keeping it lite - petite blythes, books, telly,
fashion, photography, funny stuff, mordant
irony, morbid delectations, art&music
and all the things i like ...

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Colours and sounds that blow my tiny mind



And a question to contemplate - Cheese School or Nude School?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Baby Vogue-ing


Nestled in
Originally uploaded by kebabette
I love this photo of Sabrina. Never thought I'd say this but respect to Anne Geddes cos babies are hard to capture with a camera. Phenomenal cuteness! She's trying to say some words, it came out like "brrm brrm" so maybe she's taking an early interest in motor sports ...

I haven't been watching much early morning C4 lately but the other day I saw this one. Supergrass has long been a fave of mine - I remember buying their first cd and getting a t-shirt with Hugh Grant's mug shot on it.. Went to their concert years ago, even got a cd signed when they came to Christchurch. Anyways, I liked this a lot - is like a mini doc and who can resist a mermaid

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Fornasetti


Fornasetti cushions
Originally uploaded by kebabette
In the era of the remix and the mashup, the way the designer Fornasetti worked and reworked this same face is inspirational.

The serene face so endlessly repeated is that of Lina Cavalieri, an Italian soprano renowned for her beauty.

I've long loved his work - have got a book (the library has it too - Fornasetti: Designer of Dreams) a Swatch watch and Marion O kindly scored me a brooch in Melbourne featuring my favourite image - the face in armour.

Flickr has some cool images with the Fornasetti tag.

This week I spotted these cushions in Annex in Victoria Street - and realised Trade Me might be worth a look. There are some badges, plates and necklaces for sale. I'm plumping for the badges - after a hot auction where the price skyrocketed, they came again on a 'buy now' so I leaped on in.

More Trade me subjects:
Fornasetti
Art deco and retro
Brooches

Labels:

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

White Lies


I love White Lies and their album "To lose my life" is on high rotate at our place. Enjoy their deep dark majesty.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Things to delight your eyes ...


Coffee Group babies
Originally uploaded by kebabette
Busby Berkeley stylee babies

My new slippers from Japan - Thanks F and K!!

Go fug yourself ... yes yes I know we all love the fashionista laughfest but what category causes most amusement? POLTERWANG!

Gok Wan is in NZ - love him immensely - see him on Close up, Breakfast, loving his show Fashion Fix - we've got him at the library too and on the library blog.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Were I to dally on Trade Me my key words would be ...

Blythe
rose
lace
boots
sequin/s/ed
velvet
fur
coats
jackets
shoes
opal
tanzanite
trelise cooper
tamsin cooper
coffee tables
...

Labels:

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Congratulations ...

... to Moata for winning a Qantas Media Award for her Blog Idle. Totally deserved, she shows those celeb bloggers how it's done - with a styling vocabulary and turn of phrase, plus sharp and smart observations.
... and to Moata and the rest of the team from Christchurch City Libraries at the Auckland Readers and Writers Festival for bringing it on back home to those of us who can't be there in person. And to the library for supporting NZ Music Month and music in general.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

My signature dish = Spinach lasagne

I can't remember where I got this recipe from, but it's the bomb:

Spinach lasagne (serves 6)

2 large onions (peeled, chopped)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 400g cans tomatoes (whole ones or those neat new cans with already blended tomato mixtures are best)
900 g spinach - cooked, drained, chopped (this sounds like an awful lot, I never use this much ... you can also use silverbeet instead and throw in other soft veges such as courgettes, mushrooms etc)
350 g cream cheese (I usually just use a pottle which is less in size)
2 sheets fresh lasagne (most packets have 6 - I open the bag of fresh lasagne and split into 3 portions for freezing - so 1 packet will do 3 of this recipe)
Topping - breadcrumbs
You can also add in other cheeses with the cream cheese - parmesan, mozzarella, whatever

1. Fry onions in oil 5 mins, add garlic and fry another 5 mins without browning.
2. Puree 3 tbsp of onion mix with tomatoes. If using already chopped up cans, you can just mix them in together.
Add the rest of the onion mix to the spinach together with the cream cheese/cheeses.
3. Put layer of spinach mix into bottom of shallow ovenproof dish and cover with layer of lasagne, then half tomato sauce mic. Repeat the layers, ending with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top, and maybe a dash of cheese.

