Friday, September 26, 2008

X-stitch in the Park


We did a little X-stitch in the park today. Little by little this x-stitch is coming along. I wanted to make something for Ziya's birth, which recorded all of his birth details. I still have the newspaper announcement that my parents placed upon my birth but seeing announcements aren't really the done thing these days....I decided on a x-stitch. You can see my progressive updates over at Flickr here, here & here.



We then came home and did some more freezer paper stenciling and transformed the ugliest cushion in the world (but boy is it good for feeding!) into something more respectable using the templates from Lotta Jansdotter's Lotta Prints Book.

Then it was time to try some apple for the first time ..........and this is what happened.

There was quite a lot of gagging involved!

Tomorrow I start my sewing course here and then we're heading off to Bundeena for the night. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. xox

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Freezer Paper extravaganza


Here's a photo of my first Freezer Paper stencil.

For those of you who tuned in recently you'll remember I purchased Lena Cowrin's Printing By Hand. Since then I've patiently waited for my Freezer Paper to arrive so I could get started. (I ordered my paper from OzQuilts...although hoppo bumpo ordered hers through Punch & Judy). I'm quite happy with how it turned out and am eager to give it another go soon. If you'd like to try one yourself I found these helpful links to get you started.

Neither Hip Nor Hunky
Angry Chicken
Panjo Kids
Dabbled
Mrs Happy Housewife

Actually, Hoppo Bumpo has done some fantastic research on freezer paper suppliers and pricing, cutting out all the hard work, so head over and take a tip from her. Thank you Hoppo Bumpo!!!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

So much to see


The TarraWarra Biennale 2008 is currently on in Healsville, Victoria. It's titled Lost & Found: An Archeology of the Present and it's on until 9th November. The exhibition features 21 of Australia & New Zealand artists who have reinvented traditional techniques "evoking historical forms, mythologies and folklores." I know I have two trips to Melbourne planned before the closure of this exhibition and I'm hoping to make it there on a least one of those trips. I love the Tarrawarra Gallery. the space is just stunning... even without the artwork.

Yesterday I discovered the work of Takashi Iwasaki , via Miss Woolly's blog. I think my favorites are the embroidery and the collage. The vibrancy in all of the work definitely evokes a sense of playfulness which totally appeals to me. Thanks Miss Woolly!

This weekend in Sydney the College of Fine Arts will be transformed into a carnival of creativity for the COFA Spring Fair. There will be all sorts of fun, including free workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions to see. It's on from 10-4pm and I can't wait.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Yoshimoto, no bananas here.


We've been on a walk to Double Bay today and and boy am I feeling it in my calves now. It's around 2.6km (one way) but the hills make it feel a lot longer, especially on the return trip. Armed with a copy of the urban walkabout Sydney guide for Double Bay I'd discovered there are plenty of shops to explore....

I left fashion for another, child free, day and instead of a beautiful Marni dress I bought the new Yoshimoto Nara book The Lonesome Puppy. It's Yoshimoto Nara's first childrens book. A sweet tale of a very big dog. I love the fact that it is dedicated to physically challenged children everywhere and explores with children (well, not just children, grown ups too) that although we are all different we deserve to be loved and appreciated in the same way. I bought it at As if by Magic, which looks a little like a fairy's supply store, but don't be put off by all the wands and wings. They have a wonderful collection of childrens books and the owner especially loves illustration, so she'll gladly point you in the direction of a real treasure. They even had the Jen Coarce book Little Hoot, about an owl who's parents make him stay up all night, which I'm sure I'll head back for soon.

The other favorite of the day was Rainbow Puppen. They sell all kinds of European toys and dolls, speciallising in wooden toys. Some kids stores give me heartburn but not this one I could have stayed in there all day. The absence of blaring, battery operated plastic toys was a breath of fresh air.

With a beautiful looking bookshop and plenty more stores still yet to visit I'll be heading back soon for another fix of....L.A., country style...I mean... Double Bay.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Calm end to a crazy day



I managed to lock myself in the car today with the lights flashing, alarm and horn both blaring........and subsequently a startled and screaming baby. Poor little Ziya got the fright of his life. I was trying to be ever so quiet and let him sleep in his carseat but somehow managed to press something (God knows what) and set the whole shebang off.
This came after a rather pointless trip out to Spotlight Bondi.
I think I've been totally spoilt by the new set up at the South Melbourne Spotlight. It was quite a shock to tackle the Bondi store...(to give you an idea it looked like a bomb had gone off in a Hot Dollar shop). I hope they have plans to renovate soon!

After a restorative afternoon nap we've managed to turn the day around. We had a lovely stroll this afternoon, along this path up above, did a spot of shopping and picked up some incredible crème caramel for dessert from the gorgeous little patisserie across the road.

Now I'm off to make home made pizza's and enjoy the bottle of wine I picked up while doing the spot of shopping. Have a wonderful weekend. xoxo

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

things to do.....



