South Melbourne is littered with great places for food and coffee with my favourites of Dead Man Espresso and St Ali, but now it’s even better with the arrival of my new favourite Chez Dré. It is a beautiful French inspired patisserie/cafe, offering an array of gorgeous sweet treats and simple, but delicious food. The space itself is really cool too, with an amazing red art deco stenciled floor, a theatrical open kitchen and a pretty sun drenched courtyard.

Chez Dré opened in April this year, but I met pastry chef Dré many months prior before the place opened.  I remember when she first told me about her upcoming plans for Chez Dré; it was clear that Dré was truly passionate about food, but more importantly, she is really passionate about life and her craft. Her eyes would sparkle with such excitement about what she wished to achieve. Fast forward to today and I think she has fulfilled her vision well and I suspect only bigger and better things are yet to come :)

I’ve only visited three times to date, although it would be more often if I lived closer! I’ve taken some snaps each visit and I intend on shooting the lovely space in its entirety (the cool stenciled floor!) and more yummy treats soon. I’ve sampled quite a few things with the almond croissant, array of macarons, the eclairs and the real hot chocolate being the stand outs.

Here is what more of what Chez Dré has on offer… Enjoy!

Last weekend, my family got together to celebrate Mother’s Day. I spent some time outside with my sister and cousins and took some happy snaps as we enjoyed a surprisingly dry Melbourne day :)

Photos are of my sister Monica (aged 13), cousin Ben (aged 12), cousin Ollie (aged 4 with a huge bruise on his huge forehead), cousin Josh (aged 6) and cousin Hannah (aged 2). My aunt’s smiling face is also shared below…

Josh asked me, “Can you please take a really close up photo of my face?!” which I  happily obliged, albeit difficult with my 50mm lens on my D300 cropped sensor. It was also hard to take the photo because he kept moving! (if you look closely you can see my hand holding him still, ha!)

After I showed him the photo of his face he wanted one of his teeth:

Josh’s little sister is our own resident Miss Sassy, sweet little Hannah. I’ve never come across a funnier, happier child. Her smile is just infectious and you can’t resist her little face when she gets into mischief! She calls me “Lida” which I find hilarious.

I have a blog to share photos and I haven’t updated it in four months. Sheesh. I haven’t really posted much here at all!! How terrible is that?!

I haven’t been shooting much at all lately to be quite honest. I’ve been too busy/stressing with school and work and now that I have discovered my dad’s old Canon A-1 film camera, it takes me forever to finish shooting a roll and then subsquently it takes me a while to get it developed. Film is fun though. It’s making me a better photographer I think. I am less impatient and take my time with composition and getting exposure right. I don’t always get it spot on though. I am still very much learning.

Here are a few old film shots I’ve taken at the beginning of the year. I am even posting a really bad self portrait that didn’t turn out right.

There are more coming too, I promise! Just have to get around to developing them, ahem…

As I work Monday to Friday, slogging it out in my nine-to-five job, I often miss out on the opportunity to visit non-city cafes that are only open during the week. Since it was a public holiday today, I decided to check out Tiny Cafe, the smallest little cafe in Collingwood.

I had a yummy latte and the most delicious pavlova with raspberries, cream and mint (but didn’t manage to take photos of either item, how silly of me!). The staff are most welcoming and friendly here, and the cute yellow hued decor easily brings a smile to your face.

I will definitely be back to further explore the menu at Tiny Cafe and next time I will actually take some photos of the food! ;)

Tiny Cafe

51 Cromwell Street

Collingwood VIC 3066

I loved this cute little floral arrangement at Mixed Business in Clifton Hill so much that I had to share it. Such a pretty burst of colour :)

Sundays. My favourite day of the week. It’s my day to unwind, chill out and just take it easy.

This Sunday I caught up with my friend Steph for brunch at Small Block in Brunswick East. We talked/whinged about work and men over smooth coffees and yummy food. Steph had a Bircher muesli whilst I dug into a tasty dish of baked beans with feta cheese and Turkish bread toasts.

After brunch we decided to go for a walk and check out the cute little stores on Sydney Road. We came across Fiveboroughs and The Very Curious Kitten, both filled with quirky jewelry and hand made gifts. Really cute and design-y, oh so Melbourne.

Check out these funky bracelets and rings made from old knitting needles!

Handmade vintage tiles in cute Pepsi Cola wooden trays.

Tee hee!

I’m also trying out some new processing methods. What do you think?

Meet Chell. My best friend and kindred spirit…

This girl just gets me. She’s always there to listen to me whinge, my shoulder to cry on when times are tough, my confidante with all things secret. She’s the kind of person who’d do anything for anyone at a drop of a hat, no questions asked. The friend who you want to sit on the couch with and have endless cups of tea.

She’s also my favourite foodie friend as we can eat for hours on end and talk about food for even longer (we also heart jam). My silly friend who talks shit with me and would totally tell me if my ass looked fat in something.

She lights up any room with her sparkly personality, generous heart and beautiful smile.

You’d absolutely love her if you met her. But I don’t want you to, or else you’d fall in love with her and take her away from me. So she’s mine. For now :)