Happiness is...

Eating lunch while sitting under a waterfall? Yes, please!

2012-02-06T13:56:00.000+02:00

This is incredible! Just imagine chilling there with the refreshing spray of the waterfall all around and your feet splashing away while you eat :D What a brilliant idea, I so have to get here someday. It's in Villa Escudero in the Philippines.

Pics from here.

Happiness is... a beautiful well-timed cupcake

2012-02-03T22:20:00.001+02:00

TGIF

Don't worry, we'll all float on, alright...

2012-02-03T00:03:00.000+02:00

My favourite song right now. Great lyrics, great music, cool video.

Do things that make you happy this weekend.
It's always the little things.

Pinterest Faves

2012-02-02T00:31:00.000+02:00

Just got together a few of my favourite recent pins on Pinterest...

vintage watch // gold dipped clear raw quartz // beaded pearl peter pan collar

// mountains // edible place cards // moroccan tea glasses

Are you on Pinterest? Follow me, if you like, and check out my other pins here.

Creature Close-ups

2012-02-01T00:57:00.001+02:00

Doubt this will be many people's cup of tea, but looking at the magnified details of insects and other creatures has always fascinated me. Look at the poor guy below for example:

His wings look exactly like a leaf, there's so much detail, it's incredible. Then look at the colours on his legs! Such amazing shades of turquoise and orange...

And he has black and yellow stripy eyes! wow.

And this cute little frog I found in the grass in the park...

The White Deer

2012-01-27T00:52:00.001+02:00

These illustrations by Peony Yip, a.k.a The White Deer are just magnificent! They're from her Wildlife series. Love them. All her other work is incredible, too...

More here.

Dana Tanamachi Illustrates Oprah's Magazine Cover!

2012-01-25T22:42:00.000+02:00

Dana Tanamachi is one massively talented individual who creates the most amazing typographic murals with chalk and chalkboards. I'm a massive fan, and super envious of her mad skillz.

She recently got to go wild with the cover of O Magazine, and it turned out fantastically, of course. Having worked in the mag industry, I've always wanted to have that kind of freedom with a shoot or a cover. She's a very lucky lady :)

Check out more on this and all her amazing work here.

Awesome Illustrations by Hannah Richards

2012-01-25T10:31:00.001+02:00

I'm so loving these funny, quirky illustrations!

_______________________________________________________

"Hannah is an illustrator, photographer and filmmaker who graduated from Brighton University in 2011. Her interests include masking taping things to other things and drawing anything that comes into her head."

Check out more here.

I Heart Market Flashmob

2012-01-24T11:00:00.000+02:00

Check out this video of what went down at the I Heart Market in December last year. Will you be at the next one?

Tiny Illustrated Confessions

2012-01-24T10:59:00.000+02:00

If you asked your pet/ monster/ random personality/ fortune cookie what their secrets are, what would they say? Christopher Rozzi has some funny answers, most of which sound pretty accurate, if you ask me (especially the cat ones!). He's an artist, comedian and writer and combines those talents into these rad tiny confessions.

Check out loads more here.

Happiness is... lemon curd

2012-01-23T14:38:00.001+02:00

I want this journal!

2012-01-23T11:27:00.000+02:00

I really want this awesome, inspirational journal by Mary Kate McDevitt. I'm a huge fan of her work (see my other post on some of her work here). It only comes out in March though, so I'ma have to wait...

Check out more on the journal here, and see more of her amazing stuff here.

Oh, the places you'll go!

2012-01-20T09:32:00.001+02:00

This is possibly the most awesome thing I have seen on the internet so far this year! Firstly, it's a rendition of the awesome Dr Seuss' Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, which could pretty much be reason enough. Secondly, its message is just so inspiring, makes you wanna just go out and do stuff! Thirdly, it's created by the team of the Burning Man festival, which looks unbelievably amazing. Fourthly, the fantastic variety of beautiful people featured in it - I could watch them all day.

So that's four reasons to watch this, do it NOW and get amped about life :)

You can't not feel good after watching that, right? Right. Happy Friday :)

Cinematic Portraits

2012-01-18T16:44:00.000+02:00

Look at the Camera is a blog dedicated to capturing scenes in movies where the actor/actress is facing the camera... so that it looks like a portrait. A very cool site for movie lovers, or anyone with an appreciation for aesthetic awesomeness. Check out some of my faves below...

The Rules of Running into an Ex

2012-01-17T09:58:00.002+02:00

Christie Young has created an awesome collection of illustrated Rules for GOOD, that are not only nice to look at, but fun and pretty true as well. This is just one of them...

Check out all the others here.

Beautiful Hand Lettering

2012-01-16T10:17:00.002+02:00

I absolutely love this awesome hand-written typography by Quiet Boy Studio. They're painted onto old records with acrylic paint and made to order, so you can have your own custom text on there. It's just done so well, and such a great idea to use old records.

Check'em out at his shop.

Moonrise Kingdom

2012-01-13T09:25:00.000+02:00

So excited for this new Wes Anderson movie! Visually vaguely reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are (to me) and set in the '60s, looks like it's going to be another classic. The cast includes Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman <3 and Frances McDormand.

