(... and I love the beautiful header font on their website!)
Monday, March 26, 2012
Alex Mendham and his Orchestra
Ooooh, I wish I were in London this month!
(... and I love the beautiful header font on their website!)
(... and I love the beautiful header font on their website!)
A present, and a mysterious presence
I gave G a new bike as an early birthday present (we're both celebrating the big 4-0 this year) ... I love its chic matt-black finish and combination of modern and classic styling.
Due to a whole series of physical issues I haven't been able to ride for the past 18 months, but I really want to get back on my lovely bike too .... hopefully we'll both be out pedalling together soon. Hooray for the slow bike movement and style over speed!
Speaking of beautiful things, here's a snap of a little chap that decided to visit G on his lunch break the other day, in Docklands*, no less!
* for those of you unfamiliar with Melbourne - Docklands is a relatively newly-developed part of the city which is actually quite a social, environmental and cultural wasteland, despite being promoted as an exclusive location for expensive waterfront living and a 'destination' for fabulous entertainment.
....It's the last place I'd expect to find a pretty little owl!
Due to a whole series of physical issues I haven't been able to ride for the past 18 months, but I really want to get back on my lovely bike too .... hopefully we'll both be out pedalling together soon. Hooray for the slow bike movement and style over speed!
Speaking of beautiful things, here's a snap of a little chap that decided to visit G on his lunch break the other day, in Docklands*, no less!
* for those of you unfamiliar with Melbourne - Docklands is a relatively newly-developed part of the city which is actually quite a social, environmental and cultural wasteland, despite being promoted as an exclusive location for expensive waterfront living and a 'destination' for fabulous entertainment.
....It's the last place I'd expect to find a pretty little owl!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Ric-Rac lovliness (*warning - potential gushing overload in this post*)
I'm sure I've raved about the lovely Jodie of Vintage Ric-Rac before .... (yes, she's the one who created that dress from frillions of selvedge strips a few years ago, as well as many lovely patterns and softies you have likely seen around the place if you live in Australia).
The other day I was at my local fabric shop buying some more embroidery thread for some hand-sewn softies, when I saw a couple more of Jodie's beautiful new creations. If she weren't such a gorgeous, bubbly, sweet person, I might feel a whole lot of resentment towards her - way to go Jodes, creating such fabulously whimsical toys with delightful personalities in exquisite detail, while I try to get my creative mojo back by churning out simple (shall we say rough and rustic?) lumps of felted wool that may or may not vaguely resemble the creatures I want them to be .....
But how can you not love Jodie's creations, and wonder at her skill and patience when you know she also holds down a day-job and has a busy family and social life, so this is not her only 'thing' in life? And then, when you get to know her ... sheesh! She's a ray of sunshine!
Here are just a few pics from Jodie's blog and Flickr pool:
Finally, if you haven't yet seen her little photo-stories, pop on over to the blog and click on the story links under the blog header/banner ... they're sure to put a smile on your dial!
Hope I haven't embarrassed you Jodie, or made other readers cringe at my gushiness. Let's just blame the loved-up pregnancy hormones.
The other day I was at my local fabric shop buying some more embroidery thread for some hand-sewn softies, when I saw a couple more of Jodie's beautiful new creations. If she weren't such a gorgeous, bubbly, sweet person, I might feel a whole lot of resentment towards her - way to go Jodes, creating such fabulously whimsical toys with delightful personalities in exquisite detail, while I try to get my creative mojo back by churning out simple (shall we say rough and rustic?) lumps of felted wool that may or may not vaguely resemble the creatures I want them to be .....
But how can you not love Jodie's creations, and wonder at her skill and patience when you know she also holds down a day-job and has a busy family and social life, so this is not her only 'thing' in life? And then, when you get to know her ... sheesh! She's a ray of sunshine!
Here are just a few pics from Jodie's blog and Flickr pool:
Finally, if you haven't yet seen her little photo-stories, pop on over to the blog and click on the story links under the blog header/banner ... they're sure to put a smile on your dial!
