A huge thank you to everyone who came down to visit JJ & I at the MCA Zine Fair on Sunday. It was a busy, exhausting and fun day and I can’t wait to do it all again next year (am I mad?!)

I still have copies leftover and I know a lot of out-of-towners were keen to get their hands on some. I have created an online store where you can purchase the zines and they will be available in an e-book format shortly too.

We were really impressed with our print job from EW Lee  and it was great to see all our hard work eventuate into a printed and bound copy.

The night before I baked 100 mini Pineapple & Coconut Cupcakes and Devil’s Food Cupcakes as free “gift-with-purchase” to entice (ie bribe) customers.

Here is our table all set up at the fair!

And here we are :)

I will be adding more to the store in coming weeks, I’ll keep you posted!

I am thrilled to be sharing a table this year with the wonderful JJ from the food blog 84th & 3rd, so make sure you check out her work too! For those who aren’t familiar with what the MCA Zine Fair is, firstly check out my review of last year’s Zine Fair. Zines are limited-run publications that are usually handmade and self-published and are on nearly every topic your imagination can think of. It’s a fun day of creativity, shopping and mingling with creatives. What more could you want?

Here are some excerpts from my zines, firstly the dessert zines volumes 1 and 2.

Iceland:

New York:

San Francisco:

Please come visit me, bring coffee and possibly buy a zine (a girl’s gotta pay her rent) – I will have bribery cupcakes! Can’t make it? That’s ok. They will be available in my online shop (coming soon) and I’ll be releasing them as ebooks too!

These Pantone Pairings of food on Instagram by Minneapolis based designer David Schwen are eye-catching, clever and I look forward to following this ongoing project. What flavour combination are you hoping he does next?

For more Pantone Pairings in this series go here

For more of her work check out sarahillenberger.tictail.com

I love a good infographic, and this one by CarInsurance.org sums up our sense of duty during the festive season to visit our loved ones and families – with 91% of us travelling by car (ugh). Stay safe on the roads, try not to scream at Grandma and eat LOTS of ham.

A pair of Charlotte Olympia cat shoes has been on my wish-list for a very long time but at over AU$700 a pair I think I need to be content with just admiring.

ASOS has some very pleasant-looking cat sweaters. Left + Right

This is ridiculous. I kind of think I need a cat-ular. Yes, that’s a cat spatular. The fact that it guarantees you a purr-fect breakfast just tops it off.

If you want to embrace the cat look on a more low-key level, then perhaps some cat eye sunglasses are more appropriate.

More cat stuff here!

I am also making matching business cards to hand out at the conference. Due to the last minute nature of these cards they are going to be handmade… made with love of course.

I look forward to meeting you all soon in Adelaide!

A is for Austen.

B is for Brontë.

C is for Cather.

To see more of this collection check it out here. And if you’re unfamiliar with Jessica’s Daily Drop Cap then do yourself a favour and explore her beautiful lettering here.

We have a table out on our balcony that they sit on (the herb garden has been shoved off onto the ground, sorry herbs). The succulents are a mixture of presents, plants I have bought at Bunnings, a few from Surry Hills markets and quite a few cuttings from plants I find when I go walking.

I love the variety of shapes and colours the succulents come in. I have a soft spot for the pale plants.

This little guy is my favourite! It reminds me of a ceramic rose.

I also love this pale guy, he is a cutting from a plant I found around Redfern and has been sitting in a glass of water for the past month. These weather-beaten pots I find on my morning jog all around Surry Hills. I keep coming back from my workout lugging a variety of pottery and covered in dirt.

This looks like a rose and a cabbage had a baby! I got in from Bunnings, I need to buy some new pots as I hate the plastic aqua containers they come in.

My Wedgwood plants are still going strong! On the far right is a Milo tin I recycled, just make sure you punch holes in the bottom of your found containers so the water can drain.

How cute is the little polka dot pot? I got it for very cheap from a $2 shop.

Aaaaaand here is part 2 of my succulents. This table is kept indoors but still gets afternoon sun. These are cuttings I get from established succulent plants around the neighbourhood. I sit them in glasses of water until their roots form, then they can be planted in soil and moved outdoors.

I found this guy on the side of the road, dried out and caked in dirt. I have cleaned him up and trying to bring him back to life. Succulents are very hardy so I think he’ll do just fine!

This is a gorgeous cutting I got which is ready to be planted soon.

Check out those roots!

My next succulent-related project is to try and make a terrarium!

My housemate is being very patient about our balcony and living room filling up with plants. But she knows it’s either this or cats. Lots and lots of cats.