U n f u r l i n g

We are the dreamers...

2012-01-18T15:51:00.000+08:00

Matt and I have an exciting new project on the cards. I can't go into too much detail just yet so I will mainly rely on the pictures below to give you an idea of what is swirling through my head at present!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emersonmerrick/sets/72157623163201903/with/4305847541/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emersonmerrick/sets/72157623163201903/with/4305847541/
Jane Lidz 1979 for a book entitled 'Rolling Homes: Handmade Houses on Wheels'

I discovered a great blog today called: Nora Pearl. It's written by an artist called Kerrie. She writes about the experience of creating her portable 'sea cottage' Nora Pearl (pictured below) - her inspiration for its decoration and the adventures she has in it.

This looks so comfy and cosy. I want to curl up there and read a good book!

Some of the design inspirations Kerrie mentions come from a German blog called 'Home Sweet Motorhome' Here are three pics of their caravan:

I tend to favour simple designs like the ones below. I think that, depending on your mood, you could either leave things very simple and streamlined or alternatively, cover your caravan in a riot of fairy lights and draped materials for a super fun, 70s-gypsy-caravan feel. Or you could make it feel like a treehouse. Anything that resembles a treehouse is where I want to be.

All these burgeoning adventures and unfurling plans have this feel for me at the moment:

Hooray for big dreams and lovely, crazy people to go on adventures with!

The people for me are the mad ones... who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn burn burn like fabulous yellow Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars...

Mood: Kerouac, "Not all who wander are lost" - Tolkien, big sky, smile as big as the world!

Art with Dad

2012-01-10T13:42:00.000+08:00

My Dad's most recent sculpture in progress

My Dad at his easel in our courtyard

Matt and I went to breakfast at my parents' house over the weekend and we were lucky enough to check out a sculpture that my Dad has been working on. The material he's using is aerated concrete. It's amazing stuff, I love the texture of it. When you run your hand over its surface it feels smooth and rough at the same time. I have tried to capture this in the close-up photo above.

My Dad is the best: warm, incredibly smart, well read, funny, social, artistic and eccentric! A while ago, Matt and I had a painting afternoon and invited my brother and Dad over to share in the fun and creativity. My Dad came fully prepared with a car packed to the brim with art supplies old and new. After I served up coffee, the four of us spent about half an hour just unloading Dad's series of different sized boxes and bags which served as both dedicated and repurposed storage for art supplies. When he opened each one up, I loved how everything in the boxes had its place and was packed so purposefully and carefully.

It was a wonderful day. The rain fell softly as we drank red wine, listened to Angus Julia Stone and sketched and painted our way through the afternoon.

I'm looking forward to more days like this one in 2012!

Mood: healthy salad, green tea with mint and sunshine

Canberra - ahoy!

2012-01-09T15:00:00.000+08:00

A frosty morning in Canberra

an intricate model ship at the Canberra Zoo

The War Memorial

a glimpse of Parliament House

My red cowboy boots - in shackles at the National Museum!

Windows in the National Museum

Outside the National Museum - I like that this looks like a turbo massive skate ramp of the kind kids would dream about

Governor General's house as viewed from the waterfront

Governor General's house - interior

a sample place setting in the Governor General's house

In 2011, I was fortunate enough to visit the nation's capital of Canberra for a week. I had only just discovered the instagram photo app and used it like crazy while I was over there. (I'm trying to cut back a bit at the moment as I realised I was starting to neglect all other cameras and forms of photography! Eeeshk!)

Canberra is a beautiful, picturesque, designed city. As the seat of parliament, it is also a city of significance, awash with history (which I think makes the old timey instagram filters fitting on these pictures) art, culture and politics. I wish I had a photo of the Aboriginal Embassy to put up here as well as that was such an important part of the experience. See more of my Canberra instagram snaps here.

I learnt so much on this trip; you always do when you travel. Even if you're travelling within your home country, your sense of appreciation for its complexity is completely expanded.

Here's hoping for more a bit more travel in 2012! I'll cross my fingers if you will!

Mood: iced coffee and a red t-shirt with little white polka dots all over it

http://www.littlelightsinthenighttime.com/

2012-01-07T19:08:00.001+08:00

Welcome! Yes, that's right! You have been redirected from my old URL to my new one! I love it, it's got a certain something don't you think? It makes me think of fairy lights and candles and bonfires and sparklers and all sorts of magical, happy things that take place on big, inky-dark-blue-sky nights.

The above is a photo that Matt took when we were visiting friends/family in Jarrahdale recently. They have the most wonderful forest garden and every time I go there I swoon over the beautiful trees, the light and all the secret garden pathways. Look at this picture - don't you want to just want to go put on a long, wafty, frolicking dress and go wandering down that path?

