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Bayside Vintage @ Camberwell Market!

Monday, May 20th, 2013

We had so. much. fun holding a stall at Camberwell Market yesterday, it was such a buzz! Getting up at 4:30am was a bit of a shock to the system, but so worth it. I made more than I would in an average week in one morning… but more importantly, it was such a valuable experience in terms of customer feedback, understanding what customers were looking for. Very useful to see what sold, what didn’t, and why.

It was a chilly day but the sun came out, and thank goodness for the cafes surrounding the market for caffeine! It was great to meet a couple of people who follow me on Instagram and some of my blog readers, which was a pleasant surprise (as I didn’t think anyone read my blog!) and to see some friends who stopped to say hello.

My friend Shelley was a huge help on the day, arriving before 6am, thank you so much. And my wonderful hubbie was an amazing support as always.

An awesome day despite the lack of sleep…now planning to do it again in Springtime!

Alison x

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Camberwell Market Melbourne

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

So far, it’s been a bleak and rainy week here in Melbourne, but hopefully that means all the rain will be out of the way by the weekend… as Bayside Vintage is having its first pop-up stall!

I chose Camberwell Market as it’s been a favourite of mine for several years now, and always a great place to hunt for amazing vintage treasures. Personally I always end up spending whatever is in my purse!

Melbourne’s Camberwell Market

There are 370 stalls, and we will be located almost right in the middle! It will be an early start and a morning fuelled by caffeine, but I think it will be so interesting to be on the other side of the stall, a seller instead of a buyer this time around.

I’ll have a wide range of amazing vintage homewares – everything from Mason jars to rustic grape dip tins, huge demijohns, wire baskets, some French enamelware, vintage mirrors, bread boards, crates/boxes, kitchenalia and some small furniture. Look out for the white Mazda with the trestle tables with white tablecloths at the front… and the best vintage at the market

Sunday May 19, from 7am – 12:30pm, Station Street, Camberwell. There are lots of great cafes surrounding the market. Early bird catches the worm! If you are heading to the market please do come and say hi.

Alison x

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Autumn & the change in season

Friday, May 10th, 2013

I can hardly believe we are now well into the last month of Autumn. Earlier this week I got out the ladder and picked the last of the lemons from the very top of our lemon tree. Over the weekend, they will be used to make this cake, and lemon pudding.

Things naturally slow down in Autumn, and we’ve all been warding off colds for a good fortnight now. Simple meals like a beef stew with roast vegetables help, along with earlier nights. It leaves less time making progress work-wise, but such is life, especially with a young family.

Have a wonderful weekend, including a lovely Mother’s Day..I for one am looking forward to tea and toast in bed!

Alison x

{ bayside_vintage on Instagram }

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Vintage for baby

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

This week I was delighted to hear of the birth of Emily & Dave @ The Beetleshack’s baby girl, their third child. I knew Em was planning a baby room tour, and I wasn’t disappointed!

Em has a few vintage treasures from my shop scattered through her place, but a while ago she bought this art deco mirror from me (actually, snapped it up before I had it for more than a day!) and I knew she’d saved it aside for the baby’s room.

It gives me so much pleasure to now see it in its place. Along with the other decorative pieces in the room, it’s just perfect!

Here are a couple of photos, but for more please visit Emily’s blog here.

Alison x

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Tasmanian farmhouse

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

Although I sell a lot of French vintage, I like to blog about snippets of Australia’s history whenever I can. Here is a house tour of a beautiful Victorian farmhouse in Tasmania..simple and understated, filled with lovely rustic vintage pieces.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Alison

Images from homelife.com.au

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Gaining perspective

Friday, April 26th, 2013

Here we are almost at May, 2013… I feel like time is flying by this year. I had planned to do some advertising in the lead up to Mother’s Day, and a little giveaway, but time is just not on my side at present. As a parent working from home, I have phases where my responsibilities feel nicely balanced… then other times where I feel more like a headless chicken! Lately it has been the latter, either the chicken, or a dog chasing its own tail!

It’s probably time to make the time to review business plans, to take a step back and gain perspective on what I want to achieve and set out some timeframes and objectives, and even just a more structured weekly plan.

Yet I have so many beautiful vintage pieces to add to the online shop. Hang in there as there is lots coming! (The little French café au lait bowl below is just one of those..)

But for now, it’s been another busy week, and I’m setting aside time for my first massage of the year! I will try not to think too much about work during the 40 minutes and just attempt to switch off temporarily. A great way to begin the weekend.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend also.

