The Galleries 1: White Knight

1: Mortar and pestle by Robert Boot, $50. 2: Vase by Robert Boot, $70. 3:Shawl - winter by Jennifer Howlett, $73. 4,5,6,7,8: Miniature felted pears by Olivia Sherwood, $15 each.

4,5,6,7,8: Pears, as before. 9,10,11: I'll fly away by Jo Searle, $90 each.
9,10,11: I'll fly away, as before. 12: Tomo swatch #2 by Pete Bollington, $30. 13: Candelabra by Linda Davy, $45.

(Not shown: 14: Small pod by Olivia Sherwood, $12. 15: Basket - winter by Jennifer Howlett, $20)

The opening

OK, OK, I get the message. I was going to leave posting about the opening until I'd collected photos from various other cameras that were floating around on the night but you'll have to cope with the few photos I took that turned out halfway decent. (You've already seen the best here and here)

One of the reasons photographs were difficult was that, for most of the evening, this is what it was like in the foyer around the Crucible Showcases: (In the background, Pete Bollington talks about his furniture. In the foreground: Robert Boot, miniature turner)
Alex Asch talks to Cycling S: and Olivia with her work:

Feeling a little frayed around the edges

I actually stopped.

And realised just how mad the past 18 months has been, what with Call of the Small, my Craft ACT internship and working towards Certificate III in Design Fundamentals (I'm not going to even begin to think about any earlier), plus the three jobs/ 11 workplaces/ can't even remember how many door codes juggling act.

I plan to have some quiet time over the next few weeks. Sort some stuff out and make some new plans.

(The picture above? I finally made time this afternoon to tackle the ironing pile. And this is one of my pillowcases lurking in there. I'm not too worried: I think I bought it (and it's mate) in 1989 for a whopping $7.99)

Let's back up a bit

(Just in case you like "behind the scenes" photos as much as I do...)
(See that shadow in the glass? It was my first visitor, at 10:03 am!)

This one's for Ampersand Duck!

I'm just very very disappointed that I couldn't work a space for Hammer Time into the gallery...

A teaser...

After three mad crazy full-on days, one opening, one dinner, two glasses of wine and a celebratory cocktail at Knightsbridge Penthouse I'm a bit buggered.

And am due at work in just over 10 hours. But thought it only fair I share the first photo which made me whoop from today's shots on the camera: Chris checks out the gallery in detail.

Playing in the corner

This morning I was in at Craft ACT painting my plinths.
As I looked down at my little plastic roller, my little plastic paint tray and my little (not plastic) plinth. I felt myself regress to eight years old

especially as I was positioned in the corner, out of the way of the big and important things.
I dropped one of my plinths in my paint tray, something I'm sure has never happened in full size!As I left for lunch, I noticed Simon using the very same roller on his work. And suddenly I was back to my usual age...

The Elevator Pitch

Thanks to the brilliant Ampersand Duck (who alas, is not brilliant enough to be two places as once and so will be missing tomorrow night's opening) I have my elevator pitch of what Call of the Small* is:

"It's a teeny exhibition of teeny craft works, made very seriously by serious craftspeople"

(Although I can't help giggling at the mental image of lots of po-faced people hard at work in their studios)

*Name borrowed for the occasion from the real Call of the Small

48 hours out...

And this is how I feel:Out of focus and all a flap. An accidental photo which I decided was a keeper...

(Note the pigtails: there will be a haircut in the next 2 days but in the meantime I take the lead from those with much more knowledge of such things.)

Woodn't it be good?

OK, OK, today really is all about plinths, with a trip to Bunnings (note staff trying to hide from the mad woman* in the background)
The lovely Chap Out The Back (I believe that's his official title) cut my plinths to length for me. By hand!

And I left an hour later with a Box 'o' Plinths™:Now the sanding and painting can begin...

(*Not really, everyone was very very helpful)

Little boxes

They're finished! (Although they need a little touching up...)

To market to market

With Rooruu in town for the Quilt Show (and pretend grumbling about the fact we hadn't arranged the exhibition opening to coincide) there was a mini bloggy meet up this morning.

This time I introduced her to Trash and Treasure, where I accidentally spent this week's grocery money on a number of treasures (with much encouragement from beside me) including the find of the year: a vintage laminate top table. In grey. For $20.

But wait! It gets better...It folds up!

