*A Nuffnang Sponsored post*

Some days are unforgettable. Unforgettable in the sense that you know you’ll be talking about them for years to come and that little snippets of that moment will colour decisions you make in the future. Last Thursday was one of those days.
Thanks to Nuffnang and Federation Square, I was given the opportunity to experience the Tim Burton Exhibition at ACMI. When they emailed to ask if I’d like to go, my response was only one word; “yes!” followed by many gratuitous exclamation marks.  Since my very first Beetlejuice Burton moment, I’ve been hooked on the colour, the style, the twisted carnival sensibilities of his productions.

So I raced around prepping up for the big night and (sadly) can only tell you what I wore as the greatest tragedy of the evening was only to be discovered the next day. Alicia and I had the unique opportunity to photograph some of the exhibition including posing with our favourite pieces, only to find that every single image was corrupted on the card! (One of those moments when you want to stab yourself in the eye with a fork.) So for those of you that care, I wore a black and charcoal striped hobble skirt over a tightly laced corset, black silk chiffon blouse and a midnight blue velvet tailcoat with silver buttons. Please engage imagination here.

Arriving at Federation Square as dusk becomes dark was an experience to behold. The pink cobbled pavement wends beneath your heels and carries you into the centre . There are students sitting close, chatting in plumes of smoke. Suit clad lads laughing over beer as a tall blonde flicks her hair and takes their order.  A crowd begins to gather in the shadow on the big screen with lap rugs and steaming coffee in paper cups, awaiting the upcoming streaming of Tim Burton’s Materslass. During Winter they are hosting a Solar Equation; a huge representation of a glowing pulsing sun, hovering in the darkness. I stood beneath it feeling like an extra in Dr. Who and wondering at the instant sense of community it created, as a crowd gathered beneath to take pictures and talk about the warm orange glow. I even videoed a little bit Fed Square Solar Equation

I had a quick jaunt around the ACMI store prior to meeting our chaperone, and found some serious reasons to take your credit card along, as they had a fantastic collection of Burton books and toys including Oyster Boy and Stainboy!

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Upon meeting our delightful ACMI host we were invited to one of the most coveted and thrilling highlights of the exhibition – The Masterclass with Tim Burton! I don’t think I’ve ever sat so close to the edge of my seat for a full hour and a half.  It was a moment where I tried to force my brain into record mode and hung on to every word, in spite of the waves of goose bumps threatening to topple me from my chair.

Heading into the exhibition in a haze of post-Burton chat honeymoon, gave the whole experience the sense of the historical and I knew then that this was something I’d never forget. Descending the stair case in a wash of scarlet lights, I turned to see one of the first things that had my heart in a handgrip. The full sized garden topiary from Edward Scissor hands. I was glad to be there in company and half dark or otherwise the tear that sprang to my eye would have made it into a complete stream.  For me, Edward Scissor Hands was a particularly powerful film, so to come face to face with such a stunning and beautiful symbol was almost a bit much. However, being the professional I am, I composed myself and went about the business of taking it all in so I can tell you about it now.

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I don’t wish to spoil the magic of the exhibition so I won’t tell you all the surprises and highlights, but I have to tell you that there is something so extraordinarily inspiring about this exhibition. Seeing the evolution not only of Tim’s work, but of the man himself- his life, his journey both emotionally and professionally, leaves you wanting to sketch till daybreak.  You don’t need to have an artistic bone in your body to appreciate Tim’s work, he’ll provide plenty of bones for you! (Ha!) It is music, song, touch, tears, dreams and nightmares.  It is all those parts of yourself that exist to give you a unique sense of self, and as such you’ll each take something different away from your experience.
Overwhelmingly, the first thing I wanted to do was arrange a date to take my daughters back to see it for themselves. At nearly three and just turned six, they already appreciate the humour, the dark and light, the love and tragedy of a Burton film. (Nightmare before Christmas gets great airplay at my house). It may be difficult to stop them from wanting to touch and feel, but the pay off in feeding their imaginations and letting them walk into a living fantasy is too great to deny them that opportunity.
To top off this amazing experience was a moment in which many of you will kick me over. Actually meeting Tim Burton and having not one memorable thing to say! I don’t often have fan girl moments, but this was something else. Other than saying something like, “I’m honoured”, was about as far as I got, as my brain lit up like a firecracker at the momentousness of it all. In fact, I am going in again tomorrow!  I took a little video snippet inside the Burton club to share with you, (it seems to be the only image of mine that survived!)

