Home sweet home...

I went home for a couple of nights last weekend and decided to get a bit 'Lucy Feagin' from The Design Files. I am in constant awe of the beautiful photos she shares in her Australian Homes sneak peaks. It makes me want to grow up and become a proper adult already! As much as I enjoy sharehouse living, I am craving the day that I'm able to move into my own space and spread my hoarded possessions through every room. Does that sound a little dirty? Perhaps. But I will certainly be taking immense pleasure in doing it. Until then, I'll continue to enjoy visiting Mum and Dad to admire their lifetime of collection. Mum denies that she is a 'hoarder'. But Gran certainly is and I can't refute the fact that I am. My conclusion is that it runs in the family. So Mum, own up to it, we're hoarders. But hoarders of beautiful things in my opinion. Maybe not the latest or the most glamorous, but things that are beautiful in their unique story of handcraft, neglect, reinvention, history or nature. My photos have nothing on Lucy's of course and I couldn't cull them as much as I should have but I hope you get a small glimpse into what I feel when I go home.

Meet my dear dog Molly. She's just too cute. And so silly. Don't be fooled by her regal posture shown here.

I spotted some new plants potted!

Feathers, and photos from VCE... selected for Top Arts in case you were wondering...

A music book of Christmas carols sits on our piano all year round and has done so since I can remember.

I love the collection of walking sticks, regular sticks, branches and twigs, as seen on the left.

On the right, I love the old trunk which belonged to a very great uncle of mine, George Robertson, who brought it over from Scotland. I'm actually just guessing that fact but it would make sense. Unles G.R. stands for Geraldine Richards but I don't think it does.

A collection of my grandmother's paintings. Ha, I just realised that the painting might look a bit rude. It's not a, ahem, painted on the small naked boy. It's a tear in the canvas.

Blue and white vases in the bathroom.

Friends keep exclaiming how cool and creative my parents sometimes sound. I keep dismissing the thought. But every now and then I am confronted with the fact that they aren't altogether disastrously daggy. For example, my Dad MADE the above stainglass window! Pretty cool, hey?

Mum and Dad have always had a collection of hats above their bed. I do like a collection.

Mum's dresser of jewellery and photos. Put some clothes on that girl!

Mmm... big, chunky jewellery. Yum.

When I was little, Mum took me to my very first ballet lesson, which I was very excited about. I was greeted by the other girls, all wearing the exact same pale pink leotard with pink jiffies. What was a wearing? A black leotard with black jiffies and that colourful woven belt thing (as seen above) tied around my waist. So so SO humilitating. But Mum being a good Mum, I believe I turned up in standard pink the following week.

Can anyone guess which colour Dad prefers when choosing shirts?

Our fridge, covered in pictures, postcards and clippings that keep me entertained while waiting for my left overs to be reheated in the microwave. Can you see the Able & Game card I gave Dad for Fathers' Day?

Stacks of baskets and a couple of oars.

Lemons and shoes stretchers. Shoe stretchers? Is there a more technical, better sounding name than that? Anyway, it's an unlikely combination. But I like it.

Bags and baskets and things.

I absolutely love those tiny little vases. They've been on show in our house since I can remember.

I've never properly noticed this collection of little glass vases. But I love how the light passes through them.

Hmm. I think Mum's film studies at VCA means her dusting duties are being neglected.

Beautiful old keys and beautiful old lamps.

To the left is a piece by my Mum's ceramicist friend, Trevor Abraham. I can't get over how life like the body is! Just gorgeous. To the right is a sculptural tray Mum made from twigs.

A bowls of... actually, I'm not really sure what it's a bowl of. I can identify some walnuts but that's about it.

The top left image shows a shadowbox of small knick knacks. I WANT/NEED a shadowbox similar to this, in any size. Oh, I love it. The top right image is my collection of rubber duckies from my teenage years. The bottom left image is Miranda who you may have met recently. And the bottom right image are friends about to go for a teddy bear's picnic.

Mum found this hatbox in an opshop and I think I should have it. She thinks otherwise.

So, I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of the things that I find inpiring in my home. Until next time, stay safe and smile.

Miranda says hello...

Miranda (above), my precious friend says hello; but so do I.

It's a frazzling time at the moment. I have suddenly had many urgent, unexpected things to do and I have NO COMPUTER. Argh, oh dear. However, things should sort themselves out soon and I will post some visual goodies before long. Until then, Miranda and I hope you are enjoying the small sneak peaks of Spring.

Getting my blog on...

Hello!

I thought it was about time that I stopped talking and started doing. So here I am, uploading my first proper post. Woo! Hopefully it will be the start of many more to come. I'm pretty excited about where this could lead... so long as I stay motivated about documenting my inspirations for the purpose of motivation. Hmm.

