This Girl Lel

Liberty SS12 Fabrics

2012-01-30T10:30:00.005+02:00

The Spring Summer 2012 Liberty Art Fabrics collection is now out! Liberty says it's new collection was inspired by "archives, antiques and costume. Colour palettes were based around mood boards created by eminent contributors to fashion, art and antiques, with prints giving a nod to the beautiful Glencot House in Somerset as well as Olympic motifs." I've picked a few of my favourites. Above: Sarah Rachel Tana Lawn.
Above: Minstral Tana Lawn and My Little Posy Tana Lawn.
Above: Clarricoates Tana Lawn and Fitzgerald Tana Lawn.
Finally: Becci C Tana Lawn. All Liberty Art Fabrics £21 / meter.

Toby & Ignasi

2012-01-27T14:00:00.000+02:00

Tonight two amazingly talented friends of mine have an exhibition opening! I can't make it as I'll be half way to Paris to meet my man. But if you're in the 'Dam, get over there are see some fab art.

In their own words...

We are often attracted to things that hurt us. We live in a modern world of both instant pleasures and safety rails. And we're still animals-instinctive, impulsive, blood-sucking animals. With our senses distorted by guilty pleasures, there is one set of rules we make and another that we follow.

By day we're graphic designers, paid to visually communicate. We sit at computer screens, sip coffee, sell products. The work in Allergic to Poison is a reaction against that monotony, both mentally and physically. For this show, we've made physical, tangible, analogue work-gotten our hands dirty, broken things and built things. But we can't escape our habits; we're still drawn to symbols and storytelling. We use bright colors, reference popular culture, strive for clarity.

In this show, we use the concept of slicing to talk about the simultaneous construction and destruction of icons. We build and destroy. We're embracing and rejecting symbols of our lives at the same time. We're interested in fragments, segments and scraps. We split things into smaller pieces to examine them. Impossible frozen moments in time, unreal and constructed.

Allergic To Poison is our reaction to living, our attempt to analyze and simplify our world, our chance to keep the child and the animal alive in ourselves.

Allergic to Poison: Featuring Toby Morris + Ignasi Tudela
Guns & Butter: Lauriergracht 11, Amsterdam.
Opening Friday Jan 27, 6-9pm.

Vic

2012-01-26T07:00:00.004+02:00

Day trip! For New Year's Eve we headed north west and on the way stopped off in the town of Vic.
Vic is a beautifully preserved town and we lucked out by arriving on market day. There was mostly food and clothing stores, but also the odd book stall and we picked up some re-prints of some classic Catalan kids books. I also love this book cover featuring a bull.
Mr Potato!
Mushrooms and snails.
Beans. Every variety under the sun it seems!
Loved this man and his mushroom stall.
Breads and pastries to die for! Front; cheese cakes, and in the back wonderful crispy flaky pastry with custard filling. Delish!
Tradition: an olive tree with notes and well wishes pinned to it for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012.
Gorgeous building facades.
Tiles from a children's toy shop facade.

Sitges part II

2012-01-25T07:00:00.005+02:00

Continuing on from yesterday's post on the coastal town of Sitges, Spain.
Great beaches, little streets to get lost in.
Lots of wall plaques around the streets which were really beautiful.
A little shoe store with a lotta character.
Texture, colour, and pattern to feast the eyes on.
Some more modern takes on the tiles.
Then, a short hour later Mr E and I had to dash back to the car, and head to lunch with the family. Only to become stuck in traffic for an hour...! Eeek. Next trip I'd love to come for a full day and check it out properly.

Sitges part I

2012-01-24T07:00:00.003+02:00

Over the Christmas break in Spain Mr E and I did a little sight-seeing. One fab place we went to was Sitges. A short 30-odd minute drive down the coast from Barcelona, it's a great little coastal resort town.
Fantastic church looking out to sea.
I just had a ball walking around with my gorgeous Mr E, snapping up details of walls, tiles, pillars, doors and more.
Wolf.
The tiles in this place were amazing. So vibrant, and every tile featured a different illustration. Incredible.
As you can see, I really loved this building.
More snaps from Sitges tomorrow.

Goooooooal!

2012-01-23T07:00:00.004+02:00

Football!!!! Mr E and I received an awesome Christmas pressie from his sister and brother-in-law – tickets to go see Catalunya play against Tunisia. I was so so so excited!!
We headed to the XXX football stadium, which is just stunning. All around us fans wore their Catalan Rebel flags in support of both their team and for Cataluyna to become an independent republic from the rest of Spain. I wanted one. And I bought one! Though my darling has forbidden me to wear it outside of the arena for my own safety. Such is the tension on this issue.
In we pile...
Above, traditional Catalan dancers coming off after performing for the crowd.
Everywhere you looked - the Catalan flag! Mostly the rebel flag (with the blue triangle and star added over the original yellow and red flag).

A see of flags. I did feel a bit sorry for the Tunisian's, though there were the odd supports sprinkled about.
And we're on!
The game was good, a few close goals, but finally the game finished 0:0.
Good fun, and a great night out!
A few photos as we headed back home, looking out at Barcelona spread out before us. Highly recommend. And thank you, la familia, for a fantastic time!

Ceramics at the DHUB

2012-01-20T07:00:00.003+02:00

As promised, here's a more detailed post on the ceramics section of the DHUB. The collection is vast and there's no way I could even attempt to cover it all. So I've picked out a few of my favourite pieces to share. Above and below are two pieces by Picasso that I really liked.
Bust from 1817, produced by Alcora.
Coat of arms tile, approx 1800, with detail below.
Another tile with beautiful naïeve illustration.
Wonderfully stylised hare above, and bull with bird, below.
Detail of story-telling tiles from a huge wall plaque.
Fantastic domestic scene.
A butcher's display.
And another detail from a large wall plaque. If ceramics are your thing, then this is definitely worth a visit.

DHUB Museu: Palau de Pedralbes, Av. Diagonal 686, 08 034 Barcelona, Spain. Tel. 93 256 34 65

Disseny Hub Barcelona

2012-01-18T07:00:00.014+02:00

The Disseny Hub Barcelona, or DHUB, is a must-see for anyone that loves fashion or ceramics.
The building itself is amazing, with the interior hand painted from floor to incredible ceiling with the most extravagant detail.
Above, wall painting detail.
There's a section of furniture and other craft pieces, details of some above and below.
I think this piece is actually German, but I think the illustration is beautiful.
Vibrant hand painted detail from furniture.

