:: Blog Crash Dance-A-Thon :: Round 5

Okay, okay Ms BQ ... I admit it,  I was floored by the frantic, funky, low-down Soul Train.  That is some mean business mixing Afro hair do action with body shirts and hot-diggidy show-off moves.  Damn!

So I'm gonna pull out one of my big guns.  After a longtime shared BFF obsession with this minute-and-a-bit of amazing aerobic flapping from 1971 (ummm ... is that a purple crocheted mini-dress?) - I think that this full length offering from Tina Tuner and The Ikettes is really worth an airing.

Sure thing ... bring it on ... take me higher yo!

:: I would also like to tip my hat to fellow crafty dance fan Paul Overton for sharing some absolute gems in the Dance-A-Thon comments.  Unbeknownst to us, Paul kinda started the Dance-A-Thon last year.


:::: Next round I'm challenging MYSELF to bust out of the sixties.


Love PG x x

:: Snapping Kitty and Friends

Don't call me crazy-cat-lady! That is such a boring cliche - and besides, I'm not a "lady"! Good, now that we've got that cleared up - I can openly tell you that my cat CUBY is one of the best things ever. And I very much dig his everyday expressions and nutty things that he does.

Unfortunately, I'm not that awesome at capturing this on film (or in pixels as the case may be). But I've been trying out different bits of experimental magic for taking nice kitten and pet snaps. This is some of the stuff I've worked out.

- Don't use a flash. Don't even think about it. Even the little red focus sensor light makes my cat wince. If you have this red sensor light problem, here is what I do: press the shutter button half down to focus on an object just NEXT TO your pet, once the focus is set, swivel to shoot your buddy.

- Use a fast shutter speed to capture movement. Don't have a manual setting? Well, have a look, your auto-digi probably has a setting called KIDS or PETS / KIDS which acts fast too.

- Perspective. Get down low on your buddy's level, or rock an unusual angle.

- Paws are cute. Zoom in on those little feet.

- You are not gonna get the awww-factor if your fur-baby is lost midst the clutter of your loungeroom. Zoom in or crop like crazy. Don't let ugly furniture get in the way.

- Conversely, a crafty prop can be a good distraction and a cute photo op.

- Crazy close-ups are cool, but so are random compositions where just a little bit of the animal's body is poking in. (This tail belongs to the infamous and illusive "MIKE" from Meet Me At Mikes!)

- Sometimes the weird, out-of-focus action shot can be kinda excellent. Happy accidents can happen if you are patient and not too uptight.

SO! What are your pet snapping secrets?

Love PG x x x


:: If all else fails you can always put stuff on your cat: http://www.stuffonmycat.com/

:: And then there's Airborne Cats of course: http://www.flickr.com/photos/junku/sets/303691/

:: Nice article on photography and documentation by Dudecraft over here

:: I CAN NOT stop listening to The GO BETWEENS

**sneak sneak!**

PL

:: Playsuits for summer frolicking

Yes, I say, to combining ‘play’ and ‘suit’!

I have an un-sated playsuit fixation at the moment. I just find them such darling garments. Sweet and flirty, but not too raunchy, you know?

The playsuit that started my current obsession. Ace, ace, ace. And more ace. From Moxie Minx.

Ooh la la! This is wonderful. Yes, please! From Devianweaver's Etsy.

That collar! The bow! And those sweet elasticised legs! Formal yet playful. And, I dig the opaques with it too. From Imyourpresent's Etsy.

It's a bit hard to see in this pic - the white applique is heart shaped with a frill around it. Jaunty. Cute. I would wear this with opaque blue tights and pointy white flats. From Desireedoll's Etsy.

Hello, Sailor! I have always been a fan of a good sailor collar, and this little number makes my heart go all a-flutter! From Vintage Suits By Mary.

 How lovely is this playsuit? Very! And so is the styling of this sweet photo. I like models who look like they're smiling for real. From Tara Starlet.

