Five Daily : With Kat Macleod...

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Kat said "Here are my five websites I visit pretty much daily..."

without fail:
The Age
Google Images

blogs:
Smosch
Lena Corwin
The Design Files

....................................

Thank you, Miss

Whatcha Been Doing???

I've been busy, you know, just doing stuff. And now I am sick, which is not so ace, but a fairly good excuse to slow down a wee bit. Here's what I've been up to:

• Making Danish Pastries - I bought a jar of Morello cherries on Saturday. You know what that means? It means that it's time for danishes. Yep. So it was pastry, custard and cherries ahoy on Sunday. I made the fancy pastry first - it's a yeasty, buttery concoction made in the style of puff pastry. Luckily I have stainless steel bench tops in our dodgy kitchen, so it's perfect for making pastry. The pastry took pretty much all day to be ready. You have to roll it and fold it and rest it about 3 times to ensure it is light and buttery. In the late afternoon I made some vanilla custard - from scratch - and then thickened it a little bit with custard powder so my Danish wouldn't runneth over. Then rolling and folding and custard daubing and cherry popping... and voila! Danish pastries! I think that I needed to anoint them with heaps of sugary syrupy glaze - they weren't quite sweet enough for my liking - I'll share the recipe when I've got it perfected. Okey doke? Let me know if you have a recipe that you use - I would love to see it!

• I've been hanging with Ari a lot. After seeing Leo's very cool blog, Ari was keen to start his own, so we've been working on that together. Ari's learning how to scan things and crop images and how to post things on Blogger. He's designed his own blog header over on Picnik, and he's pestering me all the time because he wants to 'do his blog'. It's going to be a really fun project to work on over these rainy, cold Wintery holidays. We're also making plans to do the MS Readathon.

• I've been working on my new book. Yes. Another book. It's a bit exciting and we've just finalised the list of projects and I'm on my way! I'm really excited to be able to make a book full of my own Made-By-Pip projects. I think it's going to be something that you will like a lot!

• I've been showing the lovely Brown Owls how to do Gocco printing at our little clubhouse - and also showing them how to drink Gluhwein! Last night we knocked over 5 screens (and printed 5 different prints) and ate cheese and other snacks and drank nice, warm mulled wine. We had the usual Gocco glitches - one globe not going off, runny ink, things like that - but that's what Gocco is about - little glitches for big rewards! We tried to watch 'The Flying Nun' too, but the tv wasn't working properly. Darn. But we still had heaps of fun. Everyone took lots of prints home and got lots of printing inspiration. I'm still getting a handle on my Gluhwein recipe - but here's how I did it last night. You should make some.

Pip's Gluhwein

3 bottles of red wine
1 litre of orange juice
2 cups of water
1/2 cup brown sugar
2tbsp honey
1 tbsp golden syrup
a slosh of vanilla essence
1 tsp mixed spice
4 cinnamon sticks
1 sliced lemon
1 sliced orange - peel and pith removed

Put all these things in a big pot and heat gently until nearly boiling. Taste it and make sure it's sweet enough for you - if not add more sugar. Turn off the heat and let the flavours develop for a couple of hours. Reheat until steaming but not boiling and serve. Serves 8 wine liking people.

Pour into thermoses and take on outdoorsy type trips to stay very, very warm.
Substitute cranberry juice for orange juice if you prefer

• I've been forgetting to do any crochet. I'm still in love with it, but I've just been doing lots of other work - and lots of cooking - so I need to get my act together and get hooking again. It's the perfect weather for it - and you only need to check out the Granny A Day group to see how LOVELY the results are!

• I've been tweeting

• I've been planning a mini-break with some nice friends in a few weeks.

• I've been compiling a new series for this blog - Five Daily - featuring heaps of great people and their website/blog recommendations. Check in daily for updates.

What have you been up to?

xx Pip

Five Daily : With Ghostpatrol...

I've asked some people that I like to tell us five websites or blogs that they visit daily... It's a little series I'm going to run over the next few weeks. Here we go ::


Ghostpatrol chose :-

Ffffound
The Shit Show
This Is Vandalism
We Love You So
Images to Live By



thank you Sir.

