:: Win the Meet Me At Mikes Crafty Getaway : Thanks to Medina

image : via

Okay!  So. Imagine this. You are at home with the people you live with. Maybe they are big people. Perhaps they are small people.  They might even be Tiny people.  Regardless of size, they are nice people, right?  Yes they are.  But sometimes.... you want to get away. You want to kiss your people goodbye, give them a quick squeeze and go have some time to do you-stuff.   Just for one night.  Maybe with a bestie. Maybe with a sister.  Or your cousin.   Or a newborn.  Or your niece.  Or your Mum. (Maybe ALONE!!)   I don't know. But you know who, don't you?!

Here's where I come in.  I hardly EVER do sponsored giveaways, but the folks at Medina have been very co-operative and have helped me to put together a really good prize that nearly all my readers would LOVE to win.  (I think if you are going to do a giveaway, then make it a super-ace one.  Make sure that it's the kind of thing you'd REALLY TRULY like to win.  Make it whizz bang!)  And then, serendipitously, some other sponsors chimed in.  And before you knew it, we had a rad prize.  A prize to be reckoned with!  Drumroll, if you please....

You could win the Meet Me At Mikes Crafty Getaway!!

Yikes!  Yes!  Sneak off for a crafty, cosy, whizz bang night at the Medina  with one other extra nice person.  

Yes!  ONE lucky winner will receive a night for TWO at the Medina of their choice. (Do not fret if you think this is only for Sydney or Melbourne people.  Don't waste those tears.  The people at Medina tell me that they have around 22 locations right across Australia.) 

Wow!  You need to bring :: You, your companion, some portable craft supplies, some trashy mags, a good book, slippers, some comfy clothes for jumping on the bed in, pyjamas, toothbrush... that kinda stuff. 

THIS is the prize ::

1 night at the Medina of your choice (valued at $300)
A Meet Me at Mike's Book 
The latest issue of Frankie Magazine 
Two cute notebooks and two nice Delfonics pens for writing important stuff down
A pair of Luxe candles for super nice ambience
A couple of  Max Brenner Chocolate Indulgence kits (each containing : caramelised pecans, a sweet embroidered face towel and some Ivory Coast Cocoa Butter Bubble Bath)
Two really great DVDS to watch and keep ::  Bright Star and Tess of the d'Urbervilles (thanks to Roadshow) 
Two bottles of wine thanks to Battle of Bosworth (one bottle of delightful Spring Seed Wine Company Chardonnay and one bottle of  Battle of Bosworth Preservative Free Shiraz)   : Um. Yum.
A letter from me revealing some secret stuff that no-one knows
The prize is worth around $700 in total. Although, I am certain you can't put a price on a night of peace and quiet. And I am certain a secret letter from me is totally priceless.

To enter* : please enter your link below :: facebook, twitter and blog links are all super fine : make sure you are easily contactable via these links though. Only the links on the list below will be eligible.  PLEASE do not COMMENT to win.  The Link list is the only way to win!!  (But feel free to comment your thoughts and things, do!!!)


Our lucky Winner will be drawn randomly on 8th July 2010. 

For more chances to win a night at the Medina you should click over to MumSpace 

Thanks to Medina for being so rad and tailoring this prize to fit smart people like Mike's readers!

*  Anyone who lives in Australia and is over 18 may enter.

:: Make and Meaning : Beginner's Luck

originally written for make and meaning by MEETMEATMIKES on MARCH 12, 2010

Hmm. Beginner’s Luck. It must exist, because it’s an oft used phrase, right?  But I have been wondering about Beginner’s Luck. Is it really about luck?  Is it only for beginners?  And is there a way to harness this seemingly flukey success, even if you are an old hand? Hm.

Speaking of old hands, it all started when I was chatting to my friend Anita.  (She’s an ace chick, not old, but quite handy in case you don’t know her.)  So there we were, Anita and I, stitching along together, sipping chai and eating home-made cinnamon scrolls. We were having a really nice time.  We got to chatting  about a friend of hers who has JUST started sewing and is REALLY quite good at it already.  We were marveling at the greatness of this, how speedily and enthusiastically her friend has taken to crafting.  And we weren’t being kindly encouraging or patronizing.  Nope.  Her friend sews beautifully.  We were forming a fan club, to be honest.  I guess we were in awe of the way she approached sewing.  Kind of common-sense and positivity rolled into one.  A total renegade, can-do attitude.  Just tearing up the cutting board and tearing along with her machine like she was born to it.  Awesome.

