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A while ago I whored myself to google reader after being enticed by this girl and her shiny bits of liberty fabrics to start using. So now the multitudes of blogs I visit all reside therein like a bunch of happy hippies. Prior to using a reader I used my bookmarks and categorized everything into folders named things like ‘arty’ and ‘crafty’ and ‘thinky’ and visited each as and when I pleased. Now they just show up in the reader, nicely delivered in a tidy little package. Tidy, but not pretty.
Take a gander:
On the left you see the google reader presentation. On the right you see the presentation as designed & delivered by the blogger herself as they appear spread across my two monitors. One is very much more reflective of this cold, virtual environment. The MacDo’s of information delivery, if you will. I don’t subscribe to comments which forces me to go to the blog proper if I want to interact, but it leaves me feeling like I’m missing some crucial part of the experience (beyond the adverts) and that all of the bloggers’ hard work is for naught when I’m not visiting the blog directly. I’m also a little resentful of the fact on Sunday’s Post Secrets inevitably end up smushed between instructions for turning a vibrator into a light sabre and other instructions for turning your wii fit board into a tanning bed from Instructables. I may be exaggerating a bit, but you get my point; it lacks context.
What do you lot do? Are their other readers which maintain some of the original aesthetic qualities of the sites you subscribe to? Am I doing it wrong?
I know, I know. I exploit the son far too much, but he’s such a willing model and this scarf looks so good on him.
This weekend has been lovely so far. Yesterday was our last day at market which is nice but sad to think about. After hounding her for months the farmer’s market co-ordinator has still not given us an answer as to whether or not there’s space there for us through the winter, which is a shame because that’s sort of where we need to be. I think we’ll just show up and be persistent and give her puppy dog eyes until she succumbs. I’ll even bring the puggle if I need to.
Yesterday was also the Arts in the Park event put on by the PAU. It was great to actually meet the lovely, talented and rather foxy Jen of Almost Famous and Lucky Jackson even if she wouldn’t tell me where her blog lives lest I stalk it. I also finally got to shake hands with Victoria of the Victory Art Supplies duo. If you’re an artist and are reading this and need supplies, please visit their shop. It smells like art even before you enter the door and their massive amounts of stock is so well organized for the creative mind it makes me weep. You can’t get that at Michael’s. I was stalked through the day by the delightful and oh-so-pregnant Miz K (yeah, I noticed.) Happily so as I’m rather opportunistically hoping she has fun pics of ‘Zzini & Gracie playing.
It makes me happy that we have such events in our fair city and it was great to so many more than the usual faces represented. Today won’t be quite as exciting – it’s all cleaning the kids’ rooms (which are complete disaster zones) and making spaghetti sauce. For real. Without the assistance of my mum or sister. And it’s going to NOT suck, dammit.
But I’ve got a moment or two to update and show you lot what I’ve been making.
I know my partner has received this so I can post pics of my goofy son modeling the flying monkey inspired hoody I made her for the All Things Oz Swap over at Craftster.
I just used a basic hoody pattern and drew new pieces to applique on as the elements of the flying monkey costume from The Wizard of Oz.
It’s a little large on him so some of the details are missing, but you get the idea.
And of course it has wings!
I had so many ideas for this swap I didn’t know where to begin. As always, I never suffer a lack of inspiration, just the time in which to see it all to fruition. This was a lot of fun to make and a real learning experience. I’d never worked with polar fleece before let alone tried to applique anything to it. I’m glad I went with the three step zig zag for that part to maintain the stretchiness. Of course every seam is serged and topstitched which made the project a little time-intensive but that sucker is not falling apart any time soon. Now everyone in the house wants one.
I had a table at the arts week street fest at the weekend which was a rather fun experience. I made some good money and it’s nice to know that people like my stuff. I made a bunch of lounge pants out of re-purposed sheets with cute appliques for the fest. There are two pair I want to steal from my stash but I’m being good and staying away from it for the moment.
There are more and I’ll be getting them into my etsy shop as soon as I can get better pics of them.
I’d never heard of this company before (what?!? some things I simply do not know!) and found them via an advert on facebook. They’ve got a great selection of designer silks, shot linens and laces to die for. They’ve also got a lovely blog which showcases readers’ projects done in their fabrics among other things. They’re out of Australia so it would be a wee bit spendy getting their goods here, but a girl can dream, can’t she?
I am not a seasonal decorator. You will find no little vignettes of things found in nature or elements of the solstices or equinoxes in this house. I’m also not a huge fan of the pottery barn but the daughter and I visited their store at the Eaton’s Centre while killing time between appointments at Sick Kids 2 Fridays ago and found some fun Hallowe’en decor which almost make up for their fugly reindeer Christmas dishes.
How fun are these. I want 4 sets of them and promise to use them year round. They’d look great with my mish-mash of collected hand tossed stoneware. I would probably even buy cheesy wall mounts for them for when they’re not in use.
Bone punch bowl holder thingy.
Something else I would certainly use whenever the opportunity arises…or I’d just invent opportunities. The kids could eat their cereal off of it! Thanksgiving gravy could be served from it! I could put it in the bathroom to hold 1756 packages of cotton balls! The possibilities are endless, really.
I have to admit that I would like it better in red or magenta, but this will do.
It’s sparkly! And skully! And it warms the cockles of my little art goth, Martha-wannabe heart!
