Still Life by Sara Morris

Here, have a little bit of levity for your Tuesday afternoon! This incredible floating photography is the work of London-based photographer, Sara Morris. Her portfolio is slick, surreal and utterly droolworthy, so if you need a little eye-candy for your afternoon, head over to her site or check out her great behind-the-scenes posts!

[via map magazine]

Modern Ruins

I have a long-held fascination with forgotten, abandoned buildings, so these photographs by Australian architectural photographer Peter Bennetts appeal to me on many levels - precisely because what at first appears to be sprawling Babylonian ruins, or perhaps even abandoned coastal bunkers, are in fact an exciting new hotel currently under construction in Vanuatu.

[Images via Dezeen]

The project in question is La Plage D'hôtel du Pacifique, designed by Melbourne-based Kristen Green Architecture (KGA). The strong influences of both Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier are combined with references to ancient Roman architecture, and to my mind, the resulting design manages to be oddly at home in the tropical setting.

 [Images via Dezeen]

The strong geometries are both complemented and softened by the timber herringbone fenestration on the windows and doors, and the boarded in-situ concrete walls, whilst appearing quite brutal and stark at first, will weather and age beautifully and gradually blend back into the surroundings (if they're not rendered or whitewashed, that is!)

Head to Dezeen for more information and stunning images.

Monsters and Aliens Invade Upcycled Artworks

[Mountain Monster by Chris McMahon]

If you've ever bypassed drab landscape paintings at a garage sale or your local op shop, these cheeky altered artworks might make you think again. In a quirky departure from the urban additions made famous by Banksy, these monstrous alterations are a little bit whimsical, and sometimes just a little bit creepy too!

 [Land Narwhal and Young by Chris McMahon]

US-based artist Chris McMahon has been adding a range of fantastical monsters to acquired landscapes since 2009, and describes them as "involuntary collaborations." If your walls need a furry land narwhal or two (and really, whose doesn't?!) then can you grab prints via deviantArt.

[Godzilla by Thryza Segal]

Thryza Segal has been adding her theatrical spin to the style since a Godzilla-based request back in 2007, and her style soon evolved into alien alterations and adorable back stories! 

[Fun at the Lake by Thryza Segal]

Based in Vancouver, Thryza cites her background in set and costume design as the inspiration for her interventions, and tries to bring new life to paintings that were otherwise destined for the scrapheap - for example, the alterations in Fun at the Lake cover a large damaged area in the most adorable of ways!

Prints are currently available from her Etsy store, and the originals are destined for a silent auction next month.


xx Kit

[Via TwistedSifter]

Spilt Milk

Fulfil your annual dairy requirements with the amazing work by London-based photographer Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz. According to the SLR Lounge article, the pin-up inspired 2014 calendar will be available next month - pencil it in!

The SLR Lounge article also details the incredible processes involved in creating these retro works of art - and while it involves high speed photography and a decent serving of Photoshop, it also involves real milk being thrown onto the models. A lot.

More of Jaroslav's work can be found at Arum Light [NSFW]



xx Kit

Mustache Cats

Totally smitten kitten with these Mustache Cat paper collages by Athens-based artist Joaquima Casas of kup kup land.

You can snap up the original collages over at the kup kup land Etsy store - too cute!

Happy Monday!

xx Kit

Art and About Sydney

The weekend is finally nigh - hooray! It also happens to be the very last weekend of Art and About Sydney (boooo!) so if you happen to be in the area and you haven't already had a wander around the city, be sure to mosey in and check out some seriously impressive work, including Field, pictured above.

Read more about the designers Out of the Dark (and, unrelated, out of Auckland) and their installation over at designboom.

Happy Friday and have a a fantastic weekend! I'm off to Byron, squeeee!

xx Kit

[Images via designboom]

Disco Dots by Jen Hewett

Love love love this Disco Dot Mini Tote by self-taught San Fran design extraordinaire, Jen Hewett. The combination of leather straps and hand-printed linen is pure perfection.

Check out more of Jen's Winter 2013 collection here.

xx Kit

P.S. I stumbled across Jen's work on Lisa Congdon's blog, which is currently getting some much-deserved recognition for taking up the fight against a company that appears to have quite the track record of profiting off the creativity and hard work of others. Read more about it here and here.