The Tim Burton Club at ACMI Fed Square in Melbourne from super kawaii mama on Vimeo.

Both ACMI and MoMa have done such an outstanding job putting this exhibition together that you MUST go and see it. And like I said on Twitter, even if you have to sell a kidney to get there – go and see this! After all, that would be a rather Burton-esque way to do it!

Awesome stuff-

Do you want to go to ACMI and see the Tim Burton Exhibition for yourself? Of course you do!!
I have 2 for 1 passes to give away! Just leave me a comment telling me why you need to go and see this for yourself – the best entries will get a 2 for 1 pass. ( Open to Australian Residents only)

Some Daily Outfits give me more challenges than most – especially when children and roller skating are involved! I was invited to take Miss Five on her first skating expedition this week along with a group of mothers and children from her school.  She was SUPER excited about going, wondering if she was supposed to win a gold medal and jump off big stuff! Me, well I used to be a big skater, going a few times a week and carving up the floor…. but that was a very long time ago.  I still had the old skates out away in the cupboard, but the have only been out on the rink about once or twice in the last eleven years.  This presented a whole new wardrobe challenge – just what does one wear when rollerskating with a bunch of five year old children??

I had to think long and hard on this one as my first instincts were to go with some of the outfits I last wore and break out the whole Olivia Newton John in Xanadu tpe of look.  But just in case that may cause the other mothers to shield their children from this crazy woman I decided to go with something a little less theatrical.  There was no way I was going to wear my workout gear for this ,as for me, workout gear belongs only in the gym so I had to think of the next best thing.

After a bit of a rummage around in the depths of the wardrobe I came up with an outfit that I haven’t worn in a while – it was one of my last pregnancy staples!  I have this great skull print jersey dress that has an open, cross over back that I used to wear backwards while I was pregnant with Miss 2. I’d throw this over yoga pants for casual days and it did the trick.  So it was the perfect thing to be both cute and comfortable whilst skating too.

Outfit Details:

Skull Print Dress – Episode    Tank Top – Portmans

Cropped Yogo Pants – Puma   Pewter Ballet Flats – U.B.H

Hair Bow -Bought so long ago I can’t remember!

Skates – Check your local skate store!

Of course it turned out that none of the other parents intended to skate and I ended up the only one over 3 foot tall on the rink!

Here it is~ another weekend another list full of sunshine and potential.

I’ve been having a very productive week, knuckling down and getting to some of those jobs that always seem to reside on the bottom of the To Do list, never making their way up.  But with the combination of school holidays and Spring time sunshine, I’m feeling like a clean slate and some fun and games.

Paperwork fun – Doing a bit of old fashioned scrap booking, (not the fancy kind), and getting all the girls birthday cards, art work and certificates into books.

Painting- I scored some bargain shelves at a discount store today that are exactly what I’ve been searching eBay for! So a lick of paint and a handy Dad will see them attached to the walls and filled with pretty things in no time.

Reading – I’ve bought some fabulous new books over the last few months,but have been so busy I haven’t taken any time out to read them!  Some are sadly still in their plastic wrapping since their early July purchase! I’m particularly excited to break the wrapping on Madeline St John’s work The Woman in Black.

Experimenting – I’ve found some cool new makeup tutorials that I’m dying to try out and see if they are a look that works for me.  They appear to be much more work than my usual day to day look, but I’m willing to give it a go in the name of beauty and science.  All those successful looks will be translated next week for your viewing pleasure.

Gardening – My poor garden is looking seriously neglected, so much so that I thought it time to call in the professional.  But with quotes for gardeners coming in at up to $55 per hour (!) I think I’ll be pulling on the gumboots and tackling it myself. Wish me luck and a spider free task.

…And TALKING LIKE A PIRATE for International Talk Like a Pirate Day today! Why? Why Not!… Now I’m off to bedazzle myself an eye patch.

