Sonia Luna

Body And Soul: Ali Cavanaugh

2012-01-25T10:36:00.000Z

Filtered Through Understanding

You know what? I think I lied about only liking loose and messy drawings. When I saw Ali Cavanaugh painstakingly detailed watercolours on my Tumblr dashboard I was immediately captivated.

Behind Me

Trying to find out more about her and her method, I stumbled on this article from the Artist Daily website that explains things better than I ever could.

Coincidence That Was Once Blurred Is Now Clear

Big World: Audrey Heller

2012-01-17T11:00:00.000Z

Lifesaver

More little people, personally I can't get enough. These miniature installation never fail to bring a smile to my face.

The Deep

Audrey Heller's photographs are available in limited edition prints and also as a book titled Overlooked Undertakings.

Scrabble

Accent

Going Mobile: Nice With Chips

2012-01-11T19:59:00.000Z

Mint green

Lemon

Nice with chips

Letterbox Dublin

L'Erba Voglio:

2012-01-09T19:16:00.000Z

byJaney Clothing

2012-01-05T22:14:00.000Z

Regular posting will resume from Monday.

Inspired:

2011-06-06T11:58:00.000+01:00

A little taste of some of the images I have been posting at my Tumblr blog: Looking at Clouds, come on over and visit for more inspiration!

Thomas Klementsson ♥ Marilyn Monroe ♥ Eugenio Recuenco ♥ Mia Farrow

Gina Martynova

2011-05-10T11:41:00.000+01:00

I instantly fell in love with Gina Martynova whimsical and intricate illustrations, especially the Botanika series, born of her love and reverence for nature.

Going Mobile: Nr.12

2011-05-03T09:48:00.004+01:00

Around and about in Dublin.

Plastic Life: Vincent Bousserez

2011-05-02T09:33:00.005+01:00

A few months ago I posted about Slinkachu miniature installations, I loved them so much I'm still scrutinizing the ground in the hope of finding one on the streets of Dublin!
Photographer Vincent Bousserez also utilizes tiny plastic people in his project Plastic Life.

In his photographs real objects and people take on new functions and become part of the landscape in a Lilliputian world.

You can enjoy more of Vincent's work on his photostream on Flickr.

Via Flavorwire

Starlight Spotlight!

2011-04-23T09:30:00.005+01:00

I really, really like these beautiful still lifes by photographer
Johnny Miller posted by The Shiny Squirrel

"Succuba"

From Marco Mazzoni come these beautiful drawings, visit Coates & Scarry for an in depth interview.

How amazingly intricate is Swoon art installation, I would love to see it in real life! Read all about it at The Fox Is Black.

Swoon + Cat Solen from Levi's Film Workshop on Vimeo.

Quote by Edwin Land, typography and image by Marius Roosendaal via Pikaland

Footsbarn Travelling Theatre

2011-04-18T20:14:00.000+01:00

The Footsbarn travelling theatre are in Dublin at the moment, I went to their show at the Point Village on Sunday afternoon and it was a delight! The show is called Sorry! and, like their flyer rightly mentions, it defies description. A mix of theatre and circus, bizarre and fabulous! I highly recommend a visit, you won't be disappointed. They are in Dublin until May the 1st and hopefully longer - fingers crossed!

Metamorphosis

2011-04-15T13:28:00.000+01:00

Metamorphosis from Glenn Marshall on Vimeo.

Have a happy week-end!

Going Mobile: April In Dublin

2011-04-11T13:42:00.000+01:00

Dublin, April 8&9 2011

Twit! Twit!

2011-04-08T10:00:00.005+01:00

I know I'm a bit late to the game, I finally signed up to twitter. If you would like to follow me click on the image above and you'll be directed to my profile where you will be able to join the other 3 people who are following me at the moment!

Windows To The Soul

2011-04-07T20:42:00.002+01:00

What a great way to get back into the groove of things with these amazing watercolours from Marion Bolognesi, a New York based illustrator.

I discovered her on Tumblr, a very addictive site; I can get lost for hours clicking and searching for beautiful images!
Most of the watercolours are available for sale in limited editions prints, at very reasonable prices. I for one can't wait to see more of her work and I will make sure to pay regular visits to her site.

Back For Good!

2011-04-04T23:31:00.000+01:00

Source Unknown

I will resume normal activities from this week! My computer has been out of commission since January, finally I resolved the problem and I'm back in action! I was depending on the kindness of friends in the last few months and couldn't bring myself to hog their computers for longer than checking my e-mails and the odd peek at my favourite blogs.
I can't wait to start posting regularly again and to visit and comment on other blogs!

Happy Christmas!

2010-12-22T22:17:00.000Z

The (plastic) tree is up, the snow is on the ground, just a few bits and pieces still to get and then I'll be ready for Christmas. Only 3 days to go!
I'm stopping by to wish you all a very happy Christmas and the most wonderful New Year!
See you all in 2011!!!

Dublin 27-11-2010

2010-11-29T22:00:00.004Z

You can see more pictures from Saturday's protest in Dublin on my
Flick'r

Badly Drawn Roy

2010-11-25T10:00:00.019Z

I've been trying to find this short animation since I saw it years ago on television, finally it popped up on You Tube! It is a bit longer than the usual animation I post, so get yourself a snack and make yourself comfortable, I promise it'll be worth taking a 20 minutes break from your busy day!