Alison x

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Anzac Biscuit Recipe

Thursday, April 25th, 2013

Anzac Day is a very special day here in Australia, and it’s almost an unspoken rule to bake Anzac biscuits. There are many variations on the recipe (even sugar-free ones that have popped up recently!) – but I think it’s fitting to refer to a traditional one. This recipe was the one my late Nanna used, and in turn my Mum, baking them when I was young.

My Nanna’s Anzac Biscuit Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup sugar (caster or plain white sugar both fine)
1 cup plain flour (for flat biscuits) or 1/2 cup plain + 1/2 cup self-raising (for puffier ones)
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup butter (4 ounces)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
2-3 tablespoons golden syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

Grease and line a baking tray.

Place rolled oats, coconut, flours and sugar in bowl & mix together.

In a saucepan, melt the golden syrup and butter together over low heat. Add in the boiling water with the butter if you like.

Add to that mixture the teaspoon bicarb soda, remove from heat & stir – it will start frothing up.

Pour directly into the dry ingredients. Mix well until you get a biscuity dough.

About 1 tablespoon full of the mixture per biscuit, press into a rounded shape.

Bake for around 13 minutes or until just light golden and still slightly soft to touch..they will firm when cooling.

Enjoy while still warm, with strong English Breakfast tea!

Alison x

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Point nepean, mornington peninsula

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

Over the weekend we visited Point Nepean (just past Portsea, on the Mornington Peninsula) for the first time. It is the site of the old Quarantine Station and was once a military base, but is now open to the public. We visited the historic Gunner’s cottage, and took a walk through the coastal scrub heading for the beach…but we didn’t realise that on the way, we would pass Point Nepean Cemetery.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved old graveyards, even asking my parents to stop the car if we passed one on a country road trip! The Point Nepean Cemetery is rich in history, with the graves belonging to those who had been quarantined following their arrival by boat to Australia, some dating to the mid-1800s.

It is a sombre, but also very beautiful and serene place. We noticed the gravestone of a six year old boy, which we explained to our own six year old…then soon after, read the gravestone of a 36 year old woman, my age. She arrived here from Scotland, where some of my family originates. It’s a humbling thought to think just a few generations spared us from the difficulties those people faced..

A short walk on, the path becomes sand, and any dampened spirits are lifted as we walk out onto the beach. Directly in front are the Cattle Jetty ruins, originally built in 1879 – what’s left still majestic. The boys enjoyed walking the unspoilt beach fossicking for rocks and driftwood. If you haven’t been down to Point Nepean, it’s definitely worth making the trip.

Alison x

Gunner’s cottage

Cattle Jetty ruins

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Healesville Hotel ~ old world charm

Monday, April 15th, 2013

Work has been pushed to one side in the last week of the school holidays. It’s now decidedly Autumn, so I took the boys to Healesville for a day and a night. Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, is particularly beautiful in Autumn, with the surrounding vineyards and deciduous trees in the town changing colour..

The Healesville Hotel is a favourite old hotel of mine, as it’s full of vintage character (the odd crack in the plaster, and creaking floorboards just add to its appeal), the rooms are well thought out, the food great, and the staff super-friendly. Nothing was a problem and my boys running wild through the hotel was kindly and gratefully accepted with a smile…we were even welcomed to peek into the kitchen during service!

We ate dinner in the garden courtyard out the back – perfect when you have kids – and the meals were fantastic. In the morning, we had a big breakfast at one of the long outdoor tables at the adjoining Harvest Cafe, which was just as enjoyable – using quality produce, much of it sourced locally.

I particularly liked the hotel’s decor celebrating the change of season: pumpkins lining windowsills, posies of flowers and berries in simple glass bottles.. along with rustic tables, champagne buckets in the dining room, pressed metal ceilings, and vintage paintings throughout.

Anyway, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves..

Alison x

Read more about the Healesville Hotel, Harvest Cafe and associated Yarra Valley establishments here http://www.yarravalleyharvest.com.au/

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Happy customers

Saturday, April 6th, 2013

I strive to ensure my customers are happy, so it’s lovely whenever I receive great feedback or even just a thank you… as a business owner it really makes your day. So I was pleased to see this photo pop up on Instagram today, three of my Mason jars filled with fresh blooms, happy in their new home!

It gives me much satisfaction to see vintage pieces I’ve sold on display in customers’ homes (call me nosy!) if you ever have a photo to send through, I’d love to see it and share it here!