XX BQ

:: Spark-a-larkely snowglobe goodness

Earlier this week the kids went all craft renegade on me and didn’t pay attention to my loving (and patient!) tuition. The result? Two fantastic snowglobes, glitter-laden and decorated with permanent texta. Perfect.

Had I had my way, we would have planned out themes for the globes with little diagrams, searched out suitable figurines and laminated little drawings.

Luckily the kids had other ideas.

The kids made shapes out of Fimo, which I barely had time to bake before they got thrown into two empty jars. (You can get sparkly Fimo now too! Ace!)

Then they poured lots of glitter and stars into their jars, topping it all up with water. I had the chance to add some value to their project by measuring out 3 teaspoons of glycerine into each jar, and offering lots of encouragement.

Snowglobes in under three minutes? You betcha! (Excluding Fimo baking time, mind you.)

Go rebel children!

So I’m afraid I don’t have the tutorial which I had planned for you, or even photos of the work in progress (it was all so quick I didn’t even get the chance to find where the camera was)… But I do have these cute pics of two very proud children holding their creations (one of them while also eating a museli bar), and what could be better than that?

This mama is very proud of her children’s punk rock attitude to craft. Hooray!


XX BQ


*The kids got inspired for this project by Pip’s piece on crafty jars in the current issue of Frankie and Paintergirl’s stories of making snowglobes when she was a little girl. Awww…

:: Blog Crash Dance-A-Thon :: Round 4

Feeling ready to shake it in the privacy of your own lounge room? Or in your office (ooh, I hope it's open plan!!)

To recap the Blog Crash Dance-A-Thon action to date; PG kicked it off with some sexy supercharged Lindy Hop (super-speedy and featuring lots of knicker flashing), which I countered with the slow slovenly sexiness of the Ska. Then PG reckons she lowered the sex appeal by posting a video of a sweet boy dancing northern soul style at the supermarket. What is NOT sexy about THAT I ask you??

So I am continuing the overt raunchiness with some line dancing, 70s style, courtesy of the Soul Train dancers. Slip on your boots, grab a partner, and get loooow to the dulcet sounds of Miss Aretha!

This clip does nothing to cure my playsuit envy, but it sure is a treasure trove of rad dance moves!

Paintergirl, I am doing the funky chicken in your general direction. What are you going to do about that my darling girl?

XX BQ

:: What's on Paintergirl's Mind? ::

photo credit: Mishy Lane

On top of crashing a top class blog which both BQ and I love and respect, it's been another inspiring week.

What's crossed my radar this week?  What am I thinking about?

1. It seems this was a week of activism.  There were lots of arty - crafty comrades at the SLAM rally on Tuesday.  Bloggers, artists, gogo dancers, knitters and lots of rock n rollers.  There were over 10,000 people at the steps of Parliament - all there to support live music and the creative culture of Melbourne.  In between feeling fired up and emotional, I took some photos.  Have a look over here.

2. Sass came back.  Sass came to be my work colleague after Pip introduced us - and I'm very grateful to her for bringing our worlds closer!  Sass is the wonderful designer behind Ask Alice Stationery.  Welcome home to Melbourne!

3. Maybe it's because I'm super busy and making lots of notes and lists - but I've become a little bit obsessed by my new pen.  Okay, there is no such thing as "a little bit" obsessed.  I'm just just plain obsessed.  It is made by this Japanese company called Delfonics and I'm in love because: it's yellow, it's made of wood and it looks like it comes straight from 1955.  Oh, and it writes in this very pointy precise way.  I bought it on Crown Street, Darlinghurst from a great store called Paper2.

4.  I'm going to Perth soon - and I'm excited that I might get to see my old pen pal Ms Leah Dent!  I met Leah in the swimming pool of the Lazy Days Caravan Park circa 1980.  Many years passed, and somehow our paths crossed again.  Maybe there was something in the water of that swimming pool, but we've both ended up in creative fields with a taste for the crafty, the clever and the vintage.

