The Cupcake Wrapper Co.

loving the polkadots

hot off the press, still in boxes...probably being packaged as i type!

a little bit of styling with the beloved op-shop finds

all images; the cupcake wrapper co.

My very dear and oldest friend, Natalie, and her business partner, Kathy - also known as Nat and Kat - are owners of The Cupcake Wrapper Co. I'm so excited to see that they have released their first range; Australian designed and made, stylish, eco-packaged and - having seen the actual product with my very eyes today - superb quality.

Congratulations girls, I am sure that you will be taking the cupcake loving world by storm!

Mr Chicken Goes to Paris by Leigh Hobbs

arc de triomphe - can you spot mr chicken?

versailles


river seine - mr chicken being very inconspicuous again

mr chicken enjoying the sites from the eiffel tower and getting his portrait painted at montmartre

all images; leigh hobbs photographed by shelley t

We have loved this new addition to our book family. Witty, informative and colourful; what more does a kid with an interest in the world and words need? Judging by the amount of times we have read the story so far and the smiles on Petit's face, I would say, not much.

Happy Friday - Posh Camping

image; jollydaysluxurycamping.com.uk

It's funny how the mind weaves it's way from one thought to the next. Case in point, I'm checking out the rain from Galmont's window...and thinking how lovely it all is...and how many trees are getting a drink...and how beautiful the countryside would be looking right now...and how awesome to be out camping amongst the trees...if only I liked camping...and then wondering about the posh camping site I read about in Living Etc recently.

And voila! Here is my Happy Friday blog post!

Have a great weekend!

"I love everything about my room...."

images; lucy feagins for the design files

....words spoken by 3 yr old Petit to L'Homme; like music to this Mama's ears!

If you you are yet to see the pics Lucy took of Petit's room and Chez Trbuhovich, you can find them here.

Our Web, Our Day

image; natalie jephcott for arthur's circus

Happy One Web Day! Apparently it's a day to think about the importance of the web in our lives. I must admit, the older I get, the more important it is becoming. I like my 'cyber friend'.

I will be celebrating this inauspicious occasion down at Arthur's Circus tonight, checking out some beautiful photographs at the milkbars, laundromats and urban beauty exhibition.

Fun to be had, I'm quite sure I'll come home with something....all in the name of celebrating One Web day, of course!

Happy Friday - Color Me Katie

image; colormekatie

Can always rely on the unique talents of Katie to get me in a creative mood when my own energy levels feel a little depleted.

I'd love this girl as a neighbour...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Peeping Tomasina

image; il giorno, raymond savignac, 1965; stephan for galerie montmartre

Lee wrote a sweet little post a couple of days ago, she suggested that our blogs are like windows and through these windows we can peep into each other's lives, but occasionally we may actually tap on the window (via our comments) and let each other know we're there. How lovely. I immediately thought of this vintage poster as I read the actual post.

Thanks to all of you for letting me peep into your blog windows; really, I love it!

Creative Women's Circle - Monique McNamara & Jessie Fairweather

image; gertrude st association - artist; ian de gruchy

image; measure by the foundry

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed drinking in the creativity of some very talented women at Creative Women's Circle on Saturday morning. I mean, I was sitting between some lovely creatives before anyone even opened their mouths! (ie. shannon, susan and tess, better known in blogland as aunty cookie, spin spin handmade and metremade)

Monique McNamara started proceedings speaking about her eco-design business Up and Up Creative...now, there is eco and there is ECO, and this woman is definitely the latter, having set up her business 12 years ago when she realised that her concern for sustainability and eco-friendly practices were not being met elsewhere. There was a million things she said, a million notes I wrote, but really, this quote pretty much sums up where Ms. McNamara comes from "This is why we're here - we're here to innovate." (Oh, and if she isn't busy enough directing her company she is also a founding member of The Gertrude Association.)

Jessie Fairweather is all the things in a person I tend to gravitate towards, because it is so far from who I am (!) - calm, considered, organised, determined and calm. (oh sorry, did I say that already?!) This girl had a dream and ran with it, studying graphic design in Europe before returning to Australia, writing her ideas for three months and then creating her company 'The Foundry'. 'Measure' seems like an extremely apt title for Jessie's latest project, written in five languages, it consists of every conceivable measuring chart from seasonal foods through to the lunar calendar. I am predicting world domination from her little space in Daylesford, quite frankly.

