The Academy of Gentle Arts

pure

2012-01-27T22:39:00.002+11:00

Damn I think this is the best song ever, right now. It makes me all swirly and romantic and inspired and gives me crazy flashbacks but I can't put my finger on what they are of. And he can put on red lipstick better than I can even though I have been taking lessons from the professional.

Elsita

2012-01-25T22:29:00.003+11:00

There is a woman called Elsa Mora who creativity seems to explode out of like a dandelions seeds. I just got lost in here web for ages it's really worth a look. She has several blogs dedicated to different aspects of her work, her Miniature Artists Books and All about Paper Cutting are quite breathtaking as you can see.

Emotional weather report

2012-01-24T15:19:00.004+11:00

There has been a long duration M class Solar flare, the largest in six years, which will reach the earth today. NASA has said there are "strong geomagnetic storms possible and viewers can be on the look out for increased aurora." The NASA website is full of pretty amazing information but there is a better report of the flare here. Interesting.

Brunswick Bound

2012-01-23T14:49:00.002+11:00

Well I am excited to say I now have my books in a fantastic book shop called Brunswick Bound, it is at 361 Sydney Road, Brunswick Victoria. It is a lovely book shop and worth a look if you are in the area, not only are there lovely books but also check out that counter!

Eat the forest

2012-01-18T13:16:00.003+11:00

Wow I just found this on etsy, it is really wonderful. Each piece would be beautiful in its self but the fact they are made of sugar makes it even better.

Oh Martha

2012-01-18T12:44:00.005+11:00

She sure does come up with some sweet little ideas. I think we may have a go at these this afternoon.

snowflake

2011-12-22T23:19:00.002+11:00

I was listening to another fantastic episode of This American Life the other day. As always it made me think I had spent the day talking with so many interesting people before I remembered it was me at midnight surrounded by chaos in my office/pram bay trying to crank out Christmas cheer. Any how there was a story about a Mormon town in Arizona called Snowflake. Great name made even greater by the fact it is named after the two men who founded it, Mr Snow and Mr Flake!! Can you believe it? To this day most of the people in the town are either Snows or Flakes. I just finished my batch of Christmas, Panforte. Sounds fancy, looks fancy, tastes fancy, easy as mixing a bowl with a wooden spoon to make but this year made even more fancy by rice paper snowflakes I punched out with a hole puncher. So easy so so fancy.

Balloon pilot

2011-12-20T12:36:00.004+11:00

I feel a bit torn in two about Christmas. Half of me wants to sit and make things with the children.Bake gingerbread and put tinsel everywhere but then I wonder how I ended up in Office works with two wiggling kids, almost crying, me not the children, as my fourth attempt to get Christmas cards printed bites the dust.
You win some you lose some and this morning we won big time as a gust of wind made five hot air balloons land at the end of our street. We went down in bare feet and pajamas and watched them land and be folded away. It was really beautiful, we got to touch one it felt like a giant jelly fish as it heaved around on the ground. I didn't take my camera but maybe that is nice.
I had a fleeting idea that maybe I should be a hot air balloon pilot until I over heard the handsome Italian balloonist say how he used to be a mountain climber and sailor. Maybe a bit much knot tying for me. Ill stick to tinsel wrangling for now.

Ink and Spindle

2011-12-13T08:04:00.003+11:00

My boyfriend works in a beautiful old warehouse with many other people doing interesting things. One of his neighbors is Ink and Spindle who make beautiful natural screen printed fabric and now have a new line of very lovely children's clothes. I think they are just beautiful and it is tying in with my new obsession with the colour mustard which has taken me by surprise as it used to be right up there with lime green as my most hated. Pretty excited about my new mustard cardigan that arrived yesterday in the post, woo hoo

Reading

2011-12-07T16:59:00.006+11:00

Hello everyone who may be reading this after seeing the lovely article posted on the Readings website. How nice.

Lift off

2011-12-06T12:27:00.006+11:00

The book launch was really fun. I worked like a beaver all week making big cut outs of the animals and hand stitching and packaging all the books and posters. I made tiny letter shaped gingerbread and lemon cordial and so many of my friends and family came along it was really lovely. So the little book is launched and now available at Readings in Carlton as well which I am excited about. I feel like there is a lot to do it is exciting and fun and hard to fit in around the normal jam packed days we seem to have. There are raspberries to pick, chickie's to chase, sand to throw, crawling to learn, sleeps to be had, avocado to fling but we will get there slowly slowly.

Book launch

2011-11-26T22:55:00.006+11:00

I am having a book and poster launch next Sunday the 4th of December at Smiley Mcslidey studio corner of Blyth and Nicholson st East Brunswick in Melbourne from 3pm- 5pm if anyone is in the neighbourhood, if your not you can get your very own copy at my little etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gentlearts

A woooo

2011-11-19T13:02:00.004+11:00

Well it sure has been awhile between drinks of water but here I am, another baby boy and a new project finally almost finished after what feels like an eternity of chipping away at it. Small steps, small steps, here we go boys.

Consumed

2010-10-04T21:16:00.006+11:00

I am involved in an art event happening all week at Smiley McSlidey Rehearsal room in East Brunswick Melbourne. It should be really interesting with a wide variety of artists making work on location and installing it and taking it down in 24hour cycles. I’ll be there tomorrow, Tuesday the 4th and anyone can come and be a part of my project if they are passing by. The final work won’t be in display until the evening but it can be viewed from the street all night long.

Folk Ladies

2010-09-13T08:54:00.003+10:00

I have just bought two excellent cd’s that are on high rotation in our house at the moment. One is First Aid Kit, two teenage sisters from Sweden who did a live to air concert last week at our local, and excellent public radio station, if you find the recording you will hear me clapping and the baby having a squawk in a quiet but between songs. The second band, also female and folky, is by Mountain Man which is just beautiful especially the song animal tracks which you can hear here. Hooray for music.

