19.04.2012 
Yayoi Kusama illustrates Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? OMG, yes! Have a squiz at this little video Penguin did to celebrate the release - note the 'I, Kusama, am the modern Alice in Wonderland' page. Purchase here.
Design, Japan, Literature 24.01.2012 
Tomorrow I'm off to Sydney, where I'll see Picasso: masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris at AGNSW. Which makes me think of le signore's Chouette aux plumes (pictured). Which makes me think how much I'll miss seeing my owl-loving pal Isabelle (who now lives in New York) in Syd. Chops!
22.12.2011 
I fell in love with Alexander Girard while viewing his extraordinary collection (106,000 objects!) at the Museum of International Folk Art last year. Originally made by the great sir himself for his home in Sante Fe, these wooden dolls are, in a word, perfect and can be purchased from Vitra.
20.10.2011 
Say hello to the Cambridge Satchel Company's Fluoro range. Founded in 2008 by Julie Deane (and her Mum) as a way to pay her children's private school fees, Cambridge makes modern takes on original Oxford and Cambridge satchel designs. Aimed at school children, they have - according to The Guardian - become 'a cult among twenty something fashion bloggers.' I may be 30, but I'm pretty taken with my orange Fluoro - it makes every Summer outfit pop. Available for purchase in Oz at Amyst, 146 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. Or purchase online and get your initials embossed in gold, silver, black or blind!
Design 17.10.2011 
For some reason, Mossgreen have started sending me their beaut auction books. The danger within those padded envelopes! I think Lot No 227 from The Contents of Dysart House, 'an American patchwork quilt in violet hooked star designs' ($200-$400), would look perfect on a bed of crisp white linen. I'm also partial to Lot No 86's 'white glazed multi specimen vase' ($150-$250). Have a squiz online before auction time this Sun 23 Oct at 2.30pm.
Design 24.07.2011 
On the way to the KalimanRawlins launch Fri eve, I came across Melbourne's third hyaku-en store, Cool From Asia (357 Chapel Street, South Yarra). Chotto pricey in comparison to Tokuya and Daiso ($5.80 a piece for Cath Kidston-esque crockery), it has an extraord selection of paper balloon animals (le poisson above $2.80). Perfect for little and big kids alike!
01.11.2010 
Have you visited Daiso yet? Think Tokuya, but supermarket style. Plus it's an actual Japanese hyaku-yen chain staffed by actual Japanese people. And everything is $2.80! We went yesterday on the way home from The Art of Chess at Bendigo Art Gallery (Maurizio Cattelan's set was extraord), and I got this adorable poisson-shaped peeler, which worked a treat on the carrots for tonight's dinner of Japanese chicken curry and Israeli salad. If you fancy a trip to Daiso (opposite Minh Phat on Victoria Street, Abbotsford), try to go at a non-peak time - there are often super long lines for the checkout and it can get a little frenzied!
09.08.2010 
Anyone who has travelled anywhere will know that we get fleeced in this country. I mean, where's our J Crew? Our Massimo Dutti? Our Uniqlo? On that J-note, have you ever been to a hyaku-yen store, a kind of five and dime filled with incredibly useful and kawaii items that are all 100 yen?
Well, we got one, Melbourne! And I say that with the exact same level of enthusiasm that Miss Farrell and Daddy Warbucks sang, 'We got Annie.' Not that a billionaire like Mr Warbucks would ever need to visit Bourke Street's Tokuya, because all its wares are just $3.50! That is unless they are marked with a green sticker, which means they are a bit more deluxe and $4.50.
Opened a few weeks back, Tokuya stocks what co-owner Wiryadi terms 'everyday goods for the people.' Read: Aesthetically pleasing clipboards; little bottles for decanting shampoo into when you travel; an array of perfectly preppy gift wrap; kitchen sponges adorned with smiley faces; polka dot toilet seat covers; and tupperware. Oh, the tupperware!
Finally, Toku translates as worthwhile and Ya means shop. Tokuya is a place of great convenience that might just change your life, but not your bank balance. Please visit - in the basement of 236 Bourke Street. Hurrah!
08.04.2010 
Is there anything better in the world than a dolphin-shaped clothes peg? From the Advanced Family Articles for Use Series? I think not. I found these in the subterranean Star Asian Supermarket, off Howey Place, yest - if you've yet to visit this fairyland of foodstuffs, get over there, say hi to Ken, then stock up on sauces. And steamers. And Hello Panda. And Pocca Iced Oolong. And fried tofu. And bath scrubbies. Yep, I'm 100 percent obsessed!
25.02.2010 
After a trip to the Tarrawarra Museum of Art, I stumbled across HCP Antiques. Words cannot describe this crazy place, so I'll let the pictures do the talking. Check it out for yourself at 81 Badgers Creek Road, Healesville. Beware the angry dog!
