Jump in & witness a......

I'm chuffed and very grateful. I've been invited to contribute to Project Life - a photographic journal of being with a number of incredibly inspiring women. It's fun getting to know them through pictures. We're spread far and wide, Canada, Chicago, Montana for starters... others I hope meet along the journey.

Here's to the little everyday miracles. I took this at the top of a playground in St Kilda while racing Z to the top today. Hence he's feeling better....although still not looking flash. It was so funny to be rewarded by this. For jumping in and being childish. If I'd stayed on the ground I'd never have witnessed the 'Miracle'.

I hope you'll pop by, join the ride & say hello over at Project Life. Happy hump x

Grazie

129/366: for our local Cafe and all the friendly, familiar faces we meet there., a photo by Stupendous Joy on Flickr.

Not just the human ones .... Flo, Buster, Barry, Barley, Jet, Lola, Chaver .... what a treat to see all of those wagging tales too.

Happy Monday

Eat less, chew more.... after an indulgent weekend it seems to resonate today.
You? Is there any one that jumps out?

ohh, these Mod Collective lights are really jumping out at me too. They are so incredibly beautiful. I think I'd have to have one in every colour.

Have a lovely week my lovelies. xx

Home

Happy Monday everyone. xx

My week of thankfulness

“(Some people) have a wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.” — A.H. Maslow

It's not always easy to hold onto that capacity for awe, pleasure & wonder, least of all ecstasy in the same sameness of the everyday .... but I must say, this humble little Gratitude Project helps me. So much goodness, I often find it hard to choose only one. xx

It's the small things

These photos have been taken over the last 4 days. They are snippets. Snippets of time spent spent wandering alone, of quiet time with family and celebrating, a wedding, with friends.
Some of these photos appear in my Gratitude Project here. It's my little meditation on the small things.

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
Vincent Van Gogh

I hope your weekend was full of small things to make you smile. xx

{this moment}

A somewhat sporadic Friday ritual (originted by Soule Mama).
A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment.

“Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.”
― Henry David Thoreau, Walden, or Life in the Woods

The older I become, the fonder I am of early mornings..... wonders never cease.
Happy weekend. xx

{this moment}

An 'occasional' Friday ritual (originted by Soule Mama).
A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. One that brought a smile to my face.

Have a wonderful weekend. x

Blue skies and beach...

3 days to go! Here's to blue skies and crystal clear water. The forecast is looking good.
I'm so excited...

Something I came across yesterday...
Forgiveness is the economy of the heart... forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.
Hannah More

Good morning

An early morning walk around my neighbourhood this morning. I love watching a city wake up.
Have a great day. xx

Bright nights and sunny days

This photo was snapped on a tram ride home from Cutler & Co. last Thursday night. The L.F.s siblings gave me a rather generous gift voucher for my birthday to dine at the lush establishment, located in an old metal work factory on Gertrude St, Fitzroy. It was another dining highlight, coming very close to the Vue de monde experience (both, thanks to the decadence of my in-laws).

These foie gras & date cigars are an example of the exceptional detail and incredible flavor they serve up. Aren't they Fantastic?! Such fun and totally delicious. If you're daring and felt like whipping up a few for your next dinner party I came across a recipe by Shannon Bennett for Foie Gras Cigars over at The Chef's Pencil. They'd sure bring a bit of humor to the night and leave a much sweeter taste in your mouth than the cubans.

:::
Snippets of days past:
The L.F.'s granny, Doo, passed away on the weekend. One of a kind. A total lady, whose incredible interest and thirst, for life & those she loved, will be so dearly treasured.
On a lighter note, I took a Stand Up Paddle Board lesson on Saturday with 2 friends. It was the perfect Melbourne day. Sunshine, not a breathe of wind and oh so beautiful to view St Kilda from the water. I can't wait to get out there again soon.
Crafty Monday's are back after a 2 month hiatus ...starting today. Hooray. I eased into it with another pair of these.

xox

Noticed these beauties recently?

Is it just me or have you too noticed the Crepe Myrtle this year? It seems to be the flower of the season bursting with colour. Adding a tropical feel to the streets of St Kilda.

:: Recently discovered to my delight (thanks Sam).... The Diggers Club, Australia's largest garden club. They even mail order Australia wide.... have 2 incredible garden displays & cafe's showcasing the freshest vegetables and the tastiest fruits picked straight from the garden. They started rescuing heirloom varieties back in 1992 and won the Vogue Entertainment and Produce Award 2007, in the Heritage category, for preserving heirloom vegetable seeds. Roll up those sleeves...it's time to hit the garden.

