long ago tales

christmas time again... already

2010-11-24T11:18:00.000+11:00

i've just secured a one-off stall at the Northcote Kris Kringle Night Market this coming thursday after someone else cancelled. i'll have all the usual stuff, hope to see you there.

shmish-mas postcards- 3 for $9.50 (a special market price)
** mention this blog post and receive an extra card for free

Kris Kringle Night Market
has over 50 stallholders offering individually handcrafted and locally designed products.
Thursday November 25th
5:30pm-10pm
Northcote Town Hall
189 High St Northcote

Spring Freebies

2010-09-21T16:06:00.001+10:00

Spring at last, and to celebrate I'm including a free "Signs of Spring" postcard with every order from my e-shop throughout September.

at last

2010-09-20T16:06:00.000+10:00

signs of spring.

my neighbourhood has...

2010-07-26T08:45:00.000+10:00

rules.

my neighbourhood has...

2010-07-23T08:45:00.000+10:00

a river full of stars.

places to keep your thoughts.

my neighbourhood has...

2010-07-20T08:45:00.000+10:00

a population of crate men.

trees in japan

2010-07-16T12:12:00.000+10:00

the poodle trees are my favourite.

signs in tokyo

2010-07-12T08:30:00.003+10:00

tokyo is a place of beautiful little details.

tokyo little garden

2010-07-09T08:30:00.002+10:00

japanese people like to beautify small spaces.

dogs in tokyo

2010-07-07T08:30:00.003+10:00

it's a hard life for some.

giant heart

2010-07-05T08:30:00.004+10:00

wandering around harajuku, we stumbled across an art exhibition at the Harajuku Atopia Disability Centre. The halls were full of artworks, made by kids with intellectual disabilities and were completely amazing. There was weaving, indigo dying, drawings and patchworks. This was one of the highlights of my trip.

I couldn't find any more information about the exhibition online, however i came across the able art company.

posers in Japan

2010-07-02T10:00:00.000+10:00

exploring tokyo & kyoto

new

2009-12-08T09:06:00.001+11:00

twiggy trees, uploaded by myf mash

twiggy trees.
drought tolerant.
thrive on neglect.

spotted

2009-12-06T10:06:00.008+11:00

uploaded by myf mash

knit graffiti in the centre of footscray.
what a way to brighten a dreary spot.
love it.

the kris kringle night market is ace this year

2009-12-05T09:36:00.015+11:00

my heart skipped a beat when i saw these fabric flying ducks by Dany Germain of one black sheep.

i got most of my shopping done in one hit and had so much fun doing it. i picked up some really adorable things and can't wait to hand them over. if you haven't made it down yet, there's still 2 more markets to go.

northcote town hall, high street
thursday december 10th & 17th
5:30pm - 10pm

close encounters

2009-12-01T13:28:00.002+11:00

the snake hunter in our neighbour's yard with the tiger snake.

i was alarmed to discover a tiger snake living under my bag of potting mix. i do like to make friends with spiders and lizards but poisonous snakes are way out of my comfort zone. we rang the council and minutes later a "snake hunter" arrived. after a rather thrilling trans-backyard chase he finally caught it and took it away- not before making quite a mess though. no more bare feet gardening from now on.

big knit in bits

2009-11-30T16:10:00.000+11:00

it was really sad to arrive at the launch party for the big knit only to discover it had been shredded to bits by vandals. why would someone to do this?

the dance extravaganza went ahead anyway and dozens of legwarmer clad people danced across the bridge (in the rain) to "oh what a feeling".

before and after.

weeks and weeks of work went into assembling the panels.

mish-mash cards

2009-11-23T13:24:00.004+11:00

in order to improve something, sometimes you need to cut it into little bits and stick it back together in a new way. that's exactly how mish-mash cards are created. i've rescued a bunch of obsolete greeting cards and remixed them. the collaged images and words come together in a visually poetic way.

in my shop now

my creative space...

2009-11-19T11:50:00.001+11:00

today in my creative space, i'm busily compiling more shmishmas postcards.

thanks to everyone for the positive response yesterday, you made me dizzy with happiness. you see, in a past life these images got rejected by a gallery so it's terrific that they finally found their calling and an audience.

more creative spaces over at kootoyou

introducing shmishmas cards.