The beautiful titles were all done by the most awesomely talented Jessica Hische.
Watch the trailer now!

Find out more about Moonrise Kingdom here.

Kitteh Fashion

2012-01-12T22:34:00.000+02:00

Heather Archuletta has created a whole facebook album called Kitteh Fashion dedicated to celebs with cats. Check it out...

My Preciousssssss

2012-01-12T09:42:00.000+02:00

These are some treasures I picked up last year from various markets and places. I really love them, they make me happy. Been meaning to post'em for ages...

Terrarium Vivarium Aquarium Planetarium

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000+02:00

So I finally got round to making a *terrarium... of sorts. (I think the correct term is actually vivarium, but terrarium is a type of vivarium and I prefer the sound of it better, so that's that.) It was more like a practice run, coz I just had a little bit of time and not all the stuff I wanted/needed, but I'm super stoked with it coz I've been wanting to do it for aaages and now I finally have, or at least made a start. I dig how it looks all luscious and rain-foresty. Also, I love moss. And I love terrariums. And green.
Anyway, Check it out...

So what I actually wanted to do was make the type of terrarium that is completely enclosed, so that it kind of becomes a little ecosystem. A necessary ingredient for that one is activated charcoal (the type used in fishtanks, so you can get it at a pet shop), and I didn't have that on hand so I just did an open one.

They're super simple to do. All you really need is:

• any container that you like (preferably glass, I think)

• pebbles/small stones

• potting soil

• some plants

Often little figurines/ trinkets/ animal toys are also added in and it looks pretty cool. So all you need to do is have a layer of pebbles at the bottom for drainage, then a layer of potting soil, then arrange your plants in there, and le voila! Some instructions also recommend using sphagnum moss between the pebble and soil layer as it acts as a filter and prevents the soil going into the pebbles too much. For the enclosed ecosystem terrarium, the charcoal layer goes above the pebbles.

Here's a pretty good full tutorial.

There's also different types, like dry desert-looking ones, and more leafy ones... It's up to you, really.

Here are some awesome examples for inspiration...

one // two // three & four // five // six // seven // eight (the bottom pic)

*terrarium - "a glass container, often a globe, in which plants are grown; A small enclosure or closed container in which selected living plants and sometimes small land animals, such as turtles and lizards, are kept and observed."

If you end up trying out your own, do let me know and send me some pics, and maybe I'll do a post about'em :)

Bookmarks! I want!

2012-01-09T09:30:00.000+02:00

How fun are these bookmarks?! They're created by Olena Mysnyk from Ukraine, who's actually an architect who ended up making handmade goods. Of course, the cat paws are the best :)

Check out all the others at her shop, My Boookmark.

Somebody That I Used To Know & 5 People Playing 1 Guitar

2012-01-06T22:56:00.000+02:00

Flip, I love this song so much. It just has something so amazing to it. I posted the original by Gotye a while back (here), and just found this cover version by Walk off the Earth and Sarah Blackwood.
The entire song uses one instrument: a guitar that all five of them are playing simultaneously. Pretty rad, I say :)

Beautiful Posters by KavanStudio

2012-01-06T22:24:00.000+02:00

Really love the style of these posters by KavanStudio, a.k.a Matthew Kavan Brooks - a very talented multi-disciplinary artist. The mix of typography, linework, illustration and photography is put together really well. Check out more of his work here.

Illustrated Textiles by Me & Oli

2012-01-05T23:28:00.000+02:00

Me and Oli are passionate about illustration, textiles and fashion, and so they create beautifully illustrated fabrics and garments made to order. Opening up their site is like stumbling into a magical woodland forest. Be sure to have a look at it here.

The piece below (not part of the fabric collection) was created in memory of their cat. I love how they describe it: "a mixed media piece combining tender pencil lines & a fruity burst of collage."

Bits of Nature

2012-01-04T01:40:00.001+02:00

Dr. Brezak & his bloody Surgery Minor

2012-01-02T22:15:00.001+02:00

Check out this awesome artwork by Lukas Brezak, or Dr Brezak, as he calls himself. The variety of mediums and styles in his portfolio really shows his talent. Read his write up about his Surgery Minor here, and see more of his work here and here.

BUNRAKU - a most excellent movie

2012-01-01T22:29:00.000+02:00

So I was introduced to this movie by Dorin, and I could not believe I had never heard of it before! I don't think it came to our cinemas, so that may be why, but how could it not have?! It totally blew my mind - it's an absolute graphic and visual feast, such a beautiful style and so well done. The colours, the set, the cinematography, the cast... all superb.

Because I loved it so much I have included way too many screenshots (and this was the edited list) to try and convey the feel of the movie, but make sure you watch the trailer at the bottom as well.

Let me know what you think if you watch it, or even if you don't :)

Awesome Dancing Dude is Awesome

2011-12-26T14:55:00.000+02:00

100 days, 100 songs, 100 locations, 100 dances by Ely Kim.

This dude is an "art director/ dancer/ healer" from Brooklyn, New York and he's created some pretty err... interesting stuff. The main point of this is the awesomeness of the video below, the boy's got moves! And the playlist is rad, too.

