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.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sundaysunday
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.
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.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Crochet a Day
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!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Easter? Where'd it go?
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.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
This Is Exciting
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.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Work and Play
These two books kind of sum up where I'm at right now.
When things get ratty, when I'm tired, had four coffees in four hours and suddenly I'm smack in the middle of Stress City, I switch to soothe ...a little technique offered up by Stephanie Dowrick. It kind of works. Just saying the word
s o o t h e seems to help.
This week has been about work and play...and trying to strike some balance. A long working week of learning new stuff and creeping out of comfort zones has begun and now I'm all up for a bit of playing. Have a good weekend...and forget work until Monday!
When things get ratty, when I'm tired, had four coffees in four hours and suddenly I'm smack in the middle of Stress City, I switch to soothe ...a little technique offered up by Stephanie Dowrick. It kind of works. Just saying the word
s o o t h e seems to help.
This week has been about work and play...and trying to strike some balance. A long working week of learning new stuff and creeping out of comfort zones has begun and now I'm all up for a bit of playing. Have a good weekend...and forget work until Monday!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Hot off the Press...
Pics from Meet Me At Mikes launch at Metropolis...a couple of hours ago. There was tea, cake and lots and lots of crafty people looking very excited and happy to be there. Pip chatted with Jo Walker (blonde on the right), editor of Frankie magazine and took questions from the audience. A lovely night, a great book. Go get one!
Like Sand Through The Hour Glass...
I've been on holiday for the last four weeks but those happy days are coming to an end. I'm back to work Wednesday - starting a new role at my workplace - with lots of mixed feelings that range from sheer terror to well, sheer terror.
What a great holiday though. Days by the beach, Stitches and Craft Show, meeting friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner, cooking things from scratch, going to the movies (Let The Right One In, Knowing, Easy Virtue), reading and doing some dyi stuff around the house. Em and I painted our bedroom a lovely plant green called Banksia and the dining room got done over in Cooled Cream.
There were trips to Ikea and shelf building and more than a few tense moments: "Please pass me the drill...DARLING''. Time spent with family; my Dad went into hospital with ten toes and came out three weeks later with nine. He's doing pretty well.
And there was crafting. I've had a ball spending hours in the craft-room making dolls, purses and little wobbly toys. I've stacked and re-stacked fabric, sorted through ribbons and trim, re-read a lot of crafty books and become inspired all over again.
Holidays always make me think, too; time to wonder if what I'm doing is the thing I'm supposed to be doing and if not, who gets to complain about having a job in the middle of Global Economic Crisis when so many people are living with so much uncertainty? Stuff like that. Could be the 40 thing, too. If not, why not? If not now, when? Don't have those answers but do email me if you do!
Getting back to craftbooks. Tonight Em and I are off to the launch of Pip's fantabulous book, Meet Me At Mikes: 26 Crafty Projects and Things To Make. It's easy to like Pip and all she stands for; craft for all, mind your manners and have fun.. the book embodies all those qualities. The patterns are fantastic, the tone is delightful but most importantly, the directions are clear and concise! Yay! I put it to the test and made the Clutch Purse and was thrilled with the result. Well done Pip and all her cohorts! Pip kindly thanks me in her acknowledgments; something I discovered not that long ago. What a sweet, thrilling thing.
So some pictures. What a mess but each one is a holiday moment I'd happily re-live. Thanks for stopping by.
What a great holiday though. Days by the beach, Stitches and Craft Show, meeting friends for breakfast, lunch and dinner, cooking things from scratch, going to the movies (Let The Right One In, Knowing, Easy Virtue), reading and doing some dyi stuff around the house. Em and I painted our bedroom a lovely plant green called Banksia and the dining room got done over in Cooled Cream.
There were trips to Ikea and shelf building and more than a few tense moments: "Please pass me the drill...DARLING''. Time spent with family; my Dad went into hospital with ten toes and came out three weeks later with nine. He's doing pretty well.
