Helsinki St Fashion

I am no fashionista myself, but always interested in other peoples creativity. Here is a cool website of street fashion from Helsinki, it's called HEL-LOOKS.
Anyone know of any other street fashion sites?

Baby Quilt

I have a back log of things to post about, it just seems I can't find the time to get them online. I thought I might be able to get this up in time for Friday's Works-in-progress round, but here it is on Saturday.

It is yet another unfinished quilt, made of little squares of Liberty fabric. I would like to finish it soon, and will either give it to my sister's new baby girl, or keep it for our January arrival. Anyways, it is pretty small so I think I can quilt it and finish it in the next week or two.



ps. I just noted this blog is on American time, so I still qualify for a Friday posting!

Eat Me

Today has been pretty slow, recovering from all the 'I am 5' festivities. R has been out all day editing the documentary he is working on, so we have been car-less. It is nice sometimes knowing you can't go anywhere even if you want to, but cabin fever does set in towards the end of the day.

And I am a bit guilty of providing ice-cream for morning tea and tortilla's and butter for lunch, and a bit of TV time to distract them while I went upstairs and made this placement.



It is for Anna (her blog is Twelve22), who is moving back to the States from Jolly old England.

I added the screenprinted crown to remind her of Her Majesty, Queen Lizzie, hopefully it might be of use for a spot of elevenses.

Happy Birthday Luka!

And now he is 5!

More photos of the Birthday Party here.

On a roll...

I really admire those bloggers out there that post everyday, without fail. They tend to be the ones I click first in Bloglines to see the latest happenings. I also click on all you tardy posters (such as myself) to see what you have to say for yourself, usually starts with an excuse! ; )

Anyway it seem two posts in one day is a bit of a record, and it is semi-work related (does that count?).

My friend, 'need-to-find-a-better-paying- job-'cos-I-just-bought-a-house' and I went to the opening of the AFI screenings in Hobart. The feature screening was a new Aussie flick called, Suburban Mayhem. Which was kinda appropriate given aforementioned friend is about to join the homeowners club and find out the real truth about suburban mayhem.

Anyways, the film was actually pretty bad, (although friend loved it) and I wouldn't really recommend it.

But, the AFI Awards screenings are being sponsored by a certain high-end cosmetics company, who generously left little goody bags on all the seats! Woo-hoo free product! And, boy do they know their market, because the crown jewel of the bag was an Anti-Ageing Glycolic Peel Kit!

I normally try to use only natural products on my skin, but that is now out the window, I am keen to try the miracle acid treatment that will dissolve both my wrinkles and worries away. I will keep you posted on progress.

Postscript:

Damn! I have just read the small print and it suggests consulting my doctor before using on sensitive skin (that's me), AND, you need to stay out of the sun for 7 days afterwards... creepy.

peacocks, parties and pooh

The story of my life in days revolves around work, looking after the boys, being pregnant with number 3 and washing washing, washing, clothes, plates and rooms.

I am not sure I want to talk about work and the sewing creations have dwindled, as the attention on the everyday tasks becomes a tsunami, so my offering today is some images from our little home.

- The Georges eating left over pasta
- The invitation to Luka's 5th birthday party next week, and,
- Yet, more pillows %#&**!

Six Pack

Yep, made some more cushions today. Woo-hoo.
I had already made most of the blocks, but nevertheless, it feels good to give them a little more purpose.

I am thinking of have a market stall at our local craft/produce market, or starting an etsy online shop, what do you think? Any takers?

Wip Fridy

I am stitching a new quilt. I started with a flurry a few months ago, then screeched to a halt. This is where I stopped - some bits sewn together, some cut out, some still to cut. There will be lots of blank cream cotton squares and then a random sprinkling of pattern and colour. All squares, small, medium and large.

I hopeful that there will be found the inspiration to keep going. I am outing myself as a one-quilt-wonder, may be I can finish this one and break the curse.

