It is hard to believe, but that friend's garden wedding taking place at ours'? Well, it's actually happening in two days.
The Christmas decorations are being replaced on the tree with bags of lollies for guests.
And tissue paper has been ripped off presents and sewn into long strips of bunting.
I really like my house in wedding mode. So much prettier and cleaner than normal - I'll keep you posted.
A quick little post to say that after a very late night travelling, we are now back in NZ tucked up into our home again. We had a lovely time and I can't wait to write all about it but for now, bed and a long night's sleep are beckoning.
Lots of love, Kate xxooxxooxx.
Presents have been wrapped and parcelled.
Boys have been thoroughly Christmassed.
And reached the other side.
Photo session over? I think so... don't you love that look, "No Mum, I'm really done".
And little circles added to jug covers. 
So for us, all that is left is to tidy the house for our very kind house-sitters, throw the neatly folded piles of clothes into the suitcase and drive Auckland so we can catch our plane to Australia. The boys are so excited and have had quite a hard time settling down. Jonno is outside catching up on a couple of last minute jobs and I am taking a moment out to say a little goodbye and happy Christmas (although I am sure I can keep posting from Mum's house).
I am sure this photo was taken last week but no, when I consult the date, I am horrified to see it was well over four years ago!!!
This is actually the reality, an almost five year old boy who went on his first school visit yesterday. I know he is very ready (although really, he would prefer to stay at home and potter around doing his ever increasing list of jobs) as the questions he asks I can no longer answer... always a good sign to me. He was so excited my heart felt like it could burst. And he came home filled with magic and wanting to keep his school t-shirt on even when he went to bed (and then this morning too).
While Hugo was off getting an afternoon's education, I tackled the photo wall again. A project I began furiously one rainy winter's day when Hugo was a baby. It must have been on the cusp of him crawling as I can remember immediately after the first batch of photos went up, I never had the chance to go near it again. So to me it seemed to have a symmetry tackling it on my big (secretly my baby still) boy's first school visit.
He was absolutely shattered when he came home but kept his quirky sense of humour. This is how I found him when I tucked him in.
Just a little shot to show the wedding flowers gathering momentum.
Well, here it is - a tutorial on how to make a tissue paper flower (with tulle). Good luck and please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section if anything is unclear.
First of all, assemble your stuff - tissue paper (2 colours if desired), tulle, string and scissors.
Cut two rectangles of each colour and two rectangles of tulle. The flower I have made used 38cm x 25.5cm sheets but it doesn't really matter, just so long as the pieces are all rectangular and of the same size.
Lay the six sheets on top of each other. If you are using colours, I tend to put the darker sheets on the bottom, lighter ones in the middle and tulle on top however, living in the creative world we do, don't let me stifle you. Line up their edges and begin to fold them back and forth in a concertina. My folds were about three centimetres wide but once again, don't let me rain on your parade.
Once the folding is complete, bend it in half like a fan and tie it tightly (so that it gathers) in the middle with string
Snip the ends with scissors to make a petal shape.
Fan out one side into a half circle.
Then, delicately begin separating the layers, taking care not to ruin the pleats or tear the tissue paper (when this happens, don't cry... I sort of just shove it back in and hope no one notices).
Continue separating and
Lifting and zshoozshing (an extremely technical term that may or may not have or have originated in 23BC China... or maybe just two minutes ago).
Unfurl the other side and continue in the same way, separating, lifting and zshoozshing.
Finally, use your hands to gently scrunch (I am now just thinking what... use your hands as opposed to your mouth... as though you need advice to prevent you from making your tissue paper soggy and unusable) and zshoozsh to manipulate it into a pleasingly floral shape (but once again, don't let my need for a chaotic symmetry suppress your inner urges - if you want it to sprout in one particular direction, don't let me tell you it is not regular enough).
Now you can go crazy with any colour you like. The above two have eight layers of tissue rather than six... there are all sorts of crazy ways you can go so get folding and have fun.
I am so excited to put my wreath up. I worked on it for so many months here and there between projects last year and it is now so lovely to think it will always be a part of our Christmas.
And Hugo's angel that he made when he was three (now he is almost five and going on a school visit this week!!!).
In between decorating the tree we had some friends call in. Half way through our cups of tea they discovered that their daughter needed angel wings for a concert in the afternoon. I love having tissue paper and tulle resting on the kitchen table ready for action.
Hugo commented just then that we should keep the tree up all year round "'cause it looks really beautiful".
Lots and lots of tissue paper flowers (I am working on a tutorial to post tomorrow right now). The tree is also going to be used as a centrepiece for the garden wedding in January so I am going to leave the flowers and crystal droplets and remove the more Christmassy stuff after the 25th.
A Hugo cluster of decorations.
Mess can be the best carpet.
The tulle flowers catching some afternoon light.
Gigantic confetti!!!
I know the wedding (not mine, my friend Stef's) is not until January and I should really begin packing for the Christmas trip to Australia and tidying for house sitters... but wedding preparations are so much more fun. Especially when beautiful vintagey coloured tissue paper and tulle are involved.
