aUstralia . The Society Inc .

i had so many reasons to want to visit aUstralia . to visit family who emigrated there in the 1960's . some i'd met very briefly . others i'd never met . to see some of the iconic sights . the sydney opera house . the harbour bridge . to enjoy some sunshine after months of training through the frosty mornings for the brightOn hAlf . but . also because there were a lot of very creative people that lived dOwn there . people i follow on instagram . people whose blOgs i read . & . people that i have admired from afar for a long time . one of these people being Sibella Court . 

i can't quite remember now how much i knew about her before lusting over her first book ' Etc. ' but her eclectic styling & magpie collections of lovely things had me hooked & i've coveted every book of hers since . 

when i booked my trip dOwn undEr i was torn between taking a trip to sydney or taking a trip to melbourne . i couldn't quite afford to do both . nor did i have the time to do both . in the end i was swayed by the possibility of being able to visit Sibella's shop The Society Inc . based just outside of sydney . the opera house . the harbour bridge . & . Sibella Court . when you think about it it should have been a no-brainer really !

so i booked a cool looking boutique hotel in one of the suburbs of sydney . full of promise of boutiques . vintage shops . cafes & coffee shops . & only a walk away from The Society Inc . ( although i confess i didn't know that at the time of booking said cool looking boutique hotel ! but i'm a big believer in serendipity ) . after a first day in sydney spent sight seeing, & being a complete tourist, my second was filled with wondering around the warehouse that now houses The Society Inc . wishing that i could a ) afford to buy everything . & . b ) afford to ship it all back to the uK . or there was an alternative c ) move over to Oz !

some of what i saw . 

if you would like to read more about Sibella, there are some great articles & interviews here & here . how can you not like a woman who's favourite books from childhood include Enid Blyton's ' The Magic Faraway Tree ' ?

. have an inspired day .