A vision

Feel like treating your eyes to a visionary feast?

Well, head to Black & Spiro's freshly launched website.

www.blackandspiro.com.au

It's beyond beautiful.

I've come in to work to tidy up a few things before I leave and I've been here for nearly an hour and still haven't opened any emails or actioned any items on my list. I've been distracted. But do you blame me?

Check it out now and read about it on Anna's blog here.

Any excuse

With water safety issues a huge concern in Brisbane at the moment, I thought this message was appropriate!

No really, my heart goes out to those who are affected by the latest flood crisis in Queensland and New South Wales. You just can't take a break, lots of the victims are yet to recover fully from the 2011 floods. It's tough going.

However, it's times like these when Australians band together. Every little bit counts so if you want to contribute to the Red Cross Floods Appeal, please click here.

PS. On a total side note, my blog has cracked a tanty (probably due to the lack of attention I've paid it) and my sidebar has dropped off and plopped itself at the bottom of the page. Any idea how to fix it?

An 'Affair' to remember

Time to share some more love through the Liebster Awards.

I'm over the moon to include this fabulous gal in my list as I've got to know her over email this past year or so and feel like we'd be besties in 'real life' if we were ever to meet.

Tina Kent of Lady Chatterley's Affair, hits my design/party/fashion ethos right on. 

She has style to die for and I'd swap my digs for her stunning home in a second. I think her wedding was quite possibly the most magical event I've ever laid eyes on?

This wonder woman never ceases to amaze me - she's just had her second child (gorgeous little Alice) AND has opened an online store.

In amongst all this mayhem, the darling found time in her day to respond to some questions for The Polkadot Pantry. Here she goes . . . 

Three ingredients that are always in your shopping trolley?

Danish fetta cheese, french bread stick, nappies!

Who's your style icon? 

Jackie Kennedy

First CD you bought

Empire Records Soundtrack

Favourite shade of lipstick

Elizabeth Arden - coral vibrations

(*Editor's note - I'll be heading out to try this one today, T always looks fab!)

Best thing about blogging

Meeting people with the same interests

Check out other Liebster features here

On a side note, Tina is so well-loved in ye olde bloggy world that Brooke from The House on Chambers also acknowledged her in her own Liebster nominations! Talk about hot hot hot!

If only she lived in Adelaide . . . although T, I feel a little holiday to Brisbane on the cards soon! Pop that kettle on xo

Make sure you visit her fantabulous blog here. I promise it'll be a new daily fave.

Award love for . . .

I am a bit of a goose at times. Let me tell you a story . . .

Emma and I visited the lovely Anna Spiro in Brisbane last year and she introduced us to a gorgeous girl called Pip at lunch one day. 

Fast forward a good six months or so and I'm cruising around blog world and stumble across a BEAUTIFUL blog by this amazingly talented girl called Pip who has recently quit her job to follow her dreams as an artist.

So I've been blog crushing and pinterest stalking and even following her on instagram (@pip_boydell) ever since.

But it wasn't until only recently I realised that Pip from lunch in Brisbane and Pip from the blog was the same girl! Wake up Kate!

So this is Pip!

pipshining is the most darling blog, with a stunning collection of images to indulge in. The best bit is that Pip chronicles not only pretty things that delight her day to day, but also sneak peeks into what goes on in her studio behind closed doors.

I was thrilled when I realised she had less than 200 blog followers so that she'd be eligible for the Liebster Award (that I'd been awarded by navy & orange). I want to share her with the world!

Here's a little snippet into her life, The Polkadot Pantry style . . .

Best travel experience

While travelling through Central America I spent a week or so in a place called the San Blas Islands. They are a set of over 400 tiny sand islands dotted throughout the Carribbean off the coast of Panama, and it is honestly paradise. It's crystal clear turquoise water, the whitest sand, and coconut palms dotting the horizon as far as the eye can see; you live with the local people the way they have been for hundreds of years in thatched huts with no water or electricity or modern day comforts; and spend your days fishing, tripping between these amazing little islands and crafting with the local children. I felt like Robinson Crusoe travelling back in time, and it really was the most idyllic place and experience ever. 

Your idea of relaxing . . . 

Being at the beach - papers, coffee, salt air, surf and sun. 

Favourite song to sing along to

Simon & Garfunkel CDs from start to finish!

Your style icon

Grace Kelly was so beautiful and had a such innate sense of style.

Best thing about blogging

As a very visual and aesthetic person, of course I love the all the eye candy and the excuse to spend hours trawling through lovely images and discovering clever and creative people. But I also love how blogging makes the world a smaller place and I really value the connections I've made with like-minded people from all corners of the globe. 

The world sure is a small place, Pip! Can't wait til you get an online shop up and running so that I can invest in some Pip Boydell pretties! Seriously, check out her pieces, they are divine. Lucky you if you live in Brisbane and can actually see them in real life.

xo

Signed, sealed, delivered

Never has a pink and orange parcel excited me so much before.

I, like many other bloggers out there, eagerly counted down the weeks then days then hours until the highly anticipated launch of Anna Spiro's Absolutely Beautiful Things.

And after all that waiting, I was able to get in quickly enough to secure a gorgeous vase.

Lucky for me, I was in Brisbane the weekend the online store opened, so was able to take my parcel home with me in my hot little hands.

