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7by7: April 30th 2010

ta-da! we made if to friday! how is everyone? did you all keep your arms inside of the vehicle at all times, and remember that objects in the overhead cabins may have shifted during the flight? good. well, this has been the most fun and happy whirlwind of a week in some time so let's review:

lets start with something pretty, some pom pom flowers! i walked past these chrysanthemum and couldn't resist them. i love how fresh the white and green centre is. they're sitting here next to me as i type and i want to scruff their raggedy heads.

i made another banana cake, because we always seem to have bananas around and i can't stand to waste them (and yet also forget to eat them). i think i'm obsessed with not wasting them after i remembered a romanian girl at school telling me that one year, before they emigrated to australia, she wished for and got a single banana for christmas. as long as there are children wishing for bananas for christmas: i will be making banana cake from soggy bananas rather than throw them away. now if only i could apply this thriftiness to everything..

the other baking jaunt last weekend was making a batch of ANZAC cookies. they're made from the same simple recipe the wives and mothers of world war 1 soldier's used. al the ingredients are things that would have been staple items in any early 20th century australian kitchen, and they're basically oat muesli cookies. i add sultanas because i'm a rebel who bakes banana loaves in bundt tins. damn the cookbook man!

and the best time of the day to enjoy a cookie (aside from post-breakfast, pre-lunch or post-dinner) would be afternoon tea, that most civilized of hours. i'm really enjoying the cool days and stopping for a moment in the afternoons to have a cup of tea from my favourite mug. it sounds so cliche but small things like this really elevate my mood and make me appreciate things.

get a load of this castle my son and i built! its kind of the template for our next house, but i'm thinking it might need a roof. i'm all for high ceilings, but i really think he's pushing the boundaries of what's functional. i told him to get back to the drawing board and not over conceptualize. he's a good kid, but you know what they're like, always form over function! and the minimalist furniture was a little too "blocky" for my taste. thats what you get for explaining who mies van der rohe is!

doodle-doooo! this is what it looks like when i pick up a pencil. yes, it happens occasionally. mostly during power outages and phone calls.

ooh c'est moi! i had to send a picture of 'me at work' to my son's kindergarten so they can all talk about what everyone's parents do all day. i was tempted to stage a sort of photo play about me lying around smoking opium and gambling but i couldn't find my special opium smoking kimono. so here i am at my desk. generally i face the computer and do work, but that wouldn't have made such a great photo because i tend to make embarrassing thinking faces. you may notice my hair is a different color now, i had it done last week after getting sick of not being able to wear pink or red without clashing with my hair. its a nice change and i tend to mix it up quarterly, so if you liked the red or hate the blondey bits, don't worry.. it will change soon haha

as a side note, isn't it interesting seeing a 27 year old designer now (me, above) and in 1978 (my mum at 27, working).

have a lovely weekend, wherever you are, and come back monday to see what vintage treasures i have to brighten your working week!

mixtape: late night songs for insomniacs

image via flickr user fortphoto

despite loving my sleep, sometimes it doesn't come so easily and i find myself still awake as the birds start to sing. occasionally its a productive time for me, but often its stressful and lonely and just flat out bleak. so this is part of a mix i put together last time i wide awake at 4am.. i hope if you find yourself up at that darkest hour, you'll play these songs and feel a little bit less hopeless and alone.

night nurse

from the album l' avventura by dean & britta

dean & britta are like the indie serge gainsbourg and jane birkin of our day (except britta can actually sing). you may know dean from galaxie 500 or luna, and britta from her work on morel orel or wait for it: jem and the holograms! yep! she was the singing voice for jem. i love their music together, and the hazy, warm, tones of this song should soothe you into a happier place.

moonchild

from the album in the court of the crimson king by king crimson

i first heard this ethereal song on the soundtrack to one of my favourite films, buffalo 66. all i previously knew of king crimson was extremely prog rocky and not my cup of tea but this album has quite a few tracks i've come to really enjoy.

kathy's song

from the album sounds of silence by simon and garfunkel

this song makes me so nostalgic for when my boyfriend and i lived an eight hour drive apart. i would get the overnight bus to visit him and because i was too excited and lovesick to sleep, i'd compile epic bittersweet playlists to pass the time. its amazing the depth songs take on when you're curled up in a bus seat, watching the dark countryside speed by, and pressing yourself against the cold glass to try and stargaze. who knew traveling the greyhound could be romantic? listen and imagine you're drawing closer to your favorite person.

good night

from the album the white album by the beatles

how could i not include this?! when i was little my parents would play the beatles for me to go to sleep to. i think this might have created some kind of pavlovian narcoleptic response in me, but even if you weren't conditioned when you were young i think that this is a soothing late night listen. it might just be the aural equivalent of a mug of warm milk, being tucked in, and getting a kiss on your cheek.

i like the sunrise

from the album you could be born again by the free design

and when the night time is over, and the birds are tweeting and you're still up don't beat yourself up about not sleeping. don't stress over how long the day is going to be, just listen to this classic cover and soak in some gentle happy. its as sweet as being bathed in warm morning light and the whole song sounds like a languorous, elegant stttrrrrrrreeeeaaatch. why worry over lost sleep: now you have an excuse to nap!

shhhh! sweet dreams...

ps: i am an amazon affiliate, so if you like any of these songs, buying the album from amazon will mean i can buy more pretty books to show you on here! its the circle of life, and i like to think everyone wins in this situation!

