http://joleneko.blogspot.com/

THANK YOU & FAREWELL

2011-09-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

19 Sept 2011

As this is my 95th post and last one for this blog, I would like to thank those that have enjoyed reading my blog & the pics that go with it. It seems like a good place to stop as I know that it is time to move on as I have not been actively posting in the last couple of months.

Liz's wedding shoe clips

2011-09-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

19 Sept 2011

Ok so Liz got married on the 12th of April and here is here professional photos of the shoe clips I have created for her wedding (see past blog entries below). Credits go to Josh from White Pearl Photography.

Contagious network for St Ives green tea skincare range

2011-06-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

4th June 2011

St Ives... in my mind is synonymous to their apricot scrub that I have been using over the years. So as part of the Contagious Network I was lucky enough to receive heaps of samples of the green tea scrub and a bottle of the green tea cleanser.

It's been many years since I've used the apricot scrub mainly because my skin has adapted to it and haven't found another product that I can use every day to reduce the break outs on my skin.

The good news with the new green tea skincare range is that the green tea scrub contains 1% salicylic acid and the green tea cleanser contains 2% salicylic acid. I've been using it for the last couple of weeks and there has been a good improvement with my skin. It has just the right amount of salicylic acid as the last thing you need is for your skin to dry out, considering it is now winter.

For more information about St Ives skincare, visit their website http://www.stivesbeauty.com.au/

Fascinators -> a working in progress

2011-05-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

8th May 2011
Since I have been MIA lately, here are some fascinators that I have been working on. I am in the process of creating 2 of each to sell on Etsy & Madeit.

IRL (in real life -> forum speak)

2011-03-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

20 March 2011

Speaking of forums, regardless of which ones you read, there's always plenty of information & people from all walks of life share that common interest.

Over the last couple of weeks I was looking forward to creating this post. At the time of thought, it would of been appropriate to sum up my observations of the forums that I frequent.

I suppose now, it doesn't matter anymore because it's irrelevant.

Shoe clips

2011-03-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

As a request from Liz, I have created shoe clips for her upcoming wedding.

Close up of the box.

Mini hair clips to test out new colour combinations.

Brisbane flood pics

2011-01-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

12 & 13 Jan 2011

Water across the Ipswich motorway.

Unfortunately for IP#4...

Blunder Road, heading towards the Oxley roundabout to Ipswich motorway.

Flooding has joined the golf course as well.

And of course, amazing sunsets!

2011-01-11T04:03:00.001-08:00

11 Jan 11
Our thoughts are with the flood victims & their families during this difficult time. Mother nature can be brutal & ruthless at the same time. It's been raining like crazy since Christmas/New year & the humidity isn't helping either. Today our offices in West End were evacuated due to the rise of the Brisbane river & who knows when we can go back to work!?!

Here's a green tree frog hanging outside our window :)

The time to get crafty is now!

2011-01-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

8 Jan 11
Here are some creations I have made as per the many instructions below. Just to note that these are my first trial batch.

It's time to get crafty yeah?

2011-01-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

8 Jan 11 (Happy new year by the way)
I've been meaning to get serious with my crafts, mainly my art, now that we are settled in our new house. Anyways I've had this fascination with hand made flowers. Below is a few blogs/tutorials I've found during my "research" as I wanted to create something with a touch of my personality.

Blooming headband tutorial via designmom.com

Crepe paper roses tutorial via thefabmissb.blogspot.com

Origami Miura-ken Beauty Rose tutorial via langorigami.com (I'm still trying to figure it out)

Organza flowers tutorial via reesedixon.com

Vintage lace flowers tutorial via missiekrissie.blogspot.com

Paper peonies tutorial via marthastewart.com

Fabric punched bouquet tutorial via marthastewart.com

Crepe paper roses tutorial via foldingtrees.com

Embroidered flower brooch
tutorial via blisstree.com

Tissue flowers tutorial via dltk-kids.com

Peony flowers with wire ribbon tutorial via make-it-do.com

Basic kanzashi tutorial via vivcore.com

And mookychick.co.uk

Ribbon rose tutorial via madebyloulabelle.blogspot.com

Flower fascinator tutorial via weddingbee.com

Crepe paper rosette tutorial via theadventuresofbluegirlxo

Crepe paper flowers tutorial via thebridescafe.com

Fabric flowers tutorial via creativelittledaisy.typepad.com

Organza flower tutorial via sew4home.com

Summing up 2010

2010-12-27T04:58:00.001-08:00

27 Dec 10

Looks like a storm brewing...

