craftjuice

comments

With a background in marketing and geeky 'new media' stuff, I'm always quite passionate and interested in discussions about emerging communication mediums, like blogs.  Although blogs have been around for quite some time, there is still healthy debate and exploration of their uses, protocols, unwritten rules and purposes.

One of my very best friends has written and lectured widely about this subject in the context of media ethics and it has made for some very interesting discussion at 3am over a bottle of scotch or sake!

yarnstorm has recently raised some really interesting questions and has provoked many opinions and views about blog comments which makes for some very interesting reading and thought...

...just in case your interested.

Hallowho?

(Fantastic image by Olivia Lou on Flickr)

The whole Halloween thing is so foreign to us here in Australia (in fact, I doubt 95% of us Aussies know the origin of it).  The Halloween thing has only been going on here for a few years, and it seems to be all commercial puffery.

Two years ago we had our first little trick or treater responsibly accompanied by his father in our street. Gorgeous. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for this event, so unfortunately didn't have any candy for his little treats bag. I was in the middle of apologising to a fallen little face, when one of my Boston Terriers, Zeb, ran out the front door in 'full snort' with the force of a tank (if you know Zebbie, you know this is an apt description of my special little guy) and excitedly went straight for this poor little wizard's lolly bag. I was mortified. As was the father. The little boy cried. It was awful. Really awful.

Then last year I had a bunch of university students (you know, the type that should have had a year off to go and see the world and understand their place in it) dressed as fairies (see I told you so) proclaim "trick or treat"!  Again, I was not prepared for Halloween and explained I had no treats so they would have to trick me. This was met with silent blank stares and a "whaddayamean?"  I then had to explain to them what trick or treating is all about. I was left feeling my regular Gen X distain for the Gen Y'ers (in fact, I am sure by now I have progressed more to the Grumpy Old Women sociological grouping than Gen X) but pleased (if not a little smug) I had educated them about a general world fact.

Lately I've really enjoyed reading on Bloglines all the US crafty lady blogs who embrace Halloween with such commitment and crafty goodness. They decorate their house, they select and carve pumpkins, they choose and make amazing costumes and even make festive food.  I'm not sure we even go to that much trouble on our national day, other than fly a flag somewhere, select which beer goes with which snags, whack on some thongs (or even throw them) and have a BBQ.

So I'll be ready on 31 October this year with some sort of treat if any ghost, wizard, fairy, witch or other arrives on my doorstep, where I'll have a pumpkin out the front and my dog on a leash.

a place for a happy meal

Or a Mac Happy Meal! (ha ha - my daughter's name is Mackenzie - oh dear, its past my bedtime...)

Here's a sneak peek of the placemat I'm making for Miss M's birthday (although I'm sure she'll only be thrilled if there is a huge piece of cake sitting on top of it). I discovered I cannot proceed on any of my other projects until I get time to buy some more thread (um, just a minor oversight!) so I got cracking on the placemat.

I'm liking how it looks. But my stitching finger is sore and bruised.  I used that iron on fusing stuff that puts an impenetrable layer of melted plastic between fabric layers and stitched over it, so you've got to really push through with your teeny tiny pointy needle.

Maybe I should have wine to dull the pain. And the lame jokes.

chinatown booty

How could you go past this booty?  All shiny and new. And only A$6. A rainbow of colours, pen at one end, kawaii stamp at the other. I had to take a photo of them all laid out in their case...in order.

Because they will never look like that ever again.

oh my lordy!

SUCH exciting news! The Black Apple aka Emily Martin (who is my favourite crafty blogger and Etsy seller in the WHOLE WORLD) is appearing on Martha on March 11!  Together with Martha she will be making this new little plushie - so gorgeous!  I cannot WAIT!  Wow - how amazing!  That's HUGE! And best of all, since I own a little bit of Martha, it feels all the more delicious!

I need to go and program my Foxtel now...!

L'Alphabet Francais

After running out of wine after a particularly draining day where the walls finally closed in on me, I desperately needed some Etsy retail therapy.

I've been lurking on bibitty's shop for ages, but couldn't go past these for Miss M's room.  I'm gathering up lovely things for her in anticipation of some magical bedroom make-over that I haven't done a single minute of planning for. I'm hoping it will emerge as I surround her in beautiful things she'll thank me for later!