Daffodil

2010-09-06T22:06:00.004+10:00

The winning flower

My friend comes from a long line of champion daffodil breeders and this last Saturday was the town show in Kyneton when she is from. I have wanted to go each year for the last ten and each time something has come up so a 12 year flood wasn’t going to stop me this time. It was wonderful. A tin shed with the rain pelting down on the roof and rows of perfect blooms created from rare breeding stock and secret pollen deals, battling it out for the various prizes. The winning daffodil was spectacular and was won by someone who swept up many of the prizes. There was also a children’s section where local school children made sculptures out of fruit and vegetables that were particularly wonderful. My friends father also won two prizes to continue carrying the family mantle.

Tara Donovan

2010-08-30T21:07:00.004+10:00

A friend has just pointed me in the direction of Tara Donovan. Her work is so simple and so clever created out of everyday items, pencils, straws, Styrofoam cups, but repeated to create landscapes and microcosms. It has got me thinking.

Kinder

2010-08-16T20:24:00.002+10:00

We recently returned from a wonderful adventure in Japan. As well as spending time in the large cities and zooming around on the bullet trains, we had some beautiful and quiet times high up in the mountains in tiny villages surrounded by bamboo and cedar wood forests.
It was high summer over there and very hot and humid. The baby was a trooper and took everything in his stride. One day in Kyoto we were hot and getting cranky as we wandered around in the heat trying to get back to our cool tatami mat room so the baby could have a crawl around after being clipped into a sweaty pram for hours. I saw a tiny hand painted sign in both Japanese and English saying there was a children’s bookstore so we went to have a look. On the first floor of a building was a lovely bookstore filled with all the classics translated into Japanese. We were told there was a kindergarten upstairs and we could take the baby there to play with some other children. It was so beautiful, two grandmotherly women played with another baby in a cool clear room filled with beautiful handmade toys. It was just perfect.

Fold

2010-06-27T20:15:00.003+10:00

I just saw some images from a project I worked on last year for Qube Konstrukt. I hadn’t seen the finished work and it came up looking pretty great I reckon. It is all made out of folded paper. They have just got me working on a few new things for another project which is fun.

Clash

2010-06-22T20:32:00.001+10:00

I kept waiting for the pickle and ice cream cravings but all I got when I was pregnant was a craving for colours. Instead of gravitating towards blues and grays and black suddenly I was looking at orange and pink together and thinking how fantastic they looked. The other month I went into a shop filled with brightly clashing things made of felt. There were these rugs that I couldn’t take my eyes off they were made from individual coloured felt balls sown together in a circle, they were bright, clashing and wonderful. Maybe it’s a permanent change, one for the better perhaps.

Mini-Festival

2010-06-04T19:15:00.001+10:00

If you are around Melbourne tomorrow come along to the SMR festival for garage sales, sausage sizzles and lots of great music should be fun!!

Story time

2010-05-25T16:30:00.001+10:00

I am working on an exciting project making illustrations and animation for a director I admire. It has been a juggle and stressful at times but I have been listening to This American Life episodes while I work and it makes the hours fly by. You can stream them for free and I highly recommend it. I have also been sent on a tangent through them to The Moth also filled with brilliant storytelling.

Aid

2010-05-11T21:45:00.002+10:00

I went to a friends house today to learn first aid. Turns out that class in year 9 wasn't completely lost after all as I kept recalling the answers to everything which could come in handy in case of emergency. Previously my only memory of first aid class was being awarded my certificate and then going to the shopping mall and finding a woman unconscious in the toilets and freaking out and locking myself in the bathroom... she did have a friend with her who seemed to have it under control but my lack of bravado did deflate my confidence somewhat. Any how I saw the most beautiful children's book that had been recently purchased in Spain by Herve Tullet. The pages flipped in sections and you can see it in action here. Herve Tullet's site is pretty fun the scribbling bit is great you can draw on top of his scribbles.

Garden club

2010-05-10T19:56:00.002+10:00

My new friend Ella has asked me to join a gardening group. It is a great idea, you go along to one persons house every two weeks and take the babies and everyone helps in their garden doing what ever needs doing to help them grow fruit and vegetables or get a compost going. The children play in the garden and help dig in the dirt, learning bits and pieces as they go. The hostess makes a delicious cake and we all walked away with tiny winter lettuce seedlings, worm juice and a Vietnamese mint plant. Arlo ate a spiky succulent leaf and was like a cat with a fur ball until i peeked in his mouth and scooped the leaf out. Ah nature. I can't wait for the next one.

Domestic Disaster

2010-05-03T22:58:00.001+10:00

It's so stupid one minute everything is fine and the next the T.V fell on me as I moved it to hide the power points from the newly crawling baby. It felt like one of those "Mother lifts the car off the baby moments". It is old and really heavy and I was crouched down so it was falling from above, the cabinet was on casters and kept skipping and just behind me I knew the baby was kicking around on his sheep skin. The plant skidded off and smashed on the floor I didn't hear crying so I knew it had missed him, I got the Tv upright with my heart pounding.
My goodness what a way to be done in. Terrifying and all in the cosy safety of my lounge room. Eek.

Pacific

2010-04-25T12:01:00.007+10:00

Well after a long long time the series I worked on for a couple of years has been released. I can't say the story is fantastic but it is exciting to see all the models I made for each set brought to life and filled with action. The best part of the whole process was being able to work closely with Tony Pratt, a fantastic production designer and a lovely man.