Lastly, some floral sculptures made entirely out of sea shells. These were just incredible and in immaculate condition. The museum houses decorative arts and crafts, ceramics (see tomorrow's post), and currently a fashion exhibition. Basically, it's the V&A of Barcelona!

DHUB Museu: Palau de Pedralbes, Av. Diagonal 686, 08 034 Barcelona, Spain. Tel. 93 256 34 65

Quimet Quimet

2012-01-18T07:00:00.005+02:00

Barcelona. Hopping off the metro at stop 'Paral-lel'. So I knew this was going to be a good night!
Mr E took me to a very tiny little bar that serves the best tapas I've had in Barcelona to date.
Quimet Quimet is small, family business, understated, friendly, though they take their food seriously.
The one room standing-room-only bar only fits about 20-odd people, so get there bang on opening time, as we did to nab a table. We ordered a sublime glass of red then ordered a few dishes off their low key and quite understated menus. Everything we ordered sounded pretty basic, and as it turned up was exquisite to look at, and even more delightful to consume.
Every dish we had was prepared on the spot behind the bar and Mr E and I savored each dish as it was brought out to us.
Below, foie gras with volcanic salt, which was incredible. The New York Times agrees with me, you can read their review here.
Quimet Quimet: C/ Poeta Cabanyes, 25, 08004 Barcelona, Spain. Tel: +34 934 423 142

Papitu & La Boqueria Market

2012-01-17T17:00:00.002+02:00

One thing I love to do in Barcelona is wander through La Boqueria Market off Las Ramblas.
After the market we had a little pit stop at Papitu on the edge of the market. Lovely mushrooms, chillies, bread with tomato and beer. Perfecto mundo.

Barcelona

2012-01-16T07:00:00.019+02:00

A few photos from wandering through Barcelona over the Christmas break.
Amazing displays.
Scissors galore!
Yum yum. But we resisted!
Lunch with Cat and Jab.

Tió de Nadal

2012-01-09T07:00:00.002+02:00

Back from my first Catalan Christmas! A wonderful time was had by all. Of course we ate and drank way too much, but it's Christmas and par for the course in any culture. Of all the Catalan Christmas traditions, the one I was hanging out for was 'Tió de Nadal', 'The Christmas log', or also known simply 'caga tió', 'shit log'. Tió is pictured above and below in a nativity display. The idea of tió is quite simple; he's brought out a few weeks prior to Christmas day, wrapped up all snuggly in a blanket, food and drink is left for him to feast on, and then on Christmas day children will gather around tió, sing a song encouraging him to shit (yes, really 'shit') all sort of yummy delights (nougat, and the like), and if he refuses, he will be beaten with a stick! The kids actually still give him a few good whacks, just for good measure. I guess they want tió to take them seriously and come through with the quality candy, so best to make sure their threats aren't hollow. After the initial beating, the kids leave tió alone, usually heading to their rooms, then when they return and lift tió's blanket, they see that - low and behold - he has indeed pooped out the goods! I. Kid. You. Not. This happens. In houses all over Catalunya. I saw it with my very own eyes!
Behold: The Coello Pou tió. Looking quite happy under his Hello Kitty blanket. If only he knew what fate lies ahead...
Preparation for premium poop; feed your tió well! I have to say though, our little niece was verging on the 'too old' side for the magic of tió, luckily we have another niece coming up the ranks and in a year or two she will hopefully be whacking that log with all the strength she can muster and then squealing with delight when she sees such magic preformed before her. I, for one, cannot wait. Makes the old tree look positively dull, doesn't it?!
By the Christmas market, lots of mini tió's, sporting traditional Catalan hats. Kind of wish I'd gotten one now. Next year...

Billie Achilleos' LV Animals

2012-01-03T11:30:00.000+02:00

Happy New Year! Starting the year off in style...Lel x

Matthew Northridge

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000+02:00

Art by Matthew Northridge. I love bunting, so of course I adore this piece.

Some days are just like this

2011-12-12T12:16:00.006+02:00

I'm cheating. It's past midnight and I'm posting for Monday. But technically I'm still up and my Monday's still going. Busy day, had a client presentation to prepare for today and over the weekend another. But that's Ok, that's how it goes sometimes. And both E and I had friends from outta town visiting over the last week. Which was good, but never enough time with those dear gorgeous people. On top of that, we had our Christmas party last Thursday and I got obliterated. Took me two days to recover from the tequila shots. But we need a good blow out every now and then, right? It's the Christmas party season, after all. So that's why today's post is a ramble and a bit rubbish.

mad hatters

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000+02:00

It's that time of year again when I clean out the computer and file away all images and linky. In doing so, I came across this wonderful series of paper hats by Stuart McLachlan.

confetti system

2011-12-08T07:00:00.003+02:00

I have a new love, and it is Confettisystem. "Confettisystem is Nicholas Andersen and Julie Ho, a duo working as artists, stylists, and designers. A friendship born from their shared love of communal celebration and craft-making has brought them together to create a new system."
I think their work is just amazing. Simple, elegant, somewhat nostalgic, fragile, beautiful splashes of colour for your walls, to hang from your ceilings, or cover your walls. I kinda want to go and stock up on some paper now and attach one of the walls in my house...thinking stairway...
Love love love the colours in this shaggy curtain. I love the contrast of sharp fluro colour with the soft texture of the layering. Magical.
You'll notice these popping up in a lot of shop window displays. Which I don't mind.
Sparkly loveliness.
Again, fantastic use of colour. So bright and cheery.

Bret & Kermit

2011-12-07T07:00:00.004+02:00

How did this not make it to Facebook already? Or maybe it did, and I missed it. Anyway, Happy Wednesday!

