How Deep Is Your Love?

Affection can now be measured with this delicately beautiful piece by Victoria Mason (of the pencil shaving necklace fame).

I would know how much someone loves me, in an instant, if they presented me with this. It's that good a gauge.

Available here soon.

My brooches will love to have a new friend too.

Tipsy

...is the title of this Japanese woodblock print that made the boyfriend and I want to go the Taisho Chic exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

From what we have gathered from the publicity material prior to our visit today, the exhibition of paintings, prints, textiles and decorative arts aims to show "the balance between modernity and nostalgia" that Japanese women had to find in the 20s and 30s. We thought, "Yay! Loads of Japanese flappers in that era's fashion! Art Deco-inspired household things with a Japanese twist!"

We were disappointed to find that there were loads more paintings and prints of the traditional girl bijinga in her kimono with Western props or against modern backdrops than of the modan gaaru (modern girl) like this cigarette-smoking and martini-drinking one in her Western garb. The very small selection of decorative pieces and homeware on display did not impress either.

The saving grace of the show was the collection of beautiful vintage kimonos on display - traditional in tailoring but very modern (for the early 20th century) in prints and motifs.

We had more fun hanging out with my ex-workmates at the staff's smoking area than we had at the 77-piece exhibition.

Corrugated Steel Sheets

Walking a new route to a new place of work early Tuesday morning, through a neighbourhood of quaint old terraces along tree-lined streets, I turned a corner into yet another neat little street and boy, did this corrugated steel sheets structure stand out.

I know not many people will appreciate the beauty that I see in it -I'm sure the neighbours don't, seeing how it breaks up the general prettiness of the neighbourhood.

But I really like it and it's been the highlight of my 20-minute walk to work the last few days - I don't think I'll tire of looking at it...the patchwork of old and new sheets in one of my favourite colour combos of brown, green and pale blue with a touch of silver thrown in. The building material immediately brought to mind...

...architect Frank Gehry's house that also pissed the people-next-door off in the late 70s when he built it...

...and the home of actor/artist Dennis Hopper, also designed by Mr Gehry.















These homes and other Gehry-designed buildings around the world can be viewed on Sketches of Frank Gehry, a documentary made by a friend of his, the late director/producer/actor Sydney Pollack, who likened Gehry's playful style to "Don Quixote got stoned and made a building … a crazy dream of a building.". I came home from work a few days ago with photos of the shed to show the boyfriend and news of Pollack's death was on the evening news. The film, released in 2007, was his last.

Balls!

A million million thanks to Bunnyshop! I finally know who did this amazing piece of installation art that I saw at the Adventures with Form in Space show at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2006.

Yes, in 2006, nearly two years ago but Nike Savva's white roomful of colourful balls, strung on fishing line and made to move ever so slightly by the whirling of a standing fan was so captivating that I found it hard to forget...but bad of me to forget the name of the artist - I scribbled the name on a scrap of paper that I couldn't find after and have been looking up the wrong exhibitions on the gallery's site. Siwwy girl.














Sorry about the crap photos - taken on my mobile phone because we snuck out for a quick few minutes from work to view the exhibition on one of its last days. This one with the people is to give some sort of perspective of the scale of Nike's work.

What I Made Today

Cassata - Domes of ricotta cheese peppered with chopped candied orange and cedro, encased in marsala-soaked almond sponge then coated with Italian meringue and finished with a few blasts from the blowtorch for golden bits of crispy crunchiness.

Lost Desserts

Having not been in a commercial kitchen for the last three months, I thought I should do some "homework" before going back to work. You know, read some cookbooks...analyse some recipes...get inspired? Came across Lost Desserts by Gail Monaghan on the lowest shelf and realised that it's one book that I've had for a while but have yet to make something out of in the kitchen at home.

It is about "delicious indulgences of the past" and is filled with "recipes from legendary restaurants and famous chefs" and also some from her childhood, old books and newspapers and the memories of people that she knows. I guess I bought it more for the little blurbs of history preceeding each recipe than for the recipes themselves because I've always wondered how ideas for some of those desserts were conceived.

And of course for the beautiful food shots, all by Eric Boman of Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel and Blahnik by Boman: Shoes, Photographs, Conversation fame.

