These are a few of my...

favourite things.

Luna Park entrance St. Kilda Esplanade, St. Kilda Beach here

Make Me Iconic, wooden toy tram here

Skipping Girl Vinegar sign, Victoria Street, Richmond here 

(print available here )

Things that make me happy.

Things that I love.

Things that I'd love to own.

Things that I do own.

Things that I enjoy.

Things that I enjoy doing.

Things that resonate with my sense of aesthetics. 

A post inspired by Melbourne icons.

I think it's about time for a favourite things post.  I might
try to get back into posting these every Friday. Some of

my favourites are already listed to the left of my blog and
many them are also listed on the pages under my header as
...shops, places to go, books,  mags, recipes and resources.

Most probably, they will all find a place in these posts and 

I hope that you'll enjoy sharing these lovely things with me.

Feel free to play along on your own blog if you'd like,

I'd love to know what your favourite things are too! xo

Little Ari

This photo was taken in 2009, in the lane way outside 

'Our Little-Big House' in the city (as Ari used to call it).

A Little-r Ari in his winter woolies. So cute and

how cute are those bunny mitts?!  Too small now :'(

I drew this picture in 2008 of Ari and his best friend Henri,

(who was one of my earliest toy creation).  I recently uploaded it

to my online portfolio of Art and Illustration... take a peek↓

Another World Recordings

High Five

Sneaky is more like a tiger cub than a house cat. 

And she thinks Ari is a tiger cub too, I think. 

The two of them spend hours playing together.

Ari's double bed is a beautiful old deco piece I picked up for a 

song, many years ago. My first bed when I moved out of home.

His sheets are from Ikea. The print is a graphic version of Ikat.

'Orange Pussycats' is an old work of mine from art school days.

Happy (belated) Mother's Day

...to all the beautiful mothers of this world.

Thank-you for being the strong, loving, 

wise and inspiring women that you are.

Image: photographed by Eric Lafforgue  here

Mumuhuila mother with her albino baby. Angola.

BOIS & CHARBONS

The other day, Ari and I took a lovely walk around the Collingwood 

Children's Farm & the Abbotsford Convent. We stopped to shoot some 

pictures of each other in front of the old Bois & Charbons Coke Shop.

Would you believe, it was Ari's first time using the camera?

Aren't they great! I love that beautiful old facade so much. 

The weather has been just perfect these past couple of weeks.

Aside from a cold and a bout of stomach flu, we've thoroughly 

enjoyed the school holidays. But school started back again today.

I'm always sad when my Ari has to go back to the classroom.
He's such a sweetheart and I so love spending time together.

It is great to be back in the studio and able to focus on work though.
I am very inspired right now. The work table's piled high with projects

and patterns and fabric and books and trims and I can't wait to finally
get my Etsy shops up and running.  It's all coming together so nicely!

Happy Valentine's Day

A coffee at The St. Kilda Galleon Cafe 

(You can step inside with Google Maps this is so cool!)

These are a few of my...

favourite things.

Elisabeth Dunker

Lanapelana

Wink and Me

Sabine Timm

Things that make me happy.

Things that I love.

Things that I'd love to own.

Things that I do own.

Things that I enjoy.

Things that I enjoy doing.

Bellalulu

Things that resonate with my sense of aesthetics.

Well this Friday almost came and went without a 'favourite things' list.

Between getting ready for school, jam making and piles of laundry,

picking up an order of preserving jars (yes, we're still harvesting!) and 

getting caught in a traffic jam/ summer thunderstorm on the way back, 

picking Ari up from School and driving him to Circus Class in town, 

stopping off afterwards for pizza and a movie at a friends' house, then

coming home to a blackout...  Friday just about up and disappeared!

Now there's five minutes to Midnight and I've a cool drink in hand, my 

little one's nestled snuggly in his bed and I'm ready for Dreamland too.  

I just finished finding all the links for these lovelies and I do hope you 

like them. I'm listing my favourite things every Friday. I'd love to know
what your favourite things are, if you'd like to play along on your blog.

