Spectrums

These images really float my boat, I cannot explain exactly why I love spectrums so much, but I do love their complete-ness in terms of colour.My Spectrum Boots, they have already made an appearance but are the Grande Dames of my collection.

Yes I am a stamps freak, and this page of Queens has been residing with Pip for a long time, as part of the materials for my profile page in her soon-to-be-printed book. It is so great to have them back at home again.

At Sam's studio I spied with my little eye this box, which had been sent from a motorcycle spare parts shop. I hyperventilated at the sight of all these hot air balloon stamps, Sam hadn't even noticed them, more keen on the moto bits inside, glad we've both got our priorities!

Lucky last, the mish-mash rug that I finished the other night. I love it, I love it, I really do, as much for the crochet, and the color, but mostly for the throwing all caution to the wind and just going without much of a plan. I'll be trying this approach more often.

Listening to: Apsci - Robosex

Swedish cross-stitch Zaishu

My fabulously tall and beautiful capoeira buddy Helen is half of the celebrated Zaishu team. Recently she asked to raid my craft books and mags for inspiration, and lo-and-behold the Swedish Cross-Stitch Zaishu!

'Celebrating needlework combined with the Scandinavian love of natural wood, we pay homage to traditional womens crafts. We are inspired by the women who continue to keep these skills alive as they are becoming increasingly lost in our industrialized societies. The prints feature magenta embroidery designs, snowflake patterns in spring green with a nordic blue cross-stitch bird. Craft is cool!'

I am eagerly awaiting one of these, I love the fresh colours, a bit of magenta is always welcome!
Happy birthday for Saturday Miss Helen, hope that the Chilean trekking is restorative xxxx

Listening to: Mestre Plinio's Ladainha

100th post, home again, jiggity jig

One of the best parts of coming home after a sojourn is to walk around my ramshackle garden and see new faces, flowers and fruit. These babies were awaiting me on my arrival back from Sydney, and they are extra special for a few reasons.
Firstly, they are called Hippeastrums, and they are bloody spectacular with a lemony fragrance.
Secondly, they are descendants of my Nanna's bulbs, which is so cool, I love to think of Nanna being as excited to see hers bloom as I am with mine.

We are blessed to have two lemon scented gums, a rather large species for backyard trees, but ours are babies at 15 yrs old. Plus we have a giant yard, so they are not squeezed in by any means.
Each year these two shed their skins, the bark develops massive cracks which turn pink at the margins, revealing new pistachio coloured skin underneath. The wattle birds love to pick bugs out from the cracks, and as the shedding progresses we have piles of bark gathering at the bottoms of the trees. I feel so proud of them, like when Leo grows out of his shoes and I can mark his growth and progress.

Last but not least, cheerful strawbs warmed by the sun.
Blueberries are almost ready too.

On My Desk

These are some of my beloved Postage belts, soon to go up on Etsy, setting up shop there is taking me a while and is rather tedious. I hope that the GFC doesn't make this all a bit redundant, I've been having small crises about making things to sell when folks are tightening their purses a bit. Maybe KRudd's Xmas bonus will make it OK for a while?

Am off to Sydney for a weekish, sans small person, yes indeed I've been let of the leash! There is a capoeira festival that I'm attending, plus saying goodbye to a great pal who is off to South America, and just hanging out with buddies from when I lived up there in leafy Sydney. My list of shops and galleries to visit is rather large, I guess I'll be doing a lot of walking up hill and down dale. When I lived in Sydney I was such a keen bike rider, I rode absolutely everywhere, now I find it hard to believe esp with all the hills, narrow streets and crazy traffic.

So I have also been tagged by the curious Pip, something to do with divulging 6 bits of trivia about one's-self, and without giving away too much here goes:

- I am a proud left hander who actually does most things right handed, it is very useful,

- I was born in London and moved to Australia with my fam when I was nearly 5, with a great cockney accent to boot. Got teased at kindy and lost the accent quick smart, but there are still traces of it there, especially as I grew up in Adelaide, where we talk a little bit more posh than most of Australia,

- I always wanted to be Princess Leia, she was regal, kicked ass, had some great outfits and got to be with Han Solo, sigh, actually I still want to be her,

- at school I was good at playing the recorder, and always got to play the giant tenor ones as I had biggish hands, also played the violin, a bit of piano and now berimbau, atabaque and pandeiro at capoeira,

- it took three days for my son to be born, was so freaking painful and I swore I'd never do it again (but am reconsidering lately),

- I am a perfectionist/procrastinator, often not attempting things because I don't think they would live up to my imaginary ideal, I am working on this as it is a bit defeatist and I do realise that you learn so much through making mistakes, the means is just as worthy as the end.

