.

2012-01-30T11:02:00.004+11:00

It flew by. New orange sandles. Walks on the beach. Yarraville Farmer's Market (fresh beetroot). Got lost in the wonderful Hugo. Read Various Positions by Martha Schabas in the shade. Drank mocktails with friends. Had a water-fight. Rode our bikes to breakfast. Watched (part) of the most amazing games of Tennis I've ever seen and fell asleep to the whirr of the over-head fan. Hope you had a good one too.

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-06T11:22:00.002+11:00

Crazy bustle. Sweet pork buns. Mini buses zooming. Skyscrappers looming. Endless noise of the best kind. I got some sleep. Hong Kong didn't.
Happy New Year.

2011-11-30T15:03:00.003+11:00

It had been so long since I ventured into the craft room to make something that I had to literally dust off of the sewing machine and brush cobwebs away from the windows. Lack of time and frankly, inclination meant any thoughts of actually making something fizzled. Then I came across hop skip jump's new book. The second I saw this monkey, I started picking fabric - in my head. I think I botched up the arms a little but that's just fine. Somewhere between stuffing his head and turning his legs, I realised how much I missed making stuff. The rest of the patterns are great too so I'm looking forward to making more.

Seal Sunday: the movie

2011-11-27T16:27:00.004+11:00

Big Wide World

2011-10-25T18:08:00.004+11:00

Five weeks, a handful of countries and a thousand memories. Apart from the obvious attraction (not working) there's lots of reasons why I love visiting different places. It shakes you up. Reminds you that you're part of something bigger than catching the next train or forgetting to buy tissues.

Lots of great things happened on this trip, stuff that was unplanned like getting to see a book that belonged to Vita Sackville West at Sissinghurst, eating Bakewell Pudding in Bakewell, furtively watching a 'star' eat breakfast in London (Ron Howard), catching a local farmers market in misty Sennen in Cornwall, being followed by an incredibly friendly cat while we searched for Sylvia Plath's grave in Heptonstall, eating fish n chips and watching a sunset at the end of Brighton Pier, finding the Phantom's box at The Paris Opera, reading Hemingway at Shakespeare and Co, falling asleep on the soft grass near the canals at Versailles, watching squirrels chase each other in Regent's Park.

I've come back full of ideas. Nothing grand just creative thoughts that only seem to bubble to the surface when I'm busy looking at the world as if I've never seen it before.

It's good to be home but is it good to be back?

If you're going somewhere - Bon Voyage.

If you've just come home - Welcome back.

Her Father's Daughter by Alice Pung (Black Inc)

2011-08-30T21:03:00.003+10:00

I started Alice Pung's new book Her Father's Daughter on Sunday and have been taking every chance I get (between work & other distractions) to open up the covers and get back into the story. It's a quasi autobiography about Alice that basically picks up where her first book Unpolished Gem left off.
Alice is now in her early 20s and gently trying move away, emotionally and out of her parents house so she can experience life for herself. Her father is especially overprotective - a former refugee from Cambodia - he's witnessed and experienced some horrendous violence at the hand of the Black Bandits, part of Pol Pot's killing fields. He only wants what's best for his family but it's hard for him to watch his children grow up and make their own way in the world.
I'm up to a chapter that started off set in contemporary Melbourne but now looks as if it might be headed in a much darker direction. At this point I'm totally enthralled by Pung's restrained and elegant prose. She takes me along with her with every page. It's such a good feeling when you get swept up in a book. Lead on...

Stay and defend

Father-

His daughter is coming home. Well, not exactly home, but back to Australia. It panics him whenever any of his children are far away. She has been gone nearly three months - the first time she has lived outside the country.

rain, hail or shine

2011-07-06T10:45:00.004+10:00

This honey-coloured photo of a corner of my loungeroom kind of sums up my feelings right now. I think I'm in a mid-winter slump and although I'm enjoying doing all those cool weather things: reading swaddled under blankets, the warmth of a dog on my lap, hot chocolates, making lots of wintry stuff like soup (roasted pumpkin, cauliflour) and Sophie Dahl's wonderful lentil shepherds pie and Stephanie Alexander's apple crumble, I'm yearning for some sunlight. The outdoor setting in the back yard looks depressing in the rain and the garden is looking scrapy.
This weekend I'm going to resist the urge to hunker down and hibernate and go for a 'jog', (my version - slow and ungainly), drink tea instead of coffee, make something and just get on with the 'doing'.

Pride and Prejudice

2011-05-02T10:12:00.003+10:00

The truth is. I 'feel' like I've read this book but I'm not entirely sure I have, so when I saw Pip over at Meet Me At Mikes was doing Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice for a book club, I knew the time had come.
I think I've seen every movie/tv adaptation, which is why I might be hazy about whether I've actually read it or not. I watched the BBC version a few weeks ago and it made me wonder if Austen is as funny and sarcastic on the page as she is in a well edited/written script. And will any of it annoy me? On film, I'm always interested in a few small moments, especially when Charlotte Lucas tells Elizabeth that she wants to marry Mr Collins.
Who knows. Maybe I'll actually realise I have read it, or possibly not. Have you read it?

Here goes.

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortuen must be in want of a wife."

Snap/Shot

2011-04-28T15:29:00.004+10:00

Collins Street.
Not at 5pm.

Them thar hills.

2011-04-11T17:07:00.005+10:00

So we survived. Friday and Saturday were fantastic. Blue skies, hiking, toasted marshmellows, spuds in the fire for dinner, red wine, lots of laughs. It was all perfect until about 9pm on the Saturday. The cool change came in early and the rain started and stayed ... all night. Tent leaked, dogs looked miserable. We ended up 'sleeping' in the car or in my case, praying for dawn to arrive. We packed up early Sunday and had a scary drive down the moutain. That dusty road on the way up turned into a slick, red, muddy killer on the way down. Twice our car silently glided towards the edge of a pretty scary drop. We came to a stop about a metre from the edge. It was the final, bad bend in a series, so we were very pleased when we got down that mountain. But what's a camping trip without a few tales to tell? Such beautiful scenery and falling asleep listening to the river...it was all worth it.

The Wilds

2011-04-06T14:06:00.003+10:00

Em & I are going camping with friends for the First Time. The weather looks friendly. If we're lucky, the days will be sunny and the nights cold (but not too cold). Who cares, right? So long as we don't have rain. Rain would be a big drag. Looking forward to sitting around a campfire and maybe telling ghost stories? Maybe not. Ahh. I can't wait to jump in the car and head for the hills. No banjos please.

Tea for Three

2011-03-23T17:10:00.003+11:00

Last night Emma and I caught with a friend. We had dinner at Purple Peanuts, a great Japanese cafe in Collins Street. Such fantastic, cheap, fresh food. It was great to spend the night chatting, not worrying about the time, just shooting the breeze, kicking back and drinking tea. Lovely.

Down Pilot.

2011-03-09T12:28:00.006+11:00

Do we need another Jane Eyre? Probably not.
Will I go and see it?
Yes I will. I think Dame Judi Dench will make a wonderful Mrs Fairfax.

