As I lay out my outfit on the bed the other day, it became obvious that I lean towards the same style when buying homewares or fashion.

I’m sure I’m not the only one, so if you’re having trouble deciding on a style for your home, visit your wardrobe for inspiration. Chances are, if you like to wear it, you’ll be happy living with it.

I had great fun putting together the decorations for our engagement party. But of course part of my job description is getting unnaturally excited by stationery, so today let’s put the spotlight on the invitations.

The Man proposed at a school, so we decided on a fun school theme. I illustrated a vintage school desk, complete with our initials carved in, with type reminiscent of school book doodling. To prevent it looking too Play School, the bright colours are toned down with the rustic twine, woodgrain pattern and recycled envelopes.

If you like the Old School theme, check back in tomorrow when I’ll be giving away some matching freebies.

Orders and enquiries here.

Last week marked a year since I’ve been engaged and I haven’t even shared our engagement party photos with you yet!

The (sweet) Man proposed to me last year at a dilapidated school that I once attended and that his grandfather helped build. It seemed only fitting to have a school theme for our engagement party, very generously hosted by my parents.

Paper lanterns are one of those great all-purpose decorations. Make ‘em white for understated elegance or make ‘em colour to brighten a space. Use them during the day purely for the shape and add globes for a pretty nighttime look. What’s a school theme without a blackboard? The Man picked up a dodgy painting for a few bucks at a secondhand store and painted over it with blackboard paint to become a photo board of our history together.

 You can count on a lolly buffet to bring out the kid in anyone. Picture a dozen twenty-somethings squealing, ‘Oh my God, Sherbies!’. The birdsnest cupcakes were a bit of a saga to make (I don’t know what I would have done without my brother and his girlfriend saving the day!) but they turned out quite cute and popular.

We are having an adults-only wedding, so we wanted to make an extra effort for our engagement party to be kid-friendly. We designated an area of the backyard adult-free, with space to run around and activities to do, like bubble blowing.

 We had an absolutely wonderful day, but I’m sure it will be nothing compared to the wedding!

Thanks to my brother Liam for the great photos. xxoo

I have some fun new invitations over at Akimbo. Don’t they just make you want to jump around and sing into your hairbrush? No? Oh, maybe it’s just me then.

Orders and enquiries here.