Dreaming of Vintage Treasures

  There’s something quietly satisfying about growing a rosemary plant from clippings—watching the roots stretch out in water, then settling it into soil where it takes hold and thrives. My little rosemary plants are starting to grow little lilac flowers on it too. This small act of nurturing reminds me that patience invites beauty, the same way crocheting a beanie does—stitch by stitch, loop by loop, something useful and comforting forms from almost nothing.  More moments of beauty... white blossoms on a tree, freshly piped pistachio cannoli from my favourite Cannoli Bar and a goldstone ring I found at a secondhand jewellery stall. I'm very fond of it because it reminds me of one my baba always used to wear.  And to finish this post, I'll show you my Leona Edmiston clover dress that I found in an opshop for $8. The real star of the show is this bunch of daffodils though. Aren't they just gorgeous? Title : Everybody Loves Somebody by Dean Martin. Please visit my: eBay Sto...

 Happy New Year!  2020. It has already been deemed one hell of a year. For my family and I, it started with lots of terror as we rushed to escape the New South Wales bush fires . That was truly traumatic and I can't even begin to imagine how people who lost their homes or loved ones feel. Then by February, we were all too aware of corona virus and it's restrictions on our lives. Many people suffered in various ways, whether it be financially, socially, emotionally. Having a family member catch coronavirus was really scary and stressful but thank goodness he is alive and well. So many have died due to this pandemic and the numbers are truly shocking. After two lockdowns in Melbourne, I am glad that restrictions have now drastically eased. To all those in lockdown overseas, please have hope that if you stay home and keep doing the right thing, restrictions will eventually be eased. For the most part, I have tried to remain optimistic and hopeful. If certain plans were interrupte...

  Hello! I almost wasn't going to post this week because I've been so busy and mentally tired. I'm in the process of writing student reports and to save myself from feeling overwhelmed during the week, I completed some work on Saturday. *Sigh of relief*. I'm not complaining though as I know I'm very fortunate to have a job, especially during a tumultuous pandemic.   Victoria has had 30 days of no new COVID-19 cases - hooray! We are now not required to wear face masks outdoors if we are able to socially distance.   Other than work, I have been trying to squeeze in some fun. Over the last couple of weekends, I've visited family and family friends and I'd like to catch up with some other friends before Christmas. I've been op-shopping and yesterday I came away with Season 1 of Everybody Loves Raymond, a TV show that I came to love this year during lock-down. This morning, I was in a cooking mood so I made gingerbread cookies and homemade pasta and then vi...

Hello! I finished writing my students’ reports this week – yay! Students, families and teachers have done an amazing job working together to support the children’s learning from home this term. I know I'm giving myself a pat on the back, but it is well deserved. During the week, my sister and I were thrilled to get a package in the mail from my uncle’s girlfriend. She has a cake business and kindly surprised us with some biscuits. It was quite fun being able to decorate them with edible paint. It was just last week that I was wishing that I had some paint as I’ve run out and the universe must have been listening to me. Thank you again Leanne, if you’re reading this, I so enjoyed painting these biscuits! Although it’s spring here in Melbourne, it was freezing yesterday, so I stayed in my coat for most of the day. This is my Penny Lane, Afghan-style coat, which I wear all the time but is particularly relevant now that it’s the 20 year anniversary since the film Almost ...

Hello! As promised, I'm sharing the crochet jumper I recently finished creating. It took a long time to make but I'm proud of myself for learning to make jumpers this year. Who would've thought! I crocheted two big rectangles for the front and back. Then I made two long rectangles for the sleeves and joined all the pieces together.  I actually made the sleeves a bit too long on this jumper, which is why I rolled up the sleeves. Paired with some jeans and my orange boots, I love this casual 1970s look. Plus, I made a matching bag - be still my granny square loving heart! This is the last jumper I'll be crocheting as quite frankly, they take up too much of my closet space. I don't have an endless amount of wardrobe space so I only have room for pieces I absolutely love. Source      Source As for today, I spent the morning watching 'Johnny Cash: Song by Song' and 'ABBA: Super Trouper'. My dad recently bought ...

Hello! This week has been so busy. I have been working from home and stressing about writing reports. I'm slowly getting through them and will feel so relieved once they're done. I needed some fashion relief so  I decided to play a little game called 'see how many ways you can style these pants!' Since working from home , I tend to stick with the same pants all week and change what I wear on top. Very lazy dressing, I know, but in my defense at least I'm not working in tracksuits or pajama bottoms which seems to be very common.  This week I borrowed my mum's cord green pants. I wore them with... My vest (that I crocheted myself) My Afghan-style coat My emerald green turtleneck My Turkish Suzani boots.... It may be spring, but it's still pretty cold so these pieces were primarily chosen for warmth.  ... and My fabulous leopard turtleneck  And INXS t-shirt (which I bought for my dad but I w...

Hello! We're still in lock-down here in Melbourne and I have well and truly settled into a familiar routine. From Monday to Friday, I work from 7.30am to about 5pm, with quick breaks for breakfast and lunch. I have about 5 video meetings with my students as a whole class and in small groups. They're so eager to go back to school and often tell me that they miss their school friends and I.  Then I plan lessons for a couple of hours and finally do the mammoth task of checking every child's work which takes me 1.5-2 hours at the end of each day. After I've conquered that, I'm keen to get out and go for a walk. Having to wear a face covering while out of your home is not so bad as it keeps your face warm when it's cold.  Yesterday, mum and I got caught in the rain, which nowadays is a bit of an adventure in itself. I  was also happy about these wild flowers that I picked from the top of a hill. Before each weekday ends, I try to squeeze in some crocheting...