Offbeat Bride

2011-12-06T07:00:00.012+02:00

I'm getting married next year and in the hope of making my day a perfect day I've been trawling the interwebs for any and all things wedding related for inspiration. The obvious go-to site is Martha Stewart Wedding. Which is all very perfectly nice...and all very perfectly nice. Knowing I'd want a more down-to-earth and crafty do, a dear friend sent me a link to Offbeat Bride. Which is brilliant.
OBB feature real weddings. Real people. I've selected a few at random.
There's amazing hair-dos.
Fun photography.
And awesome themes. Above: Stacy & Daniel's Episcopal Dr. Seuss wedding. Dr Seuss!!
Above: Lesley & Nick's laid back, vegetarian, Buddhist wedding. Isn't she just adorable?
There's everything from Gothic weddings, to Chinese martial arts weddings, Viking weddings (a surprisingly high number), and it goes on and on. Good fun.
Massive amounts of variety, and lots of interesting inspiration. I warn you, it's quite addictive. And YES, Haloween weddings also very popular. Who'd have thought?!

Honkers

2011-12-05T07:00:00.006+02:00

Hong Kong! Yay! Flying Cathay Pacific was the best decision of the trip as it gave us a 2 days stop over in Hong Kong on the way home. Just enough time to run around and take in the crazy sights. I'd visited my sister there one year with my brother, but I was more than happy to take Mr E to experience the madness himself. The first day we got up early, went for a walk to the Museum of Teaware in Hong Kong Park. It was quite lovely. Amazing ceramics. I took a few pics of my favourites. Above: Ho Tai Kwan: Teapot in Pumpkin shape with handle. Potter, pinching and molding, 1998.
Shing Kue Sheung: Daffodil Tea Set. Stoneware, pinching, 1989.
Lo Lai Fong: Teapot in the Form of a Lotus Leaf with Frog. Pottery, pinching. 2004.
And this shell teapot I somehow missed off recording the details. But it's so nice I wanted to include it anyway.
Hong Kong Gardens by the Museum of Tea Ware. Full of whopping great goldfish, turtles, and dragonflies.
And the flip side of Hong Kong, concrete jungle.
Great little streets bursting with colour and action.
Fantastic weathered signs I wish I could steal.
That evening we took the ferry from Hong Kong Island over to Kowloon and went for a stroll in the Night Market.
Lots of people shopping up a storm.
We then headed up to the Ladie's Market, also buzzing, and with stalls of knock-off designer items. I managed to resist.
No trip to Hong Kong is complete without heading up to The Peak. And the only way to get to The Peak in style is to take the funicular allll the way to the top. Only a 30 min queue, and well worth the wait. You'll get breathtaking views of the city as you steadily climb up the mountain slope and who doesn't love a funicular?!
Our last day of a little extended-stop-over trip. Decided to head back over to Kowloon and check out the Ladies Market by day. Vibrant and fun, loved it. We also walked a little way up the road to the the Bird Market, which is just behind the Flower Market.
Then sadly, it was time to head back to the hotel, check into our flight and head back to reality.
Until next time, HK!

Melbourne

2011-12-02T07:00:00.007+02:00

Melbourne. Usually I try and spend a good week in Melbourne to do some sale shopping and catch up with friends. This trip we only had a few short days, of which were packed withe seeing my brothers and shopping with mum. Sorry to those I didn't see this time around! These pics are all from the hotel we stayed at. Love the view.
One day was completely devoted to wedding-related shopping with mum. Which was awesome. I tricked her into going to see The Dress, which got the seal of approval. Phew! Then next we dashed about town looking for shoes, mother-of-the-bride dresses, and fabric for wedding decorations. After a long day pounding the pavement, mum found a nice day dress, but it my sister (not even present!) that got the score of the day - as we found her her bridesmaid dress. Hope you like it when you try it on, CC!
Oh, yeah, and they're tearing down the back of the Myer building. I have to say that usually David Jones is a better department store than Myer, but, oh, how the tables have turned! Myer has had a face lift, is completely re-furbished inside and offered much better selections of product. And, I guess there's a brand new building to come in a year or so. Go Myer. DJ, pull your socks up.
Bye, bye, Melbourne! It was short, but sweet as ever! Next stop... Hong Kong!

Russell Falls

2011-12-01T07:00:00.010+02:00

Nestled in Mt Field National Park are Russell Falls. On the way back from The Wedding to Hobart we called in for one last dose of nature before leaving Tassie.
An easy 20 minute round trip walk from the car park, it's a nice little trek that anyone can do. Lots of moss. Lots of logs and felled man ferns covered in moss, slowly being reclaimed by the ground beneath them. A very pretty states of decay.
Beautiful rivulets and riverbanks and a burst of spring growth all about.
Then the falls themselves. Not a massive cascade, but lovely, nonetheless.
Really nice just to be surrounded by a lot of green.
Green everywhere you looked. More scrummy moss. I was really drawn to the moss this trip. What's with that? I wonder.And new sprigs of mytle.
At the end of the loop you come to Horseshoe Falls. The mini-me of Russell, equally as picturesque.
And I leave you with anther gorgeous mash up of oh-I-don't-know-how-many types of moss here, forming such a cozy looking carpet along the hillside. And that's my wilderness fix for the next year!

Tara Leah or The Wedding

2011-11-30T07:00:00.014+02:00

Finally the day arrived to pack up the car and head up to the centre of Tasmania to The Wedding at Tara Leah Lodge. The location, as you can see by the photo above, was just picture-perfect. The lodge, magnificent. In their own words "The Lodge was originally built in the 1930’s, in an Art Deco style, to house the cream of Tasmania’s pioneering hydro electricity officers and gentlemen. The guest book featured the powerful and famous and if you have the time to listen, has hosted more than its share of the risqué! Comprehensively refurbished in 2006, The Lodge retains the original 1930’s craftsmanship and now incorporates contemporary Tasmanian design and the latest in modern communication." And, yes, it is indeed as wonderful as that all sounds.
The wedding group gathered in the Lodge Lounge, immaculately restored with it's gorgeous pressed tin ceiling – swoon! – and it's book shelves lined with vintage children's books, roaring fireplace and expansive couches...it was made for me!
Mr E fell in love with this room also, but for very different reasons. His, because it also houses super premium cognacs, not to mention a selection of over 200 malt whiskies! I think, each in our own ways, we'd died and gone to heaven. There was a whiskey tasting that evening and I learned a lot from Julian, our host. So if you go and stay for a night, I highly recommend the tasting, even if you're not a connisseur like moi.
The next day (The Day) we took a little walk after breakfast at the surrounding houses (also accommodation). How beautiful are these 1950's bungalow's? I especially love the classic '50's iridescent green paint work on the place below.
I've gotten distracted. We went for a morning stroll, by some marshlands...
Came close to some very big and very hairy beasts...
Then made our way back to the lodge, and looking at the masterful achievement that are the the great water pipes carving through the landscape of the Hydro Electric Commission.
Late morning we took a little journey and bush walk to a very scenic part of the canals by which we had a picnic luncheon and a glass of bubbly.
I snapped away at the local flora, lovely mix of textures and colours.
I was especially enamored with this mass of different mosses. Really stunning.
And this moss on a dead tree, all delicate and pale. Lunch eaten, we headed back to the Lodge, and after a little nap, dressed and went to the wedding ceremony and then onto dinner. The wedding was very classy, gorgeous, wonderfully intimate, and I struggled to hold back the tears. The Bride looked stunning in her Oscar de la Renta dress. The Groom made a touching speech, vows were exchanged, and they were announced as 'Mr & Mrs' and the champagne flowed! And I thank my dear friends to the privilege of having us there.

