A Natural Pickpocket

I "found" these gorgeous gumnuts on a tree in our street... as I stood there, brazenly breaking off branches in the broad daylight, it occurred to me that God might strike me down for thieving from nature (let alone the fact that the local council would probably arrest me!).  I blame it on the sublime shade of pink... something that beautiful needs to be documented for posterity don't you think?

We also have an unbelievable collection of hydrangea bushes opposite our block that I have been known to raid with a pair of kitchen scissors in the dead of night... please tell me I'm not alone in my clandestine floral escapades - anybody else a flower thief?

Photos by me

Calling All The Angels

As the world weeps for a country devastated by the brutal hand of nature, I pray that all the angels will descend upon those ravaged souls and fill up their broken hearts with the love of a billion strangers.  

Image from here

Autumn Tones

Winter's Bridesmaid

The leaves are turning to gold in my part of the world

and the grass is littered with the ghosts of summer.

The air smells of wood smoke and nostalgia...

we will huddle and cuddle and drink cocoa.

x

That's it, I'm signing off... time to lavish love on my precious little family.

Have a happy weekend and thanks for all your lovely comments this week x

Photos by me

Be Bright

I'm afraid I'm feeling a little rough around the edges today... my little monkey is turning nocturnal and I'm not coping so well with the hours he's keeping!  In an effort to be bright and cheery and on top of things, I needed a dose of some chipper colours to start the day. These gorgeous, peppy images should do the trick!

Do you suppose Pastel Vintage Barbie lives here?  I can imagine her cooking blueberry pancakes for Ken!

Images from here

Today's Photo Shoot

the quest continues...

I LOVE... VINTAGE BOOKS

... AND BABY PEARS (which I'm sure have a fancy pants name that I don't know!)

Style School

5 IMAGES I WISH I'D STYLED:

Images from here

Photo Challenge

In a bid to improve my photography skills, I'm going to attempt to post more of my shots for your critique.  I'm slowly learning how to operate my Canon EOS 500D manually... for someone who had only a vague notion of what an F Stop was until this week, it's proving quite a task!  But I'm totally addicted and have set up little makeshift "studios" all around the house.

A friend came over yesterday, saw our dining table covered in cotton reels with bits of white cardboard propped up all around the place and thought I was going nuts!  Other people watch Oprah while the baby sleeps... I run around with a tripod and camera trying to catch the light!

This one didn't really work... I think the ISO setting was too low but I love the colour combination

Feeling Moody

I feel like I'm back at design school... I'm taking the wonderful Blogging My Way e-course with the fabulous Holly Becker of Decor8, her husband Thorsten Becker and the talented Leslie Shewring of A Creative Mint.  Our homework last week was to create a mood board to capture the inspiration of our blogs.  

Wicker & Stitch has always been a place for me to capture, record and share my love of vintage paraphernalia, interior styling and beautiful images, all while celebrating the wonder of living such a happy life... I could have created ten boards with the amount of stuff I collected for the project!  Here are some close-ups of my favourite bits and pieces:

Three Generations

Mabel Williamson, Joan Donnelly, Anne Sudholz - 1963

This photo of my Great Grandmother, Grandmother and Aunt taken in 1963 has pride of place on my inspiration board at the moment.  I love everything about it... their happy expressions, the setting, the light, their hats, the wonderful colour combination of their stylish outfits... but most of all, I love the fact that they all share the same smile.  Family ties are so precious don't you think?

Sweet Dreams

A little dose of magic for a Monday morning...

Stone & White Bedlinen - Marie Claire Maison

I have a romantic attachment to mosquito nets that exists totally within my own imagination... I can't bare sleeping under them as I get claustrophobic!  But they always look so heavenly, don't you think?  This image is courtesy of Marie Claire Maison and features their gorgeous bed linen.  Not only do I love the subtle tones and detailing, but I think the styling is beautiful.  Such a clean, simple palette combined with a few rustic touches... the cumquats are the perfect dash of colour!  

Image: Marie Claire Maison

Lament of The Second Hand Rose

Did you know, that here in Australia we don't have Flea Markets?  Well we try to, only our attempts fall short of anything you might find in France or the rest of Europe.  It's a tragedy beyond all comprehension for vintage lovers like me who dream of trawling through endless stalls of fabulously old stuff!  

As far as I can see, our lack of vintage splendour comes from a combination of three things:- we have a tiny population really (only 22.5 million people), we have a relatively short European history (we were settled by the English in 1788) and our culture is more focused on the latest and greatest (in other words, the majority of people abhor anything old).  Oh, and did I mention the fact that we are SO FAR AWAY from the rest of the world?!

Enough whining... Australia is a beautiful country, rich in natural treasures... just a pity we have to trek thousands and thousands of miles, across deserts, mountains and oceans to find a pretty little trinket for the hall console!

Images of Monmartre, Clignacourt Flea Market courtesy of Vintage & Whisker

Damn & Blast!

We are having one of those days!

Hope you are allowed to take your elephant wherever you please this weekend!

x

Image from here