I'VE MOVED

Come and join me at my new home. I'm still settling in, so excuse the mess... but head over to www.lucyolive.co.nz and check it out!

See you there kids.

INSTAGRAM :: SUMMER MOMENTS

The summer break was, quite frankly, awesome. Even though a quarter of my holiday was shaved off (I was called into work early, which is all good!) the summer break was exactly as it should be – jam-packed with adventures and happy moments. So much so that when selecting images from my Instagram account to feature as my holiday wrap-up, I had trouble selecting which ones summed up my break best... and that's just from Instagram pics! Part of the trouble is that New Zealand is probably the most beautiful country ever, I wish I was just as photogenic. Did you have a nice time welcoming in the new year? Without further ado (and in no particular order), here is my collection of summer bliss:

2012 :: IN A NUT SHELL

I did not expect that I would start 2013 sprinting through an old graveyard at midnight, giggling with terror. Sounds like the beginning of a horror flick, doesn't it? Minus the giggling, that is. But no, it was not the start of a scary movie, it was the start of a year that promises to be full of all kinds of amazing things. Just some of the sweet things in store for me this year include my brothers' wedding (of which I am Maid of Honour! And am doing the invites for, of course!), and also a much anticipated girls only trip to Hawaii (I'm saving up for the shopping!). As one year ends and another begins, I did a little reflecting on the year that was 2012. It was a cracker of a year I must say! So many amazing things happened to me. I thought I'd share a snap shot of what my year was like!

MERRY CHRISTMAS :: 2012

It's that time again... that time when we spend lots of time with family friends, put our feet up, and eat lots of goodies! It's also the time when Ben and I give out our Christmas cards – we have heaps of fun making our own cards each year. This time we used shots from our engagement shoot to create a little postcard. Ben cracked me up when he decided to make himself a Christmas tree, I couldn't stop laughing, what an egg! You can check out last year's card here.

I hope everyone has a relaxing break and enjoys Christmas. Thanks for keeping me company on the blog, I really appreciate your time and comments! Much love! x

HOLIDAYS :: AUSSIE, MATE

Does it feel like every waking moment is spend in the presence of some kind of electronic device? I'm almost surprised I don't plug myself into the wall to charge over night instead of sleeping. I'm sure some of you can relate! One of my fave things about my recent Australia getaway to small town Rockhampton was that it was screen free. That's right – even my cellphone was out of service. While the first day away did make feel a bit like a recovering addict (I kept feeling for my phone to check it!), the subsequent says were so lovely. I traded electronic time for having fun with the Aussie family and kinda feeling like a kid again.

TREADING WATER :: WHERE I CAME FROM

What are you doing?

OK, so I get that you're reading this post right now, but I've got some big questions to throw at you. What the heck are you doing? Did you have a good day today, and furthermore, will you have a good day tomorrow? You may feel fulfilled in some ways, whether it be with your home, your career, your relationships, but how is everything else going?

Is life good?

Sometimes we get so busy getting through 'the list' each day that we forget to step back and look at the big picture... and I mean really look it. It's something I've been doing lately, and I've seen a lot of gaps in my life's portrait that I haven't been taking enough notice of for a long time. It's easy to get caught up in your goals, and having a mission or sense of purpose is a very motivating, comforting thing. As much as I love doing what I do, I just remembered lately that I am a living breathing thing (amazing huh!?). I am not a machine – I do not need to drive incessantly towards each goal until I retire. I need to look around, smell the jasmine, go with flow sometimes, and look after myself and my family. I can't go back in time, so am I making the most of myself? Are you?

MEMORY TOUCH-UP

When days have gone and passed, often we are only left with a memory... memories that can get a bit fuzzy sometimes. No wonder people often nominate the photo album as the one thing they'd save from a house on fire! But even photos, one of the best ways for us to keep our memories, can fade and get worn over time.

Click to view before and after transition

Thank you, Photoshop. Here we have an old and slightly damaged photo of my grandma's brother – isn't he adorable as a youngster? After a little bit of touching up (and removing unwanted cracks and stains), he's looking a lot fresher. I really love photo retouching – I liken it to knitting, it's such a relaxing thing to do! You can just tinker away as the world spins on. The funny thing was that as I adjusted the image, the silhouette in the window become much more obvious – I didn't notice them before! I wonder who that was?