I am still redecorating the blog at the moment. I am also investigating if there are implications for my site feed/subscriptions because of the new URL.

UPDATE: I was testing it on my Flipboard app (which is a fantastic news aggregator app) and it's a good idea to put in the following link to get the rss working and updating: http://liz-unfurling.blogspot.com/

But on to less technical things! Here's some perfect music for dusk on a Sunday:

Enjoy over a nice glass of wine or a cup of tea!

Mood: summer and pretty, flippity dresses

Dot

2012-01-07T18:35:00.001+08:00

I really enjoyed watching this little clip and I hope you do too!

Little light: driving home along the coast on a dark dark road, 'For You' by Angus and Julia Stone drifting from the car speakers. Enjoy listening to here while you get ready for dinner.

Mood: I want to go for another ride on my new bicycle! I have named her Meryl as she seems like quite the lady.

Studio Set Up Fun!

2012-01-04T18:13:00.003+08:00

The 'before' shot!

16mm Steinbeck editing desk. I want one in my house, just to look at!

Hello light

All set up!

Recently, Matt and I had a night where we threw ourselves into clearing out and setting up a studio. One of my favourite moments was when he was whizzing me around on a loading trolley super fast! We squealed and laughed like little kids! Here are some Instagram pics from our night.

Little light: we're going to grab our cameras now and go for a twilight photo safari at the beach!

The Red Tree

2012-01-04T17:50:00.005+08:00

I saw this balloon tree on http://piccsy.com/ and it made me think of Shaun Tan’s wonderful book The Red Tree...

And I just stumbled across this instagram snap in my iPhone of these beautiful balloons my lovely boyfriend sent me at work for my birthday in August:

Like my own tree made of red balloons!

Little light: sipping iced coffee while Midsomer Murders plays on my iPad. Red balloons reminds me of a night spent on the magical island of Rottnest where we blazes around on little foot scooters, took photos in the middle of the street and sand 99 Luft balloons under the stars!

The other night...

2012-01-04T01:30:00.005+08:00

I love the rain. I love hearing it fall heavily on our tin roof as I write this, snuggled down in my safe warm bed, enjoying the golden glow of my little lamp framed against the wintery blue darkness of the night beyond my window…

A New Treehouse

2012-01-02T23:34:00.000+08:00

UPDATED: Having just moved across the country into a new home in 2011, it felt right to string up these little lights in a new way too. I tried having a go at creating a new blog on Tumblr. Call me nostalgic, or even a sap, but I missed this ol' place way too much! I will be making a few little changes to Unfurling here and there and probably changing the URL (I will redirect you if I do this) and I think I'll do a bit of redecorating to my template- I want to do the digital equivalent of fluffing up a few clusters of comfy cushions, lighting a few candles in glass jars and suspending them from a big tree in the middle of the night and refilling my party' glasses with delicious champagne! -Once again, I get carried away with whimsy as I get excited about forthcoming adventures!

I will also be popping the posts that I was playing with on my tumblr blog here where they belong. (By the way, this isn't an issue of which platform/host/service is best, they're both fantastic - I just decided that I love my Unfurling blog and it has way too much history to give up!)

I will hold onto this, my beloved (-it's sappy to say, but it's true) blog Unfurling as an ongoing picture storybook that I will continue to paste with pictures and fill with scribbles about little lights I find in the night-time.

Merrily we glide together dear friends... :)

The Rediscovered City

2011-03-16T16:46:00.004+08:00

Mood: Fremantle and sunshine on the water

THIS BIG!

2010-11-11T10:58:00.005+08:00

I can't wait to make a weekend that looks like this!

Mood: Perth and big big happy

Friday

2010-11-07T09:19:00.010+08:00

Afternoon: so we were running a half hour late to get to Melb Town Hall and walking/hurtling towards it when I turned to my friend Simon and asked him if he was to give our lateness a rating out of 10 , what would it be? As an example I said that, at half an hour, we were at least a 7 and that an hour would be a firm 10, with five minutes late being a 1. Simon jovially scoffed at this, declaring that an hour late would be a 1 and every half an hour after that would go up by one point. On Saturday morning my housemate and I discussed this over breakfast and being the rational brain that he is, he declared that in matters of scale, all ratings must be context specific. For example, if you were running one minute late for a flight that would be a 10, if it's a party - depending on your host- four hours late could be between 5 and 10, if you were working for a call centre where you were late three times in a quarter (or late once a month) -even if it was just by one minute- you could lose your job as the one minute isn't registered as one minute but simply as 'late', making anything after one minute a 10 etc. Another friend gave the example of the expectation that a bride should be late to her wedding, meaning that if she arrives 10 minutes late, that's effectively a 0. Anyhoo, I think everyone has their own scale of lateness. I would say that the person we meet at the Town Hall merrily judged our lateness as being a 3, while I judged it as being between a 7 and a 10, yet if it had been a weekend social thing, I would have judged it as about a 2 to 3.