Blog of The Week - Leo's Lego Lab

My friend Leo has his very own blog now. How great is that? Leo may be four, but he can certainly make heaps better Lego thing then you or I can. It's true. Leo's sidekick Emma is assisting Leo, documenting his works, and his motivation, at Leo's Lego Lab. I think you can learn a lot from cool people like Leo. Add him to your reader this very second!!! Or just check in often if you don't know how to do that. Bookmark it. That'll work too!

xx Pip

Top Five... Plus One!

Remember we did this post about your top five cookbooks? (plus one you are dabbling in?) - it was really great and extra informative to read about the books that you all love to cook with. I picked up a couple of recommendations from the comments this week, which was cool, to learn cool new stuff from my own blog, I mean. So cool. Thanks commenters!

So now I thought we could talk about your Top Five Feel-Good Books. The books that make you sigh with happiness or giggle quietly to yourself (or loudly, that's good to), the books that make you feel like pushing on and making things better.

Personally, I haven't been doing much fiction-type reading lately. So it would be good to know what you think is good in le fiction department. But, on the other hand, feel free to add some non-fiction to your Top Five list too. And the Plus One is a book you are wanting to read - but haven't got yet. I know this list might change for you next week - but that's okay - just tell me what you think today.

My Top Five Feel-Good Books As Of Today
(allowing for the fact that I often forget to read fiction)

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life - Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Homemade - Ros Badger
Pippi Longstocking - Astrid Lingdren
The River Cottage Family Cookbook - Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall
A Homemade Life - Molly Wizenberg

Plus One That I Want -
Under The Table : Saucy Tales From Culinary School - Katherine Darling

Looking forward to reading your recommendations! Happy Sunday!

xx Pip

Woo Hoo!

Completed Granny Square Rug, originally uploaded by MandyMade.

A Granny A Day buddie, MandyMade has FINISHED her rug!
Yay!!! Good on you, Miss!

xx Pip

Make Stuff This Weekend - Softies to Sew

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Hi!

I've found some cute patterns for you - just in case you want to make something cuddly this weekend. These are all free for personal use - so why dontcha have a go and sew yourself a new friend. These guys are guaranteed to be thoughtful pals and not to answer back, I promise.

Here we go ::

A Friendly Dolly - voila
A Cute Monkey - voila
An Adorable Hedgehog - voila
A Sweet Kitty - voila
A Nice Whale - voila
A Curious Mouse - voila
A Patient Snail - voila
A Cheerful Donkey - voila
A Scary Bat Monster - voila
A Happy Bird - voila

If you have any useful links to free softie patterns, why don't you put them here in the comments. Maybe they will be just the thing someone else is looking for. Merci!

xx Pip

Friday = Music....

Get Heidi Hair....

Strawberry Koi Vintage has uploaded heaps of cute hair how-to tutorials over on YouTube. So adorable!

xx Pip

Turning Japanese....

Today I got some lovely yarn and Japanese craft books in the post, from an equally lovely Etsy seller. I thought, wouldn't it be nice if I went through the books and posted some of the lovely links that are detailed inside their lovely pages. It would be nice, huh? Well, here you go. Because I am nice. Hope you enjoy!

Just before you start clicking - you might like to know that someone else is posting wonderful Japanese links. Unlike me she's posting links to places she's actually VISITED. (As opposed to my drooly, pages of a book kind of visiting). She's the real deal. Find her and her lovely Japan links here. Now... enjoy!

Soratanet
Masako
Hutaba
Cremeux
Linoelina
Tamtree
Xixiang
Fabbrica
Yuunastore
Yamaha-Noz
Clueroom
Sayoco
Annas
Takurokka
ookuborei

I'm Totes In With Stubbsy...

Richard Stubbs is my crush. It's true. Unorthodox, I know, but I think he's great. (Except that one time he said 'panties' on air... but I think I've forgiven him. I don't like that word. I prefer undies, knickers, heaps of other things to panties. Ew.) Anyhow, I digress. I got an email from the ABC last night inviting me to be on the Craft 101 panel with Richard and another guest - and of course I nervously accepted. Yikes. Didn't sleep so good last night. Worried about making a dork of myself.

No matter. Today I got to chat for a fun, rollicking half an hour on 774ABC about getting started in craft, (along with lovely and super-smart Ramona from Craft Victoria.) You can listen here if you would like. You can hear me being fancy and trying to be cute and impress Stubbsy. I think it's quite entertaining, actually.

