in search of the real captain kk

almost an artist

2010-08-01T08:09:00.001+10:00

my friend russell, aka leo, is quite the talented creative. the husband coined the phrase "almost an artist" about leo, after he was being too modest (artists!) & saying he couldn't call himself an artist. but the phrase has stuck & that's the name of his new blog. we caught up with leo & some other lovely creatives for quite the afternoon feast today at his beautiful home in elwood.. you know, one of those homes that are just warm & welcoming with the perfect balance of design & bohemia.. eames chairs, kitchen bench overflowing with fresh coffee & rice pudding tarts topped with slow baked quinces made from secret family recipes, open fire crackling, coffee table laden with amazing food, lamps casting a warm glow in just the right place oh-so-casually placed on the floor in a room corner, low mid century sofa & floor cushions seating good peops and of course artwork & books everywhere. especially artwork. all by my good friend russell. amazing.

happy planes

2010-07-26T22:47:00.000+10:00

after checking out design made trade last week, kingsley & i found ourselves walking along gertrude & brunswick streets & checking out the local shops. before we knew it, we were out the front of meet me at mikes, deciding whether or not it was weird for us to go in, when we'd just come from hearing pip chat about blogging at the breakfast. nah.. let's just go in, we decided. i bought a sweet little top for baby boy & look how clever their version of a "would you like a bag?" is.. folded newspaper, twine & a sweet vintage illustration stapled to the front. crafty.

zig-zag love

2010-07-24T23:28:00.000+10:00

i've been wanting to get some cards printed up with my blog info on it for ages & i've finally done it. i ordered these from sweetbeaker on etsy, after i fell in love with the grey zig-zag design. some call it chevron. i call it zig-zag. either way, i love. love. my new cards. now i just need a reason to use them. anyone?

design made trade wrap up

2010-07-19T22:05:00.005+10:00

ok. so the grumpy pants are off & it's time to finish my favourites from design made trade. just quickly you know. i mentioned that i loved the bright stools from darcy clarke in my previous dmt post.. they are made from recyclable coloured plastic, based on one of his beautiful, real timber stools (top right). i also loved the prints, both fabric & wallpaper, from cloth. i absolutely love the 'looking for water' & 'spotcheck' pattern & am very tempted to order some samples & see if the colourways work in my place. so last but not least, the friendliest award goes to the talented dani m, who noticed both kingsley & i wearing her earrings & stopped to have a good old chat to us. dani was wearing one of her designs (same as the necklace above) & while i'm not normally a gold girl, it looked awesome on. i liked. i liked a lot. the matt & the shiny finishes work beautifully together.

250 - gumball gold

2010-07-18T21:07:00.003+10:00

i guess for the big time daily bloggers, the 250th post may not be a big deal, but for this here little ol' blog, it's taken more than a year to get here. so what to share for the big event? well, i ask you.. what can you get for 20 cents these days? not much my friend. but save up your 20 cent pieces & there's pure gold waiting for you. i knew when i spotted the gumball machine outside my local dvd store & it was only 20 cents (20 cents!) that i would be hitting it & hitting it hard. i knew it was going to be a 2 person job & the husband would just laugh at me if i asked him, so i waited my time until kingsley was in town. so this afternoon, i stood at the top & fed in my jar of twenties, while kingsley crouched at the bottom & collected the gumball gold. what treasure!

design made trade - bloggers breakfast

2010-07-16T10:37:00.001+10:00

i went off to the bloggers breakfast with kingsley yesterday, which was hosted at design made trade as part of the state of design festival . the lovely lucy from the design files & crafty pip from meet me at mikes had a quick chat about bloggin while we all sipped our hot tea or coffee in our complimentary byo reusable coffee cups. i agree with tess, in that while blogs can connect people from anywhere in the world, it was awesome to catch up with local melbourne bloggers in real life.. that old over-rated thing! so, after the chat, we took ourselves off to check out the rest of the exhibition. there were lots of great products to check out, my favourites being the amazing restored mid century furniture given a new lease on life by retro modern & the colourful stools by darcy clarke. but, overall, it was a little weird that i didn't feel very comfortable taking photos because apparently the exhibitors weren't supposed to let us. i'm not sure what the point of inviting local bloggers was if the organisers didn't want us to take photos & blog about it?? on top of that i am disappointed with my photos. the light was just no good. but you know, i should say that the exhibitors really were super friendly & had lots of gorgeous wares to display, so i might take my grumpy pants off & do another post tonight or tomorrow.

