Single Ladies

The photographer of the day is another Flicker find. Introducing Dutch photographer Valentina Vos. Loving the Malibu Barbie slash Baywatch portrait.

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Find more Valentina treats here: Website / Blog / Flickr

Swimming Pool

Today it's a balmy -22˚c outside. Awesome. I am California dreaming in a big way. Which is why I love Karine Lavals' pool photography. To the artist, pools are a metaphor for a mirror that reflect it's surroundings on the surface, yet is another world underneath. Today is one of those days I wish I had an alternate universe – one that was warm and ideally with a pool. Water wings optional.

Brave the cold and check out

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Pool of Dream: Karine Lavals Mise en Abyme @ Bonni Benrubi Gallery, NYC

Up until March 2011.

Colour Me Bad

Remember back in the day when the Avon Lady would knock on your door? One hour later and you had ordered some cotton candy blush and powder blue shadow because they were "your colours". Now we have the interwebs and a cool tumblr I discovered on seesaw called DailyHues. I adore these mini colour studies by Anne Ulku and think they'll be a great source of inspiration. Now I can pick my colours without the help of Avon.

Eat Your Cake

Um, yum! These intense "vintage wallpaper cakes" look like they were made by June Cleaver on crack or by the hands of some kind of sugar, butter and flour genius.

For artist Amy Stevens turing 30 meant baking 30 cakes... one glorious mound of sugary icing for each year. So what's the story behind these awesome pastry creations? Amy's Confections series is a comment on the idealism of contemporary life (à la Martha Stewart slash white picket fence syndrome). Apparently she doesn't eat all the cakes or she'll need to invest in some elastic waist pants. But if it was me, I would gladly eat every last bite.

Pick up a print on 20x200. Mmm delicious.

Hansel and Gretel

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE DAY

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I am speechless. Aëla Labbé's photography is incredible. It feels like pages from a memory soaked Brothers Grimm tale... dreamy gingerbread crumbs of goodness.

Keep Calm and Stay Warm

EASY LIKE SUNDAY MORNING

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While last Sunday was spent on the beach, this Sunday was filled with ice and snow.

It was a friend's birthday and I brought along my point-and-shoot camera to make a little movie of our wintery balloon walk. We have some pretty hilarious footage of us skating, but it's not nearly as cute. Turns out I kinda suck at skating. So much so that 3 year olds were pirouetting around me. Show-offs. It was actually my first time skating outdoors. And it was lovely.

Three ways to keep warm on a blustery winter day

1. Spike coffee with Baileys

2. Bring colourful balloons to warm your heart

3. Skate like Tonya Harding is chasing you with a crowbar

Lite Brite

Say it like you mean it... loud, bright and in neon. Inspired by the artist Tracy Emin.

Flower Girl

52 Bunches of Flowers I Bought Myself

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Who doesn't love receiving the gift of flowers? Julia Schauenburg loves it so much she did it 52 times and then documented it. She should own shares at the local flower shop. I love these images. I am such a sucker for anything poetic. I suppose I am just a hopeless romantic.

"By photographing a part of its process, the part before the romantic moment gets destroyed, is the moment I am capturing, documenting and keeping", Julia says of her show 52 Bunches of Flowers I Bought Myself.

Turning Panamanian

What happens in Panama stays in Panama... except for poisonous spider bites. Yeah, those come back with you. I'm proudly sporting a curious bright red bite on my leg – my battle scars from the hard times at the beach. A sunburn would be more manageable but so predictable. Where as a bona fide Central American spider chomp is way more hard core. Which makes me hard core. Yeah totally...

Here are a few snap shots from the trip. I have to say my Fieldguided cotton bag came in handy at the beach (with Keith Richard's bio in tote). The plantains were plentiful as were the tropical fruits – yes a banana in Panama actually tastes like a banana!

The coolest was meeting a Kunas fellow on the beach by our old pal General Noriega's dilapidated "villa". The Kunas are indigenous to Panama and famous for their colourfully adorned ankles and arms. I got a lovely beaded bracelet hand sewn to my wrist and I am wondering how I'll ever get it off! Details, details.

Happy 2011. My the new year be full of beachy treats and warm sunshine...