Directed by Alan Shannon

Charrow

2010-11-23T19:37:00.000Z

Charrow's colourful and humorous illustrations was just what I needed today, all this talk of IMF, loans and budgets bummed me out completely. I'm not looking forward to tightening my belt another notch I can assure you of that!

Charrow's website tag-line is "Making a mess is a full time job", it made me smile as it is a phrase that could be adopted by our politicians, fortunately her kind of mess is of the beautiful, light-hearted kind and it won't bring a whole country to its knees!

Daddy's Girl

2010-11-22T10:30:00.054Z

When I remember my father I see him wearing corduroy lederhosen, thick red socks,

hiking boots and most of all a red plaid shirt, pretty much like in the picture above.

That's how I saw him most Saturday mornings as he was leaving the house to go mountain climbing.

We would stumble into each other at the door, me ready for bed and the worst for wear, him with a rucksack stuffed with bottles of wine, salami and chocolate (essential mountaineering tools, so I was led to believe).

Wearing that red plaid shirt he reached the summit of Mont Blanc, in it he sat with his friends laughing, drinking hot wine, singing out of tune and leaving little mountains of breadcrumbs on the tablecloth.

In it he gave me hugs that smelled of sweat, pine trees and snow.

I wish I had that shirt now, to wrap myself in it.

The shirt is gone and so is my dad, I miss him so much even after all this time.

I was thinking about finding a substitute (for the red shirt, obviously, not my dad!), it as to be red and wool. I know I'm not supposed to wear red having red hair, it is a fashion rule that has been drilled into my head since I was a child and one I follow to this day, but I just don't care, for the perfect substitute all rules will have to go out the window!

Parallel Parking

2010-11-18T11:03:00.006Z

It's that time again! Have you got your cup of tea (or coffee)?

Parallel Parking from Yum Yum London on Vimeo.

Lend A Helping Hand!

2010-11-17T10:30:00.012Z

This beautiful handmade necklace can be yours by bidding at Ex Post Facto jewellery blog.
Heidi very generously donated her creation to lend a helping hand to Sister Wolf, who has truly been through hell in the last two years and has shown an amazing amount of strength and resilience.

Bidding is open until Sunday the 20th of November, you can participate by leaving a comment with the amount you wish to bid in the comment section.
Please bid generously if you can!

Inspired:

2010-11-16T20:19:00.002Z

Virtual Dressing

2010-11-15T12:29:00.000Z

I'm officially addicted to Polyvore, I blame my cousin for rekindling my interest. When I
first discovered the site I played around for a little while and then abandoned it, now I'm back in full force. It is fun to play around with a fantasy wardrobe with no regards for budget. I made a few sets that I think could be easily implemented even given my meagre finances. It's given some direction to my second hand and high street shopping as now I have specific items in mind to look out for, as opposed to randomly buying stuff that might fit in my wardrobe or might not, although I doubt that I will be able to let those random items pass me by.
Following are a few daytime outfits I put together:

Items to look out for from this set: brogues shoes, leather shoulder bag, jacket and nice leather belts.

From this set : grey suede jacket, neutral vests and t-shirts, coloured shirts and beige skirt
(another thing I blame my cousin for is introducing me to the colour beige, a colour I used to avoid at all costs!).

In this set: warm woolly jumpers and parka coat.

Not a print in sight! That's a new thing for me, while prints won't disappear from my wardrobe any time soon, lately I feel the need to simplify things.
I have put a link to polyvore on the side bar, come on over and play with me!

Starlight Spotlight!

2010-11-13T11:13:00.002Z

I've been trying to get back to some sort of regular schedule on this blog which I left gathering dust for way too long. Let's see how I fare in the next few weeks, in the meantime let's get on with my list of favourite links and tidbits from my Google reader, starting with Mischief and Madness who posted these beautiful vintage
Life magazine covers.

Are you a fan of Sister Wolf ? I think she is amazing and I'm always looking forward to her posts, I admire her honesty, sense of humour and strength. Her posts always leave me with something to think about. If you are not a reader yet I suggest you pay her a visit.
Thanks to her I discovered the fabulous work of Ray Caesar.

If you are into photography, you will enjoy Le Clown Lyrique, I rediscovered some photographers I admire and came across some talented ones I didn't know about. I always loved this picture by Diane Arbus, I used to have a poster of it in my bedroom!

I'm a fan of Keith Haring, how fun and wonderful are these chairs?

Via Disneyrollergirl

Red Rabbit

2010-11-11T10:55:00.000Z

Cup of coffee? Check! Chocolate chip cookies?Check!
Short animation about giant rabbit? Check!

Red Rabbit from Egmont Mayer on Vimeo.

L'Erba Voglio:

2010-11-10T11:39:00.003Z

Djinn Jewellery

15, Wexford Street

Dublin 2

Ireland

Gabriel Moreno

2010-11-08T10:12:00.003Z

My first reaction when I came across Gabriel Moreno's gorgeous illustration was " Oh wow!"

Not the most articulate of responses, but can you blame me? I'm willing to bet that quite a few of you will

react in the exact same way!

On his website you can delight in more examples of his beautiful work, I also found a little video on YouTube
that illustrates his technique and on his Facebook page (I swear, I'm not stalking the guy!) you can
find some interesting pictures giving a glimpse of his working method, a thing that always
fascinates me.

I'm really trying to be a good person and not be jealous, but some people's work really fills me with envy for their talent, I can now happily add Gabriel Moreno to that list!