Bake uncovered in preheated oven (190 degrees C or 375 Degrees F) for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with salad

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

My other recipe pick - Fresh Lemon Loaf from the Edmonds Cookbook, with some poppyseeds added in. Really tasty stuff this.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Return of The Manics

I haven't been taken by a book so instantly as seeing this on the shelf at Whitcoulls. Gorgeous!Around the world with Mouk : a trail of adventure / Marc Boutavant ; [translated by Linda Burgess].

And was utterly captivated on a cold Sunday listening to an interview with Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers on the essential The Guardian Music Weekly - plus the full interview as an extra.

Miss New Zealand - High heels, high hopes. Highly entertaining look behind the scenes of this rather antiquated competition. Would make a most excellent reality show.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Loaves, Fishes and Girls with big eyes

Remember ...
Old school baking? Am hoping to get hold of a copy of Allyson Gofton's new book Bake as I am on a baking kick. Loaves to be exact. I'm trying to cut down on the biscuits and sweeties and have switched to a nice slice of loaf with my cuppa. So easy to make, especially in those silicon loaf container. Thus far have made banana, date, and my own invention ... glace cherries and pebbles. Citrussy ones next I think. On the food side of things, last week we enjoyed a fresh fish agenda. City Seafood Market is the place to go and we've decided to do the fresh fish thing every week. So dang tasty and good for you.


Those 70s painting of cute kids and kittens with big big moist eyes? Sas Christian does something similar for today. Adorable.

Gene? Indie band of 90s touted as a bit like The Smiths with an archly foppish frontman Martin Rossiter? Time to listen to them again if you stopped (I never did, way too catchy and melodic to forget).

Designer John Galliano? Been hankering to sample his new fragrance Galliano - my sister kindly sent me a sample from Melbourne and it measures up to all expectations. Which is no small achievement as my hopes were high. It's stunning and reminds me of many of my favourite fragrance attributes - Chanel no 5, Guerlain, soft powdery, divine.

Blythe Love? Haven't bought any for a while but still feeling the Blythes.
Doronjo x Blythe

Le Jardin de Maman

Sunday, May 03, 2009

and ...

More goodies.
* The coolest dance video in ages
I give you "Polite dance song" by The Bird and the Bee
* hot news - upcoming music by Jarvis Cocker, Stuart Murdoch (of Belle and Sebastian fame) and the Manic Street Preachers. Wow.
* Remember this? Dodgy inferences about the Lone Ranger and Tonto ahoy

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Smile like you mean it

What's making me smile?
ah, the usual
* Sequins - even on bed (why the hell not, good one Koylee)
* Zombies spouting black liquor. From the Handsome Furs

* and especially Sabrina (and her baby talk)!

Friday, April 17, 2009

I've Cottoned On

On one of my Melbourne trips I was introduced to the institution which is Cotton On. T-shirts, sweatshirts and other cool basics. Later it turned up on our shores. And it has branched out. One of my favourite shops is Cotton on Body. I discovered this offshoot of Cotton On in Queen Street, Auckland and got a good haul ... plushy dressing gown, fancy pants etc. Recently discovered there is one at Dressmart Hornby Christchurch (yay) and one in Riccarton which I haven't visited. It's great stuff, nice materials, bright and lots of cool 50s pinup style ... gingham, polka dots etc.

Yesterday I went to another Cotton on ... the one for kids in Northlands Mall as another baby mama told me they have stuff for bubs as well. And a sale. Scored some lovelies ... an adorable tartan dress, and some rompers plus a plain black t with "Security" written on it. And this one ...

Sabrina

Huzzah for bargains and nifty stuff.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Frogging Aesthetic

Probably my favourite apparel for men is of this ilk ... military ... hussar jackets, with frogging etc, highway men coats. It probably had its heyday in the 60s when louche young men strode about town in such apparel. And then there were costume drama movie roles like Terence Stamp in "Far from the Madding Crowd" ...

Here are some exhibits:
See Adam and the Ants

Revived recently by the likes of The Libertines, and Kasabian

and Aussies Empire of the Sun