Franny Gets Frocked: Sibling Nostalgia Birthday Weekend

I'm so elated to be sharing all of the beautiful photographs from my recent "Sibling Nostalgia Birthday Weekend" with my younger brother at Queensland's Sunshine Coast, staying in a delightful little Airbnb cottage; eating delicious food at a variety of cafes & restaurants; doing a spot of vintage shopping at both markets & boutiques, taking a long walk along the beach foreshore & of course, heading off to check out some tourist attractions that we enjoyed as children many years ago!

Scroll down to see how it all unfolded...

DAY ONE

Dress: Review cotton, patent belt

Cardigan: Kitten D'Amour knitted silk/cotton

Sneakers: Converse leather, rubber

Hinged Bangle: Gift, Precious Stones Jewellers silver

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

Bangle: Gift, 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles vintage silver

After driving up the Bruce Highway to Forest Glen, we checked into our base for the weekend - a beautiful, rustic cottage with sweeping green views - before heading out to Mooloolaba for a spot of vintage shopping on the Esplanade & dinner at an Asian street food retaurant by the water as the sun began to set on the Wharf.

I wore a gorgeous, vintage-inspired dark floral print textured cotton fit-to-flare midi dress in shades of purple, burgundy & mauve with thin patent leather belt from Australian label Review, styled up with a cropped lavender knitted silk/cotton 3/4 sleeved cardigan from Kitten D'Amour to ward off the chill in the air (I added a silver viscose anorak from Suzanne Grae later on as the temperature continued to drop), a pair of chunky black leather sneakers with white rubber soles from Converse & a black nylon crossbody bag from Nautica that I picked up at my local TK Maxx store for an absolute bargain price. When it came to jewellery, I donned some favourite pieces - a chunky hinged bangle that looks like a wave from the delightful Precious Stones Jewellers in Uptown (formerly the Myer Centre), a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles that some dear friends brought back from a trip overseas & a single, vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles that my brother gave me for my birthday a few years ago.

Gumtree Cottage

Forest Glen, QLD 4556

Making some new friends at the Wharf...

Rice Boi

The Wharf, Mooloolaba

123 Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba QLD 4557

Washing it all down with a sake & lychee cocktail...

There's always room for dessert!

Artigiano Gelato

1/9 Mooloolaba Esplanade, Mooloolaba QLD 4557

Eumundi Markets

80 Memorial Drive, Eumundi QLD 4562

DAY TWO

Dress: Review cotton, patent belt

Skivvy: Resident vintage mesh

Jacket: By.DYLN via Platypus Shoes denim, embroidery

Sneakers: Converse suede, rubber

Shoelaces: Dogstar upcycled kimono fabric

Tights: Razzamatazz 40 denier nylon

Bag: Nautica nylon

Hinged Bangle: Gift, Precious Stones Jewellers silver

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

Bangle: Gift, vintage 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles silver

We woke up bright & early & headed off to Eumundi Markets for breakfast & a browse around all the vintage & handmade stalls before heading off to a plethora of tourist attractions - Sunshine Castle with its utterly bonkers "Dolls of the World" exhibit & Medieval treasure hunt; Amaze World (formerly the Bellingham Maze) with its multiple labyrinths & magic waterfall & finally, Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden & Sculpture Garden - & finishing the day with a delightful Japanese dinner.

It was absolutely freezing cold & quite breezy so I wore a bohemian-inspired, layered ensemble that could be easily tweaked to be suitable all day as the weather changed. Starting with a stunning rose printed cotton v-neck fit-to-flare midi dress with thin patent leather belt from Review, I decided on a spot of pattern-mixing & added a vintage small-scale dual floral print mesh skivvy with cabbage leaf trim (label unknown) that I picked up at a funky little boutique called Resident & then added a massively oversized green denim jacket with white embroidery by a label with hip-hop vibe called By.DYLN that I discovered at Platypus Shoes. I donned some mustard suede sneakers with rubber soles from Converse that I laced some red floral upcycled kimono fabric laces from Dogstar into, a pair of black 40 denier nylon tights from Razzamatazz to keep my legs feeling toasty & carried a black nylon crossbody bag from Nautica to carry everything while keeping my hands free to rummage to my heart's content. I kept on the same jewellery pieces as the day before for ease.

Sunshine Castle

292-296 David Low Way, Bli Bli QLD 4560

Seriously experiencing ALL THE FEELS that a trip down memory lane can bring...

Amaze World (formerly Bellingham Maze)

274 Tanawha Tourist Drive, Tanawha QLD 4556

"The Shining," anyone?!

Added a woven, wide-brimmed hat from Before Sunset to ward off the sun's harmful rays, swapped the thin patent belt for a thicker, vintage leather & canvas option from Resident & removed the green denim jacket, floral mesh skivvy & black tights as the weather warmed up...

Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Garden

Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Sculpture Park

51 Palm Creek Drive, Tanawha QLD 4554

Happy in the fresh air...

Quiet meditation in the sculpture garden...

Niko Niko Japanese Table

Shop 5/180 Alexandra Parade, Alexandra Headland QLD 4572

DAY THREE

Dress: Review cotton, patent belt

Cardigan: Kitten D'Amour wool knit

Sneakers: Converse leather, rubber

Socks: Princess Highway cotton, lace

Bag: Dub Denim Designs upcycled denim

Hinged Bangle: Gift, Precious Stones Jewellers silver

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

Bangle: Gift, 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles vintage silver

Sunglasses: Sportsgirl resin

Another early morning for the last day of our adventure; this time heading towards the beach at Mooloolaba for a walk along the Esplanade in the sunshine followed by breakfast at one of the cafes dotted along the roadside & a trip to Sea Life Aquarium (formerly Underwater World) at the Wharf before the crowds descended.

The ever-so-slightly warmer weather meant that layers weren't necessary so I donned a striking floral print cotton fit-to-flare midi dress in shades of black, ivory & pink with an unexpected keyhole neckline & thin patent belt from Review, a pink & white spotted cropped wool knit cardigan from Kitten D'Amour, a pair of black leather & white rubber Converse sneakers with sweet frilly white cotton & lace socks from Princess Highway & an upycled denim crossbody bag from Dub Denim Designs (an amazing stallholder at the Eumundi Markets who helps lessen our environmental impact by taking unused denim & creating beautiful bags in a variety of styles) to carry all the essentials. As before, my jewellery remained the same but I added a pair of faux tortoiseshell resin sunglasses from Sportsgirl to protect my eyes.