It's raining Moroccan Leather Pouffes!

I felt like I was unpacking a rainbow this week, when our latest shipment of Table Tonic Leather Pouffes touched down from Morocco! Aren't these colours pretty together?

A 100 litre bag of bean bag filling from Kmart fills about one and a half pouffes and costs around $13.95. PS The Powder Pink Pouffes are selling fast after their appearance in Real Living last month (below), so be quick if you're a powder pink girl/boy!

Click to shop Table Tonic!

Table Tonic in the press: Real Living May 2012

The May issue of Real Living hit the stands yesterday (cracker of an issue, just quietly) and look!

Do you see what I see? Click here to buy the Table Tonic "Tribal" Handwoven Ikat cushion, $79 (below).

The May 2012 issue of Real Living is on sale now!

On sale today: Real Living magazine (sneak peek!)

The April issue of Real Living mag hits the stands today and I have to say, Tonic-ettes, it's a CRACKER of an issue. One of the best so far. The homes/decor featured this month are all very unique and visually inspiring. I loved it on a grand scale. That's Janie from Blacklist Studio Prints (love them) on the cover:

(below) And this, friends is the fun-filled apartment of Sal (aka Once Daily Chic) and Ben. And they just got married, so yay newlyweds!

(above) Get the look with a Powder Pink Table Tonic Pouffe ($199)!

(above) Sal's balcony is a little pink oasis (complete with fairly lights)! Her "Tonic" of choice: Our White Moroccan Leather Pouffe ($199) and Pink Spot Ikat cushions ($79)!

Picked up the issue yet? Did you LOVE it?

On sale now/soon: Real Living, House & Garden...

WHOA! Happy 11/11/11 Tonic-ettes (that has to be lucky, right?)! Here's what's on the vintage cane chest I call a side table today: 

(above) The Australian Women's Weekly, House & Garden, Delicious, Real Living.

Look at all that red! It would appear Christmas is indeed upon us! Which is equal parts exciting and scary, really. On another note entirely, I'll be "lunching" at The Ivy tomorrow for a VERY special friend's birthday. And I don't know what to wear. I think it's the footwear that's throwing me...What are you all up to this weekend? Shopping? Markets? Quiet reading? Time in the garden? Cooking up a storm perhaps. Share!

On sale now: Real Living, Vogue Living, Home Beautiful

Some bright and beautiful mag-ness has been hitting our bug-that-needs-a-colonic-infested mailbox this week (I swear I need to start wearing gloves to retrieve the mail?!). This week's loot comes in the form of my Aussie faves Real Living (Nov), Vogue Living (Nov/Dec) and Home Beautiful (Nov)...

And hats off to the Home Beautiful team - I'm calling this their BEST ISSUE EVER! I know. Loved it. And I spy a Mexican Suzani on the cover (there's a Table Tonic Mexican Suzani in Real Living too!). On sale now (Table Tonic AND the mags, that is!).

Table Tonic: My week in review

The September/October mag drop: Thankfully, three of these are on loan from my Mum - who I clearly inherited my mag-addict gene from...

(below) The October issue of Real Living (on sale Monday) comes with a bonus 32-page "before and after special"!

The lunch: Did you see the My New Roots blog yesterday? As part of "Meatless Monday", (Danish chef) Sarah shared the recipe for this incredible green olive and hazelnut tapenade on the Whole Living blog. With it, she made a beetroot, rocket sandwich (below)...

(below) ...and I turned it into a salad (leaves, potato, green beans, baked beetroot)! Admittedly, I left the tarragon (didn't have any) and capers (forgot) out of the tapenade. I also added half a clove of garlic and the zest of a lemon - I find it so hard to just juice a lemon and throw out the beautiful skin!

The Spring fair: Jasper's school Spring fair was held last Sunday and the kids were in heaven - up to their eyeballs in fairy floss, toffee apples, snow cones and (chocolate) showbags! It was really fun, and such a treat to tear Mr Tonic away from renovating duties for a whole day!

(below) I picked up these heart-shaped sunnies for 2 bucks at the showbag stall... (the lenses were red too - that was interesting!?!?). I felt a bit like Kirsten Dunst. Sort of.

The denim: Or, should I say, theeee denim. Yesterday's threads featured my Sportsgirl Abbie jeans, $99 (again). Perfect length (not too long) and cut. Can't wear them enough.

(above) Remo "stripey thing" top, Sportsgirl "Abbie" jeans, K Jacques sandals from Bloodorange, Vanessa Bruno tote from Netaporter, vintage belt.

The Smoothie: Still on yesterday, I seem to have nailed the green smoothie thing - Kale, Avocado, Banana, Coconut oil, Cinnamon, Macca Powder, Bee Pollen, Lemon, Rice Syrup - all organic. And after I took this photo, I added a dollop of Almond butter. Oh my giddy aunt it was good! PS When you guys freeze bananas for smoothies, do you peel them first? I think maybe I should have?!

The (other) Smoothie: With frozen berries. My Woolies has huge bags of mixed frozen berries (Nannas brand - the bag looks like this) for around $7.99. And PS I'm psyching up to buy a Vitamix blender, just quietly.... Have heard they're the bees knees. Heck, I've watched enough video demos to know - They are the bees knees!

The bargain health tip: Edamame Beans (they're technically a pea). Just $1.98 a bag from Tokyo Mart at Northbridge (Sydney). Did I buy six bags? Yes. Yes I did. And the kids practically inhale them. Love that.

The Tabouleh: Chopped continental parsley, tomato, cracked wheat (you boil it first), hummus, raw cashews, lemon zest, olive oil, lemon juice, celtic sea salt, cayenne pepper.

