Wednesday: a day in pictures

(Top to bottom, left to right)

1. Pear and Ginger Upside Down Cake which I finally made this morning after realising the pears I'd bought last week weren't going to last much longer. There's a story behind this cake - I've been vaguely looking for a recipe for it ever since I left Wellington (that would be almost 11 years ago) as Clark's Cafe in the Wellington Public Library used to serve it. It was a favorite choice if I didn't fancy their Spinach and Feta Muffins that day. I came across this recipe in the Australian Good Taste mag I got in my Dove Pink Star Walk goodie bag. Talk about serendipity!

2. Sold in my Made It store this morning. Must get around to making up some more packs this weekend.

3. I finally mowed the back lawn this morning. I even did the edges. Obviously I wasn't paying close enough attention (and don't panic, the rest of the lawn was nowhere near this long...)

4. More Groovy Green Bags finished and waiting for decent light so I can take photos and get them listed in my store.

5. Pondering the fabric for the Pay it Forward gift I need to create.

6. A special order messenger bag finished and ready to go to its new home.

7. Lunch time: Real Simple and wash cloth #5!

8. Cutting out a pear doorstop (that would be a super sized pincushion with something heavy in the bottom) Princess B requested I make from a curtain offcut she had. Although it looks suspiciously like I'm making a Moomin...

9. And tonight's the first episode of The Librarians on ABC. I'll be watching it at The National Library with a glass of wine in one hand. As you do.

Arty Party

Fractal and cotton weave, taken in Civic Square while Taph and I waited for my friends to join us for the Canberra Theatre 2008 Subscription Season launch last night.

This is actually a momentous occasion (not the launch, which I always look forward to) but the fact I knitted on the bus on the way into town for the first time.

I had to revert to a Time Thief Watch Cap during the presentation though when I discovered that straight needles and confined spaces don't mix too well...The Link is still carpetless after February's hail storm (we suggested they should just polish the concrete and be done with it)and a good time was had by all (well, maybe not all as I'm sure some of the rest of us were feeling a bit sad that there is no Risky Manoeuvres next year...)

Nothing wishy-washy about me!

Hmmm.... did I say I was planning to knit some wash cloths on my cruise? At the rate I'm going I'll have burned through my cotton stash by the end of this week!

I think the finished product goes very well with the soaps I have tucked away in my present stash. (Obviously the ol' subconscious knew I'd be getting the wash cloth bug even if I didn't.) I'm kinda hoping I'll find a pile of cheap handmade soap dishes in Indonesia to round things off and am thinking of using that fabric in the background to whip up drawstring pouches to use as green gift wrap. Maybe personalised in some way?

Cottoning on

A little lunchtime diversion to a couple of op shops resulted in raised stress levels as I realised that for every treasure I took home I'd have to remove something from my house (this wasn't helped by discovering 4 magazines nestled in my Post Office box this morning) but this find was too good to pass up:250g (plus a little extra) of Panda cotton for $2.50. Odd, really as I'd been idly toying with the idea of belatedly leaping on the knitted wash cloth wagon and now here's the perfect excuse, for less than the price of a cup of coffee.

Even better I suspect this might be the perfect travelling project. Especially as cotton would be easier to knit in hot climates than wool.

Oh, and here's a tip from experience: don't use Eucalyptus oil to clean off the remnants of adhesive from your needles and then shove one in your mouth while counting the stitches on the other. Ergh! Even after a good rinse the needles still taste disgusting :-(

Seven Things Spring Week 8

In:

* Souvenir (black and white, of course!) Vanuatu bag from J&M's cruise to the Pacific.

* Another black sheep needle holder, courtesy of Happy Spider

* Summer 2007 knit.1 magazine (subscription) which I forgot to photograph...

* 6 things from Heidi

* 1 fabric panel

* White plastic row counter in the shape of a sheep's head: gift from the lovely owner of the local newsagent who thought I might like it

* Set of four miniature Vespa magnets for the dolls house scooter toy collection.

* Black and white jug, Dream a Little Dream video and length of barkcloth picked up in Salvos Chatswood while I was in Sydney on Thursday

* Friday's haul in Sydney included a Mac lipstick (free, since I took in 6 empty Mac containers I've been collecting for years), a book and a small silver coloured piggy bank. All rather restrained, I thought...

Total In this week: 21

Out:

* 7 books: sold

* 4 small stuffed toys which I really don't need: donated to Women's Refuge.