I'm feeling totally inspired today by this lovely book by Lena Corwin. It's called Printing By Hand and it's just delightful. I'm itching to get my hands on some fabric paint and experiment. Hopefully, when my Aunty comes over later today, I can duck out without the little one and pick some up.
I cheekily purchased the book last week while doing Father's Day shopping. I was going to pretend it was for L.F. but I don't think he really would have appreciated it.......the Top Gear box set was more in line with him.

I found this list of Sydney's child friendly places while surfing the next yesterday and I'm going to work my way through some of these. I figure it should be a good start to getting Ziya & I out and about while the L.F. is at work. We started off yesterday with a walk to Rushcutters Bay, around to Darling Point and then stopped in at the Canteen for a coffee on the return journey. It's quite the haven for a lady with a pram around there, I tell you.

I'm off to Cenntenial Park this morning for a walk date with someone I haven't yet met. She'll be there with a baby and a beagle.

Take a peek at this sweet blog by M.Patrizio.
Have a great day & cheerio.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Happy Fathers Day..to all ye fathers out there


The sun came out to play and so did we. Thank you Sydney.

It's Father's Day today so I'll start this post with a very special Father's Day wish to my Dad, big bad Baz. Thanks for being such a wonderful dad! We wish he was here in Sydney with us to celebrate.....and secondly, to the LF. It's his first Father's Day. Hooray, what a super Dad he is to the little 'Z' man too.


To kick things off we opened presents and ate pancakes (made from this recipe as none of our cookbooks have arrived yet). Then we set off on foot to discover our neighborhood.
Above is one of my favorite gardens in the area. I love the magnolia tree, the frangipani and the wisteria hanging from the gorgeous Juliet balcony. To my delight, there are plenty of fabulous old frangipani trees in Sydney. I'm a huge fan of the frangipani but unfortunately Melbourne's climate is not terribly kind to their slightly more tropical needs.
I saw a lovely Beci Oprin print in a little gallery on the corner of Burton & Crown Street's... the shop was closed and I can't remember the name of it. I'll just have to weave my way back there and take a look...... however it could be dangerous. When I peered through the window there were so many beautiful pieces of artwork. I fear I may not be able to come home empty handed.
We continued on to Object Gallery and took a look at the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award Exhibition. I particularly liked Stuart McFarlane's butterfly room dividers (well, that was my interpretation anyway) made out of recycled plastic.
After 3 hours of walking we wove our way back home, stopping at the Kings Cross market to by Gozleme's for lunch and a book by Murakami from the chatty second hand dealer, then we all headed upstairs to crash out for an afternoon nap.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Humpty


This little Humpty was given to our little Zed man when we were leaving Melbourne by our friends, Sherry & Ella. They found him at a thrift store in South Melbourne. What a find, hey!
Thank you guys. We love him and we miss you......come visit us soon, please. xox

Sunny Sydney...not this week


We arrived in the Deli Mecca of Potts Point on Wednesday and spent the afternoon touring Macleay St customising ourselves to all the gastronomic delights it has on offer. We are spoilt for cafe's and food stores here. There's a Fratteli Fresh above the Woolworths supermarket packed full of fabulous foodie treats to inspire anyone into the kitchen. I'm looking forward to having a meal this weekend at Cafe Sopra, where they cook up all of the fantastic produce.

Above is the view from of our bedroom window down Macleay St towards Woolloomooloo and below, if I pivot the other way, looking towards The Cross. I love all of the 1930's architecture around this area. There are so many wonderful wooden entrances to neighboring apartment blocks, with shining beveled windows, sweet letter boxes and ton of deco features that I can wait to explore in more detail.



The weather has been dismal the last couple of days. The wind was blowing so hard this morning that it completely flipped the wooden outdoor table on our balcony and smashed the outdoor light. That's no mean feat either as it's a 10 seater heavy wooden table, difficult for the two of us to even inch off the ground...let alone flip! It seems to have rained non stop since Thursday and I'm itching for some sunshine so we can get out and walk the streets down to Rushcutters Bay.

Rain, rain, go away! come again another day.

Monday, September 1, 2008

not quite the Antarctic


As we get organised to embark on our adventure to Sydney (I know it's not quite the Antarctic but we've packed enough provisions to make it look as though we're off to the Antarctic) I thought it fitting to feature Alison Lester's amazing adventure to Antarctica.

Alison Lester travelled to Antarctica in 2005 as an Australian Antarctic Arts Fellow and diarised her trip online so that school children around Australia could be inspired by this adventure.

Alison encouraged children to draw in response to her descriptions and photos. She has since used these illustrations to complete an exhibition of work which combines the children’s line drawings with her design and colour.
Books Illustrated are currently showing this amazing exhibition at The Angela Robarts Gallery at Gasworks Arts Park until 14th September.

Hopefully well before the 14th September we'll have already settled in nicely to our new home and I'll have the internet rigged up at home so I can start to diarise our adventures. In the meantime, enjoy Alison's adventure and adios. xox