From the easy-to-make Miss Grimble's Chocolate Angel Pie, Canneles Bordelais, Marbled Rose & Raspberry Fool, Edna Lewis' Peach Cobbler...











to the very-rarely-seen-nowadays classics such as Escoffier's Mont Blanc and Carame's Nectarine Plombiere...

to completely over-the-top numbers like this Melon Surprise and Sauternes Bavarian Cream.

It's great to have on the coffee-table if coffee is all you have to serve when friends turn up unannounced.

The Annual Primo Italiano

We got there early this year, two hours after it opened, but I still missed out on the cannoli! Sold out even before we got there!

The queues at the food stalls were long but there were four of us so we split up and managed to get a quite a selection in a short time. The boys zoomed in on the meatiest of things, of course - huge chorizo hotdogs and grilled cured pork ribs (they smelled so good that they almost turned me back to eating pigs). We also had the standard truffle risotto and the softest ever melt-in-your-mouth grilled octopus and salt and pepper calamari and giant doughnuts for dessert.














The produce for sale were also of top notch quality. We left with two sourdough loaves (olive and raisins & walnuts) from Sonoma and some Italian cheeses.

There were three official entertainment stages at various cross-sections along Stanley Street but I liked this impromptu act best, an accordian player and his mate on the top floor of the building that used to house the old Two Chefs on Stanley.






Still thinking about them tasty ricotta-filled crispy tubes...

New Favourite Ice Cream!

Maggie says, "I will always find a way to come back with quinces! And for a truly sophisticated combination, the Amaretti-like flavour of the bitter almonds is perfect with the crushed roasted almonds and ruby swirls of quince...", on the back of the tub.

Loving this as much as I love her verjuice, olive oil and yes, quince paste which are now all available even at our local Woolies'. The ice creams, however, can only be bought at selected stockists. Can't wait to try all the flavours. Nyum nyum.

Let's Play A Casting Game!

Reading Yu's post this morning got me thinking...

I love The Sound of Music and I don't think a Hollywood remake would be necessary if it's not going to be better than the original (and these remakes usually aren't, so...) but for the sake of a bit of Saturday morning fun, I put the question to the boyfriend - "Who would you like to see play Maria if they decided to do The Sound of Music again?"

Looking up from the Saturday papers, he said, "They would most probably cast some singing starlet like Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff or Lindsay Lohan but if I get to pick, it'll be Scarlett Johansson. She's just released an album of Tom Waits songs, plus she was in that Nanny Diaries film." Back to reading.

Good choice, I thought, then he looked up from the papers almost immediately and said, "Hey, there's a review of her album here. Bad. Says she can't sing." Still, I think I'd rather watch Scarlett run up the hills than any ex-Mouseketeers.

There was talk of Cameron Diaz playing the singing nun but who would be your ideal Maria?

While we're at it, we might as well cast for the Captain von Trapp role. I'm not a huge fan but I think he's about the only actor in present-day Hollywood that oozes, naturally, that old-school Bogart-Cagney charm...may I present George Clooney.

Come play Casting Director with me. You can pick the von Trapp children too, if you want.

Ready To Fly

Ming Berry Popsicle...
















Green Tea Sakura...
















and Pink Noodle Salad...



...were scheduled to be "flown" on Leeloo, an online store "where treasures from emerging Australian designers and artists can become yours", in June but there's now going to be a slight delay as they are planning a huge sale before showing the new stuff. Get on their mailing list if you don't want to miss out!

Meanwhile, if anyone is interested in "flying" one of these kite brooches on their dress/shirt/coat/bag/hat/head (yes, a hairclip version is available), go to The Likkle Shop or write to me for a commissioned piece.

#32. Banal Ideas Cannot Be Rescued By Beautiful Execution

Continuing with the theme of the day (see last two posts), one piece of typography-based art that will forever be etched in my mind is one I saw, if I remember correctly, at the 2006 Biennale of Sydney at The Art Gallery of New South Wales.


















