whiling away the days...

I've been enjoying the sweet sounds of Lee Morse

after whiling away this weekend with wonderful friends

and devouring far too many sweet treats! Ah, the lovely thing 

about celebrating a Summertime Christmas and New Year is

the sheer abundance of sweet fruits on tree and table.

The trees are laden with plums again, which I am about to head

outside and pick, in the softer evening sunshine. 'Tis pickling 

and jamming season again and I am looking forward 

to some good old home preserving this week....

 I hope you have all been enjoying a wonderfully 

delightful holiday season!  One filled with delicious 

food, delightful visitors and decadent days... xo

You can listen to many of Lee's beautiful songs here

A Winter Garden

I've been spending quite a bit of time

...in our beautiful Winter Garden lately.

 I love the way some plants look 

when they've gone to seed. 

Weeds can be so beautiful sometimes, that 

I'm reluctant to pull their roots from the earth 

and make way for flowers. 

Our vegie beds are bare. We were exhausted by 

the Summer harvest and neglected to plant Winter crops. 

We've cleared the debris and turned the soil and I've 

been shelling the dried bean pods I harvested in Summer 

and selecting new heirloom varieties of foodplants.

Now all we have to do is wait a little... until the weather 

turns, and the rays of Spring begin to warm the soil.

This painting is by Audrey Kawasaki. 

So bittersweet. Like a winter garden.

Winter Blooms

 I was asked to create a bridal hairpiece for a friend recently.

I took a couple of quick pics in our garden, amid beautiful 

winter blooms, before sending the lovely thing on it's way.

I've posted some beautiful pictures from the wedding on 

A Modern Fable if you fancy a little peek into the day. xo

the butterfly hunter

"Does there not exist a high ridge where 

the mountainside of ‘scientific’ knowledge joins 

the opposite slope of ‘artistic’ imagination?" 

~ Vladimir Nabokov

"My pleasures are the most intense known to man: 

writing and butterfly hunting."

~ Vladimir Nabokov

Images taken from the field journals of Vladimir Nabokov

and found via this post and The New York Public Library.

The Russian Author, best known for his novel ' Lolita ' was 

also a distinguished Entomologist with a particular interest in
Lepidoptera (or moths and butterflies). Parts of his butterfly

collection and other items are kept in the Nabokov Museum.

Hmmm...

Today we are baking Easter biscuits, watching Easter

movies and philosophising about the holiday...

image found via I've had dreams like that

What do bunnies, a holy spirit, chocolate eggs and little girls 

dancing with giant bugs have to do with Easter?  Who knows! 

I did try to research this image... but I got confused. 

I love this beautiful vintage picture postcard though.

It's so surreal, so dream-like.

I hope everyone's enjoying a most lovely Easter break. xo 

cruel world

Beci Orpin

Vienna Horses

the colour of wind

a collection inspired by geometry and elements of nature

“Nature is a temple in
which living columns
sometimes emit confused words.
Man approaches it through
forests of symbols, which observe
him with familiar glances”
Charles Baudelaire.

Elke Kramer's current Autumn/Winter 2011 range

of pendants, bracelets, necklaces, rings and scarves

www.elkekramer.com

photographed by Christopher Morris

a winter walk

                          Ari's always looking for fairies...

                 

My wonderful piano key socks are by 

Kirsten Perry from her Numero Uno range,

you can purchase your own pair here.

The decoupage bangles are of my own label

and will be available from my shop in July.

  

Recently I stumbled across this interview 

on the Craft Victoria blog where Kirsten 

talks about her art,  life and inspirations.

I met Kirsten at the Rose St. Artist's Market,

where I also sold my wares for many a year.

I bought one of her fantastic ig toys for Ari 

and I've also got a handpainted ceramic 

skull necklace which I absolutely treasure.

I really love the humour of Kirsten's work.

You can visit her fantastic blog here 

I hope you've had a wonderful weekend too!

the haunting

I first heard this lovely song...

{ The May Queen }

by Sasha Soukup

when Sasha posted the link to it
(& others) on her beautiful blog 

...it has been haunting me ever since

sign of the twins

It was my birthday yesterday 

and I had a wonderful day.

Here are some of my favourite twin images

It was really lovely to catch up with so 

many of my dear friends this weekend.

I feel blessed to have 

such beautiful people in my life.

Thank-you for all the wonderful gifts

and loving thoughts and words...

 I'd also like to wish a very

✩ Happy Birthday ✩

to all my fellow geminis... 

I know so many.

image sources:

1. unknown 2. Billy und Hells 3.Diabolus 

 4. Sarah Ogren 5.Theremina via flickr

more incredible twin shots on this blog

one sunday morning

 happy threads, early morning faces,

and one too many gin and tonics...

makes me think of  ↓this song↓  which I love

I wonder... would you join me, for a lovely snowy drive 

through the streets of Mendoza Argentina,  sometime?

- the little house -

The little house with the forest roof (17/4 ) reminded me

of  something else...  somewhere else...  something beautiful... 

I couldn't quite remember what that beautiful something was

...until just now

the beetle's house  

        (I believe that's Fujimori in the window)

.... like heaven on earth, no?

Too-High Tea House

The extroadinary work of japanese surrealist architect 

Fujiomori Terunobu

sorry, these were found all over the shop, not sure of links...

cane toads and butterflies

This lovely embroidery was listed on Etsy a while ago.

It reminded me so very much of Henry Darger's work,

and it wasn't very expensive, but I just couldnt afford it.

Sigh.  It ain't easy being a struggling artist.

For more vivian girl inspired embroideries

take a look here at the work of Wendy Huhn

somewhere...

in Van Diemen's Land

in a grassy field

blowing dandelion clocks

and making wishes

(Happy Haiku Monday)

splendor in the afternoon

heading home along the freeway...