(treasure) – Page 2 – Emily Red Studio

Hipsterville aka Perth {treasure}

Give it up Australian cities. Perth has ‘cool’ all stitched up.

Between Brad Eastman and Anya Brock – colour, murals and budgies are covered.

Funny signs in shop windows. We don’t mind that we can’t peruse your goods, you are closed for sleeps – for goodness sake. In log font, no less.

Northbridge has beautiful alley ways full of art. The food is exquisite too. This is out the back of La Cholita in Northbridge.

There is a piano in the tunnel at Freo Beach, incase you feel the need for chopsticks.

Mosaic traffic light base. Yes please!

Festive houses line Fremantle streets.

Clearly, every kind of art is highly regarded and valued.

Way cool imagery. Just because. The bigger, the better.

Massive street art inspiring me to work bigger myself. My new favourite place.

Butterfly {treasure}

As good as it gets. Treasure.

The weekend {making, treasure}

I started drawing. I had found a tin of pastels given to me by my parents when I was just 16. I treated them like gold, and didn’t like the idea of sharing them just incase there might be an accident that involved one of these babies snapping in half. I moved to the side wall of my house with this tin in my hands. I opened it, remembering the feel of these familiar friends.
I spent hours drawing as a child – and it’s been a while since I’ve drawn something of this scale.

I didn’t actually mean for this to happen. It just did.

Eyes, nose, mouth, freckles – she must have freckles. I have freckles.

Them I added a flower, and another, and another. And then some more.
I love her. When the rain comes – she’ll be gone.

Hebe – the Goddess of eternal youth and Spring.

Translated vase {treasure}

Continue reading Translated vase {treasure}

Disco steps update and my affection for mirrors {collecting, treasure}

I remember my early fascination with bevelled edged mirrors. There was a giant one on the wall at my grandparents house, a sweet country town famous for its cheese.

The mirror seemed enormous to me, and I wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t the old back window from my Pop’s EK Holden, treated with silver paint.

It was foreign and very ‘granny-like’ and helped form my appreciation of all things old, rusty and lived-in. I realised my Nana and all of her sisters, in this same small town had these mirrors, or similar variations in their home. (Along with pretty coloured hair.)

I belonged in a house with an artist mother and conservative/gardening father. They had their own taste, and bevelled edged mirrors didn’t have a place in our childhood home. They were decorating in the seventies, with huge colourful printed curtains (in hot pink, red and orange), sculptures, paintings bought from galleries, and huge carved elephants brought from Southern Asia. I believe sheepskin may have been peaking at this time too.

My grandparents died, and the Great-aunts did too. I don’t know where everything went. The mirrors, the aluminium canisters, the heavy club lounges, the chenille bed spreads… Everything did go, probably to the dump or Second Hand shops in the little town.

Anyway, I grew up, left home. I moved to Sydney. I only knew a handful of people. I had to find a new way to spend my weekends. I found Second Hand shopping. I was amazed at what I discovered. My love of treasure hunting soon overtook my weekends. I found a sweet small mirror with bevelled edges. I was naturally drawn to it, without explanation.

Then came more. One by one. Its not about admiring my own reflection, nothing to do with vanity.

I do love the way they reflect my garden. Bringing the outside in.

Along with bevelled edged mirrors, I collect any lovely piece that ‘speaks’ to me.

The crustier, the better.

Big mirrors, little mirrors…

Old wardrobe doors with brass handles, make lovely full length mirrors.

Eighteen years later, and five homes later, they keep finding me. Garage sales at little coastal towns. Charity shops in my city. Birthday gifts from people who know me well. A lady at a little town Antique shop keeps them aside for me. Now I have…many.

So, what is responsible for this, may I ask?

I’m not sure. But I love these stairs. I love mirror, I like shiny things.

I still have 2 steps left to glue – and wee bits to touch up.

More to come…

The front steps needed disco {treasure, making}

A mirror broke. I didn’t do it. A paint tin did. No bad luck for me.

I make the very most of situations such as this one, as you see. I contemplated a design of my own, but in such a prominent position, I didn’t want to start using the back gate in order to avoid using the front stairs. (What I mean is, I didn’t want to *sigh* or *cringe* every time I arrived home, because my skills & ideals of coolness have changed.) So, I turn to disco – as we all should.

One step down, seven to go.

The Dog {treasure}

The last month of Winter. Saturday. We all gather in the front room and curl up in the full blast of morning sun. Soaking in a week’s worth of Vitamin D in one sitting.

Cups of tea, pancakes and little people playing ‘stacks on’ are generally the way things go around here.

Continue reading The Dog {treasure}

St Kilda Sea Glass {collecting,treasure}

I was lucky enough to spend a whole week of Winter school holidays in Melbourne, visiting a friend lucky enough to know me for 36 years. We ushered 5 children under 11 to St Kilda for a wee adventure and the promise of gelato too. There is a beach and a jetty, and you can probably see Tasmania on a clear day (no, not really).

The small folk very quickly tossed their shoes aside and took turns burying each other up to their necks. This friend of mine is not a fan of the beach, she doesn’t like sand getting in everywhere and everything. She was quietly having conniptions thinking of washing clothes x 5 kids and 1 adult, because I was right alongside them in the sandy department.

I managed to distract her with shiny things. These shiny things. We collected a beanie-ful, about 2 kgs of this goodness, sparkling in the sun along the shoreline. Two things I found out about St Kilda: 1.people drink lots of beer and wine, AND 2.they don’t use rubbish or recycling bins very often, on or off shore. Thank you irresponsible people! I love Sea Glass.

Nasturtiums {treasure}

A little lady in my household has a new fascination for vases and flowers. They pop up in little corners of the house. With no warning, no words. What a sweet little bunny she is.

Nasturtiums are one of my favourite flowers, never thought they were vase/jar worthy – a 9 year old has shown me they are.

‘Swing Life Away’ {making, treasure}

Swinging is good for you. So is jumping on a trampoline. Especially good for you considering most people put an age cap on these activities. Under 10 years old? You should be swinging and jumping like your life depends on it. 30 or over? All of a sudden the sound of crickets chirping is overwhelming. I am here to tell you, I do jump. I do swing. Engaging in child-like activities is good for us. (I also glide on shopping trolleys.)

Infobarrel.com says,”Bouncing on trampolines help remove toxins by squeezing them out. Your body has about 60 trillion cells, so the gravitational pull pushes out the toxins when you bounce. During the period of weightlessness, when your body is suspended midair, the lower pressure in your cells promote the movement of nutrients into the cells. Imagine this as a workout to get every cell in your body to exercise.”

This information is telling us we should. We must. My newest piece is based around just the swinging aspect. The weightlessness, the freedom, the whoosh of air passing your ears, the feeling of two straight legs ploughing through the sky, casting your eyes up to the heavens, feeling on top of the world. The breeze in your face, the wobbly colt-like legs that jerk you to a halt. Jumping like a gymnast and dismounting in the mulch.

Those of us who use swings, instead of leaving it to the little people, smile BIG smiles.

Beyond Borders: Mosaic Auction for DWB/MSF

September 2012
(Doctors Without Borders)

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