Inspire Me: Refurbished Tuna Cans

First off, can we agree on how absolutely brilliant this idea is! Who ever thought those pesky tuna cans could make such adorable pot plants? I came across these gorgeous succulents on a recent visit to the florist. They were so simple yet unique that I couldn't pass up the chance to photograph them. 

There's nothing like a visit to the florist to heighten your senses and stimulate your creativity. I always come away brimming with new ideas. It all began back in Architecture school. After spending hours and hours trying to find an elegant solution to whatever design problem I was working on, I would give up in despair and drive off to the nearby 24-hour flower shop to clear my head. Why on earth would a 24-hour flower shop even exist is beyond me, but I'm thankful that they do. Years later I still find myself wandering into florists regularly for inspiration and a little creative pick-me-up.

If you are stuck on holiday gift ideas, these succulents would make excellent stocking stuffers. I'm feeling inspired to create my own, but instead of a pastel hues I'm thinking something sparkly and gold for the holidays. 

Friday's Fancies: London Olympics 2012

So I must admit, this week I am cheating with my Friday's Fancies. While I usually only use photographs taken by myself, this week I stole borrowed some images from a friend. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past month, I'm sure you're all aware of the London Olympics commencing tonight at 9pm London time. A dear friend of mine is actually participating in the opening ceremony! Being a participant he also has the privilege of seeing Olympic Park before it opens up to the public. I thought I'd share some of his pictures with you. Can't wait to see what London has in stall for us tonight.  Happy viewing everyone! xx

A sneak peak at the site of Olympic park free from tourists, visitors and sporting enthusiasts.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit is the observation tower near Olympic Stadium. Designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond. If you ask me, even good designers have bad days. 

I love this explosion of colour.  This entire surface is made from rubber. I can see how it would be amusing for the kids to run around on. 

This outdoor stage is so much fun to look at! If an echo were ever to materialise, this is what form it would take. Seriously, can you picture it? 

This piece of mess is pretty much a giant speaker. The Coca-Cola Beatbox is a piece of experimental architecture created to provide music throughout Olympic park.  

*Photo credits David Ha 

Wardrobe Diaries: Bow Tie and Boucle

Many moons ago when I was still a starving student making my way through Architecture school, I had this one professor who had an obscure affinity for bow ties. Over the years his collection grew to such a degree that his bow ties ended up on display at the museum. He was pairing print on print and clashing colours before it became trendy to do so. In a profession where minimalism and restraint is king, it's refreshing to see someone go against the grain. Moral of the story? Bow-ties are brilliant!This little bow-tie is actually a clip-on that came with a different shirt. Unlike my professor, I'm not nearly as bold or sartorial so my take on the bow-tie is rather demure. I threw on a hairband last minute to play up the outfit's femininity and rolled all the cuffs up so it wasn't too prim and proper.And in case you were interested, my favourite buildings are all big white boxes. I guess that professor failed to turn me into a maximalist.  

{ alannah hill boucle jacket similar here . gap shirt . bow-tie from maison scotch shirt . bettina liano jeans . nine west pumps unavailable in black . r+j clutch unavailable in grey . longines watch }