this is... my best op shop find...

(or thrifted , garaged saled, trash and treasure marketed, side of the road scavenged.....)

One of the saddest things about renovations is having some of your most treasured objects in storage. Thankfully, I still have three of my favourite secondhand finds out of boxes, to photograph for this week's this is ....

I found five of these anodised canisters in a secondhand store in Canowindra, NSW, one day after work. Freshly moved out of home for the first time, I found these and immediately fell in love, but didn't know if I could afford them. The women in the store kindly let me put them on laybuy, and I paid them off over a few weeks (sounds like an extremely extravagant purchase, but they weren't - I was just a poor newly graduated and very cautious health worker!). The two not included in the photo (in boxes somewhere) are a traffic light green rice canister and a salmon pink coffee canister. They are such a gorgeous set! My one regret was leaving behind the matching breadbin and another tall canister - when I went back the following week, these were gone.

Then, one day driving through Berry, NSW, I felt the urge to go to the local markets, where I found an amazing matching stacked set of cake, cookie and scone canisters (also currently in a box somewhere) at one of the trash and treasure stalls.

I now know there are also spice canisters which match, and will keep searching until I find them... it's become an addiction! I love all things anodised but especially love these... my favourite all time op shop find!

Thanks to Lino Forest for this week's theme!

such a well behaved little pug! ... and a work in progress...

such a well behaved little pug!
Originally uploaded by summer pickles

Sometimes our litle dog just surprises us... As he did tonight, when he sat (yes, he is sitting in this photo) on the end cushion of the lounge and just watched me arrange all of these fabric pieces, trying to decide on a layout for bub's quilt. No picking up a piece and running down the hallway, no walking all over them, no licking them to try to get any loose threads... What a good little dog!

I am trying to make a quilt for floor time for our very-soon-to-arrive baby, without any of the usual quilting tools. It will be a four block, nine patch quilt (after some searching on on the good ol' internerd I think this is what quilters would call it?). After some handy hints from Lara though, I am seriously considering buying myself a cutting mat, rotary cutter and transparent ruler. If you haven't seen Lara's quilt yet, you might like to check it out here.

Perhaps with the right tools my quilts might be a bit more successful - better than when I rely on a dodgy paper template and a pair of scissors?

Will post an update when I get closer to completion...

Have fun everyone!
xo

These are a few of my favourite pugs xo

These are a few of my favourite pugs xo
Originally uploaded by summer pickles

Would always rather spend time flickr gazing than at a work meeting (what was originally planned for today)... and this was a lovely way to pass the lunchtime.

Of course, my favourite pug will always be James Brown, but I have really enjoyed these other beauties! Plenty more in my flickr favourites....

1. Amazing flat face of Pugs, 2. Resistance Is Futile, 3. deep in thought, 4. Yes Master., 5. Chloe, 6. IMAGE0047-adjusted, 7. Wizen, 8. *SMILING PUG* - HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, FROM THE SWEETHEART PUG, MEL C *-*, 9. Wookie says "Happy Easter!"

we're still a family of three...

First things first... how come my text doesn't go all the way over to the right... does anyone know how I can do this??? And how come my line spacing always goes completely out of whack when I insert a picture????

Yep, still just a family of three (me, hubby, plus the dog), in spite of the prolonged absence (sorry to those of you who got excited, thinking this was a hint!). We have been out of the house for a week whilst the house got painted. The house has been beautifully "duluxed" - walls are now Antique White USA, the skirting and architraves White on White and one of the walls in the baby's room is a quite out there shade of Magnetic Magic. But no photos for now... we are hoping to surprise the family when they all come down from interstate to visit bub, so no photos until after bub (and grandparents) have arrived!

Perhaps some exciting news... I have been sewing!!!

This is the end result of some time playing with bright and patterned black and white fabrics...

I just threw these together without patterns or anything to go from and am not totally thrilled with either of them, but at least I have two prototypes now and I can keep improving on them...

I am also in the swing of making a not-so-developmentally-stimulating mobile from fabrics which just got me incredibly excited... [will insert a photo of the fabrics here as soon as my camera is charged] photos of the completed mobile to follow shortly. Not to worry --- those of you concerned about early development, there will be other stimulating items for bub to gaze upon!

