september.

day 29. reading katherine mansfield's, the doll's house. spooning salted caramel and white chocolate gelato from messina. saving silvers for a bunny bag to match my cat-face clutch. humming along to the paper kites's new ep, young north. and tomorrow, the last day of the month... 

feeling ill from too-too-many raw brownies.

take your pick

 a bit of a dill (tee. hee.) when it comes to adding a pinch of green to your dish? Stonesoup's herb how-to is the bees knees of eat-more-plants guides. also, her recipe for quinoa tabbouleh is well worth a visit to the grocer or just maybe, your own patch of soil? how does your garden grow? p.s. i have a chicken coop!! i know, i know, i'm gloating. jessie x 

count me in

YA-NE-SEN a Go Go,
 directed and animated by Shishi Yamazaki.

tonite the girlies and i are going for a bit of a boogie. we have the fever! perhaps a visit past Chinatown on the way home is in order?! it is after-all too easy to be lured by its bright lights and hide-and-seek lanes. plus, one of my dance partners is on an 'eat rice wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with cucumber' diet. when i say diet i really mean pursuit. Chinatown is a Go Go!! soy sauce and wasabi me please!

a travelogue.

saving every last penny in an attempt to fluff my feathers, spread my wings and take flight come the beginning of our other half's cold season, Similar Winters, a short film by Koo Chia Meng for Issue 1 of Casual Days warms my blue hands and gives me good reason to eat frozen peas and drink instant coffee.

the stage is a stage for all that is grand!

dance in a circle of buntings that fly, there is a magnificant market full of marvellous toys for us grown-up girlies and boys and it's on its way to Melbourne!! the with over 120 artsy and crafty stalls (sweet william, alfalfa and tightology to name a few!) the Finders Keepers market is sure to be worthy of your weekend. jete' this way for all the small details...

sunshine + ravioli

some things i like (sunshine + ravioli included).

this look book.

quinoa sushi served with diy pickled ginger.

an (owl-know-how) launch.

arminho's herbarium journal.

clutching at glitter, from gift shop brooklyn.

dear melbourne: (golly gosh!) a guest!

Twenty & Six Espresso

I am writing this on the eve of Daylight Saving ending, so am mindful that by this time tomorrow what’s left of the long Summer evenings will be gone. Soon the air will become crisp, the leaves will turn golden and out will come the socks, the crochet blankets, the casserole dishes and the red wine…

When Jessie asked me to ‘guest’ on She’s Leaving Home, she mentioned that with cooler weather approaching, featuring an all-day breakfast place or “somewhere to warm one’s tummy” might be appealing to her readers. Nice idea, I thought. What nicer thing to do when the weather turns cool than to meet up with friends for a hearty breakfast? I knew just the place… So come Saturday morning, I pedalled over to Twenty & Six Espresso in North Melbourne to meet my friends for breakfast. 

Twenty & Six is the brain-child of design-duo-turned-café-owners, Ned Rahmanovic and Majda Falon. The interior space is light and bright, and speckled with quirky design features like suspended light globes, whimsical little wall sketches, and wooden milk-crates. We sat at the communal table and ordered a round of coffee (blends courtesy of Proud Mary and Seven Seeds) and poured over the menu. I love how dishes here are named like they’d fuel you with super-human powers for the rest of the day. We were all very tempted by “The Hulk” (smashed avocado with lemon, chilli, mint, fetta and house-cured salmon gravalax), but in the end, the two ladies of the breakfasting party went with “The Traveller” (Baked eggs with lamb kofta and coriander salsa in a spiced tomato sauce), and the man just couldn’t go past “The Hunter” (Balsamic roasted Portobello mushrooms with spiced chorizo, crème fraiche and truffle oil). (With a name like that, I am pretty certain most men can’t!). Our baked eggs came in a skittle, hot from the oven and accompanied by two cigars of flat-bread and some hummus on the side. It was a fantastic combination – subtly sweet and salty (but not too much so) and deliciously flavoursome. The mushrooms and chorizo looked equally spectacular, and serendipitously the guy across the table from us was enjoying a sky-high pile of smashed avocado.