If you'd like to watch a bit about the making of the new Jane Eyre directed by Cary Fukunaga starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassenbender, light your candle, unlock your door and go here:

http://www.focusfeatures.com/jane_eyre/videos

2011-03-09T11:18:00.005+11:00

Autumn is here.

It slowly nudged out our fizzer of a summer. There were a few stand-out days but all in all, the season of sun and sea was a mixed bag.

I was sitting on the train this morning, taking photos with my iPhone and thinking about how the cool shiftings of the seasons always make me think about starting new projects.

1. I might start a new blanket. Lots of cream and colours.

2. I might make another book (Remains of the Day).

3. I might learn how to knit socks (unlikely). But I might.

2011-02-01T17:34:00.005+11:00

I stumbled onto Mary Ann Moss's Remains of the Day site via Poppytalk - it's a online course about making journals using paper and fabric. Mary Ann has made a series of step-by-step videos so making the journal is really straight forward with loads of room to be creative. I'm one of those people who collects postcards, tickets, vintage papers and other paper ephemera, so this is the perfect way for me to use everything I already have.
Here are some snaps of my first journal...

Two Views One Morning

2011-01-24T10:39:00.002+11:00

Watching the world. It never gets old.

2011-01-17T17:37:00.004+11:00

The mornings were lazy and full of coffee and good food thanks to The Duchess of Spotswood. The nights were made up of The Red Shoes, circus folk and dinner by the water. Sunday was snoozy again. The dogs ran in the park, inside the fans whirred and Sunday night? Me in the studio absorbed by making until after 11pm. Let's do again next week, please.

Brand New Year

2011-01-03T11:22:00.008+11:00

Ring Out, Wild Bells
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1849)

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

New Year's Eve was hot, especially on my sister's farm but the light on dusk was beautiful. We went for a walk but I forgot my camera so it looked a little like this: poplar trees blowing in the breeze, the sky was a dark blue shot with patches of warm light, the odd locust, making that papery sound, crunched here and there. The road was dusty and although I couldn't see them, I could hear horses in a near-by paddock coughing in that horsy way. That night, we skyped another sister in Rome and my brother in law held the computer out over the balcony so we could see some real Romans walking around their stunning city.

No idea what this year will bring but when our dollar reached parity with the US, I bought Lovely Design's gorgeous AtoZ file but now that it's here, like the New Year, I'm not too what to do with it. It's so new and pretty and I'm worried I'll use it for the wrong thing. Still. I'm planning to stick my neck out more often this year...

... so maybe it will all make sense by the end of 2011 - or maybe it won't - and maybe that's just fine.

Happy New Year.

A Week of Christmas

2010-12-21T11:34:00.003+11:00

Listening to carols by Bing, Puppini Sisters, Glee and Eartha Kitt and a choir at St. Paul's cathedral.

Seeing Myer windows, little kids going mad with wonder at Mary Poppins flying across the stage, pretty christmas wreaths on small front doors and big fancy buildings.

Eating fruit mince pies, rocky road and drinking red wine.

Watching Love Actually, The Holiday and Die Hard.

Making treatlys for friends and thinking, I love this crazy time of year.

Happy Holidays!

Dot. The world's smallest stop-motion animation

2010-12-02T17:39:00.001+11:00

Book Crush

2010-11-29T09:09:00.006+11:00

Book crush.

Yes. I have been known to fall a little bit in love with certain books. Once I get drawn in I can’t stand to be parted from it so it goes in every bag. Sometimes I carry it just to keep it close because you never know when you’ll have a moment to pick it up again - waiting for the train, on the train, waiting for my coffee. Right now that book is: Let the Great World Spin by Column McCann. It’s not especially new but it didn’t appear on my radar until a friend from work started raving about it (it also one the National Book Award).

Set in New York in the 70s, it begins with a crowd of onlookers spotting Frenchman Philippe Petit walking on air as he walked across a tightrope between the towers of the World Trade Centre.

Those ordinary people have witnessed something extraordinary and Irish novelist McCann isolates some of those characters and lets their stories unfold, overlap and collide. It’s such an evocative read and New York is treated with as much respect and complexity as one of McCann’s characters. It’s one of those books you read with a pencil, just so you can underline the perfect line.
Here’s just a couple: ‘‘It was a look that suggested she was part of a mystery she wouldn’t let go of’’.
‘‘A bridge lay between us, composed almost entirely of my brother’’.
Anyway. This the book I’m loving right now. More are on the way, I’m sure, but right now - it’s this one.

Photograph: Leonard Freed/Magnum
PS: If you get the chance, read the book first then watch Man On Wire - the fantastic documentary about Petit's 1974 wire-walking feat. Amazing.

Softie for Mirabel.

2010-11-18T21:39:00.002+11:00

Finished my softie for Mirabel organised by Meet Me At Mikes. I hope he brings a smile to a little.

The pattern is from this Softies book, a great place to start for new sewers, page after page of very cute, straight forward patterns.

Recent Reads

2010-11-18T13:12:00.009+11:00

I've read some fantastic Young Adult books lately so I thought I'd post about a few of my favourites:

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn.

He hates Christmas. She loves Christmas. He finds a mysterious note book in his favourite bookshop, she dares him to come looking for her - the mysterious, goofy Lily. A book about falling in love, or maybe not falling in love. So good.

Burnt Snow
by Van Badham

You might think you've read this story before; girl reluctantly moves to small town and meets the bad boy but trust me, there's much more to this solid, paranormal story set right here in Australia.

Six Impossible Things
by Fiona Wood

One of the best YA books I've read all year. Fourteen year-old Dan Cereill is such a good character; he's a little like Woody Allen (but more loveable). A great story about longing, fitting in and realising fitting in is overrated.

And here are two titles I'm hoping to get to very soon:

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters
by Natalie Standiford

"The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grand-mother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die... and has cut the entire family out of her will."

and

Matched by Ally Condie

''On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her match. Society dictates he is her perfect partner for life. Except he's not.

Sew La Tea Do

2010-10-21T20:23:00.003+11:00

Got my crafty little hands on a copy of Pip Lincoln's new book Sew La Tea Do. And yes, one look and it's made me want to do,do,do!
So many great projects from a simple bib for a babe to a pair of lazy day pants.
Looking forward to picking a project to start. It's not only full of clever patterns but crowded with lovely photographs, too. And you know what's especially nice? Pip is made in Melbourne!

2010-10-19T10:24:00.004+11:00

I've been stumbling across this book for years but have never actually read it. Now's my chance.

Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp is said to be genuinely frightening and not for the faint-hearted. Excellent news.

Here's the first paragraph:

There are times when the midsummer sun strikes cold, and when the leaping flames of a hearthfire give no heat. Times when the chill within us comes not from fears we know, but from fears unknown - and forever unknowable...

2010-10-18T09:37:00.005+11:00

The recent wild weather, rain, wind, hail has got me in the mood for some seasonal reading and what better book to read than a ghost story?
Susan Hill's latest (she also wrote The Woman in Black) The Small Hand has all the makings of a spine tingling read: a crumbling mansion, the ghostly figure of a small child, the bleak English countryside. I started it on the train this morning...

It was little before nine o'clock, the sun was setting into a bank of smoky-violet clouod and I had lost my way. I reversed the car in the gateway and drove back half a mile to the fingerpost. I had spent the past twenty-four hours with a client near the coast and was returning to London, but it had clearly been foolish to leave the main route and head across country.