2009-11-18T07:30:00.019+11:00

shmishmas cards give a playful and slightly anarchic twist to the tired old christmas card format.

they're handmade postcards with images of abandoned christmas trees i've spotted in and around melbourne's streets and laneways. i've machine sewn the photographs directly onto card for a tactile and low-tech feel.

i've been photographing these discarded christmas trees for a few years now. it's a rather odd cultural phenomenon and i'm pleased i've finally thought of an application for my catalogue of dead tree images. if you're interested you can purchase them via my website or visit my stall at rose street artist markets on sundays.

* the yarra city council encourages local residents to register their unwanted christmas trees for collection, so the trees can be mulched and provide life-support to the city’s parks during Summer. Details here.

we're going west

2009-09-10T14:25:00.011+10:00

after much much searching, we've finally (enormous sigh of relief) found a new house and it's in footscray near to flemmington racecourse.

haha, thankfully NOT this scary place though!

we discovered you get more for your money over in the west. while my heart will always be in brunswick, the soaring rent has gotten ridiculous.

i'll miss the proximity of gems like the cinema nova, readings, the gelo bar, rumi and the alderman. however, i'm excited to have the footscray market, some awsome opshops and the opportunity to discover new places. just as brunswick is transforming into the new fitzroy, i'm sure if i wait a few years footscray will become the new brunswick.

my creative space

2009-09-10T13:53:00.003+10:00

this week in my creative space...

with the deadline for the quilt project looming, it was time for me to get moving on my square.

i settled on a design.

dusted off my copy of 'Reader's digest complete guide to needlecraft'

and got stitching.

more creative spaces over at kootoyoo.

nesting

2009-08-08T16:44:00.000+10:00

an example of a **keys in office** property.

for the last month, heng and i have been on a bit of an adventure (downer) as we've been going head to head with the fierce rental market. it's been interesting (but mostly soul crushing) and we've had some laughs (between fits of tearing our hair out).

here's a run down of some rental language we've learned...

**keys in office now** is code for 'this place is a complete dump'.
cosy means small and claustrophobic.
low maintenance garden means smothered in gray cement.
close to public transport means so close that the house rattles every time a train goes past.
position, position, position means there's nothing positive to say about the house.
a very smiley and helpful land agent should sound alarm bells as it's extremely likely he's clocked you as a couple of suckers and will attempt to offload problematic properties onto you.

allow me to elaborate...

we found an absolutely stunning and spacious 50s house that won our hearts immediately. our application was approved by the super friendly land agent who appeared to bend over backwards for us. the final hurdle before signing, was to meet with the owner... who turned out to be a bitter old tyrant with an enourmous chip on his shoulder. his outrageous and non-negotiable 'conditions' included his coming over every weekend to mow the lawn and to throw away any of our stuff that he thought looked untidy. he was insistent that he'd kick us out if anyone else came to live in the house and we were required to call him every time we had visitors. he made a point of warning us that he'd enlisted the neighbours to spy on us. we ran a mile!

my creative space

2009-08-06T09:35:00.004+10:00

i received this delightful package from kirsty- thankyou! it's part of the quilt project she is coordinating. I have a few ideas for the design of my square and can't wait to get stuck into it.

more creative spaces over at kootoyoo

my creative space...

2009-07-24T10:24:00.003+10:00

in my creative space nothing goes to waste. lately i've been turning my fabric scraps into strings of colourful bunting. now i need to find a use for the really tiny scraps left over from the scraps.

more creative spaces over at kootoyou

my creative space...

