Goodbye in 2008

2008 saw the loss of Eartha Kitt, Yves Saint Laurent, and Paul Newman. The world is a poorer place without their personalities, their convictions, their unique talents.

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Bling Me, Please

Uncut diamonds found on Neiman Marcus website. I love the chunky gold band that balances the assymetric setting. I'm not choosy - I'll take just one of each, please.

Hong Kong Groovy

Prepping for my impending trip to Hong Kong, found: retro-vintage store Chen Mi Ji, located in Wanchai. Groovy light fixtures amongst general trash, out the back alleys of Hong Kong.

In stock; a wheat chaff-base table I'm curiously into.

All images above from Chen Mi Ji

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It's obviously reminiscent of this, which lives in the home of glamorous grandma (so says Style Court, and so do I) Helen B. As can be seen in the open book spread beneath, Coco Chanel had a similar table in her Paris apartment on the Rue Cambon.

These 2 images via Style Court

Pretty Objects from Tracy Porter

Thanks to Hidden in France, who thanked Liberty Post, I was led to Tracy Porter. Unfortunately most of the lovely objet d'art items (eg. monkey in robe sitting amongst ming vases, or pear on top of plinth), no doubt have been snapped up and hence removed from the website, but salvaged these.

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It's only clutter if I don't love it, but oh how I would've.

Quietly lovely chinois chair in setting and on its own.

Hopeful ~ For Change

Thanks, USA, you did good. I am grateful.

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Laser engraved notebooks from Moleskine

Moleskine Freaks (I love you)

I love it when I unexpectedly stumble upon a ginormous virtual community that I hadn't known existed, and realise they all have a common freakish obsession, just like me! They articulate all the feelings and desires I didn't have the words for.

They understand me.

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Moleskinerie is the meeting place for fans of the eponymous little notebook that made it big. Moleskine users and their journaling styles are varied, but a common aesthetic and sense of creating a legacy immediately equates to a fascinating subculture onto itself. I'm especially intrigued by the Care and Feeding section where there are hundreds of serious-as-kittens entries on how to nurture and care for your Moleskine.

Look At Book

Found on fun blog Far Out Brussel Sprout, terrific books for sale online at Present & Correct. Love the thoughtful presentation shots which remind me of Three Potato Four.

Suspended Worlds 2

It must be a significant date because lots happened on the 17th of July, like -besides a significant birthday- the Pope speaking in Sydney, and the opening of Melbourne's own Vertical Garden by botanist Patrick Blanc. Described as endearing, charming, and eccentric by writer Lucy Feagins (for Melbourne International Design Festival 08) who had the good fortune of hearing him speak at the presentation of his first work for Melbourne.

Melbourne Central shot tower. Image via MIDF.

Painting with a palette of plants. Image via Style Mag

My living room. No, not really. Image via MIDF

The Search

"Dear friends, life is not governed by chance; it is not random. Your very existence has been willed by God, blessed and given a purpose (cf. Gen 1:28)! Life is not just a succession of events or experiences, helpful though many of them are. It is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this

– in truth, in goodness, and in beauty –

that we find happiness and joy."

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ADDRESS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI

WORLD YOUTH DAY WELCOME

SYDNEY, 17 JULY 2008

Aboriginal dancers wait for Pope Benedict XVI to address pilgrims at a World Youth Day ceremony. (CNS photo/Mick Tsikas, Reuters) Image from USCCB

Suspended Worlds 1

Wout's Dutch Landscape got me thinking about Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzlinger, most noted for their work "Falling Garden" in the San Staë church on the Canale Grande during the 2003 Biennial of Venice. Their explanation for building a suspended garden are amongst the most reasonable reasons I've ever come across.

The Doge (Mocenigo) needed a church so as to be able to have a monumental tomb built for himself, the church (San Staë) needed a saint so as to be able to be built, the saint (San Eustachio) needed a miracle so as to be pronounced a saint, the miracle needed a stag in order to be seen, and we built the garden for the reindeer.The visitors lie on the bed above the doge’s gravestone, and the garden thinks for them.