(Did you know that I listened to Stubbsy the whole time I was making our book? I did. You can even find his name in the 'Acknowledgements'. Thanks Stubbsy. Couldn't have done it without you.)

Listen.


xx Pip

Astronaut Suits and Frankie...

Hello! Look at that. That's my 'Tote's for Smalls' project in the last issue of Frankie. Darn. You missed it! No matter, the new Frankie is out now! You didn't miss that! It features some super great people from our crafty little community. Betwixt it's pages you will find::

Ghostpatrol
Leeloo
Tessuti Fabrics
Sophie Isobel
Patchwork on Central Park
Catherine Campbell
Georgie Love
Made It
The Owls Are Hunting
Ruby In The Dust Dolls
Laura Stead
Heidi and Seek
Not Today Not Today
Too Many Tights
Sweet William... and even MORE

You'll find a cute interview with the Family Lark on page 39. Jenny Hart on page 88 and Faythe Levine on page 68. On page 114 and 115 you'll find my 'Boy/Girl Band Wall Hangings' - a cute crafty project you might like to make! If you are extra good, you'll notice that the Editor's winning letter was inspired by Ari's take on life... awww. Go Ari.

Go get the Frankie for all the links and bits and a zillion more good things I did not mention. You will like it lots. Crafty Frankie...!

xx Pip

Poke About In Melbourne....

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The Melbourne Open House 2009 will run again soon (on July 19th). Lots of amazing places will be open to the public for a one-day only poke about. If you want an extra good peek at places like the Mission for Seafarers, Fifteen Restaurant's Kitchen, Donkey Wheel House, The Manchester Unity Building, The Capitol Theatre or back of house at Fed Square this is your lucky day.

And if you have an eye for design, architecture or shuffling people about peacefully, well, you might like to become an Open House 2009 volunteer on said lucky day. Sounds like a good idea, right? So off you go... volunteer. You know you want to. Don't you?

xx Pip

Lovely Blog Awards...

image source

Kristen from Schmancy has nominated us for a Lovely Blog Award! Hurrah! I get to pass this on to 15 blogs that I think are lovely - and hopefully they too will pass it on to their favourite fifteen! Here are my 15 nominees! Good on you lovely bloggers!!

These are some of the sweet blogs I've been peeking at lately. Of course there are about 100 more blogs that I could add to this list, but these are some of my hundred or so super-faves. I chose these ones because they aren't the usual suspects I write about over here - but they should be because they are great, great, great!

1. La Merchante
   
2. Kari Anne Marstein
3. Oh Hello Friend
4. Kris's Color Stripes
   
5. Here Comes the Sun
6. Handmade Romance
7. Tea With Lucy
8. Mustard and Sage
9. Sweet Sassafras
10. Things To Make and Do
11. Ismoyo's Playground
12. Make Do and Mend
13. Lobster and Swan
14. Ingela P Arrhenius
15. Ida Kronberg
    

The Winner Is...

The winner of the Peta Pledger Brooch giveaway is.... commenter number 4!

Honesttruth 5 days ago

"This brooch reminds me of shortbread and I love shortbread. Therefore, I think you should pick me"

Drop me an email, Honesttruth!!

xx Pip

Apples For Jam

Tessa Kiros Jam Shortbread, originally uploaded by meetmeatmikes.

If you read the post about everyone's favourite cookbooks, then you'll know that I said I was going to cook the jam shortbread suggested by Heather over there - - and I DID cook the Jam Shortbread a la Tessa Kiros. There it is. Up there. Why don't you have a crack at cooking it too? It's easy and yum.

Cam says 'It's very buttery, a little bit cakey, definitely jammy, good'.

Thank you Tessa.
Thank you Heather.
Thank you Cam.

xx Pip

Tumbling...

Here are my latest posts on Tumblr! It's easy peasy visual blogging over there, I tell you! Hoping you enjoy these...

Melissa Haslam

Flower Drawing, originally uploaded by sleepboy.

My Peeps...

You know what? I really love the whole blogging thing. I love all the great stuff I get out of it every day. I have heaps of friends that I've met through blogs. I have heaps of things I have learned via blogs too - about myself, as well as things I might want to be doing in my life. I am constantly reminded that there are lots of wonderful people out there. I am reminded that people are ultra-smart, funny and clever. I am reminded that that age, sex and race really don't matter so much when it comes to the nuts and bolts of life. I'm reminded of how important we all are to each other. That's totally a lot of reminding, but I am one of those people that pays attention and looks for details that make a difference.

