The Gates

It was freeeeezing today! Lots of rain

and lots of wind!

I had to walk to appointments, arms full of drawings, samples, pens and rulers, armed only with a measly umbrella. When I got there my clothes were wet through and my hair was looking less than glamorous - I was completely dishevelled!

When I got back to my warm little desk I had received an email from a friend telling me that the wind was at minimum 58k/h! (The news reports it was faster than 100k/h.) Which got me thinking about the last time I remember hearing about how fast the wind was which was when I visited New York City the first time (Northern Hemisphere winter 2000/2001) and that reminded me of central park in snow which reminded me of the second time I visited NYC (Northern Hemisphere summer 2006) when I first saw a photographic exhibition featuring "The Gates." I can't remember who the photographer was but I clearly remember that the image looked similar to this...

I love the black, white and orange. I love the detail in the trees - the twig like branches! I would have loved to have seen this in real life; it would have been like walking through a black and white photo (just with fabulous patchwork orange flags.) Wonder what the wind is doing in NYC now? I should have bought a copy of that photo!

By the way: You can read more about the gates here on the artists' (Christo and Jeanne-Claude) website. The sporadic surprise? The artists don't use email!

Mobiles

I am always on the hunt for a good mobile.

It's become my signature baby shower gift (Lizard on the Fridge on Prospect Road for those Adelaidians is a good spot to start!) and seeing I've got a few showers to attend over the next few months I thought I'd have a bit of a hunt to see what's around... I found Flutter By by gentlearts. I can't express how beautiful I think these are! I also had the sporadic surprise of finding that gentlearts is from Melbourne! I love finding talented Aussies on Etsy.

Side Note: I think Mobiles are underrated - you just don't see them around often anymore. I had lots of fabulous mobiles when I was growing up (thanks Mum and Dad.) I can remember staring up at the glass fish and the felt shapes for hours on end. I now have a gorgeous ceiling with turn-of-the-century features and a ceiling fan to look up at although there is still space for a hanging sculpture I say... If you see a good one please let me know!

I dream of Paris

Last night I dreamt of Paris.

Texture

Light

Colour

Smell

Fashion

Art

Shape

Shops

Food

I love all of it!

I can't wait to get back there!

(Photo: "Paris Rooftop 4" by Alicia Bock in her shop.)

More red and blue...

I got a bit excited with the blue and red combo.

I'd like some stationery thanks! (or maybe some teacups?)

(images above 1. Tall Blossom by DailySip, 2. Teacup Fairy by StephanieFizer.)

Chillies & Peppers

We have been growing chillies and capsicums!

From the plant to the table. Blue and Red... I love the vibrant (and very hot) red of the chillies against the blue sky or the interior of the bowls that I made in my first pottery wheel attempt.

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Look at this talent!

See Emily Sutton's (a.k.a emily illustrates) Songbird Sculptures.
Beautiful!

Penguin...

Found this little fellow whilst surfing around Etsy. Catsmiaow made him. I love the colour combination and the texture - I bet he'd be lovely to touch!

Budgie Boy

How cute is this image!

I found "Budgie Boy" in my collection of Avant Cards recently. He was created by Midori Furze and I think he's adorable!

Garden Flowers

How pretty is this little posy!

Nanna picked them for me from her garden and presented the little bouquet on my birthday! They are just so lovely now that they've opened up a little.

Florence Broadhurst and Emma Hack

For a while now I have had a keen interest in Florence Broadhurst.

I just love her bold and vibrant designs and even after reading her biography early last year I still can't get enough! If you're not familiar with Broadhurst see Signature Prints who exclusively supply wallpapers and fabrics and Cadry's who supply rugs using Florence's designs. If your interested I recommend you read Helen O'Neill's book Florence Broadhurst Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives. The book contains a lot of imagery and certainly is an interesting read - many extraordinary lives she did have!

Last year Kate, during the Adelaide Fringe, and I went to Tincat Cafe to see Emma Hack's Exhibition called the Wallpaper Series. Emma is a world renowned artist / photographer and specialises in body art. Recently one of Emma's images from the exhibition was used in an advertisement in our local "free" paper and I was reminded of the Wallpaper Series. My day was brightened!

Breakfast

This morning I was lucky enough to receive breakfast in bed (it is still my "Birthday Week")

B's first try at egg baked in whole tomatoes and wrapped in proscuitto! Yum! How lovely on a grey rainy winters day! Feeling inspired? Check out Simply Breakfast for more inspiration! Jennifer Causey has created two beautiful books on the subject Simply Breakfast The Art of Breakfast and Simply Breakfast More Please. I've been trying to get my hands on them for a while but I've had not luck in the bookshops here! Perhaps another online purchase is called for?!

The Searching Begins...

Here goes...

I have decided that it is time to start a blog. It's going to be a work in progress. A collection things that I find inspirational.

How else am I ever going to keep up with it all? This will be my record, my scrapbook, my journal.

Perhaps I should introduce you to some of my favourite things?

My favourite sound is when you post a letter and it hits all of the others in the post bag at the bottom of the post box.

My favourite smell is opening a box of new coloured pencils (they must be coloured.) In fact I quite like the sight of this also; they're all in perfect colour order and all have exactly the same amount of lead showing at the top - divine!

My favourite movie of all time is Amelie. I can watch it anywhere, anytime. That movie changed my life in terms of how I see the world!

My favourite colour is yellow and has been for years. It's a happy colour and secretly the reason why I haven't repainted my canary yellow kitchen.

My favourite flower is the daisy because they're happy, hearty and readily available but only one colour per bunch please!

...I'm not sure how to begin or where I'll end up but you're welcome to come for the ride.