WEEKENDS :: CLUTTER RECOVERY

Hello, my name is Lucy Olive, and I am a recovering clutter addict.

Ok, so my habits could have been worse, but for a while there in my younger days, I had issues. My bedroom was so crammed with stuff that I pretty much had to swim through it. It's a common side-effect of being a bit of a magpie – I just couldn't throw out anything that looked appealing to me, and was constantly adding to the collection. I hoarded all kinds of thing, from photos and bottle caps to figurines and acorns.

SWEET THREADS

I'm sure there's plenty of cute clothing places in Auckland, but truth be known, I really suck at clothing shopping. This doesn't mean I don't love that feeling you get when you slide into a new outfit and feel a million bucks – I love that feeling! I just don't feel that very often because, well, shopping for clothes just isn't my thing. Luckily there are a few shops out there like ModCloth where pretty much any item I see is a winner in my books.

WEEKENDS :: MY BIRTHDAY

Saturday. Birthday. Wake up. Car stereo loud. Buy new top. Dye hair black. Family time. Grandma's famous sponge cake. Spoilt. Five course dinner. Video store detour. Couch cuddles. Cupcake flavoured jellybeans. Sweet dreams.

Sunday. Wake up. Art supply stock up. Treasured friend. Rhubarb and blue cheese tart. Computer. Leave home with dog. Return home with dog and stick. Family time. Layer cake. Boutique ice cream. Sweet dreams.

Monday. Sudden urge to get back into running.

WEEKENDS :: WORRIES

It's been a bit of a worrying week in the Olive household... there's been some health scares with our furriest family member. No no, not Ben – I'm talking about our rascal pooch, Juno. It all started on Wednesday night when she began acting very strangely indeed, and I fretted that she was experiencing the onset of a seizure.

OUR BOOK REVEALED :: YETIS

Holy grand reveal, batman! I'm so excited to finally show you what Ben and I have been working away on in secret... we're thrilled to announce that we are the author/illustrator team behind this new book, 'Yetis... and how they discovered the cold'! Go on – click here and have a nosey!

WEEKENDS :: TRUFFLES

What better way to test out a new food processor than with pistachios, ginger and apricots for these truffles? They're very tasty, though my favourite thing about them is their rustic aesthetic – and that's good enough for me!

BENJAMIN OLIVE

When my husband isn't eating all the biscuits and hogging the arcade machine at Flux Animation Studio, Ben works on all sorts of goodies – some of which have even earned some awards. But my favourite of his creations are his personal paintings, like the Cassowary above, which is definitely one of my  faves.

WEEKENDS :: MY SPACE

I am a geek. I love my computer space, being at home all day without seeing a soul, trolling blogs and websites, playing computer games, hoarding lovely designs I find, and leaving empty glasses of strawberry milk piled neatly on the corner of my desk. I had three on there today. Haters gonna hate.

WEDDING DAY :: EXTENDED

I gave you a little peek of my wedding day, but here is the extended post filled with photos and the little details that made our day so wonderful. I mean, you only get married once (hopefully!) so I want to keep the day going for as long as I can, haha!

WEEKENDS :: PUPPY DAYS

Now what? How do I follow that photo up with some words? There's nothing in my vocabulary suitable for captioning baby Juno. All I can do is coo and flail my limp-wristed hands. The same goes for the photos below... wait, did I just hear myself squeal? Or was that you?

WEEKENDS :: TO MARKET

A little excursion up to the legendary Matakana Village Farmer's Market was the perfect thing for a sunny Saturday morning. We left home bright and early on empty stomachs and were spoilt for choice when we arrived – there were tarts, pies, raw juices, crepes, baklava, nutbutters, craft beers, locally grown produce, and much more... all fresh and delicious. And while there was no dog food for sale, Juno certainly left satisfied!

A GIFT FOR THE GIRLS

I've mentioned before that one of the best things about a wedding (aside from the whole marriage-type thing) is being able to theme a whole day! I loved being able to coordinate colours, textures, everything really. As with the wedding stationery I made, the gift I gave my bridesmaids totally had to match.

WEEKENDS :: PUPPY NO MORE

Oh, they grow up so fast! Juno, our English Bulldog/blob of awesomeness, turned 2 years old on Saturday. When we celebrated her first birthday we took her through the Wendy's drive-through and treated her to a burger. This time she had breakfast with us. As you'll see below, she loved her bacon... no surprises there!