Lights Out!

Yep, lights out! We did, last night between 8 - 9 pm for Earth Hour. We had a wonderful feast by candlelight - kick arse falafel, pasta, HUGE grilled veggie salad and turkish bread! OMG! Suffice to say we did not need dessert. After dinner nephew X wanted to blow the candles out, which we did, and so were in complete darkness. Then the screams (of delight) started and some of us ran around the house pretending to be robbers. Then someone got the torch out and there was an impromptu shadow puppet show. Then, and this is where we got REALLY carried away, we traced our silhouettes on the inside of the back door. And this is what it looks now:




The image is bit dark and the tracing is a bit wobbly, but it was a lot of fun! You can see X's strange rating system on the left. None of us quite understand this system except for X. I think you have to have a thorough background in Yu-Gi-Oh swap cards and the like... If only every day could be full of such spirit and spontaneity!

above: knitted brooches and bird watching badges for Local and Global

I'm in the process of making my last order of stock for March. And the last order I'll be sending from within Australia! What a strange feeling. I'm feeling good about it all, actually. I can't wait to touch down in KL and see what's in store for me! Thistler moves into our apartment on Monday and with any luck we'll be buying crockery together by the end of the week.

I've been packing and unpacking my suitcase all week. Some things I'm taking with me for certain are these:



The little birdie is by my good pal The Orange Tree. You can check out her etsy shop here. The map of Australia is a pin cushion given to me by another good pal for my birthday last year. I'm gonna miss these two gals a lot, so I'll be giving their creations a pat every time I feel homesick. The two towels beneath are my favourites and the only two I'm taking with me!

purses and purses

OK, here they are. Purses I made yesterday and shall post tomorrow, off to AprilMay. If you're around Scotchmer St Fitzroy Nth the first weekend in April you might pick one up! (wink)



above: 'orange blossom' vinyl purse




above: 'cowgirl day' vinyl purse




above: 'marshmallow dream' vinyl purse

Each of these babies features six card pockets, a zippered coin pocket and two long pockets for notes and receipts. They are so much fun to make, and are the very item made by maude is built on!

Raining Dogs + Mice

It rained and it rained and it rained. All night and all day. I had washing 'drying' on the line and kept waking up during the night, panicked, thinking the washing would disintegrate in all that rain. Oh rational mind, where were you?
So, I fully intended to pop some pictures of the purses I made today on this blog. As soon as I logged in I knew it wasn't going to happen. Apologies, but it would be too time intensive this late at night. Have a look at this instead.

Cute little doggy. Getting a bit long in the tooth, many of which she had removed recently. Poor thing. Oh gosh, I can hear a mouse scooting around the kitchen. I'm going to bed.

Was That a Bunny?

We just had Easter, right? It pretty much flew by me without so much as a chocolate egg. Well, I got two little eggs and had a hot cross bun or three, but essentially it was a non-event for me. I'm feeling a little empty about it all. Maybe it's my Catholic upbringing back to haunt me? How do you celebrate something that has fundamentally changed in meaning for you? Find another meaning for it? Perhaps I should take those ideas of change and new life and focus on them this time of year, instead of grappling with ideas of resurrection and the whole Christian version of Easter. You know, plant a tree. Bake something. Pay homage to the change of season. That's a way I could celebrate happily, acknowledging change, regrowth and new life. Yeah!


candlestick banksia seedling and rabbit


Anyway, on a less naval gazing note, here's what I made today.


More purses! I only spent half a day on these, so I'll be making more this week. They're also for aprilmay's All in a Months Work open studio event the 4th, 5th & 6th of April. Unfortunately I won't get to see it, but I bet it's going to be grand! The image above is the inside of 'Sunny Day'. Can you believe I've mysteriously deleted the picture I took of the outside of this one? You'll have to wait til tomorrow to see it now.



This one is called 'Soft Forest'. I adore this fabric. Again it's something my younger sisters keen eye picked out. She bought it years ago and passed it onto me when the sewing project she purchased it for went awry. Lucky me! Look at that dappled light seeping in through those autumnal trees. Seasonal, hmm? Guess I have unwittingly paid homage to those ideas I mentioned before...

Necklaces Galore

Here's a few shots of my bead + button and beaded fabric necklaces I've been working on for the past few days. I'll be sending some of these to aprilmay for her April installment of 'all in a months work'. I've been making the beaded fabric necklaces for a couple of years, but the button and bead necklaces are just two days old!

My Day So Far

Has consisted of two main events. My lovely sunny-side up egg for breakfast



and the arrival of this


Hurrah!!!!

Funny Little Puzzle Box

I did a spot of op-shopping today and picked up this funny little puzzle box. I've seen them around before, but not with these illustrations. I guess they're illustrating nursery rhymes or fairy tales, but I can't quite figure it out!


the box and it's contents


OK, so this is Little Red Riding Hood. The Wolf is hilarious! I especially like the detail in the bed end.


But what is this? Which fairy tale is this meant to be? 'After a hearty feast and much wine the three drunkards play blind mans bluff'? It's an awfully strange illustration.


Hmm, yes it's Puss in Boots all right, but in Cat Kingdom? Such a strange, lovely, whimsical picture.

And this? Farm animals counting out their booty. And there's a farmer running away with a cheeky look on his face. What's he up too? I should mention that the box contains 12 cubes, each side of the cubes make up these four images. Perhaps some research is in order to find out where these funny illustrations originated.

