baked.

i've been busy baking up some new 'how-to' projects for the delicious team over at Gathered. why don't you head on over for a peek and perhaps some inspiration for a pre-christmas bake off? there's more on the way for 2014. super lekker!

sticky pear gingerbread.

spiced chai tea cake with cinnamon buttercream.

baked blueberry and coconut slice.

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.

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!

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.

it's ok.

i'm eating ambrosia rice pudding and watching 'the holiday' for what feels like the 17th time this week. today the table has been set, presents have been wrapped, the trifle made, tea and whoopies consumed, many baby hugs had and i even snuck in skype dates with my besties. it'll just be my sister and i tomorrow indulging in christmas lunch baked here at the flower house. there will be enough yorkshire puddings to feed an army and the trifle will last me all week. we'll be eating food served on my nanna's crockery and i'll be engulfing a trifle recipe that was my grandad's favourite, all whilst wishing mum and dad were here. it's undeniably a sad time at the moment but we can only soldier on...the yorkies won't cook themselves and i've been craving them for months! next year we'll make sure we're reunited because christmas is all about family, so wherever you are or whoever you're with, enjoy. i'm off to bed to wait for santa.

my christmas eve.

one of my most favourite presents/purchases in the last week.

mum's present.

thanks to secret holiday co, i can wake knowing it will all be ok.

cake & christmas.

this could quite possibly have been the longest week, ever. not a lot of overtime was done at work but the days just seemed to drag. this made me sad for another reason too. the weather has been GLORIOUS here in brisbane. i was stuck inside when i could have been pottering about in comfortable temperatures. cooler temps, beautiful bright blue cloudy skies and chilly evenings which call for a cardigan...IN SUMMER...IN QUEENSLAND. shouldn't say that too loudly, the humidity gods are probably going to surprise us with a scorching christmas day and make my whole day of oven use completely unbearable. bring on the trifle...which outta save my boiling ass if need be. woke this morning after being subjected to a god awful dream (think death, think family...not cool) and then an early morning boxing session which saw me throwing up in a sweaty mess 40 minutes in. again, not cool. a caramel latte from a sweet as pie coffee vendor and a market wander later, i was back in business. kate and i hit my local oppy and second hand store (totally helped cure my nausea) before stocking up on christmas day supplies and baking ingredients. white christmas and gingerbread whoopie pies were on the menu today, and with the cooler temps (but no lack of sunshine as i got totally burnt earlier on) i had an absolute blast baking up a storm! the fruits of my labour can be seen below. this was all done whilst watching the holiday and hanging washing on the line. tomorrow sees me off to the coast for a little gang get together and then monday night sees me gathering with some of my favourite ladies for a christmas feast. let's see if the whoopies & white christmas last that long. hope you're all having a lovely last weekend before christmas. loving all of your baking adventures and to all my lovelies on instagram...love! happy sunday all.

cooler temps have brought us beautiful skies.

eating so much zucchini slice, graffiti in my hood, nanna's crockery to be used for christmas lunch & what i believe 2012 will be for me.

deer in the mail (thanks kylie!), sorting my teapot collection, setting up christmas on the piano and eating festive pretzels.

billy buttons, country style recipes, weekend reading & mid week max brenner love.

market wanderings today, blue is beautiful, pastel love & a present for an 83 year old.

my find of the week...beautiful floral johnson plates in 3 sizes.

snowflakes and turquoise on pyrex? yes please!

couldn't resist more bubba clothes, johnson cake plates and that wonderful rose pattern.

white christmas & gingerbread whoopie pies with lemon cream cheese filling. yum!

JACKPOT!

soooooo the packing is going well, as you can see. may have picked up a few treasures this week, but as you peruse over them for the next few mintutes, you'll know why i couldn't have left them behind! i think i screamed JACKPOT! this morning when i tried on the teal sandlers...not long before i stumbled across the embroidery that made me yell out 'holy embroidery!' right there, in the middle of the shop. the young female volunteer laughed out loud. it was pure gold. beautiful vintage crockery and floral fabrics are always on my thrifty finds list...so the collection building continues. having nanna's beautiful old bureau, i am able to keep all of my favourites together, ready for an afternoon tea and cake bonanza or johnson appreciation dinner party. i have never joined the pyrex party of collectors (with only one other in my cupboard) but this beautiful coral number, perfect for the odd vege pie or apple crumble, was a real steal. the box of retro recipe cards has been on my wish list for some time now and on thursday, before my dentist appointment, the thrifting gods delivered. i have been adoring them and their quirky pictures for the past 3 days. cannot wait to try some of them. will report back as soon as i do but until then, happy thrifting and happy sunday! linking up with sophie with all the cool kids again today.

a sunny johnson plate, a coral floral pyrex dish, lovely old vinyl document wallet and turquoise suitcase.

a peachy tea cosie, floral staffordshire bowls, retro recipes and beautiful floral barkcloth.

lovely floral NZ ironstone dinner plates.

love a retro photo album.

some mint green johnson lovin'.

the embroidery of the year!

i hate shoe shopping but within 5 seconds these shoes were on my feet and then bought for 15 smackeroos! i'm in love. LOVE!

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.

santa claus is coming to town.

infact, it appears he's already been. new toy to play with (hello instagram), etsy love in the mail and super humid temperatures. i've just braved the most humid night brisbane has endured for a while and man, was it worth it. when i'm not wiping the ice cold cider bottle over my brow, i'm engulfing my homemade lasagne. nothing too spesh, i hear you say. but for me...it kinda is. as i live alone (not for much longer!), i rarely (aka never) spend too much time cooking big meals in the kitchen, and when i do spend hours upon hours in there, it's baking up batches of cupcakes or brownie (hardly dinner material, for some.) i'd much rather be baking than cooking. after a productive sunday, i felt the need to continue my successful efforts in the kitchen. enter two fans and a large bottle of iced cider. seemed to work a treat, even managed to upload photos to instagram whilst whisking my home made bechamel sauce. oh the women of today. (ha) anyway, i kinda needed an excuse to upload some of my latest pics from the new toy. i seriously haven't put it down. i've written my naughty and nice lists, my christmas baking menu and even had a conversation with my new friend siri. don't worry if you don't undertand what i'm talking about...i don't either. i hope this finds you having a lovely sunday evening, or if you're my parents or my besties in europe, a lovely sunday morning. i'm off to finish my lasagne and check on the weather in london, because i can totally do that now. x

cleaning the studio was way more fun than anticipated.

an afternoon tea break helped me along the way.

i'm soaking up the beauty that is my bedroom wallpaper.

and snapping what seems to be every pretty picture i own.

flower arranging...

and washing thrifted purchases.

writing love mail...

and photographing tea cosies. (important stuff)

cloud watching.

watching paint peel.

planning christmas menus...

and generally just getting into the christmas mood. (even if it is 30deg at 9pm!)