Stylish Laundry & Utility Room Inspiration

Hello everyone! Apologies for the very long wait between blog posts – we have some exciting news in that we have a little bun in the oven due next year 🙂 So all very happy about that, but it’s certainly made me have a look at our house and what we need in terms of space, furniture and a whole lot more. So I took one look at our little laundry area and decided, something has to happen here!

Just been doing some searching for a few good ideas on Pinterest and Houzz.com, and found some cool inspiration – check out the space savers, pretty colours and organisation of these laundry rooms, mud rooms and multi-functional spaces. I want!

Neat as a Pin | source Pinterest

Laundry Space Saver | source Sand & Sisal

Contemporary & Stylish | source Flickr

Multi-functional Space | source Pinterest

Wallpapered Laundry Room | source Stacy & Charlie

Commonsense & Perseverance | Monday Wisdom

What a significant amount of wisdom in the below quote. It’s amazing to think we often work exceedingly hard to the point of striving, whereas often the result could be achieved with far less stress and ladders in our stockings. A good dose of commonsense (using your noggin at the right moment and thinking clearly and objectively) combined with perseverance (often the end goal takes a bit of sticky-getting-there but you know if you put your head down and work at it, you’ll get there) is sure to get you places in life.

I would add that a reliance on something other than yourself is likely to help you here. I have faith that God is always with me, and that confidence ensures I’m never alone when things are hard, when life gets tough and when deadlines loom scarily in the near future. So this is my Monday wisdom 🙂

Philosophy Posters – Today’s Big Thoughts to Mull Over

Found these on Pinterest and thought I’d share them. Some really interesting thoughts and ideas to keep your brain fresh when it’s bored and borne down by work, life’s little irritations and the dirty dishes in the sink that you should have probably cleaned last night. Enjoy 🙂

My Favourite PinBoards on Pinterest [Decor Inspiration]

I love Pinterest. It’s been such a great creative outlet, not just for finding great inspiration for house and home, but for giving direction and energy to my blog posts! I have been on Pinterest for a while now – when it was still ‘invite only’ and I have just loved the new look of the site. If you’re on it and haven’t upgraded – do it now! Bigger pins, better experience.

I thought I would share some of my favourite pin boards with you – all to do with home decor, DIY inspiration, clever ideas and some more specifics: kitchens, storage, at-home office spaces. This is all leading up to ‘The Big Move’ and so I’m pinning away so that one day I can use all these great ideas in real life.

Enjoy! If you have some great Pinterest boards of your own, please post the links below in a comment and I’ll be sure to follow your pins 🙂 x

All of my favourite home decor ideas – from couches to prints to frames to vases to ornaments. Anything that catches my eye ends up here 🙂

This is my ‘ideas’ space with great practical DIY opportunities to take something at home and change it into something really beautiful and lovely.

For anyone who ever wanted a home office – regardless or not if you think you’d be productive! – this is my inspiration space for dreaming of working at home.

For all those ‘ah, great idea!’ pins. Some very clever little ideas that look great, don’t appear to take very much work and will make everyone else jealous.

I’m a little bit silly over traditional farm/Karoo-style decor. I love the all-white rooms, the rustic wood, the vintage chandeliers and the homey feel.

Places to store and keep. From shelves to cupboards to containers and wardrobes – this is all about great storage ideas – and where to put those tesky items!

Looveeee kitchens. Anything that catches my eye that’s inspirational, beautiful and looks like a great space for dreaming, cooking and conversation ends up here.

Happy Friday! Motivated & Inspired #IMSouthAfrica

My husband and a few of our friends bit the bullet and entered Ironman South Africa last night – an endurance event on the SA triathlon calendar that consists of a 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km marathon. It’s not small in other words. I’m just so amazed and proud of all of them – that their team-based motivation really stems from having other people to lean on and help them through to achieving their goals.

But more than that, it’s a determination, a courage and a WILL to make the impossible possible. I have stood on the sidelines 4 times watching my husband complete Ironman, ranging from 12 hours to 14 hours, and each time it’s incredible, emotional and awe-inspiring. It’s because of him making it through an event of this magnitude that has inspired me to be more motivated and driven towards succeeding and living my dreams…

Today’s Friday Inspiration: Stop Waiting for Things to Happen; Go Out & Make Them Happen! Happy Friday 🙂 x

My Motivation to Buy a Kindle…

I’ve been a reader my whole life. In fact, it’s reached nerd status and notoriety too. It all began in sub B (grade 2) when I read the entire Bobbsy Twins series and got about half way with Nancy Drew’s earlier adventures (prior to the vastly updated and cooler Nancy Drew Files). I then moved onto Willard Price’s Adventure Series and proceeded to devour everything that had been stamped with Enid Blyton’s cool scribble.