I hope everyone's enjoying a most wonderful weekend thus far.

We're hoping to fit in a picnic at the Botanical Gardens if the weather's

obliging and some time in our own garden planting late Summer seeds.

I'm hoping to spend most of next week making in the Studio...

I can't wait to share some images of what I've been madly working on!

xoxox

Lunar New Year

Last week, we headed down to the festivites in Victoria Street. 

It was fun... but really hot!  Summer has finally arrived here.

We stopped for cool drinks (and a cupcake) on the way there. 

Ari's super cute cap is from Australian label Rock Your Baby.
It was a birthday gift from my brother. Thank-you Uncle Karl!

My sweet skirt is by another Australian label  High Tea With Mrs Woo

It was a rare and extravagant purchase for me. I bought it when I found
out that I was pregnant with Ari (while working as a costume maker.)

It's made from a combination of cotton and vintage silks. I love it to bits.

There was so much wonderful colour and oh, the food... 

sweet sticky rice, cane sugar juice, vegetarian egg pancakes, 

rice paper rolls, icy watermelon juice, vegie dumplings. Yum!

Ari went on a couple of rides and bought a beautiful new blue 

butterfly kite. What a wonderful day we all had in Richmond.

It's New Year in Chinatown this Sunday.  

We're looking forward to seeing that beautiful dragon once more.

 Festivities run from 10am till late. The dragon awakes at 12.30 pm.

Maybe we'll see you there... xoxo

Spring Is Here

The red Alpine style house is built into the side of an extict 
volcano. My grandparent's built it as their 70s dream house.

This beautiful purple weed's flowering everywhere...

This blossom looks like snowballs at the moment. It's so very very dreamy. My 

grandmother planted it 30 years ago and the plums...  taste like my childhood.

The border of the garden bed was made from the volcanic 
rocks which littered the property when it was purchased.

The  first day of Spring greeted us with sunshine and  blossom-filled breezes. I took these photos in the garden this afternoon. Everything is looking so wonderfully... springy! Jonathan created the fairy garden for Ari last year. It fills the flower bed beneath an enormous fir tree (much like how I imagine the faraway tree might be). It's a little overgrown and in need of a tidy, but still our favourite part of the garden. I found the little fairy in a junk shop. She sits on a rock inscribed with the words...

'life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away'

Happy Springtime! 
or Autumn or Rainy Season...
depending on where you reside

Ari's outfit:  vintage 1970s overalls: op shop, star print spencer: Baby Gap 

and batman gumboots: Cotton On Kids (both found second hand at savers)

Total cost of Ari's outfit =   $6.98

MAGIC

my apologies for performing a sudden disappearing act

Fine Little Day

although the endless wonders of the world wide web call

Barbara Berrada

there is much in need of tending in the real world, too.

Ari

I have found myself more than busy lately... sorting out the new computer, getting schooling back on track, catching up with friends & creating while allowing time for grieving, preserving the last of winter's fruit and preparing the garden, as Spring has sprung early this year.  

Already the fruit trees are blossoming and the seedlings are yearning to be planted out.  Nature is not to be neglected if we want to see our dreams of self-sufficiency become our reality, and I have been much enjoying the fruits of last Summer's efforts (if you'll pardon the pun!)

The studio re-organisation has taken up considerably more time than anticipated, as has the new computer, but oh the joy of having working technology at my fingertips (and being able to see the wood of my cutting table) again. 

The sun peers in to greet us each day and there will be picnicking in the sunshine, camping in the bush, swimming at the beach, drives in the hills and walks in the parks with friends. 

ah, that magical buzz of Springtime is in the air... xo

the dear little house

aren't these pictures simply delightful?

they are from the incredible 

styling talent of danish company

Indenfor & Udenfor 

(click here)

and were found via this oh so lovely blog

...how I wish that I could visit their shop in Copenhagen. Sigh!