January 29, 2012

thrifty finds.


hey gang. short and sweet tonight. utterly exhausted. may be the max brenner feast i had this afternoon orrrrr the rain. let's blame the rain. booked my london tickets yesterday, so excited i could cry. i did cry, but not at that but a broken windscreen. afternoon tea with a dear one at one of my favourite haunts tomorrow will make it all better. just hoping mother nature gets her hat on and comes out to play this week. too much rain isn't good for the soul. for a moment there, i thought i was in london...fast forward 5 months shall we? have a good week and i'll be back to share a recipe with you soon. love love loving your support. x



pyrex, nally and trivet love. these colours make me happy.

life is good with mikasa, staffordshire and broadstone dinnerware.

a little english rose love. called 'cherie' which may or may not be my middle name.

a sheridan sheet! finally. it's been too long between floral linen finds.

hey lifeline, it's what I do.

couldn't resist snapping this lovely mattress print.




January 23, 2012

zucchini slice.


never underestimate the beauty that is zucchini. can't say i've gone as far as to add it to my cake batter to beat the dryness, but this zucchini slice, once made, will have you coming back for more. I'll even go so far to say that i've had it for two lunches and two dinners...in a row! judge away. it's been the star of a few instagram pics as of late so i felt the need to share the recipe love. it's easy peasy and completely morish. vintage floral and nz ironstone plate, optional.


zucchini slice

375g zucchini (around 3 medium size)
1 large onion
1 carrot
small can of corn
4 rashers of bacon (optional)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup oil
5 eggs
salt and pepper
cherry tomatoes to decorate (cut in half and optional)


1. grate unpeeled zucchini and grate carrot coarsely, finely chop onion and bacon.
2. combine zuchinni, carrot, onion, corn, bacon, cheese, sifted flour, oil and lightly beaten eggs in a a bowl, season well with salt and pepper.
3. pour into a well greased lamington tin (16cmx26cm) and bake in moderate oven (180deg) for around 30-40 minutes or until brown.
4. enjoy warm or cold!



serving suggestion.

adding a touch of tomato before it hits the oven.

soooo easy! ta-dah!




January 21, 2012

it's ok.


good evening! thank you for all of the wonderful words of support and love over the last week, your kindness is always appreciated. this week started with a bang. keys from the flower house handed in on tuesday with a little retail (antique centre) therapy to soften the blow to my emotions. shame about the blow to my bank account! nooooo, i've been good...ok, that's a lie but i have been smarter than usual and have been bargain hunting big time. moving house doesn't dampen the need to get out and ferret about in the world of the pre-loved. i know you hear me zara. a few hours were clocked up at work this week to pay for this ongoing addiction (aka pure joy) and to get my dollars together for europe. ticket will be purchased next week and i cannot withold my excitement anymore. news of my nanny's health not being so great makes me want to jump on a plane tomorrow but arriving a few days before her 88th birthday in june will be perfect timing (and will allow me to have more than $5 in my bank account.) a quick trip to copenhagen to collect vintage wallpaper samples, a long weekend in amsterdam with my beautiful trudy, a weekend in paris perusing the flea markets with my girls and time in london with my bestie and my family ensures that 2012 will be a year to remember. i'm still in nomad mode for a few weeks yet but have transitioned nicely from living alone back to sharing a household. i'm a girl who loves company, what can i say? i do hope all is ok in your world and you're having a lovely start to the weekend. popped out for a lovely breakfast at apples with my two sisters this morning followed by an opshop jaunt, afternoon coffee with a favourite at a new favourite vintage haunt and an evening with graham norton and indian takeaway. a lazy day follows tomorrow as i have the place to myself. i do love a lazy sunday. happy weekend!



beautiful breakfast behaviour.

my favourite johnson design, a $2 staffordshire platter, crocheted apple teacosy & 5 metres of incredible retro floral fabric. floral love overload.

today's finds. dinner party in the new house i think.

an incredible retro curtain panel in mint condition and picked up for a song. do believe i screamed at the sight of it.

puppy love this afternoon at a new favourite spot.


