BACK IN MELBOURNE

See my latest post at the link below

http://www.hellospiritt.com/2016/10/23/back-in-melbourne/

MAKE ME SMILE MONDAYS - EAST HAMPTONS IN THE FALL

East Hampton in the fall, click on the link to see it!
http://www.hellonewyork.co/2014/11/25/make-me-smile-mondays-hamptons-in-the-fall/

SUNFILLED SUNDAYS

New blog post - australian cafe in NY check it out here

FRIDAY FUNDAY - DIY HOMEMADE SORBET

Get the recipe to this homemade sorbet here

http://www.hellonewyork.co/2014/08/15/friday-funday-diy-homemade-sorbet/

SUNFILLED SUNDAYS

SUNFILLED SUNDAYS NEW POST HERE:

MAKE ME SMILE MONDAYS

Check out my latest post here:

Make me smile mondays, 2nd birthday in NY

NEW BLOG ADDRESS

Hey Guys, please check out my new blog address:

http://www.hellospiritt.com

MAKE ME SMILE MONDAYS

Last week I met the most adorable Meatball I have ever seen.
Yes thats right, a golden and totally sweet meatball who quite honestly stole my heart!

Now before you think I've gone totally bananas, the picture below will give you a better explanation:

Introducing Meatball, a 5 months old little bundle of joy!

I came across this adorable pup as I was walking down 5th avenue.  He had stopped for a moment, to take in the sights and to tell his owner he wasn't keen on walking any further.

What he was happy to do however was pose for a photo!

"Make me smile Mondays is inspired by the book "Happiness is a Warm Puppy" by Charles Shultz.  In an effort to keep away Mondayitis, each week I take a leaf out of the book , and apply it to my everyday life.  This acts as a little bit  of inspiration!  See more about it here.

Happiness is a Warm Puppy by Charles Shulz

Happiness surely is a warm puppy and the wonderful thing about New York is there is a cute dog on every corner!

So what better way to start off then smiles and cuteness from an adorable pup!

Have a fantastic week!

SUNFILLED SUNDAYS

Sundays are great for summertime fun in the sun!  And what better way to spend your afternoon than heading down to one of the many flea markets that New York has to offer!

When my pal Sarah was in town we headed up to the Brooklyn Flea Market.

As we ventured through the streets of Brooklyn, I couldn't help but notice such beautiful old houses that had been restored.  Finding these houses along the way certainly made our trip getting there more like a period architectural treasure hunt!

As soon as we approached the market and looked beyond the rail steel fence we got a glimpse of the wonderful treasures that awaited us inside!

Looking around there was an array of vintage as far as the eye could see.  Wonderful stalls filled with all sorts of wonderful finds.  Everything from old postcards to furniture, clothing and photographs, ribbons and trims, old toys, and vintage beauty cases just to name a few.  Along with ice cream and some cute hipster guys floating around as an additional eye candy!

So if you are looking for vintage americana and have a spare sunday afternoon in New York, I highly recommend this spot!

MY LIFE THROUGH THE EYES OF A FORTUNE COOKIE

Since living in new york, and having a wide variety of food to sample from, my take out food of choice is Chinese!

I have always been a fan of all sorts of Asian cuisine.  So it should come as no surprise, that one of my favorite things to do just before I dig into the delicious meal that has been especially prepared just for me is to... open the fortune cookie and see what little piece of wisdom is inside!

I have found the "fortunes" and proverbs to be quite thought provoking.  As I try and apply them to my everyday life in a positive effort to see how the fortune could be another way as seeing the glass half full.

This one very much did speak to me.  Now not in a hold a button and speak to Suri type of way, but metaphorically of course!

By all means it certainly is a great piece of skill to know how to guide your luck!  Mmh but how does one learn this skill?

By following ones intuition and not walking underneath a ladder?

By waking up on the right side of the bed in the morning?

By giving your coffee frappucino to the homeless guy standing next to you in the subway?

Or perhaps it's as simple as by knowing what one truly wants and concentrating all ones efforts on getting it?

I guess this one is a little easier said than done!

So in an effort to be more pro active and try and steer that luck,  I decided to write a follow up email for a second interview I went for.  Here's hoping that something great turns about, "whilst I wait for it!"

Wish me luck!

MAKE ME SMILE MONDAYS

Happiness is finding someone you like waiting at the door!

This is a so true and even more so when my good friend Sarah came to visit me all the way from Australia.

Some of our adventures included a midnight yacht ride in the bay and a trip to Bridgeport Hampton! Spending time exploring Brooklyn or "Brooky" as we like to call it at the various flea markets and parks.  Eating italian ices at Coney Island, brunching in the West Village, Brooklyn Bridge walking, New Yorker talking, thrifting and Century 21ing it!.

After 6 months away from Australia, it was great to see something familiar from home.  The city of New York is a big and wondrous place, one needs to adapt to survive and live day to day in this town.  I think it was great for her to see how I have adapted, and it was great for me to see how she too has adapted and become accustomed to her new life as a newly wed.  See her destination wedding blog here.




















