Gather around, friends!
We all have our own unique stories and passions and I'm stoked to share my current obsessions with you. Peek into my world and explore 20 of my favourite things that bring me joy, inspiration and a sense of wonder.
1. Colour
Pink, but also blue, teal, lavender and the entire rest of the rainbow. I go through phases with colour, pink has been holding strong for the past few years and is becoming more and more present in my work when it can. My current series of paintings, which I have hidden away in my studio for now, feature a lot of pink and blue and it makes me so happy!
Pink is such a warm, friendly colour, it evokes happiness, femininity and helps me connect with my inner child. It is quite the contrast to the blue era I had (much like Picasso) some years ago when I was working through some big emotional things!
2. Scents
Lemon blossoms, gardenia, frangipani flowers and smoked paprika. Not all together though! I love the smell of coffee, even though I rarely drink it. The smell of fresh mown grass and of rain on asphalt is so nostalgic.
3. Op Shopping
Are you someone who loves treasure hunting around op shops? I love a knickknack, an old vase or antique picture frame. My husband tells me I have enough vases (the fully stacked shelves of the cupboard probably agree with him) however, there is nothing more thrilling than finding something unique and bringing it home and filling it with flowers from my garden.
We have some amazing op shops in Kerikeri, the Hospice store on Hobson Ave and the St John’s on Cobham Road are my favourites. Both have lovely staff and atmosphere with carefully curated goods at decent prices. Every time I drive past, I check in with my intuition to see if there is something summoning me to go in. If I get the calling, I begin my treasure hunt and every time I find something amazing! If I pop in on an off chance, I usually don’t find anything.
Op shop magic is real, baby!
4. My Daily Ritual
Making the bed. I once heard this advice from a speech by Admiral William H. McRaven and it has always stuck with me. Occasionally I give myself permission to by lazy, but this is something I hold myself to most days and feel better for it.
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.” From “Make Your Bed” by Admiral William H. McRaven
Find the full speech here
5. Quote I live by
“Pressure Makes Diamonds”
I swear I accomplish my best work when I am under the pump. It helps me focus on what needs to get done. Deadlines are so good for this reason!
6. The sky doing neat things
Sunsets, sunrises, fluffy clouds, dark ominous thunder clouds, misty mornings, clear bluebird sky days, swoopy clouds, candyfloss clouds. I love them all and I want to paint every single one of them.
7. Overalls
I am obsessed. Since moving to our rural property in the Bay of Islands, my lifestyle now involves a lot of gardening. Getting dolled up to pop out to the shops of a county town isn’t the same when everyone is rocking around in gumboots! I love clothes and have found wearing fun overalls out and about as well as around home has been a game changer. My sunflower overalls from UK brand Lucy and Yak are my absolute faves. I get a lot of compliments on them too
8. A place I can’t stop thinking about
Pink Coco, Gili Air. We went there on our honeymoon, twice! We eloped in Bali in 2023 and took a month-long honeymoon. Matt chose Pink Coco himself and I couldn't be more proud of him! What we thought was going to be a kitschy hotel themed out like a teenage girl’s bedroom, turned out to be an adults only pink tropical paradise. The staff were amazing, the pool area, gardens and rooms were gorgeous. The coconuts were even stained bright pink with dragon fruit juice!
Unfortunately I got struck down with a UTI (story of my life) and we had to leave early to seek medical attention in Bali. Afterwards, we carried on our travels and ended up going back a few weeks later. It was dreamy!
9. Favourite day trip
Russell, Bay of Islands. Growing up, my neighbours and childhood besties moved from Auckland to Russell and visiting them for summer holidays instilled a long love of this place for me. Notoriously known in the past as the “Hell Hole of the Pacific”, this quaint little historical town is easily accessible by passenger ferry from Paihia or car ferry from Opua.
Make sure you head over to Long Beach (aka Oneroa Bay) for a swim on a hot summer's day, followed by pizza at Hone’s Garden.
10. Music That Fuels My Creativity:
I live on Spotify and have been curating playlists on here since 2015.