Going Mobile: Dark Clouds

2010-10-13T12:34:00.001+01:00

Phoenix Park

Dublin

Fly Away

2010-10-04T12:04:00.027+01:00

Paper Plane from Margherita Premuroso on Vimeo

A sweet little animation to cheer you up, if only for a minute (and 8 seconds).

Inspired:

2010-08-26T11:39:00.002+01:00

Pleasure Seeker

2010-08-25T11:10:00.003+01:00

In Bloom

2010-08-24T11:09:00.001+01:00

Gypsophyla ‘Bambino’

A while ago I posted a link to photographer Ron van Dongen site, I had used some images from his limited edition book Vulgaris as a background to a necklace I made, his breathtaking photography is certainly deserving of a dedicated post so here it is now, better late than never I suppose!

Gladiolus x hortulanus

I love that he grows all the flowers he photographs in the garden of his Portland home. I came across this interview as I was researching, in it he talks about his childhood in Venezuela and Holland, his move from black and white photography to colour, his technique and the things that make him happy.

Actaea simplex ‘Black Negligee

Micca

2010-08-23T11:30:00.000+01:00

Simplicity is the order of the day in the illustrations of japanese artist Micca.
I love her use of a limited colour palette and empty spaces; her confident and elegant line drawing.

Starlight Spotlight!

2010-08-20T11:04:00.002+01:00

Artists Haas & Hahn started this project in collaboration with the community of Santa Marta, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. The result of months of hard work is an explosion of colour covering 7000 square meters. Their dream is to raise enough funds to continue the project and paint the entire hillside favela.
( via: Oh Joy)

Loved this post by Krisatomic titled Get Your Sketch On, particularly I loved Deanna Staffo's sketchbook, she also has a lovely blog called Mischief + Madness , well worth a look.

I'm usually drawn to patterns and colours when looking at clothes, there's no such thing as over the top as far as I'm concerned, it's surprising to me then to find myself attracted by Margaret Howell's understated collection, but I am ... so there!
(Originally posted by : Bonjour Girl)

Family

Oil on canvas

2006

Atmospheric and poetic, Kristin Vestgard's paintings create a whole new world, a world of special beauty and charm.
(Via Liza Corbett)

Jean Fouquet, French

Holy Wardrobe Malfunction, 1452

Oil on wood

That Is Priceless a blog re-titling famous art works, good for a giggle or two!

● Ace Jet 170 found type friday nr.84, Italian edition.

● Locals and Tourists project by Eric Fischer on Flick'r.

● Beautiful images at Braindance Is A Way Of Life blog.

Nan Lawson

Close Up

2010-08-11T19:44:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I was browsing the Behance Network in search of a particular image and stumbled on these gorgeous portraits by David Terrazas, they are so beautiful I had to post them here.

State Of Emergency

2010-08-10T13:03:00.001+01:00

This song is by far my favourite Björk song, I never tire of listening to it.
Turn the volume up as much as you can and let the beauty wash over you!

Colourful Patterns

2010-07-29T20:42:00.000+01:00

Beautiful mix of patterns and colours in Liselotte Watkins illustrations. I recommend a visit to her
blog, an inspirational scrap book filled with beautiful photography, giving an insight to her influences and life.
I particularly enjoyed it since she's based in Italy and it made me feel all nostalgic for home.

On The Road

2010-07-26T10:20:00.001+01:00

At times I entertain the romantic notion of packing my belongings, dog and camera and go on a trip on the secondary roads of Europe, photographing people, places and things as I go along. Of course this dream is hindered by the fact that I can't drive and I haven't got a penny in my pocket ... for now!

Dave Anderson travelled America back roads on a photographic trip throughout 30 states, the result of this journey is Roadside Ghosts a series of atmospheric and eerie images, capturing the beauty and mystery of the landscape.

Kutiman

2010-07-21T09:53:00.002+01:00

Kutiman - Just A Lady

Miss Grumpy Pants

2010-07-20T11:30:00.001+01:00

Everyday People Cartoons

Tuesday is officially cancelled, that'll teach me never to
read about Silvio Berlusconi and Italian politics
first thing in the morning, I'm grumpy as fuck now,
my heart aches and my head hurts!
I will return to regular(ish) posting during the week.
Today you will find me hiding under my duvet!

Going Mobile: Vote No

2010-07-08T13:00:00.007+01:00

Apartment Music

2010-07-06T20:48:00.000+01:00

Time to make yourself a cup of tea and take a ten minutes break to enjoy this short movie

Music For One Apartment And Six Drummers from Mister Magnus on Vimeo.

Inspired:

2010-06-24T13:45:00.001+01:00

Groucho Marx ♥ Jean Baptiste Mondino ♥ Childhood Hero Pippi Longstockings ♥ Bersa ♥ Ziegfeld Star ♥ Diego Uchitel ♥ Jeff Burton ♥ László Moholy-Nagy

L'Erba Voglio:

2010-06-14T11:25:00.000+01:00

by Pearson Maron

Going Mobile: Natural Colours

2010-06-11T12:00:00.000+01:00

Liz Tran

2010-06-01T11:30:00.022+01:00

August Bloom

Once again I'm taking you on a walk through a wood.

Camellia One

A fantastical forest of saturated
colours painted by artist Liz Tran.

Root

Via Jessica Swift

I Dream Of This:

2010-05-31T21:55:00.003+01:00

Pictures by: Jordi Canosa

Starlight Spotlight!

