the opposite of dull.

there hasn't been a dull moment around these parts for as long as i can remember. this may be mainly due to the daily double caffeine hits but i'm running with it. there's been non stop art making, george michael ticket buying, enrolling to screen print with rachel castle (!!) in october, date loaf baking and overeating, prado exhibition admiring, love letter receiving, navy graduation celebrating, baby snuggling and a whoooollleee lot of coffee consuming. life's been busy and i've loved ever second of it. the bags under my eyes will tell you a different story but i've missed the feeling of being as equally productive as i am inspired...something i struggle with on a daily basis. i've just got back from installing my artworks and am ready for the art opening of the year on saturday night. the support has been overwhelming, i am truly in awe of my creative colleagues and proud to be collaborating with such a talented team. being an artist really is all it's cracked up to be.

my life according to instagram.

johnson rose. (1 of 3 of my cross stitched johnson plate artwork)

geometric johnson heaven.

my favourite design of all time.

three's a beautiful crowd.

reframed.

reframe [riːˈfreɪm] verb (tr)

to look at, present, or think of (beliefs, ideas, relationships, etc.) in a new or different way.

there's been a lot of decision making and reframing of life ideals and dreams as of late, and i've honestly never felt happier. decluttering my vintage collections, slowing the opshopping adventures right down and really embracing the positive feelings that are coming from this change of behaviour. although it has taken me a while to get my artmaking mojo back on track, i can safely say that it's made an appearance and just in the nick of time. i am excited to be sharing a subject matter close to my heart and looking deeper into it's importance within my daily life. 'reframed' is bringing together a diverse range of brisbane based artists in an annual exhibition, held this year at white canvas gallery. opening night is in a mere two weeks time, so it's all hands and needlework on deck to get my pieces completed. it's a beautiful thing being able to conceive an idea and see it develop into a work of art but it's even more amazing when your creative journey is supported by a talented group of artists. these artists, are my fellow colleagues and i couldn't be more excited about joining them again this year. the exhibition title is also a very poignant reminder of this exciting time in my life, learning to love the process as i go. if you're around town between aug 31 - sept 11, go and have a peek at reframed at white canvas gallery, fortitude valley, i'm proud to be able to say, it's going to be incredible.

reframing my latest inspirations.

my current motto.

soon to be appearing as part of my installation in the reframed show.

found.

twas the week before europe and all through the house, new treats were being collected and sunday was spent snuggled up in bed. hasn't got the same ring to it, but it is eerily quiet around these parts today, and with chilly temps and the odd rain shower...it makes for a perfect sunday in bed. i've had a busy week full of late nights (at work and icing cakes!) and after a gorgeous 3 year old's birthday yesterday, i was ready for a much needed nap. instead post party, i pottered about a couple of oppies, did some washing, cleaned my room, sorted more clothes for the suitcase and was up till 1am booking copenhagen & amsterdam flights. nowhere in that sentence was that much needed nap. so when i woke to rain this morning i knew an epic sleep in was the only answer. it's just after 1pm now and i'm still in bed, pajamas on, peanut butter leftovers on my face and a new episode of friends about to commence. i COULD tend to my washing attempting to dry under the house but i feel boiling the kettle again for the umpteenth time and showing you some of my opshopped finds from the week will be more beneficial, for everyone. i am officially ready for my europe adventure and will be back in the week to show you some of the pretty patterns filling my suitcase and the treats on my anthropologie/liberty/retro villa shopping list. i feel making a rough list now will save me from going a little too crazy when confronted with so much beauty. although it's quite obvious that the crazy levels are already at an all time high due to the fact that i'm flying into copenhagen for a grand total of 6 hours so that i can visit what can only be described as my mecca. somewhere, deep within my pattern adoring heart i am being called to such an amazing place. hundreds of dollars later means logic is clearly nowhere to be seen in this equation but i am finally making the trip to THE most amazing vintage wallpaper shop on earth. if you're following me on instagram/ or know me in real life, you'll have a small inkling of what i'm talking about. here's wishing you a happy week ahead. thanks for listening to my crazy ramblings, or at least...looking at my pretty pictures.

found for me by a lovely lady at work. is my obsession THAT obvious? ;)

german teacups found for a mere few dollars on my way to the party.

