March 28, 2011

betty vs julia.

so it's only taken me several years, some convincing from trudy who is a whizz with her slow cooker and a trip to lifeline to get me on the slowcooking wagon. never been a huge fan of cooking casseroles or soups (or leaving food to cook unattended) but with winter (queensland's version anyway) approaching i wanted to get on board! couldn't resist this gorgeous piece of orange awesomeness you see below. as you would probably understand, i could not be persuaded to pick up a shiny new white version. this has heart, and was owned by alice. label says so. the photos of today's finds are terrible, it was raining and approaching 6pm fast, so i snapped what i could. i spent all morning cleaning the house (ok, like 3 hours, but it felt like 8) and then gathered all my opshop bags to donate and loaded the car. it started to rain by then so i was a little disheartened but once i got to the salvos the volunteer's happy face at seeing all of my donations and the little bits i picked up in the shop, made it all worthwhile. i'm baking monte carlos later but you all know what they look like so hopefully minus the stopping to take photos, they should be whipped up in no time. it's rummage this sunday so i'm gathering treats from around the house like a mad woman. will pop some pics up of the treats on offer during the week. hope you've had a grand start to the week and things are looking good for the rest of it. love.


isn't she beautiful?

some doily loving.

yummy fabric napkins.

a coated fabric platter, sure to jazz up my kitchen sink detergents.

i found this cheeky guy at the salvos and i think artist tony albert has more of an impact on me than i realise. his works comprising of kitschy indigenous collectables are thought-provoking and channel a much deeper message. ( i have spent the last few months with his work @ goma)

some 'old navy' ballet flats, so cute and fit perfectly.

March 26, 2011

roses for evie.

pretty rose cupcakes for evie rose's 1st birthday. have a wonderful day gorgeous girl. happy sunday all!


early morning sun calls out for a quick photoshoot.

pink rose.

pink and aqua lovin'.


come back to bed.


hello on this beautiful saturday. spent most of the morning in bed. got out to make a breakfast smoothie, put on some john mayer and then crawled back in, camera in hand. i snapped a few pics from my bed that you can see below...for two reasons. one being that i was too lazy to haul my arse out of it and two, i am deeply in love with the light which infiltrates my room of a morning and the wallpaper which acts as the best bedhead ever. i can't get enough of it. i often lay in bed dreaming up beautiful artworks inspired by it and wondering about the lovely lady and gent who owned this house before i moved in. it was also the first glimpse of the interior that i got from outside before viewing the place. love at first sight. i wondered if i was ever going to make anything of today but it's turned out to be a delightful day so far. kate needed to grab a birthday gift for a friend's bubba so we visited the emporium for some old fashioned baby store perusing and a sushi lunch, just yum. then we paid a visit to one of the most perfect vintage shops i have ever been to. run by emily and situated in greenslopes, brisbane, 'can you keep a secret' is just divine. (my word of the year it appears) we only had a short time to play so we got rummaging in $2 suitcases, i ummed and ahhed as to what large forest painting i wanted whilst katie tried on skirts and highwaisted shorts. in a little queenslander it sits, with just a few knick knacks on the pavement to entice you in. such a darling setup and definately somewhere i can spend a few hours, if only for the chats with emily. a cafe will be opening there soon and with kate & i already set on making it our winter bike riding destination, i just can't wait. be sure to check out her facebook page and if you're in the brisbane area do pop by. just delicious. i have just got back from a max brenner date with two of my most gorgeous goma girls and i'm popping at the seams with chocolately goodness. well worth the 40min lineup. anyway ladies, i do hope your saturday has been lovely, i'm off to bake some baby cakes for miss evie. photos up tomorrow. happy weekend all and hello to my new followers. much love as always.





March 24, 2011

apple crumble.

thought that would get your attention. firstly i just want to say a big thank you for the lovely comments left on my previous post. as creative types you will know that sometimes all that is needed is to be able to share your creative output with people and i have most definately come away feeling inspired from it. i don't make enough art (too many ideas too little time) or collaborate with enough of the people that inspire me the most. this peppermint opportunity has given me the power to get creating. watch me, and ask for some evidence of this, ok? back to the apple crumble...i'm baking a giant crumble tonight for a little work shindig with some of my favourite goma kids. i am also whipping up some 1st birthday rose cakes for this little lady's party on sunday. should be perfect. big day ahead tomorrow with work, won't be home till late but i've got boxing, baking and vintage sheet swap doings to keep me busy on saturday. have a great friday and thank you again for all of your loveliness. ps. here are some treats i've been collecting lately..some for me, some for rummage!


pot holders, too cute.

cameras to play with atop a gorgeous little piece of barkcloth.

i found two more! syrup jug collection is growing.

gorgeous jar. perfect for my sugar flowers i think.

can't pass up a ship painting. available at rummage.

welcome to my world.

gorgeous crocheted olive & aqua blanket. perfect for winters on the couch!

kitty metal tray. available at rummage.

i'm not sure why i couldn't leave this behind. it's so cool and ummmm...cool? (i think it's the clouds)

the colours on the glasses are just awesome. available at rummage.

