Fawning

Fawns are a perfectly acceptable household friend. Right, Audrey?
Rather jealous.

Etsy

I finally got on board the etsy bandwagon.

I'm spruiking a few odds and ends, woodland brooches and some gift cards with my illustrations and such. You can see it all for yourself right here.

Sydney Festival

Running the risk of sounding like an absolute design wank, I'd like to say I'm in love with the design, typography and general vibe for the Sydney Festival. The logo is nice, the brochure is well set out, and Saatchi have done quite a good job on the whole 'let's fit words together in a visually pleasing way'. For goodness sake, would you just look at those ligatures. Brilliant.
Use of the Middle East in the trailer also scores points.

Yellow balloons are always fun, and so is a nice, well done, serif font.
Top notch. Way to go, Sydney Festival 2010.

There's No Place Like Here

Trips home are delightful. Perhaps it panders a little too much to my attention seeking side - my visits being few and far between results in quite a spate of 'hey hey megan, did I tell you about the time...' types of stories from family. Lovely people and sunshine filled cafes, it was all quite grand.

Brother Ben had pimped my bicycle for me - it's now rocking a charming shade of powder blue, complete with white sparrows painted on the frame, and white walls. Yes, I'm quite sure I am Xzibit.

I took Mr Ikea on bike rides around town - educating the city folk on the ways of the country is what I do best.

It was overcast weather, which meant the freshly bloomed jacaranda trees were all the more brilliant. I spent most of the time at home with my neck tilted so I could see all the trees. I don't know what it is about it, there's just something about all the suburban greenery and scenery that warms my heart a little.

I also managed to nab a cute black and white floral dress for $3 from my favourite Presbyterian op shop. Complete with giant shoulder pads and a high collared lace neckline, it's in need of some revamping. Holiday projects, hurrah! I'm convinced the local op shops are holding out on me - I'm returning home again soon, and plan to pillage them good and proper.

I'm heading back to the Mainland for a few days. 

Plenty of familiar country side and friendly neighborhoods, where the friends are in an abundance and the family reside, where photos staged in paddocks are an acceptable practice. It's a nice place to be. I like the idea of a country house... While it's far from this in reality, it's still nice to 'head home' for a while.

A computer hiatus will be a nice break too. No designing. No reflecting on my designing. No designing my reflections. No Illustrator, Photoshop or Officeworks.

Just good clean country air - and dirt cheap op shops.

With uni (finally) finished and a long break ahead, the first thing I did was clean my desk. I'm aware this really doesn't elevate my level of cool... but would you just look how delightfully clean it is! 

Anyway, Julie Baby thinks I'm cool. That's enough for me.

One more day. One more assessment. One more lecture.

Then hopefully I can blog about things more fun than Officeworks.

You Scream

With summer creeping closer, I've now got another reason to wish I lived in Melbourne.

I'm going to go right ahead and say it's the best I've ever seen. Much more fun than the standard tubs found in the freezer of your local supermarket.

Educated on such delicious treats by this lady, picture from here.

China Town.

I finally made it to a Sydney show. When I first moved to old Sydney town in February, my plans for live music viewing were grand. In my first month of living here, I saw three shows - and they were awesome. Sometime over Winter a lull happened. Coupled with my perpetual state of 'no-money', my gig participation came to a stand still.

Tonight, finally, we're back in business.


Frankie readers might be familiar, a delightful band featuring in the creative collaboration article in Issue 32. The Good China, Melbourne folk who play sweet indie pop. Playing at a local venue for a cool ten dollars, I was convinced I was meant to be there.

They. Were. Amazing. Slightly Architecture in Helsinki meets Year 8 Music Class - yes, there were recorders, maracas and xylophones. I'd like to have the confidence to call them the next big thing, but I have no idea how these things work. All I know is that I enjoyed them immensely and I think I'd like to invest in a blow-keyboard...

There's something endearing about 8 people who give off a Breakfast Club vibe, seeming to have come about by accident but working together so magnificently. Like all of the leftover kids from your high school who had no real set group, but were still just so charming and huggable, suddenly formed a super group of super talent. So talented that they all switch instruments too. 


My own musical ability reaching to a a 0.5 on the scale of skill (I own a harmonica, after all), I'm generally easily impressed. These guys though, were rad. I think they might even be giving 4 Bonjours Parties a run for their money in my book of favourites.

  The Good China. Not just for special occasions.

And then.

I've always been thankful to live so close to Officeworks. While I often lament the amount of hours I spend there getting printing, photocopying, binding and other services done, I'm still glad that it's not hours spent somewhere else less convenient to get the same results.
Yeah, I love it.


On Monday, I was thankful that I wasn't the very angry woman who was yelling abuse at staff for not manning the registers more efficient.
I was also pretty excited to see a bird in the store. I think this is the equivalent of kids getting thrills out of seeing a dog in the schoolyard. There's something entertaining about creatures in their unnatural environments.


Yesterday, I was mostly just thankful I was there at the right time.
I had wandered to the big blue store for some printing, thinking the assignment I was working on was due in one more week.
I bumped into a fellow uni-goer, photocopying process work for the same assignment. I made various comments about us being ready so early, and just wanted to get it done and out of the way. General chit chat, nice nice. On the way out I asked if there was a lecture the following day.
"No, just the hand-in".
"Hand in for what?"
"The assignment. It's due at 10am."
"Wait, this one? When's it due?"
"Tomorrow. It's all due tomorrow"


I very nearly had a panic attack next to the nerd sticks. I knew that my hanging out with stationery would come in handy eventually, even though I cussed in my head all the way home (I owe Loukas' swear glass a good few dollars there). Hours of process work and refinements and printing and photocopying later, I had one assignment ready to go - albeit slightly on the dodgy side of things.
It was only worth 50% of the grade... I'm sure it's fine.


Speaking to Julie Baby, her reassuring words were "I'm sure it will be fine. They'll love it. The company will buy it and you'll make a million dollars. Then you can buy a house for you and I to live in. And MrIkea can live there too --- once you're married."
Cheers, Jules.