15 Things in The Year of The Sheep : An Update

Ahhhh yes. It's that time of year again, that glorious time when I publicly shame myself by revisiting all those things I said I'd do when I had a song in my heart and a skip in my step and a firm delusion belief that this year would be different.

But guess what? With an average grade of B (-ish) things actually aren't looking too shabby so far, despite life throwing its usual hilarious curve balls at us. So, with head held high, I present this update on 15 things in the Year of the Sheep.

1. Read more. Specifically, read at least fourteen books in twelve months. B-. Slow but steady progress. I feel like I'm closer to achieving this than the stats say, because the stats say that I've only actually finished three books. But I'm reading pretty much every day, and I'm reading on flights, and when I'm waiting at the doctors, and when I'm out eating solo, so it feels like more. I've tackled a few doorstoppers to date, but I've got some thinner reads lined up so I'm hoping to make some more ground on this one in the coming months.

If you're interested so far I've read: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (excellent in all kinds of ways); The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (I hate to say it but...disappointing; parts of it are so over the top and hysterical - all that mooning over a girl - but parts of it are heart achingly sad/beautiful - the fish and chip shop scene for one, but on balance, disappointing); and Waiting for Doggo by Mark Mills (a bit of light fluff, completely inoffensive, I forgot it as soon as I read it).

I'm currently most of the way through Questions of Travel by Michelle de Krester, which I'm thoroughly enjoying, especially for the writing on travel and the way it captures the very essence of Sydney. And I'm on the brink of finishing This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett, a collection of essays that I cannot possibly say enough good things about. If you have any interest in writing, or family, or dogs, or friendship, or life, go read it. Go read it now.

I've been on the brink of finishing it for awhile, but I can't quite bring myself to. Not because I don't want to say goodbye to such a great book, but because the second last essay starts "Two days before my dog Rose died..." and I haven't yet been able to make it past that opening sentence.

2. Read more blogs. Randomly quantified with the goal of posting three thoughtful comments a week. D-. Like most things I have good weeks and bad.  Okay, good months and bad. This past month has been a bad one.

3. Blog more. Specifically, blog at least six times per month. A+++. Six posts every month in 2015! Oh yeah! I'm a flipping bloggy superstar, no?

4. Write more. About everything. Specifically, write a My... post every month in 2015. A. I might just squeeze them in on the last day of the month but I've got them done. I've really enjoyed writing them; I hope you've enjoyed reading them. I think my favourite to date as been the one on travel.

5. Related, pitch at least five stories to magazines. F. I made one pitch, which translated into an article on modern lace makers - three profile pieces, plus an introduction, plus a bunch of photos. Ummm, Y to the AY! You'll be able to see it in the upcoming Issue 26 of Uppercase. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

I also had the chance to interview the lovely and clever Helena Leslie for Extra Curricular (she did the cover illustration for their Messy issue, which you can find here). Outside of that I've done zip, zero, zilch. And seeing as things are all a bit akimbo in our life right now (yet again! more on that later...) realistically it's probably all I will get to do this year.

6. Finish my 365 project on Instagram. A. Half way through and going strong! You can see some of my favourites here, or follow me on Instagram to get the full shebang!

7. Hit fifty sales in my Etsy shop, Jorpins Vintage. B. On track! I'm sitting on 26 items sold. I've got a ton of amazing stock still to clean and photograph and list. I'm feeling vaguely confident about this one.

8. Finish three walking events. C. I completed the 22km Jabulani Challenge in April (yay me!), and I've signed up for the 9km Bridge Run - not a long distance but it has tight-ish (for a walker!) cut off times, so it'll help me focus on pace. As for the third event...stay tuned!

9. Walk 1500 kilometres by the end of December. C. I was doing really well with this! I was doing a good 25 to 35kms per week, I made it to Forster, and then, well, life happened. The past few weeks I've barely managed 15kms. But, thanks to my cheer squad (aka the Operation Move community!) I'm feeling inspired again. I've got a plan to kickstart things, this goal isn't over yet!