It's a slim book (166 pages) so plan to knock it off quickly and get back to Franzen's Freedom.

Tommorrow: Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp.

New Dress for Wanda

2010-10-10T19:08:00.001+11:00

Why?
Why not.

Finding at Finders and Keepers

2010-10-10T18:37:00.006+11:00

Dropped into Finders Keepers market on Saturday. Wow. What a fantastic gathering of great hand-made things - gorgeous, well-made and original, things. We had a jammed packed day so we could only spend one, tiny hour but I think I managed to see every stall. There was so many delightful things, a couple of hours more would have been ideal.
Here's a few snaps of the haul. Only downside was lack of caffeine. The poor bloke had set up but didn't have any power - no coffee. Melbourne. Shopping. No coffee? Not good. We got there at 10am and it was comfortably busy...I imagine things got a whole lot more crowded later on. Hope it did.

Love love love: this painted plate by Storybook Rabbit

& this very cute and functional make-up purse.

& this wee pot holder made by Pip from Meet Me At Mkes:

I picked up a lot of lovely business cards from loads of makers: here's just a few from my favourites:

frankie mag had a groovy little lounge all set up with a dj playing chilled out tunes. Really hope it was a success for all.

So glad I got there. If you live in Melbourne, hope you did, too.

Friday Round-Up

2010-10-08T14:19:00.002+11:00

Weekend's almost here but this is what's been catching my eye today:

Anna Walker's blog - illustrator of All Through the Year and Little Cat and the Big Red Bus. If you haven't read her books (with Jane Godwin), you're missing something really lovely.

Sweet Paul's visually delicious online cooking magazine. Great styling. I can't wait to try the apple muffins.

Really looking forward to Finders Keepers Market on this Saturday and Sunday. Meet Me At Mikes will be there and Lark, too.

Tomorrow after the market:

*lunch by the sea with the out-laws
*a movie at The Sun
*dog walk
*reading
*making apple muffins
*crochet

It's going to be a good one. I hope yours is too.

Rockaway Taco - The Selby

2010-10-06T16:59:00.004+11:00

A really lovely short film about bees, surfing, veggies and community.

Footage of Nathalie Lete painting in Melbourne.

2010-09-26T16:07:00.008+10:00

Such a treat to see Nathalie Lete painting a store window at Blue Illusion today in Malvern. After following her work for so long, I was really excited to meet her in person and stand there (along with lots of other people) and watch her work. Jam Fancy was there, too. A lovely gathering of crafty bloggers and people who admire Lete's work. So lucky to see Lete dip her brush and just...create something so beautiful.

Interview with Nathalie Lete

2010-09-24T09:15:00.002+10:00

A window into Lete's Red Riding Hood world

Frances Atkinson

NATHALIE Lete's work is exuberant, nostalgic and everywhere. Blooming flowers with giant petals, bright red toadstools, battered teddy-bears, butterflies and birds; her work is story-book naive, with bold brush stokes from a boiled-lolly palette.

In the past decade the work of the Paris-based artist has become coveted by everyone from Disneyland and Issey Miyake to Chanel and, most recently, Australian clothing line Blue Illusion. Lete's unique aesthetic has blurred across a diverse array of items including clothing, rugs, jewellery, stationery, dinner-ware, ceramics, linens and colouring books.

In an email interview (her English is not strong) on the eve of her first Melbourne visit, 46-year-old Lete talks about her childhood growing up in Paris. ''I had no brother and sister so I was often alone and drawing all the time,'' she explains.

Holidays were spent with her grandmother in Bavaria where Lete spent her days exploring the forest, ''like Little Red Riding Hood''. Fairytales, ''the woods'' and the menacing threat that might be lurking there, also creeps into Lete's work: a spider dangles from a web or a wolf with a hungry look prowls nearby.

''My mother read me lots of stories when I was a child and I loved the illustrations. Even now, when I'm in the middle of nature, I can remember that feeling and I try to use it in my work,'' she says.

Lete says her father also influenced how she sees the world. ''He was Chinese. He wasn't really home a lot because he worked very hard. I remember we had a lot of silk paintings and my mother had some kimonos, which I loved.''

Lete describes her visual style as a mosaic that draws on everything from souvenirs to clashing colours.

''I like contrasting things. I think my parents had 'strange' taste and as I got older, I developed my own and now I mix both. Sometimes what I paint is inspired by stories I make up in my head. Some people might not understand this but it's an important part of how I work.''

Making a living from her art was something Lete always hoped to achieve, but growing up she was told the idea was ''impossible''. Undeterred, when she was 18, she sought the advice of an astrologer who predicted she would become an artist.

''That's why I went to art school, but it wasn't always an easy path. It's been a lot of hard work.''

Today Lete, her husband, painter Thomas Fougerol, and their two children, Oskar and Angele, live and work in a renovated 19th century studio that was once a metal factory that made pieces for the Eiffel Tower. The iconic structure features in Lete's work as a playful kitsch element that she seems to mock and embrace in equal measure.

Recently, Lete was flown to New York to paint Anthropologie's window on Fifth Avenue and this Sunday, she will visit two Blue Illusion stores in Melbourne. ''People are amazed that I find painting the windows so easy but for me, it's like a big piece of paper,'' she says. ''It's fun to draw such large pieces … it makes me really happy.''

The desire to create - whether for the crowd of bystanders she inevitably attracts, or a major label - is constant. ''I always have this feeling that I need to do something, otherwise I feel like a prisoner inside.''

Lete says that her ability to recreate certain feelings of nostalgia is partly because she feels ''disconnected" with the reality of being an adult. ''I don't like too many responsibilities, unless it's to do with my work. I like to feel protected in my world, which is probably why I'm so organised."

As Lete's popularity grows, how she manages her creative time has become critical. ''The success is great but I can't just sit on my balcony,'' she says. ''I have so much to do but I'm not a machine, I have to make sure I don't forget myself.''

Blue Illusion, Sunday 10am, 113 Glenferrie Road, Malvern; 2pm, G093, Doncaster Shopping Centre.

From: The Age newspaper

Queen SIze Crochet Blanket FINALLY finished

2010-09-18T14:56:00.002+10:00

Three and a half years.
Countless balls of yarn.
Hours of happy hooking.
Ta daaa.

Chapter One: Spring Comes This Way

2010-09-14T09:35:00.010+10:00

The warmer weather is getting closer. You can see it in the early mornings and again later at night when the sky gets that pinkish glow. I don't mind winter but I'm ready for some sun, reading in the shade, picnics, bbqs and drinks with lots of ice. Speaking of reading, I've got a stack of books on the go. I usually try and read one at a time but the four books on my bedside table and the one in my handbag, tell a different story.

I've just started Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (if you buy it from Book Depository, it's FREE shipping around the world). The film, with Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley is out soon and looks fantastic. Set in the 1990s, the book is about three children who grew up and were educated at Hailsham School, a place where children are referred to as 'donors' and have 'guardians'. I'm not too far into the story, but it's got me completely absorbed.

