sister knows best.

feeling a little under the weather this morning meant no work for me today. i decided to get some fresh air and take up my sister's offer to accompany her on a shopping trip. we may have ended up at a few opshops on the way home, but seriously, that has been the best medicine today. heating up soup when i got home has even proven to be a challenge, turning into a bubbling black mess. not meant to be. however, the following treats found today, were. the nally jam/sugar/honey pots are an ebay delight. hope your thursday is treating you well. i'm off to the bristyle markets tomorrow night to meet the lovely moose&bird and pick myself up a beautiful brooch that will be a little treat for a soon to be bride. hope the rain holds off a little..i wanna ride my bike into work too. keep your fingers crossed for me and the market queens.

lovely tablecloths, apron, napkins, pillowcases and a double duvet cover.

my 'nally' ebay treat. aren't they gorgeous? that colour is my favourite.


the lids are divine and this tablecloth had to be mine. $1? i think so.





i'm such a fiend for tapestries, but they have to spark some kind of memory in me in order for me to splash out the money. this montmartre scene is gorgeous and reminds me of my trip to paris 5 or so years ago. the flower shops and street painters are a beautiful memory to me. will be going in my studio to inspire me.

the detail is lovely. artist at work, love it!

a jar of buckles for 95c and a gorgeous set of teacup fabric items. may be hitting my k&n facebook shop!

silly goose.

good morning lovelies! happy anzac day. i'll tell you a funny story, because i'm one silly goose. i had a nice sleep-in, got showered, dressed and went on my merry way to work. goma was expecting massive crowds today from 12pm, so i felt ready, mc hammer blaring from my ipod. i reported for briefing just after 11.30am only to find out it was infact my ado! oops. dedicated worker? i think so. i soon headed off home and did what every sensible thrifter would do on a public holiday...i sniffed out an open opshop ready for me to scour. i found a few treats on my walk home and with a soy caramel latte in one hand and vintage treats in the other, i knew this was my real calling today. i picked up a few goodies that i will be incorporating into my august exhibition, which is seriously so much fun. opshopping for an exhibition..as if i needed a reason! there is a theme for this body of work, and that is excessive sentimentality. i originally discovered this term after searching for the meaning of kitsch, which ES is derived from. this sums up my creative practice to a T! although this won't be the name of the group exhibition, i wanted to be able to tie my ideas together under one influence. there you have it. i'm the soppiest sentimental type ever. so it's perfect. i will be back in the week with some inspiration for you all. i have discovered a few new blogs and they're definately worth chatting about.

johnson cake plate love. just like nanna had.

some lovely plastic utensils. i grew up with tupperware.

a little collection of tea strainers (just like nanna's) and a gorgeous green plastic jug. that green colour is my favourite.

this was easter sunday breakfast.

my craft table. rode my bike twice easter weekend, was lovely.

mask it.

oh masking tape. so simple. so pretty in all of your pastel loveliness. i bought some of this said loveliness whilst spending all of my holiday money in the moma nyc gift shop last year. what i had planned to 'tape' or 'decorate' or 'wrap' was not included in the decision factor and i was soon interrupted by the sweet whisperings of the pretty, oh so pretty tape. pretty wins over functionality everytime. the tape roll has been purely decoration in my studio...until last night! a good few hours watching glee re-runs was spent sticking and playing. pure joy. have made a few little cards that i'll be using for some love mail and tags. any excuse to whip out my beloved papersource stamp collection is also welcome. i've been pottering in the studio today, working out what will become part of my exhibition in august. lots of faux wood, vintage greeting cards and melmac will be making an appearance. i've even ordered some of the most fantastic wallpaper which will form the background of my installation. i will divulge more info as ideas develops and invites are sent out. the weather is a little hesitant today...i did a quick camera battery recharge before the rain clouds released but they seem to have held off. now the sun seems to have his hat on, hooray! this cooler weather makes for wonderful bike riding behaviour. took kit for a spin earlier today. as you may have noticed, this easter is a little quiet for me on the family front. with mum and dad in sf and my girlies all up to different things, i felt it necessary to have a relaxing weekend with no baking and no real time restraint. the fam are in the midst of organising a family reunion in hawaii in october so i really can't complain about a rather lonesome 3 day weekend, can i? i'm keen to go with a bikini in my suitcase so have been trying to behave myself. the humpty dumpty easter egg staring at me from the counter thinks otherwise. it's been a bit quiet in blogland which means you must all be having a rather lovely and indulgent weekend. look forward to hearing your stories. happy saturday.

candy colours & archie the french bulldog.

bike love. yet to be touched up with black liner.

i'd like a caravan in the future, thank you. until then, pretty gift cards will suffice.

freshly cut grass.

happy good friday afternoon! hope this finds you all well with tummies full of chocolate and spending the day doing what you love. i've had a fast paced but lovely week, baking, baby shopping, dinnering with an old friend and cutting up vintage fabric. not bad, huh? i've got chocolate eggs in the fridge (thanks lib), moby on the stereo and a beautifully kept garden staring back at me in this beautiful sunshine. it's been a while since my large garden has been tended to. finally yesterday a wonderful man called chris spent 7 hours making it beautiful. i'm so grateful. #28 is now surely up there for the prettiest block on flower st. i have also been blessed with a couple more babies in my life, thanks to two of my most favourite girls, barbara and libby. i used to live with libby and she is now in the navy, based in melbourne. she is due in september and i cannot wait to be a part of her and her little one's life. so exciting. barbara, my beautiful goma girl is due in only 6 weeks or so! we had a little baby shower for her at work yesterday, very pretty and pretty tasty. i will miss her so much but i know she is ready for the next step in her life. cannot wait to snuggle baby leo. i also cannot express just how much i enjoy shopping for babies...what is it about tiny clothes? i look forward to seeing him in his little stretchy striped bonds pants. eep! here are a few photos from my week. a couple of oppy finds thrown in for good measure. happy long weekend all. i'm back to work monday but who doesn't enjoy a few extra bank holiday $$$ in their pocket? love.

barbara's baby shower set up. butterscotch cupcakes made an appearance.

raspberry spiked brownie is a must for growing babies.

could this good friday weather be any more perfect?

someone else is also enjoying the manicured lawn.

my easter treats. thank you libby!

a pretty oppy find. i'm a sucker for mother teacups.

