Guest Post: Diana

Today we arrive in New York, and so we asked our friend Diana from our city lights to share a little about this wonderful city. Diana is a great lady and knows her stuff.
- enjoy m&k
---

New York City isn’t just a city; it’s an experience of a lifetime. There is nothing like actually visiting NYC, but the experience can be packaged and sold in a dish (the iconic cuisine- pizza!), for some it’s watching a movie (Hi, Woody Allen), and some, like myself, believe it’s reading. The best American writers come from New York City and now I know why- they have so much to write about! Below are my favorite books about New York or writers from New York.



The Godfather by Mario Puzo. The Mafia isn’t NYC, and NYC doesn’t represent the Mafia, but Puzo’s description of the Carleone family stays with you. After reading it, it’ll be an adventure of NYC you’d hope you’ll never experience  but so glad you read.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I read this book at an impressionable age, and it has stayed with me forever. Esther Greenwood is a woman coming of age with and with poor circumstance, leads to a state of broken mentality. It's dark, and reminds me of the vulnerability we all have.

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. Ok, so this isn't riveting literature. It's an easy read (I should warn you it ends nothing like the movie adaptation), but working in the top magazine in the world based in New York City makes any fashionista appreciate the book. It's bit grim, but the description of the City is worth the read.

Summer Crossing by Truman Capote. If there was one writer who would represent New York, it would be Capote. No, he wasn't born in NY, but most of his stories were based in NY. This story is a draft version of a young girl in love with life. It's not his best work, but what you're reading isn't just the story, it's absolute Capote in the raw.

Eloise by Kay Thompson- I'm totally jealous of Eloise. She lives in The Plaza hotel, and can have anything she wants, when she wants. She's a socialite without the snobbery. She's adventurous, unpredictable and imaginative, all with a touch of class a kid could exude. Reading her is an adventure at any age and a must read before going to the Plaza.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Another coming of age book based in NY but amidst all the digital reading, I will always own this on my shelf. This generation may have Gossip Girl but we had Holden Caulfied, the first teenager who attended prep school with a string of emotional problems we could all relate to no matter the measurement. Blair has nothing on him!

Honorable mentions: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote, A Tree Grown in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, anything by James Henry.


I hope K&M have a blast and are able to return safely with their own adventures to share. Can’t wait! Best of luck to you both on your new journey ♥
Diana

Guest Post: Derek

We are in Michigan, and staying with our good friend Derek. Derek usually lives in Australia, but is back home with his family for the Holidays. We are so excited to start our adventure with him.
- enjoy m&k
---

Morgan and Kim asked me to write a post for their blog a couple months ago when they decided to come visit me in Michigan over Christmas. So i thought i would give the low down of some of the activities that will be taking place (weather permitting).

Shooting Skeet. America loves guns, Australia doesn't. I'm not saying that we're going to hit anything but we are definitely going to throw some lead around and probably have bruised shoulders the next day.



Sledding. (Hopefully we get some snow for this) always a good time, we're still snowless at the moment, which means we'll have to trek to a ski hill which will mean taller, scarier, faster hills. I feel like the kid in the middle has the most genuine sled-excitement face.



Build a Snowman. Snow ball fight. Snow Angels. Snowmobiling, We really need some snow.........


The Michigan sun is pretty lazy in winter, it gets up late and goes down early. Most time is spent indoors out of the blustery cold eating delicious food, and enjoying your company. So there will be plenty of time to introduce newcomers to the U.S. to things they have been missing out on.
Derek

Guest Post: Jessica

Over the next few months we have a few different Guest Posts from a few of our friends (both online and in the flesh). Joining is this week is Jessica from honeymoonchild. This marvelous lady has an incredible way with words, and we are so happy to have her share on our blog this week.
- enjoy m&k
---

Join me on a picnic, dear readers. We’re headed to the sea. Let’s get up real early, say 4.30 and look around, we’ll see the world before the cynics have got out of bed. Bring your thermos, for it’s chilly in these parts. I’ll bake kanelbullar in the hours before and stow our rations in as many pockets as one coat will allow. We’ll pedal through the streets with abandon. At this hour the city will belong to us. Soon we’ll hear her whispers, she will beckon us forth to our spot on the pier. Let us burrow under an enormous rug and set our gaze across the Baltic, for Sweden, she is waiting to bid us good morning.
Jessica



Notes: Visa från Utanmyra from the record Jazz på Svenska by Jan Johansson

Guest Post: Kerrie-Anne

Over the next few months we have a few different Guest Posts from a few of our friends (both online and in the flesh). This weeks guest post comes a lovely friend Kerri-Anne. She is both a talented photographer and an incredibly passionate young lady, and we love that we call her and her husband Josh our friends.
- enjoy m&k
---

In honour of Kim and Morgan getting ready for their travels I thought I would reminisce about some of mine… I have recently scanned in some of my film from my less recent travels to Fiji. I love the people you meet when you travel, I guess you have more time, you're more open and willing to hear people's stories (I need to try to do this more at home). This was definitely the case in Fiji, I met the most beautiful people and heard a lot of their stories, some happy and some sad.

