Showtime

What an exhausting day, we braved the show with 5 adults and 6 kids, we all managed to see everything on the list, and no-one was left behind. The kids were unstoppable wriggly/running- away/belligerent forces to be reckoned with, they outpaced us adults energy-wise, we were all gasping for a cup of tea and a lie down. Actually that's one thing which was on my list, scones and tea at the CWA, didn't make it there for some reason.


These two were enthralled by the cake decorating display, they made their way around the whole exhibit with noses pressed to the glass. I hope that Leo isn't expecting such grandeur for his birthday!

I had to take a few quick photos of the crochet and embroidery, everyone was leaving to head over to the livestock pavilion. Met Pip briefly for a scarf exchange rendezvous, and we considered entering something in the Arts and Crafts for next year. How does one go about this?

I loved this canvas work, and actually saw a few fine examples of bargello and cross stitch that were entered by guys. Woohoo!

Leo is now demonstrating the woodchop on anything in his path, and proudly wearing his Wall-E robot backpack/showbag, as I've said, it's all about the robots at our place. So now I'm packing my bags for another Adelaide visit, knowing that it is set to reach 29 degrees while we are away, but now it is raining and my last thought is for a sunhat.

Listening to : Scott Tinkler and Paul Grabowsky - Reason and Rhyme

Bullseye

I had a visit from my fabulous friend Dearne today, who is the creator of Mainichi accessories. We had a contra deal going - one of my Helix scarves for one of Dearne's Shinzo necklaces, in my favourite colours, of course.

So today I got to meet this beautiful piece, it's super long, so I can loop it twice around my neck, but I 've still been worried that I would drag it in my dinner, or in the sink while I get domestique!

Dearne's work uses recycled materials: felt, leather, plastic, beads, bamboo, you name it, and she's selling like hotcakes at Craft Vic. I particularly love how Dearne uses colour and mixes textures, and I'm excited to finally have one of her pieces.

You can visit Dearne at her blog, or her etsy store, and if you look in the latest House and Garden you will see a feature on women in textiles, one of whom is Dearne! And she's an Interior Designer, and a mum, and when does she get time to sleep?

Listening to: Herbie Hancock - God made me funky

On My Desk

Squeezed in a bit of shoemaking in the last few days, thanks to Paula for entertaining the little guy.
Have a new pattern on the go, I'm very excited about it, the drawings have been in my sketch book for far too long. Hopefully by next week I'll have photos of the uppers all ready to go.
Can't stay to chat, I'm dragging on the white pants to shoot over to capoeira, apart from the jogging I haven't been to training for 3ish weeks - ouch!

Listening to: Eric B and Rakim - Microphone Fiend

Top Ranking

You could join your own army with these unisex Military brooches of fringed and brogued kid leather. These images attest to my love of military medals, I have been making these brooches/pins for years now and show no sign of stopping. In fact you can still find them at Meet me at Mike's, and they are soon to reside at Artisan for their Cherish showcase.

So what joy to be able to lay down a deposit for one of Beci Orpin's Sentiment Medals prints at Outre. It is sheer serendipity to find representation of my favourite things, especially a good ol' colour spectrum. Beci's show has officially finished, but there will still be a few of her prints and papercuts in the gallery. The edition of the Sentiment Medals print is 50, so there are presumably more available.

I can't wait to get it on my wall and salute!




Listening to: 3rd Bass - Brooklyn Queens

How could I forget?

I watched a half-hour documentary on ABC1 this week about Roller Derby, and wish I had extra time in my life for this pursuit! As kids my sister and I would tear around the streets on our rollerskates, we always had grazed knees, to be honest I don't know why we stopped skating.

These ladies seem to share my penchant for knee high socks, tattoos and a bit of attitude, alas between life in general and capoeira I'm not sure how many more obssessions I have room for, but I'm putting all these key dates in my diary and Roller Derby is at the top of my 'things to do list'.

The week that was

Well obviously we are all enthralled with this warmer weather, except that the wind has whipped up my hayfever to a crescendo. I used to soldier on with herbal remedies, elderflower and fenugreek tea, but now I am reaching for the industrial strength meds.

It has been a crazy week and I have spent parts of it in the doldrums, so much so that I let carbs back into my house and have been indulging in ciabatta rolls from La Manna. Back on the straight and narrow next week I think.