And if we're talking details, well, I am amazed that people put so many into their blogs - am completely charmed by the generosity of spirit, the kindness, the frankness, the dedication... and the limbs that people constantly go out on. Okay. Sometimes I'm alarmed by the details, but for the most part charmed is the word.

I am very often inspired by these lovely things people offer up for sharing. I am frequently buoyed by the little snapshots of people's lives. I love the simple perfection. And I love the imperfection too. I just love the 'knowing-about-ness' of it all.

Speaking of know-alls, there is lots of commentary on making your blog busier, getting lots of readers, doing this, optimising that, strategy, language, linking here, linking there, performance... and that's all good and well, that's fine if that's your cup of tea, but blogging is way more then that to me. It's a little Hansel and Gretel trail strewn with the real-life morsels of people's lives. Real people. People like me (and some very much not like me too). Maybe people like you too. Just nice people like us, shall we say?!

I really like knowing that those people are out there - maybe it's one of those people I see smooshed up against the window on the tram posting those images of a 1950s USSR on Tumblr. Maybe it's one of those people that walks by my shop with her coat buttoned up tight and her mouth fixed in a firm line who pens those funny stories about how she wishes her Mother In Law would spontaneously combust. It could be that colourful people that lurks at the counter writing about how she wants to needle-felt her husband. Maybe it is. I don't know. I guess I'm trying to say that bloggers are amongst us, and they are people I might not otherwise get to know.

I really do like to see the things that these people like, and read the things people want to write. And I feel really lucky to be privy to all that. That's the beauty of blogging. Blogs are for sharing and remembering and documenting and venting. Blogs are for showing and wondering and hoping and teaching. Blogs bravely invite discussion and acknowledgement and connection. Blogs are about what is happening right now in people's lives. Blogs are kind of like a warm hug from a friend, (whereas websites are kind of like an awkward handshake between people who've never met).

And on another tangent completely, but whoever the genius was who developed the software that makes it all so easy for us to blog and update our online journals every day - big props to you, because I think you completely changed the world. Like really. I raise my glass to you. And you are my cup of tea completely. Amazing. Thanks for helping us all to meet people like us (and also not like us). I think that's a really awesome thing you've done there.

xx Pip

Move It Like Mike - Week 3

OK... I'm running late. Well. I'm walking late. I'm walking people. And that's the main thing, right? Late or not! I'm walking in the early morning, scare-the-bejeezus-out-of-you darkness. I'm walking in the lets-all-go-to-the-Turkish-grocer-for-those-nice-corn-chips-way. I'm walking in the I-have-to-go-to-the-city-to-get-some-calico-and-snaps way. I'm walking. I am.

Are you walking too? Or are you jigging? Or are you running? Or are you poncing about doing some newfangled interpretive dance? Maybe you are playing footy? Or a bit of basketball? Perhaps you are going to the gym? Or cycling? Or doing sit-ups while you watch Oprah? Well bloody good on you.

If you'd like to join our band of raggedy, net-loving exercisers - you can sign up below - add a comment - or just do it secretly so we can't all think about you while we are sweating it out. Are you sweating it out? Be sure to let us know - I want to know what you are up to - because it's not easy, and anyone that can be bothered to get moving deserves some admiring nods, I think!

Here are some recommended walking tracks - just for you - only you - not for that other reader... Only you, got it? So listen up and shift your butt. Move it like Mike, peeps.


or here





or here




or here





or here

or here

Top Five.... Plus One!!

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I've been to the market today. It was lovely and cold and dark and full of coffee and squished avocados and fresh deliciousness. And I've been cooking all day. I'm in the mood. I like to cook a lot, in case you don't know. While I was waiting for the kettle to boil (for my cup of Twinings Afternoon Tea; to be partaken of with some Banana Bread).. I got to thinking. What are your Top Five Cookbooks? In fact - I would LOVE to know your Top Five... PLUS one you are dabbling in at the moment. I know the Top Five could change at any moment, as could the dabbler.. but I would like to know where you are at now. Go on. Tell me. I'm all ears.

