Melbourne

I have a soft spot in my heart for anything Australian. My mom and I took a trip together right after I graduated university and it was really one of those memories I think I'll always cherish (super cheesy, but oh so true). Melbourne was our first stop, so I really perk up when I hear/see anything Melbourne related.

Enter this really great animation. Short, sweet and to the point. Love it.


City of Melbourne Logo ID from Naomie Ross on Vimeo.


via Naomie Ross' vimeo page

Vacation Plans

Places I'm planning on hitting up in 2012:

New York, NY! (Yes, so soon. It's a must.)

Source: standingelements.tumblr.com via Sammich on Pinterest

Seattle, WA (my bff just got a job there!!)

Source: pikeplacemarket.org via Sammich on Pinterest

Portland, OR (to see Em, crazy girl who lives in Bend, OR)

Source: google.com via Diane on Pinterest

Austin, TX (to visit my friend Kat, who I miss dearly–especially when I'm wandering the stalls of our farmer's market alone...)

Source: eighthourday.com via Sammich on Pinterest

And I want to use my passport this year- suggestions!? Greece, Ireland and India are all on the top of my list!

Mind Your Own Business

(source)

Not to dwell on the New York topic, but I've been thinking about this a lot. I was telling a friend about how much I liked New York and they were shocked (I guess I don't seem like a person who would fit in there?). They wanted me to explain why I like it so much–to truly boil down what it is I liked.

Now, I could list a million reasons (the food, the subway–I'm a sucker for mass transit in train form, the artistic undercurrent to the city, the general hubub, the history, etc). But here's what the clincher really is for me: the people. Everyone talks about how rude New Yorkers are, that they're blunt and just all around not very nice. I found this to be completely not true. Maybe it's because I was expecting the worst and I'm a fairly to-the-point person myself, but I found people to be generally pleasant (anyone I greeted returned the nicety, I saw subway seats given to pregnant ladies, people helped each other with strollers on staircases).

Giving it even more thought (I know, really, I need a hobby), I realized it comes down to this: it's not that New Yorkers are rude, it's that they MIND THEIR OWN FRIGGIN BUSINESS. Honestly, it was refreshing to cut the small talk for a while.

Chicago: Peter Pan

Was in Chicago this past weekend and caught a production of Peter Pan- amazing. It was in a tent so it had an Imax like background and trapdoors and puppets and, of course, flying.

Live the Language: London

Live the language - London from EF Intl. Language Centers on Vimeo.


via Design Smudge

The Travel Itch

I'm itching to go somewhere. Anywhere. Preferably somewhere with bright colors and vast amounts of water. Found this in my inspiration folder and it looks just about perfect right now... 

LINK

Travel Inspiration : China : Cloisonné

An unexpected stop we made on the way back from the Great Wall of China (more on that later) was a Cloisonné factory just outside of Beijing. Prior to this stop I had seen pieces made in this style, but knew nothing (nothing!!) about the tremendous amounts of work that go into each handmade item. A brief overview below.

First, items are shaped (no pic for this). Then the wire outlines are applied to each vessel. Designs are shaped and applied with tweezers. We're talking major detail work.


Then comes the color. Each piece is meticulously filled with colored powder by artists (4 coats, a trip through the kiln between each). Their workspace was breathtaking with the bowls and bowls color surrounded by stacks of gorgeous in-process items.

After the color is added there are several rounds of polishing to create the final effect (see the blue vase in the background of the last picture of the colored powders).

Our tour guide at the factory, "Babbit," explaining the process to us.

Travel Inspiration : China

It was this time last year I was packing my bags and heading to that far away land we call China. In the next couple of days I share some of the gorgeous sites and wacky cultural quirks we came across...

"Hey lady! Lady! Lady! Wanna buy a watch? Mao watch? Rolex? Louis Vouitton? Watch? Lady!Lady!"

Travel Inspiration : Hawaii : Alphabet

Last week I posed a question as to how many letters there are in the Hawaiian alphabet- did anyone know the answer? If you said 12, (and I know you did) than you are correct!

The alphabet contains 12 letters: 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 7 consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w).

Another fun thing is to look up what your Hawaiian name is. Mine is Kamanaka (like I needed another "a" in my name), what's yours?

