April 29, 2012

s**t got done sunday.


after one of the laziest days ever yesterday (i seem to have said that a bit lately but this one takes the cake), i knew it was time to turn up the heat (the out of nowhere humidity helped) and get some s**t done. today was one of the most efficient sunday's i've had in a while, helped along by my motivated roomie and a trip to our local shops for kitchen and studio storage solutions. an hour later we were home putting flat packed furniture together and acknowledging the importance of having an electric drill in the house (of which we had none.) a good arm work out, several swear words and a few instagram pics later and we were done. my studio is looking super fly, the johnson/staffordshire/outcasts have their own homes and it's looking like a place i really want to spend some time in. my new bed side lamp has pretty much reaffirmed that christmas does come twice a year and i'm as proud as punch about our sunday efforts. the fabric sorting will come next weekend (as you will be aware due to the size of my fabric collection it really COULD take all weekend), so for now i'm off for a cuppa and will be back with some midweek baking pics. have a great week beautiful people.



the johnson collective.

the beautiful (much loved) outcasts.

my staffordshire potteries loot.

my bedside table. hello christmas.

some studio inspiration ready to be framed.


April 28, 2012

lazy days.


it's an E.T watching, gingerbread baking, cup of tea overindulging kinda weekend. the wet weather has officially set in, my track pants are getting a great work out (pottering around the house, no exercise here people) and i'm tempted to put on another layer...just loving your chilly ways autumn. a late fun friday night with work friends meant i only left the house today for some groceries, a poke around my local oppy and to vote. the rest of the day has seen me snuggled up in bed, trying numerous times to finish this post and running out regularly to the kitchen to reboil the kettle. tomorrow WILL be more productive. a studio clean and reworking, treacle gingerbread baking and some san fran skyping with m&d. i do enjoy my lazy weekends but am so excited for next weekend when i get to see my favourite 7 month old, her gorgeous mama and my youngest sister. i see yummy breakfasting, afternoon treats and a pop into rummage in my midst. i hope this finds you warm and dry and enjoying the start to your weekend. i'll be back in the week with some baking eye candy and instagram loving. au revoir!



some studio prettiness.

my saturday afternoon.

still talking about the cupcakes from last week.

treats found at the oppy. a cute assortment of florally goodness.


April 25, 2012

twelve cups a day.


hello winter! i've got the trackie pants on, i'm snuggled under the covers and i boiled the kettle like a half hour ago but am too fond of this warmth to let it go just yet. here i was wishing for some cooler weather and oh boy do we have it. i secretly love it and i cannot wait to stock up on tights in pretty colours and drink 12 cups of tea a day without sweating into it. i always think about my nan when i make a cup of tea so in the winter months, that's like 50 times a day. she's a pretty special lady and someone i'll be seeing in less than 2 months. i'm returning to my other 'home' for a few weeks soon and i'm getting more and more excited by the minute. excited to hug my nan, show her my blog and tell her just how much she inspires me (she's the one and only kit!). excited to spend time with my best friend in london, talk into the night about boys, opshopping and sex (you know, the important stuff), search for the perfect cupcake, have her watch me go crazy with instagram and wander my favourite art galleries with her. excited to visit my other beautiful girl in rotterdam, where she has made the most beautiful life for herself and her boy, inspiring me daily. we will wander second hand markets together, drink copious amounts of tea and talk about art and future dreams. i will be reunited with my mum, dad and sister (amazing & crazy, i know!) and with my uncle, aunty, cousins and their babies. i will also drink copious amounts of tea with my nan and talk about charlie (her beautiful late husband and my grandfather). i will spend all my money buying vintage fabric in liberty/pop boutique and beyond retro and empty my overnight bag in paris of clothes to make room for flea market finds. i will wander arcades and eat croissants with my girls under the eiffel tower and stock up on as much vintage wallpaper as a woman who has only a few hours in copenhagen can carry. i will spend time with my most loved and i am more than ready for it. i am so grateful and i cannot wait to tell them to their faces just how thankful i am for having them in my life. today has been a day of remembrance but also a celebration of those that we hold dearly and that make our lives wonderful. thank you to the men and women who fought to make our lives as free and as beautiful as they are today. today and always, you are remembered. xo



ate this beauty this week and it was faaaaabulous.

had a gorgeous dinner with gorgeous company on monday.

found more johnson delights.

dreamt of marrying a guy that looks a little like this. also dreamt my gallery was on fire so i'm not counting my chickens.

eyeballed beautiful arm chairs upholstered in beautiful fabric.

getting my supplies ready for some toasted coconut chai making for the colder queensland nights. (recipe on the blog soon!)