Museum of Old and New Art

2011-11-29T07:00:00.025+02:00

MONA. The Museum of Old and New Art. Wow. I have to say, even on hearing about this though my mum (already been six times since opening), and friends there, and through friends in Amsterdam emailing me scanned articles featuring MONA in prominent art journals (thank you, Annette), I imaged this would be pretty cool, but nothing really prepared me for actual experience. The museum is incredible. Mostly so, I believe, as it is the gift of one man, Mr David Walsh, (pictured above*) to the public. That's right, Tasmania's have free entrance to this beautiful and inspiring place. If you live in Tasmania and don't go once a month, I think there must be something wrong with you. It's truly world-class in every way. From the art, to the architecture housing these wonderfully eclectic pieces, to the beautiful setting of MONA on the banks of the river Derwent, it's a pleasure, every minute, just being there.
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I went with Mum, Dad, and my fiancée, Mr E. The ferry trip up was lovely. I hadn't gone up the Derwent river since a school trip to New Norfolk in high school and it bought back lots of memories. Note, best to book ahead if you want to take the ferry, especially in peak tourist times. We caught the earliest ferry in order to make the most of our day at the museum.The fist piece of art I saw was this: Cement truck 2007 by Wim Delvoye. Born 1965, Wervik, Belgium; Delvoye lives and works in Ghent, Belgium. And I loved it immediately. Absolutely beautiful.
I took a lot of photos, none of which really do it any justice.
MONA have an exhibition of Wim Delvoye opening on December 10. Super bummed I'll miss it.Then after a quick coffee and macaroon (which was sublime) we four headed into the museum where it promptly blew my socks off. The first thing that grabs you is the scale of the space, which is vast, yet cozy at the same time. The sandstone walls have been carved into like butter creating a vast chasm, and the majority of spaces are very dark, with spotlight on the art only, which makes it very intimate.
There are spaces specifically designed for different permanent installations, like bit.fall 2006–7 by Julius Popp.Then, sprinkled amongst the modern art, or almost hidden in little peep-holes in the gallery space walls is the old art. I loved this Head of a mummified cat Egypt, Late Period to Ptolemaic, c. 664–30 BCE, Unknown maker. The following is just a tiny cross-section of whats on offer, which is nothing less than a gourmet art-feast for the eyes. And on it, we gorged ourselves. There's another twist to this museum, too. There are no placards next to the art giving you the standard obligatory info. Instead you're handed an ipod at the door, which has The O system on it. It's free, simple and intuitive to use. It tells you all the usual info you'd expect in the Summary, plus there's Ideas, Gonzo (a word from David), Art Wank (yes, it's actually called that, which I love; critic's review on the piece), and Media (audio which has info, and interviews with the artists). It's the future of museum experiences. Not more crowds of people all jostling to read a tiny placard. Everyone is easy and relaxed as they experience each piece when they like, and from any place near the art piece.
The application continually updates based on your location within the museum, bringing all those items in your immediate vicinity to top of the viewing list. The feature I thought was a clever touch was the voting options, viewers can either 'love' or 'hate' a piece of artwork. You get a nice statistic (and wow, how I love a good stat!), on the piece you've voted on. Good fun. And the best part is that it doesn't end when you leave the museum. If you save your tour at the end, (and I highly recommend you do), by simply plugging in your email address, you're sent a personal link that enables you to go back online and not only see your tracked tour (mine above), but also which artworks you saw, and even those you didn't, plus all the information mentioned above is there for you to enjoy again, or share through your social network. MONA says it's "the first system in the world designed to replace traditional artwork wall labels." And they did a pretty bang on job with it. High-fives all around.
Another piece I was drawn to for it's fine ceramic work: Formations of Silence: Freudian Flowers 2009 by Juz Kitson.And always a fan of Howard Arkley. Above: Large House with Fence 1998.One last point on the art, there's a room with a mummy that only takes two people at a time. Go. Line up. It's worth it.
Loving the Kiss Falcon. Just kidding, but this falcon does rock.
Take the guided tour. Part of the museum was closed off while they were installing a new exhibition, but the tour takes you to the library and other nice rooms and more art! Like Sternenfall / Shevirath ha Kelim 2007 by Anselm Kiefer, above and below.
My final note is just one big 'thank you' to Mr Walsh for this wonderful, wonderful gift. I've read that Mr Walsh built this museum as he'd built a more modest one previously and no one had come. Well, I'd been, and I remember that museum vividly with it's Roman mosaic in the floor, extensive coin collection and tribal pieces. Apparently there's a huge warehouse where the man has stashed away his life's collections, and that these pieces will be featured at MONA on a rotating basis. So there'll always be something new to see. Lucky old Tassie! I'm so envious you guys all have this on your doorstep, hope you're all making the most of it.

MONA: 655 Main Road Berridale, Hobart, Tasmania 7011.
Open: Wednesday – Monday 10am - 6pm.
Follow MONA on Facebook here.
How to get there: visit MONA's transport link here for ferry info and to buy tickets.

