love list: march wish list

yay! i won the lottery! (not really, but eh... its wednesday, what else am i supposed to be thinking about?) so aside from doing a world tour, and donating a bunch of my many, many, many millions i'm going to buy some of these things from my wishlist with my spare change. and then i'm going to buy us all lunch, ok? so clear your schedule because i'll be calling any moment...

first i would get some miller goodman playshapes because i think its important to buy great toys (because i have to play with them too!!). aren't these nifty? i really love toys with versatility, because well.. they're versatile. as you can see, my imagination needs all the stimulation it can get. yay blocks! image from lark, images and playshapes to buy from lark!

next up, something cute for my house: did you know jonathan adler now does melamine plates? cos he totally does! mmm pretty fishy adler goodness. and none of that fear of breakage. three cheers for melamine! image and plates to buy from jonathan adler.

last winter i got myself a cute raincoat (and it came in handy in california!) but i've jet to find a cute umbrella. but oooh these beauties will brighten your rainy days and keep your hairset nice and dry. who can argue with cheery yellow and polka dots? no one, that's who! images and brollys from dorothy perkins

and of course i'll be needing a bag to carry my wads of cash around in, and what better bag than one that evokes an endless summer holiday of glamor and carefree tanning on yachts and galavanting around the côte d'azur and monte carlo and the greek isles and there's an austrian count and ever so many romantic misunderstandings. image and bag from bonjour mon coussin.

glamourous nails will definitely be required aboard the count's yacht, and what cooler nail varnish than strangebeautiful's volume one varnish collection?

"VOLUME 1

Josef Albers Color Theory, A Mid Century Modern Knoll Fabric, Oscar Wilde, the exuberant paint colors used to decorate the walls of the Federalist period, a color of an Andy Warhol painting at the Dia Museum, the color Puce which I remember mixing when oil painting as a child, a green - winged teal, the dark inky blue of a never ending deep lake at night and the fear of swimming in it, and of course the red Valentine typewriter."

image and nail varnish available from luckyscent

first thing - this design of shoe is called 'ice-cream'. yum. second thing - melissa's are the most comfy jelly shoes you'll ever find. they're so cute, but you think they'll be all blister making and sweaty and gross. none of that here. i own four different styles and they're all really great. but i don't own any 'ice creams' and i shan't rest until i do! images and melissa shoes from here

mixtape: songs to skip down a daisy covered hill to

it's that time of the year... whether you're in the northern hemisphere flirting with spring or in the southern hemisphere enjoying these dying days of summer, it's that time of the year when when something deep within you stirs. is it a primal calling or the result of pollen overexposure? we must find what it is that causes this seasonal madness that manifests itself in such a ridiculous way! i speak of the desire we all share - the need to skip down a hill, covered in daisies.

and of course skipping down a daisy covered hill (or indeed through a flax meadow) requires a very specific soundtrack. today i offer you my selections. i ask that you listen, and imagine the skipping, the warm sunbeams, and of course, the thrill of galloping down a gentle slope. enjoy.

cat stevens - if you want to sing out, sing out

cat stevens - footsteps in the dark: greatest hits, vol. 2

originally from the harold and maude soundtrack, this is the one cat stevens' song that doesn't make me break out in hives. sorry yusef, but at least you wrote this one song i like. i know someone who loves anything you do though so i doubt you're too sad.

harpers bizarre - come to the sunshine

feelin' groovy: the best of harpers bizarre

harper's bizarre would soundtrack my movie, if i had a movie. and my movie would just be montages of me trying on fun hats, or racing around the city being a carefree bachelorette. also there would be a campy dance number and maybe a touching scene where i sing a song on a boat about how great some new beginning is going to be.

donovan - someone singing

donovan - a gift from a flower to a garden

donovan was one of my earliest musical loves. my parents loved donovan, and they would sing his songs to me and now i sing them to my own son who is named after this very songwriter! circle of life... or something. anyway, weave some daisies into your hair, put on your fanciest frock coat and grab some love beads.