10. Sort my health out. B+. I've been seeing the dentist regularly and we've got a long term plan for a bunch of stuff. I finally got around to getting a pap smear, and discussed contraception pros and cons with a GP. The other day I even visited an optometrist for a full eye health check up. Next on the list - physio.

11. Cook at least one new meal for the family each month. B. I haven't been keeping track of this, but I feel like we've been kicking its arse. I recently refreshed our cookbook shelf - ditched some we'd never used and bought some new-to-us classics (ie. everything by Karen Martini).

We've been cooking at home, heaps. Okay, yes, maybe last night we had tacos, again, but we have been adding some new stuff to our standard repertoire. This sausage ragu has become a firm favourite. We've also tackled mince pies, chicken pot pies, all kinds of stews and soups, and a slow roasted lamb cooked on the BBQ.  Have I told you how much I adore winter cooking? I freaking adore it.

12. Related, attend two cooking classes. F. Nope. The one I had booked got cancelled. Right now unless someone is willing to provide two all expenses paid trips - one to Italy, one to Thailand - I can't see this happening.

13. Watch twelve movies. And blog about them. D-. Well, I am watching loads of new movies this year, but I'm not really blogging about them. I do have some draft posts, just asking to be finished. So maybe.

14. Organise my office, and keep it organised. B+. I had been chipping away at this, little by little, and then last week I spent two whole days on a final push. It's still not there but it's really, really, really close.

15. Do more road trips! F. I've wanted to, I've really wanted to, but I just haven't. I did have one booked, but I had to cancel (for a pretty substantial reason, none of this dog ate my homework stuff). The next six months are looking good though - we've got trips to Canberra, Thredbo,  and the Hunter Valley planned. Oh, and I'm hopefully heading to Cowra to meet this talented lady!

Do you have a list of things you were hoping to achieve this year? How are you tracking?

14 Things in The Year of the Horse : An Update

Does doing something two years in a row make for a tradition? Yes? In that case - I have a new year tradition of writing a list of things I want to get done in the next twelve months or so, and posting them on the blog. The idea is to start the year off on an optimistic note and focus my mind on the things I really want to achieve.

During the year I like to revisit this list and grade my efforts. Mainly for comedic value. Things generally don't quite pan out the way I think they will, so I often review the list thinking 'how naive! how sweet! how innocent!'. 2014 has been no exception. 

I prepared a little infographic to explain...*

So yeah, my year hasn't quite gone as planned so far. I really underestimated the all consuming nature of the tail end of the renovation. (On the flip side I also really underestimated the awesomeness of completely unexpected things like Voices of 2014 coming my way too.)

I know it's a little late for an update (where has this year gone?!) but my list for 2014 was based on the lunar New Year because I'm a bit slow off the mark with these things. Technically I've still got three whole months before my deadline is up, so a November update it is.

The grades are going to be low this year, very very low. But, plough on we must...(also, channel Yoda we must)...

1. Read more. Specifically, read at least twelve books in twelve months. C+. I'm reading more, but I'm also reading very, very slowly. BUT - focus on the positives - I am making a concerted effort to read at least a few pages every, single day. And my brain is thanking me for it.

I've read six books since January, my favourite by far being Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas. And there were two quick, gulp it down reads I quite liked too -  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healy.

Currently I'm ploughing through A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I'm also building a kind of scaffold structure around my 'to read' pile to stop it from falling over. It's pretty out of control.

2. Blog more. Specifically, blog at least six times per month. F. *falls about laughing* *wipes tears of hilarity from eyes* *gasps for breath between guffaws* Up to the end of October I've averaged 3.1 posts per month for 2014. Yep, definitely a fail. For so many good, valid reasons that I won't bore you with right now. But, that's all about to change! (It has been changing a little already - have you noticed?) I'm aiming for a strong finish on this one, yes I am.