2010-05-28T11:30:00.022+01:00

Beautiful modern doll houses for grown-ups via
Yes and Yes.
More doll houses here and here.

As much as I admire sparse, minimalist interiors I know that an ultra modern house would never suit me, I'm too much of a hoarder to maintain a pristine interior. Much more up my street is Michael Quinn's lived in apartment, full of memories.

Take the house tour at Design Sponge.

I have photographed my hill in The Phoenix Park I don't know how many times,

Paul Octavious turned his hill into the photographic project Same Hill Different Day.

Found on Oh Joy!

Re-think! Re-Use! Re-cycle!

Bottle houses

via

Haute Nature

Click on image to enlarge

The Noticing Project via The Sunday Best

" An attempt to plant a seed in peoples’ minds, that might grow with the other thoughts throughout the day."

Street art project in London.

Street Art In Dublin!

Yes, give us more!

Twelve Door Project via Irish Street Art

Talk good, like, you know ... whatever!

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.
via
The Sunday Best

Just what I was looking for: TinEye reverse image search!

How nice! Ceramic artist studio in Brescia, only half hour away from my home town in Italy.What do you think, should I pay a visit next time I'm there? (via Automatism)

Gummi Bear chandelier, would you resist the temptation of eating it? I don't think I could. (Via swiss miss)

Beverly Ealdama

L'Erba Voglio:

2010-05-27T11:07:00.001+01:00

Inspired:

2010-05-25T11:56:00.011+01:00

Going Mobile: Unexpected

2010-05-11T09:45:00.003+01:00

I've been scratching my head ever since ...

My Dead Pony

2010-04-15T12:56:00.000+01:00

I love the work of self taught illustrator Raphäel, better known as
My Dead Pony.

Colourful, irreverent and slightly dark, these illustrations are

not only beautiful but also powerful and provocative.

Inspired:

2010-04-01T21:42:00.002+01:00

Painting Light

2010-03-27T12:45:00.001Z

Forest Lights IV - Solstice

One way or another I always seem to take you on a walk

in the woods!

Forest Lights V - Equinox

I hope you don't mind!

Forest Lights VI - Summer Wood

A.D. Peters

Bygone Ireland

2010-03-26T12:55:00.001Z

Marino House - Co.Cork

Ireland has its share of abandoned buildings.

Castles, stately homes, cottages and churches are

dotted all over the country side,

some are but ruins long enveloped by nature, others

are still hanging on, ivy sneaking inside open windows,
moss painting everything in shades of green,

but still here and there you can see some glimpses of the life
that once existed in these places, layers of peeling wall paper,
a playing card on the floor, suitcases and shoes.

Affane Church - Co.Waterford

Let Tarquin Blake take you on a tour of Abandoned Ireland
let him tell you stories of bloody battles, pacts with the
devil, mysterious happenings and, of course,
haunted houses and ghosts.

Glencree House - Co.Cork

Just remember:
tread gently and leave everything just as you find it!

Mighty For Sure!

2010-03-25T11:34:00.002Z

Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)

Don't tell me you're not dancing right now!

Russ Mills

2010-03-22T10:15:00.003Z

Russ Mills illustrations seem to want to burst out of the page, they

are so full of energy and movement!

Messy, as in wonderfully, beautifully, perfectly messy, is a word I use a lot when talking about illustrators I like, true to form I find myself wanting to use that word again, in describing Russ Mills work, painterly, seductive and dynamic are

other words I could have used just as well!

Going Mobile: Phoenix Park

2010-03-12T10:29:00.004Z

Phoenix Park

Dublin

Inspired:

2010-03-11T10:42:00.001Z

Time To Grate!

2010-03-02T03:55:00.001Z

In this blog I champion inspiring, creative and talented artists,

Etsy has been a great place to dip into again and again

in search of beautifully crafted handmade items.
Who knew darker things where lurking on Etsy, from
mice and owl felted hats to shamanic distance space cleansing ceremony
it seems you can find it all here!
Cataloguing all these jewels of misguided craftiness is a site called
Regretsy, I've spent the week-end browsing it and
I'm truly astounded at the amount of chancers out there,
like at the site of a car crash I can't tear myself away!

(I probably should tell you that this site might not be safe for work, and
also not safe if you're easily offended!)

My personal favourites! Rusty cheese grater, all yours for the paltry sum of $28,
if you're ever peckish you might be able to rustle up a swiss fondue, as the seller toughfully hasn't scraped all the old cheese off.
The cigarette adds a certain je ne sais quoi to the proceeding, don't you think?

Happy Mistake

2010-03-01T20:28:00.000Z

I almost deleted this picture when I culled the images in my browser, something made me stop, I'm glad I did has I've grown to like it even if it's all wrong and totally unintentional.

A happy mistake.

A Reminder

2010-02-25T03:04:00.001Z

Sometimes we need to be reminded

This image, which I snapped on a walk into town, is not

a lonely graffiti but part of a larger project called

You Are Beautiful,

spreading a simple and positive message all around the world

in the form of installations, graffiti and stickers.

Anonymous posted by Youare

You are encouraged to participate by downloading and printing the You Are Beautiful stickers, making your own installations or stencils and by photographing and posting any works you might come across.

