IKEA

 

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Dress: Adorne via Melina's Boutique woven cotton

Cardigan: Trottie Becke knit

Loafers: Pitillos via Obsession Shoes matte, patent leather

Bag: Pigeonhole leather

Bangle: Gift, vintage silver, semi-precious stone

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Finally sharing all the sweet pictures from a morning spent traipsing around the labyrinth that is IKEA, doing some measuring, making some lists, picking up some goodies & leaving with some delicious meatballs, mashed potato & sauce mix for dinner! To ward off the chill in the Queensland morning air, I'm wearing a gorgeous woven black, red & blue baroque-print heavyweight cotton midi dress with buttons from Adorne that I picked up at Melina's Boutique in the township of Rosewood, a vibrant red knitted wrap cardigan with fringing from Trottie Becke for a pop of colour, a pair of black matte & patent leather loafers with tassels from a label called Pitillos that I discovered at Obsession Shoes last winter & have since become my go-to cold weather shoe, a black leather crossbody bag from Pigeonhole to carry all the essentials & a chunky vintage silver bangle with blue & red semi-precious stones to pick up on the colours in the dress print for a cohesive overall look.

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Beautiful Day in Boonah

 

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Dress: Shona Joy cotton voile

Anorak: Uniqlo via Vinnies Rosewood coated cotton

Ankle Boots: Renee Loves Frances leather

Bag: Cotton On vinyl

Bangle Stack: Gift, vintage Mexican silver

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

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Finally sharing all of the gorgeous pictures from a morning spent exploring the small township of Boonah in Queensland's delightful Scenic Rim with my father. Boonah is full of those leisurely country town vibes with its main street containing all the usual amenities (grocery store, pharmacy, doctor, dentist) as well as an old-fashioned department store called Maynards, various boutiques selling clothing, homewares, jewellery, books & vintage knick-knacks & some top notch cafes, pubs & farm produce stores that I was disappointed that I couldn't visit all in one day! After perusing the shops (okay, okay, I may have made a cheeky little Palm Cove dress purchase in the lovely Duck Junction store...) & stopping to admire the views of the mountains, we headed to Flavours Cafe - built in 1916 to serve as offices for the Boonah Butter Factory & sympathetically restored & repurposed for food service in 1999 - with its "relaxed, country-style dining" & enjoyed a delicous winter-warmer meal while sipping piping hot coffee (well, myself anyway) & sitting in the sunshine of the courtyard with its avocado plants & strawberry vines.

For the occasion, I wore a sweet blue & white ditsy floral print cotton voile midi dress with voluminous sleeves, tight elasticated waistline & embroidered yoke detailing from Australian label Shona Joy, styled up with a navy coated cotton Uniqlo anorak that I picked up from Vinnies Rosewood for the princely sum of $5, a pair of tan leather ankle boots from Renee Loves Frances that I've had for many years now that just keep getting better & better with age & a blue vinyl slouch handbag from Cotton On to carry all the essentials. When it came to jewellery, I chose some favourites - a stack of vintage Mexican silver bangles that some dear friends brought back for me from overseas & a single vintage silver bangle from 20th Century Antiques & Collectibles (formerly of Coolangatta, now Tweed Heads in a smaller location) that my brother gave me as birthday gift a few years ago.

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Back to Kalbar

 

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Dress: Sacha Drake jersey

Cardigan: Vero Moda via Myer knit

Ankle Boots: Renee Loves Frances leather

Bag: Soul Nook Collective vinyl, wood

Cuff: Disney Couture silver

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One of the best things about this cold, crisp weather is the opportunity to get "out & about" in the Queensland countryside on little daytrips with the family. In this case, we've come back to the lovely little town of Kalbar for a wander around the local boutiques including the historical Kalbar Post Office & Sweets Store, a browse around The Emporium for some recently-rediscovered goodies, a delicious all-day breakfast at Lovett at Kalbar Cafe & a leisurely drive along quiet roads with the low winter sun streaming in through the windows & a stunning view of the mountains in the background.

For the occasion, I wore a gorgeous navy & white spotted jersey wrap dress with midi-length hemline & sweet little cap sleeves from Aussie designer Sacha Drake, a fuzzy camel-coloured knit cardigan with bracelet-length sleeves & large covered buttons from Vero Moda at my local Myer department store, a pair of tan leather ankle boots with silver zipper from Renee Loves Frances (four years of wear & counting) with matching tan vinyl crossbody bag with wooden clasp from Soul Nook Collective to carry all the essentials & finally, a funky silver knife-fork-spoon cuff from Disney Couture to complete the look.

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Portobello Mushroom, Salad & Cheese with Eggs, Truffle Oil & Dukka

Savoury Mince with Egg on Sourdough Toast

Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Vanilla Frappe