Full of juice, art and love

After the week of hectic design activities, I was glad to be able to unwind a little and head along to hear Matt Skinner talk about his latest book - Matt Skinner's Wine Guide 2011 - at the Readings store in Port Melbourne....and drink some wine!

Following on the success of his "The Juice" series - started after he was incessantly asked by friends (like Jamie Oliver) what they should be drinking - the guide is an even bigger and more comprehensive list of over 250 sparkling, rose, pink, white, red and everything-in-between wines for all budgets. (Big snaps for his user-friendly style and the informative "Year in Review" section at the front).



And as with all trips to the bookshop, I couldn't resist the serendipity of standing right in front of this beautiful compendium of Pablo Neruda's poetry (which has finally sated a desire that sprung in me after visiting his house in Valpariso last year)...How could one go past it...

"Body of woman, white hills, white thighs,
you look like the world in your posture of surrender.
My savage peasant body digs through you
and makes the son leap from the depth of the earth."
(Twenty Love Poems, I)



Or splurging on the latest look at Melbourne's dynamic street art scene - Street Studio: the Place of Street Art in Melbourne from Thames & Hudson. It is so good to see this stuff rising amongst the ranks of collectable art.

Typeface

Ok, so I actually went to this as part of SOD, but I just couldn't seem to fit it into my previous posts and thought that straight after my post on Swensk - and their slow fashion - was pretty appropriate.

Taking the story of the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, this amusing documentary looks at its place in the current revival of letterpress printing, and how people are returning to slower methods of printing, as opposed to using digital methodologies.

You can check out the clip here:


We were also treated to a panel discussion afterwards with Carolyn Fraser from Idlewild Press and David Lancashire from Lancashire Design, who discussed their thoughts on the printing industry and even floated the idea of holding a "Slow Down Design Day" sometime in the future. I am not sure if that will ever be anything more than a pipe-dream...but I have certainly added the Melbourne Museum of Printing to my list of places to go.

Luck of the Swedish

It's funny how things can just magically appear in your life - like Swedish designer boutique Swensk, who I stumbled upon when trying to avoid the queue at CH2 for MOH. Knowing that I had seen their logo before (in the SOD handbook no less, listed as one of the Look.Stop.Shop installations), I of course went in to have a look and a chat to part-owner Mats. And boy am I glad I did!

Not only stocking the best offerings of Swedish fashion (Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, Filippa K, J Lindeberg and WhyRed) Swensk has been set up to introduce and educate the rest of the world about the underlying philosophy of slow design - found in most Swedish labels*.



Plus, they have been involved in an even bigger collaboration with RMIT fashion students, involving some notable names in arts, design and music and fashioning new garments for them, out of existing pieces in their wardrobe. Very cool. (And with Michi Girl personality Chloe Quigley and ex-Lifelounger Daniel Pollock, and lighting master Tim Fleming set to take part next semester...I can't wait to see more from these guys!)

*except maybe Ikea

Sweet treats and open houses

Finishing off the mad activity for SOD, I was treated to a double luxury - a beautiful six course dinner in the working studio of the Australian Tapestry Workshop, and a day-long free pass to wander through some of Melbourne's oldest, greenest and most intriguing architecture for Melbourne Open House (MOH).

Set up by one of my Indesign colleagues Francesca Unsworth, and her Paris-based friend Rachel Khoo*, Edible Tapestries took inspiration from the interesting surrounds of the historic workshop to weave a unique culinary journey through a mix of innovative creations. Starting with a delicious elderflower and Tanqueray martini (a definite "you had me at 'hello'" moment for me) we grazed our way through Incan Cerviche, Saffron-dyed Spaghetti, Scarlet Dashi, Beef Cheeks and Kumquat Millefeuilles...need I say more?

(*The English duo met when they were muffin-making at Parisian foodie bookshop La Cocotte and, bonded over their mutual Cordon Bleu diplomas, and love of cooking)

And perfectly matching each course were the latest offerings from husband and wife team - Sarah and Sparky - at Melbourne winery Mollydooker (whose strange nitrogen-based preservation of wines requires you to shake the contents before before sampling it). Hmmmm....



Check out the image above, and Victoria Robertson's post of the evening here - like me, she is interested in all things design, an unlike me, she was actually armed with a camera!)