3. Make Typography Tuesday a monthly thing. F. See above.

4. Do something with my 500px account. D-. In an effort to not get another F I just uploaded some shots. Yesterday. See - this goal writing thing totally works.

5. Assist on at least two photography shoots. F. I got half way there. I put some wheels in motion, but then the wheels fell off. But that's okay because a) life happens, and b) directions change.

6. Enter more photography competitions. F. I haven't entered any.

(Okay, this is starting to get a little embarrassing. Whose idea was this update thing anyway? Oh, mine? Right. Carry on then.)

7. Make a little book or zine. And sell it. F. No comment.

8. Develop some Instagram projects. B. Finally! A result! My addiction to love for Instagram has grown even more over the past few months. I find it immensely inspiring and strangely rewarding. I'm beyond happy that over 1,000 people are following me (and only a small percentage of them are Russian ladies in skimpy outfits urging me to chat with them).

My favourite project has involved the dogs, of course. I've currently got 42 photos tagged #morningwalkswithferdiandelfi. It's not just an overly long hashtag, it's also something that asks me to slow down; to appreciate and capture those early morning strolls.

9. Send more snail mail. D-. The only reason it's not another F is that we sent a heap of postcards when we were on our great European adventure. Outside of that I haven't really been doing my bit to keep the postie employed.

However, now I finally have my home office vaguely resembling something that looks like a home office I'm aiming for a strong finish on this one too. Stay tuned. (ps. Want me to send you a note in the mail? Let me know! I promise I will!)

10. Send cards to family and friends for every, single birthday. C+. I've only missed one or two. Maybe three. Or four. Let's be honest, I'm probably being a bit generous with the grades here.

11. Corral my clutter. B+. (I think the husband would probably grade me a D-, but he doesn't have a blog so B+ it is). I've reduced my shoe collection by two whole thirds, I've donated bags and bags of clothes, I've culled my ceramics and thrown out pretty much all of my magazines. We've sorted through all our DVDs and CDs and only kept the absolute best of the best. And when I buy something new I have to get rid of something old. I'm by no means a minimalist but my clutter doesn't rule me anymore, and corralling it feels like a habit now.

12. See more movies at the cinema. Specifically, see at least eight movies on the big screen. D-. We've seen quite a few flicks with the step-sons - the Lego Movie, Monty Python's recent live show, the new X-Men one. But that's about it. I keep saying I'm going to sneak off to the cinema when the husband and step-sons are away, but I always end up finding something else to do instead.

13. Proofread more. B+. I'm sure I still make mistakes, when I post and tweet, but I feel like I make less mistakes. I'm definitely more aware of proofing before I post. I think it's become a habit too.

14. Eat better. And yes, there will be blog posts! B (for eating better), F (for blogging about it). This year I've dabbled in grain free and low grain. And although in the end I've decided that grains are my friends, the experiment did help me break out of my pasta rut. I've now got a whole repertoire of quick, easy, low grain, high protein, high veg meals to turn to when I can't be bothered cooking. And I'm feeling better for it too. 

*You may recall that improving my Photoshop skills was on 2013's list? Well, I made this inforgraphic on Photoshop! Pie charts and all! And I've enrolled in a two day basic skills course for December. So I'm giving myself an A for that assignment, even though I've handed it in a just little late.

*************

How has your year been tracking? Are you getting higher grades than me (I bet you are!)? Can you believe it's already November? Are you as freaked out by the speedy passing of time as I am? 

13 Things in 2013 : Another Update

I may have said this once or twice but where the heck is 2013 going? Flying by! Anyhoo, being July 1 it's again time to revisit my little list of things I want to get done this year and see my progress (or otherwise, as the case may be...). 

1. Learn to use Photoshop Elements. B+. I'm learning new stuff all the time (mainly the time when I have a vision in my head and can't make it happen and then yell at the dogs and tweet aggressively and go have a cup of tea and find the answer to all my problems on the youtube / adobe.com. I feel I've mastered the art of creating a collage template, and I managed to make something that could be called a 'logo' for my new blog without too much frustration. So, yay me!

