Happy Monday…. sorry I could not resist, on our day at San Diego Zoo I desperately tried to get a shot of the Zebras, but alas in the true mantra of never work with children or animals, they were far more interested in their morning snack that me trying to be David Attenborough.  But not to be deterred I think I got a good pic of their bottoms!!!….. No I will never grow up it seems! Fortunately a few of the other animals at the Zoo were a little more forthcoming! Eddie the El

One of the first stops on the journey was a quaint and beautiful little town in San Diego called La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya) yes I pronounced it like it was a little Jolly! – Apologies for all those that I offended! Although I did manage to get my own back when I was asked to throw another shrimp on the BBQ….. Much to my friends dismay I had to dispel the myth that Aussies call prawns “shrimps”….. Mr Paul Hogan was scripted purely for the American market I am afraid….. anyw

Source anindiansummer.com India is synonymous as the country of colours. whether it be the colourful culture, the streets, the tales that you hear told, the religious symbolism or the sari’s and jewels. From the deep reds of a wedding dress, the orange marigolds displayed in celebrations, or the spices and dyes that laden the markets. Source – Open Travel Source roughdreams.com (Calcutta Holi Best) One commentator on colour has suggested that; “a country as diverse and cultur

One of my favourite stores in Sydney has to be Doug Up On Bourke Street…. many an hour can be lost looking around at all the amazing finds…. the perfect inspiration point.  Pretty much if you are looking for it they always seem to find it…. even if you did not know you were looking for it. Have a great weekend and hope you enjoy my little journey around the store….mean while on with the colourful journey…… From sail boats to boat oars……. Step ladders and storage chests…. Vani

Last year I posted on Le Sorelle a business which was created by four sisters and their parents in Tuscany Italy. Gemma and her mother have kindly agreed to be interviewed, and I thought a little escapism to Tuscany would be good for us all after the Christmas break and the reality of getting back to work.  So sit back and grab yourself a cup of tea…. Thankfully their English is beta than my Italian! How did Le Sorelle come about? The name of our store was an idea of our youn

I have posted a couple of posts on Quercus & Co which is a newly established wallpaper company in Sydney.  Adam Jones the founder and creative talent behind the beautiful wallpaper has kindly agreed for me to interview him and, well time to grab a cuppa, sit back and relax and read on…… How would you describe your work and style? “I started Quercus & Co earlier this year to design and print wallpaper. I love pattern in general but it’s the all-surrounding eye bending nature o

Each year in October the coast line from Bondi to Tamarama becomes an open air art gallery hosting Sculptures By The Sea.  The event showcases modern sculptures by artists from around the world.  Now in it’s 16th year it gets better and better, whats more you get a good exercise along the 2km walk! My three favourites have to be the glass sculpture above by Japanese Sculptor Toshio lezumi,  “Upside Down Again” by Norwegian Sculptor  Hilde A Danielsen (the wooden sculpture bel

The vibrant purple of the Jacaranda Tree is one of the great signs that summer is on the way.  A recent walk in the hinterland of Byron Bay this weekend saw a path strewn with many of them…. I hope you enjoy a relaxing start to the week…. On with the colourful journey………… #ByronBay #Photography #Flowers #Australia #JacarandaTree #Travel

A couple of weeks ago I posted on the beautiful work of Bethany Linz who has worked as a designer for the Fabric house Mokum and collaborated with iconic Australian designers such as Catherine Martin.  Well I am really excited that Bethany has agreed for me to interview her.  Soooo…. time to grab a cup of tea and biscuit, sit back and relax and read on! How would you describe your work and style?  “When I was at art school the other student’s nicknamed me Victoria. I love Wil

Inspired by the fantastic Japanese cherry blossom (which admittedly is not quite in season yet!) I have put together a couple of images for some fun ways to add a little taste of the orient in your home, whether it be wallpaper, murals, furniture or something a little less permanent there is are a few ideas to cover all bases. Based in Surrey Hills here in Sydney, Rock’oco Australia are an interiors company who have incorporated the Japanese influence into a couple of their f