2009-07-16T13:19:00.003+10:00

today all i see is red.
tomorrow i'll see green.
this week it's all systems go.

more creative spaces over at kootoyou

struck gold

2009-07-15T10:41:00.007+10:00

i couldn't believe my luck recently when i wandered into an adelaide op shop and found this beauty. it goes to show, channel what you need and you're likely to find it.

it's a vintage cast iron grill pan with a gorgeous wooden handle and has barely been used (the original sticker is intact).

i also picked up this 70s kids cook book.

and this happy, 70's orange and yellow stoneware tea set .

just sharing

2009-07-14T14:25:00.005+10:00

i don't know where it came from but i got this urge that i would like to become a teacher... perhaps a secondary art teacher or maybe photography or multimedia... the thought of doing a one year teaching diploma doesn't sound too daunting... on the other hand being afraid of teenagers may work against me. it might just be another of my passing whims, we'll see.

photo credit: cjohnson

my creative space...

2009-07-09T13:24:00.002+10:00

this week in my creative space i'm diligently attempting my taxes aided by cups of tea.

more creative spaces over at kootoyou

purging my childhood

2009-07-08T12:40:00.006+10:00

the main purpose of my recent trip to adelaide, was to do a stocktake of remnants from my childhood and youth. these boxes of things were taking up valuable real-estate inside my mum's garage and it was time to discard a lot of it. digging through the layers was exciting but rather exhausting. i excavated all kinds of forgotten treasures and so many memories flooded back. while it was sad to let go of some things, overall it was quite liberating to be free of all that stuff. i kept the really precious things and am glad that other things will find new homes.

some of the curios i found...

felt organs left over from a rouge art school project

all the gang

someone has written all over the covers of these magazines in a foreign language. i found them and hoped to one day discover the story behind it...

i'm going on holiday

2009-06-29T10:45:00.006+10:00

unfortunately i'm not going anywhere as exotic as this - i'll just be visiting adelaide. these antiquated images are from vintage postcards i collected in rural philippines. and yes, people there really are this merry.

thanks

2009-06-26T11:28:00.006+10:00

thanks so so much for all the lovely comments about the logo- you made my day.
the animation is finished now (except for the sound). if you'd like, you can take a peek over here

::edit:: i just came across this amazing announcement card here by jayme mcgowan of roadside projects. wow!!

if you're ever walking down johnston street, stop and say 'hi' to this friendly guy. he lives in the window of the collingwood packpackers hostel.

my creative space...

2009-06-25T11:06:00.004+10:00

wow, its thurday again already.
this week i'm working on a very exciting project that i can't resist sharing...
our niece ruby, drew us a portrait and i loved it so much i've used it as the bases for our wedding invitation design. i've almost finished turning it into an animation for the website- sooo much fun!

more creative spaces over at kootoyoo

introducing...

2009-06-19T15:17:00.003+10:00

the latest addition to my product range are "little shelves" which are reminiscent of 1950's shadow boxes and perfect for housing precious little collections. i construct them from discarded packing crates.

i'll have some at my stall at rose street artists' market tomorrow.

i built this larger shelf a while ago to brighten up our drab rented house. can you guess what vintage our kitchen is from the tiles...?

tiny worlds

2009-06-19T10:33:00.003+10:00

i can't get enough of boston artist mimi kirchner's sublime work. visit her blog, doll to meet more of her stunning felt characters.

photo credit: mimi kirchner

the (almost) in-laws visit

2009-06-19T09:09:00.003+10:00

heng's parents and their 4 year old grandson (heng's nephew) iain, came to visit us from malaysia. unfortunately their trip coincided with the climax of the flu hysteria (melbourne, world swine flu capital) which impaired our ability to fully enjoy the time together. everytime iain sneezed we felt anxious.

they did make it home to malaysia with their health intact, however they feel a bit like lepers as iain's kindergarten requires that he is quarantined at home for a week and his dad is being forced to take a week off work, unpaid.

cooped up inside, the kids entertain themselves.

my creative space...

2009-06-18T11:14:00.003+10:00

this week in my creative space, it's time to replenish the dwindling Blankie population.

new hottie covers

2009-06-12T20:06:00.004+10:00

if you brave the cold tomorrow, perhaps you will drop by rose street artists' market and say 'hi'. you might even like to pick up one of these snuggly hottie covers made from re purposed wool blankets.

my creative space....

2009-06-11T17:19:00.002+10:00

finished: package for family friend, mia

underway: patchwork pillow covers and for rose st market this saturday

mundane observations...

