Party Inspiration..

How time flies when you're on holiday, moments are so relaxing and the days in Queensland are just so lovely and long, the evening warm and balmy, perfect for delightful get together and party or two. And I do enjoy a party particularly when it is a fancy dress affair.

My fabulous Auntie is turning 60 and to celebrate she is throwing a 60's themed party tomorrow night. I was hoping on my little holiday I would have some free time to work on a new collection of brooches, but instead I have had some delighfully busy days searching the City for costumes, wigs, fabric and balloons. I've created a little surprise for the birthday girl using a whole lot of fabric and paint (pictures to come) and have adored searching through old photos for inspiration for my costume. I really am a little bit 60's love child.


As a seached for inspiration I stumbled across one of my very favourite people from the 60's, Andy Warhol and his muse Edie Sedgwick.

Edie's personal style is just so fascinating and unique... Black tights, smoky eye shadow and beautiful chandelier earrings, I just couldn't resist putting my own spin on Edie's classic 'It girl' outfit for tomorrow night's party.

So I'm ready to go with a little blond wig, some fake eye lashes and a pair of fabulous earrings. I've even found a ready made Andy Warhol to come with me! Can't wait! Will have photos to share on Sunday. I best be off to finish the decorations and put the finishing touches on my little back dress.

Much love and flower power..

xxx

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Day Fourteen - My kind of Tea Party

Life is simply one tea party after another...


'My kind of Tea Party'

Hooray for fabulous Fridays! I hope yours has been wonderful too. I have certainly enjoyed playing tea parties in my garden and now my lovely hubby and I are off on a little dinner date, very sweet.

More photos can be found at Megan's and remember you only have a few more days to enter my giveaway! I'm so excited about drawing the winners on Sunday.

Much love and mad tea parties
xxx

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Monday Morning...

I would love to begin my Monday morning with a lovely pot of Earl Grey Romantica tea from Floating Lotus in this beautiful Dots and Peacocks Teapot created by Ninainvorm.


What a lovely way to start the day. I hope you have a lovely Monday filled with secret delights and sweet teapots.

Much Love
xxx

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An afternoon of Antiques..

I just adore when my day takes a wonderful and unexpected new path and what better day for an adventure through the countryside than a Sunday. My hubby and I set out this afternoon for a little trip to the wonderful Rose Harvest to rummage through the beautiful rooms in search of treasures and to also buy a vintage mannequin that I have had my eye on for some time.

I was delighted to find the lovely mannequin just waiting for me to take home. I'm so excited with my new friend (who still needs a name) and can't wait to use it to display my brooches. After a little searching I also found this gorgeous blue Sadler teapot, which just seems like it belongs at the Mad Hatter' tea party.

Very happy with my finds I was ready for a relaxing afternoon at home but after striking up a conversation about typewriters whilst purchases my goodies, I found out about an amazing antiques just over the South Australian border, that I was assured would have a typewriter or two. So my hubby and I jumped in the car and off we drove through the country side to try and find this wonderful sounding antiques shop. Over an hour later, we found it, in a tiny little spot just outside Renmark called Paringa was Cammies Antiques.. two entire sheds full of almost anything you could imagine.

And it just so happened that there was a lovely little vintage Olympia Portable typewriter sitting down the back looking for a good home.

My lovely new typewriter...

We also found some amazing old typewriter ribbon in this gorgeous little tin. I can feel a whole new collection coming on.

So now my house in beginning to look like a typewriter repair store so I'm going to have to start finding a spot for all of my lovely typewriters, perhaps their very own bookshelf. Overall a very surprising and productive afternoon of antique delights. Now I can't wait to put everything to good use.

I hope your weekend has been fully of lovely moments too. I'm off to settle in for the finale of Masterchef and perhaps to do a little sewing and try out my new little Olympia.

Much love and Antiques
xxx

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Reading Bronte...

The holidays have officially begun and before many exciting adventures of zine creating, lounge room redecorating, paddle steamer riding, wine tasting, family seeing and art making begin...

I just wanted to sit back and dream the afternoon away in my garden with a little Anne Bronte and a lovely cup of tea.

And it was so beautiful, I might just do it all over again tomorrow.