And there was crafting. I've had a ball spending hours in the craft-room making dolls, purses and little wobbly toys. I've stacked and re-stacked fabric, sorted through ribbons and trim, re-read a lot of crafty books and become inspired all over again.
Holidays always make me think, too; time to wonder if what I'm doing is the thing I'm supposed to be doing and if not, who gets to complain about having a job in the middle of Global Economic Crisis when so many people are living with so much uncertainty? Stuff like that. Could be the 40 thing, too. If not, why not? If not now, when? Don't have those answers but do email me if you do!
Getting back to craftbooks. Tonight Em and I are off to the launch of Pip's fantabulous book, Meet Me At Mikes: 26 Crafty Projects and Things To Make. It's easy to like Pip and all she stands for; craft for all, mind your manners and have fun.. the book embodies all those qualities. The patterns are fantastic, the tone is delightful but most importantly, the directions are clear and concise! Yay! I put it to the test and made the Clutch Purse and was thrilled with the result. Well done Pip and all her cohorts! Pip kindly thanks me in her acknowledgments; something I discovered not that long ago. What a sweet, thrilling thing.
So some pictures. What a mess but each one is a holiday moment I'd happily re-live. Thanks for stopping by.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Stitching Away
This is a very cute Inside A Black Apple stitch set. Not sure what I'll do with it when it's finished; stuff it? Frame it? Maybe just look at it a little while longer...
Late summer...
Seven days at Venus Bay restored the soul - most of it anyway. Long walks on the long, long beach at dawn, sunset and between, reading on the couch, beach-combing the shoreline, pizza and wine, running away from wombats, slowing the car down to chat to a kangaroo, watching the sea-birds wheel, building sandcastles (badly) and television late into the night (Flight of the Concords, Diary of a Call Girl, The West Wing (again) - all helped.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Last month I was lucky enough to go along to the VIctorian Blythe Meet in Spotswood organised by talented and clever people namely Narelle and Christina from Jam Fancy fame and Alanna and Melissa and probably a lot of other sassy peeps. Such a fun day...look at all those dolls! There was chatting and cup of tea and macaroons made by Christina's husband and a special auction with money going to the Bush Fire Appeal and a women's refuge. Ace, ace, ace.
Check Them Apples
So we were driving in the country last weekend when we noticed these massive apples in an orchard just outside of Woodend. We thought about picking up a couple but we didn't have a trailer and there's no way they were going to fit in the Toyota. What a shame. That's a lot of apple pie.
Seaside Holiday
We're packing the car and heading off to Venus Bay. This photo was taken in the sixties when our family would spend Christmas holidays down Apollo Bay. My Dad built a house down there and a few other families had houses in the same street...I don't know everyone one in this photo...I was still a baby...but there's a handful of sisters and my Godfather and ice-cream and the glare of the sun. Here's to beach holidays in March.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
What a month. From the mundane (no Internet at home for the last 4wks thanks to Optus) to the tragedy of February 7th.
Emma and I were in Launceston, Tasmania for the weekend on The Hottest Day ever. Temperatures only reached 33degrees so we were oblivious to the destruction going on back home. It wasn't until 6pm on Saturday evening when we were enjoying a Bogues on a hotel balcony in Deloraine that we found out how bad things were. I called my sister to discover Victoria was on fire.
We used to live in a little town called Broadford on five acres of land. 70ks from Melbourne and only 12ks from the fires that burned around Kilmore East, Heathcote Junction and other parts of the world up there.
We contacted our neighbours - all are fine but everyone knows someone who was caught up in what is now referred to as Black Saturday.
We flew back Sunday morning and passed over some of King Lake, plumes of smoke and patches of black - it just seemed so surreal. So days have passed with hundreds of accounts of miraculous escapes and heart-breaking stories of death and destruction as everyone comes to terms with just how massive, fast and powerful this fire was. A woman I work with (but don't very well) spent the night sitting in her damn as the fires raged, another woman's aunt & uncle and gradmother lost all their homes and every single possession, a former colleague literally ran from his house with his wife and daughter and escaped with their lives. I met a man who gave his caravan to a family in need. This inspired us to clean out our house and not surprisingly, we managed to gather together a lot of basic stuff; kitchen utensils, pots and pans, clock radio - good stuff that works and can be re-used.
