The Dollhouse #1

found here

A living Dollhouse created by Heather Benning

Frida

via 

Frida Kahlo for Vogue France, 1938

{ simply beautiful }

Karen Elson

                                      

I have always much admired the style of Karen Elson.  

Her signature red henna locks, her penchant for 

theatrical designers, her eclectic montage of vintage 

and nouveaux fashions, and this vogue cover

She also happens to be a pretty damn fine songstress 

THE GHOST WHO WALKS

karenelson.com

I have had this album on constant play since it 

was gifted to me last year for my birthday... 

check out this live clip for the title track ↓

(I am so in love with that dress...) 

KAREN ELSON > SWOON!

Apologies... not sure of photo links

The Boudoir

 I found these wonderful 1940s lamps on Etsy

Aren't they beautiful?

They were a little expensive to ship from the US

(the fixtures are cast iron and the hearts are thick glass)

and they need to be rewired but the price was reasonable and

THIS lovely seller let me hold them until I could afford 

them, so I simply couldn't resist purchasing them

The Marie Galant Make-up Trunk

(click here)

And yesterday I spotted the perfect dresser to compliment

those darling little heart-shaped regency boudoir lamps....

It was in an OP shop (and it was cheap) so I bought it!

(No, it's not The Marie Galant. Sigh!)

I couldn't quite place the era my new dresser (perhaps 60s)

so I started doing online research,  just for interest's sake,

& that's when I stumbled upon the gem of a design above...

And isn't it just fabulous?

Ah, the wish list just keeps growing and growing!

(in use via Agent Provocateur)

 I love my dresser, but if I had a few K lying around...

The Marie Galant Make-up Trunk 

is available from 

{|| the conran shop ||}

(I'll post some shots of 'The Boudoir' once it's all pretty-ified)

........................................................................................................

Well.... we've been in our little country house just on a year,

and whilst the house and studio are coming together nicely,

the bedroom could use some TLC (and maybe a lick of paint).

Life is slowly getting back on track around here
after our very sad and sudden trip to Tasmania.

thanks for everyone's love and support xo

..........................................................................................................

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

love, love, love

I love the wonderfully Beatle-esque vibe of this:-

This song lifts me up when life has me down and
reminds me that life could be worse than it is...

& that ups and downs are just a part of living. xo

( MA + CHR )

"All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."  
BLADERUNNER

wonderful collage work from design studio ( MA + CHR )

here, beneath the heavens

I have had to take an unexpectedly sudden break ...
Jonathan's mother passed away on Monday.

We found out in May, just before Mother's Day,
that the cancer had spread and that it was terminal.

We immediately booked tickets to visit her in Tasmania,

and spent a wonderful 10 days beneath the Western Tiers.

It was one of many visits made there since the family shifted 

from the mainland just a little less than two years ago.

Three weeks ago we got a call that Beryl 

would be going into hospital and palliative care.

We headed back and it has been a sad visit indeed.

She passed away gently, after a difficult two weeks, 
whilst holding the hand of the man she had loved 
for seventy years and encircled by her children.

She was 86 years old.

Everything must be done by turns; 

no activity, here beneath the heavens, 

but has its allotted time for 

beginning and coming to an end. 

Men are born only to die, 

plant trees only to displant them. 

Now we take life, now we save it; 

now we are destroying, now building. 

Weep first, then laugh, 

mourn we and dance; 

the stones we have scattered 

we must bring together anew; 

court we first and then shun the embrace. 

Today's gain, tomorrow's loss; 

what once we treasured, soon thrown away; 

the garment rent, the garment mended; 

silence kept, and silence ended; 

love alternating with hatred, 

war with peace. 

For all this toil of his, how is man the richer? 

I was raised Roman Catholic and although my 
spiritual beliefs are no longer exactly christian in nature,
the above words have often brought me gentle peace.

They were read at my grandmother's funeral, and 
the last line has always been a point of reflection for me.

Perhaps a  catholic would say that the richness is in 
leading a good life and being rewarded in the hereafter,
but I believe now that it is to be found in the way one lives
their life, not for the promise of eternal life beyond death,
but because of a deep connection with life
HERE, beneath the heavens...

Beryl was married for sixty-one years to Peter.

 She was a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother,
an appreciator of beauty, a wonderful storyteller
and an incredibly talented photographer...

And she always had a twinkle in her eye.  

I knew her only in the last six years of her life
(the same length of time that I have known my son),
and what will hold fast in my memory is her 
great appreciation of very simple pleasures
and her memory for the details of beauty 
in each and every passing moment.

She could remember the name of most any flower.
So few people do.  I will dearly miss her.


Re: The Book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 (Old Testament) Revised Knox Version


ALL PHOTOS IN THIS POST ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT 
AND ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED BY THE BLOG AUTHOR. 

PLEASE DO NOT REPRODUCE/CIRCULATED THESE IMAGES

wool and water

I love these beautiful & dark articulated dolls 

from talented papersmith Amy Earles...

↑ This duo look to me like they are straight out of ↓

{ The Black Rider } 

(click here to read more)

An incredible musical fable by Tom Waits,

William S. Burroughs and Robert Wilson,

which I was fortunate to see performed 

in English at the Sydney Festival in 2004.

You can view a version of it here on youtube

The accompanying album is fantastic

and available here from Amazon

Now, who can resist a little dancing halloween skeleton?

Simply enchanting, are they not?

You can visit the wool and water shops 

                        (click here for website)

via bigcartel and etsy

or visit the 'wool and water' blog here

for more delights and inspiration

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 dollybird

You can view all their links via this treasury

which I put together a few days ago,

and you can view my other treasuries here