photo jojo- pretty things for pretty pictures

Magnetic polaroid frames: a digital AND instant camera!;

chalkboard speech bubble; polaroid postcards

I was, ahem, 'researching' when I came across this website and Oh. My. Lots of swell things.

These are a few of my favourites, but they also have cute camera cases, amazing lens for your iPhone, tripods, instant cameras, and stuff for cool special effects like smoke, filters and colours, and light-developing fabric dye. lots of cool things. Makes me want to go take photos of EVERYTHING.

You can go have a look here.

Call it research.

Soft Maps

Loving these gorgeous Soft-Maps, quilts of cities and neighbourhoods made by Emily Fisher.
I wonder if I would have the patience, but I want one. (You can get a DIY kit here) Or a patchwork with my favourite neighbourhoods. Like a geography memory quilt.

Found via Emily's studio neighbour, the ever-lovely swissmiss.

the joy of books

via swissmiss

Be Optimistic

‘Be Optimistic’ Felt Badge by BestMade Co.
via swissmiss

practice being human

practice being human, a swell zine (made into pdf) by this lass.

A reminder.

MerJack

by DowdyStudio

He is a lumberjack! and a merman! with a beard!

Automatic Tea Making Apparatus

(images)

Did you know these existed? I almost fell off my chair. The ‘Teasmade’, combines an alarm clock and electric kettle which automatically boils water and adds it to a teapot at a specified time.

Invented in the early 1890's, went electric in the 1930's, popular in the 1960's & 70's, and I've found several articles claiming a comeback (this one in '97 and this one in '09). For years they've been regulated to retro novelty items, but they are also making new ones in a vintage style. Some of the old ones have photo frames in them, or bedside lamps.

My web-wandering led me to this guy who talks about the teamade and how it helps him to be more creative. He says to buy one.

He does.

tattly

The loveley swissmiss has turned her hand to temporary tattoos. Awesome temporary tattoos designed by ermerging artists and designers. Not just for kidlets, I've already bought the 'focus on happy', and am eyeing off more.

etsy & poppytalk love- camping

Compass Necklace; I'd rather be camping Papercut Postcard; Vintage Camping book, English, 1963; Everything........ (vintage shirt); Backyard Camping - An Original Vintage Photograph; Free Papercraft printable July 2011 Calendar via poppytalk; Felt Camp Fire; Antique Oil Lantern; a cute boy I found here. I would very much like to take him camping; 1950's antique thermos; Houndstooth baby bindana; 1oo% Authentic Bigfoot Hair; Vintage Canvas Backpack; Camp Journal via poppytalk.


Gee I like camping. I haven't been camping in years, I don't think. I would like to go in Spring, I think. I might plan it now, and then it might happen.

Where is nice to go camping in Queensland?



see the full (etsy only) treasury here

every day events into every day posters

Loving this growing collection of everyday posters, promoting every day events with posters to give them a sense of importance they ordinarily would not have. You can submit your own, if you're feeling inspired. Or just be lazy like me and check out everyone else's mundane-ness turned event posters.

My poster today would be 'sneezing so much your eyes water', brought to you by 'the common cold', supported by copious amounts of tea, vicks vapour rub and tissues. Showing at 12 noon in my dressing gown. By the makers of 'that sneeze that sits in your nose and makes you pull a funny face' and 'my nose is red and very unattractive'.

Every Day Posters Every Day.

stitch your way to success

Illustration by Andy Smith, his shop full of rad stuff is here, and he has a blog here.

I like his style.

Phone Boox

Take one unused red phone box. Add shelves, books and sign to make random community book exchange. Equals Awesome.

James Econ, the maker, explains: “I guess the point is you don't have to 'be' anything to make things happen. I'm not a designer, I'm not a bookworm and I'm not a carpenter. I just had an idea, and without really caring whether it would be 'a success' - more just wanting to see what would happen - I got on with it. ... That is exactly what I like so much about it; Socially Beneficial Creative Vandalism. Manifestation to deployment in one lazy Saturday afternoon.”

Phone Boox via springwise

I want this so much my eyeballs hurt from not having it

modern vintage style.

*swoon*

make something everyday

Creativity, I think, is a muscle. Use it often, and boldly, and it will grow. I'm a fan of 'doing every day' challenges, when you have a limited time frame and a work to produce, I think it switches off the critical part which demands perfection. Sometimes quantity is better than quality, I say.

So I particularly love this project, 365; make something every day, showcasing some of the projects chosen by participants. Some have subject themes (faces, two headed cats, self portraits, houses); some are focused on the technique (granny squares, drawing, beading, bookmaking, weaving, paper); and some do a bit of everything.

Don't take my word for it, go have a look. Lots of people make lots of interesting things.

And with that kind of quantity, you can pick and choose and build quality. Without the self confidence to run with an idea, any idea, it's impossible to make the leap into a perfect outcome. Make mistakes.

these are a few of my favourite things

Embroidered book covers for 'The Secret Garden', and 'Emma', and 'Black Beauty' too. Designed and embroidered by Jillian Tamaki, commissioned and published by Penguin Books (who I already adore for this series). The idea was inspired by the handmade craft craze that has proliferated on sites like Etsy. Imagine that!

They are beautiful, and could only be improved if they came in packages of brown paper and string, and the words turned into chocolate.

See more here.

the girl who loves to levitate

Speaking of superpowers, this girl likes to take photos of herself jumping in the air, and manages to look like she's like she's naturally levitating all over the city in an explicably graceful kind of way. Lovely.

Natsumi Hayashi is a sweet-looking Japanese girl who, one day, decided to take self-portraits..of herself levitating. She can be spotted in and around Tokyo, equipped with her SLR and her self-timer. When she feels the moment strike, she presses the shutter button down and then, quite literally, "jumps" into place.

What I love most about her shots is that they don't feel forced. Natsumi has a way of making us feel as though she naturally levitates throughout life.

"We are all surrounded by social stress as we are bound by the forces of earth's gravity," Natsumi says when asked why she took on the series. "So, I hope that people feel something like an instant release from their stressful days by seeing my levitation photos."

quotes by Alice via mymodernmet

(edit) click here for Natsumi's blog, with daily photos!

today will be awesome

via

my house

I'm planning to move to Brisbane this year, so I justify spending hours looking at pretty house interiors as research. For the pretty house my twin sister and I will share. I'm looking forward to living with her, and having a home again (not that staying in the country with my friends isn't lovely. It is. I like them very much too. But you know, my own place). I want

a pretty letterbox

shoes next to the door

high ceilings and wooden floors

a cosy kitchen with good cooking smells

a big friendly dining table

crochet blankets and reading lamps

bare feet in the vege patch

and some chickens

and of course a nice big bright studio.

.

If you live in Brisbane (or visit), I'd love to know: where's your favourite place to go out? what is your favourite suburb and why? Do you think I will like it there?

.

.

(images via frankie, mackapar, green is the new black, designspiration)

indoor yarn bombing

you know I love me a bit of yarn bombing (you can see mine here, and more here and here), so I really like the way Aurélie Mathigot has gone and put some inside. Look at that. Cute-o.

via poppytalk

if I'm nice to you, will you give me one?

of course you ought to turn vintage suitcases into couches.

And cupboards. And while you're at it, a typewriter lamp. They're all the work of Katherine Thompson, who takes old things and makes them even more lovely.

.

See more or buy some (you lucky duck) at recreate, or browse their blog.

via dudecraft