He also seems to have a thing for cats (which is never a bad thing) and glitter...

Check out more on his site, welikehim.com

Matchbox Gardens

2011-12-23T00:18:00.001+02:00

HOLY KAW i love these so much! What an awesome idea by Another Studio: little matchbox-size gardens with illustrated pop-up houses and props around them. Perfect for bringing some life to a hostile office desk :)

There's also postcard versions and custom kits for any occasion. SO cool. Watch the stop-motion demonstration videos below as well.

Literary Landscapes

2011-12-22T23:44:00.002+02:00

"I carve landscapes out of books and I paint Romantic landscapes. Mountains of disused knowledge return to what they really are: mountains."

My initial thought at looking at these was first "wow" and then "ouch" for the books... I have such deep love for old books and seeing them carved up is somewhat jarring, but I also love nature and beautiful landscapes like the ones above. All that aside, the amount of detail and intricacy in these sculptures is just mesmerising and beautifully haunting.

They're created by Guy Laramee, a multidisciplinary artist. These were from two sculptural series that he created, and reading what he had to say about them makes me feel a bit better about the books...

"Piles of obsolete encyclopedias return to that which does not need to say anything, that which simply IS. Fogs and clouds erase everything we know, everything we think we are.

After 30 years of practice, the only thing I still wish my art to do is this: To project us into this thick Cloud of Unknowing."

Illustrated Awesomeness from Studio Muti

2011-12-22T01:43:00.000+02:00

Loving the work of local Cape Town illustrators, Clinton Campbell and Miné Jonker, a.k.a, Studio Muti.

A piece of an awesome WordPress infographic they created for WooThemes...

Check out their site here and view their work on Behance here.

Buy Art Not Drugs

2011-12-19T00:29:00.000+02:00

Some *crappy snaps from the awesome Buy Art Not Drugs exhibition last week, presented by Working Class. Twas a really rad spread of work in a cool venue (above Spiga d'Oro on Florida Road, Durban). Hope to see more happening there.

The exhibition included work from the likes of Skullboy, Megan Lancaster, Christian Mugnai, Tokyo-Go-Go, Stathi Kougianos, Tyrone Bradley, Mary-Anne Hampton, Lavanya Naidoo, Matt Kay and more.

*feeling super disillusioned with my lack of awesome photos. Looking to get me a nice compact SLR in the very near future so if you have any recommendations, do let me know :) Needs to be compact coz my camera goes everywhere I go, and I do mean everywhere, so I ain't gonna be lugging a massive SLR and lenses around with me. Suggestions would be super helpful. I've been told the Canon G12 is pretty awesome... What do you think?

Baggage!

2011-12-14T00:51:00.000+02:00

Massively loving these bags from Oxbruno. Simple, functional, beautiful. Check out more here.

Major Lazer sword dancing video

2011-12-10T23:01:00.001+02:00

Love this video I came across the other day. It's by Major Lazer, a colab project by Diplo and Switch.
Cool song, cool video. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

Also, I might just pitch up at my next Zumba class with a motherflipping SWORD!

An Exquisite Beast

2011-12-10T22:18:00.001+02:00

I love this project by the super-talented illustrator, Emory Allen. I've seen many a-drawing-a-day projects, all of which are super cool, but this one's a bit different and the result is awesome.

For the full effect you have to actually check it out on his site.

Stuff you could buy me if you really wanted to (Part ||)

2011-12-08T00:17:00.001+02:00

Just incase anyone got overwhelmed with the need to give stuff but couldn't think of who to give it to or what to give, I've made it pretty darn easy for ya, don't you worry :)

1 Sugru is a new air-curing rubber. It's self-adhesive to most materials and has so many awesome making and fixing uses!

2 Darth Vader hairdryer - 'nuf said.

3 DIY Furniture - Some really cool ideas in here. Would love this stuff in my house.

4 Exceptionally fantastic furniture from these cool people - problem is I forgot who and don't have a link, but I will find it soon and post more of their stuff. It really deserves its own post. Watch this space.

5 Awesome Shelframes from here.

6 Cubebot - awesome little toy from one of my fave "stuff" sites, Poketo.

Please :)

Curious Doodles

2011-12-06T23:45:00.001+02:00

I'm really loving the work (and the name) of Curious Doodles! Especially the brooches - embroidery, wood, cats... some of my favourite things all in one!

The lady behind this awesomeness is Laura Trimmel - a graphic designer with a passion for screenprinting and embroidery. Check out her Etsy store here and her blog here.

Magical posters

2011-11-30T15:30:00.000+02:00

I really dig these moody prints from Debbie Carlos. They just have an awesome feel to them... like a magical, mysterious Narnia kinda feel...

What do you think? There's loads more here.

Watercolour Cats!

2011-11-29T09:00:00.000+02:00

Absolutely love these adorable watercolour creations! Too cute :)
Numbers 1 and 3 are by Amber Alexander, 2, 4. 5 and 6 are by Water in my Paint. If you dig these be sure to check out their Etsy stores for much more! (here and here)

Food + Music = Awesome

2011-11-28T00:11:00.001+02:00

"Devoted to all things delicious and melodic. We're connecting food and music. We aim to introduce food lovers to music and vice versa."