2. Learn a new photography skill. D. I've been googling photography courses in Sydney and I've found two I'd like to do. And I signed up for the Centre for Continuing Education newsletter. That counts as something, right? 

3. Do something with my 500px account. And submit some images to Alamay. And put my best ten together to submit to the Getty Images Flickr collection. F for Fail! No progress here, though I really feel like I am very close to posting some images to my 500px account. Really close. (This is the exact same update from last quarter. So, yeah...) 

4. Do a monthly project. A. Still going strong! I haven't missed a month of Collecting Colours yet (and I don't think Brandi Hussey has either!). 

5. Make one pom pom wreath every month. F. What was I thinking? Really! I love pom poms but one wreath a month??!! Some of those wreaths have over 40 pom poms in them. Take out the days when I'm travelling, swamped with other stuff or just too depressed about the way Australia treats it's Prime Ministers to do anything and it adds up to a whole lot of intensive pom pom making. To be honest I'll be happy if I finish the year with four wreaths under my belt. 

6. Get through The Big Project without completely losing my mind. B. Things have got serious and so far so good. But that's mainly because I have an incredibly competent, cool, calm and collected architect managing things for us, and the most relaxed and friendly builder in all of Sydney. (Relaxed as in 'Yeah sure that's fine if you want us to take delivery of your washer/dryer and lug them upstairs for you and store them for a few weeks. No problems'. Not relaxed as  in 'Yawn, we don't need to work today, do we?'.) 

7. Do something with my hair. D+. I struggle with this. Terribly. It's not helped by the fact that the husband a) laughed at me last time he saw me in a headband; so they've clearly been ditched. And b) doesn't seem to be on board with my idea of employing a handmaiden to elaborately braid/crimp my hair Kahleesi style each morning. Also, I may need a baby dragon. Also, I think if Kahleesi herself came to do my hair the husband might be a bit more keen on the plan. 

8. Remember our wedding anniversary. Still not till July, so... But it's looking like I'll be in Sydney whilst the husband will be in Hong Kong (and then en route to Sydney) on our anniversary date. But, the goal was just to remember it right? I think I can do that. 

9. Attend a workshop at either Harvest Workroom, Prints Charming or The School. F. Time is running out. There's too much to fit in. Arghhhh. I am going to the Problogger event in September, which is super exciting (and a bit scary). Does that count? 

10. Send more mail art. D+. There has been some progress here! I've sent out some collage cards, and some postcards, and I've got two creative penpals on the go (with thanks to Magdalena over at The Craft Revival). 

11. Read a book a month. A+. Six months in and I've downed nine books (three are graphic novels but one of those was quite long...so...). Since the last update I've read: The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs by Alexander McCall Smith (meh); Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (wonderful, dense, lyrical - and interesting to see the origins of one of my favourite movies); and two more books by Guy Delisle (Shenzen and Jerusalem). But my favourite read thus far has most definitely been Jeannette Winterson's Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?. I inhaled this book. Beautifully written, poignant, honest, inspiring...I pretty much dog-eared every page to mark the sentences I loved. 

Of late my reading has come to a bit of a grinding halt but as you read this I'll be trapped on a big boat somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, and I'm sure I'll be burning through another book or two. 

12. Maintain my current fitness routine. B+. I've been kicking things up a bit lately at the gym and with my weird yoga-pilates-aerobics hybrid that I do at home. Two things have aided my motivation - our upcoming (now here!) Summer holiday (ughh, have I really turned into one of those ladies who tries to get 'swimsuit ready'?); and the fact I can now almost call my arms 'toned'. Seeing actual changes in my body, my strength, my shape - I get so excited! That's the best motivator for me (regardless of what those stoopid scales say). It's actually got to the point where I travel with a gym kit now! Really! Who would have thought? 

