The rest of my weekend: gift bags, square bread, possum costumes and free downloads.

Which pretty much sums it up.

If you want details, here's a picture of the gift bag I made for J for Miss R's birthday present: (It's quite small, around 30cm square)

I keep forgetting to mention I experimented a couple of weeks ago with shoving this bread dough into a tin before baking it, making a much better shape for general toasting and sandwich making...I had lunch with C and a friend of hers yesterday to discuss the (rather scary) task of designing and making costumes for a dance and singing thingy C is involved in.

It's gratifying when your friends say things like "I need a possum costume and a kangaroo costume and a wombat costume and an echidna costume and a koala costume plus a frill necked lizard costume. Which all have to pack into suitcases for overseas travel, be as cost effective as possible and which we can dance in. I just knew you'd be able to come up with something..."

Of course! *gulp*

And I had great fun last night downloading lots of free goodies from a band which I discovered while I was in Oslo in 2003. I dusted down my Mplayer, loaded it up and retired to bed with a pile of reading.

All change?

For far too many months it has bugged me that the table I use in my office/ workroom for packing parcels and cutting fabric is too low to do the job comfortably. It's one of those $99 trestle tables I picked up from The Reject Shop almost ten years ago as a temporary measure and has moved from room to room (and back again) in the time I've had it.

I've never really liked it (but never really disliked it enough to do anything about it) And because it's used for two jobs (three actually: it's also a general dumping ground for stuff that comes upstairs to be put away) it's always crammed underneath with packing supplies and has piles of works in progress stacked on top.

Every time I visited Ikea I used to pause and wistfully stroke the Udden console bench, believing it was the answer to my problems. How nice and sleek it would look in my office! How much packing stuff I could store underneath it! How lovely it would be to comfortably stand and cut!

But the harsh reality is I don't have enough room on my current table to pack and cut without spending time moving stuff on and off the table depending on what I need to do. And the Udden is much smaller.

I considered doing something like Posie gets Cosy has done with her worktable to bring it up to a better height But I had images of it collapsing on my foot. I browsed expensive large worktables on eBay occasionally. Then looked at my bank balance and closed the browser.

And nothing changed.

Until 99% of my Lundby stock moved out of the house. Now when someone buys something I print out the order in the office/ workroom, traipse out to the garage to get the stock, bring it back upstairs to pack it then take it back downstairs ready to go to the Post Office. I could pack in the garage but I don't feel comfortable having packing supplies out there for spiders and other creepy crawlies to potentially make homes in.

This morning I had a bit of a eureka moment while reading in my latest book the suggestion to "Pick your favorite materials, put them in a designated place and schedule 15 minutes a day when you'll work with them."

I made a collage last night on the spur of the moment. All the stuff I needed was upstairs so it was easier than using my paints, pastels or other supplies (which were downstairs). And painting would mean first finding some newspaper to spread over the dining room table as protection. Which got me thinking.

I have nowhere in the house to safely paint for class without having to move something else and worrying that I'll spill the paint and make a mess.

I have a workbench in the kitchen which I don't use as often as I used to. Which happens to be the right height for packing and cutting. At first I thought I could do a simple swap: bring the workbench upstairs and use it for packing and cutting and swap the worktable downstairs for creating. It's an old table! There's lino on the floor for easy clean up!

But the logistics of getting something that big up the stairs by myself without dismantling it and having to live with something that is pretty ugly in my office was a little too much.

So I thought further... If I left the workbench where it is and shifted the packing supplies downstairs I could at least cut down on the running around with filling orders and clear some piles of spare packing materials out of the office (I'm lucky enough to receive a constant supply of free packing peanuts and bubble wrap. Which has to go somewhere until I use it.)

Would I cut fabric downstairs or continue to cut it up here? The idea of having a table up here dedicated to my design course is an enticing one but it would still be on carpet. Which could be a problem...

I think I'll trial the idea. If it all turns to custard, I'll only have wasted an hour lugging a few things around and would have had the opportunity to do a big clean of a couple of corners of my home. I can't lose really!