Like food? Like music? Then this is the perfect site for you! (and we could probably be good friends)
Turntable Kitchen is an awesome site that shares new cool recipes and music and connects the two. What an awesome idea. Check it out here.

Getting imaginative for Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T12:51:00.001+02:00

K, so I know Thanksgiving is over, but I just came across this comic illustration that was done for the New York Times Sunday Review and it made me lol. Love the creative ideas, especially the Turbulent Potatoes and the Unpaid Bills turkey stuffing! Great work by Lisa Hanawalt.
Hope all my American readers had a great Thanksgiving!
First seen here.

Doodle shmoodle poodle stroodle...

2011-11-25T00:03:00.001+02:00

Cat calendars!

2011-11-24T22:06:00.001+02:00

Loving these cat calendars from the Fieldguided Etsy store. Very cool style.

Check out their cool (non-feline) totes and photographic prints at the store.

Let it rain...

2011-11-24T01:40:00.000+02:00

I've been absolutely revelling in the weather we've been having lately - mist, rain, supreme humidity... I really don't enjoy the usual Durban summer weather of blistering sunshine and buckets of sweat, but this I can do. Maybe even all year round.
The green of the plants looks so much greener, there's moss in the garden, it all looks so whimsical and mysterious. I like to pretend I'm in another place and time. Maybe Ireland.

Play this track while looking at these images to get the full effect and imagine you're there... It sounds like lying on the shore break at low tide with the waves lapping over you and the setting sun on your face, or lying in some breezy long grass and feeling the drizzle on your skin... Gives me goosebumps.

The Garden by Savoire Adore

Unfortunately these photos aren't of Durban and aren't mine, but are the awesome work of Grey Barklay. I hope I get to travel as much as he has one day.
Listen to more from Savoire Adore here.

Austrian Architecture

2011-11-23T20:45:00.000+02:00

How magnificent is this house?! Built on steep Austrian slopes, it's made of untreated wood, metal glade and concrete and would make for the most awesome, serene getaway or home. Imagine waking up to that view in the morning! I'd love to be surrounded by that much green hilly-ness, wood and fresh air. Ah, if only...

Images from here.

Pay a Blogger Day

2011-11-22T21:49:00.001+02:00

So I've been wondering a lot about this myself lately...
Of course I blog as a hobby and because it's something that I enjoy, but I spend such a huge amount of time and effort and work so hard on it that I sometimes wish I got something back for it... I think that's kinda natural, right?

Enter Pay a Blogger Day, and here's what they have to say about it:
"Bloggers are seldom after just fame and fortune. But they do give up an awful lot of their spare time to make their readers smarter, happier or simply more efficient in killing time. Many fans are very good at reciprocating by spreading the word, commenting, buying bloggers’ wares or even making donations. But it’s a tiny drop in the ocean compared to what we spend on ad-filled magazines or tips to waiters that are unfriendly if not rude. So what if ALL of us gave something back to bloggers, even for just one day. Buy their T-shirt, the book with affiliate links or make a donation. They’ve sure deserved it."

Some bits that really resonated with me in the Mashable article about this:
“This month … I’ve made $0.03, but it was the best $0.03 I ever made.”
“If you’re an amateur blogger and get one beer from your readers it could be the best beer you ever had.”

It's not so much about the money, the payment doesn't even have to be in money. Maybe just an email, a comment or a cup of coffee. For me it's just being acknowledged, or as they put it "the necessary pat on the back to encourage them to keep contributing their craft to the Internet."

Anyway, my point is I think it's a great idea :)
Which is definitely not to imply that I won't like anyone who doesn't want to pay me or anything, hah!

Watch the little video below and check out the site here, and let me know what your opinion is :)

Reskate - saving old skateboards with art!

2011-11-22T02:02:00.000+02:00

What a rad project by Nube and María López from Barcelona - they collect old skateboards and turn them into art! And flipping beautiful art it is...

Check out this video they did for the opening of their store and gallery...

Check out more here.

Cats in Clothes

2011-11-21T10:02:00.000+02:00

These Cats in Clothes paintings by Heather Mattoon are a truly splendid creation of awesomeness! Just look at them! 'Nuf said.

Check out more here.

Blast from the Past

2011-11-18T22:45:00.000+02:00

So I finally decided to clean out my cupboard the other day... It was almost at that stage where you have to just sneak your hand in and rummage to get something out, coz if you open the doors it'll avalanche you. (Not sure if "avalanche" has experienced being a verb before, but there's a first time for everything!)

I'm super sentimental so I tend to hang on to things way longer than I probably should, so most of my tons of stuff is stuff that's just there for memory's sake. Have a look at some of the stuff I found...

Yes, there was a little cat-like Ninja in the cupboard, too! hah :P

Destructive Creatures!

2011-11-17T15:18:00.001+02:00

This is so freakin rad! It's one out of a series of short animations created by DC Shoes, featuring their elite surf team. Really well done. The video's below, watch it now!

