The art of ‘Thank You’…

Tags

Able and Game, Benjamin Disraeli, Etiquette, Graphic Design, Kate Spade, Letter (message), Letterpress, Manners, Photos, Post, Snail mail, Thank You, Vera Wang

I feel a very unusual sensation – if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude. (Benjamin Disraeli)

Call me old fashioned, but I love a hand-written thank you note.  I probably know I don’t write them enough.  I also know how much I love to receive them.  There is something very special about someone taking the time to pen a personal message and send it by snail-mail.  E-mail is nice, but snail-mail is so much better.

Opening the letterbox to the sight of a hand-written envelope sandwiched between all the bills and direct marketing is a small joy, especially because it means that somebody has been thinking (nice thoughts!) about you…

I guess you don’t need a card to say thank you – a hand written letter will do the trick nicely. But, there are so many gorgeous choices in stationery that just seem to scream out to me.  I am building a wee collection, but there’s always room for more…

Here are some that I particularly like:

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

Found here

And, not strictly a thank you card, but a range that I particularly like:

Found here

Are Flight of the Conchords flying to Sydney?

Tags

Academy Award, Auckland, Australia, Bret, Concert, Flight of the Conchords, Humour, Jemaine, Kiwi, Lifestyle, Muppet, Music, New Zealand, Performance, Photos, Sydney, Tour, Travel

It’s confirmed!  Hot on the heels of Bret’s Oscar win, Flight of the Conchords are going on tour…  in New Zealand (sigh!)  As yet, no Australian dates confirmed, but a girl can hope…

Bret and Jemaine – are you coming across the ditch to visit your many fans over here? Pretty Please.

{Seriously considering flying to Auckland to see the boys…}

While we wait and see if Australian tour dates are to be announced, a wee something to whet your FOTC appetite:

(Top image sourced from FOTC website here)

Breaking News (10 April 2012): Confirmation of July tour dates out today. The boys are coming to Australia. Jemaine says, “We are finally returning to Australia. Mostly to apologise.” Check out the FOTC website for details.

Blog Stalking ‘Were I So Besotted’…

Tags

Blog, Blog Stalk, Blogging, Brooklyn, craft, creativity, culture, Design, Embroidery, Fibre Artist, Iviva Olenick, London, Photos, Pratt Institute, Social Commentary, Stitching

When I lived in London, I remember walking home from work in the wintertime after the sun had gone down.  I loved it. It was dark enough for lights to be turned on, but not late enough for curtains to be drawn.  I could see into the windows of houses as I walked past. Those small snap-shots into other people’s living rooms were fascinating to me.  It was especially wonderful at Christmas-time…

I suspect many of us in the online world take the plunge to enter the blogging fray after a period of blog stalking*.  I will admit to my share of this.  It’s a little like looking into other people’s living room windows.  You get a wee taste of their world.

One of my earliest blog finds was Were I So Besotted.  Brooklyn-based Iviva Olenick is a hugely talented fibre artist who creates the most beautiful and original narrative embroidery.  She calls her small-scale, usually autobiographical pieces her ‘hand-stitched blog’.  Her work is both charming and honest.  I love it.

'Williamsburg Hug'

'How We Met Sunset Park'

'Fulton Park'

'Cowboy' (for friend, Sarah's birthday)

'Sweetie'

Iviva is active within the embroidery community.  She runs workshops at venues like the Textile Arts Center and teaching stitching at the Pratt Institute.

If you have some time, go and check out her blog, Were I So Besotted.  It’s gorgeous.

(All images sourced from Iviva Olenick’s blog here)

*blog stalk: to religiously check a particular blog of interest for any new content

Cinnamon Lee Designs Covert Jewels

Tags

Art, Australia, Cinnamon Lee, Contemporary Jewellery, COTA, Covert Jewels, Fashion, Gallery, Jewellery, Metalab, Photos, Shopping, Silver, Strand Arcade, strand arcade sydney, style, Sydney

'Flutter' by Cinnamon Lee

'Turbo' by Cinnamon Lee

I love the work of Cinnamon Lee, a Sydney-based contemporary jewellery and lighting artist.  I particularly love her Covert Jewels range, where she creates beautiful works which conceal intricately worked secrets for the wearer, rather than the viewer.

