✌

The last time I posted was over a month ago! i'm quite angry at myself for not being able to keep up with blogging, but I'm sure those of you who study can understand how difficult it is to find the time to blog and keep up with the amass of projects to meet deadlines for. I'm going to do a quick little update of where I am in life right now, and maybe find the time to post a longer entry in the near future. :)

I've been working on my projects for studio at the moment, still studying the history of the English language and deciphering different dialect and accent recordings of the British Isles. It's a bit job but I am closer to finishing after working on this project since March this year. I honestly cannot believe how quickly this year has gone! I thought 2012 was a fast year, but this has been crazy fast! Spring is now here and I've been craving the hot weather more that I ever have before this year! I'm excited for long hazy days spent with ice cream cones by the pool, reading my favourite magazines and novels. ♥ Despite this, the weather has been super up and down over the past few week, with dramatic bursts of rainfall one moment, to clear blue sunny skies the next! I'll never understand the weather around here, it makes it so hard to plan outfits for the day!

These are my instagram updates of the things that have been going on in my life of late.

1. You can probably tell I am in love with my jellybean shoes, but it's just because they're so cute and comfy, the fact that they are nostalgic is a bonus factor!
2. Part of my haul from the recent sample sale of Finders Keepers the Label, Keepsake the Label and Cameo the Label in my city - it was amazing and I picked up 10 designer pieces for only $100! These skirts are so beautiful and satisfy my craving for shiny clothing!
3. Model making out of regular ol' paper for uni. I am terrible with craft=related projects!
4. More model-making - my attempts at making some tissue papier-mâché egg decorations!
5. I've been living in these shorts by Finders Keepers the Label recently - they're such a flattering cut and the mint colour is beautiful!
6. Another part of my recent haul, these are the dresses. The teal dress is really lovely. ❤



Until next time, keep on dreaming. ♥

Welcome to the Doll-house

This week has been quite full on, even though it is a study break (not for me, now that I'm post-grad now)! But I do enjoy a bit of a challenge from time to time. As I write, the weather is quite dreadful outside - it is pouring rain everywhere and is freezing! Though I do love this type of weather when I am safe and tucked up in my bed with a good book and a lovely cup of warm milky tea. I've been working fervently on my projects this week and I am glad I still have another week to catch up to the level I wish to be at.



Here's my week in images:

1. While the weather was still mild and lovely, my sister and I visited the beach and walked along the jetty - it was a nice change of pace from the city environment.
2. My old ceramic teapot finally gave up the ghost and thus I desperately needed a new tea pot, so I purchased this one from T2, which is of course my new obsession!
3. New purchases - pretty mint jumper from Vinnies for $12, Picnic at Hanging Rock special 2-disc edition (I have been wanting to see the documentary on the making of the film forever!) for $15 and 4 Maybelline Babylips lip balms in Berry Crush for $10.
4. A little more additions - Dotti pork pie hat in a khaki colour for $9.95 + floral anklet socks for $5.95 and scored some free American Apparel hold up tights, which I have been needing for winter!
5. New Frankie magazine (so beautiful, I love the embossing on the cover!) and Sportsgirl studded slipper shoes for only $13 from $80! Bargain!
6. One of my favourite outfits from this week - my new favourite mint jumper, pleated chiffon mini skirt, heart print tights and my classic gold watch.

The following images are things I had been working on during the last month and a bit of this month as one of my studio projects for a design forum held at my university - basically I just designed some of the promotional material for the afternoon. This included a GIF animation to be displayed in the lecture theatre and a series of posters at different sizes, which were stuck up around the university. I was looking at incorporating the notion of designers as multi-faceted individuals, layered and diverse (as illustrated by the spectrum the 10 creates). The gradation goes up/down by 10% and there are 10 10s in the spectrum. The concept also draws upon the idea of light rays and direction.

The animation. The poster series.

