BEFORE I WAS AROUND

My parents' anniversary is coming up in a few weeks, so I had a rummage through an old tin my mom has with a wad of old photos. I found these few of them together. Most of these were taken in 1973, so five years before I was born. It's sort of strange seeing them together in the photos though. No kids around, no house, no joys and sorrows the following years would bring. I often wish I could go back in time and hang out with them in those days that seem so carefree.

URBAN OUTFITTERS MAY 2011

Urban Outfitters have got a new catalogue up on their site. Above are a few of my favourite shots. Some great items for guys and for the ladies. Its about time they opened a store in South Africa. The shots are of course brilliantly styled as always. Cass Bird is responsible for the snaps. She's shot a few previous catalogues for them as well. If you're thinking Cass who? Check out her site here. She's good...real good. Download the full Urban Outfitters catalogue here.

MIDLANDS MEANDER MAGIC

I've been challenged lately by fellow bloggers who make a concerted effort to post only original content. I'm on the net for at least half my day on a regular basis, and as a result, constantly find great content to blog about. However, I do see the benefits of posting original content in terms of readers enjoying something original rather than something they've seen before. Chances are they'll stick around for a while longer and who doesn't like seeing their blog stats rise.

In light of this, I decided to make a concerted effort to snap a few shots of our stay in the Midlands this past weekend. Our accommodation was at The Coach House. Set about 11kms from the Nottingham Road turnoff, the venue boasts a few standalone rooms and a coffee shop serving great cappuccinos and scones. Give them a shout if you're looking to stay in the area.

FROM ME TO YOU

Friday afternoon had the whole office ooh-ing and aah-ing over these cinemagraphs by Jamie Beck and Kevin Burgh which I found via bewaremag. Not quite a photo, not quite a video clip, these images take the animated gif to a whole new level. See more of these on Jamie's tumblr frommetoyou.

VINCENT TSANG FOR DELUXE

I've a confession to make. I'm not the most fashionable or snappy dresser. I try to dress well, but invariably end up donning my trusty tee, denim and sneaker combo most days. The thing is however, that since I began working for my current employers, who have as there main account a fashion retailer, I've become increasingly fashion aware. I browse sites like on&beyond and imagine being part of another world. A world where money is not an issue and I'm regularly complimented on my dress sense. Above are outtakes from Vincent Tsang's shoot for Japanese mens label Deluxe for Inventory Magazine.

SPOEK MATHAMBO & FRIENDS

Renowned South African photographer Pieter Hugo and Michael Cleary teamed up with local muso/DJ Spoek Mathambo for a video which is a cover of Joy Division's "She's lost control". I'm fully aware that I'm a little late on posting this vid, but in my opinion the calibre of the work allows it. The video has various references to "township cults, street preaches and teen gangs and was shot on location in a squatted train boarding house in Langa, Cape Town". See Spoek's site here and more of Hugo's work here and Cleary's work here. See the full video here. All images are screengrabs from the video.

TODD MCLELLAN

I've never been mechanically minded. By that I mean, when I was younger my best friend would be taking things apart, rocking it on Flight Simulator and rigging up his BMX. I on the other hand was drawing, reading or looking up stuff in my new atlas or encyclopedia. As I grew older I developed a keener interest in a variety of subjects. I got my first computer for one. Well, the reason I tell you these things is because I found this series of photos by Todd McLellan which marry both in the most amazing way. Gizmos and gadgets meet visual beauty. See more of Todd's work here. Discovered via gearpatrol.com

HOPE PROJECT & SENYOL IN FINLAND

One of my favourite artists and now a great friend Wesley van Eeden and his lovely wife Megs, along with Paul Senyol are currently in Finland. I remember Wez chatting to me a while back about the opportunity to take-up an artists residency in Ekenas, a town a small trip away from Helsinki. Well, they're all there now and seem to be loving it, colder climate, snow and stark landscape and all. If you've never heard of Wez or his lovechild hopeproject.co.za, browse by his site and see what they're up to after browsing his portfolio. He's got some serious skills coupled with a great heart. His compadre on this adventure is Capetonian Paul Senyol whose blog you can check out here and his flickr page here. Have a great public holiday tomorrow and ejoy the long weekend.

