Beautiful Ups and Downs

Love love LOVE these necklaces from This is Plot. Each necklace contains a crafty depiction of commodity prices over the decades, from gold and silver through to oil and lead.

A little bit geeky but a whole lot of awesome.

Happy Monday! How was everyone's weekend?

Sunday, Lovely Sunday

For those of you who celebrate Valentine's Day, I wish you all the love and happiness in the world. To those of you who don't...the very same! Let's keep the love flowing all year round, shall we?

For those last-minute lads and lassies (like me!) who want to show a little lovin', why not whip up a pretty little paper heart ring? Thank you to YellowGoat for sharing this with us all!

Relax with Weekend Reads

[untitled by iliveinoctober]

Why hello there! I trust you're all enjoying a relaxing weekend? I know I am, especially after a strangely hectic yet unproductive week - how does that work? Nevertheless, I did manage to catch up on a favourite blog or two so in the spirit of sharing, here are some links that deserve a looksee!

• Stunning sequins in sunlight and a little dash of Paris *le sigh*
• Valentine Treats that are so delicious, you won't want to share the love!
• A sneak peak into the lovely abode of Sydney illustrator renee anne
• This crazy beautiful video for Vanessa Bruno's latest collection
• Just for giggles...hey space lamp, wanna live inside my earth house?
• A little whimsical wintery eye candy
• And a dash of caster sugar
  

Enjoy!


[image via Girl Meets NYC]

Dream a Little Dream

Oh my word, this is one of the most beautiful images I've ever seen. Imagine having a lovely little tea party in a setting like this! Oh what to wear?! But wait, there's more!

These dreamy scenes are the result of a collaboration between ceramic masters Mateus and photographer Denise Grünstein, and based on the final images the team are clearly a match made in heaven.


If you're like me and you want more, be sure to check out Denise's ridiculously gorgeous folio, and the other fantastic collaborations that Mateus have undertaken with many more talented artists.

And on that beautiful note, happy Friday and have a fantastic weekend!


xx Kit


[via blomsterverkstad]

And It Was All Yellow...

It might be almost halfway through February, but there's always time to look back on the previous year and do a little reminiscing. So before I belatedly begin to ponder the repercussions of Turquoise being coined Pantone's Color of the Year for 2010, the ridiculously talented Michaela, freelance wedding stylist and florist extraordinaire, has provided us with a roundup of the year of Mimosa - take it away, Michaela!

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I’ll admit I have an unhealthy obsession with purple. So much so, I plan to name my first born daughter Indigo. But no other colour has come close to tearing me away from my fetish this season like yellow has.

It’s no surprise that yellow (14-0848 Mimosa) was Pantone's Colour of 2009. With the global financial crisis sinking its teeth in, the world turned a colour previously associated with jaundice for a source of hope and inspiration.

Being rather slack with following fashion trends, I didn’t notice it in abundance in the fashion world, but it was certainly colour of choice for weddings.

Gone are the days of traditional marshmallow and meringue brides! Bold, bright colours have replaced traditional ivory and champagne.

We’re seeing the same trends in floristry, albeit VERY behind the times here in Australia.

More vibrant and varied bouquet designs are emerging using plants and flowers with unusual textures such as Celosia (a.k.a Brain flower) and succulents.

So Happy New Year* readers and farewell yellow. Turquoise has some big shoes to fill!

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Oh Mimosa, I miss you so! A huge thank you to Michaela for sharing her killer eye for colour with us all - be sure to mosey on over to her new bloggy abode, violet femme.

If you'd like to put together a guest post for That Unreliable Girl, shoot an email to submissions [at] thatunreliablegirl [dot] com and let me know what you have in mind! (As per standard anti-robot/spambot procedure, please put 'Unreliable Guest Post' as the subject!)


*As usual, I'm at least two months behind, but the sentiment still stands I'm sure!

Pimp My Prints

As cliché as the work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec may be, I have three prints that I think deserve a place on my walls. It's not the prints I adore so much as the memory of buying them from a tiny corner store in Paris...in true dorky tourist fashion of course!

But I have a problem - I can't for the life of me decide which kind of framing looks best, so naturally I'm asking you (if you're reading this, you obviously have great taste!)

If you happened to have sliiiiightly off-white walls, Boring McBland beige carpets and a colour scheme full of whites, creams, warm greys and unavoidable splashes of stainless silver ..which would you choose?

