The Ever Dazzling

Forwarding Address

2011-07-22T10:15:00.000+10:00

Hello! I've moved! New blogs will now be happening over at McKean Studio. See you there!

Pioneers of American Industrial Design

2011-06-29T09:37:00.001+10:00

Why doesn't Australia Post knock up some rad stamps like these? The United States Postal Service have really got it going on with these Industrial Design stamps (top image) that make their big debut today in the US. Art Director Derry Noyes has had a hand in some of the cooler happenings on American envelopes over the years, such as sets dedicated to Charles and Ray Eames and Alexander Calder. Definitely trumps the offerings from Australia Post.
You can listen to Derry talk about her work and process a little in this video:

Imagery via USPS

La Sardina

2011-06-17T09:50:00.012+10:00

Loving Lomography's latest offering - the 'La Sardina'. Surely the sardine can designs couldn't be any cooler for a 35mm wide lens. My favourite is the 'Sea Pride'. Too cute! I'm eyeing them off here.

Gil Elvgren

2011-06-15T09:00:00.000+10:00

I went through a brief pin-up phase a month or so ago, and became somewhat enamoured with the work of Gil Elvgren. What a superstar. I decided I needed a book of his immediately, and have spent quite some time flicking through all his amazing work. Saucy ladies have never looked so, well, saucy I suppose. My phase has passed (I'll never be any good at drawing the human form, gosh-darn) but I'm still so impressed by all those lovely ladies.

Tune Tuesday

2011-06-14T09:00:00.000+10:00

My pal Priscila used to love John Legend when we were 17. I used to tease her. Looks like humble pie for lunch today, because I'm hooked on this cover.

Panoramic Books

2011-06-12T09:00:00.000+10:00

One of my last hand-ins for the semester was a panoramic illustrated book. Joshua, being the box-net-making whiz that he is, knocked up this little contraption to house my 2 metre long artwork. It felt very much like a kindergarten craft session - complete with cardboard tubes for the turning handles.

A Little Break

2011-06-10T17:00:00.000+10:00

The end of semester finally showed up. I managed to get sick 3 times in 13 weeks, a new record considering my usually strong immune system. I'm looking forward to a few early evenings and late mornings, and a wee bit more time for some personal projects. Hooray for holidays!

20 before 21

2011-06-09T09:00:00.000+10:00

Just after my 20th birthday, I wrote a little list of 20 things I wanted to do before I turned 21. Elsie from Red Velvet Art makes them every year, and I thought it might be a good thing to have a try of! I managed to smash through the whole list - although admittedly some were a little easier than others. One of my goals was to be featured in print somewhere, and I'd all but forgotten about it until the day before my birthday when a magazine arrived in my letterbox. 4 pages of The Ever Dazzling! The magazine targets a Chinese readership, so I can't translate it for you, but it's mostly just little questions about my work and what I do with myself most of the time. It was a nice (and bizarre) way to round out my goals list, and I'll be making time soon to write out 21 new goals to knock over before I turn 22.

70

2011-06-08T09:00:00.000+10:00

We had a surprise party for my Pa over the weekend. He wasn't even close to being surprised, but seemed to enjoy his day nonetheless. It's his real deal birthday today, the big 70. This is him, around 63 years ago, probably the saddest looking kid I've ever seen on a carousel. He's a little cheerier these days. Happy birthday, Pa.

A Boxful of Kittens

2011-06-07T09:00:00.000+10:00

A box of kittens, in real life. Since when does that happen? Teeny-tiny, 3 week old, barely walking kittens. We've a vet nurse in our family and she's often rescuing poor abandoned animal souls. She's looking after these little mewing things until they're old enough to go to a new home. For all their unstable walking, they still managed to be speedy enough to avoid a focussed photo. Cheeky.

New York, New York

2011-06-02T09:00:00.000+10:00

One of the cheeky advantages to having a fairly long engagement is that sometimes little gifts arrive out of nowhere! A while ago I came home to a package from my dear friends Beth and Mitch -of Horselove fame, who sent us this lovely antique print, entitled 'Birds of New York'. It's a nice visual reminder that wedding bells are not too far away (eep!) and hopefully New York will follow sometime after that!
I got to catch up with these guys way too briefly at Semi-Permanent last month. They're tentatively making their own wedding and travel plans, and also about to put out a new collection. Keep an eye on their website for delicious new sweaters and other adorable pieces.

Invitations

2011-06-01T10:14:00.000+10:00

I'm a big fan of a written invitation. Facebook invitations break my heart a tiny bit, I think it's just so nice to get something cheery in the mail, to pop the invitation on the fridge and have something pretty to look at for a few weeks before the event. I made invitations for my own birthday - a painstaking Saturday with mathematical equations and a stanley knife, and took due care to send them off safely to their recipients. A couple of days later I started getting some messages from intended guests asking what I had been trying to send them. Shredded envelopes had been turning up in letterboxes, and with no invite, or invitations in clear wrappers and labels stating there may have been a problem. Weird, hey? Julie Baby got onto the case and contacted Australia Post - apparently a mail sorting machine had experienced some troubles and chewed up my invitations. Bother. Maybe a Facebook message would have been the better option after all!

A4 Festival

2011-05-31T09:30:00.000+10:00

Tonight's the opening night for The Paper Conventions 'A4 Festival'! If you're a Sydneysider, things are kicking off this evening at The Paper Mill from 6pm. There are loads of talented folk exhibiting their paper magic - including our own Matt with some pretty rad looking paper planes. It's a week long celebration of all things paper, you can head along here for some more information. I spent last week crafting some big paper flowers for the exhibition at Object gallery, and there's bound to be lots of fun things to see there! Exciting!

Tune Tuesday

2011-05-31T09:00:00.000+10:00

Seeker Lover Keeper have had my heart skipping beats all week long. Holly Throsby, Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltman all make beautiful music independently, so it's only natural that a combination of all three of them will result in magic. Their debut album was available for listening all last week on Triple J, and boy oh boy did I make the most of it. Go and have a listen for yourself, you won't be sorry. They're also running a little competition to see them play in Victoria. Nice one!

Birthday Brunch

2011-05-27T09:00:00.001+10:00

Gosh, ever feel like you need to spend a week catching up after a busy weekend? It's Friday, and I've been meaning to blog this all week. Continuing the birthday celebrations, I hosted a wee brunch at mum's house last Sunday. It was pink and lovely and the weather could not have been any better. The family are crossing their collective fingers for a weather hat trick - we had sunny days for our engagement party, my 21st, and now we're just holding out for the wedding. My sweet Gran (with whom I actually share a birthday, but this year she let me hog the spotlight a little) built me an adorable pink cake, complete with 21 teeny roses. Joshua committed a few hours to building the little pink stools and inflating some balloons and Julie Baby did a stellar job of keeping the tea and toast well stocked for all our guests. I sure am one lucky lady. Judging by my face in that last photo, it seems as though that expression is becoming a birthday habit.
We also did some catching up with friends, celebrated my dear friend Priscila's own 21st, had a little engagement shoot, I did some freelance work, we all did some uni work and I opened lovely gifts and ate way too many birthday biscuits! Phew. I'm tired just typing that all out! Happy Friday!