March 23, 2011

as seen in...

peppermint! woo! couldn't be happier with my feature in the latest issue. a huge thank you to tess for involving me, it's really made my week. as a frankie girl at heart (i mean come on, they created 'spaces', which is only one of the most beautiful books ever made) i hadn't really spent a lot of time with peppermint...but now, i can truly say my eyes have been opened to an inspiring coffee table companion. i'm not going to lie, i'm over the moon... i feel so inspired. please grab a copy if you can, the baked relief feature alone is enough to get you baking up a storm this sunday...and if you need a cake stand to accompany your treat...look no further. happy wednesday all. laksa wednesday for me! double woo!


my favourite (far right) was included, yay!

hello name in print.

the cake i created for the 'baked relief' feature.

the said cake was consumed shortly after those photos were taken.

March 20, 2011

sunday behaviour.

it's been a delightfully cooler and rain-filled weekend here in brisbane. my british blood loves this kind of weather and rejoices in any excuse to pop the oven on for a bit of baking without feeling like i may collapse with heat exhaustion. sounds a little dramatic i know, but anyone who braves queensland's humidity will understand. after a cardio box session yesterday morning, i was kinda wiped out for the rest of the day but did get my second wind later in the evening when cleaning and washing began. before that though, i was snuggled up on the couch with frankie and patrick swayze. ('ghost', for those wondering.) this morning i woke up around 10, cooked myself a yummy bacon and egg brekkie, had a skype chat with m&d and then got baking. i bought the wonderful women's weekly 'afternoon tea' a few months ago but haven't yet attempted any of it's beautiful recipes. it truly is the most delicious book..the photos alone are enough to make you oooo and ahhhh. so it's monte carlo sunday. i decided to make them gluten free which can sometimes be a bit of a gamble but with gf red velvet and gf brownie recipes down pat...i wondered what else i could attempt. the final result, is a biscuit that is half melting moment, half macaron...not a bad combo hey? the gf flour makes the biscuit so soft and buttery, that literally melts in your mouth. doesn't really look like the photo or as rustic as i thought it would be (i pictured anzac biscuit style)...but they taste wonderful and a biscuit that asks for vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam to be slathered inbetween really can't ever be bad! like the artist i am, i documented the process, which of course added about 2 hours to a 20 min baking adventure. fun times. give them a go, you won't be disappointed!

such an adventure calls for pretty floral fabric...

and colour complementary baking tools.

such a sweet collection.

elsie working her magic. the final batter.

i made them bigger than the recipe asked for, because monte carlos need to be giant in order to be delicious, right?

cooling off. they're still light and fluffy thanks to the gf flour.

whipping the life out of the filling. it's the key i tell you. fluffy icing is the way to go.

hello raspberry jam that i don't use enough in baking and the icing bag which really is an extension of my left arm.

piling it on. get ready to be smushed.

smushed and looking divine.

good enough to eat, you could say.


find the recipe here!

March 18, 2011

holga love.

some dreamy holga shots that were taken on my nyc & sf jaunt last september. the unpredictability and excitement of what you'll capture makes the $25 film processing fee totally worth it. already have them headed for frames on the wall. pics soon. will be back on the weekend with baking and market find photos...happy weekend all!


washington sq park & magnolia bakery.


magnolia. only the best cupcakes, ever.

corner of bedford & grove. love.

golden gate bridge from baker beach. love that you can just make it out.

March 12, 2011

baking day.

since i stopped baking for the cafe at the beginning of the year, i have really enjoyed doing the odd cake order/brownie making for my friends. i started early today, as a cupcake order of 90 '21st' red velvets were on the agenda. asked to keep it simple and something a boy would eat...easy as pie i thought. red velvet is my favourite cake to make and most of the time i make them gluten free with vanilla cream cheese frosting. a winning combo in my eyes. so i whipped out elsie and got baking. this is the first batch of baking i've done with a kitchenaid and i wasn't disappointed. it did take much longer cleaning her afterwards because let's be honest, she's no breville and has to always look her best. she's more like an art piece to me that will bake the odd cake. i'm definately in love. on the way to drop off the cake order, sarah and i popped into an oppy at annerly where we both found a pretty new addition to our wardrobes. mine, the skirt below and hers a beautiful red prom dress that fits her to a t. on my way back i popped into reverse garbage for some wood delights that will feature in my new project, starting tomorrow. i hope you've all had a great saturday...sunday seems like it will be just as beautiful.


the famous red batter.

i am no neat baker.

turquoise buttercream. a colour i can't resist.

cupcakes everywhere.

literally icing on every surface.

the final combinations.

vintage greeting cards. love. to be used in my new project.

wood blocks and vintage earrings.

my pretty floral ($5) highwaisted pencil skirt.

did i mention it had a bow on the back?