The Small Forest Shop, handmade Gippsland sweetness

Wendy Hill is a lovely friend of mine and an amazing creative. Right at the end of last year she opened up a gorgeous little shop in an almost-hidden arcade in Warragul, in the Gippsland region of Victoria. It was really fun watching Wendy's Instagram updates as they prepared the shop for opening!

Here are some shots from opening night, which was a really fun party with clothes to try on and people to meet :) If you happen to visit the area, you'll find The Small Forest Shop at Shop 2, McLennan Arcade, Warragul. You can also find Wendy's lovely wares on etsy - https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/smallforestshop

Into the woods!

The May List of Fantastic Finds

An occasional list of things I've come across that are cool / cute / interesting and some that are great gift ideas I have found for other people too :) Find the first list here. (click image to enlarge)


Rob Ryan Egg Cups

Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights

Joy and Merri-Mint Flats

Hand Painted Bird Bowls

Cute Heart Rain Pendant

Tape Measure Bangles

Wooden Paper Plane Brooch with turquoise stitching

A Storm in A Teacup Mug

She & Him Volume 3

Butterfly Mask

Walk to the Beat of Your Own Drum - Seedling Kit

She's A Bird Nerd Cardi

Orla Kiely Square Biscuit Tins (Set of 4)

February wish list

Inspired by Elsie, I'm making a list of things I've come across that are cool / cute / interesting and some that are great gift ideas I have found for other people too :)

Desk Telephone from Lark

Fox cushion in Red from Curious Bazaar

Woodland Miniature Terrarium Necklace

Red Fox Mask

Metal Pocket Torch

Vintage Yellow Desk Lamp

Silver octopus necklace

Secret Garden necklace

All sorts of cute clothes from blutsgeschwister,
(Also on Modcloth, though not much at the moment)

A new-ish Oliver Jeffers book - He also draws some pretty gorgeous maps

Big sale and new cards

Over at Curious Bazaar we are having a HUGE card and print sale! Most cards and prints are 50% off, and postcard sets are 40% off at just $6 for 6 postcards plus a free 7th postcard.

Why not take the chance to browse the store for some gorgeous gift ideas and check out this gorgeous new release range of cards from Medieval Mirage...

Enter the code PAPERSALE at checkout to receive free shipping for cards and prints! As always, enter LOCAL for free local delivery or pickup :)

Love at Georgie Love

Apparently I need prompting to blog at the moment, for whatever reason! Anyway I came across this lovely giveaway by Georgie Love and thought I would participate.

So...

if I had $50 to spend at Georgie Love I would have a hard time choosing. I would love to put it towards one of these clocks... so fairytale whimsical. I would have it in my loungeroom.

I found something else I would add to my list but it would be a gift for someone who might read my blog, I'm not sure! So I won't link that one. Ooh how about this:

It's a bit lovely, isn't it? I do love a lovely necklace or two. And Ash would love me forever if I wore this one:

I love window shopping online. Georgie Love is great for that, especially when I'm on a strict budget as I can't decide on anything and end up admiring a lot but purchasing nothing. I do the same thing a lot at Leeloo and Lark. A friend once recommended I submit my art to Georgie Love but I never did anything about it. I'm a bit lazy like that ;)

My own shop Curious Bazaar is a bit similar to Georgie Love actually, with a smaller range of sellers and products as nothing is available elsewhere and is all made locally in the Dandenong Ranges area. I'll be adding some gorgeous new baby / toddler pants and vests from Sew Chirpy soon!

Another project and new shop

And that makes three (well, three little businesses, anyway, but there is always a myriad of projects going on!)...

A couple of weeks ago I launched a new online store, so that you can now buy online the Outback Pride products I talk about here and on my blog Season with Saltbush. Simply go to http://shop.outbackpride.com.au/ and have a look!

In everyday news, tomorrow is back to therapy with Sienna starting OT and Ash back at speech on Saturday. Friday is the first day of school. It's been warm and then actually a bit cold and then sunny again around here. I've barely scrapped - only one page in the school holidays - but will be back crafting this month. Now that the Outback Pride store is launched I have some design work to get on with, plus an album to design and photos still to edit.