Inspire Me Top 3

It's always lovely to have something to look forward to, especially when the week feels like it's puttering along. 

Here's what's keeping me going this week (aside from the usual copious amounts of coffee, of course!)

#1 New Wes Anderson Anything

A new Wes Anderson movie AND book on the way? Heck yes!

#2 Road Tripping

A quick jaunt to Byron on the weekend. Can't wait! (Recommend me some great road trip tunes in the comments!)

#3 Semi-Permanent Inspiration

One Semi-Permanent Brisbane ticket for me! Come at me, inspiration!


What's motivating you this week?


xx Kit

Road Trip Escapes

As someone who is still without a drivers licence (don't judge me!) the very concept of road trips doesn't enter my thoughts often. Once someone even vaguely hints at the possibility of a road trip in the near future, however, there's little else I can think about.

A little trip to Byron is on the cards with my long-suffering best friend, and I'm a tiny bit on the excited side. I'm a very well-practiced passenger and practically a pro at sitting!

I haven't been to Bryon in years though, so any hints, tips and recommendations would be very gratefully received! (As always, coffee is my #1 priority, closely followed by delicious treats!)

Yay!

xx Kit

[Image via Ascot Friday]

Snowed Under

[via Chacha]

You know it's probably going to be a challenging week when you're already feeling snowed under on Monday.

Hopefully nothing that deep breaths, giant coffees and cute animals can't fix!

Happy Monday!

xx Kit

Tea and Photography

One of these days I hope to sort through the tens of thousands of photos I've taken, uploaded, then promptly abandoned across a range of computers and external hard drives.

In the meantime, here's a little snap I took back in 2011 at the Gunners' Barracks Tea Room in Sydney. 

Even on a toasty Spring day like today (36°C in Brisbane, even hotter in Sydney!) there's just something about the sight of a cup of tea that relaxes me (although an iced tea would be the more logical option, of course!)

Hope you're having a beautiful week!

xx Kit

Springtime in the Sunshine State

Unreliable HQ relocated to Brisbane a little while ago (sans former-Mr. U >: ) and although I'll readily admit that sub-tropical summers are still incredibly scary to me (think of an entire city that feels like a sauna), I absolutely love springtime here.

The weather is blissfully warm, the skies are azure blue, and the humidity hasn't quite set in yet - not in earnest, anyway!

I especially love the jacaranda trees, with their explosion of purple blooms that slowly give way to glossy green leaves. They usually start blooming in September, which coincides with the exam periods for the major universities and has consequently given rise to the term 'Purple Panic' - also making me immensely glad my university days are well and truly over!

 On a quick stroll through the inner-city suburb of Paddington yesterday, I wandered past this beautiful church that reminds me of the grand turreted houses peppered along the main street of Annandale, and I walked past an arbour of star jasmine - the scent transported me right into the back lanes of my old 'hood, Surry Hills, where entire terrace houses are enshrined in star jasmine and the perfume is nothing short of intoxicating.

Needless to say, I'm a little homesick for Sydney, but I'm definitely learning to love Brisbane. If only the beaches were closer!

What do you love about where you live?

xx Kit

Happy Friday

Oh yeah! The long weekend is here at last. I can't wait to get out and enjoy some of this incredible weather, so long as it sticks around! 

It's been a really big few days for me which translates into some big but super exciting deadlines next week - so I may have a work-filled long weekend ahead, but at least I can sit outside with my laptop and a nice cold drink! I'm actually looking forward to it!

What do you have planned for the long weekend? (Or the plain ol' standard weekend if you've already had your Labour Day public holiday!)


xx Kit


[Image by Striped Cat Studio]

Pastel Perfection

These stunning photos by Luis Monteira for Tatler may be three years old, they may have already done the rounds, and I'm fairly sure I've featured at least one of the images already. But today I just don't care, because they're so beautiful, they're inspiring, and as I've recently redoubled my efforts to hone my photography skills, they're particularly motivating too!

Everything about this shoot is utter perfection. The fashion, the styling, the locations, the effortless model with her effortless hair and makeup, the pretty pastel balloons, the soft blue skies.

What's inspiring you this week?

xx Kit