matouenpeluche

Even the fish are smiling!

Image from here.

 What a nice surprise - it's Friday! What's even nicer is I have Monday off as it's my industry's picnic day. Seriously: it's called our picnic day. It's very civilised, don't you think? I'm so overcome, I haven't actually made any concrete plans for this three day weekend. Possibly a bit of drawing will get done (fingers crossed) and hopefully a bit of walking (depending on the weather) and maybe even a bit of cinema going: I'm dying to see Inception!

And! There are two crazy fantastic sales on in Etsy land at the moment that you might like to check out too:

Etsy shop Estasketch is having a "nearly at 400 sales" free worldwide shipping sale for all her prints as well as a massive 30% discount on her beautiful Superhero collages.

Lisa, the creative soul behind Estasketch, also has a terrific blog which you might like to check out too as it's pretty lovely and quite often features a pussy cat these days! Here it is here ----> Estasketch blog.

  

Anna of Much Love is also having a great sale with a whopping 25% off all her beautiful items in her Etsy shop Much Love! And! Her other shop of prints, Dahliaville, is having a 50% off sale! Phew!

P.S. I'm sure you're all familiar with Anna's super blog: Much Love! If not do go and visit as it's pretty wonderful!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone and an even lovelier weekend!

In Grand Style - Italian Vogue

 Dreamy images of Freja Beha Erichsen photographed by Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue, March 2010.

Images from here.

I heart birds...

 

I Heart Birds

Hello folks, and most importantly: goodbye Monday! Actually, my Monday wasn't that bad. It was sort of low level hectic and quite busy but busy in a different way so the variety of that alone managed to distract me long enough for me to get through it!

So, here is a drawing I did at the weekend: I Heart Birds. I think this rather large handsome cream tabby is just about to start that odd chirping, chattering, trembly jaw thing that my cats used to do whenever they saw a bird. Anybody who's owned a cat will know what I mean. That odd sound. I tried to find out on the internet what that sound was and here are the various theories:

a) It's a lure to tempt the poor unsuspecting bird over so the cat can eat him.

b) It's a sound that mimics the fatal kill bite the cat inflicts on it's prey.

c) It's anxiety at not being able to get to the bird.

d) It's an expression of excitement at seeing the bird.

There are another couple of theories too, but they pretty much all boil down to these four. What ever the story behind that noise is, I cannot for the life of me make that sound myself. It is most certainly another special cat thing they do like purring.

I also drew a fluffier cat at the weekend below called The Masked Bandit. Although you may feel a bit anxious about his name - The MASKED BANDIT! - I don't think we have much to fear from him other than being head butted affectionately and purred at.

Happy new week to everyone!

The Masked Bandit

Parsley Bay Shadows.

It's Shadow Shot Sunday! Above is a pretty, wooden suspension bridge in half shadow. It crosses over Parsley Bay in Sydney which is a particularly lovely part of the world. Below is the view either side of the bridge.

Parsley Bay is a harbour beach and a bay and for these reasons it doesn't have the exciting huge waves you get on the ocean beaches (Bondi, Tamarama, Coogee e.t.c.). Mostly, it's a family beach full of toddlers in floaties and Mums and Dads, people snorkeling or sunbathing and people like us going for a walk. I think it's one of my favourite Sydney harbour beaches! 

Shadow Shot Sunday is a Tracy of Hey Harriet initiative! It's tons of fun and it's open to everyone! Here are the instructions and here are some more fabbo shadowy shots from around the world!

Meanwhile, back in the ice-box: It's Friday!

Photo from National Geographic.

Oh Friday! What joy! My week whizzed by. Sometimes I feel a week is like one long, enormous day with home time breaks in between. Does anyone else feel that too...no? Hmmm...it's just me then!

Anyway, it's mighty chilly here in Sydney. We're talking single digit mornings and evenings. The hardest part is the early morning dash from the warmth of the bed to the various clothes and heaters and cups of coffee that need to be worn or supped or wheeled into position before one feels truly comfortable. I have it down to a fine art now and I even prepare my pre-shower/surfing the internet/early morning ensemble/strategy the night before. That way the minimum amount of shivering can occur before one is feeling rather wonderful and full of hot delicious coffee and above all warm!

Happy Friday and a great big Happy Weekend all!!

Smash His Camera

This is a documentary, soon to be released, about the paparazzi photographer Ron Galella. He is known as the Godfather of Paparazzi and was famously sued by Jackie O who subsequently prevented him, by order of the court, from following her. He was also slugged by Marlon Brando and Richard Burton's minders beat him quite badly. Now of course he is very famous in his own right and his photographs sell for huge sums of money.

The title of the film, by the way, is a direct quote from Jackie O which she yelled as an instruction to her bodyguards no doubt after a day of being hounded all over New York city by Galella.

Anyway, it's set in fabulous New York and has plenty of gossip and intrigue,lots of glamorous stars (yes, oh yes I can be pretty distracted by frocks and good looking people!) and it's set in one of my favourite eras: at the height of 1970s disco. I think I may quite enjoy it! Oh! And it also won Leon Gast a best documentary director award at Sundance this year.

To further entice you, here are some Galella photos from the '70s...

All photos from here.

Meet Gordon...

Gordon

Meet Gordon. He is a cat of many talents, chief among them being able to pick out a snazzy red and white polka dot bow tie and then fasten it in such a devil may care way. I don't think I could do that. I also don't think I'd look quite so lovely as he does in a red and white polka dot bow tie. By the way, I am very much enjoying drawing pussy cats and other furry things at the moment. Can you tell? 

...and as for Monday, well I for one am delighted it is over! Bring on Tuesday I say!

Hope everyone has a lovely week ahead!

Fancy grasses + feathery jacaranda canopy = Shadow Shot Sunday!

I just adore the colour of this grass! Ok it's not majorly shadowy but there are a lot of subtle shadows in there!

I've been having some glorious walks in Sydney this weekend with my boyfriend. Really, it is a little known fact that Sydney is at it's best mid winter. The crisp temps and clear cobalt blue skies are so lovely. Being out and about in this weather really is a wonderful tonic!

Did you know....that Shadow Shot Sunday is a fab meme set up by Tracy of Hey Harriet? Absolutely anyone can enter - all you have to do is read the instructions HERE!

Hope everyone is having a glorious weekend!

Happy weekend!

Handpainted porcelain Delft brooch

How nice are these pussy cat brooches? I found them on Etsy this week. Cute stuff in my opinion! What do you think? Here is the link to the shop for your browsing pleasure ---> WijnbergenDamave

Happy Saturday everyone!

Delft Brooch

Rene Gruau

This is the work of Italian fashion illustrator Rene Gruau (4 February 1909 - 31 March 2004). His work never ceases to amaze me! His use of colour and line and composition are just so charming and fun to my mind. I think he is still regarded as the fashion illustrator's fashion illustrator if you know what I mean!

Hope everyone is having an OK week so far!

All images from here.