So I got snap-happy at the DUT Graphic Design Exhibition...

2011-11-17T00:03:00.001+02:00

...which was pretty awesome. There was some really rad stuff, and it's always awesome to go back there. I love that building so, so much.
Was especially blown away by the work of Graham Wiles, Mike van Heerden and Dain Knudson.

Graham Wiles

Mike van Heerden

Dain Knudson

Space Suit of the Week

2011-11-16T23:29:00.000+02:00

The Fox is Black, created by Bobby Solomon, is one of my regular blog reads and a long time fave. One of the many awesome things on his blog is the Space Suit of the Week feature - need I say more? Check it out...

I dig that it's all different styles and different takes on the same subject. It's more than just images and there are so many more awesome ones, so be sure to check out the whole series on the site.

Parties - a music mix!

2011-11-16T13:11:00.001+02:00

Really digging this music mix right now! Was going to name my fave tracks, but I couldn't choose, they're all so awesome! (Can't you tell from all the exclamation marks?!)

Go have a listen now!

It's on the designers.mx site which I featured here.

What it might be like to live inside a dandelion...

2011-11-15T22:44:00.000+02:00

Dancing Coloured Pencils!

2011-11-14T16:03:00.001+02:00

How rad is this stop motion music video from Australian indie-folk band, Hudson?! Sooper awesome, and just done so flipping well. I actually still have my old-school pencil case exactly like the ones they use at the beginning and end :)

The video was created by Dropbear, a.k.a Jonathan Chong. Haven't had a chance to check out his other stuff yet, but it looks promising. Check out the behind the scenes video as well...

The track is available for free download here.

Grannyface

2011-11-10T23:44:00.001+02:00

le Visage du Panther

2011-11-10T23:39:00.001+02:00

Norwegian Wood

2011-11-10T10:44:00.000+02:00

Check out the super cool creations of Angie Johnson, a.k.a, Norwegian Wood. She makes all this stuff herself using various bits of vintage and new fabric, trims and interesting pieces she find in her home town of Montreal and on her New York travels...

And although her products are super awesome, I couldn't help thinking that this guy might be the best piece in the shop! :)

Etsy Treasures: Miju

2011-11-09T10:09:00.001+02:00

So the other day I revisited Etsy and got lost for a few hours. Found some pretty awesome stuff that I'ma share with you all :)

First up are these rad pieces from a collection called The Wind Beneath, by Miju. It's their first collection and each piece is hand painted, assembled and packaged. Love the wood and the colours.
If only Paypal worked properly in SA...

Unexpected Tales

2011-11-09T09:43:00.000+02:00

Found this weird and wonderful Flickr collection by unexpectedtales of really old photos of people... being weird. So many awesome pics on there! Check out loads more here.

Vintage cats!

2011-11-01T14:27:00.001+02:00

Look at these cats! Just look at them! <3

Found here.

2011-10-31T09:36:00.000+02:00

The Remake Project

2011-10-28T09:29:00.002+02:00

Love this collaborative project concept between Booooooom and Adobe. The idea is to remake a famous piece of art using only photography.

Check out more submissions here.
This old project with Miranda July posing as extras from classic films is also pretty awesome.

2011-10-28T09:29:00.001+02:00

So, looks like I got a little teeny mention in the September issue of Cleo SA. Pretty cool :)

Was interesting that I had to find out about it completely by coincidence and wasn't informed about it... but whatevz.

The Museum of Obsolete Objects

2011-10-26T21:12:00.000+02:00

If you're anything like me, and have a deep appreciation for all things old and original (or if you're a bit of a hipster) you might enjoy checking out the Museum of Obsolete Objects.

Created by Jung von Matt/next, this site's purpose is to show appreciation and remember all those objects that were once household items but are now just unwanted relics.

You can even add in your own obsolete objects if they aren't already in the Museum. Check it out here.

Scrappy doodle doo

2011-10-25T22:43:00.000+02:00

The Melancholy Donkey

2011-10-24T23:18:00.000+02:00

What a wonderfully interesting site, dedicated to all things donkey. Every picture or piece of writing is related to donkeys...

It's a German site, and the title, Equus Asinus, is the latin term for donkey, or rather the actual definition is a wild ass of Africa! I'm not even making that up! Oh, how I lol'ed.
Anyway, it's a really awesome collection - the same subject, with every piece as a different interpretation of it. Beautiful and amazing. Check it out here.

Inkblots all up on your Mug

2011-10-20T10:09:00.001+02:00

Really, really love these! Available here.

Tangible Memories

2011-10-19T10:17:00.000+02:00

Some pieces I picked up on a lunchtime adventure... Nature is incredible.

This last one is particularly significant. It's from a tree outside the office at work that has since been completely cut right down for no apparent reason, along with several others. It makes me so angry... I loved those trees :( This single leaf stuck in my book is all that's left of it now.

Great music, great design

2011-10-18T09:35:00.000+02:00

So I've got these cool music sites that I've been frequenting for a while, and thought them worth sharing with you guys :)

Designers.mx is made up of mixes created and designed by designers. It's about discovering new music and listening to what inspires other designers to create. The themes are very varied and there's pretty much something on each playlist that you'll like, and the playlist cover images are a real inspiring visual treat.

