daylesford & hepburn springs mineral co

The summer weather has finally hit Melbourne. We are in the middle of a string of 30 degree days (with a few thunderstorms thrown in for good measure) and I am in desperate need of a refreshing drink when I get home from work. Lately I’ve been trying some of the delicious flavoured mineral water created by Daylesford & Hepburn Springs Mineral Co.

The blood orange and pink grapefruit flavours are my favourite so far but I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the rest of the range. I love how cheery yet chic the label design is – it definitely puts a smile on my face!

Images from Daylesford & Hepburn Mineral Springs Co

sequins & sequence

Kat Macleod is seriously talented. I am a huge fan of her work, and I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of her beautiful new limited edition book, Sequins & Sequence.

The pages are illustrated with images of a girl moving dreamily through lands under the sea and on earth, where she finds gorgeous brightly coloured animals adorned with sequins and beads. 

There is absolutely no way that my photos can capture the beauty of the pages that are inside the book, so I suggest getting one to hold lovingly in your own hands. At $20 a pop though, you will need to be quick to pick up one of the 1000 copies that are available (Kat is easily one of the most loved Melbourne designers)!

Illustrations from Kat Macleod’s beautiful new book Sequins & Sequence, published by And Collective / Erm Books

first weekend of december

The first weekend in December always sends me into a bit of excitement that Christmas really is just around the corner. I’ve been tagging recipes in books that I want to try, writing down ideas for decorating the table for christmas lunch, and gathering goodies to make my own crackers.

I haven’t started any Christmas baking yet, but I have been stirring a batch of Christmas Pudding Vodka (thanks for the recipe Lorraine!) which I started a few days ago. Every time I open the jar it smells more amazing as the fruits and spices mix together, slowly overtaking the powerful vodka. I’ve started making this super early so that it is ready to make lots of drinks in the week leading up to the big event.

I also went to the Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar yesterday. It is hosted by the Swedish Church in Toorak and runs on the first weekend of December every year. I like getting in early on the first day so I don’t miss out on all the good stuff! I brought home with me a gorgeous tin of gingerbread biscuits, delicious mulled wine chocolate, a cute reindeer decoration and lovely christmas spiced tea (chocolate and tea from Swedelicious).

Is Christmas excitement building in your home yet?

reading room

I have always loved to sneak off for a quiet read – I remember pretending to be sick a couple of times while I was in primary school because I knew I would be sent to the library for some quiet time. I’m sure my teacher knew that I was lying however she probably figured that if I was reading books it wasn’t very harmful.

I can therefore only imagine how much time I would spend sneaking off to the reading room at Lyn Gardener’s beautiful holiday house in Daylesford. Obviously it would be better if all of the walls were completely covered in books, but I think that the wallpaper is actually quite charming.

Photos from Empire Vintage

berries, flowers & tea

We woke up to a gorgeous sunny day this morning – so different to the cold and rainy days earlier in the week. S and I decided to walk to Limonatta in McKinnon for breakfast and make the most of the lovely weather.

Limonatta is a busy family friendly cafe with a tiny little kitchen. There are heaps of choices (even a breakfast pizza) and the menu takes on more of an Italian slant as the day progresses. It took a while for our food and drinks to come out but it was worth the wait in the end.

I had a huge bowl of bircher muesli with lots of yummy currants, almonds and coconut throughout, topped with extra yoghurt, grated apple and berry compote. The colours reminded me of Christmas! S had a cheesy toasted egg and bacon sandwich with a hint of mayo and pesto. We also had long glasses of fruit smoothies – banana and mixed berry.

On the way home S bought me some lovely flowers – I have no idea what type they are but they are very pretty! I’m looking forward to spending the afternoon relaxing on the couch with a cup of tea and some movies.