13. Make a Collecting Colour calendar for 2014. F. I kind of got distracted. I got excited about making this a reality after it had been in my head. Oh, making these too. And I've got another project (or two) that I'm working on as well. But I guess I still want to do the calendar thingl. Maybe. 

So, that's how I'm tracking - how are you tracking?

ps. Things will be a bit quiet over here for the next few weeks (I have sunshine to soak up, salty water to swim in and a ton of Italian food to eat!). But, I do have one more Death by Doxie post coming your way, and I'll still be posting three times a week over at asia*.

13 Things in 2013 : An Update

Three months down hey? How did that happen? Time is flying by, yes? Anyhoo, being the first of April (Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy April Fools, etcetera...) I thought I'd revisit my little list of things I want to get done this year and see how I'm tracking so far. By giving myself grades, of course.

1. Learn to use Photoshop Elements. B. Well, I know a lot more than I did three months ago. But I was starting from a very, very low base.

2. Learn a new photography skill. C. I bought a 35mm lens and have taken roughly 735 photos with it over the past few months (I'm drowning in photos that need editing and cataloguing and posting. Ugh). And on a recent trip to Seoraksan (more on that later) I played with some night time shots. But it would be a stretch to say I've actually learnt anything. Hence the middling grade.

3. Do something with my 500px account. And submit some images to Alamay. And put my best ten together to submit to the Getty Images Flickr collection. F for Fail! No progress here, though I really feel like I am very close to posting some images to my 500px account. Really close.

4. Do a monthly project. A. It's happening people! The posts have been a little late some months but it's been awesome (and thank you for those of you who have been playing along and/or leaving lovely comments.)

5. Make one pom pom wreath every month. D-. Well, I made one in January. And I'm about a third of the way through a second one. This was kind of a big ask (what was I thinking?!) but I am hoping to make up ground in the next three months. The husband is going to be travelling, a lot, and lonely nights at home equals loads of pom pom making...

6. Get through The Big Project without completely losing my mind. B. Aside from a few minor freak outs things are going okay. But things haven't really got serious yet. Stay tuned.

7. Do something with my hair. D+. Well, I've stopped wearing it in the half tied knot thing every single day. But I still wear it up every single day. I just can't stand loose hairs around my face. But I have been wearing pony tails and plaits, and experimenting with the odd headband. So not a total fail.

8. Remember our wedding anniversary. It's not till July so...

9. Attend a workshop at either Harvest Workroom, Prints Charming or The School. F. Hasn't happened yet and looking increasingly unlikely considering all the up-in-the-airness of life right now. Maybe 2014?

10. Send more mail art. E-. (Is that even a proper grade?) This should basically get a fail but I did send two giant mail swap packages - not exactly mail art but it's something, right? But I have plans! My lovely bloggy friend, Ronica at Bad Jones Rising, is a rather talented collage artist and she's just sent me some gorgeous collages. Great inspiration to create some paper art of my own.

11. Read a book a month. A+. I've finished four books! Okay, one of them was technically a graphic novel and one was a book I started last year but it all still counts right? So far I've read: George Orwell's Coming Up For Air; The Story of English in 100 Words by David Crystal; Women of Letters by Michaela McGuire and  Marieke Hardy; and PyongYang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle. I've loved them all but this last one is especially fantastic - humorous and crazy and sad - and if you have any interest in North Korea and/or graphic novels you should run out and buy it now. I've just started reading another three books. Feeling fairly confident about holding my grade on this one.

12. Maintain my current fitness routine. B. To be honest I'm a bit over the current regime of gym and yoga. Luckily I've had a few days hiking mountains and pounding the Seoul pavements. If I find time I'm going to throw in a few bike rides as well. Boredom is the enemy here.