Travel Inspiration : Hawaii : Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Last night on my way home I drove directly towards a rainbow. For those of you not in the Twin Cities area, let me just tell you: it has been raining for DAYS. Needless to say, the rainbow was a welcome sight as the sun made an attempt to peek out from behind the clouds before night fell.

Ever since I was in Hawaii, rainbows remind me of when we literally drove over one. Seriously. We were on the way to the Honolulu airport to take a puddle jumper to the Big Island when this was spotted. It's was kind of like Oahu was bidding us aduei.

Travel Inspiration : Hawaii : Cliff Jumping

Cliff what!? That's right, cliff jumping. On the big island of Hawaii, at the southern most tip, strangely enough called "South Point," (which is also the most southern point of the United States) there is a cliff. It's 44 feet high (or so we're told by the locals), the most gorgeous blue you've ever seen and yes, perfect to jump off of.


One of the first jumpers, photo courtesy of Angie.

Since it's hard to take a picture straight down a cliff, here's a view to the side that shows some similar ledges to the one we were leaping off. Photo courtesy of Angie.

The top of the ladder you had to use to climb out. You had to grab that rope to pull yourself toward the rock and then it was one rickty ladder lashed on to the next. The jump was nothing compare to climbing back out. Photo courtesy of Angie.

I'm in the middle, 5th from the left, I swear it's me. Photo courtesy of Angie.

A short walk away from the cliff is this freshwater sinkhole. Yup, some of us jumped in that too. Hey, why not. The 10-15 feet was nothing and there was no scary ladder to climb out on.

Several days later, the bruises that had appeared. This is what happens when you don't have your legs completely straight and your shins hit the surface of the water. (Aren't my legs strangely pale for being in Hawaii? I am just not meant to be tan.)

Even if you're not inspired by the landscape, although you should be, take this as your cue to do things that scare you. Trust me, you won' t regret it. It's the things you don't do you end up regretting.

Travel Inspiration : Hawaii : Flora

You really can't talk about Hawaii without mentioning the glorious flowers that cover the landscape.

Bird of Paradise, one of the many pictures taken before dawn on our first morning there (aka my birthday!!). Jet lag was definitely our best friend, as we went to bed just past midnight and were wide awake by 4:30 in the morning. Energized by our new surroundings we went on a long walk through the neighborhood in Kaneohe. We learned a valuable lesson that morning: it rains, everyday, in the morning. Needless to say, we were a little damp upon return.

I have no idea what this is called, it was in someone's front garden bed, Kaneohe.

Pine trees? In Hawaii? I had to snap a pic as we whizzed past on the Kamehameha highway.

Hibiscus! I love that you can see a star in the middle of this one. This was along the road in Pahala, just down from the Paniolo cabin.

Bamboo in the heart of the rainforest near Akaka Falls on the Big Island. I immediately bought a bamboo upon return and it sits by my desk to this day.

Travel Inspiration : Hawaii : Buddhist Temple

Just outside the small town of Pahala, on the Big Island, we visited this Buddhist temple. I was taken immediately by the colors and painted detailing throughout the structure. There was even a peacock roaming about. I must say, though, my favorite part was the outdoor area covered in prayer flags.

The view as you walk up. Makes me want to cop a squat on the grass and sketch.

The alter. Incense, flowers, a rad tiger rug and of course, a Buddha.

Stained glass. I think this would make a good quilt square some day (when I finally tackle making circles, that is).

Cool cut paper effect on this light fixture.

Peace pole stating: May Peace Prevail on Earth. Trivia: How many letters are in the Hawaiian alphabet? Answer to come later in the week...

Prayer flags! And looks like the monks there enjoy a good lawn chair (yes, there were monks).

Travel Inspiration : Hawaii : Bishop Museum

It was about this time 4 years ago that I was busy packing my bags and heading off to study in Hawaii. It was incredible to be able to experience the islands not as a tourist, but alongside locals who welcomed us into their communities. I also met two of my now best friends along the way.

So, heck, lets make it Hawaii week! Inspirational island pictures all week!

These are all things in the Bishop Museum on Oahu. I love, love, LOVE the quilts... maybe that should be my next quilt challenge to myself...

Anyone who has ever seen my portfolio should recognize the quilt above. The end papers and cover have a pattern I created based on this motif.