In the Light of the Sun

how one bowl of icecream can singlehandedly save the environment

2010-10-19T21:47:00.001+11:00

I saw everyone raving on the tweetvine the other day about these giant environmentally friendly bath rocks that allow you to enjoy your bath without feeling guilty about wasting water.

HAH! You fools! You don't need to spend your hard earned dollars on fancy plastic rocks! I'm no mathematitian but I'm pretty certain that you just need to be fat (like me) or pregnant (like me) and then your body mass takes up so much space in the bath you could fill it with the tears from one fairy (small, magical, watery tears) and feel completely guilt free about the whole "baths waste water" argument. I'm never going to feel guilty about being fat again. I'm saving the world with my body, people, what are you doing?!

Because it's cold tonight but I still feel like eating icecream with copius amounts of milo on top, I'm going to run a hot bath and combine the pleasure of bathing with dessert.

I will not feel guilty about filling the bath to the brim as I know that when I hop out it will really only be a quarter full.
I will not feel guilty about eating icecream with milo as I'm sure I need the calcium and vital minerals for the growth of my unborn.
And if I wash my icecream bowl in the water when I'm done, I think that would adequately burn any calories induced in the eating of the icecream and save any further water being wasted. WIN.

I am a WINNER!
I am delirious.
I am going to bed now.
(Please don't remind me I typed this in the morning.)

shake it like a polaroid picture!

2010-09-29T13:18:00.000+10:00

Warning - I'm gonna be all lame here and gush about an iphone app. You take a picture then you shake it and wait for it to develop like a polaroid!! It's so much fun! (And it's completely hypocritical of me to love it so much as I really hate the Hipstamatic app that takes faux lomo shots - just use a Holga or a Diana people!)

But look at the pretty wisteria...

And I love how at this time of year the gutter is filled with pretty purple petal litter

And this is my new friend Zeppellin. He's the friendliest kitten in town. He lives on my parent's street and I actually cross the road to see if he's hanging out...

And here is my old friend Montalbano with his new friend, Gabi's crochet baby blankie. I got straight onto it and sewed up the left over hexagons and started working on the trim. And since Bano likes it and I'm also told the lovely Sally's Mister 3 even likes it, so I'm feeling pretty confident that my lil one will like it too. (And if not, too bad.)

Only problem is I got THIS CLOSE to finishing the trim in the pale green when I ran out of yarn. CURSES!!

Ironically every thing I've ever tried to crochet in that lovely pale green bamboo/cotton yarn has been promptly ripped up, I just can't seem to get it to work for me. So I wasn't surprised it wasn't going to oblige me and finish the trim without an argument. What should I do? Rip it off? Fill the gap with left over jade? Crochet the row again using a smaller stitch that might conserve more yarn? Ditch the entire project?!

sometimes courage needs a little encouragement

2010-09-27T21:23:00.000+10:00

I was reminded that I need to find the strength within when I saw this lovely image on Pikaland by Nicole Daddona.

I'll admit to being a little paralysed by fear lately, or a nifty cocktail of fear, procrastination, laziness and exhaustion. I feel like I'm treading water, but that the water level is rising swiftly and it's getting tougher to keep my head above water. Trouble is, it's only me making the water rise!

I have so much support around me, I know everyone believes in me and deep down I even believe in myself. I'm just not making myself proud, if you know what I mean? I'm not getting things done. But I'm not in the mood for getting things done. Can't I sit on the couch all day instead? I need to encourage my courage.

I need to get on with it.

I need to tackle some mammoth tasks and then I can quit feeling guilty about not being the amazing me I know I can be.

Here are a few tasks to tackle. If I admit them to you, dear friends, perhaps you'll hold me accountable?!

* Declutter, repackage and transform the "junk room" into a happy room for the lil one to sleep in. There is a lot to do in the smallest room in our house. A lot.
* Do my tax before the end of the next financial year already.
* Work harder and smarter at my freelance jobs. We need the money.
* Stop freaking out and comparing my impending labour experience to that of certain celebrities. Like Kourtney Kardashian, for example, who didn't even break a sweat on her perfectly made up face when she reached down and delivered her own baby. I know I won't be sweat, tears or terror free when the big day comes, but the image of her completely calm labour is not inspiring me, it's giving me guilt trips like skinny models in magazines.

That'd make a nice start I think. I will do the things that I think I cannot. Or rather, the things I do not really want to do, but know I must.

warm fuzzy "look everyone, I made this!" moments

2010-09-26T12:11:00.000+10:00

So even though Spring is well sprung these days, what with all the magnolias and cherry blossoms and wisteria waving hello as you walk down the street, I'm still making room for some warm fuzzy moments in my life.

If I can be THIS PROUD of my recycled woollen turtleneck jumper transformed into a hot water bottle cozy then I can only imagine how proud I will be of the little baby I pop out after 9 long months. I bet there will be a lot of "LOOK EVERYONE, I MADE THIS!!!"...apologies in advance people.

Meanwhile, here is my new improved hot water bottle. Turtleneck jumpers are terribly unflattering on me, but I always get sucked in by the woollen jumper rack at Vinnies, so rather than return it back to Vinnies in a recent spring clean I decided to get crafty. Wish I'd thought beforehand to embroider something cute on it before I sewed it up but the urge to make overwhelmed my thinking process.

Have you ever got so sick of a project you'd been working on that you never bothered to finish it? Well, I think I've come across a solution - pass it on! My lovely neighbour Gabi had been working on a sweet hexagonal crochet baby blankie for a friend of hers since her friend found out she was pregnant. Now that friends baby is 1 and Gabi still hasn't finished the blanket but has grown sick of the sight of it. So she passed it on to me instead.

And I'm so excited! I just have to sew on 14 left over hexagons and edge it and it's done! Almost like I made the whole thing myself!

I better get cracking on this though otherwise I fear I'll lose the will to finish also, and it would be a terrible shame for this poor orphaned blankie to be abandoned twice!

"one time I looked at a diamond and it gave me a sunburn"

2010-09-13T16:40:00.000+10:00

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
Uploaded by manandamazing.

Now that I have distracted you with THE. CUTEST. STOP. MOTION. ANIMATION. EVER I'm hoping you'll not be so mad at me for not upholding my regular blogging aspirations. It seems that turning on the computer and typing out intelligent, thoughtful blog posts on a regular basis is still beyond my capacity. Le sigh. Le sorry. All I can do is hope to improve?! Try harder?!

But I do want to say a HUGE THANK YOU for all your lovely kind comments regarding my new pregnant life. May I say it with flowers?

Thanks to EJORPIN for pointing me in the direction of FLOWER POWER!

I have been busy but my camera has not, must remember to recharge that battery! In the meanwhile might I share with you the wonderful MAEVE online magazine? A most lovely online publication indeed.

I'll be back soon with images of creative pursuits, I promise. I DO!

I spy with my little eye something begining with.....

2010-08-16T15:59:00.000+10:00

If you guessed BLOG POST you'd be correct. If you guessed BABY you'd also be correct.
Which brings me to my excellent excuse for my absence in blogland, and life in general, for the past few months. I'm just emerging from the fog of my first ever first trimester. Yes dear friends and readers, (if there is anyone still reading after my unexplained departure), I am pregnant.

Up the duff. Preggers. Bun in the oven. I'm legitimately fat now people.

And if the shock of discovering there was a very unplanned, surprise human growing in my uterus wasn't enough then the shock of discovering being pregnant isn't all glowing loveliness, long lunches and nesting by painting a nursery in overalls like on some paint ad, has certainly bowled me over.

The exhaustion. I've slept for weeks. I sleep around 12 hours a night and then nap several times a day. I think I sleep more than the cat right now. The endless nausea and aversion to any food smells. The fact that morning sickness lasts all day, and for me, is worse at night. My utter lack of appetite and thanks to some rather nifty hormone changes I've been constipated for a good two months now. Honestly, no one EVER mentioned to me before that being pregnant can make you constipated! Word up to the non mums out there - you've now been warned!

So while you've all been going about your busy, crafty, inspirational lives I've been walking around like a zombie, unable to muster an intelligent thought let alone think about picking up my crochet hook, knitting needles, camera or even stringing together a typed sentence. I've never felt so utterly devoid of creative impulses in my life and it's depressing me so much. I have to believe that all of my creative energy has been diverted to the being in my belly, who will in turn grow into a fabulously talented, creative, inspirational human being. (No pressure.)

And I'm trying not to think about how I'll never have a chance to indulge in my beloved sleep-ins for many years to come, how I'll have to transform into a responsible parent/housewife who cooks and cleans on a regular, you know, daily, basis, how we're going to fit a family into our one bedroom apartment, how our sunroom/study/junkroom needs to be emptied and transformed into a nursery, how we're going to lug a pram up four flights of stairs, how difficult and scarce holidays will be from now on, whether my partner will love our child more than he loves me and how I'm going to pass a baby through my vagina. (No pressure.)

So in order to return some normalacy to my life I've decided to return to In the Light of the Sun. Regular sunshine and regular blogging. That's my plan for bringing back 'me'. Of course, I can guarantee neither but I can try. And thanks for sticking with me, by the way, it's much appreciated. (No pressure!)

Evidence I saw the sun today as well as napping with the cat...

flickr friday faves

2010-07-09T11:57:00.000+10:00

Wow, I cannot believe it's Friday already! Admittedly, my weeks are lacking in the usual routine of 8 til 6 Monday to Friday full time work, but all the same, where does the time go? How is everyone?!

Shots from Tassie will be up soon - it was VERY cold there! (So glad I wore double leggings.) But in the meanwhile I thought I'd share some of my flickr faves - the weather has been so grey and rainy in silly Sydney lately, I for one am in desperate need of BRIGHT, HAPPY, CHEERFUL IMAGERY!

Brilliantly crocheted smart car spotted in Rome via StartTheDay

A lovely Charley Harper illustration circa 1964 via liefpeng

Darling little stencil of my favourite royal - the Little Prince! via mmelox

Bright, happy peach blossoms via Caterina TD

I think my house would be complete with this gorgeous Blancucha wall decal. Isn't she amazing?! There's nothing more cheery than red balloons! I love the simplicity of her art.

I hope you're all feeling warm and cheery. If not, have you tried the new Snickers Hazelnut bar?!! I have been scouring supermarket shelves all over Sydney with no success, thankfully I have the best friend ever and she sent me some in the mail from Melbourne. Nothing beats hazelnuts and chocolate and lovely people who send you it in the post. Nothing! Another reason to move to Melbourne perhaps?!

hip hip hooray!

2010-07-02T22:09:00.000+10:00

Hooray for holidays! I'm going OVERSEAS!! Well, I'm headed to Tassie for the weekend with my mum and my uncle to visit my cousin's family in Launceston. I've never been there before. It's rather exciting. I think the small gap of ocean between Tasmania and the mainland officially makes this trip an overseas one, don't you?!

Only problem is that it's bloooooooody freeeeeeeeezing down there. Even colder than Sydney and I already feel like I've layered and rugged up as much as possible. I just did a late night trip to Kmart for extra woolie leggings. I feel certain that in this current climate, one can never have too many pairs of thick woolie leggings. But don't worry kids, I won't wear them as pants.

I've already started the first rounds of many crocheted flowers so I can crochet on the plane and not need scissors, which I am feeling rather chuffed about. As for doing the laundry so I have clean undies to take...well, there is a few hours before take off!

Oh, and I will be taking my apple beanie to Australia's apple isle so stay tuned for some in situ action shots!

Much love to you all and have a wonderful wild and wooly weekend, wherever you are!

keep your chin up

2010-06-21T19:40:00.000+10:00

Hi there! It's been three whole weeks! I would have blogged sooner but I was busy burying my head in the sand. Sorry about that. I have some rather enormous life changing news to announce but I have to wait just a little bit longer before sharing....rude I know. Please be patient with me! While I shake the sand out of my hair and wipe my eyes here is a happy inspirational image I've been using to keep me going.

Darling Dear by Stealing Hearts

Have you ever tried to make a paper cut before? I do have some time on my hands...perhaps I should give one a go eh?! Nothing like blind enthusiasm is there?!

self portrait in words

2010-05-31T15:38:00.002+10:00

Characters for an Epic Tale by Tom Gauld

I like to read books. A lot. I especially like the books with good characters. You know, like Harry Potter, Holden Caulfield, Franny and Zooey, Kafka Tamura or Kilgore Trout. After reading this splendid post by the delightful Kate, I decided to write about me as a character. A sort of self portrait in words, if you will.

The Woman:

Often imagines her life as scenes from a film, mostly directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet and Wes Anderson.

Must be kept artificially warm at all times - takes excessively hot showers that scorch her chest tomato red. Will not leave the house without a cardigan, even in summer.

Useless at time management - always either far too early for appointments or late. Often calls ahead warning she is running late then manages to somehow turn up just on time. Then feels embarrassed about earlier unnecessary warning. Likes to read whilst walking, even though it's slow going both ways.

Tells herself these new grey hairs look more silver or even blonde than grey, really. Often thinking about her next meal. Desperately wishes she had a prize winning novel in her but is resigned to the fact that her slightly above average intelligence is unlikely ever to produce one.

Fiercely loyal and completely biased towards those she loves or ideas she believes in. Paralysed by passion - will cry if confronted with arguments against said people or beliefs.

Public transport brings out the worst in her - feels utter disgust and contempt for fellow travellers. Realises the hypocrisy in such arrogant and inhumane thoughts. Detests them all the same. Tries to connect with every cat she encounters. Mostly succeeds.

Cannot last the entire night without going to the toilet. Blames cat for waking her up at 4.30am for breakfast. Quietly fears her bladder contains more will than her mind.

Never believes compliments from sales people, even when she knows them to be true. She does have beautiful green eyes and her bag is gorgeous. But sales people are not to be trusted.

Loves the idea of wearing red lipstick but is wracked by anxiety every time she does. Likes to cheat at card games. Does not follow recipes, uses them only as a guide. Loves puns.

27 and three quarters. Whiskey drinker. Always gives money to accordion buskers.

So, how much to I have to bribe you into including me in your next award winning novel? Anyone got J.K Rowling's email by any chance? J.D Salinger's and a time machine? Haruki Murakami's perhaps?!

Whatever is worn on the head is a sign of the mind beneath it

2010-05-29T16:55:00.006+10:00

He likes to wear floral underwear, by Little Doodles.

So that must mean I'm bright, cheery and very good for you?!
Here's my latest crochet project - a red delicious apple beanie...

Turns out it's awfully hard to take photos of oneself wearing a beanie in low light. Curse this dreary overcast and rainy weather! Although - tis perfect weather for a bright and cheerful apple beanie!

Does what's on your head define your mind right now?

handiwork

2010-05-26T22:59:00.000+10:00

I've been doing it. Handiwork that is. Stitching hands or things on hand shapes!
And in the words of my favourite 80s effortlessly cool dude Ferris Bueller - "Never had one lesson".

Can you tell?

First up was a card for my sister in law to say thanks for trusting me enough to look after her darling lil one three days a week for 5 whole months! We have our last day together tomorrow. Le sigh.

The hardest part was getting him to hold still long enough to trace his hand...I had to sing some crazy songs to distract him.

Next up is a gift for my partner Tom, who requested fingerless gloves for his birthday. He's been warned the weather will be pretty chilly in South Africa, even in the offices they will be working in, so I have embellished a plain black pair of woollen fingerless gloves with a little love for him to remember me by. So if you happen to watch any of the World Cup shows on SBS this June/July then it's highly likely they will have been put together by my man, wearing my 'handmade' gloves!

I told him he could tuck them into his jumper but he said he would display them proudly. Awwww. Now to embroider his stab vest and stencil sweet nothings on his tear gas mask. EEEK!

And before you go I just want to say sorry for being such a stranger round here lately. Thank you for all your kind well wishes on my last post. I've plunged into unemployment gloom even before it's officially started and I think I reverted to my December headspace without realising. I promise to try harder at thinking positive this time! Someone will employ me! Bills will be paid! And in the meanwhile - blog posts will be posted! So do stay tuned.

decisions, decisions...

