show + tell: Diane’s giveaway! and my favourite dress!
Posted in artists November 14th, 2008 by piablog

With all our time zone differences, one of the fun things about living abroad is waking up in the morning to emails and comments that have come in overnight from my faraway friends (thats you, my dear readers!), and this morning I woke up to a pretty fabulous surprise that I simply have to share with each of you. Artist Diane Bronstein (you all know how much of a fan I am of her work, i posted about her here) is hosting her first giveaway!!

Diane is offering each of us a chance to win her enchanting watercolour featured above called Ghost of a Memory. To enter, all you have to do is comment on her post by clicking here, and if you’d like to double your chances of winning and you have a blog, you can link to her post and competition by posting about your favourite dress.

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Of course I don’t need to tell you I am doubling my chances!
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Now, you may be sick of seeing my favourite dress, especially since I even wrote an ode to it here, and posted it here on that most memorable day last week, but for a third and most likely not final time, here it is again!

Yep, it is indeed my 1920’s knitted number that was handed down to me from my Oma’s cousin. It has many stories to tell, the following being one of them: A few years ago I wore it to a wedding in Sydney and the groom’s mother who lives in an estonian castle (!) came to me and proclaimed rather loudly “You are wearing my dress!” According to her, this dress is only one of a kind, created by a Melbourne designer (she didn’t tell me who). This woman who proclaimed it as hers said she lent it to a friend about 50 years ago and the friend never returned it! Thank goodness it turns out my Oma’s cousin was not the friend, and after all this I said, “How fascinating, do you mind that I wear it?” And she said, “Of course not darling, you look simply ravishing in it! It was made for you!” Phew!

But the saddest news is that my favourite dress has been hanging ever so lonely in my closet in Sydney for way too long. Since I’ve been away for 2 years that means I have not worn it for more than two years! Quel dommage!! (That is French for shock!horror!) I have worn it to nearly every ‘main event’ in my life over the past 5 years, here are just a few snapshots of me in the dress at various functions in Canada and Australia…

I modernised it a bit by wearing it off the shoulder and accessorising with a low belt. It is one of those dresses that just sits so beautifully – it swings when I walk, it falls softly around me when I am seated, and it can be dressed down (like when one happens to be captaining a yacht!?) or dressed up for a wedding.

But now, I must say, it is all but a ghost of a memory.
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Everyone, get over to Diane’s blog and comment tout de suite as she will be drawing our names out of the hat on Monday! Thank you Diane!

By the way, Diane has three blogs, check them all out while you are at it:

Inspiration By Design
Daily Art
Style in the Streets

etsy love…
Posted in artists, etsy favourites, handmade November 11th, 2008 by piablog

Since we didn’t have an etsy favourite last week, I’m doubling up with my favourites to share with you this week! Starting with an etsy boutique-warming for Sofia with her new shop called l’oiseau rare, filled with her handmade treasures like the gorgeous necklace above. And I already have my first Sofia creation! I will show you in the next post. While you are checking out her new store, stop by her first etsy store too, right here. Happy etsy-warming for your l’oiseau rare boutique-atelier Sofia!
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The butterflies are free from Vol25. So very pretty.
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I love handmade buttons! I love using them on gifts, pillows, and dangling from ribbon. And I found these two etsy ateliers who make super cute wood and ceramic buttons. The wooden ones are made from wenge from the button shop and the white ceramic buttons are from mud puppy.
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This guy’s name is Joaquin. He is a brown fawn and he is made in Germany from etsy seller alberto’s family. He comes in his own little handmade paper bag and I think he would make the perfect gift for a new bub. In fact, I have a few new bubs born here in Europe that I must send gifts to, so if you go to the shop in a moment and see Joaquin and his pals all gone, you know I am the culprit.