Sienna is completely lalaloopsy mad, Cedar divides his addiction between his wooden train sets and the ipad. Ash is pretty technology-focussed at the moment, but also enjoying treasure maps and lego.

A Curious discount

Almost forgot when I was posting last night, Curious Bazaar has a sale on this week only! End of year discount of 15% off storewide. It was a Facebook sale so I'm being a bit sneaky and popping it here too ;)

Simply enter FACEBOOK2011 at checkout until the end of the year (only a couple of days left now).

Note: If you want to pick up your item locally, or have me bring it to Adelaide in January for you to pick up, just let me know and I'll refund your postage! Here are a few of my personal faves:

Putting stuff places

With Curious Bazaar stock, scrapping supplies, loads of crafty bits and pieces, clothes, books, toys and so on and so forth, storage has been on my mind lately. I'm painting a loft bed I bought on ebay at the moment, it will be ready for Sienna soon and then Cedar will go downstairs to be a 'big boy' in the bottom bunk!

As unoriginal as it is, I've been making wishlists and shopping lists from IKEA and hope to have at least a few of these to add to my decorating plans within the next month or so. The plan is to increase actual storage! I might just have to declutter a touch as well. Wouldn't that be nice ;)

Billy bookcases

Stenstorp plate shelf

Stenstorp wall shelf

Mostly, though, it will be moving things around that we already have, furniture from one room to another (as well as children, hehe) and things from one cupboard to a more useful cupboard. Gradual spring cleaning. A bit at a time.

How gorgeous is this?!

Buy the Limited Edition Polaroid SX-70 at the Photojojo Store

A huge thank you to everyone who has filled out my blog survey so far, if you haven't yet but would be willing to contribute your thoughts, please click the image below! It's relatively painless, I promise ;)

You have feet in your shoes...

You know that line from 'Oh the Places You'll Go'? It's my favourite Dr Seuss book, that one.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose." 

Anyway, shoes aren't often on my wish list, as I find shopping for them a bit of a pain in the bottom-like area. My feet are size 10.5 or 11, a 42, and are particularly thin and narrow for their length. So, while it is easier and easier to find shoes the right length, as long as I buy them at the beginning of the season (there are a lot of people in this size bracket, and most stores haven't caught on to that fact with their stock levels), any kind of open or heeled shoe is a bit trickier to fit properly due to width and height. Sob, sob, I know, it's not that bad. It doesn't generally bother me, anyway, I just have to be a bit fussy.

So, I have a couple of new items in my wardrobe from recent expeditions and realised I lack a pair of tan / natural coloured heels. And that I would like some. And that my recent skirt purchase (above) from Dotti would really suit that sort of colour shoe. When it comes to heels, I have a pair of chocolate brown ones, a pair of black ones and then a few strappy sandally bits and pieces I've collected over the years but rarely wear. And boots. I normally just wear boots. Anyhoo, I started window-shoe shopping online.

I love browsing modcloth, even though I had no plans on buying shoes internationally (with my history of ill-fitting selections), and found these gorgeous things and also these, neither of which go up to my size anyway. So it was all a bit redundant. Ruche yielded this cute pair (below) to my imaginary shopping cart, which also wouldn't fit me in their largest size, even if they weren't already sold out. But they are cute to look at regardless ;)

So then I decided to look local, but realised I would be buying in person so I looked up some of the shoe shops from my nearest shopping centre and found that I had a few favourites from the Wittner website... I quite liked these:

and these look really stylish (I wouldn't mind a pair of wedges):

and these ones were even on sale:

Are you noticing a pattern here? Glam, stylish, blah blah, but there seems to be a bit of an obsession with patent in shoe stores at the moment. Shiny. Glossy. Perfect. They look lovely but they just don't really feel right on me. Like I'm pretending to be someone more spectacular than I actually am. Someone who wears makeup regularly and plucks their eyebrows. Yes, I am appallingly unconcerned with these sorts of ladylike grooming habits (the slightly unnecessary ones - I'm lazy).