2010-05-13T00:18:00.000+10:00

I often feel like I'm standing at yet another of life's crossroads. Or roundabout. Or a confusing LA-esqe multi laned highway turnoff/merge/exit. Sometimes it's just me standing there, staring blankly, sometimes I'm there with a close friend, my family or my partner.

At these times I often think of the New Jersey turnpike in the film Being John Malkovich and marvel at the crazy portal of life and the strange places it spits you out at. That, and Robert Frost's poem, The Road Not Taken, because a choice is necessary here, inevitable even, but you can never really know the outcome of your choice until you have lived it. Which can feel a little daunting at times.
Will the next choice I make lead to happiness?

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Frost is a cheeky bastard of a poet, don't you think? Is he sighing with happiness or regret? Was the difference good or bad? You could argue, knowing how way leads on to way, we can always make another choice, right? But that choice will then be informed and influenced by the former choices. Snowball effect. Rippling in a pond. Dominos are tumbling down. I'm starting to hyperventilate. And still just standing here, staring blankly.

This handy flow chart gets straight to the point though -

Image by You Might Like This via the delightful Checks and Spots

Some more food for thought via Checks and Spots comes in video form. It was an entry in a competition called u @ 50 and here I am stressing about tomorrow, next week, next month etc but this makes me ponder long term happiness. Ah perspective. Now I'm worrying about not only my future future but that of the entire world. Although, if there's no world then there's no me, so the two are kind of mutually exclusive.

It's a palindrome, so you'll need to watch the entire 1:45 to understand the full message. And that also means that if you don't have sound then you'll have to read each line, then read them backwards in order to see the true meaning!

And on a final note I shall leave you with this to consider. A most excellent piece of street art spotted tonight at the top of my parents street in Bondi, albeit fuzzily captured by my iphone. Apt, I think, considering all that's been going on in my head right lately.

I love it. I love that it's quoting the 1998 Spice Girls song Stop.

I'm going to stop, make my happiness decision with a human touch, and be on my merry way. And if life spits me out at the New Jersey turnpike again, well, I'll just have to dust myself off and crawl back down the crazy portal that is life, right?!

thanks mum

2010-05-09T12:15:00.001+10:00

My mum has put up with a lot of crap over past 28 years...

Since I was this little (and even littler really)

Until I was this big.

Congratulations Mum, the crap stops here!*

And yet she still thinks it's hilarious to take photos of you sleeping in the car...

so I guess it goes both ways eh mum?!

* Sorry I can't actually guarrantee the crap stops here. In fact I'm pretty sure it says in your contract the crap is never ending. Sorry about that. Thanks for putting up with it all the same. Also, you know it's not my fault!!

Sending my love to all the mums out there who put up with the crap on a daily basis. I think you are all cussing amazing. I hope I can be as strong, supportive, patient, kind, nuturing and cook as good as you one day. Thanks for being such great role models.

Happy Mothers Day!
xxx

leaf studies

2010-05-07T12:24:00.000+10:00

Episode 3 of the 2010 Harvest continues!

And it contains some of my all time favourite greenery - gum leaves, soft spongey moss and sillouettes at dusk.

I wish I had a backyard like this...

tea break and breaking news

2010-05-05T14:44:00.000+10:00

Let's take a quick break from the 2010 Harvest episodes for a moment shall we? I have some news.
First - a cup of tea and a biscuit.

You'd be correct in guessing that those are still harvest shots. But how hilarious/retro/kitsch is that crocheted owl tea cosy?! My nana made it and EVERYONE hated it and yet it still survived the decades and continues to grace us with its presence at tea time. I'm also glad that Anzacs biscuits have survived the decades since the first batch popped out of the oven. These ones were particularly delicious, THANKS MUM!, and my brother and I ate more than our fair share when we thought no one was looking.

Now for my news. I'm not sure whether it's good or bad but...my nannying days are numbered. My sister in law has got a spot for my nephew in a daycare centre now, and even though he is 3 months younger than what they'd decided was a better age to cope with daycare, they are worried they won't be able to get him a spot when the right time comes.

So I won't be needing my bottomless carpet bag or flying umbrella for much longer. I will however, be needing a new job. bugger! Which is fine and perfectly reasonable for a women of my age and skills. bugger bum poo! I am sure I will find my dream job advertised on Seek, with a ginormous salary to boot, and they'll probably hire me even before my interview - as this is my new resume/career plan, a la David Shrigley.

cloud studies

2010-05-02T19:33:00.002+10:00

Episode 2 of my harvest shots.

We had some glorious weather over the week - but also some serious rain. 30 mms over night on the Saturday evening. But you can never complain about rain in the country, even if it's spoiling your productivity plans. Olives have to be pressed within 2/3 days after picking otherwise they start to ferment which wouldn't make tasty olive oil. Thankfully we weren't washed out of the grove for too long and after a leisurely breakfast we were back picking olives by 10am. Just in time for morning tea break!

I just get blown away by all the different colours in the sky sometimes. I'd love to know what all the clouds are called too. I'll put learn cloud names on my To Do list, next to learn all the capital cities of Africa. (I can do Europe already, smart huh!)

And for those who are wondering what happens next, after the olives are all picked - I am working on my 'school project - How Olive Oil is made' blog post! Just need to check up on some technical details...wish I'd paid more attention now, don't I?

Honey, I'm home!

2010-05-02T02:19:00.002+10:00

*Over 10 hours round trip of driving later...*

Home from the Farm. Sigh. I could definitely spend more time in the countryside... I'd be a weather beaten farmers wife any day. In fact I'm ridiculously brown after just one week. And sad about taking my Blundstones off. They were the first thing I'd pull on as I stumbled out of bed each day...I'm dreaming of living the good life with a sheep or two and some pigs and a dairy cow. I rather fancy myself as an Australian version of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. River Cottage Down Under! I'd churn my own butter, grow our own vegies, pluck my own chickens...well, I did say I was dreaming!

But did you miss me?! You know I missed you! But I was brave, and lasted over a week without internet or mobile access. Impressive stuff, no? There was much to keep me busy/distracted at this years harvest though. There is never enough time in each lovely day spent in the countryside...

I have a million and one photos to share from the harvest, as you can imagine. So I will try and stagger them over a few posts, so as not to overload you all at once. And then back to my (ir)regular posts of crafting antics and adventures in the city!

But for now I present to you my shots from the East Ridge Olive Grove 2010 Harvest!

**Storm clouds roll in but we're not scared...**

**A crate full of olives! Just one of many!**

**Brumiracking with the olinet,
i.e shaking the olives off the bigger trees and catching them in a net!**

**There is always time for a quick pat.**

**Handpicked by Vicky, her motto was "No Olive Left Behind!"**

**Cuddle time. Harvesting is tiring work!**

**My excitable brother**

**Obligatory family photo...**

**Those nails, much like those olives,
were wrenched from their branches uncerimoniously.
Such is life.**

And if you like what you see, you're more than welcome to join us for next years harvest! Stay tuned for more rural themed shots...

it's harvest time!

2010-04-22T22:31:00.000+10:00

Sayonara city - I'm out of here! I'll be offline for 9 or so days (who's counting?!) as I head off to my parent's farm near Mudgee for the annual East Ridge Olive Grove Harvest Festival.

I look forward to this time of year even more than Christmas. It's got all the elements needed for a great festive holiday - family, friends, copious amounts of good food and wine, good conversation and a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life - with the added bonus of fresh clean country air, gentle exercise and the satisfaction gleaned from being involved in the making of the most delicious tasting, award winning olive oil you've ever tasted!

Okay so I'm a little biased due to the fact that I helped plant these olive trees for mum and dad and have helped harvest them every year. I think this might be our 5 year anniversary too (I'll have to check with mum about that though) so it's going to be extra special. And we're hoping for a bumper crop - harvest is being held over 2 weekends this year instead of just the one. That's if the birds don't eat them all, hail doesn't destroy them, fires don't come through the area or Icelandic volcanic ash decends upon us. Tom's parents come every year and this year they're bringing extra help all the way from Stockholm. Fingers crossed Dory gets to hop on the plane in time, what with all the delays due to the Icelandic (int)eruptions...

So I've packed my Blundstones, an array of colourful beanies, a large stash of wool for making granny squares, my cameras, a book (Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami) and I'm keeping Dad company while Tom and the rest of my family head back home mid week for work/uni. Dad's hired out a few seasons of The Darling Buds of May for our viewing pleasure. Oh, and The Brittas Empire, which would be loudly voted off the island if the rest of the clan were still there. We share a love of British television, the good, the bad and the extraordinarily, painfully woeful. But that's just for the evenings of course - I plan to spend my time off scouring the local op shops and snoozing. Bliss.

Just like this...

I'll miss you, you know. I'm sure I'll have loads of catching up to do on the interwebs upon my return. Don't do anything too exciting while I'm gone, will you?

I'll also miss you Snouting Girl. Sad you won't be eating rotting rabbits and then getting sick, grousing at the other dogs being the grumpy old fun police, getting dirty with a filthy stinking beard, carrying kindling for the fire and generally being the loveliest dog we've ever had. (Sorry to all our other dogs, Cleo will always be my favourite, it's true...)

R.I.P Cleo Sept 2009

glass half full or half empty? cake half burnt or half uncooked?

2010-04-20T22:36:00.002+10:00

As you can see I'm a chaotic baker. I promise I didn't "style" that shot, that's just how unorganised the science of baking is in my kitchen. Things get messy when I bake. But I love the clutter, the muddle, the bedlam and the scrambles and shambles of a good afternoon of baking. So what if I've got icing sugar in my hair, egg smeared on my skirt and if my cardigan doesn't skim over my curves like Nigella's. At least I get to lick all the dishes clean and put them straight back in the cupboards when I'm done.

I don't love when my delicious tasting lemon and almond cake batter burns on the outside and is completely uncooked in the middle...poor Nana, her 82nd birthday cake probably won't be remembered in her birthday cake hall of fame. And I burnt it last year too, so maybe this is becoming a tradition. And sure, I blame the oven, but who turned it up too high, then down too low to compensate? Oops, I guess that would be me...

So the lesson I learn, time and time again, is eat as much of that delicious lemony butter and sugar and almond meal mixture before you put it in the oven and go and ruin everything, yet again. Got any better baking tips than that?!

Other lessons I am learning this week is persistance and being patient. Thank you for your kind words as I battle with my temper. Never fear, my nephew and I are still talking to each other (well, he babbles, I sing) and spend most of the day cuddling. Plus I figure I am being paid to be patient, so I should try harder for work ethic reasons alone! I did confess to my sister in law that I'd yelled at him and she just hugged me and said - "I'm sorry he pushed you to your limit but it happens to everyone. Don't feel bad. Feel good because you're giving me a break 3 days a week!"

So I guess I'll have a glass (half full) of wine to wash down this delicious cake, put my feet up and consider myself just cussing awesome. Care to join me? Come on, tell me you're not cussing awesome too?! I know you are!!

Patience and the Imp

2010-04-17T22:36:00.005+10:00

Image: Patience Archival Print by Lisa Congdon

Urgh. Lately I have really been putting my imp before my patience. And it just feels so awful.

When I see and hear other people yelling...it all seems so unnecessary and soul destroying. And it really doesn't matter if you apologise afterwards - it's too late, you've already acted irrationally and you can't take those words or actions back. And I know it hurts real bad when someone yells at you, so I really shouldn't be yelling at someone else...

Image by Ashley G

Especially when that someone is a 7 month old baby.

I lost my cool the other day - everything had been a battle, no eating, no drinking, no sleeping all day without a fight. And so when I reached the end of my tether, when I gave up trying to understand what the hell was the problem, I yelled. And unsurprisingly, yelling does not stop a baby from crying. Nor did it make me feel any better afterwards - on the contrary I felt a million times worse.

Why can't I be more patient? Where can I get more patience from? How do you learn to be patient?

I really don't want to be a yeller. I don't want to lash out verbally when I'm feeling pissed off. I don't want to snap so easily. I don't want to take my frustrations out on other people, especially those I love. I want to be stronger.

How come I can find patience for inanimate objects: learn a new craft, layer my tea bags in a spiral, fold all my plastic bags in neat and tidy rectangles but when it comes to compassion for other human beings I am so quick to snap?

This is one bad habit I am keen to quit. If you have any wisdom to impart or helpful tips I'd be one grateful girl...

pin cushion swap

2010-04-15T14:59:00.000+10:00

I've joined in on the Pin Cushion Swap organised by sweet Kate of Foxs Lane.

My ummming and ahhhing, dilly dallying, tooing and froing time is now up. I've got to pop my pin cushions in the mail! Whether I like them or not.

Here they are:

Now, I only learnt to crochet just last November so I am rather proud of myself for figuring these out all by myself and without a pattern. Having said that, had I consulted a pattern I may not have needed to pull them apart quite so many times...but where is the 'learning' in that eh?

I hope these cheery pin cushions leave a little ray of sunshine on my swap partner's sewing table! I'm just putting the finishing touches on my 'Sunny Songs to Sew By' mixtape and then I'm off to the post office...

how to: floral cheer on a budget

2010-04-11T14:37:00.000+10:00

Everyone loves flowers, right? I just get so sad when they die. And in this heat (yes, it's a sunny 28 degrees in Sydney today - where did that nice cool Autumn breeze go?!) cut flowers don't last as long as I'd like them to. But it's someone special's birthday party today and I knew they'd appreciate some floral cheer so I popped into the florist to see what was on offer.

I was excited to see little pots of colour on sale for $2 each. I'm thinking that this floral cheer might last a little longer if it's still attached to it's plantly home and nestled safely in soil. But the plastic pot? I think we can do better than that...

It's a little shabby chic in this colour scheme, what with the antique lace, twine and floral paper but if we can't indulge in a little girliness once in a while then what's the world coming to?!

So if you, or someone you know, is in need of a little floral cheer and you're strapped for cash then I would definitely recommend doing the following:

* Head to your local florist or gardening centre and pick up a pot or two of cheerful blooms. If your friend is more of a foodie - pick up some herbs instead
* Rummage through the recycling for some tins - soak them in hot water to remove the label and give them a good clean
* Squeeze your plants into the tins - you'll need to loosen the roots a little, pat them down and then give them a little water
* Wipe the tin clean so no soil is, errr, soiling the outside of your vase
* Decorate your vase with scraps of wrapping paper, fabric, ribbons, lace, wool or whatever takes your fancy and secure it with double sided tape for extra ease and speediness!

Too easy! Cheap and cheery! Win, win, wouldn't you say?

I'm thinking these sweet little tins would look lovely as table centrepieces on special occasions like Christmas or at a wedding. Or you know, for those occasions like every other day. Life is too short to wait for special things to happen - sometimes you've got to initiate the special yourself. Be 'specially proactive!

happiness is...

2010-04-11T00:30:00.004+10:00

...a warm blanket to snuggle in...

...fresh clean sheets to rest your weary body on...

...and sweet, sweet dreams of otters holding hands...

Well come on now, could something so adorable be real?!
That had to be a dream!
That moment at 1:18? My heart explodes with happiness. I'm otterly in love.

And if that didn't melt your frozen heart I don't know what will. I've decided I do believe in reincarnation - in the hope that my next life will be spent as a hand holding otter who fills their days snoozing and floating in a pool with the one they love the best.

Hope your weekend is filled with snuggles, sweet dreams, hand holding and happiness.

this couch potato is getting a serious makeover

2010-04-09T09:31:00.002+10:00

I'd love a new couch. But I've been told by my better half that there's absolutely nothing wrong with this one.

I'd beg to differ.

I mean sure, it's actually quite comfortable, if you don't mind sinking into it and never getting up again. And the fact that it only cost 40 cents on ebay makes it hard to imagine a replacement that could scream !!!BARGAIN!!! quite like this one does. Everyone loves a bargain. Everyone that visits our home gets told "that couch cost 40 cents". If we didn't have the couch, what bargains could we brag about?!