It is not surprising then, in the company of good food, wine and friends, it was hard to get my head off the pillow the next morning - even with the promise of architectural mastery beckoning! But, somehow I made it onto the #8 tram and headed down Lygon Street to my first stop: the Pixel Building.



Designed by studio 505 as the head offices for Grocon's redevelopment of the the Carlton Brewery site, it is the first carbon neutral office building in Australia, and its rooftop laboratory will be used for research by the University of Melbourne.



Unfortunately the line out the front slowed my progress down somewhat, and I was only able to make it up to see CH2 and the ANZ Gothic Bank after. Which was probably just as well after the hectic week I had already had.

Iron-ish Designer

Perhaps the most animated audience I have seen so far at SOD, the mostly twenty-something crowd who turned up to see emerging and established designers battle it out at Iron Designer were already pretty liquid by the time the game show graphics started. But sadly the coordinated outfits and choreographed beginning didn't amount to much more than the montage of misfits flashed on the big screen.

It was an impressive line-up of talent - with Studio Round, HPG, Minifie Nixon and The Signet Bureau battling it out in the first round, and Tin & Ed, Motherbird, XYZ and Right Angle Studio taking each other on in the second - but the ideas didn't seem to make much out of the table of goodies.



The final showdown - with finalists The Signet Bureau and Tin & Ed challenging reigning winners Monash University - was most notable only perhaps for the inclusion of Mikael Colville-Andersen's young son playing the role of "the known Universe" in Monash's failed attempt. Apparently the Sydney version of this event - on show as part of Sydney Design - has already sold-out...but I can't help but wonder why. I am told this was a stand-out event last year, but sadly, I missed that...and the point of all this.



At least on the way home, I got to have a look at Trent Jansen's work fully lit...so beautiful how his temporary foam structures, powered with battery-operated LEDs, mirrored the building lights opposite.

Design blogger's dinner

And so it followed, after a frantic day of reinventing Punt Road, I headed to the HQ of the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) to see the first screening of Eco Innovators "The Secret Life of Things".

The first installment of an animated film series, aimed at educated young and old about the life-cycle of the possessions they keep buying, it was funded by the British Council, and spearheaded by the irrepressible Leyla Acaroglu. A girl of many talents (see my article about her "Showcase" of eco products here), Leyla not only helped write and produce the film - in collaboration with Nicholas Kallicos and Tim Grant - but also provided some of the cute vocals. Check it out:



Following this, I made the mad dash across town with Trent Jansen and his lovely girlfriend, to Comme for a dinner discussion about design blogging. Definitely marked as one of the highlights of the SOD festival, I was keen to hear what Melbourne girl Lucy Feagins (The Design Files), Mikael Colville-Andersen (Copenhagenize and Copenhagen Cycle Chic) and Dan Hill (City of Sound) had to say about the rise of online communication, and what it has meant to them as bloggers. (And sitting at the central table with Comme owner Frank Van Handel, I was certainly in prime position).

We were treated to lots of insider knowledge about how each of them have emerged as design and trend gurus, plus the food seared fish with creamy sweet potato mash - was just what I needed after a long day of learning.

(There's a cheesie picture of Lucy and I here).

Lights, no camera, but plenty of action

Ok, ok, I know I should be taking my camera everywhere with me these days, but damn it is heavy! But not nearly as heavy as the rain I faced this morning, as I rushed off to join in on "The Reinvention of Punt Road" for the State of Design (herein known as SOD).

Led by Alex Ritchie, Creative Director of E2 - a multi-disciplinary design team that thrives on the experiential - we all took off our shoes to crouch along a 5 or so metre-long plan of Punt Road...and hoping give it a brave new future.

Split up into groups from all professions, companies and skills sets - I was with four others, including Stephen Axford and Nivedita Vijayan from Urbis and Murray Brassington from Baldasso Cortese.

Needless to say, with all the black indelible texta scribblings, my cream tights didn't fair so well....but the overall experience was very interesting. It seems no one wants cars on the road anymore! Many of the solutions centred around sinking the road, and other transport modes, completely, using a cut-and-cover method, and creating additional high density housing, with various mixed use development and dedicated greenspace.



It will be interesting to see how the conversation continues next year, with the theme of "mobility"...

(You can check out Ben Hosking's photos of the event here - fortunately only a couple back-of-head shots of yours truly!)

