splendid find

the fair at houghton bay school was ok, a little bit crowded for my liking. we bought a food processor that didn’t work when we got it home (note to self: test electrical equipment before getting partner to lug it home in a bitter southerly rain). however, the find of the day was this neat book called “the amazing pranks of master till eulenspiegel”. it follows the shenanigans of a rapscallion called till, whose pranks amuse and infuriate his fellow town folk. it has wonderful photographic illustrations of 3d models…


then i remembered when i got home that i actually have another similar book, this one is alice in wonderland. it was also printed in 1948 by the same publisher, Max Parrish and co. it is probably my favourite book in my book collection, the colours are so beautiful and i love the mixture of 3d and flat elements…

bring on the white elephant

it’s that time again…this is me with my very jubilant older siblings. i suspect they are hopped up on lollipops and 50c mixtures. anyhoo, i went and checked out the dowse in lower hutt today—saw some decadent and whimsical hats by philip treacy and some boring german fashion photos (i realised that bad 80’s western fashion taste infiltrated every corner of the world). i also got to see julia deville’s taxidermy jewellery (the kitten rug was repulsive, but it was my favourite—it had a wee pearl in its mouth). AND it’s gala season again—hurrah!! houghton bay school gala is on tomorrow. i’m hoping they have a good white elephant...

cooler than mtv cribs

recently i found an amazing book called krakow-rzeczywistosc i fantazja—it’s all about christmas cribs made in poland. every year there is a competition in the kracow market square for the best miniature structure depicting the nativity. i think this book is from the 70's but i believe that the competition is still going on today. the time and patience that must go into these is phenomenal; who knew such wondrous scenes could be created from coloured tin-foil, wood and glue. it is crafting at it’s most extreme.

visitor from the deep

a whale came to visit the south coast the other day. i didn't have a camera so i thought that i would try to recreate it...ok, he wasn't wearing a top hat but he was a very beautiful, noble creature. it was a right whale, big and bluey grey with white barnacles. he rose to the surface every 10 minutes or so for air. and...he took my breath away.

sparkle and shine

here are few artists that i have stumbled upon in the last year that i find really inspiring. gracia haby creates amazing worlds through collage. she sometimes collaborates with louise jennison to make wonderful artists books and litho prints. their new online shop can be found here. i love the aesthetic of gracia's work and her titles are very clever...


{Everything that reminds me of you makes me unbelievably sad.}


{Coins in every fountain.}


{It had to be said, it reminded them of home.}

angela singer is an animal rights activist who often uses recycled taxidermy in her work. these works are from her series "my dearest, dearest creature 2006"...





and last but not least, julia deville—an amazing jeweller and artist. check out her beautiful website . she has a show out at the dowse at the moment which i can't wait to see. like angela singer she is a total animal lover, and she has a very healthy attitude towards mortality and death. a good interview with her can be read here...

rewind and fast forward

this picture was taken when i was five and i went up mt. taranaki with my lovely sister. it was the first time i experienced snow, which was magical, but it was also the first time i got smashed in the face with a snowball (courtesy of my sister’s dumb boyfriend) which was not so cool.



my sis and i are doing a half marathon in new plymouth this weekend. we are walking not running, but it's still quite a mammoth event for my atrophied and geriatric limbs. i have taken to walking around island bay in hopes of gaining some kind of adequate fitness level, but i imagine i am going to be a shaking, shambling mess afterwards. so, wish us luck…

from chaos there is order

this week has been slightly shambolic (and what’s with this insane weather??) but there have been some lovely catch-ups with friends. yesterday i went for a quick op-shop blitz to the wairarapa with two buddies. we didn’t score much but it was nice to get out of town for the day and we had a beaut feed in greytown. the carterton salvation army wins hands down for old school ambience! there i found a couple of frames, a candle in the shape of a ladies head, and a bracelet with green glass beads that broke five minutes after I bought it. however, i restrung it when i got home with some other beads, and then i got a bit keyed up and restrung some other necklaces. it was immensely satisfying to complete something…