Be inspired by Proteas

My Instagram feed has been full of proteas over the past two weeks! Yes, these lovely blooms are in season, but I've seen them in art and fashion too.

Many of us think they are native to Australia but they're actually from South Africa, where they are also known as Sugarbushes, and according to local tradition, they represent change and hope. They are so well suited to our climate, and work so well with other natives, it's no wonder we've seconded the protea for ourselves.

Here are some of my favourite spottings of proteas in Australia this week:

Kids' floral workshop at Seasonal Concepts in Sydney

Sydney wonder emporium Seasonal Concepts in Redfern, NSW is hosting a floral workshop for kids next Saturday 7th May. Send your 8-15 year old along for an hour and a half of creativity and be guaranteed beautiful blooms for Mother's Day!

Valentine's Day roses

What a lovely job I have. These gorgeous flowers from Bondville partner FreshFlowers.com.au arrived for me yesterday as part of their Valentines Month Of Love campaign - thirty short-stemmed red Cupids Roses! How lucky!

Flower arranging by vase shape - tips from Holly Hipwell

Two Saturdays ago I headed to a flower arranging workshop at Freedom to relax and play with flowers! What an absolute treat.

About 15 of us listened intently to the famed Holly Hipwell of The Flowerdrum, as she took us through the basics of flower arranging.

Loving: Polli flower press

My friends at Australian jewellery label Polli have whipped up yet another must-have piece. This is a gorgeous flower press made from plantation hoop pine and printed with an original water colour painting over sketches of native flowers. Great for preserving flowers for crafty pursuits (framed flowers! greeting cards! set in resin! laminated mobiles!) and for teaching kids too. Totally my cup of tea. You can find the flower press in the Polli online store. Read more about Polli here on Bondville.

Image: Polli

The first of the flannel flowers, whale rock and a sponge cake

What a gorgeous weekend; I hope you had a fantastic time. A big happy birthday to my Dad who turned 70 yesterday - we can't wait to have a family celebration in two weeks.

Yesterday some friends came over for a hike in the Lane Cove National Park behind our house. We made it to Whale Rock (can you see the face?), and we found the first of the wild flannel flowers (I got a bit over-excited), and lots of raucous nesting cockatoos. Then home for a BBQ and my first attempt at a sponge cake for our friend's birthday. Here are some happy snaps...

We also spent a lovely morning on Saturday at the Hawkesbury Harvest Farmers and Fine Food Markets at the Castle Hill Showgrounds on Saturday. It's a great market (not too big, not too small) with a lovely atmosphere and of course lots of fresh produce. We picked up some beautiful spelt bread loaves, fresh yoghurt, antipasto mix, and some greens. Although the highlight was probably bumping into a dog show, also at the showgrounds. It was a real life Best In Show! Brilliant! These people are serious about their dogs; and their dogs' hairspray. 

Did you get out and about? I've been sharing lots of pics on Instagram (sbond) and Twitter. If you'd like to follow along, let me know you are a reader. I'd love to find out more about you too.

Images: Steph Bond-Hutkin | Bondville

Kitsilano Vancouver Colours

While visiting my sister and her husband in Vancouver, I was so inspired by the abundance of colour, especially in their neighbourhood - the very stylish Kitsilano. It seemed like every house had a glorious cottage garden and heavy peonies and rose heads dotted yards.

Even the sidewalk in front of the storefronts was ablaze with lush flowers and herbs. The rainbow colours were also reflected in fun stores like Cupcakes by Heather and Lori (they have their own kooky reality TV show in Canada), David's Tea (an amazing range of beautifully-packaged teas and brewing accoutrement), and Lululemon of course (a Kitsilano original - the first store opened here in 2000). Maybe all the colour is a foil for the often-grey sky and frequent rain showers? Or a product there-of. Here are some happy snaps from Kitsilano to brighten your day...

 

I can also highly recommend the vegetarian restaurant The Naam, Sophie's Cosmic Cafe, and The Boathouse Restaurant - all excellent. Have you been to Kitsilano? Do you have any travel recommendations for this great neighbourhood?

Images: Steph Bond-Hutkin | Bondville

The Last of the Hydrangeas

We are soooo lucky to have gorgeous hydrangea bushes in our garden - mostly white with a slightly pink or blue tinge. As they age, they turn a lovely vintage green. This is our very last bunch. See your fluffy heads next year :)

Image: Steph Bond-Hutkin