Well done, Tess McCabe on another great meeting, keep the inspiration coming!

Let's hear it for...

image; maaret from visual notes

...Mondays!

We love Mondays! L'Homme, the Petits and myself always go to a local cafe for lunch and watch the world go by. I was so drawn to this image of a Swedish eatery in the middle of parkland - how relaxed does everyone seem? It just 'shouts' community to me.
No doubt this is the kind of place the Trbuhovich clan would frequent every Monday if it was nearby.

Happy Friday - Two Birds with One Stone

images; stephan t (1) and shelley t (2) for galerie montmartre

Petit Garcon is absolutely enamoured with birds....parrots to be exact. So, I am closing the week with a lovely little piece by Raymond Savignac celebrating the 'Festival of New Comedy' and Petit's artistic impression of birdlife. They both make me smile.

Wishing you a fab weekend; hope it creates a smile line or two on your faces!

Galmont and The Age Good Food Guide 2010

Church St Enoteca
527 Church St.
Richmond, 3121
9428 7898
Fine Italian Cuisine
15/20
One chef hat
Surrounded by vintage posters in an art-deco setting.....need I say more?!

all images; church st enoteca

Beautiful Barcelona

images; 1 sagrada familia, 2& 3 park guell, 4 casa battlo; photographed by luke phillips

It appears I am not alone in my love for this incredible city. Since writing this post, I've received emails from people who have fallen completely for Barcelona's charms and those of Antoni Gaudi's architecture. Luke Phillips has been generous enough to share his photos with us, they're fabulous - enjoy!

Weekend Weblog Wanderings... (4)

image; holly becker at decor 8

...I am so pumped by the idea of a 'community bookcase' - Holly has a couple in her new German neighbourhood - Galmont will definitely get in on the act. I have found the comments so interesting regarding people thinking that it wouldn't work in their neighbourhoods; I think if it could work in Fitzroy, it could work anywhere, and can't wait to give the idea a go at the front of our retail space; I am so sure our local community won't let us down with graffiti, vandalism or stealing. Anyway, read the fuss here...and I promise to let you know the developments of our own little experiment...

image; angela at three buttons

....and the lovely Angela over at Three Buttons has given us a glimpse of her gorgeous noticeboard, encouraging others to take photos of their own and she will feature them on her site, read about it here. I daresay this will be enough to get Kimberlee more than a little excited, she loves an inspiration board, even featuring Galmont's on a recent post which you can see here.

Happy Friday - It's Springtime!

image; jeunesse au plein air, morvan et kouper, 1981

Ahhhhhh spring! Just love it - thanks for your support and comments and all-round loveliness, people - have a great weekend!

Dog Day Afternoon

all images; shelley t (1) and stephan t (2-6) for galerie montmartre

We've just framed-up this old Fitzroy council poster telling people to register their pet dogs. So I thought it was appropriate to show some other canine inspired vintage posters - a little Thursday theme if you will!

Let's hear it for...

images of antoni gaudi's segrada familia; britannica.com (1) and greatbuildings.com (2,3 & 4)

.....Antoni Gaudi. (1852 - 1926)

A story; In 1990, back when L'Homme and I were kids, we took off around Europe for four months. Being a Uni student with a couple of jobs (me) and a part-time youth worker (him), we had barely enough money to get air tickets, let alone accommodation, but we were determined, ignorant and a little too romantic! We bought ourselves a 28 day Europass, allowing us to travel the European train system, we'd sleep in a carriage overnight and would get off wherever we arrived at the first shaft of light. One of our first stops was Barcelona...what a gift!

As we got off the train, someone who we'd bunked with the previous night said, "Be sure to see anything that Gaudi created, his architecture is dotted throughout the city" - and better still, it was free!

So, that's what we did. We sought out every Gaudi creation there was and it was far and away one of the happiest, most memorable travelling experiences of my life. So much so that we have vowed to return every ten years for the rest of our lives (told you we were a little too romantic!) to watch the progress of this little gem, the Sagrada Familia....the Church Gaudi was creating before his untimely, accidental death. However the genius has left so many plans and notes that the building will be able to be completed.....eventually. Gaudi was so far ahead of his time, it was ridiculous! And he was a crafter, people (!), with mosaics being his calling card - along with curves, gargoyles, wonky-Seuss like walls and archways of every description.

I found a great pictorial blog post here....or just google his name and become another awe-inspired fan.