Gorilla vs. Bear is a music blog based in Texas. They feature a wide range of music, not specific to any genre. But apart from their music, how rad is their blog design?! I love it to bits. Their polaroid page is also worth checking out, filled with pics from various music events.

Also check out this site that I featured a while back for more music.

If you find something you love that makes you skin-tinglingly happy on these sites, please do share :)

I was in a NINJA FIGHT!

2011-10-15T23:32:00.000+02:00

Not really, but I'd make you think so with these freakin awesome plasters.

Seen here, from Urban Outfitters.

Broadcasts

2011-10-14T09:40:00.000+02:00

"The idea behind the exhibition “Broadcasts” is to capture people’s opinions from various communities around the world and then translate their ideas into various media such as paintings, illustration and film."

It was very cool to see an exhibition of some of South Africa's best illustration talent in Durban last week. All the work was really inspiring to see, especially the piece above, partly because of it's size - it was a massive mural.

My faves were the Sojourn series - little hand-written and illustrated notebooks, like the one pictured below. There were several, and they were each done by a different person, telling a bit about themselves and their story. Ironically, these weren't really part of the exhibition as pieces of art, but were part of the process of Paul Senyol's pieces. During his trip to Finland he gave out these books with some questions in them to people and got them to fill it in, and then based his art upon their answers.

What an awesome idea. Check out his catalogue of paintings derived from these booklets here.

"The series of works hopes to draw parallels and similarities, as well as differences between South Africa and Finland. The people, their hopes, dreams and life experiences."

Does this even need a title?

2011-10-12T13:44:00.000+02:00

Philip Crangi

Zebra & Giraffe at the lake

2011-10-10T20:58:00.000+02:00

Zebra & Giraffe played at the Botanic Gardens this past Sunday. I dig their vibe and Botanic Gardens is one of my favourite places in Durban, so was pretty keen to be there. It was a blistering Durban summer day... perfect for the gardens, thank goodness it's always a bit cooler there. (How's that for overuse of the word "gardens").

Zebra & Giraffe were spectacular as always (both to look at, with that amazing hair, and to listen to).

Rexor came with, too. Check him hogging the chips and playing silly buggers in the Smarties box. Oh, Rexor.

Katie brought some delish strawberries and made this droolicious chocolate brownie cake... I'ma have to get that recipe out of her somehow...

Crash Car Burn were the supporting act, and I'm not a fan, but we did discover that the lead singer is wasting his talent in that band. They did some covers and it turns out he sounds incredible as ACDC and Bon Jovi.

I also discovered that I'm a latent Bon Jovi fan and enjoyed that cover way too much. Watch the video and see how many words you know (I knew more than I would have expected!). If not for that, then at least watch it for the hair :)

Bombing Florida!

2011-10-09T22:50:00.001+02:00

So on Saturday arvie Florida Road (Durban) was closed off for a while so that a pretty sick crowd of skaters could totally bomb it! Flipping rad event, hosted by Zoo York. There was such an awesome vibe, a super cool event. Pity about the accident just after the start, I think there was a bit more needed in the organisation department, but apart from that, too cool.

pocket space milkshake

2011-10-07T09:04:00.000+02:00

Ghostpatrol has been my favourite illustrator for years now. He's a self-taught artist from Melbourne, Australia who works across many mediums, including stencil and street art, ink drawing, commissioned murals, soft sculpture, posters, watercolour and printmaking. I also learnt about Gocco for the first time through his art.

His style is really something unique. It's that, plus the hand-drawn unpolished feel of it, together with the whimsical/folky/fantasy feel of his characters and scenes that make me love it.

Here's a cool video interview with him, showing more aspects of his work and process...

Check out more of his awesome stuff on his Flickr and his site.
(FYI - the title of this post is taken from the title of one of Ghostpatrols' Gocco prints.)

Woah! Double take!

2011-10-04T09:16:00.000+02:00

How incredible and beautiful are these double exposure paintings (yes, paintings) by Pakayla Biehn from San Francisco?! Amaze.

Technical difficulties... meh.

2011-10-03T23:22:00.001+02:00

Possibly the coolest error page ever, from Lockerz.

On a similar note, I'm having some blog issues...
For some reason it seems that the comment link for my posts on the main page only make an appearance for certain people and only when they feel like it. This is not ideal.
I'm trying to find a solution, but haven't had any luck yet. In the meantime, if you'd like to comment please go to the individual page of the post you'd like to comment on and the comment box at the end of the post should work. If not, you can tweet your comment to me or mail me at happiness.is.info (@) gmail.com

If you know of a solution to this problem, your help would be massively appreciated :)

The day the Gingerbread Man came to visit

2011-10-03T10:29:00.000+02:00

So the other day our International Intern of Mystery brought in Mr G Bizcuet to meet the office faces. Everyone was pretty excited, as you can see from the pic below. Wrath even got a bit aggro and tried to attack Spongebob Pen, but we broke it up, sent him to anger management, and peace was restored.