Birthday Breakfasts

2011-05-26T09:00:00.000+10:00

Turning 21 wasn't something I was entirely keen on - but I was keen on cheesecake and day dates. Joshua took me out for breakfast and gave me a sweet pop-up bunny card he'd made, it was a gloriously sunny day, I skipped uni and did some shopping instead. 21 isn't so bad I guess.
Oh, and the mother of all birthday presents meant I was able to whip up some pretty tasty treats for a little celebration. Look at it, isn't it just the perfect shade of baby blue? I think there's meant to be some sort of rule about not cooking on your birthday, but I was pretty keen to give the KitchenAid a whirl. It goes like a dream. If I needed to add any more reasons to why I'm planning on marrying that lad, surely his present selection skills are a plus.

Tune Tuesday

2011-05-24T09:00:00.007+10:00

I thought this might be a nice little change for Tune Tuesday... There's an interesting interview with Gregory Euclide over on My Love For You that is well worth a little look. Gregory did the artwork for Bon Iver's new album and I'm completely enthralled. So beautiful! I'm loving the album and am so excited for new music, I think Euclide did a flipping good job capturing the mood of it all. You can see more of Gregory's work at his site, even his process work at his flickr, and you should certainly go and read up on him and Bon Iver and the whole process on My Love For You.

21

2011-05-18T08:00:00.002+10:00

you are my fave

Happy Birthday to me! Yes, yes, today I am 21! I'll be off doing fun things, like breakfast with my love, a class at uni which involves book binding and some painting, and rounding out the day with cheesecake and friends. Hooray for midweek birthdays! x

Tune Tuesday

2011-05-17T09:00:00.001+10:00

I unashamedly love The Beastie Boys. I unashamedly love this song and often find myself rapping around the house. I wish I was on The Hot Sauce Committee. I wish I was in this film clip. Oh man, so awesome.

Rosie Rabbit

2011-05-12T09:00:00.001+10:00

Joshua's sister Erin was taking care of a rabbit this past weekend, so I promptly made it my business to be hanging out where the bunny was. I'm so smitten. Oh, her little ears and wiggly tail! I've been reading up on how to care for rabbits, and gathering information from my sources - such as bunny-owning-lady-in-the-know, Kelly, who has a Rex rabbit named Juno who loves to be in front of the heater. I'm a heartbeat away from getting a new pet, and living a Beatrix Potter inspired life.

A Present A Day

2011-05-11T09:00:00.000+10:00

I'm having a little birthday next week and my cute as pie mumma bear has been a whole lot more prepared for it than I have. When I went home to visit over Easter she presented me with an old typewriter case full of teeny-tiny individually wrapped presents, and I was instructed that there were 21 presents to be opened, one a day, in the days leading up to my birthday. Adorable! I've been so swamped in different types of work (uni/freelance/other) that there was a week or so there where I didn't even have time to open any of my presents. What a cruel world! These are some of my spoils, all thoughtfully planned by Julie Baby. House socks to warm my toes, mud masks, nail files, an ice cream scoop, some star stickers, heart shaped breath mints, vintage-themed stationery. Gosh, she sure is good.

Easter and Excuses

2011-05-04T10:07:00.000+10:00

I'm still here! I'm sorry it's been such a long time between posts. I took a brief break from blogging (that happily coincided with a little break from uni) and now it's May already? What the what?
2 weeks of 'holidays' disappears in the blink of an eye, when you work for some of those days, intern for some of those days and spend quite a few days travelling. We divided up the Easter break so we could spend time with both families. A night in Orange with Joshua's folks (where I cuddled a baby, met more family, and ate Grandma's homemade apple pie) and a night in Maitland with my family (where we hunted for over 200 Easter eggs, caught up with my besties, went to church and played Billionaire). Unfortunately I forgot my camera for both visits, so I have no photographic documentation of my easter egg haul melting in my dress pockets. Sad.
My lovely Aunty surprised me with a cute as can be vintage melamine cup and saucer that she'd picked up from the Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival last month. It was a nice little gift exchange, since I was surprising her with an Owl Cookie Jar as a belated gift. My little cup is currently housing leftover Easter eggs and looking adorable on my desk.
What's been happening with you?

Palette

2011-04-22T09:00:00.000+10:00

Carl Kleiner, Rain

Flowers of the World

2011-04-21T09:00:00.000+10:00

Here's a little show and tell of what I've been working on recently. This is a proper look at the sneak peek I posted last week. This was an 'A-Z of Blooms', a multi-layered book that shows where in the world 26 different flowers come from, and a little fact about each flower under the corresponding flap. I painted each flower with watercolours and then layered them to form the countries around the world to demonstrate where the flowers grow. Despite the project taking a whole heap longer than I'd originally anticipated, it was nice to combine maps and flowers together - two of my favourite things!

Walrus Wednesday

2011-04-20T09:00:00.000+10:00

My recent to-do lists have consisted of washing, house cleaning, general errand running, and a rogue illustration of a top-hat-wearing walrus. This fellow is to accompany magazine article on Barry O'Farrell. Apparently some people feel we would be better off with a walrus for Premier. I think he's quite handsome - the walrus, that is.

Tune Tuesday

2011-04-19T09:00:00.000+10:00

I love hearing people sing along to Yelle. People who only speak English and basically just make loud sounds with their mouths in a tune that almost resembles the tune of the song. You can listen to more Yelle here.

Mapping it Out

2011-04-13T09:15:00.000+10:00

I'm sorry things are a little quiet over here this week. I'm swamped with things to be working on and haven't managed to squeeze in blogging time. Yikes. Here's a little shot of what I've been working on rather intensely for the past few days. I'll share some more shots of the finished product soon!

Tune Tuesday

2011-04-12T09:00:00.000+10:00

How did I only find out about these lovely ladies? Those Dancing Days are a Swedish group who have been making music since 2005. Ages! I only found them last week and am smitten-kittens with this song and clip. I do love a 'sweet moment montage' video, so it's hard to go past this.
Hear some more of their music here.

Palette

2011-04-08T09:00:00.000+10:00

'Lick', David Hayes, 2010. Acrylic on board.

Prague Zoo

2011-04-07T09:00:00.000+10:00

Oh, Prague Zoo illustrations, you are just too adorable!
See some more gems here.

Coffee and Love Notes

2011-04-06T09:00:00.001+10:00

Golriz (of Cozyhunter fame) has herself a mighty devoted and downright adorable husband who brings her coffee of a morning. Not only does he bring the coffee, he brings it in a chalkboard mug that he writes a sweet note on each time. Golriz has started documenting them and sharing them on Coffee + Love Notes. If you love love, you should check them out.

Tune Tuesday

2011-04-05T09:00:00.001+10:00

Fancy footwork and ruffled shirts - that thanks to Joshua will always make me think of Vienna ice cream cakes.