Here's my list (at the moment) - as you can see, I have a penchant for the traditional, the vintage and the spicy too.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Top Five - these are the books we pull out all the time ::

The River Cottage Family Cookbook :: I love the recipes, I love the photos, I love the layout, I love Hugh, I love it's simple good food and lack of pretension, I love it all. Plus it tells you how to make bacon. I like that idea a lot. Thanks to Loobylu for recommending this one.

The PWMU Cookbook :: we have Cam's Mum's VERY OLD, battered copy. It's where we turn for all sorts of classic daggy recipes. (I love the CWA one too... in fact any of those old church/school fundraiser cookbooks have a place in my heart)

South East Asian Food :: by Rosemary Brissenden - just a really good Asian cookbook with all the faves in it. (although I also love Charmaine Solomon's Complete Asian Cookbook and Cam loves David Thompson's Thai Food. And you can't beat the curry paste recipes from this book)

The Cook's Companion :: because my eldest child spent a lot of time in the kitchen at Stephanie's when she was a wee gal. I like this book because it reminds me of happy, long ago times and it's a good reference which covers most of the basics. (I also like Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course and anything by Jane Grigson or Elizabeth David)

Maggie's Farm and Maggie's Table are tied here. I love Maggie Beer. I love Australian food. I can't decide between these two!

PLUS - Dabbling - this book changes DAILY!! ::

I'm currently dabbling in a book I bought a long time ago :: Dear Francesca - it's full of Italian family recipes and anecdotes. Really a lovely book. I'm making things from it today, including egg-less Tiramasu, slow cooked pasta sauce with tomato, blade steak and italian sausage... and tomato soup. It's a really evocative book, with simple and delcious recipes. Just how I like my cookbooks.

Of course, I haven't mentioned so many other favourites. Nigella, Jamie, Alice Waters, Carol Field, Mr Granger, Tessa Kiros, Mrs Fulton, Mollie Katzen, Christine Manfield, Antonio Carluccio and Claudia Roden to name but a few. It's so hard to choose! I'm kind of obsessed with anything about baking bread Italian style too. So don't even get me started on those titles.

Looking forward to reading your Top Five, Plus one!

xx Pip

My Friday Present To You - The First One Is The Super Dooper Best Ever...

Be Nice.

Nice people, originally uploaded by xorsyst.

Let's All Go To The Aquarium

Some of the Brown Owls families are going to the Aquarium on Sunday. I am making these little notebooks for the kids. They have cute pages inside showing you how to draw sea creatures. PLUS lots of blank pages to practice on. Stapled together and taped nicely to avoid staple-prick injuries.

You know, one of our Brown Owls members is a PENGUIN KEEPER at the Aquarium! Yikes. That's the best thing I've ever heard in my life. Anyhoo. Just wanted to show you what I've been up to! And tell you about Suze the Penguin Lady.

What are you doing? Are you doing something nice? Or not nice?

xx Pip

Free Things Friday :: Peta Pledger Sweetheart Brooch

Oh YES! It's 'Free Things Friday' again. This week you might like to win this gorgeous Peta Pledger Sweetheart brooch. It's lovely, isn't it? It comes in other colours too - look here for stockists, if you please.

How to Win This Brooch ::
Comment here before lunchtime on Tuesday!
And pop in on Peta too, if you are extra nice.
Check back late Tuesday to see who won!
Open to readers worldwide.
(Fingers crossed that YOU win! Yes. I'm looking at you.)

xx Pip

A Few Cool Stitchy Things...

The prolific and awesome Jenny Hart's new book now on pre-order - here
Modern Seamster Magazine - free to download here
Links to some awesome Stitchy fonts - here and here - via here

Got any cool stitchy links, peeps?

xx Pip

Stop and Pat The Kitty....

, originally uploaded by Hillary the mammal..

I'm a bit tired.
I never take naps.
I think it would be nice if I did sometimes.
Especially when I am tired like I am today.
Look how cute this photo is. Cosy-cute.
Are you remembering to stop and pat the kitty like this gal?
I'm not. Did you say no too?
Well stop and pat the kitty, would you?
I will try too.
I really will.
But she might bite me.
So I'll need to be careful.

xx Pip

Image belongs to : Hillary the mammal on Flickr. : she has some LOVELY images over there. Clever Mammal.

Look What I Made....

It's a Woodland Granny Square!
With a little happy toadstool!
On a patch of moss!
On a snowy day!
Do you see it? Do you?!
Are you proud of me?!

xx Pip

PS - I'm liking this crochet thing a lot. I'm going to make a Woodland Baby Blanket. But I need to work on my other blanket too.