It’s something that has been on my mind a lot.  We don’t all dive in so easily when it comes to being creative.  I think that we often become intimidated by the beautiful work of other crafters, by the fear of failure, by instructions, by our own expectations,  by the way our hands won’t do what we want, by the wondering what to do next, by the desire to hurry to the end product, by fabric choices, by medium, by the need to make something useful, by the desire to appear accomplished, by the aim to make something saleable, by the superior abilities of crafty relatives or friends.  Phew.  That’s a lot of things to be intimidated by, isn’t it?  It’s kind of daunting to see them all written down, actually.  It makes my stomach tighten a bit.  Ick.  And that’s the point.   I think that thinking about all these factors can stop our creativity from flowing as it might, throwing crazy obstacles in the path of the natural journey our making might take.  I think it’s really easy to become overwhelmed by these sorts of thoughts and by getting a bit ahead of ourselves.  But let’s try not to. I know that it’s tricky, but I think we owe it to ourselves to take a deep breath and make something anyway.

I think that some people are brave, like our ‘lucky’ beginners.  They throw off the baggage that some of us come with, or indeed they lost it in transit or travel sans suitcase.  They just dive in, boots and all.   They have their blinkers on, are snacking on cookies, humming along and avoiding the hurdles altogether because they are too busy having a good time.  And they make good stuff.  Not perfect.  But good. Sometimes even great.  They’ve stopped thinking so much and have just started doing.  They make stuff full of the best intentions, laden with gusto and lovely true-to-them crafty DNA.  They learn as they go, don’t judge themselves too harshly and embrace their ‘mistakes’.

I think that’s it right there.  Some of us worry, plan, procrastinate, hope, berate ourselves, compare, over-plot, over-think, fear.  And some of us turn up the music, drowning out all that chatter and just do.  (And, I am sure, some of us think and do, clever multi-taskers that we are.)

Don’t get me wrong, I love the thinking part a lot, but if the thinking is paralysing the doing then we need to take a leaf from the beginner’s book.  Have a serious word to ourselves.  Make a cup of tea.  Eat cookies.  Slow down.  Shake it out and loosen up.  Make like the beginners, turn up the music and hum along.  The humming will drown out those scary voices.  Let our making time flow happily without worrying about all that other stuff.   Let’s remember to have fun, enjoy the process and trust in our own abilities.

So, how is it for you?  Do you know a prodigious beginner?  Or are you a bit of a creative tortoise?  Are you a late bloomer?  Or are you an irreverent beginner?  Are your own expectations a bit of a shackle?  Or do they fuel your crafty success?  Do you turn up the music?  Or are you still thinking about which music to play?!  I would LOVE to know!

xx Pip

:: Come Home! Magazine....

Hello!  Look at these images from Come Home! Magazine. Don't they make you want to clean up and get crafty?  Come Home! Magazine is a Japanese interiors mag.  It's completely gorgeous and we have a few copies at Mikes at the mo for the local people.  The non locals can enjoy the little sneak peeks here!  Fun for everyone, methinks. If you click the images they will open in a new window. If you click them again they will be bigger!!

xx Pip

:: Five Faves at Mike's :: By Rin

Did you know that Rin works in the shop? Rin is my daughter. She is 22. She is really a very lovely person. You will soon see her on the cover of our new book! Yes. You will.  Here are Rin's five favourite things in the shop, at the moment....

1) Victoria Mason Jewellery

2) Paumes Interiors Books

3) Vintage Pyrex

4) China Lights Candles

5) Ask Alice Gift Tags and Delfonics Pens and Pencils

:: How To Embroider : For Beginners

I had an email from a really sweet gal called Lisa, asking for some recommendations on Embroidery How-Tos.  So I thought I would do a run-down of embroidery on this very blog.  Just in case it's what you're in to.  Or what you might want to be in to.  Or something.

What You Will Need For Best Results :
An air-fading marker : these allow you to trace a design on to some fabric, knowing that the pen marks will magically fade away in a day or two.  (See below for a link to details on other ways of marking or drawing on your fabric.)
An embroidery hoop : some people don't use them, I think they are awesome and help you to keep your work neat and stop your stitching from puckering
Fabric : if you are tracing a design, then I would recommend calico as it's a little bit transparent and will make tracing easier.  If you are just drawing directly onto fabric, or ironing a design on you could use linen or cotton too.  Make sure your fabric is not too weighty (like upholstery fabric) if you are embroidering a more detailed design. If you are are just stitching lines or free hand you could use heavy weight fabric, though
Embroidery Floss : this is the little skeins of thread that you use for embroidery.  Each strand of the embroidery floss is made up of 6 teensy strands all wound together : you can easily separate the strands out to create finer details and vary the thickness of line, or indeed the texture of your work.
A needle : you need a good sharp needle with a fairly big eye.  If your needle has a tiny eye it will be really hard to get the floss threaded through it.  If your needle is FAT it will make holes in your fabric. So a fine needle with a big eye is best.
Scissors : for snipping and clipping
Where to buy supplies?  Your local craft store will have all these things : or you can buy online from good sewing or patchwork stores.