Much love and Autumn afternoons
xxx

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A lovely Monday to heart Brooches!

Its been very busy around my little house over the past few days. I'm so excited that some very sweet people like my brooches and I was delighted to be wrapping up orders and heading to the post office this morning. A big thank you for your messages and support, I have so much fun creating my little goodies it's so nice to see them go to a lovely homes.

Little packages ready for the mail (as I was putting the bows on I couldn't help singing 'Brown paper packages tied up with string!)

I found myself back in the studio last night replenishing my brooch supplies, coming up with lovely new ideas and thing to heart. This batch certainly has a little bit for everyone, knitters, photographers and even the Marie Antoinette lover.

I just love how they look like yummy little cookies all sitting together.

Here are just a few brooches from my latest crazy little collection which can be found in my shop:

I heart Fairytales..

I heart Polaroids..

I heart to Stitch..

I also made a quick trip to my lovely little haberdashery store for some new fabrics and to the local art supplies shop for some very interesting canvases I have had my eye on. I've been dreaming up some creations on tiny canvases and finally found the perfect size. Can't wait to get back to the studio and see what evolves. Keep a look out in the next few days..

Well I'm off to brew a pot of tea, dream up some lovely tales and enjoy the afternoon sunshine...

Hope you are enjoying a delightful Monday
xxx

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Morning walks and afternoon tea parties..

How quickly the week has flown by and again I have seen the beauty of country Victoria. I had the opportunity to go to Horsham (north of Ballarat) on Thursday for a graduate teachers professional development. Had a lovely time meeting other teachers from the area and reflecting on what a wonderful year it has been. When I got home look what was waiting in the mailbox for me, a lovely little package that I got from Marmeeraft. I just love Marjorie's amazing work and just had to purchase these adorable owlet bookplates. And look at the sweet little postard and envelope she included, just beauitful.

My lovely bookplates

Lots of extra goodies!

We have had a lovely weekend, very busy as they all seem to be. I've been asked to accompany a group of year 9 and 10 students with another teacher Outdoor Education expedition camping, bush walking and canoeing for two days, this Thursday and Friday. I'm so excited and a little nervous as well, mainly of the 19kms I have to canoe! What I have enjoyed is buying all the bits and pieces I have to take with me. Ben and I have had a lovely time in the local camping stores. As I am not a regular camper we had to start from scratch so now I'm all set for our expedition.

I got some flash new hiking boots and so this morning we decided to go through a walk down at the local nature reserve King's Billabong to break them in. We had a wonderful time particularly because it had rained all day yesterday so there was plenty of wildlife about and plenty of mud to squelch around in. Here are some photos from our little adventure..

The trees are already in full blossom just in time for the start of spring

There is just something about the red gums and salt bushes that makes the Mallee so beautiful and haunting

Can you see the beautiful Kangaroo? Her little joey just jumped in for a ride

I just had to take a photo of these adorable print made by a joey. How cute are the little paw prints!

After our delightful walk I finished my shopping for my bestie Courtney and her little bub who is due to enter the world any time now. Been having so much fun buying sweet things for Lily and Courtney and something her gorgeous little boy Elijah too. Here it all is wrapped and ready for the mail.

Brown paper packages tied up with sting (and ribbon!)

And now for my favourite things this week:

Journaling my spiritual moments

Afternoon tea parties with lovely cups and vanilla cake

The beautiful work of Immortal Longings. As I am teaching Macbeth at the moment I am just loving all thing Shakespeare and the works of Elizabeth E. Schuch are just stunning. She embraces all the most exquisite moments of Shakespeare.

Beautiful Immortal Longings Romeo and Juliet journal


Much love to everyone, hope you have a fabulous week as I will be!
Three weeks of the term to go!

xxx

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The writer and her writing desk....

And as I sit here with my glass of red wine by the fire listening to David Gray I realise just how much love quite Saturday nights, particularly after fabulous eventful Saturdays. Today was certainly one of those... We spent a beautiful winter's afternoon sipping hot chocolate at Pleasantrees Frechwares and I also discovered and purchased a fabulous 1940's writing desk from Rose Harvest. A delightful day was had by all..