What Should You Always Keep In Your Pantry..?..

Sardines, originally uploaded by Bnice2mice.

Yes. Sardines people. I like sardines in tomato sauce. But I don't like fish. That's me. I'm just full of contradictions. But so are all the best people, so who gives a sardine about that? I like sardines on rye toast (with the tomato sauce from their tin) and some chilli on the top to elevate their oily fishiness to a spicier level.

I've always liked sardines. But not plain. Tomatoey and spicy and red is the way to go for me.
These ones are from the flickr pages of Bnice2mice :: click the image to see more of their very excellent, even and skilled amigurumi.

If you're a Melbourne Brown Owl, don't forget to RSVP for Monday's Cider, Cheese and Craft night. It's on the member's blog.

xx Pip

The Fantastic Work of Antonina Kuznetsova...

Strips and squares., originally uploaded by antonina.kuznetsova.

Holy cow. What do you think of this? It's completely beautiful, no? I love it. It makes my heart skip a beat. Look at all the colours! I love the way they are joined kind of diagonally. I love the big centres and the tiny centres. I love it all.

It's really interesting to see just how varied this whole crochet thing can be. I've been playing around a lot with texture and colours - and it's people like this who make me want to learn more and be better at it. Thanks Antonina for being a very excellent crochet role model. Love your work.

xx Pip

PS - If you love Antonina's work you can click the image to see even more! (Just head over to her Flickr pages!)

Yeondoo Jung...

Children's drawings interpreted as photographs...
Find the very gorgeous Yeondoo Jung here.

xx Pip

Mister Who? Monsieur Qui!

This is the work of French street artist, Monsieur Qui - find him here - there is so much nice stuff there you might burst.

xx Pip

John Reddinger...

fox, originally uploaded by john.red.

...and his lovely fox.

Click the image to see more of John's work and lots of amazing vintage illustration and typography.

xx Pip

Words and Pictures - Rose

rose
1. rose-colored, pink

There's our theme this week! Straight from a deck of German Vocabulary Cards! (on the other side it says 'die Rose. 1. rosa') - I hope you enjoy! You can post words or an image. Or you can post both. Or you can post neither and just click around and visit the people who do join in. Have a rose-coloured week, nice readers!








PS - Links to previous week's themes are over in the right hand column!

Google... Schmoogle....

I checked my website stats this morning - to see where my visitors are coming from. It's nice to know who to thank, ya know? It tells me that if you google the following terms, you might find Meet Me at Mikes....

• 'knicker flashing'
  
• 'like all good Polish boys in Chicago'
• 'cutting it up on a turtable'
• 'how to say "a long drive" in french'
• 'i heart guts'
• 'i wear suspenders'
• 'pics of meatloaf with salad'
• 'vinnie barbarino loving beautiful man'
• 'good morning world hello my little singing birds'
• 'granny in rubbergloves'
• 'how far from goondiwindi to melbourne'

Fascinating stuff, huh? See. Google doesn't know everything. I totally do not heart guts.

xx Pip

Stuff I'm Doing Today....

I'm...

Joining my granny squares the Double-Trouble-Super-Pip way! I'm doing 20 or so at a time. I'm crocheting them together with special lacy borders which frame them nicely and hold them nice and firm. You likey?

I'm Gocco printing cards from the screens we made last night at Brown Owls! You likey?
I do. Yes I do.

What are you doing?


xx Pip

Free Things Friday :: The Winner...

The winner is :: commenter numer 61 :: DENISE!!!!

Denise :: I collect books... that pretty one would be wonderful for my collection!! Thanks for the offer, fingers crossed!

Denise - send me an email and we'll arrange to get your prize to you! meetmeatmikes (at) gmail (dot) com. Tune in again this week for 'Free Things Friday' with a very cute prize from a very cute lady!

xx Pip

Look How Pretty...

granny, originally uploaded by cornelia49.

The lovely granny squares of Cornelia49.
Via Flickr and the A Granny A Day Group!


xx Pip

I Really Like Tomato Juice...

libby's tomato juice, originally uploaded by Millie Motts.

A meal in a glass, it is.
Thanks to my Twitter pal SoftlySoftly for the hot tip on this great Flickr user!

xx Pip

Pip's Guide To Useful Sites - Image Bookmarking and Gathering Inspiration...

