Bit of shameless self-promotion...

So I'm going to do a bit of selfless promotion here...but it's Melbourne related so I think it's allowed?

This is just a little post to announce that my website I have been working on for the last couple of months is FINALLY up!!

I have been working as a jeweller for the last 5 years, and earlier this year I have gone out as my own boss! It been very exciting and rewarding and I am loving every minute.

I specializes in ‘custom-made, one-off pieces’ designed and handmade with a special emphasis on sustainable practices. Having a piece of handmade jewellery made is a pretty exciting and special experience, and I really enjoy working with people to be able to design custom-made piece of their dreams.

Please head over to my website, Kate Shore Jewellery to check it out :)

Organic wines

Picture from Mr. T in DC

Lately I have been trying to eat and drink organic. It can be hard on a limited budget and it can be even harder when you live with someone who struggles to see the benefit of paying an extra 50 cents for free range eggs.

I am trying to introduce the organic concept a step at a time. I thought a good way to get my boyfriend involved would be to start seeking out organic wines. It has become a bit of a game: 'who can find the best wine for the best price'.

It hasn't been an easy game. Our local liquor store only had one and a store clerk who asked "Organic wine? Why would you want that?" A trip to the liquor superstore resulted in three bottles of red.

Then my boyfriend surprised me. He asked if i was interested in carbon offsetting. I wasn't really sure. I had a look around and it isn't easy to find organic wines which also offset their carbon omissions. So i decided to start looking for organic wines which are grown in Victoria. I used organicwine.com.au, an online wine retailer specialising in organic wine, biodynamic wine, preservative free wine.

I have three favourites for you. They are all certified organic and grown in Victoria.

Captains Creek 2008 Moorookyle Chardonnay from Daylesford in the Macedon Ranges (Picture from organicwine.com.au)

The Carlei Green Vineyards / Sergio Bio Organic winery in Yarra Valley, Port Phillip have an organic and vegan friendly Pinot Noir, Chardonay and Sauvignon blanc.

Kangaroo Hills in Daylesford in the Macedon Ranges has a Pinot Grigio which won a Silver medal at the 2009 Australia / New Zealand Wine Show.

I will be in Daylesford in a couple of weeks so a winery trip might be in order. If you know of any other local organic wines. Leave us a comment and we will be only too happy to give them a try!

Reasons #4389 why I love Melbourne...

Yesterday I found myself at Doncaster Shoppingtown waiting to pick up some photo's. I had an hour to kill so I made my way to Cafe Moda to have myself a coffee and flick through the newspaper.

I sat myself down and browsed through the pile of magazines and newspapers and found a book! I opened it up and realised it wasn't just any book.... It was a travelling book! It had been left at the coffee shop for anyone to find and read, and pass it on to someone else...

Has anybody else heard of BookCrossing? I hadn't, but I am sure glad that I have now! The idea is that people sign up to the bookcrossing website and they can "release" books into the "wild" for other people to find. Whoever find the book can log onto the website and enter the registration code and see who else has read it and where it has been! After they have read it, the process starts all over again!

I think this idea is so much fun! I love that I can see who else has read it and what they thought, and its totally free!! Head over here to find out some more about it and get involved!

Big thanks to whoever left this little treasure for me to find :)

image by teecer

Melbourne Dossier

A while ago we said we wanted to do a few posts on people we met and admired around Melbourne. I am finally delivering one of mine. 

I met Michael in a bar, the way I meet most of the men in my life. He does a number of cool things, animation and such, but mostly he makes me laugh and there is nothing cooler then that. I thought I'd show you one of his creations and then hit him with some questions... so BIG thanks to Michael and here we go:

Michael - fledgling animator/filmmaker/bartender/gallery volunteer

How long have you been living in Melbourne: all my life (thats almost 22 years, yes sir born and raised)

Favorite thing about Melbourne: ok well i know how snobbish and wanky this sounds but it really is just the general cultural vibe of the place. Cool shops, galleries, people, bars, things going on etc. sorry to be a cliche but yeah it feels like every suburb has its own unique highlights, that i really dig. Also the climate.

Least favorite thing: definately the public transport system. Oooh if i had a swear jar.... this includes the trams, way overrated, buses are better.

Best place for a cheap meal: might i suggest Don-Dons on swanston st. 6-8 bucks will give you a decent value-for-money japanese meal. Great for loners popping in at night after work or uni (ie: me). Thanks go to my brother for introducing me to the joint.

