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.

vintage heaven.

with a girls weekend planned in paris and a 4 day weekend in denmark and holland on the cards, i was only left with one weekend to play in london. arriving early thursday morning i soon got into the wandering mindset and set off to explore. the next few days would see me vintage clothes shopping in covent garden, wanting to spend far too many pounds in orla kiely, beginning a love affair with liberty, reuniting with my old love anthropologie, visiting vintage heaven that completely blew my mind, conversing over scones and devonshire tea, impressed by incredible looking brownie stacks at the borough markets and eating some of the freshest british strawberries, ever.

it wouldn't be fair to overload you with a million photos, because let's face it, that's what instagram is for....so i'm going to spend the rest of this post sharing my love for a little place called 'vintage heaven'. if you've got yourself a copy of 'spaces' (if you haven't, then please, your life will be richer for it) then you may just know where i'm talking about. my new favourite companion 'london style' describes VH as 'a hoarders paradise, where every possible surface is packed with vintage glass, china, cutlery, books, fabrics; you name it, if it's from the 1940's- 1960's, chances are you'll find it here'. as it's only open on weekends to coincide with the infamous columbia road flower markets, my best friend and i hit VH around 3.30pm on my first saturday in town. as soon as we turned the corner onto columbia road, a collective of secondhand homewares stacked neatly out front had my eyes popping. inside staffordshire potteries were nestled comfortably with meakin, above mounds of vintage floral fabric and decorative teapots. crockery was stacked in colours and even themes, this place soon became my most favourite place on earth. london style says 'it may be hard to take it all in, but it will be harder to leave without buying at least one thing', my thoughts exactly. i could only surrender to the beauty and let my eyes devour the delights stacked before me. it wasn't long before my name was being called to a mound of vintage linen. a large purple floral curtain grabbed my attention first up so as any vintage lover scrambling madly amongst layers of treasure would do, i bundled it under my arm at the speed of light to ensure it would be mine.

i could have easily bought everything i saw, but with a 20 kilo limit, a holiday budget and a little voice of reason, i behaved myself. half of me rejoiced in the thought that i would most probably be returning to london next year anyway. sneaky. a cake plate and vintage curtain piece later and i was sold. vintage shopping is hungry business so it was soon time for afternoon tea in a little nook ajoining the shop called 'cake hole'. vintage florals, kitchenware and crockery had overflowed into this cutie pie hole in the wall and for a few moments i was wishing it was mine. devonshire tea and scones were on the menu for us, after deliberating and drooling for several minutes over the incredible looking victoria sponge. chats over vintage china, milky tea and clotted cream ladened scones was an experience i know i'll still be talking about well into my late 80's. this little treasure with a big and beautiful vintage personality is somewhere i'll be heading back to as often as possible when my feet next land on london turf.

i was in love before i'd even entered.

scenes from inside. uh-maze-ing.

many, many stack-o-plates.

perfect combo.

the view from our afternoon tea possie.

there is nothing quite like a british scone.

hello.

the tapestry wall.

my curtain prize.

jubilee.

happy jubilee weekend all. it's a rainy saturday here in brisbane and i've lost count of how many times i've boiled the kettle. i had a delicious sleep in and then took my lazy butt to a couple of my local oppies. after handing in my exhibition proposal yesterday, i had a small light bulb moment of wanting to find a small bit of furniture to help complete my installation. perhaps a little retro phone table that i could display a teapot and cup combo on? so it was to my surprise after ferreting for not much longer than 10 minutes in my first oppy stop this morning, that i stumbled across a sight to behold. lugging it to the counter pronto to avoid any snatch and grab situations between me and another opper, this gem was all mine. i've already planned to snag an anthropologie drawer handle when in london to complete this little beauty. the mustard vinyl seat is in perfect condition and the legs make my heart beat a little faster. a tupperware party, breakfast at apples with my little sister and some art making will complete this sans sun weekend. hoping all is well where you are.

the little gem.

johnson right at home.

a little japanese delight.

ceramic and wood combo.

seersucker in packaging. perfect.

treasure.

a budget was set and promptly kept to. surprised? i still am. it's time to share some of the treasures that the coast unearthed for me yesterday. one or two of them will be gifts, perhaps a couple for sale and then the rest, the johnson, are mine to love. i was reminded just how happy these pre-loved goodies make me whilst neck deep in floral fabrics and up to my eyeballs in retro crockery. thank you to the grandmas whose life long collections are now treasured by a very grateful, freckle faced, rainbow cake baking young lady (me, if you were wondering.) sharing the love over at sophie's too. get on it gorgeous people.

pretty pansies.

there was squealing involved.

high pitched screaming ensued when discovering this gorgeous johnson family.

my new florals.

more mismatched j-love.

a set of quaint english metal placemats. perfect.

just when you thought the j-love had ended....

the quirkiest johnson piece i've discovered. cheese and wine night anyone?

westminster love.

pretty turquoise pyrex, enough said.

another apron for the collection? hell yeah!

a beautiful bessemer platter.

a villeroy & boch beauty. i literally bowed to this one.

this still makes me smile. the perfect little tea and cake platter. 50c? you bet.

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