at the Rose Bowl Flea Market

During our recent trip overseas, I was lucky enough to be in
Los Angeles the same week as the monthly Rose Bowl flea market.  Ive dreamed of visiting one day.

I first heard about the Rose Bowl from the teen series 'Beverly Hills 90210' when Donna sat on the float at the
Rose Bowl parade haha ...but after Rachel Ashwell and her Shabby Chic style came about a few years later, flea market finds were all the rage (and still are!)

The market can pull in about 20,000 visitors in one day and there are SO many vendors that sell all sorts of things - you just never know what you'll find!  ...so on our first Sunday in LA we drove out to Pasadena, took the wrong exit and headed back to Downtown and ended up on the wrong side of the road (crazy tourists!) - lucky it was early and not much traffic about - we made it in one piece and picked up my good friend Tammy, who lives in Pasadena and headed into the fun chaos of the flea market!
Parking was free which was awesome considering they could make so much money from all those cars and admission was a cheap $8!
The Flea market was a great day out, a visual treat and a little over whelming for this Aussie gal....Americans love their vintage and because of the population (or perhaps people's hoarding tendencies) there was SO much choice, so much to sift through, so much to see!
Tammy, my adorable friend whom I met through an Ebay transaction
13 years ago (for real!!) was on the hunt for vintage wooden crates for her baby succulent plants - she found two great ones.
We both found some great paper ephemera, found photos and postcards and bought goodies from 'Oh, Hello Friend' stall - sweet stuff!
People watching at such a venue was super inspiring - so many rockabilly styles, Victorian inspired guys sporting handlebar moustaches and beards (hello Etsy trend!) ...apparently a team from H&M headquarters in Stockholm were there to gather ideas & inspiration - loads to go around!

and here is a set of adorable Vintage Party invites that I found at the Flea market - I have listed them in  my Etsy shop now!

Caramelised Onion & Blue-Vein Cheese Tarts

Hey thanks Donna Hay for such an easy and delicious savory appetizer.
I found this recipe in a back issue of on of her magazines.

Caramelised Onion & Blue-vein Cheese tarts -  so yummy.
Ingrediants
2 sheets ready bought Puff Pastry
2 brown onions - cut into 8 thick slices
50grams butter
100grams Blue vein cheese (so good!)
Baby Spinach & Balsamic vinegar to serve (optional)

First step is to caramalise your onions in the butter - this adds such a sweetness to the onions....be careful when turning so you dont undo the onion rings...fry gently until nice and golden and smelling good!

Cut each sheet of Puff Pastry into 4 equal pieces - I used a large teacup, the old fashion kind, with a wide circle shape - cut out 4 large circles from each sheet so 8 circles in total.

cut your blue-vein cheese into 8 equal sizes and crumble slightly onto raw pastry.  Add your onion ring on top of the cheese.

Bake in hot oven for 10-15mins until golden.
Serve hot...

Optional - drizzle some Balsamic Vinegar over baby spinach and toss over the tarts...
Yummy!

Makes 8

recipe by Donna Hay 

The Growing Child....

So last year we had a bit of a reshuffle in our home – the boys moved into separate bedrooms.
Neo, my youngest is settled in the smallest bedroom in the house but the room got a little makeover (which you can see here and here)  and he seems really content and happy!
 My big boy Pete got a double bedroom all to himself but he also scored hand-me-down furniture (my old bookshelf and his dad’s old clunky desk) which somehow made their way into his bedroom – lately he's been hinting (often) that he’d also like an update to his bedroom...

He's a growing child... but he's still my little guy at only
10 years of age -  he's at that delicate age between child and teen and I want to hold onto that for as long as I can...
but maybe it is time to get rid of the 'little boy' bedroom and make some changes.

Christine who helped me out with our family room had a free 'happy up your home' session on her blog and I signed up!
The main issue I have with Peter's bedroom is that its the darkest room in the house - it has a beautiful large window but still doesn't get a lot of natural light so I asked Christine how I could brighten it up using furnishings and colour.

Christine recommended
*we paint the walls lighter and could even go for a bright  feature wall in a punchy colour.
*Change the heavy curtains and go for light holland blinds - this will also help make the window stand out nicely
 * She also recommended a lighter 'colour + print 'quilt cover and to add some funky art work.
* She also said we should leave the natural sisal rug but could add another smaller striped rug on top too add some colour and interest.

We aren't ready to change the furniture - we'll probably do that towards the end of the year but the changes Christine recommended are easy to do!  Im feeling white, gray, pale blue and accents of yellow for his bedroom!
Looking forward to letting my growing boy join in on the fun of this makeover...!
Thanks Christine!

* images Top via Pinterest and bottom via theSocialiteFamily

Its a little Nippy outside....

I'm snuggled up in my warm pyjamas as I type this...hot tea by my side!  a comfortable setting and  the best way to blog...
It was really cold today, we had a simple bean stew for dinner tonight served with crusty bread -  perfect for such a nippy day.
… I came across this image on Pinterest - I adore cable knit jumpers, her complete outfit is adorable dont you think? but I love the idea of a cozy bakery on a chilly day...the smell of warm dough in the air...

speaking of bakeries have you ever tried to make a batch of French croissants ...from scratch?
'Why bother?'  you ask,
when its so easy to buy one somewhere nearby...?
I just think it would be a nice  challenge Id like to try sometime...and the image below is from 'Adventures in Cooking' blog - the recipe looks easy enough?
I must admit I really enjoy
baking more than cooking- I came back from our USA trip  eager to learn to bake Cinnamon rolls (yes, we ate many rolls during our trip! SO good!)
I made coconut bread last week - it took 4hrs in total but was so satisfying and my loaf looked awesome - I was so proud!  It was also a big hit with  my boys - we ate the whole loaf by the end of the day!

