Pineapple Head

©Kara Rosenlund

So, it has probably occurred to you as much as it has occurred to me that I don't seem to get many comments on my blog. Naturally I have thought about this... **a lot**.

Comments are the equivalent to getting picked for the netball team or the hockey team, or even the school dance, no one likes to look unpopular and be left on the bench.

Timothy O has been bombarded with constant questioning... "Whats the go? Am I really off the mark? Why, why, why? You can tell me the truth you know? Is the blog really that bad? I even take all my own photographs ... is it the photographs, are they really bad?"

... turns out I had one of the comment settings turned off in my blogger account.... which meant it made it rather difficult to make a comment. umm..sorry, turns out it wasn't you after all, it was actually me! Yup, feeling like a bit of a pineapple head right now.

That means anyone can comment on my blog now, even spammers, c'mon, go, comment, tell me what you think.

K xx

P.S How bonkers are pineapples anyway! Bonkers!

Happy Monday

©Kara Rosenlund

Where did the weekend go? I don't know about you, however I feel as though this was the fastest weekend that ever was! Lightning Speed! Bamm... Gone!

Lets hope that the week ahead doesn't follow suit! I am bound for seaside Victoria from Thursday, styling a secret project with Nikole Furnari. More of that to come later!

Above are a couple of shots of what I was staring at early this morning while in bed, you know when you are laying there trying to figure out whether you want to hop up just yet, pondering maybe you can lay in for just a couple more minutes ....anyway, I thought the cupboard and bits looked rather nice in the light, so I thought I would share it with you. Do you like my new lamp shade?

Better Dash!

K xx

Market Reminder!

Cheeky last minute reminder!

Come to the market!

Come to the market!

K xx

Last Call!

©Kara Rosenlund

Well, we are all packed up and ready to go for tomorrow's Jan Power's Farmers Market! I even did an emergency dash to *Bunnings for a navy 'Delux Gazebo' to keep the rain out over our trestle tables!

I think it is safe to say it will be wet tomorrow; however we will be there. So once you have had your glorious wintery sleep-in, listening to the rain come down on the roof, get into your wet weather gear and come and say hello! (I always love a reason to dress up!)

I took a few quick shots as I was getting everything ready for tomorrow. English and Italian white china, large sea shells and rose pink barnacles by the handful (perfect for a display!), old Japanese flower bowls and old English garden forks. Plus lots of baking tins if you are in the mood to bake a wintery cake over the last weekend of winter!

Oh... and we now have fancy pants eftpos! Oohhlala!

K xx

(*for our international friends Bunnings is a huge hardcore hardware megastore)

Stock Sneak Peek

©Kara Rosenlund

Would you believe I am actually doing a last minute source for tomorrow's market. I have been invited somewhere very secretive and very exclusive to have a poke around, so lets hope I find some delights for us all!

Above are a couple of shots of some new stock.

Old English platters, perfect proportions for roast chicken with heavy silver cutlery.

Trio of white French plates with gold trim.

Gorgeous old Tinware for baking cakes and making bread and also a set of cookie cutters.

Generous mule coloured French Napkins with silver cake lifters and pretty cake plates.

Enamel colanders in white and also cream!

Plenty more to come!

K xx

String Bags and Bentwoods

©Kara Rosenlund

String Bags and Bentwood Chairs.... I happen to love both... and both will be available at 'Travelling Wares' on Saturday!

Usually on Saturday mornings after I have set up 'Travelling Wares' I actually take my own string bag, pick up a croissant and do a quick round of the market, picking up fresh produce that we might need over the weekend, piling it into my string bag and feeling very chic at the same time! Giggle. They are surprisingly expandable and hold quite the load!

More to reveal soon!

Email me if you are interested in the little french string bags or the bentwood chair! hello@kararosenlund.com

K xx

Nigella

© Kara Rosenlund

I know, I know, it's market week and you guys want to see my new stock; have a bit of a '*heads-up' as to what will be on the trestle tables on Saturday.... I know, I know...it's coming, I promise.

Though before we get there I want to share with you something special! Nigella! - our latest addition to our Pekin Bantam flock.

She arrived on Sunday and our outgoing feathered girls (Bettina, Gigi and Coco) have been readjusting to the new shy girl on the block!

Timothy O and myself have been eagerly looking on, looking for signs of friendship, signs of love... mmm, I can see potential, however lets just say its called a 'pecking order' for a reason and Nigella is clearly at the bottom. It's early days.

Nigella was brought to us by the lovely Tilly from 'Girls for the Garden'. If you are thinking about introducing some feathered girls to your garden, then I would strongly recommend Tilly. She is the 'go to' woman in chicken circles. You can find her at the Jan Power's Farmers Markets - or you can email me.

K xxx

Market This Saturday!

Yup, thats right, we will be at the Jan Power's Farmers Markets from dawn this Saturday, so make sure you come by and say hello! We have lots of new things!