2010-12-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

18 Dec 10
The weather has been quite miserable lately with extreme hot spells & then the storms...

Random garden pics

2010-12-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

This is just an update of the photos I've taken at various times during October through to December.

Postcards from Fiji

2010-12-17T22:40:00.000-08:00

Nov-10
Spent 5 nights relaxing & recharging on Mana Island Resort. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Garden snaps

2010-10-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

24 Oct 10
The garden is thriving due to recent rain. Here are some happy snaps...

Never had bulbs until now & they are flowering beautifully!

The tomato plant
In flower

I like this shot

This one of the flowering lettuce is a clear winner for me!

Mt Cootha revisited

2010-10-10T21:55:00.001-07:00

I want a princess party too!

2010-10-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

11 Sept 10

There's something about photographing young children that makes the experience special. Because they have not faced the challenges ahead, this is how they present themselves to the world. It's the innocence & carefree nature that allows them to be who they are without the external influences of what they should be...

Brunch some time ago

2010-08-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

Toasted sandwiches, you can't go wrong.

Dinner tonight

2010-08-24T06:50:00.001-07:00

24 Aug 2010

My first time actually making potato bake. Repeated layers of thinly sliced partially cooked potato, fried sliced bacon, grated parmesan cheese & then topped with bechamel sauce.

Dinner some time ago...

2010-08-24T06:04:00.001-07:00

It was t-bone steak!

Garden...

2010-08-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

11 Aug 2010
With today being the people's day at the Ekka, thought it would be a good time to update my blog...

Composting.

Dinner tonight

2010-07-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

08 July 2010
After I plated up my vermicelli noodles with cabbage stirfry & leftover marinated chicken, it was a perfect photo opportunity. Pity the lighting conditions were not ideal but I suppose it turned out ok.

New houses in our estate

2010-07-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

04 July 10
Armed with my camera & walking shoes, hubby & I made our way around the estate checking out the new houses that are popping up left, right & centre.

Steep driveway.

Forest view? Yep that's the name of our estate.

Lime green walls? Limer green skirtings? What were they thinking?

An incomplete fence.

Bi-coloured bricks? What were they thinking?

Some after thoughts...

King George Square

2010-06-25T07:22:00.001-07:00

19 June 10 (Using the Sigma 70-300mm)
Was in the city not so long ago. I didn't buy any shoes but took some photos instead. Not sure what I was trying to achieve but I love the patterns & old buildings contrasting with the new.

Herbs in pots

2010-06-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

19 June 10 (Using the Sigma 70-300mm)
Well it's been a whole month since I've blogged. Not much has progressed with the garden except I made an effort to plant some herbs that have been transferred from IP#4. Lettuce, leek, basil, mint.

A variety of saw-leaf coriander (normal lens)

Parsley

Some kitchen pics

2010-05-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

This is what the kitchen looks like before we mess it up with everyday living.

Some new concrete

2010-05-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

08 May 10
The tradie came to fix the cracked concrete located where the laundry door is. That's one defects fix, about 20 others to go....

We have moved in!

2010-05-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

13 May 10
The builder's gas fitter connected the gas pipe on the 12th of May & the following day we said our good bye & thanks to my lovely mother in law who has allowed us to stay in her home for the last 2 and a half months.

Some recent purchases...

Dining set from Harvey Norman

Lounge from Super A-mart

An unexpected start to the day

2010-05-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

05 May 10
It was foggy across the riverside this morning.

My first wedding shoot

2010-05-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the best-of photos of the wedding that I attended recently. When you have to consider the best angle & lighting conditions, the professionals make it look so damn easy.

Some kitchen floor stuff -pre sanding prep

2010-04-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

04 April 10
Removing the vinyl then the floor boards then the lino was not an easy task!

Mt Nebo/Mt Glorious day out

2010-04-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

28 March 10
Sometimes you need some time out to get back to nature & really smell the fresh air. Here are some of the better photos I took for our 1 year wedding anniversary. These pics were from the Egernia circuit track.

Garden of the IP#4

2010-04-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Before mowing & cleanup

After mowing & cleanup

Front yard

More pics of IP #4

2010-04-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

These are the photos of before the renovations.

The kitchen looks decent, except the vinyl has to go as the floorboards will be sanded & polished.

The living room.

The bathroom & toilet.

The master bedroom.

The other 2 rooms

Completion stage invoice

2010-03-22T17:27:00.000-07:00

23 Mar 10
Well actually there are a few small things that have not been up to standard & need to be fixed/completed.

Lawn grubs doing some damage!

