to market.

if you've been to paris, then it's more than likely you've wandered the enchanting alleys of les puces. on my first trip, i was too daunted to attempt them on my own so stuck to the safety of the dreamy arcades in opera. i still love perusing the old bookstores and photographing the decorative tiles that abound in the passages. last year i wandered les puces with my two best friends which was just magical. the treasure we unearthed was incredible, the majority too large or too expensive to come home with us but inspiration was at an all time high. this time around my sister and i spent a chilly but sunny saturday morning wandering, fossicking amongst and admiring the treasure that les puces had to offer. i have to admit that i was a little bewildered at just HOW expensive things had become. for the regal furniture dating back to the 17th century, it was a given, but a lot of the everyday retro finds stretched too far from my budget. this didn't stop the excessive photo-taking (when i was allowed to) and my heart must have exploded at least a hundred times at the colours and compositions presented before me. within the first half an hour, i had been fed at least half a year's worth of screen-printing and collage project ideas. a quick crepe fix and a few finds later...i was in heaven. having my sister in such close proximity and living in such an amazing city means a weekend wander around these incredible markets is now only at arm's length. oh the possibilities! 

amsterdam - round two.

one superbly sunny tuesday in march, i grabbed my delicious dutchman with one hand and some special deal rail tickets in the other and jumped on a train to amsterdam. you may or may not remember my story of the last time i was in amsterdam. yeah, it wasn't pleasant and i have been itching to return to rebuild my love for the city ever since. so with a fully charged iphone and a small list of places to go, we spent a beautiful day wandering de 9 straatjes, popping in and out of vintage shops, taking a few touristy pics, re-energising with friet & mayo and generally just loving being out and about in the sunshine. there is something utterly charming about amsterdam, her almost fairytale style house facades nestled up against the quaint canals are completely enchanting. there's a picture perfect opportunity at every turn. each bridge that you cross has numerous bicycles attached, the perfect addition to your view. incredible street art, hole in the wall clothes shops and vintage treasure that spilt out onto the street, were a few of the many charms that kept my creative soul and instagram feed very happy that day. strangely enough even after a few hours of vintage ferreting, i came away empty handed...perhaps even a little overwhelmed. the expensive but utterly beautiful vintage delights in laura dols, pattern & wallpaper heaven aka kitsch kitchen and the numerous pre-loved treasure troves i popped my head into had me wanting more. more time and more money to spend in the beautiful city of amsterdam. on a bit of a side note, i've already been in rotterdam for 6 weeks and i can honestly say that i have fallen hard and fast for her. she's the more modern and eclectic sister of amsterdam (thanks to the germans) and although sometimes a bit neglected by us foreigners when planning trips to holland, i really like having these two beauties in such close proximity to each other. this way i don't find myself longing to be in amsterdam every weekend but do appreciate the opportunity to venture back whenever i fancy. the new and incredibly improved rijksmuseum has myself, the boy and our museum-cards eager to return and then again soon after for a vintage fix with my paris based sister. holland is continuing to woo me, in all the best ways possible. 

hello beautiful.

the amazing laura dols.

my kinda vintage wallpaper stash.

picture perfect.

vintage fabric!!!!

my delicious partner in crime.

what more could you want?!

rotterdam.

how do i begin to talk about a country where you eat chocolate sprinkles and cake for breakfast, orange is their national colour and bikes trump cars for transport of choice? if you’re not already in love with the idea of living in holland, then read on, it’ll take you 30 seconds to be converted, promise.  i have been dying to share the last two and a bit weeks with you, but you know, life with a boy in a beautiful country that is filled with vintage and baked-good love, windmills, history and art…just kinda got in the way. my new neighbourhood is completely charming, with post office, bakery, florist, bike shop and everything a girl could need. it only took me 5 days before i had found my dream bike (a mint green gem at the most incredible price), wandered the markets, unpacked my suitcase and spent a sunny spring day in amsterdam. my relocation to rotterdam has been super smooth and made all the better with a yummy dutchman in hand. i am on the constant look out for work possibilities which is balanced beautifully with the opportunity to visit every bakery in rotterdam. of course the work/play balance is still completely out of whack, with the play part taking precedence, but with a burning desire to get screenprinting again (i found art shop heaven and could not be more inspired right now), update my big cartel store and keep a more concrete online presence… i see a more regular day to day routine in the near future. it’s been amazing having the boy take time off work and i couldn’t picture myself being in better hands than his. a proud dutchman with an impeccable knowledge for his beautiful country, i fell hard and fast for rotterdam within days of being here.  with art galleries boasting the works of koons, kusama, magritte, rembrandt and rodin…it was sure to be love at first sight. european design (not to mention the fact that eames and pastoe is everywhere I look) has my heart at bursting point. a morning spent at the market proved fruitful today when i walked away with a bike basket load of vintage goodness for under 15 euros, the place is brimming with pre-loved treasure. as i ride the streets i feel as though i’m part of something much grander, like a nationwide bike club. bicycles on every corner, lamp post and bridge, it’s impossible not to be completely enchanted by the bike culture here. i’ve already discovered several favourite bakeries, bought my annual museum card, signed up for the local supermarket’s bonus card and learnt how to say dankjewel like a true dutchie. with post it notes attached to every appliance in the kitchen, i have begun to take the language learning a little more seriously. i have spent time with some beautiful people, drank beer in a church and eaten my way through some of holland’s finest food products.  i've learnt how to live with a cat (i’m a dog girl at heart) and in turn uncover a new appreciation (ok, love) for the feline variety. in conclusion, this city has me completely under her spell. 