*images via Pinterest 

Etsy picks of the Week: So Fresh & Lovely

Oh Etsy you are so full of lovely things to buy!
Is Etsy your go-to place for gift buying?  It is for me...

Inspired by this top image (by Shipra Panosian Photography found via
Style Me Pretty   ) its so wonderful  - reminds me of happy days, picnics and peaches!

and here are my picks this week!
Pot Plant by Amy Blackwell  *
Linen Ruched Clutchbags by HelloVioleta *
Thinking of You card by ThePaperCub

Goodbye Google Reader....

Have you heard that Google Reader will no longer be available after 1st July, 2013?
Do you keep up with your favourite blogs via Google Reader?
I was a huge fan - it made life a little more organised so I'm sad about Google's decision - but I quickly scrambled to find a new way to ensure I stay connected to my favourite blogs.
I asked around and most peeps are now using Bloglovin or Feedly.
I imported all my blog subscriptions to both and am trying to figure out which I like best....

My blog had over 1300 subscribers over at Google Reader...Im not one to check stats obsessively but if you'd like to follow my blog posts on Bloglovin click here  or on Feedly,  here 
or via email - there is a link on my side bar to the right!

* image - Vintage paper ephemera bundle in my Etsy shop 

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Happy Mothers Day to all the beautiful Mums out there!

I hope you have a splendid day (off)
and get to relax and enjoy 'your' special day with your loved ones.

I will be enjoying breakfast with my boys and then off to lunch with my Mother.  I will also be visiting my Mother-in-law in the afternoon...Im very blessed to have both these amazing woman in my life!

Vintage Mothers:
Lauren Bacall & son Stephen,
Audrey Hepburn with her son Sean and
Shirley MacLaine with her daughter Sachi

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Back to School...

Last month I attended a great night at ‘The School’ in Sydney’s Rosebery. Stylist Megan Morton opened ‘The School’ a year ago to offer creative workshops and classes to peeps thirsty for some creative fun – you can see their class schedule here….


I booked in for
Kara Rosenlund's
‘Creating Vignettes’ workshop and it was SO wonderful to see Kara in action…she showed us how she styles her vignettes, her 5 main points to remember and she shared her story with us – what an inspiring lady!!
I adore her work… Kara’s beautiful home (hello gorgeous!!) is also featured in this months ‘Inside Out’ magazine!

here is Kara's Vignette that she created on the night - lots of texture and interest!

Beautiful props to play with ( note to self: find a vintage portrait painting) - afterwards everyone was allowed to play around and create some beautiful Vignettes....

a day or so afterwards we got a 'Thank you' email from Megan and 'The School' with an attachment of another stunning Vignette that Kara created to say thanks and goodbye to Sydney before she headed off back to Brisbane...sparkly fun!!

A Girl called Sujean

Its been a while since I’ve done a Creative girl post so today we’re heading over the pond to meet Sujean.

Sujean is a talented illustrator, book author and mum to a darling little boy!

I first came across Sujean’s colourful illustrations many years ago when I subscribed to the

 'Daily Candy' newsletter.

Each time Id get the newsletter in my inbox it would include a delightful illustration that just made me smile!  

This was way before blogs, Pinterest and even Facebook….gee I was probably just getting used to the internet?!

I think Sujean would be surprised to know how I observed, studied and gawked at her beautiful watercolour illustrations each week…

Sujean has worked with many exclusive clients and brands we all love, like 
Tiffany & co. and Coach,
and she has also illustrated many beautiful book covers.  
Sujean is also a published author and illustrator of the Birdie series - a darling children’s book  character.
Birdie is so fun and sweet!
   
As a mum, Sujean is also totally in love with her gorgeous little boy and sent me this fun photo of 'Sticker art' that her little boy decorated all over her legs!

Welcome Sujean!!

Can you tell us what is currently inspiring you?

Witnessing my 3 year old son discover the world. 

Watching Spring finally begin to show itself and 

the Classic 'Little Golden Books' series.

Name 3 things you couldn’t live without right now? 

My family. 

Good coffee in the morning and good wine in the evening. 
My iProducts.

Can you define to us your personal style?

Non-fussy, comfortable but still a bit girlie.

Do you have a favourite colour (or colour combinations)? 

Depends on my mood. 
Right now, it's black, white and red. Yesterday, it was turquoise and grass green...

What about a favourite Smell or Fragrance? 

The beach.

What do you love about your City/Town? 

I still consider myself a Brooklynite (even though we moved north in 2007).
I love that you get the city energy and creative spirit in a relaxed neighborhood. I currently live in Chappaqua, NY and have to say I love being in nature now too - especially with a child.

Do you have a favourite quote you'd like to share with us? 

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it 

- Buddha

Thanks so much Sujean!
To see more of Sujean's beautiful illustrations head on over to her website