'ello 'ello.

it was back to britain last weekend for a family fix. my parents were in town from the states and my sister flew over from paris. being the boat people we now are, the boy and i cruised over friday night which got us into london bright and early saturday morning. a much needed feed at the breakfast club in spitalfields with my bestie, boy and sister was the best start to the weekend. hands down it's a new favourite. giant lattes, bacon rolls and cutie pie waitresses. the vibe was super cool without tipping over the hipster meter and the decor kept my eyeballs entertained for the entire 2 and a bit hours we hogged the table. a wander around the old and new spitalfields market was a real delight with retro wares and clothing popping out of super styled stalls and some really unique designers and delicacies showcased before my very lucky eyes. i'd move to london for that weekly fix. we spent saturday afternoon and sunday with my family and it was really lovely. catching up with little cousins, visiting my nan, introducing the boy to my parents (who got along like a house on fire) and chatting about their visit to see us in rotterdam. they arrive here tomorrow night for a few days and i cannot wait to show them my new city. we were booked to return monday night so the boy and i wandered leicester square (for an m&m world fix), covent garden and soho for a dutch lunch. the weather wasn't amazing but hey, it's london, at least she's a reliable old girl. the rain held off so we wandered the mall and said hello to big ben. a short but sweet visit but as you'll probably sense from my previous posts, i'll be back. 

packing the essentials.

view from the train to london. 

cue large latte.

you had me at bacon rolls.

picadilly circus. 

my dutchie in a dutch pub.

hello beautiful.

i may have changed my shoes 3 times this day. 

kit & nancy colours from m&m world.

nelson & co.

favourite. pop boutique.

oh anthropologie. the sale prices and gigantic queue to pay nearly killed me.

soho.

hey ben!

london baby!

on wednesday the 20th of february i embarked on a journey that had been in the pipeline for just over 7 months.  it was a decision that had been made the day i arrived back in australia after my 3 week holiday in europe in the summer of 2012. i left behind my british family, my two best friends and a delicious dutchman. as my plane landed in australia last year, i was immediately overcome with sadness and i knew i couldn’t wait much longer before i was reunited with them again. the moment my nanny kit told me she wished i was staying in england, i had my heart set on returning as soon as possible. nothing in the following 7 months was to change that way of thinking. as time passed and the dutchman was becoming more and more important to me, i knew i had met someone incredible and for a very good reason. taking a leap of faith and letting my heart do the talking, we both decided that me moving to rotterdam seemed to be the path to take. i felt that my life was coming to a cross road in brisbane and the time was now if i was going to embark on a daring adventure. i booked a one way ticket, quit my job and packed up my life. i filled a 27 kilo suitcase, a compact carry on case of 7 kilos and a small hand bag and off i flew to london. three flights and 24 hours later, i landed in the uk and  immediately, it felt like home. temperatures didn’t rise above 10 degrees (a much welcomed change from queensland’s humidity), i stocked up on tights in every colour i could find, hit my favourite stores (anthropologie, h&m and liberty), spent time with my family and best friend, drank tea with my nanny and had a beautiful week settling in to the european way of life. chatting to the dutchman every day and feeling more sure than ever, i was still so eager to give living in rotterdam a go. on friday the 1^st of march i met him in brussels after nearly 8 months apart. that was almost 3 weeks ago and i haven’t regretted my  move for a second. i have so much to share with you and so many posts planned that include a baked good and vintage treasure tour of this beautiful city, the incredible artfilled experience that was museumnacht, my sunny spring day spent in amsterdam and  just how in love i am with the charming town of delft.  i will leave my thoughts on rotterdam for the next post, but wanted to stop in, share some london love and thank you for the overwhelming love and support many of you have shown over the past few weeks. it never goes unnoticed and deeply inspires me to share my stories. for now though, much love from holland. 

humdinger.

this week has been a real humdinger. it started with me booking a one way ticket, here i was thinking it didn't really get much better than that...oh, until it kinda did. wednesday night saw a favourite girly/fellow interior styling lover and i hit up camargue on james street for megan morton's book launch. a few/five glasses of champagne, some blondie indulging and book perusing later and the place was swinging. any nerves had simply been washed away (along with any inhibitions, by the champagne no doubt) and i was ready to let megan know just how excited i was about rachel castle's class that would send my creative juices into overdrive. i was met with a huge smile, an education into how rachel's class will change my life (i may just f**king cry - a direct quote), introduced to others taking part in the class and then our conversation completed with a high five when i divulged that i was already 10 pages into an inspirational journal made entirely for the benefit of the class. as i stood amongst the likes of megan, anna spiro and lydia pearson (looking as gorgeous as ever), i knew i had made the right decision to invest my dollars in a class at 'the school'. tomorrow sees me screen printing with textile master rachel castle and after my reaction to meeting megan, i can forsee the adreneline as i make my way to anna spiro's shop running at an all time high. (and please prepare yourselves for an influx of IG pics!) on thursday morning, after an incredibly inspiring evening, i sent a letter of resignation to my supervisor. 4 incredible years spent at the gallery that have helped shape the woman/art lover/friend i am today. a clean break needed in order to allow me to completely immerse myself in european life. i have already begun to look back upon the amazing experiences had inside those walls with only the fondest of memories. those included are watching (and mustering up the courage to say hello to) yoshitomo nara from arms length build his mobile studio for apt 6, listening to andy goldsworthy who was standing only metres away, speak of sunshine coast installation plans to catching a  glimpse of ron mueck vacuuming up any remaining dust particles from his giant baby sculpture...utterly mindblowing. i will be forever grateful for a job that has allowed my heart to become so big, meet so many incredible people and inspiration that keeps my mind happy on a daily basis. 