• Embroidery Basics : Tutorials
• How To Use Embroidery Floss
• How To Use An Embroidery Hoop
• How To Trace An Embroidery Design Onto Fabric
• How To Embroider Back Stitch
  

• Some Embroidery Ideas
• Dapper Fox :: Embroidery How To
• Christmas Embroidery :: TeePee Girl
• Max Embroidery

Extra Good Stuff You Will Need To Know...

The low-down on different kinds of marking pens for crafting

How to iron on a ready-made embroidery transfer

How to use a transfer PENCIL to create a design on fabric

Learn how to do all the stitches you would ever want and more

Stitch School : by Primrose Design

or look on YouTube and search the desired stitch : there are HEAPS of great video tutorials

Really great places to get inspired about embroidery...

Feeling Stitchy

Sublime Stitching

Pattern Bee

This link

Hoop Love

Flickr Embroidery Pool

:: I Want To Live In A Yurt

Click here to read more about Rasheet and his beautiful yurt. You can find even more gorgeous yurts here.

xx Pip

:: Craft Victoria Last Night

Hello!

Wow.  Gemma and I spoke at Craft Victoria last night.  We have totally made it in the craft world now, phew!  It was really fun and of course we went over time as we had so much to say.  Sorry to the people who were cold and hungry! We spoke alongside Anika Cook and Melanie & Jeremy of Artsphere.  They had some really interesting things to say about Blog Design and Simplified Bespoke Websites.

We had even more things to say, of course, because we are chatty.   Here are a few of the final key things we spoke about super briefly : in case you are clicking over from Craft Victoria and want a bit of homework.  Gemma and I are working on a publication covering lots and lots of this stuff in greater detail, in case you are hungry for lots more information!    In the mean time, here are our notes for the final part of our chat.  There will be a repeat session of this talk : Websites and Blogs Made Easy : contact Craft Victoria for details.

Final Points We Skimmed Over : (The rest of the links and stuff is on the handout we gave y'all!)

Getting Noticed ::

• Find your voice and use it
• Link and share with abandon and integrity
• Blog often : reliability is important
• Have nice manners
• Be sincere and generous
• Be nice in general
• Make sure your writing and images (content) are awesome

Ideas For Content ::

• Diary or Journal type entries
• How tos and instructional posts
• Detail your inspirations and influences
• Memes
• Events and resource notes
• Talk about friends and your community
• Write reviews or critiques
• Write carefully or write with abandon!
• Write a list of things 
• Use mosaics, collages and your own original images for a unique post
• Interview someone
• Write your own private content : for a small circle of readers : or just for you!
  

Collaboration ::

• Write a joint blog
• Use your blog to mentor someone
• Invite a guest blogger : or guest blog yourself
• Stage a blog crash and take over the blog of someone you know well!
• Use your blog for a community or charity project
• Use memes or linking tools
• Use your blog to foster REAL LIFE connections
• Use your blog to encourage dialogue

If you came last night : feel free to email me if you have any other queries about our chat. I am all ears and would love to help.  And do you know that Dana and  Sass and Shelley popped in for a quick squiz? They did.  They are so super great.  It is always so good to have a tiny cheer squad.

After our chat we tried to go to Mamasita, but it was just toooooo crazy, that queue.  I do not queue. So that is that.  If you take me out and there is a line I will not like it.  I will get all antsy. We had a late lunch at Trippy Taco anyway, so we forgot about dinner and just drove home to drink wine in front of the fire with Cam and Max and Ari.  AND we watched The Kenny Everett Video Show on Beta : on our new (old) Betamax player. Holy cow. It is like a huge steamship of an appliance with clunky buttons and a recalcitrant rewind button.  I really love BETA!  I don't really like Hot Gossip.  But I do like Sid Snot, Bryan Ferry, The Pretenders and David Bowie, who all featured on the episode we watched.  Do you like them too? Or not?

xx Pip

:: Make and Meaning :: Nan-Ironic?!