Harvest

2010-04-11T13:46:00.003+10:00

Well we are feeling pretty proud of ourselves after harvesting our huge crop of pumpkins. Judging by the beautiful cloudy colour of the skins I think they must be Queensland Blues. It is a very exciting feeling to cut in to one and see such a gorgeous yellow inside and to know it’s organic and we grew it together. The baby has just started eating food so home grown pumpkin is next on the list of things to try. He has been a big help in the garden and we spend some time most days out there together. He looks at the sky and the trees and the chickens, and I prattle on about what I am up to.
Autumn is such a lovely time of the year I always think. I had a big overhaul of the garden and where mildewed pumpkin vines crept now tiny seedlings of winter vegetables are sprouting. It is a good feeling to see those future vegetables getting started.

Rabbit

2010-04-08T20:22:00.004+10:00

We had a very lovely Easter down at the beach. We cooked, we ate, we dug all the cooch grass out of two massive garden beds and planted flowers for spring, no easy task I tell you.
You woke up before the sun and rabbits bounded away across the lawn. The bunny came and brought cloth eggs with bells inside tucked in a bird’s nest. We found a dead rabbit under a bush in the flowerbed and a little cousin left a loved blanket behind and had to do an emergency late night dash to retrieve it.. Bunnies surrounded us.

Stumble

2010-03-28T12:56:00.003+11:00

I was researching jellyfish when I found a link to the amazing work of Coe and Waito. They make quite breathtaking works in ceramic.

Fete

2010-03-22T21:18:00.003+11:00

I can’t tell if I am the only one that has worked out what a bonanza school fetes are, or if they are so fruitful that there is plenty for everyone. You have to work out which are the good ones, some get too full of them selves and charge $5 for a biscuit but after some careful research I know where to aim. There were three fantastic ones on the weekend and I picked up some great books a chocolate crackle, some baby gloves, a tiny tea set, a wooden watch and this beautiful doll cradle that is perfect to give my niece. This Wednesday she will be getting a baby brother and he will sleep in a big version of exactly the same bed. I painted it and made some little bedclothes and will take it over when the baby arrives, how exciting.

Baby

2010-02-23T21:02:00.003+11:00

A baby Elephant has been born in our town and my brother in law not only was instrumental in the pregnancy but also was part of the birth and now care of the little baby. It is amazing what people do with them selves and we were lucky enough to go and see the little one. It was quite a strange feeling to see something so familiar but on a scale that was so surprising. To see an elephant small enough to fit into the front seat of your car was quite baffling and it is so sweet and tumbly with its little trunk waving about copying its mother and its stumble legs making it look like a man in an elephant suit.

The Professional

2010-02-21T19:39:00.003+11:00

Sometimes all you see are the dirty dishes in the sink and then a friend flies half way around the world and takes a photo of your sink and all of a sudden you can see the beauty in it. Here is my back yard taken by a professional, in my mind it looks this good all the time.

Saturday

2010-02-20T16:05:00.004+11:00

Our friend came over for a delicious breaky this morning with fresh eggs from our chickens, and tomorrow is my pretend Birthday as early January is no time for celebrations and we are going out for a beautiful lunch. But today we went and got my present. A charm bracelet to replace the one I had since childhood that was stolen when I came home and there was a burglar in my living room. I now have two charms that tie in nicely with the domestic theme of my life at the moment. One is a replica of my favourite charm from my old bracelet, a tiny house that opens up and has a little bed in side and the second is a pair of tiny scissors that open and close. It is just the beginning but I love it.

Up

2010-02-15T16:11:00.003+11:00

You woke up so early today. It’s our watering day so we go out to the garden together. Three balloons float over the house close enough to wave at the passengers. It is the first ones you have ever seen. One day we will go up together in a hot air balloon, your Dad is scared of them so he can wave from the ground. I never thought of it until someone pointed it out that there is no wind when you are in a balloon as you are travelling at the same speed as the air current. Sounds good to me.

Fibonacci flowers

2010-02-15T16:05:00.002+11:00

I have to confess beyond the fact I know it is the formula for making perfect spirals I don’t know much more about Mr Fibonacci. Looking up this page helped a little, well the first paragraph did where it explains you just add the two previous numbers together to get the following one. Once those diagrams kicked in I was lost.
Anyhow the point is for the first time in three consecutive years of planting I managed to grow two Giant Russian sunflowers. They were massive, a good two metres tall with thick trunks and flower heads at least 60cm across. I have just picked them and will dry the seeds for planting next year

Pickle part two

2010-02-15T15:56:00.003+11:00

We ate them on bread, no butter, with smoked trout, dill and yoghurt sauce at an evening picnic with friends and it was lovley. We also had nutmeg cake, Vietnamese coleslaw and tomatoes and basil from the garden.

Bread and Butter

2010-02-10T07:00:00.002+11:00

Is it just Summer that makes you feel like there are a thousand things to cook?
You will have to excuse me if I am all about food for a few weeks while I get all these things in bottles.
Today I made my first ever Bread and Butter cucumber pickles. I watched this guy to learn how to do it. He is hilarious and the video goes for so long because he keeps doing long shots of his dogs for some reason. I hope you pay attention to the background music. He also stuffed up the recipe half way through but rather than re shoot it he continues valiantly on. I just got the ingredients for pickling solution and made the rest up. In 24 hours Ill let you know how it went. No bread or butter involved yet.

Flash back

2010-02-08T07:00:00.002+11:00

My mum used to make the most delicious desert when we were little, she was an amazing cook and everything she did was fantastic but this was a signature dish, its so 70’s and tastes amazing. You can only make it for a few weeks of the year when sweet sultana grapes are in season. That time is now so I whipped some up. You pick small, golden coloured sultana grapes, they are the sweetest and remove them from the stem. Mix up some plain yoghurt with a big sprinkle of nutmeg and a little brown sugar and coat the grapes. It comes out looking like nothing out of this decade and tastes delicious served chilled on a summery evening.

