Ho. Ho. HO.

The joy arrived.
In bucketloads.
Wishing you peace and love dears. Today, and for all the days that follow.

I wish I had a river...

How do you feel about Christmas? As a child it was my absolute favourite time of the year. The magic used to overwhelm me and I was truly swept away.

Now, I find that I equally love it and am challenged by it. By the magic, and sometimes by the ordinary-ness of it as an adult. And mostly by how quickly it creeps up!

And, so here we are...

It's coming on Christmas, they're cutting down trees. They're putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace.

Last year I missed Christmas. It was, well, pretty much irrelevant. In some ways in didn't really matter, and in other (overly dramatic) ways it was seriously sad being oceans away from family. And so this year I'm slightly tentative. I'm so excited to spend it with my loved ones but also slightly, and inexplicably, melancholic.

So what better way to bring back the buzz than John Denver and The Muppets? When I was a small girl living in the country John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas album was a regular on the record turntable. I (well, Ownself) would demand that the tree be set up on 1 December and race about the house in the middle of a sweltering Aussie summer singing about chestnuts roasting, cowboys on snow-covered plains, silver bells and pleas for Daddy to not get drunk this Christmas.

Hopefully Dad does get drunk this Christmas. When he does he jokes quite a lot, thinks his jokes are truly brilliant and his mouth twitches in anticipation of the punch line. It's quite hilarious for bystanders.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays. xo

Fetes.

I LOVE fetes. Everything about them. The simplicity, the popcorn, the fairy floss, the kids on a sugar-high with their faces painted as a tiger or cat or something equally as wonderful.

I'm organising a fete for my hometown at the moment. And I am, just quietly, loving it. I've been drawing inspiration from the English fete I visited earlier this year.

What are your favourite fete activities?

Carter & Cash.

"The taste of love is sweet, when hearts like ours meet."
- Ring of Fire, June Carter

Man, these two loved each other didn't they?

(pic sources: 1, 2, 3)

Baby tomato.

By popular request, here is a picture of my baby tomato, flourishing on my ladypad balcony. I thought it apt to share this wonderful quote as well. Go and grow something will you? It's super-fun.

"Evidence now supports the vision of the poet and the philosopher that plants are living, breathing, communicating creatures, endowed with personality and the attributes of the soul. It is only we, in our blindness, who have insisted on considering them automata. Most extraordinary, it now appears that plants may be ready, willing, and able to cooperate with humanity in the Herculean job of turning this planet back into a garden from the squalor and corruption..."

- The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird

Gold Rush.

I was going to post about Beechworth, a beautiful little town in North East Victoria, a few weeks ago but I...just didn't. And I'm glad I waited as I visited again today and got some new shots that I'd missed last time. 

I grew up only a half hour away from this little gem of a town and it was always the place to take visitors who wanted to feel like a tourist.

Beechworth is most well known as a gold-rush town and for its jail where Ned Kelly was once incarcerated. The town is still steeped in history; you do feel as though you've stepped back in time while strolling the streets.

Today I visited some of my favourite spots - homewares/gift shops Frances Pilley, The Growing Suitcase and Salisbury and Maude. I bought some fresh almonds from the greengrocer (pictured above) and a beautiful little oil burner for the ladypad from Divine Linen.

I also had one of my favourite food-treats, a cheesy caulioccoli pie from the Beechworth Bakery and my fellow road-tripper, Laura, bought a snickerdoodle for the car ride back to Melbourne.

And there was even a shop for lease with a little apartment at the back...sigh. Another day, maybe.

For some expert tips on what to see and do in and around Beechworth, click here for a guide recently put together by Melbourne's Broadsheet.

The Design Files Open House.

Earlier this month Melbourne hosted The Design Files Open House, a collaboration between blog-star Lucy Feagins of The Design Files and Esther Navarro-Orejon of The Project Agency.

For four days, a Fitzroy house was transformed into a design paradise and I was lucky enough to visit a few times. And, excitingly, for all of you non-Melburnians, they opened an online store as well which closes TOMORROW.

So, if you (like me) still have a few Christmas goodies to buy now is the time to get clicking. Here is what I bought yesterday...

Gina & May 'Ms Starlet' umbrella. That's right, people. You can address me as such from now on...

O-Check hot air balloon card in white. I've been meaning to buy one (or ten) for ages! 