5.  I'm very much loving the new Eddy Current Suppression Ring album Rush to Relax.  Perhaps some people might ASSUME this is too rock n roll for the average crafty-girl?  I think that they assume wrong.

This ECSR clip is a good one to mark the end of summer and a fitting hats off to all the people who turned up at the aforementioned SLAM rally.

Love PG x

PS ... Hope you don't mind our intrusion!  Pip says "HI!"

:: Blog Crash Dance-A-Thon :: Round 3

After two kinda raunchy numbers, I'm a little hot. Phew!

I'm gonna take it down a notch and air things out with some cuteness.  Some Japanese cute.

We are going down to the supermarket to meet a sweet, sweet boy with a Marimekko tote bag (exactly like the one I own!) who does an impromptu slip-slide to some Northern Soul.

These are the same moves that the mod kids in the 90s were pulling when I first moved to Melbourne - so, yes, I'm having a total love attack!

Check out those white shoes!  That amazing pea-coat!

Enjoy!

Love PG x x x

:: Weddings and other parties, DIY-style!

Image credit: Worldlabel Blog

My ace friend Miss G gets hitched this weekend, and my dear little sister is heading down a Swedish isle in a few weeks. (And if the whispers in the wind are anything to go by, there'll be a couple more nuptials before the year is out. Ahhh, romantic!)

So. I seem to have weddings on the brain at the moment, which probably helped me 'accidentally' discover some lovely DIY wedding blogs this week. These offer FREE downloads of all sorts of things! Stationery, labels, invitation templates... Nice!

The photos at the top are my top pick for the week - fillable vintage labels, which you can find here. There's lots more than I have shown here, so do take a look!  I saw these via the Craftzine Blog. (These have certainly done the blog rounds this week, so you may already have seen them!)

I love the idea of giving the wedding industry a bit of a nose-thumbing. (Ha! Take THAT! I am making MY OWN weddingy bits and pieces!). And, of course, it makes me happy that people choose to make things.

But what makes me really smile, is that these wedding freebies are handy for all kinds of shindigs! Ace.

Who needs a wedding as an excuse? I'm using these labels for my next birthday invitations! And oooh, wouldn't they make lovely thank you cards if printed on nice heavy paper?

For more free wedding (and other parties) goodness, check out:

www.i-do-it-yourself.com - (oh my! there's a lovely font on there now! worth looking at!)
http://ruffledblog.com

You guys probably know heaps of other good sites with free wedding and party bits and bobs. Please share them with us in the Comments! (Ahem, I might even swipe a couple of ideas for my sister's wedding, shhhh!).


xx BQ


[Paintergirl and Bongoqueen have gatecrashed Meet Me at Mike's! It's OK though. Lovely Pip will be back in under two weeks, so don't fret. In the meantime, please stop on by to see what PG and BQ are up to, those cheeky monkeys.]

:: Blog Crash Dance-A-Thon :: Round 2

My goodness, that Paintergirl sure knows how to make a lady choke on her breakfast. Without even a hinted warning she has challenged me to a dance-a-thon duel, as I discovered quite unexpectedly this morning… Holy moly!

But I will not shy away, no siree Bob! I shall rise to the challenge by countering her hi-faluting, undies-flashing, expert fancy footwork of the Lindy Hop and its raunchy wildness (soooo good!) - with its complete antidote.

Miss Paintergirl, here is the irresistible slouch and low key lilt of the ska…Complete with instructions on how to do it, and two dudes doing the rowboat together! ACE! 

Ah… let’s bounce and do the ska (everyone can do it!)

(and as an aside… how long do you think I can resist posting THAT Bollywood clip?)

xx BQ

:: Blog Crash Cooking :: Traditional Chilean Salsa

Photo credit: Let's Go Chile

It's not easy to track down Chilean food in Australia, so in case you have been having an unsatisfied hankering for some, I will share with you my family’s Pebre recipe. 