This is one bit of the concept work I am currently doing for a cover design of the next British Journal of Aesthetics competition. I am looking into the motion of the framework and skeletal structure as the function behind the form of the object it supports (as the theme is form and function) and studying the process of metamorphosis and change through blooming flowers and life cycles.



Here is another playlist I created this week to herald in the notion of transcendence and lightness.

≈ Transcendence ≈ from bambisvalentine on 8tracks Radio.

Time for Tea

❀ I dream of Ladurée. ❀


Hello again, ♡

This week has not been very eventful, I have just been drinking lots of tea and walking, jogging and yoga-ing regularly to keep my energy levels sky-high. I haven't been drawing as much as I'd like to lately, which is annoying seeing as I have more time spare, yet the days go by so quickly that I can barely keep track anymore!

Talk and tea is his specialty, said Giles. Come along inside... We'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place."
~ The Wind in the Willows

The above quote from the wonderful The Wind in the Willows cements the concept of "teatime" as a positive, wholesome and joyous ritual perfectly. Taking tea with cake or any other form of delicate sweet foodstuffs is an age old tradition that has been embedded in daily life for many thousands of years. From the ancient Egyptian creation of bread saturated with honey to the elegant tiered wedding cakes, and the tea-drinkers of ancient China to modern day convenient tea-bags, tea and cake are essentially a basic part of life, a way of life and a part of humanity constantly.

Tea is a massive part of my life and existence in general. Without it, I hardly think I'd be sane! I can drink it at any time of the day, during any season of the year and it doesn't matter what variety of tea it is, it will always make me feel lovely and warm inside. Green tea is my ultimate favourite, although I usually love all tea I try. Another part of my life is cake and other sweet treats taken with tea. Although I try to limit my intake of high sugar foods, I can never resist a small smackerel of cake or a macaron in my morning or afternoon to keep me calm until lunch/dinner. I associate tea and cake with different traditions they are included in, such as morning or afternoon tea, Devonshire tea and High Tea parties. I loved, as I'm sure other girls did, setting up little seats and tables for my toys and then adorning the miniature table with components from a little children's tea set, the imaginative elements of such a game were enhanced by the natural openness of mind all children posses, which they use to broaden everyday mundane life.

I really want to visit Ladurée in gay Paree someday, they sweet delights they concoct are like something out of Harry Potter, or some wild fantasy realm where the sun always shines softly and creates beautiful rainbow refractions throughout the rays. There are pastries, cupcakes, macarons, cakes, tarts and slices, all multi-coloured and decorated with an air or magic and make-believe. I feel that the gossamer silken fingers of fairies must have produced these beautiful foodstuffs, I can just imagine little fairy huts situated in the kitchen area, light emerging from the tiny wooden window frames revealing many little creatures hard at work producing these amazingly intricate and scrumptious treats.

I am also reminded of the various scenes in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, with the lavish spreads filled to the brim with cake and other saccharine-sweet confectioneries. The cakes of Ladurée would fit so well with this extravagant era of history.

Tea and cake are the perfect couple and can never be separated, they provide comfort in times of need, and the sight of a little pink cupcake next to some piping hot milky English Breakfast tea will never fail to produce a smile on my face and bring the roses to my cheeks. •

❀ Collage inspiration. ❀

Here are a few snapshots of things that have related to my life at this present moment. (From L-R, top to bottom):
1. This beautiful dress is by Minkpink and was on sale, so I couldn't resist. It has a marine sailor ~vibe~ going on and is really flattering on! (even though horizontal stripes are supposed to make you look fat, it don't ever believe these things). I have combined it with my gold collar Sportsgirl necklace, Sunflower perfume, gold Topshop sandals and gold eco-drive Citizen watch.
2. Reading an illustrated edition of Picnic at Hanging Rock, one of my favourite novels.
3. Trying to work on developing my website, I have so many different concepts that it is so hard to stick to one idea, but many ideas are better than no ideas!
4. Another outfit combo, combining pastel ice cream shades - a 70s/80s pink lace and ribbon blouse, with a lavender Valleygirl skirt, lemon yellow Dotti socks, Frankie 2013 journal, Vera Wang's Princess and my ultimate favourite lip balm, Baby-Lips.
5. Found this orange and black number whilst op-shopping, it has super strong 60s ~vibes~.
6. Life affirmations to keep me inspired.