Ming Vase – source http://www.graphic-exchange.com Designers Rachel & Benoît Convers together with business manager Carine Jannin are the creative force behind the French design studio ibride. The word ibride is french for hybrid, which is a reflection of their furniture and accessories designs which aims to alter the usual perception of the objects that they design.  The results are fun and functional, and certainly create a talking piece. Their most recent design is the Chi

If you have ever wondered what to do with broken crockery, Chinese artist Li Xiaofeng may just have the answer for you.  Li began life as a muralist, moving into sculpture.  Unlike many sculptors who use wood, stone or metal he decided to use something which was more unique to the Chinese culture, being porcelain shards from archeological sites. Li uses the broken porcelain shards to create unique wearable costumes, albeit that they are probably the weight of armour! He refer

Friday is here again and it is time to put on the kettle and make yourself a nice cup of tea for another interview with a creative partnership of Marcello and Bruce that is “Little Owl”. Work by Julian Schnabel We thought of reversing the process, and putting the paintings on the plates, not broken of course. The idea took some time to evolve, and even now two years on we continue to discover new ways of combining the two mediums together. Little Owl’s personal collection You

Yep… I have to admit, given the choice of a luxury hotel room, or a camp site my sense of adventure takes a bit of a runner!  Having said that who could resist the charm of these retro custom hand built caravans by The English Caravan Company. UK based Joiner Richard Stark was asked by a client to refurbish an old caravan, he enjoyed it so much that he started The English Caravan Company in Feb 2010.  Richard now makes three styles of caravan which take influence in their sty

Dutch designer Debbie Wijskamp only graduated in 2009, but was quick to commence her design practice out of Arnhem designing and producing her own collection of (interior) products and other objects. . Wijskamp is inspired by everyday objects and materials which surround us and likes to investigate the. boundaries of various materials and techniques to find out what possibilities they offer to create new objects like furniture and interior accessories. Pulp Cabinets Inspired

It is fair to say I love Tasmanian born Tara Badcock’s work, and it has featured in a few posts as testament to that.  So I am very excited that Tara agreed to do an interview for my little blog.  So are you sitting comfortably with a nice cup of tea, coffee or even glass of wine……. This is a long interview but Tara talks with such passion I could not bare to edit it out… It is so lovely to see someone so passionate about what they do!!! I use a combination of textiles and st

Born and raised in the Big Apple, Thomas Paul began his career in the fashion business in the mid 90’s working as an intern at DKNY. Paul then went on to specialise in neckwear and scarves whilst working as a colourist and designer for a silk mill, where he worked on collections for designers such as Oscar De la Renta, Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, and his original intern base DKNY. This evolved into the creation of Thomas Paul’s own neckwear collection in the late 90’s called “D

One Aston Martin, shaken not stirred…. minus 007 himself and Miss Money Penny.  Although I am sure if you asked Italian based, UK born cardboard sculptor Chris Gilmore nicely enough he may be able to sort you out with the characters to go with the car! I am going to cheat a little today as I found a really great interview on Chris’s website and I thought I would share as it gives a great insight into his work……. Your work ranges from objects from daily life, to small models o

I recently posted on Dutch artist Anne Ten Donkelaar and her amazing floral collages and broken butterfly works…. but I just had to share some more of her work called “Travels” from which “iIllustrations of travel have been translated into an atlas and jewels”.  This is not a new collection (2007) but I just wanted to have it tucked away in my inspiration file.  I hope you enjoy too. Let me know what you think… on with the colourful journey…. BTW if you missed my previous art

Condé Nast Traveler Magazine have recently announce their visionaries of 2012.  Effectively, these are the people that they believe help to shape the world in which we live. Whether it be their conservation ethics, their diplomatic skills, philanthropy or determination to use their status to give back to the world.  Each of these 2012 “Visionaries” were asked (as part of the awards) to take a traditional school house globe and redesign it for auction, with the proceeds going