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.

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.

weekending.

every so often, it's a breath of fresh air to be able to escape from the big smoke for a weekend away with your girlfriends. when ash's mum announced she'd be away in the usa for a month, we jumped at the offer of staying the weekend in her northern nsw beach house. i have always loved that part of town and have fond memories of visiting family near mullumbimby, walking belongil beach and ferreting through second hand treasures in bangalow. we set off down south on friday evening and arrived home just shy of 5pm today. a perfect amount of time away and the most perfect balance of treasure hunting, lunching and relaxing. murwillumbah and it's quaint opshops were first on the list on saturday morning that was followed shortly after by a couple of blissful hours treasure hunting in beautiful bangalow. it's not hard to understand why bangalow really is a little slice of new south wales heaven. a place i could easily set up home and open a little cake/textile shop...oh one day. it's dainty and decorative main street is full of delightful little cafes, gorgeous homewares and local art and design. to be honest, we were there for one thing and one thing only that day...heath's old wares. i fell in love with this gold mine around 2 years ago when mum and i travelled south to byron and veered off track. since then, it's been a secret supplier of inspiration to me and my love for the pre-loved object. everyone deserves a visit to this pocket of heaven, so i'm taking the chance to shout it from the blogland roof tops. take a large car, preferably a trailer, you won't be disappointed. a set designer/interior stylist/event planner/old knick knack lover's dream. just promise that you'll show me your finds. i snagged some treasure for a real steal, which i will be sharing with you tomorrow as the amount of eye candy you're about to endure is surely enough for one night. saturday night saw us dinnering with our favourite boys and sharing stories of europe over delicious local delicacies. this morning we slept in, spent a good hour spamming everyones instagram feeds with yesterday's treasure hunt and then drove our lazy sunday selves to coolangatta antiques. on boy did christmas come early. bouts of squealing could be heard from all corners of the place, when we would uncover what could only be described as a vintage gift from god. needless to say, this happened every 35.6 seconds. at one point i had an armful of treats, had misplaced my iphone amongst the retro fabrics and had my tight ass purse strings denying me of such decadent spending. reasonably sized piles of happiness were then taken to the counter after a few moments of clear headed decision making/putting half of my goodies back. lunch at currumbin, a frolick on the beach, love hearts drawn in the sand and afternoon tea at vintage espresso was THE perfect ending to a most delightful weekend. my two amigos @_ruby_ruth and @ashleighbourke were the perfect weekending companions. their instagram feeds will fill your lives with instant joy and loveliness, just like the last two days i spent with them.

first destination.

your standard driver, selfie taker & instagram threesome.

the signage was spectacular.

green hues in murwillumbah.

back in my opshopping groove.

the beautiful place.

fine & sunny stopoff.

tapestries galore next door.

selfies at heath's...

and a little bit of french kissing.

a treasure i can now tick off the wishlist.

jar heaven.

the crate queen.

my world.

stairway to heaven.

it was, thank you.

music to my ears.

perfection in garden furniture form.

follow me if you dare...

a perfect pair.

chasing the sun.

stairway to fabric heaven and i'm first in line.

this girl knows her treasure.

not a bad view.

perfect pear cake from VE, my happy place.

so GC.

i'd been looking forward to this weekend alllllll week long and maaaaaaan did it not disappoint. i packed the car with some of kate's goodies that she'd left here pre-travels and used the task of taking it down to the storage unit as an excuse to pay a visit to some of my favourite coastal oppies. it was the most beautiful clear skied morning so i picked up my youngest sister/partner in crime and we hit the road to the sounds of some old skool rnb. first stop was one of my old haunts that my bestie and i used to visit inbetween uni classes and sometimes instead of. it's a giant warehouse of pre-loved goodness so you're always bound to leave with a treasure or twelve. within approximately 3.5 minutes i had johnson, retro plastics and a villeroy and boch stunner in my basket. a whopping total of $5 was handed over and off we went to opshop numero deux. now this oppy holds a precious place in my heart as again, it was a local favourite of mine and my bestie's and also the daily stop off after work when i used to zoom around the coast in my 1975 volkswagen kombi. that's right, you heard me...opshopping and kombi in the same sentence, dreamy, no? the ladies are always having tea and cake out the back and the men put out front to handle sales are always so charming. i just love going in there for a trip down memory lane so when my ferreting neck deep in the fabric tower resulted in me pulling out a bundle or two of vintage floral linen, it was icing on my oppy cake. it wasn't even midday and i'd found johnson and vintage floral. you'd think i'd be done, but not just yet. staying on the sentimental note, i can never pass up a fossick through the little rspca oppy just around the corner. my beautiful family dog is an rspca gem so i never hesitate to swap dollars for pre-loved goodness in their stores. bessemer, pyrex and a floral apron were on their menu for me. this treasure hunting game soon became hungry business so it was only appropriate that a stop off at my favourite coast cafe was next on the agenda. my trusty partner in crime and i were treated to the most amazing sandwich of all time, delicious coffee and a caramel slice to share. my instagram feed was treated to some of the best eye candy around in the short time we spent there. it was finally time to honour the very reason that instigated the coast trip and so we cruised down to kennards and packed away our family treasures. an oppy i hadn't visited in a little over a year came to mind soon after so we hauled ass to sneak in a short 20 minutes of treasure hunting before closing time. boy am i glad we bothered. i was rewarded with the johnson motherload and could no longer contain my excitement. the shop ladies laughed as amy documented the whole discovery process. i was beside myself. taking the heavy load to the counter was empowering until i proclaimed my surprise at the well priced treats to the slightly dazed saleswoman who responded with, 'well, it's hardly fine china.' it may not be fine china lady but it's priceless in my eyes (and a million others it seems!) i kept this expression of disbelief to myself, of course. nevertheless, it's pre-loved status changed to much-loved in a heartbeat and my following post (full of treats galore) will cement just that. some europe clothes shopping and dinner at my favourite sushi hangout was the perfect end to a glorious day spent on the coast. the gc gets a mixed reception up here in brissie but the amazing oppies, trips down memory lane, perfect lattes with a side of vintage wallpaper and smiley mayo faces on sushi always ensure a piece of my heart stays down there.

all systems and skies were go.

the drawer lining of a marvellous bit of oppy furniture eyeballed at stop one.

THIS occurred at stop two.

stop, ummm, i've lost count...resulted in this behaviour.

perfect decor in my idea of cafe heaven.

the perfect lunch.

my cutie pie sister.

latte face, do not disturb.

sushi finishes an ace day.