2010 May » Two Little Dicky Birds.html

Hello and welcome!

Two Little Dicky Birds is a collection of things that I love, be it interior design, decor, food, travel, art or craft.

In April 2006, my husband and I purchased our first home and spent four years redecorating. It was such a rewarding process, and fuelled a love of interiors, which is now driven by an obsession with decor blogs!

During April 2009, we moved on from our beloved miner's cottage, to a new family home, where we have been chipping away at renovating and redecorating, all the while raising our two little dicky birds, Noah (3) and Sam (9 months).

My two beautiful boys have ignited a long-forgotten love of photography, which you'll find me dabbling in on a daily basis.

I hope you stay and have a look around. You'll find a selection of just some of the things that inspire me, and hopefully something that inspires you too!

Abby xx

Monthly Archives: May 2010

May 31 2010

Happy 101 Award

The lovely Nellie at McCarthy Designs gave me this Happy 101 blog award recently and I wanted to say “Thanks!” Nellie is one of the sweetest ladies around and I really enjoy her blog. I’ve particularly enjoyed “travelling” (virtually speaking) around the South Island of NZ with her and seeing all those familiar places that I so miss.

The rules are to list 10 things you love and then pass the award on to 5 people. Not being one to follow the rules, I’m going to pick 5 random things and save passing it on for a rainy day. Mainly because I’m going to yabber on, and I suspect you’ll all be sick of me after #1.

1) Cookbooks. I have a bit of a collection going, I flirt with a few different authors - Curtis, Ben, Nigella, Jamie, to name but a few. If my house burnt down and I could only save one, it would be a Bill Granger book, no contest. Love him. Love his food. Went to Sydney – loved his restaurant. He is a legend - not in an “Oh-my-goodness, this is the best food experience of my entire life” way, more of a “Wow, this is so easy to make and tastes fantastic, and “LOOK WHAT I JUST MADE IN 30 MINUTES” sort of a way. If you don’t have any of his books – get them. Get them all. Go. Now. Run.

2) Morris Minors – My first car was a blue 1962 Morrie and I loved that car so much. It was an absolute tank and went about 80km/h if you really flogged it – the perfect car for a teenager (parents: take note). Every time I see one I smile, I can’t help it.

3) Ballet – similar nostalgic reason as above. Ten years of classical ballet. I was not very good. “Beautiful arms, lazy feet” my teacher said. Loved every minute and so regret giving it away. I still have all my old costumes in storage (I kept them for my daughters … don’t laugh!).

4) The Smell of Sheep Dung – seriously? Yip. It reminds me of school holidays at my grandparents farm.

5) My beautiful baby (the canine one). He’s such a good mate.

… oh, and I suppose my husband and kids

Image Source: (1) Bill Granger interview at Delicious Magazine; (2) Morris Minor; (3) Studded ballet slippers via Style Nomad; (4) flickr

Posted in Blogging Tags: award, blogging, Happy 101, inspiration, lovely blogs

6 comments

add a comment

link to this post

email a friend

May 31 2010

Point & Shoot

Of course you can be anything you like when you grow up, honey … as long as it’s a geologist.

We’re playing Point & Shoot at Fat Mum Slim.

Posted in Photography Tags: family, photography, point and shoot

7 comments

add a comment

link to this post

email a friend

May 26 2010

Snapshot: Photographer Belinda Merrie

I’ve been admiring the work of New Zealand photographer Belinda Merrie for some time now, so I’m really happy to share some of her beautiful interior and still-life shots with you today. If you’re a reader of NZ House and Garden, you’ll be familiar with Belinda’s work. She regularly shoots their gorgeous covers – the covers that make me pick up a copy when I’m perusing the stand at the local newsagents, and subsequently RUN home with it.

A love of photography began at age 10, when Belinda found her Dad’s old camera from the 70′s and started taking pictures over the back fence of sunsets and clouds. “I went on to study photography, illustration and design in Auckland, and in the USA where I lived for a few years, studying and working as a photographer’s assistant. After working for various wedding and portrait photographers, and working as a digital retoucher in a large photographic studio, I found my niche shooting still life and interiors.”

Belinda shoots for a number of different magazines in New Zealand, working closely with stylists including Tracey Strange, “one of my favorite stylists… she can make the simplest thing look amazing.” Inspiration? “Interiors that have a touch of the unexpected; something quirky that you wouldn’t have thought would work, but it does, somehow. I also love that I get to spend days in wonderful homes oohing and aahing over beautiful rooms, views, and furniture (and shooting them too!).”

Shooting on a Hasselblad, with a Leaf digital back, “I try to shoot interiors with as much natural light as possible, but in Auckland -with it’s somewhat unpredictable weather - sometimes you have to use lights.”

Belinda lives with her partner in a “little do-up” in St Heliers, Auckland – “We have only just moved in and it needs a lot of love, which is perfect since I can now finally indulge my interiors obsession.”