A recent exhibition of these rings featured an inspired custom-built illuminated display system incorporating pre-programmed LEDs, which was specially designed to light up the detailed interiors of each ring.  How great is that?

Cinnamon is part of the fabulously creative team at Metalab.  Metalab also runs COTA (Courtesy of the Artist) as a side project.  In Sydney you can find Cinnamon’s work at both galleries.

Metalab Studio + Gallery 
10B Fitzroy Place, 
Surry Hills, NSW 2010

COTA (Courtesy of the Artist)
 Level 2, Shop 124, 
The Strand Arcade, Sydney 2000

(All images sourced from Cinnamon Lee’s website here)

Tony Ogle, you bring the West Coast of New Zealand to Sydney…

Tags

Art, Auckland, Bethells Beach, Childhood, Design, New Zealand, Photos, Surf Beach, Sydney, Te Henga, Travel, West Coast of New Zealand

New Zealand’s West Coast is famous for its rugged beauty and black sand surf beaches. When I was little, we spent many family holidays at Bethells Beach (or more accurately, O’Neills Beach, which is just a short walk north of Bethells) on the West Coast of New Zealand.

Picking mussels fresh off the rocks and having mussel sandwiches on white bread with butter and malt vinegar. Swimming in the surf after racing down black sand so heated by the sun your feet felt like they were on fire. Building forts and spending hours in role play. Sliding down grass slopes on Nikau Palm fronds. Being bribed with chocolate to go ‘wombling’ (that’s code for collecting rubbish off the shore-line). Going to sleep with the sound of the surf crashing.  It’s a magical place, especially for a child.

Tony Ogle is an iconic New Zealand artist whose instantly recognisable works capture the beach-style of the west coast.  When I was in my twenties and newly returned from a stint in London, my first art purchase was of one of his screen prints.  I still have it hanging in (a very difficult to photograph part of) my home.

What I can show you is a more recently commissioned (2009) piece by the fabulous Tony Ogle. It’s a painting of a hill above O’Neill’s looking south towards Bethells and I love it.  It hangs over our family dining table and it brings me pleasure every day. It is the next best thing to being there.

And, here is a pic’ my Dad sent me while on a recent trip out to Bethells…

If you are so inclined, go visit Tony’s website here. It’s a great story of an artist who’s passionate about New Zealand. I think this translates wonderfully into his work.

Clax – not sexy but I’m a convert…

Tags

Apartments, clax, Design, Dogs, Farmers Market, food, Free range, Industrial Design, Interior design, Market Trolley, Markets, Nana Trolley, Orla Kiely, Outdoors on Parade, Shopping, Shopping Trolley, Sydney

If you are a follower of my wee blog, you will know that I am a regular at our local Farmers Market. Every Saturday we tootle off to pick up our organic and free range produce direct from local farmers.

I love it.  Bella (the pooch) loves it. LM tolerates it. He tolerates it because he’d rather be asleep. He tolerates it because he knows he will eat well all week.  And, he tolerates it because he knows it makes me happy.  Naturally, I give all my purchases to him to carry so that I can keep my hands free.  This means he is very quickly laden with produce.  It (apparently) gets h e a v y fast.  Admittedly, we do buy quite a lot!

On many occasions, I have suggested we invest in a ‘Nana Trolley‘ (otherwise known as a shopping trolley).  Not the most attractive, I grant you.  It would provide LM’s arms a rest, though.

Outdoors On Parade offer a nautical-inspired, striped number….

I’m partial to a gorgeous Orla Kiely version, although perhaps a little OTT for the Farmers Market…

LM categorically refused a Nana Trolley.  In his mind they are for Nana’s, he won’t be seen pulling one, and all the produce at the bottom gets squashed.

