this is... my favourite film

Things have been a bit crazy in the Teacups-camp of late and I haven't had a chance to play along with "This is..." for a while, BUT I could not resist this week's topic from the delightful Hokey. Of course my favourite film is Amelie. When in Paris a few years back we visited the cafe where it was set. We tried our very best to not look like tourists and fit into the very cool french crowd... Somehow the camera flash going off when we were sneaking happy snaps soon gave us away.

this is... my next splurge

I have been eyeing this for a while, and then when I saw it at the Melbourne Design Market I decided it just had to be mine. Made by the super-talented Victoria Mason, it will be a reward to myself for all the hard work I've been doing lately... Now all I have to do is wait for my next pay cheque and it shall be mine!

Head over to Three Buttons to check out more random "This Is" posts.

this is... what makes me happy

Image originally uploaded by Lori Joy. You can see some more of her very cool work here.

At the moment I am extremely happy (and lucky) to be able to work from home. It's taken a year or two to build up the business but it is at a point where I am working on some really fun jobs for some great clients (yes, it is possible!).

Thanks to One Little Acorn & Three Buttons for this theme & meme... I'm a few days late (again).

this is... what gives me goosebumps

Image originally uploaded by Mergemind.

It's true, the sound of cutlery scraping together gives me goosebumps! I've had this problem since I was little and when asked (or more often, told) to dry the dishes my mum knew not to expect me to go anywhere near it. To this day I allow cutlery to drip-dry for fear of the scraping sound!

Thanks to Flightless Boyds for this goose-bumpy theme and also to Angela for all the fun of "This is...".

this is... my most treasured childhood possession

It wasn't too hard for me to think of what my most treasured childhood possession was. For my very first Christmas, Santa gave me a stuffed pig. This photo was taken on that Christmas morning and I'm (the one with the mohawk) with my brother and sister.  I called him Bobby but I think that must have happened a few years later when I was actually able to talk! He was named after Bobby from Young Talent Time and as you can probably guess I was a big fan. 

A year later I was still very much attached to Bobby the pig as you can see above. Throughout my childhood I didn't go anywhere without him and on a family holiday he was sadly left behind... After an hour of driving and many, many tears later, my father (who was not known for succumbing to his children's tantrums!) turned the car around and an extra two hours was added to the journey. I couldn't sleep without him by my side and after many years of cuddles he began falling apart but I of course still loved him the same. These days his head is falling off, he has been re-stuffed with stockings, his ribbon is badly frayed and his fur has been worn down, but my mum has promised that one day she will restore him to his former glory. I can't wait!

I've had lots of fun choosing this week's theme so a big thanks to Angela. Head over here to see some more treasured childhood possesions... I know I will be!

this is... my best op shop find

This is my best and also my latest op shop find. It's a bangle that is covered with embroidery thread in three of my favourite colours. I'm a bit of an accessories junkie and usually buy something in the hope that I can find other bits to match, but this time around I was set to go. As you can tell my current colour of the moment is turquoise!

A big thanks to Angela for all the fun of "This is" and the very talented Lino Forest for this great theme. 

Stay tuned for next week's "This is" as yours truly is lucky enough to be picking the theme. I've had a long hard think about it and I've decided on "This is... my most treasured childhood possession". So it could be anything (object, memory, person) that you have held near and dear as you were growing up. Look forward to taking a peek at them all next week.

this is... the space in which i create

This is the space in which I create... most of the time. I mainly work from home so between the hours of 9(ish) and 5 I'm in here. It's a spare bedroom which I have taken over. There is a nice big window to the right of my desk which easily distracts me during the day. Working on a laptop takes up minimal space which is just the way I like it. I much prefer the focus to be on my inspiration board and anything else I can find to pretty up the place. During my beloved craft-time I'm usually found at the dining table or on the couch where I can catch up on dvd's and tv... there's nothing like multi-tasking! 

Thanks to Michelle for this great theme.

this is... my favourite travel memory

Or should I say one of my favourite travel memories. We travelled through Europe a couple of years ago and had lots of little European adventures along the way... not quite National Lampoons but we loved it. 