* 3 vases (culling my collection), the woolly tree wall hanging I bought for 20 cents (and replaced with my incorrigible acts of blogging picture, the 2 pudding glasses I bought in February last year and have never used, and a punch tool I bought as a swap for someone who fixed my phone over a year ago and who has never arranged to collect it (even after numerous phone calls from me): donated to Salvos.

* 1 IKEA calatogue: give to Alison in our Sydney office.

* 6 empty Mac containers: swapped in Sydney for a free lipstick.
* 10 old UK marie claire magazines: donated to Lifeline Book Fair

Total Out this week: 35

Shake-it-all-about:

Craft? What's that?!

Net items out so far during Seven Things Spring: 205

Delayed pleasure

After a lovely relaxing day in Sydney with nothing much to do except visit the Mac counter to swap empties into a lipstick and meet the Editor of The Tiny Times to deliver a bag she'd bought off me, I arrived at Sydney airport this afternoon only to have my flight delayed due to an electrical storm. In my laid -back and zen-like state I decided this was a good thing indeed as it gave me time to finally go check out the Qantas Heritage Collection.

I found it odd that there were only 4 other people in total looking at the exhibition while I was there - maybe no one else waiting realised it was up there? (hmmm... Qantas - maybe you could change your delay announcements to mention it "we apologise for the delay but suggest you might like to visit our free historic display while you wait...Or better yet, spend lots of money in the shops and cafes!")There were models of flying machines and airplanes through history.Interesting things like uniforms through the ages (for the girls) and bits of engine and wheel (for the boys).Explanations of how the cockpits worked in the old days:Intriguing photographs,examples of the fitout of the new A380, including a stack of cotton bedding and a mohair blanket to tempt you into first class (I bet those blankets will be nicked left, right and centre. My fingers were getting twitchy just looking at them...) All in all I was most surprised. The time passed quickly and I left wishing I'd had more of a chance to check out all the old advertising and photographs on display. Oh well, there's always next time!

Take my breath away...

I was in Sydney today for work which was beautiful timing as Princess B, MB and I were able to attend the final night of Graeme Murphy's Berlin:

It was fantastic. And I'm not just saying that because there was someone sitting on stage knitting for the entire performance! (Damn shame Taph wasn't with me with her ready supply of TTWCs)

1 month to go (and a little advertorial)

1. Rhapsody of the Seas, 2. Promenade Deck, 3. Morning Activities, 4. Rhapsody of the Seas, 5. The Ship, 6. Stainless And Crystal IV, 7. chocolatetrio, 8. puffs2, 9. medals, 10. Margaritaville, 11. The Rhapsody's Theater/Stage, 12. solarium, 13. Windjammer Cafe, 14. Untitled, 15. Hall, 16. Ice Sculpture, 17. Monkey, 18. Untitled, 19. Hi from the wall!, 20. Untitled, 21. The Rhapsody around Sunset, 22. Cruise to the Caribbean, 23. Morning, 24. Sail Away, 25. Rhapsody of the Seas

Treasure on Tuesday (or, does it count as a souvenir if you buy it before you go?)

I captured this fabric panel in Salvos Phillip at lunchtime today for $5, thus continuing my tradition of buying souvenirs before I actually leave home. (I have a lovely silhouette picture of Venetian buildings hanging on my bedroom wall that bought from China on eBay before my trip to the Mediterranean. And I bought a fantastic metal money box in the shape of the Statue of Liberty's head before my USA trip)

To tell the truth I'm not really that keen on the figures along the bottom (although I can imagine a skirt made with the central section on the front, can't you?) but I really really REALLY like the top bits. Like the trees:and the umbrellas and fans:

Maybe I could take it with me and make something from it on board with my portable sewing machine...

Modern Miniatures on Monday: my new Eames La Chase

I just had to put together a scene using my new chair. If only my real house looked so good...(Laminex wall panel: sample given to me years ago by someone who worked at an architectural library. Black carpet: Bought from miniature show years ago. Castiglioni Arco lamp: Maybe Concord miniatures, maybe Aztec? Who knows! (sorry) Eames la chaise: $26.30 including postage from eBay. Plastic modular cupboard unit: Lego Homemaker from Bricklink. Tray: unknown. Absolut vodka bottle: from a show. Glass: Part of a vintage lot from eBay. Pot plant: Vintage Tomy Smaller Home & Garden - a gift from Nancy in the USA)

Reasons to be cheerful (Parts 1-4)

1. Heidi had emailed me to say she'd love the wooden sewing jigsaw I bought a few weeks ago and we arranged a swap since I was as smitten with the Martha Stewart mad scientist beverage labels and stickers as she was with my puzzle. And so a swap was decided, stickers for puzzle...