Racing through Jonathan Franzen's new one: Freedom. When it comes to a contemporary take on the suburbs of North America, Franzen is a wicked genius. The book charts the lives and the demise of the Berglund family. They might look like the perfect couple with two 'perfect' teenage children, but of course, they're not. More acerbic than poignant, Franzen's take on modern life can make you squirm and laugh at the same time. Can't wait to get on with this book.

Just quickly: Naming the Bones by Louise Welsh. I saw her recently at the Melbourne Writers' Festival and she was fascinating.

Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein. Loving this book about an American journalist who ends up working for a big Japanese newspaper and taking on the Yukuza. He was at the MWF, too - very funny guy with so many amazing tales of his life covering the 'beat'. Made me want to jump on a plane and fly to Tokyo (again!).

Okay. That's not exactly all of the books I've got my nose in but it's a start. I'm off to get a coffee and find some sun.

Breakfast: the prettiest meal of the day.

2010-09-01T19:25:00.002+10:00

Our breakfast doesn't look this pretty every day but a new teapot kind of demanded a little extra trouble. Loving Sophie Dahl's cookbook. I haven't actually made anything from it...yet, but it makes for good breakfast reading and the pictures? So pretty.

Woolly Winter

2010-09-01T19:13:00.003+10:00

A friend told me about the Yarn Barn in Reynard Street Coburg, just up from the old Progress Theatre. It's a small, unglamorous shop but they have some of the best colours. I went a little crazy, partly due to the fact that I was on the home stretch with my 100 granny square blanket. These new hues got me over the line.

Wee Wonderfuls WIP

2010-08-22T19:14:00.003+10:00

I've been following Wee Wonderfuls for years and even made a few of her lovely softies but her latest book, Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love inspired me to stop organising my craft space and actually make something. It's been ages since I've made something so I've started off slow and easy. This little doll took about half an hour to make. I haven't quite finished sewing on her features, but here's a shot of where I'm up to and a few more from the book. The book as a great range of projects, from hand-sewing to more complicated toys but they have one thing in common, they're all cute and would make great gifts for littles.

Craftroom Clean Up

2010-07-26T16:14:00.003+10:00

I don't know how long it took me. Felt like FOREVER but finally got some order back in the craft-room. A lot of stuff went to Op-Shops and Good Will bins. I've got to stop A: Hanging onto everything and B: buying more fabric, felt and wool. MUST start using what I have. Looking forward to sewing something. No idea what, but hope inspiration will strike soon. Happy making.

Baby Buntings

2010-07-19T12:52:00.004+10:00

There's Chloe in Glasgow.
Timmy in Castlemain
Reilly in Flemington
Howie in Yarraville
Alberta in Geelong

and they all need a little Welcome To The World Hope You Like It gift. I found this pattern in the new Simple Softies For The Whole Family published by Penguin. They were so quick to make and each one has a lovely bell firmly stuffed into its head (not as painful as it sounds). Next stage; pack them up and post them. I hope their wee hands wave them high.

A Book For You...

2010-06-14T13:21:00.002+10:00

Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffit by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain is looking for a new home. If you live in Australia and would like the book, please leave a comment and email address and I'll be in touch. First comment and the book is yours. Enjoy!

Send in the Clowns

2010-04-02T18:38:00.002+11:00

Well all that talk about inspiration worked. Dug out one of my Japanese Craft books and made this funny little guy. Had a lot of fun picking clashing fabrics. I tucked a bell in him too so he makes a pleasing chime when you shake him.

Finding inspiration

2010-03-24T12:20:00.008+11:00

Sometimes I get the itch to start a new project but lack a bit of direction. What to make? Something big and time
consuming or something little and satisfying? For me, it all starts in my head. I start tossing up ideas, thinking about fabrics, books, colours. But if I can't actually settle on a project, I do the the following:

1.
Make a cup of tea.

2.
Crack open my inspiration books. These are five notebooks full of images taken from magazines, newspapers and the web of anything creative that catches my eye from a particular shade of pink on a cupcake to the way a curtain falls. I started the first book about six years ago and I'm still going.
It's a great way to have everything that appeals to me in one place. Whenever I happen to be in an op-shop, I always look for
magazines - old copies of Inside Out, Real Living and Vogue Living are always worth snapping up.

3.
Check out my favourite websites: Meet Me At Mikes, Loobylu, Posie Gets Cozie, Craftapooloza, Du Buh Du Design, High Up In The Trees, Jane Brocket, Make+Meaning are just some of the creative blogs that never fail to strike a spark.

4.
Trawl through my Japanese Craft books. These are a lot easier to get these days, especially via ebay.
Great photos, wonderful step-by-step instructions, these aren't cheap but I find them endlessly inspiring.

5.
Sketch. Here's the thing. I can't draw to save myself but picking up a pencil and making lines on a page helps me to loosen up. Often the project I end up making has nothing to do with sketching but somehow it's all connected.

6.
Take photos. I carry a Canon IXUS everywhere I go.

7. Read the latest and back issues of Mixtape. This is a little craft magazine published in Australia and every issue is packed with diverse stories about crafting, books, recipes and music. It's a corker and worth every cent.

8. Listen to Craftsanity - a weekly crafty pod-cast by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood.

What about you?

What do you do to get needle, hook, paint brush, pencil going?

2010-03-17T11:16:00.001+11:00

Beach Day Feeling

Sunday's Kitchen

2010-03-16T08:59:00.003+11:00

Last Sunday Em and I went to the launch of Sunday's Kitchen by Lesley Harding and Kendrah Morgan. In Sunday Reed's garden at Heide (at the Museum of Modern Art), in the blazing sun, this gorgeous book got its start in the world.

Part cookbook, part social history, Sunday's Kitchen is all about the domestic and artistic lives of a group of artists (Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Arthur Boyd, Joy Hester, John Perceval, Charles Blackman and countless others) who met regularly at Heide to share in the lives of Sunday and John Reed.

Sunday and John were living sustainably long before it became popular. They grew their own vegies, milked their own cows, made butter, bread, preserves and used their way of life to cultivate and support an artistic circle of visual artists, poets and writers right up until their deaths in 1981. John died of cancer in December and Sunday died just ten days later. Every day at 4pm, Sunday would have 'Arvo Tea' which, ''signalled not only the end of a day's work, but also a forum for intelligent conversation and debate''.

Today the original house, now a gallery, still stands. My favourite room is the library/lounge. This is where the Reeds would sit after dinner, smoking, drinking and talking. It's not a big room but the walls are lined with books and somehow it feels like the heart of the house.

Here are some photos from Sunday's Kitchen.

Quilt+2dogs=potential disaster

2010-03-07T19:15:00.003+11:00

So. I'd never made a quilt before. A few pre-cutting nerves and soon I had a neat(ish) stack of squares. Sew, sew, zip, zip. I get half the top done and decide I need more squares. I hang my half made-quilt over the back of my chair and start thinking about colours and prints. More flowers? Some stripes? The dogs had been in the craft room all morning. Outside it was pouring down in heavy sheets. I'm still pondering when I see a flash of colour out the corner of my eye.

That's when the screaming began.

Toby (Jack Russell) has one end of my quilt.
Mouse (Fox Terreir) has the other.
They are pulling in opposite directions.

