Tina's Camera Cake

How crazily cool is this cake by Tina's Cakery?! All I want to do now is learn how to make amazing cakes. And eat cake.

Nathaniel Kiwi

I went to Affordable Art Sydney a couple of months ago and overall, it was pretty underwhelming. And expensive. There was some saving grace towards the end of the massive hall though when we stumbled across a few younger artists.

Nathaniel Kiwi was one of those artists with his large size paintings of pop icons. His paintings bring a strong sense of familiarity and mix in an unexpected softness and playfulness. You can't help but smile!

Amusement : Pixxxel

I can't help but love these images by Amusement. Something about the irony of playtime, lego and porn mixed with censorship. Beat that!

I Want A Wacoal Bra (You Will Too)

Despite working in advertising for years, I can't say I've ever done anything as amazing as these Wacoal ads. Bonds have caught onto the formula, i.e. cute girls, underwear, music and dancing but perhaps this may serve to take them to the next level.

On another note, don't you think it's a little silly the cats are wearing bras but not knickers? Let me know what you think.

Thanks Ray!

20x200

I admit I get excited about alot of things. This is another one to add to that list.

20x200 works on the simple simple equation:
(limited editions x low prices) + the internet = art for everyone

Which is exactly what art should be (not stuck in a gallery or put up on a pedestal). Here are some of some of the prints I'm pining over. I'd love to buy them, but despite being accessible, the postage is so expensive to Australia and I can't quite bring myself to pay it quite yet...oh the irony.

Mount Kimbie: Before I Move Off

Mount Kimbie had a massive 2010 coming out of nowhere to take our dubstep/ambient/electronic hearts by storm.
Needless to say, I'm a tad exciting to see them play in March!

This is one of my favourite tracks, and this new clip makes me want to pick up my camera. And go to Japan. And have trendy adventures.

Peace.

Vogue's Fafi Kids

Have you seen these before? I only came across them recently (I don't know what took me so long!) and think they're adorable. The shoot is such a subdued take compared to other interpretations of Fafi's work and so interesting for the look and feel to be paired up with the kids.

What are your thoughts?

via Baby Art Blog

Ermadid

Everytime I wander through art galleries and gaze at the portraits I always think about how amazing it is that they've lasted the test of time. I bet they didn't think they'd be hanging up for all to see when that sat for it! I've always fancied the idea of one of me (after all, in a hundred years it could be anywhere), but perhaps this is a much cooler, less stuffy way to go.

Ermadid on Etsy is a pretty cool chick and for only $100, you can e-mail a high res photo of yourself and two weeks later you get a cute, quirky portrait. If you're stuck for a present idea it would be perfect =)

Going Up The Country by Kitty, Daisy & Lewis

I thought I had my future kids names all sorted, but Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are too adorable! More then just some gorgeous names though are a band of siblings that play music that make you want to get up and dance. Hell, it would even get my grandma up and dancing. Even better, they have both their mum and dad in the band too.

If you're in Sydney, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are playing for FREE on Sydney Festival First Night on Saturday January 8 (oh wow that's next week!). I'll be there dancing up a storm so I hope to see you there!

Gloria Marigo

I'm not really a fan of butterflies but these beautiful photographs by Gloria Marigo could possibly change my mind...

2010: Things I Did This Year

Inspired by a Frankie feature and some advice from Siimon Renyolds years go to "review your year" I looked back and surprised even myself (how could I forget #17?!).

So what did I do in 2010?

1. Fell more madly in love with my boyfriend

2. Danced and sang my heart out to George Michael- someone who I’d never thought I’d see

3. Realised what I didn’t want in a job

4. Visited Berry, Brisbane and Tamworth for the first time and loved it

5. Finally bought a digital SLR camera and took a photography course (and found out I wasn’t very good!)

6. Got really excited over the birth of not one but FOUR beautiful babies (Lily, Rose, Archie & Madeline), and found out my sister is pregnant.