Guppy Love

Big R has an aquarium with a few tropical fish, the stocks have been a little low lately. ( I think the interest is waning ) But the reason I am even telling you is that one of the 2 guppies we have left had babies. 30 of them, at least that is an estimate, there were swarms of tiny little mini fish. We were so proud, until I looked the next day, down to 10, and the day after, 3 left.
Today there is only 1 little fishy. Apparently the mother is eating her babies, at least 29 of them to date.

Prior to having children of my own, this sort of infanticide would have sent a shiver to my core. But now I am a mother I kinda get it. It is not that I condone the eating of one's off-spring, it is just that I understand there are so many laws of nature that we have no control over.

And raising children is kind of the same, you can feed them vegetables, teach them to say please and wipe their own noses. And that is about it, at the end of the day the laws of the jungle will effect them more, I think. Yeah, yeah, I am sure that I count for more, but may be I am not so sure.

On a lighter note, it was Emily's birthday on the weekend, impetus enough to get me into the attic and to make her an obligatory log cabin cushion (seems to be the 'birthday present du jour' around here). Here is a snap shot of the pillow and the birthday girl in the middle (sorry Em).

A Baby Libertine

I have been distracted of late and not doing much creating or blogging, but, one thing I have done is make Sacha his own Baby Shambles tee.

Not exactly because he is a fan, but because my old friend Emily thinks he looks like Pete Doherty. I am not exactly convinced, I mean, really who wants there 2 year old son to resemble the latest wayward rock st*r, coke head, troubled genius, supermodel ex ?

Yet there is a spark of the defiant and libertine about him so I guess I can see where she is getting it from.

The result, his first band shirt... you decide

Bastille Day, as it happens...

... and a new family friend, a reindeer, no less. Not really a Rein-deer, just an ordinary dear, whatever that is.

Somehow he just fits the bill and seems perfect in that space over the mantle that has been empty since we moved in (just waiting for a relic of death to fill its patient ambition).

I know, I should feel morbid about the nature of this new decoration, but frankly it is quite beautiful, serene even. And for some weird reason I have quite fancied the thought of one since I was a child. It might have been the tartan/highland/heathy fashion of the time (sometime in the 80s). Or maybe it feels more landed gentry, in any case, he was a wonderful surprise present from R to mark our 10 years together!

Perhaps we will both be in therapy in 10 more years, trying to figure out the symbolism of that token, until then, tally-ho.

ps. Harriet if you read this ring me, I have some news

Eggs Benedict - It's a Big Mac who's read Proust

It has been a little while since I have updated this blog, and to be honest I have been finding it hard to think of something meaningful/insightful/creative or even interesting to add. It has become a bit of a ravenous beast, requiring constant feeding. And whilst I could fill the paragraphs with the woe of my existance, frankly, who wants to read it - not me!

However, I picked up up a book from my shelf, called Le Caprice, which is a recipe book/journal of a restaurant of the same name in London. It is food porn at its best, lots of very sexy photos and great dialogue about food, eating and contemporary culture.

And as it was my birthday yesterday, I am going to forgo, the obligatory analysis and images of presents to give you a gift. Eggs Benedict.

... quoted from Le Caprice

"Eggs Benedict is a people person, it's dressed down, it's loafers and a polo shirt, it's unisex cologne, it's Sunday papers and films with subtitles and baby papooses. It's sybaritic without being self-indulgent. It's that smooth, smart, committed liberal, sexy, witty, off-white, lifestyle thing, that PR magazines and glossy magazines have been teasing us with for a generation. It's modern - your Grandfather never ate Eggs Benedict. It's you and it's me and it's the whole schtick of post-war, post-modern, politically savvy, free-market, free-thinking, free-from-want, free-as-a-bird, happy-ever-after, Western capitalist dream, and which of us in the goddam world doesn't want that? Eggs Benedict is an on-the-plate, runny, goopy, sentimental, mouth-coating revelation. Reading 'Eggs Benedict' on a menu is politically and socially potent and pregnant with meaning - the clenched fist, or perhaps the 'High Five' manifesto of nice people." AA Gill

Click here for the recipe

ps. hopefully my little blog's stomach has stopped rumbling for a while, and next time, perhaps a main course.

