:: Get Knitty....

Found over at.

xx Pip

:: Winner...

Hello!

Hope your weekend has been awesometown!

The winner of the Potholders is Sally : she was our third commenter!  Congratulations Sally!  Shoot me off an email to the address in the menu bar above!  Thank you, if you entered, or thought about entering, or tried to enter.  If my internet holds up this week, I will post a tute on how to make one!  Fingers crossed as it's been a bit patchy in the Web Land of Mike.

Hope things are ace at your place. Back soon! Don't forget to sign up for Five Faves this week!

xx Pip

:: SF Girl By Bay On Video

xx

:: Five Faves!

 photo by ari

Would you like to play Five Faves?  Go on!  Pop your link in below and post your five favourite things for the week!

1. Making potholders : I have been crocheting a lot and now my left wrist is a bit sore :(  I'm going to take a tiny crochet break and then upload a tute for those of you that want to learn to make pot holders too!  I will be drawing the winner of the potholder late tonight and posting tomorrow.
2. Making gnocchi : from this recipe : it's cheap and easy and Max helps me roll the wee dumplings!  We have them with a simple Napoli Sauce and cheese.  And a salad for some crunchy-munch.
3. Going to Kappaya at the Convent.
4. Listening to Wagons. But you know that. And you know who else LOVES Wagons too? We will be staging a Wagons Smackdown soon. But I think she might win. Because I fight like a girl.
5. Visiting here. It's a lovely land of crochet goodness! So nice.
6. (Sorry) Ari's photos : we gave him a camera for his birthday and here are some of the results.

Looking very much forward to YOUR Favourite Things for this week too!




xx

:: More Wagons

This video is directed by Lucy Dyson. She is Molly Dyson's sister. Molly Dyson is a friend of mine. And Ruby's too. And Gem's.

xx Pip

:: Something Good To Do Today...

open studio, originally uploaded by ghostpatrol.

Miso & Ghostpatrol
OPEN STUDIO


Saturday 27th of March
11 to 3 : cash only


Studio 2
Level 3 
329 Little Collins Street {cnr Elizabeth}

Go there!

xxx Pip

Also : Earth Hour Celebrations at The Melbourne Zoo : more here.

:: About Warm Soft Drink...

Image Via : Thank You

When I was little, we used to visit my Great Uncle Ken. He is great, and he is also my Nanna's brother.  In his pantry, he used to have a crate of soft drinks.  Maybe he still does. They were the kind that they deliver to your house and leave on the doorstep, you know those? (I never saw them being delivered, mind you, but they were always there.)   Anyway, they were NEVER kept in the fridge.  Always in the pantry.  When you sipped it, it was warm, but it was still nice.

About that sipping.  We would decide what  flavour would be best from the pineapple and the lime and the orange and the cola and take the bottle to the laminex table to open it.  There was lino underfoot.  We could see through the lacy kitchen curtain out onto the driveway where Ken parked his old white panel van. There was a roast in the oven and peas cooking for a rather long time on the top of the stove.  But back to the drinks.  Usually you needed a teatowel over the top to get the lid off, usually it needed to be damp.  So we did that.  Then we would slide the door of the dresser open and take out a glass, one of those bumpy, frosted ones, and pour a drink for ourselves.  Or Nan would do it for us. The dresser would always rattle a bit menacingly, as though something was going to fall out, but nothing ever did.

I liked Creamy Soda the best. It was so sweet and such a lovely golden colour.  We'd have a biscuit then, probably an orange creme or a Monte Carlo.  And then we'd go and get a chocolate from Uncle Ken too, just for good measure.  Nice.  They were always Cadbury's Milk Tray.  I liked the runny raspberry one or the hazelnut swirl one.  But I always had to look at the pictures on the box, just to make sure there wasn't some really good new filling (apart from the ones my teeth were destined for).  The cricket was on the telly and Dennis Lillee was bowling.  There were Christmas Ornaments with TicTac's inside them.  There was a slobbery jumpy dog.  And there was Aunty Phyllis dozing in her room on a floral bedspread.  Sometimes we'd go into the front room and play the pianola.  Nice.

xx Pip

:: Quick Picks : Cute People

  image via : thank you

Cute people to look in on! Go on! Go say hey! Spread your bloggy wings a little further afield!

I Like Clover Most
Goodnight Little Spoon
Pip Emma In The Afternoon
Cooking Up A Storm In A Teacup
Curbside Style
Melbourne Vintage

xx Pip

:: Pot Luck...

I've been making these. I have. It is fun. I like it. They are pot holders.  I crocheted them free-style - sans pattern.   Do you want one? You can have one, if you are lucky. Whichever one you like, in fact. Just leave me a comment! You've got until Sunday to enter. Random winner will be drawn then!  I would like to thank you for reading my blog.

Thank you.

xx Pip

PS : Open to everyone, everywhere, even my friends who think it would be cheeky to enter. It's not. Knock yourself out.
PPS : I will show you how to make these via video tute in a week or two.

:: The Bremen Town Musicians

The awesometown S Britt strikes again.
His superaceland website can be found here.

xxx Pip

:: Cliques : Vote To Include (and Ignore!)

image via : thank you!

You know what is cool? That the blogging community is so supportive of one another. That we all click around and pay each other visits and hang out with the peeps we like.  That is cool, no?  I think so.

You know what is weird? Well, the nature of linking and blogrolls can often mean that things look a bit cliquey.  And the whole notion of commenting can mean that some people feel a bit left out or neglected, don't you think?  The very nature of Facebook and Twitter lends itself to misunderstanding via short status updates and commenting, no? And if you are a non-blogger you might be unsure whether you can play with the bloggers.   All of this can play on our minds, as though we are back in the playground and it's Grade 5. I've heard it spoken about often in regards to blogging.  Feeling left out.   We want to be included.  We might even strive to be one of the gang, part of  'the group'.