That's all I have to share with you today, until next time, here's a playlist I created which fits the theme of this post well.

In the Dollhouse Made of Ladurée from bambisvalentine on 8tracks Radio.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Hello lovelies! ♡♡♡

I somehow managed to finish my intensive uni course, now I will just be waiting on the results. But it was really difficult, I had to basically make and finish everything in the night before the project was actually due. I was up until around 3.20am and my mum thought I was mental, but as I try to tell myself, you must suffer for your art! I have had one week to recover and spend time with my family, so I would take a break from reality and the internet and get back into fresh air and natural surroundings. I also took it as time to reflect and mourn on the loss of my beloved pet dog, who sadly passed away - it shocked me and I think I will continue to carry a heaviness within myself for a while, but time will heal all wounds.

R.I.P my love.

While it's been freezing cold over here at the moment, I am cheering myself up with beautiful spring shades - I love all pastel colours and I can't wait until spring to start wearing more light and airy clothing, like chiffon shirts and skater skirts, without requiring a woollen jumper over the top to give me warmth! Both Chanel and Tsumori Chisato have been inspiring me lately with these collections, filled with sugary sweet clothing. The first four images are items of clothing living inside my wardrobe.

Found this dress whilst thrifting, it is an old school Katie's piece; I just really love the lilac colour and the destroyed, kinderwhore-esque hemline. It adds character.

This was also found thrifting - I just couldn't go past the marshmallow pink colour. It is such a cute little sweater for transeasonal weather.

This was from Dotti during a sale - it has lace and also velvet, so it is a winner in my books.

This was a thrifted item, how cute is it?!? I call it my marshmallow top as it is so frilly and pink! Its really lovely and light, a quirky twist on the gypsy/peasant style tops.

Chanel Resort 2013 and Tsumori Chisato Fall 2011. Images from http://www.vogue.com.au/fashion+shows/ready+to+wear/chanel+2013,s9407 (Photographer: Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com) + tumblr.com

I found these amazing shoes online and was debating about their wearability for the longest time, but after showing others the shoes I decided that they would be a lovely addition to my little wardrobe. They were already on sale and I also had a coupon to use at the checkout, so they were further reduced, which is always nice. :) They did not look so glittery on the website but in real life...wow. They are simply pure beauty. Under down lights they sparkle so intensely I am sure that I will blind people if they get too close to them! They give me nostalgia for the glitter jelly shoes I owned when I was young, except with ten times the sparkle factor. They give a new meaning to the term twinkle toes!

Also, if someone would like to buy me these Ellery x Graz Quixote sunglasses for my 21st I would be eternally grateful! :)

This song is currently on repeat in my playlist :3





That's all for now!

Silver Peony

Hi everybody! ♡♡♡

I have not been up to much over this past week, apart from reading about moon lore and designing wherever I can. I went for a drive yesterday after not driving in 2 years (I know it's bad, but I down own a car in the city and I particularly hate driving!). It was not so bad, seeing as driving is one of my least favourite activities to do, but I didn't stall and still knew how to drive easily; I really don't think I can ever forget such as harrowing experience as learning to drive! But at least I am on my P2's and on my way to getting my full license.

I finished the illustration I had been meaning to complete weeks ago, but due to laziness, it was only finished recently! But it is done now and I feel a lot more happy for it, crossing items off lists is always a good feeling!

This is the original illustration that I created. I decided to title it "Foxy Lady", harking back to the Jimi Hendrix song and I subtitled it "Mountaineer" - relating it to themes of adventure and exploration.

I wanted to edit the image and try to explore different techniques in Photoshop to make the drawing more lively, so I added a scene of forests and snow-covered mountains as well as a moon and some stars. The whole theme and feel of the illustration was relating to winter and alpine imagery, and the fox makes me think of The Animals of Farthing Wood. which was something I used to watch as a child.

