I really love this courtyard surrounded by the winding path to the spa….very earthy but still contemporary. The water would need to be a whole lot clearer before I climbed in though. These images are from the Jeffery Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture portfolio, where there are some great pictures to inspire your backyard design.

If I could have a rug in my dream yoga studio – this would be it.  Right in the reception area, just spreading the joy to all those who walk through the door.  Liora Manne is the lady who designed it using a process called Lamontage – it is antimicrobial and 100% acrylic plus it can be used indoors or out.  Take a look at her range of gorgeous rugs here and gallery here.  Swoon!

UK company Purlfrost has a large selection of window film for many applications; Decorative, Stained, Reflective and even a kids range.  My favourite would have to be their Stained Glass range that can be applied anywhere.  When the sun shines on it, it would show the best colour onto the wall and ground. Great for a yoga room.

You can apply it easily yourself and they have an installation guide online.  Purlfrost will happily ship worldwide, just contact them first and advise what you are intending to order.

We have a bunch of boat sheds on the Orakei basin looking rather dilapidated and in need of a good spruce up, so when I spied these over at Inhabitat, I thought they would be a fantastic replacement.

The Crib prefab can be used anywhere – from your backyard, to a spot on the water to house the boat and chill-out upstairs. It’s inspired by the traditional American architecture of corn cribs, a common farm building used to store and dry corn. The smallest is 175 sq feet upstairs with an ideal garage style front opening (for those water views). Then there’s the additional 125 sq feet of exterior deck space. The larger of the two has 250 sq ft upstairs!. Of course, it’s only in the US, which would make these super exey to ship out and there are no prices on the website. And I should not forget to add, the Orakei boatsheds are privately owned – so perhaps the owners are happy with them just as they are.

Auckland has hills, many many hills, and after coughing up a lung riding up a hill to get Master 6 from school (his scooter in the front basket) with Miss 1 on the back and drinks all round, I was exhausted. I have a slightly rusty ladies bike from Giant, which is great on the flat, but oh so heavy on the hills.

So I decided I wanted the lightest bike possible for the school run, and went searching. Unfortunately, Mr Bohaute had to burst my bubble and give me a price guide on carbon fibre, which means it’s never going to happen…..but oh my, why haven’t they put this bike into production.

The Momo Design City Bike is gorgeous – made of titanium and carbon, the City Bike features a belt-driven Nexus 8 speed drivetrain, and received a silver designation in the Eurobike Awards 2007.  No price, but we know it would be ridiculous. Bummer… I think city bikes should be the lightest, and nice and cheap, considering we are hauling around so much gear.

What a great idea this is.  The water meter lets you know how much water is used in the yard, or just cleaning the car.

It is a spray nozzle with an integrated water meter and has 4 spray settings.  The ‘Save a Drop’ Hoze Nozzle can be purchased right here for NZ$33 plus shipping.  The only problem is I am not sure if it fits our hose thread.  Perhaps worth an email to them to check.

Now winter has arrived, it’s skiing time again, so I went hunting to find property in the ski area of Queenstown in New Zealand.  This beauty sits on 3.2 hectares of land, and has wide views of Coronet Peak ski-field, the Crown Range, the Shotover River and The Remarkables mountain range.  Wow, those alps will have snow all over them now.

I love the amount of land to run around on with family and friends on those crisp clear days, and no one would get sick of that view. Plus, the living areas look really inviting after those long days on the hill.   Click here to see more of the property or to contact the real estate agent.

Sometimes we all like a little music while we’re out and about, and not just through your earphones.  This Card Speaker by IDEA International is no bigger than a credit card and as thick as a pack of chewing gum.

It comes in either black or silver, with a mirror-polished back, and includes a protective carrying case, a 3.5 mm connection plug, and a USB battery charge cable. The speaker has an operating time of approximately five hours on a two-hour charge.  You can buy it right here for NZ$105 and they ship all over, but you need to email them for a shipping price.

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I can’t tell you much about this house as I don’t speak spanish and the website is well..spanish.   It is in Gandario, Galicia, Spain and the architect is Carlos Quintáns.  It’s a stunningly simple home blending the new form with old stone – striking and visible from inside the home.  In one of the photos, I love how the wooden floor vents are not in metal, but are seamless with the wooden flooring.  Of course the glass across the entire front is always a winner for me, and check out the view!

via [Materialicious]

Another planter I like is this Nature Planter by Design Night.  The shape reminds me of a Lotus flower and I can just imagine a messy lot of Ranunculus spilling out of the holes….perfect for an entrance way.  The pity is it’s super pricey at US$375 (NZ$530) – add shipping down-under and you may as well buy a return ticket to the States!  Now someone just needs to make a knock-off plastic version for $24.95 from the Plastic Store (am I allowed to say that?).

via [oh joy]

My sister emailed the image of this pool and I had to share it with y’all.  First, even having a back yard like that would be awesome..secondly, being able to afford the pool…even better!

