☂

The symbol used in the title of this post is extremely appropriate and relevant to the weather right now - it has been on and off raining all week! I used to love heavy rain back at home in the country, but now that I'm living in the city and having to run all there errands, it really gets in the way! Plus umbrellas can be such a nuisance to carry in strong winds - I find they always invert and then render totally useless. Oh well, that's life! I still love rain when I'm staying indoors drinking tea and reading, or watching a film. I've basically just been working on some projects before class goes back on the 29th of July and I just started a marketing class last Tuesday, which was interesting but a little draining in some areas, it may be useful to my future career though so I think I shall stick with it!

I find it so hard to keep up weekly post updates, even though it doesn't seem like much to do it actually requires so much time and energy to design one - it should be a graded project all in itself!

I've been inspired by a few things this past week, here they are presented in collage format:

Here's been my past two weeks in images:

1. Work in progress photo of my illustration of Brigitte Bardot, which I finished and uploaded in my last post.
2. Another illustration in the works.
3. Flowers collected from the garden for illustration studies.
4. Kind of in love with this Minkpink chiffon sleeveless shirt I purchased from Princess Polly, I can't pass up something with such cute gems on the collar!
5. Another purchase from Princess Polly (can you tell I'm a little bit obsessed with online shopping yet?) - Minkpink leopard print dress and kitten eye sunglasses.
6. Although I do love the winter time, I crave the energy of spring and summer, as well as the scents at the fruit markets and the flowers blooming in the garden - this ombre dress will be a staple in summer, as well as this lace cardigan from Topshop, I envision!
7. More end of financial year purchases from Princess Polly - another Minkpink item - this marigold coloured skirt will be so nice for the springtime paired back with a white tee or high neck singlet and my jellies + Mum managed to score these two barely worn shoes by Lipstik and Zu at the local opshop back at home - they fit perfectly and are so lovely. This is one of the reasons why I love opshopping so much!
8. After all the dark clouds and rain downpours, a pretty rainbow managed to make it's way out in the city.
9. I spent a lovely day out breathing the fresh air in the countryside last Sunday, although it was so freezing out there! This is an image of the little ruin on my family's block of land. I hope one day to built a home in the countryside and live there but right now, that's just a wonderful dream.

Here is an 8tracks playlist I created in dedication to my favourite Twin Peaks character, Miss Audrey Horne.

Vixen from bambisvalentine on 8tracks Radio.

That's all for this week's entry, till next time! ♡

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.

Raspberry Pies and Doll's Eyes

Here has been my week gone past, in instagram images:

1. Finished my portrait of Jane Birkin, goddess among women.
2. Dress making featuring my own illustrated prints, origami style! If only I were skilled enough to be able to create my own dresses in this shape.
3. I've really gotten into silk and chiffon scarves again, they have an old-world type of glamour about them and can really liven up a plain outfit! This one I thrifted for a nifty $1 at my local Salvos and it features safari style prints of various animals.
4. Trying out different outfit combinations is such a great way of discovering things in my wardrobe which mesh well and I also get the chance to revive clothes I'd totally neglected to notice I rediscovered this Edwardian inspired cream high neck blouse and added a lovely black lace bow I purchased years ago. I felt a bit like Colonel Sanders but in a more feminine and vintage way.
5. I baked my usual batch of lemon cupcakes and added some lemon cream cheese icing, which was ~ pardon the pun ~ just the icing on the cake! It works nicely with green tea and Earl Grey tea.
6. I made a green chicken curry with vermicelli noodles for the first time, it was super yummy and I can imagine it going down a treat for a cold winter's night.

Here is another mix I made with the same title as this post - it's sweet with a little bit of sass, and some forlorn love songs thrown in for good measure.

See you next time! ♡

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.

Panache - Kinderwhore

The kinderwhore style movement is one that is particularly influencing my fashion choices of late. This year I have seen so many detachable collars and lacey, flowy pastel coloured fabrics on the runway and then translated to the chain stores. These trends have been reminding me so much of this particular "fashion movement", if it can be identified as such. The style was sweet but in a decayed, de-constructed and disturbed way - sort of like a child pretending to dress up in her mother's clothing and make-up - the messier the better. The juxtaposition of the two elements - sweet and demented - is what gives this style such appeal, both in a nostalgic, child-like sense and a sexualised, adapted-for-adult kind of way. Some of those who adapted and utilised this style are notables such as Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland, but the style is evident in aspects of dress by D'Arcy Wretzky and Wednesday Addams. I like the girly sweetness that it evokes but it becomes more interesting with the darker edge added. I'm always coming across various items in op shops that frequently remind me of the era of this style reigned in (which was the very late 80's and early 90's up until the mid 90's) - particularly dresses with sweet lace peter pan collars or the squared collars, but also through mary jane flat shoes, frilled lace socks and hair bows.

Until next time ♡

Hole - Doll Parts

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!

Waves.

Uni has been so stressful lately, that I've been finding it difficult to have time to myself to pursue personal projects! But luckily the semester break starts after this week, so at least I can get a chance to do everything that I want to.

Floral jackets that I found at my favourite vintage shop. I am in love with the pastel one, reminds me of Saved By the Bell. I also love the bright pink, green, blue and yellow Hawaiian style one on the bottom.

Almost finished her! But I still have to paint in the flowers and add final details. I am happy with the progress. This coming break will give me time to finish this painting and start a new one, perhaps. :)

Jewelry from Sportsgirl. An Egyptian bangle (I am a sucker for anything Egyptian-related) and a diamante cross bracelet. And below are some cute rings that were 30% off the reduced price (so cheap!) I love anything to do with owls too.

A wooden own my sister bought for me whilst on exchange in Germany last year. Love her for that.

I have wanted a bowler hat for a while, and I finally found a nice wool one on sale.

I am having a bit of an obsession with ear cuffs at the moment. I've already collected around 8, and there will probably be more to come, haha. :)

Here are two songs that I am loving at the moment.
Lana Del Ray - Video Games

She has such a lovely voice.

The Cardigans - Lovefool

This song reminds me of the 90's, and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.

Wanderlust.

Yesterday it started to rain out of the blue and the sky turned orange! I peered timidly out of my window and saw a lovely rainbow up in the clouds.

I found this cropped shirt whilst thrifting at my favourite new and vintage shop, it's lovely for summer and I will definitely be packing it with me for my summer holidays.

I just love this dress I found vintage shopping. It is truly amazing, with a high neck, bodycon style and super cute print, its going to be perfect for the summer months ahead.

I wanted a nice sling bag that wasn't too small, and this one from sportsgirl was perfect. It has a cute 70's vibe with the patchwork going on.

I absolutely adore these clip on 80's earrings I found at a vintage stall about a month ago. They are amazing!

I also bought these three flower wreaths from sportsgirl, as I love whimsical things like this. They're great for spring, walking amongst the gardens in the city.

Painted my nails a rather winter colour this week, I didn't feel like using a bright colour, but I think I will change it soon, as my mood improves if I'm wearing a nice happy shade. :)