Pebre is a traditional Chilean salsa, which is usually served as an accompaniment to a meal. There are lots of different ways to make this traditional salsa, but this is the way my ace grandma showed me how to do it. It's stupidly tasty.

What you will need:

• 3 pinches of sea salt 
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 large white onion
• 1 bunch of fresh coriander – well washed and stems removed
• 4 large ripe tomatoes – peeled
• 2 or 3tbs olive oil
• Juice of one small lemon
• Optional – 1 or 2 red chilies washed and stems removed, but with all their seedy goodness

If you have large mortar and pestle I recommend you use it for the first 5 steps, then transfer the mix into a bowl. Traditionally, this is made in a giant hollowed out stone. I am the keeper of the 9kg stone that has belonged to my family for generations. My grandma brought it across to me from Chile in her handluggage, sweet crazy bird.

Method:

1. Mash the garlic and salt to make a paste
2. If you are using chili, chop it veeeery finely and mix in with the garlic paste.
3. Finely chop your onion. My grandma had a high-risk method of doing this, but it was certainly very effective. Hold the onion down (it’s going to try to run away from you), and with the other hand chop into it like a maniac to create dozens of straight cuts into the top of the onion from all angles. Then flip it on its side and thinly slice the onion, to create miniscule slivers.
4. If your tummy doesn’t cope with raw onion, put your finely chopped onion into a bowl of boiling water, and let it cool down. Drain, rinse and repeat.
5. Add your onions to the garlic paste and mash it through. If you don’t have a pestle, use the back of a serving spoon. (You’ll be needing eyeballs of steel at this point. Mashing onions sure makes your eyes water.)
6. Chop the tomatoes into small squares, retaining all the juicy goodness. Add the tomatoes and juice to the mix and stir through.
7. Finely chop the coriander, and add to the mix.
8. You want this mix to be pretty sloppy. If it needs more liquid, just add a splash of hot water and allow to cool (this makes all the flavours permeate. Yum.)
9. Add the oil and lemon to taste, and give it a good stir.

Serve with your meal as a condiment. It goes incredibly well with roasted meats and veggies. Or, grab some nice dense bread and go dipping crazy!

It isn't a pretty dish, but it sure tastes nice!

XX BQ

:: Indians are our friends ::

This week we will be enjoying some tasty Indian foods - not just because we love it - but also to celebrate Indian culture here in Australia, and to also make a positive stand against violence.  You might've heard about the Vindaloo Against Violence campaign (aka Vagainstv?  People are flocking to their local eatery on Wednesday.

I thought this might be a nice time to introduce you to one of my favourite Flickr people, Meena Kadri aka Meanest Indian.

I've fallen in love with India from afar via her alluring, vibrant photographs of the streets, the signage and the people of India.  As a big fan of handpainted lettering and graphics, Meena's photos are a total carnival for all that goodness.

Here are a few photos of some staff in an Indian Coffee House in Trivandrum, 'cos it's good to think about the people of India, not just the flavour.

All photos by Meena

My questions to you: Are you gonna eat Indian on Wednesday?  What's your favourite local Indian eatery? I really really really wanna know!

Love PG x x 

PS - Are you proud of me for not making bad taste vagina jokes regarding VagainstV?

:: Do you miss Pip? ::

I know it's only been a DAY without Pip, but you know what?  I kinda miss her ... and I'm sure some of you guys do too.  Bongoqueen and I will do our best to keep things in-the-spirit in order to distract you from her her absence!

But, if you need a fresh fix of Pip ... you should pop over to Make and Meaning 'cos she's just posted a really nice article about family influence, childhood memories and pencil cases.  Just ... over ... here.

Love PG x

PS: If you haven't been over to Meet Me At Mike's in a few days and wonder who the hell Paintergirl and Bongoqueen are ... our intro is just here!  Normal programming returning in a couple of weeks!

:: Blog-Crash Dance-A-Thon :: Round 1

you can buy this book here

One thing that BQ and I really like to do together on nights in (when we can't be out dancing) is having a You-Tube Dance Party.  Learn new dance moves and slide about on the kitchen floor to the best clips we can find.  Interspersed with laughing and nice drinks.