Old times

2010-02-06T07:00:00.003+11:00

all images Kit Keith

A lifetime ago I lived far away and was surrounded by talented folk. I was just thinking of an old friend who I haven’t seen for years who was a wonderful painter and through the power of the Internet I can look at her paintings and remember those times and feel pretty happy about it.

Law of the Jungle

2010-02-04T07:00:00.002+11:00

My vegetable garden is going great guns and it makes me so happy to see all those different plants flourishing away, quietly going about their business and making us food, no longer do I buy potatoes, spring onions, tomatoes, basil or zucchini. Rogue pumpkin vines keep springing up from long discarded seeds from the compost bin and I had started to develop a theory that the ones that sprouted on their own accord never bore fruit. A particularly large one was threatening to engulf the back yard and seeing the tiny pumpkins shrivel and fall from the vine made me think it was a good for nothing plant sucking precious nutrients from my corn. I had my hand around its prickly neck about to tug it out of the ground and then though I may as well leave it for a day or two and see if any of the new fruits stick. Well Pumpkin you showed me, I now have hefty pumpkins peaking out all over the place.
It looks like we are heading for a bumper crop this Autumn. Hooray!

Wednesday night

2010-02-03T20:23:00.001+11:00

I have never cooked from recipes except for cakes, when the chemical engineering can be a bit more crucial. Anyhow I realised that while I cook a lot of things there is a general cycle that I roll through and don’t really go out on a limb that often. So this year I am starting to make meals that are completely new for me and to follow recipes to do it, or at least use them as a springboard. Witness my chilled avocado and cucumber soup with sashimi tuna!! Oh yeah just an everyday evening meal in the suburbs people. It was quite delicious and very refreshing although then I ate three Swedish ginger biscuits and two pieces of Lindt dark chocolate, which changed the mood somewhat. Make that four Swedish biscuits.

White wash

2010-02-02T07:00:00.002+11:00

I never used to own any clothes that were white as even with the best intentions I would somehow end up crawling around in the roof space or using spray adhesive and rolling around in the dirt or deciding right then was a good time to change that bike tire.
I used to think how different my life would be if I married a professional tennis player and had to wash white things all the time. I guess they wear lots of colour these days and now I think about it the washing would be the least strange aspect to it all.
Now I do load after load of perfect whites and its quite liberating to see such freshness fluttering in the breeze. I even own a few white things of my own and try and remember to get changed before getting swept up in the moment and cleaning out the chook shed. Sometimes I remember and if not there is always Sard's Wonder Soap.

Kick out the Jams

2010-01-31T19:47:00.015+11:00

7kg’s of Blood Plums
A whole lot of sugar

Equals

15 jars of jam
One Plum upside down cake
and a very sticky kitchen.

Plum upside down cake

90g melted butter and
125g softened butter
½ cup brown sugar
8 or 10 plums halved
¾ cup castor sugar
2 eggs
vanilla
1 ½ cups wholemeal self raising flour
I teaspoon baking powder
½ cup milk or fruit juice

Add melted butter to the bottom of a round spring release cake tin. Grease the sides of the tin.
Add brown sugar and place halved plums face down in tin.
Beat softened butter with caster sugar until pale
Add eggs one at a time beating well in between
Add vanilla.
Fold in flour and baking powder.
Fold in Milk/juice spoon on top of fruit in tin, cool for 50-55 min at 160 Degrees C.
Leave for 10 minutes and turn upside down.

Adapted from a pineapple upside down cake from Delicious magazine which really is delicious.

Craft Class

2009-09-30T09:28:00.005+10:00

Well I knew it had been awhile but it seems three months have ticked over since I last wrote. It is only a week or two until our baby arrives and although I have been crafty it is all very domestic and probably not that interesting to read about.
Spring is coming, the vegetable garden is planted out with seeds, the chickens are laying and this Saturday I will be teaching a craft class at Mill and Mia 99 Auburn Road Hawthorn Victoria.
We will be making snow dome aquariums and underwater themed mobiles. It should be a lot of fun. I taught another class a few months ago and we made soft Matrioshka dolls. I forgot my camera which was a shame as the children came up with the sweetest designs, I will take my camera this weekend!

Busy times

2009-06-30T09:50:00.003+10:00

It’s been a whirlwind of hectic times lately, too much working, not enough sleeping moving house, busy weekends and no craft activities to report. So all quiet on the writing front. In a month things will quieten down again. Last weekend we moved into a beautiful new place with lots of space and three chickens that laid us the best eggs I have had for years for breakfast. There is a big shed to make in to a studio and have some storage space for once, a lovely garden with lots of potential although it’s a bit unloved at the moment, I should take before and after photos. It is going to be just great. Here is what I saw the first morning when I woke up. Quite lovely.

Reasons to be Cheerful

2009-05-14T17:34:00.006+10:00

I bought a new toolbox, well not a new one my first one. I love it. It is red and metal and has concertina hinges that open it out like a butterfly so you can see everything inside. I have a wonderful new job starting on Monday working on a film produced by Guillermo Del Toro who directed Pan’s Labyrinth, I am so excited and so is my toolbox which will come along and is filled with everything I think I will need including mini sachets of miso soup.

I have almost finished a new drawing for my alphabet book and am now up to the letter C for Crab. Still a while to go on that old project but I am loving it even if it is a slow process.

Today I also baked some passion fruit Melting Moment biscuits to take to my friend Dave’s tomorrow to thank him for passing his house on to us when he moves out in a month and we move in. I will have a shed and chickens and the new baby will have a bedroom and not have to live in the nook of the hallway like we were planning if we stayed in this cosy house.
Also my boyfriend gets home from Sydney tonight and he may have only been away one night but I am so glad he is coming home again.
Reasons to be cheerful indeed.