January 15, 2012

happy chappy.


apparently wrapping 100's (seriously) of pieces of vintage crockery ready for the move didn't deter me from picking up a few extra pieces to add to my collection this week. a road trip to visit the beautiful libby & harper meant a visit to a local country lifeline was mandatory. i was rewarded with several johnson finds and some beautiful floral plates. dropping stuff off at the opshop can be equally as dangerous as seen below. a teacup i have been searching for, for about 5 years turned up on friday and then it's beautiful pastel pink and green teacup sisters made themselves obvious to me today. thank you thrifting gods. i will pull my head in from now on because i DO need to direct my efforts into finding a new home and i DO need to buy and save for my trip to london in june. couldn't resist linking up with sophie tonight. have a great week my floral loving friends.



floral heaven.

a variety of treats.

the country oppy delivered.

soooo pretty!

and some johnson love.


moving on.


i write to you from my lounge room floor surrounded by only a handful of items, a slice of banana bread and a caramel latte. the end of a lease ritual. 95% of my belongings are in my new room at my sister's house. 3 car loads, a ute of furniture and one headed to the tip...this flower house is empty. I feel surprisingly ok, the sadness has faded and the idea of moving on to new adventures excites me. a house is not a home without your treasures and personal touch so I don't feel like I'm leaving anything behind. I'll show you the wallpaper project soon that I have in mind for when i find my new home. I better get the car loaded and have a quick sweep around and then I'm off to bake a thank you brownie for my moving saviour. matty, you're a legend. an afternoon of beer (cider for me) and brownie awaits! happy sunday all, will be back later tonight with my flea market finds. X

pic one: the ute load. pic two: a forgotten treasure found in my laundry. pic three: making use of the built ins in my temporary room.


January 12, 2012

final countdown.


5 days and counting. i’ve been playing grown up for the last couple of weeks and for the majority of the time, it’s been quite fun. my meal plan however, a total disgrace. i’ve pretty much bought coles out of their two minute noodles (and not the 25% less fat ones) and eaten blocks of chocolate like it’s an integral food group. that can be argued, i’m sure. i rode into work today because I felt so guilty about the fun I’d had with a bar of top deck last night. it was almost like 30 minutes of fridge cleaning and reshuffling crap in the laundry warranted that kind of behaviour. i’ve been busy snap snap snapping away on my iphone for the january photo challenge and feeling completely inspired by it. created by the lovely chantelle over at fat mum slim, i really want to take a few lines to express my thanks. she’s teeing up one for february too, can’t wait. it’s been a welcomed break from all the hustle and bustle in my world. the sad feeling of leaving the little house i’ve made a home for the past two years is creeping in and many quiet moments have been endured and many, many photos of the bedroom wallpaper have been taken. it was that wallpaper that I first fell in love with when i peered through the window before the viewing. it’s funny how something so simple (and beautiful) will spark a thousand memories years down the track. living at flower street also started the journey of finding and challenging myself. there were lonely times, nights when i barely slept due to weird noises, packing up and saying goodbye during the floods (not knowing what state i'd find it in a week later), plenty of time to myself to create and bake and many memories that i'll take with me. it was a personal adventure and i feel so much stronger for undertaking it. tuesday will bring tears but it will also mark the beginning of a new adventure...and thanks to my two years spent here, i am more ready than ever to start it.



love at first sight.

a blue theme occurred subconsciously this week.

but ended with a warmer floral vibe.