So - as part of the Blog Crash, I'm challenging BQ to a Dance-A-Thon!  One for one pure-gold dance clips!

Here is my first favourite - all the way back from 1941 - this is some totally insane Lindy Hopping:

ooo, this book has some how-to Lindy Hop moves, 

but I dunno - I'm not sure that those squares are really rippin' it up?

Over to you BQ! What have you got for us?

Love PG x x

:: Swap Meet – Discovery!

Last year I made an amazing discovery. Automotive Swap Meets are a treasure trove of old things! And the biggest one in Australia is being held this Friday and Saturday in Ballarat, so I thought I’d give you a bit of a heads up (although you guys are probably all over it already.)

Don’t let the ‘Automotive’ bit fool you. These swap meets have all kinds of goodies. Sixties bunny cookie jar anyone? Oh, don’t pay $90 at a fancy homewares shop for it – how about $16? A set of 50s canisters? Not $110 but a bargain $45! Vintage bird cages, eskies, tin signs, magazines? Yes, please! Sure they might be in need of a bit of a spit and polish, but what the hey!

This vintage knick-knack revolution came about thanks to sweet Ben, who invited me to the Bendigo Swap Meet late last year. He was looking for vintage car parts (and did buy a couple), and I was tagging along to see what it was all about (and came home laden with goodies…). We left Melbourne at 6am, and didn’t leave, exhausted, until 5pm.

I came home with:

• A 70s foldable tray table, featuring a Paris in the Springtime motif: $10 
• A set of 50s canisters (completely pristine! That's them at the top there): $45
• A set of sweet porcelain book ends: $10
• An antique toy trike: $25

There are automotive swap meets right around Australia, mostly in regional towns. Have a little sticky beak in google, you might even find one near your digs.

The next big Swap Meet – the biggest in Australia - is this coming Friday and Saturday in Ballarat, at the Ballarat Airport. Entry is $10 for adults and FREE for kids under 12. Sweet Ben says that the stalls at this particular swap meet (all 2,300 of them, ooh la la...) are very spread out, so prepare yourself for lots of walking! For more info, head here.

Swap Meet Tips:

• Wear sunscreen, sunnies and a hat! Not much shade around at some of these things, and as nice as having a few new freckles may be, getting burnt to a crisp would be kind of boring – so best to play it safe
• You’ll be doing lots and lots of walking, so comfy shoes are a must
• Bring a big shoulder bag to store smaller things you pick up. Going back and forth to the car to drop things off gets boring after a while. Trust me.

Happy bargain hunting!

Oooh, let's make saucy old-timey undies!

As will become blatantly clear during our blogging gatecrash for the next two weeks,  I really like free things. And, I really like to make things. And, I wear undies. Every day.

So this little tidbit makes me very happy, because it brings all those things together.

The folks at Colette Patterns have shared a FREE bloomers making pattern here. The pattern ranges in sizes from XS to XL. Bloomin' beautiful, I say!

How cute would this be as a present for yourself, your best pal or even your mum or nanna? Totally ace.

xx
BQ

:: Special Maps :: from Miso and Ghostpatrol ::

When I went to New York in October I was all equip with my maps and books.  I even picked up this cute local map from Fred Flare of Greenpoint (heart! thank you FF).  But sometimes I did have flashes of feeling like a bit of a luddite because everyone was clicking on their iPhones, getting GPS updates and getting subway directions at a snap.

But I decided that I like getting a bit lost.  I like making friends with a map.  With a bit of paper.  I like orientating my internal compass via the position of the sun (like my Dad taught me).  I like making dots and notes on my map.

So I'm excited to see these beautiful maps of Melbourne and Fitzroy made for you by Miso and Ghostpatrol with all their favourite spots marked by hand.  Gimme the handmade aesthetic of a map like this any day over Googlemaps.