Hi!

I'm going to do a wee series about some of the sites I use regularly, that you might like to use too! I use a lots of different sites to enhance my time on the internet. They might be sites for clipping images for later use, or sites for editing images, or sites for tracking various things... So I thought I would let you know the ones I am enjoying, in case they make a difference to you too!

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Today I'm talking about Image Bookmarking:

There are lots of sites which are useful for 'clipping' images for later use or inspiration. I have a Tumblr site that I sometimes use, and a lot of people I know use Polyvore... but mostly I use We Heart It. All these sites work by first registering, then adding a little bookmarklet button to your browser toolbar. When you want to 'clip' something you just hit the button and it asks you to choose the image you want to 'clip' from the web-page you are currently looking at. It will then save it to your very own, personal mini-blog. Simple! Useful!

Sites like this are really good if you are a prolific Internet user like me - you can store/share your finds quickly without bombarding your main blog quite so much - or you can keep things there that you might want to go back to later - hence the term 'bookmark'. If you are super organised (unlike me), you might use your regular blog for your main blogging, then 'We Heart It' for clipping craft/design focused stuff... and then Tumblr for clipping food/recipe focused things... and then Polyvore for clipping things you would like to buy/own. Make sense? I don't do that. But you could. I would be v impressed. It's a good way of documenting things, I think.

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The Sites::







Tumblr is a bookmarking site useful for saving images, videos, websites and all manner of other good stuff in a kind of mini-blog set up. You can add notes to the things you are posting - and credit the original source. You can also Tweet your Tumblr posts if you are a Twitter user. Tumblr has a zillion users who are posting all sorts of great stuff hourly - it's something I try not to get into as you can get totally LOST in good stuff over there! Some people on Tumblr specialise in decorating, some are Polaroid nuts, some are crafty types... and you can find like-minded friends over there. It's a good place.







We Heart It is based on the now-closed-invitation-only site Ffffound. It's an image saving and sharing site, oft used by bloggers, magazine types and designers for inspiration trawling, and YOU can use it too! It's mostly for images, though you can add videos too. Because it's mostly for images it's very quick and easy to add things - you don't have to sift through various options like you do on Tumblr.








Polyvore is an amazing site where you can clip images to a sort of 'dashboard' and then you can make really cool magazine style collages from your clipped images. I haven't really got the hang of Polyvore yet, but there is a HUGE community over there clipping all sorts of great stuff and turning it into mag-worthy fashion spreads. You could do this with crafty things or your own personal images too - so don't think it's just for fashiony types.


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I use a combination of We Heart It and Tumblr for my bookmarking (as well as my regular browser Bookmarks). I find that the traffic on We Heart It can make it very slow (or sometimes impossible to load) - but I really LOVE the simplicity of using it. I'm still finding my feet on Tumblr - and tend to use it only when We Heart It won't load for me! But that's just me - you should TOTALLY dive into Tumblr, I think. It's very reliable and easy to use. I just happen to have started using We Heart It long ago - before it got super slow. I have lots of images over there, so I hope they get it cranking a bit faster!

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Up-Sides of Image Clipping Sites:
You don't need to save images to your hard-drive - just keep them online - so your computer will be much happier
You can see what everyone else is clipping
You can 'drive traffic' to other people's websites by profiling their images/work
If you are using We Heart It, you can clip any image from Flickr
Lots of great, new people to befriend

Down-Sides of Image Clipping Sites :
You are meant to tag any images you upload - which is hard for mile-a-minute people like me
Can often be slow to load - or not load at all - annoying
Some people don't credit the original source of the things they clip - naughty
There can be quite a few nudie pics over there - so keep your wits and good humour about you if you are sensitive to such things! (Or maybe they are your thing - good for you too!)

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Let me know if there are other sites you like to use (in the comments below!) - or leave the link to your Tumblr or We Heart It or Polyvore site, if you like to share! We'd love to visit! If you have any super favourite Tumblr users that you visit - leave the details so we can visit them too!

My Tumblr
My We Heart It
My (crappy little) Polyvore

xx Pip

Gemmipop Finished Her Granny Rug...

It's done!, originally uploaded by gemmipopdesigns.

Look!
It's even on her bed!
Go Gemmipop!
There's something in this for all of us, I think.....!
Keep on grannying!

xx Pip