GETTING A LITTLE GREEN...AND BLACK

If you mention how you admire people like Craig Sams, the common response would be, "Who?". Mention how much you enjoy Green & Black's chocolate and the response would echo a hint of recognition or agreement. The man himself is however not that easily defined or boxed. Throw out titles like dreamer, eco-entrepreneur and macrobiotic restaurant owner and the picture gets a few more defining strokes. Sound like an interesting character? Well read more in this thoroughly interesting article here.

SOFT LIGHTING

Challenging conventional norms in the lighting industry these "Light Blubs" from Pieke Bergmans would be perfect, as someone suggested ,in a plastic surgeons office. For more info on other products and her process visit here website here. Found here on Apartment Therapy.

COMING SOON

I've just returned from two amazing weeks in India with enough stories and photos for all the followers of this blog....well at least for both of you. Stories will appear here when I have the time to write and photos here as soon as flippin' possible.

HELPING HANDS

Found this piece titled "Helping Hands" on the Process tumblr blog. Process is a site featuring a variety of art, but detailing the time, blood, sweat, tears and money behind the finished product. Have a browse the next time you whine about that local exhibition you're attending, where you feel the pieces are way over-priced.

THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF STOKE

To be frank, I'm a little tender this morning. It feels like compassion and realisation are conducting something of a free concert jam and the venue is somewhere inside of me. The reason for all this you ask? Well it's a trailer I found while scrounging the net for ideas on a relatively quiet Friday. It's for a film on surfing but it's so much more than that. I think that times of war and strife show like no other time the frailty and strength of humanity. I pray that one day, in spite of the blood that will inevitably be shed, Palestine and Israel will be at peace. Click here for more info and moving trailers for the film.

STOP SUFFERING

I fully understand now why some bloggers make the big call, namely to discontinue their blog. It has been more than a month now since my last post. Now when your ratings ( c'mon all bloggers watch their ratings ) slide faster than the rand dollar exchange rate, it kinda takes your motivation along for the ride. However......I won't be making that call, at least not as far as I can see. If it's a post once every two months, the so be it. This blog is as much a bank of inspiration and interest for myself as I hope it has been and will continue to be to those that stop by for a browse.

So this is for locals and foreigners alike. This business card above was found stuck under my car's wiper blade the other night and it dawned on me that I in fact live in Africa. Africa with all it's idiosyncrasies and the things I've come to love.

WISHES

Found on the Urban Outfitters blog. I wish I could draw like this. Beautiful fashion illustration by Cedric Rivrain.

SUMMER SHADES

Summer is fully here and I have recently bought a pair of el-cheapo shades. Functional and suave, they make the world seem better, crisper and sharper. However if I had my way I'd own a few pairs, one of them would be these shades by Ellesse for a mere $375. Read more here. Found on expensivesh*t.

FIVE BLACK BINS

The brainchild of Cape Town agency Cow, this fun little collabo saw five local design teams consisting of individuals and agencies picking five random addresses in Woodstock. Am I Collective, Cow, Kronk, The President and Room 13 redesigned a bin each and above are the fruits of their labour, if you can call it that. Read more on the project here.

INNARDS

Kent Rogowski has produced a series of portraits unlike any others I've seen. Taking ordinary teddy bears, turning them inside out and restuffing them Rogowski has created toys which are quirky and weird yet all too endearing. See more from this series here.

DARK AND LOVELY

Really like these leafy shots from Dalton Rooney. As a kid I spent tons of time on nature trails so these have got the nostalgia flowing. Found via Elizabeth Weinberg's blog.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS

I try visit my folks about once/twice a week. Some of childhood lingers at the back of cupboards and wardrobes, waiting for the day they're rediscovered and cherished once again. Among these items are of course some of my old comic books. Paged through these and I was there again, 1984. Six years old and dead to the world. Who wouldn't be with center spreads of Sylvester Stallone, Mr T. and Sheena Easton. Man those were truly the days. 45c plus GST.

3D GLASSES GLEE

I can't remember how I found Miss Whites blog - White Writing but spent a bit of time browsing her Tumblr page and found these illustrations by Merdanchik Sanchos-Yohanson. Love them. I mean who, as a kid, didn't get transformed from mere child to super-kid when donning a pair of these shades.

ROAD TRIP READING

Bought this book on sale at Bookbase on Florida Rd, Durban for R5. Needless to say I was sold by the cover. Penned by Russian author Anton Chekov, the book contains two short stories and is part of a series of 70 short story titles published in 2005 by Penguin for their 70th Anniversary celebration. Other renowned authors in the series are Roald Dahl, George Orwell, Hunter S. Thompson, Zadie Smith, Noam Chomsky, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and John Steinbeck. Scanned the net and found other great covers shown above.

SEND IT

I love looking through old photo albums, especially ones containing pictures of my folks in their youth, when they first started dating or my dad surfing a remote break in Europe. So I'm gonna put it out there. Get stuck in, go sift through the attic and find a favourite photo from an era gone by, with the year it was taken if possible. It can be of your folks, you in a dodgy dress, anything within limits. Scan it and send it to me (check out my profile for my email address). This is by no means a competition and is open to anyone reading my blog. Depending on the speed of the response I will post the submissions on the 8th of August. See mine above of my folks kissing in the snow - mid 70's.

ONE FOR THE GIRLS

It's been a while since I posted so I thought what better way then to "big up" a fellow blogger who not only added me to her blogroll but has a whole heap of crafty talent as well. Check out the Wren Design blog here. Oh yes and she currently has a sale on at her Etsy page so pop by and scoop some goodies, that is after you marvel at the bags above.

GET PUBLISHED IN ZEIXS

Founded by the German publishing house Feierabend Unique Books and the design agency 12ender, Zeixs specialises in design related books. Many of their previous publications on illustration, character design, typography and logos have sold like hotcakes. Now's your chance to be featured in one of them. So here's the deal and it really doesn't take that long to put together. Note this though and I apologise, but the deadline is the 31st of this month.

One of the new books coming out is on African/South African design, but there are many others coming out soon. Check them all here.

PINHOLE PERFECTION

One of the enjoyable projects we took part in when I studied Graphic Design was building our own pin-hole cameras. Constructed from cardboard, tinfoil and black light-proof tape they pretty much sucked. Now this baby on the other hand would have had the class suck-ups wincing with envy. Found on chocosho via expensivesh*t. Apparently the images can "also be printed at 1200% and turned into wallpaper". Not bad at all for just under 25 dollar.

OAKNYC

Love the rich colour of these scarves from OakNYC. They also have a great range of items for guys. See more here including two really cool pendants of a heart and a hand.

NEON LOVE

Hottest sneakers I've seen in a long time, from Adidas. These limited edition babies are called Adidas ZX450's and are available from 08/08/08. Found on hypebeast.

CONSIDERING PERTH

Apparently something like 80 families a month are leaving our shores for "greener pastures". My stats may be off but if so, I doubt it's by that much. I'm neither here nor there in judgement and am not averse to leaving here myself, but it won't be for reasons commonly held as valid by the masses. Read this . Note also the USA emerged as the most popular choice in a recent survey, followed by the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Thanks to Flickr user flint knits for the pic.