Gorgeous packaging, tres impressed.

So, I snapped up the vintage Japanese vase from the Winter Vignette.

Gorgeous with camelias cut from my Granny's garden. Loving the pink and navy colour combo.

Can't wait til Spring!

Bang!

I had high expectations of the gunshop cafe in Brisbane's West End, and it delivered on all fronts.

I went for the potato feta hash cakes, and they were out of this world. Seriously, one of the best breakfasts I have ever eaten. Or nearly eaten.

Such a shame I was so hungover and only managed a mouthful. What a waste!

Quote of the year

"You're in the vignette!"

Words from my friend Carla who spotted my Brisbane pics on Facebook. Hilarious!

She could tell from the iconic surrounds, that I was indeed lapping it up in the Black & Spiro studio.

Or as Kimberlee said . . .

"You look like the cat that got the cream!"

So many pretty parcels, all bundled up ready to be sent out from Anna Spiro's Absolutely Beautiful Things.

Emma and I enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon tea with Anna at Black & Spiro in New Farm.

Thanks to the fabulous Gill (friend from London), we knew who to turn to for delicious treats that would knock a local's socks off.

Jocelyn's Provisions in Fortitude Valley.

Apparently they're an iconic local bakehouse.

So good in fact, that we turned up with the passionfruit orange cake . . . while Anna surprised us with a bar of their chocolate cake.

Talk about good taste!

Hey Jude

On our first day in Brisbane, I caught up with a dear friend Gill who I hadn't seen in six years since I last left London.

So lovely to chew the fat - so much has happened since 2005!

She works in the city so Emma and I were thrilled to be able to explore the CBD with a local.

Gill took us down to Eagle Street Pier which was GREAT! What a lovely escape from a busy day in the office!

We headed to Jude which took my breath away - it's completely the type of place I'd love to open up (either that or something grungy like Flamingo in the Valley)

I went for the thai fish cakes with cous cous salad and beetroot salad, while Emma chose the thai chicken balls. Gill got the risotto balls but I held back from taking a pic of her lunch!

The food came in brown cardboard takeaway boxes on gorgeous rattan serving platters. They looked too good to eat!

The staff were friendly and the vibe was buzzing, the perfect distraction on a Friday and a great excuse for a long lunch.

You've got the power

Nursing the hangover of the century, I gathered all the strength I had to head out with the fabulous Bel for my last day in Brisbane.

Bel and I go way back and it was so lovely to see her so happy in her adopted hometown.

I'd heard lots about this Powerhouse place but gosh, it way exceeded all my expectations. What a fabulous space - cultural hub, spectacular views, awesome food and drink.

It was so good it even coaxed me out of my funk and I managed to down a beer!

A great way to spend my last afternoon in Brisbane

Hole in the wall

I love a local haunt that's unearthed in the most random of places.

Flamingo Cafe is one such hole in the wall establishment that has popped up in a quiet alley off the backstreets of Fortitude Valley.

Yet another of the 'Best of Brisbane' spots that Anna introduced us to!

(Great coffee. And the peanut butter and choc muffins didn't look too bad either . . . oh, and the homemade sausage rolls. Mmmmmmm!)

Crosstown and loving life

Day two of our Brisbane adventures and Anna took us across the river to Woolloongabba - a gorgeous little part of the city that I was surprised to find had more to offer than a cricket ground!

Some of the buildings just had so much character, gorgeous.

Anna took us to one of her family's favourite restaurants, The Crosstown Eating House which was the perfect lunch spot. And who should we bump into, but the rest of the Spiro clan!

It's so funny travelling with Emma - she spots the designy stuff, and I'm all eyes for the food (yes, that is the kitchen above!)

Check out her pics of our visit here.

So we had a tapas lunch to share and oh em gee, it was ah-mazing.

pan fried haloumi with beetroot, quinoa, lemon and almond

spiced eggplant, tomato, yoghurt, flatbread and roast lemon

pumpkin and amaretti ravioli, goats curd, pepitas and parmesan

green beans with garlic chips

YUM!

Especially when washed down with a pear cider!

My love of Woolloongabba extended to the Woolloongabba Antique Centre which boasted a fabulous 50s style cafe. 

So next time in you're around the traps, catching a game of cricket (bring on Summer!), stop by and say hi to the team at Crosstown - one of the chefs is from the Rad!

Direct from the Sourced

(whoops, bit blurry here!)

Flowers are the perfect addition to a weekend shopping basket!

Cool cafe - the menu was written on the tiles and huge rolls of brown paper

There's nothing like a trendy market to get a try hard foodie excited!

The fabulous Anna Spiro played host to Emma and me on our weekend adventures in Brisbane and on recommendation from her brother's girlfriend, Pip, we headed to Sourced Grocer in Teneriffe for a late afternoon coffee and sticky beak.

Fabulous vibe and a very cool little spot - ah-mazing ingredients for a very special home cooked meal. They also have a little cafe where we sat on milk crates and revived with hot drinks, watching the beautiful people drop by!

It's such a gorge little hole in the wall place, hidden away in a suburban street. Gorgeous decor with plants on the wall and subway tiles - complete with dark grey grout.

Plenty more Brisbane highlights to come . . . stay tuned (or turn over to Emma's little recap on our visit to Black & Spiro or Anna's wrap up of our day out)