Going cuckoo for a clock

Today I picked up a cuckoo clock! Yes, it's December and I should be buying for others and not myself but I couldn't resist (and it's just so easy to find things for yourself, don't you reckon?!). 

I've already hung the clock on my dining room wall with all my white picture frames. The photo above is of my Dad, taken in England before his family came out to Australia.

I love the white clock against the black (Dulux Domino). Ignore those empty frames. I do. To be honest I forget they need filling until I photograph that wall. Below is a shot from further back to give you a better idea of how it fits with the photo wall. 

Now can you guess where I got this nifty, little clock? Aldi! I rarely go there but I always check out their catalogue because they sometimes have cool catalogue items for a limited time. The cuckoo clock was in store from today (check it out online here). By the time I got to my local store after work there was only one white clock left and four or five black ones. 

Now in case you think I'm cuckoo for getting excited about a kitsch clock, I'm not the first for falling for this design in recent times. Cuckoo clocks have made a bit of a comeback in the past five years or so. Apartment Therapy has featured them (here) and Lady Melbourne even has one (here). They must be alright :)

Oh deer-y me, it's nearly Christmas!

I've been gone so long, I feel like an impostor on my own blog! I do apologise for the long, unexplained absence but I can't promise it won't happen again. Life has been busy and my mind has been elsewhere. I will explain properly one day (soon hopefully!) but for now my mind is on Christmas decorations. It seems ludicrous to me to be speaking of Christmas already (where do the years go?!) but it is only weeks away after all.

I was spurred on to get into the spirit a few weeks ago when the Domanye catalogue arrived in the weekend newspaper. The Domayne accessories always lure me in, even though I've never purchased anything substantial, like furniture, from the store. This year, it was the antler decorations that had me popping into the store at the first opportunity. I picked up a couple of these "Pure antler decorations" for $5.95 each.

And a pair of these "Antler ornaments" at $6.95 a pop. 

I'm already using the antlers on my ottoman coffee table for a bit of interest. I adore antlers for some reason. 

After the purchase, I admit I felt quite happy with myself and a tad smug for starting to get organised for Christmas. Then the weeks ticked by and I confess there has been no more Christmas preparations to speak of. Not one gift has been purchased (looks like I'll be adding to the ugly, December shopping crowds). I'm realising that I enjoy the Christmas decorating and menu planning more than the actual shopping. I love wrapping gifts and then giving them, if only I could skip the actual shopping. Who's with me?!