flowers and fleamarkets.

something holland isn't short of. last weekend was a fleamarket frenzy of sorts. we hit two big markets, one on saturday (at my boyfriend's football team's stadium) and the other slightly hungover (at a favourite snuffel markt) on sunday. both were fruitful trips and my pocket was lighter by only a tidy 11 euros. we appear to have become magnets for west german pottery and with the prices just right, we've collected three over the past week. i remember admiring their colourful textures back in australia but the price, Larry, was definately not right. now i border the country where the beautiful vases are made, so they flourish happily at my local markets and thrift stores. my local flower markets have also provided me with a myriad of pastel beauties as of late and as spring is fast approaching, the incredible ranunculus, tulips and hyacinths are becoming a necessary weekly purchase. 

our third west german find of the week with a side serving of marimekko.

these guys are incredible.

powder pink carnations. filler flowers, yeah right.

i could dive right in.

a flemarket at the football stadium. the boy and i were both in heaven.

for 80c, these two were coming home with me.

as soon as the seller found out i was from queensland, he was bagging these babies up for a euro. bargain.

bright beauties.

a cute collection for 2 euros from the local thrift shop.

staffordshire potteries and pastel plates, come to me. 

perfect sunday behaviour.

my 9 euro treats. 

design perfection for a euro.

i think i took a photo every half an hour of these blooming beauties.

tulip perfection.

so affordable and so beautiful.

home.

we holiday in the spaces of our home. one of my favourite lines from a kylie johnson poem. my home has always been so important to me. whether it's lying in a bed under a mountain of vintage floral for longer than expected on a sunday morning, baking up some gluten free treats, catching up with my dearest over tea/skype or rearranging my newly discovered treasure...it's the simple happenings occurring within the walls of my home that make me happy. i spent today with my beautiful sister, just hanging out and baking, chatting, instagramming and sorting through my treasure. we ate too many friands and chatted the day away. soon i'll be looking for a new home, exactly when and where is still undecided. i often wonder where my heart will want to reside. does it even have to decide just yet? for now i'm hoping i'll be reincarnated as a dahlia, adoring my latest $9.50 opshop purchases, dreaming of time in holland and paris, baking up new treats, seeing deers in clouds, finding super cute baby clothes and slowly welcoming summer into my home. 

29.

i’ve never been a huge fan of birthdays. birthday cake? yes, but the whole hoo hah that is associated with them, not so much. especially when it’s an odd numbered occasion. my perfectionist virgo nature is easily ruffled by such a simple notion. my 28th year was a corker, i’ve heard they usually are. i made a decision to take a few weeks off and head to europe for what i’d hoped would be a trip of a lifetime. an important one that would nuture my heart and broaden my creative horizons. it exceeded all of my expectations and i am beyond grateful for such an inspiring year. i made and exhibited art, got my cake baking mojo back, moved into an amazing house, reunited with my family and best friends in europe, met a beautiful man, visited my idea of heaven, spent an amazing week in hawaii and started my love affair with nashville on instagram (priorities, please.) not too shabby if you ask me. my 29th looks to be just, if not more exciting than the last. the new year brings a move to london which coincides well with my plans to spend the odd weekend in paris, time in holland with aforementioned delicious dutchman, sundays with family, cake dates with nan, and generally just being more creative in an incredible new environment. i’ve begun to compile a little mental list that i’m more than excited to be working through in the coming months. funnily enough, there will be 29 of them, some simple, some inspiring and others just plain delicious. i hope to give this place a little revamp too, as it will be my first port of call for travel updates, flea market finds and general pre-loved merriment. my first weekend as a 29 year old was full of indulgence, sugarcoated by time spent with beautiful friends and surrounded by copious amounts of vintage wallpaper, cider, opshops and love. hi 29, you're already looking fine.

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.

baked love.

it’s no secret that i’m a sucker for a sweet treat or two. 80% of the time i’m the one baking not devouring but the remaining 20% tries to steal the limelight at every available opportunity. one of the factors in my decision making process for europe was that i’d do a little sweet treat ‘research’ whilst i was there. it was a given that i would eat croissants every day in paris and if approached, argue that it was a right of passage. luckily i was with two beauties that had exactly the same idea, so mission accomplished. however, a few days into my trip i unearthed a little gem by the name of ‘tea & cake london’. anything with a pretty pastel front cover adorned with sweet delights was bound to end up on my book shelf, but this pocket sized delight had my stomach rumbling before i had even got three pages in. i had lots of recommendations of places to go for the perfect cupcake from friends and cake lovers, but instead i enjoyed the rather randomly inspired approach that this book had to offer. it wasn’t long before ‘violet' and ‘primrose bakery’ were set in my sights. it was important that the bakeries i visited reflected and respected the same ideology that my own cake shop would one day represent.

the first beauty, violet, sits nestled amongst the homes of hackney’s residents. with it’s cute cottage business style approach, it was hard not to fall in love before i’d even stepped inside the door. no fancy signage, a small back yard and a spacious upstairs seating area provided the perfect invitation on the rainy day that my cake crew and i decided to visit. i’d wanted a cosy spot where my mum, dad, sister and i could chat leisurely over pots of tea and slices of homemade cake. stepping inside the small front door, i was presented with the most delightful array of hand crafted made-in-house treats. to my left, the small team of bakers were busy icing cupcakes, preparing chocolate whoopie pies for a photoshoot upstairs and packing orders for an obviously well educated cake clientele. a stunning victoria sponge took centre stage on the front counter, but much to my mum’s sadness, was only available as a whole. laden with fruit and piled high with cream, this beauty was a little too much for our afternoon tea sized appetite. a slice of carrot cake, red velvet, chocolate salted caramel and a strawberry cupcake were ordered and we soon took refuge upstairs to indulge in our delights. not before a million instagram photos were snapped of the busy bakers at work downstairs and the incredible attention to detail that had violet pulling at my heart strings from the very first moment. 'tea & cake london' says ‘pop in and you will find claire (a former pastry chef from california) and her helpers sending flour flying from a large open workstation, while a vintage cabinet houses seasonal-inspired treats from rhubarb filled scones to a coconut cream sponge’. a tiny little shop with a beautiful personality and an offering that i think any cake lover will find hard to beat. violet, you gorgeous thing, you had me at hello.

the best red velvet cake i have ever eaten. fact.

proof is in the cupcake.

our afternoon delights.

no explanation needed.

mint and lemon english china, the perfect cake compliment.

back in 2004, a little café by the name of ‘primrose bakery’ opened it’s doors in london's primrose hill. this was the time when the world was going cupcake crazy and many bake at home mama’s and their friends were setting up shop. primrose had one thing right from the very start, be true to the american cupcake origin and you’ll be onto a winner. people soon became besotted by the pretty little delights taking over london’s trendy neighbourhoods. i visited the primrose hill location on a cold and miserable wednesday afternoon, tempted by the formica tables and retro styled interior the bakery was well known for. i was instantly impressed by the pretty pastel tones and sweet smell of freshly baked cupcakes. it reminded me of my magnolia experience in nyc but took the cake for it's proud british flair. saying that, primrose describes itself as being more than just cupcakes. 'we make our own croissants by hand and have a huge range of layer cakes, biscuits and cake slices.' not only do i have the charming experience to remember, but i was able to take away primrose's own cook book, full of the most delicious british treats and an entire chapter of icing techniques and baking tips. impressive. next on the must see cake shop list for next year? beas of bloomsbury, treacle and rose bakery. my stomach is getting ready to rumble.

cute setup alert.

my fix.

perfect.

my bible.