The House - The Green Room

Drum roll please, and all the necessary fanfare for the unveiling of our recently renovated bedroom on my here blog...

A photo of Luke and I when we finally finished, 9:00PM on Sunday night (before heading back to work the next day... ughhh!)

The BEFORE photos

and now... the AFTER

 

 So what do you think? Are you green with envy? FYI, that is a petticoat hanging up, not a tutu. A bedroom worthy of a decor magazine spread, don't you think?

Now for a close-up of some of my awesome knick-knacks. Most of which are courtesy of my classy mother :)

 My Christmas present this year was a 1930s dressing table set. Isn't it divine? It reminds me of the Emerald City, which also makes me happy.

 Perfume collection. I love pretty bottles. My favourite perfume for 2 years running is My Insolence. Also adore The One - Rose by Dolce and Gabbana, which is what I wore at our wedding and keep for special occasions.

Also from my mother: doilies which help me not to forget where I come from. (Although I also get reminded by my colleagues daily)

 

 What better thing to do in our new room then curl up with a good book?

Until next time :)

The Outing - Out with Paige

So a few *cough cough* months ago, my good friend Paige came over from Melbourne to visit me in Wellington. We had a great time, sightseeing and generally just hanging out. 

While she was here we took Paige up to the Kapiti Coast, for some fish and chips and afternoon tea. 

 Who's that under the table?

Until next time :)

The Review - The Rocket

So in November, Luke and I went over to Australia to celebrate my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary (1,2,3... awwwww, so sweet). Anyways, on the plane we watched a fantastic movie called The Rocket, which I am now going to highly recommend so that you feel compelled to watch it.

Despite being set in Laos, The Rocket was the Australian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. 

Essentially it is about a boy called Ahlo who is believed to bring bad luck to everyone due to the circumstances of his birth. When Ahlo is 10, the government orders the population of their lakeside village to relocate due to the construction of a dam. They're promised that their new home will be a kind of nirvana with running water and electricity. On the way to their new home the family suffers a tragedy and their new paradise turns out to be a slum. Ahlo makes friends with Kia, a girl his own age who lives with her drunken outcast Uncle. When Ahlo hears of a local rocket competition, he decides it might be time to prove that he can bring good luck to the family as well.

Director Kim Mordaunt has created a wonderful film, and considering it's her first dramatic feature I'd say she's off to a great start. The film has a kind of feel-good vibe, but is still firmly set in reality. The children are incredible actors and the cinematography will stay with you for a long time. 

 

 

Here's the trailer:

Until next time :)

The Dress - Animal Queen

So for those who know me well, you might have to look twice when you see this outfit post. Yes, indeed it is me, Hannah, wearing animal print. A thing I swore I never do. But a good friend of mine gave me this cardigan when she cleaned out her closet, and I thought: "Hmmm... I think I could make that work." Well, how did I do?

Cardigan: Thrifted

Skirt: Modcloth

Love this skirt, although because of Wellington's wind, I always have to check the weather before wearing it to avoid what I call "Marilyn Monroe moments".

Shoes: Ashleigh Dawson

And you'll be happy to know this is the second-to-last one from the "archives" - now watch as my hair suddenly grows!

Until next time ;)

The Verse - Psalm 90:16-17

Let your work be shown to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands!

Psalm 90:16-17

On Sunday Luke and I had the privilege of seeing two people from our church get baptised. We were even blessed enough that there was a spot-o-sun for the occasion, although of course with an ample supply of wind.

One of the sisters getting baptised read out Psalm 90, as it was a Psalm that had really helped her in her conversion. She read it in Italian (being Italian herself, not because she was suddenly given the gift of tongues), and I was curious to read what it said in English. 

The verses above really struck a cord with me today, so I thought I would share them with you. Maybe it's because I've been thinking about work a lot and how to glorify God in the workplace, what with trying to get back into the whole 8-5 thing after summer holidays. We have also been discussing relevant topics in theology class, where we've been reading John Piper's book "Don't Waste Your Life".

As a Christian, the work that we do is work for God, and this is the work Moses (the author of this psalm) is asking God to bless. However, before we can even begin to do work for God, He must work on us first. As Bible commentator Matthew Henry writes:

"God’s servants cannot work for him unless he work upon them, and work in them both to will and to do; and then we may hope the operations of God’s providence will be apparent for us when the operations of his grace are apparent upon us."

Though we were once dead in our trespasses and sins, it is because God resurrected us through the power of the Holy Spirit that His work can be, as Moses says, "...shown to your servants," and His "...glorious power to their children."

Interestingly, John Macarthur believes this psalm was written as the older generation of Israelites who had left Egypt were dying off in the wilderness (Num. 14) and they were now looking to their children who would inherit the land. 

However, I think this is also a prayer which can be prayed by all parents: that they would know more of the Lord and their children would see God's glory. 

Furthermore, I think verse 17 is a petition that we should continually pray: that God would help us in our work, whether this be our ministry to our friends and family or our physical work. That HE would establish pretty much everything we do. As Matthew Henry rightly says:

"We are so unworthy of divine assistance, and yet so utterly insufficient to bring any thing to pass without it, that we have need to be earnest for it and to repeat the request: Yea, the work of our hands, establish thou it, and, in order to that, establish us in it."

