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.

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.

good friday.

religion aside, it's like the easter egg gods knew that i was in serious need of some chocolate love this week. feeling like my emotions were running on an all time high, i spent all week craving a sleep in and feeling stupidly sorry for myself. i think the come down from seeing m&d, the idea of my sister heading OS for three months and perhaps a little pms thrown in were quite clearly to blame. with a little sleep in, a few handfuls of mini eggs crammed into my belly, hot cross buns for breakfast (also for afternoon tea later) and a skype date with mama, i'm already feeling so much better today. my roomie has headed south for a few days so i have the place to myself. a couple of 'me' days watching love my way from start to finish, eating as many hot cross buns as possible, writing love letters to my favourites and planning new artworks for an upcoming exhibition are planned for the next two days. sunday has been dedicated to two of my favourite ladies, one who is barely 8 months old. i will spend the afternoon educating her about the importance of chocolate and dressing her in some thrifted treasures. the sun is shining through tempermental rain clouds but the floral fabrics hanging on the line seem to be keeping the showers at bay. i plan to spend all day in my pajamas, staying away from meat (my nanna always did, my mum does and now i do) so a big prawn curry is on the menu tonight. i hope you're giving yourselves and your families a little tlc this long weekend and enjoying the company of an easter egg or two. i'll be back tomorrow with some johnson love and on sunday, my flea market finds. thanks for the love this week, happy easter and good friday to you all. xx

friday breakfast.

blueberry, walnut and coconut brownie.

still eyeballing my johnson finds from rummage.

thursday morning's wake up call.

flowers picked up after a function at the gallery and given to my favourite flower lover.

the family is reunited thanks to jules @sconnieandjam. thank you gorgeous!

my easter sunday treat. can't believe he's survived so long.

on ya bike.

why helloooo there. it feels like forever since i touched base with you guys. i must admit i've been cheating on blogger with a little well known new trend called instagram. but let's save that for another post. (tomorrow!) i hope this finds you well on this rather balmy sunday evening. i have a zucchini slice in the oven, i've just finished packing some of my latest thrifty finds away for my impending move (in 7 days!!!) and i'm dreaming up cupcake designs for my housewarming. you know, the important stuff. it's been an ok week, the sun has stuck around which is always nice in what can only be described as monsoon season here in queensland. i've been on some thrifty adventures, beat the sickness and am back on the road/bike again heading to some rather fabulous places. as mentioned before, i move into my beautiful floral mansion in 7 days...something i almost forgot about during my bout of unwellness but oh boy are the excitement butterflies pounding in my belly right about now. the weekend started a little like this...yesterday has now been labelled the day that my partner in crime (aka my sister/photographer extraordinaire) and i decided to go on a 3 and a half hour bicycle adventure. there were bicycle baskets full of fresh fruit and veg, johnson teacups, burnt faces...arms..chests, floral sneakers, an amazing honey & nut slice devoured and a whooollleee lotta sweat (sorry, that's gross.) it was one of my most favourite adventures i've had with her. a journey that we'd planned to last a couple of hours turned into a trip around town with baskets full of goodies. this obviously left us with very little energy (and sunstroke!) for the afternoon but i soldiered on, heading to the real estate to sign some papers and oh yeah, pop by a favourite oppy. she didn't disapoint. i've been in transition for what will be six weeks this sunday and although i have enjoyed the change of scenery, i am yearning to get into my new place and unpack. the opshopping behaviour has gone into overdrive (probably due to the fact that everything i own is in boxes and i need a daily view of beautiful florally things, which i'm clearly not getting)...here steps in the weekly opshop jaunt. oops. sorry mr bank account. there's a smile on my dial and really, that's all that matters. today was a lazy sunday to begin with but ended with an officeworks visit (due to the need for more plastic storage tubs to contain said opshopped treats), afternoon tea at a favourite spot with kate and a mega cleanup/copenhagen trip planning/zucchini slice making/fabric photo taking/inside out reading kinda afternoon. a lovely sunday. now, i'm off to read your stories. xx

on my bike, the amazing nut & honey slice, lots of pretty bikes, kate.

the johnson delight picked up at the markets, floral flour sifter, my favourite johnson pattern, westminster love.

a new johnson pattern, roses on dinner plates, apple green suitcase find, dress to wear in paris.

unearthed this treasure (from my collection) that will hang in my new bedroom.

this afternoon's treat fest. perfect.

treasures.

last week started well with my monthly monday off and picking up one of my favourite bits of furniture to date. the opshopping gods rewarded me with the treats you see below. saturday arrived and it was house hunting with guns blazing. finding a house is like a relationship, you must first fall in love and see yourself being with it for a while. for me though, it's all about the smaller touches (1930's floral carpet, pink bathroom and pale green walls.) let's just say i've applied for one and i'm in love. I have all fingers and toes crossed and should hear back as early as tomorrow afternoon. on a huge high i indulged in ciders and scrumptious food. i was in THE best mood. woke sunday morning feeling sick as a dog (and not due to the ONE cider!) i have no idea how to be sick, i'm a lucky girl who usually avoids all that bother. feeling much better now, thank goodness and ready to take on the week. hope yours is off to a good one! will be back on wednesday with a banana cake recipe. oh boy it's a goodie. x

the new love of my life.

some retro canister love.

pretty plate love.

an opshop trip is never complete without johnson.