*Sorry to not credit the photographer, but we bought the book then left it in Tassie by accident, so I can't tell you who took this shot. If anyone knows, please contact me.

home, cruisin'

2011-11-28T07:00:00.007+02:00

Two weeks ago I headed home with Mr E to Tasmania. For me, third year in a row, this is quite unheard of, so I was pretty excited. This trip we took easy, unlike last year where we ran around seeing half of Tassie in a handful of days. Also, the reason for our return was to go to a dear friend's wedding, so that was the main focus of the trip.
One big change from last year was the opening of the Museum of Old and New Art, or MONA.
But more on MONA in tomorrow's post. Today's photos are from the ferry that takes you from the wharf in Hobart to MONA. It's a fantastic cruise and wonderful to see the city from that perspective.
Under the Tasman Bridge...
And after a wonderful 30 minute cruise, we arrive at MONA. Nestled in the back on the Moorila Estate, it's quite, quite incredible.

Marimekko

2011-11-25T15:00:00.001+02:00

If you're a fabric hoarder like me, her are some nice ideas to put your material to use. Inspiration for the above and below Marmekko projects in book form here, and via their own YouTube channel here. So many nice things!

And here's a video on their collaboration with Converse for those who missed it.

Guns & Butter

2011-11-23T07:00:00.008+02:00

I'm super late in posting this I'm sorry, so this is old news, but just in case you hadn't heard... new fab gallery in Amsterdam - yay! Guns & Butter says it's "...a new artist platform in Amsterdam. Acting as an open studio in between changing exhibitions that feature local and international artists."
The space opened with beautiful work by Sawan Yawnghwe (pictured above right, with some groupie) with his exhibition titled Other Stories, on view from October 28 - December 14. So, only a few weeks left, so get your skates on.Guns & Butter: Lauriergracht 11, 1016RD Amsterdam. Open: Wednesday - Saturday 12pm - 6pm. Also open by appointment. Contact Jenifer: jenniferecarvalho@gmail.com
Follow Guns & Butter on their Facebook page here.

Bu!

2011-11-22T11:00:00.002+02:00

Elisabeth Dunker has made something simply adorable. Bu is an Indian dress-up blanket. Genius. Totally want one. €29 availble here.

Home and back

2011-11-21T07:00:00.002+02:00

Hello. It's been a while. Mr E and I left lovely Amsterdam two weeks ago to head down under for a dear friend's wedding. Which, yes, was just beautiful, thank you for asking.
Above, is the view from my childhood bedroom window. I miss home a lot. And I miss this view. A lot. Looking out to the Derwent river, the edge of the water in my suburb of Taroona, is Hindsby beach below. It looks dark only because it's about 3am when I took this. Loving jetlag... by day we actually fact we had beautifully warm sunny days. Glorious. After the wedding we headed to Melbourne, where I took no Instagram pics and as of yet have not downloaded any photos off my camera, so those will have to come later. Lucky for us, we had a stop over in Hong Kong on the way home - sweet! - and Mr E and I made the most of our two days in the HK madness and took in as much as we could, as we tend to do.
Hong Kong is pure crazy, and I love her for it.
And now, back home in Amsterdam. Yesterday was incredibly foggy and cozy and sleepy. Stayed in, caught up on emails, put load after load of laundry on, and tried to stay awake to beat off jet lag so I can make it on time to work tomorrow. Here's hoping I don't wake at 4am...

I amsterdam

2011-10-28T07:00:00.002+02:00

Look! A little bit of fame as This Girl Lel is featured on the I Amsterdam Facebook fan page. Yes!
Though I've been a bit behind on the blogging of late, too much work, life, everything. Off to Barcelona this weekend to look at wedding venues for the pending Big Day. Quite nervous, actually. Feels very grown up. Wish me luck on finding the dream location!

Ulyana Sergeenko

2011-10-27T07:00:00.006+02:00

Now for something Russian. Here's a glimpse from the lookbook of Ulyana Sergeenko. The debut collection was inspired by 1950's Soviet Vogue.
Deliciously feminine silhouette I love every piece. Divine, ladylike, polished, elegant...just perfect.

Property Of...

2011-10-26T07:00:00.001+02:00

Property Of... was a little Saturday delight. Waiting for a friend of mine to arrive in the 'Dam I took a little stroll about the 'hood. Wandering in to this store on a sunny Saturday morning I was firstly offered a coffee while I perused the store. How lovely. So perched at the bar we chatted and discovered we had a friend in common. Oh, Amsterdam.
The store felt like it had come straight out of the West Village. Beautifully displayed.
Nice products for the boys, good food for thought for Christmas shopping...
Property Of... Amsterdam Store: Herenstraat 2, 1015CA Amsterdam.

Fiest in Carre

2011-10-25T07:00:00.006+02:00

Fiest has a new album out - hoorah! I was lucky enough to nab some tix to her concert in Carre two weekends ago and she was fabulous, as always. Mr E and I had a little date night fun starting with dinner at Lion Noir, then our gig at Carre, which I should add is showing more and more fab modern and youthful acts these day, then finished up with a night cap at the Mint Hotel's Skylounge. I have to say, Mint was really a let down. Potentially a great space with a fab view, but it was half empty, massively over-priced, and just full of tourists. Maybe good to take friends for a view if you're in the hood, but otherwise it's a big #fail from moi. Really lacked any sort of atmosphere. Lion Noir, however, was sublime. Fabulous cocktails, and stunning food.
You can listen to more of Fiest on her website here.

Kat Macleod

2011-10-24T09:00:00.001+02:00

Kat Macleod returns to Lamington Drive for her third solo exhibition, Drawings from Michi in print, which opened last Thursday October 20. Entitled ‘Page Girls’, the show presents a series of Macleod’s original Michi Girl illustrations, previously published in Michi’s two books, bestseller Like I Give a Frock (2008, Penguin), and encyclopaedia of fashion What On Earth Are You Wearing? (2010, Penguin).

Lamington Drive address and visiting times here.

The Paper Fox

2011-10-18T23:00:00.006+02:00

Paper Fox Pozible Presentation from Jeremy Kool on Vimeo.

The Paper Fox by Jeremy Kool. Show your support for some nice Aussie talent and click here to pledge. Deadline to pledge, Nov 30. Get a wriggle on, people!

Perrier-Jouet

2011-10-17T12:00:00.000+02:00

Perrier-Jouet has a new campaign and a refreshed website to go along with it. And I know paper craft is a bit done to death these days, but I still love it. How can you not like these paper gardens, they're stunning!
Created by Jo Lynn Alcorn they are just gorgeous.
There are also some nice behind-the-scences images on the site also.

slackness

2011-09-29T11:30:00.001+02:00

Today I don't have a post prepared. Why? Because my man and I decided the best use of our Wednesday night was to eat steak, drink red wine, and listen to records. Sometimes the best plan is drunkeness at home. Awesome night in.

