7by7: February 26th 2010

are you getting the hang of this 7by7 routine yet? 7by7 is seven days, seven photos. its an overview of what i've been up to this week. so what have i been busy with this week? the usual, espionage, seduction, mystery, adventure. and also these things:

now that its finally not so darned hot all the time i've had that urge to get back to my roots, as a hooker: crochet, dears, crochet! i'm continuing work on a mega afghan for our bed. i've given up the squares for now and i'm working on circles from 'beyond the square crochet motifs' by edie eckman

i went to visit my friend at her shop and she showed me this pocket shrine she's had for years. i'd never seen one before, but its so tiny and fascinating! i'm pretty sure it would've blown my mind completely had i seen it when i was eight years old, oh how i loved making miniatures! the photo is pretty much actual size.

hey kids! try delicious and nutritious SPACE BURRITOS! actually it was just my delicious falafel wrap i had for lunch at a really great organic cafe in daylesford. the only interstellar thing being my garlic breath after lunch. totally. worth. it. yum!

also spotted in daylesford at 'lost in the 50's', were these old fashioned soda bottles. here we see fanta with a groovy ridged bottle and 'cottee's passiona'. cottee's is a staple of every australian childhood, they make cordial that's powered many a sugar high, for generations. the upstairs level of this shop was an amazing trove of magazines from the 30s-70s.

isn't it just divine when your snack of choice matches up with your current reading? i'm sure my family is grateful i'm not reading 'the electric koolaid acid test' next week.

wedged in between my welcoming little 'friends with you' figures is a mysterious new wooden stranger! she's a DIY kokeshi doll, and i'm looking forward to customizing her as soon as i can pry those colorful two away from her. maybe they're having a friendship convention?

and get a load of this! another one of my 'friends with you' figures tried to get involved with my lark purchases photoshoot! i think he was starting to feel threatened by all those colors and just needed to make his presence felt. what a cutie though! i love 'friends with you'

well that was my week, chickens! how was yours? did you eat space burritos? did toys infiltrate your photos?

i hope you have a great weekend and see you back here on monday!

shop love: a visit to the lark shop, daylesford

its so funny how conditioned you become to spending weekdays working or running the house etc, so that when the chance for adventure pops up it feels thrillingly illicit to be out and about during a week day! on monday some friends and i skived off work, cut class, snuck out of the city and headed for the country air! for ages we'd been talking about doing this and finally the stars (and bank accounts) aligned and off we went in search of this gorgeous rural store we'd all heard so much about. lets just say my vintage wallpaper sense was tingling...

lark was started by allison jones, as a way of recycling her collection of sweet vintage finds into toys and dresses. the lark showroom is tucked away in the postcard perfect town of daylesford, victoria. the clean and bright store is filled with the most perfect things, displayed in sweet vintage shadow boxes and dolls houses. but all this sweetness isn't without substance, lark's ethical policies show a real concern for environmental and social responsibility, which makes shopping there just that little bit sweeter!

i know you're all dying for the eye candy, so set your eyes to drool and take a look at lark:

hand knitted fair trade play food. too sweet to eat!

the crisp, eye catching display shelves with vintage wallpaper, a beci orpin folk face pillow

felt cuckoo clocks by new zealand designer cuckoo nest

'dumpling dynasty' brand bags and cases.

'rosie flo's' coloring book and adorable forest gnome pencil cases

deliciously displayed 'dumpling dynasty' kits

and of course i couldn't go home empty handed. really, that would have been straight up crazy! so here's whats now in my nest thanks to lark:

'children's rooms' published by paumes, japan. i bought london, stockholm & paris. oh drool!!

the indie rock coloring book. because kids need to know which parent has the better taste in music as soon as possible! haha

an amazing apple tablecloth by engel. do you remember my post about my apple obsession? i never knew i could love a tablecloth so much. i think i want my wedding dress made from it.

and after many years of ogling their website, at last i have some plastic ware from rice! oh kaloo kalay! take that tupperware!

for information on visiting lark click here

to visit the lark online store click here and enter at your paycheck's peril!!

fashion favorite: lovely legs

the colored and patterned tights trend has been around for quite a while now (for a trend) and shows no signs of waning just yet. i'm not complaining! i've been a long time fan of colorful tights, even when it wasn't so easy to find a rainbow of colors. i think the popularity of bright tights is enduring because its a very easy and small way to be brave with color. and for the most part, not many people are up to wearing that many brights. its no crime, but come one: let loose every now and then! knee socks were also a big staple of my teenage wardobe, so today i've rounded up a few cute leg looks to keep you inspired while this fun look lasts!

image from swinging 60s fashion, pie books

warm and practical grey knee socks get a cute lift with the addition of teensy red pom-poms. aren't those red mary-jane's sweet, too?