Birds of Australia

2011-04-04T09:00:00.002+10:00

Remember Amy Borrell's lovely print, 'Bird Eggs of Australia'? She's done it again, only this time drawn Birds of Australia. So sweet! Their little bow ties! You can buy this giclee print from Amy's store, and see all the wonderful things she gets up to at her website.

Fruity!

2011-04-01T09:00:00.001+11:00

Reproduction Advertisement Postcard. 1950's Showcard, from the Robert Opie Collection.

Pictogram Movie Posters

2011-03-31T09:00:00.001+11:00

Clever movie posters. I always love having a little look at series like these Originally spied here, and you can buy them for yourself here.

Personal Directions

2011-03-30T09:00:00.000+11:00

We had an assessment due last week that was meant to be a 'visual artefact', reflecting who we are as a designer and what our future career goals are. Despite my creative slump in getting the ball rolling, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Thought you might like a little peek at the some of the pages!

Tune Tuesday

2011-03-29T09:00:00.000+11:00

Peter, Bjorn and John - Second Chance from Peter Bjorn and John on Vimeo.
I think I have an addiction to the cow bells in this song.

Hawleywoods

2011-03-28T10:39:00.000+11:00

Last week after a dinner with Joshua and 'the boys', we were heading back along King Street in Newtown when we walked past a group of very cool gentlemen. You know the types, with their perfect hair that was just that little bit rockabilly, their pants rolled to the perfect length, and their perfectly pristine little sneakers that coordinated with the pinstripe on their button-up as if they'd Pantone Matched prior to manufacture. It should also be stated that these were their working outfits. It looked like they had been doing some sort of shop fit-out for a store that must have been opening soon. There was an audible jealousy from our side of things, with a 'Maaaan, why can't we be that cool?

On my walk to work this weekend I was pleasantly surprised to see the store was open for business. It's now a World Famous Hawleywood's Barbershop. I'm all for men having a place to hang out on their own. I don't like pubs, and I think sheds are a little bit scary. Barbers, on the other hand, are awesome. I've always kind of liked barbers - possibly for the men's only exclusivity, maybe because there's lots of red and white, or maybe because most lady hairdressers freak me out. Whatever the reason, I like 'em.

Hawleywood's makes getting a haircut look like the coolest thing you could ever do. Anything coming from California is alright in my books, and anything that makes men look a little sharper is always a good thing. I'm officially retiring from my terribly attempts at hairdressing Joshua, and sending him to Hawleywoods. A little part of me is devastated that I'm not allowed to pop in for a trim, but if ladies are allowed special gyms, I think we can let the boys have their barber.

Enjoy Mister Hawley showing you how it's done. California, here we come.

Palette

2011-03-25T09:00:00.001+11:00

Carl Kleiner // Macarons

In an attempt to make myself more aware of delicious colours that look great together, and also as a way of documenting them, I'm going to try for the next little while to put together some colour-palette-mood-board-things. Not sure what the real name for them is, but you all know what I'm talking about! Humour me.

Anatomy of a Cupcake

2011-03-24T09:00:00.000+11:00

This picture made me beam when I saw it for the first time. So cute, and so clever! If someone made me something akin to this for my birthday, I'd be very chuffed. The people who made this also have put up a process video - a brief peek into their research and planning and getting it done. You can see the post on The Anatomy of a Cupcake with the video here. While you're at it, have a little read of some of the other posts at Allen's blog, or check out his website. He seems like an interesting fellow.

Studio Sweet Studio

2011-03-23T09:00:00.001+11:00

I'm a complete sucker for peeking into the lives of others. House tours, bedroom shots, any sort of personalised environments. Studio spaces are particularly lovely - there's something about the way creatives organise and display and work in their own little space that makes me all a flutter.
Studio Sweet Studio is a new website that documents all of the best bits about being a creative type - including studio snaps. There's lots of things to see over there, so I suggest you get clicking!

Tune Tuesday

2011-03-22T09:00:00.000+11:00

It took me way too long to work out what they were spelling in this song. Like a brainteaser in song form. So confusing. If you too have been suffering like me, as you hear it on the radio, hopefully this will be a safe place for you to see L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N and not have to find out in an embarrassing way later on.
Noah and The Wale. It's nice to have them back!

Sound Advice

2011-03-21T09:00:00.002+11:00

We all know my Joshua is a not-so-closet gangsta rap lover. I found these illustrations to be particularly apt for him, currently working on big projects and needing a bit of extra care. Tupac has never been so poignant. It's still a relatively new project, so I'm sure there'll be some more pearls of wisdom dispensed over the coming weeks. Advice from a Rapper (there's something I never thought I'd be endorsing) is brought you by Jessica Wright.

Put to Bed

2011-03-17T09:00:00.000+11:00

I upgraded my bed last week. It feels super luxurious to finally ditch the single and be slothing about on a queen sized mattress. It takes up a solid chunk of my bedroom, but it feels like I've suddenly gained a whole new work space. A soft desk to work on? Yes please.
I feel like a new bed needs a new look. Hunting down the perfect quilt cover has been a little hobby of mine for the past few days. Urban Outfitters has a delicious assortment - I'm particularly smitten with the waterfall ruffles. It's like a ballerina tutu for the bed!

Floating House

2011-03-16T09:00:00.001+11:00

I saw one of these images floating around the Internet last week and at first sight thought it must have been a mini-model used in the Up movie. Curiosity and balloon-love got the better of me and I found out a little more about it. It's the real deal! Scientists, engineers and balloon pilots managed to fly the house 10,000 feet and for over an hour! You can go and see lots more images at My Modern Met, and also visit National Geographic for the unending source of wonder that it is!

Tune Tuesday

2011-03-15T09:00:00.000+11:00

I hadn't thought about contact highs since listening to The Beach Boys 'Kokomo' when they sing about tropical contact highs and magically make me want to go to sunny places. Architecture in Helsinki have me thinking about it a lot these days. It always seems to be in my head. The film clip freaks me out a little - all those hands, ick. And is it just me, or does the man in the steamy glasses seem a little reminiscent of Andy Warhol?

Seventeen

2011-03-11T09:00:00.000+11:00

My baby brothers are 17 today! I took this photo of them on their first day of year seven. I like to think they're still just as cute, even if they are a whole heap taller than me now. This weekend we're heading home for a quick visit and hopefully some cake to celebrate our favourite 2-for-1 package deal, Ben and James! Happy birthday, brothers!

Things Organized Neatly

2011-03-10T09:00:00.000+11:00

I do have a massive love for all things tidy. Combine tidy with Tumblr and you've got yourself Things Organized Neatly. Does it get any better than that? It's kind of like Bookshelf Porn, but for tidy folks!

Reflex!

2011-03-09T09:00:00.000+11:00

Look what my clever-bean Joshua has been up to! Building his own cameras. Yes yes! It's nice to have a crafty counterpart - it's just the things that he makes are a little more labour intensive than the DIY that I find myself doing. A string of bunting suddenly pales in comparison. If he did it to impress people, it certainly worked on me! It takes quite the cute photo too, all lovely and pin-hole like. We're ironing out the kinks that come with film cameras, and learning how to focus for each photo. I'll share some of the shots from the film he's just had developed once I can wrangle them off him. In the meantime, if you want to try your hand at camera building too, you can buy the handy-dandy kits like these from Ebay.