But it's so dark and shows so much dust and is getting threadbare on the arms and the cushions are sad and flat and missing buttons...

Oh, it would be so lovely and grown up to own a piece of furniture that I'd actually bought because I like the design, rather than the price tag. But I guess I'll have to wait until I am...more...grown up.

In the meantime I shall exercise my powers of discretionary spending on soft furnishings.

Enter my Umbrella Prints cushions. I picked up two packs of Umbrella Prints remnants at the last Sydney Finders Keepers markets. Holy thread count, Batman, I am seriously impressed with their stuff.

Did you know that these original Umbrella Prints fabrics are hand screen printed in Australia on organic hemp/cotton and linen/cotton and the inks used are water based 100% solvent free. YES! It's true! And unlike some other Australian, hand screen printed, environmentally friendly fabric* I bought recently, I'm really impressed with the quality of both the fabric and the printing. Seriously professional product. And it was a dream to sew.

Well, I dreamt that part up. Actually, my awesome, wonderful, kind and sweet mother sewed these up for me for Christmas. Bless her and her sewing skills!

So things are looking up, on the couch front, don'tcha think?

But there's still so much brown....so I've decided to put my new found crochet skills to work and embark upon an epic project - my first granny square blanket!

I've purchased 15 balls of Moda Vera 'Cupcake' yarn, which is ever so soft and snuggly, in colours which I think will compliment my cushions nicely. I've got 4 base colours for this rug - a navy, pumpkin, mustard and red.

And then I've got 3 bright and cheery colours - turquoise, rose and purple - to add a little pop of colour here and there. Then I'll bind them all together with a nice cream. Yum!

And this granny square rug will not be anything like the rug on Roseanne, which is what my 'so called' better half exclaimed when he saw my granny square pile growing...

Now, If we add up the cost of these cushions (easily $100 with feather/down cushion inserts and not including labour) and the wool to make this blanket ($70 so far but since I haven't finished I'll bet I have to buy more, 4 balls of cream to crochet it all together is definitely not going to be enough) I think I'd have just enough to purchase another (albeit pre-loved) couch from ebay. But where would the fun be in that eh?!

*No, I shan't name names. I'd probably be ostracised by the Australian blogging community as this company gets a serious amount of online love. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and put it down to bad luck/exceedingly high fabric quality expectations/bad day at the press...but I doubt I'll be spending any more of my hard earned discretionary dollars there in the future. Sad face...

Zine tripping with June, Tammy and In the Light of the Sun

2010-04-07T18:23:00.004+10:00

I don't know what you'd call them really but I used to LOVE these when I was a girl of 10 summers. Fresh, sunny and sweet (me or my reading material?!). Girls magazines? Cartoons, comics, pulp fiction for kids? Did you ever read them?

I used to have a hard cover annual that I absolutely treasured, I can't remember what it was called (maybe mum knows? I think it was a June Girls Annual circa 1975?) but it had stories about exotic adventures, boarding schools, tennis, horse riding, sewing tips and beauty info. I was smitten. I read it over and over and over and wished they still made them, and that was back in '92. Those were the days before Dolly and Girlfriend magazine took over my must have reading list...

I stumbled across a bunch of old school girls paper zines in a little antique junk shop on the way to Healesville on our last trip to Melbourne. If we hadn't taken carry on luggage only with a weight limit of 15 kilos I would have bought them all...alas, all I could squeeze in my bag was 2. One 'June and School Friend' circa July 1969 and one 'You're never alone with Tammy' circa July 1978. A decade apart but the content is still the same - exotic adventures, school girl antics, tennis stories, making fun of that fatty Bessie Bunting, handsome and dangerous men.

I didn't go on holiday this Easter long weekend, but discovering these forgotten zine purchases whilst cleaning up our house makes me feel like I've traveled back in time to my childhood, and the childhood of the original girls who saved their pennies (all 7 or 8 of them) to purchase these papers and be transported to a world of adventure.

I might chop these up when I'm done reading them. I think they'd make fun envelopes, paper cranes, wrapping paper and cards. If anyone wants to know what happens in any of the above stories, let me know and I'll scan the next page for you!

P.S I hope you've enjoyed this zine trip down memory lane more than poor Ann (who speaks her mind) did...

Autumnal Elixir

2010-04-05T16:11:00.002+10:00

I have most definitely overdosed on chocolate this weekend - my bad skin and poor temper will attest to that. This gloriously cool and drizzly weather has prompted me to ignore my sweet tooth for just one minute and indulge my savory side - my stomach is calling for some healthy, soul soothing soup.

If you're in need of a belly full of goodness after a long weekend of indulgence I can highly recommend this autumnal elixir concocted by yours truly!

The cast:
* 2 spanish onions sliced roughly
* As much garlic as you like - I used 3 big minced cloves
* 1 heaped teaspoon of harisa paste (or chopped fresh chilli if you don't have harisa)
* 1 heaped teaspoon of ground cumin
* 2 tins of peeled roma tomatos
* 1 tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* Half a bunch of silverbeet, stems removed and the leaves chopped thinly

Added extras:
* Some cheese like feta to crumble on top (I only had cheddar in the fridge though.)
* Toasted sliced almonds or pine nuts on top also add crunch

Lightly caramalize the onions in your biggest pot with olive oil and a little salt to release the liquid. While the onions are simmering away I chop the silverbeet and rinse the beans off.
Once the onions are thoroughly cooked add the harisa paste, ground cumin and the minced garlic, stir and lightly fry for a minute or so. Then add the 2 tins of tomato, stirring to break down the whole tomato pieces and bring to a boil.
Once the tomato has been bubbling away for a few minutes and turned a rich red hue, throw in your cannellini beans and chopped spinach. Stir it well to combine - put the lid on the pot, turn the heat down and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Taste test for seasoning - does it need more salt or pepper, cumin, chilli etc? Or a small teaspoon of brown sugar for sweetness perhaps? If not - it's time to grab a bowl and ladle up. YUM!

Hope everyone has had a relaxing and enjoyable Easter long weekend. I'm going to snuggle up on the couch and rest in the quiet before the madness that is life takes over once again - what about you?

Go!

2010-03-31T11:11:00.001+11:00

I have a lot to do on my To Do list today. Mainly because I am made of equal parts procrastination, lazy and sloth. It's hard to be me I tell you. Basically, I haven't made my bed and now I have to lie in it...actually that sounds rather managable. It's waaaay worse than snoozing in an unmade bed.

But while I go do all that needs to be done I'll be listening to Go, the debut solo album from jónsi of sigur rós.
Tom and I want to marry jónsi and have millions of his musically talented babies. No, make that squillions.

They'll be cute and blonde like this lil Icelandic princess and have extraordinarily long fingers for playing the guitar like a violin and sing like Scandinavian elves, fairies and sprites.

I always get a little emotional at sigur rós concerts and hot happy tears stream down my cheeks and my heart feels like it's going to burst right out of my chest. We like to play their albums in the car, really freakin loud, and sing along loudly, even though we don't understand the words. (They're mostly in icelandic, or some language Jonsi made up.) We'd get married if they'd accompany us musically as we walked down the aisle, but unfortunately we can't afford to hire them, so we've called the whole wedding off. I'd also like them to accompany me musically to the otherside, but I don't think having sigur ros play at your funeral is covered in any of those funeral insurance plans advertised on daytime tv....

You can listen to the new album Go before it hits the stores in a few days time over at NPR.

Here are a few of my favourite tracks from the new album too...

UPDATE! I have made the bed. It's a start, right?!

WIP It!

2010-03-26T15:56:00.002+11:00

Into Shape!
Shape Up!
It's Not Too Late!

Sorry to put Devo in your head but I do like appropriating tunes to match whatever I'm doing. And lately I've been making stuff! Hooray for making stuff! And since I no longer work in an office where Management requires a weekly hour long Work In Progress meeting where I have to detail every single project I've been working on, leaving less time for actual work on said projects, I've felt a WIP meeting gap in my life. Perhaps I need some KPIs. Then I'll need to see some ROI for my efforts at those KPIs. I'll action this immediately and get back to you all by COB today okay?!

So here is my WIP report. Feel free to judge, provide constructive criticism, feedback or tell me to work harder, faster, better, whatever. Just do it condescendingly so I get that old office hierarchy feeling flooding back!

WIP #1 is inspired by soft lil yellow ducklings and fluffy grey kittens. Well, actually those thoughts came to me well after I chose the wool plucked from my mother and her mother's stash. But it's a nice thought, isn't it?

This little WIP is destined to be a cozy neck warmer/cowl. Double sided, lemon and grey, knitted up in a moss stitch using two different sized sets of needles. I even learnt how to knit button holes for this project, which is quite frankly an amazing feat of learning on my behalf, from a book no less. Yes that's right, I followed instructions from a book. I can't even follow a recipe without thinking I know better. Very proud of my humble restraint and will to learn here! Although, foolishly I knitted button holes for buttons which I don't actually have yet, so now I'll have to find some that not only match my colour scheme but also fit the holes!

WIP #2 is supposed to be bright, cheery and fun. A burst of sunshiney goodness and floral frippery in the form of a crocheted pin cushion. I'm not sure if that's just too much to ask of a crocheted flower or just too much to ask of my crocheting skills. Luckily it's just a practice run for the Pin Cushion swap over at Foxs Lane because it's really not doing it for me. I think I'm going to have to get all Blondie on this one and rip it to shreds.

WIP #3 is not really a WIP anymore, but I'm going to share it anyway. I SEWED! I haven't sewn anything on a machine for years. I never really made friends with my sewing machine in the past. We'd fall out over silly things like broken needles, forgetting how to thread a bobbin, snapping cotton thread or slipping stitches. Plus with an expert sewer for a mum, it was always easier to put in an order rather than make something myself. Lazy, I know. But I decided that this is the year to move on from whatever trials we'd experienced in the past and learn to be a better, more understanding, caring friend to my machine. Listen to it. Hang out. Have cups of tea together, maybe a chocolate biscuit or three.

So I ordered Mum to hand it over (do you still stash stuff at your parents house even though you're grown up and own your own home? nah, me neither.) dusted it off and enlisted the help of a kind and patient real life friend, Alex, to help me re-learn some basics and whip up a simple tote bag, even though I didn't have a pattern or a clue.

Alex was super helpful and encouraging and we had whipped up a tote in (almost) no time! I was 99% of the way through, racing towards the finish line when a horrible groan escaped from my machine. Actually it was more of a frustrated growl, which I promptly matched with my own frustrated growl. We'd had a few hiccups along the way, but nothing that a timeout and a rethread hadn't magically fixed. But this time my machine decided enough was enough and officially carked it.

So I marched back to Mums and she kindly applied the finishing touches on her machine. She also told me not to tell you that she helped me like that, that I should take all the credit for my efforts and sewing success. She's nice like that.

Now that I have conquered a simple tote bag I'm thinking my next project should be something like a three piece suit. You know, to look smart and professional for our next WIP meeting. Well, once my machine is back up and running of course. Whaddaya think huh!?!

judging books by their covers

2010-03-24T09:33:00.000+11:00

The other day in St Vinnies I picked up a delightfully illustrated paperback. I must admit, I was judging the book by its cover, and the score was high.

It was this book here:

It was only $7 and I was about to purchase it when my brother informed me that he'd actually bought that book for Dad, for Christmas, with a similar cover, although not as nice, but I could just save my money and read that copy instead. And that the book wasn't that amazing after all. So I placed it back on the shelf.

But now that I've seen this delicious image on Design is Mine -

and followed the link to the artist's website - Chris Silas Neal - and found out that he is the artist behind the illustrations I held in my hand, plus many, many more lovely others such as these....

...I wish I hadn't listened to my brother after all. What do you think? Should I have purchased the book?!

Do you like to judge a book by its cover too? What are you reading right now?

P.S For your Information: Wildbirds & Peacedrums is a Swedish band, and I think I like 'em! Well, from the 30 seconds of preview itunes gives you...purchasing now!

fringes, cringes and binges, oh my!

2010-03-21T18:44:00.003+11:00

I was tagged by the artful, brilliant and consummate Evie of Handmade Romance for a Kreative Blog Award. To play along I have to share 7 things about me then pass the award along to 7 others.

Evie truly is the ABC's of awesome - check out her 7 things here or oooh and aaah at all the sweet vintage doll finds she's been posting lately.

*1*
Ever since I could sit, I've sat like this: right leg folded, left leg outstretched.

I still do it, even in office chairs.

*2*

*3*
No-one ever believes that we have the same parents, but, it is true.

We have matching recurring pimple spots, share a fresh banana fear, proficiency in English and are equally incompetent at Maths.

*4*

P.S This is NOT a phase either.

*5*
I chronically cut my fringe and regret it, grow it out for a few years and then repeat the process...

...Meaning I am due for a haircut and another holiday to Japan! It's been almost 3 years!

*6*

*7*

Thanks to Evie for passing on this award!

I am passing this Kreative Blog award along to...
The Textured Leaf, Regenerate, Foxs Lane, Brown Hair Blue Ribbon, One Day, Oh the Places You Will Go and The Craft Revival

Also - regarding my giveaway - thanks to everyone who entered! I'll be emailing the winners shortly, I promise!

a kaleidoscope of good times

2010-03-19T00:05:00.005+11:00

This is me. In a giant, life sized, walk in kaleidoscope made by the Scandinavian artist Olafur Eliasson. His exhibition at the MCA - Take Your Time - is amazing. You must go see it!

At first I thought this picture was kind of depressing, what with all the dark, gloomy spaces. But upon further reflection I decided it was quite appropriate really, sometimes life just feels so dark and gloomy, why not wallow a little? My recent dark and gloomy moments include trying to teach a 7 month old baby about bedtime - a 3 hour screaming battle of wills ensued, which I lost, and promptly spent the next 2 hours sobbing and feeling like an utter failure; getting a painful UTI and a head cold and running into my past at a book store, plunging me into all sorts of shame induced from not paying more attention to my appearance and an irrational inability to move on from painful emotional periods in my life.
Botheration. Fiddle sticks. Cuss that I say!

But you know, when the dog bites, when the bee stings. When you're feeling sad...
Simply remember your favourite things and then you won't feeeeeeeel so baaaaaaaad.

So here are a few far more colourful, bright and shiny, happier moments dancing about in the kaleidoscope of my life right now. It's not all dark and gloomy.

It's important to remember the good times!

Like sunshine and grand old trees. This park at the top of our street is where both my dad and my nana used to play as children and you can see both the harbour and Bondi from there. No wonder it's called Bellevue Park!

Cheeky cuddles and sun kissed cheeks.

The view from our picnic blanket. Focussing on the pretty white yachts, not the lucky bastards rich enough to own and sail them.

Picnic dinners instead of TV dinners!

Super lovely friends like Alex with lovely roses to cheer me up and relaxing crafternoons.

Beers with my favourite (and only) brother. The dark brown one tasted just like chocolate. For reals!

And a first glimpse of autumn, my favourite season!

I do hope you've had some colourful, happy moments lately to take your mind off any dark and gloomy ones. Viva la sunny side!

Swaptastic adventures in the craftmosphere

2010-03-13T15:04:00.001+11:00

Is it crazy to spend 20 minutes sewing tiny pieces of felt onto wool in order to create one length of present sized celebratory gift wrapping ribbon bunting?

Not if you have a cat, it isn't.

But this bunting was destined for greater things than Montalbano's amusement. Celebrating my very first swap, this bunting adorned my screen printed Dolly Parton tea towels in the Wash The Dishes, Dry The Dishes swap hosted by Sooz.

How much fun are swaps? SO MUCH FUN! Whilst it was rather nerve wracking sending something I had made out into the craftmosphere, fear of disappointing people with my design and lack of screen printing skills was overcome by the excitement of finally finishing a project I had started (with the usual good intentions/grand delusions) back in 2008. Thank you so much Sooz for hosting this swap! Yay for finishing a project! Yay for my mum helping me finish said project by hemming the cotton! Yay for handmade gifts! Yay for awesome tea towels!