Rocky Horror

2011-09-28T07:00:00.005+02:00

Loving the store front of A Boeken with it's Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute. Nice one guys!
A Boeken is a great fabric and haberdashery store, and their window displays are always rad.
A. Boeken, stoffen en fourniturenwinkel: Nieuwe Hoogstraat 31-35, 1011HD Amsterdam.

Art of Vintage

2011-09-27T07:00:00.004+02:00

The weekend just gone was a beautiful sunny and most distinctly autumn day. Mr E and I ran some errands, walking through the city and just happy to be outside and warm and dry. Along our travels we came across Art of Vintage.
Tucked away on the Kerkstraat is a lovely new vintage store.
Great ceramics, wall art, and clocks.
Art of Vintage: Kerkstraat 167, 1017GH Amsterdam.

Wim Crouwel - a graphic odyssey

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000+02:00

what to do when the weather is foul? Go to one of Amsterdam's amazing museums. I went to the the van Gogh museum a few weeks back, awesome, and a fortnight ago to The Handbag Museum. Also amazing.
Next I'd like to share the Temporary Stedelijk 2. This museum is a really nice size, not too overwhelming. The Stedelijk says it's cuttent exhibitions "highlights the museum’s renowned collection of modern and contemporary art and design. Selections from the collections are presented in innovative ways within the current conditions of the building. The exhibitions showcase the breadth of the museum’s collections, which include over 90,000 works of painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, works on paper, artist’s books and applied, industrial and graphic design." Not too shabby, eh?I went to see, in particular, the retrospective on the Wim Crouwel's life's work. Great exhibition, you can read more about it on the Stedelijk's site here.
Jam-packed with brilliant logos, font, poster, book-cover design, and much much more. If you're a graphic designer, get your butt over there.Some pics from the other rad exhibitions.
Temporary Stedelijk 2: Paulus Potterstraat 13, 1071 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Tuesday - Sunday: 10am - 5pm, Thursday: 10am - 10pm, closed on Mondays.

Costs: Adults: €10, City pass Amsterdam, Dutch Museum card, and kids up to 12 years, all free.

vintage tea sets

2011-09-23T02:00:00.000+02:00

Today I've drunk far too many cups of coffee today, so now I'm switching to tea, which provided today's inspiration. Vintage play tea sets. Above, leaf motif from Christolphe.

Two sets of three cup and saucers from Olde Tyme Notions above and here and here!
Ohio Art Co Swan set from Revolving Store.
Vintage Ohio art bird set above, and owl set below from Bliss and Vinegar.

Claes Iversen

2011-09-22T10:30:00.001+02:00

I bike to work most days and my route to work takes me down the Herengracht and past the window of fashion house Claes Iversen. This is by far the highlight of my morning ride. I slow right down, take a good look and the pretty mannequin and then continue on my way.
The window display changes pretty frequently, too, I noticed this dress is already switched out now, so I'm happy I snapped this the other day. You can see more of Claes' work from his SS11 show here.
Ok... off to imagine an even I might need a dress like this for...

100 years in 100 seconds

2011-09-21T11:30:00.003+02:00

100 years of East London style in 100 seconds. Sept 13th 1911 - Sept 13th 2011.

Hello Liberty

2011-09-20T16:21:00.005+02:00

Liberty's have produced a range of fabrics featuring the one and only Hello Kitty. They have five gorgeous fabric prints in eight colour ways. Hello Kitty Liberty Art Fabrics are available exclusive at Liberty. The fabrics will be available from 26th September 2011, but you can pre-order them so you don't miss out!

Felt so good

2011-09-19T07:00:00.001+02:00

With my little sewing room pretty much done, I'm now just finishing up some admin and other dull chores before I can get cracking on some projects! I have a tonne of felt to use up, and thought I'm have a peek on etsy for some inspiration, and I found loads! I especially love the felt food, but it looks pretty tricky. I'm for sure going to make some fab finger puppets, they'll be nice winter projects. So here are some of the best things I found. Above, broaches by Hanako.
Felt cat mask by Frieda's Tierchen.Broaches by Yali Paz.
Pizza! Loving the felt pizza by FairyFox.
Amazing blueberry tart pattern by FairyFox.
British birds by Lupin.
Very edible-looking ice-cream from Creation by M.Really awesome finger puppets.
I especially love this one. Wonder why...
Lovely wool felt hat by The Millinery Shop.
Felt acorns. Lovely colours here.

treasure from Lille

2011-09-16T07:00:00.009+02:00

Finally home from La Braderie, and here are some of the things we bought. Above, A tiger toy.
My wonderful pigeon plate. Details below.

Crab plate in mint condition, I just loved the vibrant colours.
Girl on a shell and girl on a lobster! So so weird, so so love it!
Vintage child's suitcase. I fell for the gorgeous illustrations.
Stalk ornament.
Wonderful cardboard Solex ad. Loved the cheeky girls featured in it.
And to finish some great alcohol signs, which we've added above our wine rack at home. I love the type in these pieces and the black silhouette of the glasses.

La Braderie on Sunday

2011-09-15T07:00:00.005+02:00

Sunday, and our last day in Lille. The evening before the weather had turned and we'd seen quite an impressive storm from our hotel window, with wild thunder and lightening. Thankfully on Sunday we only had a little light drizzle in the morning before it cleared up. And I think it drastically reduced the number of people on the street which made it a lot nicer to walk about.
Bunting! Find number 1, vintage regional bunting. I picked up 7 little flags in mint condition for 50 cents a piece. Lovely.
Great old sign.
Charming streets of the old town. We wandered through the old town a little before having to make our way back to the hotel then off to the train station. There Mr E and I parted ways, as he went onto Moscow and I went back to Amsterdam. Wonderful wonderful trip! Love all our treasure, which I'll show you some of tomorrow.

