love; ten things i love this week

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1. Adding wheatgrass powder to my daily routine. It's not as bad mixed in with cranberry juice as it is with water and will give you that added kick desperately needed in the afternoon. LOVE!

2. Drinking a litre of water upon rising. I must admit, this was very difficult for the first few mornings! I'm an espresso kind of a girl. Now, I'm reaping the benefits of this small but effective health habit. LOVE!!!

3. All the pics on facebook regarding the double rainbow in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday night. Soooo great to see everyone really enjoying such an amazing show by nature! LOVE!!!!

4. House sitting for a friend with a claw foot bath!!!! OMG! Is that not every girls dream?!?!? LOVE!!!!

5. Buying a new mask. This is 'AMAZING' and I highly recommend it! Find it here. LOVE!

6. The William Mulholland Memorial Fountain here in Loz Feliz, built in 1940.  It is a beautiful art deco fountain which has become my turn around point on my morning walk. LOVE!

7. Getting lovely comments posted on my F.B wall about my old place in Melbourne, Australia, affectionately known as 'Number 12'. I used to throw the most outrageous parties and miss it so. I was told I am Number 12, which made me all warm and fuzzy inside. LOVE!

8. Being a part of my friends raw supper club. How lovely to see people eat 'raw' cuisine for the first time. It really is a special way to prepare and eat food! My favourite was the raw ravoli! YUM! LOVE!

9.  Getting my eyebrows done. Sometimes, that's all a girl needs...LOVE!

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10. Being invited to an amazing event, that I really can't give details of yet, in New York. Sooooooo exciting!!!! I'm out to buy a new dress today for it! I think hot pink is going to be very, very appropriate! LOVE!

eat; raw spaghetti puttanesca

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Seriously, if you don't have a spirooli in your life yet, then you really don't know what you're missing out on, do you? Today I am going to try and tempt you that little bit more with this raw zucchini spaghetti recipe. But don't worry if you don't have a spiooli in your life, this recipe can still be made. Simply use a vegetable peeler to make fettuccine instead of spaghetti. Another trick is to have the zucchini at room temperature, so it is not cold straight out of the refrigerator. I have a tonne of recipes for sauces that I've been trying out and I think I finally got it!

This Punttanesca is a variance of Julie Morris' recipe. Check out her site for recipes using superfoods. A-MAZ-ING!

In this current share house I'm living in, there is no food processor :0( I'm totally missing having one around but am grateful to my friend Natalie who has let me borrow her blender for the time that I'm here. I can just live without a food processor, but no way in hell can I live without a blender! Even for one day! This recipe calls for the use of a food processor, but I cut everything by hand into tiny little pieces, which worked well. If you have one, please use it, if not, you can do as I did.

 Serves 2

What you need;

3 zucchini, at room temperature

8 sundried tomatoes

1 large ripe tomato

10 kalamata olives

1 small glove of garlic

4 Tbls olive oil

4 basil leaves

1 Tbls nutritional yeast















Soak the sundried tomatoes in filtered water for at least two hours. If you have a food processor, add all the ingredients except for the zucchini and pulse until all chopped up. If you don't, simply chop all the ingredients into small pieces and mix in the rest.

Peel the zucchini and either use your spirooli to make the spaghetti or use your vegetable peeler to make fettuccine, remembering to go the full length of the zucchini in one long firm stride. Add a squeeze of lemon and a splash of olive oil and mix it through.

Add half the puttanesca into the awaiting pasta and mix through. Pile up a serving onto each plate and top with the rest of the puttanesca and serve.

Buon Appetito!

pink; passport to the playground, act 2

Nick Cave is an artist working in sculpture, installation, performance and video, currently practicing in Chicago. His background is in fiber textiles and modern dance and in his art practice, he brings these two influences together. The images in this post are video stills of Passport To The Playground, Act 2, which is going to be on show at Mary Boone Gallery from September 10th (I will have just missed it!)

