Simon Evans

via BlackEiffel

Isn't this amazing? I think a photography project of everything I own would really make me think of all my possessions in a distinctly different way.

Hmm...disturbing google searches

I took this photo in Montmatre on one of my Paris visits back in 2005. It was up against a wall near a pub. I think it's genius.

I have been a bit disturbed when, looking at my statcounter, that people have been googling for naughty things. Sadly, they have come to my blog because they think it might be about different things. This is about design, fun and whimsy people! Keep it clean! Gah!

Covetous Shoes

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Charlie Max is a super cute Aussie outfit making kissy-hot shoes. Methinks a pair may grace my own toes in the coming Autumn.

Bubble Bath World

Ben has done it again and made a song I adore and just can't get out of my head! This is beautiful - enjoy.

The White Kitchen

Yeah, peaceful white kitchens. You'd think I would have had enough, but no so, dear reader! Swoon.

All images.

Glimpses of My Place

This is a bit nervewracking, but after seeing our empty apartment, I thought you might want to see where we're up to in the decorating/arranging furniture effort. Well, the long-awaited couch and ottoman have arrived! This is the very first grown-up piece of furniture (and indeed, major joint purchase) that the Pal and I have - we are very excited about it. The Pal would, I'm sure, like me to point out that in the right hand corner, you can see the Apple TV, Apple speaker and modem that he has painstakingly set-up.

As for me, I would like to point out that I have about five more boxes of books still in storage. Ahem. This may go some way to explaining that I signed up for the library yesterday!

The view from the lounge. It's water! It is very pretty in real life - nice and breezy, too.

Labels for Download

Some truly beautiful labels for download here from Poppytalk.

Is This Forever? Is This Reality?

Please watch this and tell me you didn't laugh for hours. Oh my goodness.

House Question

This is just so fabulous, isn't it? I'm really struggling at the moment with blank walls in our new place. The thought of brackets, shelves, hooks and decals make me woozy with expectation. (For my American readers, in Australian rental apartments, we are generally forbidden to hang things on the wall. I know - ridiculous.)

Does anyone have any ideas for wall decorations that don't involve those 3M sticky hooks? I shall post photos in the coming days...

Creativity, the Muse and Bookish Things

I've just finished a two day course on creative writing which I thoroughly enjoyed. There was a little bit of hokey reading aloud what you had just written (yikes!), but I managed to get some good writing done. It was actually a bit of a test balloon to see whether this is something I will dedicate myself to more this year. I figured if I could give up two consecutive Sundays without too much of a fight, then I was ready. So that's nice.

During my nascent writing yearnings - writing for fun, that is - I've found this book, Bird by Bird incredibly helpful - it was recommended to me by Loobylu (thank you!). The author, Anne Lamott, does a lovely job of being self-deprecating and inspiring at the same time, which is a tough gig.

The wonderful interview above with Elizabeth Gilbert is also very much worth a look - I haven't read Eat Pray Love, but she is articulate, wise and funny. And incredibly worthwhile for anyone who struggles to conjure up paragraphs in any context.

In the same vein, I was thrilled to find some literary house voyeurism. Mmm. Have a look inside the rooms of Eudora Welty and Flannery O'Connor, among others, here.

By the way, if you're reading this in an aggregator like Google Reader or Bloglines, I have added a sidebar to my blog with the books I'm reading, and a new favourite Bookworm podcast each week or so. This one is with the late David Foster Wallace, and is a heartwrenching reminder that brilliance is fleeting but beautiful.

Eeep! Unexpected Internet Outage!

I'm back - and I apologise for my absence. My internet - the one inside my computer's brain - broke and has only just been restored. Seems amazing that in a few days I could have amassed over 300 new posts to read, had gabillions of emails to respond to and a whole lot of podcasts to update.

Gah! I'll get back to it in the next few days, but in the meantime, please don't forget that my Bushfire Sale is on tomorrow and the next day (Wed 18th and Thur 19th Feb). Feel free to have a browse in the shop now and pre-plan your purchases! The bushfires have really devastated so many people and their homes - a small contribution might make a big difference to someone's life.

Mwah ha ha!

Just sent by my good friend Alex, who knows me far too well. If I had a street tag, it would probably be my signature. Sigh. What would yours look like?!