written for Make and Meaning by MEETMEATMIKES on JANUARY 15, 2010

I watched a great show on telly a week or two ago.  Anthony Bourdain’s‘Disappearing Manhattan‘ special highlighted the sad demise of vintage eateries.  It celebrated iconic establishments such as Keen’s Chophouse,  Manganaro’s Grosseria and Katz’s Deli ( plus several other enduring restaurants).  It was a joy to watch.  Bourdain was in his element as he lovingly tucked in to the often staggeringly retro menu, commenting more than once about the excellence of curly parsley, the daunting delight of drinking beer from a giant glass boot and the delicacy of the  hand carved vegetables’.  He was pleased. The meals were really good.   Honestly.  Not only was the food tasty and proudly channeling 1955, but it was served ‘without irony‘.  Which made it even better.  Said Mr Bourdain, anyway.

It  got me wondering  about the ‘contemporary craft’ movement.   Isn’t it interesting that many crafters are often pointing out that their particular craft is not like  Nanna’s, that it is in fact proudly served with a healthy side order of irony?

Cross-stitched samplers might feature rude words. Perhaps they’ve knitted bountiful boobs onto their poncho.  Maybe they’ve crocheted a chainsaw.  Someone made an Obama toilet roll cover.  Macrame-d moustaches.  Days Of The Week Voodoo Dolls.  Okay.  These things are good too.   And ironic.  I think.

However, it seems it’s not enough to be merely ironic.  We’re being iconic too.   In fact we’re being ironic and iconic.  We’re stitching old standards like  hostess aprons, embroidered pillowcases, quilts, granny squares and potholders.  We’re filling our new-style Glory Boxes to the brim, crafting just the kinds of things that our Nannas used to make… but somehow our attitude is different…  Because the way we’re crafting them is surprising?  Which makes it ironic?  Or something…?

This is just the something I was wondering about.  Does craft have to be ironic to be cool?  And how do we know that the attitude we’re serving up with our nouveau-vintage craft is any different to that of our grandma’s? What’s wrong with being like our Nannas?  And who cares about cool anyway?  Are we pretending to reinvent the wheel, while we happily and not-so-secretly follow in our Granny’s footsteps? Or are we, perhaps, using our marvellous view of social change over the last 50 odd years to make a statement, making things because we want to and not because we have to or are expected to?  Do tattooed people make edgier craft?  Is it all about crafting with an element of surprise, then?  And does irony and the lack of Nanna-ness make the craft any better?

I know.  That’s an awful lot of questions!  Where does irony, cool and grandma come into craft?  For you, I mean?!   Do tell!

xx Pip

:: Make and Meaning : Looking For Clues

Originally written for Make and Meaning by MEETMEATMIKES on DECEMBER 17, 2009

I’m the sort of person who carries a notebook.  It’s a moleskine, as is the fashion.  It’s full of messy writing and cryptic clues.  Often so cryptic, even I can’t read them.  ‘Hmmm…’ I say to myself. ‘That’s a tricky clue. What does it mean, Pip?’  Often I don’t know.  But I’m still all about clues.

My clues are little signposts.  They might lead to other clues.  Or they might be clue enough to stand on their own.  It depends on the day and the mood and what I’m up to creatively.  Regardless of the variable value, the fact remains.  I’m  looking for clues.   A colour,  light shed, a snatch of conversation, a word, a shape, a song, a pattern, a font, a can of beans, a book, a car, a tree.  The clue could be anything.  The clue could be anywhere.  It might be really obvious, or only seen by clue seeking people like me.  The clues help to hatch lots of good stuff.  I’m looking for the sort of clues that give inspiration.  They lead to all sorts of good making and writing and baking and photo taking.  Maybe you’re cluey too?

For me, life is like a giant  scavenger hunt.   There could be delight at every turn.  There could be dirty socks.  No matter.  It’s all about persisting and training myself to see things differently. Seeing the beauty and the promise and the potential in all sorts of places.

I’m scanning hopefully for little secrets.  You might find me looking for lost shopping lists or discarded notes.  I’m the one at parties looking for the door in the back of the wardrobe.  That’s me trying to find the book that you yank from the library shelf to make the whole room swing into something exciting and new.  In my world the unassuming types are really gangsters.  That little sparrow might just talk if I can get it to sit on my finger like Snow White.  It might even tweet me a poem.   The lady in the Post Office  is, of course,  about to remove her latex mask any second to reveal she’s actually some sort of droid.  Needless to say, the car parked outside my house is definitely stolen.  The arc of the rainbow is most certainly pointing to an important destination I must discover.  And the pattern of the rainbow colours is a secret code I need to crack.   Maybe that city skyline could be an embroidery design?  Maybe those colours would be good in a granny square?  It’s a bit girl detective, a bit Amelie and a bit Pippi Longstocking.  It’s a lot about being resourceful, positive, imaginative and humorous, and sparking fresh new ideas.  It’s about trying to soak things up more creatively, I guess.