We have finished our childbirth classes now (and not a moment too soon!) and are now booked in for a caesar as bub is hanging out very high up in my ribs, in breech position mostly, exactly where it has been since 24 weeks, occasionally mixing it up with a bit of transverse lying... lovely! The good news is I don't have to go to the toilet all the time, the less than fabulous news is my ribs ache like crazy. It is quite amazing to be here after our journey to get to this point...
[warning: gratuitous belly shot below! taken a week ago.... check out the outie!]

I hope you are all well and happy and life treating you beautifully.
xo

ps. thanks to those of you who have been commenting... I will respond, I will, this is my new resolution... soon!

online baby shower swap

online baby shower swap, originally uploaded by summer pickles.

thanks to Anna at Hey Bubbles for this inspired idea!
i'm in --- are you?

this is... my favourite travel memory (albeit belated!)

So, after much joy reading many bloggers' this is... posts, I decided to give it a go. And promptly missed my first this is... post! Terrible behaviour for a newcomer... sorry Angela! A very warm thankyou to Hila for this week's theme... I am always up for some reminiscing...

No, the colour on your monitor has not gone loopy, this is actually the colour of the water and sky at Bora Bora. (Check out the google maps satellite pic if you don't believe me!). This is not by any stretch the most scenic of photos we took of Bora Bora (I have realised none of these are on flickr so will be uploading them in the next week or so), but look at how blissfully happy those two newlyweds look! (and how skinny I looked before starting art and eventually getting a big round pregnant belly!) This was taken in 2004, on our honeymoon, which was just incredible. I swam with manta rays (purely by accident) which I think is still one the highlights of my life... oh, and I got the hubby all to myself for nearly two whole weeks, which was just perfect (I would love to have more time together... he's alright).

Taking us back a bit earlier, to the 80s sometime, this is another great travel memory, at Valla Beach. The four of us went there on our own (ie. mum, dad, two kids), and also went with my godparents and their two kids. The visit with my godparents and their two kids is the trip I remember best. We had so much fun, playing on the beach, making up songs as we walked along the wooden bridge to get to the beach, hanging out on bunk beds at night... it's a great childhood holiday memory to have. And, very exciting to actually have a photo with my mum in it (she is the hot one in the short red shorts - great legs mum!).

Interestingly, I grew up in the bush, but both of my fave travel memories involve the sea. My favourite home, too, (right up there with current home with hubby and the dog and soon to arrive baby) is my single gal home at seven mile beach, Gerroa in NSW. I may have grown up in the country, but the sea has always been calling.

What are your favourite travel memories? Is it about the place? The people? Or even perhaps the food? (I will never forget the Polynesian raw fish salad... heavens above, what a delight!)

Chat soon, xo

some of my favourite things... inspiration for baby pickles

As usual, have been hanging out on flickr (one of the advantages of being wide awake from 4am!), and have found these new favourite things which are not all designed for kids, but which provide me with some inspiration for things to do for baby pickles!
Enjoy xo

1. Finally., 2. apple tree kimono, 3. pedro pig, 4. Green jacket w red flower, 5. Lillydew's Twin Sister Lola-Mae, 6. rabbits, 7. kinchi kitschy kitten dress, size 1, 8. Até à lua... / to the moon, 9. Full Circle Top

the little luxuries of more time.... world's best brekkie @ poached

world's greatest breakfast @ poached in brunswick, originally uploaded by summer pickles.

Okay, so I know there has been some quiet from this end... we have been moved out whilst the floors have been sanded and polished.. and they look sensational... will take some photos when I have some sunlight tomorrow... just an amazing transformation!

But, when we were booted out of our house, I had a fab excuse to eat brekkie out at one of the local spots in sunny brunswick. And this was the incredible brekkie I found at poached.

This is the vegetarian big breakfast with the eggs swapped for avocado, and was the best brekkie ever. I also want to mention for those of you who are soy milk drinkers, the staff at poached know how to froth soy milk!!!! Fantastic soy hot chocolates to be had here. And the staff were all absolutely gorgeous, and let me (a single diner) eat at a table for four, just because I wanted a spot with morning sunshine...

A perfect start to the day... I would thoroughly recommend it! (Ah, I love Melbourne!)

poached
169 lygon st
east brunswick
ph: 9387 2396