I've been looking at buying a building in Brunswick, I'm loving the graffiti on the side of it...

Thank you. WATER

I know recently there has been a barrage of media attention telling us how stupid it is to drink bottled water and how you are a complete twat if you pay for something you can get free from the tap. Usually I'd agree, but...

Thank you. WATER is different. 100% of the profits go to funding clean water projects in developing countries. Buying one bottle of water can provide clean water for one person for a month. There is currently a project underway in Uganda helping to provide clean water to refugees.

According to the Thank you. WATER website Australians spend approx. $600 million on bottled water a year. We shouldn't, but we do. I figure if we are going to waste our money we might as well do it on a bottle of water which supports a good cause.

The contact address for Thank you Water is Doncaster Heights (which google tells me is in Melbourne). I think this qualifies as a Melbourne post? If not I got my bottle of Thank you Water from the 7-Eleven at the beginning of Sydney Rd in Brunswick, definitely in Melbourne.

Local product: Norf Guide

Has anybody seen the latest little printed guide to the "best places, spaces and unique little discoveries that can only be found in Melbourne's inner north" floating around the city?

Brace yourself for Norf Guide.

I first came across this delightful little guide when its maker Troy approached our store to be featured in this funky booklet, and when the final products were delivered to our shop, boy were we glad we had chosen to be involved! We spent several coffees browsing the pages and circling which shops we were to go exploring first.

The Norf Guide is a must have for anybody keen to explore the northern suburbs. There is everything from restaurants to vintage shops to bars to bookshops within its pages, and the best part is that this first edition features spaces and places that could only join if they were invited. So they must be worth a visit!

Head over the Norf Guide website to download a copy or see where you can pick one up, as well as finding out about upcoming events and announcements. Best of all... it's free!

(image from norf guide website.)

Why, hello there!

Coming up...

If you haven't been reading My Charlie Girl, the "random loveliness" of local artist and illustrator Bec Winnel, you must be crazy... but you also might not know about this:

I cannot WAIT! I've been waiting for a new and inspiring exhibition to get me motivated about creating. Its always nice to see a bunch of awesome ladies' doing such exciting work all in one place. Get along next Wednesday and check it out.

Opening Wednesday 8th April 6-9pm

696 Sydney Road, Brunswick

image from My Charlie Girl

Searching for coffee on Sydney Rd

You wouldn't think finding a place to have a coffee on Sydney Rd would be difficult. I have tried a few places and so the coffee has either been rubbish or the service has been terrible.

I want to make this clear I am not a coffee snob. Generally if it is warm, got two sugars and caffeinated, I will drink it. I am also not a service snob. All I ask is you don't forget to bring me what I ordered and you aren't rude. I understand mistakes happen and staff are only human. I give most places two or three tries before I completely write it off.

I want coffee which is drinkable and staff who don't make me feel like I need to rush out the door. I don't think those two criteria are really setting a high benchmark but I haven't met it yet on Sydney Rd. The search will continue though...

Meanwhile, on Edward st there is a great little place called Cafe 3A which has really set a new standard. It consistently delivers friendly and quick service. The fair trade coffee is hot and strong. The food is surprisingly good. And the decor is fresh and fun.

I recommend the coffee, the Chai and the croissants. I've also heard good things about the breakfast.

DRAB ART

So Kate and I have been talking about doing some posts on people in Melbourne who make this city such a crazy and wonderful place to live. It took me a little while but here it is, hopefully the first of many: DRAB - Paste-up artist and drunken ninja .

If Mr Drab was as bold with his art as he was with the ladies there'd be one of his paste-ups on every wall in Melbourne. Instead of talking about his own work we talk banking, and software, and printing costs, and getting another beer.

It's a sunny Sunday afternoon, he's nice to look at and I'm a little intimidated so I don't rush.

After a few pots we get around to the topic; Paste-up. I'm pretty clueless when it comes to art so he patiently explains some of the finer points and gives me a brief on street art in general. "Its not just about the art, it is also about where it its" he explains.

And then finally we make it to his work...

Drab is relatively new to paste-up. He started drawing at six and has a background in film production. After watching a Melbourne street art documentary, he did his first paste-up in January.

"I had all these ideas, ideas which never actually did anything. These guys were out there just doing it and I thought why aren't I?" he said.

Since then a fresh paste-up crop of unusual critters, sullen girls and guys with guns have sprung up over Brunswick.

Ok so I am no art critic, in fact, when I try to tell Drab I like his pieces he laughs at me, "People are out there pushing it, what I'm doing is nothing."

I disagree. I know what I like and i have a major jones for his work. It is playful and irreverent. When I walk around a corner and stumble onto a new piece it makes me smile like I'm part of a secret inside joke.

I'm lazy so I stole the pictures from Drab's blog and they remain his property (blah blah blah don't steal them ok!). Check out DRAB ART for more pictures and locations of new paste-ups.

Local products: Merry-go-round greeting cards

Two things I am a fan of is 1. recycled, environmentally friendly products, and 2. Local designers and businesses. So I am especially excited to tell you about my latest find which combined the two!

Browsing in Brunswick Bound on Sydney Road is where I found this latest beauty. Merry-go-round gift cards. The idea of these cards and their artwork theme of "earth-love" is to "help people stop and ponder the beautiful things about the planet and their connectedness to it".

They work by having slits cut on the inside of the card, allowing a message to be added on a separate piece of paper. The person you send the card to then is able to replace the slip of paper with a message of their own and re-use the card.

"Merry-go-round cards are made from 100% post consumer recycled stock. The cards are created using environmentally friendly printing processes and soy based inks. Merry-go-round cards are recyclable when finally finished."

Each series is printed as a limited-edition, and the cutest part is on the back of the card little trees can be coloured in to keep a record of how many times the card has been used.

The latest range of cards features artwork from six well-known Australian illustrators, and can be purchased from a range of Melbourne bookshops and stores along with the original series, or here online.

Go check out the Merry-Go-Round website for more information, and support a local business!

The Green Refectory

Some people call it the Illy cafe due to the big red sign out the front, some people call it the cafe with no name, but to those in the know its the Green Refectory.

Located three blocks down Sydney Rd this busy little cafe is a great place to kick off the morning with a coffee and the paper or waste away the afternoon with tea and cake. It is cute as a button with its mismatched chairs and communal benches. There is a really laid back feel to the place and the front windows provide an optimum people watching spot.

The staff are extremely friendly and always welcoming. The downside to this is the wait for food tends to be quite lengthy. I strongly suggest you don't visit the Green Refectory if you are in a hurry or really hungry. The staff tend to get a little distracted and have actually forgotten my order both times I had something other then cake.

Having said that, if you don't mind the wait, the food is well worth it. I have tried the muffins, toasted focaccia, pancakes and vanilla slice and all were mouth watering. The prices are reasonable and the servings are large, it is possible to share one meal between two. let me just say it again, the cakes here are spectacular.

The Green Refectory qualifies for $20 date status. Two coffees and two cakes are approximately $15, depending on your cake selection it could be a little less. Due to the relaxed service you will have PLENTY of time to chat with your date and get to know each other. I recommend trying to get a seat in the courtyard where it is quiet enough for conversation.

The Green Refectory
115 Sydney Rd
93871150