Good Things...

I don't mean to alarm anyone but in 76-ish short days xmas will be here!  I adore xmas and this year I am feeling mildly organised (despite the fact that October has so far been one crazy mess of a month) - I have already planned out my gifts and started organising the decorations.  And as generally happens about this time I've also started channelling Martha Stewart (the crafty bit, not the tax avoiding bit) and have been planning my gift wrapping 'theme' for this year.  This paper weave idea from one of the cutest paper blogs around - minieco - is my current favourite.  Wonderfully colourful, yes?

Also making me smile right now is the work of Swedish illustrator/designer Olle Eksell, as showcased in the awesome book from Japan.  I love the humour and liveliness that is so evident in his work (just look at those birds!  and the two awkward bathing suited kids, surrounded by fish!), and his packaging design is crazy good.

I may have mentioned this before but I'm a bit of a magazine junkie.  Being in Korea is a bit like going cold turkey - English magazines here are so expensive, even a basic month-old 'Who' can cost you US $17.00.  So I subscribe to my favourites, and there's a few local publications I love (including this great home decor one, this arty one, and this slightly insane fashion one).  And whenever I'm in Australia or Hong Kong or anywhere else with a decent stock of English magazines I'm always looking out for something intriguing - which is how I stumbled across the first bi-lingual edition of the French magazine Raise.  

I have no idea what the purpose or concept behind Raise is (it's tricky to find any information on their site, and the translation in the magazine leaves a little to be desired) but I'm a sucker for super cool images, and this features a ton of them.  Just check out these two photographers featured in issue 8 - Marc Da Conha Lopes and Liu Di.  Plus, cute kittens.

Aren't these illustrations fabulous?  They're all from The Painted Peep Show (aka Blake Roberts), one of the talented members of the ace Etsy Greetings Team.  I recently bought a set of the running dachshund note cards - Blake captures the energy and enthusiasm of the doxie so perfectly, I think. And yes, that is a portrait of The Golden Girls!

[Paris sunset by Elgarbo Art]

And lastly...I'm going to Paris!  Hazzah, hooray, and other happy sentiments!  I've been to Paris twice before - once traveling solo on my first trip overseas (fun, but a bit nerve wracking), and once with the step-sons and their Mum in tow (lot's of fun but definately not romantic!).  

I'm super excited about this trip as it'll be the first time the husband and I have traveled to the city of light on our own.  Plus, we are doing a quick road trip on the weekend to a little town near Reims (that's where champagne is made, my favourite beverage in all the world!).  And then the husband is heading off to Dubai and I get to stay in Paris for two whole days on my own - taking in the Musee D'Orsay at my leisure, visiting the flea markets, eating my body weight in macarons, checking out the fait main stores in Pia Jane Bijkerks 'Paris: Made by Hand' (with thanks to @TheCraftRevival for the recommendation).  Heaven!