A touch of Frost

And no, I don't mean this hideous Melbourne weather! Rather, an icon of the visual communication world, and king of day-glo orange...Vince Frost.

Seen here, chatting to yours truly about his latest projects...

State of Design - Open House Speaker Series

And so starts the flurry of activity...after arriving back late on Sunday, I went off to the second part of the Open House Speaker Series at BMW Edge in Fed Square last night.

And what a treat it was! Not only an awesome line-up of some of Australia's leading architectural and urban planning thinkers - Andrew MacLeod, Stuart Niven, Rob Adams, Geoffrey London, Tim Jackson, John MacDonald, and Tim Leslie - but also a very healthy discussion about the issue of housing density in Melbourne.

Big snaps go to Tim Jackson, for showing his project "Circa" at Coburg, still in design development phase, and Rob Adams for his impressive list of stats and figures. If you start to do the math, living smaller and closer to each other isn't really such a bad idea after all.

Check out some great links here, for some awesome places where it has already been put into action...

Bo01, Malmo
K2 Housing
Melbourne Terrace Apartments

This is a menu

So with only a few days left on the West Coast, I thought it was about time I headed to Neal Jackson's fine dining delight.

After years of recommending it to friends and clients, it seemed only right that I should force down the 7 course degustation menu before fleeing Perth.

And what a treat it was - not just the designated courses, we were also treated to a few bonus extras to cleanse our palate - my favourite being the strawberry and sumac sorbet. So yummy!!

Time to get serious...

Well I guess it kind of had to happen - the point when I decided to add the link to this to my regular email, thereby forcing myself to write about things people other than my family might be interested in! Well, soon, but not yet. I have to redesign it first...

(But you can follow me on Twitter)

Right now I am in Perth, frantically trying to prepare for the upcoming State of Design Festival, and all the events that I am covering on their own, and as a wrap-up for DQ. I am super excited about so many things!!

Like this dinner at Comme...

And the Top 6 x 6 designers...

Not to mention Iron Designer...

And Rick Joy's work...

The only bad thing about it is that it is only one once a year...

Raspberry good, er, badness

So what do you do when you are still sick from work, and a pile of incomplete fashion drawings are staring at you in the face? Cook raspberry and banana bread of course!
(I am so in love with these silicone moulds...even if my loaf was bursting out of it.)

Green & Black sanity

Dear Mr Organic chocolate,
You are the only reason I can still keep going when it's near freezing outside and my housemate finishes the milk. I am so glad the nice people at Arcadia are giving you away with coffee!

Praise for the pudding

Ok, so it may not look like much - courtesy of my 'at home' styling, or lack thereof - but I can assure you there was no time for fluffing as the ice cream melted through my freshly cooked banana, honey and cinnamon pudding. Thank you Mr Roelofs, you and your white paper bag can come home with me any time you like.

(You can check out the piece I wrote on Pierre's dessert-only nights here)

Desserts to dine for...

Perhaps it was because I had largely been housebound all week, nursing a fever and a barely-there voice that I was suddenly compelled to visit Cafe Rosamond to taste the latest Thursday night dessert offerings from Pierre Roelofs.

Ouf! And what a treat we had! Armed with my gastronomically-astute gal pal Sheeda, I made a quick path through the cold uneven streets of Collingwood to our two room oasis. And what a treat awaited us!



We opted for the full menu - three courses and a 'test tube' of pavlova...is there really any better way to indulge?

From there to here...

And so somehow the pretty flowers have been replaced by autumn leaves...and I ended up devoting yesterday afternoon to pruning my grapevine.

Unfortunately my attempt at mulching (1 bucket of vegie scraps, 1 bucket of shredded paper, 1 bucket of leaves, 1 cup of blood and bone) hasn't amounted to much more than a dry mound of semi-decomposed matter, but I shall persevere! I want lettuce by summer!

Time to smell the, er, stolen flowers...

Ouf! What a busy couple of weeks it has been - between school and writing, I have also stepped up my new favourite habit (the gym) to get ready for the Melbourne Marathon in October, and have picked up some work experience too. Sheesh!

So right now, I am incredibly lucky to spend two mornings a week doing sewing and odd bits for well-known Melbourne milliner Richard Nylon (seen here at the races).