Then, a few weeks ago we saw a family with a trolley he did like. One he would happily be seen pushing. One which folded up neatly in the back of the car.  One which would prevent produce from getting squashed.

That LM-approved trolley was the Clax…

I know, it’s not sexy. BUT it is incredibly practical. Really. If you’re still with me, some of the Clax features are:
– it can be unfolded easily with one hand at the push of one button
– it is easy to maneuver with swivelling front wheels
– it comes with one folding box which can be secured to the top platform (we ordered a second box for the bottom)
– it features a block brake that is initiated with a foot-click (allowing for lengthy chats with stall-holders and dog-owners)
– it is not heavy (when folded the trolley is less than 7 kilos/15lbs)
– All heavy items can be placed in the bottom box freeing up the top one for breakables (like eggs!)

I could have done with a Clax when I lived in an apartment.

I do accept that some may suggest that with its industrial lines, this trolley is even more ‘Nana‘ than the forbidden Nana Trolley. What can I say – it is designed by clever Germans – efficient, practical but not sexy…

(Images sourced from Outdoors on Parade, Style Hive and Design Quest)

Benja Harney Enters the (Paper) Fold…

Tags

advertising, Art, Australia, Benja Harney, Colour, Galleries, Hermes, Home & Leisure, Illustration, Mastercard, Paper, Paper Design, Photos, Shopping, Sia, SMH, style, Sydney, sydney morning herald, UTS, Visual Arts

The Sydney Morning Herald published a wonderful article about the very talented Benja Harney this morning. Benja is a Sydney-based paper artist. Although he originally trained in graphic design, he now creates amazing works out of paper. The magic he creates with little more than a scalpel and some paper is just fantastic!

The accordion was part of a solo exhibition at Object Gallery

These graphic pieces were commissioned as part of a student brochure for University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

These white images form part of a campaign for Travel & Leisure

Sia commissioned Benja to create a cape for her album cover

Part of a commissioned campaign for MasterCard

Hermes always has the most beautiful window displays. Now I know why!  Part of a commissioned campaign in 2009

Benja Harney is currently exhibiting some of his work at Here Today Gone Tomorrow, Life’s Fragile Nature at NG Art Gallery, Chippendale, until 7 April, 2012.

(All images sourced from Benja Harney’ blog here).

Lyndie Dourthe Creates Voodoo Magic…

Tags

Anatomy, Botany, Butterflies, Design, Flora and Fauna, France, Heart, Illustration, Jewellery, Lyndie Dourthe, nature, Paris, Shopping, style, Voodoo

By her own admission, Lyndie Dourthe’s Parisian workshop is a tiny curio cabinet of a little botany, a little voodoo, a little anatomy and a touch of superstition.

She combines paper and fabric to form exquisite and mysterious naturalistic wonders…

I think her work is also achingly beautiful.  What do you think?

(All images sourced from Lyndie Dourthe)

Dog Wisdom III

Tags

Bella, Dog, Franklin P.Jones, Humor, Pets, Photos, Poodle, Quote

Scratch a dog and you’ll find a permanent job.(Franklin P. Jones)

"Scratch my tummy. Go on - you know you want to..."

Adults Only: Balloon Dog Lamps

Tags

Art, Dogs, Interior design, Jeff Koons, kitsch, Lighting, Photos, Porta Romana, Shopping, style, tongue in cheek, United Kingdom

Jeff Koons is well-known for his reproductions of banal objects – case in point, his balloon dog works. Some see Koons as a pioneering artist of our time, while others dismiss his work as nothing more than kitsch.

Me, I love a bit of what I am calling, up-market kitsch. Others may call it something else! I especially seem to love it when coupled with dog images incorporated into lighting (I refer you to this post, here!). Strange but true!

My latest up-market kitsch find is that of Porta Romana’s Balloon Dog Lamps. Just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek quirk combined with style…

This lovely wee number also comes in black. You can select your own lampshade colour.

Andrew and Sarah Hills founded Porta Romana in 1988.  They are a UK-based atelier “devoted to creating objects of beauty”.