Sometimes Melbourne can seem like a maze of secrets - so thanks to Miso and GP for sharing with such style.

Download em here.

Love PG x

:: Nail Polish :: Vintage Typewriters :: Wow ::

photo credit: Picnic by Ellie

Jane Schub is a clever cookie.  (Or should I say brainy biscuit?)

She has immersed herself in colour theory and an obsession with a vintage Olivetti typewriter and came up with a concept for nail polish that will knock your socks off.

Rather than getting all fashiony about colour, she turned to other evocative inspirations and gives them to you in unlabeled bottles that sit together in delicious sets.

Here are my questions:  Do you think these colours would make you type faster?  Would you wear these one colour per finger?  If you are an artist or designer, how do you come up with your colour palette?

:: Strangebeautiful nail polishes to match your vintage Olivetti ::

Love PG x

Make a handmade placard for SLAM

photo from here

Do you know about the SLAM Rally planned for Tuesday afternoon in Melbourne?  SLAM aims to Save Live Australia's Music in the face of laws that lead to The Tote closing down.  If you don't know about the rally you should check out the website here: www.slamrally.org

One of the many reasons it it important to people like us, is because it is about keeping the creativity in our cities free and vibrant.  It is dangerous to allow misguided laws aimed at the few idiots to stomp on everyone else so harshly.

How does this tie back to being crafty?  Well, the organizers have made a call out to creative, design-minded, crafty types to show their skills, passion and support by making placards and banners to make this rally more good looking and to help convey the message with style.  Hey! Your handy work might even get on TV.

Do you think you can whip-up something cool?  Even if you can't march yourself, you can make a placard and drop it off at The Order of Melbourne (on Swanston Street) and someone else will march with it.

I always love the old suffragette banners and placards - and most of all, I love their use of parasols and umbrellas to make their message seen.

Love PG x

Frankie fans grow 30%

Photo: Rebecca Hallas

Wow-town! Jo Walker is a total spunk.  And I don't just mean she's a pretty face (which she is) - but look at her sassy go-getting action!  Look at Frankie getting a totally decent bite of the magazine-readership pie.  And look at this top-rating article in The Age about how cool and different Frankie is.  I think we should be proud that a magazine like this is flourishing.

Hope you like Pip's jar crafting in the latest issue.  I did.  And I think that BQ is gonna do some jar making with her little guy sometime soon - so stay posted.

Thanks!  Hope you enjoy our Blog Crash!  If you miss Pip, you can always pop down to the Brunswick Street store and see if she's around.  Say hello in person! Buy something cute for yourself!

Love PG x

:: Paintergirl and Bongoqueen's Best-Friends-Best-Ever-Blog-Crash-Extravaganza

 

 

Paintergirl and Bongoqueen - best friends, loving crafters and troublemakers - have been long time fans of the Mike's bandwagon and are proud to be hostessing for the next two weeks.  

 

You can expect unexpected crafty tips, rock'n'roll love, dance-steps, celebrations of eating and general trouble making ideas.  A little detour, but one we hope you enjoy.

Here are our mugs for you to smile at.  Cheers!

PG and BQ

:: I Like This...

And I like David Tennant. I know there are lots of videos lately, it's just that I'm really enjoying watching cool stuff and crocheting.   Maybe you like to watch them too?!

xx Pip

:: Spike or Spike...?

Following on from my previous post, I'm asking the important questions here.  While I sip my tea.  And try to wake up. 

Spike from Press Gang (left) or
Spike from Degrassi (right) or
Both... or neither?

Do let us know... And thanks to Lexi for her poll inspiration too.

xx Pip

:: A Taste Of My Life : Pink Cloud Cake

Oh I do wish that I could see the whole series of the Nigel Slater hosted 'A Taste Of My Life'.
I do. I love Julia Sawalha. I loved her in Press Gang and I loved her in Ab Fab and I love her in Lark Rise to Candleford. Oh. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I would like to BE her.  She's that lovely, I think.

