top ten pictures from the week ~ 31 May 11

I have my grumbly-bum pants on as I'm writing this.

via bohemian hunter

I worked all weekend...

via the seventy tree

yes really...all weekend

matthew patrick smythe via if the lampshade fits

From 10 am till 5.15 pm on Saturday.

naomi from design manifest (her place)

stopping only because the fella was coming for dinner and there was no food in the house so I had to go and get some.

by janis nicolay, pinecone camp 

then from 7.30 am till 5 pm on Sunday...ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous!

via bohemian hunter

After a very full on working week. Consequently I don't have ten pictures.

via design junkies

...nor have I done anything remotely crafty, creative or relaxing. Not happy.

Perhaps next weekend.

Ok, grumbling done...thanks for listening :)

look what charlotta did for me...

Earlier this week I posted about my casual interest fixation on this wallpaper...

and remarked that if only the 23 year old still lived here that he could have done a mock up of that particular wallpaper on this particular bedroom wall (with some arm twisting involved no doubt!)

But...who needs 23 year olds in the house when you have bloggy friends like Charlotta from Space for Inspiration. She saw my post and did a mock-up for me.

Am I going to do this? You betcha!  Thanks Charlotta...you're lovely, and smart, and kind, and clever, and...etc, etc :))
Have a terrific weekend everyone. And happy wallpaper dreams. I'll be working out where to get some and how to hang it!

my creative space: one use for a broken teacup!

I feel this is somewhat of a fraudulent 'my creative space' this week as it involves nothing more than a bit of glue...but sorry, it's all I've got!
When I was helping my friend Susan move out of her rented townhouse so that she could go and babysit another friend's home while they were having the annual five month stint at their other place in the south of France...phew, did you get all that? Good. How jealous are you? Me? I'm an unattractive shade of green...

Anyway, while the chandelier fairy and I were helping clean and pack (and to be completely fair, a lot of it had already been done), I accidentally broke one of Susan's teacups...

She was very good about it (and quite right since I'd just cleaned the bathroom for her!)...I know you're reading Susan, and I know you know I'm joking :)

So I took it home and fixed it (but not brilliantly as you can see!) and I'm using it to hold the garlic...ok, so not hugely creative, especially seeing I stole the whole 'garlic in a teacup' idea from the first born's house, but...

...at least it's useful again. Gotta love that. From dim-witted clumsiness to garlic holder. Even a chilli repository from time to time. And cheap...really cheap. Friendship still intact as well :)
For a much more interesting post, you can read about my friend Susan's sea change and see her house by the coast here...and then go and see a whole lot of creative spaces here. There'll be more than glue involved I'm sure!
all photos by me

top ten pictures from the week ~ 24 May 11

In an extraordinarily rare and totally unexpected feat of organisation...

I actually wrote this post last Thursday!

I'd collected ten lovely pics...even got the scanner to work for that one above...

So I asked myself a question...

which I do a lot now that I'm living alone

...the vampire slayer not being an overly good conversationalist. Except when she's hungry and then she makes herself perfectly clear...

I asked myself...do I need to go on collecting, since I've already reached the required number?

And the answer was no Kez...you don't.

You're cutting back on screen time remember...

so write the bloody post and walk away from the computer.

So I did...well, for a bit anyway :)

And seeing the vampire slayer has been mentioned...here's her latest portrait :) Damn cat won't stay off my bed now that the 23 year old has moved out!

Notice the paw curled and ready to strike. She's a pretty colour though. I will concede that:)

images this week were found on: my design chic; vogue living;  wish you were here; design manifest; livet hemma;  muse interiors; my sweet prints; style files; the design files; atelier abigail ahern; tranquil townhouse

I'm thinking about wallpaper...

Ever since I saw this image in the March 2011 issue of Livingetc magazine

I can't stop thinking about the wallpaper...