Chocolate Bunny arrives with gifts..

Thank you so much Larissa, a gorgeous bunny bounced into our home all the way from Portland, Oregon. And really I don't know how she knew, but she packed the little bunny with presents three of my favourite things - fabric, coffee and chocolate! Not to mention, a lovely matching pin cushion, some letter charms and some gorgeous trims.

Wow, thank you so much, I am desperately trying to recover from an awful cold, so I can fully appreciate a cup of Stumptown Coffee Roasters 'Hairbender Blend', followed up with a cup of Hersey's hot chocolate!





And, thanks so much for the Chocolate Sauce Recipe - I can't wait to try it!

ps. Thank you so much for the wonderful Bunny I really love her!

Mountain View

Thanks for the nice comments about the BT Bunny, and thanks to Anonymous Alex who confirmed she does actually like her and her gorgeous daughter is okay with the new addition.

These photos are a week or so old, but I thought I would post them anyway. They were taken on top of 'the mountain' when our house guests were here. It is a really magnificent mountain and truly has some kind of relationship with everyone who lives in this part of Tasmania.

Everyone sees it from their own angle and it is always interesting when you go to another part of town and see it from a different perspective. We don't really talk about this strange familial tie, but I have a feeling it impacts on us every day in a way that is beyond words.

I am being philosophical when the kids are just having fun, but some of you will know what I am talking about (maybe).




& some shots from our house... different moods, same angle..

Drum Roll Please..

Alex has received her Back-tack package so I guess it is ok to unveil her.

This was my first swap and I have to say I definately felt some pressure. The rules for Back-tack 3 were pretty intense the little object had to be a 'softie', less than a certain height, black and white with no less than 20% of one other colour, have 5 buttons and the first initial of the person it was being sent to and may or may not be one of three suggested patterns.

To cut a long story short, this is what I ended up making. Alex said she liked her but I get the impression she thinks it is a bit weird.... read quote...

"I got the weirdest softie ever existed, I guess. At least it is in the Top 10 of "Weirdest Softies Ever""

which I am taking as a compliment, I too, think it ended up as quite a strange little creature but I did come to quite like her as she sat on the mantlepiece waiting to be sent. Hopefully she will grow on her and it won't freak out small children.

Le Petit Delice

So, it has been several weeks since an update, but only several moments since the last morsel of Le Petit Delice French Nougat slipped down my throat. Too bad it was so petit, because now I feel like some more.

Our house guest have now left, back to California, and our life back to normal. It seems like it was all a dream, but we have been left with some fun memories and the boys now know their Aunts very well.

I even managed to fit in a few creative pursuits while they were here (can't beat live-in Aunties), but the batteries in the camera are dead so some snaps will have to wait.

My back-tack (bunny) is on its way to Japan, so hopefully Alex will like her. And, Larissa indulged me with a sneak peak of the lovely little friend that will be coming my way soon, so I am a little more excited about the impending arrival.

The Knitted Room

I went to a really cool exhibition at the Moonah Arts Centre (it's still on if you are in town), that is a knitted installation of a 1950s living room. All the items have been knitted by elderly residents at nursing homes around the State.

The original idea was developed by the same artist that did the knitted forest protest, Dawn Csutoros, and has grown into a larger community project.

I am particularly fond of the knitted flying ducks and the knitted tyre swan (which is probably an Australian suburban icon, I am not sure if these exist outside of this continent?). The cake trolley looks pretty appetising as well. The bricks in the fireplace are knitted as well!

bt3

After a lot of procrastination, my back-tack softie is complete!
Trying to figure something into all the parameters was a challenge there were a few times when I wanted to rebel and/or give up. But I am happy with the result, and have posted some glimpses for you to see.