Anyway, what a great time to start, as I had a wonderfully energising weekend. It was full of catching up with friends, catching up with with craft, art and design; catching up on thoughts of what I want from life. Well, that part is still developing but I certainly got the feint taste of something!

Beyond the taste for life goals, I was consumed by the taste of Olive Sourdough bread. I'm not sure if the name of the bread needs capitals but you know what, I think it deserves capitals so I'm handing them out. Oh my goodness. My sister Samantha (above) and I made a quick dash to the Richmond Farmers Market and both bought a loaf each. I believe that neither of the loaves lasted more than 36 hours.

One thing firmly cemented in my plans for the weekend was making a trip to the Ink & Spindle Open Studio day in Kensington. I had been looking forward to it for weeks, so it was a thrill to get there just in time for their printing demonstration. My good friend Renate, who I met during our Textile Design degree at RMIT, accompanied me to the studio. Even though she majored in Print, there were still a few new tricks of the trade to discover during the demonstration. My favourite features of their studio was the sticky table to hold the fabric in place (no more staples!) and a little roller bench of blow heaters to dry off the prints as they go. Genius! It seems that Ink & Spindle know how to run their business efficiently!

For lunch, Renate (above) and I walked up and down Racecourse Rd in Flemington many times, in many different directions before finally finding Laksa King. But oh my, it was worth it. I actually wasn't really in the mood for an Asian meal, but being in the neighbourhood, hearing so much about it and already making such an 'effort' to find it, I was determined to eat it. As soon as they brought the laksa out, I was immediately in the mood for it. Ohhhh, it was so so so yummy. I must thank a lovely girl named V for recommending the place. She knows her food.

After lunch Ren and I popped into the cafe next door for a coffee, because... as you may have guessed from the photos... she's recently engaged! Woo hoo! Renate and Jason got engaged in Hawaii, of course, on a sunset cruise, of course. Ohh, so romantic. Anyway, over coffee we immersed ourselves in wedding inspiration. I can tell already, it's going to be a beaaaautiful wedding. Thanks Ren for posing in very unnatural but big-sparkly-ring-flattering ways.

While I was passing through the city on Saturday afternoon, my eye was grabbed by the window displays at Myer (above). I love it! The colours are so bright but rich. The whole look is so fresh, exciting and invigorating! Lately I've been drawn to such bright colours. I think it must be the suspense of Spring. Arrive already, please!!!

On Sunday afternoon, after many slices of Olive Sourdough with mushrooms, egg and bacon, my dear friend Jane (also an RMIT Textile Design buddie) and I went to Thousand Pound Bend to investigate the Milk Market. It was just as trendy as I expected. Full of hand made and vintage deliciousness, with a live band to create a really awesome atmosphere.

To soak up the moment of the Milk Market, Jane (above) and I sat down for a drink. Jane's hot chocolate looked amaaaaazing. I couldn't get over the beautiful striped chocolate running so subtly down the glass. Oh, it's so nice to see natural pattern appearing so unexpectedly and so beautifully.

I am well behind my budget for the month, but that didn't stop me doing a little bit of shopping at the market. Sara Penman had a stall with some very unique jewellery that I just couldn't walk away from. She creates her work from animal bones. Yes, it's little creepy but well, I so love things that are a little bit creepy. My vegetarian housemate was a bit put off by my new purchase but Sara's work is done in an ethical fashion and uses bones from animals that have died of natural causes. That's me in the bottom left corner wearing my new necklace. You have to admit, it looks pretty cool.

After the market, Jane and I made our way to The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia and was blown away by an exhibition of John Davis' work. He was born in Ballarat (where I grew up), but in addition to that claim to fame, he created such visually interesting art! I didn't actually know who he was but I am now a big fan. It's hard to keep me away from anything in black and white really, especially if it's striped. Fortunately we were allowed to take photos, so these images should keep me smiling for a long time to come.

I love this quote from John Davis. I hope that perhaps it will ring true for my lifetime of design and creation.

There was a huge long wall of these fish. Absolutely stunning. On close inspection, there is such beautiful detail and interest but when standing back, you have such a simple but visually impacting display.

Organic but structured. Oh, how I love it!

Adding to my budget blow out, were the purchases of the above books. But hopefully it will give me huge motivation and inspiration to get my butt into gear to pursue some grand venture. I've been wanting to get Craft Inc. since... oh dear, I just realised I bought the wrong book. I think I actually wanted Creative Inc. But oh well, I'm still happy to stock up on my collection. I'll just have to order in Creative Inc. next pay day. I've been wanting to get Creative Inc. since Joy of Oh Joy! and Meg did a blog tour with their new book. ... Damn, I'm so silly. But it should give me plenty of good reading for the next few weeks.
I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the things I've been seeing. Apologies for my poor photographic skills. I only have my iPhone at the moment to snap some shots with. But it's better than nothing. I hope that this is not the last you will see of me. Until next time, have many lovely days, Emma.