Inspired:

2010-02-24T11:05:00.002Z

Lillian Bassman-Ruven Afanador-Kurt Cobain-Myrna Loy-Mondino

Patrick Demarchelier-Erwin Olaf-

Audrey Hepburn-Kate Spade

click on image to enlarge

Update

2010-02-23T20:59:00.001Z

A week or so ago, or maybe a little more, I received an e-mail to let me know that Montana Forbes,
the amazing illustrator I blogged about back in January,
has a new portfolio website, you can find it here.
Enjoy!

Starlight Spotlight!

2010-02-19T13:00:00.005Z

It's Starlight Spotlight Time!

Let's skim over the fact that I haven't done one of these supposedly

regular posts in a long while, we could spend ages arguing over

who is at fault here, but that will get us nowhere

so let us just get on with it!

People's creativity never ceases to amaze me!

Monica Cristina Bellucci' makes jewellery with

colour crayons, every single piece is beautiful, but if I had

to I would pick the ring above.

(via: Haute Nature)

Ambika of Into The Fray posted these earrings

by I. Rooni Kappos back in december.

Another beautiful piece to

lust over, at $185 dollars unfortunately out

of my price range, but I can still admire them!

Artist Joe Fig explores the creative process
and the places where art is made

in a series of painstakingly detailed miniature sculptures.

He has also explored the same theme in painting, worth a look

if you visit his website.

(via Mia Melodia)

In the same vain is the work of photographer Paul Barbera .

His pictures document artist's work spaces all over the world.

You can see it all here.

via The Design Files

Again at The Design Files I discovered Miso, a street artist based

in Melbourne, she's so good! Here's an interview.

What a great idea!

What I Wore Today is the brainchild of Gemma from

Pikaland, document the clothes you wear every day not
with a camera but with pencils and paints!

Pedro Lucena

Polish cinema posters from the 40's to the 90's.

(via Modern Craft)

Ah! Ah!

Fashematics

(via Pillole Di Moda)

(via Poppytalk)

Would you like to sleep in this room?

It's not a room! It's an airstream trailer, don't ask me why but

that would make my hotel stay a little bit more special.

Make a papier mache boat, thanks to Ann Wood

I ♥ Supermarket Sarah!

Rainbow Church by Tokujin Yoshioka
(via Dezeen)

Warren Du Preez & Nick Thornton Jones

2010-02-18T12:30:00.001Z

I first posted some of these pictures back in April

at the time I didn't know who the photographer was.

While browsing the Art Department

website (a great site to dip into if, like me, you are interested in

photography and illustration) I finally discovered that they were taken

by Warren Du Preez and Nick Thornton Jones

a design duo based in London's East End.

I told you I was going to make amends and try and locate links for all

the non-attributed images on this blog, slowly but surely I will fulfil

my promise.

Get Some Culture Inta Ya!

2010-02-17T21:55:00.000Z

The Kiss - Gustav Klimt

While I'm not averse to online marathons of America Next Top Model or

Project Runway sometimes I'm in need of something more substantial.

When that need arises I turn to ArtWatch, a great site archiving art documentaries
plucked far and wide on the interweb,
here you'll be sure to find something to interest you.
If art is not your thing, you philistine, you can brush up on your history as art is
only one of the categories covered by this site, no sharks though!

Kareem Iliya

2010-02-16T11:00:00.002Z

It's no surprise I'm captivated by the work of Kareem Iliya,
his watercolours and ink illustrations are elegant, vibrant,
simply beautiful!

Inspired:

2010-02-15T10:30:00.004Z

Addio

2010-02-12T15:20:00.000Z

Alexander McQueen

1969 - 2010

Spooky!

2010-01-27T14:39:00.002Z

Enjoy this sweet and spooky animation:

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

via Draw

Yesterday

2010-01-11T11:38:00.002Z

Phoenix Park

Dublin

10 January 2010

Let It Snow!

2010-01-10T10:45:00.013Z

Recycled Silver Post Earrings by Tinahdee

The sentiment might not be shared by most of the country right now, but I love snow and you have to admit, everything looks so pretty and magical ...

New Year's Day - Co. Kildare - Ireland

Can we keep it for a little while longer, please?

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-17T10:30:00.002Z

1. jingle all the way, 2. the beginning, 3. Pastel Snowflake Cookies, 4. On the way to the North Pole, 5. Winter landscape, white trees, twins, tree in the winter, fairy tale, in a blue sky, frosted trees, frost, frosted landscape for christmas, 6. christmas cookies 109, 7. Winter Wonderland, 8. The Rudolph Audition, 9. Fragile*, 10. Untitled, 11. snowboat, 12. Merry Christmas!, 13. i heart vintage christmas ornaments, 14. christmas is on its way, 15. Wintery Blues, 16. loving the new year already... :), 17. Untitled (365/306), 18. setting the scene, 19. what big eyes you have, 20. I wish..., 21. 12 days of christmas, 22. Winter Wonderland, 23. Vintage Glass Christmas Balls, 24. Bowl of Ornaments, 25. Vintage Christmas--2 of 3, 26. christmas 2008, 27. vintage ornaments, 28. new favorites, 29. Untitled, 30. Victorian Ornaments, 31. Old Ornaments, 32. Untitled, 33. My Bedroom Pink Christmas Ornaments 2007, 34. What's on my Christmas Tree? [DILO 22-12-06], 35. Shabby Sugared Christmas Trees, 36. From Heather

I'm putting this baby to bed until January ... you know yourself,

there's food to eat, shopping to be done, presents to wrap,

trees to decorate, spumante to be drunk, more food to eat ...
I wish all my readers and passers-by a Very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

See you in 2010!