I hope it rains soon. I really hope it does.
On the craft front: I made a softie for the fantastic Toy Society who have set up an appeal. Hundreds of crafty bloggers are doing an amazing job, lending their names and voices to getting the word out: Handmade Help, Meet Me At Mikes, Kaotic Kraft Kuties to name just a few.
So what else did February hold?
Dinner at Stillwater in Launceston. Brilliant.
Poor Boy at the MTC starring Guy Pearce. Mixed feelings but over-all, really enjoyed it...especially the songs.
The Victorian Blythe meet in Seddon organised by the funny, smart, talented We Play With Dolls people.
Kaki King at the Corner Hotel - wow.
Saw
The Changling
Milk
Bride Wars
Ghost Patrol and Cat Rabbit's fantastic new exhibtion at Gorker Gallery, While You Sleep.
And a lovley dinner with good friends at Kamel in Albert Park.
Nothing to complain about there. x
Emma and I were in Launceston, Tasmania for the weekend on The Hottest Day ever. Temperatures only reached 33degrees so we were oblivious to the destruction going on back home. It wasn't until 6pm on Saturday evening when we were enjoying a Bogues on a hotel balcony in Deloraine that we found out how bad things were. I called my sister to discover Victoria was on fire.
We used to live in a little town called Broadford on five acres of land. 70ks from Melbourne and only 12ks from the fires that burned around Kilmore East, Heathcote Junction and other parts of the world up there.
We contacted our neighbours - all are fine but everyone knows someone who was caught up in what is now referred to as Black Saturday.
We flew back Sunday morning and passed over some of King Lake, plumes of smoke and patches of black - it just seemed so surreal. So days have passed with hundreds of accounts of miraculous escapes and heart-breaking stories of death and destruction as everyone comes to terms with just how massive, fast and powerful this fire was. A woman I work with (but don't very well) spent the night sitting in her damn as the fires raged, another woman's aunt & uncle and gradmother lost all their homes and every single possession, a former colleague literally ran from his house with his wife and daughter and escaped with their lives. I met a man who gave his caravan to a family in need. This inspired us to clean out our house and not surprisingly, we managed to gather together a lot of basic stuff; kitchen utensils, pots and pans, clock radio - good stuff that works and can be re-used.
I hope it rains soon. I really hope it does.
On the craft front: I made a softie for the fantastic Toy Society who have set up an appeal. Hundreds of crafty bloggers are doing an amazing job, lending their names and voices to getting the word out: Handmade Help, Meet Me At Mikes, Kaotic Kraft Kuties to name just a few.
So what else did February hold?
Dinner at Stillwater in Launceston. Brilliant.
Poor Boy at the MTC starring Guy Pearce. Mixed feelings but over-all, really enjoyed it...especially the songs.
The Victorian Blythe meet in Seddon organised by the funny, smart, talented We Play With Dolls people.
Kaki King at the Corner Hotel - wow.
Saw
The Changling
Milk
Bride Wars
Ghost Patrol and Cat Rabbit's fantastic new exhibtion at Gorker Gallery, While You Sleep.
And a lovley dinner with good friends at Kamel in Albert Park.
Nothing to complain about there. x
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
A peek at the kitchen shelf...for no good reason.
Do you like my little Unazakin? Emma found her in Tokyo. I'd been searching for one and almost gave up hope but Em stumbled across her in a department store called LOFT. Apart from looking cute she has the remarkable ability to answer any question you please and with a shake of her head - up/down, left/right - she let's you know her answer.
I find this particularly useful during arguments when I ask her "Am I right?" or "Is Emma wrong?".
Clearly this Unazakin has a brilliant mind.
I find this particularly useful during arguments when I ask her "Am I right?" or "Is Emma wrong?".
Clearly this Unazakin has a brilliant mind.
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