Later that afternoon: me and the other Tiger Cubs gave a big 'hurrah!' for Tessie's arrival back in Australia! Tessie spoilt me silly with gifts from New York, the photo above shows them all spread out in the late afternoon light on a bench in our garden. From left to right: vintage red cowboy boots, a flashing 'Elizabeth' keyring from the Smithsonian Institute, a vintage handbag, I heart NY mints (which I had some fun with at a party I went to that night), a bangle, a Lomo Fisheye camera (!!!!!!!) and a Victoria's Secret nightie.

Evening: Sally's Housewarming Laneway Party in Carlton, a bunch of us also briefly had a party within a party playing photo shoots with my tin of NY mints in Sal's room.

Mood: listening to music sitting at the car wash, coffee and a cinnamon doughnut from the bakery

And sometimes, I'm one of those people who...

2010-10-23T10:53:00.009+08:00

...COOKS!

See:

Lately I have been doing more cooking in our kitchen. This morning I made bacon and scrambled eggs with three different types of cheese. THREE! YUM! (I'm a cheesaholic)

Speaking of kitchens, yesterday I had afternoon tea at my friend Simon's house when I came across a herd of giraffes:

They're champagne cage giraffes stampeding on the top of Simon and Vanessa's pantry. Argh!

Correction: Simon has informed me since that they are in fact llamas LLAMAS, stampeding on the top of the pantry. Argh!

Mood: Pink Floyd's the Great Gig in the Sky, Nullarbor

Tonight as I left work...

2010-09-06T19:36:00.001+08:00

... the rain was pouring heavily and I was scurrying hastily to my car under my umbrella when I suddenly realised: we are not made for scurrying!

So I stopped in the middle of the street

put down my umbrella

and turned my face up to the sky to feel the rain.

It felt amazing.

Mood: I couldn't stop smiling all the way home, blue pjs, flippity piano music

Yesterday's Shooty Shoot: Behind the Scenes

2010-08-29T13:08:00.011+08:00

Yesterday I shot the super rad 70s themed band Mr Brady. It was bucket loads of super fun, thanks to the lovely band, my excellent crew and the friendly staff at our locations - Lounge in Melbourne CBD and the Gem in Collingwood. Anyhoo, below are some behind the scenes shots taken by a member of the team mid shoot. Enjoy!

directing

snapping

playing with light

Mood: coffee, list of things to do

Where the Wild Things Are

2010-08-29T11:11:00.021+08:00

Last weekend there were adventures afoot all over this city - too many even to be recounted within this post. I have put together a random patchwork of photos that I managed to take while on the run. I say patchwork but really it was sticky tape rather than thread holding my brain together as I galloped around Melbourne. (It was followed by a busy week, which is why I haven't had a chance to sit down and post until now.)

Anyhoo, on Friday I spent the day finding the fun at Werribee Zoo. That evening my friends and I had a wild night out in Brunswick, kicking off with a photo safari at another friend's gig at the Brunswick Hotel. Between sets, we played some pool and ran down the road to take photos in a laundromat. Pictured above is my awesome $3 Zebra ring which I got from Werribee Zoo. The zebra is a pool playing ninja. I am not.

I had to take a photo of this when I spotted it in a ranger shack at the Zoo.

Going through the square window upon arrival at the gig.

My friend's band - big, luscious electro brought to you by Jeff Marni

Jeff Marni's frontman Jock

Before we went out, my friends and I had drinks at our house. I knew it was going to be a big night when the following phrase popped into my head and held like a mantra: 'this recklessness is contagious'. I didn't have any notepaper at hand so I scrawled this phrase on the only writing medium I could find: the above little wooden slats which were left over from the back of a canvas (the one from the previous weekend's painting exploits). I took this photo of them on my bedside table when I got home.

Saturday and Sunday involved voting, eating a delicious breakfast at Charlie Brown's in St Kilda (goat's cheese scrambled eggs with chorizo - yum! I don't mess around with cereal), heading to Fitzroy to catching up with my lovely friend Sal, seeing Inception, having yum cha for Marvellous Magda's birthday and location scouting for the Mr Brady shoot - which included heading to the Fitzroy Bowls Club (above). I didn't choose this location for the shoot, but it was lovely to wander around on a sunny afternoon. I love how projects can take you places you wouldn't normally go.