Image courtesy of Pleasantrees Frenchwares
The beautiful gazebo we spent the afternoon in...

Real French hot chocolate, what a delight!

Looking back to the shop.. I just love the bare trees..

Our favourite friend joined us for afternoon tea..

And now for the writing desk, my husband and I have been searching for a desk for a long time an often pop into Rose Harvest antiques. Today was just my lucky day as the owner had just recently found some lovely furniture including my very sweet little desk. It was quite a bargain and needs a little work to get it fully restored and I'm delighted that my lovely husband is looking forward to the challenge. Here are a few before pictures, there will be more once it is looking all lovely.

With the desk open and closed. I just love the simplicity of it, just can't wait to find the perfect chair for it and fill it with beautiful stationary and my quill and ink well.

Well during the week it was been freezing and I'm not kidding... just in case you didn't believe me I took a photo of the temperature on my computer on Thursday morning, see for yourself...

Now I realise what the locals were talking about!

So because it was so cold my hubby wanted me to crochet him a beanie, so I set to work and whipped one up. Problem was when I finished I loved it so much I wanted to keep it. So I recreate it a little smaller and with some more girly colours and created my signature beret. Its so versatile and soft I just love it. Will be creating some lovely different colour versions over the weeks and can't wait to use my new mannequin 'Molly' to display them in the Jade and Isobel shop. Here they are..

The boys version..

The girls version

I really hope people love them as much as I do, I just love a really great beanie/beret that you is soft and you can throw on to walk out the door on a cold winter morning.

Well that is it for me for this Saturday evening, I'm going to curl up with 'Wuthering Heights' and my now half empty glass of red and enjoy the evening. I will leave you tonight with my favourite photo of the day... the glorious winter sky in Mildura. Much love xxx

The view from the Pleasantrees Gazebo, just beautiful...

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The Long Weekend..

You have got to love a long weekend, just when you think its over there is a whole lovely day to be had. Well I have lots to show and tell this week so I will jump straight in..

First of all may I just say how cold it has been here today, according to the thermometer outside it reached a top of 11 degrees! It has rained for most of the day, yes it actually rained! As much as I dislike being cold I can't help but enjoy the smell of the rain and and wood burning on open fires. I just love looking at all the little chimneys on the horizon.

These are a couple of my favourite things I can see from my backyard at the moment.

We are not quite sure what kind of fruit this is but we have a tree in the backyard full of it.

My favourite little chimney on the next door neighbours shed.

It has been a perfect weekend for reading, writing and sewing and drinking tea... It is amazing just how inspiring a little rain can be.

First the tea then a trip to the library.

After spending much of my time these days reading and analysing books I realised the need to stop reading B grade girly novels and begin a path of reading and attempting to understand great literature of the world. I began with Pride and Prejudice and now I have gone back for a little more Austen and a whole lot of Tolstoy.

A friend from work recommended Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy so I grabbed it from the local library along with Northanger Abbey and The Harp Lesson. I have made a resolution to watch less TV and read much more, which I may need to do in order to get thought these!

Besides loaning half the library I have been enjoying some fantastic art from some amazing blogs which I have to show you!

My first favourite little blog is Cozy Little Whimsy Nook beautiful art, ladies and owls by Marjorie otherwise known Marmee Craft. Her images are just delightful and she has just been published in my favourite magazine 'Frankie'. Here are a few of my favourite pieces.

'The Green Swell'
She reminds me of Elizabeth Bennet

'The Darling Nest'
What a lovely accessory!

My next lovely blog is an amazing Melbourne artist Catherine Campbell who hides out at My Folk Lover. Her delightful ladies have graced the pages of many a magazine and is currently in this month's Frankie magazine showing off her lovely little house and giant bunny rabbit! I just adore her latest series of work Over the Sea.

They remind me of how much I miss the ocean.

Well I am off to upload my photographs of the very sweet project satchel I made for by best friend today. I will post them very soon.

For now I must leave you with some exciting news. My brother in law is going to be on The New Inventors TV show on the ABC on Wednesday the 30th of April. He has invented a crazy new guitar pick and my adorable little niece even got to be a part of the show!

Here he is on the website..

Congratulations Paul!

Hope every has had a lovely weekend! xx

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