image from swinging 60s fashion, pie books

could this be a full body argyle knit suit?! maybe save this one for when you're wandering the streets of scotland: wear it anywhere else and you may as well be in one of those weightloss sweat-suits! black, white and kelly green is always alright though.

image from swinging 60s fashion, pie books

i really love the girl on the right, with the yellow blouse, red skirt and plum tights that is some gorgeous color combination alchemy right there. analogous color palette outfits are one of my go-to's lately.

image from swinging 60s fashion, pie books

more argyle, this time its 'golf course to quadrangle' chic. it really takes som good legs to pull off argyle knee socks unless you want to look like "grandpa forgot his pants again".

image from swinging 60s fashion, pie books

another possible all-in-one knit suit here. but how can i stay mad when its yellow and blue in such a cute combination?! she looks like she'd brighten up any photocopier room!

image from 60s Fashion: Vintage Fashion and Beauty Ads (Taschen Icon Series)

analogous colors are go! now with added pattern and cute suede oxfords? sign me up! i would wear all of these things.

image from swinging 60s fashion, pie books

this is perhaps the most trendy outfit by today's standards, don't you think? the sweet flats, colored tights and shorts look like they were just thrown together by zooey deschanel herself. cute and kinda indie but most important of all, colorful!

to DIY for: felt flower clips

last weekend i decided to pretty up a pair of plain slip on shoes i have by making up some felt flower clip-on's. i think felt is just the cutest medium for crafting, if you're lucky and have access to good quality felt it will have a really nice thickness and will come in just about any color you dream. i got my gorgeous felt from little sparrow.

add a cute button if you like

i made up this bold little flower design and if you'd like to make one too, click here for a printable pattern. the flower clip-on is quick, easy and its versatile. clip it on your hair one day, and the next try it on your lapel. i'm sure you could think of a thousand more uses, but to start with try your clip on flowers on:

✽ shoes

✽ hair

✽ bag

✽ pockets

✽ lapels

why settle for accessories that look like everyone else's when you can craft a little something to set you apart from the crowd? and even better, its no trouble if you change your mind: just un-clip them!

did i mention you can make them without sewing? you can either sew them onto the hair clips or use a hot glue gun if you're staunchly anti-sew.

sewing not necessary!

if you use my pattern, i'd love you to show your results with a link in the comments. happy DIYing!

vintage graphis: '79 theatre posters

from graphis annual 1979

Posters sponsored by the Container Corp. of America for plays performed by the travel light Theatre in Chicago Designer: John Massey

7by7: February 19th 2010

i don't know if its just coincidence but i think this 7x7 'week in pictures' type feature holds magical powers. it makes weeks go very, very fast!

first off, lets talk about the new header! if you're reading this via an rss reader come on over to the site and tell me what you think of the new scheme. its a little bit toy-town, a little bit mary blair, and a little bit alexander girard.

to people in cooler climates, this photo isn't very inspiring but did we get some rain or what?! there was thunder and lightening and the concreted area in front of our porch turned into an impromptu wading pool! but its good news, because we're in a constant state of drought here. we have serious water restrictions in place - the most difficult to live with is limiting shower time. how i long for an obscenely long shower!

i had a lovely valentines day! i got flowers, and breakfast and hugs. the ladies working at the florist where my flowers were bought gave my son his own valentines day rose. what a ladykiller!

and these were my stunning flowers! a whole big pink mess of orchids! my boyfriend is so funny, he was telling me how he went to a bunch of florists, but he has a particular florist for each kind of flower he usually buys me: one is good for lillies, another does great roses etc. i'm a very lucky girl!

on thursday i got to take a day off: hip hip hooray! so my friend and i caught up for some coffee and lunch and i got presents and home made jam! and i got to eat this delicious toasted pide, filled with roasted pumpkin, chickpease, baby spinach, goats cheese and caramalised onions. yep, it was deeeeelicious!

after our deicious lunch we decided if this was going to be a lady date, then we really should go and do something silly like get a pedicure. so my toes are now 'purple with a purpose'. i wish i had the job to think up color names!

tonight i made a big batch of chilli, and while i was chopping up the peppers i was struck by how awesomely colorful they are. maybe i can make a nailpolish color called 'pepper with a purpose'? or maybe not haha

i hope you have a really great weekend. does anyone have anything exciting planned? our weekend looks a bit fragmented with work, and gigs, but i'm sure with the batch of chilli, and the perfect weather we're having we will have some nice late summer fun. til monday, take care lovlies!