Are clues part of your creative process?  Or perhaps I am the only person like this?  How do your ideas roll?  Are you looking for clues too?!

xx Pip

:: The Envelope Project : Join In?

It's not too late to join in!  Off you go! If you want to!  Sign up below...!

More details over here.

xx Pip

:: Letterpress Awesomeness. Go Make A Mess...

Keegan Meegan Press & Bindery from :::MAGNETIC ARCHIVES:: on Vimeo.


via Craft

xx Pip

:: Jonquils Are Lovely...

a) here
b) here
c) here
d) here

I bought a few $2 bunches at the Camberwell Market this morning.  Oh I love the smell of jonquils.  I really do.  I know some people hate it.  But I am not some people.  I also bought a few vintage photos of people on family holidays.... and some old school book labels a la Women's Weekly.  And a cyclamen for Chez Lady.

I will scan the vintage photos to show you later on this week : I think you will like them a lot.  And I thought I might scan the labels too : that way you could print them out and stick them on your notebooks and things and pretend you are wearing school shoes and it is 1976.  What could be better than that?!

I had a bunch of  good stuff to do today, so I did that.  And I have a busy day tomorrow, which I am looking forward to. Lots of finishing off stuff and realising stuff, which is very good to do.

I hope your day was great.  Did you have bagels?  I did.

xx Pip

:: Ashes to Top Gear...

:: The Envelope Project : Day 12

Oh yes. The Envelope Project rolls on!  Here are some of the things that were IN the envelopes.  I took them to my new studio (which I am sharing with the awesome Victoria Mason) to photograph them nicely. Yes!  The studio.  I call it Chez Lady. I know. It sounds like a special place with fancy ladies wearing too much lipstick.  Well. It is. But we don't put out. And we just go for the lip gloss.  We also make good stuff and drink tea there.  Nothing like those other kind of fancy ladies.  We are the new fancy, Me and Vic. We are all about looking cute and being clever and working hard.  I suppose that is what those other fancy ladies are about too.  Well. Trust me. There is a difference. Okay?

xx Pip

** Disclaimer : Victoria does not call our studio Chez Lady. If you see her do not mention this post.

PS : More Envelope Project images over here

:: The Top 50 Television Dramas of All Time...?

Okay. I just read this post. I'm a bit annoyed. It is not a good list, as far as I am concerned.  In fact,  I am not really very sure about what they came up with at all. Are you? I mean really.  Am I blind? Where is Life on Mars? Golly. Are the lines between drama and comedy blurring too much? Is science fiction allowed?  Well we SHALL allow comedic drama and sci-fi here.  Let's blow The Guardian out of the water. Their list is not as good as ours, is it?  Let's make a list!

I shall request the following inclusions ::

Life On Mars
Ashes To Ashes
Lark Rise To Candleford
Dr Who

I do LOVE Brideshead Revisited, State of Play and Mad Men too. So I am happy about those, Les Guardian Peeps.   How about you?  What is missing for you? What will you request?  DO add yours in the comments.  What Australian drama would you include?  This is the BEST TV dramas of all time, keep in mind.

Here is The Guardian's List :

1. The Sopranos
2. Brideshead Revisited
3. Our Friends in the North
4. Mad Men
5. A Very Peculiar Practice
6. Talking Heads
7. The Singing Detective
8. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
9. State of Play
10. Boys From the Blackstuff
11. The West Wing
12. Twin Peaks
13. Queer as Folk
14. The Wire
15. Six Feet Under
16. How Do You Want Me?
17. Smiley's People
18. House of Cards
19. Prime Suspect
20. Bodies
21. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
22. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
23. Cracker
24. Pennies From Heaven
25. Battlestar Galactica
26. Coronation Street
27. The Jewel in the Crown
28. The Monocled Mutineer
29. Clocking Off
30. Inspector Morse
31. This Life
32. Band of Brothers
33. Hill Street Blues
34. The Prisoner
35. St Elsewhere
36. The L Word
37. The Shield
38. Brookside
39. 24
40. The Twilight Zone
41. Pride and Prejudice
42. Red Riding
43. Oz
44. The Street
45. The X-Files
46. Bleak House
47. The Sweeney
48. EastEnders
49. Shameless
50. Grange Hill

xx Pip