Although its not always as glamourous and pretty as an episode of "Sex and the City", I would liken  New York to be like a man that spins plates.  The more plates that are spun, the more options and possible opportunities one has.  So he tries to keep them spinning all at once,  until one falls and he has one less option to worry about!  Now to concentrate on the remainder until you are left with the right choice!  Some would say that this can be said of apartments, job hunting and dating in this city.

There is a saying that is very prevalent in this town " Keep it moving"  You can't stay still or you will get stuck, and you can't look back, so you just keep it moving!

When you are living in a city with so many options, and your head sometimes feels like its going to spin off, its nice to find a familiar face at the front door.

Speaking of keeping it moving, I better let you all get on with the rest of your day!  Have a great one!

page taken from "Happiness is a warm puppy" by Charles Schulz

MAKE ME SMILE MONDAYS

Happiness is a new raincoat, well aint that the truth!

Especially when its a Patty Fields clear caplet with black trim binding!

Having it forecast to rain the whole of last week in New York with not one drop in sight, it was with surprised relief when it did start to rain!  It certainly helped clear away all that humidity!





















I had just packed away all my winter clothes, but was eager to pull out my favorite gumboots, it was like christmas all over again!   Any opportunity to wear my rain boots!  I bought them on sale from Tommy Hilfiger, they were the last pair and in my size.  For all those folks who believe in serendipity, THIS was totally meant to be!

Apart from wearing them with jeans, I love wearing them with little dressers, puts a real feminine edge on them!

So whatever you are up to today, hope you stay dry, and keep that smile on your dial!

page taken from "Happiness is a warm puppy" by Charles Schulz

MAKE ME SMILE MONDAYS

Flowers, Flores, Blumen, Fleurs, Fiori, to me these words all translate to one thing:  Happy Dance!

I have to say, I really do LOVE flowers.  Sometimes it's the simple things in life!  Now it's not just due to the romantic connotation of them(well maybe that does seep in just a little!).  But I think it's more about the natural beauty, living and growing as your own private art backdrop.  In the plant world Tulips are the equivalent to a Miranda Kerr in the modelling world.  Fresh, flirty, fun, happy and beautiful.

Now the words "Natural" and "Beautiful" don't always put a smile on your face.  For example, you are about to indulge in that third chocolate biscuit and think about that natural blemish that will appear on your beautiful skin!  No, not the same affect, but flowers do have a tendency to bring up feelings of joy, romance, happiness.  And in some cases bring hope and comfort to a sad or difficult situation.

Growing up I have always been lucky enough to be surrounded by a garden.  I have never been without some pretty petals to peruse whilst searching for inspiration in my visual diary, or having a cup of tea.  So knowing all this, it was no surprise that flowers would be on top of my list for things to include for a charity event I have been invited to style.

Having never really "arranged" flowers before, because they've always arranged themselves so perfectly in the garden, I ventured to my local florist to get the lay of the land so to speak.  Some time  later I returned home with an armful of different flower types and colours to begin the exciting and creative process of styling and arranging!  I had a wonderful afternoon, sipping on cups of tea and creating some wonderful arrangement options for the event.

Below is one of the many that I arranged today, not sure if it's going to make the cut,  but it's definitely a beautiful bouquet for my bedside.

As the "Peanuts" characters say:  "Happiness is one thing to one person and another thing to another person".

What makes you happy?  Do you love flowers as much as me?  Whatever it is, I hope you have a lovely week.

page taken from "Happiness is a warm puppy" by Charles Schulz.

To know more about the concept behind "Make Me Smile Mondays" please click here.

BEAR IN HIBERNATION

After what may seem like a virtual lifetime away, I have returned back to the bloggershere to continue along my blogging journey.

So I thought I would write a quick note, a "post it" if you like to say thank you to all  who keep checking back and reading my blog(although lately it has been more like a bear in hibernation, but a really cute one with rhinestone buttons, and pearls).

With half of 2012 already complete, it's time to reflect on what the last 6 months have brought.  And perhaps what the next 6 months will bring.  Can we all believe it has escaped so quickly?

Being winter in Australia, my blog posts , or should I say lack of somewhat resembled a snow storm.  So today, I cleared the air with uplifting sage, orange and lemongrass to what I hope to be a more productive and upbeat blogging journey.


Spiritt xo

MAKE ME SMILE MONDAYS

Mondays and I have always been great friends.  Although Mondays are traditionally the start of the conventional working week, I have rarely ever suffered from Mondayitis.   

The mystery of my immunity to this disease can be traced back many years,  when I was first at college, and had Mondays as a day off.

Because of this, Sunday nights were spent dancing and having fun with friends, with Mondays being left to do lovely things like brunching, vintage shopping , afternoon teas and the odd beauty treatment. I was able to enjoy the day without the hoards of crowds that usually accompany a day off on the weekend.