The Comforters

I have just finished reading 'The Comforters' by Muriel Spark for the third, maybe fourth time. I've lost track of how many times I've read it. Why why why read a novel three or four times? Sigh. I am a sucker. 'The Comforters' encompasses so many literary elements I hold dear. A house set in seaside England, a touch of London bohemian and of course a litany of eccentric characters. And by golly it's funny. So funny. Witty. Caustic. Critical. But gleefully so, and thus endearing. You can read more about Muriel Spark here. I think she may have been a little 'cool' if you knew her personally, but from a distance she's a Lady I Really Like.
.

Don't you think she looks a little like Susan Kennedy on the back cover shot?
P.S. I'm really sorry about the text being underlined today, I have no idea how it got here or how to turn it off

me-card!

Have you seen this website? You can do all sort o fun and crazy things. Mostly, you put your face on different characters, animals, movie stars and the like. Like I did here.
The website is still being updated, but it's lots of fun!! The top image my profile picture for www.me-card.com. Be careful, you may spend hours here!

Today I Have Been Making...

This!


I made this purse to take with me when I go to Malaysia.The lining is one of my most favourite fabrics. My younger sister bought it back with her from a trip to Tasmania, and I've loved it ever since. I've dubbed the purse "Garden Delight". It's lush and tropical, like Malaysia! Well, parts of Malaysia. I imagine.

I also finished off this top...




















I traced it from another hand made tee by Brunswick designer BG (yes, pilfering I know). It's a basic T shape - no need to sew on sleeves. It gives the shoulders a nice soft look. You can't see it too clearly but I rouched the back a little, to bring it in and give it some detail. It's been so long since I've successfully made a piece of clothing, so I'm pretty stoked with the end result!!
p.s. thanks to X for helping me with this post.

Make Yourself a Three Course Meal

Look at these savouries. Look at these sweets. They are from a series of recipe cards published in 1967. I picked them up a couple of years ago. I used to have another set from the 1970's, but can you believe I threw them out! I just wasn't as taken with the colour schemes as I am with these. A couple from this set have also flown the nest, they were made into recycled notebooks and sold to discerning punters. Peanut Butter Soup, Ham in Aspic. Are you game to try? Still, I think I'd like to give the paradise pears a whirl...

thistle love

sometimes, you just miss seeing thistles around, ya know?

salty tangy tart

I'm talking about my dinner, right. It was Halloumi and Zucchini Salad. Boy oh boy, it was everything I could ask for. Salty pan-fried halloumi and oily pan-fried zucchini cut through with lemon zest and juice on a crispy crispy cos lettuce bed. A bit of red onion for bite ('wafer fin, right?' as Jamie Oliver is fond of repeating). I dressed it with a bit more olive oil, white wine vinegar, pepper and fresh oregano. It didn't really need the dressing as the zucchini was pretty oily and I served lemon wedges with it. But still, it was a delight!

Before I made din dins I was busy finishing these off. Hair clips. To match the brooches. What is it about making these? They seem to take me FOR-EVAH. I love them because I get excited about fabrics I can use for them, then I hate them because somewhere in the making I become bogged down with them. They become tedious. Then they're finished and they are my little darlings again.

There they are, a tangy dressing for your hair!

Ladies I Like

In honour of International Women's Day (March 8th) I thought I'd list a few of my favourite ladies.


Ani DiFranco. Ah yes, she saw me through many a troubled teenage night. Uplifting, funny, insightful and angry (well, not anymore). If I'm feeling out of sorts I can pop on an album, ANY of her many, and feel ok again. Ahhhh.



Neko Case. American singer/songwriter. Some call her
'country noir'. I call her sublime. She
also sings with The New Pornographers, a fine outfit. Her latest album "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" makes me swoon every time. As does the artwork on the cover, created by the Julie Morstad.
Plus she's a redhead.

















PJ Harvey. Is there a sexier, edgier, lovelier performer than she? This stunning photo was taken by my sister when she saw her live in Melbourne last month. Lucky Duck, that's a show i missed. I've had the privilege of watching peej strut her stuff once before, and it truly is a sight to behold. Check out the gown she's wearing. The word 'grow' is embroidered on it (on the left side). With hair, so it looks. She is a lady after me own heart!

And finally, here's one for the memories. Yes yes, it's Belinda Carlise. Runaway Horses and all. Why? Well, Belinda is to my Tweens what Ani is to my Teens. If I happen to be in a supermarket and Heaven is a Place on Earth comes through the p.a, I get a little shiver of pleasure. She is by far the best for singing in the shower. Warble away Belinda, warble away!

I must say, I never tried to emulate her look though. Sexy and tousled. But classy. Always classy.

Cripes, that seemed to take a long time to put together! There are many more ladies I like, of course and I'll endeavour to bring you more through the week. Next time we'll do authors. Barbara Cartland here we come!

Things I Have Recently Made

These are some cushions I made for friends who got married recently. It was a self indulgent gift really as I got to implement an idea I'd been toying with for a while (a sort of patchwork). I used some of my favourite vintage, recycled and new fabrics, and loved the process of making them.

the 'patchwork' front, that's dappled sunlight light not dodgy fabric...

the initialed back, awwww

Although they're made in my usual 'make it up as ya go along' way, I was fairly tickled pink with the end result. The initials are the married couples, obviously. Mmmm, text in textiles.

Achievemnt Friday is Here

Allright! It IS achievement Friday! Why? 'Cause here is post number two. This is one of my favourite paintings done by my young nephew (who is sometimes known as X).


It's called 'Dogs'. Blue is X's favourite colour. xox maude

Achievement Thursday

That should also be Achievement Friday, as I'm posting for the VERY FIRST TIME! But I like Achievement Thursday better because I made 32 brooches yesterday afternoon!


I haven't made a circle brooch that I really like for quite a while, so I was pretty chuffed when I saw them all tumbled together, looking pretty. Stick around, I may even pop a few more images up.
xo maude