Inspired:

2009-11-24T15:40:00.029Z

click to view portfolio

Erin Petson

2009-11-23T09:00:00.000Z

You can hold the search party! I'm back. Did you miss me, even just
a little? I wish I could share with you juicy details of exotic
adventures that kept me away from my blog but no,
nothing that exciting! I did however aquired a black
eye in a head-on collision with my dog. Yes, I know, don't laugh! I headbutted
the dog by mistake and ended up with a bloody nose and a black eye,
you know what's really funny though (or sad, depending on your point of view!), it wasn't the
first time I got a black eye after headbutting a dog, no it isn't my hobby or anything,
I don't walk around looking for dogs to headbutt or otherwise abuse
that's just sick, I'm appalled you would even think that,
it only happened once before with a friend's dog ... the dog was fine ... me not so much!
Ok laugh, you're allowed!

And, when you are sufficiently recovered, tell me:
how wonderful are these Illustration by Erin Petson?

Mucho wonderful for sure!
You know what's even more wonderful? Limited edition prints, tote bags and
lovely screen printed vests and t-shirts with antique lace details,
are all available on her website at very reasonable prices.

Going Mobile: Smell The Roses

2009-10-02T11:30:00.002+01:00

Rose Garden
War Memorial Gardens
Dublin

A (Very) Little Refashion

2009-08-31T21:54:00.004+01:00

I have arrived at the end of my two months pledge on
Wardrobe Refashion.
As I got busy I didn't do as much refashioning as I had
intended, I only managed two ... me bad!
I re-worked a cashmere cardigan I found on the street (!):
I changed the buttons, cut the sleeves and elasticated the waist,
I added ruffles to the shoulder, I couldn't help myself and
had to add some sparkle with some purple sequins

The second refashion is a skirt, made out of a second hand
kaftan, a very simple one although I still managed a
wobbly waistband!
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that
I didn't miss shopping as much as I thought I would, all
the same I won't be signing to the site for a second round
but I will try to make some time for more refashions.

All Apologies

2009-08-20T12:30:00.002+01:00

I keep doing it, don't I? Despite all my best intention I slacked off blogging again this week, I was quite busy, I can't talk about it yet but hopefully I will have good news around the beginning of September, if all goes well it'll be a big change in my life, I'm not trying to be mysterious here, I'm just afraid to go into specifics in case things don't pan out the way I want them too, I'm afraid to jinx it ... suffice to say it's something I really want and will be heart broken if I don't get it, so please keep your fingers crossed for me despite my vagueness!

I dropped in just to post a link to an image I posted a while ago, this week I found out the photographer is Troyt Coburn , turns out I have more than one of his images tucked away in a folder on my desktop. I had to share this because I hate coming across a beautiful image with no link to the source or information about it, I'm always surprised and infuriated when I stumble on those kind of blogs, although I've been guilty of it a few times myself, but I'm trying my best to make amends!

Also I want to apologize for the photography overload around here lately, I'm just a biteen* obsessed, I will try and ~~ingest~~ inject a little variety in future!

Edit 21.09.2009
I had a good laugh when I realized my mistake: ingest? Where did I get that from?!
In my defence English is not my first language, obviously, although I doubt I would
fare any better in Italian!

*I heard this word today, an old Irish guy from Mayo used it and I thought it was the sweetest word ... I'm gonna use it all the time ... well, whenever I need to say "little bit" that is!)

Inspired:

2009-08-10T11:51:00.001+01:00

click on writing for a link to his portfolio.

Starlight Spotlight!

2009-08-09T09:22:00.001+01:00

You know, if this blog was one of those virtual pets you adopt on facebook I would find it covered in muck, looking at me with big sad eyes I neglect it so much! What happened? It was Tuesday and then all of a sudden it's Saturday ... what happened to my week? Do you know? 'Cause I don't! Anyway ... enough of that! Let me just say I feel slightly guilty posting Starlight Spotlight! this week, as I haven't contributed much content of my own, but here it goes all the same, I hope you will forgive my slackness and enjoy my picks!

pic.via Captivatemoi

Great Tim Walker Interview! The only problem I have with it? The
Sketch Book beside him ... I was dying for him to leaf
through it... but it just sat there, taunting me!
(Thank you to DisneyRollergirl
for the link!)

My favourite recurring feature on Daddy Likey: 5 Men's Fashion Impressions, find out what they think about these Skull Purses.

Adorable Susie Bubble immortalized by illustrator Esra Røise,
I like!

I feel a DIY inspiration coming on! Gorgeous sequinned creation by Barbara Munsel,
take me to the giant sequins factory right now!

link via allthemountains (thanking you!).

Via Lolita

Happy Sunday!

Prints&Patterns

2009-08-08T02:24:00.007+01:00

Yes, it is way past Springtime but I had to
bookmark this Steven Meisel editorial for Vogue Italia.
I love this pattern overdose, very much resembling
the interior of my wardrobe,

and by that I mean
the vast majority of my clothes are printed
or have a pattern of some sort,
not that I keep models in it, although that would explain
the make-up, in the dark it must have simply gone too far.
What did they use? A make-up gun set to whore?

The dresses are lovely though!

Inspired:

2009-07-28T12:30:00.001+01:00

Click on image for link

Starlight Spotlight!

