pretty spats

Chrissy shopping on etsy I cam across these pretty "spats" by La Jolie Femme De Marron. All up-cycled, there is myriad designs in her shop. So special. Thanks to Natalee for the photos, she also has a blog here.

melding again

Here I am again. Melding back into reality.
Chuffed to be at the blog once again, so please come back and read.

madrid 3

a bear and a strawberry tree

Madrid. Is there a city with a cuter coat of arms? A sable bear eating strawberries on a strawberry tree.

from the banks of the rhine

painted lantern

I was inspired by these light fittings in one of the lovely rooms we are staying. It is a nice spin on the white paper lantern that will probably always dangle from my light globes. I thought home-painted versions would be a fun thing for children's rooms.

lolly legs

A creature who's parts get stuffed in my backpack and carried around as I create them on our travels. Thinking candy colours teamed with white are yummy at the moment.

I normally don't like the constant glorification of fashion in the blogoshphere, but today I must be hypocritical and point you towards sesame magazine. The again candy colours in the sirens and rainbow bright photo shoot are taking my fancy. Also watch the sweet celine and lou lou, by talented and creative animator Isobel Knowles.

hush and focus

Sorry for the abscences, we have been rambling through foreign vineyards and I will post when time suits, I hope you still read then.

ny 3.4 - tiles

Tiles in the footpath and subway station, southern Brooklyn.

ny 3.3

Cute space invader mosaic - East village

A Fafi spotted in alphabet city at the Lower East Side Girls Club Bake Shop. (A great organisation, please check out their website).

Guerrilla knitting installation on 9th street fence - East Village. (We also spotted some street pole mosaics, perhaps from a time of "mosaic bombing")?

ny 3.2 - bold walls

Metropolitan Lumber & Hardware - Soho
Coney Island
Soho
Schoolyard - Upper East Side

ny 3.1

Cute burger man, Coney Island.
Truck that has been coloured, Wall Street.
Head of ventriloquist dummy, antique shop Chelsea.

making cards in transit

Armed with a travel sewing kit and some graph paper. Wedding card for friends.

first ny 3

View from our window and the Times.

sight for tired travellers

The wonderful apartment we get to call home for the next few weeks.

billy boy and mia

My everyday bag finally hit the deck, and as I cannot find time to make one at the moment I went on a fun handmade bag search. Nothing came from the local markets so trusty esty it was and I found the bag above from talented seller billy boy & mia. I just adore the bag, down to the way it was packaged in a drawstring and the bonus keyring that came with. billy boy & mia makes items from vintage and salvaged fabrics, i look at the store and think "she makes what i would make". She has a lovely blog and can also be found on madeit.

who knows new york?

Soon I shall be visiting New York and thought to ask of any special crafty or art must-sees/dos? (Especially the secret ones).

of glass

I saw Ruth Allen's 4D2 exhibition at the Canberra Glassworks on the weekend. I was rather impressed by her pieces from the Synergetic Series. Quite inspiring.

Also impressive was jewellery by Lisa Cahill in the shop . On exploring her website I see she makes amazing glass panels and plates too.

digital bubbles

A mock-up of the sparkling wine label that I created for our friend's wedding.
I will be interested in seeing how the labels come back from the printers.
I must say that I found it restrictive and difficult with this to try and incorporate handmade into something that ultimately and largely had to be done in the digital realm. For me, taking the digital into handmade is a motivating and dynamic process, but i struggled with the opposite. Need to work on it.

happy weekend

stitching up the nga

The result of the Stitching up the NGA community project.
Can you see my length?

Also on knitted works, see Housecosy by Bronwen Sandland in this city, 2002.

stitched up...quickly

My garish knitted length for the Stitching up the NGA installation.
As I only found out about it 2 days before the contributions were due, I pulled out my fattest needles, some awful yarn and knit 1.4 metres with haste.

soft sculpture

The soft sculpture exhibition at the NGA was pretty tantalising.
Some of the stand out artists/pieces:

• Ernesto Neto, more incredible works here
• Hans Bellmer
• Claes Oldenburg
• Eva Hesse
• Hilary Archer
• Colin Lanceley
• Annette Messager
• Peter Vandermark
• Angela de la Cruz
• Nell
  

yarn-bombing

In a case of good-timing I happened to be hanging around the National Gallery whilst Magda of Knitta Please is visiting the gallery, sharing some of her "guerrilla" knitting.
She gave an intriguing artist talk about the convergence of her knitting with street art and the impact she wants it to have in urban environments. Today she was completing her knit-tagging installation.

In haste, I have contributed a knitted piece for Magda, Denise Litchfield and Indigenous artists to use during this week as part of a community project to transform the entrance with knitting.

closing of boxes

The last of the moving has been completed, thankfully.
The blog shall now be tended to.

at least some of the boxes are colourful

yep, still packing.