It all followed in quick succession as I became a preteen: The Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley Twins (and later, Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley University), Thoroughbred (my obligatory 11year old horse obsession), Sweet Dreams (I cringe) and Fearless. I’ve loved series to the absolute utmost and own and have read the Harry Potter series around 20 times (each book). Followed by Ken Follet’s epic masterpieces of Pillars of the Earth and The World Without End, I have also owned and read multiple times the Spud series, the Millennium series (The Girl), the Twilight series and the Hunger Games.

You know when people watch series? Well I read them. And so – for this very reason (and so that I don’t have to lug a bag of 10 books when I go away in December) I am getting a Kindle. Hoohah.

Pink! It just goes with the Fashion | Decor & Style

Pink, it’s my new obsession, yeah
Pink, it’s not even a question
Pink, on the lips of your lover
‘Cause pink is the love you discover

Pink, as the bing on your cherry
Pink, ’cause you are so very
Pink, it’s the color of passion
‘Cause today it just goes with the fashion!

Aerosmith

Pink Cafe | source ZsaZsa Bellagio

Rose in a Gilt Cage | source valdirose.blogspot.com

Ballerina Girl | source weheartit.com

Love on a Stand | source juliasroomfordessert.blogspot.com

Pink & Orange India | source Erin ever After

Into Morocco | prettypetals.typepad.com

French Afternoon | source frenchbydesign.blogspot.com

Pink at the Beach House | source vintagerosebrocante.tumblr.com

Oh So Vintage | source Sarah Kaye

Vintage Wedding | source The Pretty Blog

Lounge in the Pink | source Style at Home

It’s PINK! | source pinterest

Chocolate Board of Yumminess! | Friday Recipe Inspiration

As it’s Friday (and it’s still cold and rather mis outsides still) – this post is dedicated to the best comfort food in the world – CHOCOLATE! Whether it’s cake, biscuits, croissants, mousse, pudding, cupcakes or plain old blocks – chocolate is still one of the best ‘little pleasures’ in the world 🙂

If you’ve got any great chocolate inspired recipes you’d like to share with the Good Girls Guide readers – please post as a comment below! Always looking for more ways to spoil  ourselves, our husbands & boyfriends and our friends 🙂 Have a super weekend everyone! God bless x

all photos from Pinterest.

Country Style Kitchens | Home & Decor Inspiration

I’ve always LOVED country kitchens! My favourite bits are the centre islands, hanging brassware, fresh cut flowers, white-washed wooden cupboards and vintage additions like old kettles or tins or plates… I would love to be able to have a kitchen like that someday!

If you’re thinking of country styling your kitchen, remember the following: it doesn’t have to be super neat, a little bit of ‘artfully misplaced’ items add to the overall effect; a vase of fresh flowers always wins; source vintage items from second hand shops to add to your upper most shelves as decor (think china plates, brass tourines etc); make sure there’s an element of wood – whether white washed, natural or crisply painted a white or bright colour.

Check out these awesome inspirational ideas to make your kitchen more ‘country‘:

Natural Stone Walled Kitchen | source Elle Decor

Classic Center Island Kitchen | source Pinterest

Cosy Country Kitchen | source Pinterest

French-Inspired Cream Kitchen | source Country Living

Light & Airy Country Kitchen | source Pinterest

At Home in the Country | source Pinterest

Romantic Country Kitchen | source Herblog.com

I Love You Cape Town! I’m Showing You Off!

The last few months I’ve been riding my black and yellow Scott bike around some of the most beautiful coastal routes in the world – the Cape Peninsula! It makes me gobsmacked just how gorgeous Cape Town really is…from the closeness of the wilderness to my house, to the colours of the sea and the diversity on the mountain…

It’s also the fragrances, the textural layers, the vibrancy of the people, architecture, streets, food and more…As I prepare to ride my 4th Argus Cycle Tour this weekend (eek!) I’m dedicating this post to Cape Town. To all those who’ve never been, I invite you to visit – you’ll want to return again and again…

“Well, that was the river, this is the sea.” – The Waterboys

The Twelve Apostles – Cape Town | source here.

The Colourful Houses of the Bo Kaap | source here.

Noordehoek Beach at Sunset | source here.

The Houses of Muizenburg | source here.

The Atlantic Seaboard Evening | source here.

Clifton Paradise | source here.

In the Harbour | source here.

The Mountain, the Mountain | source here.