Jack Frost

2009-04-29T21:54:00.003+10:00

Winter has come barrelling into town and it is absolutely freezing. I just can’t get used to it. Already we have pulled out the second duvet and now sleep under so many layers that the weight of feathers and wool presses you down and you can hardly roll over in the night. On the weekend it poured with rain and the wind whipped the drops against the window panes. I got under a blanket with the heater on and did some knitting. It was lovely.

Moonshine

2009-04-16T18:05:00.003+10:00

The Still

The Quince

The Aftermath

We had a lovely Easter at the beach, it was perfect Autumn weather and we planted 1000 daffodils ready for spring and my sisters boyfriend dug up two huge patches in the over grown veggie garden and we planted potatoes, onions, beet root and spinach. We also harvested two washing baskets full of quince from our one fairly small tree. I chopped up lots of them until I got blisters and made quince jelly and stewed quince to last us for the year. On Sunday we went to our friend Chris’ house and put the rest of the quince through a juicer where it will sit for a month fermenting with some champagne yeast. Then we run it through the still and make our first batch of family quince moonshine. Sounds kind of exciting.

Good Oil

2009-04-02T10:49:00.007+11:00

I did a prop making job recently for a Visa commercial which has come up looking pretty good, apparently it won ad of the week somewhere not that that is much credit to my contribution but still. I had to make all their portable pieces of technology like the T.V, Record player and fax bags it was a fun project. You can see the whole ad if you like by clicking here and looking up the director Michael Spiccia and clicking on the Visa Debit link.

Good Wives and Warriors

2009-03-31T20:41:00.005+11:00

Making web sites has always felt like a process cloaked in magic codes and secrecy to me. I attempted to teach myself how to do it several times only to get tangled at the start and give up again. I thought I should be able to do it, I have a handle on many other computer programs but it wasn’t to be, so lonely and website less I have never had much of an Internet presence… until now!! Last night my dear friend Becky came over and ate won tons with me, and chocolate, and within a couple of hours had laid out all the formulas in such an easy and understandable way that now I think I can do it. Becky and her friend have made their own site for their company Good Wives and Warriors and you can also see their beautiful illustrations and paintings there.
So over the next few weeks I am going to chip away and learn as much as I can and fingers crossed at the end will be a gleaming web site with my name on it. How exciting.

Making and Doing

2009-03-26T16:06:00.012+11:00

I have been doing a bit of sewing and made some little spring chicken toys like the one I made for the bush fire appeal and a bunch more boats in bottles. The Ships are on their way to be sent out as Birthday presents, House warming and Congratulations gifts for all my friends. The boats are a bit difficult to photograph but they look quite lovely in real life

Sailing away

2009-03-19T17:05:00.004+11:00

I have got a little obsessed with making ships in bottles I don't know what the point of it is yet, maybe there is none. I found these beautiful tapered rubber stoppered ones and with a fair bit of finagling I worked out the best way of getting a tiny ship into it. One slipped out of my hand like a banana out of its skin and smashed into a thousand pieces on the kitchen tiles. Damn it! Although I have to say there was something quite poetic about the boat being released from its glass prison. One is for a birthday present. Happy Birthday Tom.

Rock and Roller

2009-03-18T11:51:00.005+11:00

This week I feel like a stage mum as I have been busy sewing costumes for a rock and roll band i=it. They are pretty evil looking but apparently just what they wanted. You can see them in full flight this Friday night. It should be a great show.

Recipe- Ratatouille Baked Aubergine

2009-03-05T16:07:00.015+11:00

All my cooking is done with a use what you have attitude so feel free to substitute any of the ingredients. You can change the recipe as the mood takes you. Use any vegetables you have, corn and carrots or pumpkin would all be good. You could also put in some cooked brown rice with the sauce mixture if you felt like it.

:Ingredients:

:Vegetables:
1 Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
3 Aubergine/ Eggplants
1 Red Capsicum
2 Zucchini

:Herbs and Spices:
2 Spring Onions
Sprinkle of Rosemary
Oregano
Pinch or so of Salt
Pinch or so of Sugar
Pinch of Chilli
Pepper
Grated cheese - Parmesan or pecorino are fine or sliced mozzarella if you are feeling fancy.

:From the Pantry:
Tin of Tomato
Tin of Red Kidney Beans
Tomato Paste
Salt for preparing the eggplant

:Meat:(optional)
500grams or 1 lb mince
I use Kangaroo, its very low in fat, always free range, has low impact on the environment and is very tasty, but beef is fine or leave it out all together and put in an extra can of beans to make up the protein.

:Method:

Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1cm thick slices.Salt each side well and place in a colander. Leave in the sink as the salt will draw out the bitter juice and drip everywhere.
In a large pan with a drop of oil cook the sliced onion and garlic. Add the oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper. Any herbs are fine just use what you have. Cook until the onions are soft then add the mince. Stir and cook until brown.
Add the chopped vegetables, tin of tomato, tomato paste, spring onions, chilli, sugar and a cup of water. Cook for half an hour or longer if you have time. If it starts getting too dry add a bit more water.
Add the red beans at the end.
Wash the eggplant well to remove all the salt.
Place a layer of Eggplant in the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon the sauce on top until all are covered then layer more eggplant. Cover with more sauce, sprinkle some cheese on top and bake covered with foil for forty minutes in a 180 C or 350 F oven.
Uncover and cook until the cheese is brown.
Eat up

Ship in a Bottle

2009-03-03T15:28:00.006+11:00

I have to say I am feeling a little hemmed in at the moment. I wish I had a fancy trip overseas on the horizon but alas there are none coming up this year. I spent the morning in my studio feeling frustrated and not sure what to do, I did some drawing which I didn’t like and cut out some fabric but didn’t feel like doing anything with it and then I started making a tiny ship. I put it in a bottle I have been saving and now it can sit there reminding me of all the potential trips I can take until the next real one comes along.