So yeah, can’t wait until after Hallowe’en when they go on sale. Notez bien folks looking for xmas/birthday pressie ideas for me =)
Because I know that everyone loves it when bloggers gush about their pets in their posts, today will be devoted entirely to the subject.
Meet the mister’s surprise birthday present. He’s a nameless wonder and a formidable hunter and killer of leaves. He terrorizes the cats, digs at everything, nibbles the toes of sleeping folk, doesn’t walk where we want him to, makes forts out of our duvet and has pooped on the bed – my side, even. But man, how can anyone resist that face?
I have to admit that I’m a total craftster addict and Monday mornings usually see me gazing at the comp, eyes glazed over in light of all of the fantabulousness posted after the weekends (when it seems many crafters get busy with the pretty making). You know what the best part about trolling craftster is? I can’t buy anything! If I actually want any of this stuff I have to get off my ass and make it…or swap for it…or something. Take that inner consumer whore! You too, paypal!
Here are some highlights from today’s binge:
I someone made me socks like these I would be their best friend forever and invite them to all of my birthday parties.
I think anyone with any kind of crafty bone has melted their crayons into new colourful concoctions at some point, but these are really groovy. I think they’d make lovely gift decorations or additions to keychains by adding holes and some chain (think mini sharpies…but different) for sharing one’s phone number with potential romantic interests. I love that they’re all colour themed too.
This project makes me miss cottage days. The clever little dickens even added a spot for a small outboard motor. How cool are they?
I know, I know. More bug porn. But how beautiful is he? I’d turn him into a pin so I could wear him everywhere.
More variegated colour love and an ambitious undertaking to say the very least.
The roadside view isn’t nearly as impressive as it was last year due to new chairs with bigger footprints, but I assure you there are as many (and possibly more) of my lovelies out there basking in the fresh air and filtered sunlight as there were last year. Some people may not know this but I’m secure enough in my title of Queen of the Houseplants to share a little secret; leaving booze out for the plants is most definitely beneficial to their well-being. I’m not sure if it has a chemical effect on them or if it’s simply an exercise in affinity-building with their care takers, but it works!
And yes, I suck at removing bar code stickers and such from my pots.
In other news, I spent almost 6 hours at emerg with sprog the eldest after his foot found a piece of glass (we think) in bottle lake (how appropriate) this weekend past. We didn’t get much other than a strip of bactigrass, a bandaid and reassurance that there was nothing of the glass left in there out of the visit but it was a fun opportunity to bond over an article in the July issue of Wired which posits that pasty video game addict boys (like my son) have a leg up on the procreation front on a darwinian level thanks to sun sensitivity. Go team super-nerdy-sperm!
Also; no feminine hygiene product disposal units in the bathrooms at the new hospital. Wtf is with that? State of the art, my ass.
In rediscovering my love of Decorno – a wonderfully astute and oft-times refreshingly catty design blog – I was reminded of the great orchid debate started with Nick Olsen’s off hand comment that they are ‘cheesy’. Now let me preface all of the rest of this by confessing that I am not a flower girl. That’s not to say I reject all plant life. Quite the opposite, really; I much prefer receiving full-on plants as gifts than cut flower arrangements any day. My house is currently a jungle of foliage and I’m a notorious pincher of buds so that my lovelies can focus their energy on producing more foliage though I sometimes allow my elephant ear begonias their profusions of pink petals…but they’re dead headed the instant any browning turns up. Were I to get married again the ladies would be carrying giant potted ficus trees in place of bouquets and the men-folk would wear suits of porthos growing out their shoes. I’m just hardcore like that.
So, plants = yes! Flowers = no!
The exceptions being the odd bromeliad I can actually get to bloom and, of course, orchids. Being what they are, the flagrant displays of the sexual organs of plants, I find flowers funny in a puerile sort of way so my rule is: the more flagrant, the better. I don’t want the pasty, white phaelenopsis or cymbidium – the classic tuxedo adorning Audrey Hepburns of the floral world. No, no, no. When I invite flowering plants into my house the a-list is comprised of specimens which will give a kitschy ceramic Elvis (Hawaiian edition) bust (because one day I will have one) and all its machismo a run for its money. Only Mae Wests, Lucille Balls, Divines and Grace Joneses are invited to this party and orchids come in all of those flavours.
Let us have a look at a few worthy specimens shall we, crumpets?
This is Grace. I rescued her from near death, brought her to budding and passed her on having no clue what she would look like in full bloom. Remember that day-glo magenta sweater your grandma knitted you for Christmas in the 6th grade? Remember how you were certain that colour was not found in nature? WRONG! Grace proudly displays her day-glo magenta love. She’s only with me temporarily while my sister moves homes (and far, far away from me…sniff).
That’s Mae. I’ve rescued a lot of orchids before but was never allowed to keep them then one day Mae found her badass way to our home via the mister and has never looked back. She used to be more orange but she’s been switching it up for some green. She’s kind of scary, isn’t she? I don’t think Georgia O’Keefe could have captured that level of pudendaphobia.
Here are a few more orchids I do not share space with but would not kick out of bed for eating crackers:
courtesy of adesinamedia.
Courtesy of tigerorchids.
courtesy of paramount orchids.
See? They are cheesy, but same way sighting your first hooker in a snake skin skit at Jane and Finch is cheesy. You still oggled, didn’t you? Cheesy, but not boring and welcome chez nous any day.
cushti 