Tune Tuesday

2011-03-08T09:00:00.000+11:00

I'm so happy to have new music from The Go! Team. I love a healthy dose of exclamation marks, and I love how infectiously happy their music always sounds. Teaming up with Bethany from Best Coast was a good move for this song - it makes me want a 70's summertime and perhaps even an ice cream cone.

Rubber Stamps and Little Deers

2011-03-07T09:00:00.001+11:00

I'm a big fan of online shopping, for all of the obvious reasons. It's like shopping for free, and waiting for someone to put presents in your mailbox! Although I'm always hesitant when I order custom items, I was pleasantly surprised with my little rubber stamp. I wanted to make something for our wedding invitations and various correspondence that goes with wedding planning - but also something that didn't have a date in it, and was something we can use for lots of other things! Etsy had plenty of options, but most were just to slot your name into the appropriate section. Then I found this here company, Rubber Stamps, who let you upload your entirely own image. Nice! I drew our little picture, uploaded it to the site and hey-presto! A week or so later it was waiting for me in my letterbox - complete with a lovely wooden handle. They're quite inexpensive too (from what I can gather from my 3 days of half-hearted Internet searching) and lovely quality! If you're in need of a stamp, they're the place to go!

Finders Keepers Feature

2011-03-04T09:00:00.000+11:00

The nice ladies over at The Finders Keepers did a little feature on me yesterday! You can clickety-click here to read all about it. Maybe you'll learn a trivial fact or two! Thanks Finders x

Well Gifted

2011-03-03T20:00:00.001+11:00

We were given some amazing presents last week - some of which I think were more for me than they were for Joshua. No complaints though, just means the pretty things get to stay at my place! Favourite picks were The Selby Is In Your Place from Matt and Leah (this made me so thankful for design friends), and amazing terrarium from James and Emma - complete with real live moss and little kissing bunnies and some bright pink flowers from my lady friends. It's nice to have live flowers in the house. I've been lovingly watering and caring for them, hoping that one day Joshua will let me get a puppy. If I can keep flowers alive, I can do anything!

Lovely Stationery

2011-03-02T10:10:00.000+11:00

The people behind Lovely Packaging have launched Lovely Stationery, 'curating the very best stationery design'. They're my kind of people, most definitely. Lots of inspiring pieces and clever design. Be sure to have a little look here.

Tune Tuesday

2011-03-01T09:00:00.000+11:00

Kate Nash did a stellar cover of this last week on Triple J. You can download the song and you can see her in the studio for Like a Version - but it just made me realise how much I miss her old hair. I figured that 80's film clips are deserving of as much play as possible, so feel free to feast your eyes on the original Deniece Williams and ensuing dance moves. You'll be prancing about to it all day.

Engaging

2011-02-28T09:00:00.000+11:00

I don't think we could have been blessed with weather any better than Saturday's. Our engagement party was lovely. Once I calmed down and realised that I was the only who really cared if the biscuits were or were not aligned properly, things were good. We got to the park 2 hours before our guests, hoping to snag the good tables and pavillion. I don't know what kind of 5 year old needs 4 big tables for his birthday party, but his mum gets all the points for sharking the tables so far in advance.

I painted a sign in preparation for the lost and confused souls that would not find our picnic area. Unfortunately someone else (hopefully conveniently named Megan and Joshua) thought they might like to have our sign for themselves. A little bit of a shame - but at least we got a photo!
Our families finally met (I may or may not have had nightmares about how wrong that could have gone) and I think they even liked each other. Hoorah! Definitely can count as a successful day!
We were given some amazing presents (some of which will be getting their own blog post later in the week) and a whole lot of serving platters - so if you ever need a lend...

It's incredibly wonderful to have as many supportive friends and family as we do. The 'best friends since kindergarten' is always a crowd pleaser when people ask about my lady friends, and Julie Baby finally got to meet all the people she sees on the blog and hears so much about. My dear friend Joel even drove for 6 hours to be there! Lots of people got lost on the way and still persevered, and we're so truly thankful for everyones generosity with their time, gifts and general talents. We know the best people, I swear! It's super nice to celebrate love - in all it's different relationships. Friendships, family bonds, and of course that particularly special love that makes you want to marry a person and be with them forever. Love sure is grand!

Party Books

2011-02-25T09:00:00.002+11:00

What are your plans for the weekend? Joshua and I are hosting a little engagement party (although I keep looking at the guest list and remembering it's not quite so little)... I'm a bundle of excitement and have been baking non-stop trying to prepare! My to-do list is a long one but I'm hoping to get everything done on time. In honour of parties: Behold, Lucie Everett's handmade book exploring 'party' as a theme. It's beautiful!

I spied this delicious creation over on You Are My Fave, but you can go straight to Lucie's website and see the other lovely things she makes!

Big Day, Big Plans

2011-02-24T09:00:00.001+11:00

Knowing that once uni starts up again I won't have a great deal of time, I'm trying to get the bulk of our wedding planning done now. Last week we visited the hall we've booked - and I was pleasantly surprised. I booked it with my fingers crossed - great location, great price - but after visiting it I can't believe how lucky we got. Enormous, well set out, and all sorts of lovely extras, as well as being delightfully 'rustic'. Folding doors, velvet curtains and wooden floors. Eeeee! Thought you might like a little sneak peek of the interior!

Geof Kern

2011-02-23T09:00:00.004+11:00

Love, love, loving the photographic work of Geof Kern. Originally seen here.
Visit Geofs website and see more of his brilliance here.

Tune Tuesday

2011-02-22T09:00:00.000+11:00

Foster The People - "Pumped Up Kicks" from Foster The People on Vimeo.

A special request from Loukas. Video clips like this always make me wish I was in a band. Everything seems sunnier when it's spliced into well timed intervals and set to a nice tune.

North Shore Weekends

2011-02-21T09:00:00.000+11:00

Last weekend Joshua and I spent the day up north with our friends Jake and Elle. As far as double dating goes, I doubt you could find a better match. We've been trying for months to plan a little get together - but we've always been working or had something on. Finally, we got to meet up! Jake and Elle both work at the same cafe, and the whole time we were there I couldn't stop thinking about how lucky they are to work in hospitality that is so lovely. On the water, friendly staff, and customers that know each other and everyone that works there.

We had a little tour of Palm Beach and surrounds, went for a little stroll and saw snippets of where Home and Away is filmed. Being locals, Jake and Elle knew all the great places to visit so I could fawn over ridiculously overpriced homewares and amazing vintage pieces.

Gelato milkshakes (how cute are the boys matching expressions?) and plans for buying cute houses all in a row - you know, when we're rich. It was the best Saturday I've had in a long time! I think we were all a little sad when we had to leave for our drive back to our side of the Harbour Bridge. Hooray for proper weekends with friends!