 

When I did begin working on Mondays I would combat the disease by flipping thru the pages of a book that I came across from one of my favourite cartoons. The book “Happiness is a warm puppy”  was first published in 1962 and is by Charles Schulz.  It features all the old favourites from the popular cartoon “Peanuts”.

So every Monday at work the girls and I would turn to a new page and it would act as a type of inspiration for the week ahead, as well as a distraction from Monday and its itis!

These days I am very fortunate to again have Mondays as one of my days off work.   So as a weekly or forthnightly segment I thought I would bring back this little tradition of mine for you all to share, along with something that makes me smile – chances are if you're reading this I hope it makes you smile too.

 So this week I have just put up my new blackboard from france along with my new chalk to write on it with.

page taken from "Happiness is a warm puppy" by Charles Schulz.

Happiness definitely is 18 different colors, but since my chalk has a more limited colour range I'll settle for just under eight.   

  Whatever your 18 different colours are this week, make them fantastic!

ORIGINS OF AVENUE E

So much has been happening recently, that I haven't had a chance to post lately.  So to get me back into the swing of things, I thought I would take a break from the "archive" and talk about where the idea for the name "Avenue e" has come from along with its logo.

For those of you who have studied fashion, or design of any kind will know how important concept is to your design.  Everything must have a meaning and reason why you chose it - colour, shape, imagery.

For me Avenue e has relevance to New York - when you think of the word avenue - most people think of 5th avenue(well I do anyway!).  In New York there is avenue a and b, but no e.  It reminds me that in life sometimes we take different avenues, going from plan a to b to c... to get to avenue e.  Because there is no avenue e,(in Manhattan, as opposed to greater NY) it is something that I want to carve out for myself, when I make it back to NY and hope to have my own little piece of the city.

So in saying all this - how did I want to translate all this thru my logo?

 
Well the font I used, is something that I would think of 5th avenue - resonates with NY and perhaps it's subconscious, but the credits of one of my favourite New York shows are in a similar font.

I thought it would be cute to have an apple in the logo to symbolize the big apple, but then wasn’t quite feeling it - a little cliché perhaps.  I thought about another icon, the I heart New York.  After some thought I had a light bulb moment, merging the two together to show my love for the big apple.  The e is then carved out in the centre to show my quest to carve out a piece of the city for my own.

In regards to colour, as you can see I started off with black and white, which is quite striking, but I've always had a thing for grey font, esp. with black and white pictures, I think it looks great. So I decided to stick with this.  I adore certain soft colours and am not afraid to wear them either, so this seems like the right choice.

So there you have it, the reasons explaining my design process.  See below my development and progression of the label, which do you resonate with?  Do you think I made the right choice?

L'OREAL FASHION WEEK OPENING PARTY

Being a Designer in the Fashion Festival, not only allows you to showcase your garments in a fabulous parade, it also grants you an exclusive invitation to the opening party at Government House.

Even though I have lived in Melbourne all of my life, I do on the odd occasion happen to mistake one location for another.  This day happened to be one of those occasions.

I met my friend Jason in front of The Parliament House steps, after making some inquiries we realised we were at the wrong location.  The party was in fact at Government House, not Parliament House.  Ah Government, Parliament it all sounds like politics to me!

So there we were, running late for a very important date, when Jason had an idea to get us there at the speed of light.
As we walked around the corner, there stood my modern day knight in shiny armour (minus the knight).  It was a GTV 300 Shiny Black Vespa Scooter with 22.00 horse power.

Okay, I like it and it definitely has vintage appeal, but how does this picture look to you: silk satin cocktail dress, helmet hair, wind and a scooter?

After a quick trip thru traffic we arrived at our destination. Passing past the porches’, and BMW’s we arrived in classic, unique “Spiritt” style and made our entrance.

The people at ticketing took one look at us and asked “You’re a designer aren’t you?”

Well that’s one way to make a lasting impression!  Lucky for me I had my hair curled for the event, so the helmet hair just enhanced my look.

It was a great day, thank you to Jason for accompanying me as well as Justin from Ticketing.

invitation

In front of my studio wearing one of my designs

Inside Governement House

LOREAL MELBOURNE FASHION FESTIVAL PARADE

One of my first fashion memories was when I was 6 years old.

I was visiting my grandmother, and after she saw me playing with a piece of fabric decided she would help me make something.  So there, as I sat in her lap at the old singer sewing machine, her hands placed on mine, she guided me as we sewed my very first garment.

I remembered a feeling of excitement...

That feeling was translated many years later...

The Label: Spiritt - the mrs morris collection and was inspired by both of my grandmothers.

I was very lucky and grateful to have been sponsored by the Chapel Street Traders Association.

The song I chose for the parade is remixed by "Dimitri from Paris" - my all time favourite DJ   Play it below

Here is the parade enjoy

A big thank you again to all those who helped out and made it down on the night xo

Photography by Paul Loughnan Photography