13. Make a Collecting Colour calendar for 2014. F. No progress but come on, it's only April right?

ps. Seeing as North Korea is splashed all over the news at the moment I feel like I should say something about it. I guess I'll just say that life goes on as normal here. These two countries have technically been at war for 60 years and being threatened by the North is nothing new. And although this time things do feel a little more heated the consensus seems to be that an all out war is unlikely (after all, the North is not suicidal). But really, no one knows. And yes, it does unsettle me a little. The move to Sydney (now postponed to August!) really can't come soon enough for my liking...

ps. If you're interested in finding out more I've been tweeting a bit about it, and I also have a 'Korea' list on Twitter which is made up of a wide range of news agencies, locals and academics. It's my main source of news and opinion about anything North Korea related (thank goodness for Twitter!).

Good Things...

The screenshot above is from an add for Shangri La, and I'm kind of obsessed with it right now. Yep, I'm obsessed by an add. It's been on high rotation on airline entertainment systems lately so I've seen it a lot over the past few months. And I still want to watch it again, and again. (How often can you say that about an add?) It's beautifully shot and makes me tear up every single time I watch it. And it makes me want to get a pet wolf... You can watch the extended version of it here. Kudos, add making people.

I was flipping through ELLE decoration UK recently (as an aside, this will be one interiors magazine I'll be keeping an eye out for - surprisingly great) and I came across the above picture of awesome. Just look at that sideboard, that pouf, those gorgeous bowls and...those owl canisters! They're from Graham and Green and I think they're pretty good things.

This is the work of Takashi Iwasaki - a Japanese artist and gallery owner who lives in Winnipeg, Canada. He works in a variety of mediums, but it's the crazy colourful embroidery that draws me in. I adore Miro, and there's a hint of Miro in this work (I think), but then add embroidery to the mix - swoon!

One of my husband's many siblings lives in the UK, and she often pops a DVD in the mail when she comes across a comedic gem she thinks we'll like. Miranda was the most recent of these comedic gems, and yes, we liked! We devoured season one and two, and then force fed the show to anyone who happened to cross our path. Miranda is awkward, clumsy and self deprecating in the best way. She's desperately single, terribly middle class, very likeable and very funny. The plot could read a little like a ladies only sitcom, but my husband is Miranda's biggest fan.

If you hadn't heard my ridiculously talented, endlessly inspiring sister has a book coming out - Find and Keep. From afar I've witnessed the blood, sweat and tears that she's put into this thing, and to see the finished product (which is a-ma-zing) out in the big wide world is pretty darn exciting. Its safe to say that as a family we're more than a little bit proud. I'm heading to the Melbourne launch next week, maybe I'll see you there? (ps. I'm in Melbourne for  24 hours! Crazy town!)

UPDATE : To coincide with the launch there's a super awesome giveaway going on at blog of super awesome The Design Files. Go enter now!

Good Things...

Kicking off another batch of good things with the heart-stoppingly awesome Uniqlo x mt collaboration. Uniqlo is a prolific collaborator, and they tend to find some pretty great companies and people to work with, but I think this kicks it to a whole new level. Look at those prints! Look at those colours! 

Unsurprisingly I've been a little swamped with t-shirt requests from my Australian friends and family, but I'm only too happy to oblige - got to make the most of Asian shopping while we're here! (Oh, and if you're buying these in Japan apparently each tee comes with a roll of tape!)

Next up is the fabulously inspiring book Street Photography Now. I've been increasingly obsessed with street photography over the past year or so, and have recently even plucked up the nerve to try my hand at it. Street Photography Now offers a great introduction to some of the best photographers working the streets right now, as well as a bit of an overview as to how the art has evolved over the years. Not only is it chock full of witty, poignant, beautiful street scenes but it also contains a number of essays which I'm loving reading. 

The first essay 'Stare, Pry, Listen, Eavesdrop' discusses the legal and moral issues of the art, and provides some insight in to the mind of a street photographer - it's reassuring to read that most practitioners feel some degree of nervousness about shooting strangers. I also liked that Nils Jorgensen often won't 'look at my street photographs for many months after taking them - years even - only coming back to them when I want to and feel its right'. Hey, if it works for him... 