Australian Education

2011-02-18T09:00:00.000+11:00

As part of my 'home overhaul' I also added a little nook for extra learning. The Australia desk I nabbed at the end of last year for $15 never made it to the blog - but I'm glad I waited until now to share, all clean and looking lovely! I'm certain that sitting at this desk for any period of time will educate me on Australia's discovery, 1600's style. The yellow chair is another thing I've been meaning to share (gosh I've gotten behind!). An internet purchase from a company in Melbourne, I bought 2 - one to live at this desk and one at my work desk. They're the perfect shade of yellow and my first step towards having rad furniture in our eventual new home. It's convenient that they match the yellow of the desk so wonderfully!

Making A House A Home

2011-02-17T09:00:00.000+11:00

The whole time I've lived in my apartment (we've just celebrated 2 years together) I've had the mindset of 'it's only temporary' and haven't been particularly great at the interior styling, especially living on a student budget. I'm now onto my third flatmate, and I decided that now is definitely the time to make things a little more homely. In the 3 days I had between my flatmate Amy moving out and my new flatmate Wynn moving in, I did my best to spruce things up a little. Favourite addition? Last years Christmas wrapping paper that is now lining my kitchen drawers. So much cheerier! I need all the help I can get to enjoy cooking and kitchen activities... I think so far the fun paper and the slightly fresher look is helping.

My house is certainly looking more like an IKEA showroom everyday - but dating a fellow that knows how to put flatpack furniture together makes every visit to IKEA seem like a deal too good to pass up. The new look has certainly made coming home of an evening a little more welcoming - though it's still nice to know that it's less than a year and we'll have a place of our own to nest in.

Raining Cats

2011-02-16T15:27:00.000+11:00

Their little paws! Too cute. Raining cats found here.

Tune Tuesday

2011-02-08T09:00:00.000+11:00

I only have to hear this song once and it's in my head for most of the day. It's gotten to the point that putting on my wooden sandals like hers even makes me hum it. I'm surprised the Lolcat phenomena hasn't infiltrated to a music clip before... Playsuits, sunny tunes and kittens. Winning combination.

Hyper

2011-02-04T23:25:00.002+11:00

I've recently started loving a little bit of hyper realism. Maybe because I know I could never paint anything other than 'abstract' and other peoples talents impress me a lot. I guess it's a little tacky, maybe that's why I love it so much. Maybe a pencil painting for my one day studio?
Whatever your stance, these images are pretty amazing in my books. You can see more of them over here with a great compilation of talented folks.

Man About Town

2011-02-03T09:35:00.000+11:00

Hot damn. Who knew skateboarding could be so gosh-darn sexy? I'm sure it's a combination of the romantic music, the ballet-like skate moves and the well dressed gentleman. However it works I've watched it a few times in a row. It's the fabulously talented Kilian Martin for Man About Town - a journal that I'd be buying copies of in a heartbeat if the postage wasn't worth 4 times the cover price.
Joshua used to be quite the little skate rat in his teenage years. Perhaps it's time I start encouraging that hobby again - I'll just have to make sure he does it in lovely fine knit sweaters and cute socks.

You Can Taste The Fruit!

2011-02-02T09:00:00.000+11:00

In the last couple of weeks I've bought a few bits and pieces from faraway lands, and they've finally started to arrive in my letterbox! It's one of my very favourite things to come home for the day and find a parcel waiting for me! These beauties came all the way from Canada - look how lovely their illustrated stamps are! A giant bundle of vintage cowboy postcards (one of which graphically portrays "It's Brandin' Time") and a neat little set of 1950's advertisements reproductions. I'm putting them away for another project later in the year. I'm sure this will be a true test of my patience, since I want to put them all up on my walls right now!

Love Month

2011-02-01T09:00:00.000+11:00

I can't believe we're already a month into 2011! January always feels like such a write off. Here one minute and gone the next. I've a sneaking suspicion that this is how this year is going to go!

In honour of February and love month, I've put a new header on the blog with teeny tiny hearts. Like it?

While I'm not a fan of Hallmark Valentines cards and roses from your overpriced florist, I do enjoy some heart-felt creativity. These DIY fruit stickers from Twig & Thistle is the cutest thing I've seen. Adorable! Head to Kathleen's website to get the download. Now if only I could get my Joshua to eat his fruits.

Feeling Flat

2011-02-01T00:24:00.000+11:00

Our trip back to Sydney was a little less cheerful than we would have liked. We got a flat tyre on the freeway, right on the dot of 'everywhere you could possibly go to get that fixed is now closed' pm. Bother. We (Joshua) had to pop on the awkward, bright yellow 'space saver' tyre, which is all sorts of degrading, and crawl along the road at an embarrassingly slow 80km. The cars behind us were less than impressed. We were both a little cranky, but mostly me because I'd also gotten a little too much sun that day. Check out the burn!
On the plus side, the wedding was lovely and we got to catch up with some friends who we haven't seen for a terribly long time. Julie Baby also had a giant collection of Golden Books for me to take back to my nest, as well as engagement gifts (hello, pie dish!) and various odds and ends. Always nice to come home with new treasures! I'll make a note to share some of them one of these days when I've a little more time...

Note Cards

2011-01-28T09:00:00.000+11:00

My wonderful friend Chris who has a heart as big as the ocean and a laugh that is ridiculously infectious is getting married! Tomorrow! As part of his wedding present I made him (and wife-to-be, Jen) some little sets of notecards. I figured that weddings generally require a lot of 'thank yous' after the formal part of it is all said and done, so hopefully some little cards will come in handy for them!
Joshua and I will also be getting in some wedding planning of our own while we're back in my hometown for the weekend, as well as celebrating a friends birthday and seeing my family! Busy times.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Pools and Picnics

2011-01-27T09:00:00.000+11:00

It was miles too hot yesterday to do anything too wild. We ditched our plans for the city (trains are never my favourite, but least of all in temperatures over 30 degrees) and went to the pool instead for a quick splash about. A much more favourable option to sweltering on public transport and having to avoid people with southern cross tattoos and Australian flags temporarily applied all over their person. We then slothed about at home for most of the afternoon, did some groceries, watched some of our 'programs' and went on a little picnic in the evening. We snacked on sandwiches and teeny-tiny cheesecake bites. All very civilised and pleasant, all of my favourite things about being Australian! Hip hip!

Australia!

2011-01-26T09:00:00.000+11:00

Happy Australia Day to you, wherever you might be! I think it's pretty nice to celebrate our fine country with a day that mostly denotes laziness - we couldn't quite come up with something fancy (a'la Thanksgiving for our American friends) so we just went for a blanket celebratory day. Nice one!
We're thinking we'll head into the city for some art gazing and some shopping and later on a little Hottest 100 picnic in the evening. Shaping up to be quite the pleasant day!
Hope your day is lovely! x

Tune Tuesday

2011-01-25T09:00:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow is Australia Day, which of course means Triple J's Hottest 100 Countdown. I'm hoping some songs from The Drums make it into the countdown. Hands down, my favourite band of the year - I've listened to their album too many times to count and they were easily the best live show I saw in 2010. I also started cutting Joshua's hair a little more angular and encouraging some rolled jeans and sneakers. Brooklyn knows best.

