matouenpeluche

I heart kitty cats

I Heart Kitties

Hello and welcome to (the Southern Hemisphere) Monday! *ahem* Well, actually I know all the lovely North American (and possibly European) folk will be getting ready for The Sunday night Oscars when this post goes on line but anyway...

Here's my drawing dedicated to all the charming and funny and cuddly cats I've met and loved and have yet to love and meet. It's called I heart Kitties and really, that probably is about all I need to say I think!

When I think of famous peeps and cats I always think of Colette that famous French, Parisian writer:

To my mind, she is the cat lover's cat lover. She did after all write a book called La Chatte about a love triangle between a woman named Camille who loves her husband Alain but he loves his cat Saha much more than any woman ("My little puma! Beloved cat! Creature of the tree tops!").

Here are some quotes from Colette about cats:

"There are no ordinary cats."

"Time spent with cats is never wasted."

"Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God."

Hmmm...not so sure about that last quote!...and just as an aside, if you'd like to visit a blog all about kitty cats, Kitty Stampede is your one stop shop for all year round pussy cat fun!

All the best for the week ahead!

Image from here.

Lady Clapham's petticoats

 
This is Lady Clapham and she is from the V&A in London. An expensive dolly made in 1690 or thereabouts, she is in remarkably good condition considering her age. According to the V&A website, she is a fine example of what a wealthy woman of the time would wear as she has many changes of clothes ranging from informal day wear to evening gowns and formal attire. I think she's rather lovely!

...and happy, happy weekend!

All images from the V&A.

Favourites...

Edible butterflies by Sugar Robot.

Handfolded accordian books by Littleputbooks.

A natural Geode from Luna Park Foundry and A fabric moth brooch by Blue Terracotta

Looking at these beauties puts a spring in my step!

Happy Thursday!

 

Two Friends + a very big visitor!

Two Friends

These are two birdies I drew on the weekend. Their names are Nathan and Randolph. Even though they have bills that are finch like, they are in fact a figment of my imagination! There are no powder blue fat cuties like this in the wild unfortunately. *sigh*!

 

In other news, I was up at my usual time yesterday morning sipping my coffee and surfing the internet when I heard all these helicopters and light aircraft buzzing around. I racked my brain for some special ocassion that would warrent such activity and nothing presented itself. Then, at the bus stop I heard a woman excitedly tell a friend "Oh yes the Queen Mary is in town!". Whoa! The last time I saw that regal gal I got a crick in my neck looking up at her!

Here she is direct to you from downtown Sydney yesterday morning:

I went down with my Dad to see her after work yesterday afternoon. Boy! She was not hard to spot! According to the Wikipedia entry about her, she is the largest ocean liner ever. She leaves today so I was glad I had a look at her again - she is truly a sight to behold.

I trust everyone's week is progressing in an orderly manner!

Images from The Sydney Morning Herald.

Vidal Sassoon the Movie

Peggy Moffitt looking wonderful with a classic 60s Vidal Sassoon cut. I have another lovely photo of Peggy here from a past post.

Apparently, there is a brand new documentary out about maybe the most well known hairdresser of the 20th Century: Vidal Sassoon. Vidal Sassoon the Movie was first shown at the 2010 Tribeca film festival and was released in cinemas on the 10th February. It's something I'd love to see as I'm a chronic lover of all things historical, the 1960s and documentaries about pivotal people of the 20th Century.

Vidal Sassoon was the master of the precision cut and revolutionised the hairdressing industry. Pre-Sassoon, ladies went to a hairdresser to get their hair cut and set into elaborate styles that often required a professional hairdresser's expertise to maintain. Post Sassoon, ladies went to a hair cutter to have an easy to manage, modern cut that you could "wash and wear" and thereby maintain yourself. 

If you're a bit hazy about Vidal Sassoon here are some images of his quintessential looks.

 
The first image shows Mia Farrow just after she got her hair cut by Sassoon for her break out role in Rosemary's Baby which made her a star. Below her is Mary Quant, the queen of the mini-skirt and her iconic cut by Sassoon. Legend has it that she had the same cut for 30 odd years. Lastly, there is Carol Channing getting her locks attended to by Sassoon.

Below is a still from the film of models sporting Sassoon geometric cuts. I think the film looks/sounds fab and I can't wait for it to come out on DVD!

