. australia . kids . dOwnUnder .

whilst i was in aUstralia i was conscious of the fact that i was on holiday . not on a work trip . which was odd for me as most of my travelling . well, actually all of my travelling, over recent years has been for work . looking at kids clothes has become second nature when out shopping . i didn't want this trip to become a busman's holiday . but as i was shopping in the gorgeous brisbane suburb of pAddington i spotted cocoon & couldn't help but pOp in & take a look .

for such a little shOp it manages to pack in some gorgeous things . i love the fact it supports homegrown labels & for me it was refreshing to see new brands & i came away with a whole list of peeps to look up when i got home .

as the sOuthern hemisphere head into aUtumn ( although as it was kindly pointed out to me their aUtumn temps are what we in the uK would call a heatwave ! ) i'm sharing with you the new Autumn15 ranges from three labels that particularly stood out for me . 

. rOck yOur bAby / rOck yOur kId .

launched in 2003 .

rOck yOur bAby collaborates with designers & artists each season .

to produce mini wearable art collections .

. bElla and lAce .

a relatively new label .

designed by kAte pEarson who studied design in sydney & is now based in brisbane .

it combines nostalgic influences with trend influences .

 . lIttle hOrn .

launched in 2003 .

drawing inspiration from adult fashion pOp culture music & grAphic design .

has become the go to label for kids strEetwear .

looking forward to sharing some new kids hOmewear brands with you soon .

. have a great day .

. MindfulMonday .

just after christmas i was browsing the app store . if i'm perfectly honest i cannot remember what i was browsing for & it's not something i do on a regular basis . but for whatever reason i was browsing & spotted in the ' best new apps ' something called ' YOU-app ' . again if i'm perfectly honest it was probably the fact that it was ' YOU-app with Jamie Oliver ' that caught my eye . so i took a closer look . & the words ' happy ' . ' healthy ' . & . ' inspiration ' jumped out at me . if i could sum up my hopes & wishes for this year i'm not sure you could pick better adjectives ( well, technically two adjectives & one noun ! ) . so i downloaded the app . signed up . & using the daily micro-action prompts started making small changes . making more conscious choices . acting more mindfully & positively .

each day you are given a micro-action which you complete with a picture . it's fun . it appeals to the instagram addict in me . it's connected me to some wonderful, likeminded people all over the world . some micro-actions are easier than others . some make you think more than others . i love the fact it's not just about food . it's about food . mindfulness . movement . & . the things we love . it reminds us that health is not just about physical health . it's about an all round positive attitude . but it's also about accepting that we're not perfect, that not every day will be a perfect day . one of the last lines of their manifesto is .

. Life is being perfectly imperfect .

take a look . 

. YOU-app .

. instagram / twitter / facebook .

if you do join in come & say hello to me .

search for lilyandBloom .

 . have a happy & healthy day .

. inspired . #1 .

hello . my name is sharon & i'm an instagram addict . yes . if i spot a potential photo i have no hesitation about standing on chairs . re-arranging furniture / coffee cups / books / people . or even stopping conversations mid sentence to take a pic ! in order to feed this addiction i subscribe to #100happydays . YOU-app . Jo's monthly photo challenge . & . Fat Mum Slim's photo a day . 

yesterday's photo a day prompt was ' inspired ' & it inspired me to spend the day a bit more creatively . & made me think about what & who inspires me at the moment . so after a few happy hours browsing books & magazines & pinterest { yes, possibly another addiction, ok, definitely another addiction } i'd collected lots of gorgeous images from some wonderful creative minds .

. inspired#1 .

. chad wys . tim walker . birds . hyper florals . melanie rodriguez .

. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 .

. see more inspiration on my pinterest board .