Have a great weekend,

Alison x

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Instagramming

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

Running a business from home and being a parent to young kids, plus everything else that needs doing, I have limited time for social media. I know if I spent more time tweeting, taking prettier photos, or networking on Facebook, I’d build up a bigger online presence more quickly..

Also, call me old school, but I’m not a huge fan of social media. As much as I acknowledge its benefits, I don’t want to find my iPhone becomes a permanent extension of my hand!

But – I am very much warming to Instagram – which took me ages to get my head around (yep, old school). I had a few people suggest Instagram to me from a business perspective, and I think the penny has finally dropped! Not only is it a fun way to show new products as soon as they arrive, it’s also very useful for me: the feedback on what photos people like best really helps me understand what customers would like to see more of.

Below a few photos from me on Instagram…but I take lots of my little ones too and the beachside suburbs of Melbourne! You can follow me @ bayside_vintage

Alison x

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Weekly Stills

Saturday, March 30th, 2013

This week was busy – lots of orders to pack and deliver, the last week of the first school term, preparing for Easter. Here are a few randoms I managed to capture!

1. Wednesday morning’s sky.. saw the orange glow beginning to shine through the kitchen window and snapped it before it disappeared (a fairly short window period!) This was the start of a 35 degree day in Melbourne – our last hot day – Autumn’s now officially arrived.

2 & 3. Easter decorations, courtesy of the local $2 shop

4. Lining up at the door: fourteen kids for an Easter egg hunt at our place on the last day of term. Chaos was tempered with champagne for the parents.

5. Weekend stop off at an inner-city park…the determination!

6. Never tire of Melbourne’s architecture.

7. This week he said to me, “No Mummy, Lighting McQueen is for babies”.

8. Pic from my phone: the two handsomest little elves up in the mountains today, hands down.

Linking up with the lovely Em over at The Beetle Shack for her weekly stills photo collection.

Alison x

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First Melbourne vintage market!

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

Hello,

Just a note to say our first pop-up stall in Melbourne will be Saturday 27th April at the Southside Handmade & Vintage Market ..in Acland Street, St Kilda (upstairs in the art deco RSL club building, across the road from the Vineyard).

Below is a selection of some of the pieces I’ll have at the stall…I will probably be a little nervous on the day – I’d love if you came and said hi!

Alison

Various French vintage pieces

Greenery!…Ball jars, green glassware and canisters

A selection of rustic and industrial pieces

Bright blues and reds, including an assortment of colourful French tins

Various sweet little kitchen pieces!

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Home tour : Rose Uniacke

Monday, March 25th, 2013

This is the London home of Rose Uniacke, who is an antiques dealer and interior designer. She lives here with her husband and five children. Yes, five! – I am not sure where all their belongings are, but then this was obviously a styled photo shoot, so let’s just go with perfection here for a moment!

The minimalism is appropriate as the historic building has so many beautiful features in itself. It is grand, yes – but there are lots of elements I love here that can be easily adopted… neutral tones, white bedlinen, statement pieces such as a gorgeous chandelier, and symmetry (the mirrors, wall sconces).

While there may only be a few pieces in each room, it is enough, as every piece is a work of art. In that sense, you could say there is more to look at in these rooms, as each piece is special. I love the antique chandeliers, but the pendant lights in the kitchen are absolutely the best I’ve seen – love them! The delicate wall sconces in the bedroom, and the mirrored ones in the photo below; their shape echoing the chandelier above…

Happily, the kitchen looks like it is used daily, having a homely, French farmhouse feel about it, despite the room’s grandeur: the height of that window and ceiling. And if you look closely you will see some French vintage finds in the kitchen..an oyster basket and salad basket.

I love it all!

Alison

Photos courtesy Rose Uniacke and Pinterest

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Weekly Stills (via instagram)

Sunday, March 24th, 2013

My week in pictures is from my Instagram album. Next week I vow to get the SLR out again!

If you’d like to find me on Instagram, I am bayside_vintage

While you are here, feel free to enter my beautiful book giveaway that ends on 31 March

1. Melbourne Central. Busy spot to walk through but the view upwards always makes it worth a visit.

2. Short cut between Bourke and Little Bourke…my eldest found the street art fascinating.

3. To our long-awaited final destination. He couldn’t wait to get his peppermint frog!

4. Going swimming in the bath at 7:30am, after a 5am wake up.

5. Sunday park trip on a sunny warm Autumn day.

6. Me and my better half (love how a good filter removes most wrinkles).

7. Japanese for Sunday lunch, boys eating more than us! Gyozas, dumpling, edamame..

8. “So yummy!” Green tea ice-cream for the first time.