Settlement of our investment property no# 4

2010-03-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

16 Mar 10 ~ Hello to Scottie if you are reading this mate!
It looks alright externally but internally, no pics yet because the amount of renos required is a bit overwhelming. Without getting into too many details, this timber high set house is situated on a large 1036m2 dog leg block, has 3 bedrooms & 1 bath. And is in the Ipswich City Council.

Security grills + vertical blinds

2010-03-16T17:43:00.000-07:00

15 Mar 10
Yay, finally! Ok the only things left for the tradies to complete the house for handover is the installation of dishwasher, oven, range hood & gas stove.

I really like the contrasting of the black with the white.

Lawn + side gates + ducted air unit

2010-03-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

9-11 Mar 10
After a whole week of constant rain, it is a great feeling to finally see the lawn laid, side gates & the completed installation of the ducted air con in the rooms & the external unit.

Side gate

The external unit for the ducted air con.

From a distance... how nice is this lawn?

What it looks like inside.

Note about the termite barrier.

They were supposed to fill the gap created by the overlapping bricks on the concrete slab...

Some more building activity over the back fence.

Fillin' in those gaps

2010-03-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

8 Mar 10
We arrived to see empty sealant tubes. Looks as though the gap between the skirting & the tiles has been filled in.

Close yet so far...

2010-03-06T15:33:00.000-08:00

3 Mar 10
The rain has delayed our handover date even longer. With not much left to complete, we are so close yet so far...

Not sure about the structural integrity of the concrete but...

Top soil + letter box

2010-02-26T04:31:00.000-08:00

24 Feb 10
We anticipate to see some grass soon.

The letterbox has nice colour coordination with the house. Sweet!

Clean & sparkly

2010-02-25T04:50:00.000-08:00

23 Feb 10
Nice to see what a pressure cleaner can do to a place!

The bathroom window was open so we took some photos of the bath tub & fittings. The gaps in the bricks are sealed.

Clothes line & side gates

2010-02-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

19 Feb 10

Water tank

2010-02-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

18 Feb 10

Yes we are getting side gates!

This new house...

Concreting ~ driveway & side of house

2010-02-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

15 Feb 10
Slab for the ducted air con unit on the patio side.

The back yard
This is where the slimline water tank & clothesline will be.

Front porch.

The driveway... plenty of car parking space for our friends & family

Conduit will be put in for a future security gate, hence the last bit of concrete has not been completed.

Termite barrier & concrete markings

2010-02-17T04:56:00.000-08:00

12 Feb 10 ~ Yellow markers indicate where the concrete will be.

Marking next to the front porch and you can see the termite barrier in the peach colour.

Markings for the ducted air con unit.

Markings for the water tank, laundry area.

Termite barrier in place.

The very last time we see the rubbish!

Reinforcing mesh

2010-02-16T03:28:00.000-08:00

11 Feb 10 ~ Delivery of reinforcing mesh for the driveway.

The driveway to be...

Make your own living succulent art

2010-02-15T03:00:00.000-08:00

As I get decorating ideas for the new house, I really like seeing these creative creative projects.

Instructions & image via Sunset.com

Sunsets are amazing! (but not as amazing as you Dave)

2010-02-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

08 Feb 10

I took this shot when we were waiting outside our mortgage broker's house to sign some more documents. The sun was going down & there was a ray of colour coming out from the clouds. Not exactly the best photo but truly amazing to look at.

Year of the tiger

2010-02-06T23:15:00.001-08:00

Although the Chinese New Year won't happen until the 14th Feb this year, the Vietnamese community has an annual festival at the local soccer grounds between 5 -7 Feb. It rained a bit so that was part of fun! Here are just some really random photos.

The main stage

My favourite shot of the night

Out of place mascot + old asian men = random photo

Fence

2010-02-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

05 Feb 10

We arrived on the weekend to see the house all fenced up. Funny thing is, the land is actually a lot bigger than we thought.

Kitchen is coming together

2010-02-06T21:50:00.000-08:00

First week of Feb, the kitchen now has the sink & the splashback.

Internal finishes, lights & power switches

2010-02-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

28 - 29 Jan 10 ~ 4 weeks until handover looks promising...

For those 2 days, it looks as though the following has been completed.

Internal & external painting
Internal & external lights
Internal & external switches
Gables painted
Mirrored wardrove sliding doors
Delivery of kitchen sink

Granite benchtop

2010-01-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

27 Jan 10

Our kitchen granite benchtop arrived! This is in "ice snow"

We met up with the construction manager, had a quick look around the house & also to discuss our gate & fencing needs.