And I am learning the art of shirt-making and men's tailoring at Hemden (whose 'hidden' website I am totally in love with!)...so much learning...it is so good!

Hopefully I will have lots of creations to share with you soon...

To market, to market!

Set up in the quirkiest place possible - complete with its own vintage wallpaper and walnut wood-panelling - the Thread Den girls sure know how to run a market. Thankfully the local council has helped them to keep turning these wonderful events out every second month - jam packed with second-hand, designer and handmade treasures.

Like these great neckerchiefs from Okt-ober-dee's Lauren Ferry (who has a very impressive stockist list in case you are still too scared to buy online)...


And these gorgeous applique native animals from Kathryn Haesner at Candy and Lacee...a Berlin mum who has fallen in love with our Aussie creatures.



And a girl called mike's cute silver sparklies, which will be seen next on my fingers!



Damn June for being so far away!

My small world just got bigger...

And so it goes, phase one of my studio has been completed, and I now have a fully functional 3m-long desk. Of course it is already covered in the accumulated sum of all my unfinished projects, and stuff like these awesome buttons I picked up at a $1 charity store sale last Christmas in Mandurah. Oh, such random delights!


A bit like this place I spotted the other week, walking to a meeting on Flinders Lane. So NOT Melbourne. So love it!

How the week has rolled...(me)

So what's with the canned turkey?

It started last Friday I think, when I made a rushed appearance at the opening of the new Thread Den on Brunswick Street. The second of its kind - offering sewing classes, machines, overlockers and a range of new designer and vintage wares - in Melbourne, these girls are also sponsors of the bimonthly North Melbourne Markets - which I will be checking out after Easter. Unusually tired from the week, and managing to only put down half a glass of bubbly, I am told the opening went very well - with some clothes so well received that they almost disappeared out the door completely unpaid for. Hmmm...



Saturday was an equally whirlwind affair, with my favourite Fashion History class with Mel being chased along by a VIP tour of the Melbourne Zoo for Earth Hour. What is the connection, you may ask, between the zoo and Earth Hour and my blog? I am still trying to work that one out, but what I do know is that said zoo is definitely in need of some TLC, that Wagons should definitely NOT be booked for children-friendly events, and that the blogging world is very random indeed.



I think this lion certainly has the right idea - even if he is being forced to chew on some old nanny goat - just keep your head down and hope that the crowds will pass.

Sew happy to be supporting this

Ok, bad pun, I know...but perhaps it got your attention, the way this project got mine?

Inspired by Nick Frances' book, and the concept of social enterprise, two Melbourne Uni Law students - Jessie Smith and Denis Cairney - have taken it upon themselves to help a group of HIV-positive women from Tanzania to help themselves. Using entirely recycled materials, the women have made these cool bags. And for only $19.95 at Readings, how can you not buy one??

Much ado about lots of things...

Ouf!! So it has been way too long since I have posted anything on here - I am so sorry!! - but I personally blame these Czech beers, sold for ridiculously cheap prices at the Czech club in North Melbourne, and my own housewarming party, which saw 8 litres of wine and 2 litres of vodka mixed as sangria.

Mmmmmmmmaserati!!

Could there be a better sight as I walked down Gertrude Street yesterday?

(Only, perhaps, if it was parked out the front of my house!!)

Del Barrio

After spending most of the day in bed, listening to the freak storm outside, I finally made it out later to play door bitch for Gualli and his band at The Spanish Club. A crazy little venue, with a suprisingly good bar, stage and dancefloor area, I am sure it won't be long before some cool local acts snap it up (especially after it has just changed hands, into private ownership).

The event was held in honour of visiting LA pianist Octavio Figueroa, who put some of the younger members of Del Barrio to shame with his energy and musical flair. Luckily there was only one creepy man who wouldn't leave me alone at the door. It's funny how some people just don't get the hint.

Thank God this mouse doesn't sleep in the penthouse

So I managed to lock myself out again last night, but somehow - and I really don't remember how - I got over the 3m high corrugated iron back fence and through a window without badly injuring myself. Earlier festivities at the opening of Penthouse Mouse for the LMFF have much to answer for...

I got to meet Alexi Freeman and his girlfriend (who had the best boots on, stolen from her dad, and painted white), who was there to see an installation piece he had hung above the main stairwell.