More and more we are wanting an eco friendly approach to our living environment, and this pool is just the thing if you want something natural.  This Biotop pool in Chadd’s Ford, PA in the USA has separate water gardens, and nutrient friendly plants keeping the pool clean and chemical free.   These pools are self-cleaning mini environments that rely on plants from their “regeneration zones,” or water gardens/ponds, to filter impurities and excess nutrients back into the swimming area.   Skimmers and pumps circulate the water through the zones, and apparently you get all this for not much more than a regular swimming pool.  For more information on the pool above, click here. Can’t say I like the idea of frogs and dragonflies close by while I try to relax in the pool!

I have always been a fan of the Bullet Planters, but these are even better.  Pad in Los Angeles are behind these Pods Planters which were only unveiled at the Dwell On Design show in Los Angeles last month.   You can buy them here for NZ$238 each(ouch) and they ship internationally – just email for prices.  They come in six colours, with stands in two heights and can be used indoors or out as they are aluminium with an exterior grade powder-coated finish.  I would love a colourful set of five for herbs but the cost would blow my mind….will have to stick to the packaged supermarket herbs for now.

via [Apartment Therapy]

I love receiving circulars in the mail.  When we moved into our rental the first thing I did was remove the ‘No circulars’ sign on the mailbox.  While browsing through one I spied the company Cedarlands.  Based in Auckland, NZ, they make and distribute a great range of sheds, cabins, carports and even greenhouses. What caught my eye was the modern carport, as many NZ homes have little or no garaging. Wouldn’t these look great with a modern reno and keep all the Auckland rain off you!  The company does not have a website (what the…!!) but here is a link to contact them and browse through a few images of what they have available. 

Do you need to add an extra room without renovating, or a little temporary home for the bach site?  Based in Auckland, NZ, Mobile Habitats have a full range of portable accommodation solutions, with some offering kitchen and bathroom facilities.  Because they are portable, you do not need a permit, with prices starting at about $10k to purchase. Or if you only need a temporary space solution, they even rent them starting at NZ$58 per week. Go take a look at their website for more info…they come in cool colours and are super mod looking.

If you think birds need a front ‘porch’ light, then this is the birdhouse for you.  The solar-powered birdhouse is made by OOOMS, Dutch designers of products like the weird Twig USB drive.  A solar panel on the roof charges the small interior battery during the day and then at night the perch lights up….cool!  This is also clever as bugs are drawn to light, so they can catch dinner while sitting at their ‘front door’….even cooler! They are sold at Charles & Marie (sold out when I checked), but you can find them for sale at the OOOMS website as well – NZ$165 plus shipping and they ship internationally.  Totally think it’s a must have!

via [NotCot]

Running, or Balance bikes have become quite popular and I spy them in quite a few parks these days. Master Four and 3/4 is quite disappointed he never got one – as now he’s riding a two-wheeler, it’s not a requirement.  Miss 2mths Old will be getting a Wishbone when it’s her turn though, as they teach kids to balance before the peddles arrive!  I watched a friends child on one and he had never ridden a two wheel bike with peddles….climbed onto Master Fours, and just rode away!

The Wishbone Bike is clever in that the wooden bike starts as a tricycle, converts to a 2-wheel running or balance bike and then the frame is flipped to make a running bike large enough for kids up to about 5 years. So it lasts a good while.  They are NZ made and are available in many countries.  See here for stockists. 

This has been in my ‘Must Blog About’ folder since Taga won the Eurobike award in 2008.  It would have to be my ultimate bike for my two kids and me.  Good for the Zoo, good for shopping, good for exercising with them, good for our trips to the bakery and beach.  It converts from stroller, to bike for up to two kids, to caravan for the shopping and/or kids.  I so want one, but they don’t sell them here, only Europe and the UK. Go take a look at their gallery for more cool pics, and here for the many different options (some not avaliable yet)…..it’s my dream bike! 

Master 4 & 3/4 loves to use my notebook when doing his online reading games but he sometimes likes his meals while playing which doesn’t make mummy happy as the crumbs always end up very near or on the keyboard;  worse, he also wants his drink as well!  So, I want this soo bad. The Mini Flexible Roll Up Keyboard has the coolest features perfect for little hands…it rolls up…you can spill a drink on it…it’s dust/crumb proof…and connects via USB.  You can buy it here for NZ$23.00 and they ship worldwide.

via [Like Cool]

Mercedes now have gone into the luxury bicycle market with a few different bikes, but this one caught my eye as I love bikes that fold up?  Don’t know why…just think it’s clever I suppose.  Anyway this baby has two folding options with a carry bag, it has a carrier (luggage rack), dual suspension…and best of all…gears – yay! – so you can make it up the hills.  It comes in silver or white and costs EU$1700, which is about NZ$3700. Not bad if you think most high end mountain bikes cost that.  Will keep you posted if you can buy it down-under.

via [gizmag]

A navigation system is a bit of a treat, so we don’t have one yet. But my Auckland City Map Guide is so tattered and missing new roads and motorways, that it might be time we upgraded to a GPS.  If I should be so lucky, it would be the girly White Pearl that TomTom has just released.  It comes with maps for 42 European countries and is for sale for £179.99.  This does tell me that it’s not available in NZ, but will keep you posted if I can hunt one down.  

via [The Style Files]