Band Aid for a Guilty Conscience

2009-03-02T19:12:00.011+11:00

I have been having a terrible attack of the guilts and haven’t known how to remedy it until now which is why I have been a bit quiet on the old blogging front. I felt so bad for being excited about the extremely hot day only to find out later just how devastating it was. It made me feel strange about writing anything as my life is very insignificant compared to what else goes on in this world and putting up a recipe or nattering on about nothing seemed very pointless. Anyway after some navel gazing I think I have found a way of making myself feel a little better and hopefully doing a tiny bit to help out too. There is a new site on Etsy called Oz Bushfire Appeal and you can donate things to sell, or buy things to help raise money for the Red Cross. So far they have made over $15 000 which is pretty fantastic. I made a little toy to sell on it and will make some more soon. There is more bad weather predicted tomorrow which strong north winds so hopefully everything is ok. It really has been an unprecedented disaster but now its craft to the rescue.

Small Magazine Give away

2009-02-20T09:13:00.005+11:00

The new issue of Small Magazine has just come out and you can be in the chance to win one of my Garlands, just go to the back of the Magazine. It is another great issue filled with beautiful things and worth a good read.

Post apocalypse

2009-02-08T14:56:00.002+11:00

We got in the car and turned on the am radio and realised the real effect of the extreme weather. There were massive fires burning out of control across most of the state yesterday, whole towns have been wiped out. There are deaths and loss of homes and farms it has been terrible. Hopefully the cool weather will help and the rest of the fires can be brought under control. It has been an absolute disaster.

Hottest day ever… really!

2009-02-07T15:21:00.002+11:00

Our Front Lawn

It so the hottest day ever recorded in my town today and its amazing. The wind is whipping down from the north pushing the temperature higher and higher, it topped 45.3 C which is 114 F and may go higher still. The steps burn through the rubber soles of my shoes, the front lawn has thrown its hands in the air, curled up and died. Trees drop their leaves as though Autumn has begun but really they have been cooked. It’s quite exhilarating, almost apocalyptic. So now it’s off to the beach for a swim before a cool change comes sweeping through this evening.

"Marta writes" blog give away

2009-02-03T09:29:00.006+11:00

A lovely woman called Marta is having a giveaway on her blog of some of my paper-chains which is exciting. Ill look forward to seeing who the winner is over the next few days. You can go to here blog and have a look and maybe you will win!

Gardening is Dangerous

2009-01-30T13:55:00.007+11:00

It is still amazingly hot here. All the Indian Minor birds have their beaks wide open panting, while the rest of the birds seem to have hidden silently in the branches, too hot to let out a peep.
We were on the way to the beach yesterday afternoon and I kicked a gardening fork which went 2.5cm into my foot and got stuck, I yanked it out, bleed everywhere got scooped up by my boyfriend who thought I had been bitten by a snake and stitched up at the doctors. Now I am bed bound with my foot on a pillow, resting away while through the blinds the world gets baked. The blinds are very beautiful so it’s not so bad. The good news is I can swim so later I will hobble down and dip in the sea. I am not very good at resting but it hurts too much to get up so that helps to keep me horizontal.

100 year heatwave

2009-01-28T12:18:00.004+11:00

We are in the middle of what may be the biggest heat wave for 100 years, so it's time to batten the hatches, pull the blinds and drink iced tea. It is also tomato season. The ones in the garden are starting to ripen although I was tricked by the name "tiny toms" and planted them in the front of the bed, they grew to be about six feet high and blocked out all the sun to the things at the back which is a bit annoying but less so now there are delicious tomatoes to eat.We have been enjoying home grown cucumbers and soon out monster corn will be ready. Over the weekend I made a batch of Tomato Sauce from my Mum's recipe, it is amazing how it tastes the same as all those childhood memories.

Friday Round up

2009-01-23T09:54:00.006+11:00

Cleaned up Studio

Birthday Snappers

Excellent Novels

Some Drawings

I have had a really great week working away on a whole lot of new projects. I tidied up my studio which is also our only storage space to I have to fight a bit against a tide of boxes, but manages to get a good corner and sat down and have been doing lots of drawing. I have also been loving my new Birthday scissors, or snappers as my niece calls them, that my boyfriend gave me. They are from India and cut beautifully as well as looking very smart. Its a long weekend this week and we are off to the beach to make a batch of tomato sauce and finish reading "Dirt Music" by Tim Winton. His writing has totally swept me away. I read "Breath" his new novel last week and moved straight on to Dirt Music, I really recommend both books.

Augie March "Lupus"

2009-01-18T21:39:00.008+11:00

The video we made at the end of December is all finished so now I can show you. It is for a band called Augie March and the song is titled "Lupus". It is loosely based on Hess' Steppenwolf and I reckon it came together really well.
I worked with my friend Lucy Dyson as Co Directors/Co Producers, and Stefan Duscio as the DOP. We had many helpful hands along the way not the least of which were our great actors. It was edited by Billy Browne who is a gun. We shot the whole thing in one day.

Qua Circles

2009-01-15T14:34:00.006+11:00

Here are some pictures from the finished Music video for Qua's song "Circles" featuring my Muppet puppets . I have also added the full video so you can have a look at it the whole way through. It is directed by Angus Kemp and features the Muppet's going crazy in a rock and roll manner and some adult themes so don't say I didn't warn you.

Making Love

2009-01-12T19:16:00.009+11:00

Cut outs.