Well, the parcel arrived this morning and was suspiciously fat for just stickers. Lovely Heidi had also included some vintage black white (and a little bit red) fabric which I'm tempted to whip up into a new messenger bag for my trip, a copy of Clotilde's Sewing Savvy (you'll notice there were no new magazines in my In pile last week so this will stave off withdrawal symptoms quite nicely), and a handmade felted bookmark and beautiful grey and red flower brooch. Thank you Heidi, you're far too generous!

2. Thanks also to J (and her guest pass to The ANU Film Group). I finally saw Ratatouille yesterday. For free. Fabulous film, just as I expected. If I wasn't being so frugal I might just have to buy it on DVD when it comes out.

3. I went to Spotlight at lunchtime today to track down the interfacing that was out of stock at both Hobby Sew and Lincraft (turns out Spotlight don't stock it at all anymore). I discovered Spotlight was having a one-day-only 20% off everything sale so I got my boring black bagmaking cloth super cheap. Waahey!

4. The Fisher Paykel fix it man came. The washing machine took one look at him, fluttered its eyelashes (I swear! I saw it!) and spun and pumped perfectly first time. Trollop. Since I had the chap here anyway and wanted my $110 worth I got him to check things out and, with a squirt of WD40 up the bum (of the machine, not the fixit man) he pronounced the damn thing healthy as could be and able to last for years yet.

Seven sevens are 49 (Seven Things Spring Week 7)

In:

* 1 reac miniature Eames la Chaise. Completely unnecessary really, but the *cough* acquisitions policy meant completely justifiable. Oh, did I mention it's beautiful? And limited edition so if I didn't get it now I might miss out?
* 1 cat carrier (grrr!)

* 2 white plastic storage baskets. $2 each from Hot Dollar. I bought them as I thought they looked like a good size to store and display a range of Groovy Green Bags on a stall. When I have a range of Groovy Green Bags to store. And a stall to display them on...

* 1 pair 10 mm wooden knitting needles. $1 from Salvos. Not sure if I'll actually be able to squeeze them into my knitting needle jar but I couldn't just leave them there!

* 1 not very sexy but bloody cheap cat feeding spoon. In fact I think it turned out to be free (thanks Salvos!)
* 3 rug wool measure blocks. I found these buried in the depths of a lurid yellow plastic sewing box at Salvos Mitchell. Obeying the number 1 frugalling law (always look inside everything!) I scooped them up and paid $1 for all three. They won't be used for their intended purpose but I think they are wonderful (remember "Cock O'th' North" rug wool. It's the best!) You noticed there are only two in the photo? One was a double up and found a new home with Taph.

* Single Mr Men doona cover. $3. Destined for the stash pile.

* Another goodie bag from Taph which contained 1 piece of multi coloured polka dot fabric, a jar opener (donated after she saw my usual method which involves a hammer and a nail through the lid), and 2 Tupperware keyrings which might work in a dolls house setting.

Total In this week: 13

Out:

* Spring 07 medibank Private feelbetter magazine, Sept/ Oct 2007 NRMA Open Road magazine: recycled
* 15 books: sold to Booklore
* 3 recent magazines and the Good Taste from the Pink Star Walk: given to Taph

* 16 records: sold to Landspeed Records
* 1 red cat-feeding spoon which broke: thrown out.

* 10 old UK marie claire magazines: donated to Lifeline Book Fair

* 1 Beehive rug wool measuring block: given to Taph

Total Out this week: 49

Shake-it-all-about:

Bags and Time Thief Watch Caps. Boring as. Sorry!

Net items out so far during Seven Things Spring: 191

You've got to get Control...

Saturday encapsulated in a picture. Rug Wool measure picked up from Salvos Mitchell in the morning. "Control" Time Thief Watch cap (one of two) knitted at a two-for-one midday screening. Homemade Choc Chip biscuits courtesy of Taph, mid afternoon wine courtesy of me. Dust courtesy of my ability to not notice dust in rooms I don't stop still in very often!

Tarzan Boy timewasters

Option One:
(Culture rating: High)

Create your own Henri Rousseau by going here.Option Two:
(Culture rating: Low)

Watch this!

Three (phew!)

My cat feeding spoon broke this morning.

Makes sense in retrospect.

First the cat broke.

Then the washing machine broke while washing the towel I used in the cat carrier.

