tiny terrariums!

I just bought a terrarium! I little tiny teadrop one I can hang on my wall. Terrariums were very popular in the 70’s but seem to be making a come back at the moment. A great alternative to a bunch of flowers!

idee fixe(s): honey snaps
lemongrass & ginger tea
emily green necklaces
terrariums! http://www.miniscapes.net/index.php

three bags full

three bags full is a great little cafe tucked away in the back streets of abbotsford.

I've been there a couple of times now after reading some great reviews and I made a trip back yesterday for breakfast with my sister who was in town.

great atmosphere and decor: industrial chic, stools made from old street signs, plenty of flowers to brighten up the tables, exposed light bulbs & antique scales to display cakes.

fantastic service: quick and friendly

amazing food: sticky black ginger bread with vanilla bean mascarpone, candied cumquats & pistachio for the sweet tooth. our savoury choice was roasted field mushrooms with garlic, rosemary, goats cheese and almond dukkah. yum yum!

it was pretty busy for a tuesday morning though, so either get there early, book or expect to wait!

three bags full 60 nicholson street abbotsford

monsieur truffe

chocolate heaven? I think so...

amazing amazing hot chocolate, to die for chocolate, great fit out, an awesome forest mural and a sister shop called L'atelier de Monsieur Truffe that has just opened up in Brunswick!

I particularly enjoyed the final sentence of The Age review on L'atelier de Monsieur Truffe...

'It's a compelling argument for Brunswick's status as the centre of the universe.' enough said.

monsieur truffe 90 smith street collingwood
l'atelier de monsieur truffe 351 lygon street brunswick east

fairytale folk

I wanted to share artist Julianna Swaney with you all. I love love love her work which is full of fairytales and forest folk. Her pictures remind me of a fairytale that never was. I bought one of her prints for my friend Alice recently (and also got one for myself!)

You can find her blog at http://ohmycavalier.blogspot.com/
and here is her shop http://www.ohmycavalier.bigcartel.com/

chouquette? oui oui!

So I've been in Brisvegas over the last week and have been madly trying to visit all my old foodie haunts! New Farm Sushi Train, Espresso Garage, Huong's & Freestyle. However, out of all these places, Chouquette is my favourite hands down.

It must be something to do with the French speaking staff who greet you with 'Bonjour' as you enter, the mouthwatering pastries and authentic French bread and the incredibly difficult time you spend deciding what to buy. My favourite? The pain aux raisin. Delicieux!

However, please be warned that the coffee is not very good. Maybe it has improved since my last visit... One can only hope. And also be warned that they are not open Monday and Tuesday. The French 35 hour working week is in full operation at Chouquette!

Tick for Chouquette? Oui oui! 19 Barker Street, New Farm

feral fruit trees

Dave and I went on a Saturday morning mission to pillage the fruit trees of Brunswick with the help of this amazing feral fruit trees map! http://feralfruitmelbourne.wordpress.com/  

Fruit that lies outside the boundary of private property is considered public property and therefore anyone can legally pick the fruit. We also found a few new trees to plot on the map.

We found lemons, olives, pomegranates and mandarins.

Although we were a little naughty at one stage and jumped a fence (no one was home as it was a work site) and grabbed some mandarins...

Here is our hoard from this morning!

Happy fruit foraging!

you gotta love this city III

fremantle

idee fixe(s): knitted bicycles

outdoor ping pong tables

recipe art by Dawn Tan http://www.dawn-tan.com/

chez dré

So this is a somewhat 'guest' blog as Dave told me I had to do a blog on this place and he took half the pictures.

Chez Dré is "hipster edgy super cool blogosphere exclusive" (Dave Curro, 2011) as it's only been open for a few weeks!

It's a frenchy boulangerie/patisserie/cafe in South Melbourne. The food is amazing, the staff friendly (yes they did forget our order but gave us heaps of 'free shit' to make up for it) and the macaroons are amazing! Standout macaroon was definately the passionfruit. Everything is made on premises too, so it's super fresh.

Tre bien! for Chez Dré, 285-287 Coventry St, South Melbourne.

crochet cute

When I visited my friend Jule’s house last weekend I discovered she had the most gorgeous bedroom.

I loved how the crisp whiteness of the room was teamed with really vivid colours.

But most of all I loved the crochet blankets Jules scored from the cwa!

This inspired me to attempt to make my own crochet rug! This is how far I got in one day with many youtube tutorials a little help from my little sister :)

finders keepers

The Finders Keepers indie design and art market hit Melbourne this weekend which was much needed reprieve from the grand prix (yawn).

It was like a giant expo of all my favourite shops!

I bought this beautiful mustard crochet necklace. I love love love it.

Sammie bought this super cute tea towel! We both agreed we'd travel to zone 2 if we liked someone enough :)

Idee fixe(s): the end of the grand prix

the start of autumn

homemade sausage rolls

chocolate bullets