The stewed rhubarb: Add orange peel and apple for sweetness - and a flavour hit. Great on porridge/yoghurt! PS You may want to add some kind of sweetener as well.

Happy Thursday Tonic-ettes! (Only 4 sleeps til my birthday! Wheeeeeee!)

Day in the life: Bits + bobs from the past few days

The storm :: We had a fantastic lunch at (the newly refurbished) Dunes restaurant at Palm Beach on Sunday afternoon. I highly recommend if you're ever in the area and need the perfect spot and superb food. Choose from the restaurant or the kiosk, or just picnic on the grass right next to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Oh, and there's even a magnificent playground. Tick. Tick. Tick. This was the storm that was rolling in as we left:

And if you turned around 180º, you'd be in Summer Bay see this - Palm Beach, aka the strip of sand made famous by Aussie soap Home and Away (and not a cloud in the sky!):

The vice :: Mr Tonic and I are nuts about Chai lattes (Arkadia brand) made with 1/2 Oat Milk and 1/2 full cream milk. Not the healthiest stuff (far from it when you read the ingredients!), but far too good to resist. 

(above) Wedgewood mug from Peters of Kensington (buy it here), Jennifer Zeuner necklace from Eclektica (buy it here), Meadowlark ring (buy it here), Cheap Monday "Cathy" sweater from Shopbop (buy it here).

The renovation update :: So we painted the front door that icy blue colour used on the patio "feature wall", and it was, well, it was "Meh.." on a grand scale. As luck would have it, we had a can of high gloss paint lying around. But what colour you ask? Well. Remember this little stool I painted a year or so back?

Yes! That's now officially our front door colour!

Mr Tonic and I look at it lovingly every time we walk past...

One coat down, two to go!

The magazines :: Real Living's September 2011 issue is in the house (and it's all kinds of fresh n' fruity!). Spring is in the air, Tonic-ettes!

The same could be said for Aussie InStyle, whose September issue looks something like this (below). I thoroughly enjoy Australian InStyle. Katie Holmes should be paying them to be on the cover.

The online magazine :: Ivy and Piper's Style Issue is live. That deserves and exclamation mark!!! (And PS, you'll find my doing my thing on pages 100-105).

 

The dinner :: Quinoa, green beans, sweet potato oven roasted in coconut oil, mint, coriander, onion, shredded coconut, cashew nuts, sesame seeds. AWESOME!

I want to also thank everyone who commented on yesterday's post. I was blown away by all of your journeys, thoughts and recommendations. Wow. Thank you! And Happy Thursday Tonic-ettes!
 

A day in the life: 21.07.11

The threads: Marc Jacobs sweater, eBar fur vest, Nudie "Thin Finn" jeans, Puma sneakers, Tiffany & Co. chain with vintage coin pendant, Dita glasses.

The dinner: Last night I made this incredible "Broccoli Crunch" salad from 101 Cookbooks (my current go-to website for deliciously healthy recipes!). I added a tin of lentils to oomph it up a bit, and we wolfed it down with a few slices of Sonoma bread and Lurpak butter (new fave!). It was excellent, and the dressing... omg.

Images from 101 Cookbooks because my photos were shithouse.

The change: The post on My New Roots begins - "Hey you. Yeah, you. You’re still cooking with olive oil, aren’t you? Yup. Thought so. I am sure you’ve heard the news that this is a bad idea, but you’re not sure why so you just keep doing it. Sounds familiar." This was a real eye opener for me, and as of yesterday afternoon, we officially have (organic) Ghee in the fridge! It's all about the "smoke point" of various oils, and olive oil has a very low smoke point, meaning it is "not suitable for stir-frying, sautéing, or any other high-heat cooking. Pour it all over your salads for sure, but stop using it to cook today. Seriously." Why? "As soon as any fat reaches its smoke point, it begins to break down and create free radicals – those horrendous, carcinogenic, unstable molecules that damage cells and cell membranes, and are associated with the development of conditions like atherosclerosis and cancer." Click here to read Ghee Whizz!

My New Roots

The Garage: Still on food, I just had to show you the menu from Leura Garage, the tapas/wine bar we ate at for dinner two out of three nights in the Blue Mountains! Click to enlarge, it's a beauty. And yes - We had the "Sweet Calzone" both nights. Worth a trip for that alone.

The Mags: (below) Real Living August 2011.

(below) House Beautiful July/August 2011. Made me want to paint everything white (or chevron!) and pick oodles of fresh flowers... PS Got an iPad? Download House Beautiful! Just USD$15 for 10 issues.

(below) The Gourmet Traveller Slow Food Cookbook. I spotted this one at my parents place a few weekends back, and after seeing me ogling it, my mum went and bought me (and my brother) a copy. Around $14.95 at newsagents and it's gorgeous - full of winter warmers!

The Book: "Shoestring Chic: 101 ways to live the luxe life for less" by Paris based Australian author/ illustrator Kerrie Hess (rrp $25.95). Shoestring Chic is a charmingly illustrated book of inside information for women who appreciate fashion, beauty and shopping - but lack a black Amex account. When to buy less but better; and when to go completely cheap and cheerful. The art of vintage shopping is explored, as well as how to double your wardrobe by adding in just a few key accessories. Fashion illustrations complement the book’s 101 tips on living the luxe life without spending a fortune. Where can you find a wedding dress in Paris for $100? Or have a Bergdorf Goodman experience in New York for under a twenty? Grab your copy at Booktopia or Dymocks. Cheap is the new chic!

The deal of the day: Exclusive to my lovely blog readers (that's you!) - Get 10% off the marked price of all Table Tonic cushions until midnight Sunday! Simply enter coupon code bloglove at checkout.  Click to shop!