fields of gold, violet and pink.

it's no secret that i could photograph my latest finds and west german vases full of pretty blooms all day, everyday. most saturdays when treasure hunting and vegetable buying, i always make sure there's space in my bike basket to accommodate the most beautiful bunch on offer. from powder pink carnations to sweet smelling hyacinth in all of my favourite pastel tones, flowers are a must have to brighten and inspire my daily life. so when the chance to visit some of holland's flower packed fields came about...i was first in, adorned in a floral topshop number, field wandering worthy boots and a fully charged i-phone in hand. from the moment i stepped out of the car, i felt like alice in wonderland and my face was not only blushed from a day out in the unexpected sunshine but aching from the constant smile that was plastered across my freckled face. we decided to avoid the crazy crowds at keukenhof, instead venturing to the quieter fields that we would end up having to ourselves. i walked through fields where the incredible scent of hyacinth in every shade of purple and pink ignited my senses and nestled below the shoulder-high walls of tulips coloured in shades of the burning sun. if anyone in holland is wanting to get their floral fix on a sunny saturday, head towards the charming bulb flower business town of Lisse and onto the surrounding areas of Katwijk and Noordwijk. this notorious dune and bulb region has many little roads and flower businesses just waiting to be discovered and is a breath of hyacinth scented air. happiness truly is found amongst the flowers. 

flowers and fleamarkets.

something holland isn't short of. last weekend was a fleamarket frenzy of sorts. we hit two big markets, one on saturday (at my boyfriend's football team's stadium) and the other slightly hungover (at a favourite snuffel markt) on sunday. both were fruitful trips and my pocket was lighter by only a tidy 11 euros. we appear to have become magnets for west german pottery and with the prices just right, we've collected three over the past week. i remember admiring their colourful textures back in australia but the price, Larry, was definately not right. now i border the country where the beautiful vases are made, so they flourish happily at my local markets and thrift stores. my local flower markets have also provided me with a myriad of pastel beauties as of late and as spring is fast approaching, the incredible ranunculus, tulips and hyacinths are becoming a necessary weekly purchase. 

our third west german find of the week with a side serving of marimekko.

these guys are incredible.

powder pink carnations. filler flowers, yeah right.

i could dive right in.

a flemarket at the football stadium. the boy and i were both in heaven.

for 80c, these two were coming home with me.

as soon as the seller found out i was from queensland, he was bagging these babies up for a euro. bargain.

bright beauties.

a cute collection for 2 euros from the local thrift shop.

staffordshire potteries and pastel plates, come to me. 

perfect sunday behaviour.

my 9 euro treats. 

design perfection for a euro.

i think i took a photo every half an hour of these blooming beauties.

tulip perfection.

so affordable and so beautiful.

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! 

my heart.

my heart is a champion wanderer. it's not too frivolous or flirty but definately has it's favourite places where it prefers to spend it's time. for the past almost 3 years it has regained it's independence, lent itself to my job and my love for vintage and allowed me to be continually inspired by what life has to offer me. since returning from europe in july, my heart has been working harder than ever before. i have never felt so alive and so sure of where i will be heading next. tonight i booked a one way ticket to london. on february 20th i make my way to london for a week, see my best friend and family, test the job waters and then follow my heart to rotterdam. who would have known that this would be what my life had in store for me? i have no concrete plans, but with some dollars in my pocket, a thirst for letting my creative side run wild and a heart bursting with love, i can do nothing but go with all my heart. i at least owe it that. 

nara love.

pattern love.

goma love.

floral love.

bike love.

new hangout love.

shoe love.

neighbourhood love.

hot fun.

as i sit here with a fan 3cm from my face, i can only wonder what summer has in store for us. this sweltering spring sunday started with a delicious brunch date with one of my old favourites in one of the cutest neighbourhoods in brisbane. we wandered the second hand shops trying on clothes that resembled retro bed sheets in dress form and shimmery 80's delights. i found a norwegian beauty that i've had on the wish list for sometime and snagged a special sequined sussan number for those chilly days in paris next year. that's right, on one of the hottest days so far this spring, i was dreaming of being snuggled up in sequins, hot chocolate in hand. these balmy days do ignite a small sense of excitement in me which i can only presume is my milky freckled complexion screaming out for some sun. the crazy thing is that next year i'll be going from sweltering summer sunshine one day to an overcast and frosty london town the next. i've vowed to enjoy this last aussie summer, sweaty brow and awkward beetroot burns aside. this post is also a fickle excuse to sit down for 15 minutes, avoiding any further sorting/packing behaviour in this heat and to share with you the happy florals that were in abundance today. a perfect spring sunday, hot sweats and inability to nap aside.