Relief From the Heat

Thankfully it's cooled down a bit in Sydney from a scorching weekend, but it would have been a lot better with these. Thanks Alice for the heads-up - I've now spent many an hour on the Fred website.

I Wish My House Looked Like...

...this one. I am looking for little pieces of inspiration to use in my apartment and I wish I could just cut and paste this one. I am a bit disheartened by our couch and ottoman, which should have been here last week and still seems nowhere near the warehouse. Sadly, we are still couchless and it feels like we are living in a restaurant! (No lounging - just sitting properly at dining chairs..) Anyway, photos to come when it arrives, so in the meantime enjoy these!

The Corrections (a.k.a. A Mini Rant)

This picture was taken by the Pal at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, Japan. It doesn't have much to do with the post, but it makes me happy, so it stays.

Today is my first day of reading examiners' comments and beginning the process of corrections on my thesis. On one level, the comments are really uplifting - they all seem to think this is a "significant contribution to the field" which is nice, but sometimes they are just plain mean. It's easy to sit back, take pot shots from the cheap seats, as the Pal says, and then not offer any substantively helpful feedback. That being said, I am very grateful to one anonymous marker who went out of his/her way to suggest careful and thoughtful ways to address a particular structural and theoretical issue.

I think it's just very hard to sit and read 12 pages of pretty full-on critique without feeling a bit winded.

Memo to self: it's really nice to be nice. And helpful, too. If I am ever in the position of marking anything, I hope to be able to do it with grace and humility and offer intelligent advice.

**Edited to say thank you for all your delightful comments - I appreciate them so much. xx

NOT a Valentines Post

I am not one to celebrate Valentine's Day at all, but these were just cute and fun and could surprise someone you love on any day of the week.

Tweet, tweet!

The lovely Ben led me to the Flickr stream of Lauren Alane, a wonderfully talented maker of these birds. Lauren also sells on etsy and I have had to stop my hand clicking to buy everything there. Eeee!

There are some days when...

...I think I should just strap myself into this chair for good, and wear the below perfume and just get my inevitable metamorphosis into a book over with.

Vintage Poster Yummies

This poster reminded me of myself this week, as my optometrist changed my prescription and I can see everything again! Have a look at more vintage goodness over here.

Franck Juery

I stumbled upon the works of Franck Juery and am delighted beyond measure. They remind me of Slinkachu and Erin Tyner - both of whom I have written about before. Enjoy!

Global Warming

Image via Moco Loco

A deeply convenient truth is that this polar bear would look amazing in my sink. Ba boom - ch!

Oh. My. Freaking. Goodness.

Image.

So ridiculously cute. Although the cakies shop is closed for now, stay tuned for more cuteness.

Delicious Present

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As a massive Joss Whedon nerd, I was so delightfully surprised to receive a 'back to school present' yesterday from a very special friend. Yes, it's the singing cartoons on a lunchbox which send River crazy in Firefly. (Hopefully not a bad omen for me?!)

Aren't they terrifically amazing? One side also says "fruity oaty bar" which is too, too good. Thank you lovely friend!

(By the way, I realised Joss has a new film in production due to be released next year, with the talented Drew Goddard on board, too. Excitingly, and in a moment of worlds colliding, Bradley Whitford - a favourite from The West Wing and Studio 6o is set to star!)

And now...

...take a look at some very clever words by a very clever mouse. (And drool over these bookcases by Diane Bergeron while you're at it...)

Wowsers!

I have just found karlascloset and adore everything about this look. Isn't she just fabulous?

Magnificent Polish Labels

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Etsy shop announcement: Free Shipping this week!

As a special February treat, everything in the shop will have free shipping between Monday 2nd and Friday 6th of Feb, 2009! Also included will be a small surprise with each order.

If you make a purchase, please don't pay until you receive an amended invoice from me.

Thank you!

Weekend Crafties

Inspired by Alice's tags she posted before Christmas, I went a bit tag crazy on the weekend and made the following. I love wrapping presents more than most, and am constantly on the hunt for strange little oddments with which to decorate them.

Thank you!

The very talented Shelley gave me this award waaay back in November, and I have only just got around to posting it. Instead of berating my terribly impolite blogging etiquette (which I hope Shelley will forgive!), I will simply say I am very grateful and humbled.