January 8, 2012

sunday soundtrack.


another week of glorious sunshine has just flown on by. what did you get up to? loving 2012 like you thought you would? if it wasn't for the moving house bit and trying to make my 1000's of boxes look like a tiny 20, then life would be breezy. but sometimes breezy is boring. i haven't felt this motivated for ages and it feels good. i often find myself seeking refuge on my bed for a quick 5 minute disco nap before getting up and into the thick of it again. pretty much everything is sorted, it's just the minor details of calling origin, diverting mail and oh, getting all of my stuff to the halfway (my sister's) house that i'll be bunking down in for the next month or so. then the hunt is on for a new abode. all in good time. sometimes i love having a bit of faith in the universe and letting her work her magic. she's always been so good to me so we'll see what she has in store for 2012. yesterday i took a little trip down to the gc with my sister to sample what the oppies had to offer and for kate to do her photography thing for a shoot on burleigh beach. a few finds were unearthed and delicious treats were had for brunch. antique shops were scoured and the day ended with a mexican feast and frozen margaritas. not bad at all. this morning i had to draaaaag myself outta bed and get some chores done before meeting one of my favourites for chats over banana bread at lady m's. my last brekkie as a gabba local. a wander around the markets, a bunch of sunflowers and some sunburn later, i found myself at the antiques centre hunting down a suitable vase for my latest floral purchase. an hour later and they now live in one of the coolest thermos' i've seen for a while. the purse strings were kept tight so i rode home to continue the packing in some pretty humid temps. yuck. it's time to chill out a bit mother nature! i hope this finds you enjoying the remainder of the weekend and that the week ahead is a good one. thank you again for all the love and the sneaky giveaway for my fb & instagram followers will be announced tomorrow. good luck!



vegan banana bread brunch, florals in vintage, florals curbside, floral dresses.

floral sheets and embroidered deer, english crockery, johnson love, little peach hangers.

wall of love, his & hers, floral casserole, miami.

more banana bread, sunshine, antique behaviour, washing day.

new vase, be still my beating heart, florals in packets and sunflower love.



January 1, 2012

a new year.


it seems like the older i get the faster the years seem to pass me by. i know i sound like an over observant 92 year old, but you know what i'm talking about. ironic really, considering the beginning of 2011 seemed to go on for what felt like forever. the floods shocked my beautiful state and city and many were left wondering how the rest of the year would unfold. mother nature tested the strength of many communities and we were left to watch in disbelief as what appeared to be almost every country was touched by her destructive behaviour. i got through the shitty time and it reinstated the importance of being with family and friends and knowing when to stop and enjoy the simple things. i know many are still dealing with this sadness and my heart goes out to those still rebuilding their lives. 2011 also brought news of my beautiful friend's baby being born who has brought more joy than anyone could have imagined. there was a reunion in the beautiful hawaii with my even more beautiful family, the decision to no longer live by myself and to leave my little vintage abode that i'd spent the last 2 years creating. it saw my two best friends relocate to europe and even though i miss them terribly, their courage continues to inspire me everyday. i wrote to tell my nan that i would be flying to london for her 88th birthday and i bit the bullet and made the decision (after years of talking about it) to start the surface design course in sydney in 2013 and priorities were realigned with the help of my beautiful support network who continue to drive my creativity and inspire me daily. i spent the last day of 2011 opshopping, baking moustache cookies and spending the evening with some beautiful friends (a few who i hadn't seen in forever!). we swam at midnight, drank delicious ciders, posed with edible moustaches and welcomed what already appears to be a wonderful start to 2012. i haven't made any resolutions this year but rather a little to do list that i'll work through slowly. starting with an instagram a day in january. like i need any more excuses to whip out my iphone. hello 2012!



my thrifty finds.

nanna's rolling pin and chocolate shortbread moustaches.

working the mo's.

part two.

some johnson gifts to bring in the new year. thank you kimberley & melania!

today was THE most beautiful day weather wise. i slept in, did my washing and packed up a few of my belongings. tomorrow i plan to bike to breakfast with my sister, bake my nanna's date loaf and watch an old movie. life in 2012 is good.


happy new year to you all and thank you for your amazing support throughout 2011. kit and nancy wouldn't be what it is without you.