2009-06-10T13:14:00.005+10:00

at home today and easily distracted.

my creative space...

2009-06-05T09:28:00.003+10:00

playing along with kirsty's "my creative space" heart finding challenge, i spotted this neat light trick amongst all the debris...

great big squiddy fun- a baterz tribute

2009-06-05T08:00:00.002+10:00

years ago on a visit to adelaide i was driving around listening to three d radio when to my extreme delight "spidermother", my favourite batters song came on- an offbeat ballad about a mother's unfortunate arachnid condition. i happily reminisced about the days when batters was a regular at the exeter hotel, until the track was back announced with the announcer mentioning what a tragedy it is that batters is.... dead. after i overcame my shock, i consulted google to glean more information about this tragedy but found nothing.

it remained a mystery until today when i heard of the release of "great big squiddy fun- a baterz tribute". It features 33 tracks covered by musicians who knew baterz (including tex perkins) and comes with an extra lp "baterz for beginners".

furthermore, i learned how to correctly spell "baterz" enabling me to finally google him.
here i discovered that sadly he died in 2002 at age 33,
i enjoyed watching footage of his gigs here on u tube
as well as some baterz covers here
and listened to baterz tracks here on his myspace page.
ahh now i know where to go for my baterz fix now.

You upset me

2009-06-04T08:53:00.000+10:00

I mail friends for help
I want to know you better
I found her on Net
Mad at me?
Cry for help
Contact him today
Holy cow, is that you
Having a luxurious look might be addictive
Any girl can look like a model
Troubles with processing
Your test results
Online diplomas here
Cures fast and effective
No pain and yet you'll lose weight
She will not need a magnifying glass anymore to find your instrument
Your male strength and stamina will be restored again
Awake her with a surprise
Pleasure her
Inject into her

no, not a post modern poem
die spammers die!!

kid again

2009-06-03T08:30:00.001+10:00

the best thing about being in the company of kids is you get to be a kid again too.
amelie and jules visited and we talked yo gabba gabba over fluoro pink drinks and didn't eat our beans then ran around in our socks in the sand.

DIY business cards

2009-06-02T09:07:00.005+10:00

why is designing your own business card so unfathomably hard? i find myself sweating over inconsequential details and can't settle on a design. what if i get it 1000's printed and find i tire of it... or i change my details...?

luckily i've found a solution: short runs of handmade cards. you can change the design as often as your mood and each one is a mini, ephemeral artwork.
you'd think it would be quite tedious but actually the process is really enjoyable and liberating.

i find it helps to work within limitations otherwise the possibilities can be oh so overwhelming.
i give myself the following criteria:
- choose the materials first
- make use of discarded materials (see, that's why you shouldn't throw anything out, you might need it later)
- must be quick to assemble
- keep it simple
go for it!

for this latest batch of cards i used my favourite materials: unbleached paper and recycled envelopes. i've had a really long love affair with the nonchalant patterns found inside envelopes.

midnight believers

2009-05-25T10:32:00.001+10:00

i've been enjoying hearing snippets from the new aleks and the ramps album on the radio and here too. be warned that they've prearranged for a voodoo curse to be placed on anyone using the word "quirky" in relation to their music.

i would say their music sounds a lot like how their poster looks.

new market

2009-05-21T19:28:00.011+10:00

the first sonny & coco market is happening this sunday at preston town hall from 10am- 4pm. here's who you'll find there.

i'll be bringing the regular stuff and some new things too.

my overlocker is broke so i can't make any more of the blanket-y hot water bottle covers (with the roll over necks) in time for the market.

however, i have made some of these cuddlies...

they're lined with wool on the inside to keep you warm for longer and have velvety soft corduroy on the back.

they open at the back like this for refills.. the zip is protected with a fold over tab.

i've dug deep into my collection and assembled a range of patchwork cushion covers using a mix of old and new including: wool blankets, vintage bed spreads, upholstery fabric, gingham, corduroy, terry toweling ..

warm colours...

warm and coool...

all colours.