possibly THE most pristine piece of pyrex i have ever found. it's no turquoise beauty but this gigantic casserole dish now takes pride of place in my kitchen.

some johnson, staffordshire and parisian plates found and loved.

this beauty still astounds me. found amongst a pile of crappy china plates and priceless. i was almost scared it would evade my grasp.

still unsure about this beauty. looks good here, but on, it's really not my style. being handmade and an absolute steal, i just had to snap it up. i mean, check out the green floral!

gorgeous detail.

what IS it with me and baby knits?

jubilee.

happy jubilee weekend all. it's a rainy saturday here in brisbane and i've lost count of how many times i've boiled the kettle. i had a delicious sleep in and then took my lazy butt to a couple of my local oppies. after handing in my exhibition proposal yesterday, i had a small light bulb moment of wanting to find a small bit of furniture to help complete my installation. perhaps a little retro phone table that i could display a teapot and cup combo on? so it was to my surprise after ferreting for not much longer than 10 minutes in my first oppy stop this morning, that i stumbled across a sight to behold. lugging it to the counter pronto to avoid any snatch and grab situations between me and another opper, this gem was all mine. i've already planned to snag an anthropologie drawer handle when in london to complete this little beauty. the mustard vinyl seat is in perfect condition and the legs make my heart beat a little faster. a tupperware party, breakfast at apples with my little sister and some art making will complete this sans sun weekend. hoping all is well where you are.

the little gem.

johnson right at home.

a little japanese delight.

ceramic and wood combo.

seersucker in packaging. perfect.

treasure.

a budget was set and promptly kept to. surprised? i still am. it's time to share some of the treasures that the coast unearthed for me yesterday. one or two of them will be gifts, perhaps a couple for sale and then the rest, the johnson, are mine to love. i was reminded just how happy these pre-loved goodies make me whilst neck deep in floral fabrics and up to my eyeballs in retro crockery. thank you to the grandmas whose life long collections are now treasured by a very grateful, freckle faced, rainbow cake baking young lady (me, if you were wondering.) sharing the love over at sophie's too. get on it gorgeous people.

pretty pansies.

there was squealing involved.

high pitched screaming ensued when discovering this gorgeous johnson family.

my new florals.

more mismatched j-love.

a set of quaint english metal placemats. perfect.

just when you thought the j-love had ended....

the quirkiest johnson piece i've discovered. cheese and wine night anyone?

westminster love.

pretty turquoise pyrex, enough said.

another apron for the collection? hell yeah!

a beautiful bessemer platter.

a villeroy & boch beauty. i literally bowed to this one.

this still makes me smile. the perfect little tea and cake platter. 50c? you bet.

so GC.

i'd been looking forward to this weekend alllllll week long and maaaaaaan did it not disappoint. i packed the car with some of kate's goodies that she'd left here pre-travels and used the task of taking it down to the storage unit as an excuse to pay a visit to some of my favourite coastal oppies. it was the most beautiful clear skied morning so i picked up my youngest sister/partner in crime and we hit the road to the sounds of some old skool rnb. first stop was one of my old haunts that my bestie and i used to visit inbetween uni classes and sometimes instead of. it's a giant warehouse of pre-loved goodness so you're always bound to leave with a treasure or twelve. within approximately 3.5 minutes i had johnson, retro plastics and a villeroy and boch stunner in my basket. a whopping total of $5 was handed over and off we went to opshop numero deux. now this oppy holds a precious place in my heart as again, it was a local favourite of mine and my bestie's and also the daily stop off after work when i used to zoom around the coast in my 1975 volkswagen kombi. that's right, you heard me...opshopping and kombi in the same sentence, dreamy, no? the ladies are always having tea and cake out the back and the men put out front to handle sales are always so charming. i just love going in there for a trip down memory lane so when my ferreting neck deep in the fabric tower resulted in me pulling out a bundle or two of vintage floral linen, it was icing on my oppy cake. it wasn't even midday and i'd found johnson and vintage floral. you'd think i'd be done, but not just yet. staying on the sentimental note, i can never pass up a fossick through the little rspca oppy just around the corner. my beautiful family dog is an rspca gem so i never hesitate to swap dollars for pre-loved goodness in their stores. bessemer, pyrex and a floral apron were on their menu for me. this treasure hunting game soon became hungry business so it was only appropriate that a stop off at my favourite coast cafe was next on the agenda. my trusty partner in crime and i were treated to the most amazing sandwich of all time, delicious coffee and a caramel slice to share. my instagram feed was treated to some of the best eye candy around in the short time we spent there. it was finally time to honour the very reason that instigated the coast trip and so we cruised down to kennards and packed away our family treasures. an oppy i hadn't visited in a little over a year came to mind soon after so we hauled ass to sneak in a short 20 minutes of treasure hunting before closing time. boy am i glad we bothered. i was rewarded with the johnson motherload and could no longer contain my excitement. the shop ladies laughed as amy documented the whole discovery process. i was beside myself. taking the heavy load to the counter was empowering until i proclaimed my surprise at the well priced treats to the slightly dazed saleswoman who responded with, 'well, it's hardly fine china.' it may not be fine china lady but it's priceless in my eyes (and a million others it seems!) i kept this expression of disbelief to myself, of course. nevertheless, it's pre-loved status changed to much-loved in a heartbeat and my following post (full of treats galore) will cement just that. some europe clothes shopping and dinner at my favourite sushi hangout was the perfect end to a glorious day spent on the coast. the gc gets a mixed reception up here in brissie but the amazing oppies, trips down memory lane, perfect lattes with a side of vintage wallpaper and smiley mayo faces on sushi always ensure a piece of my heart stays down there.

