Spring Cleaning

[it’s a new day by fadedfilmstrips via kind over matter]

After a few months of what can only be described as a 'funk', I'm going to make a few changes around here - a little Spring Cleaning, if you will. A new design is on the way, as is a slightly less woe-is-me outlook (thank heavens, I hear you cheer!)

Along with the new look, I'll be seeking new sponsors and giveaways, so if you think you might just want to be part of the new and improved That Unreliable Girl, please shoot me an email at thatunreliablegirl[at]gmail[dot]com and tell me a little about yourself!

P.S. I finally surrendered to the lovely world of Tumblr!

P.P.S. Remember my maple tree whose leaves will herald true "Springtime Bliss" in my own little back terrace? Well sure enough, one day later...

A Dash of Serenity - On The Rocks

If I could be anywhere in the world right this very minute, I'd be on that chair with a good book in one hand and a glass of red in the other. Actually, scrap the book, I'd already have turned the chair around so I could simply watch the world pass by.

Built in 1895, Clingstone is a truly unique 23 room mansion that sits on a rocky outcrop in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. After the passing of its original owner, the house stood empty for two decades until Henry Wood, a 79 year old Boston architect, snapped up the property for the princely sum of $3,600 (albeit in 1961, but still!)

Mr. Wood hosts an annual 'Clingstone Working Weekend' in which 70 of his closest friends mosey on over, set up camp in the house, and help clean and restore the old dame one little project at a time. I don't think I've ever been so willing to get domesticated in my whole life - where do I sign up?!

[The Old House and the Sea via Bliss, via Mishy Lane Design]

Spring has Sprung - The Difference a Day Can Make

This time of year is so very satisfying, whether you happen to be in the Northern Hemisphere or down South with me. There's something truly enchanting about the changes that start appearing, leaf by leaf, petal by petal.

If you happen to follow my rants on Twitter, you'd know that I've been out of action for a few days now with a migraine...and whilst this would normally make me absolutely inhospitable, instead I feel it has been a blessing in disguise (a very nasty, painful disguise) to have allowed me to watch some monumental change in my little back terrace over the past few days. Allow me to demonstrate.

Migraine Day 1:

Migraine Day 2:



Migraine Day 3:



Migraine Day 4:

It really is amazing the difference a day can make. Now all that's left is for my Japanese Maple Tree to make a resurgence, and my Springtime bliss will be complete!

And shaking off this pesky migraine would be nice, too.

Migraine Monday

...Which follows Headache Sunday, which follows Not-Feeling-So-Flash Saturday. I didn't have many plans for the weekend, but locking myself in my room with the lights out and the blinds drawn? Not really my idea of a great weekend.

Though I may reconsider if I ever happen to look like this...

Adore this photoshoot for miss unkon - the hazy frames, the sparkly, flowery headpieces...what's not to love?!

TGIF

Thank

Goodness

It's Friday!

What a week! Each day felt like it was dragging on at the time, but now that I've made it to Friday, I'm not quite sure I even made the slightest dint in my To Do list!

But tough cookies to lists, because if this weather keeps up (yes, still going on about the weather), I'll be found at my nearest beach this weekend. So much for Winter!

I will however make a slice of time to dig out my camera and share my little painting project with you as promised. I'll also endeavour to catch up on everyone's lovely blogs, and finally attempt the colossal task of *cue ominous music* EMAILS! Collective gasp.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xx Kit

[Images via the immensely talented Citrushearts]

Four Seasons, One Skirt

Yep, I'm still going on about the weather. In fact, I can't seem to stop myself! There's something not quite right when it's still the tail end of what should be quite a chilly winter...and I'm planning a weekend trip to the beach. Here in Sydney, the temperature is hovering fairly steadily around the 25°C degree mark with an occasional burst of torrential rain, a little further north in Brisbane it's easily soaring into the 30's, and Melbourne...well, who knows what's going on down there - gale force winds, heat waves, biting cold, rain....all in one day, generally.