Well, I have had one last online shopping spree and purchased these items, once again from Freez:

I really loved the floral print on the shirt, it reminded me of a tropical island getaway. The necklace has the cutest image of a peace symbol created out of daisies printed on it. The kaftan style top looks really great for the rest of the summer month - I already own the same style of this with a different print and I love it, so carefree and I can be teamed with fitted pants, shorts or skirts.

Uni goes back in a few weeks time, so I will try to keep regular updates on this blog, but I'm not sure that I can promise it as I am in the final year of my degree and I really need to be focussed entirely upon my work! But if I can at least update once a week, I will feel less guilty about neglecting my blog.

That's it for now, until next time. ♥

There She Goes - Sixpence None the Richer

Persian Jewel

Afternoon everyone!

I completed a new illustration yesterday, entitled "Cascade" as the hair represents cascading water. It is subtitled "Birds of Paradise" due to the rainbow doves. :) I used felt tips/fine liners, pencils and dried flowers to create this.

I bought some new clothing online at Ladakh (due to the crazy low prices of the sale of course!).

The bargains that can be found online are so amazing yet so addictive so after this I am calling it quits and I'll will myself not to buy any new clothing throughout the year - my small apartment space will help me to stick to this goal!

I'm still working on my other drawing (unfortunately I couldn't stick to my promise to have it finished by the end of last week) - but I am on the homestretch now and I've only got a few more things to do. I plan to start maybe one more illustration after this, and I'll also need to get back into developing my skills for uni, since this is my final year! I'm quite scared about that, I'm always afraid that I wont be good enough or it'll be so hard to get work after graduating. I hope it wont be too hard. :(

I'll leave you all with a song. I will create another post tomorrow. x

Epiphany

I have been busy creating and drawing after going a while without creating anything! I have almost finished one of my works which has been in progress for almost a month now (this is what holidays do to me - make me lazy!). I am quite happy with it overall, but once it is complete I shall be more enthused.

As you can see the fox still has quite a bit of detailing to go, but once I've mapped out the appropriate areas to work on, it is much easier to accomplish.

This is also an illustration that I completed yesterday for a university publication - I drew it with felt tip markers and then edited it in photoshop; it is entitled "Daydreaming". I really love working with markers, as you can draw such nice bold thin strokes as well as thicker strokes, to give an image more depth.

Oh, I also ordered the most beautiful dress yesterday, it is such a nice soft colour and print, with lovely billowing sleeves - I just love anything with interesting textures and shapes.

Ladakh Dandelion Dress - $25.00

I also bought this lovely Indian-inspired printed kaftan by Mink Pink for $15.00.

Mink Pink Scorpio Rising Kaftan - $15.00

I am currently reading "Geisha" by Liz Dalby, it is quite interesting to see how different Japanese culture is from Australian, it almost seems like an entirely different realm from mine, but I suppose every different country we visit is like stepping through a portal into an entirely separate world.

I shall leave you now with a song. ♥

Goldfrapp - Yellow Halo

Sail Away

Inspiration for the week...

Hello all! This week has been very uneventful, I have been doing nothing but reading, drawing, sleeping and trying to keep up my design skills. I am trying to come up with ideas for illustrations pertaining to different topics for my universities magazine, but I am struggling a little! I'm not feeling very motivated, but maybe tomorrow or later tonight I will be struck by inspiration, like lightning! :) I am also STILL continuing work with my latest illustration, and I promise that it will definitely be finished by the end of this coming week! Then I plan to begin one more, probably all that I will be able to do before leaving home again to go back to university. I will miss it here immensely, even the intensely hot humid weather that has been occurring lately.

Oh, I also bought two new dresses online from Freez - they are my new favourite online clothing store!

August Street Vintage Dress - $29.00

August Street Shirt Dress - $29.00

Minkpink Theory Tee - $15.00

Fleetwood Mac - Sisters of the Moon