Play

I decided to do my Wreck this journal "Fill this page with circles" page this evening.

This isn't quite what I had in mind when I started out but I love it!

(I think I may have just accidentally completed my upcoming self portrait assignment for class well ahead of time...)

Friday night: Five or Free

Last night was the closing of David Wills' There are too many things in the cupboard at ANU School of Art. I've been to many openings but I think this was my first closing. And it had an intriguing added twist: Five or Free.

The blurb from the site:

"Five or free is a chance for you to own a part of There are too many things in the cupboard by David Wills. Select an image or images from the wall and draw a ticket(s) for each image selected—draw free and the image is yours, draw $5 then you have to pay $5 for it."

It was great fun. Armed with a $2 glass of wine each, J, Cycling S and I perused the walls in search of images that jumped out at us. I was intrigued at the fact people were picking images from completely disparate parts of the wall to matching together in new and interesting ways, and think there should be a follow-up online exhibition showing what "art" people have created with the images they chose. I got six photos. Two were free. Ironically this one wasn't (even though I tried to point out it should have been):

Oops I did it again...

At least this time I don't have to count them...

I went to the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2009 Exhibition Launch last night

And I got a headache.

Not because I drank too much of the free-flowing champagne (tempting as it was, but I had Miss Daisy tucked downstairs in the very last available car space)

It was because, after the colour class on Wednesday night, I was actually starting to see the paintings in the National Portrait Gallery's main galleries. And my brain was asking tricky questions like "what contrasts was the painter using here? I see red and green but the other colours? Remind me what the 7 contrasts are again?"

*Sigh*. I suspect my life will never be the same...

All rather too exciting really!

Here are the highlights of today (in chronological order):

1. I stumbled across a copy of this fabulous recent releasein The Portrait Gallery bookshop while there with J this morning helping find a birthday present for her niece. I just had to bring it home with me even though it was ouchily expensive and I shouldn't be buying books as The Lifeline Bookfair starts tomorrow. (Ye olde Collection Development Policy demanded it...)

2. I've arranged my birthday lunch. With my cruise buddies. In Noumea. And they said lunch is their shout. Wee hee!

3. As if that wasn't enough excitement I've been offered a free season pass to The National Folk Festival over Easter. My first time there. There's even a camping pass included if I feel the need to pitch a tent 3 and a half kilometres from home...

Class tonight: Peachy keen

(Or should that be Peachy Green?)

Our teacher seemed to realise that the deep end was a tad too deep for most of us last week and so spent some of this class recapping. And since we knew most of the answers to the questions she asked (cause she told us last week) I think we all felt most chuffed and thus much more positive (or at least I did)

After bossy-guts Classmate Chris demanded I started mixing me some colour I tried making a green to match the colour wheel:But all I managed was Cacky green, Another cacky green, Baby diarrhoea green, Eucalyptus green, Is this the same as the first one? green, Mushy peas, Overboiled spinach, and (my favorite) Oh I give up green.

I think I have a future as a namer of paint colours (if not as a mixer of said colours). At least I now understand why my teacher tells us the best way to mix green (and orange. And purple) is to go buy a tube of the colour...

Changing the subject, I'm sure you'd like to hear about my latest mad scheme. It's my birthday in a couple of months. I have a tradition of not being here for my birthday (except for once when I accidentally was) Yes, I'm gainfully underemployed so should be a sensible-type lass but I'm plotting....

I could spend my birthday here. With a free return flight thanks to my Qantas points (and enough left over to get me to the dentist later in the year). Staying at the Youth Hostel should cost $AU61 a night for a private room. And I have cruise buddies from 18 months ago who will be turning up here for a day two days after my birthday so there's no chance of getting lonely (very drunk maybe, never lonely!).

I could practice my really bad French ("C'est ma fête s'il vous plaît donnez-moi un gros rabais"). Even better: "Donnez-moi le libre!"

But being the sensible (*snort*) mature (*double snort*) person I am I'm going with a 24 hour cooling down period before doing anything rash like booking tickets...