Links à la Mode : September 17th

• 39th and Broadway – Designing Divisions
• Anywhere but here – Inspired by: Elton John
• awakened aesthetic – I Got Tatted!
• Denim Debutante – Denim Store Review: ECBC (and Giveaway!)
• Denimaniac – Interview | Philip Goss for Ijin Material
• dramatis personae – South African Street Style
• Fashion Pulse Daily – Blogging Live from Vivienne Tam S/S 2010
• FashionHippo – Best Fall 2009 Top Trends: Draped, Ruffled, One Shoulder and More
• girl friday – DIY Leather Necklace I’ve been thinking about…
• HiFashion – Successful Online Shopping
• Individual Chic – 7 simple steps when shopping for swimwear
• Oranges and Apples – Diversity in fashion and style for all ages
• Rags to Reverie – Give Me A Hint!
• Retro Chick – Make Do and Mend
• Style Symmetry – Symmetry Seven ~ Doe Deere
• sweetarchivia – The Lighter Side of Olive Skin Tones
• THE COVETED – Backstage and on the runways at Matthew Ames SS10
• The Demoiselles – Body Type? What Body Type?
• The Greyest Ghost – The Day I Met Gwen Stefani…Twice
• The Sideshow Scrapbook – have to have……….Knuckle duster clutch
• Think Thru Fashion – One Scarf, Tied 5 Different Ways

It is not often that I find almost an entire collection from a single designer that I want to wear. I generally pick and choose pieces that make me happy and mix them up.  But Betsey Johnson’s A/W 09 collection has me waiting with baited breath to get my hands on these pretties.  Traditionally I don’t go in for the pink short and frothy party dress,  mainly as dressing like a Four year old when you have one tends not to be the most flattering choice. But this new collection is all me. Bright jewel colors, high contrast prints, solid coloured opaques and my current adoration-  sequins!

So until this collection is actually available to me, I am making do with trips to the  fabric store and using this amazing collection as inspiration for some new creations of my own.

Just click on the images to be taken to the full collection.  Make sure to hide your credit card first!

I did it! I relaxed this weekend and actually did all the fun and relaxing things I had planned. I even went so far as to get in a nap! But by far one of my big achievements for the weekend was getting up at dark o’clock to go and visit the Sunday Market.  When it is a mere 3 degrees outside, forsaking the warm comfort of my bed in favour of freezing fingers is no mean feat. But I was determined that since I had made my plan and organised everyone around it, I would soldier on and brave the cold.  And I am so pleased I did.

This was the first time I have been off to the markets alone.  I often do my thrifting adventures alone, but getting up at the crack of dawn without the added motivation of someone counting on you is all the more difficult.  But I had decided that I wanted to be able to do my fossicking with only my thoughts for company, nothing to compel me onwards and the ability to linger and chat with stall holders should the whim take me.

I headed in to the market without a clear plan of attack, just a warm hat and some gloves, that sadly did nothing to protect me loosing all feeling in my fingers.  But after all of two minutes I realised that I needed to have a strategy. Aimless wandering might un cover something, but having a clear idea of what I was looking for would help me move on quickly from those stalls that weren’t for me.  You need to spend your time wisely at markets if you plan to make the most of your early start. Getting in and down to business on your selected items before someone else with a better idea of what they want beats you to it.  So I referred back to my old faithful Lust List.   All those things I have yet to find at vintage fairs and those that simply hold a place in my heart. The moment my goals were clear, it all started to fall into place, and here is what resulted.

Vintage Powder Compact

Inside Vintage Powder Compact

I have been looking for the perfect compact for quite some time.  A piece whose decoration appealed, in good condition and a clear mirror. One with a little sieve so I can fill it with a loose translucent powder.  That way I can still look stylish while checking out the person at the table behind me.

Joanne Mercier Leopard Print Flats

The perfect alternative to my current black ballet flats that I wear around the house.

Vintage Brooch & Earring Set

When collecting vintage jewellery, I always like to look for complete sets.  They tend to be much harder to find than random pieces, but they give an outfit such a ‘put together’ look.  I was thrilled to find this little daisy set.  Perfect for cheering up a grey winter day.

Vintage Movie Promo Poster for Silent Dust

More inspiration for the walls of my studio.

Thomas Wylde Barolo Clutch

But all in all it was this baby that stole my heart.  I ummed and ahrred over it for a while as it was still quite pricey, but I was already in love and couldn’t leave it behind.  Expect to see this one appearing quite frequently in the future.

So the Relaxing Weekend was a great success.

How was your’s?