But that's the thing.  Do these groups really exist?  Or is it something that just appears that way online?  Is everyone really buddying up and having a jolly old time (without us!)  Or are we just being a bit shy and insecure?

Shyness aside, I would like to think that we could all have a chat to each other, because who knows what we might stand to learn about the other person and ourselves.   I know that we can't like everyone, and everyone can't like us.  I get that.   We can't be all things to all people, blah blah blah.  But don't you think it would be ace if we could push the idea of online cliques aside altogether.  Call it a hoax and shrug it off. Surely it's just another way to pit person against person?  Meh.  We don't need that.  Let's not allow it.

I  think it's easy to assume someone is not your cup of tea (in case they reject you, reject them first kinda thing.)  I think it's easy to assume there is a club, or several clubs and we might not be part of them, because it taps into some very basic insecurities.  It's easy to assume people might not like you.  Or might be SO very different to you (in  a bad way).  But let's not. Let's not assume any of that. Let's assume that is all internet-drivel.   Let's assume things are much better than that.
 
I've been mulling this over, and personally I think that there is not a club, despite appearances. I think there are lots of ace people hanging out and wondering who else is like them. I think that sometimes we can get carried away with jumping to conclusions and spinning cliquey theories, but I think we are all coming at this from a similar angle.  I think we need to think the best.  I think we are, for the most part, wanting to connect with others, not exclude.  And I vote to include.  What do you vote?!  What do you think?!

xx Pip

:: I Like Watching This....!

It's very excellent! The costumes are like CAKES.  The dresses are gorgeous. There are ribbons and bibbons of every kind.  Everyone is taking lovers.  The food is always served banquet style.  The fellas are generally awful.  The girls are lovely (esp Mira Sorvino as Conchita.. and Connie Booth!)  The scenery is lush and the interiors are to die for.  Just so you know...

xx Pip

:: Robbers.

Image Source : thank you!

Yes. It is true. There are robbers. Not the bust in, mess up and run away type.  They are the hiding behind the curtains, sneak about, consistent type.  Here is what they take.  The blighters.

AA batteries
The needles with the eyes big enough to thread easily
My toothbrush
The hairbrush
The cute little crochet hook I prefer
The comb
The good scissors
The street directory
The last little bit of milk
The last tea bag
My flip flops
Any chocolate I receive as a gift
My black bra
The nicer leftovers in the fridge
All the ice cubes AND
All the clean towels (strange, no?)

If you see them.  Tie them to a chair and tickle them with a feather.  I want my things back.

xx Pip

PS : Do they plunder your house too?
PPS : Just between you and me, they often take my undies too.

:: Meme : Five Faves

So. How about playing along with me?!  List your Five Faves for the week on your blog and then link to the post from here! Favourite things you did, favourite things you read, favourite things you wrote, favourite blogs, favourite videos, favourite dinners, favourite people, favourite recipes, favourite blog posts, favourite tutorials, favourite songs... the possiblities are ENDLESS! So what do you think?  Do you want to play Five Faves? Please do!  Go on!  I mean YOU!

Here are my Five Faves for this week :

1. This video (above) : this song IS my theme tune at the moment.  You will find out why, soon!  Very exciting.
2. This lovely china : I got two of the (black!) sugar bowls to use as my Chai cups (for my birthday from my Nanna)
3. George Gently.  I'm watching it on DVD at the moment and I am loving it.  It's all about British telly for me, I must admit.
4. The gorgeous images on this blog.  It's always beautiful over there, but particularly gorgeous lately.
5. This blog which is full of lovely stuff and real life pretty...

(And one extra Fave, because I am naughty, these shoes.  Because I was sent a pair by a lovely friend and they are simply so cute I just want to LOOK at them.  But I shall be daring and wear them too!)

Here is the sign up sheet!  (Or sign up in the comments)  Be sure to link to your Five Faves post, too!

PS : it's Loobylu's birthday TODAY!

:: And...

Fitzroy Ampersand, originally uploaded by meetmeatmikes.

It is my birthday today!
Yay!
Happy Birthday me!
Hope me has a great day!
xx

Pip

:: And These Are The Last Few... For You

PS:: These are not the photos that will appear in the book.  John Laurie took those.  The photos I've been showing you today are MY dinky old happy snaps. I took them while the rest of the team were doing PROPER work.   Wait till you see John's!  They are beeeaudiful.

:: And Even More Photos of the Location House...

Do the muted tones, the light, the beauty... the florally, sleepy, colourful, quiet, vague sense of decay not leave you breathless?
Oh they do me.  Golly.

xx Pip

:: More Photos From Our Lovely Location

Just a few of the zillions of snaps I took of our inspiring location. I've already planned a whole lot of projects for Book Number Three, so inspired was I.  We had the most idyllic time.  Ari came along and we had a sleepover at the local motel (v exciting!).  Designer Michelle Mackintosh and Photographer John Laurie and his assistant Chris plus Jane Winning from Hardie Grant basically formed our own mutual admiration society, complete with kind words, high fives, sighs and hugs.  Our final shot was accompanied by a chorus of 6 or 7 kookaburras chortling in the tree next door.  We had a really wonderful time.  I think when you see the book you will be able to see how in sync we all were. It was total ace-ness-land. I was so sad to leave. It was like being on holidays with a group of your favourite peeps.

Sigh.

xx Pip

:: Shoot : Healesville

:: Another Day In The Studio...