Tag: quirky

Posted in Arty sparks, Sparks in the wild, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Totally Foksy

Posted on by Cate

Wherever you stand on the whole animal fur debate, this Silver Wolf Foks (yes, that’s how they spell it, they’re from Poland) is a-ok. Whether you’re inspired by the recent Liam Neeson scary movie or you’re just an animal loving fashionista, this is surely a must-have addition to your wardrobe/menagerie. Part pet, part scarf and all felt, with a special clip so that you can curl ol’ Foksy around your neck or leave him hanging free. From the new Felt Fokses range by wacky Polish designers Celapiu, you can pick one up via their fabulous etsy store for around $150.  The designers claim that the Long Foks version is “long enough to wrap himself around you in hundreds of different ways”, which sounds at once creepy and impossible. Whatever, I am very tempted to carry one of these around Sydney this winter. And I will sidle up close to people on public transport and in bars and tap them gently with one of Foksy’s paws. And wait for the screams.

If you must have a Foks, check out Celapiu’s etsy store.

Posted in Arty sparks, Musical sparks, Sydney sparks

The ukuleles are in town

Posted on by Cate

So, last night I went to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain at the Opera House. Oh yes I did. My friend Jane bought tickets and invited me to go along and it sounded just weird enough to be my cup of tea, so away we went. Before the show, we were at Opera Bar and noticed lots of people (ok, by ‘lots’, I clearly don’t mean thousands, let’s say at least 37) carrying little ukelele-shaped cases. At first, I was surprised that the orchestra members would be out drinking so close to showtime, then realised that these must actually just be random people carrying ukuleles. The ukulele carriers covered some pretty broad demographics – men and women, young and old, two eyes and four eyes. I know it sounds dumb, but I had never really thought of ukuleles as instruments before last night. More of a cute-looking joke present to give a niece or a friend who secretly wanted to be Slash, but lacked any musical ability.

Anyways, we got to the concert hall and it appeared that the gig was sold out, or pretty close to it. On our right was a fancy looking pair of seniors, who told us that they had brought their daughter and their grandson (with his ukulele). And their Indian parish priest from Maroubra (with his ukulele), who seemingly loves music and turns every church service into a singalong. On several occasions of audience participation, said priest thrust his ukulele high in the air, like some sort of salute to the gods. Rock on, Father. On our left was another fancy looking pair of not-quite-as-seniors from the north shore. Jan was learning the ukulele after completing some classes for beginners at an evening college and had recently enjoyed a ukulele jam session with a group in Sydney’s inner west. Even my friend Jane advised that she had taken ukulele lessons. I like to think I’m pretty down with current trends and I definitely love music, so I feel like I have missed something here. WHEN DID THE UKULELE GET SO POPULAR? AND WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME?

Whatever, the concert was fun, with everything from Beethoven to Lady Gaga to a Playschool-esque singalong version of the Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the UK. The highlights for me were the emotional rendition of Wheatus’ Teenage Dirtbag and the upbeat, jazzy take on Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights. As we left, I was happy, but still not sure what to make of this new (to me, at least) ukulele world. However, I am nothing if not easily inspired, so thought I’d get home and google ukulele instructors in my neighbourhood and start taking classes. Then I ran into a group of youngish ukulele carriers near the taxis and my immediate reaction was: WEIRDOS. And that was the end of that.

PS, if you want to visit ukulele world without paying for a ticket, you can check out the Orchestra on You Tube.

Posted in Arty sparks, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Well Hello, Dolly

Posted on by Cate

Wow. That’s all I can say. Well, that and eeeeeeeeek! These Chaquira Doll Head Sculptures were featured on Fab.com recently and as much as I delight in sourcing quirky and original gifts for people, I am at a loss to think of who might appreciate these little beauties. The collection has been designed by DFC studio in Mexico City, in collaboration with Mexican artists, and features a range of creepy looking dolls. Well, doll heads, to be precise. There’s that weird looking Smurfy one with the big earrings.

And then there’s this guy, who appears to be based either on a soccerball or Justin Bieber riddled with measles. Spooky.

Or this little lady, who looks even creepier because of the hand that’s holding her head-on-a-stump, which appears to be wearing some sort of chainmail fingerless glove. Rock on. She looks a bit like Lady Gaga, but for me, it’s the eyes that do it – they might appear to be sunken into the little doll’s head, but they follow you wherever you move. Even if you move to another city and think you’ve left this doll deep in a box in storage.

Ok, one last pic and then I’ve reached my limit of creepy for the day.It’s either Cindy Brady or a Cabbage Patch Kid gone wrong. The hair elastics suggest a game of tennis, while the eyelashes scream the late show at Fifi’s Bordello.

I don’t know about you, but I find these very confusing. Although even more confusing is the price – any of these doll head sculptures will set you back nearly $600. Yes, really.

Posted in Sparky gifts, Sydney sparks

Ahoy there, me hearties

Posted on by Cate

Today the sun is out after another bout of rainy weather. It’s a beautiful day and there is a breeze that reminds you that it’s officially Autumn now (although this year in Sydney, you might have missed Summer if you blinked for too long). And on a day like today, I often look around and think…I wish [Person X, Y or Z] was here now to see this. I don’t actually know someone called Person X (or Y or Z), but hopefully you get what I mean. Whether it’s someone who lives on the other side of the world, or someone I used to work with, or an old friend or family member, or just Liam Neeson, I often wish there was some way of zapping that person right here. Kind of like Willy Wonka’s Wonkavision, when Mike Teevee gets transported in a bzillion pieces from the real world to tv world. But I wouldn’t want to do that to people I love, especially since we never actually saw how Mike Teevee ended up…And I know there’s texting, emailing, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Skype blah blah blah. But it’s not the same. Which is why I love the Travelling Heart Project. I stumbled across it last year when I found a link to it somewhere. It was started by a Sydneysider as a way to send love and happy thoughts around the world the old fashioned way – by mail. The heart that you adopt comes with cool tags for your message and the person has the option of using an extra tag to send the heart on to someone else. It’s a nice way to let someone know that you’re thinking of them – not just on their birthday or at Christmas time, but when it’s sunny. Or rainy. Or they have news. Or you see a funny looking dog. Or discover a new ice cream flavour. Or remember a silly thing that happened years ago and it makes you laugh. Or cry. I think they’re a great idea and sometimes they’re the perfect thing to send – whether the recipient is overseas, over the fence, over the other side of the table, over the moon or at the desk next to you. If you’re interested, it’s The Travelling Heart Project.

Posted in Sparks at work, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Write on

Posted on by Cate

When I saw this at one of my favourite online spots, Candy Stripe Cloud, I had to share it. Just in case you’re looking for a present for someone who loves animals. Or who loves pens. Or who is just a weirdo. It doesn’t have a creative name – Brown Bear Pen – but don’t be fooled by that. This bear is really something. It looks like a precious ornament and will jazz up any desk or coffee table. But Brown Bear holds a secret deep inside. Deep, deep inside, actually. What could it be? Some insight into the meaning of life? Winning lottery numbers? A foolproof plan for world peace?

Steady on, he’s only a $17 plastic bear. The secret deep inside is a pen. Yes, the product name was kind of a giveaway. But these pictures still don’t tell me how it all fits together…

Aha. I see now. Brown Bear Pen – use it if you dare.

(And if you like Brown Bear Pen, you’ll love Candy Stripe Cloud)