JAMES VICTORE INTERVIEW

I first saw James Victore's work in my third year of studying Graphic Design. We had a great lecturer who was not only cool but fully informed and on the money when it came to contemporary culture, branding and trends. Part of our syllabus was an anti-branding campaign for Amnesty International. Part of our reference base were a few of Victore's posters. Oddly enough I never took note of who designed the posters but merely admired them for their striking visuals. Then this morning my mate Wok ( Thanks Wok ) sent me an interview he found on the99cpercent.com with the man himself. Victore's new book which you can order on amazon.com looks set to be a much sought after addition to every designers library. All pics are Victore's and were nicked off coolhunting.com.

AGYNESS DEYN IN SOUTH AFRICA

Agyness Deyn, for those that don't know who she is, is an international supermodel and much adored it-girl. Highly versatile and super edgy Agyness will be gracing our shores in May for the 031 Collection sponsored by Mr. Price. The event runs from 19th to the 21st of May 2011. Read more and keep up to date at inthefashionloop and on the 031 Collection blogspot.

SCOTCH & SODA

Scotch & Soda is an Amsterdam based label that been around since the 80's but relaunched in 2001. Attention to detail, careful crafting of each item and a clear love for what they do, namely making great clothes, they're sure to continue their current success for decades to come. They have since launched sub-brands and now boast 30 stores world-wide, and over 7000 other sales points. The whole site is super easy to browse and I really dig the horizontal navigation on their blog. Pop on by their website here and see what they have to offer. Images courtesy of scotch-soda.com

STOCKPILE

Last year was a huge one for me. I'd go as far as saying the most challenging one yet. It was full of more up than downs, both deep tragedy and unexpected comfort. It's taken a while to feel normal again. All this got me pondering the meaning of life and how we collect things, whether it's stamps or coins, buttons or brooches. Often the things we hold dear don't hold the same significance to those we leave behind. As a child I collected stamps. I spent hours, removing them from old envelopes, pasting them in my albums and meticulously arranging them ( alphabetically ) in labeled envelopes. I guess looking back now I was always drawn to visual beauty. It was part of my make-up from the very beginning, so it's no surprise I ended up in a career along those lines. To this day I'm amazed at the colour and vivid details that some of the stamps possess. I found these albums from my childhood the other day.

SATURDAYS NYC BLOG

Saturdays NYC is a surf store/lifestyle blog based in New York City. Being New York, the shop offers local and visitors a little respite from the buzz with a coffee shop and garden eatery at the back, along with a range of sourced products such as books and fine art. These are my picks og guys goods from the online store. Check our more here.

GERARD BYRNE

Found these beautiful shots by Gerard Byrne here on the dead cool butter and brass blog. Love the simplicity of the idea and how it must have taken a fair bit of planning to get these just right. The stark landscape reminds me of early morning trips in the family car, gazing out at the newly lit fields as we headed for adventure. I more than likely found this blog through missmoss, whose blog you should also visit. Both these blogs will undoubtedly render you totally unproductive for many hours.

JEFF BRIDGES DOCUMENTS TRUE GRIT

I've yet to see True Grit but have enjoyed almost every movie set in the Wild West. Additionally, every boy grows up wanting to be a cowboy or hero of some sort. Well, at least that was the case when I was growing up. Far removed from the reality of what being a real cowboy entails, we'd sneak around yards, fashion forts out of shrubs and generally shoot all the "baddies" whilst rescuing the girls.

I found these images shot by Jeff Bridges on Swipelife. They're a pretty interesting behind the scenes peak at the depth of work that goes into making a movie. Visit http://jeffbridges.com/ for more images from his recent films including Crazy Heart, Tron and Iron Man.