all systems and skies were go.

the drawer lining of a marvellous bit of oppy furniture eyeballed at stop one.

THIS occurred at stop two.

stop, ummm, i've lost count...resulted in this behaviour.

perfect decor in my idea of cafe heaven.

the perfect lunch.

my cutie pie sister.

latte face, do not disturb.

sushi finishes an ace day.

sunday.

it was quite possibly the comfiest morning i have ever woken up to in bed. i just love how i can open a blog post with that kind of statement, but you know what i'm talking about. that stuff is important to a woman...especially when it's sunday, there's a chill in the air and you're surrounded by vintage floral. bliss. i had to haul my arse outta there though pretty quick smart to make a brunch date with my baby sister at my favourite brekkie spot. it wasn't long before i was inhaling the perfect marriage that is avocado and haloumi on a bed of organic sourdough. a beautifully crafted latte in an equally delectable mug, the company of my sister and a backdrop of vintage dresses and retro vogue livings meant i was in sunday morning heaven. well worth leaving the comfort of my slumber for. it was also the perfect day for a rummage and knowing my girls mel, kel and kim were going to be making an appearance, it wasn't long before amy and i were city bound. there is nothing quite like a sunny rummaging sunday and today did not disappoint. a quick scoot around eyeballing stalls for signs of floral and johnson and it wasn't long before i was rewarded. a lovely stall - 'my nana's joy' selling johnson and vintage pillowcases soon had my undivided attention. her stall was beautifully crafted and as pretty as a picture (see below.) she was having a destash and i was more than happy to pick up her $2 johnson bargains. a beautifully adorned stall stocked full of handmade aprons by a lovely mother in anticipation for mother's day stole my heart, so a vintage barkcloth beauty was soon mine to keep. the gorgeous mel found me hovering over my johnson purchases and i hadn't had time to officially hello her before she was handing over a johnson find to me. the woman is an absolute diamond. we wandered over to kellie's stall who we hadn't seen about town for a while, admiring her little golden books, retro clothes and tapestries all the while. my sister in the mean time was a complete gem, holding my bag of treats, photographing me getting undressed in public (and finding a fabulous vintage skirt as a result!) and not one complaint...more importantly never once questioning a purchase (love you!) as i've mentioned before, the social aspect of rummage is amazing and i always come away inspired by those i've chatted with throughout the day. being a visitor and able to wander the stalls freely is also a treat and something i will definately try and make a monthly occurrence. even though quite well behaved, my bank balance still cringes at the thought of me heading to rummage...but as reminded of this afternoon, the friends, treats and company i shared today makes, for me, the whole event truly priceless.

a welcome sight at apples.

my kinda cawfee.

match made in heaven.

pretty as a picture.

the gorgeous kellie.

johnson and staffordshire love.

i don't even eat cheese all that much but that handle and for $3? i think i will.

the fabric haul.

bird detail.

the delicious barkcloth beauty.

vintage skirt to be worn in paris and copenhagen.

turquoise pillowcase love.

my cute partner in crime.