Kerrie-Anne

Guest Post: Beth

Over the next few months we have a few different Guest Posts from a few of our friends (both online and in the flesh). This week we have a special treat from the newly married and tremendously talented Mrs Beth Murphy.
- enjoy m&k
---

i know it is truly autumn when i begin making anything with pumpkin.
i never cook or bake with it during the rest of the year but when it gets to be this chilly time here in the northeast, with fiery leaves on trees and holidays soon coming, something inside of me knows it's time to bake.
Beth

Guest Post: Claire

Over the next few months we have a few different Guest Posts from a few of our friends (both online and in the flesh). To kick us off to a raging start we have a Guest Post from our lovely friend Claire. She is a very talented artist and dear friend, and you can check out more of her mad skills HERE.
- enjoy m&k
---

Image Source: Claire Matthews

Morgan and I have regularly (once, maybe) got into a discussion around photo-realistic artwork. I can't actually remember what side of the proverbial fence either of us was on, as I always change my mind halfway through talking. I tend to run around in discussions looking up new ideas' skirts rather than huddle with my back to a corner waving a big stick at them so I can't quite remember where I was standing.

Basically the discussion runs like this: If you're copying a photo, and your copy looks exactly like the photo, what's the point in copying it? What does the painting give the viewer that the photo does not, other than maybe an appreciation for the technical skill of the painter.

Wherever anyone was standing it's an interesting discussion for me as I am one of the world's copiers. I like copying a photo in all its irritating detail and sitting back at the end with a satisfied glow in my belly looking at a mirror image. It's satisfying. It's theraputic. It's mind meltingly boring and face slappingly fun in equal parts.

I also like drawing cartoon monsters. If I have something eating away at my insides it's the monsters that help me express it. They help me to get it out of my head as they run around with hairy armpits, trailing birds and vomiting rainbows.

So the monsters get all the expression and emotion and the portraits are something I enjoy doing because it satisfies my perfectionist tendencies. And never the two do meet. I've yet to find a way to mash up the two styles. The monsters happen quickly whilst I'm in the grips of this or that soggy or spikey emotion. The portraits are calculated and mulled over and happen when I want to think about nothing.

So what to do what to do. I'd like to somehow develop a style that satisfies my craving for accuracy and detail whilst also leaving room for sloppiness, expression and emotion but I have no idea what that would look like. Which is in itself gloriously fun in its mystery. I feel like I'm looking for some forbidden joyous intersection simultaneously celebrating my perfectionism and my mess. Oooh that would be fun.

In the meantime I don't mind when people say I'm not an artist, that I'm merely a human photocopier (quite the compliment actually thanks so much) because although sitting on that fence gives me those occasional criticism splinters in my tush it's worth it to have a foot on both sides. I can vomit up my problems onto a page and maybe make someone else feel a little more hopeful, and I can give someone a drawing of their recently passed friend and hopefully make them feel a little less alone. And I like it that way.

Claire

tattoo tuesday.

Guess what! Morgan's tattoos have been featured on Dani's Tattoo Tuesday series on her blog Sometimes Sweet.



You can read all about morgan's amazing tattoos and my one too here. Enjoy
-kim

diy... guest post

We are back from a fantastic long weekend in Melbourne. Glad to see you all loved the Guest Post from Cesar.

If you wanna read a little DIY post I did for Talia's blog on how to recycle a t-shirt to make a scarf check it out here...

Have a fantastic week.
-kim

Guest Post: The Dead Format

Meet our blog buddy Cesar from The Dead Format
While we are away for a week in Melbourne we asked Cesar to write a guest post for us. We love to check out his blog for inspiration, he takes some beautiful photos and we are envious of his polaroid camera collection. We hope you enjoy it, and dont forget to check out his blog.

-----

Canon T2i

These pictures were taken in Los Angeles during my vist to the MOCA. They currently have an exhibit dedicated to street art. I highly recommend checking it out if you're in the L.A area.

I always like to carry at least two different types of formats when I go on my little photo adventures. That day I had a Polaroid SX-70 Alpha 1, a Canon T2i, and a 35mm Gakkenflex toy camera. I was immediately drawn to this old parking lot sign while walking to the museum and took a picture with each camera. I dont have the Gakkenflex pictures yet but I will post the pictures from the Gakkenflex on my blog as soon as I get it back from the photo developers, hopefully they will turn out ok (crossing my fingers). The Polaroid pictured below is my most popular picture on Flickr to date, I've even seen it floating around on various Tumblr blogs :)