(There has been some angst around how sources are cited in this book - it does have a list of further reading/blogs at the back but doesn't directly cite sources for quotes - but I get SO excited about all the creative possibilities every time I look at it, I'm kind of turning a blind eye to that...)

Then we have the artistic stylings of Lena Wolff - an 'interdisciplinary' artist whose influences include folk art, American craft traditions and the natural world. She works largely with paper, but often treats it in the manner of fabric, with references to textile art and quilt making in her work. All of which adds up to awesome. The work above ('Night Flowering Tree') is a paper collage, and the one below ('Mariner's Compass') is a piece of precisely drilled wood over a light box filled with hundreds of tiny light bulbs - amazing huh?

It's been out for awhile but Jon Klassen's kids book 'I want my hat back' is so very good it has to be a part of this post. It's not just his fabulous, personality packed illustrations - it's one of the funniest picture books I've ever seen (possibly even surpassing 'The Happy Hocky Family' in sly hilarity). And no, I do not have young children (and the dogs don't read), but this doesn't stop me from enjoying books for young children (or movies, for that matter). Also, in other Jon Klassen news, he's done the cover for the current issue of UPPERCASE. Nice one.

And lastly, a little dose of blatant self promotion - after a hiatus of several months Jorpins Handmade on etsy is re-open! Hurrah! The card above is one of the new range of photo note cards that I'll be listing over the coming days. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out - what do you think? There's also note books and gift / party favour tags (more tags in new colours coming next week!), and some push pins, magnets and more in the works... Exciting times!

Good Things...

I've been wanting to do a good things post for so very long, months and months, but they do take quite a big, focussed chunk of time to put together and it just hasn't happened.  But seeing as there are just so many really good things out there, I'm committed to bring you more good things in 2012.  Huzzah!

So, let's kick things off with one of those sad but sweet tales...

Meet Morran.  Morran is Camilla Engman's dog, or I should say was Camilla Engman's dog.  Morran featured heavily on Camilla's blog (in fact, documenting Morran's daily adventures was actually what kicked off her blogging life), and entertained readers for many years - he was just so cute yes?

Sadly, Morran passed away late last year, but he lives on in a gorgeous collaborative book which features Morran inspired submissions from illustrators and artists from all over the globe.  You can have a peek at some of the submissions here, and purchase your copy of this wonderful tribute here.  I just ordered my copy - hurry up Mr (or Mrs) Postman!

Then we have the mid century mod stylings from one of my absolute favourite blogs, The Brick House. Not only does Morgan posses phenomenal taste in all things home-y but she is also hi-larious.  How often do you find laugh out loud funny and delicious decor in the one spot?  Not very often.  Go visit, now.  Oh, and there's the odd bit of doggy cuteness thrown in for good measure too.  Good, yes?

Next up is Persona, a photography project from multi-talented guy Jason Travis.  It's a series of diptychs that answers the question 'what's in your bag'.  I believe there is a book coming out soon (yep, it's on the wish list). You can see the whole set (including some animal versions!) here.

And then there's this incredibly awesome book that my incredibly awesome sister gifted me for my birthday.  Holy wow I can not express how truly incredibly awesome it is.  

The book captures the goings on at Butlin's Holiday Camps.  The camps were founded on the desire to provide family fun at a price the English masses could afford, and the photos produced by John Hinde as postcards capture these holiday makers in all their wonderfully colourful, slightly absurd, retro glory. There is so much glorious detail in each image - activities, outfits and decor.  So great.

And lastly, from the BBC comes season two of Sherlock, hooray!  We've only watched the first episode but so far it's easily matching the look and wit of the first.  More please.

Three non-glossy magazines I'm loving right now...

