Melbourne is 175years young

August 30, is known to insiders as Melbourne Day, 1835 was the year our home town was founded, as a boat sailed up the Yarra River, and this site was chosen upon to start a village.. little did they know what we would become!!

The Melbourne City Council of today has chosen to celebrate this milestone, by celebrating August! 2010 is  175th year of the city, 150th year of the Melbourne Cup, 100th birthday of our beloved Flinders Street Station, and 20th August is the 150th Anniversary of the fateful Bourke and Wills departure from Royal Park to find a northern coast line.

Next week is the start of the mayhem... good mayhem!! First mark for us is the Melbourne Day debate

That Melbourne is still the Foodies Capital - what would you bring to the debate!?
Indulge in the Melbourne we are so lucky to call home!

Happy Birthday!

Winter is STILL here - fluff on up

I am a little excited, so much so its taken me too long to write... but lovely little Howey Place has redeemed itself with a Melbourne Local label filling in the vacant store, left behind by jasonGrech - Rosemary - of Nevenka brings her FIRST fully fledged boutique to life... after a pop up success earlier in the year..

I have certianly succumbed, but if your struggling with this long winter, then look at that fabulous "gillet" the window... cosy!

PS there is a little sale on too!

THIS SUNDAY - to MARKit ... Fed square et al

Its cold out side... but when you think of all the flurry of energy and creative brain space that is happening in Melbourne town at the moment, you cant help but feel the warm inner glow!

So much activity .. its like friction.. rub those bark and wood pieces together and Fire will be yours! Well this Sunday that fire may burn a hole in your pocket!

Can you believe it.. the State of Design Festival is not even upon us yet, and Federation Square is to play host to not one but TWO design markets this coming Sunday..

In the CARPARK are of Federation Square - you will find all sorts of incredible DESIGN focused stalls, some more established labels that others - look out for NEST and Melbourne's own KeepCUP to name just a few - there is a promise of many new Stall holders this year... so worth heading down..

Beware.. there are CROWDS at these things... and you may want to be aware - not all stall holders have EFTPOS or Credit card.

The inaugural MARK it ( reference to decorative and illustrative design) market in the Atrium will bring some new player to the already successful market precinct with local design favourites such as Beci Orpin, our own tour hotspot Corky St Claire ( look out for their special signage made just for the event!) and my own personal BLine will be made for these great little note books!

OH and f course there will also be the Arts Centre Sunday Market - up on the Lawn area on St Kilda road - due to the Hamer Hall renovations..

Wave if you see us!.. we love show and tell....

Fiona

Leonard St.- New Melbourne city store

Fantastic to see that Leonard St. has opened a new store in the city-289 Flinders Lane. Melbourne designer, Amanda McCarthy, represents the fourth generation of her family to operate a fashion business in Flinders Lane. I couldn't resist a look the other day...a stunning collection of colourful winter jackets, print silk pieces, statement knits...suffice to say I did not come out of there empty handed!

Katherine

Choosing a coffee and a charity....

The other day whilst I was exploring, for me, a somewhat unfamiliar area of the city-the west end of Bourke Street.... I stumbled across a new cafe, Kinfolk, a non for profit business that supports international development projects.This was intriguing to me so I went in to find out more.
Delightfully welcomed in for a coffee, I was shown the current selection of four local & international charities, creatively displayed on chalkboards and using photos, the likes of an anti-traficking program in Ghana, a Malawian development project 'Pump it'and Melbourne based charity, Urban Seed.

After purchasing my coffee I was shown a big jar of coffee beans on the counter, asked to take out a bean and place in one of four jars, each labeled with a selected project. My small coffee donation in contribution to others....
Kinfolk Cafe is situated within 'Donkey Wheel House' a 'new dynamic social space' for artists, philanthropic organizations....well worth a visit.

Katherine

There's Nothing Like Australia!

Tourism Austrlia's new tourism campaign has been launched, and the TV ad is a little cheesy, but some of the imagery is beautiful.

I was able to share my Melbourne with Anson Smart, and after what I can guess to be days of preparation and consultation with the AdAgency, this is what they ended up with.. I dont think it was just my infuence, but am pretty chuffed with the end result!.... lets hope with the reno of Hamer Hall such a beautiful bar will exist!

Nitts, Lice, and all things nice.. Dandruff = Art

Its all in the way you sell it... Hair, Dandruff, Lines, ....

No Vacancy gallery - a clever use of space in the corridoor filled QV - in Jane Bell Lane.. has a new show next week... with Indonesian born Melbourne artisit Eveline - check out her Video...:)

Eveline Tarunadjaja is ready to share her love if hair with us in the middle of Fashion Week - and its Dandruff... :) Her lines, and mischevious details have caught my eye before, and I look forward to seeing more works in this great open space.. whether for Opening Night on 11th March, or heading in just for a quiet look, No vacancy and the team will always in spire with local and international works.. see you there...

Fiona