L-R 1. Black, Plain | 2. Black, Simple

3. Black, Shabby | 4. Black, Ornate

5. White, Simple | 6. White, Shabby

7. Silver, Simple | 8. Silver, Ornate

poll by twiigs.com

Vote away!

P.S. A gazillion years ago I did a similar post when I couldn't decide how to restore my Brady-Bunch-esque bookcase, and you'll be pleased to know I took your wise advice, told Mr. Unreliable to shove it, and painted that baby gloss white! There are photos lying around here somewhere...

Yawn, Stretch, Repeat

[rain by daniel terrio]

Oh Monday, you tricky beast. Sometimes you're full of life, full of promise and hope and cheer. But sometimes, like today, you're wicked and cruel, long and unrepentant.

I don't think I've ever yawned so much, nor achieved so little.

Then again, I shouldn't place all the blame on Monday, as Saturday and Sunday have a lot to answer for too.

Hopefully your weekend was a little more productive - do tell!

Wallpaper, The Westwood Way

Vivienne Westwood does wallpaper. Oh yes my friends, and the results are just as unpredictable as the lady herself. In amongst the trademark tartans and the ubiquitous Union Jack are some surprisingly demure designs, and even a Marimekko-esque mod inclusion or two.

[Left: Squiggle | Right: Cut-out Lace]

[Left: Magnolia | Right: Absence of Rose]

[Left: Tartan | Right: Vivienne's Lace]

Much of the collection features familiar patterns with a Westwood twist, all in an enviable array of colour options that range from light and neutral to bold and brash.

Though it doesn't get much bolder than trademark Vivienne Westwood - I can't help but love the tattered and tarnished Union Jack or the flamboyant tartan ruffles of Trompe l'oeil Drape (even if I'd never be brave enough to put them on my own walls!)

[Top Left: Vivienne's Lace | Top Right: Cut-out Lace]
Bottom Left: Paper Jewellery | Bottom Right: Dogtooth]

For whiteophiles like me however, it's hard to go past the detail and depth of Vivienne's Lace (above, top left) or Cut-out Lace (above, top right). Go have a looksee on the Cole & Son website for more detailed images if you don't believe me!

Now...to just convince my landlord!


[via indesignlive]

Happily Unhappy

Tumblr has always been a great place to find a little inspiration, but it's increasingly becoming a failsafe place to find a good laugh too. From the harsh and hilarious realities of Clients from Hell, to the slightly obscure artworks of Selleck Waterfall Sandwich (yes, it is exactly what it sounds like), through to newcomer and one of my personal favourites, Unhappy Hipsters.

"We’re not ready to go out there yet, honey.
And besides, didn’t I do a pretty good job bringing the outside in?"

The combination of stylish abodes (from Dwell back issues) with slightly snarky captions is a winner in my books. I've lamented that architectural photography often lacks the warmth of human inhabitants, but evidently, the two don't necessarily go hand in hand.

If a dash of bitterness and a dollop of sarcasm don't do it for you, you can always just revel in the gorgeous featured homes. Thanks to my fearful hipster friends above, I'm absolutely enamoured with these light fittings.

Custom designed by the project architects, UrbanLab, these lovely luminaires won't be gracing my little apartment any time soon, but I can dream, and dream I shall!

[Photography by Christopher Sturman for Dwell]

Stately Love

Oh how I love finding pretty little things in my inbox! Following on from the Suburban Type post, Brittni thought these gorgeous watercolours by Katie Daisy might float my boat too, and how right she was!

I don't know about you, but once Katie has finished with the rest of America, I have a few Australian states that I think would look divine with a little watercolour lovin'!

In the meantime however, these prints can be purchased from The Wheatfield on papernstitch and Etsy, as can the rest of Katie's dreamy work - even the humble ampersand gets the Daisy treatment!

P.S. If you've found something pretty you'd like to share, send an email my way! More information is on the shiny new Submissions page!

Tea for Three

Tea time! And based on the fact that I accidentally published this post yesterday without ANYTHING ACTUALLY IN IT, I could clearly use the caffeine! My bad!

Oh look, I remembered images this time! Handy! So how cute is this 'Hanger Tea' design by Soon Mo Kang?

And if the teabag itself wasn't the epitome of awesome, the packaging is something else - it's a little wardrobe of TEA TEES!

The next little slice of tea-nius (say it out loud, I swear it makes sense!) is this Tea Sub by Ototo. Oh yes, a little yellow submarine to cheer up your day and make you a tasty brew. Perfection!