Happy Tuesday folks!

All images from Vanity Fair except the top one of Peggy Moffitt and the last one from here.

A Community Meet-Up + Happy Monday!

Community Meet - up

Hello and Happy Monday from downtown steamy Sydney! As advertised, it was a muggy, hot weekend here. I couldn't really do anything much aside from drawing - which really I'm not complaining about at all! :0)

I was able to finally add another chapter in the increasingly epic mermaid series I've been working on for a while now. This one is called Community Meet-up and it is our hero, Jemima, at a gathering with fellow residents of her street. It's like Neighbourhood Watch but I think it's basically an excuse to have a bit of a gossip. Anyway, here she is with the rather dashing looking Colonel Smyth (the red angle fish) and the three Nathan sisters (Dolly, Susan and Betsy) from number 4.

I have also added Community Meet - Up to a brand new set of five mermaid prints (here is my existing set of mermaid prints as a set) that essentially give you an extra print for free:

In this new set you get: Crustacean Calisthenics, An Afternoon Nap, Crustacean Cafe, How do I look? and Community Meet-Up.

All the best for the week ahead! XO

Prunella Soap + Happy Friday!

I found these cuties on Etsy the other evening whilst browsing. What were they? Were they art? Were they pet portraits? They are in fact product photos for soap! Yes,indeedy, the Etsy shop Prunella Soap has a cast of thousands showing off her organic, vegan, handmade soap. It made me feel happy just browsing her shop! They have the best names too. From top left: Sweet Orange-Cornmeal, Peppermint Vanilla, Cinnamon Walnut, Lavendar-Vanilla-Oatmeal-Mint, The Whole Log Please and Adventure Sticks.   

Happy Friday too! I haven't really got any grand plans for the weekend other than relaxing - and possibly going for a walk - but that is very dependent on the weather. It's returned to hot and steamy here in Sydney after a brief fling with semi-crisp almost Autumnal weather. What about you? Anything exciting planned?

I hope everyone has a super weekend!

Marc Jacobs

Apparently everyone is in raptures over Marc Jacob's new collection which was shown in New York earlier this week. I must admit I rather like the dainty lady like silhouettes and the pill box hats are very sweet too. I think my favourite looks are these ones:

These three are a little bit out there: they remind me of 1960s Paco Rabanne/ Courrèges but they are a bit Victorian for me too. The blues (all three of them!) are really wonderful - particularly in that shiny leather. I understand that it's not expected that people will wear all the ensemble together like that but I think I would love to if I had the opportunity! I think you'd feel unique and rather fabulous!  Hmmm...yes the more I look at them the more there is I like!

...and a happy Thursday! 

Images from here.

Audrey's world

 
Red Corsage

This is Audrey. I think she's what you'd call a good looking woman - she's also a superb cook and a delight to have at any party. She's fun and a stead fast friend who sticks by you through thick and thin. She also looks lovely in black and white - it compliments her shiny cap of jet black bobbed hair and of course the red corsage is perfection!

Here are some bits and pieces I found on Etsy that I thought she might like. What do you think?

 
From top left: 1) A stunning Art Deco Cuff Bracelet in garnet rhinestones 2) A delightful 1930s Chainmail fringe necklace 3) Three smart red bakelite bangles 4) A dreamy antique mother of pearl belt buckle.

 

I also thought that of an evening she might like to play bingo on this rather attractive looking Art Deco 1920s bakelite bingo cage. I know that's something I'd find fun to do!

 
Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope your week is going swimmingly! :0)

Vivian Maier

These photographs are by amateur photographer Vivian Maier (1926 – 2009). She was born in New York but was raised in France. She later returned to The States to work as a nanny. This was her main form of employment for about 40 years although she managed to travel extensively to places such as Asia, Egypt and Italy.

Described as a very private person by the families she worked for, her work was unknown until 2007. John Maloof, a local historian and real estate agent, discovered her negatives and prints when he was researching a book about Portage Park in Chicago. A book is coming out later this year about her life and work and a film is planned for 2012.

Apparently approximately 100, 000 of her negatives and prints have been unearthed so far. There is a blog dedicated to her work here: Vivian Maier - Her discovered work which is curated by John Maloof. I think her photographs are pretty special, don't you?

Images from here via This is Love Forever