Art 4 Heart

2011-01-22T09:00:00.000+11:00

The amazing Beth-Emily and Kelly Smith have put together an art auction to raise some monies for those affected by the Queensland floods. Round One finishes today at 5pm, so head over and check out the original art that's on offer. Art 4 Heart Round 2 starts tomorrow (January 23) with more artists and what will most certainly be some incredible art. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for something wonderful from Sarah McNeil or Kat McLeod. You can head straight to the website for all the details.

Typical

2011-01-21T09:00:00.000+11:00

She & Him - Don't Look Back from Merge Records on Vimeo.

She and Him are back with a new video clip. All of the mid-century furniture and styling for the clip make it even more enjoyable to watch - something I didn't really think possible if it already involved Zooey Deschanel. It premiered on Design Sponge on Wednesday and without a doubt will be doing the internet rounds for the next little while. It's made me want more opaque glass vases and a turquoise television.

Sailor

2011-01-20T09:00:00.000+11:00

Our friend Huw decided on a whim a couple of weeks ago that he needs a tattoo. I've been given the honour of drawing it for him. He originally insisted that it be a sailor smoking a pipe. This has since grown to be a sailor smoking a pipe sitting on a crate, with an anchor tattoo on his bicep.
I have a feeling that in time it could grow into a full sleeve. '...A sailor smoking a pipe on a crate, sitting on a jetty that extends into the water and underneath that there is a mermaid and a treasure chest...'
At any rate, we're starting relatively simple, though it's proving to be a little tougher than I had imagined. It's hard to draw a sailor without it looking like Popeye!

Wishi-Washi

2011-01-19T16:07:00.000+11:00

I've been working away on some invitations and paper goods, and finally initiated myself into the Japanese tape phenomenon. I didn't think I'd be quite so impressed, but it's wonderful! So many colours and patterns, gosh! I've since ordered a whole bundle more from here. All the possibilities!

Tune Tuesday

2011-01-18T20:50:00.000+11:00

My mum messaged me in the wee hours of this morning saying she'd just heard a song that reminded her of me, and 'oh, whatever happened to Tune Tuesday?'. I felt guilted into bringing it back. At least for this week anyway. I will never stop feeling repulsed by Justin Hawkins in lycra, yet there's something about The Darkness that make almost every member of my family squeal and kitchen-dance. It's a sight to behold. Happy Tune Tuesday!

Feeling Krafty

2011-01-17T11:12:00.000+11:00

I'm on the prowl for kraft envelopes. Trying to be organised and thinking ahead, I am! I'd love for all our wedding related correspondence to be consistently themed - no boring white envelopes for me, please! I've been cruising Etsy looking for a bulk pack of the perfect weight, perfect feel and perfect sized envelopes, but keep getting distracted by all the other lovely things crafty people are selling through their stores!

Air mail envelopes from mishiko79
Thank you cards by WhitneyRaesPaperShop

Baby Thank You Notes by Graciegirlnotes

If you've any suggestions on places to find what I have in mind, I'd be super appreciative!
Happy Monday x

Good Eggs

2011-01-16T09:00:00.000+11:00

Amy Borrell sure is one super talented water-colouring lady. Her latest print available in her shop makes my pastel loving heart sing! All those lovely little eggs, so sweet! Visit her blog Cake with Giants, or head straight to her shop!

Dana Tanamachi

2011-01-15T09:00:00.001+11:00

Custom Chalk Letterer. Pretty awesome job title hey? Dana Tanamachi makes incredible chalk installations. I spotted her stuff a little while back, but there is a juicy piece on her work over on 100 Layer Cake that has made me fall in love with her all over again. She's also currently working at Louise Fili Ltd, home of other wunderkinds like Jessica Hische. There must be something in the water over there.

Desiron Chalk Art from Dana Tanamachi on Vimeo.

Lipton Green Tea and White Tea

2011-01-14T10:00:00.000+11:00

This video made me want to go and buy tea bags, pronto. I've recently gone off coffee (isn't that strange?) and my recent beverage of choice has been tea.

LIPTON - Green Tea & White Tea from Yoann Lemoine on Vimeo.

Yoann Lemoine, the clever cookie who directed this little video (with no green screens, mind you) has a whole heap of other delicious work over at her site. So pretty!

Christmas Rewound

2011-01-13T09:00:00.001+11:00

I realised I've been so slack with the blogging lately that I didn't even share about Christmas and some of the lovely things I was blessed with this year! My favourite part of the Christmas celebrations was having my Joshua spend it with my family. I had assumed that my shiny ring was my Christmas present, and having already sharked my retro radio almost a month before, there was really no way I was anticipating further gifts. He picked me up from work on Christmas Eve with some chocolates in the glove box, saying "Sorry it's a little bit lame, I just wanted you to have something for Christmas. Oh, and I ate some of them too. Sorry." Christmas morning came and he had managed to sneak in a little present. A super sweet 1920's musical jewellery box - housing the missing chocolates. Gosh, he's a good sort!

My aunty gave me this teapot which I simultaneously love and feel slightly scared of. You have to remove the rabbits head to put the tea inside, and she pours it out of her hand. Awesome!

And in keeping with the bunny themes, Joshua's sister Erin gave me a notebook from Rebound Books of Bunnies' ABC. The illustrations are divine, and because it already feels well loved it doesn't feel like the type of notebook I have to be particularly precious about. That's always nice!

My lovely mum gave Joshua and I a picnic basket too, but made sure to pop some extra goodies in there to make it that little bit special - like the glass painted salt and pepper shakers that remind me of being 10, and country themed mugs, and a very tasteful fleecy picnic blanket. Thanks, Jules!
How were your collective Christmases? Hard to believe it's already been several weeks!

Best Ever from The Storybook Rabbit

2011-01-12T09:00:00.002+11:00

When Joshua and I got engaged last month, I wanted to tell most people in person. I bumped into Kelly the night after it happened and blurted it out - really, quite rudely and at inappropriate decibels for the restaurant. She came into work the next day with a present, and said "I made this for you the other day, I must have known something was in the air!"

Isn't it downright adorable? I'm still trying to find the perfect place to hang it on display...
Lucky duck Kelly is currently holidaying in Germany for the whole month (jealous!) but when she gets back in February you'd best be snapping up some of her treasure s from her store. I can personally vouch for the warm and fuzzy feelings that her lovely illustrations bring. Look, our names are in the tree! Naaaww.