Nick Cave creates these 'suits' with various materials and then proceeds to perform in them with other dancers in a choreographed dance. He calls them 'soundsuits' as most of the suits actually make sounds from the fiber choosen. This link will take you to the video created with the pink suit above. It's sounds are fun, reminding me of plonking infront of the TV on saturday afternoons to watch cartoons as a kid when bongs, dongs and splats were the background sounds to this time of the week. 

Or they could also bring to mind animated long haired penis' doing their dance to attract a mate in a hilarious imitation of how sex can be oh soooo funny, with the noises of love making turned into a sound artists delight! I do love that!

These soundsuits are captivating to say the least. A long haired pink think bonging up and down to annimated sounds defintiely puts a smile on my face, whilst captivating my imagination as to who is actually in there? What does it feel like to perform in the suit? Can I have a go?

His youtube channel has a collection of his suit performances. You can peruse his varying videos and sound suits and really get to enjoy what this artist intended with his creations. He wants his audience to smile, enjoy and laugh at his work, to forget their real life and real dramas, if only for a second.

Below is a short interview with the artist talking about his work and where it all began. I love his child-like spirit that comes through in this video and how he simply wants to bring joy to the world with his art. Love that!

love; ten things i love this week

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1. Riding a beach cruiser along Venice Beach up to Santa Monica. You must do this when coming to L.A, but preferably not on a Sunday! LOVE!

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2. Walking in the morning for an hour everyday. It's still early stages in terms of it becoming a habit but I have been doing this all week! I've been walking for half an hour since being back in L.A but decided to increase it and I feel great! It is amazing how we forget that exercise actually makes us feel better, instantly! LOVE!

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3. Walking with my ipod! I'm one of those people that doesn't like listening to music in public, preferring to hear the sounds of the city around me, but since taking up walking for an hour, I LOVE IT! Especially walking to the beat! It really does inspire. LOVE!

4. Silly string! I went to see a band in East L.A on the weekend called The Maxies who offered a box full of silly string to the crowd before getting on stage! How great! LOVE!!!

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5. Watching Food Matters and being inspired to eat well again. I don't need much convincing but like most, I do fall off the wagon sometimes. The movie has inspired me to introduce wheat grass into my dieta nd drink 1 liter of water the second I wake up. It is amazing what this does for you! LOVE!!

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6. This article in Hyperallergic. One day my artist home will feature in an article like this and it will be way more exciting than these houses! LOVE!!!

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7. Japanese artist who makes dresses out of balloons! LOVE!!!!

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8. Spending a night home alone having a facial, doing my nails and drinking champagne. One of my favourite self dates!!!

9. Painting my finger nails a different colour to my toe nails! LOVE!

 10. All the great comments I've received relating to my new blog adventure. It truly is a nice feeling when your work inspires others. LOVE!!

eat; sprouting mung beans

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This week, I want to share with you all how to sprout Mung Beans. I've been sprouting all sorts of beans lately as they are at their most nutritious when sprouted. The only bean that you should never , ever, ever sprout or eat raw in the Kidney Bean. Apparently it is toxic if not cooked.

Mung Beans are the easiest of all beans to sprout. By starting the night before, it only takes a day and a half before you can sprinkle these beauties onto your salads. The amount below swells up to about a cup and a half. I only make small batches at a time as you shouldn't keep sprouted beans for longer than four days. They are a germ fest if kept any longer than that! If you are interested in learning more about sprouting other varieties of beans, just leave a comment below and I will get onto creating more sprouting posts in the future.

What you need;

1/2 cup of dried organic mung beans

fine colander

container

water

time

To start, rinse the Mung Beans in a colander under running water. Place in a jar and fill the jar to the top with water.

Leave on your kitchen bench to soak overnight.

This is what your beans will look like in the morning, slightly split open with a few 'tails' showing.

Rinse in a colander under running water again.