La Braderie on Saturday

2011-09-14T07:00:00.001+02:00

Day two of La Braderie! Today we had just perfect weather as well. It was a balmy 30 degrees all day and still 27 at 8pm. Wonderful.
Here are a few snaps of the wonderful things we saw today. Above, beautiful signage, but out of our price range and 'able to carry home' range.
Saw a lot of rubber stamps. Resisted...I have enough :)
Awesome old Easter egg molds. Kinda wish I'd at least asked how much these were now. But we saw them towards the end of the day and I think if they were reasonable they would have been gone by then.
Head?
This was a toy; three pigeons standing up, with a gun to shoot them down. Lovely printed graphics, but i already had my pigeon plate.
Incredible toy fire truck. Needed a lot of love, but if you had the skill and time to bring it back to it's former glory it would be fantastic. Sadly I lacked both, not to say anything of getting it home. But I just love seeing these items.
A word of warning, La Braderie is not for the faint of heart. It's intense. I think it took us 30 minutes to get down this street, on our second attempt. The first I couldn't handle it.
Lovely ladies.
Awesome Pfaff sign. It was really beat up though, otherwise I would have figured out how to draw it home to my sewing room.
Crazy crap.
Gorgeous travel trunks.
And an absolutely stunning French courrier bag, already sold by the time I spied it.
And then, exhausted, feet numb, backs aching, tired, hungry and in need of a demi-peche, we made our way home to the hotel to relax, and recover in time for tomorrow!

La Braderie on Friday

2011-09-13T10:30:00.000+02:00

La Braderie!! So as I explained in yesterday's post, having arrived early for La Braderie weekend Friday, we quickly discovered the market was already underway along the canal edge. So we high tailed it to check it out.
So in 30 degree heat Mr E and I started making our way though the leafy avenue and checked out the goods.
Loved this dress...but no more vintage evening dresses that I'll never wear for moi!
I bought a plate with a pigeon on it. Much to the disgust of Mr E. Why? Because I was sucked in by the story associated with it. It was part of a big lot of pigeon-related stuff: service ware, trophies, certificates, medals, the lot. They were part of one man's collection for his prize-winning pigeons. Above, is the King's award, the highest possible award a pigeon can hope to claim in his lifetime.
My grandfather use to keep pigeons and I remember going out to his house when we were young and seeing if there were any eggs in the nest. Every now and then there'd be an empty egg and I'd be allowed to take it home my new prize possession. Sentimentality won over logic on my first purchase.
Lovely canal view looking back at the craziness.
Amazing to see some the collections some people build up. These bottles look amazing together.
A fab chair.
So beautiful. It was a perfect Friday afternoon.
Records. There seemed to be a lot of record stands this year. And with our new player Mr E managed to hunt down a few gems. I'm loving King Crimson right now.
Comic books galore in the city center.
And wow, day one done!

Lovely Lille

2011-09-12T07:00:00.003+02:00

Two weekends ago it was La Braderie in Lille. My absolute favourite flea market fix. Mr E and I headed down to France early Friday morning. We began just meandering through the streets of the old town where we came across a window installation of taxidermy birds that were quite amazing. They're owned by the shop's owner, who was just lovely. He told us that the birds all die of natural causes, and in order to get the more rare breeds he's had to wait up to seven years. But he likes that they're preserved, and so do I. He mentioned that in actual fact, he has a whole menagerie in his converted warehouse apartment and that with encouragement from friends he's going make it a little museum open to the public. So we've something amazing to look forward to in Lille next year already.
We told him we were in town for La Braderie, of course and he told us it'd already begun along the rivers edge. So from then on we made our way to check out our bonus afternoon for treasure hunting. More on that tomorrow.
Les Manufactures Catry: 96 Rue Esquermoise, 59800Vieux-Lille.
Dead opposite our man with the birds was a man with balls. Lots of them. In every colour imaginable. Idea being you go in, select a number and colour scheme you like and string them up with fairy lights in them. Beautiful and very reasonably priced. You you order online from the link below.
La case de cousin paul.
Before hitting the market, we needed to fuel up. Trying desperately to avoid the tourist traps, and not yet ready for mussels and fries, we were drawn down a little alley way to this delightful oasis. Packed with locals it seemed like a good choice.
And we were right. The food was sublime, the service staff happy and helpful, and all in an enchanting setting. We were thoroughly impressed. So much so that we again dodged the places that were heaving with tourists (and only serving mussels and fries, which I love, to a point...) and had dinner here again Saturday night. The menu was reduced to cope with the Braderie numbers, but it was still great. But if you can, go on a regular day for the full choice.
Les Compagnons de la Grappe: 26 Rue Lepelletier, 5900 Lille. Tel: 03 20 21 02 79.

Original Style FW11

2011-09-07T19:00:00.003+02:00

Today I have the launch of my new campaign to share with you - the adidas Original's Women's Lookbook for FW11. Thank you to my wonderful colleagues who did an incredible job, as always, getting this out!

I have to say, I was blown away by the styling of Beijing. Lots of different looks, all stunning.

Now get voting for your favourite look!

Lel x

Salk and Flurry

2011-09-06T14:00:00.001+02:00

On this moldy rainy day I have to share some incredible paper wigs by Nikki Salk and Amy Flurry. The wigs were custom made for The Bay’s holiday window and Kate Spade stores. With so much rain we've all got plenty of time inside to attempt our own paper creations!

Go van Gogh

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000+02:00

When you've lived in Holland for as long as I have, you begin to take certain things for granted. And I'm not talking about all the things we miss, like good service and the sun in summer, as we expats are so quick to point out and criticize (though, this summer has really been quite rubbish). But I'm actually talking about the wonderful and amazing things that are all around us all the time that maybe we occasionally go to when friends or family are in town. Maybe. Case in point, the van Gogh museum. I went two weekends ago when my niece was in town for a long weekend. Now I've been here for over nine years (gasp), and I've been to the van Gogh, about, oooh, NINE years ago. I know. Kind of crazy. And we went and I wasn't even that excited, but I have to say it's a really lovely collection of Van Gogh and his contemporaries, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. No photos! Not allowed. But I managed to sneak two Instagram pics with my phone. Te-he. Above, (I forgot to note the title and artist) but I really adore this piece of a lady of questionable intention on the streets of Paris. Below, people watching with Iris'.
So a big 'Thank You' to Miss B, for without your visit I would have missed out on seeing some great art that's right under my nose for yet another year.