While in Venice we stumbled upon a lonesome barber and Mr Teacups took it upon himself to take it as a sign for a haircut... And that's where we met Umberto. A quiet old Italian man (or so we thought) who didn't speak any english. Lucky for us I speak italian so we were able to communicate, and on finding out we were from Melbourne, this quiet man transformed into quite the talker. He then elusively slipped behind his beautiful bright pink floral curtain to bring out a book on our fine city. He explained that one of his closest friend's migrated to Melbourne many, many years ago and sent it to him. Opening it up to a page on football he explained that he used to be quite the soccer star and then again slipped behind the curtain to bring out a photo album containing photos of him as a young soccer star. With a big smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, he then treated us to a demonstration of his fancy footwork. Very impressive and even moreso considering he must have been in his 70s! Our next "show and tell" items were letters of thanks he had received from other tourists, one of which had taken shelter in his store during a downpour of rain. Basking in the limelight, he then began demonstrating the technique of a Gondoliere (we were in Venice after all), and encouraged Mr Teacups to join in. On his final trip behind the curtain he brought out a Gondoliere hat to complete the Venetian scene and of course photos were necessary!

When we arrived home a few months later we sent him the photos, but to this day are not sure if they made it into his precious "show and tell" items. My parents are heading to Venice in the next few weeks so I've told them to keep an eye out for a barber with a bright pink floral curtain and a cheeky twinkle in his eye...

Head over here to check out more favourite travel memories and big thanks to Hila for this great theme.

this is... my pet

Some of you may remember Poncho from when he first came to stay with us a month or so ago. He had just had a knee reconstruction and I am very happy to say he is recovering nicely. He is mum and dad's dog (so mine too while I was living at home), but while they are on their three month holiday he is part of the Teacups family... and more spoilt than ever before! He loves sleeping in the sun, belly rubs, schmakos and walkies but hates being home alone and going to the vet.

this is... something I got but still haven't used

This was a wedding pressie that has been allocated some permanent space in one of our wardrobes, sitting next to Mastermind... both sadly still in their plastic wrapping. I don't know what it is but we are just not board-game people. I used to enjoy the odd Guess Who or Monopoly growing up but nowadays tend to read a book (or blog), or attempt something craftalicious. My best friend is mortified... she is a Scrabble-fiend! 

Thanks flossy-p for this weeks theme (sorry I'm late).

this is... the pair of shoes I would sleep in if I could

I've had these for a couple of years now but they are super comfy and add a hint of sparkle to nearly any outfit (I promise I do not wear them with tracksuit pants!!). They were a Christmas present that Mr Teacups bought for me (without any help) and he even managed to get the size right. Unfortunately I am a bit obsessed with co-ordinating outfits with shoes... those who know me may think it's a family curse! I've had a couple of years though so have used the time wisely to invest in many more green accessories. Thanks to Hip Hop & Banana Bread for this great theme.

this is... me pre-1985

...well 1979 to be exact. I think I would wear that pinafore dress and mary jane shoes now! Thanks Angela for the extra "This is". It gave me a chance to look through some old photos and reminisce about the good old days of wearing matching outfits with my sister (hers always in pink, mine in blue), terry towling shorts and hand knitted jumpers (love them now but not so much then). 

this is... my knick knack/jewellery box

I'm a couple of days late with this one but seeing as though I love my accessories I couldn't miss out. Now normally my jewellery box is much messier than this, but this was a great excuse for a little bit of a clean up. I seem to be having a bit of a butterfly/dragonfly theme with my trinket boxes but this is all coincidental as they have all been pressies from those near and dear. Some of my fave items you may be able to spot are: Polli earrings, Love birdhouse necklace, Matroyshka brooch (pressie) and one of my latest purchases, gorgeous teacup earrings from Etsy!

this is... the contents of my handbag

This is the contents of my handbag! I've got the usual, keys, phone, and wallet, and then the smallest-umbrella-ever, my favourite pink scarf, my diary, lip gloss, hair clips, ipod and perfume. Hopefully I'm prepared for anything...

Thanks to threebuttons and iris + lily for this great meme. This is also my first "this is..." so I'm looking forward to taking part in lots more.