smiling planet plates

2010-07-13T06:00:00.003+10:00

are these not the sweetest plates ever? i found these via a lovely & new-to-me blog called smallest things. they are by smiling planet & i'm in love with the top one. all i'm sayin' is that vivi's suitcase is gonna be chock full of treasure when she visits from the u.s. in a couple of months. can't be that hard to fit in a couple of plates next to the toast cutting board.. right?

porcelain rain drop

2010-07-12T06:58:00.000+10:00

woah.. that was fast, even for me. the latest post from kitty genius popped up in my reader, my eye zoomed in on the light blue rain drop & before i knew it, i had signed off out of my paypal account. deal done. more treasure on it's way. now husband, serioiusly, it's ok. it was only 10 bucks and think how much you loved hanging the porcelain mirka star on the christmas tree last year. i'm planning on adding a little white ribbon to this baby & it will become part of my treasured christmas ornament collection.. one or two special ones each year.

22 months

2010-07-11T14:38:00.002+10:00

here we are again. it's monthly portrait time on the eames rocker. 22 months.. only 2 more months until she's 2 & i really won't be able to call her my baby girl any more. this portrait business is total madness. getting mirka to sit in the rocker without her singing "see-saw" & rocking it so hard back & forth, that it literally moves across the room, is impossible. funny, but impossible.. and that's without her deciding to climb in and out of it a hundred times, or deciding that it was time to take her shoes off. so these are the best of the bunch, but at least they tell the story i guess. ok. so, what's new? our little gracie girl is still obsessed with hats, but not as much as the muppets.. she asks for elmo at least 50 times a day & to her, with the exception of grover or miss piggy, they are all called elmo. every time kermit is on the screen in the muppet movie, she cries out "elmo", which we always reply "kermit" & she chooses to ignore. i think we'll have to get her a little trampoline soon too because she loves jumping around on the sofa and flinging her legs out from under her so that she bounces on her bum & giggles. my sweet petite. my little papoose. cheeky.

update: the lovely anna from one of my favourite blogs, rummey bears, has got herself a new rocker & is planning on starting a monthly portrait series of her own. i just love the peace sign her little one is flashing us. peace baby bear!

happy birthday kingsley!

2010-07-09T13:37:00.000+10:00

happy birthday kingsley! hope you have an awesome day.. this is your present from me.. i know you'll love it. it's called girl from takadanobaba & it's by melbourne artist madeleine stamer, who also has a blog here. dreamy.

children's garden

2010-07-06T23:04:00.002+10:00

mirka absolutely loved running around & exploring the children's garden at the royal botanical gardens on sunday. yes, that's my little scragamuffin running around with her clothes all askew, but she's sporting quite the stylish little knitted beanie no? i bought it from the yarraville markets, on every first weekend of each month. new.

fucking brilliant

2010-07-01T11:08:00.004+10:00

oo-ahh.. naughty title, but inspired by my 2nd favourite quote (the pink one) from the awesome collection put together by yellowtrace. you can see the original post here. my favourite is the one in the top left.. i think that pretty much sums up my blog for me.. captain kk: i like nice things & people who make me happy. think i'll have to add that one to my profile. anyway, if looking at some quirky motivational posters doesn't do it for you & all else fails, you can always "keep calm & call batman"(my 3rd favourite).

birthday inspiration

2010-06-29T21:40:00.001+10:00

mi amiga, the talented kingsley, is having a birthday soon, so i've been on the lookout for something special. i've got something in mind & i'll share that once the birthday girl knows about it, but i thought i'd share some etsy birthday gift inspiration. first up, (top left), kingsley loves anything to do with happy animal creatures & i know she would lurve this t-shirt by boygirlparty. the hello necklace by joanna rutter just screams kingsley, as do the little apple studs.. and the sweet modern thankyou card i just liked. well, i do loves me some grey, white & soft blue, but it's really because taking the time to find the perfect gift is like saying "thankyou for being an awesome person who is important to me." yes? yes.