the monkees - pleasant valley sunday

the monkees - pisces, aquarius, capricorn & jones ltd

the monkees' pleasant valley sunday is such a classic pop song.. and really what by the monkees' isn't made for skipping to?!

simon and garfunkel - punky's dilemma

simon and garfunkel - bookends

simon and garfunkel are always good for 'sunbeam' songs, but this song is especially delicious. the harmony at 1:13 gives me goosebumps every time. i'm a 'citizens for boysenberry jam' fan too.

as seen on etsy: vintage easter hunt

easter pail ✽ die cut egg ✽ bunny wagon planter

honeycomb bunny decoration ✽ chicken cozy ✽ hessian tote

vintage PAS egg kit ✽ framed bunny card

thank you for humoring me last week with the nice comments about my 'as seen on etsy' fetish. i've decided to make it my regular monday feature. if you'd like to see a specific color combination, or theme let me know!

little sparrow giveaway: and the winner is...

congratulations to allison, and thank you to everyone who entered!

there will be another giveaway in a couple of weeks, so if you missed out this time you'll have another chance to win soon.

7by7: March 26th 2010

aaaaand i'm back on the horse! back to a 7by7 at last!

best way to start the day? mickey mouse pancakes, but of course! yep, sometimes i can muster the effort to cook breakfast and try and impress a three and a half year old food critic. my only failing was not having any fruit to make poor mickey a face. oops. hopefully that will help me avoid any copyright law suits.

in other parenting news, i'm in the process of updating the nursery to a proper big kid's room. isn't this sheet SO cute? it came from etsy, and i've got plans to turn it into a duvet cover.

and another cute etsy parcel i received were these vintage circus cards. my son and i like talking about what each person does and how good they are at their job. aren't they pretty? its kind of bizarre that a 'fat woman' is a circus attraction! aren't the colors pretty though?

pretty fruit in a pretty box. i like catching these moments for 7by7, it makes me appreciate the mundane daily tasks if i spot a spontaneous pretty picture opportunity. i love crisp green apples - but only if they're cut up! i knocked my front teeth out when i was seven and have had the same caps on my teeth since then = lots of very tentative biting.

mmmm forgotten fabrics. how on earth did i forget i bought these fat quarters at purl's palace in daylesford?! they were in a paper bag that mysteriously fell down behind a chair. but i found them and it was like discovering buried treasure in the lounge room! aren't they gorgeous colors and patterns? i'm not sure what to do with them, what would you do?

i got my hair cut and recolored on wednesday, not really big news but ooooh the blow dry! people, the blow dry was. so. good. i love my salon, they have a ruched gold curtain and they never fail me but i'm pretty sure i've met my blow-drying soulmate. maxine is an absolute fox with a true appreciation of vintage style. she's a pin-up queen with quite a way with a brush. any lovers of retro styling should pay her a visit so she can make her dream tiki inspired salon dreams come true! i asked for something kinda sixties, expecting the usual tame flick and half hearted back combing and what i got was incroiablé.

this photo really doesn't do justice to the height of the back combing, it was epic. and i had curls which i've never had before. i left very happy and me and my hair bounced all the way home!

have a lovely weekend. relax, have fun, and come back on monday y'hear!

pilgrim's place: bedroom art

i've been meaning to do this post since i wrote about my bedroom makeover way back last august! i know that post and the picture of my bedroom were popular, so its about time i gave some credit to the artists who made my art wall look so great. its just about an even split of purchases from etsy and outré gallery.

these two cuties ('carmen m' and 'ginger pops') are from tsktsk on etsy. they are digital prints of an original painting.

isn't this a fascinating piece? its a four layer paper sculpture by helen musselwhite, bought from etsy. and on top is a smokin' labbit! well, he's not smoking, but he is a kozik labbit, just a bubblegum one.

this is an original gouache on board by APAK, from their show at outré gallery, melbourne (just about my favorite place in the city! seriously, i had a crush on it in high school. what kind of geek crushes on a gallery? this geek!)