Back on Tack

It has been a busy time at the house of Little S, so the posts have been few and far between.

We have two great house guests who are sisters and aunts and are big balls of fun. There have been a load of presents, lots of great dinners and some fun outings including the never-tiring tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory (very hard not to like!).

The kids scored some cool new Paul Frank rain boots and I scored a great pile of fabric to add the the stash.

! Mucho Gracias Aunt Whiz and Aunty Inghy-Poo !

And finally I have my Back-tack project well underway, I will post some little hints soon.

And many thanks for the comments and favourite movies in the last post, I find it so hard to define my 'favourites' because as soon as someone suggests an alternative, I jump straight on the bandwagon and remember that I just loved that film as well. Case in point - Pulp Fiction, I loved it when it came out, I first saw it at the Movies in Japan, and I remember that most of the time we were the only ones laughing, I guess some things get 'Lost in Translation'!

Bagged a tag.

I got tagged so I thought I would give it a go. It seems to be an interesting exercise, choosing what to reveal balanced with summarising my life into a questionnaire. Anyways here goes...

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1 Blackjack Dealer
2 Film Festival Director
3 Morbidity Statistician 
4 Exhibition Curator

 Four movies I would watch over and over:
(not sure if I would watch these over and over, but I like them)

1. Little Fish
2. Somersault
3. Alice
4. Cousins

Four places I have lived:

1. London 
2. Toyko
3. Los Angeles
4. Koh Phangan

Four TV shows I love to watch:

1. Absolutely Fabulous
2. The West Wing
3. Survivor
4. Spicks and Specks

Four places I have been on vacation:

1. India
2. Nepal
3. Mexico
4. Amsterdam
 
Four of my favourite foods:

1. Sag Paneer
2. Green Chicken Curry
3. Chilequiles
4. Chocolate Pudding

 I'd rather be right now:

1. Shopping in London  
2. Hanging out in India
3. Wandering down a street in New York
4. Eating Mexican food in Mexico
 
Four friends I have tagged that I think will respond:

Consider yourself tagged!

Log Cabin's a go go

I am thinking about renaming this little blog - Blog Cabin Central!

All I seem motivated to make these days is more log cabin pillows. I have a whole bunch of pillow tops waiting to be zipped into covers and plumped lovingly (I've spared you the details), and have just finished off these two.

They are presents for R's two sisters who are coming to stay next week! I have indulged in a little crafty corniness and included some screenprints of their nephews in the pillows. See them modelling the pillows!

On a promising note, I have thought of something for Moonstitches, my backtacking partner, but it is kinda complicated and I am not sure I am capable of pulling it off. Remains to be seen...

Back-tacking across the universe

I signed onto to BT3 and have received my swap partners and now the pressure is on. I am feeling the old waves of procrastination crashing over me, just like they did all those years ago at Uni.

On occasion, I observe my life from a step to the side, and the usual pattern I fall into when there is a deadline, is to wait until the last minute. I try to convince myself that it is not procrastination, simply the time needed for my unconscious to work through the task at hand and come up with the best solution, which cooincidentally arrives on time in my head as the clock ticks down.

The weird thing is somehow I feel more pressure to come up with something original and creative for someone I have never met, than passing my university degree. Go figure.

But when you see the talents of Moonstitches you can see why I am nervous, and I can't understand a word of German, but whatever I make will be winging its way to Japan, which is pretty cool.

I am also very stoked to be receiving a lil' softie from the equally talented Larissa all the way from the USA.

I am not sure if I will be posting any work-in-progress shots, I will wait and see if I can get the old grey matter working a little faster.

Everyday Creativity

A couple of weeks ago the theme for Whiplash was everyday creativity. I was thinking about making art from toast, because that was as far as my uncreative everyday mind could stretch. Of course, after I had thought about it for a while, I googled toast art and lo and behold...



And if Elvis on toast isn't enough... how about a labrador latte (I think it is actually supposed to be a lion, but looks more like a labrador to me).