It was an installation piece of quite a large scale - #32 of Sol Lewitt's Sentences on Conceptual Art:

Banal Ideas Cannot Be Rescued By Beautiful Execution

in huge white sans-serif letters (that were very much in the same vein as the man's white modular cubes structures) was stuck on the expansive glass panels at the end of the Grand Court of the Gallery. What an apt and slightly cheeky piece to show in a gallery where sometimes that line rings so true.

I knock myself now for not having taken a photo when I had to walk by it everyday, for that three months, to get to work, and for forgetting the name of the artist whom I was fortunate enough to have a little chat with on the day that she was putting her work up.

As for the late Mr Lewitt, he was a very clever man and I think all in the creative field today - artists, musicians, film makers, writers, designers... - should always have that line in mind whether or not they try to mask a lack of substance with loads of pomp and pageantry. For anyone who's interested, the rest of the 35 Sentences are here.

Look Up!

This is turning out to be quite a type-ical day. Cheesy pun, I know, but I couldn't resist.

The blog's new header is a belated birthday present from a good pal, Yayapapayar the Princess of Typography at Peepshow Creative.

It's one of the many, all different designs and colour combos, that she sent late last night - they are for some other purpose actually and are still in their draft stages but I couldn't resist putting this one up. Love the little asterisk eyes and the dash for a mouth.











I like this one too with its DIY 70s punk rock aesthetics.

She has captured the essence of the "me" that she knows with just type. I think it says, "I might be a little girl who loves pretty things but mess with me and I'll kick your ass!". No illustrations or photos needed.

A...B...C...D...Etc*

I'm a huge sucker for anything with typography on them...I remember when I first laid eyes on a copy of the Type Directors Club Annual many years ago. Wow!

Soon Lee is a fan too and their recent posts, here and here, reminded me of these.


















A housewarming gift for the host of the Wii party made by one of his closet friends.

A triptych on 30x30cm squares of stretched canvas of our host's most frequently-used words over the years of their friendship (The photos don't do them justice. A hate for flash photography + shaky hands = crap photos!)

It's such a sweet present , I think - like how certain smells or tunes open the memory floodgates, I'm sure these words will remind our host of the happy times they were having when he first uttered those "catchphrases" in her presence, and the many occasions after.

(*Borrowed from my best friend - it's part of his email address and Etc is the name of his band. He's quite clever like that. Sometimes.)

#3

This third "commissioned" piece is for Sez, a friend of Gervy's.

Gervorama is like Sellavision for these brooches. If they keep selling like the "Abdominizer" did on the home shopping channel in the early 90s, Ms G might find herself with a year's worth of chocolate truffles!

Well, Pretty Things...To Some

The geek in me has this immense curiosity and thirst for finding out how things work. I am no DJ but I do love my music and a little bit of dancefloor action sometimes and this gizmo, the Traktor Scratch, has been tickling my brain since I first came into contact with it on Saturday night.

It's a "tool" that allows DJs to play material that's been recorded on the digital medium like they would if they were on vinyl, live.

Somehow, via a computer programme, the little black box and a couple of records with special grooves, a DJ can call up any tunes saved digitally on his computer and scratch, mix and mess around, like DJs do, on those records with the magic grooves on the turntables. It's amazing! I mean, we've all converted the analogue signals of our favourite old records onto CDs before but the other way round?! I am in complete awe.

Then in the same evening, I lost my Wii virginity.

Our pal, the proud owner of the Traktor Scratch, invited us, along with a few other people, over for a "bowling tournament" on his newly-installed lean mean gaming machine.

Another mind-boggling revelation for a girl who only used to play Puzzle Bobble on the Playstation. That damn hand-held Wii remote transfers every move that your body makes onto your avatar on the TV screen! How?! I not only want to know. I want my own set now with the new-release Balance Board add-on to do yoga on. Please.

The Autumn Hope Street Markets

The Hope Street Markets has a new home this season. From the cosy Table for 20, a small two-level restaurant and bar, to...










...the Paddington Town Hall.










The bigger venue meant that more designers could participate and thus more eye candy for the shoppers and hopefully, more funds raised for the Hope Street charity. Some old favourites and familiar faces were back with new designs but there were also lots of crunchy fresh goods to be had.