Just for some info...

Skirting is done

2010-01-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

22 - 23 Jan 10We arrived after work on the 22nd to find the tradie still there, he let us in to wonder around our house and take lots of photos and had a nice chat with him, he informed us that he was called on site to finish the skirting so that the painters can complete their work.
The ceilings have been completed and there is one coat of paint on the walls so far. It's coming together nicely especially when the house is about 5 weeks away from hand-over.

The laundry room

The bathroom

The ensuite

The toilet

If you think the ceiling is white, wait until you see the finished walls
Door hinges close up

Sometimes the unknown path...

2010-01-26T21:21:00.000-08:00

... can lead to greater possibilities.

Painting of the externals & ceiling

2010-01-26T19:42:00.000-08:00

21 Jan 10

Painting of the pipes in "surfmist"

Laundry door & electricity box painted in "surfmist"

The ceiling

Tiling of patio

2010-01-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

During the period 14 - 17 Jan 10, I'm not sure how much was done since we can only see into the living room/dining room.

Tiling day 3

2010-01-19T19:08:00.001-08:00

13 Jan 10
Early morning visit with the tiler meant that we were able to see how the work was progressing & to confirm placement of the feature tiles in the bathrooms.

These smaller tiles are for the bathroom, kitchen splashbacks, toilet & laundry.

Wall tiles in the colour "wavy vanilla"

Floor tiles in the colour "continental white"

Patio tiles in the colour "dust"
In the kitchen
In a room

Tiling day 2

2010-01-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

12 Jan 10

So it begins.... TILING

2010-01-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

07 Jan 09 - Re-choosing tiles
08 Jan 09 - Delivery of tiles
11 Jan 09 - Tiling day 1

Thinking about a new concept...

2009-12-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

Jolene Ko Imagery!?!

Work Christmas party

2009-12-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

18 Dec 09

My work Christmas party was held at the local park by the river this year, the day was warm but bearable. As per last year I was the unoffical photographer (any opportunity to hone my skills). I love this photo as it captured the mood of the day perfectly -> relaxation & reflection.

Besides from some rather major events in the past 12 months, I would like to thank the people who have made a positive impact in my life and to those that have helped me get through the working day. If you are reading this you know who you are! Just remember the good times yeah? May the guardian angels continue to guide you...

A special mention to my online and offline friends; Kylie M and Kylie W, both have re-opened my door to creativity. I thank you both from the bottom of my heart.

Timbering of windows/doors + gables complete

2009-12-18T19:07:00.000-08:00

17 Dec 09

Gables are now complete.

Same dirt, different angles. The construction manager said that the red soil was from the Redlands and to be layed on Monday. He was also there to answer a few questions we had and it's no suprise that we will be moving in at the end of February 2010.

Kitchen & basins

2009-12-16T04:29:00.000-08:00

14 Dec 09

Kitchen

Cornices complete + lock up stage

2009-12-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

9 - 11 Dec 09 Cornices complete

Garage installed

Cornices... not the most exciting thing to look at

Plastering completed

2009-12-08T20:59:00.001-08:00

8 Dec 09

The kitchen

Living room
Bathroom

Ensuite

Gyprock completed

2009-12-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

7 Dec 09 ~ All in one day.

Bathroom

Living room

Melbourne weekend April 09

2009-12-04T05:50:00.001-08:00

25 April 09
As the tradies have taken a day off at time of posting this, thought I take a moment to post some photos of our Melbourne trip in April 09.

This one was completely random, yet it has served me well. Melbourne aquarium

Bricklaying day 8

2009-12-03T03:54:00.001-08:00

3 Dec 09 ~ Completion stage ~

I really like this shot!

Bricklaying day 7 + eaves

2009-12-02T03:25:00.001-08:00

2 Dec 09

Gyprock delivered

Eaves

Gables installed!
Bath tub installed!

Bricklaying day 5 & 6 + ducted air con

2009-11-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

30 Nov & 1 Dec 09

Eaves delivered
The ducted air con main unit

Some random shots

Bricklaying day 4

2009-11-28T01:27:00.001-08:00

27 Nov 09
Not much activity at the front of the house on day 4 but looks like they have made progress on the sides & back.