Some sort of Crafting Miracle took place because I managed to gently extract it from their bitey jaws in one piece.

Now I know why quilting is so difficult.

Anyway. The whole thing took me all day but I was happy with it in the end. There's no lovely top-stitching or binding. And I don't think it'll be handed down from one generation to the next - but it's official. I've made my first quilt and not even dogs could stop me.

POSTSCRIPT: SNAP! For more dog vs quilt go to Posie Gets Cozy

Finished WIP

2010-01-24T18:55:00.003+11:00

All done.

Camilla Engman: The Suitcase Series

2010-01-24T18:20:00.004+11:00

I've been an admirer of Camilla Engman's work for some time, especially her drawings and painting that often feature strange looking people in even stranger looking forests. I read her blog and enjoy posts about her dog Morran and her daily life in Gothenburg, Sweden.

I stumbled across The Suitcase Series on her blog. It looks like the first of a collection of books published by Uppercase that focus on different artists from around the world. You can buy it here. It's one of the most creatively inspiring books I've read in ages. It arrived with lots of extra goodies, too; postcards and a print and a small booklet all about Morran.

The book kicks off with a chapter on Camilla's childhood but goes on to delves into her art, why she creates, her inspirations and attitude towards 'making'. I've been carrying around for ages and each time I get the chance, I dip into it and feel a little creative charge that makes me think...it's time I got some making done myself.

Oh, can you spot one of Loobylu's creations up there on the shelf?

2010-01-20T18:40:00.003+11:00

It's true - it's good to have at least one family member who has a house/shack/van near the beach. We only had a night and a day but we packed it in. My sister (a great cook) made hot, buttery pancakes. There was swimming and sailing and walking the dogs on the beach. Hours by the sea can equal days...

Typical!

2010-01-13T12:26:00.004+11:00

Three weeks off and I wait until the last day to get all crafty! This little doll (still painfully inside out) is far from original. I was inspired by Posie Gets Cozy and her lovely doll on the cover of Stitched in Time. Will let you know how she turns out. Ha ha.

PS Ah yes! Also influenced by the talented Apolline a Paris. Thanks Papillion Bleu UK!

Strawberry Fields Forever

2010-01-09T10:32:00.002+11:00

Sunny Ridge, isn't that a perfect name for a Strawberry Farm? Early yesterday morning we headed for the sea-side hills of Flinders to get the jump on what was a very hot day. We got to the farm by 10am, paid $8 and was each handed a large (empty) punnet and headed for the biggest strawberry patch in the world. Can you see how red they are? In the field, each ripe strawberry was like a tiny, red glowing globe - even in the bright sun - you could see hundreds of them hiding in the dark leaves. And the taste? Some were gently warmed by the sun, others were cooler and smelled sweet like summer.

Pretty Paintings from Paris

2010-01-06T10:33:00.006+11:00

A quick trip to Canberra to see Masterpieces from Paris at the National Gallery. We got there early and had our tickets but there was still a long (but very quiet) line weaving into the gallery. I guess we shuffled for just over an hour until we got even a glance at the pictures.

I'd never seen a real Degas before so seeing Dancers climbing the stairs was amazing. One of the dancers has a blue bow looked as if it has sparkles in the paint, as if it was illuminated somehow.

Claude Monet's London, Parliament: sun through the fog was mind-boggling. Nothing in the painting is clear, just shades of light and dark and smudges but you can see the sun setting behind the bank of fog.

There was a big crowd around Vincent van Gogh's Starry night. How did he do it? The depth of the yellow stars? The inky sky. You can almost hear the water lapping. Insane.

One of my favourites was Rest by Vilhelm Hammershoi. A woman sitting in a wooden chair, you never see her face, just the back of her head; her hair in a up-sweep, a table and part of a white, scalloped plate. So still and muted.

On the way out of the gallery grounds we went though The Fog Garden - great timing. We left in a haze.

It was my second trip to Canberra but it always feels the same, like a photograph taken on a hot day.

My holiday days are running out. Picking strawberries in Flinders tomorrow or not!

Brand New Decade - 2010

2010-01-03T18:23:00.005+11:00

Not a big fan of resolutions - usually. Maybe it's the new decade thing but I've been doing quite a bit of reflecting. I think turning 40 had some part to play. It didn't hit me on the way up but rather blind-sided me on the way past. 2009 was a mixed bag. Work sucked energy big time. I crafted less, I played less, I got more annoyed about the little things.

I work to daily deadlines and in the past I've managed to meet them and leave them behind at a days end, but 2009 was different, a new (exciting job) had those invisible lines chasing me home and controlling all the fun stuff, too. Trains suddenly had to be caught, stuff had to be 'perfect' and often wasn't. I said Yes when I should of said No. By mid July the craft room was getting dusty.

I didn't put the lids back on, stuff got wasted.

I want this year to be different. I want to get some balance back and have more fun. I want to get fitter, sleep better, listen more, read more, judge less, fret less, laugh more, try and fail and not care, make things, draw things, see the little things, fight the big things and put the lids back on.

Meanwhile, a lovely illustration by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Hope you have a good 2010. x

Larking About...

2010-01-03T17:36:00.003+11:00

We drove up to Daylesford yesterday to visit Lark! It's just as lovely as I imagined, full of cute & clever crafty goods and some eye-catching unexpected things like pink and green tipped matches and red and white paper straws. As if I wasn't excited enough, Allison also has a range of Paumes books and Paris Kitchens came home with me. Now I want to do two things: renovate the kitchen AND fly to Paris, via Tokyo. See what a harmless trip to the country can do? Here's a few pics of the day.

Books I'm moving in with over Summer

2009-12-21T11:54:00.002+11:00

Three weeks, too many books. Not sure which titles I'll actually get through but I'm not going to give up without a fight. I'm gonna push a big old arm-chair right into the middle of the garden and starting reading...in no particular order...

1. The Dome by Stephen King.
''The first thing readers might find scary about Stephen King's Under The Dome is its length. The second is the elaborate town map and list of characters at the front of the book (including "Dogs of Note"), which sometimes portends, you know, heavy lifting. Don't you believe it. Breathless pacing and effortless characterization are the hallmarks of King's best books, and here the writing is immersive, the suspense unrelenting. The pages turn so fast that your hand--or Kindle-clicking thumb--will barely be able to keep up.''

2. The Children Who Lived in a Barn by Eleanor Graham
''This 1938 novel became a children's literature classic when it was reissued as a Puffin paperback in 1955; but Persephone Books has published it for both adults and children to read. It shows five children successfully looking after themselves when their parents go away and fail to return; and 'it is partly because of modern curtailment of childhood independence that Persephone Books (which has a cult following for its elegant resurrection of novels by women writers) has reissued the novel,' wrote Rachel Johnson on the Daily Telegraph.''

3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
''England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey′s clerk, and later his successor.''

4. Mother Land by Dmetri Kakmi
''Mother land is a memoir by Melbourne writer Dmetri Kakmi, about his childhood in the late 1960s on the island of Bozcaada (also known as Bozca Island) in the Aegean Sea, at the entrance to the Dardanelle Straits, at a time when political tensions between Greece and Turkey were at their peak, and the islands Greek population was subject to intimidation by its Turkish government.''

5. Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by Randy Taraborrelli
''Beautiful, damaged, the ultimate sex symbol, publicly celebrated, privately unhappy – Marilyn Monroe's tumultuous life and untimely death continue to fascinate us.''

What are you reading?

Tis the season...

2009-12-07T11:00:00.004+11:00

FROM THIS

TO THIS

INSPIRED by Posie Gets Cozy and her charming mantel.

Doodle Bugs

2009-12-07T10:45:00.004+11:00

I get twitchy when I don't have time to make stuff but that's just how it is for now. Instead of firing up the sewing machine, I picked up a pencil instead. The slow pace of shading, little dashes of pencil, scratches and dots just fits my mood right now and for whatever reason, I'm especially keen on insects.

I've discovered this fantastic book, too; Pictorial Webster's: A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities by John M . Carrera. Inspiration galore.

What's Hot/What's Not

2009-12-03T15:53:00.006+11:00

HOT:

Jane Campion's new film Bright Star about John Keats and the love of his life, Fanny Brawne. I was able to see an early viewing and I love, loved it. Basically I sat their for two hours (okay, there were some tears)and just let the film wash over me. Campion has a way of capturing certain feelings and senses on film: washing drying in the wind, lots of close-ups of busy hands sewing, sunlight drifting through curtains, rain falling. The love story itself unfolds beautifully.

CHRISTMAS CARDS:
I put Harry Potter on the CD player and got cracking. This year I spent a bit more time choosing pretty cards and got one of those dinky wax seals. It took a few cards before I got the swing of it, but in the end, they came up well...if you don't count the few that caught fire. We don't count those.

OH SEW PRETTY

Finding Melissa's lovely creations on Flickr. Here is one seriously talented maker.

THE BLACK APPLE'S FANCY WEARABLES

I missed out on the girl with the birds but scored a pretty locket with a classic Black Apple portrait instead. Very pleased.

LISTENING TO
Kitty Daisy & Lewis. Three teenage siblings that play a mash of swing, Hawaiian, rock n roll. Seriously. One listen is all it takes. They're coming to Melbourne but I missed out on tickets. Doh!

NOT HOT

HAULING rocks. We rocked out our tiny front garden. Looks great - rocks heavy.

WOEFULLY underestimating the time involved in making Christmas ornaments as gifts. Yeah. Not gonna happen.

All in all. More Hot than Not. Nice.

MORE PLAYING THE GAME AT LOOBYLU
Today marks her TEN YEAR BLOGVERSARY. Brilliant.

Nathalie Lete in Tokyo.

2009-11-26T13:33:00.003+11:00

I've just watched a delightful clip of Nathalie Lete paiting in a shop window in Tokyo thanks to Geninne's Art Blog. Check it out....

What's HOT and NOT

2009-11-23T18:01:00.005+11:00

HOT

Steph Bowe's blog, Hey! Teenager of the Year - a site by a talented 15 year-old who has lots of interesting things to say about being a writer. She's just got her first book deal and if you read her blog, you'll understand why.

Jam Fancy (aka Christina) has an ETSY shop. How cute is this picture?

"Would you like that gift wrapped?" For some strange reason...I've always answered "No".

Not any more. Now I'm saying yes. Why has it taken me so long?

Following Dita Von Teese on Twitter.
She's renting an apartment in Paris for the Summer...what's not to love?

Reading Swimming by Enza Gandolfo and enjoying its structure how she plays with language and the overall pull of the story line.

Buckets and buckets of rain.

NOT HOT

Rain on the inside of the house - as in - dripping down lounge-room wall. So not hot.

Mouse the dog barking at every single bird that flys over/near/within a 40k radius of the garden.

The wardrobe/costume person who 'dressed' the entire Cullen clan in New Moon. As Liz Lemon (30ROCK) would say BLURG!

More HOT AND NOT fun at Loobylu

What's Hot+What's Not

2009-11-18T22:44:00.003+11:00

Playing along with Loobylu's Hot and Not...

HOT

Getting my toes painted hot pink.

Homemade Turkish Delight Ice Cream made with rose water from a new shop in Yarraville.

Alison Lester's exhibition: Running WIth The Horses on until 22 November put on by Books Illustrated. She's one of
my favorite writers/illustrators and seeing her work up close is amazing.

Season two of The Wire - reminds me of Footscray docks.

Getting home in the gloaming.

Reading issue ten of MIXED TAPE. So inspiring.

NOT so hot

Not finding time to make stuff.

Spending too much money on fancy Christmas cards at Zetta Florence :)

Drinking four coffees a day...okay.... sometimes five.

Cleaning the juicer. Grrrrrr.

Coffee with Ms Woolf

2009-11-17T09:29:00.003+11:00

I slept badly last night. Ended up waking at some ungodly hour. Too sleepy to read. Too awake to sleep. Decided to get up early, take my book down to the nearest cafe and take in some soothing words. I'm still sleepy but much happier.

On my bedside table...books galore

2009-11-15T18:29:00.002+11:00

I love them but they taunt me...half read, waiting to be read and let's face it, destined never to be read. But I love
having them just there.

Shock of the new...

2009-11-15T18:23:00.003+11:00

Emily Martin over at Inside A Black Apple had an Etsy sale a few weeks ago and I snaffled this pretty print and got it framed.

I wandered from room to room looking for the right spot - I even considered the kitchen! But she's found a home in the
bedroom. Pretty flame-haired girl and her wild bird.

Boo

2009-11-02T10:30:00.005+11:00

Halloween night was so much fun. It (happily) coincided with a dinner with friends. There was thunder, there was lightening, not to mention delicious home-made curry, dahl and fish dipped in spices. Later we had creamy, toffee topped chocolate pots ...then we worked it all off playing Wii...NOT, but had fun trying. Turns out I'm brilliant and down-hill skiing. Who knew?

Outside the storm blew in. A few spooky stories and a strange noise upstairs. I took this photo a couple of weeks ago when I passed a Melbourne institution - Bernard's Magic Shop in Elizabeth Street.

The Quilt Project

2009-10-28T09:28:00.003+11:00

Last Friday evening was the official viewing of the amazing Quilt Project at the Abbotsford Convent in Collingwood. I had a such a great night. Kirsty from Kootoyoo came up with the whole idea and asked 66 people to provide one square each - something original entirely done in red. Seeing all those squares as one, giant piece was such a thrill but it also made clear just how much work was involved.

Thank you Kirsty for coming up with such a great idea and making it all happen.

Here are some pics but for a much closer look, go to: Kootoyoo and check it out.

2009-10-16T18:22:00.004+11:00

I was over reading Inside A Black Apple and found a link to this lovely work by ohmycavalier

Can't wait until it arrives.

Have a good weekend!

Mouse is in the house.

2009-10-10T19:49:00.002+11:00

Meet Mouse. The we've had her since March. Toby loves/hates her - we just love her...unless she's being really naughty. That happens.

iPhone Sketch Day Three

2009-10-08T10:27:00.003+11:00

No.3. Bee

App, app, happy.

2009-10-06T10:02:00.005+11:00

I've set myself a little creative task...each day I'm going to do a quick sketch using SketchBook, an iPhone application that I discovered recently.