dutch life.

serious bike business.

market blooms.

i found heaven in art shop form.

i'm on a bike! (and deer feeding)

art, bike and a swan (bridge)

bakery and vintage love.

why would you choose fruit or cereal for breakfast over this???

reunited with kusama at boijmans.

koons love.

so much vintage goodness at the local markets (post coming soon!)

swoon.

last weekend was delicious. cue the jealousy because, hold.the.phone...i spent it with sophie, yuhuh, you heard me right.... 'her library adventures'. after realising we now lived only a hop, skip and a jump away from each other, it was time to reunite like the old blogging friends that we are. i've missed this girl, she's a real treat and our saturday morning spent wandering west end's market, art shed, coffee/book/op shops and discovering the cutest boutiques and new favourite read was swoon worthy. chatting into the evening about future plans, blogging goals and more thrifting adventures just assured me that this one is a keeper. after a super delicious saturday,  my sunday was spent in my makeshift axminster adorned studio screenprinting to my heart's content. 3 teapots and 3 cupcakes later, i'm officially besotted. a few of my prints are already on their way to new homes, i'm humbled. this weekend sees the screenprinting happening all over again, this time working on a couple of special projects for two very special people and a bit of eames lovin'. it's only 40 days until i'm off and although torn with conflicting emotions, i'm ready. i'm following my heart no matter the cost. no matter the cost. 

 a market find.

the couch at 'two trees'.

saturday's goodies.

baby pineapples mean only one thing...photo shoot!

sunday's colours.

poppin' the kettle on.

i'm in love.

a sweet treat.

we holiday in the spaces of our home.

as i dust off my laptop keyboard and log into blogger, i notice it really has been some time inbetween my posting. my poor laptop has been weighed down with new seasons of new girl and the walking dead and after a week without internet, some crazy storm behaviour and a little visit to funky town, i really wasn’t keen to share my mundane happenings with the bright and beautiful blog world. instagram has been on fire in the past few days however, capturing a delicious saturday spent with two of my favourite creatives, seen me baking up a gingerbread scented storm and eagerly awaiting five days of family fun which starts THIS friday. i’ve been craving some family time after a few weeks of 8 hour sewing sessions and overtime action at the gallery and becoming overly impatient from this whole waiting to move overseas game. i’ve missed checking in with you all, so i promise to get back into it once the new exhibition opens and things begin to settle on the lead up to christmas. i won’t be having any time off over the holiday period as my  family will be spread across the world again and the overtime dollars are needed to fund the planned  frivolous flea market jaunts that are getting me out of bed of a morning. well, that and the fact that temperatures are soaring and we have officially welcomed summer to queensland. more christmas baking is planned for the coming weeks, including rocky road and some more of the terribly addictive gingerbread whoopies. not only are they the cutest looking treat (i describe them as a cupcake sandwich for goodness sake!), their spicy aroma and treacle toned appearance is enough to bring any savoury favouring soul to their feet. packing has also been keeping me busy and i am now officially onto my 600th kilometre of bubblewrap. the packing process has been going swimmingly and only a few pangs of sadness have surfaced. luckily there is enough space in my parent’s storage unit for my 15 or so crockery and fabric filled boxes, a 70’s egg chair and a few pieces of my grandparent’s furniture....but everything else? sold or donated. it’s been an incredibly uplifting experience letting go of so much ‘stuff’ and i have never felt so sure about something in my life.  5 months on and i am still beyond excited about the adventures that lay ahead. i’ll leave you with a bit of instagram love for this balmy tropical tuesday. keep cool friends.



two of my favourite girls flaunting their amazingness.

flowers by above favourite.

my sister working her magic in the afternoon sun.

sunday leftovers.

the time has come to pack these babies away.

they're great for packing too!

some dutch treat love from the boy. 

my belly is smiling.

a sweltering day topped off with a beautiful sunset.

the castle.