2009-07-26T03:28:00.000+01:00

1. Anne Bancroft, 2. Window, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled, 5. Corazón, 6. Natural Giver, 7. Am I K In Your Book?, 8. Laundry - Part II, 9. Paradise Tanager, 10. What's Important To Me

Starlight Spotlight day ...
bringing you my favourite reads and links of the week:

I will start with this picture from The Sartorialist,
a fresh, light, summer look spotted in Milan ...

just to remind me that it is summer somewhere in the
world right now, it should be here too ... all this bucketing
rain would make you think otherwise!

I loved the Moschino Cheap&Chic Resort collection,
these are two of my favourite looks,
but I could see myself wearing most of it,
see it for yourself
at Style.com.

Beautiful jewellery from Ayala Bar,
I discovered this on Frizzifrizzi, a great Italian blog.
I had a problem with the Ayala Bar link, I couldn't visit
the site because it kept asking me to download a flash
player, I did as I was told, but the site still prompted me to download
the player, I hope you have more luck and will be able to enjoy
looking at this wonderful, unique jewellery, made with
textiles, glass, beads and stones.

Untitled Dress

Automatism posted about artist Valerie Hammond,
I enjoyed her work very much, I also can't wait
to explore the rest of the artists at the Garson Fine Art
website, I already spotted a few that made my heart flutter,
expect to see them talked about here in the future!

Honorable Mentions:

• Cute blog about unlikely animal friendships
called Let's Be Friends, via FFFFound.

I want one of these collar cameras for my Ruby ...
althought I'm afraid I will get close up pictures of deer poo
and tissue paper which seem to be her favourite things!

via Recovering Lazyholic

Happy Sunday Everyone!
what's left of it!

Going Mobile: Daily Walks

2009-07-23T14:00:00.003+01:00

Ruby as a puppy back in November

Sometimes I forget to take my "proper camera" when
on my daily walks with Ruby, when I do it accidentally on
purpose, because I can be bothered to carry it around, I
end up taking pictures with my mobile phone,
I decided to share those pictures with you,
expect to see a post titled Going Mobile every once in a while,
with the solemn promise that I shall refrain from
posting too many pictures of my dog doing doggy like things
in the Park.

Blue Flower in my yard, these flowers were so beautiful! With velvet petals
of the deepest blue, I was so pissed off when Ruby ate all the flowers!

Icy Leaf

Phoenix Park

Chesterfield Avenue

Shadow Play

I'm in love with these hills,
how many times have I photograph
them now?

Ruby all grown up!

Inspired :

2009-07-22T14:15:00.005+01:00

click on image for link

I Dream Of This: Places

2009-07-21T12:34:00.003+01:00

Links:
Katrin Arens
Jordi Canosa

We Love Lucy

2009-07-20T12:30:00.005+01:00

Sequins, prints and beads,ruffled dresses, lace, silk
and suitcases, mysterious drawers, hidden delights,
all this and so, so, so much more is Lucy's Lounge,
Dee's delightful second hand clothes shop.

Dee's blog documents her outfits and the colourful
and stylish costumers of Lucy's Lounge
in the basement at 11 Fownes Street,
Temple Bar here in Dublin, if you happen by
make sure to take a peek inside and say hallo!

Starlight Spotlight!

2009-07-17T23:13:00.000+01:00

It's back! Starlight Spotlight day! I have a whole lot of links to share
with you, amazing photography, more papery crafts,
inventive DIY and some more wonderfulness picked from my Google Reader.

Let's start with these beautiful images of Audrey Hepburn taken by photographer
Bob Willoughby, these pictures have been making the rounds on many blogs
but in case you haven't seen them yet here's a link to the Flick'r set,
I enjoyed the rest of his photostream just as much, a fascinating insight
into the workings of some of the most iconic movies of our time.

From beautiful people to beautiful art, how else to describe
this Paper Castle?

Via Tokiobling

100 Beautiful paper art creations at Webdesigner Depot

Julia Brodskaya

I'm fascinated by these paintings by artist Tyson Roberts,
at first I thought they where colour studies, but slowly
landscapes emerged in front of my eyes ... I could look
at them forever! I demand a Dublin exhibition!

Via Dear Ada

Towards Tomorrow, a series of oceanic landscapes by Marine Hugonnier
found via Katy Elliot

Stunning images from Murray Fredericks thanks to Concrete and Honey

Mallory from Where The Lovely Things Are
posted miss Capricho's illustration, I love it!

via Loveliness

This little cutie is a Fennec fox, a nocturnal fox found
in the North Sahara Desert, it is the only species
of fox that can be kept as a pet, according to wikipedia that is,
reading that they are hard to house-train might discourage most of us
...with that thought let's move on to some more cutie cuteness, Milk Toof
is the sweetest blog ... follow the adventures of ickle and Lardee!

Honorable Mentions:
• From sketch to catwalk : The Making Of A Chanel Haute Couture Outfit
• I want one of these in my garden ... and a garden!
• Great Slide Show tutorial at The Last Stitch
• More forgotten places
• Couldn't we do this to all our cities?
• Inspired DIY ideas

Some view!

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Live the life you have imagined."

Henry David Thoreau

Happy Week-end everyone!

I Want, But I Can't Have!

2009-07-17T02:26:00.005+01:00

Well, I was on my way to bed ...so what am I doing posting at 2.30 am?
I'm doing you a favour that's what! See the dress?