Those of you who have read my blog for a little while know that I love a good magazine, and lately I have encountered a bounty of printed lovelies!  Kicking of with Remedy Quarterly, a little tome dedicated to 'stories of food, recipes for feeling good'.  I haven't yet delved too deeply into these yet - you could safely say that I have judged Remedy by it's brightly hued covers - but I am already loving the gorgeous colours, layouts and fonts; and the understanding Remedy seems to have that food is more than sustenance, that it's linked to our life and our memories.

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Next on my reading list has been Issue No 5 of Anthology - 'living with substance and style'.  I am constantly tearing sheets out of my lifestyle/decor magazines and whacking them in scrap books, but although I am rather inspired by much of Anthology's pages, I don't have the heart to deconstruct it.  It's too pretty and too 'complete'.  

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And saving my favourite till last, here's volume one of Kinfolk, 'a guide for small gatherings' (available online, for iPad, and in print - if you're lucky!).  Kinfolk is 134 thick pages of stunning imagery and beautiful layouts featuring recipes, menus, table settings and more. Volume one includes a Summer playlist, a tribute to the cloth napkin, and a 'darn good sandwich'.  Seriously gorgeous stuff.

Good Things...

I don't mean to alarm anyone but in 76-ish short days xmas will be here!  I adore xmas and this year I am feeling mildly organised (despite the fact that October has so far been one crazy mess of a month) - I have already planned out my gifts and started organising the decorations.  And as generally happens about this time I've also started channelling Martha Stewart (the crafty bit, not the tax avoiding bit) and have been planning my gift wrapping 'theme' for this year.  This paper weave idea from one of the cutest paper blogs around - minieco - is my current favourite.  Wonderfully colourful, yes?

Also making me smile right now is the work of Swedish illustrator/designer Olle Eksell, as showcased in the awesome book from Japan.  I love the humour and liveliness that is so evident in his work (just look at those birds!  and the two awkward bathing suited kids, surrounded by fish!), and his packaging design is crazy good.

I may have mentioned this before but I'm a bit of a magazine junkie.  Being in Korea is a bit like going cold turkey - English magazines here are so expensive, even a basic month-old 'Who' can cost you US $17.00.  So I subscribe to my favourites, and there's a few local publications I love (including this great home decor one, this arty one, and this slightly insane fashion one).  And whenever I'm in Australia or Hong Kong or anywhere else with a decent stock of English magazines I'm always looking out for something intriguing - which is how I stumbled across the first bi-lingual edition of the French magazine Raise.  

I have no idea what the purpose or concept behind Raise is (it's tricky to find any information on their site, and the translation in the magazine leaves a little to be desired) but I'm a sucker for super cool images, and this features a ton of them.  Just check out these two photographers featured in issue 8 - Marc Da Conha Lopes and Liu Di.  Plus, cute kittens.

Aren't these illustrations fabulous?  They're all from The Painted Peep Show (aka Blake Roberts), one of the talented members of the ace Etsy Greetings Team.  I recently bought a set of the running dachshund note cards - Blake captures the energy and enthusiasm of the doxie so perfectly, I think. And yes, that is a portrait of The Golden Girls!

[Paris sunset by Elgarbo Art]

And lastly...I'm going to Paris!  Hazzah, hooray, and other happy sentiments!  I've been to Paris twice before - once traveling solo on my first trip overseas (fun, but a bit nerve wracking), and once with the step-sons and their Mum in tow (lot's of fun but definately not romantic!).  

I'm super excited about this trip as it'll be the first time the husband and I have traveled to the city of light on our own.  Plus, we are doing a quick road trip on the weekend to a little town near Reims (that's where champagne is made, my favourite beverage in all the world!).  And then the husband is heading off to Dubai and I get to stay in Paris for two whole days on my own - taking in the Musee D'Orsay at my leisure, visiting the flea markets, eating my body weight in macarons, checking out the fait main stores in Pia Jane Bijkerks 'Paris: Made by Hand' (with thanks to @TheCraftRevival for the recommendation).  Heaven!