In the shadows

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Sometimes I wish I could slide between the shadows and drift off somewhere where herbal tea and beach-walks would define my hours - this Tuesday morning, where I meet my overflowing email requests of to-do's is no exception. Thanks to Russian photographer Alexey Bednij’s latest project, I can fulfil some kind of shadow-drifting. Bednij's precision and manipulation of contrasted black-and-whites has created a series of visual illusions perfect for a Tuesday morning distraction. See my write up and more of Bendij's ‘collages’ here...

Blog Love

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The lovely Amanda Rose from this wonderfully fun blog recently passed on on a sparkly Versatile Blogger Award to me! News of the prize saw me blush like mad at the thought that people actually read my blog. Thanks goes to Miss Amanda for thinking of me!

Now that I've had my moment centre stage, the deal is that I share 7 facts about myself and pass the spotlight over to the blogs that see me going back for more. As I wrote something similar a little while back, I'll try not to double up too much...

Tom Gunn Melbourne. Sorry for the iphone quality.

1. I'm smiling when it rains these days and the stuff has been coming down in bucket loads. You'd think a pair of puddle-stomping boots would be an appropriate purchase, right? This weeks purchase of choice went more along the lines of derby style Tom Gunn cut-outs...you can't stomp puddles but they're equally fab! More to come about my new kicks...

2. I live with big dreams by my side. Daily.

3. I won't drag my heels at snail-pace, I don't like to jog and I can bake.

4. I have cat-like-landing abilities. There is this fab crowd of peeps in my life that provide all the cotton wool I could want to land firmly and safely on my feet, no matter what life throws (or I create). In other words, I pinch myself when I think of the outrageously talented, creative, inspiring and loving bunch of people I have in my life. If I could wrap them up and keep them in my pocket to take through every step in my days, I would!

5.  The highlight of the week gone by would (by far) be my time spent back in Melbourne and the gorgeous people I was surrounded by.  As much as I do miss calling the town home, I'm grounded when my plane lands in little Adelaide to have my boy pick me up with open arms. Speaking of the boy, I can't avoid mentioning the countdown to our icey-cold Tasmanian getaway (kicking off in just a few days) adding the cherry to my already sweet days.

6. I'm a twin. I've said this before so I'm sorry to repeat, but he's worth the mention in these 7 little facts. He's the other half that balances my dreamy self. I'll often say we're a classic chalk-and-cheese comparison. It's not entirely the case. As we grow older, I'm noticing more and more that we're gravitating to some kind of common-mode. Although I'll still be the one spinning around centre stage or painting away on canvas while he plans his next strategically crafted business venture, there's some shatter-resistant 'twin thing' that keeps us somehow, without realising, the same. In a different kind of way...

7. I'm as passionate as ever about everyone in my life and everything I put  in my life.

...and now for the blog roll. With a growing bunch of sites that I visit on a daily basis, it's a hard task to pick just a few, but here goes. The list of 7 blogs topping my list of faves at the moment are:

I will never tire of checking back to Hearted Girl; frankieheartsfashion is flooded with inspiration; Cee from cocoandvera was one of the first I followed and will always sing a Hurrah for; Village blog is still topping my favourites for the beautiful photography it's filled with; A Girl in Transit has quite possible the cutest photos filling her posts; not to mention the fun filling A is for love; last but not least, Adailysomething is a must-check-out!

Wednesday anyone?

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Why is every other day of the week somehow capable of serving itself sunny-side up, except for Wednesday?  The wise words of positivity have stepped in to pick up the pieces telling me "anything is possible, even on a Wednesday with just a tick or two left before midday." Carpe diem-ing the hell out of this tragically slumped midweek-er is no exception. Best get started. Enjoy your day.

Giampaolo Sgura for Dolce & Gabbana fw12.13



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It's been a while since a Dolce and Gabbana campaign has hit my browser history, let alone caught my eye. Their style has always been a tad too glammed for my drapey/relaxed style incination. But when Giampaolo Sgura's lense snaps up the likes of Monica Bellucci, Bianca Balti and Bianca Brandolini (yes, all three) donned in d&g's baroque fantasy inspired collection, I'm finding myself screaming praises from rooftops. What's not to love about this campaign? With all those "familiar" (aka normal people) faces about, the campaign seems less posed and more of a backyard, true Sicilan affair.
In fact, this reminds me of what our family gatherings are all about. Loud, dramatic outbursts tangled amongst  the gut-aching laughs, good food and family. This is the strongest campaign I've seen in a while, not to mention the spectacular fall/winter designs. The more I look over the images, the heavier I fall for this shoot. Enjoy x

Rachel Castle

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Rachel Castle. The one who collaborated with Gorman, remember? Well, her graphic screenprints and embroided typographic work doesn't end there. This talented lady is launching her brand new exhibition of 20 new paintings tonight at Koskela, Sydney! If you're lucky enough to be in her neck of the woods at the time of the exibition, you'd be headed to...

RACHEL CASTLE - 20 PAINTINGS
KOSKELA from July 20th 2012
Koskela Gallery
1/85 Dunning Ave
Rosebery NSW 2018

//lucky I stopped by Design Files today!

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

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Cross the model world's list-topping beauty, Dasha Z with Nikolay Biryukov's lens and you'll get one solid nod to the haunting, classic black and whites of days gone by. Biryukov's talent worked on overdrive for Fashion Gone Rogue's latest exclusive, Mirror Mirror. Dasha put in a solid days work too, sporting a wardrobe of La Perla and Prada threads. My write up and more images are here.

'Ello Sunshine!

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'Round my neck of the woods these days have been served less like those sun drenched getaway pics and more like a bed of ice. It's the middle of winter after all. Don't know about you but when someone drags their heels about a grey skied, misty winter morning, my patience wears thin. It's not that I don't feel the chills and bone-shakes these months bring. I just think, why wake up a miserable mess because the sky shines a little more grey than usual? Spring on up into the crisp morning air and check out what beauty the day has in store.  Extra bonus is the morning's iced air is sure to kick your sleep deprived eyes into action, no caffeine needed...initially, at least. Ramble over with, here's to some chilly puddle-jumping days to come!
Do you think you can often tell a lot about a person by the way they deal with a drizzly day?

On a Friday...

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With a reminder like this on your wall how could a day ever go wrong!

Winter warmer a la Francaise

Thanks to a (my) wise move in subscribing to Gourmet Traveller's (GT) monthly editions, I'm on the receiving end of 12 months worth of well-edited, seasonal focused recipe mags. Ok, admitedly I arranged the subscription for my dad's Christams pressie but I'll still reserve the back-pats for a good idea! GT's July edition didn't fail to meet expectations either. Smack bang in the high of winter, GT served up the goods and threw a few Frenchie treats our way. My pick of the lot was a hearty, spruced up plate of peas. Yes, the dish of petits pois a la Francaise is said to be a "side" but if, like me, you love your greens just as much I recommend switching this into a broth-ier, soup-ier style feast to hit the spot. On a side note, if you've been the one pushing your peas to the side of your plate all your life, I'm a strong believer that this will convert you.
 Images all via my trusty iPad snaps of Australian Gourmet Traveller July 2012.