(Wow!)(Next time…).

 Tummy warmers? You bet! Super-human powers? Check! All day breakfast? Well, I forgot to ask… but if not needing to eat for the rest of the day counts, then yes!

Twenty & Six Espresso

(03) 9329 0298

594 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne 3052

dear melbourne

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

dear melbourne, set the table and clear away your weekend mess we have a guest. polly put the kettle on we'll all have tea. knock! knock! knock! who's there?? okay, i'll spill the beans. she almost always shares her melbourian caffeinated discoveries here. other trolley dollies, foodie fans, girls about town, as well as friends from afar and admirers of nice things are likewise invited. see you on wednesday then. p.s. knock three times. Jessie x x

a whale of a time

 hello. hello (arms dangling in the air above my ears). over here, seat B102 second from the front row (grin! grin! grin!). oh how lucky i have been!! granted 'blogger' accreditation to LMFF this past week its been runways and wide-eyes and goodie bags in tow. why bushy tailed me hasn't taken off her felt floppy hat, notepad scribbled full of trends and textures and 'must have in my winter wardrobe' buys. presented by my friends at frankie magazine Runway 03 proved by far to be my pinch-me favourite. labels including Limedrop and Gorman took to the tepee hut long road in creepers and pom-poms, prints and sheers a plenty. Leonard Street made my pencil blunt from jotting eagerly with their head-to-toe apple and bird ensembles. ooh and the whales, yes we will soon be wearing whales! a pink kind of girlie life in light blue has never been so dreamy. have i already gushed at how lucky i have been?! ladies and lads please take your seats the show is about to commence!

iron press and double-knot

utterly devoted to marshmallow shakes, madeline skirts and kinfolk magazine Australian photographer Vanessa Jackman knows a little something about something, yes indeedy. i smiled the whole Sunday after we met here. if her eye for style is anything to go by playing dress ups will soon be all about the unexpected love affair coupling the shirt + sneaker. i'm very much into the thought of a stiff collared blouse softly tucked away under a pinny, laces loosely looped around each other and then again for good measure.

being snap happy is always in style

friends!! super dooper news! as a part of the 2012 L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival cultural program, Click! Fashion Photographers on Film will screen from March 8 - 15. showcasing snaps of the most sneaky on-the-street style peepers and with images and credits by Mr. Bill Cunningham himself, i see no clear reason not to start popping those golden kernels. almost out of breath with anticipation and extra excitement, just imagine me at the screening. don't mind to tap me on the shoulder and ask me to politely - be quiet!! (wowsee!! i'm finger happy with the exclamation mark, aren't i).

my, oh, my what a wonderful way to end the day.

dim the lights and pass me the soda.  

it followed me home

tee-hee for the weekend!! pack a satchel, slip on something polka-dotty and let your feet take you far.

who knows what will follow you home?! a furry friend, a tummy ache from too much fun, a dreamboat lover! i've already opened my baggie and tucked this blog away in my lunchbox for daily reading. off you go now, we'll show and tell all on Monday. love love x x



knot. over. under

i've always wanted to high five those crafty people who so kindly wrap trees and benches and posts around and about town in delightfully woolly stitches. so it seems, i might just be able to give them all a 'you make my heart go giddy-up' pat on the back. hooking the whole city into a giant granny square installation Yarn Corner are hosting Melbourne's biggest yarn bombing project this calendar weekend. there will be how-to crochet workshops and other yarn bombing tips and bits for all us loop, swoop and pull enthusiasts to join. it's true, i'm a tinsy bit excited. all the fluffy details can be found here. isn't it nice the thought of twirling twine while the sun still shines?! what a ball! 

hooray and up she rises...

good morning. if your a vegemite kid and likewise enjoy a mouthful of cheesy bread then you might like to visit tiny cafe as the sun rises. they serve a brekkie mouse trap that will have you claiming love at first bite. yes, my cheeks are rosy. no, i'm not blushing, its the salty spread. blink. blink. well maybe a little. i'm tired. and in love. a table for one please.