And now the cat spoon broke while feeding the cat who sat on the towel which was..... oh you get the idea.

Yay! I have the perfect excuse to go buy a sexy new cat feeding spoon while I'm in town later this morning.

Two (sigh)

My trusty washing machine decided this morning it wanted some attention and stopped spinning.

The repairman is booked for Monday afternoon "sometime between noon and 5pm" For him to turn up costs $110, even before he looks at the machine. (When did Tradespeople get so expensive?!)

So I guess Do washing is off my list for the rest of the weekend... As is Spend money recklessly on fun and useless things.

Wonder what number three will be? (She says worriedly as she glances between her laptop and the digital camera...)

Be careful what you wish for...

I made $50 yesterday selling some books to Booklore. Spent some of it on snacks for the cupboard to stave off morning tea and afternoon tea munchies for the next week or so and left the rest burning a hole in my wallet.

This morning as I was lazing in bed waiting for 6am to arrive I idly though "gosh, wouldn't it be nice to go spend some of that money today?!"

I rather meant finding time to pop into an op shop or two (it's been far too long). Maybe dropping into the mall. Or driving out to Spotlight which is open late tonight.

What I didn't mean was having to spend $30 on a cat carrier (since mine is locked in J&M's garage and they're off cruising the Pacific.) And driving a 68 km round trip. With Nibbs in said cat carrier looking most perplexed and disgruntled. To give the vet $68.(Odd how the cat carrier suddenly looks like a fine place to be once you arrive at the vet's, isn't it?)

Finally there was the $2.90 I spent on steak to mollify him (the cat, not the Vet) once we arrived home.

As the Vet said "There are two sorts of fighters. Good fighter and bad fighters. Bad fighters get bitten on the bum as they run away. Nibbs got bitten on the face. This proves he's a good fighter." Errr... cheers. I think?

I tried, honest I did!

Sunday evening I felt like blobbing. And after writing this the idea of some mindless viewing seemed oddly attractive.

So I plopped myself down on the sofa. Tried putting my hand down my pants but they were too tight (must have been that birthday cake...). McDonalds wasn't an option as I'd spent all my spare cash on birthday cake and a pot of tea at NGA so I ate the chickpea, spinach, potato and tomato curry I found in the freezer with basmati rice, poppadoms and mango chutney.

Turned the TV on (after blowing the dust and cobwebs off it) and discovered Sunday Arts had an interview with Iota from Berlin (which I'm off to see next week). So I settled down to watch after deciding since I didn't have the money to buy McDonalds I certainly didn't have the money to buy Bundy and Cola so a glass of Sav Blanc would have to suffice.

And then At the Movies came on so I had to watch that as well. There were bombs in their review of Bomb Harvest but I'm not sure that's quite in the spirit of "scantily clad women, guns and lots of explosions"

What to do with your spare dolls' house furniture...

Rachel Whiteread's chess set from the 2005 Art of Chess exhibition at Luhring Augustine features pieces from Carolines Home, Barton, Dol-Toi and Triang.

Pity I don't play chess...

For what's a birthday without cake?

Nicknameless S and I are beggars for punishment as a mere 13 and a half hours after leaving the National Gallery we were back for more.

After lunch in the Members' Lounge we headed off in different directions - S to a workshop and me to howl with laughter at the Open Stage Productions' Ned Kelly improvisation (alas no photos allowed), where I learnt an alternative version of Australian history where Ned Kelly steals a diamond from an icecream shop and is told to remember The Australian Womans' Weekly comes out on a Tuesday (and to always carry serviettes).

And if that wasn't enough laughter for one day I then went to the Bigotbri CWA Ladies' tour of NIAT. To quote a quite unrelated website: "Satirizing age-old covert racist opinions of white Australia, the Bigotbri Ladies invert and expose mainstream perceptions of race, class and ethics. Unaware of their own shortcomings the Bigotbri Ladies are, like the recession, the comedy duo we had to have. Politically incorrect and loving it!" To make things even funnier, most of the artists were there and had to cope with questions from The Ladies like "Are you Bipolar?"

Here's the one (really bad) picture I managed to take before being officially tapped on the shoulder and told photography was not allowed:

Oh, yeah, you're wondering about the cake.

Afternoon tea in the Members' Lounge. Best cupcake I've ever eaten (and not just because I was lolling on a Barcelona Chair, overlooking the lake and eating something that had a star on wire sticking out of the middle of it.... )

But I have to say I'm feeling satiated with culture after the week just passed. Am worried that next week will find me on the couch with my hand down my pants, eating McDonalds while watching some DVD with scantily clad women, guns and lots of explosions and chugging Bundy and Cola.

