Dear Typewriter (A Love Letter)

Dear Typewriter,

It's been a while since we last saw each other. I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch, but I promise you're never too far from my mind.

It's not that I haven't wanted to visit you, because I've often wished for nothing else, but time and distance are between us, and those two chasms are not easily crossed.

But now the time is right for us to be reunited once more, and we shall never be apart again.

Words simply cannot describe how I've missed the feel of your keys under my fingers or the satisfying clicks of letters forming on paper.

What I would give to hear that blissfully definitive chime as I reach the end of one line, or the grind of the carriage returning to start another.

[Left, Right]

I even miss your groan of disapproval whenever I tear away another page, unfinished and abandoned. I miss your attempts to cover my mistakes, and the scent of white-out when you don't quite succeed.

I must admit, I never thought I'd miss the battle with your ribbon; the battle that I inevitably lost time after time, scarred with slashes of ink and black hands for days on end...but I do.

[Left, Right]

Because despite your cracked case and your sporadically stuck keys, you're reliable. You're trustworthy. You're honest. We've had our fair share of disagreements, but in the end you never let me down.

And most of all, you never stared at me blankly with an insolent blue screen of doom. You never once threatened to destroy all my work in a fit of petty rage, and the only time you ever uttered the word virus was when we wrote an assignment on the Black Plague (heavy material for a 5th grader, but interesting nevertheless!)

So thank you, dear Typewriter. Thank you for all the happy memories, all the work we completed together, and for waiting so patiently for me for all this time. I can't wait to see you again.

Yours truly,

Kit

Apologies for the super late post...after many blue screens of doom, and even the occasional green screen, my computer is slowly but surely recovering from a near-fatal virus. He's currently chilling out in quarantine but will hopefully be back in action tomorrow, because he holds the key to lots of goodies I was planning to share with you today! All's well that ends well.

Speaking of time running short, have you entered this week's Giveaway Goodness yet? You have twice as many chances to win, so get in there!

[Please click on images for original sources]

Wednesday Wisdom - Sunshine, Peace, Love

I wish you sunshine on your path

and storms to season your journey.

I wish you peace in the world
in which you live...

More I cannot wish you
except perhaps love
to make all the rest worthwhile.

- Robert A. Ward

A heartfelt thank you for sharing your stories, both on yesterday's post or via email. I truly believe that we all have amazing stories to tell, and that each and every one deserves to be heard, understood and contemplated. It's strangely daunting and exciting to realise just how much we can learn from each other if only we stopped to listen a little more often.

I look forward to spending a relaxed weekend reading your blogs, admiring your photography and browsing through your Etsy stores! So thank you again to those who have told even a snippet of your stories, and to those who haven't said hello yet, please do!

[Please click on images for original source]

The Other Side - All About You

How rude of me! Here I am talking all about myself, yapping on about my caffeine addiction and my love of croissants blah blah blah, and I haven't even let you get a word in edgewise!

So today I'm going to sit back, shut my mouth and let you do the talking. Introduce yourself and tell me more about you! Tell me about your blog or your site or your photos, or all of the above. Tell me how you spend your days or how you spend your ideal weekends! Even if you've never commented here before...especially if you've never commented here before! I want to hear all about you.

Here's a few little prompts to get you into a reflective mood.

So...hello! How are you? Tell me a little about yourself!

P.S. The latest Giveaway Goodness is two times the fun this week!


[Images via Smashing Magazine]

Hey Ladies! Hot & Cold Giveaway Goodness!

You heard right! Sorry if there happens to be any lads that read this blog (say hello if you exist!), but this week's Giveaway Goodness is all about the ladies.

Did you notice the plural? Oh yes my friends, because this week there won't be one winner, there will be TWO! Twice as much Giveaway Goodness, what a way to start the week!

And as if that wasn't exciting enough, this giveaway comes to us from soon-to-be TV star Kristin Hassan, the exceptionally talented lady behind organiK Revolution.

Based in Chicago, Kristin is one of the 15 contestants on "The Fashion Show", a fashion meets reality TV show that I probably won't get to see for another 3 years (I really should invest in Pay TV!), and she has kindly offered two pieces from her current line to you, dear readers!