And save a teepee from burning down...

Before ending up having a drink with Alice and Gustavo above his bar in Northcote.

Best served with churros

Do Sundays get any better than fresh, hot churros dipped in chocolate? Thank you Juanita's for completing my weekend.

Gone in 15 emails

Where did they day go? I asked myself as I ducked into the greatest little vintage shop in Melbourne (great, because it has single-handedly solved my business card conundrum...more on that later) - doesn't it have the cutest floor? Having only gotten through a few pressing emails, and a little casual surfing, I hadn't accomplished much else but taking in my laundry off the line. Sheesh!

But I did find an awesome unnamed secondhand treasure chest, complete with a much needed mirror and filing cabinet for moi (although it will have to wait until I am paid again), that hopefully won't be nabbed by someone else in need.

And now the day is almost over, and I am heading off to the opening of LTRHDS at 1000 £ BEND, before relaxing down to a home-cooked Italian meal from Silvia, and some gelato on Acland St.

Das A-B-C

After spending much of my day holed up at home, sending out resumes to prospective employers, it was only fitting that I ended the day at a random screening of a BBC Four documentary on the origins of German electronic music. The film is part of a 'timecapsules' series shown at ABC Gallery (which I can't seem to find a website for, sorry) - a roughly formed studio space located in the back streets of Collingwood.

Apart from finding out about the roots of Kraftwerk and the "krautrock" movement, I also found out about the Splodge Film Society who screens cult films on the first Monday of every month at the Empress Hotel in North Fitzroy. Plenty of things to do for the unemployed!

(I am sorry for the lack of dazzling images - this one comes direct from my dreams of breakfast tomorrow morning, and the Scottish fruit pudding I won't get to eat - I have been busy carrying other things, and keep forgetting to take my camera with me)

Totally hooked

Being the full-time home renovator/unemployed person that I am, I have a current crush on all types of hanging paraphenalia. Like these from Japanese designer Oji Masanori, which I would look so nice next to the wall rack I picked up at a garage sale last week. Or these, which would easily cover over the cracks and holes on the walls in my bedroom, or double as knuckle dusters when I walk down Smith Street late at night.

Work in Progress

I finally got around to meeting up with my tech-whizz friend Chris today, and we finally got around to chatting about this blog. While black is often very classy, and straight lines are usually very cool, the combination of the two on this cyberspace is pretty boring. (And yes, I can hear you agreeing).

That's why I want my blog to look a lot more like this (more white space) or this(fun to look at/watch), or even this (just plain cool). I have also fallen in love with Fred Free's art on flickr, which is what I stole to put on this post.

Snaps, Metlink...

As well as looking for a job, practising my pout, and assembling even more Ikea furniture, I somehow managed to find the time to get myself along to my first class at Fashion school.

Now armed with a legitimate reason to trawl shops, spend furiously and silently pick apart other peoples' outfits, I did, of course, make a beeline straight to my local arty-farty-but-also-crafty bookshop Artisan Books to turn the dent in my credit card, into a full scale open-pit mine!

What I came out with was this, my course reader if you like, and a burning desire to buy this. Ouf! If only I had of been the one to stumble across an old trunk full of Frida Kahlo's delicious embroidered outfits...

(Oops, I almost forgot to tell you about the new racy new jungle print I saw on the 112 today. Nice work Metlink!)

Silver linings...

So how did I manage to get hold of a Starbucks cup in the snobbiest coffee city in the world? Well, I flew to Hong Kong. Unfortunately it is only sad news that takes me back home to the near freezing temperatures of Scotland - Stonehaven to be exact - my Gran is very sick. And at first I was struggling to find anything to warm me to the idea of a 4 degree daily maximum.

But with every cloud, there must be a silver lining**, and while I pace around the net on the free airport wifi, I seek only to focus on the chance to reconnect with my family, who I haven't seen in almost 10 years, and my best friend from Year 3, Julia (who has gotten married, moved to Stonehaven and had two children while I have still been prancing about working out what to do with my life).

**Content Warning: lots of photos to follow

Vegie Garden Phase # 1

Well it took six jumbo garbage bags and a some encouragement from a few cups of coffee, but I finally have a garden bed worthy for some chick poo and worms.



(Hopefully I will get more of a harvest than these, the remnants of the last owner's efforts...)