Pack your umbrella and squeeze into your wellingtons, (think Kate Moss Glastonbury 2008 style - the Pete years!) as it looks as though there could be a slight chance of a shower...eeeek!

We have been extremely lucky in the past weather wise - glorious sunshine for every market we have done... so I think our number is up!

I will be checking the forecast.. hourly... for any changes; I'll keep you posted!

K xxx

Juice Me

©Kara Rosenlund

Citrus Juicer... do you have one... do you want one... I think everyone should have one... in particular a proper heavy moulded glass one!

Don't get me wrong, I have tried others, I take my citrus very seriously you know. I have a Philippe Starck 'Juicy Salif' stashed in the cupboard (looonng way back in the cupboard though, you know that spot, once it goes there is never comes back.. one of those spots), I also have tried an Italian manual citrus press too (the clamp broke) and I have also been known to use my good ol' bare hands. But nothing beats my moulded glass juicer.

Whenever we sell one of our glass citrus juicers at Travelling Wares I literally have a grin from ear to ear, its as though silently you and I have a secret that we both are in on - and that is that they may try but nothing can beat a well made classic!

K xx

Sea Shells by the Sea Shore

©Kara Rosenlund

Yesterday was a public holiday here in Brisbane and to be honest it is taking me a little while to get back up to speed (hence my late post!). Anyway, I spent the day with Timothy O at a near by beach (aka mudflat, it is Brisbane after all) collecting sea shells while he rode his new bike around.

I wasn't always into collecting sea shells, I was obsessed when I was younger, then as I got older I thought it was a bit over done and really not my style. Then a few years ago I went a bit sea shell mad. Along my journeys I would be smuggling shells and coral from all over the world.... and naturally also getting them confiscated at airports all over the world too... you win some you lose some.

I think the key to collecting sea shells or really any collection is having the right vessel to house or display them in. I keep my sea shells and coral and bones in an an old marble mortar and another collection in a large disused sieve.

I love a good collection; a little peep hole into someone's intricacies.

K xx

Elephant Tricks!

©Kara Rosenlund

Thank you to all of you who came by 'Travelling Wares' at the Jan Power's Farmers Market on the weekend! It was such a great day seeing you all out and about in the sunshine!

Here are a couple of recent children's finds! A pair of French nursery slippers in elephant grey and an old wooden puzzle of an elephant (don't be tricked, this puzzle is a lot harder than what it looks!).

More to come!

K xx

Market Reminder!

Hope to see you tomorrow!

I have spent the day preparing and pricing stock and I must say that I really think I have out done myself this time - I can measure this by how much I actually want to keep and NOT sell! Hahaha!

Just finished packing the ute, plus the inside of Frankie and had to make an SOS call to my wonderful parents and ask them to take some stock into the market in their ute too for tomorrow! Thank you Mum and Dad! I love you!

Available will be a fantastic and an 'en masse' array of flatware, french tumblers, pickling jars (perfect proportions for vases), glass cake stands, a huge collection of baking tins in various shapes and sizes and really so much more. You simply just must come! So much beautiful stock to share!

I'm so excited! Delirious in fact! (apologies for any spelling errors).

Early night for me!

Hope to see you there!

K xx

Food Connect - ed!

©Kara Rosenlund

Hold on to your seats! Look at what I have found! Its called Food Connect and it is great!

A seasonal fruit and vegetable co-op based in Salisbury (there is also one in Sydney for you Sydney siders), where South East Queensland farmers bring in their stunning produce and it gets distributed into boxes for a fruit and vegetable box scheme!

I know what you are thinking.... Salisbury, thats not near me..... wait...get this....a truck collects all the boxes and delivers them to 'City Cousins' in Brisbane City. 'City Cousins' are people who put their hands up and act as community collection depots.

Wait, it gets better, you then find someone in your local neighbourhood who is a 'City Cousin' on the Food Connect website and pop over to their house and collect your box! Community building too!

Voila. Local, seasonal, low kilometers and high *density fruit and vegetables! (Apparently *fruit and vegetable density is going to become a buzz phrase soon, as it relates to how much actual goodness is in the produce. Watch out supermarkets, word on the street is your stuff isn't very dense man!)

Above is the Gourmet Box which I collected yesterday from around the road! Can you believe it! There were a few more mushrooms, though I had a nibble.

K x

p.s the box is actually a standard cardboard box, though I wanted to pretty it up for you and place mine in a crate.

New Stock

©Kara Rosenlund

Here is another sneak peek of the gorgeous bits that have arrived for this weeks market!

Just arrived, a large French 'eau de vie' bottle. I have a couple of these around the house. They are hard to come buy and are very heavy. I love thick old glass that catches sunlight, very impressive!

A stunning old still life of a box of cherries and fruit. I think including art in the kitchen adds a dash of flamboyance.... who wants to be plain and safe anyway.