megan hits the nail on the head.

wining and dining MM style.

there's no party without confetti and streamers.

received a heart in the mail. perfection.

feeling brave and sparkly this week.

overtime aka research time.

perfect end to the week. a visit to kylie's new shop in ashgrove. 

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.

life lately.

life lately, or as i like to describe it....an excuse to show you pretty pictures and a couple of my latest oppy finds. it's one of my favourite things to blog about as there's no real direction and i can go off on a million different tangents and yet come together at the end with some sort of unified message. pretty much my life story. i'm tucking into a freshly baked friand as we speak, an impulse saturday afternoon bake off that has turned out deliciously well. they're one of my favourite things to bake, no icing, gluten free and very little sugar. i'll take the remaining 10 or so down to the coast tomorrow where i'll spend the afternoon sushi'ing, beaching and afternoon teaing with two of my favourites. i've got london on my mind and i'm feeling more motivated than usual. i'm adorning my $96 stretchy pants and walking home from work, infact, walking everywhere i can and loving it. i'm grabbing this burst of energy with both hands and am waiting with great anticipation for rachel castle's screenprinting class in late october. here i was complaining about the days crawling by and now i can barely work out what month we're in. it's the season of family birthdays and before i know it, i'll be whipping up yorkshire puddings to michael buble's christmas carols. the days are warm and at a perfect temperature, unlike what is expected come christmas. i've taken a vow to enjoy this last aussie summer, for i have been warned that i'll need some summer sunshine to cling on to whilst dressed to the nines in 17 layers and cradling a hot chocolate the size of my head. i tried on my winter coat the other day, it hasn't seen the light of day for a year and even though i was sweating at the time, i couldn't contain my excitement imagining it teamed with cute boots, skinny jeans and a floral scarf. of course not everyday will be that cute, i can see my trackies becoming a staple and socks? i hate socks...but i'm sure they'll soon become my best friend. i've lost count of how many tangents i've taken you on, but here we are, coming to a close and the message for this week? life is too unpredictable and short to not be lived exactly as you please. love your most important people and tell them so, as often as possible. love and friands for the week ahead.

spring and strawberries, my current favourite combo.

vintage floral treats picked up at the oppy today. delicious.

rifle paper co products never cease to inspire me. this one will house all of my textile design inspirations.

culling my beautiful crockery collection to make life lighter for the move. these babies made the cut of course.

the perfect kind of mail from my mama. she knows me too well.

walking through my neighbourhood this morning, stopping every 10 mins to snap my local delights.

falling deeper and deeper in love with my galleries. portrait of spain is rocking everyone's socks off at the moment.

treasure hunt.

you may have noticed that i've been a little quiet on the opshopping front lately. my instagram feed has been delivering eye candy of a different kind. there's a reasonable explanation for this, as i begin the planning of my move to the UK. saying it out loud sends shivers down my spine but also makes my heart beat faster in the best kind of way. i'm a girl of many ideas, constantly inspired and planning new life journeys. this one though, has been a long time coming and my recent visit just confirmed that europe is where i need to be. who knows for how long, but isn't life supposed to be a daring adventure? therefore, i have been cutting my spending at the opshops, selling a bunch of my vintage goodies and getting in the mindset to move early next year. so this weekend, i kinda broke the treasure hunting drought and managed to snag a few bargains. i can feel my design aesthetics changing, and this excites me. i look forward to the vintage collecting possibilities in amsterdam, the galleries in spain and the weekends away in paris. surely this is enough to make me want to curb my spending? you bet it is. the treats i have for you today are some gems i picked up whilst coasting with two of my favourite girlies in northern nsw. you'll be happy to know i have my priorities in order....i'll be selling my bed and most of my furniture before i go but holding onto my 70's egg chair, retro telephone table and vintage plant stand. the johnson crockery collecting has stalled, with me content with what i have now. big changes are underway and i couldn't be happier. have a good week lovelies, i'll be back with my holland blogpost, it's a goody.

my 20c beauties.

sunflower pot stand. an ode to my mama.

barkcloth cushion cover.

a cute turquoise nz pair.

robert & harper company brisbane jar.

a gorgeous documents folder ready for all the important info i need to take with me.

THE plant stand/light of my life/next project.

a little bit of tlc and she'll be shining.

a westminster geometric beauty, for mere cents i forgot about the missing teacup.

best.apron.ever. 'i'm a smart cookie.' the illustration is perfection!

my $7 beach dress.