Eight meters of paper chain.

Packed and ready to send

First round of cards.

I have to say I have a real weakness for Valentines Day, I know some people think its cheesy but I just can't help loving it. Here is a look at some of the things I am working on which will appear soon on my little and very neglected Etsy shop , hold on to your hats its a new year and I am starting to get going!

Going to the Chapel

2009-01-12T18:56:00.008+11:00

Un-puffed up puff balls

Puffed up Puff Balls

Blossom in the trees

Paper chains and Blossom branches

Blossoms in vases

My boyfriends sister got married on Friday and I had fun making the decorations. It was a summer garden wedding and she loves blossom so I made heaps of blossom sticks with tissue paper flowers, huge puff balls to hang in the trees that Martha showed me how to make, and paper chains of pastel flowers. It looked really pretty when it was all done, its amazing what you can do with a stack of tissue paper some florist wire and a dvd box set of David Attenborough's Planet Earth.

The Final Darwin

2008-12-22T14:20:00.006+11:00

I went past to see my little paper sculpture in its exhibit at the Melbourne Museum today, here are some photos. It is in the top left hand corner of the display. And around the back I found this amazing specimen of pigeon.

Garlic Crop

2008-12-22T14:09:00.006+11:00

I love gardening and not to be discouraged by our concrete backyard, last year I built a raised vegetable bed and I am now growing, corn, aubergine, cucumber, pumpkin, peas, beans, herbs, raspberries, strawberries, sunflowers tomatoes and lettuce in. After many months of waiting today I picked my garlic crop. It has been really exciting to plant out one head of garlic and from each bud a whole new bulb grew. I feel like Jason and his Argonauts planting the dragon teeth from which the warriors sprang from. It tastes amazing its actually juicy!!

Wolf Boy and The Red Velvet Curtains

2008-12-19T16:26:00.005+11:00

I practiced by making my hand into a werewolf.

Our fantastically talented Wolf Boy in completed Make up.

Wolf Boy in his lair.

The Band Plays.

I have been co-producing and directing a new music video which we shot yesterday. It went really well and once again I am excited to see the final edit in a few weeks. There were two aspects to it a wild Wolf Boy and a Bar scene with the band playing. I did a crash course in special effects makeup and managed to turn an innocent twelve year old into a wild one. I have done a bit of make up before and successfully made a slit throat complete with pulsating arterial blood but this was a first try with tufts of fur. It was a great day, lots of work but exciting to see it all unfold in front of you. I will put up the completed video when it is done in mid January.

The Origin of Species

2008-12-12T17:20:00.006+11:00

I have been working on a paper sculpture commissioned for the Melbourne Museum to celebrate the 200 anniversary of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. The brief was to make a fish jump from the pages of the book, a lizard crawl off it and a bird fly away from it. The creatures evolve out of the book its self. I handed it in today and it will be on exhibit from next Friday for six months in the foyer of the museum in Exhibition buildings, so if you are passing pop your head in you can see it for free it will be just to the right of the doors. Ill go past and take a photo of the final set up in the next few weeks.

Like a ship in the night

2008-12-08T13:27:00.004+11:00

We have recently bought a new super deluxe mattress which has changes our life. The previous one was hard as a rock and lumpy and somehow managed to leave you with numb arms when you woke in the morning. Now we have a beautiful soft ocean of comfort I can't believe the difference it makes. I woke up this morning and saw my Polly Woodside model next to the bed and the colour of the sheets made me feel like I should take this photo.

Summer Knitting

2008-12-05T17:58:00.005+11:00

It is hard to think of wool and needles when it is over 30 degrees Celsius outside, but its winter in New York and Christmas coming up so don't look at this picture Baby Gabriel or your Christmas surprise will be ruined. It has been fun to knit again I haven't done any for ages. I was pretty excited when I found this giant rick-rack for the straps. I have never seen any so big.

Small Magazine

2008-12-03T09:59:00.005+11:00

I had my String of Heart Paper Chain and a little knitted scarf featured in Small Magazine this month. It is a fantastic publication and I often spend ages clicking on all the links and ending up on winding travels over the internet looking at beautiful things.

Day in theCountry

2008-12-01T08:28:00.006+11:00

We had a successful music video shoot last week and I look forward to seeing the final edit complete with animation in the next month or so. Here are a couple of stills from the day. I found this amazing quilt along with two others which also feature in the video in a clean cardboard box on the side of the road in Silver Lake L.A they are so beautiful, made of wool remnants and silk and I am guessing from the 1930's but I could be wrong. Now I have to get cracking on some extreme origami for a project for the Museum, I'll keep you posted how that comes along. I tied myself in a knot doing the paper crane so it could take some mind control to create the frill necked lizard or the pouncing bear!!

Maisy Brown Interview

2008-11-28T08:41:00.004+11:00

My friend at Maisy Brown Retro has interviewed me for her blog, It's my first craft interview which is very exciting, you can click on the link and have a read and a look at her lovely site.

Northcote Night Market

2008-11-25T12:44:00.003+11:00

I have been interstate on a holiday and to my friends Open Garden at Palerang in the New South Wales countryside, it was so beautiful Ill put up some photos soon, and then came down with the flu. This week I am a music video producer, hilarious, It seems to be going well we are almost organised for the shoot tomorrow and then on Thursday I am sharing a stall at the Northcote Night Market with Bridget, so come on down if you are in Melbourne and I can meet you in the flesh.

Rubiks cube finale

2008-11-03T15:42:00.004+11:00

Cloud Busting Reversible Skirt

Down in the Orchard Pinafore Dress

Well my sewing has evolved from complicated calico knots and now the first of my new children's clothes starting to appear on my shop, I am quite happy with how they worked out here are a few pictures. You may notice some of my fancy string being used.