Old engraved silver fish knives in lab beakers, metal cloches, Scottish pottery from the Highlands and a set of Wedgwood plates! What more could you ask for.

A very unusual and sturdy French workshop stool on three legs in dove grey.

A collection of old thick glass Apothecary jars, available individually. I love these, I keep all sorts in my apothecary jars; spices and dried herbs in the kitchen and bits of my ribbon and feather collection that I want to see at a glance. (p.s I think everyone should have a feather collection! Such natural beauty!)

If you have seen something that you are interested in and can't wait til Saturday (like me!) feel free to email at hello@kararosenlund.com

K xx

Bag Lady

©Kara Rosenlund

You know when you see something and you just have to have it; you have an immediate strong reaction, where all the pulses in your body are pulsing to the same beat - thats what happened when I saw this bag at our last Travelling Wares Market, casually strolling by our caravan on the arm of a girl.

I'm probably slow off the bat here, as I gave up fashion magazines a little while ago and I now just live in interior magazine paper heaven, so perhaps you have all seen this bag before - but I hadn't!

Two long weeks of waiting for the postman to deliver my fun little organic tote felt like an epic, each day growing more and more anxious/impatient. I actually went to the postoffice on Monday just to check if there was a parcel for me, an oversight by someone perhaps - I didn't have a 'While you were Out Card' from Australia Post, I just cold called on them...."sorry Ma'am, nothing for you here"'...."Are you sure??"

So, long story short, it arrived yesterday and is hanging up on the hook rack eagerly waiting to hit the pavement today.

If you too would like one, I got mine here and they ship worldwide!.. could take a little while though....

K xx

Blue Sneak Peek

©Kara Rosenlund

Well here you have it, the gorgeous Blue and White sneak peek. We have pieces from all over the globe including Denmark, Italy and England.

Vibrant and fresh, blue and white is so completely timeless.

**Note Timothy O's heirloom tomatoes in the second shot, we are having our own little tomato feast at the moment; I love this time of year!

More to come soon!

K x

Market THIS Saturday!

That's right folks, we are going to be at the Powerhouse Markets this Saturday, bright and early!

I have had a lot of beautiful things arriving through the doors here since the last market. As I mentioned last week lots of blue and white, lots of all white (of course), a few smaller pieces of furniture (wait until you see this beautiful French wooden stool!), and more general gorgeousness!

I'll try to post a sneak preview later in the day!

I'm so exited, can't wait til Saturday!

K x

Skull Friday!

©Kara Rosenlund

Just a quick post to say hope you all have a fantastic weekend! I have a busy one planned, with an exciting themed event I'm styling on Saturday. I'll have to share that with you next week!

I found this skull yesterday - what do you think? I love animal bones, skulls, antlers, hides, tortoise shells, just can't get enough of the natural form really.

Better dash, I have so much to share with you next week, if you are a fan of blue and white china watch out! I have found some beautiful pieces!

K xxx

Happy Birthday Timothy O

©Kara Rosenlund

Ta Dah........ Happy Birthday Timothy O!!! Even at 30 years of age you are still getting bikes for your birthday... well, not any sort of bike.... a Tokyo Bike!

As you can see I have taken a couple of sneaky shots of the ***new bike***, which I cleverly hid in Frankie - Timothy O never would of thought to look in there!

Tokyo Bike are an independent bicycle company in Sydney. In their words here is a bit about them.....

"The inspiration and ethos for Tokyo Bike begun with the name, Tokyo Bike. In the same way that a mountain bike is suitable for riding across mountains, Tokyo Bike was conceived of as the perfect way to ride around Tokyo.We imagined people enjoying themselves, navigating the city on their bikes. We focussed on comfort above speed, and lightness when pedalling to allow riders to forget that they are riding and simply enjoy the city air."

They even have a short film - they are just too cool!

So, there you have it, Happy Birthday Timothy O, hope you enjoy the wind blowing through your hair on your bicycle today...... and sorry I was a bit cranky last night, keeping secrets is stressful!

K xxxx

Standard Issue

©Kara Rosenlund

I was out and about sourcing yesterday for a shoot when to my pure joy I came across these...

Original 1968 Swags from the Vietnam War - never used!

I was squealing about all over the place when I saw them; I bought a few as I think they have many different uses. The fabric is a beautiful heavy cotton and there is foam in the middle for support, plus the slip is removable for washing and ironing - could this get any better!

I have mine on the front daybed at the moment, though I think they would work if you wanted to take them to the park too, or of course 'glamping' (thats glamorous camping Mum, I didn't spell it wrong) and I think it would work as a chic baby play mat. What do you think?

They will be available at the next Travelling Wares market, though if you are anything like me and can't wait til then you can always email me!

K xx

P.S The last image is of our hyacinths out the front, see, I told you they would be appearing soon... ( Between you and me I was actually a bit worried that they would not appear at all). Here is when I planted them.