mixtape: the teen bedroom top five

its so funny that i rarely talk about music on the draw! pilgrim blog, and yet in reality it plays a very big part in my life. since i was about 13 i've been quite obsessive about music. expanding my tastes and finding new favorite bands are one of my life's greatest pleasures. as a teenager i'd spend all my time in my room making mix tapes (when there were tapes) for long suffering friends. curating each playlist, carefully charting the arc of the tape's mood, hand making covers and cases and most importantly making sure there were no bits of songs cut off at the end of the tape.

i longed for the time when i'd be finished with school for good and could spend the rest of my adult life making mixtapes, i mean, that's a job right? well, alas, real life intervened with my grand plans for full time professional mixtapery and though i enjoy throwing together a playlist and whipping up a cover in illustrator it just isn't the same, is it? ten years ago i sent my boyfriend a lovingly minted david bowie mixtape that think i might owe our whole relationship to!

when i'd run out of school friends to make mixes for, i went further afield. i made mixes to post to new found internet friends, friends who lived in exotic and exciting locations like hull, in england (when visiting hull later, i discovered it wasn't nearly as exotic or exciting as i'd dreamed) and in return i'd get mixes back from them. on the whole it was mostly bands i listened to already, i poured over uk music magazines like they contained hidden clues to the secret of life, so by that point i felt like i'd exhausted the britpop /post punk/etc. just as i was about to move onto avant garde jazz or grindcore metal, my friend dominic sent me a tape. he told me it was made by his flat mate, and he thought i'd like it. it didn't have a name and it didn't have a case.

'like' is probably the greatest understatement possible. i'm not sure i listened to anything but that tape for at least 6 months. it was like being ushered into a radio station of my favorite music that i'd never heard before. i took it to school and listened to it secretly in class. i slept with it on repeat. the tape got jammed in my player, and so i took it to the audio studio and bribed the technician with custard tarts until he agreed to magically restore its life. this tape was the lynch pin of my adolesence. it was the seed from which all current musical taste has grown. am i making myself clear enough? i really loved the tape!

i can't send every one of you a mix tape - postage and law suit costs make it kinda prohibitive (remember kids: home taping is killing music!) - but i want to share some of my favorite music with you. so, i guess consider this part one of an (in)frequent mixtape feature. part one, my teenage bedroom top five, part inspired by that precious mix tape. if you're interested in any of the songs, click the link below the album covers to find out more.

album: london weekend by another sunny day

song: i'm in love with a girl (who doesn't know i exist)

this was track one, side one from that well loved mix tape of mine. it introduced me to the sarah records label and ignited a love of fey indie music. as it says on the wikipedia page this song's title really does sum up the mood of the entire sarah records catalogue, and epitomizes those angsty teenage sagas of unrequited love.

album: tigermilk by belle and sebastian

song: my wandering days are over

"now the centre of my so called being is the space between your bed and wardrobe with the louvre doors"

i remember being so excited when tigermilk was re-released 4 years after its initial release. it took me 8 weeks of patiently waiting while the lousy music store ordered it in. ah! that sweet pain of being a teenager and liking an obscure band! does that even exist in this download generation? feel free to insert your own rant about 'kids these days' haha

album: hatful of hollow by the smiths

song: heaven knows i'm miserable now

how could we talk angst and not mention the smiths?! crushing misery paired with jangly guitars has never sounded better. and what a loaded sigh of a song title! can't you just feel the teen ennui oozing out? this was one of my favorite songs on my VHS mixtape. oh yeah, i didn't just contain my mix tape-making to one medium. i was a mix tape mixed media artist, taping music videos and making super tapes!

album: where'd you learn to kiss that way by the field mice

song: when you sleep

with lyrics like "i can't help feeling it cannot last, i can't help feeling you will break my heart, break my heart" and "on account of you i am able to forget how painful i find living" the field mice fitted right in with sarah records' forlorn indie pop style. they did have their occasional electronic new order style leanings, but mostly it was heart-wrenchingly acoustic guitar based songs of love lost, and love never found.

album: surfer girl by the beach boys

song: in my room

i know what you're thinking, "the beach boys?!" well when they weren't wishing the world was populated with california girls, and singing about surfing brian wilson, was shut up in his room with his neurosis. the eternal angsty teenager gives us this harmony soaked song filled with all the melodrama and longing of those teenage years, in a hymn to every teenager's sanctuary. my old bedroom is pictured at the top of this post, in all its messy, confused-self-expressiony glory!

i hope you enjoy this modern day mix tape. we don't even have a tape player anymore, except in the car - which i can't drive, but i still have my precious tape. there's a jump in the middle of two of the songs where the tape got chewed, then healed by ron-the-magic-technician. the label i put on it has faded to a barely readable pink smudge, and still i love it. adolescence is a miserable, confusing time. there's crazy hormones and you're trapped for a while in that lonely chasm between childhood and adulthood, but this tape made it just that bit better. so dom's flatmate from ten years ago, where ever you are, i owe you one magnificent mix tape.