It's Sanderson Sweet Bay in Ebony/Ivory.
You know I have a black wall in my bedroom. I love it. It's staying.

But I'm thinking...

...that beautiful magnolia wallpaper might look good on this wall. If the photoshopping 23 year old was still in residence I'd be able to do a mock-up...I really must learn to use that software! I'd change out the fabric in the back of the bookcase of course. It's just that this view is all a bit too stark for me at the moment. Perhaps the white I used on the walls was a bit too white!
This part of the bedroom has no windows so it's already dark and there's nothing that can be done about that. So I think I should just embrace it. The bottom part of my bedroom is very light and bright...I'll show you one day when I finally finish it!
And as we know...I'm not a minimalist so some wallpaper just might suit me down to the ground! What do you reckon?

weekend wishes...

Something new for fridays...but probably just every now and then. Soul food friday might return some day :)
This week...in honour of my beautiful daughter's 26th birthday tomorrow...my weekend wish for you is:

the opportunity & the ability to walk lightly and with whimsy at least once over the next few days

via solid frog

...and this is where my girl is celebrating her big day! Crazy kid! Happy birthday Jess.

taronga zoo

Have a good weekend...wherever you are, whatever you're doing and whoever you're with. 
That's an order :)

when janis says jump...(or 'art' and my studio begins to take shape)

When Janis says jump, I of course say, 'not a prob Janis...how high?'
Remember this mess...you can read about it here.

The very lovely and exceedingly clever (not the least because she had the good sense to marry an Aussie) Janis, said that I should frame it.

So I did. It has even more 'mess' now, although I do believe it's slightly crooked. Oh well. Never mind.

It's now in my reclaimed studio inspiring me (a little) and reminding me that anything can be made into 'art' (*snort*) and that I really need to get cracking again on that Cert IV after two weekends away.

The studio is slowly (very slowly) turning into what it's meant to be. I'll keep you posted...as they say in the classics :)
Head over here for much creativity.

the archibald, wynne and sulman prizes...this week's de facto top ten

I said to my friends Chris and Terry as they dropped me home after a weekend in Sydney that at least I knew where that weekend had gone. They go fast don't they!
Richard and I caught a lift to Sydney on the weekend to see the first born, whose birthday it is next Saturday, and while we were there took the opportunity to pop into the Art Gallery of NSW...

the winner: margaret olley painted by ben quilty

The main event was the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Our tastes vary a bit...although we both loved the winner...

by andrew mezei

but I love having the eye of a trained artist to tell me more about what I'm seeing...

by deidre but-husaim

...it helps me to appreciate the artists and their work even more than I already do.

by del kathryn barton

Mind you, there are some on display that I think are appalling...and some that were very disturbing...but I'm not showing you any of those. You can look those up yourself and leave me out of it :)

by jaiwei shen

The paintings you've seen in this post so far (and a few more to go) were my favourites from the Archibald Prize (for portraiture). The one you see below was only the size of a matchbox (really!) and the fine detail was painted with a pin...I couldn't believe it.

by natasha bieniek

by sonia kretschmar

The next two are finalists in the Wynne prize (australian scenery or sculpture)...

 by neil frazer

by alexander mackenzie

And finally, a couple from the Sulman Prize (for subject, genre or mural...I'm still trying to work out what that means!)...these made me smile, especially as this next one is called 'royal mount'...I love a bit of smart-alecky whimsy :)

 by joanna braithwaite

I've saved my favourite for last...it's like something out of a wonderful children's book full of tales fantastic isn't it?

by kate bergin

So...there you go. Maybe they're not to your taste, but that's ok I'm sure. Life would be pretty dull if we all liked the same things. I'm still running around like a headless chook with lots of work on at the moment, so this is going to have to be my top ten this week. In lieu of pretty rooms. Still beautiful...just different. Hope you don't mind. If you do, there's always next week!
all images from the art gallery of nsw. Click here to find out more about the prizes and to see all the finalists