rest+reboot...

its annual leave time. fifteen days to relax, recharge and reflect. no three hours of driving a day, no thirty minute lunch breaks, no florescent lighting, no emails that start with "can you", just plenty of basically the above pic... i'll also be taking a break from the blog, and will be back monday eighth july, revitalised and ready for the second half of the year. JOY*

photo © christine mcdonald | state of joy 2013

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denim fullstop...

images via harpers bazaar | one teaspoon | tumblr | denimblog | lee jeans

can't live without... denim! not exactly sure what i wore before. its a wardrobe staple. jeans, shorts, shirts, dresses, skirts, jackets, and dear i say... overalls. yes, they're on their way back having disappeared in the early 90's, a resurgence is coming. for now i think i'll be sticking to the jeans and shirts worn together and of course separately. jeans are godsend for me. worn with heels, boots, flats, sneakers or thongs, along with tees, shirts, blouses, jumpers + blazers. wear them skinny, bootleg, slouchy, cropped, boyfriend, ripped, faded, coloured, cut off or flared. versatile little wonders. thank you mr jacob davis and his mate, levi strauss.  

instagram images © christine mcdonald | state of joy 2013

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nine days | may...

1. love it when a purchase arrives in the mail. samantha wills "dream" necklace. hasn't left my neck since. [30] #fmsphotoaday

home | nsw | australia | may 01 

2. its getting cold now but the beach is still beautiful. this fellow was heading in for a last swim of the day before the light disappeared. [56]

north wollongong | nsw | australia | may 04 

3. simple image. great light. good colour. so many positive messages from fellow instagrammers. [56] #fmsphotoaday

erskinville | nsw | australia | may 09 

4. i was driving around leichhardt in my lunch break searching for an interesting letterbox, when i cam across this home. the sun was shinning so beautifully on the verandah  i just wanted to pull over and take a seat. bonus was the letterbox was perched high and full of mail. [46] #fmsphotoaday

leichhardt | nsw | australia | may 16 

5. the colours of autumn this year. brilliant blue skies. firey red trees. [39] #fmsphotoaday

stanwell tops | nsw | australia | may 17 

6. hair in top knot when working, cooking, or relaxing at the end of the day. simple, no fuss. [32] #fmsphotoaday

my place | nsw | australia | may 18 

7. love a book shop with soul. this one full of second hand books combined with a cafe enclosed in a paddington terrace has the right amount warmth to make you want to visit time and time again. [41] #fmsphotoaday

paddington | nsw | australia | may 21 

8. i was lucky enough to score tickets to the premier of the great gatsby in sydney. the invitation asked for a "hint of 1920's". had to wear my favourite black and white heels, and patterned fishnets. [61]

moore park | nsw | australia | may 22 

9. on the last day of autumn, went to the park for lunch. took pictures of all the different surfaces i walked across. i like how it tells the story of the inner-city. [37] #fmsphotoaday

leichhardt | nsw | australia | may 31 

all photos © christine mcdonald | state of joy 2013

 [#fmsphotoaday | photo a day challenge]

FEATURES*

i made fat mum slims photo a day challenge fab four pics [well this time top nine, too many great pics] on instagram. this time the topic was "in my cup" on saturday 4th may. perfect afternoon sun shining through my little home office window... 
if you're an instagram lover, you may want to play along - [details here*]

on sunday 19th may, my girlfriends and i headed into moore park for a visit to the 'fashion weekend'. while wandering to lunch, we walked past the amazing tents for the arena spectacular cavalia. i had to stop and take this picture as the white was so bright against the clear blue sky. i tag it for the sunday style magazine and this weekend it appeared in the magzine of the sunday telegraph newspaper!!

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this | that | the other...

its that time of the year when the leaves start to change colour and fall to the ground. when the sun continues to shine in endless blue skies but the heat is on the decline. we start to retreat inside and pull out the blankets. its autumn, and i love it... 

[A] pony riders 'dark forest' throw [B] samantha wills 'remember that night' bangles [C] le creuset 'casseroles' pot [D] dior 'lady dior' bag [E] mr jason grants 'a place called home' book [F] david lawrence 'atelier' collection [G] cafe culture 'decanter crystal' lights.

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design isaloni...

[missoni]

[missoni]

[jamie dury | riva1920]

[artek]

[natuzzi]

[artek]

i'd always known that note taking wasn't one of my strongest attributes, in fact i rarely take notes. i generally take a notebook to meetings but it takes me four years to remotely fill the pages and even than they are generally filled with the date and subject of the meeting along with plenty of doodling. why am i going on about this? well coming back from milan i realised i really don't know "what, where or who" i saw. to me those points are not entirely important as its the experience, the feeling, the visuals that stick most in my mind... but putting together posts, those "what, where or who" details would have come in handy. so forgive me that i am unable to give all the details to these images.

you'll probably be delighted to hear that this is my last milan post. i just had to record the time and all that i have seen and experienced. this last post is at the place where the trip was based around; salone internazionale del mobile [international furnishing fair]. 

the sheer size of the fair is hard to imagine. think 24 halls, each the size of half a football field and a 4km long concourse running the length of the fair. its truly enormous, so large that we actually managed to visit only 4 halls on one day. however i was told, they are the must see halls. the big players. missioni, moroso, kartell, edra, knoll, natuzzi, riva1920, flexform, and poliform just to name a few.

this year saw timber used in abundance, matte metals, leather and the return of natural materials. there was also a lot of celebrating the old and classic. bright fabrics were still present but muted, soft tones are coming back. so get ready for a return to the 90's with a touch of class.

thank you designer rugs for the trip - it was a fantastic opportunity.
ciao milano...

all photos © christine mcdonald | state of joy 2013

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