Here's what I made:

I'll be sure to post images of all the amazing tea towels I receive in exchange for mine when the postman finally delivers them all. If I'm not too busy in the kitchen that is, drying things. Then wetting things so I can dry them again. With my awesome tea towels. GLEE!

Since my first swap was so much fun - I'm entering another. This time it's hosted by Kate from Foxs Lane. Can I just take a moment to gush about Kate? She's so cussing cool. I want to be her when I "grow up", or if I was Single White Female inclined, steal her gorgeous family, eat all her organically grown vegetables and delight in her craftiness. But lucky for her I'm far too lazy to embark on such a mission.

Kate is organising a pin cushion swap - you have until Monday morning to enter so if you're up for it - go forth and enter now!

Also - if you haven't already commented, don't forget that you have 6 more days to enter my 100th Blog Post Celebratory Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY - 100th Post Celebration!

2010-03-12T14:03:00.001+11:00

I've been blogging here at In the Light of the Sun since 2007 and I just realised the other week that a milestone was approaching faster than a speeding turtle - my 100th blog post! You wouldn't exactly call me prolific now, would you?

You could describe me as a slow release vitamin. You know, releasing the goodness slowly in little increments over time, rather than in one fell swoop. Or like moss, slowly, softly, creeping over cobblestones. Maybe you'd just call me lazy. Personally, I couldn't agree more.

Consistency aside, I have persevered and more importantly - so have you! So whether you've just joined me over here on the sunny side or you've been around for 3 years worth of ups and downs, highs and lows, yays and nays, happys days, rainy days, triumphant hoorays, day dreams and adventures - I want to say thanks to you. Thank you!

Thanks for all your kind words. I started blogging here because I love to write, I love to take photographs, I love to make things and it seemed like the perfect place to merge my loves, motivating me to keep on doing the things I love to do. I never would have imagined that what I expected to be a solitary adventure could turn into so many encouraging words, so many thoughtful, comforting well wishes and so many beautiful friendships. How kind and wonderful you all are, dear readers!

To celebrate this milestone I'd like to thank you ALL with a little giveaway. But realistically all I can offer is three little parcels of thanks. Sorry. Up for grabs is one of my mini holga prints framed and ready to add a splash of sunshine, warmth or breath of fresh air to your home.

There are five prints to choose from. Just leave a comment below with your preferred print and an email that I can contact you on for postal details. The "winners" will be drawn randomly. I'll draw this lil giveaway on Friday 19th March. Thanks again and good luck!

Click here for a close up of this print - Look Up - on Flickr.

Click here to see a close up of this print - In This Light - on Flickr

Click here to see a close up of this print - Ha Ha Ha - on Flickr

Click here to see a close up of this print - Dandelion - on Flickr

Click here to see a close up of this print - Bondi Icebergs - on Flickr

UPDATE - On seconds thoughts, if my prints aren't to your taste THAT'S OKAY! You can just say congrats, or pat yourself on the back for making it so far down the page.

up with the birds

2010-03-05T11:46:00.003+11:00

I've sucessfully lasted three whole weeks at my new job - favourite aunty/nanny extraordinaire. It's been exhausting learning how to manage, entertain, feed, bath, play, assist with sleep, encourage crawling and sympathise as teeth pop through but I think I'm getting the hang of it*. The hardest part is getting up so early in the morning! I am NOT a morning person by nature and no matter how early I try to go to bed I usually just lie there tossing and turning, yelling at myself to get some sleep.

But the plus side of my early morning starts is that I get to see the sunrise over Sydney Harbour as I catch the ferry to Manly. What a way to travel! I feel like I am adventuring on the high seas or in some 19th century classic romance novel that I probably wouldn't actually enjoy reading but it feels good to imagine all the same.

Sometimes the weather is a little gloomy....

But mostly I just feel happy to be alive.

*I've started having power naps when my little man goes down for sleeps. Works wonders! Win win situation. Getting paid to nap has to be my dream job!

African Mailman

2010-03-04T00:55:00.001+11:00

Lately, I've had Africa on my mind. I've got a spring in my step, warm feelings in my belly and a constant desire to wear brightly coloured dresses due to a heady cocktail of the following African influences: the discovery of Ethiopian food, watching The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency and a catchy K'naan tune that keeps playing in my head. That, combined with my ongoing obsession with the amazing Miss Nina Simone, has quite frankly, put a spell on me. I'm bewitched! Is it black magic?! Is that a racist joke? I don't even know.

I do know that my heart longs to wear the dresses worn by the gorgeous 'traditionally built' Jill Scott on The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. Have you seen this show? You MUST buy the DVD! My family loves the Alexander McCall Smith books but I must admit I haven't yet read any. But the show is so very lovely, I shall have to add them to my ever growing book pile. But back to the dresses. They're not exactly flattering (maybe it's hard to 'flatter' a bust that impressive) but they're just so lovely, the colours, the patterns, the length, the sleaves - I want one! To wear every day. A new one to wear everyday. Okay I want many.

I might just also want to be a detective. As if Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon, The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Adventurous Four et al hadn't already filled my childhood with mystery solving ideals, now my adult life is inspired by Harry Potter, Phillip Marlow and Precious Ramotswe too.

And the food. Oh the food...Does anyone know how to cook Ethiopean? Or any other African country for that matter. What are the spices used? Can you teach me?! Please?!

Yesterday, it just so happened that I was listening to Nina's African Mailman when Tom rang with his own African news - there's a strong possibility (but I don't want to jinx it!) that he will be headed to South Africa this June to work on the FIFA World Cup. I really can't impress upon you how very exciting that will be for him, a completely obsessed football fanatic. He wants me to come with....he has a week in Cape Town where I could join him. Should I? Have you been before? What can you do/see there? (Don't say football, please.)

Which brings me to K'naan, the Somalian/Canadian rapper, singer and poet. His song, Waving Flag, was already playing on repeat in my mind before I found out that it is the 2010 World Cup official anthem. I think this song is actually kinda daggy. But it's stuck in my head now and lifts my spirits everytime I hear it. And just like the lyrics go..."And everybody will be singing it...And you and I will be singing it...And we all will be singing it..." I'm sharing the song with you, so, you know, it comes true and I'm not the only one with it stuck in my head.

And we all live happily ever after.
*fingers crossed*

What's that smell? Oh, love is in the air.

2010-02-27T11:35:00.002+11:00

Hello there!

Today is a special day for me as it is our (Tomas and I, that is) 7 year anniversary. Seven years sure has flown by pretty quickly, but we've crammed a good deal of living and adventuring in between those quiet moments shared together on the couch channel surfing or absorbed in the screens on our respective laps.

The very first time I laid my eyes on him I was intrigued. I was 10 years old and he was the new boy in class. He had super thick, straight, long, straw coloured blonde hair. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. To this day I cry EVERY time he shaves his head, which is pretty much his standard haircut these days, so there are a lot of tears in our house...

...but he is used to my tears. Used to my tears, my rants, my undies left on the bathroom floor, my constant need for a lift somewhere, my anal placement of tins in the cupboard, teabags in the caddy, my clothes on the bedroom floor, my wool everywhere, my voracious appetite for food and the tears and grumpiness that accompany my lack of it, my hypocrisy, my reluctance to brush my teeth each night before bed, my inability to end an argument in anything other than tears, my penchant for British television, my stinky armpits, my hairy eyebrows, my insensitive bashing of his Catholic upbringing, my daily chocolate desires, my late nights and long sleep ins and my grey hairs and he suffers it all with never a harsh word but always an open and forgiving heart.

So, I'm a pretty spoilt and lucky lady really, wouldn't you say?!

Here's what my Swedish darling left on the kitchen bench for me to discover this morning when I got up -

It's nice to say it with flowers! Even if your Swedish isn't very good, you still get the message!

Allow me to indulge myself further here, with a little film Tom made for me...
It's my 'world' apparently, according to him. My world involves living in a terrarium that kind of looks like the surface of the moon. It also involves no makeup and messy hair, so, be prepared...as I certainly wasn't when I was unwittingly being filmed!

I hope that wherever you are today someone gives you a hug and tells you that they love you. Because they do! If that hasn't happened though, don't fret - I guarrantee someone is thinking about doing it! And if you don't believe me then feel free to give me a call, I'm awfully good at hugs and declarations of love. Maybe it's my welcoming bosom (everybody needs a bosom for a pillow), long arms or powerful grip, I don't know, but trust me, I rock at hugs.

Happy weekend, remember to breathe deeply and inhale the love in the air! xx

Julie Andrews, my new job mentor

2010-02-17T16:47:00.001+11:00

Yes that's right, you read correctly, I finally have a new job. (But no, it's not as a nun. However, Julie Andrews is crucial to my skill set.) Hence the absence from blogging - I've been in training and it has been so exhausting learning all the new skills I will need that I come home and hit the sack immediately, too tired to even turn on my computer. Sorry Internets, I missed you dearly, will you ever forgive me?!

When I was made redundant before Christmas last year I knew that it was a chance for me to change the path I was on - to grow, learn and fill my days with a job that made me feel good about myself, made me feel alive and didn't leave me wondering if I could call in sick every morning. But even that 'chance' was sort of stressing me out. I couldn't find any jobs advertised that I liked, that I felt I could be passionate about. I was really getting worried that my window of opportunity was closing, money was running out and decisions had to be made. I couldn't just stay home watching Midsomer Murders and Come Dine with Me all day and chatting on twitter, apparently.

Now, I LOVE The Office. I just hate working in one. I can't stand office politics, micro management, petty infighting, jealous co-workers, no pay rises despite working hard and deserving them, getting promoted without a pay rise due to the lame excuse of economic hard times, food court lunches, eating lunch at your computer because no one takes a lunch break, doing unpaid overtime practically every day, getting no recognition or praise for your efforts, wearing boring smart casual office clothes and performing mind numbing work that sucks your will to live.

I know we all have to pay our bills somehow, but I never imagined that I would have to work in an office to do this. I don't know what I imagined exactly, maybe I never really thought it through - I just know that the past 3 years of working in an office have left me rather bruised and reluctant to return. So when the chance to do something completely different came up, I decided to grab it with both hands.

This was the job ad -

"If you want this choice position
Have a cheery disposition
Rosy cheeks, no warts!
Play games, all sorts

You must be kind, you must be witty
Very sweet and fairly pretty
Take us on outings, give us treats
Sing songs, bring sweets

Never be cross or cruel
Never give us castor oil or gruel
Love us as a son and daughter
And never smell of barley water

If you won't scold and dominate us
We will never give you cause to hate us
We won't hide your spectacles
So you can't see
Put toads in your bed
Or pepper in your tea
Hurry, Nanny!"

Well actually, I've grabbed this chance with one hand and the other is multi-tasking. Say hello to the new Sara, part time nanny and freelance writer extraordinaire.

Who would hire a 27 year old with relatively no experience with children to look after their 5 month old baby boy 3 days a week? My sister-in-law Sara would. Bless her for believing in me. And bless Austin, my darling nephew, for naming me his favourite Auntie. (He hasn't learnt to speak yet of course but when he does, we all know what he will say.)

It's a bit of a leap of faith for me really. It feels like a brave decision, for me, a bold move even. I've certainly felt some opposition to my decision...
"But you've got two degrees and first class honours in English, you've got loads of experience working in digital, what about your career?"
or
"Ew babies, gross. They cry a lot. And poo and stuff."
and
"Working for family huh? Hmm, that's tricky, I hope that works out for you..."

Well all of these statements may be true but where else would I find a job that allows me to sing all day long, like my life is a musical? Singing at meal times, sleep times, play times, happy times and sad times, I love to sing. And I mostly make up all my own words too, because I can't remember the words to most nursery rhymes and childrens songs for the life of me. I can wear whatever daggy old clothes I want because they are going to get covered in food, drool, milk and tears anyway. I get to nap several times a day! I GET PAID TO NAP! These are a few of my favourite things, people!

So I'm channelling Mary Poppins and Fraulein Maria for nannying advice because they are 'practically perfect in every way' and as I've seen those films a million times each I suspect that the Julie Andrews School of Childcare brainwashed me from an early age.

If you've got any pearls of wisdom about parenting, or auntying, or nannying to offer, I'm all ears.(Please, I'm begging you!)

And the freelance writing part? Well that's a whole different ball game. I was never very good at sports. But I do try. So 2010 is my year for trying new things. Wish me luck!

my love/hate relationship with Melbourne

2010-02-08T18:41:00.000+11:00

I hate Melbourne for stealing my best friend Naomi. But I do love going to Melbourne to visit her.

You're awfully lovely Melbourne, with your delicious places to eat, dangerous places to shop and delightful art and crafty spirit. But you lose points for STEALING MY BEST FRIEND.

We spent a good week at the end of January down in Melbourne and it was a welcome break from my unemployed, house bound routine of late.

We ate the best jam donut I've had in a decade (also the only jam donut I've had in a decade), we had karaoke fun times at KBox (Gangsta's Paradise went down a treat, One Hand in My Pocket, not so much), indulged with yummy cake based brunches in Yarraville, amazing Ethiopian in Footscray, lots of late night gelato runs to Charlies, a drive in the country to Healesville with yummy olives and cider at the brewery there, we saw the mind blowingly talented Ricky Swallow exhibition at NGV, we watched the tennis on the tele, we had yummy BBQs with homegrown goodies, swims at Williamstown, homemade ginger beer, saw the wood chopping in Alexandria gardens on Australia day, played a thrilling game of bocci, tried to buy brie in Footscray Markets (rookie error, Footscrazy idea!), we thoroughly warmed Naomi and Anthony's new home, got a bit competitive over a finger sprint game on Naomi's iphone, hauled several tonnes of Bluestone on and off the back of a borrowed ute after some accidentally over zealous ebay bidding and we dined in a hurry due to a cranky waitress at Pellegrinos.

Here are some of the times I remembered to use my camera:

Thanks for a swell time Melbourne! You're tops!

I do however always feel terribly self conscious whenever I'm in town - not only is everyone is so good looking and well dressed but I'm always in constant fear of being ousted as a Sydneysider. Even Hitler hates on Sydney when in Melbourne. Every time I hop on a tram and wonder how to work the ticket machine I worry someone will realise I'm from Sydney. Can Melbournians smell fear? Do I have an accent that might give me away? A girl once asked Tom for street directions when he was standing outside a pub in Carlton, talking on his mobile phone - when he apologised and explained he was from Sydney, her reply was - WELL, YOU'RE COMPLETELY F#CKED THEN! Yes, it feels like it sometimes.

To the super trendy ladies casually dripping from head to toe with the latest indie fashion and design, I genuflect, then quickly step, out of your path. My eyes linger longingly on your shoes as you stride up Centre Place...

Oh Melbourne, why can't we be friends?! I'll be like Tai in Clueless, you can make me over.

Will this wonderfully geeky graffiti seen in Hosier Lane ever come true?

handmade love

2010-02-04T12:37:00.004+11:00

Thank you everyone for your kind comments about my tiny felt bunting and for sharing with me how you add a touch of handmade love to your gifts, I love them all! First impressions may count for something but I'm also pretty sure that in order for your gift to impact with a sucker punch to the heart then your best chance is to give something handmade.

I know making stuff is hard. (Well, it is for me.) It takes a super long time, always longer than you thought it would, it usually costs way more than if you'd bought a 'ready made' gift and often it doesn't turn out exactly perfect either, or like the vision you had in your head.

But these reasons (aside from the cost!) are what makes receiving a handmade gift up there with a big bear hug when you're feeling really down or a really sucessful therapy session. Handmade gifts are forged in the fiery furnace of love, people! That warm fuzzy feeling growing inside you is actually heat emanating from your handmade gift.

Why am I harping on about handmade love you ask? I'm probably preaching to the converted. You've probably been making amazing gifts for years and think nothing of it, it's just what you do. Well, you're amazing and I appreciate your efforts. I aim to be just like you one day - generous and thoughtful and talented. But have you ever found your handmade gift didn't receive the praise or appreciation that you were hoping for? How did you cope with that?