Click to play!
11. Flowers
I love growing them, arranging them, photographing them, painting them and gazing at them lovingly. They are a daily reminder of how beautiful and fleeting life is.
12. Finding Seashells
My most favourite activity to do in the entire world is to search for seashells. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been mesmerised by the diverse range of shapes, colours and species of seashells. Walking along a beach completely immersed in a treasure hunt is my most pure form of meditation.
13. Gardening
I have inherited my love of gardening from my mum and my grandma Esmay, who had the most wonderful garden in Whakatane when I was growing up. My mum encouraged me to pick flowers and I would spend endless days observing plants and insects in our garden at home.
After more than a decade of moving my houseplants to different flats, I finally have a garden to nurture. My husband and I spend as much time as we can developing what was once a bare paddock into a magical oasis full of flowers, fruit, vegetables and wildlife. We use an organic approach, incorporating permaculture methods, syntropic systems and try to grow as much as we can from seed and cuttings.
14. Cooking
What do you get when you are obsessed with gardening? A LOT of produce! I am a huge foodie and absolutely love exploring different cuisines and flavours. I have become quite the homesteader and our freezer is jam packed with food, soups and sauces we have grown. Next stop: bottling!
15. Dream Travel Destinations
I have so many! My bucket list is loaded with so many places I want to see and experience. Travel gives me oodles of creative inspiration. All of my senses are heightened when I visit a new place or return to explore somewhere I have already been. No trip is the same, even if the location is. I love spotting a new butterfly or lizard I’ve never seen before. The aromas and flavours of new and interesting food will inspire my cooking for years after I have returned home. Getting to meet local people from all walks of life and cultures is something I feel so fortunate to do.
Some of my bucket list trips include:
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Swim with whales in Tonga (covid stopped this happening in 2020!)
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Visit Tahiti and watch the waves Teahupoo, swim with rays and sharks
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See the Northern Lights
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Hot Air Ballooning over Cappadocia, Turkey
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Rio Carnival
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Machu Picchu
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Rottnest Island - I was super lucky to cross one off in 2024 with a very special birthday visit, where I got to meet friendly quokkas and drooled over the stunning blue water
16. Playing dress up
I loved it as a kid and I love it even more as a fully grown adult. We have built a dress up room in our barn for this very purpose. I have been making and collecting dress up clothing, hats, headpieces and accessories forever and love nothing more than getting a bit sparkly and groovy with my friends. It brings out everyone's inner child and makes them feel fabulous! I love seeing the joy on someone's face when they wear something eclectic for the first time.
17. Beach
Tāwharanui is my happy place. Growing up I would come camping here with my mum and dad and have enjoyed countless visits throughout my lifetime. The unique variety of beaches from long expanses of white sand to tiny coves and rocky shores, dazzling crystal clear water, magical rock pools and native wildlife. I learned to surf here (I'm still pretty bad at it) and it was the first place I felt comfortable to explore on my own.
18. Birds
I love them all. What more can I say? My current faves are the small flock of ring-necked doves that have made our garden their home. I have one particularly friendly one who likes to ride around on my hat and enjoys to wandering through our house like he owns the place. I have named him the Floor Manager. He even came and sat on my desk as I was writing this!
19. Family and Friends
While I am very independent and often tend to bury myself in projects and gardening endeavours, I am so grateful for my loved ones. My husband Matt is my best friend and we have so much fun together. I have wonderful friends both locally and farther away and am so stoked to have my immediate family close by. My parents followed me up to Kerikeri a year after I moved here and it has been a really good move for us all.
20. Art
It can sometimes be challenging turning your first love into a career, however my heart will always be most happy when I am creating. August 2025 marks 13 years since I became a full time artist, however it has been a lifelong journey and my biggest passion. To keep my love for making art alive, I am constantly evolving, exploring and learning. Thank you for supporting me on this journey.
If you have made it this far, you are a superstar! I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into my world and that it encourages you to think about what brings you joy and makes you unique.
Much love!
