The House

I saw this on the news this morning. 

A spine tingling tribute to a grand House by some of our wonderful performing artists and an iconic song.

How I love my city.

My Sweet Prints

My friend Janette is having a great sale at her store - 40% off every print. This could be the best time to get that print you have had your eye on. I've nabbed myself this one for the boys' playroom.

Be quick it ends midnight Australian Eastern Standard Time tonight, 30 June 2010.

I hope you're having a happy afternoon.

This and That

"You've just got to have a dream ... and work hard."  Sailing for 210 days, around the globe solo, non-stop and unassisted and only 16 years old.  Congratulations Jessica Watson for living your dream.

The original design was hand embroidered and then scanned to create the most stunning wedding invitations I have ever seen.  More images here.

A new to me blog, Leah's "daily exercise in gratitude"

A peek inside this illustrator's Moleskine notebooks

A beautiful new online magazine

A beautiful doll made from a vintage peg and vintage ticking and denim. A wonderful example of repurposing what you have around your home.

Murder mystery, first love, teenage angst, bigotry, migration, Vietnam War, shattered dreams, bitterness, small town malice, parent/teen relationships and disappointments, heroes.  One of the most beautifully written books I have read, if you want a book you can't put down, get this novel.

Have a happy day.

Still having issues with Blogger, this post took me quite a few hours off and on!

Smitten

Classic flashcards

Stunning flashcards that illustrate all that childhood should be

Modern flashcards

For your boy

For the typography and letterpress lover

For your girl

Classic letterpress

Modern classic

If you speak Portuguese...

Spanish...

French...

German...

Italian...

Arabic...

Japanese

Alphabet book yesterday and alphabet prints (a few flash cards and a quilt) today and in a variety of languages. Enjoy.

Have a happy day.

Off the Shelf

I'm a voracious reader and I am happy to say that I have passed this joy onto my boys.  I have books all over the house within easy reach. It is common to see them sitting on their own or together "reading" a book or two. 

So I thought it might be fun to do a regular review of a book that we like, it might come come Kindy, the library or own collection.  Most of my readers are mums to young children so I thought it might provide some inspiration or ideas about what your kidlets (and you) might enjoy.

So to start I have chosen a fantastic book I borrowed from the library yesterday called All Aboard!: A Travelling Alphabet by Bill Mayer.  There are many beautiful alphabet books available, but this one is perfect for L. His current passion is all forms of transport and this book features stunning illustrations of all things relating to transport in an alphabet theme.  The illustrations remind me of 1930s transport posters and are beautiful enough to be framed in the future.  I love this book so much I'm going to get L a copy for his birthday next week.

Do you have a favourite alphabet book, what makes it so special?

Have a happy day.

Smitten

A fun library bag

A sophisticated print

This photograph just takes my breath away

A wise house rule

Believe it or not but those books are in fact a wallpaper

A cute print for the boys' playroom

And one for the little lady in your life

Another great print

Love these pins, I would put them in a box frame

I was at a Parents and Teachers Committee cocktail party last night, and the subject of a very interesting conversation I had was about books we were reading and  book clubs set up by some of the mums.  I came away with some great recommendations.

It prompted me to have a look on Etsy and other places for products inspired by books and these are just some of the many I found. I hope you like my finds.

I had a lovely catch up with Janette from My Sweet Prints.  What a gorgeous lady she is and what an adorable little man she has. L was quite taken with Will watching him crawling about and standing up against some of the playground equipement. Looking forward to more catch ups with Janette.

Have a happy day.

Spending Hiatus - Week Seven

I can't believe it is week seven already, I really feel I have failed in this exercise in restraint and more importantly mindful consumption. Therefore, I am going to extend my hiatus to 12 weeks. I am determined that April is going to be the winning month. This doesn't mean that I am going to let things slide during the remaining 12 days of March.

Suffice to say that this week has been winner, but only because most of the week I was in bed with a fever, so even online shopping wasn't going to happen. And lets be thankful for that, because one can only imagine the damage that could be caused to a credit card by a delirious woman!!!

Today, I was tempted by John Olsen, in my opinion one of the greatest artists of the modern era, to do a little spending. I'm a huge fan of the Olsen style of painting, lots of squiggles, mad lines, dots on vast expanses of glorious colour. To me his paintings scream "life". I always feel charged and energised looking at one of his paintings.

I had a dental appointment today and my dentist happens to be around the corner from the gallery that specialises in Olsen exhibitions. There is one at the moment called "Culinaria, The Cuisine of the Sun" which showcases works capturing the time Olsen spent in Spain as a young man and discovered Spanish cuisine. I popped in for a quick visit as I had J with me who likes to run a lot (if you know what I mean). I just fell in love with the painting above "Duck a L'Orange" and if I had a spare $Aud380,00 lying around it would have been mine. But alas it will go to another more fortunate person, pun intended.

And then I spied the book above, and on the cover what did I see, yes it was "my" painting. The book is only $Aud30.00, but I thought to myself, I don't need it, especially when all I would be buying it for was the cover picture.

So although tempted, I thought, nah I'll just go home and look at the two Olsen etchings I already own (actually they were gifts from my sister to my boys for their first birthdays, so technically they own them, but I'll call them mine till they turn 18!!)

Now, if that isn't a good start to the remainder of my spending hiatus, I don't know what is.

Hope you have had a happy Friday.

Off to a school Movie Night in a short while, I'm on BBQ duty and I'm still a little under the weather, so not sure how long I'll hold out, but you just have to do it for the kids don't you.

Speaking of which, thank you to all my lovely readers for your thoughts and kind words while I was away in bed. It is so nice to know that people are interested in what I have to say here on my blog. Thank you also for your support in relation to yesterday's post. I wasn't sure about doing such a post as I pretend to be no parenting expert, but I am so glad I did.

Have a happy weekend and see you Monday.

Smitten

My boys just love riding their bikes/trikes. Everyday they jump on the bike after school after a yummy snack of course. Even though the last two weeks it has been incredibly hot and humid, they are still riding around on their bikes working up a sweat. Then they jump into the pool. They have a really lovely life, it makes me so happy to see them running around laughing as they chase each other on their wheels.

So this week in their honour:

Wheely stationery

Breakfast on the run


A "chalk board" print for your teenager's room


Cute wedding invitation

If you are moving

Funky coasters for the bike mad man in your life

Great prints for the playroom

These tea towels are so cute (they have sold out, but there are other lovely things in this store)

Parisian bike, what more do I need to say

Time on the go

Whether you wear silver...

Or gold

On your bike to get the groceries

I really want this stamp

What a great colour

This candle also comes in yellow

Storage for the boys toys or books

For the house keys