heirloom

2009-05-21T18:58:00.004+10:00

penny walker-keefe at her terrific exhibition, heirloom on at brunswick arts space until this saturday. this blurb from frankie magazine describes penny's work better than i can.

penny and sarah in front of "the wall is greater than the sum of its parts"

last week

2009-05-12T10:44:00.009+10:00

i did some op shopping....

i was so lucky to find this fab reference book- it tells me everything i ever wanted to know about dressmaking.

it has great diagrams.

it gets added to the cherished stack, which is steadily growing.

some juicy knits.

they spelled Gucci wrong!

this too.

i did some making.......

i'm working on a patchwork hot water bottle design.

progress has been hampered by my disagreeable overlocker- we never get along.

twiggy's worried about being replaced.

i made some cushion covers to send to mum.

i tidied...

i fixed this mess.

and this.

done, doing, will do

2009-05-04T09:51:00.008+10:00

hooray, my account was finally stimulated*. my shopping list includes: circ du soleil tickets, new shoes, mechanical attention for my neglected postie bike, bills and rego.

on saturday i enjoyed making this patchwork furoshiki to wrap a friend's present in. I followed mairuru's tutorial, found via three buttons. A bit of a rush job- finished at the 11th hour.

i'm collecting crotchet pieces to cobble together a curtain for the kitchen window. The idea is to conceal the ugly view without blocking the light.

* i think they're going by postcode because after a long wait everyone in my house got the $ on the same day.

op shop fix

2009-05-01T08:57:00.002+10:00

for a while, i thought i'd be leaving empty handed, until i chanced across- tall small hairy scary; the zoo in poetry and pictures, which is possibly my favourite find ever. The georgeous illustrations are by olindo giacomini, whom i'm not familiar with but who reminds me of m. Sasek. i wouldn't be surprised if this book inspired the dreamworks animation, madagascar.

I also found a sweet book called meet the woodland folk which is full of lovely characters. My final find was the golden circle tropical recipe book. This is full of terrific 60's copy, archaic food stylings and many suggestions on how to incorporate tin pineapple into imaginative family meals.

discovering natives

2009-04-28T08:28:00.006+10:00

i enjoy nurseries and remember speculating about their fate when the water crisis began to escalate. Now i'm pleased to see that nurseries are helping to popularise australian natives and i never guessed these could be so interesting- the colour and variety of the flowers is astounding. i've noticed the same trend with florists, they're also stocking many natives and have introduced me to waratahs, banksias, geleznoias and my favourite, kangaroo paws.

my addiction for succulents is waning- to be replaced by kangaroo paws.

guess who?

2009-04-24T10:05:00.002+10:00

I couldn't sleep because i made the mistake of having an afternoon coffee yesterday. all night i was tormented by silly ideas floating around my head.

high tea time

2009-04-22T16:43:00.000+10:00

beautiful ceramics by claire coles . I am curious to know whether the cup is leak-proof.

sand blasted tea cups by jo meesters from her ornamental inheritance | tea service series.

tea hankerchief, by miho kaneko available at kith-kin.

photo credits: miho kaneko, claire coles, jo meesters.

happy coincidence

2009-04-21T08:13:00.000+10:00

being forced to speak to a computer over the phone is frustrating, as is being put on hold for extended periods and the horrible music they choose. yesterday when i rang the australian taxation office and finally got to speak to an operator, i was astounded to discover the operator was not only a person but someone who knew me personally since we studied together at rmit. How nice is that- i love happy coincidences.

road trip

2009-04-20T09:43:00.004+10:00

mum is visiting and we took her for a trip to dayelsford. the dayelsford sunday market, mill market (where my sister was so overwhelmed she forgot to breath and where i was remarkably restrained), book barn, lunch at the convent cafe and a walk around the botanical gardens and lake made for a really lovely day.

my loot.

easter sunday

2009-04-16T08:20:00.001+10:00

perfect day for a picnic at maroondah reservoir park.

i dream of flying

2009-04-08T19:11:00.001+10:00

i was awed by the wonderfully playful series of images on last summer's roof top cinema program/promo cards. just now, i've learned that this was the work of brilliant photographer, jan von holleben from his series dreams of flying. i can't contain my joy over these.. so enchanting, imaginative and delightfully low tech.

photo credits: jan von holleben

making things better by tearing them apart

2009-04-05T16:24:00.004+10:00

i enjoyed this lazy sunday sight:

i ate lentil soup.
i learned you can make things better by pulling them apart.
i saw this tutorial by outsapop, posted on cut out +keep, and had to have a go.

here's my go at it. most of my attempts at dressmaking end in disaster, but i'm pleased with this result. i discovered wool is amazingly forgiving.