Northern Holidays

2011-01-11T09:00:00.000+11:00

We're back from our little holiday up north! Port Macquarie wasn't as sunny as it usually is, though the overcast days meant a little more chance of my skin surviving the sun exposure. I debuted the one-piece swimsuit and decided that I don't mind a bit of splash in the pool!
We stayed at my favourite pink hotel, which neighbours with a building painted turquoise. When I'm floating about in the pool there it makes me feel like I'm a little bit closer to sunny Cuba.
The boys went fishing, we all went shopping, and I managed to come home with a dress, hat and 2 new pairs of shoes. I can't say I feel particularly well rested after our stint away - but it was some super nice family time and I managed to get a few things under way for planning the year ahead! Busy times!

Start Today

2011-01-01T13:29:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year to you! It's always an exciting feeling, the start of a fresh year. I for one am super excited about 2011 - promising lots of fun things!
I've long given up on the whole resolution thing, but over the last little while I've decided instead to make a more concerted effort to 'get cracking' as such - a little less planning and a little more doing.
Last year I posted this and I think I managed to tick off all of my activities. We're heading away today on a holiday for a few days up north - I've packed a couple of books, I'm taking some papers and paints, and I plan on doing a lot of planning and getting organised for the year ahead. Start today!
Any grand plans for yourselves?
Be back in a few days!

The End of 2010

2010-12-31T14:57:00.000+11:00

My, my, my! What a big year 2010 has been! So many activities and happenings and accomplishments! There have been quite a few 'year in review' blog posts doing the rounds today, and I thought I'd best get on the band wagon and partake in some reflection!
Some of my favourite things that I've shared with you through this little blog have included:

Finders Keepers Sydney Market

Stop Motion Movie Making

I had a birthday and celebrated with margaritas and tacos!

Started working at Made590 (hooray for thoughtful bosses and delightful working environments!)

Buying our little Echo!

Put together a more polished look for the ol' blog

Took an accidental road trip to Brisbane

Made posters for uni that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Took part in The Arcade Project at Gaffa Gallery for the month of November

Went to several weddings and other celebrations

Albeit the newest, my favourite blog post from the year was sharing our happy news! On that note, thank you for all of your lovely comments and sweet words about our engagement.

Wishing you a very happy New Year! Thanks for reading, see you in 2011! x

Obviously, I Said "Yes!"

2010-12-27T19:32:00.001+11:00

Now that most of the family and friends who needed to know in person have been informed, I can happily share with all of you lovely folk that Joshua and I are engaged! Hurrah!

On Wednesday evening we had a little 'Christmas dinner date' planned. It was meant to be a fairly low key type of occasion, with Italian at our favourite restaurant in The Rocks and a little stroll around Circular Quay later in the evening. I had wanted to see a movie as well, but Joshua had nonchalantly said "Let's skip the movie and just watch the sun set. I don't want to have to stress about getting anywhere on time, let's just be together".

We ate dinner and wandered down to the harbour for ice cream cones. Joshua seemed particularly annoyed that we didn't get a seat at the waters edge, but after a little bit of water gazing a bench freed up and we skipped along to nab it before it was sharked again.

I had written Joshua a love letter of sorts for the evening since we were celebrating a little anniversary, and because letters are always nice! After reading the note Joshua started getting a little antsy. It was around this point that I started to get a wee bit suspicious that something exciting was going to happen!

A group of people in Christmas hats came over to where we were sitting and asked a lot of bizarre questions - very full of Christmas cheer (and probably a few cheeky cocktails).

"Are you lovers or marrieds?"

"Erm. Not married..."

"Are you engaged then?"

"Not... yet..."

They also told me I was pretty and asked if I was British, and took a few photos of us.
Delightfully odd - I did wonder if it was just a little too bizarre to be a coincidence.
We sat for a little longer watching the sunset and mostly whispering sweet nothings. Joshua kept switching between looking at his watch and craning his neck to see around the corner. All of a sudden he had my hand and was asking me to come closer to the edge of the water. A boat had come close to the front of the Opera House, and on it were our good friends Huw and Loukas, holding an enormous sign and giant helium balloons.

The sign said 'To my dear Megan, will you marry me?'. In true design-wanker form, the first thing I said was a tearful "You even set it in Neutra!".
Then my Joshua was down on one knee holding a b-e-a-utiful ring while I flapped about excitedly and squealed out "yes!". The captain of the boat asked if it was a yes, I think I waved or indicated with a thumbs up or something else which in hindsight I'm sure could have been more elegant. I tried to take a photo of the boat and the sign before it sped away, but the quality isn't so great.
Huw called out from the water to turn around - the top level of the Opera House must have been in the middle of a function - and there were a hundred odd spectators all waving and cheering. It all felt a little movie-esque!

How could I have said anything but yes with a ring like that?

In exciting moments like 'hey we just got engaged' common sense like 'illegal to drink in public places' get forgotten and we were shuffled away from the Opera House. The security guard sent us up some stairs to a grassy little reserve that looked over the harbour and we had champagne and I made some excitable phone calls to my parents.

The sky was the same colour as my balloons, there were bats, we could hear a band playing Moon River and various Van Morrison songs, and we drank champagne that Joshua had been saving for a 'special occasion'. We even managed to coordinate outfits with each other and the evening sky. As we were walking back through Circular Quay a lovely German man put his hand on my shoulder from behind and congratulated us. "We saw the whole thing from the Opera House, and I tell you, there was a tear in every eye - look, I still have my napkin which I used as a tissue. So beautiful!"

I feel so blessed to have someone as amazing as Joshua as my husband-to-be. He keeps telling me little bits and pieces from all of his planning for the night he proposed - like not being able to eat or sleep the night before because he was so nervous, the teeny cardboard case he made to bring my ring with him safely to the harbour, or the trouble he had printing out such an enormous sign. He called both my parents and asked for their permission to marry me, and managed to keep everything a secret from me for so long! He put so much thought into the whole affair, right down to the tiniest details like ensuring the champagne glasses were glass and not plastic because "You can't drink Moet from plastic cups!"

So that's that! We're getting hitched and we are positively thrilled!

Max Fischer Pencil Set

2010-12-23T09:00:00.000+11:00

If I'd been better at planning Christmas gifts (and had endless funding), these pencils would have been the perfect present for my friend Nick (Sorry bud, not this year). I first watched Rushmore with him, and wear my own little beret with a special fondness - usually thinking of the movie, and not just my mum who sing's Prince's 'Raspberry Beret' every time I wear it around her. Also, if memory serves correctly, Nick founded 'Flag Raising Club' with one other boy sometime in the 11th grade.
Extra impressive is that they're type set and foil stamped individually, and, obviously, set in Futura.
Adorable. You can pre-order them now from Tiniest J's shop.

Orange Christmas

2010-12-22T09:00:00.001+11:00

We had a miniature Christmas celebration on Monday with Joshua's family, since we'll be spending this coming 25th with my family - our families are a little too spread out to be able to do lunch with one side and dinner with the other! Since we were staying with Joshua's parents for a couple of nights, it seemed like a good a time as any to get our Christmas on.
Orange was a very chilly temperature, apparently snowing on one of their mountains. I guess this is the closest I've come to having a white Christmas! This made the giant amounts of ham and turkey feel all the more appropriate. I'm a little more adjusted to salads and beers on Christmas day, so it was nice to be a part of something different.
Have any of you kicked off your celebrations early?

