discovering natives

i enjoy nurseries and remember speculating about their fate when the water crisis began to escalate. Now i'm pleased to see that nurseries are helping to popularise australian natives and i never guessed these could be so interesting- the colour and variety of the flowers is astounding. i've noticed the same trend with florists, they're also stocking many natives and have introduced me to waratahs, banksias, geleznoias and my favourite, kangaroo paws.


my addiction for succulents is waning- to be replaced by kangaroo paws.

guess who?

I couldn't sleep because i made the mistake of having an afternoon coffee yesterday. all night i was tormented by silly ideas floating around my head.

high tea time

beautiful ceramics by claire coles . I am curious to know whether the cup is leak-proof.


sand blasted tea cups by jo meesters from her ornamental inheritance | tea service series.



tea hankerchief, by miho kaneko available at kith-kin.

photo credits: miho kaneko, claire coles, jo meesters.

happy coincidence

being forced to speak to a computer over the phone is frustrating, as is being put on hold for extended periods and the horrible music they choose. yesterday when i rang the australian taxation office and finally got to speak to an operator, i was astounded to discover the operator was not only a person but someone who knew me personally since we studied together at rmit. How nice is that- i love happy coincidences.

road trip

mum is visiting and we took her for a trip to dayelsford. the dayelsford sunday market, mill market (where my sister was so overwhelmed she forgot to breath and where i was remarkably restrained), book barn, lunch at the convent cafe and a walk around the botanical gardens and lake made for a really lovely day.


my loot.

easter sunday

perfect day for a picnic at maroondah reservoir park.

i dream of flying

i was awed by the wonderfully playful series of images on last summer's roof top cinema program/promo cards. just now, i've learned that this was the work of brilliant photographer, jan von holleben from his series dreams of flying. i can't contain my joy over these.. so enchanting, imaginative and delightfully low tech.







photo credits: jan von holleben

making things better by tearing them apart

i enjoyed this lazy sunday sight:



i ate lentil soup.
i learned you can make things better by pulling them apart.
i saw this tutorial by outsapop, posted on cut out +keep, and had to have a go.



here's my go at it. most of my attempts at dressmaking end in disaster, but i'm pleased with this result. i discovered wool is amazingly forgiving.



I've collected a big bag of out-of-commission woolens- some of them are real 80's shockers. I'm planning to refashion them into my winter wardrobe and yet I feel tentative about cutting into them for fear of ruining them in vein. i'm the same about cutting up books too, because somehow it feels like a violation. i guess sometimes you do have to pull things apart in order to make them better.

april craft hatch

i enjoyed the cool change and am now in the mood for making winter-y things: scarves, jumpers, blankets, hot water bottle covers and soup.
i ate a hearty moroccan lamb pie and hot-cross bun from filou's.
i learned by mistake, that varnishing jobs should not be left to the last minute- it takes days for the toxic smell to subside.
i saw wonderful things at the april craft hatch market, on at the melbourne city library on flinders lane.

i picked up these adorable bangles by textile designer penny walker-keefe - check out her upcoming exhibition, heirloom, on at brunswick art space from 8th to 23rd of may.



i was also taken by brittany veitch's felt creatures, jen hall's brooches and christiane poulos's handbags.

wrong side of the tracks

my trip to the shops today was not dull. central brunswick became completely grid locked after the dramatic electrical storm caused all the rail crossings to malfunction. what a stroke of luck i was on a bike, the only type of vehicle able to move.

tinkering away

i'm glad earl grey tastes so good (and that i wasn't the victim of any foolish pranks).
i ate fried rice.
i enjoyed building wooden boxes from recycled packing crates, making new blankies and writing lists.
i learned i may have dug out the winter gear prematurely.
i saw a microscopic epic: an ant struggling with a boulder sized crumb.