born in the 70's

I was excited to find this present for my friend's birthday at the Wolloongabba Antiques Centre  and couldn't wait to give it to her for her birthday this weekend. We had previously had a lovely morning together there and as we both oohed and ahhed over various items I noticed she had a particular weakness for those beautifully hideous combinations of 70's tableware and crockery combining stoneware and wood, orange, brown and mustard. I must admit to feeling a slight sense of nostalgia for them which has now turned my opinion from distaste to love! It is amazing how your taste can change so much so that something you once regarded as ugly can appear so aesthetically pleasing. 

Love makes anything look beautiful!

I was very pleased that my friend loved them too. I also found a suitably 70's card! I love this range by Australian artist Sue Adams taken from her work during the 70's. I got mine from David Jones but you can also see a range available at lark

A Little Person's Party

Today we went to an Octonauts Party!

Octonauts is a super cute Australian children's animation. 

Always a delight to attend a party hosted by my very creative friends, always good food and a distinctive variety of home brew on offer, {today's was hazelnut!}.

...and the magnificent cakes which taste as good as they look.

Wouldn't it be fabulous to be able to wear exactly the same dress as your friend! 

No... maybe a bit single white female? Maybe only cool when you are six. 

{our present to the birthday girl}

We loved the Octonaut wrapped chocolate bar to take home!

Slightly boring...

Well I had a bit of a quiet weekend which was FANTASTIC!
On Friday arvo I was shouted lunch at "The Boys" {review from Green bean Food} at Kelvin Grove - I rate it - you should stop in there if you are in the area - so yum. My boys had a visit with their Dad for the first time in nearly a year so I was all alone which was a bit unsettling...
I started with my weekly martial arts/self defence lesson on Friday evening, {I don't know if I've already mentioned it, but I love it and it's so good for stress!}. Then a cup of tea at my friend's and then dinner at IKEA shouted {again} by my sister - the bomb! Saturday morning it rained and it was cold but I got up very early and used my morning to myself to work out at the gym with my friends which made me very happy. I also cleaned house, did some babysitting and relaxed in between.
My friends knew I was on a bit of a downer this week - how much do I love my friends? - they are everything to me.

Brisbane - Why no Haigh's?

Am about to embark on a delightful diversion from the conventional via some Haigh's Chocolate (mmmm - do not visit website if you are sensitive to chocolate) via my friend returning from a trip to Melbourne.
Yes, no ordinary block-o-choc, so much better.
I also have a peppermint mouse and also some pretty beads and earrings sparkling at me from inside my little souvenir packet from Melbourne.
Well... they may have Haigh's amongst other marvels to recommend their city but I heard the weather made Brisbane feel tropical in comparison!

5 Design Secrets

I came across this inspiring and entertaining talk by Graphic Designer Michael Bierut via the AGDA website.
Can you shed a tear over graphic design?
Yes you can! { I am referring to point 5!}

Welcome to the Jungle

Went to the Jungle Giants EP Launch in May. It was held {aptly} at the Zoo in The Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. It was a fantastic night! Of course you know I love them, they did not disappoint.

I purchased a special pack containing their EP, a rad poster, some stickers and my choice of a little jungle animal - I chose a tiger {grr I am year of the tiger}.

I brought him home and my menagerie welcomed him.

Veranda Time!

I have been asked to "consult" on my friend's veranda redesign!
I have been pinning down some inspiration over at pinterest.

What do you think Linda?

I think this is spectacular*

*View not included

You must have,

a daybed

or a hammock

or something in-between!

A table large enough for your whole family...

{and yes, the people in her family actually look like this}

Does your budget extend to a shopping trip to Palm Springs?

You will have to by a cat.

                                       

I really feel one end of the verandah should be dedicated to a serious tiki bar with a well established drinks cabinet or at the very least a cute little trolley.

I guess you'd better get some outdoor lighting for all the parties you will be having to justify the tiki bar.

Should I stop now? I couldn't - there's more here

{all images from pinterest, please click here for credit and source information}

Swiss Night

My parents brought me and the boys back this lovely clock from their recent Swiss/Austrian adventures! It was exactly what I wanted as we had a very similar one when I was little however all that remains of that one is the little fraulein on the swing attached to nothing but memories.

I have never made it to Austria or Switzerland and am looking forward to "Swiss Night" tonight at my parent's house to see all of their photographs. 

Slide night was and is a much loved tradition for our family.  Although my father's clear, crisp photographs of the enormous snow capped alps above the fields of flowers and cows, forests and villages are going to be so stunning and beautiful they are going to make me ache to go there, they won't have the quite same aesthetic as the slide nights from the 70's and early 80's with the slight grainy texture, the fashions! against the background hum of the slide projector in the darkness and the hilarity of seeing a slide randomly inserted upside down, {nothing funnier when you are 7}.

Photographs should always be displayed in such a way {travel photographs especially should be seen on a large scale} or at least I hope Dad has assembled a large screen connected to his computer and Mum has made some "nuts and bolts" or similar to be passed round whilst we listen to his funny and amusing stories of their trip as a foil to the heartbreaking beauty of his photography.  

Autumn Leaves

My little boy is home on his second day in a row from school because he is pretty sick with the flu. We went for a little walk this morning to get the hey out of the house and get some fresh air! It was such a gorgeous morning, I thought it would cheer him up a little.We found some beautiful leaves.

The little vintage bottle above as well as the log vase were found at the markets for me on Mother's Day - don't they look sweet for a couple of dollars each. I actually think the vase looks a little lalique no?
The large brown glass bottle is a chemical bottle from reverse garbage I bought quite a while ago - but they usually have them there for a couple of dollars too! It took a while to scrub the label off however the label left on might look cool too, maybe for halloween or something.
Happy Days, hope the flu bugs don't stop at your door in the coming weeks!