I love receiving handmade gifts. I was brought up by a ridiculously humble, super talented maker and every year of my life has been filled with handmade clothes, special birthday dresses, beenies, scarves, jewellery, endless handbags, nighties for me and matching ones for my dolls, dinosaur pjama pants stolen by numerous uni friends, teddie bears, blankets, blankets and more delightfully cozy blankets. My mum is a powerhouse of handmade love. Now it's just how our family operates - we make stuff for people we love.

Recently I was referred to as 'the eccentric aunt' by the father of my partner's 2 and a half year old niece. I've always make sure our presents for our niece are handmade, or at least partly handmade, because I thought it was important to carry the handmade torch, to share with her family the joy of handmade love and to show how much I care, but despite my efforts to connect with her she will barely say more than two words to us.

I was really upset by his comment. I interpreted it to mean that I was crazy, wacky, out of touch with reality and that my crappy handmade gifts would have been better received had they been Wiggles merchandise or store bought items. Maybe it means my colourful clothes or the flowers I wear in my hair don't make me look like a respectable adult. Whatever he meant - it made me feel like who I am and what I stand for weren't right and that was why our niece doesn't like us very much. And that made me sad.

A big grey storm cloud hung over my head and I just didn't feel like making stuff anymore.

A few weeks later, on a day that matched my miserable mood, I was surprised to find a parcel in the letterbox addressed to me. As I opened the parcel a gust of wind swept up behind me and hundred colourful spots danced around me on the wind. I gasped loudly, not knowing what they were at first, then laughed with delight when I realised it was crepe paper confetti and like a burst of tiny colourful balloons being released into the sky, this signified a momentous occasion, a special moment in my life.

Special doesn't begin to describe what was inside that parcel.

Kate, completely unbeknownst to me, had knitted me one of her special panda hats and sent me one on the sly. A complete surprise. For no special reason, other than the lady is filled with talent and love and generosity of spirit.

I actually burst into tears. Happy tears, of course. My tears of pain and sadness and self doubt were flushed out and replaced by happy, grateful, inspired, wonder filled tears. The best kind.

I'm certain that this is a magical hat and that whenever I wear it my spirit will be filled with strength, generosity and happiness and remind me of the power of handmade love and the importance of passing that love on.

I may be fragile, weak, childish, not particularly talented, flawed in many ways, eccentric even but at least I know that people will still share their handmade love with me. I couldn't think of anything more wonderful than that honour.

p.s If you'd like a panda hat of your own or for someone in need of a magical strength giving handmade gift, speak to Kate as she mentioned she might sell one in her etsy shop!

first impressions count

2010-01-29T16:06:00.003+11:00

Does anyone else get almost as much pleasure from wrapping a present as they do from making what's inside? You can't beat squeals of excitement and anticipation. My squeals, of course. Giving presents is so much fun!

Quite often the outside of my presents trump what's inside the wrapping paper. This can lead to disappointment. Be careful to balance the inner with the outer for optimum delight when gift giving.

Here's my latest attempt at gift wrapping.

Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favourite things.

Curious about what's inside?
This awesome book and some handmade crocheted granny star coasters - a house warming present of sorts for my lovely friends Naomi and Anthony who've just bought their first home. I spent the last week visiting them in Melbourne and wished I could live in their lovely spare room permanently, while they make me tasty food, play me fun tunes and entertain me with hard labour. Believe it or not, you can have lots of fun hauling tonnes of bluestone on and off a ute.

Curious about how to decorate your gifts with leftover scraps from your crafty pursuits?
As you can see from the images, it's not rocket science - it just takes a little time and effort. Just a little though! Hand sew scraps of felt or material cut into tiny triangles onto a length of wool with invisible thread to make a bunting garland like I've done below. Saving all the tiny scraps of wool cut off your crochet/knitting projects and knotting them together to make a super colourful, economical, no waste ribbon for present wrapping is surprisingly satisfying. Just think, those tiny scraps could have ended up in the bin but you saved them from certain destruction and allowed them to reach their full potential!

I'm never throwing away my scraps ever again.

How do you like to make a good first impression when giving gifts?

slides from the vault

2010-01-18T11:58:00.000+11:00

My mum got a slide scanner for Christmas and has been very busy scanning countless boxes of slides taken on their adventures all over the world and all through the 70s, 80s and even into the 90s. I thought I would share some of my favourites with you.

Sugar Doll Blog Awards

2010-01-16T00:37:00.002+11:00

The amazingly sweet and talented Evie from Handmade Romance tagged me a little while back with a Fabulous Sugar Doll Blog Award. How kind is that?! As a result of this award, I have to share 10 things about me - so here goes. Warning - it's kind of verbose and photo heavy, just like me.

1. My name is Sara. You probably knew that already. But did you know it's pronounced Sah-rah not Sair-rah? The pronounciation of my name (or constant mis-pronounciation) has been a burden that felt ever so heavy during my school years but seems to be less of a problem these days. Although I do miss having an entire class yell 'SARA' to a teacher who dared say it the wrong way. It's nice to have the support of friends!

This is me, pretending I'm a celebrity (or still have a Myspace!/!), all glammed up to accept this award.

I have a very special last name too, which 0.01% percent of people pronounce right first go. It's Carkagis. I know, I know, I can hear you all saying "Car....what?' It's actually not hard to pronounce either - Car-cage-is - but most adults still freak out like it's some CRAAAAZY weird last name that doesn't fit into their usual repertoir of Smith, Jones, Brown, Williams etc etc. Kids however, have no problem whatsoever. And yes, it is an anglosised version of a Greek name, in case you were wondering.

I used to hate my name. I wanted to change it to Zara and longed to get married to a man with a simple, common last name but it's kinda grown on me after all these years.

2. I'm fat. It's another thing that's grown on me over the years! I'm certain it's how people would describe me behind my back - but oddly enough no-one ever seems to mention it in my presence. Like the elephant in the room perhaps?!

Standing next to one of my tallest, skinniest, prettiest blonde friends was never going
to make me look like a supermodel though, was it?

Despite this apparent 'flaw', I have a wonderful partner and gorgeous friends who love me dearly. So I'm fairly certain that being skinny wouldn't/couldn't make me happier. Which is lucky because I'm also fairly certain that I'll never be skinny. I'll never look like Nigella Lawson either, but a girl can dream, right?!

3. I met my lovely partner when we were both 10 years old. We became instant friends. 17 years later we still get on like a house on fire, spend ages on the phone each day listening to each other breathe and laugh at each others jokes and I wouldn't swap him for the world. (Don't get me wrong, he drives me insane, but I give as good as I get.)

Punch drunk love. And also, just plain old drunk.

4. I'm a night owl. And consequently - NOT a morning person. I also love to sleep but mostly during the day. Cat naps rock my world. A cat to cat nap with is even better!

Montalbano only looks cross because he doesn't like having his photo taken, not because he is being held under duress.

Late at night I like to read, watch black and white films on ABC or World Movies on SBS or while away the hours listening to music and drinking whiskey.

5. I cry. Frequently. I cry when I'm sad, when I'm happy, when I unexpectedly hurt myself, when I see/hear about/think about animals being hurt or dying, when I hear songs that I love, when I think about how awesome Harry Potter is, when people show kindness and love to me, when I don't get the dinner I want, when I'm watching movies or reading books.

It's my first birthday party and I'll cry if I want to.

I cry in public a lot too. Like reading on a train on my way home. And sometimes I like to have a good old cry in the shower, then wash all the tear stains away.
If I feel like I'm going to cry - nothing in the world could stop that salty discharge from leaking out.

This morning's tears are dedicated to not getting a job I wanted and losing an item I was meant to pass on to my mother in law. Incidentally, taking photos of yourself when crying is the quickest way to stop them, very strange seeing yourself in such a state! Next time you feel sorry for yourself, take a photo and you'll change your mind quick smart.

6. I love to laugh. In fact, it was recently pointed out to me that I'm a giggler. I'd never thought about it before but it's true, I giggle a lot. After most sentances in fact, if I'm having a friendly conversation. But I don't limit my laughter just to giggles, I like to laugh loud and hard sometimes. Or just one big HAH! Followed by a booming HAH HAH HAH HAH haaa oh man. I'm pretty sure the neighbours are used it by now. I don't mind the occasional laugh snort either, if the mood takes me. But I never LOL or ROLF or LMAO. That is for cats only.

This is me, far left, in the throws of laughter.

Still in a fit of laughter.

And dearest Jen, on the far left, along with the instant gratification of the digital camera, is the reason for such laughter.

Other things I have been known to laugh at mostly include boys - Wes Anderson, Arrested Development, Simon Pegg, The Office - both versions, my brother, my boyfriend, fart noises, Dylan Moran, Shaun Micallef, The Flight of the Conchords, my dad, Seinfeld.

7. I can swear like a sailor and do so, often.
I mostly manage to tone it down when I am around my parents (yes mum, I'm afraid I swear about 90% more when not in your company) and after seeing Fantastic Mr Fox I am hoping to replace my heavy dependance on certain swear words with 'cuss'. So now my most frequently used phrases will be -
"Are you cussing kidding me?"
"What a cusswit!"
"Get cussed, you mothercussing CUSShole"
"Cuss off, you fat cusser" (this one is always said with a scottish accent)
"That is cussed up"

It's an appalling habit and terribly unladylike, I know...but swearing, I just can't quit you.

8. I don't have an ipod, or an imac or an iphone and I don't know how to use any of them either. It's not part of a concious decision to be anti-mac or anything, I'm just immensely uncool and poor.
I went to a private school and painfully remember the desperate desire to own everything in designer or brand names like I felt all the other kids had. I eventually grew up and realised what a crock of cuss that was, embracing opshops, second hand goods and best of all - handmade anything. I know you can't make your own mobile music player, computer or phone but having what all the cool kids have doesn't concern me like it used to when I was 13.

9. Guilty pleasures include visiting art galleries and heading straight to their shop, buying books in bookstores even though I have shelves full of books back home which I haven't read yet, lounging around all day doing very little then hurriedly tidying up the house and doing laundry in the hour before my boyfriend comes home so it looks like I had a busy, productive day and hiding at home alone when I could be out socialising.

10. Women whom I admire/look up to/want to be like when I grow up/have made me who I am/inspire me include:
My amazing mother, Frida Kahlo, Amelie Poulin, J. K Rowling, Enid Blyton, Zadie Smith, Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, Justine Clarke, Tiny Fey, Gertrude Stein, Margaret Atwood, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Xena Warrior Princess, Judith Butler, Beth Gibbons, E. Annie Proulx, Salma Hayek, Liv Tyler, Ashley G, Elloh, Nigella Lawson, Princess Buttercup, Kate, Alex, Pilgrim and as it happens, it's to those last three lovely ladies that'd I like to pass this award on to!

I want to know 10 things about these amazing ladies - and hereby present the Fabulous Sugar Doll award to...
Kate at Craftastrophies
Alex at Whole & Happy
Pilgrim at Draw! Pilgrim

You should check out what Evie wrote about herself too! And her shop, it's awesome! Thanks for the excuse to ~~crap~~ cuss on about myself even more than I usually do too!!

So that's it. 10 things about me. Any questions?! Hahahahahaaa

pep talk

2010-01-13T15:55:00.001+11:00

I need a pep talk. Does anyone else? Is anyone else feeling as low and guilty and pathetic as I am right now?

Everything/one is ever so inspirational and full of good intentions post new years and I am trying to take it all in and be positive and active but...being unemployed is so...draining. In a "can't leave the house, have to save all my money, must apply/sell oneself on endless job applications but procrastinate and end up watching tv for hours on end" kind of way. I'm a night owl - so I'm up all night pottering around and then sleep most of the next day - and feel endlessly guilty about it. I can't even be bothered to get dressed most days. It's truly pathetic.

I always knew I worked better under pressure - when life is super busy and you have a million things on your plate and you just have to buck up and get it all done otherwise it will all fall apart - that's when I get stuff done. Well, just because I'm no longer juggling a job, gym commitments, social life, endless household chores, making stuff, reading things etc it all seems to have come to a grinding holt. But the only thing missing from the equation is 'job'. So why can't I keep the rest going?!

Because I have no self dicipline? No self respect? Because I'm crippled by laziness, fear, self doubt?
All of the above?!

But you didn't come here to read my rants about being pathetic and filled with self loathing now - did you? It's hardly inspiring, or uplifting or even interesting to read. My sincere apologies for indulging myself, yet again.

This post is titled PEP TALK and a pep talk we shall receive.

Starting with Bette. This cover of a Bob Dylan classic is playing on repeat on my computer right now. It's so powerfully moving it makes me wanna stand up on my chair and scream and yell and fight and dance and run and jump with my heart thumping with hope and confidence and love.

"I see my life, come shining, shining, shining, from the west down to the east. Any day now, any day now, I shall be, I shall be released."

Wish I knew where to purchase a copy of this track, itunes only had the soul-less studio version, watered down and stripped of it's raw emotion. If anyone does know where I could get my hands on a copy like this, please let me know!

And moving on to my sprouts. See how they've grown! They were only this big before, remember?
If these guys can flourish in 3 grains of soil, a glimmer of light and a drop or two of water, then there is surely hope for us, right?!

And finally - some wise words from H. G Wells.

“We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and a mystery.”

So whether you decide to sing it, see it, say it or all three, I hope you're suitably 'pepped' now. I'm going to have a shower, get dressed and step in to the light of the sun.

how do you organise your bookshelves?

2010-01-08T01:59:00.001+11:00

I've just spring cleaned the bookcase. This true, but unappealing message, prompted a late night dusting phase that swiftly grew into a de-clutter, cull and reorganisation of all of my books 24 hour marathon.

Why would someone who loves books throw them away? It's a question I've asked myself in the past. I can't even bring myself to use a library anymore, I have to BUY the book, so it's mine to keep forever. I grew up in a very pro-reading house and I was never denied any book I ever wanted, even though mum did protest at a proliferation of Babysitters Club books when I was 11 or 12. I got up to #41 before the spell broke. Slow learner?

Ever since I moved out of home most of my spare dollars or even most of my not so spare dollars would be spent on books at Ariels or Berkelouw. It was a cool 20 minute walk down from my apartment to these Paddington institutions and many a late night would be spent ambling through the aisles before the doors shut at 12, browsing must read classics, contemporary darlings and staff recommendations. I've never left empty handed.

But how many of these books will I ever read again? How many are just posers, sitting there for street cred but will doubtfully ever be read? In the spirit of the new years resolutions and starting afresh in 2010 I decided it would be a healthy experience to de-clutter my bookshelves, returning long lost books to their rightful owners, offering no longer needed uni texts and gifted books that I would never ever read and 'read-but-will-never-read-again' novels to friends and family. I'll post a list soon of the books up for grabs, then the rest will head to Vinnies.

The real dilemna was not what to keep and what to give away. It was how to put all the pieces of the puzzle back together. How do you organise your bookshelves? Alphabetical? Genre? Colour? Dewey Decimal System?

I read this post in the Guardian, which was amusing but not particularly helpful. I asked twitter and facebook and everyone said to organise by colour. I usually love colour coordinated anything, so I gave it a try but I just wasn't moved by the results.

I did find this gem amongst the dust. Despite the fact I will never want to read this Perry Mason Mystery, The Case of the Restless Redhead is staying on my shelves. Exeption to the rule.

So I settled on a mixture of colour blocks and genres chosen by me. I wanted to make little signs for each section but that idea was strongly contested by Tom. What a pain it is, cohabitation and compromise.

From the top, left to right, we have: 'The Board' - my top 3 authors whom all other books are compared to (J.K Rowlings, J.D Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut), Post Colonialism, Post Modern American Classics, Art/Photography, Fluff and Amusement (I hid the Twilight Saga at the back of that section but have elected to pass Bridget Jones Diary on. Sign of the times. Shake your heads...)
Second Row: Well Red, Brit Pop, Childhood Memories, Australian Authors, Latin Americanos,
Third Row: Notable Women, Murder She Wrote, 20th Century Classics and European Masters, Medieval/Myth/Pagan Housekeeping, Travel and Adventure
Fourth Row: Cookbooks, Languages, Texts and Theory

How do you organise yours?

all sorts of lovely

2010-01-03T21:55:00.000+11:00

Today was all sorts of lovely - in celebration of my lovely mum's birthday!