this isn't actually art, per se.. its a piece of plastic you slip between the letter you're writing, and your table - so the table doesn't get marked. anyway its cute and its by my favorite japanese kawaii brand 'swimmer'. i found it at the now defunct genki store: thought it was perfect colors, bought it, framed it, love it to bits. wall 'art' can be anything, my guidelines are simple: does it make me feel happy? yes? hang it on that wall!

these birdies are from sweetshorn vintage on etsy. they came painted that color and at first i considered repainting them but they add such a small shot of variety i really love them just the way they are. aww.

both of these beauties are by lab partners. the yellow and pink painting is an original from the hunt and gather show at outré. i really love this little painting, i desperately wanted a lady painting to go with it but alas - she'd sold! my son calls this guy 'ukulele man' and he says goodnight to it every night. i think he thinks its a painting of daddy (who plays guitar). the pink and blue one is a letterpress print, from etsy. its an homage to lab partner's home: san francisco. it definitely reminds me of happy holiday times now, too.

and lastly, here's a view of what i wake up to each morning. this print (from outré) hangs over our chest of drawers on the wall adjacent to all the other pieces. its called 'this is how it always starts' and is by heisuke kitazawa/PCP. i love how dreamy it is, and the little characters are so whimsical. its a nice piece to face first thing

i hope you've enjoyed the tour of art, i really love it. its so nice to have a bedroom filled with special treasures that make waking up such a sunny and aesthetically pleasing ordeal!

as seen on etsy: vintage gems in aquamarine and amber

floral tray ✽ clock ✽ mug

milk jug ✽ zodiac mug ✽ bull pitcher

photo album ✽ fondue pot

i know i just did an 'as seen on etsy' last week, but i really have fun doing them. its window shopping on the interwebs! do you guys enjoy seeing what i put together too or is this just me indulging myself? i try and stay restrained and keep it monthly, but they're just so fun to do and i've been sick lately (hence the lack of 7by7 last week: i figured no one wants to see photos of my epic pile of tissues or how many packets of decongestant i've consumed) so i've had time to lie around browsing etsy. i might even do another next week.

consider yourself warned!

book pile: the grateful crane

today's book pile book is slightly out of style with my regular crazy psychedelic features, but i wanted to share this with you because its fascinating and beautiful in such a different way. this book belonged to my grandmother, who recently gave it to me to share with my son seeing as i enjoyed it so much, growing up.

the grateful crane

direction by kozo shimizu

text by ann herring

published by gakken, 1972

the story is the traditional japanese tale of the grateful crane, or the crane wife as its sometimes known. the illustrations are created with specifically constructed dolls in collage that give the story literal depth as well as creating an aesthetic link to the heritage of the tale. the textures of the rice paper, wood and woven fabric all evoke a very beautiful, very japanese story.

an old man finds a crane caught in a trap. he frees the crane and it flies off joyously beating its wings. later that night the old man and his wife take in a beautiful young lady who claims to have lost her way in the snow. the beautiful girl stays with them and becomes their adopted daughter, whom they call o-tsuru "miss crane" as she's tall and graceful.

she offers to weave the old couple some fabric, however she insists she must be left alone in the weaving loft. for three days she works tirelessly, and the couple begin to worry for her health. at last she emerges with a bolt of finished brocade. couple are astonished at the fine quality of fabric she's created. she tells the old couple to sell the cloth.

a merchant comes to see the cloth and tells the couple its the finest cloth he's ever seen. he pays them in gold, and they are amazed at all the riches they've earned.

the village children love o-tsuru, and her kind and cheerful nature have warmed the once lonely house. again she asks to use the loom to weave another bolt of cloth. she reminds the couple not to look, but the old lady's curiosity gets the better of her, she can't understand how such beautiful fabric can come from the old loom. she looks in on o-tsuru and finds a crane plucking its feathers and weaving them into the cloth.

suddenly the crane disappears and o-tsuru tells the old couple that she is the crane the old man saved. she thanks them for their care and tells them she must go. she changes back into a crane and flies off into the mountains.