Home sweet home!

The best thing about returning home is reclaiming your old stomping grounds and discovering new ones... that is of course in between multiple lattes with other unemployed friends and a few long lunches.

Nicky Crowley a friend of mine just recently had a group exhibition at the National Grid Gallery in Brookvale. Check out the gallery site – it looks great! It is so refreshing to see this sort of creative culture north of the bridge. Above is "Sabina's" Bengal Rose – her work looks so good that I gave her a shout out even though she robbed me (ha, ha) of my Saturday job. Nice.

Its good to be home.

Caramel Chest Hair

Check out what the AMASING girls at work organised for my last day – thats right, its a Tom Selleck Dairy Queen cake... A.M.A.S.I.N.G. Who is this wasted talent working at DQ? It is a fine artform to replicate Tom's moustache, dimple, blue steel eyes and the piece de resistance CARAMEL CHEST HAIR.

Canadia

Getting in my last little pieces of "Canadia" while its at my doorstep – look out Beaver Tail this weekend.

Curling

The Curling rink in Marpole has the greatest old diner vibe I have seen in a while.

AN AWESOME BOOK

Sitting through the hardest Monday I have had in a long time – its hard to be upset about though when its a result of the FUNNEST weekend on record this year. Thanks Mr Fox for turning the BIG 3-0. Anyway I found this amasing illustrator/designer/word smith and maker of things Dallas Clayton. He has made AN AMASING BOOK which is beautifully drawn with inspired writing and has and underlying message that I love. You should check his blog. k

Hopefully...the best movie ever.

I think this is one of everyone's all time favourite books, never the less, I can't wait for it to come out as a movie. Spike Jonze directed this and it was all shot in a city that is very close to my heart. Melbourne.

Waiting for a frame

Here's the Canada Pacific print I picked up a few weekends ago in Lake Louise, I can't wait to put it on my wall.

Positive vibes make my world go round.

Have you ever had a great idea that gets shut down, have you ever thought something was brilliant until all the flaws were pointed out, have you ever just wondered why do people have to be so fucking negative... Well, I have those thoughts all the time. Adrian Johnson seems to be on the same wavelength as me, check out his site, it has a bunch of great work including these awesome illustrations and social comments. p.s.

The Rockies

I just got back from a few days in the Rockies and it was amasing! Apart from the inspiring mountains that towered from every angle there was an abundance of heritage. It amased me how beautiful the craftsmanship in some of the buildings and the care and time that went into the architecture of the late 1800's. Canada Pacific has released some old screen printed advertisements from the early 1900's which are a glimpse of an era where traveling was luxury. Check out a few of the images that inspired me.

What? X Fox and Gull

I've been lucky enough to squeeze in a love project with my friends over at the Fox and Gull wineries this week. Two new limited edition wine release "Gooned" and "Ship Bombed" and possibly a 3rd Cab Sauvignon later this week. Thanks to the "Goonies" for some amasing inspiration. Never say die!

Things from above.

I love looking at things from above, everything takes on a story book kind of quality and you all of a sudden feel like life isn't exactly how you see it.

Sunday Morning Cinnamon Buns

Yesterday I managed to pull the first flying squirrel of the season on a hot lap round Stanley with my brother (who flew into town earlier this week–yeah!) Its been a pretty crazy week but I have just sat down for my Sunday ritual of cinnamon buns, coffee and am catching up on some design work. Hopefully a few more posts this week.

Doodling.

Tired and socially confused on Saturday afternoon, procrastinating the list of to dos.

Aurora Borealis

Barcelona dreaming

I was exploring my love hate relationship over at a certain nameless party photo blog. When their recent trip to Barcelona reminded me of an amasing night drinking beer in the summer heat watching skaters outside the MOMA gallery. Such a great city – can't wait to be in a city where drinking in public is kosher again.

Brainslie

One of my favourite artists and people Ainslie Fletcher has a feature in Issue 18 of weAREtheIMAGEmakers. Can't wait to get back and see some of these in real life.

And another thing.

It totally grinds my gears that aligning images and words in blogger is so difficult. Actually, cancel that, its not difficult, its just not typographically correct. Please excuse my irregular formatting!

Cute boys and cute t's.

Das Monk is another online store...but this one has cute boys
modeling cute t-shirts.
I especially like this Marc Hendrick Skullfingers print. Yeah for new exciting shops and graphics.

Stocking dreams.

I've been dreaming about these stockings for at least three months, wondering how I can get my hands on a pair.

Not so much.

