HIM & HER

Farewell 2014

2014 IMG_4672 IMG_8359

2014, what a year you have been.

Blackbird became my job, we moved house and literally moved a house, moved cities,  began renovations on our first home, had our Coco Darling, Lost our Coco Darling, Gained 15kgs, Lost 22kgs ( and counting ) Celebrated 5 years of marriage, went to Vietnam,  Opened a pop up shop and got ourselves our puppy Frankie Blossom.

It has been a hell of a year, we have been so heart broken, so defeated, but we have been so happy, so thankful and have become far better for it. In saying that, I am happy to see the back end of you 2014. 2015, you better be a great year.

 I want to thank all you beautiful, wonderful and dedicated readers, I never thought anyone would want to read about my life, our Coco, home renovations or my DIY’s. But you did! And you do! So thank you, I cant wait to share what is happening in 2015.

Wishing you and your families an incredible, simple, beautiful and refreshing holiday season.  See you in the new year!!

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

Kitchen Sneak Peek | Giveaway CLOSED

IMG_9091 IMG_9185 IMG_9169 IMG_9180 IMG_9201 IMG_9208

Industrial lights from Kiwi Living | Tea Towels from Mavis & Osborn | Cleaners and brush by Ecostore | Ring dish made by yours truly | Coffee machine by Espresso Unplugged | Leather for pulls from Lapco

Renovating on a budget is hard at the best of times, let alone when you are living in it too. But the perks are seeing the finishing touches.  Once again we painted every surface white with Resene, this time opting for Double Alabaster. We also chose to make our own handles again and sourced leather from Lapco. The raw industrial lights came from Kiwi Living, the linen tea towels from beautiful Mavis and Osborn, and I finally got my mits on a a Presso from Espresso Unplugged ( delish and silent, perfect )

 So finally it’s done,  and with a bit of elbow grease (and the help of our friends at Ecostore) the grime, dust, tile adhesive and paint that gets EVERYWHERE in renovations was gone and we were able to cook our first meal in our new kitchen.

Also, we have a giveaway! A set of napkins from the delightful Mavis & Osbourn and a few goodies from our pals at Ecostore!

To Enter comment below what you would like most from Mavis & Osbourn and what your favourite Ecostore product is!

Giveaway CLOSED

 Full reveal in Homestyle magazine in the new year!

Good Luck!

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

Adventure // Vietnam

title copyIMG_8283 IMG_8264 IMG_7172halongbay3IMG_8060 halongbay IMG_7998IMG_8182IMG_8030 IMG_8051 IMG_8048title copy IMG_7456IMG_7509twoIMG_7440IMG_7441 IMG_7853 IMG_7832 IMG_7637 IMG_7628 IMG_7807 IMG_7808 copy IMG_7547 IMG_7515IMG_7918 IMG_7279 IMG_7235

After being home for over a month I realised it was time to knuckle down and troll through, edit and post something from our Vietnam adventure. So here we are. I will keep it short and sweet and let the pictures do the talking.

Vietnam is like nowhere else we have ever been. We fell completely in love with the place, the people, the land and the food. Spending most of our time in the beautiful Hoi An, eating, drinking, swimming, getting a HEAP of clothes made, riding scooters to Marble Mountain, My Son, Walking the streets of the Old Town and generally not wanting to come home. Bar the humidity ( hence my very puffy faced photos ) I could be pretty happy living there. It was exactly what we needed to heal and to rest.

We cannot wait to go back.

Until next time,BlackbirdBLOG signature

HIM&HER // five

IMG_5658 IMG_5644 IMG_5489 one IMG_5733 IMG_5718 IMG_5690 twoIMG_5588 IMG_5764IMG_5768IMG_5807 copyIMG_5799IMG_5783IMG_5786

Five years on, He is still the best person I know. I am beyond glad to have this guy by my side.  He is the greatest.

We took a little adventure around the roads of Central Hawkes Bay and the Manawatu region. Stopping by every  Op Shop, Curios and Second Hand dealer we could find. The sun shone and the ginger ale flowed. It was our kind of holiday. Maybe more so if I could’ve swapped some ginger ale for Naths cider, but I am not complaining…much.

In other news, the final countdown in commencing, with but THREE WEEKS until we hope to meet our Coco Darling . So it is battle stations here. Just casually setting up her little corner, washing clothes, making freezer meals and generally nesting up a very big storm.

More on that next time.

Until then.

BlackbirdBLOG-signature