With Legs Aquiver

Style Crush

Ramona from Scott Pilgrim VS The World. I watched this movie for the first time the other day, and got a few giggles, but the main high point for me was being introduced to the style of Ramona Flowers. And now I realise where I've been going wrong all of these years. Now on my shopping list: awesome boots, awesome tights, and an awesome sweater. Don't worry - I'm all over it.

Blog Crush(es)

The other day whilst doing some blog-hopping (a time consuming sport, characterised by procrastination and numerous cups of coffee) I came across the wonder that is The Beetle Shack. A bit crafty, a lot arty, funny, warm and a member of the cutest damn family you'll ever see, Emily is pretty awesome.

And of course, from her blog I hopped on over to Tim Coulson. Tim is a photographer over on the mainland, and his photography is just incredible. Not only that, but he's a fab writer too. He does the sweetest family photos. It just makes me want to steal a child and a man, so that I can have rad family portraits like that.

Artist Crush

Again, a result of site/blog-hopping. I stumbled across the ridiculously talented Courtney Brims. A Brisbane-girl, she holds more talent than it is surely healthy to. I've fallen head over heels for her artworks, and bought a set of her greeting cards so that I can hang them on my wall. My favourite artwork involves a rabbit, a flower, and a teacup. Honestly, is there any other way to combine so much coolness in one spot??

{Images from Courtney Brims}

Fictional Character Crush

Because every well-adjusted person gets a crush on a fictional character. Jon Marshall from the Nick Earls' novel Perfect Skin is just.... dreamy. Well-written, he's got a dry sense of humour, he's intelligent, he's complex (but not ridiculously so), and best of all - he looks however I want him to.

Say Yes To Mediocrity

Last night I couldn’t get to sleep so, for the first time in years, I propped myself up in bed and drew. Drawing used to be one of my big hobbies – my fingers would itch to document things to paper, and whilst I wasn’t great at the whole shading thing, I gave it a damn good crack. I loved it, and it was a big part of me for a long time.

Last night I recaptured some of that feeling. I was excited about what I was doing, and was so lost in what I was doing that my face started hurting because I was doing my concentration face (it involves pouting) for so long. I acted like a pro with my pencil, I used my little paintbrush with a flourish, and I smudged things to my heart’s content.

Don’t get me wrong – it turned out pretty shit. I was never very good at drawing, and I’m rusty. I never had a chance of churning out a masterpiece. That’s not my point.

My point is – how often do we set out to do something, not because we’re good at it, or even when we know we’re pretty bad at it, but we do it just because we like it? It’s too easy to get caught up striving to be the best at what we do. There’s nothing wrong with that – there’s a lot to be said for ambition. But how about just every now and then, letting your hair down, and doing a dodgy job of something? Go bake that lopsided cake, do that DIY work that will fall apart in a week, and do a painting that doesn't actually resemble anything in particular, and love every moment of it.

PS. This blog post does not mean that I’m encouraging doily splat. I’m not. Stop it.