Linking up with Em at The Beetle Shack today – head over and discover some great blogs.

Alison

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Durance Candles and Soaps

Thursday, March 21st, 2013

I have at last added a collection of beautiful Durance candles and soaps to the shop!

I have Fig & Grapefruit (or ‘Figue & Pamplemousse’) burning in the hall as I write this – it is divine!

Durance products are beautifully handcrafted using natural ingredients in Provence, France. I love a really good scented candle!

Also, a few of their vegetable soaps. Fig for warm, fruitiness…Lavender for calming… and Verbena to uplift. I am stocking both the candles and soaps at great prices (best in Melbourne) and complimentary gift wrapping is offered.

Durance products are perfect to team with French vintage, making a gorgeous gift!

Alison

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Vintage paintings : unframed

Wednesday, March 20th, 2013

I just love vintage and antique oil paintings on canvas, but definitely without a frame. When I eventually get overseas for a big ~~shopping~~ buying trip, I will be scouring the markets for these! I love how the edges are worn, and without a frame they are lovely & simple, allowing the painting to be the focus.

Here are a few photos I found to show you what I mean…unfortunately there aren’t too many good examples of interiors featuring unframed antique paintings.

Alison

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Vintage Bread Boards have arrived

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

These will be in the shop tomorrow… hand-carved, rustic, cuts and scratches, beautiful and unique.

Perhaps they won’t make it to the shop..!

Alison x

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Sébastien Siraudeau Interview + Book Giveaway!

Monday, March 18th, 2013

Sébastien Siraudeau is a French photographer and author and has written a series of very popular interior design books. I have been a huge fan of all of Sébastien’s books for some time now, having collected all but one. They are a pleasure to read (and re-read!). The places throughout France he has chosen to feature in his books are captured beautifully and elegantly.

I was fortunate enough to interview Sébastien recently about his work and love of France, and he was happy to share with us. I hope you enjoy!

Who or what influences your work? What do you look for when you shoot?

Even when I am shooting still lifes, I like to capture a moment in a frame, and the light. Whether it is with a single image or several, I hope to tell a story – the real story, or one that the subject can imagine. I also like to suggest relationships between things, in both spontaneous photographs and those that are staged.

What do you try to capture about France in your photographs?

A vision of the art of living, expressed by the people who live there and also as it is expressed in their own living spaces.

Your photos often include beautiful French brocante and antiques. Do you personally hunt for brocante, and if so, where in France do you think are the best flea markets?

Yes, I hunt a lot for vintage objects. Photography also allows me to simply hunt “with the eye” (without buying) and it’s a way of remembering unique items that I can find in the future.

The large flea markets of Paris, and the Fête du Jambon fair in Chatou, are worthwhile and you will always find beautiful pieces. Otherwise, I love the countryside, the sheds found along the road as well, where we have the pleasure of discovering a village, a town, a landscape that is not known, and it’s there where you may discover rare finds.

Your book “French Style at Home” features historic guesthouses and hotels throughout France. Do have a favorite region in France, and what makes it special?

There are areas that are always pleasant, even if they are also popular, such as Honfleur and the Normandy coast. Although there are a wide variety of beautiful landscapes of France (Corsica, Brittany, Dordogne, Provence), I love the rustic countryside regions, still unspoilt such as Morvan (Burgundy), Picardy, Auvergne and of course Le Perche.

Le Perche, image courtesy NYT

Do you have a favorite book in your collection, and if so why is it particularly special for you?

There are three: ‘Bord de mer’ (meaning Seaside, my first book written in French that came out in 2005), ‘Vintage French Interiors’ which features antique stores and flea market finds, and ‘French Country Style at Home’ – all three in their own way tell a little more of my story and my personal passions.

Thank you for sharing with us Sébastien!

Sébastien and his publisher have kindly arranged for one of you to win your own copy of his latest book, French Flair, Modern Vintage Interiors (new and sealed, RRP $59.95).

Below are a few pages from French Flair…which is an epic 736 pages long! More like an encyclopedia than a book, of the most stunning collection of French brocante, homes, hotels and gardens. It’s a culmination of Sébastien’s photography over four years of his travels, and features 111 locations throughout France.

A timeless guide to French vintage decor, it is sectioned into seven distinct interior design styles. This is a book you will refer to time and time again, for its inspiration, beauty, and ability to instantly transport you to France…