And lastly, the slightly subversive cuteness of the Heart Mug by Reiko Kaneo. The printed shadow is the perfect touch for tea and coffee lovers alike! (Or just lovers in general for you Valentine's Day celebratin' folk!)

[ Hanger Tea via Yanko Design , TeaSub via frankie + swissmiss , Heart Mug via top3 ]

Suburban Typophiles Rejoice!

I've long been jealous of the sexy Neighbourhood Posters that have graced many an international city, but my envy is no longer required!

Sydney-based graphic designer Greg O'Conner, and partner in crime Kath, have recently launched Suburban Type, a fantastic project that aims to capture all the cool corners of Australia, one district at a time.

The 'hoods of Sydney are first off the mark, but Melbourne is next in line as the dynamic duo make their way around the country.

The Inner West prints are currently available through the Suburban Type MadeIt store, with more being released both there and on the official Suburban Type website as the year progresses. Stay tuned!

Your Name in Lights - Advertise on That Unreliable Girl

Reach hundreds of discerning, design-savvy readers every day with a little slice o' advertising goodness on That Unreliable Girl. Sponsorship rates have been set with small businesses and boutique brands and blogs in mind, so if you're interested please feel free to send an email to thatunreliablegirl@gmail.com for more information. (Put 'Unreliable Advertising' in the subject for a super-fast response!)

I Adore...

I'll confess. I'm not big on Valentine's Day. Never have been, doubt I ever will be. So please treat the timing of this adorable post as purely coincidental, because let's be frank - if you love someone, you should be telling (and showing!) them so every day of the year.

Besides, when you come across gorgeous hand-stitched posies like these ones from EmersonMade, why on earth wouldn't you want to shower these babies around 365 days a year?!

Cute.


Cute.

Cute!

I came across these little lovelies at Wolf and Willow, which just so happens to be brimming with plenty of other adorable goodies too. Go have a looksie!

Farewell Dancing Man

Just in case this blog wasn't quite random enough already, I wanted to post a little tribute to the Dancing Man. Many Australians will know the above image, and indeed the footage, from the celebrations that followed the end of World War II. The streets of Sydney were shrouded in ticker-tape (now also referred to as LITTER!), but most memorable of all was the dapper young lad hopping, skipping and twirling his way down George Street.

There's still a little contention surrounding the true identity of the Dancing Man, but it's commonly believed to be Frank McAlary, then a 20-year-old student who went on to become a distinguised barrister. Even in the face of the tragedy of war, one young man serves as a timely reminder that we must celebrate and cherish the freedoms we so often take for granted.

Frank passed away on the 17th of January, 2010, but his image, his spirit and his joy lives on.

Dream Schemes - Tilly Sofa by & Then Design

For a few weeks now, I've been pondering just how I'd redecorate my little apartment if I could start from scratch. Truth be told, even if I imagined that my funds were endless, I still have no idea! I LOVE lots of different pieces on their own, but put them all together and it'd just be a big old mess, and not the eclectic "I worked hard for everything to look this mismatched" kind of mess either.

So for now, I'm going to share little bits and pieces that I love as I find them, even if they wouldn't go with my horrid beige carpet (I'm a renter, I have no say!), and even if they wouldn't go with anything else I've shared. Eventually, hopefully, I can find a common theme or two and come up with a few Dream Schemes.

On my radar at the moment is this Tilly sofa by & Then Design. Even with the classical styling and super cute buttons, this is still a super-modern look that works best in a very particular setting. Think polished concrete, painted bricks and lots and lots of white. High ceilings and a handful of exposed beams wouldn't hurt either.

Probably not ideal with the endless shades of cream, beige and brown that my current rental status subjects me too, but where there's a will, there's a way.

What would you do with your abode if you could start over?

With a Smile

Back to the daily grind, and my own view is that the only thing better than a delicious coffee is one served with a smile. Clearly fellow Sydney-sider Sonya Gee agrees.

In a cute collaboration with a local Sydney cafe, Sonya is sending these little guys out into the world to spread joy and caffeine.

With six irresistible handmade designs to collect, you’ll need to head straight to Cafe Giulia in Chippendale before they all find new homes!

You can find out more about Sonya here, or stalk her on Twitter like I do!


(P.S. Obsession with smiley coffee? Don’t know what you’re talking about!)