sunday behaviour.

it's been a delightfully cooler and rain-filled weekend here in brisbane. my british blood loves this kind of weather and rejoices in any excuse to pop the oven on for a bit of baking without feeling like i may collapse with heat exhaustion. sounds a little dramatic i know, but anyone who braves queensland's humidity will understand. after a cardio box session yesterday morning, i was kinda wiped out for the rest of the day but did get my second wind later in the evening when cleaning and washing began. before that though, i was snuggled up on the couch with frankie and patrick swayze. ('ghost', for those wondering.) this morning i woke up around 10, cooked myself a yummy bacon and egg brekkie, had a skype chat with m&d and then got baking. i bought the wonderful women's weekly 'afternoon tea' a few months ago but haven't yet attempted any of it's beautiful recipes. it truly is the most delicious book..the photos alone are enough to make you oooo and ahhhh. so it's monte carlo sunday. i decided to make them gluten free which can sometimes be a bit of a gamble but with gf red velvet and gf brownie recipes down pat...i wondered what else i could attempt. the final result, is a biscuit that is half melting moment, half macaron...not a bad combo hey? the gf flour makes the biscuit so soft and buttery, that literally melts in your mouth. doesn't really look like the photo or as rustic as i thought it would be (i pictured anzac biscuit style)...but they taste wonderful and a biscuit that asks for vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam to be slathered inbetween really can't ever be bad! like the artist i am, i documented the process, which of course added about 2 hours to a 20 min baking adventure. fun times. give them a go, you won't be disappointed!

such an adventure calls for pretty floral fabric...

and colour complementary baking tools.

such a sweet collection.

elsie working her magic. the final batter.

i made them bigger than the recipe asked for, because monte carlos need to be giant in order to be delicious, right?

cooling off. they're still light and fluffy thanks to the gf flour.

whipping the life out of the filling. it's the key i tell you. fluffy icing is the way to go.

hello raspberry jam that i don't use enough in baking and the icing bag which really is an extension of my left arm.

piling it on. get ready to be smushed.

smushed and looking divine.

good enough to eat, you could say.

find the recipe here!

holga love.

some dreamy holga shots that were taken on my nyc & sf jaunt last september. the unpredictability and excitement of what you'll capture makes the $25 film processing fee totally worth it. already have them headed for frames on the wall. pics soon. will be back on the weekend with baking and market find photos...happy weekend all!

washington sq park & magnolia bakery.

magnolia. only the best cupcakes, ever.

corner of bedford & grove. love.

golden gate bridge from baker beach. love that you can just make it out.

baking day.

since i stopped baking for the cafe at the beginning of the year, i have really enjoyed doing the odd cake order/brownie making for my friends. i started early today, as a cupcake order of 90 '21st' red velvets were on the agenda. asked to keep it simple and something a boy would eat...easy as pie i thought. red velvet is my favourite cake to make and most of the time i make them gluten free with vanilla cream cheese frosting. a winning combo in my eyes. so i whipped out elsie and got baking. this is the first batch of baking i've done with a kitchenaid and i wasn't disappointed. it did take much longer cleaning her afterwards because let's be honest, she's no breville and has to always look her best. she's more like an art piece to me that will bake the odd cake. i'm definately in love. on the way to drop off the cake order, sarah and i popped into an oppy at annerly where we both found a pretty new addition to our wardrobes. mine, the skirt below and hers a beautiful red prom dress that fits her to a t. on my way back i popped into reverse garbage for some wood delights that will feature in my new project, starting tomorrow. i hope you've all had a great saturday...sunday seems like it will be just as beautiful.

the famous red batter.

i am no neat baker.

turquoise buttercream. a colour i can't resist.

cupcakes everywhere.

literally icing on every surface.

the final combinations.

vintage greeting cards. love. to be used in my new project.

wood blocks and vintage earrings.

my pretty floral ($5) highwaisted pencil skirt.

did i mention it had a bow on the back?

life is beautiful.

isn't it? i sometimes forget just how lucky i am to be surrounded by all this beauty. i get caught up with work, missing my family and often beat myself up about not making enough artwork. my passion gets a little stunted and that makes me feel just plain sad and sorry for myself. that's all going to change, with some positive thinking, socialising and some artmaking. i have some great ideas that i'm just so excited to see come to fruition so have decided to just focus on that one idea this week instead of attempting to multitask with ideas and end up overwhelming myself. This you'll probably understand because creative ideas are like babies, they need nurturing and constant love and attention. how can i expect to make all this art when i don't allow the time to do so. i was up drawing in my sketchbook in the early hours of this morning and had the sweetest dreams because of it. letting the creative juices flow is just as good as a holiday, i feel back to the real me again, and i'm so excited about it. woo. on another creative note, i stopped by rummage this afternoon for a wander and catchup with my favourite rummage girls. I decided to take a break this month as i was feeling a bit all over the place and i feel better for the break. will be back rummaging next month though! i have some pics below of some of the treats i picked up. rummage is such an eclectic mix of people, fashion and vintage treats. you really must stop-by if you're a brisbane dweller. the weather has also cooled down and although we braved gusty winds in the city today, i am just so happy autumn is here. the cooler nights and tight wearing behaviour is something i look forward to the most. there'll still be warm days but i'm hoping to take kit out a lot more for some adventures. fun fun. i hope you've had a lovely weekend. saturday was a bit of a write off for me, was such a lazy bum pottering in my pajamas all day. feels great though doesn't it? i'm off to grab some dinner with my sister, but i look forward to seeing what you've been up to. something beautiful i hope. x

the most delicious pillowcase that i ever did see.