Listening to: Astrud Gilberto - Agua de Beber

As I went wandering

As I went a-wandering along Gertrude recently I spied an interesting set of doors which I recognised immediately. Located right next to Cottage Industry, vacant as I went past, this corner building once was the salon of Stephen Davies, a shoemaker who I think has moved on to another profession.
The reason why I noticed these doors in the first place is because they are made completely of press knives, which are used in the footwear industry like giant biscuit cutters on top of leather and other materials, to cut out components in one go. Have a close look!

I wish I could open up a shop there, just to keep the continuity going.......

Listening to: Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata
RIP Mama Africa, I'll be singing this song forever, so infectious!

On My Desk

I foolishly painted my fingernails last week, admiring how glamourous I seemed, only to get stuck into finishing Leo's shoes and have it all chip off and look skanky. Here's a how-to on the chipped polish look.Applying a strip of randing to the edge of the shoe

Glueing the midsole

Glueing the wedge insert (yes there is a lot of glue-sniffing going on in my studio)

Putting the sock in


Et voila! It takes a while on the sanding machine, and I was covered in fine EVA foam dust, but now they're finished and he loves them.
I've got a bit of video footage of me on the sanding machine, I might edit it down and post it soon.

Listening to: John Lennon - Hold On

Works in progress

Just to keep things moving, I mentally compose a lot of posts that never make it, I'm finding that 'computer time' is becoming a bigger part of my making than I thought it would/should be.
It's a balancing act for sure, time spent tinkering and making in the studio, vs time spreading the word etc on the Mac.

Here I have a Postage Belt on the go, I have sold a lot of these in black with rainbow queens, sounds a bit Mardi Gras now that I've typed it! This one is destined for the Meet me at Mike's Xmas shindig.

I'm also researching etsy and madeit, thinking it's about time to embrace e-commerce, any handy tips on either? How does it all work with currency exchange rates being as they are? Enlighten me please, I am a bit of a perfectionist and want to know that I am doing it right!

Speaking of perfectionism (is that a real word?), the crochet rug is taking shape, but the irony is that it's a mixed bag/bitzer/mongrel combination of pattern and colour. I have let go completely, and though I am guiding it in certain ways, the rug is an exercise in improvisation, something I need more practice in, I am a bit over-rehearsed.

Anyways, describing it as a mongrel really does it no justice, it's looking lovely and proving to be a lot quicker to assemble than I thought. A few rows done, the cat already wants to march upon it before settling down, and it has been warming greater areas of my lap as I join squares together.

Am off to get amongst the weekend: kindergarten sausage sizzle to celebrate rainwater tanks, need to go for a run (I'm on interval training now, which means run for 4 mins, sprint for 30 secs, repeat for the rest of your distance, exhausting but it feels like I'm squeezing the most out of it), investigating where all these tiny moths in my house have originated from, practice playing my berimbau (essential capoeira instrument)........

Listening to: The Coup - Show Yo Ass
The Coup, namely Boots Riley, have been one of my favourites for over 15 years, from Oakland, CA, I saw them in New York a few years back and it was wild! He rocks the mic in a three piece suit, always conscious lyrics with that Bay Area funk flavour, oh and Miss Silk E sure can dance.
Don't be put off by the name of the track.

Assembly line

Well I tried to crochet some more blocks, after my enforced break due to RSI, and within 10 mins it hurt like hell again. So I've given up for now, and am blocking all my squares to get ready for the boring but necessary task of joining them all together.

I've never done blocking before, as most of my work has been rather sculptural, or made of wacky materials like electrical wire or leather thonging. I am realising that it takes a lot of pins, and that the 4 year old enjoys the spraying-with-water part a bit too much, we have had a few very soggy squares!

I am a bit crushed about not being able to crochet any more squares, it's my fave activity in front of the telly, but I figure that solid double crochet is just too repetitive. Methinks I'll enjoy doing a nice border that has a lot of variety in the stitches.

Listening to: Weather Report - Birdland