Usual hangouts: well seeing as i live in Brunswick now i tend to roam around there a lot; cool shops and reasonably priced compared to all the other hip happening, jiving, uber-swinging, chilling, grooving, funking, jazzing, fazzing inner-suburbs. Yeah op-shopping is fun, if you're into that thing but if you're gonna bump into me anywhere it'll most likely be at the Brunswick Bound bookstore... looking at dvd's oddly enough. then ill go to JB Hi-Fi and check out the books... also edinburgh castle tend to have decent gigs.

Exhibition: Save the Cerberus

picture by Regina Hona

I will be honest, before receiving this media release neither of us had heard of the Cerberus. I honestly had no idea what this exhibition was for but then I'm not really a Melbourne local and I live on North side. 

A bit of research and now I think this is a really important. I love history and The HMVS Cerberus is a little piece of Melbourne's Naval History. It's a Melbourne icon. Built in 1868, Cerberus is the only surviving Ironclad Monitor in the world, and the oldest surviving Warship to have served in the Royal Australian Navy. 

Since the 1920's HMVS Cerberus has been serving as a Breakwater off Black Rock in Port Phillip Bay. Now I am having a bit of trouble finding out why exactly the Cerberus ending up here so if anyone knows please leave us a comment. 

So the Cerberus has survived 140 years but it is in danger of collapse if it does not receive external bracing. The Save the Cerberus campaign has only received a fraction of the amount needed to avoid the total collapse of the heritage listed ship. 

Tamsin Davidson of Pivotal Galleries and the Friends of the Cerberus are putting on a Special Save the Cerberus Art Exhibition 7-18 October 2009 It will featuring many new original artworks by leading contemporary Australian artists, alongside paintings, photographs, a large model and artifacts from the ship including a huge 10 inch shell. 

Tamsin said " We hope we can provide a lot of extra publicity as the Government ponders if they should provide the roughly $2 million Cerberus needs."

The Grand Opening of the Exhibition at 6.30pm on 7th October 2009 will feature many VIP guests & members of the 'Victorian Navy' in full 19th Century Naval rig. A proportion of the profits from sales of paintings going to the Save the Cerberus campaign.

Picture by Darren Doye

SPECIAL SAVE THE CERBERUS EXHIBITION

DATE: OCTOBER 7- 18 , 2009

GRAND OPENING NIGHT- SPECIAL SAVE THE CERBERUS EXHIBITION

DATE: October 7,2009

TIME: 6.30-9pm

PLACE: PIVOTAL GALLERIES, 

442 BRIDGE ROAD 

RICHMOND Vic 3121.

For further information please contact: Pivotal Galleries

 442 Bridge Road Richmond VIC 3121

Tel: 03 9429 7755 

Adventure day!

This weekend I once again found myself having a lovely adventure in the city. This time I met up with my friend Ben for some exploring - we were lucky enough to check out several very good and a not so good exhibition, and have outselves some very good coffee and some very good wine. Wow, that was a lot of 'goods'... what can I say? It was a good day!

image from lamington drive website

Worth checking out is Rik Lee at Lamington Drive, which we mentioned a little while ago, Creepy at Gorker Gallery and Ghost Patrol and Sean Edward Whelan at No-Vacancy. And when I say "worth checking out" I really really mean it. I always have good intentions for checking out all the amazing exhibitions across Melbourne but often never make it to them, but on Saturday, despite the miserable rain and wind, I made it. So if I can, you can!

image from Seven Seeds website

I FINALLY made it to Seven Seeds, and now I see what the big deal! I love the coffee, I love the building, and even though I resisted the lamingtons and cupcakes they looked SO good and I am sure I will be back again soon to love them too!

We finished the day with wine at South Paw on Gertrude Street! Talk about a dream day. Big thanks to Ben for letting me tag along for some stickering as well....

It's that time again!!

It's time for another blogger/twitter meet and greet! Anyone who chickened out or was too busy to make it to the last one, here is you chance to come have a drink and a chat with some interesting characters and put faces to blogs.

It will be on Saturday 12th September at Sister Bella in Snider Lane (off Drewery Lane) at 4pm. Head over to My Aching Head to read some more about it and check out a map. Last time was lots of fun, very casual and a great opportunity to meet some new people, so do come along!

A big thankyou for Michael for organising it... again...

image by felip1