there are a few contributing factors as to why it's taken me a week to write about my day at 'the school'. number one would be a hectic work week that after the most magical megan morton filled monday EVER, was a little too much for me to handle. number two, would be my growing obsession with the walking dead. thanks to singapore airlines, whilst london bound in june i got fed a few enticing episodes, i haven't looked back since. the third, pure excitement. i was overwhelmed with inspiration to say the least, so it has taken me this long to process just exactly how lucky i was to be a part of this class. rachel castle has been on my radar for some time now. thanks to the wonderful world of blogs, i have encountered her work a few times and been completely won over from the get go. for how i came to discover the one and only megan morton, well her work is no stranger to my inspiration journal or image downloads folder, but her creative baby, the school, has just recently had me at hello. when i saw megan was hosting a rachel castle screen printing class in sydney, my heart sank, shortly after it had exploded. i was fresh outta cash post europe adventure but i wanted nothing more than to be involved with this incredible creative duo. megan's classes are hardly bank breakers but i had to be sensible, although the thought of paying for airfares and enrolling over eating dinner that week, played on my thoughts for at least an hour. i sadly closed my computer and walked away. it wasn't until the following week or so that i was talking to one of my favourite girlies about the school when i discovered megan was bringing her baby to queensland. that's right ladies and gents, my city! i was all up in that shopping cart like nobody's business. i hadn't been paid longer than 5 minutes before a fortnight's worth of rent and then some was securing me a place at the school. not only a place at the school but an opportunity to be a part of a small screenprinting class led by rachel castle. i was beside myself. i told everyone that would listen and began counting down the days. it wasn't long before my new dress, shoes and necklace (all bought for the occasion) were walking themselves into anna spiro's shop at 10am on a monday morning. i won't dwell on the part where i ran for the train, missed it, had to catch a cab 5 blocks and ran up the pineapple lined stairs with a few minutes to spare. i was there, the room was beyond beautiful and megan morton was preparing herself for her welcome speech. i grabbed a chair at the end of the table, not before snapping several pics and excitingly pulling my inspiration journal from my bag. rachel castle entered shortly after and gasps were heard all around. it was like the queen had arrived and again, i was beside myself as she made her way to my end of the peony laden table. it wasn't long before she was inking her screen and creating work before our very eyes. we all sat completely besotted as she talked us through the process. within minutes we were sketching up our designs, consulting each other's opinions and chatting like old friends. i couldn't have picked a more gorgeous group of women if i had tried. these strangers were now creative companions and i was in my element. in between mixing colours, snacking on love heart shaped friands and instagramming to my heart's content, i felt for the first time in forever as though i had found my calling. tubes of fluro paint, pretty pastel tones and beautiful mottled watercolour paper had my senses running on overdrive. i was soaking up every bit of creativity in that room and boy was there a shit load. as i queued, watching intently as rachel guided each of us through the steps, i instagrammed my heart out, noticing with complete delight that megan was liking each photo as it uploaded, from the very next room. it wasn't long before i was asking 'rach' if i was doing it right and yes, you heard me, i was nicknaming the castle after only a few hours of being in her presence. i couldn't help but laugh when megan followed up with 'don't worry, you'll be calling her mole by the end of the day'. i openly chanted about how amazing this whole experience was whilst pulling my squeegee at exactly 45 degrees and chatting to rachel like we were old friends. correction, i was wishing rachel castle was my friend. i have never touched a squeegee in my life and as i was inking up my screen and working with rachel to create works before my very eyes, i knew screenprinting and i were for life. i was picturing baked goods on tea towels, napkins and a whole range of cakes adorning the walls of my future bakery. i was baking cakes rachel castle style and i'd never felt happier. (ok, maybe i have but boy this is up there)  as i picked up momentum and confidence my cakes began to look like a sweet treat production line. it was time to complete these cakes with my small ode to rachel. with the help from the gorgeous kara (friend and helper of megan and the school) we mixed an absolute delight of a colour that rachel later termed a new tone for the upcoming range. (insert squeal here) the cherry on top aka the rachel castle dot was the icing on one of the most incredible creative days of my life. i cannot begin to thank megan enough for introducing me to the world of rachel castle, an opportunity that will continue to inspire each and every one of my creative endeavours. a big call, but one that i know this creative duo can upkeep. as i pack my suitcase for my new life in europe, you can bet your bottom bakery dollar that my screen and squeegee will take pride of place amongst carefully selected treasures. it's time to deliver europe a whole new selection of baked treats, kit and nancy style. 

the setup.

peonies as big as my head.

megan's one off castle/gorman number. 

jocelyn's provisions outdid themselves.

welcome to queensland!

anna's shop was all kinds of perfect.

inspiration MM style.

working her magic.

rachel putting love in the coconut.

deliciousness.

sketching.

baking, rachel castle style.

my colour palette.

fresh off the screen/out of the oven.

surrounded by beauty.

these ladies!!! <3 p="p">

did i mention we got to take home our very own RC??!!

the finished product.

best.day.ever.