Running round like a mad thing

It's been one of those days. I'd planned to go to a book launch at 5:30pm this evening but all I want to do is crawl into my PJs and into bed with a pile of reading*. And it's only 4:30 pm!

I've been on the run all day: I went to see two printers to talk about producing greeting cards of my miniature pictures. It would seem I'll have to outlay the equivalent of two weeks living expenses (or almost one wodge of money from Kevin) to get them printed. Which is great if they sell, not so great if they don't. I have a few days to think about it...

The vet visited at lunchtime to do the yearly jab and deworm of the cat. Who wasn't happy.

I rang the CIT Hairdressing school and made an appointment for a $12 haircut next week. I think it's a small price to pay to not have to deal with the potential disaster that could be a second try with the scissors and sellotape at home...

The kitchen got cleaned (finally) and the last of the stock went out to the garage.

I took a boot load of plus-sized clothing across to The Women's Refuge and popped into Salvos Fyshwick and Vinnies Dickson on the way home.

And now I should be mixing blue and yellow paint for tomorrow night's class, finding "an object and image of personal significance" to take to class as well, and attending aforementioned book launch.

*Yaaaawn*

(* Top of the list will be the book I have less than 2 weeks to finish and review, plus Itten's colour theory book: hardly light reading, alas!)

Gaining some perspective

I finally pulled the paints out this afternoon after telling myself that my colour wheel really doesn't have to be perfect and that even though the teacher told us we'd be using it for the rest of our lives I can always make another, better, one later if I need it...I felt encouraged when I noticed that my mixed paint looked like a happy smiley old lady with buns on each side of her head:
Tonight's class was all about perspective. I first tried working with perspective when I was about four years old but couldn't quite get it (strangely enough!)

This time round I did much better:(Perhaps it was because the boxes were white?)Our final exercise was to draw the person opposite us with their hand outstretched. Here's Justin's sketch of me:and mine of him:And I was truly flattered to see a knock-off version of my art bag, created by Dani.Aren't all the best designers' work knocked off at some stage?

Sunday morning

Take one unexpected invite to an unknown free French film (courtesy of Cycling S)

Add some lovely French countryside and an gorgeous old house.

Which happens to be inhabited by a very artistic family.

And full of beautiful pieces of art, Art Nouveau furniture, and some Georg Jensen.

Toss the Musée d'Orsay into the storyline and you have Summer Hours, the perfect Sunday morning film for two Cert III Design Fundamentals students to sigh over...

A day in my life

Following Little Jenny Wren's example rather belatedly...

5:45 am: I can't sleep as someone's doing burnouts in the Dickson shops car park. It's almost time to get up anyway...

I get out of bed, turn on the computer, go to the loo, put the kettle on to make my morning cuppa, let the cat in and feed him. While I'm getting the cat food out of the fridge I also get the bread dough I put in there before I went to bed and put it on the bench to warm up.

6:00 am: Back upstairs with my tea. I have 28 new messages and 63 updated feeds in Bloglines. I read the emails and selected blog updates (the friends, the locals and the miniaturists. I drool over this Rietveld house on Call of the small's blog). I answer the eBay questions I'm able to answer immediately, make a note of the rest for when I go to the garage and also print out some sales I need to pack and post.

6:30 am: Listing new eBay stock while reading more local and op shopping blog updates plus Soule Mama (my morning treat)

7:00 am: Time for a break and to put some music on. Blues for Robin is on top of the pile. I'm pleased as it's a perfect first thing CD. I continue my eBay listing listing.

7:30 am: I put the bread on to bake and the chickpeas I soaked over night on to cook. I make breakfast (porridge with craisins, wheatgerm and brown sugar) and eat it while starting to read the Itten book on colour theory that's on our reading list for class. Once breakfast's finished I do the dishes and head back upstairs.

8:00 am: Vintage Indie sent me a list of questions last week for an article they want to write on my dolls house collection. I finally make time to sit down and answer them. By the time that's done it's time to get the bread out of the oven and put it aside to cool.

