What a gem

'to hold' ring via

Not one to usually sway the diamond way, this is one rock I would gladly sport. The beautifully crafted 'To Hold' ring is part of Melbourne jewellery designer Katherine Bowman's works. Embracing the organic and influenced by nature and the history of art, Katherine's hand carved details and carefully worked metals instill each piece with a unique sophistication. Take a snoop through her designs via e.g.etal's collections or here.




Another Katherine Bowman design via

 E.g.etal, set in Melbourne's Flinders Lane, houses a passionate commitment to representing and supporting the Australian contemporary jewellery design movement - now representing over 50 Aussie and New Zealand jewellery artists and designers. Even better news is they have an online store!

Ramblings on a love affair

iphone snap at the Wall, Carlisle St

Yesterday marked my second-last day in this town I've labeled 'home' for the past 2 years. With this bitter sweet, reflective mood I've paced myself to, I made sure a little pamper time was slotted in amongst my to-do's of packing a suitcase or two and killing the stench of male-removalist-sweat in my apartment. On a note of "all about me's" here goes a self-indulged post dedicated to a self-indugent day...

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Early this A.M. I took a step back in time to where I worked my retail-assistant-superpowers down Carlisle st. Seated at my favourite little joint Monk (you might remember the write up), Melbourne's grungie, non-try-hardie charm saw me hold back a few sobs as I bid it adieu. Sipping time away with latte in hand, I sat there soaking every last bit of this vegan joint's good-ness. Without sounding like I'm crying my bratty, spoilt tears away, I will miss Melbourne's cultured mob like you wouldn't believe.

This is verging terribly on falling into a pit of diary note sob stories and for that I apologise...but there's more.

To balance things out, come late PM, I dutifully shifted my rear to a perfectly woven cane seat in Armadale's toff-nosed, rustically polished, homewear-come-baby-store lined cafe strip.

iphone love

Rouge, this charming, very French and very chic space seated yours truly amongst its shabby chic, linen donned mums chatting time away. Take a seat here and you'll see it's not easy to resist its old-time splendour - sweet treats in perfectly 'scattered' order and all! For a second there, it even snapped me out of my woes (just) and let me indulge in a little Gallic fantasty, dreaming myself to Boulevard St Germain.  Still, I can't quite shake the unpretentious grunge appeal 'round St Kilda way...

...hopscotch. These kids know how to party.

iphone snaps

You've figured revisiting old favourites took priority for the day? So, when sun began to set, there was nothing more fitting than stepping into Greville Street's Ladro for pizza nosh, vino and one more game of hopscotch (see above) to mark the Hurrah of a day devoted to....me. Deep breath. You're done. If you're still reading, thank you.

Filling the canvas

"double bubble"

"blurred leopard"
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Just like Diana Delgado's art works, my canvas (life) is slowly taking shape with a carefully selected colour palette. The next splash of vivid-ness will be a big, bold whack of the most vibrant hue marking my move back Home! Told you it was only days away. More to come about the move and the end of my Melbourne love affair...with the city, that is!

Backstage at Marchesa Fall Winter 2012

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My Melbourne honeymoon is coming to an end...very soon. I don't yet know how quickly I'll have to box 2 years worth of life, but it's coming. Just days away. Without getting caught up in the details though, I'm preferring to sway about in the romance of a move back home to the best things in this world - an incredible bunch of people that know no limits when it comes to the support and love they offer; my family, friends, and boy! Marchesa Fall/Winter 2012, in all its whimsical glory, gives me a hand in stepping down this dreamy lane today. Hope it does wonders as it slides you closer to Friday's 5pm too. Enjoy.

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Follow your heart

via a new blog!

All you need is love

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May not only today, but every day of every year be the perfect excuse for us all to show our love for that special someone in our lives. Today, let's just call them Valentine. Enjoy this day, as good as any other, to bask in the love you share. Happy Valentines...in the least-commercially-guided way possible!

I run on my time

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These post-it note watches are designed to save you from inking your skin. Personally, I'd like to see it save my 8 hour work day by (literally) drawing it to a close with my sketched on home-time-hour. Brilliant! 

Bambino gets arty

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Thanks to a few peeps around the traps having popped baby bundles into this world, my thoughts have been nicely focused on all things bambino. If I told you that our appreciation of art and baby's need for educational material can meet at one fascinating, typographic glory you'd think I was having you on, right? Wrong. Send your peepers over Yoni Alter's Letter Art Prints and you'll see we have a brilliant 2-in-1! With a digital dry ink image merging baby's abc's into hallway-worthy art, baby learns its stuff and parents feel less like their home has transformed to play pen. Hurrah!

Be original.

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Six super-charged circles combine to benefit humanity and remind us all to just "do good"! Pretty simple, really.

Walk on the bright side

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Give your tappers something to cheer about. ispydiy gives a few helpful tips to spruce up a classic oxford and send us skipping off into the weekend joys! Happiest of weekend vibes to all!

Sui Generis/Floor art

old yarn

This beauty was on display in Loom's window. Caught me off guard and tripped me up mid power-walk bolt. #notkidding.

old yarn

pure wool

new classics
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Head down Prahran's High Street, or take a snoop online, at the rug store of the Gods. Loom is the maker, mover, shaker and buyer of exquisite floor art. Loom's impact in the design space has left all (yours truly, included) with faith that quality rug design exists. So much so that the design label's interpretations on classic, vintage and contemporary collections have been rolling their way over magazine spreads to front page features...Belle and Vogue, to name a couple. Adios Ikea shag-pile!
Loom: nounan apparatus for making fabric by weaving yarn or thread.Loom: 575 - 577 High Street, Prahran East (more importantly)the rug store of the Gods