But some heels that didn't jump out at me from the website, were not exactly on my list and that I ended up very happily buying (even at full price, a rarity for me, unless they're $12 sneakers from kmart), were these:

A bit vintage in style, no? Much more my thing. What would have been your selection?

Daylesford treasures

As well as wandering, eating, drinking, photographing things and generally exploring, a highlight of our girls' weekend in Daylesford was shopping - especially vintage shopping! Here are some of my purchases.

This gorgeous little trinket box I got as a gift for my cousin Bec, and the frame (which is about 5" wide) I will keep to add to somewhere on my walls... Both of these little finds I got for $5 (total!) from the Daylesford Sunday Bric-a-Brac Market.

Am so in love with this little cuckoo clock - the clock bit is broken but I don't actually care about that. For awhile I've wanted a cute little German folk-art ish cuckoo clock to add to my walls, a little nod to my dear friends in Hamburg as well as a gorgeous combination of vintage and travel style. Score! This was one of the things I bought from Daylesford Bazaar, I think this piece was one of Allison's.

This pile is a combination of patterns and buttons from Daylesford Bazaar, free vintage books and a cute jar purchased from the Lark warehouse sale.

This is another one from Allison's stall at Daylesford Bazaar, the lady who served me was lovely and told me she remembered Allison buying it from them in the first place. It is going to go on my desk - when I finish rearranging this madhouse - and probably have scrapbooky fun kept in it.

I collected these frames from both Daylesford Bazaar and Mill Markets, I want to put in some family photos and fix them up. Though that front one with the birds, I really like that picture. So am not sure yet.

I bought a vintage crinoline dress for Sienna from the Mill Markets as well, it is in the background of this picture. The pink one is another vintage crinoline dress I'd bought her from a Belgrave shop called Walk in Wardrobe. We tried them on her, and they both fit! Much to my surprise, I thought they'd be too small. So these may pop up in a photo session or two in warmer months ;)

These super cute lunch bags are from Lark, I popped in for a second visit on the Sunday and bought all three - Woodland, Dolly Girl and SpaceBoy. One for each of the kids :) They are only $10.95 and 95% made from recycled products. Lark is one of my favourite shops ever... I am currently drooling over the Fawn lamp... but never mind that ;) I also bought Sienna the Ava's Tea Party melamine dinner set and Ash the Pirate Party set. The pirate set is particularly irresistible and they both LOVE them.

And lastly, this 12"x12" Bell & Boo pirate print was on my wish list for Ash's room already, and it was reduced to $30 in the warehouse sale - total SCORE. I was very happy, and even better that it looks great inside this ikea frame I had sitting around at home. Not so perfect is Sienna and Ash telling me they want to change the room decorations to a castle theme. Ahem. We'll have to see about that ;)

A week later

And a lot of things having happened, beautiful places visited and wonderful people met... photos of Byron Bay to come!

In the meantime, I wanted to share a few favourite things :)

Paper Boat Press I have mentioned before, but the new news is that Kylie Johnson now has three of her ceramic poetry vessels available through Anthropologie, how exciting!

The Book Depository is one of my regular book shopping destinations (virtually, that is!). This is just one of the books on my wishlist there...




A few selections from my etsy favourites list - Custom Heart Tree Pillow

I love these skirts

And I love trinket-y little jewellery with vintage details, like this bee bracelet

Rob Ryan is a favourite of mine, a brilliant paper craft artist, but I also discovered this other paper cut artist on etsy... Tina Tarnoff. Love this one with my weakness for the Neverland theme (not to mention the Wonderland themes...) and this one is so lovely too...

And this pendant is so sweet

On the discoveries front, one of my favourite places to (window) shop is Lark, which I've mentioned plenty of times before, but they always have fresh inspiration there...

And a couple that I've meant to visit but so far haven't made it to are Little Shop Of in Carnegie and Meet Me At Mikes in Fitzroy. The sort of places I see when I travel but don't get around to visiting the Melbourne alternatives, funnily enough!

It's fun shopping and dreaming but it also inspires me to make stuff myself. Hmm. Now, to find the time...