Tristan Getting Married

2010-12-21T18:33:00.000+11:00

I'm a big fan of weddings. Friends getting married is all sorts of exciting. Saturday just gone we trekked out to Dubbo for Tristan and Clare's wedding. Held on Clare's parents property, with a wonderful white marquee and the most lush grass I've ever been on. Joshua and I were both asked to take some photos, but lacking a flash strong enough to reach the front of the marquee, most of my photos are a little dark.

Probably my favourite part of the little time away was getting to hang out with our friend Huw who lives in Canberra these days. I taught him (ridiculously) how to smile for a photo, reciting some naff statement I heard or read somewhere: "The secret to making your smile look fresh and not frozen is to look away from the camera and turn your head back just before the photo is taken." Huwey loved it - and made us re-take all photos that weren't posed for in the proper fashion.

It was strange weather - overcast and windy, but still glaringly sunny combined with icy cold. Most of the photos from the weekend are of people looking rather windswept and I spent a good portion of the day trying to keep my dress from flying over my head.

Congratulations, Tristan - little bummed that you're not my neighbour anymore, but super stoked that you and Clare are so in love. X

Slack

2010-12-17T16:12:00.000+11:00

I always find that I have so little time to do anything at this time of year. Guess that now includes blogging! I'm sorry I've not been sharing anything exciting! This week has been pretty full with errand running, working, organising Christmas things and two doctor visits. Jealous?
The photos above are some little snapshots of what's been going on - posing with dinosaurs at a nursery back home, being somewhere between terrified and impressed with Julie Baby's Christmas decor, and admiring pretty buildings. We surprised Julie Baby this week for some early birthday celebrations, and Joshua made another of those sinful chocolate cakes. Yum!
Things might be a little bit quiet around here for the next little while. We're off to Dubbo for our good friend Tristan's wedding (Eeee, weddings!) and stopping in at Orange for some early Christmas cheer.
Hopefully will be back sooner rather than later with fresh photos and new things to share.

Nifty Fifties

2010-12-09T09:00:00.001+11:00

I'm a little in love with this here Tumblr, The Nifty Fifties. Aside from having a fun rhyming name, it also documents a whole lot of images I've never seen before from my favourite decade. I'm sad that I've left my run a little late in the year to send out Christmas cards featuring myself, a kitten and an oversized wreath, a'la Elizabeth Taylor. Whatta babe.
I seriously think that's what I'll be doing for next year. Have a look at some more fifties goodness here.

Oh, and a special thank you to Amanda from Here Comes the Sun for featuring my etsy items on her blog yesterday. Cheers! x

Max Wanger New Site

2010-12-08T09:43:00.000+11:00

Most of the internet seems to be in a bit of a spin about Max Wangers new site and shop. I woke up this morning to a news feed full of Wanger-love. It is quite wonderful though. You should have a little look here. Flipping great photos.

Busy Bees

2010-12-05T21:56:00.000+11:00

Phew! What a busy weekend this one has been! Markets on Friday, a wedding on Saturday and working on Sunday!

I was so excited for The Finders Keepers markets on Friday night that I found myself waiting outside my house for Joshua to collect me, a good ten minutes before his estimated arrival time. Keen beans? I think so. We saw the amazing paper installations (would you just look at those giant cranes, gosh darn!) and basked in the wonder that was all things associated with the coming-soon Paper Convention. Emily from The Daily Smudge was helping out Lisa from Lox + Savvy and they looked downright adorable in paper crowns that coordinated with their outfits. I wish I'd snapped a picture - but I'm sure they'll be floating around the internet somewhere, soon enough!
Best dressed stall goes to TMOD, for making old doorways and flower jars look a whole new level of beautiful, and Bespoke Letterpress get a runners-up award for making Christmas cards that didn't make me gag. Well done!

Saturdays wedding meant a nice occasion to get a little gussied up - Joshua's grandfather remarked that he best be putting a 'leg rope around that girl soon enough, else she'll get away'. Romantic, no? We snuck in a nice dinner on Saturday evening and had the most amazing chocolate tapas from this place and before that a yummy meal at a bizarre restaurant with leather office chairs as the dining seating. Breaking conventions, I guess.

Hope your weekend was equally as wonderful and fun! x

Finders Keepers tonight!

2010-12-03T08:34:00.002+11:00

I feel like this round of markets has really snuck up on me! Kicking off tonight is the Christmas round of The Finders Keepers markets at Carriageworks. I'm quite keen to go and see all of the new and exciting stalls - and get to see them properly since I missed out on a good sticky beak last time.
I had the pleasure of meeting the very lovely Beth-Emily and Cat Rabbit yesterday, both having travelled from quite far places to be in Sydney this weekend for the markets. I suddenly went all shy and a little star struck. I think I managed to gush how much I loved their beautiful things, awkwardly, and told Beth that her gold shoes were particularly fun. They'll be sharing a stall together this Friday and Saturday - a definite 'go and check it out', and probably have a little chat too, given that they're super lovely.

Lisa from Lox+Savvy is launching The Paper Convention (hurrah!) and The Daily Smudge's Emily is also helping out. Oh, and Ebony from Hello Sandwich is doing a craft workshop via Skype on the Saturday. Talk about full to the brim with things to see and do!

There are some other recent friends who'll be there too - Melinda from Roger + Peach, Hayley and Lauri from Serpent and the Swan, Kelly from The Storybook Rabbit, Georgie and Milenka from TMOD (who will definitely be having an amazing stall, given the wood that's been painted and doors that have been scrounged), and of course all of the crew from Made590. You can see all of the stallholders on the FK website by clicking here. Fun fun fun!

Blue Mountains

2010-12-02T09:25:00.000+11:00

Joshua and I spent the day antiquing in the Blue Mountains yesterday - a little excursion we'd been very excited for and had compiled a list of stores we intended on visiting. Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was just bad luck, but hardly anything was open, and the ones that were had little to choose from in what we were after. Little bit of a shame.

We did have lunch at an adorable diner style cafe in Katoomba with some friends - my all American cheeseburger possibly made up for some of my disappointment.

Rainy weather also means coffee breaks are warranted. This little deli-front, cafe-back store was cozy enough with views of Leura out the window - and a hilarious waitress who took our order after first asking if we were 'committed to our choices'.

Jake visited most of the same places we did just a day before - great minds, hey? Click on over to Jakes new blog and see some photos of his.

Etsy Update and Happy December!

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For those of you who can't make it into Gaffa to grab some goodies this month, I've listed some of the pastel brooches I made for the gallery in my Etsy store - and with free postage! Hooray!

Winter Wonderland

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While Australia is 'hot as, mate' during the Christmas season, I couldn't help but admire the lovely new prints from Elizabeth Soule featuring little woodland creatures in a snow setting. No wonder American folk go so crazy for a White Christmas. There is something inherently charming about it all. Wouldn't a whole team of these polaroids just be perfect? See some more of the too-cute work from Elizabeth at her blog or shop away at her Etsy store.