8:30 am: I list some items from my old Made It shop into my new Made It shop.

9:00 am: Time for a shower, hair wash, leg shave and nail clip. I get dressed into my usual uniform of black T, jeans and Converse one stars.

9:30 am: I empty the rubbish bins into the wheelie bin outside and the compost bucket into the compost bin behind the garage. While rinsing out the compost bucket I notice the cat's water bowl needs topping up and that the grapes look ready. I make a mental note to email The Old Flame and let him know as he wants them.

Then it's into the garage to pick the stock needed for the orders and postage quotes I have. I move some stock around and bring some of the last of the stock in the house out onto the new (from Salvos) shelves that arrived on Thursday. I add the fact that I haven't asked Taph if she still wants my mower fuel tin to my mental note list along with the fact I need to ask someone to come round with their power drill and screw the new bookcase onto the wall so it won't fall over on top of me.

10 am: Back inside. I check the chickpeas (which are done), answer the eBay questions and send out postage quotes after emailing Taph about the tin and the grapes.

10:30 am: Morning tea (leftover strawberries which Cycling S brought for dessert on Thursday and yoghurt) which I eat while drawing up my To Do list pages for the next fortnight. I remember I need to do some washing so put a load of black on. Then I do my Visa accounts.

11:00 am: My office is in dire need of a tidy up so I deal with the teetering piles of papers. I'd vacuum (there's still thread all over the floor from the art bags) but the cat's upstairs asleep so I'll have to leave that for later.

11:30 am: The washing's finished so I peg it out before heading across to Dickson shops where I return a library book, buy two lemons and pay my bill at the newsagents. Home again, I throw a load of jeans in the machine and then make hummus, smiling happily at my $32.50 "new" chefette the whole time...

12 noon: Lunch (fresh bread, freshly made hummus and cherry tomatoes from J & M's garden). I read today's Panorama (the arts section of The Canberra Times) while I eat.

12:30 pm: I peg the second load of washing out. Just as I finish the doorbell goes: it's Taph and The Old Flame dropping in for a visit. They're bearing gifts: an empty water bottle all the way from New Zealand, two cartons of packing peanuts, four empty cartons which they spotted at the recycling depot and thought I'd need and a tape of Torchwood Series 2. I make coffee. We sit and chat before heading into the back yard to harvest my grapes for The Old Flame.

2:20 pm: Taph and The Old Flame head off. I go upstairs to visit the cat on the bed for a while and find myself drifting off...

2:40 pm: Awake again. I file some CDs and tidy the lounge. The cat decides it's time to go out.

3:00 pm: I vacuum upstairs and dust the bedroom. Pull out clean sheets and pillowcases. Strip the bed and let it air.

3:30 pm: Catching up on some videos at Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog and playing with my poor neglected journal. I down a couple of chocolate chip biscuits.

4:00 pm: I'm meeting Cycling S at The National Gallery at 4:30 pm for the final late night opening of the season (or, to be more precise, the final wine tasting!). The weather's looking very overcast so before I go I bring the washing in and hang it on the drying rack in the lounge. Just as well: the heavens open just as I hit Civic and I end up swimming from the NGA carpark into the gallery.

Cycling S, C and I catch up, sample wine, eat cheese and crackers and I draw ideas for a possum costume on the paper tablecloth for C. Cycling S mentions she has free tickets for some French film tomorrow morning and asks if I'd like them. A free film? Yes please!

I arrange to meet C this evening at ANUFG and we all head off.

6:30 pm: Home again. I make the bed, cook dinner (fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli with browned butter, peas and parmesan) and call a friend to see if she wants to join me at the movies in the morning.

7:00 pm: Writing this blog post quickly before I leap in the car and off to ANU to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Caramel. Then it'll be bed time.

Soundtrack to the day:
Blues for Robin: Tom Ludvigson & Greg Johnson
Wendy Maharry: Wendy Maharry
Mezzanine: Massive Attack
Melbourne The sex, The city, The music
Republic: New Order
New Sound Theory Volume 1
I'll never forget whatshisname: Nice 'n' Urlich
Nordic lounge Volume 3
Pandora's Box: OMD

Re-Loved

I never thought I'd see the day when I was front row at a fashion show, but last night it finally happened. It was only a little fashion show but it was my kind of fashion show: Re-Loved, a fashion parade with sustainability in mind.

