

have you bought yourself a pair of coloured denim jeans for summer? 

what about the latest fad of ankle biters?

I branched out the other day and forced myself to try some on, in this pretty red colour (maybe strawberry red??) 

I rather like them and thought they would be a great transition pair of jeans for those slightly cooler mornings that turns into a hotter day.

Here they are and I will get a good amount of wear out of these I'm thinking!!!  

Once my little girl wakes up we are off on adventures and these pants are the perfect thing to wear to the park for a play on the swings and to enjoy some springtime sunshine.

Have a great weekend, I'm off on a girls weekend away.  

The husbands first night alone with his daughter...it's going to be a fun 2 days for me and a long 2 days for Steve.

I will enjoy the time away though.

brother from another mother...

Last week I paid my mother for my new brother, and this is what I received ....

Isn't it gorgeous!! an antique Brother overlocker, my sewing room is complete.

I have a brilliant sewing machine and a super cute overlocker to finish my garments beautifully now.

This week I have been stealing moments to my sewing room, to make myself a little summer day dress.

It is almost finished and will be posted soon to the blog, hopefully in the next day or two.

I am even more inspired to sew clothes now because of my new brother and

next on the list is a maxi dress for one of my beautiful sisters.

Can't wait to get creating more.

cute pic's...

I love these cute pic's that have been sitting on Summah's bedside table waiting for me to hang them.

A simple job really that only takes a few minutes, this morning I've finally hung them.

left pic is made by Dee  (Tiny Eyes),
and on the right is from my Mum for Summah's birthday present.
Found at the Retro Fair in Hamilton.

Now I'm off to the Waikato Home Show with Summah, keeping her entertained with a broken arm.

Have a great day.

it's time I think...

I feel like I'm living in a whirlwind at the moment, not even working fulltime! 

but there seems to be lots to think about and consider at the moment.

First we are thinking about selling our house, have been looking for months and I feel like we are getting no where...not going to buy and sell just for the sake of it!

Then Summah's party, which was fun, lots of fun.

Summah's broken arm.

Now I have no where to work! kind feel like I've been fired for the first time in my life, but really I haven't as you see I'm a self-employed hairdresser.

I have been renting a chair in a local salon for years now, and it's sold.

The new owner doesn't want me, but want's my clients...feel a little bit used.

Unfortunately you can't buy a clients loyalty and eventually they will track down their favourite hairdresser.

So where does this leave me????

I'm a fighter.

And this has just solidified that I should be opening my own salon.

It will be small, simple and attached to our home for the mean time, because I don't want the overheads of leasing a building, or the staffing issues.

Now I am on a bigger hunt for houses, a place 3 car garage so one can be my work space.

My creative space, a place where I can have adult interaction and conversation, and do what I love.

I've tried to convince myself I will retrain and do something else, but I always come back to hairdressing.

So I think the writing is on the wall....it's time to take the plunge and do my own thing completely, stop being afraid.

I read this quote on pinterest the other day...

"if your dreams don't frighten you they are too small".

It does frighten me to branch out and do my own thing, what if it doesn't work? and it's a waste of money. 

But I won't know till I try.  

I love what I do.

 And dislike offering my clients a semi-service by not having a salon space for them to enjoy.

It's not time to hang up the scissors yet, so you may see Mint Hair Design open in your area soon.

Lot's to consider today.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

spaces in my garden...

Here are some of my favourite spaces and flowers in my garden, and why I love them? 

these I know my father would have me pull them out, as they can grow crazy like everywhere.  But I keep them because they remind me of 'home', we had a paddock that was almost full of these lilies.  As kids my sister's and I sent hours playing amongst them, they were often used when we played bridal dress-ups as our bouquet. The memories this flower holds and that is why I keep it in my garden today.

This jasmine vine grows nuts on our fence from the neighbours side,  it is out of control.
But at this time of year the fragrance is amazing, so I keep it and it's unruly growth is tamed with the occasional prune.

my mystery path, is a bone of contention at times with my husband.  He thinks it looks untidy, messy and needs to be kept perfect.  Normally I would be the same but I like the lack of structure here, the dead leaves on the ground that double as a path, the beautiful clivia that brightens the south side of our house. I also have visions of a play house at the end of this path for Summah.

the gate that has just been built, this leads to our backyard,  and pool.  From the mystery path you walk into a space that is more structured and kept.

this little gem I have been loving and longing to flower for 3years now...finally I have found the perfect spot for it.
This winter it has flowered and still looks amazing, I love helleborus.

this amazing rhododendrun, never flowered until last September when we moved it the day before I went into labour with Summah.
It is amazing when in flower, an abundance of beautiful white fragrant buds that keep flowering for weeks.
It will always remind me of the day before Summah's birth.

Finally my front garden, is my favourite in spring, it comes to life with beautiful purple flowers, little peach gems and then to finish the day lilies come to flower and they are stunning.

My garden of love, it's not amazing but it's another place I can be creative and I enjoy getting out to breath in the beautiful smells.  Most of my plants are grown from cuttings, very rarely do I buy a plant and in doing that almost every plant has a story.
They are a labour of love.