A flaming flurry of flowering gums.

The flowering Eucalyptus trees are incredible this time of year. We counted 5 vibrant variations on our morning walk through the park today. These two were our favorites.

We returned home to find two books had arrived in the mail. When God Was a Rabbit & The Happiness Project. Books which have been on my list for a while. I love my local bookstore but there is something so fun about a book arriving in the post. It takes me back to my childhood and the pure excitement of receiving a letter in the mail. It sure beats bills!

With summer evaporating temporarily and the nights being so cold it's perfect weather for curling up on the couch with a book at night. Now to decide which to read first.

Have you read any great books this summer? Recommendations welcome. I'll add them to the list.

Toy Society Drop

This morning at 6.30am I did my first toy drop for The Toy Society. The Toy Society is a world-wide collective of toy makers – of varying skill levels– who make toys and leave them as gifts for perfect strangers.
Hopefully somebody will discover this sweet chick and make it a part of their home.

When I went past at 9.30am, on the way for my morning coffee, it was still there. Fingers crossed it's found it's way into a pair of warm little hands by now.

I first heard about The Toy Society 3 years ago when I was living in Sydney and fortunate enough to meet with a number of crafty Sydney bloggers for dinner, on occasion. Being a new mum, in a new city, with a 4 month old baby I was a little well.... quite overwhelmed. I was totally in awe of these incredibly productive and prolific crafters (Floating World, Tuttie Fruttie, My Art is my Outlet, Taylor Street, Sadie and Lance...to name a few). One of these ladies was the founder of The Toy Society and I just loved the idea pf making something handmade and leaving it for a perfect stranger, no questions asked.

It's taken a considerable amount of downtime and a name change to find my feet and develop some momentum with crafting, blogging...& let's face it, at times, my role in mothering. This week, for me, has been about stepping back into the past and realising just how grateful I am to be right here in the present.

It's feels kind of timely that I offer this wee chick out to the unknown in deep gratitude. xox

the weekend

Here are a few photos from our weekend.
...a random chair I came across while out walking, alone, in St Kilda. It's so rare I find myself walking alone these days. I usually have a little chatterbox in tow. So, this chair seemed to jump out of the silence... to let me know it's waiting there for me, quietly, patiently....
...the beautiful red ute. How perfect would this be for chair pick ups and deliveries? I have my eye on you little car.
...a photo from Noah & Jason's exhibition, Mind and Matter. I'm still dreaming of Noah's Paper Lantern.
...farewell Poppa Baz.

Here's to a new week & new possibilities.
I dwell in possibility.
- Emily Dickinson

xx

Monkey mind mist clears to reveal spectacular blue sky

Z & I strolled the streets of St Kilda on Sunday afternoon in order to catch sight of St Kilda through a veil of mist. If any of you were out and about in Melbourne town you no doubt witnessed the incredibly misty morning. It was beautiful (albeit a tad cold).
I took a series of photos which you can peep at here. However, these three have captured me. By the time we returned home the mist had totally disappeared to revealed the most spectacular brilliant blue sky.
The colours after the mist lifted were so intense. Everything seemed to be jumping out at us. It was a little like...'oh hello, there you are. You really were there all along.'

(The mist reminded me a little of my monkey mind! Thick fog, lingering & totally illusory. He he.)

Link Love

Things I'm loving.

Dew droplets on our morning walk.

Up The Wooden Hill. I love Lisa Marie's romantic style (and she too has been having fun with Instagram).

These Eames & Neutra house numbers produced by Heath Ceramics (found via Tiny Canvases).

The idea of making these wings for Z.

The prospect of ordering this fabric for the second chair we are working on (I just need to convince the L.F.)

This blog by Sandra Juto. Stunning.

& last but definitely not least.... the L.F. Happy anniversary. xox

A photo snapped on my iphone today while walking in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens. Waiting for the Z man to catch up, I looked up to find these superb flowers.

We're lying low today while Z recovers from a nasty head cold. Here's a list of the things helping to warm our home & hearts:

this delicious blog 'What Katie ate'. Not only are the recipes mouth wateringly good but the styling and photography and heavenly.

Vivian Maier's street photography and the story of her discovery.

and the spectacular photographs by Penny De Los Santos

Fankful Friday

Today I'd like to give thanks for all the beauty around me. These photos were taken over a number of mornings. Quiet mornings, spent pushing a pram around our neighbourhood, St Kilda, discovering all of her unsung treasures.