Hope I haven't embarrassed you Jodie, or made other readers cringe at my gushiness. Let's just blame the loved-up pregnancy hormones.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Oooh - shapely!
I really love the curvacious lines of 1930s industrial design. Aren't these vehicles beautiful?
Imagine if such stylish specimens were common on our roads ...
Mercedes-Benz 1937 540 K Special Roadster
1931 Mercedes 710 SSK Trossi
Imagine if such stylish specimens were common on our roads ...
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Friday, March 09, 2012
Monday, March 05, 2012
Back from the void ...
Oh, woe! My laptop's hard drive completely died just after I wrote my last post, and being without my computer for several weeks made me realise just how much I still depend on it, despite having reduced my web browsing in recent months.
I've been keeping myself relatively busy making softies, sewing bits and pieces (but it's funny the way I still end up with a whole lot of UFOs even when I supposedly have plenty of time to devote to sewing - I tend to get frustrated and put things aside if they get a bit tricky).
We've been chipping away at the renovation of our holiday house, have discovered a couple of new cafes, and are trying to enjoy our last few weeks of 'normal' before the addition of another to our family. We've had a lot of rain again and as we transition into Autumn I have great plans for new garden plantings.... as always. I can't really do much gardening at the moment though so I might have to stick with armchair dreaming for a little while yet.
A cafe:
G used to have all his shoes made by two wonderful old Italian artisans at Invicta in Nicholson St - they would make quality, perfectly-fitting, long-lasting shoes from the softest leather, at very reasonable prices. They were eccentric, highly disorganised and quirky, and a sort of secret institution - many guys in our circle of friends just knew them as 'the shoe dudes', and they provided a wonderful resource of bespoke, quality products in this age of overwhelmingly cheap and throw-away consumerism. We were very sad when they retired a couple of years ago, but their shop has been reinvented as a really lovely little cafe, so we can continue to visit that little place on our local weekend meanderings.
The guys at Carolina have kept the gold 'Invicta' lettering on the old shoe-shop window, as well as retaining some of the shoemaking equipment and photos from the building's previous life. They serve delicious food, the decor is warm and inviting, and I love the beautiful courtyard at the back - someone there definitely has a green thumb! I'm sure Carolina will become one of our regular haunts from now on.... highly recommended!
What have you been up to lately? Hope you're all well and happy out there in blogland!
I've been keeping myself relatively busy making softies, sewing bits and pieces (but it's funny the way I still end up with a whole lot of UFOs even when I supposedly have plenty of time to devote to sewing - I tend to get frustrated and put things aside if they get a bit tricky).
We've been chipping away at the renovation of our holiday house, have discovered a couple of new cafes, and are trying to enjoy our last few weeks of 'normal' before the addition of another to our family. We've had a lot of rain again and as we transition into Autumn I have great plans for new garden plantings.... as always. I can't really do much gardening at the moment though so I might have to stick with armchair dreaming for a little while yet.
A cafe:
G used to have all his shoes made by two wonderful old Italian artisans at Invicta in Nicholson St - they would make quality, perfectly-fitting, long-lasting shoes from the softest leather, at very reasonable prices. They were eccentric, highly disorganised and quirky, and a sort of secret institution - many guys in our circle of friends just knew them as 'the shoe dudes', and they provided a wonderful resource of bespoke, quality products in this age of overwhelmingly cheap and throw-away consumerism. We were very sad when they retired a couple of years ago, but their shop has been reinvented as a really lovely little cafe, so we can continue to visit that little place on our local weekend meanderings.
The guys at Carolina have kept the gold 'Invicta' lettering on the old shoe-shop window, as well as retaining some of the shoemaking equipment and photos from the building's previous life. They serve delicious food, the decor is warm and inviting, and I love the beautiful courtyard at the back - someone there definitely has a green thumb! I'm sure Carolina will become one of our regular haunts from now on.... highly recommended!
What have you been up to lately? Hope you're all well and happy out there in blogland!
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