Feel free to join in. You don't have to use technology...pencil&paper will do just fine.

Here's sketch No. 1. View out a cafe window.

And the winner is...

2009-09-30T14:36:00.003+10:00

Sorry to leave you all hanging! I selected the winner the old fashioned way...names in hat.

Book goes to:

MJB at meandgracie

Please email me your postal details (spindle@iinet.net.au) and I'll pop it in the post.

Thanks for playing.

Giveaway...

2009-09-24T12:30:00.002+10:00

I started this blog on June 27, 2005 so looks like I missed my blogday! Nevermind. I still enjoy blogging. Thanks for making it fun, for stopping by and saying hello, for sharing your blogs and supplying me with loads of inspiration.

If you'd like to win this book...simply leave a comment before Monday, 28th September at noon and I'll pick a winner.

2009-09-21T10:29:00.002+10:00

Goodbye square! This is the finished piece for Kootyoo's The Quilt Project. I enjoyed every stitch (notice there's no shot of the back)...I even took it to New Zealand with me and when I ran out of red thread, I found a tiny little craft shop in the town of Dargerville that had just the right colour. I can't wait to see what everyone else came up with.

Back from The Land of the Long White Cloud...

2009-09-18T09:53:00.006+10:00

Beauty everywhere. I think I took about 400 photos...here are just a few. Can you smell the fresh air? Feel the last glow of the sunset?

Spirited Away...

2009-08-26T10:15:00.002+10:00

I'm off. Em and I are going away...three weeks in New Zealand to the North Island. Wild coast, sea-food, rugged walks, wine, books, a little batch by the sea. So excited. So ready. Farewell.

Books on Toast

2009-08-17T13:52:00.005+10:00

I got a copy of the delightful Homemade:The Handmade Help Recipe Book put together by loads of crafty people. Every cent of the $15 goes to those who were affected by the Feb 7 bushfires. I couldn't wait to try something so last night I made the Lentil and Spinach Casserole. Two words: easy and delicious.

I also splurged on Julia Childs Mastering The Art of French Cooking. I think I'm over my head! I really enjoyed reading Julie and Julia by Julie Powell and soon the movie, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams will be out. Hope it's good.

Meanwhile, I don't think I'll be tackling anything too fancy - maybe I'll try a simple soup. How hard can it be?

But nothing is being cooked right now - not while I have my nose in this book.

Mary Blair in Tokyo

2009-08-11T14:10:00.003+10:00

I'd like to go here... Now would be good.

RED RED RED RED

2009-08-10T12:31:00.002+10:00

Red wine, the red shoes, Little Red Riding Hood, Red Baron, Kitchen Aid, Red Carpet...

I've signed up to do Kootoyoo's The Quilt Project. One square, all read, all the time.

Original? That's the request. Thinking, looking, waiting for a good idea to pop into my head. Hmmm. I'm having fun already.

WIP

2009-08-10T12:28:00.003+10:00

I can't remember why I stopped work on this second Mimi Kirchner doll but I can't seem to get her finished. I've put them both up on the bookcase as a reminder to get back to it...but I just don't feel motivated. Maybe it's the pink dress?
Dunno.

Making wild things...

2009-08-10T12:22:00.003+10:00

I can't help but imagine a lovely friendship between Little Red Riding Hood and Max, from Where The Wild Things Are.

These two are almost finished - got to breath some personality into them and oh, make the hood part of Red.

The pattern is from the fantastic Inside A Black Apple. A great source of inspiration.

It's All About The Dark

2009-08-05T11:55:00.005+10:00

I've been sitting in the dark a lot lately and I'm loving it. The Melbourne International Film Festival is well underway. I've only seen three so far: Balibo, An Education and Tea with Madame Clos (I did not see that ending coming!). I was also lucky enough to catch Coraline...based on Neil Gaiman's wonderfully spooky novel by the same name. I've loved everything I've seen so far but what I really, really can't wait to see is Where The Wild Things Are... this film by Spike Jonze looks truly special. Fingers crossed it will be.

A Weekend by the Sea in a Haunted House...

2009-07-21T14:44:00.002+10:00

Don't worry. She was friendly. The sky was mostly blue but the wind was strong enough to blow away some internal cobwebs. Ahhh. Nothing like sea air and sea glass.

Owling on a Saturday

2009-07-11T18:53:00.001+10:00

Can you hear that? It's been wild and windy all day - the perfect day to make three little owls...

The Flock

2009-07-07T16:46:00.003+10:00

After weeks of thinking about it - I finally got around to making some of Posie Gets Cozy's Friendly Birds. You can buy the instructions on her site. I had a lot of fun shaping these into something that resembles a bird! But it wasn't a quick project...lots of drying time (a day) and then getting messy with flour/water and paper - but I was happy with the result.

2009-07-04T20:49:00.001+10:00

P!nk in concert. Brilliant.

Pink little cake filled with custard. Delightful.

Paumes I Love You

2009-06-24T13:31:00.003+10:00

I came across these books on my first trip to Tokyo a few years ago. Unassuming, their brightly coloured spines and small shape caught my eye...then I opened one.

Despite the fact that each book is entirely in Japanese, these books have provided enormous inspiration. Each title focuses on a different form of interior designs: children's room, gardens, shops in France or UK, artists studios, small living spaces, kitchens on and on. The images are like a jumble of snapshot, each one revealing a charming detail or flash of colour.

I've noticed I'm not alone in my admiration; Loobylu (http://loobylu.com/), The Lark - you can buy some there (http://the-lark.blogspot.com/) and Yarnstorm (http://www.yarnstorm.blogs.com/jane_brocket/) are all fans.

Ahh Paumes.

Blurrrr - the weekend.

2009-06-22T14:37:00.005+10:00

It happened. I know there were like - two whole days called Saturday and Sunday jammed in there but they whizzed by so fast - here's why.

Friday night - home but watched Wil Ferrel in Step Brothers. Bad movie but some funny spots. Okay. I was tired. I laughed a lot.

Saturday we went to Readings (for good books The Big Sleep and Jane Eyre coffee mug) and Borders (for good magazines) and went to the Florence Broadhurst (http://www.signatureprints.com.au/aboutus/aboutus_flobro.html) Pop-Up store down at Docklands. Now I do like a bit of Flo but I'm not super mad about her but lots of shoppers had a glint in their eye.

Saturday night we had a lovely dinner with Em's folks and saw the breathtaking Tokyo String Quartet (http://www.tokyoquartet.com/) at the new(ish) Melbourne Recital Centre. I'm not a classical music groupie but these guys were amazing. I'm so used to using my eyes to "see" an experience, it was kind of lovely to rely on another sense - it sounds obvious but it was an entirely different experience. A good one.

Sunday we were up early to see a sneak preview (very lucky, we are) of A Day in Pompeii exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. It was so fascinating and moving, especially the casts of the bodies that were discovered meters under the ash. You can also watch a seven minute 3D movie that gives an hour by hour account as the catastrophe unfolded. Pretty amazing. You can't help but focus on the human toll that day and how terrifying the experience must have been. There's also quite a few original pieces on display, including a gold bracelet engraved "To a slave from her master...". It opens on the 26 June.

