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.

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

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!)

hummingbirds & hibiscus

all sorts of birthday preparations are underway today. it's beeeautiful outside which means when i finish being all crafty and wrapping delicious presents, i'm going to laze about outside on the daybed and finish pia's book. it only took me an hour to pack my suitcase and everything seems to be coming together in time for my departure to the land of cocktails, sunshine and hula girls. i'm off next week for a family holiday in hawaii to celebrate my mum's 60th birthday. it has also been close to 10 months since i last saw my m&d, so the excitement is mounting. my polkadot swimsuit is ready for days of beaching and pool frolicking and my pretty summer dresses are ready for some seafood/cocktail behaviour when the sun goes down. i'm going to post a couple of yummy tropical themed recipes for you before i leave and even though there will be no thrifting whilst i'm away, i'm sure the souvenirs i pick up should entertain you when i return. i hope you're having an equally delicious saturday, i've included a few treasures that have been picked up on my opshopping adventures. on another lovely note, my beautiful friend libby gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl on wednesday morning. i could not be more happy for her. i was secretly wishing it would be a girl, and little harper grace must have heard my prayers. expect some baby posts to come as we continue to assemble her welcome to the world package for when i visit her in november, love! have a great weekend, get out in the sunshine and pop the kettle on...or a cocktail, if you fancy getting your hawaii on. xo

the milk glass lampshade that i'll be turning into a large vase/bowl full of pretty flowers.

ummm, retro kitchen wallpaper? utter perfection in my books.

grabbed a roll of this beauty and have many artworks in mind.

bless, indeed. the new home for all of my vintage greeting cards.

check out the colours of those napkin rings (that remind me so much of my nanna) and biscuit tin detail.

treasure island.

ok. time to get your eyes ready for some serious eye candy. i will say only two things (yeah, right).....1. i didn't pay more than $45 for everything you see below (so saving $$$ is still on track!) 2. a few of these lovely treasures will be available at the december rummage, hooray! i plan on making up a few gift packs for christmas (of the vintage variety) inspired by the gorgeous kellie. there will be some picnic love, some afternoon tea baskets and some lovely linens to decorate your home with. i've had an equally beautiful breezy brisbane saturday...brunching with some favourites at D&D and like always, they didn't disappoint. driftwood blend, peanut butter whoopies, sandwiches and sunshine made for a delightful morning. the whole sweet deal was captured by kate so photos will be showcased later in the week. baby snuggles were icing on the cake. last night i cocktailed my way after dinner to gertie's, laughing so much and and falling more in love with my nearest and dearest (had nothing to do with the alcohol consumed.) so now i've shared a couple of things i'm off to do some chores and admire my growing mountain art collection. the dishes can wait. i'll be back tomorrow with a special post but i hope this finds you enjoying your weekend and basking in this beautiful sunshine. hello spring!

'rose glow' by olga west, 1981.

3 divine aprons. keeping the one on the left, the other 2 will make it to rummage.

the most beautiful large round floral tablecloth i've ever unearthed. perfect.

a large mountain print from an original watercolour that was dated 1878. it's moody, delicious and now the centrepiece of my mountain arrangement.

i'm in love.

who can resist johnson crockery..and for 30c for two....i'm there.

a little bit of kitsch goes a long way.

some melmac loving. they will be part of a picnic set for rummage.

i love a good oil painting and this book is full of retro forest works!

remember this guy? well these 5 cuties will join him in a 'woodland teaparty' collective, available at december rummage.

a collection of retro greeting cards...watch out for the postie!

i found all kinds of fantastic pillowcases!

3 spring floral pillowcases, all bright and beautiful and some mustard and grey square linen for the boys.

i found a gorgeous (and large) teacup watercolour print and fell in love. i'll be reframing it in a smaller, cuter frame. finding cloud fabric is always a treat!

a perfect rectangular mustard tablecloth and matching dulux to paint frames, canvases etc with. it's all about the mustard!

a lovely orange check embroidered tablecloth and leafy barkcloth. yum!

ummm, yes...this is indeed an ET single doona cover in mint condition. (sold)

i'm a sucker for 'mother' plates. love you mum!

couldn't resist showing you a gorgeous birthday present (a kylie johnson cloud brooch) and a sneak peek of the colour palette that is adorning my latest canvases and cross stitches!