chocolate brown syrup jug for the collection.

miss sampler framed print.

floral coasters from denmark, courtesy of lovely louise.

gorgeous pink/aqua fabric and pink floral from the gorgeous kellie.

a little floral oil painting to add to my collection.

painted by edna, love it!

hand typed recipes. lazy daisy & peach cakes, perfect.

beautiful handwritten recipes.

a couple of shop purchased treats. moustache ribbon and archie the french bulldog (gift from san fran). thanks mama!

mondayitis.

...anything BUT today. lunch with my two beautiful goma girls (and new baby noah) was had at a gorgeous tea room, 'queenies', in nundah. ginger kiss ice tea and finger sandwiches, apple and pistachio teacake and girly conversations were had. bliss. icing on the cake after a super relaxed weekend. swear i'm still floating on good vibes and after a crappy few days last week, it's a breath of fresh air. artworks are being organised and cherry ripe brownies are being baked. back to work tomorrow, but a delicious dessert date at max brenner afterwards means tuesday should be quite delightful too. katie is home from her perth jaunt on wednesday and i really can't wait to have her back. i hope you've all had a good start to the week, and if not...it will get better. take a little slice of time out just for you, a treat or two never hurt. especially if it's a thrifted treat. i'm gathering goodies for a long awaited giveaway that i'll reveal in march. stay tuned and thank you for all the lovely comments, you inspire me more than you know.

settled in already.

a couple of finds after lunch today. the colour of the necklace is divine.

love these colours together.

look what arrived in the mail today! thank you sophie! (will be worn whilst thrifting for extra good luck)

visit from the old fella this afternoon. he loves the smell of cherry ripe brownie too.

just what the doctor ordered.

i'm not sure where to begin. it's the end of one of the most blissful weekends i've ever had. my girls and i road tripped up the coast to the beautiful buderim to spend the weekend opshopping, sun worshipping, swimming, indulging and crafting. there were lovely finds at the local oppies (see below), swimming in the ocean (which i don't do enough of)..and really, getting me into bathers is it's own mission, eating beautiful food on the verandah, playing in louise's studio with vintage fabric and watching her work her crafty magic on some new designs sarah had in mind for lace curtains. just perfection. louise, if you don't already know, is trudy's very talented mum, who spends half her time here in australia and the the other time in canada. what a lucky lady. this means trudy and i share the 'having a mother living across the world' moments..and i do believe this has brought us closer. our mothers are very similar and share many interests. just gorgeous. go have a peek at her lovely blog, possum & deer. my two girls are heading overseas in a few months to follow their dreams and ferret in faraway opshops. i really haven't begun to work out how i'll be dealing with that, but for now, i'm going to enjoy their company, love, support and beauty. thank you for a beautiful weekend that was just what the doctor ordered.

it happened...a kitchenaid was purchased. (my trusty 3.5yr old breville died last week) those who know me too well, will understand the dreams i've had of owning one of these beauties.

she'll be elsie, because i love the name and i always wondered why my english uncle called me that. (my initials are L.C.Mitchell)

gorgeous lampshade picked up at buderim lifeline. it was incredible, so many bits and bobs, reminded me of thrift town in sf. i think i'll use this for a cakestand base.

check out this cutie. he's no small cat, he's chunky (26cm long and 21cm high) and fluffy and gorgeous. remember i told you i wasn't a cat lady? well, it reminded me of this cheeky fella, i couldn't resist.

peachy loveheart vase. already sat next to the kitchenaid on the benchtop. love.

a lovely victoria turi design dish, perfect for apple crumbles!

70's homecraft and some gorgeous recipe cards.

you know it's a 70's home when there are trees and clouds in the bedroom.

a delicious new bedspread that i'll be using as a rug in the studio. should look delightful, pics soon.

forgot to show you this mushroom beauty from the finds last week.

fabric love.

what a week. not a very good week. hope my positive/creative vibes come back soon, they've been m.i.a for a few days. thoughts are with nz of course. let's make next week 10 times better yes? a few pretty fabrics always help.

gorgeous bath towel. i'll be the prettiest boxer at the gym.

two loveheart cushion covers. not a huge fan of black and red but these were too LOVEly to miss.

some pretty pink floral sheets. so crisp, straight out of the packet. yum.

a few lovely pillowcases.