Archie Grand notebook for my Mama, sold through Notemaker.

Delfonics cotton roll pen case for the super-talented Jamie Gaunt, one half of the MMs.

And a few of my favourite items...some of which are still available!!! Eep! These are on my wish-list:

Basil Bangs beach umbrella called Calypso...oooooo.

Dane Lovett artwork. This baby had a little red sticker on it almost instantly!

Hot pink super-stool by Greg Hatton.

Balloon print by Ellie Malin (can you tell I'm slightly obsessed with balloon travel?)

Now hear this.

Ooooo a cute gadget. Actually cute isn't quite right, stunning is perhaps a better word.

Italian designers Isabella Lovero and Enrico Bosa of en&is have updated their 'megaphone' ceramic vessel for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

It was originally only made in white but the new polished black and the hand-painted gold versions are just gorgeous.

I WANT ONE DADDY! I WANT ONE, NOW!

For more info click here.

Camping as a Christmas gift.

Wow. We all know how much I love camping but this takes my love affair to a new level. How amazing are these tents by FieldCandy?

Sarah and Andy are going on a canoeing and camping adventure tomorrow. Guess who isn't? Mmmhmmm...one angry little Frances.

Perhaps I should buy one of these babies and camp on my balcony with my baby tomato?

Wouldn't these make the best Christmas present?

Monday, darling Monday.

Oh, hi. Happy Monday.

Did you have a wonderful weekend?

Mine was marvellously jam-packed.  After my pizza adventures with Sarah, Andy and Whitty on Friday night I had a relatively early night and got up all sparkly for yoga before I visited my newly-married friend Chellis. I was more than slightly jealous as she showed me picture after picture of her beautiful Fiji honeymoon. 

Then on Saturday eve I cooked up a scrumptious soba noodle salad for the MMs before heading out to see Melbourne band The Tiger and Me. It was a bit super-fun.

And yesterday was all about family. We celebrated my darling aunt Maggie's 60th birthday with an all-in lunch extravaganza. It was filled with joy and laughter and WAY too much food. I'm still full.

So. Today I'm going to tinker, of course, and drink tomato juice in backhanded support of my little lone fruity-vegetable babyfriend desperately growing strong on the balcony of my ladypad.

I hope you had a lovely weekend and are having an even lovelier start to your Monday.

Pizza Friday.

Hello frolickers.

Well, in Australia (or at least Melbourne) summer has well and truly arrived. This morning I spied my first baby tomato, peeking out from under its leafy cover as I stumbled out onto the balcony with my morning tea in hand. And boy, is it heating up. It's positively sweltering some days.

So, to celebrate summer and all its deliciousness I'm heading out tonight for homemade pizza and beer at Sarah and Andy's house.

As I'm munching away I'll no doubt be thinking of last Sunday's other pizza adventures: a visit to Ballarat to enjoy a special pizza feast cooked by my mate Ro from Whole Larder Love.

And to continue the theme...if you haven't caught Ro's five-part online cooking series on ABC Online you MUST. STAT! In fact, today's final recipe is a smoked trout pizza...

You can view the videos here.

Go on, hop to it.

Happy Friday, friends.

Osamu Yokonami.

These pictures are just so so wonderful, don't you think? Photographer Osamu Yokonomi has captured the wild openness of childhood so brilliantly.

I would have happily dressed like this all day as a child. When I was very small, two or three, I christened myself Ownself. Ownself was my don't-f**k-with-me alter ego. When I look at these pics I can't help but giggle and remember Ownself fashion moments. 

She would have loved all of these looks. As does the older version...Ownself Mark II is a bit obsessed.

Mixed Prints.

Ooooo I love this look. Mixed prints all the way baby.
(via The Sartoralist)

Spooky Soiree.

Hello little darlings.

Tonight I'm going to visit the MMs in their new pad out in the hills on the outskirts of Melbourne. As I haven't seen it yet I'm imagining it to be like the rad-yet-creepy McPike Mansion in Alton, IL. Sans spooky spirits of course. One can hope, right?

We will wear black tulle and deep burgundy lipstick while we read poetry and drink shiraz out of crystal goblets. 

Have a happy Friday eve, ok?

(source Black Doll via The Wayfarer)

Jessica Tremp.

If I was in Sydney I'd be going to this...

Pick up Sticks exhibition on until 22 December. Definitely worth a visit!