paris.

it was love at second sight. the idea that I would be heading back to paris with two of my best girlfriends was something i had only dreamt about. this was until it became a reality last month and i was wandering the streets of montmartre, eating the most delicious pastries and practicing my french at one of the world’s best flea markets. i got so used to greeting people in french that it almost felt wrong to be back in London and not using another native tongue. not only is the french language beautiful, but the men, the desserts and the vintage, blew.my.mind. rather than hitting all of the museums and spending most of the day in a queue or 12, we decided that as we’d done the favourites before, that we would spend our days wandering the arrondissements, using the metro like locals and practicing our skills as flaneurs in the beautiful old arcades. of course our tastebuds also got a work out and were officially ignited by an incredible dinner in Montmartre and the funnest picnic i’ve ever attended right infront of lady eiffel. catching a glimpse of her through the trees had my eyes bubbling over, she was incredible and i, was in paris. we were treated like princesses in chanel, indulged in only the best kind of macaron there is at laduree and had endless afternoon fun playing vintage dress ups in some of the best vintage shops around. there were moments I had to stop and pinch myself, or eat another croissant, just to prove i was in paris. paris is definitely a city for lovers and I was lucky enough to be there with two of my favourites. i’ll let the photos speak for themselves, but please do yourself a favour and check out trudy’s blog, soon she'll post her parisian delights that will ensure your next holiday will be to only one place. i’ll be back soon with flea market pics…you’ll want to prepare your vintage adoring hearts for that one.

saturday wanderings.

what a beautiful sunny saturday! my market date with two of my favourite ladies was the bright start to my much awaited weekend. pork dumplings, lattes to go, pastel macarons, fresh banana bread and gorgeous company was the perfect fix. afternoon tea at the pattern palace meant the champagne praline tea was brewed, macarons were devoured and many, many bubba snuggles were had. i so enjoy watching this lady grow before my eyes, and i am in constant awe of her beautiful mama. holding little lady for 5 minutes makes my muscles sore and my funny faces don't always help ease her tears. watching her mama work her magic and share bucketfuls of love so effortlessly is an education i one day can only hope to experience, but until then i have a total pro to learn from. a mother's love is something that cannot be contained or measured, but from what i saw today, i was reminded how wholeheartedly i treasure it. a blissful saturday, i sure hope yours was too.

the afternoon tea spread.

we snuggle a lot.

little legs at the market.

coffee from a kombi at the markets. oh the love.

she is one hot mama.

blue skies.

she sleeps. x

tis the season.

to be blessed. because ladies & gents, i am one lucky mf. i don't want to break blog etiquette with that kinda language but since hearing emily say shit on her blog a while back i thought it may just be ok. that's not the point though, but just how lucky i am, is. this week has been a long one. adding some overtime into the mix seemed like a great idea for the added $$ at the beginning of the week but by the time friday came about, i was suffering from friday sickness rather than fever and just wishing for it to be over. i'd even lost my instagram mojo (for all of 15 minutes, but still) and the bubble of the lovely weekend i had planned just seemed to burst, right there in gallery 12 around 3pm underneath nolan's mrs fraser. boo freakin hoo. so i put my sorry arse on the 204 and stopped off at coles to buy the essentials. quality street chocolates (christmas in a tin), yorkshire pudding mix and the december issue of country style.

mood had begun to lift (helped a bit by the smell that was emminating from the chocolate tin) so i wandered home and stumbled across a little pop up shop, right there, smack bang in the middle of my neighbourhood. screaming footy/cricket/whatever fans aside that were bustling about the place...i had uncovered a treasure and so i stepped inside. australian flora and fauna, fabrics and christmas decorations, vintage signs and letters, napery, vintage stationary essentials and even a moustache on a mug were to be found inside. i walked away with a couple of pressies but knew a quick once over wasn't going to be enough. arriving home in darkness and to an unlocked gate (this always means the postie/courier has come), i squealed at the sight of TWO parcels awaiting me. vintage floral found on etsy in one and a love package from mama in the other. a truly perfect end to a rather abnormally average friday.

the first saturday treasure hunt stop for kimberley, amy and i was returning to the pop up shop. in i went, girls in tow to show off the treasure i'd found the night before. more goodies purchased and off we went to my lovely local oppy and where many finds over time had been uncovered with my two best friends (who are currently living their dream lives in europe). the 20c price tags aren't the only thing that keep me coming back. the ladies who volunteer there are completely charming. a few giggles about me not quite fitting into the mini powder blue smocked purchase were exchanged and then we were off to apples for brunch. avocado on organic sourdough which rested upon retro melmac was the icing on the morning's treasure hunting cake. the opportunity to catch up with the gorgeous owners (hi kim, if you're reading this in your car) and the chat of possibly becoming the new owner of their johnson mug collection, was delightful.

since having my iphone and falling completely head over heels in love with instagram and it's 1977 effect awesomeness, i am able to capture the simple beauty that surrounds me, everyday, everywhere. it didn't take an iphone for me to work that out, but it makes capturing it and sharing it so much more fun. so, i come to my photos from the week. i've compiled a 'few' collages for you to gaze upon and for those of you following me on instagram, thank you, thank you and thank you. your feedback has been lovely and i am completely inspired by your happy places too. your comments on here and on the gram mean a whole lot to me and always have, so thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. you make me want to explore more corners and delve deeper into the beautiful life that i lead. and yes, my life is completely beautiful and i feel so blessed to be living it, for having you in it and to be driven to move forward and discover more of it. i am a very lucky girl and i thank you for coming along for the ride. i'll be back tomorrow with some snippets of my afternoon pottering about the rummage and general sunday behaviour. happy weekend all!

my saturday.

my week's florals.

my hood.

my gallery.

my christmas!

my other gallery.

my baking.

my thrifted finds.

macarons are for birthday girls.

so yesterday was my beautiful sister's 26th birthday. it was also the day we returned from two international flights, jetlagged and in dire need of a little rejuvenation (i know, hawaii did tick that box!) enter one of kate's best friends, dale. what a woman. first stop on our whirlwind day in sydney (waiting for our flight back to bris in the evening) was brunch at 'burnt orange' in mosman. incredible. eggs florentine, bircher muesli with rhubarb and chai lattes were indulged upon. sydney pulled out it's summery behaviour for the best part of the day, so a short walk along the bay and some macaron delights ensued. i introduce to you, mr zumbo. strawberries and macarons were enjoyed (picnic style) in a nearby balmain park. puppies ran around us whilst we discussed how good macarons really are. the photos show all, but i will say one more thing (ok, maybe a couple)...this lady is one of the most amazing women in my life. i wish her so many beautiful things for the year ahead. happy birthday bertie, i love you to maui and back, and then so much more. like two peas in a pod, life wouldn't be as wonderful without you.