love & peace

2010-06-27T21:04:00.002+10:00

my good bloggy friend, the beautiful shelley from femme de montmartre has shared some horrible news on her blog & it's really thrown me. shelley is keeping everyone updated as best she can & i just wanted to say what an amazing woman i think she is. always so, so positive & full of love for everyone & everything. so, after seeing these gorgeous prints on seesaw, i thought these images would be perfect to send out lots of positive energy. they're from field trip on etsy & they're lovely.

toasty treasure

2010-06-18T22:39:00.006+10:00

well, if etsy doesn't get any better than timber toast, (on the left), then how good is this toast shaped cutting board from the curiosity shoppe? the husband saw me looking at the chopping board online (the one on the right) & said something rude, but i'm not sure if i can resist hitting "add to cart". i mean it's only 14 bucks & while they don't ship internationally, what vivi doesn't know is in the mail to me, via her in new orleans, won't hurt her! oh that's right, vivi reads this.

sweet dreams

2010-06-18T10:12:00.008+10:00

ahh the road. always good for an oasis of calm modern neutrals when i find myself out & about, trapped in a hideously noisy shopping centre.. it's always a nice escape to walk in to a country road shop & peruse their homewares. anyways i was out wandering, a little lost & before i knew it i had bought a lovely new pair of pillowcases. soft grey & white. simple, with a little detail. on sale too. you like? i like.

yes i'm the captain

2010-06-17T11:58:00.004+10:00

at least that's what i like to think, so i went ahead and had my bath robe embroidered with captn kk in "gawd awful cursive script" as the husband described the font. strictly speaking, i'm a simple typewriter style font or helvetica kind of girl & would never, ever, normally choose such a curly font. but, it is a bath robe & i thought if i'm gonna do it, i might as well do it.. and i love it.

21 months.

2010-06-15T23:03:00.001+10:00

21. here we are again. it's mirka's monthly portrait time on the eames rocker. so what's new? well, i experienced her first big, big, tantrum on the weekend. it was time to leave the park & let's just say that that wasn't to gracie girl's pleasing. i was on my own and man, oh man, was it embarrassing. so embarrassing. defeating. exhausting. i had secret, shameful thoughts about not wanting to be a mummy anymore & if only i had somewhere to run away to, trust me, i would have. alright, so that aside, she is still my little papoose & such a cutie. i'm even getting more hugs & kisses these days.. maybe almost as many as her daddy gets and that's something. they have their own language those two. the latest is that they watch the muppet movie together & mirka absolutely loves it. laughs.

birthday treats

2010-06-11T21:12:00.007+10:00

so after our fancy pants birthday breakfast, i went off to a preggie massage while the husband stayed home with the little one asleep. gawd i love a massage. i haven't had one since mother's day last year & after yesterday i've decided there's nothing to it.. i'm just going to take myself off for one every second week, for the rest of this pregnancy. to top off a perfect day, the husband gave me my birthday present when i got home over a cup of tea, some garden picked flowers & some tasty, tasty, portuguese tarts. but look closely because the cup of tea is my present.. well the striking black & white marimekko mug is. i love it so.. i think i've already had at least 20 cups* out of it since yesterday. note the ever patient husband in the background of the bottom right photo.. waiting, waiting, waiting to enjoy the little tarts while i take my photos. you're a good man husband, even if i know you were secretly thinking i was mad at the time.

*de-caf for baby boy, which surprisingly, is ok.. even for a serious tea drinker like me.

it's my birthday. smile.

2010-06-10T21:53:00.005+10:00

i've had a la-la-la-lovely day. i'll keep this short, so we can start watching a movie before it gets too late, but i'll post some more happiness tomorrow. the husband took our little family out for a fancy pants breakfast at circa in st.kilda. i had the berry pancakes & they were good. real good. i was lucky to remember to take a couple of photos before i had completely devoured them.

i picked up my birthday present from vivi last week, but i waited til this morning to open it & i love it! vivi snapped it up at the recent exhibition at lamington drive.. i love that they describe themselves as "a gallery made out of cardboard for nice people" & on the invoice typed up in bold letters, read; "on this day, one vivi smith* has made the world a better place by purchasing art and is therefore totally awesome".. anyway, back to me.. my new little piece of joy is called 'apple'. it's a black & white gocco print with colourful dot paper collage & it's by wonderful local artist beci orpin. want some links? beci has a blog & you can take a peek inside beci's awesome home here, from lucy's visit earlier this year on the design files. ok. that's enough from me for tonight. over & out.