All you have to do is to mosie over to the organiK Revolution shop, have a little look around, then mosie on back here and tell us all about which piece you're coveting...but there's a catch! We're drawing a line in the sand and there's no room for fence-sitting! You have to declare your love for Summer or Winter...hot or cold! The Summer-lovin' types will be in the running for this hot little black dress...

...and the Winter-lovers will be lining up for this Veronica wrap to keep them toasty-warm when the temperature drops. The Winter winner will even have the choice of blue, berry, or yellow! Decisions decisions!

So declare your allegiance! Are you all about the sun or the snow? The sunscreen or the scarves? The sunstroke or the...OK you get the point.

And while we're talking about the elements, did I mention that organiK Revolution is an 'Earth Positive' brand? Kristin designs with sustainable materials like soy jerseys and organic cottons, and all items are produced in Chicago! But that's only the tip of the iceberg (excuse the pun) - read a little more about organiK Revolution's mission here, and don't forget to tune into the premiere of "The Fashion Show" on Bravo...May 7...be there!

Oops! I forgot to mention the fine print! This fantabulous giveaway ends on Saturday 11:59pm AEST, and the winners will be selected using random.org and will be notified by email and announced right here on Monday too!

Happy Monday...And The Winner Is...

Happy Monday to you all! As predicted, my decidedly non-Monday self has come to look forward to this particular time of the week, thanks to the announcement of yet another Giveaway Goodness winner! Up for grabs this time is a fantastic signed Patternscapes print! So with a little help from my trusty random.org, the latest...

Congratulations Jason and Jen! You'll receive an email shortly to confirm your win and your details, and then your signed print will be on its way!

Thank you to everyone who entered! As a little arigato to all you discerning That Unreliable Girl readers, the delightful Ben and Fi are offering a...

20% discount

on all items in their
Wish You Were Here store!
(Valid until 31 May 2009)

All you have to do is enter the code 'Unreliable' on checkout, and the colossal discount is all yours! You can choose from the Patternscapes, the Classics (above), AND the new and exciting range of Patternscapes Cushions!

As if we weren't already in love with the illustrations themselves, check out the adorable button details! TEEPEE BUTTONS! Be still my beating heart! (Any excuse to say teepee. Teehee!)

Seriously cute cushions! There are even Patternscapes Fabrics on offer if you're feeling crafty! Speaking of sewing machines...stay tuned, there's another exciting Giveaway Goodness coming up later today!

Lest We Forget

[ Lest We Forget - Wood Engraving by David Frazer, 2007]

Tomorrow is a particularly solemn and important day for Australians and New Zealanders; ANZAC Day. Much like Remembrance Day, ANZAC Day was initially a commemoration of the loss and tragedy of those who fought and fell in World War I. April 25 marks the landing of the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) onto the beaches of Gallipoli, Turkey. The campaign was a resounding failure, the death toll was high, and the ANZAC spirit became one of legend and national identity.

The commemoration has since evolved to include all who have fallen and suffered as a result of war, whether from World War I or II, the Korean or Vietnam wars, or the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Red poppies are also increasingly being used in ANZAC day processions, in addition to their traditional association with Remembrance Day.

Tomorrow is a day when political agendas are put aside and we simply remember the sacrifice of all those we have lost, and those who have returned, changed and scarred.

The ANZAC Dedication: For the Fallen
By Laurence Binyon


They shall not grow old,
As we that are left grow old.


Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.


At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning,
We will remember them.


We will remember them.

Just White...

As anyone who has ever tried to chose the right shade of white for their walls would know, there's no such thing as "just white". There are cool whites, warm whites, creamy whites, beige whites, bright whites, antique whites, and all of these shades of white change throughout the day dependent upon sunshine, clouds, rain, snow...the list goes on.

White as we know it is a deceivingly complex concept despite its simple, innocent appearance. White can be clinical, it can be stark and heartless, and it can be plain boring. It can also be warm, comfortable, bright, inviting, soft, forgiving, calming, cooling...and when used in just the right way...inspiring.

[Please click on images for original sources. Inspired by Alcholado - please visit her gallery for more beautiful photography.]

P.S. If white's not your thing and you want a little colour in your life, make sure you enter this week's Giveaway Goodness!