Clearly, the weather cannot be relied upon. Which is why this Umbrella Skirt by Cecilia Felli is pure genius. Not that you'd just take off your skirt and put it over your head if it started to pour (I hope), but anyone who can fashion an umbrella into an adorable skirt Project Runway: MacGyver Edition stylee definitely deserves all the kudos going their way.

What really sells it for me is the photos of some serious skirt-swirlin' goings on. I can almost hear the satisfying swish of the former umbrella...and what good is a skirt if you can't swirl around in it...and in the rain no less?!

[via Design Milk]

Wednesday Wisdom - Rain, Hail, Shine

The trouble with weather forecasting
is that it's right too often
for us to ignore it
and wrong too often for us to rely on it.

- Patrick Young

Barometer, n.:
An ingenious instrument
which indicates
what kind of weather we are having.

- Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914)

Weather forecast for tonight: dark.
Continued dark overnight,
with widely scattered light by morning.

- George Carlin (1937 - 2008)

Isn't it interesting that the same people
who laugh at science fiction
listen to weather forecasts
and economists?

- Kelvin Throop III

Don't knock the weather.
If it didn't change once in a while,
nine out of ten people
couldn't start a conversation.

- Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)

So...how about that weather?

P.S. I've had a fair few queries about whether Emilie's beautiful photography can be purchased. If you'd love some gorgeous Polaroid prints on your wall, please email Emilie directly.

P.P.S. The last photo is my very first real Polaroid! My little Land Camera 1000 is alive and kicking thanks to my teeny little stockpile of Polaroid 600 film. Joy! <3

[Please click on images for original sources.]

Patricia Urquiola - Off the Wall

Even when I'm pretending that I'm still a hard-line steel-and-glass-loving minimalist, I find it ridiculously difficult to deny the allure of layers, patina and texture. After all, I'm a also a Francophile, and the very thought of merely bulldozing the historical heart of Paris and building monolithic high rises to the horizon still makes me shudder. The ability to not only see history, but to feel it and smell it...no amount of glass and steel can match that experience.

[Left: Barcelona - Paseo de Gracia | Right: Franco Guerzoni - Affreschi 1973]

Which is where these tiles come in. Yes, you read that correctly. This post is all about tiles. Patricia Urquiola tiles to be precise. The Déchirer range for Mutina to be really, really precise.

The Spanish-born, Milan-based designer extraordinaire has drawn upon Moroccan and Spanish textures to create a patchwork design that just begs to be touched. As Urquiola has also designed for the likes of B&B Italia, Bisazza, Alessi and Kartell, to name but a few, it comes as no surprise that her first foray into the world of ceramics is already a resounding success, winning a Best of NeoCon Silver Award and an Elle Deco International Design Awards (EDIDA) since the product launch earlier this year.


In describing the collection, Urquiola states that the guiding thread is "the reference to the sensations it provides, with patterns that lie in the memory of the past".

I’m very interested in working on large-size formats, such as cement modules and unusual shapes such as hexagons. And I’m also fascinated by the idea of creating an industrial product in which traces of the layers of history are present, a product with a personality. Bas-reliefs of different heights which are not so much decorations as the remains of torn away memories.

In the floor and wall slabs that make up the collection, both plain and decorated elements appear, together with orthogonal and hexagonal shapes and even large sizes. Like traces of previous stratifications, overlapping, contamination, irregular hints of decor and filigree threads run through the surfaces. The slight decors are never evident, but they become clear as light and perspective change.

By referencing the past and using the best of present technology, Urquiola and Mutina have ensured that this range is yet another future Urquiola classic.

Dream On, Monday

There's nothing like some beautifully dreamy photography to transport you to another time and place...especially on a Monday.

A big thank you to the lovely Emilie for letting me share her amazing talents with you. Every now and then I stumble across a photographer who I just can't get enough of, but even then there are generally a few standout images that truly speak to me. After blissfully perusing Emilie's Flickr Stream however, I was tempted to simply share her whole collection! I managed to narrow the field down slightly (but not without duress!)

Happy Monday! What did everyone do on the all-too-short weekend? I did a little painting...and as soon as I find my camera, I'll show you the final result!