*not her real surname

p.s. the little squiggle artwork in the background is my birthday card from my sweet petite.

chasing shadows

2010-06-08T06:28:00.001+10:00

i was on my way home the other day when i saw this gorgeous tree, stripped of most it's leaves, in front of this old north facing wall, casting the strongest shadow it could on a wintery day. pattern & shadow.

pallet spotting

2010-06-07T11:11:00.000+10:00

i spotted this stack of pallets at the queen vic markets on my way back from the doughnut van & thought it was worthy of a quick snap. it's not a great photo i know, but what can i say.. i had a hot bag of doughnuts to juggle. i'm a sucker for just how good a pile of pallets often look. it seems all it takes to catch my eye is a little repetition.. and a bit of sunshine doesn't hurt either. anyways, it reminded me of a table i spotted at the prahran markets the other week & thought you might like it too. simple.

the american doughnut van

2010-06-06T20:10:00.001+10:00

the american doughnut van and all it's yummy goodness, is my kind of local attraction. if you ask me where you should visit when you're next in melbourne, it's more than likely i'll send you down to the queen vic markets to find the american doughnut van. it's got everything going for it.. i mean, how awesome is the van? then there's the half a dozen people, crazy busy, making the doughnuts from scratch in front of you, a 50 person line up that tells you you're in the right place & at 6 doughies for $5, the price is right, as kingsley would say. i think the number plate says it all. gem.

more melbourne creatives

2010-05-30T00:06:00.012+10:00

well, i still haven't heard back from the lost & found hotel room about a possible reservation, so i'm thinking i won't be livin' large in their stylish space anytime soon. but, i did receive an email from shelley panton, a local melbourne potter, the one who has her beautiful wares featured in said hotel room. it looks like shelley has a gorgeous shop in middle park, full of her own work & treasures by fellow artisans, which shelley best describes as:

"with a background in food, interiors and events, plus having a passion for art, photography, food, music, fabrics, wood and anything handmade, i have created a space where i can work on my wheel alongside representing a collection of works by other local artisans and craftsmen."

and it seems it's not just the lost & found crew who are fans. circa have used a collection of shelley's pieces to work in with their new menu and recent renovation and heide moma commissioned shelley to produce a collection in tribute to the exhibition 'sunday’s kitchen: food and living at heide'.

on a slightly different note, i think if we were having a little girl, we'd have to call her sunday. there's the connection to heide & then there's the fact that we could call her sunny. most of all, i wish happiness for my kiddyliwinks & if sunny doesn't sound happy, then i don't know what does. right? that said.. what to name our little boy?? i don't know why, but we're finding boys names so much trickier.

p.s. the last image is from the book 'sunday's kitchen: food and living at heide,' by heide curators lesley harding and kendrah morgan.

saying thank you

2010-05-27T13:10:00.003+10:00

so you may or may not remember that i mentioned a little while ago how i wanted to share a website i came across full of quirky thank you notes. well, i had it sitting open for ages & then the lovely checks & spots bet me to it. you can see her favourites here. so anyway, i wasn't going to bother, but then i read the latest & couldn't help myself. clever & quirky, it made me laugh out loud, except that to make it true for me, i'd have to swap the words "turntables/ speakers/ vinyl records" with "yummy homewares/ lighting / furniture, (most often, bloody expensive designer furniture.. i'm saving up for 6 of these babies for our dining table & yes it may take me years & no i won't compromise with any replicas. the only question will be whether i get the plastic herman miller ones through living edge in melbourne or order the fibreglass modernica ones down from spence & lyda in sydney).

while i'm on the thank you train, i thought i'd add the link to the fun connect-the-dots card that i saw on black eiffel, which you can buy on etsy here. how great would it be to send this off to a friend, knowing they won't be able to help themselves and connect the dots?