It was held in conjunction with Salvos and here's Ken giving a speech at the beginning of the night:Handbags by Hanny Dewar

And fashion made from up-cycled second hand finds:

Finally there were outfits created from a local clothes swap meet:in my excitement I forgot to take note of the name of the group: all I know is they're on Facebook which isn't much use for someone who's not on Facebook (me)... NinaRibena was two seats down from me, perhaps she'll know?The organisers looked well pleased at the end, and so they should.... Well done!

Crisis averted

It took:

1. The installation of my "FU" attitude in the spot where my "This is all too hard" attitude had somehow taken up residency last night.

2. An early morning run to the CIT Library to borrow a pile of books on colour theory (once I actually found the books: they have hidden them round the corner out of sight. Maybe they scare the young people?)

3. An iced coffee (and free olives) at Ha Ha with J (also a student, also dealing with similar new student-y issues)

4. A little light frugalling (to clear the soul).

5. Setting up a Yahoo group for my class.

6. An outing and takeaway with Cycling S, who provided a dessert which unintentionally made this whole colour theory stuff much more appetising:

And now I feel much better.

The most I've laughed for a long time

...Since The servant of two masters or The government inspector, anyway...

I can't find any footage of The 39 steps in Australia so you'll have to cope with the Broadway version, which seems to be almost identical:

The 39 steps is on til Saturday: if you get the chance I highly recommend going along...

Today was bags of fun

I don't know if it was ingesting copious quantities of House of Eliott or spending all yesterday asleep but I headed into the workroom this morning raring to go.(Possibly it was the soundtrack)Art bags were cut out. Art bags were sewn, Art supplies were bought for class tomorrow night (where the bags will be sold to pay for the supplies)

And now I'm off to see The 39 steps at Canberra Theatre. Being gainfully underemployed is so tough sometimes...

Continued on Monday...

H is for holiday. Which it was here in Canberra. Not that it means much to me as I work for myself on Mondays.

I is for indulgent. After staying up til 6am watching the final series of House of Eloitt I spent most of the rest of the day asleep...

Sunday alphabet

A is for award. Oese awarded me the Your blog is fabulous award. In German! Danke, Oese!

B is for birthday boy's birthday party. I gave him a book wrapped in a bag run up from fabric unearthed from Stash Mountain:(It's also for bounce, which is what we did on his new trampoline.)

C is for cooking. The freezer is looking woefully empty. And I know when that happens I end up buying very ordinary lunches at work for $10 a pop. So I've been stocking up with homemade insta-meals.

D is for DVD: I stayed up far too late and made it through to the end of House of Eliott...

E is for Eating between the lines: food and equality in Australia, a book I need to have finished and reviewed by the end of the month. Which is no hardship as I think it follows on quite nicely from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which I read late last year.

F is for Flora Cap (rav link) which is going much more slowly than I'd like (see D above)

G is for getting there. I have orders for 4 art bags and am making another as a very belated Christmas present. (It's also for Grosgrain ribbon. Which I'm out of so have to wait for my order to arrive before I can finish the last bag. Typical.)

I received a message from my Grandmother via my father

"I am going to report her to the Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Books.

First - has her journal (an ancient breed) been registered? Wormed? taken to the book dosing strip?
Is she carrying a pooper scooper bag in case her journal leaves something on the footpath? HAS IT BEEN MICROCHIPPED?

I don't know, young people these days."

Dear Grandparental Unit

I'm not sure if journals need to be registered in Australia. I did a google search and came up with nothing.

You'll be pleased to know it arrived fully wormed:and the leaves it deposited on the footpath were scooped up immediately and carried home in my visual diary.

I'll chip it tonight. Do I need to fish it as well?

Cheers
Your eldest Grand Daughter.