Everyone wanted a photo with Mr G. He felt like a full-on celeb and got a bit emotional about it - so much so that he got a bit teary, causing permanent wonkyness to his left eye, poor thing.

But it's all fun and games until someone tries to make off with Wrath's skateboard, as Mr G did. (He sucked at it, too.)

Naturally, Wrath got kinda aggro again and what ensued was not pretty, but it cannot be denied that it was rather delish...

While the Vida dudes watched smugly from above...

And that was the end of Mr G Bizcuet.

~ The End ~

Hand-drawn type by Mary Kate McDevitt

2011-09-30T09:55:00.000+02:00

Behold! The work of the amazing designer, illustrator and artist, Mary Kate McDevitt. This is just a small taste of her super awesome work, and she specialises in hand-drawn type, which I love.

I especially love these quotes, the first one in particular. They make me wanna go out and be alive :)

Check out more of here amazing stuff here.

Happy Friday, everyone :)

Have an incredible weekend. Be alive.

Illustration by Fabian Ciraolo

2011-09-28T09:39:00.001+02:00

Check out the illustrations of Fabian Ciraolo. I dig his style... It's very busy and almost kinda kitch, both in a cool way.

Somehow the last three posts have all been somewhat starry/celestial/fantasy-ish... totally coincidental!

And no, the last two images did not sway my judgement at all ;)

Stardust

2011-09-27T10:07:00.000+02:00

There's something captivating about this series of 3D animated gifs entitled Stellar, from photographer Ignacio Torres...

Three Trapped Tigers & The Mighty Boosh

2011-09-23T09:56:00.000+02:00

So I came across this video the other day and was somewhat entranced by the psychedelic visuals...
It's a new music video for a band called Three Trapped Tigers, featuring Matt Berry, a.k.a Dixon Bainbridge from The Mighty Boosh (maaan, I love that show!). It's pretty long, so you don't have to watch the whole thing, but watch some of it at least :)

And this is just some Mighty Booshness - not related to the band stuff...

The band has been around for a few years and released their debut album Route One or Die in May this year. They've got a pretty unique sound that veers between genres, including electronic, classical and rock with synth beats and ambience thrown in... A very interesting and varied mix in each track, like it's telling a story. I think that's described well in the video below. Very different in style to the above video, but it's a very cool style with a captivating story. Check it out...

*Pssssssttt!!* Check out this cool Mighty Boosh game I found!

Everything is relative...

2011-09-22T14:18:00.000+02:00

Lunchtime Adventures

2011-09-21T11:03:00.000+02:00

The other day my Partner in Insanity and I took a stroll towards a park nearby our offices. It was the first time we'd been there, and oh what an awesome discovery it was! A pretty much full-on park vibe in the middle of the concrete jungle! I almost cried with joy. Forealzies.

There's even a large pond thing, trees, and even wildlife! Ok... so maybe there were just some pretty tame-looking ducks, but they're animals that we can hang with in the middle of the workday, so that's awesome!

They looked like they were steering their kids away from us the way people do around vagrants. Nevertheless, we were pretty stoked to see their fluffy faces :)

If you look at a patch of the big pond thing (lake? large body of water?) through your fingers, like this, you can pretend you're at the sea :D How rad!

There's something about these leaves that I really like. They're just really cool...

Amped for our next visit :)

Tea time!

2011-09-20T10:03:00.000+02:00

Ok guys, this is my new favourite thing that makes me super happy: Cranberry and Sanguinello Orange Tea! YUMZERZZ! Just look at this scrumptious-looking picture of fruity deliciousness Fantastic!

Also kinda love this little bit of Britness on it... Her Majesty and I are drinking the same tea! :D

Haha, as if.

While I'm at it, here's some crockery porn...

There's so many other yummy flavours, can't wait to try them!
Ok that's all.

SURPRISE!

2011-09-19T10:39:00.000+02:00

Check out these amazeballz gifts I got! :D

My amazing long-time friend, who moved over to the UK many years ago, recently sent me this fanfreakintastic package! What makes it more amazing is that 3 of the things on here were in a post I did ages ago called Stuff you could buy me, if you want. Now I know that sounds just a bit too coincidental to have happened by chance, but I know she's not an avid reader of my blog (which is ok coz she's special) and she also completely denies having seen that post and she ain't no liar. So how freakin uncanny is that! Pretty damn uncanny, yes.

The other thing that makes this so awesome is that I hardly ever get gifts, almost never, in fact. No, not even for my birthday. And if I do get given something, it's usually something I don't really like much (but it's the thought that counts so it does make me happy anyway :). So basically, it is incredibly seldom that I (a) get a gift, and (b) actually LOVE the gift.

I am so freakin stoked, can you tell?! I probably looked a lot like this while opening it...

Or at least, that's how I felt inside, while going through an 80's montage in my head of all our good times together in the past to the soundtrack of With a Little Help from my Friends and That's What Friends Are For. She is the best at putting together the most awesome packages with lots of little things that make up one big package of pure awesome!