. have an inspired day .

aUstralia . The Society Inc .

i had so many reasons to want to visit aUstralia . to visit family who emigrated there in the 1960's . some i'd met very briefly . others i'd never met . to see some of the iconic sights . the sydney opera house . the harbour bridge . to enjoy some sunshine after months of training through the frosty mornings for the brightOn hAlf . but . also because there were a lot of very creative people that lived dOwn there . people i follow on instagram . people whose blOgs i read . & . people that i have admired from afar for a long time . one of these people being Sibella Court . 

i can't quite remember now how much i knew about her before lusting over her first book ' Etc. ' but her eclectic styling & magpie collections of lovely things had me hooked & i've coveted every book of hers since . 

when i booked my trip dOwn undEr i was torn between taking a trip to sydney or taking a trip to melbourne . i couldn't quite afford to do both . nor did i have the time to do both . in the end i was swayed by the possibility of being able to visit Sibella's shop The Society Inc . based just outside of sydney . the opera house . the harbour bridge . & . Sibella Court . when you think about it it should have been a no-brainer really !

so i booked a cool looking boutique hotel in one of the suburbs of sydney . full of promise of boutiques . vintage shops . cafes & coffee shops . & only a walk away from The Society Inc . ( although i confess i didn't know that at the time of booking said cool looking boutique hotel ! but i'm a big believer in serendipity ) . after a first day in sydney spent sight seeing, & being a complete tourist, my second was filled with wondering around the warehouse that now houses The Society Inc . wishing that i could a ) afford to buy everything . & . b ) afford to ship it all back to the uK . or there was an alternative c ) move over to Oz !

some of what i saw . 

if you would like to read more about Sibella, there are some great articles & interviews here & here . how can you not like a woman who's favourite books from childhood include Enid Blyton's ' The Magic Faraway Tree ' ?

. have an inspired day .

. hAppy eAster .

i hope you're enjoying a lovely eAster sUnday .  i woke up this morning to a blue sky & the feeling that the weather might finally have understood that it's now springtime . lets keep our fingers & toes crossed we can put away the winter boots .  & . the winter woolies . i also woke to an instagram feed full of eAster loveliness that i just wanted to share .

. 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 . 11 . 12 .

whether you are spending the day with family or friends .

or both . 

i hope it's filled with fun & lots of chocolate .

. have a hAppy eAster dAy .

. a bright & hOppy eAster .

i'm practising a little procrastiblogging this afternoon . i should be working . but blogging bright & lovely easter things seems much more enjoyable . whilst it might not be very bright & lovely outside today i hope you are enjoying a very gOod goOd fridAy & are looking forward to a weekend filled with chocolate .

whilst on my travels . both locally & a little bit further abroad . i've spotted some lovely eAster decorations . eggs . bunnies . & . there seems to be a big trend for making eAster lovely & bright this year . which i have to say i lOve .

. all photos are my own .

. 1 . 2 . 3 .

spotted:  paperchase . selfridges . birmingham . 

. 4 . 6 .

spotted:  james st . brisbane .

. 5 . 7 .

spotted:  coco & bliss . noosaville .

. 8 . 9 . 10 .

spotted:  noosa chocolate factory . brisbane .

&

some lovely ideas to keep your eAster bright & yUmmy

 . make some rocky road eAster egg from delicious .

. or these very cute eAster bunny bArk bites from No.2 pencil .

. or for something a little less chocolatey .

. a bright & cheery eAster egg garland from craft & creativity .

. crochet yourself some uber cute egg cosies from yvestown .

. or throw yourself a sweet eAster pArty with these lovelies from amy robison .

. have a gOod goOd friday .

. hellO aPril .

what is it about getting older than makes time just fly & fly by . it doesn't seem five minutes since I posted hellO mArch . so much happened in mArch . I travelled to some truly wonderful places . I saw some wonderful things . it's a bittersweet feeling knowing that my trip is over . but . I have sO much to share with you through aPril . & . sharing it with you will help keep the happy memories alive for a little bit longer .

in the meantime lets say hellO to aPril . lots to look forward to . easter will soon be here . a wonderful excuse for lots of chocolatey goodness & very cute bunnies . 

. & .

sorry this is a little bit late . but . an aPril calendar for your desktop .

. aPril 2015 .

. have a happy day .