some tablecloth and upholstery fabric love.

thrifty finds.

hey gang. short and sweet tonight. utterly exhausted. may be the max brenner feast i had this afternoon orrrrr the rain. let's blame the rain. booked my london tickets yesterday, so excited i could cry. i did cry, but not at that but a broken windscreen. afternoon tea with a dear one at one of my favourite haunts tomorrow will make it all better. just hoping mother nature gets her hat on and comes out to play this week. too much rain isn't good for the soul. for a moment there, i thought i was in london...fast forward 5 months shall we? have a good week and i'll be back to share a recipe with you soon. love love loving your support. x

pyrex, nally and trivet love. these colours make me happy.

life is good with mikasa, staffordshire and broadstone dinnerware.

a little english rose love. called 'cherie' which may or may not be my middle name.

a sheridan sheet! finally. it's been too long between floral linen finds.

hey lifeline, it's what I do.

couldn't resist snapping this lovely mattress print.

a new year.

it seems like the older i get the faster the years seem to pass me by. i know i sound like an over observant 92 year old, but you know what i'm talking about. ironic really, considering the beginning of 2011 seemed to go on for what felt like forever. the floods shocked my beautiful state and city and many were left wondering how the rest of the year would unfold. mother nature tested the strength of many communities and we were left to watch in disbelief as what appeared to be almost every country was touched by her destructive behaviour. i got through the shitty time and it reinstated the importance of being with family and friends and knowing when to stop and enjoy the simple things. i know many are still dealing with this sadness and my heart goes out to those still rebuilding their lives. 2011 also brought news of my beautiful friend's baby being born who has brought more joy than anyone could have imagined. there was a reunion in the beautiful hawaii with my even more beautiful family, the decision to no longer live by myself and to leave my little vintage abode that i'd spent the last 2 years creating. it saw my two best friends relocate to europe and even though i miss them terribly, their courage continues to inspire me everyday. i wrote to tell my nan that i would be flying to london for her 88th birthday and i bit the bullet and made the decision (after years of talking about it) to start the surface design course in sydney in 2013 and priorities were realigned with the help of my beautiful support network who continue to drive my creativity and inspire me daily. i spent the last day of 2011 opshopping, baking moustache cookies and spending the evening with some beautiful friends (a few who i hadn't seen in forever!). we swam at midnight, drank delicious ciders, posed with edible moustaches and welcomed what already appears to be a wonderful start to 2012. i haven't made any resolutions this year but rather a little to do list that i'll work through slowly. starting with an instagram a day in january. like i need any more excuses to whip out my iphone. hello 2012!

my thrifty finds.

nanna's rolling pin and chocolate shortbread moustaches.

working the mo's.

part two.

some johnson gifts to bring in the new year. thank you kimberley & melania!

today was THE most beautiful day weather wise. i slept in, did my washing and packed up a few of my belongings. tomorrow i plan to bike to breakfast with my sister, bake my nanna's date loaf and watch an old movie. life in 2012 is good.

happy new year to you all and thank you for your amazing support throughout 2011. kit and nancy wouldn't be what it is without you.

cake & christmas.

this could quite possibly have been the longest week, ever. not a lot of overtime was done at work but the days just seemed to drag. this made me sad for another reason too. the weather has been GLORIOUS here in brisbane. i was stuck inside when i could have been pottering about in comfortable temperatures. cooler temps, beautiful bright blue cloudy skies and chilly evenings which call for a cardigan...IN SUMMER...IN QUEENSLAND. shouldn't say that too loudly, the humidity gods are probably going to surprise us with a scorching christmas day and make my whole day of oven use completely unbearable. bring on the trifle...which outta save my boiling ass if need be. woke this morning after being subjected to a god awful dream (think death, think family...not cool) and then an early morning boxing session which saw me throwing up in a sweaty mess 40 minutes in. again, not cool. a caramel latte from a sweet as pie coffee vendor and a market wander later, i was back in business. kate and i hit my local oppy and second hand store (totally helped cure my nausea) before stocking up on christmas day supplies and baking ingredients. white christmas and gingerbread whoopie pies were on the menu today, and with the cooler temps (but no lack of sunshine as i got totally burnt earlier on) i had an absolute blast baking up a storm! the fruits of my labour can be seen below. this was all done whilst watching the holiday and hanging washing on the line. tomorrow sees me off to the coast for a little gang get together and then monday night sees me gathering with some of my favourite ladies for a christmas feast. let's see if the whoopies & white christmas last that long. hope you're all having a lovely last weekend before christmas. loving all of your baking adventures and to all my lovelies on instagram...love! happy sunday all.

cooler temps have brought us beautiful skies.

eating so much zucchini slice, graffiti in my hood, nanna's crockery to be used for christmas lunch & what i believe 2012 will be for me.

deer in the mail (thanks kylie!), sorting my teapot collection, setting up christmas on the piano and eating festive pretzels.

billy buttons, country style recipes, weekend reading & mid week max brenner love.

market wanderings today, blue is beautiful, pastel love & a present for an 83 year old.

my find of the week...beautiful floral johnson plates in 3 sizes.

snowflakes and turquoise on pyrex? yes please!

couldn't resist more bubba clothes, johnson cake plates and that wonderful rose pattern.

white christmas & gingerbread whoopie pies with lemon cream cheese filling. yum!