Today I worked in the shop and had lots of nice visitors.  I crocheted 3 granny squares. I made some bread and slow roasted a leg of lamb.  I think I'll watch Brideshead tonight.  While I crochet. How does that sound?!

What did you do today?  Was it hot?  It's so hot here. The flies are bugging me and the mosquitos are buzzing me.  I ate a whole packet of jelly babies. Minus the ones that Brooke ate, which was not many.

Tomorrow I have some work to do on the book, and a post to finish off for Make and Meaning.  And I'm going to make pappardelle.  Because it's so nice. And easy.  And Ari will love helping.

(Max.  If you are reading this in ten years time: you went to the city to see Coco perform and then you and Ziggy went to the pool with Coco and Zoe.  You got a tiny bit sun-burnt. You also went to Carlton Gardens and spent all your lunch money treating your friends to slurpees.)

(Ari. If you are reading this in ten years time : you went to the working bee at Grandpa's old house and helped Dad out. You had fish and chips for lunch and too much lemonade so that you would not eat your dinner.

If you are reading this in ten years time : what were you up to today?

xx Pip

:: Gawd Struth. Enough Cougar Talk

 

Oh really.  Come ON.  Who wants to be a cougar?  Or a milf?  No intelligent human being, surely.  What a load of crock. Not even worthy of the crock pot, it's so dumb-crock.  

I like the fellas and all. But golly. I don't define myself by the company I keep. Sheesh.  

I would rather be an armadillo, truth be told.  Look how good they are.  Hah. Like to see a cougar do that...  You know they can't.  No way Jose.  Cougars sch-mougars.  

What would you be? If we're talking animals.  What do you think about all this stupid cougar chat?

xx Pip

:: Pass The Pickles

Lovely yarn (fine merino, dontcha know?!) via the Pickles online store. I got some of this last year and it is really gorgeous.  You should get some if you want to make a super soft and pretty granny blanket.  Perfect for fresh babies and delicate grown ups, I think.  The Pickles blog is here.  I'm off to find my Earl Zinger CD, now.

Do you have any recommendations re yarn buying?  It's hinting at Autumn now, the perfect time to be knitting and crocheting.  Where do you shop for yours?

xx Pip

:: Doing Stuff...

Aw Hi!

How are you?  I am good.  A bit better thanks.  Hope you are good too!  What have you been doing this week?  I wonder...!

I have been doing things like this ::

1. crocheting more granny squares
2. watching this 1987 TV Series (BBC of course) 'My Family and Other Animals'
3. drinking chai : my version of Amy's version
4. baking bread : Sabrina's Breadsticks from The Cook's Companion
5. making soup : red lentil and vegetable : just improvised
6. going to the park and eating warm bread, fresh from the oven, with Jam and Cream, with Ari
7. starting work on some amended patterns for new book
8. reading The Corfu Trilogy
9. working on Make and Meaning
10. adding a new foodie section in my sidebar
11. resting
12. watching Blackpool (again) : I love that series. Funny, brave and bleak.  And I love Sarah Parish and David Tennant too! (Remember Cutting It?!)
13. getting all the washing done
14. doing the school run
15. talking to the magenpie
16. reading 'The Country Kitchen' by Jocasta Innes (thanks Pilgrim!)
17. watching the Australian Story about Red Symons family and also Poh's Kitchen on iView
18. forgetting to watch Gourmet Farmer. Dang.
19. making a dress : but I have to unpick the neckband as the gathers are wonky. meh to you, wonky band
20. starting to make the final samples for the book
21. readying a quilt for binding (it's looking cute!)
22. not taking any photos! must do that!
23. thinking about making some loaves of rye bread and some home-made soft cheese too
24. feeling sad about Ruby Hunter
25. planning a new project for Frankie Magazine 

What are  you up to?  Let me know if you make a list too, and I'll check it out!  I love reading other people's food and telly and reading habits!  Don't you?!  I do!


xx Pip