Where the wild shoes are…

A few months ago I was window shopping in the lovely William Street in Paddington, Sydney and spotted a pair of fierce looking coral red shoes in the windows of Belinda.  They kind of roared at me, these shoes, and I was immediately drawn to them and stood gazing at them for a few minutes mulling over ‘could I, NO I can’t, they’re kind of scary and besides the price of them will be ridiculous…’ So I wandered on by trying not to think about them – besides, what would I wear them with?

I was on some errands in the city on the weekend and decided to take a short cut through the Strand Arcade (always a bad idea) and decided to pop into Belinda’s little sister store The Corner Shop.  Who should I see there but the amazing fiery red shoes from Belinda AND at a drastically reduced price!  Before they could growl at me they were on my feet followed by a quick transaction, in my hand and out the door.  Who cares what I will wear with them – the shoes are the main attraction here.  What do you think?

Who designed these little monsters?  Well, they hail from New York label LD Tuttle and were created by Tiffany Tuttle who honed her designing skills at Givenchy before starting LD Tuttle with her husband a few years ago. She has some really interesting designs.  Take a peek at these wild shoes in her SS 2011 collection.

there’s a chill in the air…

There has been a distinctive ‘winter on the way’ feel about the weather over the past week or so – especially since daylight saving finished… So, it is time to get the hook out again and spend cool nights making some warm stuff…

I finished a stripey crochet rug I a while back based on Lucy’s striped granny rug on the Attic24 blog.  Here’s how mine turned out (in all its Hipstaprint glory):

 I originally planned to make this for my daughter but she thought it a little bright for her liking when I was making it.  Since I finished it however, she has decided that she likes it, but I am holding out as I think you should love the rug from the get-go and besides I want another project to start.  

 
So, this time I am going in the complete opposite colour direction.  I found this picture on the internet and really like the monochrome look and feel of this rug and have decided to use it as colour inspiration for my colour minimalist daughter.

This one is knitted with the odd crochet square but I am going to do a combination of plain and striped granny squares with plain treble stitch squares.

I’m not sure how it will turn out but the colours have been chosen and a few squares have been finished and so far it’s looking OK…

Feeling bookish…?

2011 is my year of ‘the book’.  It all began in January when I started my ‘dream job’ with a well-known publishing company.  As you will all know, the publishing industry is facing a great deal of change and challenge right now as it tries to work its way through the labryinth of traditional publishing and what is ‘to be’ with the rise of eBooks and digital devices, whilst dealing with large blows like the recent REDgroup/Borders collapse.  My new role is placed squarely in the middle of this landscape and I am focussed on how I can on help this business transform what it does today into something sustainable for the future.

Like many people, books have been an integral part of my life and a few of them are part of my most treasured objects.  Our home is filled with books and this is my favourite bookshelf in our Sydney apartment – it always makes me feel happy to see it when I come home. 

I also love checking out other peoples bookshelves to see what books they have and its fun to try and work out what it says about them.  Books on shelves can also make a statement in a room and I found this great pic of Karl Lagerfeld’s library on the New York Observer…

Wouldn’t you just love to spend an afternoon or 2 in that library checking out what Karl has on his shelves (not to mention sitting on the 10 seater sofa)?  Whilst many may say the book is dead and the eBook is the future – I can’t imagine my future without these literary treasures of stories, adventures, information, beauty and life sitting on my shelves….AND if you need ideas for how to stock your shelves – look no further than this little video for inspiration… enjoy!

Friday Plates

Busy morning doing the rounds with doctors – nothing serious just checking options for eyesight and usual stuff. After a busy morning of waiting we popped into one of our fave cafes, Snows at The Junction in Newcastle. The plates (and food) were so good I just had to share them…

Crochet is très chic…

Just received the latest Paris Vogue and spotted this crochet dress by Salvatore Ferragamo- so reminiscent of dresses my Nanna used to make, though we always wore something underneath them, of course.

I am also inspired by Christopher Kane AW 2011 collection.

Swim anyone?

Granny squares are everywhere – even on these Hotel Bondi Swim one piece….
Not sure if they do it for me – but nice to see crochet is influencing all manner of objects

Isabella of Boston

Upon her marriage, Isabella Stewart was given an etiquette book entitled ‘A Lady’s Guide to Perfect Gentility’.  Belle dutifully took the book to Boston – and broke all the rules in a most delightful fashion.  

from “Mrs Jack” by Louise Hall Tharp

El Jaleo by John Singer Sargent

I was cleaning out a cupboard and came across this poster of the John Singer Sargent painting El Jaleo.  Like most posters, it is a mere representation of the original painting.

A few years ago I  was in Boston for a course and caught up with  friends I hadn’t seen in a long while.  We spent a great weekend catching up (and dealing with the shock that our kids were now teenagers).

Mrs Gardner in Venice by Anders Zorn

While I was there, Jo took me for a visit to her favourite museum in Boston – the Isabella Gardner Stewart museum.  From the outside this building looked rather mundane and box like and revealed nothing of the wonders inside.

Isabella Gardner Stewart was an unconventional woman born into a wealthy family in 1840.  She married well and discovered a love of travel and art  and collected beautiful works on her travels to Europe and the middle East in the late 1800s.

After her husband died in 1898 she started work on her home/museum and modelled it on 15th century Venetian Palazzos.  Isabella wanted a museum to house her treasures but designed it as a palatial home rather than a gallery and filled it with the art works, furniture, tapestries and treasures from her travels.  When it was finished she welcomed many artists, performers and scholars to stay with her and was a patron to many including the fabulous John Singer Sargent.  She left the museum to the public with the instruction that the current collection must remain in the state it was in upon her death, with everything arranged according to her stipulations.

To visit is a wonderful journey and an intimate view into the life of a rather strong and passionate individual.  As the museum website states, it…“is the only private art collection in which the building, collection and installations are the creation of one individual.”

The magnificent El Jaleo is positioned in an intimate space just before you leave the museum and leaves a lasting impact.  Go check it out if you are ever in Boston – it is one of a kind…