I've collected a big bag of out-of-commission woolens- some of them are real 80's shockers. I'm planning to refashion them into my winter wardrobe and yet I feel tentative about cutting into them for fear of ruining them in vein. i'm the same about cutting up books too, because somehow it feels like a violation. i guess sometimes you do have to pull things apart in order to make them better.

april craft hatch

2009-04-04T18:17:00.012+11:00

i enjoyed the cool change and am now in the mood for making winter-y things: scarves, jumpers, blankets, hot water bottle covers and soup.
i ate a hearty moroccan lamb pie and hot-cross bun from filou's.
i learned by mistake, that varnishing jobs should not be left to the last minute- it takes days for the toxic smell to subside.
i saw wonderful things at the april craft hatch market, on at the melbourne city library on flinders lane.

i picked up these adorable bangles by textile designer penny walker-keefe - check out her upcoming exhibition, heirloom, on at brunswick art space from 8th to 23rd of may.

i was also taken by brittany veitch's felt creatures, jen hall's brooches and christiane poulos's handbags.

wrong side of the tracks

2009-04-03T17:39:00.002+11:00

my trip to the shops today was not dull. central brunswick became completely grid locked after the dramatic electrical storm caused all the rail crossings to malfunction. what a stroke of luck i was on a bike, the only type of vehicle able to move.

tinkering away

2009-04-01T21:40:00.001+11:00

i'm glad earl grey tastes so good (and that i wasn't the victim of any foolish pranks).
i ate fried rice.
i enjoyed building wooden boxes from recycled packing crates, making new blankies and writing lists.
i learned i may have dug out the winter gear prematurely.
i saw a microscopic epic: an ant struggling with a boulder sized crumb.

meet me at mikes, the book

2009-03-30T10:03:00.007+11:00

I heard Pip on triple r this morning discussing her new book, meet me at mikes and the joy of hand making things. Great conversation- it's exciting seeing craft in the limelight.

twiggy came home

2009-03-29T19:13:00.007+11:00

heng and i adopted twiggy from the lort smith animal shelter in north melbourne. the staff and volunteers there have really big hearts and run a fantastic service. it was hard leaving with just one cuddly kit.

twiggy is the epitome of catness- floppy, cuddly, curious, gentle and fussy too.

saturday things

2009-03-28T10:38:00.006+11:00

i'm glad avocados are in season again.
i ate guacomole.
i enjoyed sleeping-in.
i learned williamstown is the best kept secret.
i saw much ado about nothing at the williamstown botanic gardens- amy was impressive in her two roles.

much ado about nothing presented by the ozact theater company.

The Good Brew Company

2009-03-24T09:10:00.006+11:00

This is great, he delivers environmentally friendly craft brewed beer to you by bike.

Dean O'Callaghan, "saving the world... one brew at a time".

the craft and stitches show and why bikes rule

2009-03-13T18:48:00.015+11:00

the show was fun. I saw some of my craft heroes, picked up some goodies and saw faythe levine's inspiring handmade Nation flick.

i noticed two girls leaving the show grounds at the same time as me. they hopped on their bikes and sped off as i began the trek back to where i had parked the car. it was pretty stuffy weather and the traffic was bad down brunswick road with frustrated drivers behaving badly. on finally reaching the lygon st intersection, i turned the corner to begin the home stretch- just in time to see the same two girls casually crossing the road in front of me. i was really impressed that they so effortlessly beat me home. i should dust off my bike.

small world

2009-03-09T09:16:00.010+11:00

i was really happy when i opened frankie today and found a familiar name attached to this sweet necklace.

love necklace by naomi murrell