UPDATE: I just bought the store out. There is only one left. Sorry guys.
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And last but not least, I think these earrings are a bit darling. They are from oh hello friend and they are only $6.50! While my ears would love me more for those darling danglies, my shoulders and neck would love me more for this mohair warmer, handknitted by French etsy seller tortilla girl.
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Thanks for stopping by for this week’s installment of…

I think next week I am going to start looking at Christmas decorations – I am rather picky when it comes to Christmas decorations and such (I’d rather an empty tree than a badly decorated one!), but I have started a rather lovely collection of etsy (and non etsy) favourites: handmade and über stylish Christmas treats for your home. The one thing I really have had trouble finding is Christmas stockings, so if anyone out there makes super stylish Christmas stockings, do let me know!

xx

some goodies first…
Posted in artists, books, food October 1st, 2008 by piablog

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Just a few inspiring things I’ve been wanting to share with you before we go for our little amsterdam wander…

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First up is this book that I have begun reading. It is called The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society and is written by the unfortunately recently deceased Mary Ann Shaffer. I had no prior knowledge of this book or the author as it was given to me as a gift, and this offering is testament that books are the best gifts of all. So I am not going to tell you anything about it in the hope that you might just buy it blindly and enjoy it as I am. I will just tell you this: it is, without a doubt, the most inspiring piece of literature I have read this year.

It is published in Australia by Allen & Unwin, and available to purchase here and here.

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Sofia has come up with a rather lovely autumn inspired idea – it’s called The Autumn Swap. What is it? Its a means for us to send each other some special treats to ring in the change of season! And is just what I need, I can’t wait to put together my goodies for whoever I get to swap with. All the details for the swap are here. Please join us, it will be alot of fun!

The sweet image above is from Sofia’s personal poetry blog called Aller-Retour.

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This guy is wonderfully entertaining and is my new inspirational TV chef. His recipes are easy, enticing, and fuss-free. His personality is easy, enticing, and fuss-free. And he’s kooky. Just what I like in a man chef! Monday nights are dedicated to him.

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And if you need a good belly laugh, this video on Liberty Post Editor might just do the trick!

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Enjoy the links. I’ll be back soon to take you on our little excursion as promised. x

green with etsy…
Posted in artists, etsy favourites, fashion, handmade September 29th, 2008 by piablog

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How gorgeous is this dupioni silk dress? It’s poetic, its romantic, and it’s something I would most likely never wear unless someone was throwing a Tess of the D’Urbervilles party of sorts. (which, by the way I am hooked on right now. Hooked. )

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The dress is from the very cool Makool. I must also add that the photography is sensational don’t you agree? Check out the etsy boutique here, and the Makool blog here.

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Be Happy Now’s tiny books are a bit of finger-tingling gorgeousness too. And guess what? This next image will give you a clue…

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This beautiful artwork from Jose Lampreia is appropriately titled rainy days. Yep, it’s raining in Amsterdam. Aren’t we all surprised. Not. Meanwhile, I’m told it’s sunny and 30C in Sydney right now. Pfff. I shouldn’t be too green as just as I wrote that, I looked out the window to see a horse and carriage clopping along my street. In Amsterdam, anything and everything goes – I probably could get away with wearing that dress after all.

You’ve just read another installment of…
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book review!
Posted in artists, books September 26th, 2008 by piablog

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It’s been a while since I’ve done a book review and I’ve been buying a few books lately, so I will strive to review them all for you as I read them. This one I’m very happy to finally receive – it’s Esti’s self-published book called My Drawings: wolf men, girl skaters, three women, black skies and other stories

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I have always adored Esti’s drawings on her blog since we discovered each other, and was honoured to be amongst the set of hands in her Hand Project XV. But having a hand held book of her work is something quite different – while her blog gives me a glimpse of what she is up to, the book whisks me straight into her world where I find inspiration in the way she captures simple moments and invents little stories about skater girls, black skies and fantasy forests…

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Esti’s drawings are whimsical, intimate and thought-provoking. Inspired by our very own My Heart Wanders, she submitted this drawing below for the project, it is one of my favourites…

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I can’t wait to see what else she creates in the time to come.

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You can purchase Esti’s book here.