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!)

tea & things.

after a delicious brunch of banana & blueberry bread & a couple of tasty lattes with a favourite lady, i made my way to a favourite oppy for a peek around. i may have gotten rid of a lot of my possessions, but it hasn't dampened the need to want to ferret about my favourite opshops. it's a habit, one that i don't intend giving up anytime soon. rather than shopping for rummage or just because, the art of selecting treasures has become more refined. i picked up a fancy new iphone last night and have already snapped a whole lot of pretty pictures with it. i even managed to snap a few pics on my travels today, meaning i could walk away with the memory of some pretty english teacups without actually needing to buy them. who knew i'd find an opshopping buddy (and savings account regulator) in an iphone?! i picked up the treats below for a mere $10 and with a couple of johnson treats and a meakin set in tow, a real steal in my books. i'm still feeling a little out of sorts, but with a head so full of things to do/organise/sort...is a little expected right now. a quietish weekend of cleaning and sorting is in order, after a super busy yard sale saturday the week before. project 'clean my studio' begins or rather continues tomorrow, as all i've managed to do is make a few piles (2) of fabrics and then shuffle some boxes around the floor. oh, i vacuumed in there too. a whooooole lotta sorting needs to take place in that room, and boy, have i left the best till last. i'll be deserving of a medal if i finish that room tomorrow or in my language, an afternoon tea of treats at lady marmalade. that outta get me out of bed and into the studio, that and my rnb ipod mix. wish me luck and happy weekend all!

meakin love.

a new johnson design for the collection.

a little johnson cake plate love.

simple pleasures.

a few of my latest thrifted treasures. i'll let pia speak for me today. she can say it better than i ever could. turns out things are a little harder than i first thought. time to get back on the road again. in other news, can someone please cancel my etsy account? how many christmas presents is one girl allowed?

boxes of memories piled up around me.

lidded crates filled with found fabrics,

time worn

clusters of timber furniture.

i just look and let the memories

sweep me away,

turning past to present.

floral pillowcase and teacosy love.

could these dinner plates be any more beautiful? so bright and too cheap to pass up.

uncovered this little gem behind a collection of damaged frames. my little ballerinas!

(80x35cm)

the colours!

her pose and eyes!

a floral sheet never gets passed up.

a little bessemer cutie.

lilac pillowcase love.

i want to take it all with me.

i want to surround myself with my things.

but there is no space in my suitcase.

and anyway,

there is no time to linger here,

in the past,

which will one day find itself

in my future.

i know that.

the sun hits the tin roof.

it sings ping ping.

no lights needed here,

the sunshine penetrates even the

darkest rooms in my heart.

i touch things to let them know i care.

beautiful words courtesy of my heart wanders.

sunday at the gallery.

i've been at the gallery for just over three years now. the love affair continues. i spent this beautiful afternoon with some cool kids at the gallery, checking out the fabulous cartier-bresson exhibition. i get to admire his work almost daily but an excuse to head back into the gallery on my day off has never phased me. i am in love with my beautiful gallery and it constantly reminds me how lucky we are as a city to be showcasing such beauty. of course i sometimes get bored, or my legs get tired from wandering the back galleries all day...but there is always a small moment of time that is spent with a certain artwork, that completely inspires me and takes my breath away.

i thought i would share a few of my favourites with you from our extensive collection. goma is another story and even though much more contemporary and sometimes a little overwhelming, i will never forget the moment i walked into the warhol exhibition nearly 5 years ago. it was love at first sight and for that very reason, why i will always hold goma close to my heart. we popped into the new kusama exhibition and although a small sneak peek into her dot-filled world, was engaging and completely charming. the photos speak for themselves.

the lovely visitors that i get to chat with during my day outweigh the odd weirdo who won't take 2 minutes out of their time to really look at a work of art. i don't aim to educate everyone, the artwork can speak for itself...but if you're lucky, you'll walk away from at least one work of art with a sense of enlightenment that will most surely stay with you forever.

the pink room. packed with beauty.

cool cats admiring the colonial works.

rivers & olley. charming in every way.

hickey & fairweather. i could look at these works allll day.

tucker & long (closest we'll get to a goldsworthy for a while!)

kusama working her magic.

like a kid in a candy store.

posers.

dotty love.

playing in 'obliteration of dots'.

a sheet of stickers each to place wherever we wished. too much fun.

i missed my gallery buddy.

weekend happenings.

i'm a little exhausted, so i'll keep this short and sweet. the weekend started with a cupcake order of 100 and a little treat finding. the fun continued bright and early this morning with the setup for the flower street yard sale! chats over tea turned into lazing on the day bed drinking cider, snacking on cheese & biscuits and the odd spoonful of the most amazing jelly slice! there were babies and puppies, shopping at each others stalls (aka swapping), cramming furniture into cars and lovely lady chats. the weather was beautiful and the company, even better. the flower house is looking very empty now and to be honest, i feel more empowered than sad. i've started a new chapter in my life and the positivity just proves that i've made the right decision. a big thank you to a lovely blogger, my beautiful friends and lots of online bidding that have made my europe fund look a lot more promising. much weekend love.

making betty crocker proud.

icing them is the best part.

lovely irish linen napkins.

a vintage dj's dress. colours and pattern had me at hello.

ribbons! picked up a few of these giant rolls for my gift wrapping store one day.

my garden is alive with hawaiian beauty.

lovely ladies fereting.

i appreciate handsome men at the flower house.

and cute puppies??!! it's a given.

summer daze.

lazy summer saturdays is where it's at. after a busy weekend in melbourne last week, it was lovely to take it down a notch and spend the afternoon with my lovers, eating at my favourite coast cafe and lazing in the summer sunshine. spring has come and gone, the air is warm and the sun is already unforgiving to my pale & freckled english skin. i stayed out of the water this time but indulged in a quick paddle and some puppy watching. the strawberry thickshake was icing on my saturday cake. chatting to my beautiful besties last night in rotterdam only made me realise how lucky i am and how important it is to take some time out for a little lazy behaviour with my friends. i've spent today pottering and sorting my house in anticipation for my mammoth yard sale this coming saturday and literally getting on my bike and taking ol' kit for a ride to the shops. love letters have been written and i feel an early night in bed finishing pia's book coming on. a big birthday cake order later in the week and a busy weekend ahead means i'm going to savour the quieter moments while i can. life is crazy, but i wouldn't have it any other way. happy sunday all.

the wallpaper...just one of the reasons why vintage espresso is a favourite.

trinkets and the perfect menu for a warm afternoon at the beach.

beautiful ones.

bring on more summer saturdays at the beach.

my beach buddy and love in the sand.

the perfect beach accompaniment.