We opened presents, lunched at Nielsen's Park in Vaucluse (my absolute favourite harbour beach), played board games all afternoon and headed to the local pub for dinner.

There may have been tears and tantrums during the board game part but a little bit of drizzle didn't dampen spirits at the beach.

Happy Birthday Mum! You're all sorts of lovely!

If someone you know is all sorts of lovely you should get them a lovely Able and Game card too! Isn't it sweet? Or wrap them a gift in that cute budgie calico bag, I bought that from Cotton On for $2! Best wrapping paper ever. I do love wrapping presents!

"Your life is an occasion. Rise to it!"

2010-01-01T23:09:00.000+11:00

We sure did. It was a quiet affair, watching the fireworks on the harbour and bondi from our rooftop. Felt a bit cheeky, seeing the lights from the comfort of our own home, no line for the loo or the bar to worry about or hailing a taxi in the wee hours to get home!

Thinking back on how Tom and I spent New Years Eve 10 years ago, we certainly have mellowed in our old age. We celebrated the end of 1999 by hosting a mammoth party in his parents house (who were away, luckily for us/unfortunately for them) where an entire couch was burnt on the bonfire in the early hours of the morning and the sun arose on a very drunken, boisterous, egotistical bunch of 17 year olds.

This year we just quietly passed out on our couches, and I got up around four and toddled off to bed, spending a good portion of new years day there too.

I hope wherever you were there was love, laughter, champagne, emotional happy tears (my favourite kind of tears!) and that 2010 brings more love, laughter and happy times to your table.

I feel like I've grown up so much this year - not in a world weary and wise sort of way, but in a 'on a journey and learning about the world and how I fit in it' kind of way. I've learnt some new skills, I've made some wonderful new friendships and strengthened some old ones, I've spent time with my family, been on holiday, lost my job and whilst it hasn't been dull I don't really think I rose to all the challenges I faced this year. I'd like to do better next year.

I saw Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium for the first time just the other day. Mr Magorium is a wise and wonderful character and his words to a young woman struggling with her talent and her purpose made me realise that I too have the power to run a magical toy store, metaphorically speaking!

"Your life is an occasion. Rise to it"

Motto for 2010 - sorted.

Thank you for following me this far on my journey - I do hope you'll join me again in 2010, help me grow, learn, discover, laugh and love life! You're all such brilliant sources of inspiration and motivation for me, did you know? Happy New Year!

let's be like weeds, and flourish wherever we're planted!

2009-12-17T23:18:00.000+11:00

Today I did a lil gardenin'...like, teeny tiny gardening.

I don't even know what these tiny plants are but my mother-in-law gave them to me from her garden, they were sprouting off some of her pot plants, like fiesty little barnacles on a whale. Some people might call them weeds. Maybe they're a succulent of some sort?

I don't have much of a green thumb though, so we'll see how long these poor lil sprouts last.

I do love the idea of gardening. But I'm not very good at it. I seem to over or under water things, attract caterpillars that eat all my basil or live in spots that are either scorching hot in the direct north facing sun or dark and damp on the south side, in a wind tunnel. Weeds are really my best hope.

I 'planted' these babies in a small glass that also came from my mother-in-law's childhood home. I hope they appreciate the association!

I also crocheted a little cozy for the outside of the glass. It was a test actually, to see whether I'd be able to work out how to crochet round and increase/decrease the size. What a wonderful test to perform, I passed with flying colours and feel rather impressed with myself. It's the little things right?! Focus on the positives!

Tomorrow I shall attempt to get up, shower and be dressed and out the door by 9.30am. For an unemployed person with plenty of time on their hands who happens to be completely useless in the morning I think this might really be stretching my capabilities.

I know a lot of you are having a really hard time this month so I do hope you're not pushing yourself too hard (like me!!) and are being kind and gentle to yourself. Because you're awfully lovely, you know? And sometimes when times are tough and sad we can be a little hard on ourselves. So just remember that you can achieve wonderful things, things you never thought possible, and to take your time and be yourself and hang in there like these hardy lil sprouts.

(If these sprouts die, forget I said anything.)

oh no, no, I never go to work

2009-12-17T11:27:00.001+11:00

I think this awesome kids song by They Might Be Giants has just become my official unemployed theme tune. Just swap the trumpet with crocheting.

I did have trumpet lessons once upon a time. I was probably 11. I really hated practising the trumpet, more than any other instrument I've ever tried to learn. It was for the band at school and the teacher was a major grump. I remember one particularly hot, bushfire filled Christmas holiday I actually hoped our house would be burnt down so that I wouldn't have to play the trumpet anymore. In fact, I think I left it in the laundry, thinking that would catch fire first, and that hopefully it would burn out before the rest of the house was destroyed. So, just my trumpet and the laundry.

Oh the shame. What an evil self centred kid I was!

My Place & Yours: Just five minutes peace...

2009-12-17T00:00:00.000+11:00

This weeks theme for the My Place and Yours meme was chosen by the delightful, be brightful, colour my world with sunshine yellow each day, Pilgrim Lee. The lovely lady wants to know where we escape for 5 minutes peace, "where do you retreat to for that sanity-regaining break". Check out her chosen spot for relaxing, I'm rather envious indeed. I doubt I'd do much relaxing sat on that ottoman, more like bouncing around squeaking happy sounds, rejoicing and rejuvenating with much stroking of colourful tactile cushions! (Yes I stroke things, yes I know it looks creepy, I can't help it.)

The place I head to when I need to let off steam is actually a very steamy place. Ironic? Perhaps. It's not arty or crafty, or even particularly aesthetically pleasing, it's pretty much devoid of colour and it's in my least favourite room in my entire house - but oh it works wonders on a tired mind and body. It's my shower.

If you need to have a dramatic breakdown (like in the movies) the shower is the perfect place. Weep away, flood the drains with your tiny salty tears and step out of that shower a new woman. If you need to come up with a solution to all your problems, something will come tumbling out of that shower head, guarranteed! If you need 5 more minutes sleep before you go to work in the morning, why not multitask and be hygienic at the same time?! A shower will never let you down! Foolproof relaxation method!

It's the best 5 minutes you'll ever spend doing nothing. Although technically, in our bathroom, showers last for 4 and a half minutes. Well, that's how long the timed fan goes for, that's our compromise for not having one of those awful water conserving shower heads installed.

Anyway, here it is. Aren't you glad I didn't photograph myself in there? That wouldn't be peaceful for anyone.

You might have spotted the Boots shower products filling up the caddy. I always load up on Boots products every time I'm in the UK, it's a tradition for my mum and I. Sounds silly to some, but smelly soapy stuff and lipbalm from other countries are always my preferred souvenir! The shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser and scrub are from the Botanics range, with lots of organic choices. I'll cry when that shampoo runs out. I'm also rationing that Brazil Nut shower gel. It's dangerous stuff, smells so good you could turn into a self sufficient cannibal - eek!

Where in your home do you escape for 5 minutes peace? Join in the voyeuristic fun over at Meet Me at Mikes!

what to do?!

2009-12-15T21:54:00.002+11:00

I wrote this list a few days ago. It's a To Do list designed to fill my days with positive thoughts and affirmative action. Do you ever write those? I'm a big fan of the To Do list. They're great as a brain storm, a procrastination activity, a reminder, a pick me up, and you can even add to them after the fact, to make the most of that glorious crossing off the list part.

Any of these on your list? (You don't have to be unemployed to want/need to do these things either!)

Things I can do now that I ~~am redundant~~ am unemployed...

Crochet up a storm

Finish my crocheted chair project

Sew up my new cushions

Make yummy meals

Read books

Relax at the beach

Declutter the house

Gardening

Go to the gym

Make Christmas presents

Spring cleaning

Blog more!

Things I should stop doing...

Sitting on the couch staring blankly at screens

Watching crap TV all day and night

Making do with what’s in the cupboards because I am too lazy to leave the house – tinned salmon, and frozen packets of edamame does not equal satisfying meals for days on end.

Procrastinating getting my resume sorted, answering emails, doing the laundry, showering and getting dressed etc etc

I'm not going to pretend that I can cross many of those things off my list as yet. But I've made a start! Here's what I made today. It's a...

You like? Alex taught me how to crochet those flowers at our crochet circle on Sunday, she made some for her super cute tea cosy. I'm always on the lookout for stuff to stick on my head, so I whipped up a band to match and pinned them on. Bit dodgy. You should make one and show me how it's really done!

The most expensive paper christmas decorations EVER

2009-12-11T22:16:00.002+11:00

Seriously, these decorations are prohibitively expensive. These cost thousands of dollars to make. I'd write the amount on a piece of paper and slide it over to you to discreetly look at but then you'd be rendered speechless forever.

Why did they cost so much? Well for one, they're handmade, and quality craftmanship is not to be sneezed at, right?! But the real reason is because I made them from the envelopes my bills came in. That, and some scrapbooking cardboard from Eckersleys and pricey japanese paper from Kinokuniya.

Merry Christmas World!

If you'd like to make your own paper ornaments like these for Christmas (or any occasion, I made some for my mums 50th birthday party too!) then head to Design*Sponge and take a look at the tutorial posted there. They're super quick and easy to make. And of course, the paper cranes are folded from security paper, found in the inside of the envelopes your bills come in!

Sadly, the cost of these decorations was increased by a unfortunate incident, involving my favourite glass bowl (finnish crystal! a gift from my mother-in-law! still in the orginal box from the 70s!) and 30 cms of height between a coffee table and the carpet. I think I got all the bits of glass out of the carpet but it will be forever tear stained....

But 30 Rock, beer and a lazy evening on the couch is making everything feel better...

intermission

2009-12-06T14:01:00.000+11:00

My rather belated Friday Top 5 before 5 is coming. I promise. I got distracted by life and this...

I love all things Japanese and all things French. The Japanese (rightly so) also love all things French.
French inspired Japanese things make my heart sing, they're so sweet and whimsical.
Check out this amazing collaboration of French artist Nathalie Lété and a Shibuya store.
I want to live in this sweet store window. I want to have painting skills...

(via the lovely Geninne's Art Blog - check her out too she's rather super talented herself!)

Chillaxin' with the Friday Top 5 before 5 #2

2009-11-27T11:48:00.005+11:00

Please take a deep breath and make your self a cup of tea and come sit quietly with me as we run through today's Top 5.

This weeks theme is all about being happy - taking the time to relax, have a peaceful moment and move forward in a graceful, positive manner. Sound impossible? Feels like it sometimes. And I don't mean just putting on your "happy face" and repeating that "everything's wonderful" and shoving the bad nasty feelings aside, I want to be calm, cool, serene even. Cooler than a tropical island holiday - tropical islands have sticky sand that gets in places you don't want it to be, pestering flies, sunburn and hangovers. In fact, tropical island holidays are just the same as putting on your happy face, with a big credit card bill at the end of it all.

So I'm working towards a lifelong chillax. Yes I am. Will you join me?

Here's what inspired me this week to make a few changes in my life to increase the happy and relaxed me and decrease the emotional, stressed, fragile and self-sabotaging me.

(Well, baby steps people. I have not fully evolved into a goddess yet. Please do not expect such a startling transformation so soon. I also have a weekend of excessive drinking planned*, but I will try not to make this 'a diet starts tomorrow' sort of situation.)

1. Gwen Bell of Big Love in a Small World blog fame wrote an interesting article entitled "Are you your Biggest Competitor? 3 simple ways to relax right now".What she says about stress and learning to relax makes a lot of sense to me and it also makes for very reassuring reading. Feeling like you don't live up to expectations (whether they're placed on you by yourself, your friends/family or society) takes an awful toll on your emotional well being and ability to relax and be happy.

She also speaks about yoga. There is a yoga class at my gym which I have been thinking about taking for some time. (I do think a lot don't I?!) Do you practice yoga? Do you think it helps relax you? I guess I worry about being the fattest most uncoordinated person in the class, but then that's just self sabotaging thinking isn't it?

2. Whole & Happy is a new blog that my lovely friend Alex has just started. She's on a truly courageous journey practicing healthy, happy, harmonious habits for a healthy, happy, harmonious planet. Pretty inspirational. I certainly embrace the philosophy that making a better 'you' requires making a better planet too. I'm not as brave as her (sugar free?! ARGH!) but it's good food for thought, that's for sure.

3. Living without Money - is an article about another courageous women who has willingly lived without money for 13 years now. She gave away everything she owns. It's a scary but inspirational read which makes these 5 small decluttering projects seem like a piece of cake! I'm not planning to live without money or possessions but I would like to make living in my one bedroom apartment with a boy and a cat a little bit more roomy. I'll always have sentimental attachments to some items but I don't want to feel defined by my stuff, or worry about what I don't have.

I've made a start - I just donated 2 enormous bags full of clothes to Vinnies, which my groaning shelves have thanked me for. Next plan is to tackle the bookcase. But don't worry - I'll let you all know what's up for grabs before I donate them.

4. Remembering that there is a world outside of 'me' - take a look at some of these awesome images from the National Geographic 2009 International Photography contest and tell me the world isn't an amazing place! I should get out more. Out of my office.

5. Make something. And please note - I did not specify finishing said project, just to keep making. Keeping my hands busy seems to be the best way for my mind to relax sometimes. Thoughts about the day and things that are stressing me out all seem to melt away when I'm focusing on a nice crafty project.

I'm finding that mastering the crochet hook is ever so relaxing. I can't crochet and pay attention to the TV, so that cuts down on my mindless television watching, which is a plus. I'm also getting a kick out of making really tasty food from scratch. Extra satisfying to eat. And of course, folding paper cranes, the ultimate time out for me. My collection of security paper cranes is growing and growing thanks to lots of lovely people donating the envelopes their bills come in!

If you can finish your project then good for you. But don't beat yourself up if you haven't wielded instant results. Just keep at it. Next step - give it away, spread the love and start over. That's the happy part!

Well, that's my plan anyway. What do you think? Got any tips for relaxing and being happy? What works best for you?

* Decided to excessively drink ORGANIC wine and cider this weekend. That will alleviate all guilt, surely.

Do you stop to smell the roses?

2009-11-25T17:51:00.005+11:00

I am not a morning person. Hence, I am late to work most days.

Today, as I raced out the door and up the road, already starting to fret about work (and also, whether to get fruit salad or turkish raisin toast for breakfast. Food is a very serious matter to me.) I was distracted by this rose bush out the front of someone's house.

Well...to be honest the roses are about 2 metres in the air, drooping downwards from a fence/garage, so you'd be correct in thinking that it's hard to get distracted by something above your line of sight. You could say, I deliberately stopped to look at them. You could even say I was dawdling when already late for work.

One might even say that I was stopping to smell the roses, if you're that way inclined.

I am that way inclined. It's a nice inclination. They smelt damn sweet too.

These two fuzzy close ups remind me of a Cath Kidston print, don't you think?

Incidentally, her Rose & Carnation hand cream is one of my favs. It smells lovely and has sweet little ~~silver~~ gold stars on the tin.

I suggest you buy yourself some then if you don't have a rose bush to stop and admire, you can stop and admire your lovely smelling hands. (I found it stocked in Target for all you Australian readers!)

Good things come...

2009-11-23T23:05:00.004+11:00

to those who...

1. Don't particularly deserve them
2. Were really in need of some cheering up nonetheless
3. Are immensely grateful for all the love

Today was tough. Tonight was just lovely.

On the way home we took the scenic route for fresh ocean treasure AND there was a lovely surprise parcel waiting for me when we got home.

My stomach bulged with contentment, my heart burst with happiness.

Good things come. Yes they do. I will remember it.

