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Australians love to travel... It's true... The wonderment to behold beyond the pacific blue ocean is a calling for us... It's in our blood... It's part of our DNA... It's who we are... Intrepid travelers... Adventurers.. Those of you who know me here, know well that I love to travel... I love getting out into the world, to feel the vibe and the energy of what's happening 'out there'... I have some favourite places - funnily enough - all cities... London, Paris... But my favourite of all? Well, it's NYC... But as I sit in a high rise apartment on the upper west side (where I'm staying with some friends for the while) - and look out the window... I wonder just why? It's kinda ugly from way up here!

But those of you who have been here will know... It's the beat of the pavement that is so alluring... There's something about the energy here... About the pulse of the place... The ever enduring optimism... The possibility... The hope... It's all here... On the NYC streets... It's a tough place to be sure... It's grey... It's concrete... It's fast... It's furious... And yet, even in the face of this, the people walk to a happy beat...

One of the loveliest things for me when visiting NYC is the access you have to extraordinary people... You know from my last post, that I spent a couple of days with Holly Becker and her troupe of talented friends (photographer Debi Treloar and the lovely Daniel)... It's crazy, that after so many years of following her blog (and Debi's work) that I was able to sit with them and chat about life, love and everything in between... What a gift... And through Holly, I met the indefatigable Amy Atlas... A true sweetheart - kind, generous and inspiring... The world of dessert is the ideal place for such a lovely gal to be spending her days... A couple of days later, I went along to hear Alain de Botton speak about his new book, Religion for Atheists (he also wrote Architecture of Happiness amongst other things) up at the 92Y - a small auditorium, filled with only 100 people. Lou Reed was sitting only a couple of rows ahead! Then it was another talk by Deepak Chopra speaking with ecologist Vandana Shiva about the Future of our Food supply... This was held at ABC Homebase - a small space held within ABC Carpet and Home (possibly the most beautiful place in the world)... Next week, I've managed to secure 4 seats at a taping of one of Martha's shows... And I just cant wait for that one. We've been told to wear happy spring colours, and so I'm cracking open my fluro pumps and bright pink J Crew sweater!

It's extraordinary to have such access to so many talented people... But in NYC, it's just the way it is... Creativity abounds here... The most talented people in the world walk the streets the same as everyone else... No matter how well known you are, in NYC, you walk to the same beat as everybody else... I love that there are so many Australians here contributing to the aesthetic vernacular... One such talent is Vanessa Holden (ex creative director at Real Simple, Editor of Martha Stewart mag and now top lady at West Elm) Vanessa, along with an entourage of talented Aussie photographers, stylists, designers, have all been contributing to the look and the feel of things over here... It's great to see our Australian creative point of view can contribute in such a significant way to the global aesthetic... And so, as I spend my days pounding the streets of NYC, I'm gathering inspiration and energy to bring home to Australia - and to infuse into our work at The Little Cottage (in country NSW!)...

Watch out all, as we are preparing to launch our new website - a one stop shop for all of my offerings - the Shannon Fricke Bedlinen range, my new book, workshop dates, plus a showcase of my work to date... Charlotte, my creative offsider has been working at a furious pace to get things looking and working just right... And we are just so close! On the website, we will unveil the beautiful photographs taken for our bedlinen catalogue - of course, photographed by the gorgeous Prue Ruscoe... Plus you will receive up to the minute news through my news and blog page... Of course, you'll be the first to know when we're ready to launch... But for today, a sneeky peek into the website... Just one pic to set the mood...