All sixes and sevens (Seven Things Spring week 6)

In: * A goodie bag from Taph: 2 bag patterns, 7 pieces of frugalled fabric, 1 portable sewing machine
* Fall 2007 knit.1 magazine (subscription)
*September 2007 Wallpaper magazine (newsagents)
* November 2007 Madison magazine (subscription)
* October 2007 US Elle magazine (subscription)
* 2 new digital camera batteries

Total In this week: 16

Out: * 30 freedom catalogues dating back to 1996: recycled.* 2 mobile phone batteries, 1 camera battery: dropped off at a mobile phone shop recycling point.

Total Out this week: 33

Shake-it-all-about:

* Sorry - too busy knitting Time Thief Watch Caps!

Net items out so far during Seven Things Spring: 154

Oh, the places you'll go!

Tonight, just in case I haven't got enough culture this week already, The Lovely S (still without cool nickname) took me along to the National Gallery's 25th birthday party.The Gallery had on it's finest outfit(s) for the occasion:and there were teaming masses of interesting arty looking people.

One in particular stopped to talk to us, and turned out to be Peter Travis, designer of the Speedo, colour guru, ceramicist and kite maker. I was honoured and overwhelmed (but that didn't stop me giving him a Moo card with my details (thanks to S as I was out of them) in case he's taking on more students in the future...)S and I had a great night and took fartoo manyphotos (the best of which might make it up to Flickr over the next few days. But maybe not tomorrow cause we're planning to go back for the open day!)

Tonight was particularly memorable for S as she'd worked as a waitress at the NGA opening 25 years ago...

Of corset was a good day, it was a Friday.

A close up picture of a doll's underwear set in the new Cabinets of Curiosities Exhibition at CMAG (darned if I can find the exhibition listed on their webpage. Let me know if you manage it).

I just happened to be at the opening this evening (of the exhibition, not the underwear!) and took the opportunity to corral Taph into coming over and helping me measure my dolls houses for my turn in the spotlight (you remember, I've been banging on about it for far too long.)

I caught up with Ampersand Duck and Co as I left but apart from that it was a quiet night as Taph was off to see a play and the friends that had told me they'd meet me at the opening before heading back to my place never showed and when I called them they'd left their mobile at home and were "out" (according to their daughter who answered the phone.)

Shiny shiny, what's that behind me?

I spent lunchtime today at the Shine Dome open day. More precisely I spent it watching a very interesting film of its design and construction then racing round taking pictures of my favorite bits before heading back to the office for the afternoon.(Who needs to eat when you have historical architecture to digest?)

I fought the wool and the I won...

But alas it would seem I either have to spend less time with Taph, knit slower or stop nicking her projects because it would seem she's (finally!) getting bored with "the constant stream of TTWCs ".

I think the later option is the better one, don't you?

(Must bring own knitting when we go see Control. Must bring own knitting when we go see Control. Must bring...)

I will knit them in a tram. I like knitting them, Sam-I-Am!

I thought I'd share a piccy from Northside SnB's new home. Yes, I'm still without a project of my own so Taph is reduced to carting round extra Time Thief Watch Caps for me to work on when I'm in her prescence.

This is the same Anny Blatt wool as the last one I knitted and we expect it will be finished tonight where we (finally) go to see Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten on Tight Arse Tuesday tickets.

The weekend: Bummed out, Birthday, Bogongs (and Boobs!)

The IKEA hacker article was in Saturday's Sydney Morning Herald (which I bought at Pyrmont Market for $1) but alas I'd been cut. Thus is the world of newspapers...Princess B's gluten-free birthday cakes were boughtthen we went back to her place for breakfast (zoons! that also begineth with B!) and the unwrapping of the presents. I can now show off the notice board I made to go with the fabric covered drawing pins:In the evening we headed down to the Dove Pink Star Walk, freaking out on the way at the huge numbers of Bogong moths covering the city. Creepy... (On a side note, when I arrived on Friday night Princess B informed me her house was full of Bogans. I thought she meant people with mullets and singlets and tinnies were sprawled on her sofa watching the footie and clutching tinnies. Then she explained she meant Bogong Moths!)

These girls next to us had Hope spelt out in lifesavers on their bras.Princess B points out an Aussie icon for my readersMore Aussie icons at The Rocks And, finally two icons in one.