Upside Down Doll

2008-10-29T20:45:00.005+11:00

I finally finished my rag doll I have been working away on, I am quite happy with how it turned out but it sure took a long time, I had one of these when I was little and just loved it, I remember if you sucked its hair it tasted strange.

How Long is A piece of String?

2008-10-28T18:59:00.006+11:00

I love String. It's probably not a usual thing to have a strong affinity with but there you go. My favourite is white cotton twine, the sort that comes in a neat ball and is easy to bite through. It unravels endlessly and has a thousand uses. Tie up your tomatoes, do some cats cradle, use it for a shoelace, tie a mattress on the roof of your car and drive down the highway. But today I hit the coloured string bonanza. I went down a tiny one way street to do my taxes and found this beautiful cotton cord in a huge range of colours in a shop opposite. I am so excited I’m going to use it in everything. Who thought doing your tax would give you such an instant feeling of happiness.

Calico Rubik's cube

2008-10-24T19:10:00.005+11:00

I am teaching myself to sew, it is the first time in my life I am actually managing to get somewhere with it without getting so frustrated I throw the machine out the window. I can't believe it's all going well and I am really enjoying it, well most of it. I am almost ready to put my series of panorama dresses on Etsy to sell. Anyway, one of the problems I ran in to was how the hell to make a reversible dress. It seems easy. Two pieces sew them together turn inside out and there you go. But each time I ended up with the front of the dress inside the back like stuffing in a pillow. It was mind bending. Finally I called my friends who run a fantastic fashion label called Alpha 60 and rode over with my calico Rubik's cube and the wonderful Adam showed me what to do. Here is a before and after.

Finished "Muppets"

2008-10-23T20:07:00.010+11:00

I handed the four Alien/Rock star Muppet's over today and am now looking forward to seeing them in all their animated glory when the film clip is finished in a few weeks. I tried to give them all different personalities. They are loosely based on Slash, Joni Mitchell, Sid Vicious and a slug. See if you can work out which is what, its pretty easy.

"Muppets"

2008-10-21T09:42:00.012+11:00

I thought I'd start documenting my prop making work.
This week I am working on a series of four "Muppet" style puppets for a film clip for Qua. I haven't made puppets before so its been fun learning how the process works. I got some great free on line tutorials at Project Puppets which helped me learn to do the articulated fingers. Then I just kind of made it up. The brief is to make four psychedelic alien/rock star Muppet. Here is the work in progress and I'll put up photos of the finished product tomorrow.

Temper Trap Sweet Disposition

2008-10-07T13:51:00.008+11:00

Here is a music video for a song called Sweet Disposition that I directed recently for a band called The Temper Trap. It is a very beautiful song. You can also see it to the left of this posting as well as another Video that I Art Directed for a band called The Getaway Plan.

A Partridge, A Pear and A Tree

2008-09-30T16:48:00.007+10:00

It has been a fun few months making lots of different projects for different people but I am so excited to have a few days spare to work on my own things again. I am going to make a series of Holiday decorations to sell on my Etsy site. Here is the first.
A Partridge, A Pear and A Tree

Busy Month

2008-09-25T21:50:00.004+10:00

I have been busy with a lot of fun work over the last month and thought I would post some photos of some of the things I have been making. Here are some models I made for a T.V show that I also did some stop motion animation for. It is set in Antarctica and features a flock of penguins each as big as an aspirin and a Yeti. Tomorrow I start a series of Muppet like characters for a film clip and a gremlin-ish one for another one. It has been fun to get a random brief and then figure out how to get it done.

Hint #1: If you Swallow a Pin.

2008-08-20T12:53:00.003+10:00

My third grade teach Mrs Beamish once gave us a lecture on why you shouldn’t hold pins in your mouth. The lecture involved a diagram of a head and oesophagus with the heart placed at the base of the tube where perhaps the stomach should be. The pin would travel down your throat and stab you straight in the heart.
Here is a remedy I found in case you should swallow a pin. It is from a book called the Sunday companion dated August 18th 1894.

If You Swallow a Pin.

Drink one and a half grains of tartar emetic in a little water and immediately afterwards drink the whites of six eggs.
These two ingredients will coagulate upon the stomach, envelope the pin and bring them up.

There you go. Helpful hint Number One. I thought it best to put the most urgent first.

Adelaide

2008-08-07T08:52:00.001+10:00

I am interstate for a few weeks making some models for a film production. I haven't really been here before and its been lovely so far, everyone is very friendly and the work is going well. It means I am hold with craft activities for a bit which is a shame as I was really getting in the swing of it. I'll just have to save up my ideas for when I get back.

Does a Bear Sit in the Woods

2008-08-01T18:30:00.001+10:00

I just finished a mobile that has been in the pipeline for sometime but I have been distracted getting all my labels and rubber stamps made to pack things up with, and haven't been able to make the rest of my first series of mobiles. So here it is. Its called Does a Bear Sit in the Woods. I gave the Homing Pigeon Mobile to my brother for his birthday but will make a new one to sell on my little etsy site.

Windy Friday

2008-08-01T14:19:00.002+10:00

I finished the blanket and it came up great, it has pale blue cotton flannelet on one side and cotton flowered fabric on the other with a red piping. I am quite happy with it. It is a little bit wiggly but pretty perfect, I hope the baby likes it too.

Thursday

2008-07-31T09:23:00.003+10:00

Today I am going to make a baby blanket for my sisters baby that is about to arrive. It is her third child and I have made blankets for the other two, a slightly wiggly quilt for the first and a knitted and flannel one for the second. This one is going to be out of two types of fabric , Ill pop up a photo if it works, maybe one if it doesn't too.