 

Leave in the colander and place it on top of your jar. The trick is to get air flowing around the beans. I like to make this on a Sunday when I know I'm just potting around the house, and this is why; every three hours or so, rinse the beans in the colander under running water. You must NOT let the beans run dry. They need the water to sprout, but you certainly don't want it soaking in water. Do a final rinse before bed, but certainly don't get up in the middle of the night to rinse your babies. That's not necessary as they should be on the dryer side when placing them into the refrigerator.

By the next morning, this is what your beans will look like...ready to sprinkle and devour! To store, simply pour into a glass jar and keep in the refrigerator for not longer than four days.

Buon Appetito!!

pink; in the pink

http://onemillionpink.org/

My attention was brought to this project a few weeks ago by a friend of mine in Chicago. In the Pink: the 1,000,000 people art project is an ambitious project by Connie Noyes. Noyes is a practicing artist in Chicago, creating painting, photography and construction. On her In The Pink blog, she claims to be "drawn to candy like surfaces.  Shiny. Bright. Sparkly." My kind of artist!

PINKSpace was initially born to document the artists process of the exploration of the colour in her work. "PINKSpace functions as a metaphor for my” pinkish” physical body and the space I occupy. It is the color attributed to my “female” gender and can evoke heightened sexuality, innocence or saccharine sweetness." 

It seems this focus on her own individual body has resulted in Noyes wanting to extend out from it and try to reach other 'bodies' in the process. She began to ask herself "“Is it possible to form a connection to 1,000,000 people around the world through an art project? If so, how long will it take for this to happen? And, “what does it mean?”" 

PINKSpace has now developed into a world wide project called In The Pink, where Noyes is attempting to get in touch with 1,000,000 people, all connected through the colour pink. The result will be a symposium in November where a number of speakers from diverse backgrounds will speak on the subject of pink within their chosen field. If you are interested in participating, contact Noyes here.

Noyes began PINKSpace to investigate her own relationship to the colour pink and as a result of the process of investigation, has discovered that only through our relationships with others we can truly understand who we are as individuals. I do love that. Afterall, Pink is the color of universal love.

love; ten things i love this week

1. Starting a new blog! As most of you know, I'm currently doing research on carousels in the States. I decided to create a blog that will act as an electronic visual diary of all the things I come across in my research to share with you guys. I will be posting works I create along the way, so sign up and receive updates on my latest posts!

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2. Having friends in different cities. The great thing about this is not only do you have a personal tourist guide, but you have a space to lay your head. LOVE!!!

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3. Christmas in July Parties! Now this is the way we experience Christmas in Australia...heat, beaches and cherries! We do Christmas in July to enjoy the wintry experience in Australia so it was nice to see Americans enjoying the way we do Christmas. LOVE!

4. Receiving an invite from 'Carousel News' founder Roland Hopkins to join him on a two day tour of carousels in New York city!!! An antique carousel is being installed right now under the Brooklyn Bridge and on this tour, not only will be taken there, but I will also be taken to places that are not open to the public!!! Royal treatment, here I come!!!! I will have to wear my tiara for the personal tour, for sure!!!!! LOVE!

5.  This video!!! OMG! I think I will have to plan a visit to Europe based on an upcoming performance by these guys. Royal de Luxe are amazing! Click here to see an amazing wall of pictures of their creations. LOVE!!!

6. This might be crazy! LOVE!!

7. Fairy lights and flowers! I made this today to warm up my room as my room is looking way too much like the travelers room, without character or personal touches. Looking forward to settling again so I can decorate. LOVE!!

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8. Helping a friend make the decision to live on her own. She has been living in share houses all her adult life and it just happened to be the right time. Her apartment is art deco and is truly a beautiful bachelorette pad. LOVE!!!

9. Rooftop outdoor settings. Two of my friends live in apartments with access to rooftops. It truly is a great way to drink wine while watching the day turn into night. LOVE!

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10. Water. I've been seeing A LOT of people cleaning pathways here in Los Angeles using water. It makes me cringe everytime! Maybe it's the Australian indoctrinated attitude towards water, but i feel this is such a waste. Learn to love and appreciate water!