The van Gogh Museum:
Museumplein in Amsterdam, between the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum. The museum entrance is at Paulus Potterstraat 7.
Opening times: daily 10:00 to 18:00, Friday to 22:00. Closed 1 January.
Cost: Adults: €14. Children 0-17 years: free (a valid ID may be requested.) You can order tickets online to avoid the queue. Museum Card Holders: free.
Internet: free Wifi!

Alkmaar

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000+02:00

Last stop for the day, Alkmaar. By this point Mr E, Miss B and I were hungry, cold and still a bit soggy. We lunched then went into the tourist office to find out what we could do in Alkmaar on a rainy day...not much, evidently.We ventured upstairs to the Dutch Cheese Museum, or KaasMuseum in Dutch (oh yes, we did!). Mostly as it was still raining but meant to clear in 30 minutes, so we thought we'd kill the time at the museum. The museum was actually quite nicely done and interesting. They had a good mix of traditional costumes, beautifully ornate machinery from yesteryear, and a lovely big tiled wall panel with a beautiful illustrations of the cheese-making process. I'm not kidding, it was really wonderful. Above, cow milking detail, and below, a coat-of-arms detail.
Then oh my lord, it had stopped raining for a minute! So we dashed outside to have a look around the town.
And...within ten minutes it was raining again. The fair was in town so we decided to give Miss B a view from above the city on the massive Ferris Wheel that was set up in the small town square. A couple of revolutions and two squashed packets of crackers later (don't ask) we came to a stop, and the end of our time in Alkmaar.Finally, exhausted, little Dutch villaged-out, and damp we made our way back to the car to head home. Not forgetting to purchase the obligatory cheese on the way, which has been quite tasty for dinner last past few nice.

Monnickendam

2011-08-31T07:00:00.001+02:00

Last weekend Mr E's niece, Miss B, was in town. She came up for a long weekend in Amsterdam. Sadly, it rained the entire time. Such a shame! But, we tried to make the best of it. Saturday we hired a car and did a little mini tour of North Holland. First stop, Monnickendam.
Beautifully little village on coast of the Ijsselmeer. It's only about a 20 minute drive from Amsterdam.
Picture perfect. A nice Instagram image of a graphic from the side of a cheese trailer on the market I spied. Remembering those who were lost from the village.
Found these little display windows as we wandered back to the car. Only they've got the head of the elephant and dog mixed up. Oh dear. Know your tupperware people...
Just as we were heading back, the sun went behind a cloud, not to return for the rest of the day, and the heavens let rip some torrential rain. Again. We dried off with the car heater as we made out way to our next destinations, Volendam and Edam. By this time it was really horrid out. So I didn't take any photos in Volendam and Edam we just drown around. A tad miserable...but what can you do!

Etsy type tour

2011-08-30T07:00:00.004+02:00

Searching on Etsy what to find, what to blog, hmmm.... in need of inspiration. So I searched for vintage type and a few nice pieces popped up. Love these little silver letters with big spikes! Oh the possibilities...on Etsy here.
Next up, lovely 'A' which you can find here.
Classic American block letters for toddlers available here.
Brass stencil letters here.
Prize for the most crazy listing: "A lot of alphabet letters Great for scrapbooking, collaging, journaling". Or if you plan on sending a good old-fashioned ransom note, this one's for you!
Typewriter keys.
Nice marquee ampersand you can snatch up here.
Classic American letters for sports jackets or cheerleaders. Miranda, you know this one's for you! Buy here.
Ok, I realize this is a number but not a letter, but it's a wonderful 5. here.
Metal 'r' can be found here.
Vintage plastic display letters are here.
Child's play set vintage letters. Sold individually here.
A lacy alphabet which you can find here.
Last but not least, big ol' industrial 'N' here.

My Bearded Pigeon

2011-08-29T07:00:00.001+02:00

I came across these the other day on etsy: gorgeous map graphic cushions made by My Bearded Pigeon. Lots of different maps, they've for sure got your continent! I picked a few favourites. Above: Antarctica.
The city of Canberra.
Australia!
Amsterdam.
The moon.
Prices from USD $60.

Akira and the Ballet

2011-08-26T07:00:00.006+02:00

What do you get when you have Australian fashion designer Akira Isogawa design the costumes for The Australian Ballet's upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet?
Stunning amazing costumes. Take a peek.
I love this piece with the gun molded into the fabric. Just beautiful.
If you live in Sydney or Melbourne please go see this! I'm sure it'll be an incredible show. You can see some great behind-the-scenes photos, stories and more on The Australian Ballet's blog, Behind Ballet. Check online for tour dates here.

Kylie Pops

2011-08-25T07:00:00.007+02:00

Kylie! Has a pop-up-book! How fabulous! Laziness is taking over today, so why type my post when someone's already written it?! Or read more here. Don't judge. It's all thunder, lightening, and torrential downpour here today and this crappy non-summer is starting to take it's toll. Anyway! Moving on.
The book looks fun and wonderful. I want one. Bu at AUD $199 each I think I will have to go without. If you want one, be quick, there's a limited edition of 1000 only, you can pre-order here.
There's a nice blog here following the book's design and progress. Or you can go straight to the genius behind the book, Benja Harney's blog here or portfolio site here.
Looks great! Well done Benja!

Sun Worship

2011-08-24T07:00:00.005+02:00

Holland loves sun. I think because we're so deprived from it, that when it comes out everyone just drops everything and goes and finds themselves a spot to sit and soak it up. And we've had just the lousiest summer ever this year, a real bummer. I hope we're in for a gorgeous late Indian summer here. Well, here's hoping!

Verges

2011-08-23T07:00:00.001+02:00

A few weeks ago Mr E and I headed down south to sunny Spain for a friend's 40th birthday. We stayed at a friend's place in the very lovely village of Verges, Spain.
Here are a just a few snaps from an evening stroll around the village.
A lovely contrast of old and new.
Boy and CC - these pics are for you!

Rainarai

2011-08-22T07:00:00.002+02:00

Heading back from hardware store Praxis Mr E and I decided to refuel before walking home again. Just across the road at the far end of the Westerpark complex is Rainarai, an Algerian restaurant.
We perched ourselves up on a carpeted platform in the sun and chilled out. Lovely.
The food was delish! Fresh and healthy. Not a very big menu for lunch, but all looked quite yummy.
A few pics from inside.
Rainarai Westergasfabriek: Poloceaukade 40, 1014 DA Amsterdam. Tel: 020 486 7109.