CAPE TATTOO EXPO LOVE

It is the 5th annual CAPE TOWN TATTOO CONVENTION 2013 so if you are lucky enough to be in the Mother City tonight take yourselves quick sticks to the launch of HOMEWARD BOUND, an exhibition of tattoo inspired art at the Cape Town City Hall from 6:30 pm. Slain For Love is my piece that is part of MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, artists were invited to illustrate a wine label from a list of sailor superstitions. I chose red wine and 'A feather of a wren slain on New Year's Day will protect a sailor from dying by ship wreck'.

CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS LOVE

My dream job for the last 20 years or so (cough cough) has been to design Christmas window displays for large departments stores in London or New York. When you are dreaming might as well go large. It is the perfect combination of everything I love - fashion, sculpture, collage, curation and exhibit. One of my heroes in the field is DAVID HOEY who is the senior visual presentation director at Bergdorf Goodman on 5th Avenue. Carnival of the Animals was the theme for the 2011 windows and they are simply breathtaking in their detail. The BERGDORF GOODMAN blog is under maintenance at the moment so I collected images from all over so please excuse the lack of credits. Today features the 'Breaking the Ice' window with hostess dressed by J. MENDEL.

BLUE MOON LOVE

I have plans for a big reno on my blog, maybe next month, got to finish the messy studio reno first, so for the time being I am filling up my head by doing what I love best - making collages of things I am thinking about. This one began with Willy Moon on telly last night talking about why he wears suits, did a little detour past Jack White's I'm Shakin' vid which bust out the beehives and powder blue tux and then a small visit to my favourite blue Westmoreland milk glass and stripey paper straws.

MIRTA LOVE

I am a closet Goth and can't ween myself off the myriad shades of black. This extends to my jewellery collection and I am yearning for these beautiful pieces by MIRTA. They combine all my ongoing obsessions - geometry, rough crystals and the always omnipresent line drawing. Shop these beauties here.

BONNIE LOVE

Last night while I was reading the latest ELLE DECOR (it's a beaut!) with VH1 soft in the background, Bonnie Tyler's Holding out for a Hero played. Oh my hat how I loved that song when I was a teenage. I can't decide now what is more awesome - the angry backup singers, Bonnie in her female version of voortrekker khaki's, the hair, the batwing nightie style outies or the dude with the tash cracking his lumo whip. If this doesn't cheer you up children of the 80's I dunno. I am inspired beyond words, I thought of a whole moodboard of memories from Footloose, vintage Drakensberg to The Lone Ranger.

WOOD BROKE LOVE

Our holiday was punctuated by the sound of falling roof tiles, as the 74 year old wooden beams and battens on our messy studio finally succumbed to their venerable age and the inevitable onslaught of borer (3 days before the roofers were due to arrive). Now that's timing. How beautiful are the textures and colours of the decay though. Roof is all fixed now and watertight, plus the first undercoat has been painted on the tongue and groove. Scott and I spent many happy hours sitting on the back step talking through the finer details of the messy studio renovation. Feels a bit like Grand Designs (just a little less grand).

HELLO 2013

Hello Lovelies! Attempting to gather my thoughts after a long lazy break. We gardened a lot! Swan and I made fantastic use of some of my giant enamel bowls to mix great batches of soils, compost and vermiculite like batty alchemists to fill the various pots and colanders that spill out over every part of back garden. Red neck paradise with a deck chair and dog toys. These pansy's which Swan had planted in all kinds of weird places surprised us with their vintage prettiness in amongst the Calla Lilies. Oooh I am rusty like an ol' rake.