April 22, 2012

love is opshopped floral...


and what a fabulous love it is too. yesterday i spent the day wandering and rummaging with one of my favourite girlies and boy were there treats to be found. not as much as i usually encounter, but the delights i did uncover are a little bit special. i found my most perfect pyrex find to date, unearthed vintage floral fabric from underneath mounds of ugly placemats and picked up some delightful treats at rummage. an apron worthy of wearing all day everyday is my new favourite baking companion and a johnson sugar bowl has most certainly pulled at the heart strings. keeping well within my budget and nursing sunkissed cheeks has me still flying high from my blissful sunny saturday spent on the golden coast. happy sunday all!



johnson, stafford potteries AND floral japanese crockery, hello heaven.

vintage floral love.

floral pyrex. you are sooooo beautiful to meeeeee.

the best floral apron, ummmmm, ever.

some cheeky floral fabric.

my favourite title from the series.

an amazing handcrafted clutch by my vintage vow. go take a peek!


linking up with other treasure hunters over at sophie's today.



April 21, 2012

golden coast.


where do i begin? i had one of the most blissful days cruising the coast with one of my favourites, popping into a couple of oppies, discovering new favourite nooks, wandering the markets in miami and chatting & instagramming our way through afternoon tea at a gorgeous coast cafe. after a night of dancing (and screaming, as promised) to the new tunes of one of my longest loves at a rather too cool for school club, a lazy sleep-in and breakfast cooked for me, ash and i decided to leave our boys/wingmen and head out for a day on the coast. ash having lived in tweed and me in the deep forests of mudgeeraba, we had a few places we wanted to revisit and reminisce over. a couple of my favourite oppies turned up some treats, the beautiful shop 'little love and happiness' which is a beautiful gift/florist combo hidden in the tallebudgera valley delivered copious amounts of eye candy whilst an afternoon of wandering rummage in the miami marketta had me inspired up to the eyeballs. an artist studio lined laneway packed with suitcases selling some rather special second hand goods (a few that i deemed especially perfect enough to come home with me) and chats over vintage florals had me completely besotted. bumping into a fellow blogger and gorgeous crafter trudie from vintage vow had a stall beaming with staffordshire potteries goodness, handcrafted clutches, story books and vintage floral. those treats i will share with you tomorrow. was so lovely to meet you in person trudie and i look forward to extending my handmade clutch collection in the near future. after some glorious chats, eye candy overload and lighter purses we decided it was best we refuel at a little well loved cafe nearby. vegan banana bread complete with ricotta and honey accompaniments soon became best friends with my belly and chats with my lovely partner in crime turned to old stories and talk of future dreams. i really had the best day, made even better by the company i kept. tomorrow i head into the gallery to perform with some rather fabulous ladies in partnership with the new exhibition. if you're around goma at 3.30 tomorrow afternoon, be sure to keep an eye out for some sneaky tap dancing behaviour. hope your weekend has started just as beautifully. i'll be back tomorrow with some of today's finds. goodnight!



love and happiness abounds here.

floral love.

rummaging through positively perfect fabrics.

gorgeous displays.

amazing colours

and treasure.

wallpaper lined displays.

cafe love.

pretty arrangements.

best banana bread, ever.

the perfect end to a perfect day.


April 19, 2012

idea of happiness.



it was one of those fist pump in the air/ high five yourself kinda moments. after having dropped my sister off at the airport (i miss you already) and smudged off any last sign of mascara dripping down my face... i drove to a favourite oppy that i hadn't visited for a while, hoping the opshop gods would be good to me. with a few dollars in my wallet i was hoping i wouldn't come across anything too fabulous or pricey so when presented with a wall of beautiful floral fabrics, i went into fist pump overload. a few flannies, singles, doubles and even a king..for a few dollars a sheet. i haven't stumbled across such a fun haul in what seems like forever, probably because just about everyone seems to be on the hunt! it's all about timing and on this day, i was right on time. enough chatter, i'm off to see a favourite band tonight, dance till my feet ache and scream so loud that i lose my voice (yeah, i'm that girl.) coastal fun times follow tomorrow with a trip to a few of my favourite oppies and the special gc rummage. might see you there?



it's love.

my favourite.

some j-love.

cute AND comfy heels.

it appears i'm starting a glass collection.

wood & sons plate.