Friday Top 5 before 5 #1

2009-11-20T12:14:00.006+11:00

Yep folks, every Friday I'm going to post a Top 5 before 5pm. It's my new blogging goal. Hold me to it. (No-one does any work in the office on a Friday anyway, do they?!)

I'm going to kick off with 5 crafty projects which have been filling me from head to toe with excitement this week. I'm truly giddy with excitement!

1. Granny Stars
I bought this pattern from Sarah London and amazed myself by actually following said pattern and making something. This truly is a first for me, as I am a pattern-a-phobe. It drives my mother insane. I always tell her about my idea for some new bag/outfit/cushion etc and she'll say - "So where's the pattern?" and I just point to my head.

These granny stars crochet up so fast which is super satisfying. I'm going to turn them into a garland - stay tuned for my finished product! Also thinking about decorating all my Christmas presents with one. Got any other bright ideas for these stars people?

2. The Great 2010 Tea Towel Swap
I did a screen printing course last year with my best friend Grant. We had grand plans to take over the world with our amazing screen printed designs. We bought loads of fabric and ink and got our screens made up and finished the course and then left the lot in the spare room.
Here's some shots of our 'grand designs...

I was tidying up my stash the other day when I came across a bunch of tea towels and linen ready to be screen printed on and thought to myself - "You really need to get this project finished."

Enter The Great 2010 Tea Towel Swap - the genius idea of Sooz and Kate. This is the kick up the bum I need - I get to finish what I started and receive tea towels from people all over the world in exchange!

I just hope they like Dolly Parton, Frida Kahlo, Poppies or Jarvis Cocker.

You should sign up too!

3. Ink & Spindle meet my Couch
I've been meaning to update the cushions on my couch for a while now. I love the old ones, but it's been 3 years and now it's time for a change. I'm fickle like that.

Then I remembered Ink & Spindle and how I've been lusting after Lara Cameron's work for years now. Stunning designs, hand screen printed in Melbourne (which after my course at CoFA I have a whole new appreciation for!) and they're carbon neutral. What's not to love?!
I think these Ink & Spindle fabrics are going to get on very well with my couch.

4. Stitch n Bitch this Sunday
I love every 3rd Sunday with all my heart. I get to see the ever so lovely Alfalky, drink my most favourite thickshake in the entire world at one of my favourite cafe's (the Caramello at Mickey's in Paddington. $7.50 but worth every delicious sip.) and crochet away the afternoon with other sweet and talented ladies.
Do you belong to a crafting group? They are the best fun.

5. Meet Me at Mikes - The Book!
So I finally got around to purchasing the ever so adorable Meet Me at Mikes craft book, as a belated birthday/early christmas present for myself. I knew it would be filled with super awesome of course, but I guess I didn't realise HOW MUCH awesome could be inside.

Trust me, it's a whole lot. I have been carrying it around with me all week, taking it out of my bag and hugging it, or flipping through the pages and longingly staring at the sweet images. But where to start? The begining? I don't know - I can't decide as it's all so enticing!

I was thinking of starting up a group (online of course!) where everyone makes the same project, working our way through the entire book of course, and then blogs about each project when they are done. Would be cool to see how everyones project turns out.

What do you think peeps? Anyone in? I was thinking we could have 2 weeks per project, as life gets busy and all, huh? Maybe we need more time? Let me know if you are interested and I will get a McLinky list happening or something.

Got a copy of Pip's book? If not, get one!

That's my first Top 5. Hope whatever you're making this weekend turns out just splendid!

Non! Je ne regrette rien!

2009-11-16T13:41:00.001+11:00

You know how sometimes, at the hairdressers, things don't go exactly as you plan? You go in, you think you've explained what you want to the hairdresser, but you come away with something completely different, like 2 inches shorter or not enough layers around your face?

And you have a sinking feeling, as you sit there in the chair, checking out the progress, but you tell yourself, maybe it's just the way she's styling it, when I get home and style it my way I'm sure it'll be fine... You don't speak up there and then because you don't want to offend the hairdresser, you don't feel brave enough to explain again with conviction what you thought you already conveyed or you don't want to pester them with constant grumbles and be some annoying painful customer. So you hand over your hard earned cash and swallow your misery.

Back home in front of the bathroom mirror you confirm that it's not fine. It's not what you wanted at all. But thankfully, hair grows back.

Unfortunately I didn't get a haircut on the weekend. I got tattooed instead.

This is a fuzzy shot, so that probably doesn't help.

Be Honest. It looks like two pen drawings on my arms, doesn't it?

I wanted them to be simple and calm. I wanted them to be slightly higher on my wrists. I wanted them to have thicker lines. I didn't want them to be perfect (because I'm not and neither are any of the cranes I make) but I didn't want them to look like dodgy doodles.

But I didn't speak up. I could say it was because the guy who did them was a grump, and everytime I've seen him he's complaining about customers who didn't know what they wanted, or customers who were too clueless, or someone who didn't want want he wanted etc etc and I was too gutless to take him on.

But it wasn't his fault I didn't get exactly what I wanted was it?

It's okay though. I can get the lines made thicker once these heal. I can grow to like where they are on my arms. I can accept that they're not hardcore, because neither am I. Like Edith Piaff, I do not have regrets. I just need to grow.

No! No regrets
No! I will have no regrets
All the things
That went wrong
For at last I have learned to be strong

If you are wondering why I got two paper cranes tattooed on my arms it's because paper cranes symbolise loyalty, honor and peace. Commendable virtues, wouldn't you say? I'm a very stubborn person, which is like a form of loyalty. I believe in peace, love and mungbeans even though sometimes I can be a bit of a shit stirrer. Folding paper cranes is a meditative action for me and more than anything I like to fold them for other people. Tiny and delicate, colourful yet calm, silent symbols of my love for others.

But these two paper cranes are for me. They're there to bring me strength, remind me to be honourable, to seek peace and to uphold my loyalty.

The crane is a majestic bird which mates for life and is extremely loyal to its partner. The bird is strong, graceful and beautiful. The Japanese believe that if you fold 1,000 paper cranes you will be granted your greatest wish, which is why they're also a symbol of good luck.

I've made several thousand since I first learnt to make them 10 years ago. I'm not sure what my greatest wish is exactly. I'm not sure that I need good luck, but maybe that's because it's already taking effect. Karmic paper cranes? Not sure about that. But I'm going to keep folding these paper cranes nonetheless, storing up all this good luck for a rainy day. If you need some good luck, let me know, I'm happy to share my stockpile.

how do you take your tea?

2009-11-12T16:09:00.002+11:00

I love tea. Tea is my preferred tipple. This has been well established.
I believe you've already met my favourite tea cup.

If you can find a better song to drink tea to I will.... I will switch to coffee. Permanently.

"Now when I say OOOH you say LONG - OOH, LONG, OOH, LONG!"

I don't know who this Elemental fellow is but I like him.
Some say he's a quintessential English fellow, explorer, scientist, exotic dancer and some might say raving lunatic. Banned from 13 of the colonies for 'unspeakable scientific experiments', yet heralded as something of a deity in a great many more.
Is that so?

I fancy a cup of tea right now. Do you? How do you take your tea?
Elemental - "I want milk in it. Strong though. I want to see that teaspoon stand up!"
ME TOO!

Here's what I see when I finish my cup -

True that.

The Wire, the dreams, the daisies and what Obama and I have in common.

2009-11-11T11:51:00.003+11:00

The other night, after posting My Secret Weapon, I watched a few more episodes of The Wire and toddled off to bed.

That night I dreamt that Omar made me ThemeQueen of the My Place & Yours meme (he probably threatened poor Pip with his sawn off shotgun) and as a result, the theme for that week was "My Street Corner".

If you've seen The Wire, then you might be imagining some gruesome scenes. I did. There was a lot of blood, poverty and dead bodies.

Of course, in my dream the photos I posted were all beautifully shot in warm fuzzy tones, with some magical bokeh elements where the sunshine blurred in the background of the image. They were sad yet beautiful images.... Oh analyse that people, and tell me I'm not completed screwed in the head! Drugs and poverty could never be beautiful. I was a fool to dream.

Thankfully, that's not my street corner. I don't live in the projects or towers of westside Baltimore. I live in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney and the only drug dealing in my suburb goes on in multimillion dollar mansions. Poolside, I imagine. Or maybe in a ginormous kitchen with Caesarstone benchtops and Miele appliances that never get used. I don't know. It's none of my business.

What I wanted to say was that I really like my street. I get a happy glow inside when I leave the house or when I'm walking home from the station in the evening. I look at the ocean and it smiles back at me, all sparkly and blue. I walk under a canopy of wisteria and jacarandah and arch my neck up so all I can see is purple and green. I breathe deeply when I pass the star jasmine that's completely blocking somebodies garage and wonder if they'll be able to get their car out. I look out for the overgrown vine and fondly stroke the lush green leaves. I smile at the hot pink bouganvillia. And then right at the street corner I turn back and look up someone's front steps.

I love these steps.

Every so often the owners pull out all the "weeds" but those stubborn little daisies always grow back. They sure do make me happy. I'd like to sit with them and watch the world go by. But I can't, because they're not my steps. Do you think they'd mind?

If I was to sit on those steps, I think I'd print out some of the Wire illustrations by Blake Hicks. They're too cool. I'd make a whole colouring in book and while away the day colouring and drinking rose lemonade.

I sure do like that Omar Devone Little a LOT. Did you know that he's also President Barack Obama's favourite character on The Wire? Yep. I read that on wikipedia folks.

Anyway, I'm not about to take over anyone's meme or anything, that would be rude and mean. So that's all from my corner of the street for now.

Rainy days and soggy smiles

2009-11-09T14:11:00.005+11:00

Our annual visit to Sculpture by the Sea was not as sunny as last year.

I’m not sure if I was influenced by the weather but I was rather underwhelmed by the sculptures on display this year. And even though my brother told me not to compare them to last years, but to compare them to the Bronte to Bondi cliff walk as it usually is, I still felt disappointed.

It seemed that our destiny was bleak, no matter which direction we took, it rained.

(Okay I liked this sculpture.)

So I focused on things that did make me smile.

Oh the pretty patterns raindrops make on glasses. Like translucent freckles.

I sure was glad I wasn't wearing a white t-shirt though. Have you been to see Sculpture by the Sea this year? What did you think? Should I go back on a sunnier day and give it another shot?

My Place & Yours: My Secret Weapon

2009-11-08T18:30:00.003+11:00

I missed a week or two of Pip's My Place & Yours meme because living in a one bedroom apartment with a boy and a cat means certain compromises have to be made regarding space. I do not have a 'blogging HQ', a 'creative space' or even a dining table. Maybe this is why I never get anything done?!

This week's theme, chosen by Deedrie of My Bricole fame, was 'My Secret Weapon'. It's a good challenge, no? Thought provoking, a little left of field and requires no dusting. Yay!

She wrote:
I’m asking everyone to share her/his “secret weapon”. No deep dark secrets here, just something you keep close to your creative heart...Whatever it is, it should something that you know you can go to in a pinch and it will never let you down.

So, keeping in mind this is a creative stimulus and not 'My Secret Vice', I am not going to share with you my favourite drop of whiskey, felafel restaurant, chocolate block, tv show or much used couch. They may never let me down but they're hardly stimulating.

My Secret Weapon has completely changed my outlook on life. Literally. It makes me look up, look down, focus, zoom in and stand still. Sometimes I have to crawl on the ground, get my feet wet or ask my boyfriend to stop the car, stop the car, please can you pull over!

The beauty of my secret weapon is that even when I don't have it on me, I'm still looking at and thinking about the world with a different point of view. It's enriched my every day - my walk to the bus stop is filled with stop and smell the roses moments. Every day becomes a holiday because my secret weapon is a Holga.

What's a Holga? It's a plastic toy camera. It's simple and it requires little technical knowledge about photography, which is good, because I have none. Sometimes it punishes me but if I'm patient and persistant I get rewarded with beautiful shots that fill me with warm fuzzy feelings. Best of all, I can even pretend I'm an artist. Now I just have to convince others that I'm an artist and all my dreams will have come true!

This is my second Holga. I stepped on my first one. Oops.

Sometimes (quite frequently) my photos don't turn out how I imagine, sometimes they don't turn out at all and at roughly $10 for a roll of 12 shots and $20 to get the film developed, it's not the cheapest of hobbies. I've been disappointed many a time after waiting in anticipation for my film to be developed, hoping to find a diamond in the rough. But even if my physical photos turn out to be failures, I still get to keep those beautiful images, those peaceful moments and creative surges in my mind.

Here's some of the good, the bad and the ugly that me and my holga have captured on film:

Do you have a holga? Got any tips for me now you've seen my photos?!
What inspires you creatively? What's your secret weapon? Join in here!

Bob Dylan at the National Portrait Gallery

2009-11-06T15:35:00.007+11:00

I was at the National Portrait Gallery in London in September and happened to stumble across a little exhibition of Bob Dylan portraits, taken by Barry Feinstein during Dylan's 1966 European tour. It's on until 29th November 2009 so if you're in the area you should pop in and check it out.

Disclosure: I have no idea how these images happened to be on my camera when I left the gallery!

I thought I'd share them with you, especially since I found this lovely youtube clip from the same year to accompany them, he looks so young and happy. Even though it was his transition year from folk to electric and everyone hated him and all...

In celebration of all things 1966 and Bob Dylan, I'm gonna dust off Blonde on Blonde this weekend and see if my record player still works. I shall also write to two special people who I just don't see enough of these days, and reminisce about the days when we used to listen to Dylan on our walkman, sharing an ear each and singing along. Good times.

Peace, love and rock n roll my friends!

Things I love about Sweden

2009-11-05T10:37:00.004+11:00

I have a confession. I'm a green eyed monster. My wrath is directed towards people with blonde hair specifically. Don't get me wrong, some of my best friends are blondes, including my good looking partner, my gorgeous mother, my handsome brother and his super cute girlfriend. But there's a chip on my shoulder which I attempt to hide with my dark brown hair. I'm pretty sure my eyes would still be green though even if I wasn't jealous of their golden, shiny, light reflecting loveliness.

My partner Tomas is half Swedish. Did I tell you we got the chance to visit Sweden this September on our European holiday? Can you imagine my excitement? It was equaled by my trepidation. Visiting an entire country full of gorgeous Nordic superior beings sounds delightfully self-confidence shattering to me. Not only are they naturally physically enhanced, they're super stylish too.

But as it turns out, not everyone in Sweden is blonde. (Gasp! Stereotypes aren't always true?!) And despite my paranoia of thinking that everyone I pass on the street is looking down on me, assuming I'm an inferior immigrant outsider from an Arabian country, who's come to Sweden to sponge off the welfare system and is diluting the traditional Aryan lifestyle with suspect morals, suspect values, suspect religious beliefs etc I had a lovely time there. My grasp of the Swedish language is rudimentary, to say the least, but they didn't hold that (or any of my other imaginary defects) against me.

Because Sweden is awesome.

You may think of Sweden and think wealthy Scandinavian country, purveyor of Ikea, Volvo and Saab. You may think Abba, Ingmar Bergman, Astrid Lindgreen, massage, meatballs and vikings.

Those things, whilst worthy and notable, are not why I love Sweden though. Here's my list of things I love about Sweden, complete with holiday snapshots. I do hope you enjoy them!

Films like Så som i Himmelen (As it is in heaven), Låt den rätte komma in (Let the right one in), Zozo, Fucking Amal (Show me Love) and Fröken Sverige (Miss Sweden). Seek them out if you haven't seen them already. They're ever so lovely and heartwarming. They may have nasty bullies in them (with super blonde hair, just like Draco Malfoy) but the underdog always comes out on top. You'll love them, especially Zozo. I do love Zozo.

Sweet, sultry indie pop music by El Perro Del Mar, Lykki Li, Jen Lekman, Peter Bjorn and John.

Books like The Millenium Trilogy by Steig Larsson. So trashy, so much gratuitous violence, yet completely unputdownable. It's not high literature or anything, but you know, it doesn't have to have won a Booker Prize to be a good read, does it! That intriguing Lisbeth Salander, that Kalle Blomkvist, they sucked me right in.