Never mind it's in French. Hey, we can all learn. They are printed on highest quality 100% cotton rag paper (generally used for letterpress). I think they will look stunning...somewhere!

I loved bibitty's spiel (I'm such a sucker for good copy)..."Vintage with a fresh twist, they look and feel like they could have been discovered in a Parisian flea market on one of many fabulous adventures."

That's what I'll tell Miss M anyway.

I've also got my eye on this. Gorgeous!

acorn scarf update! (it's VERY exciting)

So remember the acorn scarf pattern I bought and how WAY too advanced it is for me?
(For example, you would need to know how to crochet)

WELL, at work we have a social bulletin board site on our intranet and I posted an inquiry for anyone who knows how to crochet and if they would make a scarf for me! (I would pay them of course!) Within half an hour, I connected with a sensational lady ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MY FLOOR (our organisation has over 8,000 employees - what are the chances!) and not only is she going to give it a go, she's also going to TEACH me!  GET OUT! We even tossed around the idea of a crafting circle one lunch a month at work...(where is this crafty craziness going to end?)

This lovely lady is not only a sensational woman, but an expert crocheter and knows all the ins and outs of it including converting American patterns (see, I didn't know that and would have been stuffed from the start) and wool weights (see, I didn't know that either)! 

I will post down the track this new journey and let you know how it goes! 

how very satisfying...

So, how did I go with my crafty week?

(almost) tick! I've nearly finished my Valentines Day project - just need to assemble it now...

tick! Finished the bunting complete with 53 hand sewn buttons!

tick! Finished Lambie's beautiful knitted dress!

gold star! Finished two slip covers for Miss M's Ikea Mammut chairs resplendent with pockets! AND even managed a TUTORIAL!

uh ho!  Didn't even START the matching beanbag - my only excuse is that the fabric I wanted needs to wait until next week's pocket money...

gold star! Read MOST of my new delicious magazine, had my free 'designer' tea towel (the orange one) accosted by Miss M and have EVEN whipped up the basil and salmon tart with parsley, fennel and lemon salad for my inlaws!

gold star! I even managed an EXTRA project - this knotted scarf I found on Martha! 

*sigh* STILL wait patiently for my Cotton and Paint magazine (this challenge is getting harder every HOUR!)

*sigh* STILL thinking of ways to fund and have more spare time for all these addictions...

Not bad don't you reckon...lets see if I can keep this up!

fingers crossed...

Here's a list of the crafty things I want to get done this week:
- finish the Valentines Day project
- finish the bunting for Miss M's room (although I've just decided I'm going to sew a button on the end of each one, so it could take some time)
- finish my sock lamb's knitted jumper (stay with me on that one)
- make some slip covers for Miss M's chairs resplendent with pockets
- make her a beanbag in corresponding fabric (I will SO NOT buy a merchandised character sofa bed thing)
- read my new delicious magazine (with my free 'designer' tea towel!)
- wait patiently for my Cotton and Paint magazine (which is very hard indeedy)
- think of ways to fund and have more spare time for all these addictions...

I'll let you know how I went...

in too deep...

Okey Dokey. So I bought the pattern for this fabulous scarf from Fable Handmade Goods on Etsy even though I've never picked up a crochet hook in my whole life. I don't know why but I LOVE it.  I can see me in it over Winter. If I can EVER make it.
Ambitious? Somewhat. 
Optimistic? Mostly.
Need an expert crochet person? Absolutely. 

Poor Mum tried to explain and decipher the 'crochet code' for me this afternoon. It may as well be in Japanese (which I am also trying to learn, but that part of my brain I'm convinced never got switched on, or was drowned out with Chardonnay in the early '90s)
(She, in overly cheerful tones...) "So you only have to learn these stitches and you'll be right!"
Hopeful I won't ask her to do it? Blindingly.

Good luck to me.

Oh, and The Black Apple is updating her shop.  Usually I get up at 3.30am and get ready with my credit card details and practice my mouse clicking skills for the 4am update (Brisbane time). It's the quick and the dead to get the thing you want. I'm pretending not to notice its happening this time and concentrate instead on my Cotton and Paint from Good-ness arriving any day now from Tokyo...

And my dear friend Susan keeps sending me free patterns from Amy Butler. I need a good dose of insomnia to complete all these fabulous crafty projects, but this $6 white lambrusco in my hand I've bought to complement the kickin' lasagna I made tonight is working against me!