April 15, 2012

bake off.


mother nature is teasing us with what feels like autumn in the evenings but still sharing a taste of awkward (uncomfortable, annoying, you name it) humidity during the day. talk of spending my sunday afternoon baking turned to me thinking it would be a good idea to whip up something autumny with a hint of spice, perhaps a gingerbread loaf? i was soon outnumbered (thanks to our visitor for a few days) and so carrot cake it was. not just any carrot cake however, a much loved women's weekly recipe. i felt a little bit of pressure as baking is totally my thing but baking a good quality, well baked, tasty cake in my very old but new to me gas oven, now that's a different thing altogether. will it sink, will it be too wet in the middle, too dry too blah too not yummy?! oh the pressure. the idea that our afternoon visitors would be subjected to my cake effort made the weight on my shoulders even heavier. yes, i'm still talking about baking cakes here, stay with me. after careful watching, temperature moderation, some sweet whispers and a whooolllee lot of lemon cream icing, i can safely say (alongside my fellow taste testers) that this was THE best cake i have EVER made. i added a little extra carrot and mixed spice to make up for excluding the nuts and raisins (my roomie is allergic to nuts and really, raisins?) ta da!...a super delicious spicy autumn treat that should be devoured amongst the company of good friends alongside a pot of champagne praline tea (hit up your local tea centre for this god send.) it's one of the easiest recipes to follow and the kitchenaid was whipped out for the occasion even though this recipe was a breeze. prettiness makes for perfection in my books so do as you wish with the walnuts and raisins but make sure you tell me/show me your efforts. enjoy lovelies, i'm off to sample another slither (slab) myself. sweet dreams!


carrot cake.

1 cup oil
1 1/3 cups of brown sugar
3 eggs
3 cups of coarsely grated carrot
1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup chopped raisins
2 1/2 cups of self raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
2 tsp mixed spice


icing.

30g butter
80g cream cheese, softened
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups icing sugar



kitchenaid optional but a darn good excuse to make your work bench pretty in the process.

beat oil, sugar, and eggs in a bowl with an electric mixer/kitchenaid until thick and creamy.

add grated carrot, nuts and raisins and stir.

sift in the dry ingredients.

use a spatula to combine ingredients well.

pour mixture into the prepared pan (loaf or round tin that is greased and lined with baking paper) and bake in a moderate (180 deg) oven for 45 mins. It says to bake for a further 45 mins after covering with foil but i kept an eye on mine for around 25 mins at 180 deg and then lowered the temp to 140 deg for the remaining 10-15mins or so. it depends greatly on your oven so give it a whirl whilst keeping an eye on it. it's a labour of love this baking thing.

stand on a wire rack to cool and top the cake with cream cheese frosting. beat butter, cream cheese, lemon rind and juice in a small bowl with electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy; gradually beat in sifted icing sugar.

not suitable for the microwave but can be frozen. store in an airtight container if there is any left over and enjoy!


treasure hunting.


this weekend has yielded some fine treats from the oppies and for only a handful of dollars. i'm on a pretty tight budget leading up to europe but my thrifting behaviour is still happening, just with a little more thought going into what i actually take home with me. the iphone has single handedly changed my spending behaviour, because if i can snap a photo of a pretty pattern to add to my look book of ideas, i don't need to part with any cash to actually enjoy it. weird, but it works. of course this excludes johnson and beautiful vintage floral, that joy is something beyond measure and must be grabbed with both hands immediately, if not sooner. i've had a lovely sunday of opshopping and baking, perhaps the best cake i have EVER made. a big call, so i'll leave it up to you to try when i post the recipe later. afternoon tea was spent with some favourite girls and as i finish off my cider and sketching up plans for my next exhibition, i can begin to gear myself towards the week ahead. some fun friday night plans are in store so i hope the excitement can see me out the working week. happy sunday!



hello beautiful johnson, where have you been all my life?

jamboree by broadhurst. funness on a plate.

large mountain tapestry for $3.75? don't mind if i do.

biscuit, just one...because someone is watching their weight. whatever.

fun floral fabric that i feel the need to upholster a chair with.

tulips, NZ style.

oh that's right, another baby cardigan for my not yet conceived baby girl. cool.

oh kiln craft you make my heart sing/squeal/yelp/cry with love.