So I'd like to say a huge Thank You For Being Awesome to my friend, Kel, who has been the most amazing friend, always, even though we're so far apart and sometimes lose contact for a while when life gets hectic. She's always been around for me through some really tough times, without any judgement, no matter what.

That's what real friends are like :) I'm so hugely grateful that I have her.

Doodle

2011-09-16T09:57:00.001+02:00

Heard something yesterday that reminded me of this doodle I did a few years ago...
The quote is from Chuck Palahniuk's book, Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey.

Door Knobs of Delight

2011-09-15T09:35:00.000+02:00

I found these gorgeous door handles at a market several months ago, aren't they just beautiful?! I remember my gran having little handles like this on her bedroom furniture when I was little, but I think those might have been painted wood. They were so pretty, I loved them.
The crochet doily is from a second hand charity market, love that too! :D Gotta start crocheting again.

And then this happened... :)

Cactus Rose

2011-09-13T11:34:00.002+02:00

Not sure what this plant is called, but I'm going to call it the Cactus Rose, coz that's what it looks like. Quite a kiff plant overall... not fussy, not too flowery, subtle, chilled, happy pretty much all the time... (i.e. I don't have to do a thing to keep it alive) and the one in my balcony is flowering :)
Quite pretty, methinks.

A Rather Sharp Looking Collection

2011-09-12T10:03:00.000+02:00

I found this incredible collection in an old album at an antique store the other day... I was blown away! Stoked that the shop owners were kind enough to let me go all happy snappy on its ass.
Who knew there were that many razor blade brands and awesome packaging designs! And they're suuuper old! Totally would have bought it but it was a tad too pricey for my little pockets. Would love to have the pages framed. Whoever this belonged to must have been a very interesting person.
Anyway, take a look :)

Literary Love

2011-09-10T22:31:00.000+02:00

So much old book love! Was very stoked to find these classics at a charity stall at a small local market...

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Note the blood-red page edges and age spots.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit

The cover is an early illustration by the author.

And erm... This One

It's some sort of technical manual in German, but it looks SO old, and the text is ALL in Blackletter! Some awesome bits of typography and illustration inside.

And this, too...

It's an old photo album. No idea what I'm ever going to do with it, but that cover and the bound edges were too much to resist.

Happy Friday!

2011-09-09T10:49:00.001+02:00

Ever have one of those days where you just kinda feel like doing this in the streets...

Cool video, great tune :)

Happy Friday all you wonderful people! Have a stupendous weekend! ;)

Submarine

2011-09-09T10:47:00.000+02:00

Finally got to see this movie!

It's what they call a "coming of age" flick, based on the novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne, directed by Richard Ayoade (yup, Moss from The IT Crowd), and produced by Ben Stiller.

"Music can make things seem a bit more real, sometimes, if you know what I mean"

Basically, it's the much done storyline of awkward teenagers finding eachother and a connection based on mutual weirdness. Then life gets serious and stuff gets real. The difference being that it's all done with great acting, aesthetically lovely scenes and styling, Britishness, and a good soundtrack by Arctic Monkeys frontman, Alex Turner.

The main characters, Oliver and Jordana, have great presence and authenticity, while the characters of Oliver's mom and dad are also very well created and endearing. The dad is played by Noah Taylor, who looked familiar coz he was the dad in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and has also been in many other movies. I especially liked Jordana and the mom.
Worth a watch, I reckon.

Create your own Submarine mixtape here.

Facial Forestation

2011-09-07T21:10:00.001+02:00

How epic are these photos and facial forests?! Very epic, indeed, I say.

Turns out these are part of the spring/summer ad campaign for Isson Eyewear.

Nicely done, old chaps.

Jars of Happiness

2011-09-07T09:09:00.000+02:00

I do so dislike following trendy trends of any sort, but I really do like this jar thing that's going on. I've always loved cool bottles and jars... When you think about it it's kind of a weird thing to be into, but it's common enough to not be weird I guess. Whatever.
So I decided to make these for Eid last week. The contents are layers of (from the bottom up) cake, custard, strawberries, spanspek and fresh cream. Think they turned out fairly well :)

Check out my pinboard of inspiration here, and do follow me if you're on Pinterest :)

Twitter Love

2011-09-06T21:43:00.003+02:00

I'm not usually one for soppyness, but I thought this was quite cool. I always love it when you can trace back events and see how everything happened the way it did to lead to a happy end result :)
It re-affirms my belief that everything happens for a reason.
Click the image to view the larger version.

A Day in the Life of a Graphic Designer

2011-09-04T22:03:00.000+02:00

A painfully accurate poster for all my fellow designers out there, created by Amerikan Made Prints. Ours is truly a labour of love.

Their posters have an awesome aesthetic, check out the ones below and more on their site.

We all stand together :)

2011-09-02T16:15:00.003+02:00

Hey guys, remember this? Blast from the past, still so good though. Makes me feel happy :D

Have an epic weekend, you awesome people!

Wolf and Moon

2011-09-02T11:40:00.000+02:00

Some cool brooches and pendants from Wolf and Moon. All products are either handmade or hand picked by Hannah Davis. My fave is the glass mosaic-y pendants below, and there are brooches to match :)