Miscellany: Smorgasbord

I love “smorgasbord”, it’s a delightfully tacky word and rather nice to say.  The word was originally used in Sweden to describe a festive meal consisting of varied dishes served buffet style, which was particularly popular in the 1960′s and 70′s. It’s meaning has since broadened to suggest diversity and a wide array of things.

This miscellany is dedicated to the word “smorgasbord”, which I think is rather apt as it’s a selection of random, delightful things I bookmarked while I was on my blog hiatus. I hope you like it.

The Gala Iron Shelf

Great informal fashion portraits by Nam of STREETFSN

Some delicious looking desserts from The Tart Tart.

Some awesome custom lettering for a Save the Date by James T. Edmondson via The Daily Glyph.

A laid back, super cool wedding in 1974. Love everything about it.

An elegant logo by Spanish designer Josep Román Barri.

A Finnish-inspired summer cottage via Arline. I’d love to have one of my own one day.

Sicilian-born, Cambridge-based illustrator Aurora Cacciapuoti’s amazing book cover project.

Another lovely book cover by Naomi Wilkinson.

Smorgasbord image via William Bird

The Truant Returns

Hello! It has been awhile since I posted. Since we last spoke I have had an awesome bachelorette, got married to the love of my life, gone on a surprise honeymoon and travelled the length of the country multiple times. Needless to say it’s all been a whirlwind. I’m slowly sifting through all the things I neglected in the run up to the wedding. One thing on my list is getting this blog back on track (thanks for your patience).

Since I’ve got a lot of requests I thought I’d do a recap of the wedding and my recent travels using Instagram pictures. You can check out all my Instagram pictures here. I’ll post the more official wedding pictures when I get them from our very talented photographer and friend Ross Garrett.

Without further ado let’s start at the beginning with wedding preparations, explorations and celebratory eating.

The Wedding!

New haircut (courtesy of Craig at The Lobby) and a surprise honeymoon in Hogsback thanks to my lovely bridesmaids.

And of course an obligatory shot of Larry David posing with us on our wedding day.

**The wedding images were sourced from my wonderful friends and family: Josh, Craig, Robin, Megan and Angie. Be sure to follow them all on Instagram.

Merchants Cafe

I’m really looking forward to visiting Merchants Cafe which is set to be a culinary extension of the Merchants on Long brand. The interior design of the bistro will feature furniture by Liam Mooney and ceramics by Michael Chandler, both talented local creatives.

Merchants Cafe is located in a beautiful historical building on Long Street in Cape Town and will be serving up delicious seasonal food with an African flair. The venue will also host a number of pop up events that will showcase the food of Cape Town’s best chefs. The talented people behind the project are Larry Steenkamp, Will Hobson and Hanneli Rupert. Larry is the owner of Woodlands Eatery, which serves the best pizza in Cape Town. Will Hobson (of Willy’s Food) has become known throughout Cape Town for his delicious sandwiches and salads, which are served daily at Field Office.

Merchants Cafe opens on the 25th of October 2012. Here is a little teaser…

Richard Learoyd

Presences is a photographic portrait series by British artist Richard Learoyd. Each image is a one-of-a-kind life sized and minutely detailed print taking up to 8 hours to produce.

“Using the most basic form of photography, the camera obscura, Learoyd marries old technology with new: strobe lighting, state of the art optics and Ilfochrome printing to create unexpected voyeurism…Each of Learoyd’s unique portraits are born through a laborious commitment of both physical and mental stamina.  Models arrive at his studio prepared for a full day, and often two, of sitting still under hot lights.”

via: TimeLightBox

Holly Leonardson

Holly Leonardson is an artist who lives and works in Tasmania. She creates wonderfully surreal and playful collage works. You can buy an original artwork from her etsy store.

Little Miss Poker Face

You can always trust Jen of Honey Kennedy to find the best fashion finds. Her sneak peek of the Colenimo Spring/Summer 2013 collection, titled “Little Miss Poker Face”, is too beautiful not to share. Designer Aya Nakagawa,took inspiration from Helen Wills Moody, a tennis player who was famous in the 1920s and 30s.

“The new Colenimo collection is full of classic preppy sportswear, including: British mill wool/linen suits, pure silk crepe dresses, fine cotton twill coats and simple cotton sundresses made from British men’s shirting fabric. There are also a number of over-dyed pieces using organic English “woad”—a natural deep indigo dye.”

I wish I owned every piece in the collection.

Photography: Jenny&Lee
Makeup Artist: Natsumi Watanabe (Caren)
Hair Artist: Takuya Baba
Model: Tanya at First

The Terra Nova Expedition

I really love this series of drawings by Sarah Lippett, a freelance illustrator based in London who graduated from the University of Brighton in 2006. The series is inspired by a documentary titled 90 Degrees South that tracks Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott‘s final expedition from 1910-1912.