Sunday afternoon we went to see Angels and Demons. The Sun Theatre is right near us, so we went for convenience rather than a burning desire (pardon the pun) to see Tom Hanks run around Rome! Ahhh. Sunday night. Roased pumpkin soup and Season Two of Big Love. Yes it was a good one. Hope yours was too.

Check out them apples.

2009-06-18T14:10:00.003+10:00

Take a moment, would you? Just look at this beauty made by Craftapalooza (http://craftapalooza.typepad.com/crafted/). It's one half of a swap. This apple might look good here but let me tell you, up close, it's even better.
Not To Self:finish your half of swap this weekend.

She Sells Sea Shells

2009-06-15T16:21:00.003+10:00

Weekend spent near the sea. Lovely house, good friends, big fire, wine, cheese, stories. Perfect. Lucky, lucky, lucky.

Work In Progress

2009-06-08T11:22:00.004+10:00

After what feels like ages, I'm back in the craft-room and working on a little project. Most evenings I've been crocheting squares, so it was great to do something different.

This is a wrist-let for a friend. We've organised a wee swap, so I'm very excited. I've even done a bit of planning (most unlike me). See my lovely Derwents? I've had them for years and years; bit of sketching is required and some sewing and some swearing as I try and "write" using my Janome. I'll take snap when I'm done.

Which one doesn't belong?

2009-06-01T15:41:00.002+10:00

Well, I'm still making squares. I got so impatient that I decided to start putting the blanket together - one square at a time! What was I thinking? I'm about 4o squares short and counting.

What?
Oh. The fish. His name is Fred (I think). He lives in Yarraville in a bottle shop window. According to his owners he's 45 years old. That's right. That fish is older than me - but I fear he never got the chance to see much of the world...

2009-05-19T14:03:00.005+10:00

This is the remarkable gift Emma gave me for my birthday...a Frida Kahlo doll by Du Buh Du. My photos do not convey just how stunning this doll is - the weight of her, the detail, her eyes, her hair, not to mention the tiny birdcage and the Frida bird that nestles in the crook of Frida's arms.

I came across Frida Kahlo many years ago. One summer holiday I read a fantastic biography by Hayden Herrera. That book became like a physical extension! I read it everywhere. It's still one of my all time fav books. Tragedy, art, love, death, betrayal - all writ large. So Frida is very special to me and having this tiny likness is a wonderful gift.

Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly? - Frida Kahlo

The Chills. The Thrills.

2009-05-11T09:29:00.003+10:00

I'm a fan of Sarah Waters. I got the chance to meet her a long time ago and she's as lovely as you think she might be. Her latest book builds slowly, almost to the point where you think....surely something must happen soon...and then something does happen. I haven't finished yet...want to take my time with this one and savour the details. A crumbling mansion, two siblings on the brink and a nameless terror. Brrrrrrrr.

2009-05-08T17:40:00.003+10:00

Winter evenings (well, as many as I can sqeeze in) have been about the soup, the couch, the hook and the wool. Bliss. I think I'm loving old age. Mabye. Maybe too much.

Part Two

2009-05-05T10:42:00.002+10:00

So there were thousands of books at the Clunes BookTown weekend...stacks and stacks of them; new, dusty, tiny, illustrated, obscure, general, all genres - a real mix. The one that caught my eye was The Open Book of Nature by Rev Charles Hall.

It's not a rare book but it is quite lovely. On Sunday night I was flicking through it and discovered that someone (the nature loving Kathleen Shedlock perhaps?) had pressed between the pages a four leaf clover. It was such a charming thing to find. I have no idea how long it was sealed between those pages but it looks like a very long time.

Anyway. It was a lovely thing to discover on my birthday and if it brings me extra luck, I'll be delighted to accept. Thank you Kathleen from me in 2009 to you in 1922.

BookTownBirthday Part One

2009-05-04T10:41:00.007+10:00

I really like birthdays (mostly my own!) despite the relentless marching/passing of years. Yesterday I turned 41. 41! I can hardly believe it. Forty was a biggy so I kind of thought 41 would fly under the radar but 41 sneakily turned into "nine years away from fifty". Geeze.

But hey, I had the best birthday weekend.
Friday night was all about friends, laughter. Saturday was the same, but add brunch, three makers markets (Yarraville, Seddon and Newport) that equalled a massive visual catch-up of all the clever things people are making out there. More laughs, more coffee and a reminder about how much fun my friends are. Speaking of clever crafters. I bumped into Kirsty at the Yarraville Market and basically dribbled all over her beautiful scarflets. See that stunning red and grey one? Mine all mine! I wore it all weekend.

Sunday was breakfast at Haus Frau in Yarraville and trip to the country to Clunes...a pretty/little town about a 150ks from Melbourne. Each year, for an entire weekend, it turns into Book Town and suddenly almost all of the beautiful historic buildings are transformed into bookshops. So. Much. Fun. The weather was amazing - clear, sunny and bright with tables groaning under the weight of new and second-hand books. There was a Punch and Judy show. I don't even like P&J but took a snap anyway. I was very restrained and only bought two books: a biography of Julia Child and a very old book called something like Into Nature that's full of gorgeous colour-plates and black and white drawings of English birds, nests and trout. Love it. But little did I know that it held a very special surprise!

Part Two tomorrow but here are some photos of the day.

2009-04-24T12:59:00.002+10:00

I love a Jane Campion film and her latest, Bright Star, about John Keats and his love for Fanny Brawne looks great. Hope it is.

Sundaysunday

2009-04-19T21:41:00.004+10:00

The week is about to begin but I'm not ready for Sunday to be over. Such beautiful sunny days. Some nice things we did:

Had breakfast at the Corner Shop in Yarraville.

Watched our little mate Max play his first footy game (under nines!). There was something so adorable about them all; such thin little legs, such long shorts and in their faces, a fierce kind of excitement when they rushed out onto the field...like a confused flock of little birds just itching to break into a run then flight.

Wandered around the Skirt and Shirt market at the Convent in Collingwood - one of the best markets I've seen in ages.
Celebrated Liz's 41st which means we've been friends for 21 years!

Hope the coming week is a good one. I so want it to be.

I was in a hurry to make a Mimi Kirchner doll so I machine sewed a few body parts; torso and legs. I'm pretty happy with how she turned out but when I make the next one, well, I'm going to take things a little slower and hand-stitch the whole thing - hopefully on those winter nights when it feels just right to put your pj's on a 7pm, eat soup and watch Rebecca.

Crochet a Day

2009-04-17T15:49:00.003+10:00

What a great idea. Meet Me At Mikes has kicked off A Granny A Day. I really need that sort of crafting deadline to keep me going...and guess what? I'm behind already. Nevermind. Sigh. Something to aim for!

Easter? Where'd it go?

2009-04-14T14:28:00.002+10:00

My Easter was kind of squished into two days. Saturday with Em's family and Sunday with mine. That's a whole lot of family! Good times. Great weather and just to top it off...an Easter Egg hunt.

This Is Exciting

2009-04-09T16:42:00.002+10:00

I've been a fan of Mimi Kirchner's work for ages. Look what's over here at Whip UP... what a nice thing to do for crafty peeps.