Have been jogging up a storm, to battle the doldrums, and have fallen in love with Princes Park - oh to live in a terrace around there. I'll be back there doing the 3.812 km track later today while the boys fly the model helicopter around the ovals. I've been running hard for one lap but might try running slow for two.

On another note I am perplexed by retail land, how my wares sell well at one shop but not another. I have been schlepping to new stores with no luck, sending endless emails interstate to drum up some interest, and might resort to a lemonade and leather accessories stall in my front yard. Will keep you posted.

Good news has been welcome, and the progress on Pip's book has warmed my week considerably. Leo and I dropped into the Mike's emporium yesterday and had such a good time I think we both cried when it was time to go.

Our afternoon really unfolded in an unexpectedly delightful manner from that point, we did the bead shop, the supermarket, the chemist (for aforementioned hayfever relief), and the health food shop; one of those hours when your purse was full of $$ and ends up full of receipts.

I usually detest Smith St, but there we were gallivanting about like we were actually enjoying ourselves, and with 6 mins left on the parking ticket we popped into a shop we hadn't visited before but I'm sure I'll be back there within the week, brace yourselves, it's the Smith St Bazaar!

Has this shop been a secret? Why have I only just discovered this smaller but perfectly formed version of the other bazaar south of the river? Leo found some rocking horses to keep him busy, I was drooling over lamps, anodised kitchenware a la my Aunt's place, classic mid 20th century chairs, clothing, curious objects, clocks, jewellery and other things which I am keeping a secret, lest they go missing before I get some $ together.

Smith St Bazaar, 305 Smith St, 11am-6pm weekdays, 10:30am-5pm weekends.

On my bedside table

This weeny image does not portray the grand poufy-ness of Junya Watanabe's ruff on the cover of Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed.

'Over time and across cultures, shifting concepts of beauty have given rise to extraordinary fashions that constrict, pad, minimise oe exaggerate various zones of the body.' This book accompanied a 2001 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and 'both discusses and displays an array of extreme fashion practices, from the bound feet of aristocratic Manchu women, to the tea tray supporting bustle of an 1880s French visiting dress.'

The zones of the body which are the focus of this book are neck and shoulders, chest, waist, hips and feet, and I love the obvious way contemporary designers have plundered or referenced the practices of many cultures - it all comes around again and again.

I have been particularly fascinated by the way the shape of the bosom has changed over the decades, from the monobosom as favoured by women of the 1900s, then the bandeau binding of the 1920s flapper, to the 'lift and separate' phenomenon of the 1950s, the burn-your-bra of the 1960s and 70s, and now to the current style of 'squish them together and push them up'.

Get ready for brass neck-elongators, or Venetian style chopines - oh hang on, those chopines are now called platform shoes!

Michi is my homegirl

Mum always said that I was a bit boastful, a big-noter in other parlance. Well the origins of hip- hop are all about a bit of braggadocio, and these shoes are my homage to the birthplace of hip hop culture, New York City.

As regular readers will know, they have been residing at Craft Vic for the last month, and in true irony, the exhibition closed on the day this piece was published in The Age, yesterday in fact!

I'm keeping the vibe alive by having my Trilogy of Trainers in the sidebar.

Listening to: EPMD - Let the Funk Flow
( Old school hip hop from the 80s, in the days when sampling was a free-for-all. Kool and the Gang would have made a fortune from this album alone!)

While I was out.....

Spring has sprung in my garden, I noticed new flowers this weekend. During my weeks' work in the city I really missed being able to see the passage of each day as told by my garden. Here's the current story.

Anemones, in such a tonal colour palette. Plenty more coming.

Borage, the bees love it. It's an annual that grows rather large, the leaves are good in the compost too.

Blueberry flowers, such amazing lanterns that will turn into much beloved berries.

Sweetpeas, Stubbsy reminded us to plant them on St Patrick's Day, I have never grown them before, but they are really going for it and the scent is heavenly.

Our inherited badly pruned magnolia, previous owners of our house turned it into a scraggly shrub. The flowers are my favourite deep shade, and the smell is ever so slightly lemony.

Other bonuses as the moment are that we have a fledgeling crow nesting in our lemon-scented gum, he/she is such a character, so comical and providing me with much amusement at the washing line.
Broad beans are a-flowering, we have also been sampling rainbow chard and beetroot.
Ranunculi about to burst open.

A short Q&A about my week at Craft Vic is here.