It's only $33 from the Urban Collection.
I love it, but I can't buy it because of my Wardrobe Refashion pledge,
even though it is vintage and technically I could ... O.k., I can't
buy it because I'm totally broke and literally counting the pennies!
This dress needs a good home, please adopt it!
With that ... I shall love you and leave you ...
Buonanotte e sogni d'oro!

Changing Rooms

2009-07-16T21:55:00.004+01:00

Taking changing room photography to an whole new level,
Elle Muliarchyk portrayed herself guerilla style in dressing rooms all over New York.

Posing as a well-heeled shopper and armed with the most unlikely props
- like the giant gorilla hand in the picture above, how the hell did she manage
to sneak that in?- she snaps herself wearing the most expensive designer clothes,
at times getting into trouble because of it.

Take a minute to watch her interview on Fashion TV,
in it she explains her method, and some of the embarrassing
situations she found herself in.

Autumn Whitehurst

2009-07-08T23:59:00.007+01:00

If you are a regular reader of this blog you will be aware by now that
my favourite style of illustration is messy, loose and dirty,
miles away from this is Autumn Whitehurst, all the same
I couldn't help but love her illustrations.

Autumn Whitehurst decided to become an illustrator
while sitting in a late night diner,
this impulse surely paid off, these days
her client list includes Vogue Italia and
Nylon Magazine among others, a lesson perhaps in
following your gut instincts.

Read an in-depth interview at Altpick,
more artwork, including some of her paintings, at Webesteem.

Peggy Moffitt

2009-07-03T02:34:00.007+01:00

Her face is etched on the 60's movie reel in my head, my idea of the 60's that is, collected from a mish mash of references, swinging London, Paco Rabanne, Pierre Cardin, Velvet Underground, The Factory, Twiggy, Edie Sedgwick, Nico, Blow Up, Penelope Tree, David Bailey, The Beatles, the list goes on and on... 'til yesterday Peggy Moffitt was only a face as I didn't know her name (shame on me I know), but always remembered that famous picture of her wearing the controversial Rudi Gernreich monokini taken by her husband, the amazing photographer William Claxton.

Muse and collaborator of american designer Rudi Gernreich, Peggy Moffitt embodies the spirit of the 60's, her style heavily influenced by Japanese Kabuki theatre, the biggest false eyelashes and heavy make up, and of course, her signature haircut by Vidal Sassoon
which she's still sporting today.
These days she still champions the work of Rudi Gernreich,
with exhibitions and a book which came out in 1999,
this led to a collaboration with Comme des Garçons
re-creating a number of key pieces from the designer archives.

Basic Black

I like this woman, I like her a lot, she's just as stylish and original today
as she was in the 60's, living proof that you don't
have to squeeze into a sensible suit when you reach a
"certain age".

Refashionista

2009-07-02T03:59:00.005+01:00

There, I've done it ... I went and took the pledge on Wardrobe Refashion, you know what this means? It means two whole months without buying any clothes, I will have to make my own, either from scratch or by refashioning old clothes ...
Thing is, I do have a mountain of clothes that I thrifted intending
to cut up and sew so, if anything, I will have some space back at the
end of this experiment!
I'm not a fool, I know myself ... I've only signed up for the minimum
time possible ... I wonder how many people take the pledge for life,
fairplay to them, but I suffer from withdrawal symptoms already
just thinking about the two months ahead of me.
Wish me luck and stay tuned for some DIY
or, worst case scenario, some fashion disasters!

... And The Award Goes To ...

2009-07-01T13:35:00.004+01:00

Here's my list of 15 inspiring blogs I think deserving
of The Lovely Blog award:

Cafe Cartolina
Godammit, I'm Mad
La Margherita E Il Lappio
All The Mountains
La Meow
Concrete And Honey
How About Orange
Lost In The Forest
Asphalt And Air
Barefoot In The Orchard
Tollipop
Strandgut
Illustrativo
In Bug's Drawers
Loupita

Thank you all for your words, images and
constant inspiration!

Thanking You!

2009-06-29T21:00:00.006+01:00

Hallo you all! Sorry for the long absence, longer than I envisaged, but now I'm back in full force and excited about all the goodies I have in store to blog about, my bookmark folder is brimming with great links which, of course, I can't wait to share with you!
While I was away the lovely Giovanna from Boho Market awarded my blog a prize, thank you so much! It truly means a lot knowing that I'm not just blogging in the dark, as it where.
I truly appreciate all your comments and feedback and even though I didn't start this blog to court popularity or to become a blogger of note it feels good to know that the artists, things and places that inspire me you appreciate too.

I'm supposed to pass this award on to other 15 bloggers,
I'm making a list right now and will post it in the next few days ...
promise!

Colour-Drenched

2009-06-09T13:30:00.001+01:00

I know, I know ... I'm not supposed to be here!
I'm breaking my self imposed ban on Internet related activities
because I couldn't wait to share my new discovery ... although Miles Aldridge
has been around for a good few years and has shot editorials for
Italian Vogue, The New York Times Magazine and it seems everybody else,
I must confess I didn't know about him, but now that I do
I'm in love!
In love with his colours, in love with his glossiness, his naughtiness, his
humour, his darkness.

I had so much trouble editing the pictures to post,
in the end I decided to post just one editorial, but you can be sure
to see more of his images popping up here and over at Looking At Clouds
from time to time, I love his work that much!

Bigfoot Lives - New York Times Magazine - 2006

3 Photographers

2009-06-08T09:35:00.001+01:00

Paolo Roversi

Ewa-Marie Rundquist

(More!) Denise Grunstein