The Holiday - Taiwan Part 1

Okay, it's time to look at some more holiday snaps, because, well, I'm back at work now and I already feel like I want another holiday. These photos are from when Luke and I went to Taiwan last August (see, not that long ago!)

 

Within 30 minutes of arriving at the airport, we headed for the nearest place that served xiao long bao (steamed dumplings), the most delicious food you will ever taste. Yum!

Outside the university I attended in 2009 while on a scholarship learning Chinese. I'm dying to know if the 10m Christmas tree, which had been up for 3 years when I was there, is still going strong...

A refreshing drink. I think I had these for dinner most nights while I was living in Taiwan during summer.

My old apartment block. Kind of awkward when a guy came up to get into his house while we were taking this photo outside.

More food. No prizes for guessing what we mostly did in Taiwan - **cough cough* eat... This is like uber-fancy snow cones, and it's the best! Green tea flavour of course, with red beans - yum!

Shida Night Market, which was my regular hang out in the good ol' days. FYI, part of the movie "Au Revoir Taipei" was filmed here.

Catching up with the saints at New Hope. Awww miss these guys. Dawn was the first lady to greet me the first time I attended, saying "No one should have to sit on their own at church!" before taking the seat next to me. It made the church feel like home from the very start.

Marcie and me. One of my closest friends from my Taiwan days. Doing what we do best, sharing a laugh... and drinking Starbucks...

The Linton family... minus one. Pastor Joel and his wife Judy. The most warm and welcoming people. 

 Friends from Taiwan.

 Our sister in Christ, Helen. 

This is the most delicious drink. Sounds weird, but trust me. It's milk with tapioca balls which have been stewed in brown sugar syrup. Okay, maybe you have to try it to believe me, but I would honestly live off this stuff if it didn't mean I would turn into a giant tapioca ball...

Until next time.

The Inspiration - The Vintage Bedroom

Hello chums! Happy New Year to you all! Hope it's been a good one so far. Sorry I've been away for a little while. Luke and I stayed at home for the Christmas holidays this year - what I like to call a "staycation." 

Anyway, it was really more of a working holiday, as we painted the ceiling and walls of our bedroom. Yes, that's right, I did DIY! You might think that was just a quick job and we spent the rest of the holidays taking leisurely walks and falling asleep in the sun (which I'm pretty sure is what Sammy the cat did), but no, our renovations took 10 days. Yes, 10 days! We finished at 9:00 pm the night before we had to go back to work. Ugh! 

But in saying that, the bedroom now looks like a picture out of a home decor magazine, although it will take a few weeks for me to think about doing anything of that nature again. Photos will come soon.

So when trying to figure out what colour to paint our bedroom, I of course went to the good ol' internet for a spot of inspiration. Since you all seem to love the other decor posts, such as the Vintage Kitchen, Vintage Bathroom, Vintage Garden, Vintage Dining Room and Vintage Lounge Room, I thought I would share these bedroom ideas with you. 

 

Love this bedframe more than words can say. Note to self: need to get bedframe.

There's something really fun/funky about the colours in this room. Also loving the bedside table and drawers.

I think this photo comes from me trying to prove to Luke halfway through the renovations that we could just leave it unfinished and make it shabby chic....

Again: "Honey, let's just buy a chandelier and leave the ceiling as is..." I'm glad Luke didn't take me up on that. Although it can work in the right house.

Love this bedframe. So sweet. However, can someone please remove the ultra modern lamp? Also, mirrors create space (and are great if you need to check makeup or outfit composition), which is why we need to purchase a full-length mirror.

 

Okay, also to add to the list... I want a bedframe plus a bedroom bench to pop on the end. Maybe an armchair with a pouf too while you're at it...

 Just really love the unusual shape of this room...

 Art deco heaven. 

 This room makes me happy... I especially like the cute touch of lace around the bedposts, which softens the look. 

 In a word... sweet.

 Okay, this wall is almost the exact same colour as our walls now.

Coveting bedframe. Is that a Christmas tree on the bedside table and wreaths on the window? A very subtle Christmas.

Also currently coveting this bedframe. In addition, I need a standing candelabra. Note to self: it is "stylish" to leave hats on the floor.

 Simple, yet elegant.

Again, remove ugly modern lamp and this room would be perfect. I mean, that bedframe is something else, isn't it?

Is it a couch? Is it a bed? I don't know, but I love it. Although the curtains are a tad too long, unless that was deliberate?

 So cute I want to squeal. Look at that little couch! And the turquoise bedframe.

 Look, finally - a modern lamp that goes with the decor! Hooray!

Again, is it a bed or a couch? Who knows, but I'd like to think a princess sleeps in this royal bed.

Grandfather clock... oh, I hope they turned off the chimes. It also looks like church pews at the bottom of the bed, but it kind of works anyway.

 Bedframe, want! Okay, I have noticed that apparently I want an iron one.

 Refreshing...

 And the award for the cutest wall paper goes to...

 Loving the shape of the bedframe...

Okay, this one's just for a giggle, since it's what came up on Google images when I typed in "Wall colouring for blue carpet."

Until next time :)