7. Watched the first of, and one of my best friends get married. And cried.

8. Put way more effort into my side project Sparkapolooza and had a sigh of relief when Laura started helping out! (and got some coverage- people care!)

9. Moved into a beautiful, adult house in Newtown

10. Cooked and baked more than I ever have in my life- and impressed a few people along the way

11. Went camping/to a multi-day festival for the first time ever (even though it was kinda cheating and we hired a converted Tarago for the occasion)

12. Combined my super and signed up for health insurance. Yeah!

13. Discovered the joys of Marrickville Bowling Club. Things will never be the same again.

14. Hung out with Laura lots and egged each other on to be more creative

15. Kept my blog going- not very consistently, but it’s still alive!

16. Went to see the Olafur Eliasson @ the MCA with Ray and Justin, and had one of the most memorable days ever

17. Got naked with thousands of other people to be part of the Spencer Tunick installation at the Opera House and made it in the Daily Tele!

18. Held back tears when my boyfriend surprised me with this amazing Wheels & Dolls Baby leopard print coat.

19. Actually saved some money. Wow.

20. Saw some amazing live theatre- August: Osage County at Sydney Theatre Company was amazing & Van Park at Sydney Fringe Festival made me so happy I could burst. Both very highly recommended.

So that's me for 2010. Onwards and upwards with 2011 already shaping up to be full of surprises. What did you get up to in 2010? I'd love to know your list!

2010 image via Ernesto Lago

Christmas Protest

ZOMG cuteness by One Point Oh. Christmas is coming!

via chalaska

Running for Cover

A rain inspired post.

How long my umbrella lasts until I lose or it fails in the face of the wind is proportionate to how much I pay for it. And not in the way you would think. The more I pay for an brollie, the shorter its lifespan. A couple of years back I decided to forgo the dodgy ten buck umbrella and invest in something more durable. Sixty-five dollars later ... it's lifespan? Two uses. On some random street, a piece of plastic, probably worth two cents, broke, making the entire thing useless. Meanwhile, a two euro umbrella I bought at (a Two Euro Store ... is there such a thing?) has survived since August. Bastards.

Umbrellas are temperamental things. A sight you'd be familiar with walking to work any rainy morning is the battered corpses of metal and polyester, formerly known as umbrellas. Discarded by its owners, it lies there looking sad and motionless. There's something quite beautiful about umbrella roadkill. Maybe it's the sight of justice.

XXXO Remix by Oli Chang

I kinda sorta liked this MIA track when I heard it, but then that turned to a certain type of puppy dog love once I heard that remix.

Or perhaps that's for Oli Chang.

I'm already envisioning the contemporary dance routine to this track...

The Front Page

In an age when the obituary of the newspaper has been written many times over - often 140 characters at a time - I still find time to read a physical copy of a newspaper each day.

Part of what I love about the newspaper, in it's traditional form, is the front page.

Online, I'm able to filter so much information that I'll often only click on the stories I'm into. Sure, there's a link to something about the war, but do I really want to read another story on Afghanistan? Especially when there's an feature article on some new social trend that will have died the moment the story went to print.

But when an editor puts a story like Afghanistan on page one, above the fold, he or she is telling you it's important. There's a hundred articles in our paper, but this is the one you ought to read.

It also reminds me of some of the movies I used to watch growing up. Whenever there was big event, you'd have the scene where a truck drives by and throws a stack of newspaper onto the ground, whatever headline centre of shot. What are they going to do now? Show an iPad instead?

The front page still has a huge symbolic value, and done well, makes a statement or sums up the mood of its readers.

And it is for these reason (and with a firm understanding of irony) that one of my new favourite sites is the Front Page blog. Each day the website shows the front page of all the major U.S newspapers. From the Boston Globe to the L.A Times and USA Today, it's got it there.

So if the death of the newspaper is indeed imminent, I'll be front row, in black, mourning at it's funeral.