I found myself on Friday afternoon sitting at my desk skimming through Vice magazine for a little bit of derogatory entertainment when I found this article WHO’S HUNGRY? - An Interview With Issei Sagawa, Cannibal (No this is not a inspiration post). Disgusted, horrified and intrigued at the same time I read a true life story of cannibalism in total disbelief. This truely is another example of how weird people can be.

Who said Vice was not educational. More pretty pictures and inspirations are on the way to make up for this creepy post.

#2

Number 2: I like pictures that don't make the cut.

Pictures that don't make the cut and moustaches.

Number 1: I like moustaches. This is Matt Leines moustache drawing, which I found over at Jeff Hamada's BOOOOOOOM! blog. You can't really go past a dirty handle bar moustache wearing a bear suit on Friday afternoon.

Helen Eady likes cheese.

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this site this morning, it was many a blog ago. Anyway, I was happy to come across Helen Eady. She is a graphic designer from Vancouver and likes cheese (me too, me too). Well, I am just a blow in, but that is neither here nor there. Check out her site it is quirky and inspired.

Old people smell funny, but they do have style.

Shizam, a blog spot about Advanced Style, ie: Fashionable seniors.

Easy riders.

I wish I was an easy rider, no below the belt innuendo intended.

Biker chicks are cool! I'm not referring to the trophy biker chicks but the real ones that can don a leather, work a spanner and do a mono. Admittedly, I can do nothing but don a leather jacket (which if you know me is very figuratively speaking as I don't even own one). I have never even been a trophy on a bike, I just like them a lot.

This is a very long winded story about nothing other than the fact I like bikes and bought a 7pack of Chopper magazine cover postcards today.

Kuler. Cooler than cool.

A friend sent me a link to this website kuler, she said she spewed in her mouth it was so cool. As a true skeptic I was doubtful but investigated further. I was delighted to find out how great this site actually is, some would say it makes making a colour palette a dream (I didn't spew in my mouth, but was admittedly close).

You can upload images and make colour palettes, or create your own. It can give you a million colour variations from complimentary to contrasting and tonal hues in between. The best part is you can export these palettes to illustrator... not too suprising considering you have to register with adobe to save your palettes. To summarise, amasing!

Animals in motion

So, I was at the library yesterday afternoon searching for random inspiration as I often like to do and came across this amasing set of books – "Animals and Humans in Motion".

Such a great series of practically every animal you can imagine in motion, why not I say?

The pieces of randomness that you can find at the library always intrigues and excites me.

Dereck Albert – afternoon delight.

Forgetting your keys and being the last person in the office is not an advised activity for a Monday night. It has given me the opportunity to spy some of Derek Albeck's selected works, which look really nice. In my mind you can't really go past a good graphite on paper.

Special thanks to Paul for saving me from myself once again.

New orrifice.

Moving furniture by yourself is not something I would advise unless you want to get bruises all over your body. Anyway, I managed to push, pull and lift myself a new little office space at home, yippee. I did have a few causalities though, Ikea coatings scratched (unavoidable in my eyes), bruises made and a few muscles tight today.

Still waiting for an office with a view, one step at a time.

Deborah Sweeney Fall 09

I just saw the Fall 09 Deborah Sweeney runway and it didn't disappoint. I love her use of colour, beautiful prints, quirky vintage styling, and I love that she's Kiwi.

Maya Hayuk x Vans and Mel Kadel x Volcom

I have been a little too busy this last week to spend as much time trawling the internet as I would like. I did manage to find out that two of my favourite artists have done clothing collaborations of late. Maya Hayuk did a collab with Vans with some of her stuff from her amasing book "Just Good Vibes" which is one of my favourites.



































I bought a serigraph print a couple of months ago of Mel Kadel's work, which in the current economic times is the closest I will get to an original artwork for a while. Mel has collaborated with Volcom for a girls tee, which looks great too.

Go ladies!

Tom. Need I say more.

For those of you who know me are aware that I have a secret (well, not so secret now) crush on Tom Selleck. It may be his Magnum P.I short shorts, or his delicious 70's stache, I am not quite sure what, but I can't get enough. I saw this on my way to work this morning and it made me laugh, I think I am not the only person with a Tom crush.

The last flame of my holiday fire.

Such a good end to two weeks of holidays. Sorry they are over, but feeling fresh to start a new year of adventures... See you soon.

Welcome Inspiration

It's nice when you don't even have to leave your apartment to be inspired. Its snowing again now, perfect weather to stay inside and work on my new website. Coming sometime in 2009.