2 wooden candle sticks & a new thermos that doubles as a vase. the collecting of items for my new exhibition has begun, woo!

miss ingalls.

it's becoming more apparent to me lately (and my mum - who still watches LHOTP) that i am channelling my inner laura ingalls. being named after her helps, but my recent dress up at secret on sunday, got the love for buttoned up blouses and bows a-flowin'. it all started in san francisco when every dress i seemed to pick up was quickly put into the little house on the prairie catagory, not hard in the us of a. i fell in love with the dress seen in the last pic below and even though it's far too long and the sleeves are just too puffy (not good for my swimmer shoulders) i just adore the peachy floral print and took it home. i feel a prairie dress makeover coming on. i do believe i just love getting my pretty on. but who doesn't?

my latest prairie purchase.

i know this is mary, not laura, but check the bow please?

the sf purchase. peachy florals, i love you.

cloudy skies.

hello sunday!

It's been a couple of weeks since i posted so i'm going to warn you that there'll be an image overload to follow. total eye candy i might add (lots of can you keep a secret sneak peeks), and covering all of the fabric, baking and vintage shopping bases, i'm sure you'll enjoy! It's been a busy time at the flower house and i am happy to say that i am full to the brim with inspiration. an august group exhibition has been secured which is very exciting and long awaited. sneak peeks of new works and installation ideas will soon follow and the good vibes have also been nutured by a certain herriott grace, whose cloud cookie cutter i have been eagerly awaiting in the mail. oh boy was it christmas when it arrived last week. she is a wonderfully creative woman with a successful business and her ability to decorate cakes that adorn her fathers wood turned creations is out of this world. like a certain something's hiding in here duo, these guys never cease to inspire me. speaking of people who rock my world...i had my gorgeous girls over for dinner last thursday where i cooked up my first ever curry. i mean, who has time to cook when there are sweet treats to bake? it's a woman's weekly recipe (of course) and was a bit yummy. cauliflower, red lentil and pea curry warmed our bellies indeed. sarah, trude and i spent today hanging out at secret and playing dress up (a pretty pink floral blouse and turquoise dress were purchased), taking photos and planning birthday parties. went to lunch at lady marmalade in stones corner, which was delicious. have heard lots about it so glad we got to try it out. life chats were had over soy lattes, haloumi and johnson plates. this afternoon was full of chilling in egg chairs, drinking creme brulee tea, flamenco tunes and cloud cookie behaviour. have been dying to try the recipe out. note to self: do make sure you spare a few hours and use far less salt than the recipe asks for and you'll have hit the jackpot. super cute final result though. the state that my kitchen is in right now, i think i'll concentrate on some blogging for a while. i do hope your weekend has been just as delicious.

i'm framing tapestry designs...loving the idea i saw on a gorgeous blog. (not for sale)

i think they're just as beautiful minus the wool! (nfs)

love my yellow roses..a mid week oppy find. (nfs)

sorting fabrics for the vintage fabric sheet swap.

visiting secret always makes me happy.

see why?

oh yes, not one but THREE handmade ceramic balloons!

blue and green gorgeousness.

cosy corner.

an orange lounge...my kinda furniture.

the obligatory suitcase shot.

there are goodies..everywhere!

our in house fashionista.

delicious lunch.

the love starts...

things are going well...

lovely little clouds make for...

a beautiful cloudy sky. (sorry about the night time photos!)

rummaging sunday.

i'm writing this at the end of a busy day of rummaging and praying that the rain gods would stay away. they did, until about 4pm. not bad. had a delightful day with my lovely rummaging girls, trudy, louise and kimberly. who are not only great company, but their finds and creations are irresistible too. (see below) here are a few pics from the day. thank you to those who bought, stopped and chatted and to the lovely mel of bungalow bliss who it was a pleasure meeting. she wasn't sure if i was 16 or 60 from reading my posts...thanks for the giggle mel. i won't be back for the next rummage as i'm going to get stuck into making some art for an upcoming exhibition i have in the works. more deets as it all unfolds. i'm off to drink a big mug of creme brulee tea and savour the last of this beautiful weekend. i do have a food date at max brenner tomorrow night so not a bad start to the week huh? looking forward to seeing what you have all been up to. much love, grandma lau. xx

my stall, a bit of an eclectic mix/mess.

my favourite mother and daughter team.

the talented kimberly of kijaro with her many delicious finds. this woman is my personal vintage shopper. (see finds below)

only the most gorgeous girls around town.

before it got a little too crazy.

more flower art from kimberly. to hang above the kitchenaid? i think so!

rummage is not complete without floral pillowcases!

a gorgeous red pencil skirt with button detail.

only THE most amazing curtain fabric. a gift from the beautiful kimberly. oh, and did i mention there's 4 metres of this gorgeousness!!!