Also, the paint dried from the previous Sunday afternoon of fun.

This post would not be complete without a photo of the following, which I spotted at the Brunswick Hotel....

A framed picture of Chuck Norris on the entry to the bathroom!

Zing!

Mood: Lamington Drive, photo editing and Johnny Cash

Surprise!

2010-08-04T17:37:00.008+08:00

When I got home today, I walked into a house that my wonderful friends had filled with balloons and party decorations! They have cooked me delicious dinner and cake which we are going to feast on before we head out to see Passion Pit!

I have such amazing friends!!!!!!! I am so lucky!!!!!! xxxxxx

Mood: Michael Jackson & carrot cake

Sometimes, Sundays look like this...

2010-08-01T20:57:00.012+08:00

Ingredients for a fun afternoon: rain against my window, paint, things to pour with, a canvas...

oh, and a camera...

an old coat (as well as a scotch and an enthusiatic assistant)

this sensation is amazing

messy hands - I needed assistance to keep my glasses from falling into the paint

my coat AFTER

... once the paint dries, I'll take a photo and put it up.

Such a fun afternoon!

Mood: animation, August, turning 26

Reflections in Puddles

2010-07-19T16:01:00.008+08:00

Yesterday I had a day that made me feel like this:

I seem to be having a lot of those lately and it's definitely a good thing. It was a random day filled with random thoughts of strange and interesting images. I'm just going to let the following stream out of these tip tapping fingers and not edit them so they make sense; I think they will bring back the day better that way. It was a heavy storm and the streets were filled with cobble stones because I'm in Melbourne and I was in a back alley in Windsor with lots of uneven stones that held vast still puddles that showed reflections of buildings and I thought about the rain. then I though about storms. And that song lyric 'storms dressed as stars' came into my head, which made me think about what stars would be like if they were an object you could touch. I decided that that day I would like it if they were small and made of glass and had the weight and texture of marbles and you could collect them in a pouch which was leather with a drawstring like a pirate or Sweeney Todd would have and they clinked softly in it and then you would open up the pouch (you mustn't keep them) and let them out and the stars would drift up into the sky burning like sparklers as they went.

Mood: wine and Leonard Cohen

Wednesday

2010-06-25T09:30:00.003+08:00

Felt good!

Mood: lenses and flashlights

Butter

2010-06-02T08:04:00.007+08:00

My housemate Chris showed me this a few weeks ago. Funny!

Mood: the Roman Empire, equipment for Central Australia adventure, going for cocktails and dumplings deep in the city tonight

apple - reading in the afternoon

2010-05-29T17:35:00.007+08:00

For more of Apple's adventures, see here and here! He is gearing up to go to central Australia in a week's time!

Mood: lenses, flashlights & Bee Man

The Pianist

2010-05-24T17:01:00.008+08:00

Jonathan Bradley, whom I shot just before his performance of Duruflé Requiem: In Paradisum for ABC Classic FM.

Mood: mockumentaries and where are my stripey socks?

Last Weekend's Shooty Shoot

2010-05-16T18:48:00.011+08:00

Pictured above is musical comedian John Nelder, aka Mr Brady, in full regalia. I don't know how much can be revealed here about his exciting new project, so instead here's a link to his website:

http://www.mrbrady.com/

Thanks so much to Tessie and Nomes for their wonderful assistance on the shoot!x

Update: John and his band Mr Brady are having a gig this Thursday May 20 at the Elwood Lounge, 49-51 Glenhuntly Rd Elwood, from 8pm. Head on down for some fun, classy comic-pop!

Mood: Blackadder, green tea and stretching after the Million Paws Walk

Hi Ho Bendigo!

2010-05-14T12:30:00.007+08:00

Hurrah for Bendigo! After having only been there once in my few years of living in Victoria, I recently had cause to find myself doing day trips there three times in one week. It's so lovely; all luscious and sun dappled, filled with fresh air, museums and an amazing bakery called Gillie's, where they give you a FREE cinnamon doughnut with your coffee.

I have only explored a tiny portion of all of the things that Bendigo has to offer. So far I have wandered through the main strip, spent a few hours letting my inner historian roam free at the War Memorial Museum and gone to the 'Groovin' the Moo' music festival. (I took the above picture there.)

One of these times I went there for work, I got in my car and drove myself there and back and enjoyed it so much - that feeling of freedom, of having a clear road in front of you, good music through your speakers and just escaping from everything, of removing yourself from your world and your familiar environment for a day and discovering a new one. While I could never live in Bendigo as my heart beats for the hustle and bustle of cities, I love that I can take myself on an adventure there and wander around its idyllic streets whenever the mood takes me.

Mood: Mad Men and Florence & the Machine