we holiday in the spaces of our home.

as i dust off my laptop keyboard and log into blogger, i notice it really has been some time inbetween my posting. my poor laptop has been weighed down with new seasons of new girl and the walking dead and after a week without internet, some crazy storm behaviour and a little visit to funky town, i really wasn’t keen to share my mundane happenings with the bright and beautiful blog world. instagram has been on fire in the past few days however, capturing a delicious saturday spent with two of my favourite creatives, seen me baking up a gingerbread scented storm and eagerly awaiting five days of family fun which starts THIS friday. i’ve been craving some family time after a few weeks of 8 hour sewing sessions and overtime action at the gallery and becoming overly impatient from this whole waiting to move overseas game. i’ve missed checking in with you all, so i promise to get back into it once the new exhibition opens and things begin to settle on the lead up to christmas. i won’t be having any time off over the holiday period as my  family will be spread across the world again and the overtime dollars are needed to fund the planned  frivolous flea market jaunts that are getting me out of bed of a morning. well, that and the fact that temperatures are soaring and we have officially welcomed summer to queensland. more christmas baking is planned for the coming weeks, including rocky road and some more of the terribly addictive gingerbread whoopies. not only are they the cutest looking treat (i describe them as a cupcake sandwich for goodness sake!), their spicy aroma and treacle toned appearance is enough to bring any savoury favouring soul to their feet. packing has also been keeping me busy and i am now officially onto my 600th kilometre of bubblewrap. the packing process has been going swimmingly and only a few pangs of sadness have surfaced. luckily there is enough space in my parent’s storage unit for my 15 or so crockery and fabric filled boxes, a 70’s egg chair and a few pieces of my grandparent’s furniture....but everything else? sold or donated. it’s been an incredibly uplifting experience letting go of so much ‘stuff’ and i have never felt so sure about something in my life.  5 months on and i am still beyond excited about the adventures that lay ahead. i’ll leave you with a bit of instagram love for this balmy tropical tuesday. keep cool friends.



two of my favourite girls flaunting their amazingness.

flowers by above favourite.

my sister working her magic in the afternoon sun.

sunday leftovers.

the time has come to pack these babies away.

they're great for packing too!

some dutch treat love from the boy. 

my belly is smiling.

a sweltering day topped off with a beautiful sunset.

home.

we holiday in the spaces of our home. one of my favourite lines from a kylie johnson poem. my home has always been so important to me. whether it's lying in a bed under a mountain of vintage floral for longer than expected on a sunday morning, baking up some gluten free treats, catching up with my dearest over tea/skype or rearranging my newly discovered treasure...it's the simple happenings occurring within the walls of my home that make me happy. i spent today with my beautiful sister, just hanging out and baking, chatting, instagramming and sorting through my treasure. we ate too many friands and chatted the day away. soon i'll be looking for a new home, exactly when and where is still undecided. i often wonder where my heart will want to reside. does it even have to decide just yet? for now i'm hoping i'll be reincarnated as a dahlia, adoring my latest $9.50 opshop purchases, dreaming of time in holland and paris, baking up new treats, seeing deers in clouds, finding super cute baby clothes and slowly welcoming summer into my home. 

kit.

i've been back in australia for just 11 days and my heart already seems to have packed itself back up, destined for faraway places. there's no sign of escapism here, as my love for australia is truly hard to top but ever since spending valuable time with my british family, wandering the familiar streets of london town and getting a taste for the dutch and danish lifestyle, my heart just won't sit still. my head feels the lightest it's been for ages and i feel ready to take a leap of faith and make some changes. i'm letting go of some possessions (don't worry trudy, the johnson collection isn't going anywhere!) and lightening my load at the same time. opportunities have presented themselves and new faces have enlightened my outlook. a certain woman has also made me look long and hard at the year ahead and i have made the decision that she will be in it. this brings me to the lady in question, my incredible nanny kit. chatting over tea, ham sandwiches and the odd bakewell tart, has truly nourished my heart. the more time i spend with her, the more i begin to realise that we are 2 sensitive, soft skinned, sometimes stubborn, peas in a pod. i get her now more than ever before and i don't think i can ever do our relationship justice by trying to put these feelings into words. my grandmothers have always played an integral part in my life. it was therefore a given that my blog would be dedicated to these two incredible women. i spent the first ten years of my childhood living in australia having my nanna, nancy and my pa, max closeby. i hold some of the fondest memories close to my heart and those continue to inspire me today. relocating to the UK at the age of 10 until age 20 meant i was able to spend a beautiful 10 years learning to bake and craft with my nanny, kit. my grandfather charlie, although sadly passing too young, has left a huge impression on me and the woman i am today. family has always been number one for me, and so this post i dedicate to them, wherever they may be in the world and especially to my nanny kit, one half of that incredible driving force that continues to inspire my personal endeavour ‘kit & nancy’ every single day.