Bricklaying day 3

2009-11-28T01:26:00.000-08:00

26 Nov 09

Bricklaying day 2

2009-11-25T15:26:00.001-08:00

25 Nov 09

It's a balancing act

Bricklaying day 1

2009-11-25T14:53:00.000-08:00

24 Nov 09
(Thought that it was a good time to go back to using my Pentax SLR for better quality photos)

Bricks bricks baby! (& windows)

2009-11-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

23 Nov 09

Originally we chose bricks in "frost" but unfortunately there was none in stock so we settled for "basmati". Not as white as the "frost" but definitely has nice earthy tones.

Patio sliding door

Wall wrap & electrician pre wire

2009-11-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

17-19 Nov 09

Plumber rough in

2009-11-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

16 Nov 09

Side of the house

The kitchen

The bathroom
The laundry

Roof tiles complete

2009-11-15T04:48:00.000-08:00

13 Nov 09

Well almost...

Roof wrap

2009-11-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

12 Nov 09 The build is moving faster than we anticipated. Already we have roof wraps, gutters in, fascias in and the delivery of roof tiles.

Nice to see a roof.

Roof tiles delivered.

The colour of the roof tiles is "abolone". Here is a close up of it. Some angles of the gutter & fascia, both are the colours of "surfmist".

Doors & more doors!

2009-11-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

We chose the slimline as the obvious choice for our garage door.

Should our internal doors be the flat flush panels or these Milan range from Corinthian Doors? Personally I don't like the grooves as it will no doubt habour dust.
Not the best photo of our front door but you get the idea...

Roof trusses complete

2009-11-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

10 Nov 09

View from the back.

Another PPOR in progress

2009-11-08T16:26:00.000-08:00

If you are into the whole excitement of building a house as much as we are, head over to hauswin southside blog (hubby's friends) where we have gone beyond the photos from their blog to actually go visit their site to check it out. Mainly because we were curious of their progress. If all goes to plan their house will be finish as roughly the same time as ours. Looks as though they are in framing stage.

"Hauswin" is a New Guinea lingo for "hut".

Garage

Looks like the kitchen will be the main feature Roof trusses, even from a distance look massive.
Side view on the left

Trusses Thursday

2009-11-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

05 Nov 09 - Most of the trusses are up

View from the dining room

View from the kitchen

Frames are up

2009-11-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

04 Nov 09 - Frames are up What the patio looks like

Roof trusses delivered

Slab stage

2009-11-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

03 Nov 09 - The concrete slab is freshly laid on our 664m2 block.

30 Oct 09

It's quite astonishing to see compared to how the block looked before.

Whitsundays in pictures

2009-10-27T23:26:00.000-07:00

Here are my best-of photos from my Whitsundays honeymoon.

Airlie Beach

Hill Inlet look out

Crystal clear waters of Lunchean Bay

Batfish... so they are called.

The catamaran "Getaway"

Tongue Bay

Romantic sunsets

My favourite photo of hubby!

Of me
And of us

Sunday brunch

2009-10-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at food styling + photography = bacon and eggs with sauteed mushrooms...

Sunday suppers blog is the source for the inspiration.

From the driveway...

2009-10-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

...I'm dreaming about a house with a white picket fence.

The floor plan (right click to enlarge)

(right click to enlarge)
"The Marnie"(right click to enlarge)

Some specs

664m2 land size
215m2 total floor area
4 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
Patio
Double lock up garage with remote
Tiling to all bedrooms & lounge areas
Ducted air con at 3 main areas
Concrete roof tiles including sarking
Granite kitchen bench tops
Security screens to all windows & doors
Vertical blinds
Clothes line, Antenna, Letterbox & 5000 Litre Water Tank including Pump
Turfed lawns

Artforce -traffic signal boxes (TSB)

2009-09-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Artforce is an initiative of Brisbane City Council and managed by Urban Smart Projects.

Artforce is a public art project designed to reduce graffiti, encourage residents to show pride in their local community and add colour to the city of Brisbane.

My journey in the last 3 years painting 3 boxes have been rewarding and am hoping to get into it again next year.

This was painted in 2008.
Link to this box and Here

This was painted in 2007.
Link to this box and Here

This was painted in 2006.
Link to this box and Here

Online discoveries

2009-09-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

I've discovered Tilt-shift miniature photo maker. Tilt-shift style photos are photographs of real life scenes that are made to look like miniature scale models.

These are my attempts at fake miniaturisation using my own photos.

Our wedding

2009-06-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favourite photos. We were married on the 28th March 2009. Photo credits to Ange Photography, my cousin and the best man.

Celebratory first post

2009-05-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

CHEERS!

Cheers to new-borns

Cheers to new friendships

Cheers to weddings

Cheers to housewarming celebrations

Cheers to married life

…AND to new blogs :)