Artists like Camilla Engman. She's amazing. Her art is darling and her happy snaps are so beautiful. She created my igoogle skin and she just shared this lovely desktop wallpaper too. My computer is always 'Engmanned' and as a result I'm always whimsically inspired!

Bloggers like Chez Larson. What a crafty, organised women she is! Swedish houses are ever so clean and organised, I can only dream of being that tidy.

Fashion and interiors by Gudren Sjoden. She's richly colourful with lots of lovely embroidery that reminds me of Vietnam, Frida Kahlo and folk festivals. Being Scandinavian means she's also way out of my price range. Sigh...

Food like Jansens temptation, brun kol, sil salad, lingonberry jam, elderberry cordial, kalles kaviar and meetballs that my father-in-law Janne makes. Pretty much everything we have to eat every Christmas Eve! I'll share some of that in a few weeks time.

And Stockholm! It's such a beautiful city. Elegant buildings, beautiful parks, cobblestone streets and lots of sparkling water.

And Skåne, the region down south where my Swedish family comes from, with lovely cities like Malmö, Lund and sleepy villages like Klippan.

And of course, the best thing to come out of Sweden is my love...and like Thor the God of Thunder, he refuses to smile in photos.

Do you love Sweden? Please tell me what Swedish things, people and places I should look out for!

Encouragement awards

2009-11-04T17:53:00.008+11:00

I mostly feel like this at work.

Except without the chocolates, which makes me even sadder.

So if you, like me, need a little gentle encouragement to get you through your day job, PMS, life in general etc then I hope you find the following etsy art prints helpful...

Everything is going to be okay by Pleasebestill

Stop. Focus on What Really Matter by Artzink

I will be grateful for this day by vol25

Live what you love by Hijirink

Bloom where you're planted by JeanneWinters

Everything is okay by Britthermann

Ruminating about reading...

2009-10-29T14:38:00.003+11:00

Have you read The Reader by Bernhard Schlink? I saw a copy in Gertrude and Alice’s the other day and bought it on a whim. I haven’t seen the film adaptation, but I do remember hearing how controversial it was, that it humanised the perpertrators of the Holocaust and that Kate Winslet had won an Oscar for her role as Hanna, former SS guard at Auschwitz and the main antagonist of the book. I thought I’d give it a go.

I finished reading it last night just after I hopped off the train. Even though I only ever read it in blocks of 10 or 20 minutes whilst on the bus, train, or walking home, it easily captured my attention and despite the lack of thrilling plotline, (It’s no Millenium Trilogy) the emotional ‘thrill’ (for want of a better word) had me turning the pages at great speed. Then, unexpectedly, tears were pouring down my face, mixing with the snot dribbling from my nose (I have a cold!) and I had to turn on my windscreen wipers (also known as hands and sleeves) super fast in order to finish the last few pages. I must have looked pretty strange.

“A flash flood of emotion was reported to have hit Oxford Street mall in Bondi Junction yesterday evening at approximately 5.47pm. Witnesses claim to have seen a small, pre-loved copy of Bernhard Schlink’s The Reader floating at the top of the foam and flotsam. The Weather Bureau states it had no way of predicting this downpour of salty discharge but warn that the phenomenon is not uncommon and many sightings have been reported in the Eastern Suburbs area.”

Schlink describes feelings of shame, confusion and unrequited love in a way that reached deep into my subconscious and wrenched out buried memories from my teenage years. Sure, I have nothing in common with Michael Berg, the story’s protagonist who at 15 begins a love affair with 36 year old Hanna Schmidt, the tram operator with a secret past. Sure, I haven’t experienced the Holocaust and it’s devastating consequences in the way that entire countries and races and subsequent generations have. In fact, that whole part of the story remained strangely detached in my mind. Too lazy to enter the moral discussion? Perhaps I am. But whatever your moral veiwpoint, there's no denying that the way Schlink writes about shame, guilt, confusion and love is powerful and impressive.

Click here to read a review of The Reader published by The New York Times. I don’t exactly agree with everything written, but it’s an interesting review.

Click here to read an interesting article about the author Bernhard Schlink on The Guardian.

What gripped me as a reader, or ‘the reader’ even, was Hanna’s illiteracy and it’s devastating impact. Now, that’s not giving anything away, I haven’t spoilt the ending for you and perhaps you’ve seen the film anyway or read about the book anyway. If not, go ahead and give it a go. I'd love to know what you think.

Can you imagine not being able to read? I don’t think I can. I don’t think I want to. I can’t imagine what life would be like without books. Hanna’s life, and therefore everyone she comes in contact with during the course of her life, are deeply affected by her illiteracy and her consequent shame. What would her life have been like had she learnt to read as a child? I can’t imagine who I would be without the books I have read. I know I had an imagination before I could read, and was curious about the world, but being able to travel all around the universe in the safety and privacy of your own bedroom is something every child should experience.

Would I have a love of adventure, a never ending urge to travel, be as curious and inquisitive had I never read these books as a child?

The Growing Summer by Noel Streatfield

The Adventure Series by Enid Blyton

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis

Would I be as mischievous, bossy, confident, impetuous, bold and opinionated had I never read these books as a child? (Some might argue these traits are not complimentary to a lady, I argue otherwise!)

The Ramona series by Beverly Cleary.

The Eloise Books by Kay Thompson

The Naughtiest Girl in School series by Enid Blyton

The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl

The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Would I strive to be as brave and compassionate if I’d never read these books?

The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Would I have survived puberty without every book written by Judy Bloom?!

And that’s just a handful of books I read as a child. I think I’d need a whole new post for books that influenced me as a teenager and as an adult!

I’m not saying that just because Hanna is illiterate that she’s somehow not responsible for her actions in The Reader, not at all. Just that it’s awfully sad.

What books changed you as a child? Tell me about them and I’ll try to read them. I’ve still got loads of growing up to do!

My Place & Yours: Bedsides - The stuff dreams are made next to...

2009-10-27T22:25:00.005+11:00

The ever caring and sharing Pip from Meet Me At Mikes is always coming up with nifty ways to inspire people into action. 'My Place and Yours' is a weekly activity where you can share a slice of your life with the internets. A specific, themed slice of course. We crave discipline. This weeks tasty treat is bedsides. Who wants to see my bedside table?! I dusted it just for you.

(Be honest, who doesn't enjoy a little bit of snooping inside someone elses abode? You can join in too, there's almost 100 others signed up for this weeks theme!)

The view from the top

My bedside treasures came from all over the world just to sit gathering dust in my room.

There's my 'read' necklace by Brookadelphia in the U.S...my 'glasses' necklace from Little Shop Of in Melbourne... a bronze kitty my best friend Grant brought me back from Greece... a wee rabbit I bought in a craft museum in Kyoto... a Princess Diana commemorative plate that was an IRONIC birthday present, made in England of course... bluebird and heart locket jewelley from my old job at Victoria Spring Designs in Sydney... peridot rings I've collected in Barcelona, Dublin and Penrith (yes, Penrith)... marbles I got at the cinema after seeing the film Amelie in the Blue Mountains... a compass my mother-in-law gave me from who knows where... a blue bunny fan I bought in a 100 yen store in Osaka... and a lovely embroidered doily which was another, less ironic birthday present and came from the Cat Protection Society in Newtown.

Phew. That's a lot of worldly treasure, don't you think?!

Close up of my favourite mug, bought in a 300 Yen store in Tokyo. (That's 3 dollars!) It says awesome things like - 'What kind of book do you like?' 'Good Choice' and 'It was Lovely'.

Tea always tastes better in that mug.

OOh! What's round the corner you say? A bookcase, because a bedside table just isn't enough!

The first (but not the last!) Ashley G I bought. Bless that lovely lady, she got me hooked on Etsy. There's also a lovely red ball of Peruvian wool bought on ebay, but it's too scratchy to knit into a scarf. And whooooo's hiding in the corner? An owl stuffie made by Craftpaca.

A lovely eco friendly soy wax candle my clever neighbour Steph made. It smells delish - lily and ginger. Mmmm.

You can find her at Bondi Markets too, when she's not making candles in the flat above mine.

And last but not least, the view from my pillow, complete with alarm clock, my reading 'to do' list, my latest silly ebay purchase (a strawberry that unfolds into a shopping bag, way cooler than those green coles/woolworths bags eh?!) and a much treasured yet seldom worn kimono that my lovely mum gave me for my birthday almost 10 years ago. We were sold when the salesman told us it was 2nd hand, worn by real Geisha's in Kyoto!

So that's it. That's my what's at my bedside. Post dusting of course. Can't believe you made it this far through the past. Well done you. Hope I didn't disappoint. Many thanks again to Pip for inspiring me to dust and the delightful Pilgrim Lee for reminding me of the task! Hopefully next week's theme is bathrooms because the mold in mine sure could do with removing. Or spare rooms, because mine is piled high with junk. Or the condiments shelf in your fridge because mine is full of expired, long forgotten food stuffs. But it most likely won't be. Either way, I'm sure it'll be inspiring!

Did you share your bedside?
Send me a link and I'm come nosey around!

Edit - just found this old post from 2 years ago - it's my bedside table from Aug 07! Interesting to see what's lasted the test of time!

please please, wait a minute mr postman

2009-10-24T19:04:00.008+11:00

Do you ever feel like the only mail you get is bills?

I do. Aside from the odd postcard here and there and a yearly birthday card from my nana, bills and junkmail seem to be the only things filling up my letterbox.

So I'm determined to start sending cards and letters and lil love notes to my nearest and dearest. Like what we used to do before Facebook was invented. If you'd like a happy hello to smile at you amongst your local thai restaurant menus, carpet cleaning adverts, bills, bills, bills and pest removal flyers, tell me your address and I'll reciprocate, snail mail style.

In the mean while, here's how I turn my stressful, depressing bills into happy, peaceful moments. I cut open the envelopes and turn the pretty blue security patterns into paper cranes.

Now I've just got to think of a way to put these paper cranes to work and then all my money troubles are solved...

An ode to The Decemberists

2009-10-20T15:05:00.008+11:00

Even though it's only October and their concert isn't until January, I thought I'd share some of my favourite Decemberists posters and clips to celebrate their first tour to Australia. YAY!

Do you know The Decemberists? They're awesome. Think pirates, sea shanties, barn dances, sing-a-longs. We like to listen to The Decemberists in the car and sing along loudly at the top of our voices. It's the best place for a sing-a-long, the car, don't you think?!

Are you coming to their shows in Sydney and Melbourne? We've got our tickets!

How I learnt to crochet

2009-10-17T12:25:00.012+11:00

I've always been a knitter. And not a very competent one at that. But it was something that my nana taught me when I was 8, and my mum was always there to remind me how to cast on or cast off or fix rows of lost stitches. I love to knit long thick scarves that wrap and wrap and wrap around my neck like a dear friend hugging me but still trail near my feet, tickling my toes. I can only knit in a straight line and I can't follow a pattern, but I am happy within my limitations.

Crochet was always something that seemed like too much maths for a simple girl like me. And to be honest, garish acrylic granny square blankets really turn me off. Colour means a lot to me and the haphazard, clashing mix of bright colours and black edging seems like such a thoughtless waste to me. Waste of wool, waste of aesthetic potential. It's disrespectful. That's not to say that all bright colours clash, just that the "use up all your wool leftovers" granny square philosphophy just doesn't sit well with my inner colour palette tuning. I like to carefully select my colour palette. Savour it. Sip it slowly, let it warm my whole body like a good hot chocolate. I just didn't see any crochet that warmed me like a good hot chocolate.

But over the last few years a revolution has slowly been building inside me. I've been inspired by various crafty women all over the world thanks to the internet, and finally, just last weekend, I jumped on the crochet bandwagon and mastered a few stitches. I even learnt how to make my very own granny square. This does not mean my love for colour has been compromised, dear reader. I have my principles. But I now know that the potential in a granny square is much more than the sum of it's colours.

This post is kind of like a thank you, I guess. To all you lovely women, who whether you know it or not, gave me the encouragement and inspiration I needed to push myself and learn a new skill.

Here's my very first crochet project. It's a giant granny square that I want to turn into a cushion cover. Who knew that crocheting is so relaxing? When I pick up that hook I just want to keep crocheting, in bigger and bigger concentric layers and never stop. Like Forrest Gump when he started running. Look at me go!

What's next? I want to cover a chair in crochet. And then I'm going to master amigurumi and give everyone I know cute little crocheted animals. Will I learn in time for Christmas? We'll see!

Would you like to learn to crochet? Here's a list of lovely people who can help you or at the very least inspire you. They sure inspired me!

* Pip from MEET ME AT MIKES is a lovely Melbourne lass who loves to crochet, amongst other fun crafty things. She wrote a great post on How to make a Granny Square too.

*New York store Purl has a blog called THE PURL BEE and it's an amazingly inspirational site, not just for crochet but knitting and sewing too. I LOVE their colour coordination, everything they feature is so pleasing to my eye.

*I fell in love with ANA PAULA'S AMIGURUMI PATTERNS and even bought some off her Etsy site. I am yet to master them, but it will be done!

*Jessica Polka of WONDERKAMMER makes amazing crocheted objects and lovely collections of curiously crocheted things. I love her ocean animals.

*Australian SARAH LONDON makes inspirational crocheted items and I love her blankets. She'll even teach you how to make things week by week over the internet. She's amazing!

*Youtube contains a wealth of information about crocheting. You can learn different ways to hold the yarn, different stitches, different patterns. Very useful if you're stuck at home with no-one to show you!

*If you live in Sydney, I can highly recommend the class I took at Morris and Sons, a craft store on York St in the city. The class was only 4 hours long but I felt so confident about making a granny square when I left that is was well worth the $40 it cost. Classes for 2009 have finished but will start up again in Feb 2010.

*Have you asked your mum? Mum's are wonderful in many ways, and you never know, yours might be a whizz at crochet. Mine is!

So if you haven't learnt to crochet, I highly recommend trying it. It's not only relaxing but it feels so good to use something you made yourself or give a handmade gift. And you never know, you might make some wonderful new friends in the process. I have and they're lovely kindred spirits.

And if you do crochet, you've found a new friend. Thanks for sharing!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

2009-10-14T09:43:00.004+11:00

I thought I'd share some of the shots I took on my recent holiday to Europe. These ones are from the Natural History Museum in London.

I am fascinated by Natural History museums. Have you ever been to one?

I love animals but am kinda afraid of the wild. Lame, I know. There's a morbid attraction to the power of man over nature in these museums, and at the same time I am overwhelmed with sadness that these beautiful animals were hunted and shot for no good reason. But on the flip side, now that most of the animals are extinct, it's the only chance you'll get to see one. Vicious cycle! I might note here that there was a sign at this museum saying they did not support the hunting of animals for fur.

I also like to imagine that I am Holden Caulfield in New York City, seeking solace in a world that never changes, then realising that it does change, and that you have to adapt. (I do love J.D Salinger. People might hate A Catcher in the Rye, or Holden for being so self centered but I can relate. I was a terribly angst ridden teen!)

I have a rather active imagination. I often imagine that I'm in a movie. Or wonder what my 'character' would do if this were a movie. Or wish that time would skip forward to speed up the narrative. At the museum, I like to imagine that all of a sudden all the animals could come alive again, like in 'Jumanji' or something. How terrifying! How exciting! (It would NOT be like 'Night at The Museum' though okay? Ben Stiller really let us down with that pathetic excuse for a movie.)

books + art = love

2009-10-12T21:14:00.008+11:00

I'm not good at maths but I do believe that this equation is correct.

books + art = love.

how could you not love this amazing book sculpture?

(found via some lovely peeps on twitter such as @PenguinBooksAus and @HelenOBrien, which led me to this weheartit page and eventually I just googled the artist)

Who made this? Mike Stilkey. Check out his website for more amazing book art. I especially heart Elephant Relaxing. Lovely stuff.