Things that caught my magpie eyes today:

Rocking Horse brooch by Made By White







Deer "Taxidermy" brooch by Clare de Lune








Vintage-fabric-on-ply jewellery by The Strutt Sisters








Rebound Book notebooks by Natalie Crupi & Ben Mason







Wool drapes by As Horas De Madrugada












It's a shame we had to leave in less than 30 minutes, empty-handed, for I was nursing the mother of all hangovers - having to work my way to the front of the more interesting stalls, through the crowd, did my already sore and fuzzy head in. Good thing most of the designers I liked have online stores. Viva, the Internet!

Lunch At Catalonia - Six Months Later

Yay! A meal in a brightly sunlit courtyard on a beautiful autumn day = food photos in natural light, when I remember to take them before stuffing myself so if the plating of the food looks weird, it's no fault of the restaurant's.

Marinated Spanish anchovies on toast with a good smear of capsicum puree





Jamon Serrano ‘Gran Reserva’ - Spanish ham that's been cured for 18 to 36 months - with cripsbread


Spanish cured tuna with pickled cauliflower, walnuts and avocado - This dish didn't arrive in this lumpy mess at at our table. I forgot to take a photo when it arrived beautifully presented.

Finally! A shot with every component intact.

Manchego (a semi-hard Spanish sheep's milk cheese) croquettes with wild mushrooms and celeriac

Another pre-attack one!

Morcilla stuffed squid with lentils and saffron alioli - loved the crispy tempura squid tentacles garnish.


And then back to total failure.

Guinea fowl bisteeya with quince salad - a lovely spiced guinea fowl mix wrapped in little filo parcels sitting atop a salad of poached quince and finely shredded red cabbage. You'll have to use your imagination.

Desserts!

Pumpkin Crème Catalan with maple syrup and pecan ice cream - we've already tucked into it.


Churros con chocolate - Spanish 'donut' with a mousse-y chocolate dip with half the churros gone.





Ms Jackson, my partner-in-crime at my last place of employment, finally had a proper (as in not tired from being on her feet for long hours for a whole week and thus have to spend the day recuperating) day-off yesterday. She called and suggested lunch with a bit of a car ride thrown in for she knows I'm like an eager little puppy when it comes to driving out of the city. So in her old baby blue tank of a Volvo - I love that make of car, bulk and all - we drove across the bridge to Catalonia, a tapas place co-owned by Brian, who used to work with us.

The last time we saw him was six months ago, when we went for dinner in Catalonia's early days. It was great catching up with him, even if it was only for a few short minutes during his break, eating his tasty tapas and trying not to eat too much of the 'evil' complimentary sweet treats he sent out to us and not drink too much of Tom's fine selection of beverages (remember, Ms Jackson had to drive).

We miss him but are happy that he's done so well within just half-a-year. Go, B, go!

Catalonia
Shop 2
31A Fitzroy Street
Kirribilli
Sydney
Phone: 9922 4215
Website: www.catalonia.com.au

Close-up: Converse Lil (RED) Riding Hood

According to my blog-stats, a huge percentage of people who visited this likkle blog chanced upon it via their search for information on this pair of shoes.

Here, people, feast your eyes! Live from my living room floor.














On the drawstring calico shoebag that they came in. Note the two red eyelets on the bag - so in-line with the theme.














The out-side: A likkle red birdie at the heel. Likkle Red herself with a tiny basket. Two toadstools that I hope she's not going to pick.














The in-side: More cute likkle red birdies and two trees of what look like the coniferous species.














The insole: Completely red with a white birdie "perched" on the label.














End-credit: On the inside of the left shoe, on a splotch of white "paint" - (Artist # 3) - who is the super-talented Swedish illustrator-of-cutesyness Camilla Engman.

One of the birthday presents from the boyfriend. He knew I was kind of over owning them, bored with the wait (I wrote about them in February and they've only recently arrived in Hype) and had moved on to other covetables but sweet ol' him, who's also a fan of Converses, thought I should have them anyway because he doesn't want to hear me whinging, a few months down the road, about missing out should I change my mind about them (which I do pretty often with things) and when they are no longer available.

To get your own, here's a list of Hype stores in Australia. Be quick! They are selling out fast. Or go to the Connie-wonnie website.