Images of other beautiful work found on the official website below. Don't be fooled; clicking on the main picture of each subheading produces more images of each work. Having a fetish for libraries, "Soul Warmer" Abbey Library of St.Gall, 2005 especially calls to me.

They will be installing a work at ACCA in Melbourne shortly. Must see.

All photographs by Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzlinger

TA for h~fh

Style Is Mine

On more than one occasion, I've seen people comment on other people having style, hoitily sniff into the camera "People are born with style. You either have it or you don't."

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Well, I poo-poo your view and say we can all learn to have style and grace and poise. I entertain the idea that some are genetically predisposed to being beautiful, and being born into the right environment certainly encourages stylish behaviour (having money helps), but appreciating beauty is a trait totally available to anyone. And isn't appreciating a beautiful life the foundation to having style and grace? The rest of us just have to learn it like any other behaviour; like having manners, or to consider the feelings of another.

Audrey Hepburn grocery shopping with her pet deer. Image from Raincoaster.com.

Cressida Campbell Woodblock Prints

Australian artist Cressida Campbell works with woodblocks, producing fine watercolour prints. I'd never heard of her until the feature in this month's issue of Vogue Living Australia. I like her interior prints and am particularly struck by her technique.

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Taken fron VL on the artist's method: Campbell first does a linear drawing straight onto the timber, then carves the fine lines that will separate the colours. The pencil is rubbed off, the block placed on an easel and the painting done with fine brushes and water-based paint. She applies two layers and, when the paint is dry, lays the block on the table and finely sprays it with water. She places a sheet of moistened Dutch etching paper on top and rolls a lino roller over it. "Then I'll pull back half the the paper and spray the block again, put it back, roll it, take up the other half and spray again and keep on spraying and rolling until there's enough paint on the print". Then touch(ing) up the print afterwards, putting a watercolour wash on the lines.

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A retrospective book (cover art below) of her work is now available.

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TA for h~fh

Also in this month's Vogue Living, Catherine Martin's homestead sets for Australia. I don't have a scanner so can't post any images until someone else does and I can *koff* 'borrow' theirs. The tiny image below is all stingy Vogue provides online.

Wout's Dutch Landscape

I saw a partially obscured image of this work "Ruigoord" by photographer Dutch Wout Berger in UK Elle Decoration magazine years ago, on the walls of a featured too-cool-for-school apartment. The apartment was bland, but I was and am still captivated by the artwork, though I can't really say why. This image was found on New Dutch Landscape, Contemporary Dutch Landscape Photography.

It May Not Be Flair Exactly....

Have been on an op shop rampage with visitors who are staying for a few days. Found a gem of my own yesterday at a steal for 5 bucks, The NY Times Book of Interior Design and Decoration. Sw-eeet. Like flipping through a coffee table book produced last year rather than in 1976, it's startling how very similar many of the current American designers are reprising interiors of the era.

Have been eyeing these swish Ikat-inspired bowls from Anthroplogie but haven't found anything remotely similar around here. Noticed pretty-boy designer Nate Berkus has some lying about in his home too.
Anthropologie bowl image thanks to Style Court

Flair by Fleur

Besides being a brilliant style blog, Mrs. Blandings is written with a wit and humour that only an interminably interesting lady could possess. She also possesses a fair amount of good luck ~ Finding an original Flair Annual 1953 on a shelf too high for her to reach.

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With a run of only 12 magazines over 2 years and a fiesty spirit of innovation, graphic artists and magazine folk still look to it for inspiration today. Read more about the visionary Flair creator and editor Fleur Cowles here. A write up on 2008 Paperdoll Convention Archive gives a good idea of the magazines as they were.

All above images thanks to Mrs. Blandings.

The dozen Flair cover images are thanks to Brilliant Asylum.