So it's perfect as an extra work surface in my studio when needed, and able to be tucked away when not...Other treasures that followed me home: (Doll's hutch dresser: $5, doll's size sewing basket: $2, giant metal nut container: $5, 2 vintage rulers: $3, vintage snakes and ladders board: 30 cents (that was actually from Ys Buys), sewing machine accessories box: $2, record cabinet: $7 (from a blog reader! *waves*), Dover books, reading and writing clip art book: $2, vintage music case: $10)

(I'm feeling all very Fresh Vintage, being able to take a shot like this)

And here's a picture of the top of the sewing machine accessories box:Love that lettering!

After our Trash and Treasure adventures we recovered with the best brunch deal in town (without the champagne, alas...), where Rooruu gave me this:a giant bag of black and white goodness. I felt very very spoilt (and particularly excited to see a book I talked myself out of buying a couple of weeks ago...)

...and she's lost it...

Watch in amazement as M1K1 (she of the fabulous miniature knitting) decides. with a mere four and a bit days to go before the opening, to knit herself a new cardigan to wear at the event.

He did it!

David Hodges delivered this to me this morning:

And confidently declared he could go smaller, if only he had the time.
(I think I've created a monster...)

Today

There may have been many plans.

Alas there was no To Do list. So I got home from work, turned on the heater, pulled the blindsAnd set about ignoring the world.

While pondering such deep subjects as:Who tied that string to my kitchen blind pull?

When?

(and more importantly) Why?

Their creative space

I spent most of my day tootling between Craft ACT and home: in the morning, meeting one my artisans to take belated delivery of her work for the exhibition, and in the afternoon, meeting with the Curator and Exhibition Managerto decide how I'm going to wrangle and cull over 250 itemsinto a cohesive and understandable exhibition (or four).(In a very very empty gallery space...)Tomorrow the theme is plinths.

And the award goes to...

Yesterday I received a Versatile Blogger Award from When Pen and Paper Meet. Thank you!

The deal is I have to pass the award on to five other bloggers and 7 things about myself. That last bit's easy: just go here and chose 7 things at random.

The first bit? Slightly harder. I declare the following people Versatile Bloggers:

anna denise (whose Art Journal 101 series (1,2,3) was a fabulous read)
Call of the Small (with constant mini inspiration)
Circles of Rain (a great mix of creativity, architecture, woolly stuff and the occasional cat)
The House of Lisa (her use of miniatures constantly cracks me up...)
Miniature Rhino (embroidery, typewriters, little things, card catalogues and cats: what's not to like?)

And the winner is...

Comment number 6, Sarah from Circles of Rain.

Sarah, if you email me your address I'll get your Ampersand Duck print in the post in the next few days.

In the meantime...

I'm super excited as I notice that petitenouveau has just received her Emerson...

I'm most jealous.

Curating

is like this.

Deadline for artists' statements and CVs was a month ago. Deadline for submission of work was 10am today.

I'm still rounding 'em up...

Running a mock (up)

Just to prove progress is being made:(testing the cornering system I'm wanting to use and to see if my scroll saw cuts that thickness of plastic)

A trial run with one of the pens I plan to use. Now I have to decide: do I keep the drawings completely one dimensional
or draw in perspective?

And I'll do it tomorrow...

And then I ate pumpkin Thai soup. And I thought this:

What's in my head right now

And I realise I've never actually seen the video to this. Look! Jodie-like stripes and black and white drawn building details.

I'm exhausted. Perhaps I should just go to bed. After creating tomorrow's list.

(Tomorrow being the final deadline for all work that I haven't allowed an extension for. Oh what power I have... *snort* )

Work for love*

The 80s soundtrack continues Chez TSS, where there's a new list of tasks to get through today with the help of my trusty Assistant Curator:

Just don't ask how the building of the miniature craft gallery's going, OK?

(* Although I doubt many readers would remember this track)

All lined up

I was working on getting Ampersand Duck's mini posters sorted and into their individual envelopes for the Craft ACT shop (and other recipients) when this came on the stereo.

I looked down and had to laugh:

I have a list

of things I want (or need) to achieve today.

For once, it's not a scarily long list. In fact I feel like there's a good possibility I might manage to knock it off (probably because I may just have forgotten to add "Sort out Room of Shame" to it this morning.)

I can tell you what isn't on this list: "Paint Re-ment storage boxes black and silver" Oops...

Ever wanted to live in your own dolls house?

Living large: A look inside the tiny house movement (via The Thrifty Chicks)

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.