More everyday latte art here.

Luna-tic

Luna Park is one of those memories etched in my psyche. I have a sense of going there with my Dad when we lived in Sydney, and we left when I was about 3 so it is buried pretty deep.

If you haven't been there it is an old 1930s or 40s amusement park and the entry in is through his mouth. It was just down the road from my hotel, so I took a stroll down memory lane.

You can see why that memory stuck. This face is big and weird enough to burn a whole in any three year old's brain.

And then there was 3.

I was dreaming of snow flurries against the window, marshmallows toasting on an open fire, a moose bellowing outside and lo and behold another log cabin pillow was born.

... for some reason this one reminds me of an opal. It is was supposed to be a gift, but when I turned it right side out, I realised I had sewn it up with the zip going up and down, instead of side to side. That sort of thing gives me the hebes so I might have to make a another one for baby C, and keep this one for myself.

I am off to Sydney tommorrow (whoo-hoo) for work and some much needed big city shopping, may the shoe-gods be with me!

Monster Rabbit

Happy Easter, 2006

We observe them observing the rest of us. . .

I started writing this blog in this little outpost of cyberspace to be a place where I could keep notes to myself. To record ideas, images, stories about the everyday events of life that will so quickly be forgotten, and to keep a record of the things I make and do.

I didn't really imagine I would include the children as often as I do, I thought it would be of a more personal nature. Of course the little ones are really concreted to me and part of the fun of my life is to watch them make their own observations of the world.

So in a round about way of getting to the images attached, I am sharing some of Luka's observations of his world with you. The world of being 4.

Log Cabin Fever

I am nearly convinced that my wee sensitive soul becomes ill with the constantcy of the daily grind. It seems that for weeks and weeks of just treading water there is a point where I either sink or swim. That is the point where I need to make time to create something, it seems to be the panacea.

So with a studio overflowing with the family's flotsam and jetsam and causing a major blockage of the creative energy, I simply cleared a path (literally) to get to the sewing machine and the ironing board and whipped up these Log Cabin pillows.

Just in the nick of time, I feel much better now, and they will double as overdue birthday presents - so 2 birds 1 stone.

Luka's Leaves

On the same vein as the last post, this is an unabashed continuation of the theme 'my child is a genius' (sorry, this wasn't planned - it just happened today, please forgive). But Luka created a bunch of Autumn-like images on Photoshop.

I help a bit by opening a new file for him, but he chooses the colours and the brush (the leaves are actually a photoshop pre-set brush), plays around with the mouse and then I come back and save it for him. There are some more here.

Generational Supremacy

At 4 and a half Luka is already expressing an aptitude at poetry that greatly surpasses his mothers. Which needless to say is not hard. I particularly like the expression of his childlike innocence, yet, already in touch with the undercurrent of the zeitgeist and the thought that someone or something else is pulling the strings.

Gaaaaaaaaaardening

The pressure is on... R's two sisters are coming over from the US to visit in 6 weeks time. I know all they want to do is take it easy and hang out with the boys, but I am using their visit as an impetus to plant some things in the garden.

Since moving into our house I have had to let go of my fantasy that I am a great gardener without a garden. I now have a garden and have had the overwhelming realisation that I am not a great gardener or even an ok one. However, I forge on, buying seedlings, moving plants (eek, I even moved the peonies, in my gung-ho enthusiasm), planting green things and god forbid actually watering the plants.

I am not sure how long it will last as I have a posse of garden predators to contend with... one free-range sheep (good-bye roses), 5 peacocks (they scratch the 'blood and bone' fertiliser from the beds), countless wild bunnies (we love kale and lettuce yum), and, a possum who lives in our roof and does nightime raids on the newly purchased seedling punnets (at least I think it is the possum).

So you see the odds are stacked against me, add two pre-schoolers who love to help, and the garden and me bio-relationship is mostly strained. Still, I live in hope of a reunion.