love list: april wish list

its looooove list day! yay! so, this is what's in my current wish list:

images via swedish hasbeens

its finally turned cold here, so here we are halfway through autumn and finally its being autumnal! after living alternating between ballet flats and havianas for six months its time to bring in a good boot, and what better boot than a beautiful blue pair of swedish hasbeens! just look at that color, i want to swim in it. the only thing holding me back from diving in and purchasing a pair is a) i don't have a boot warehouse to store my already excessive boot collection in, but more seriously b) the wooden sole worries me a bit. it sounds very hard and i'm not sure my precious little toes (and twice dislocated knee) could handle a wooden sole. but mmmm pretty blue boots. and for those of you in places where summer is coming: get a load of those ice-cream colored sandals. dreamy!

image via lovely package

next on le list: cider! or if you're from england's south west: "soy-derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" (thats the phonetic spelling, there). i'm not a beer drinker so if i can't have a g&t, then cider is my drink. its so refreshing and there's something vaguely wholesome and bucolic about a nice glass of cider (especially if its in a dimpled mug). but how hip is this cider's packaging, designed by ilovedust? i'm pretty bad when it comes to judging books by covers, and buying things for the box they come in, but cider this cute has definitely got to taste better. which is your favorite packaging - sea cider, apple or pear? via lovely package

image via michelle mason

another specimen of cute from the UK are these tumblers and mugs by michelle mason. anytime i see pictures of london's lollypop crossing lights i regress to being 5 and looking through picture books which told me trucks were 'lorries'. the design on these mugs is very sweet and london never looked so colorful! don't you think these would make morning coffee about 700% more cheerful? via retro to go

image via tufted

i certainly wish there were more rugs in my life, but as it is i feel like it would be too much (especially considering all the rugs i like are VERY patterned! but i would consider selling every patterned thing for this rug pictured above. i love the scalloped, scaley pattern, i love the colors, i love that its bright but sophisticated and i love that the company who makes it is called 'tufted'. tuft is a good word. via design*sponge

image via winter's moon

so if i can't have a stinkin' big patterned rug then i'll console myself with pretty pillows. honestly, sometimes i think if my boyfriend were to leave me, it'd be over the number of pillows on the couch. they out number him 8 to 1 and i think he's threatened by them. but this sweet patterned cushion from winter's moon would hold up a chair all by itself, don't you think? a nice cosy corner for tea and reading, with this pillow would be a pretty nice place to be on this grey and rainy day.

so thats it for now, but tell me, what's on your wish list at the moment?

pilgrim press: apartment therapy & modern kiddo

hi, how are you? how was your weekend? i had a great weekend. it was a holiday long weekend here commemorating the ANZACs (australian and new zealand army corps) the soldiers who fought in the first world war. if you'd like to read more about ANZAC day click here.

it was an especially exciting start to the weekend for me because our house tour was up on apartment therapy! did you see? when jenny emailed me to ask if i was interested i leapt into action (right after recovering from the excitement induced heart attack), tidying and photographing. that might not seem very impressive, but when there is a three-year-old involved, its a bit of a nightmare. as one mess is conquered, another is created! so its been a full-on week, but ultimately one of the best in recent memory.

i'm so proud of my house, and so excited that the place i've selfishly created as my ideal haven is of interest, and liked by other people! i (very briefly) studied interior decoration and design, and it was a pretty harrowing experience for me - i was the black sheep of the course. the students thought i was a weirdo, the teachers thought i was a trouble maker (are you kidding me!? i was the biggest square ever, i just had a funny haircut and wore thrifted clothes) and everyone else worshipped at the alter of beige. so life took over and i put away my hopes of being an interior decorator and decided just to make my own house happy. by the way, this isn't meant to be an 'i showed them all' kinda thing, more just a musing on how different views can be, and how inspired i am to find (not just by the apartment therapy feedback but the internet in general) like minds and kindred spirits. so to everyone reading, and commenting here: thank you so much. interacting with you and hearing what you think about the things i love is just amazing. its invigorating and needs to be bottled and sold as a cure for all that ails you!

and as you might have seen: i opened my etsy store at long last! seriously, i thought it would never get sorted out - its taken almost a year. but last year was so fraught with er.. turbulence and general awfulness it just never felt like the right time. but life is calm now, and i'm prepared and with the encouragement and support of some very patient friends and family members, the right time arrived.

and finally - please, indulge me just this once - you've seen my house, you've seen my work, now you can see my kiddo! poor donovan, he doesn't get any attention here because, well, i spend all day with him so this i the space i get to be myself. but don't let his absence on this blog fool you, i'm so proud of my little guy! he's the cleverest sausage i've ever met and he's great company to work from home with. not your typical co-worker but we get our coloring done! i was very honored to share some of his grooviest threads when he was featured as modern kiddo's weekly kiddo!

phew! so, quite the tour-de-self promotion there, but hey it doesn't happen too often around here so we're cool right? haha see you back here tomorrow for a non-me related post! oh wait.. it will be 'me' related, tomorrow i'll be sharing my 'love list' post of wishlisty goodness. see you then?

as seen on etsy: inspired by draw! pilgrim woodland print

✽ plastic mushroom plates ✽ orange task light ✽ needlepoint butterfly pillow ✽

✽ laquerware canister ✽ draw! pilgrim woodland print ✽ green telephone ✽

✽ floral metal box ✽ tea canisters ✽

inspired by my newly released 'woodland' A3 poster print! available from the draw! pilgrim etsy store

draw! pilgrim: open for business

ladies and gentlemen, may i present draw! pilgrim on etsy