some special belongings in my nanny's flat.

london calling.

what a beautiful sunny saturday we're having up here. a few mugs of coffee, several loads of washing, some suitcase organising and a long overdue clean were welcomed with open arms after a terribly long and exhausting week. i think things finally caught up with me and i was one irritable character. counting down the days has been no fun at all, days just seemed to draaaaag. bouts of excitement would try and squeeze through those moody moments but were soon dampened by insomnia and early mornings at work. after a super lovely sleep in this morning, i feel rejuvenated and truly excited. that tears fill your eyes/goosebumps all over kinda excitement...i could bottle it. i also wanted to let you know that this will be my last post for a while but i can most certainly say that my instagram feed will be overwhelmed with images documenting my goings on. if liberty fabrics, sweet parisian treats and vintage wallpaper are your thing, then be sure to follow along (kitandnancy), i'd love to have you. i've thrown in a few images from the past few days, nothing spectacular, nothing thrifty, but i know my patience will soon be rewarded. thank you for all of your kind and supportive well wishes regarding my travels, your kindness is heartwarming. i'll be back sometime soon, but until then beautiful people, be safe, have fun and keep dreaming.

it has begun.

i'll miss you aussie sunshine. show me what you've got paris!

fresh sheets and sun flares.

admiring the beauty of nature all week. gosh, she's beautiful.

still discovering gorgeous patterns in my home.

and baking birthday dino cupcakes for two of my favourite girls.

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

s**t got done sunday.

after one of the laziest days ever yesterday (i seem to have said that a bit lately but this one takes the cake), i knew it was time to turn up the heat (the out of nowhere humidity helped) and get some s**t done. today was one of the most efficient sunday's i've had in a while, helped along by my motivated roomie and a trip to our local shops for kitchen and studio storage solutions. an hour later we were home putting flat packed furniture together and acknowledging the importance of having an electric drill in the house (of which we had none.) a good arm work out, several swear words and a few instagram pics later and we were done. my studio is looking super fly, the johnson/staffordshire/outcasts have their own homes and it's looking like a place i really want to spend some time in. my new bed side lamp has pretty much reaffirmed that christmas does come twice a year and i'm as proud as punch about our sunday efforts. the fabric sorting will come next weekend (as you will be aware due to the size of my fabric collection it really COULD take all weekend), so for now i'm off for a cuppa and will be back with some midweek baking pics. have a great week beautiful people.

the johnson collective.

the beautiful (much loved) outcasts.

my staffordshire potteries loot.

my bedside table. hello christmas.

some studio inspiration ready to be framed.

lazy days.

it's an E.T watching, gingerbread baking, cup of tea overindulging kinda weekend. the wet weather has officially set in, my track pants are getting a great work out (pottering around the house, no exercise here people) and i'm tempted to put on another layer...just loving your chilly ways autumn. a late fun friday night with work friends meant i only left the house today for some groceries, a poke around my local oppy and to vote. the rest of the day has seen me snuggled up in bed, trying numerous times to finish this post and running out regularly to the kitchen to reboil the kettle. tomorrow WILL be more productive. a studio clean and reworking, treacle gingerbread baking and some san fran skyping with m&d. i do enjoy my lazy weekends but am so excited for next weekend when i get to see my favourite 7 month old, her gorgeous mama and my youngest sister. i see yummy breakfasting, afternoon treats and a pop into rummage in my midst. i hope this finds you warm and dry and enjoying the start to your weekend. i'll be back in the week with some baking eye candy and instagram loving. au revoir!

some studio prettiness.

my saturday afternoon.

still talking about the cupcakes from last week.

treats found at the oppy. a cute assortment of florally goodness.

idea of happiness.

it was one of those fist pump in the air/ high five yourself kinda moments. after having dropped my sister off at the airport (i miss you already) and smudged off any last sign of mascara dripping down my face... i drove to a favourite oppy that i hadn't visited for a while, hoping the opshop gods would be good to me. with a few dollars in my wallet i was hoping i wouldn't come across anything too fabulous or pricey so when presented with a wall of beautiful floral fabrics, i went into fist pump overload. a few flannies, singles, doubles and even a king..for a few dollars a sheet. i haven't stumbled across such a fun haul in what seems like forever, probably because just about everyone seems to be on the hunt! it's all about timing and on this day, i was right on time. enough chatter, i'm off to see a favourite band tonight, dance till my feet ache and scream so loud that i lose my voice (yeah, i'm that girl.) coastal fun times follow tomorrow with a trip to a few of my favourite oppies and the special gc rummage. might see you there?

it's love.

my favourite.

some j-love.

cute AND comfy heels.

it appears i'm starting a glass collection.

wood & sons plate.