(I love triangles. Yes. I really do.)
NB : Our Fitzroy shop closed on January 9th 2012!
10.29.2010
10.28.2010
:: Warpaint via Steve
Steve reminded me of this band on Facebook today.... You should listen to Steve too. His show streams live on Friday afternoons :: via here. He actually pointed to this clip on FB.
xx Pip
:: When We Saw Paul Weller....
Last night we went to see Paul Weller! He did not play this track. Nor was he on the top of a big red bus. BUT I believe he certainly DOES hang about quite a bit with mini-skirted ladies. I have seen the pictures.
I love Paul Weller. He played for ages and was really energetic and had a great band. He smoked on stage and had 193 guitars. He made a jibe about Gary Numan. And basically he was totally the platinum mulletted Modfather in skinny pants. He played a lot of his newer stuff.. but also some tracks from his awesomely iconic period with The Jam and The Style Council too. It was ace.
If he tours near you, you should totally go. The audience was really diverse, with lots of young people, but heaps of older people who seemed constantly in need of a wee. I know this because they were forever shuffling up and down the aisle to the loo. There were some fights and some people got thrown out, which I thought was quite dramatic. I mean it's not a Megadeath gig. It's Paul Weller. He's got grey hair and probably wears a smoking jacket post gig. Some people should settle down.... Sheesh.
Do you love him? Have you seen him? Do tell!
xx Pip
10.27.2010
:: Captains Of Industry...
Last night we had a little party at Captains of Industry. It was a very small affair with a few people (maybe 60!) who have helped us along the way... and some dear friends too. We had speeches by Fran and Gemma and Yvonne and me. We had lots of delicious food and ginger beer and regular icy beer too. And it was ace. Rad in fact. Here are some pictures, so you can be there too!
xx Pip
10.26.2010
:: When I Was On TV...!
Um. I feel a bit weird watching this myself. But YOU might like to watch it, right?! Here it is! This is me on The Circle this morning! I was there to show people how easy it is to make stuff.. and to chat about my new book and craft in general!
Thanks for having me, Circle-Gals! (They are all so so so nice and warm and friendly! So great!!)
xx Pip
xx Pip
10.25.2010
:: Softies For The Mirabel Foundation
Okay! A LOT of people have signed up for Softies for Mirabel.. but maybe we could get MORE signups if we had some cute little flyers to print and post about the place? Do you think that would be good? I do! Do you think YOU could design a flyer? I would LOVE you to! I will put it up here and on the Mirabel photo pool too, over on Flickr. Send your flyer, with your info so I can credit you fully, to meetmeatmikes@gmail.com if that seems like something you would like to do!
Here is some more about what we are doing....
Softies for Mirabel is now in it's fourth year. It's a campaign we run to benefit The Mirabel Foundation. The Mirabel Foundation is an amazing group of people who provide support to families affected by substance abuse. Their work involves supporting the carers of kids who might have lost a parent, or been abandoned, due to their parent's illicit drug use. Sometimes it is BOTH parents. It's really VERY important work. These kids are really amazing, and usually in the care of extended family or elderly grandparents. They are often grieving for their lost parent. And they need to know that PEOPLE CARE. I care. And my family and our little Mike's community cares. Each year we ask people to get together (or fly solo!) and make a toy for a Mirabel kid. Handmade toys are totally packed with love... and we want as many of those toys as possible to send out to Mirabel. Your toy could become an invaluable confidante to a kid with lots of stuff to talk about. Each toy is carefully matched to just the right kidlet, and they are gifted when they are needed most. And you could be part of that.
Please help us by making a toy, or encouraging someone crafty to make a toy. Or by donating to The Mirabel Foundation. Or by making a flyer for us. Go on! It would be so great if you did just one little thing! Yes!
Next week we'll start showing you the toys that have arrived so far.... but this week you could get sewing or crocheting or knitting or campaigning, couldn't you?!
xx Pip
:: More info here : including addresses to send to, deadlines etc.
:: The Circle....
Do you know what? I am going to be on The Circle tomorrow! Yes! I know!! On LIVE telly!!! I have only been on TV once before (on The 7.30 Report) and once in Anna's movie (Making It Handmade) so this will be the first time LIVE to air! Wow!!! I am a bit scared but mostly very excited! I am on at 10.40, the producer tells me!
Please watch and send me 'don't mess it up' vibes, won't you?! I am going to make a really simple cute thing and talk about my book. And I get to sit on the couch next to the nice gals from The Circle. (I love Chrissie! I love Denise!) PLUS Carrie Fisher and Shaun Micallef will be on too! But not on at the SAME time as me. Because that would be quite crowded!
I hope I get a copy of the show, or something, because I am not sure if we can even record it on our AV set up! Do you think they will give me a copy?! Although... if I mess it up, I might not really WANT a copy!
Tomorrow night I have a big night for the Family Launch of Sew La Tea Do, too! And then the Readings launch is on the 9th November! In case you want to come and say hello and bring me some musk sticks and talk about crafty stuff then.
It is a very busy ride at the moment... and it is quite nice. Yes.
xx Pip
:: The Design Files...
Look!
We are on The Design Files today! Pop over there to win our book and an awesome voucher from the very lovely people at Patchwork On Central Park! Thank you to super gorgeous Lucy for writing about our book. You are a total rad spunk, Luce. Thank you to Lyn because you are ace. Yes you are.
xx Pip
::::::::::::
:: Parcs i Jardins Quilt : via Friends....
Angela of Three Buttons showed me this quilt after she saw it on Upon A Fold.
It's by Wai Lin Tse and you can see it over here.
I love it very very much!!!
xx Pip
10.24.2010
:: Cookie Boy Via Ungtblod and also Beci and Peter
Wowzers.
How good are these?! If I iced these biscuits they would all end up brown. You know, from all the colours mixing together.... Possibly even grey. Yick. I found these Cookie Boy cookies via Ungtblod (one of my all time favourite blogs). Notice they are beautifully iced and not the teeniest bit messed up. Super great, yes? Yes!
Also... did you see Beci's tree gif animation?! So cool! The images are via the very ace Peter Tarasiuk.
xx Pip
:: Our Day....
Ah. The North Melbourne Spring Fling! We saw Mr Three Buttons and Baby Buttons, Justine, another Justine from Wilkins and Kent, Eliza and the Famille Shaz too! Nice. There was a cute gal band playing new-country and we soaked up the sun with some snacks and icy drinks. The Thread Den market was on, which was super cool. I have never been before and I thought the stalls were GREAT! (If anyone knows who the gal with the succulents is, I would love to get in touch with her!!!) There was wrestling! And hula hoops! And a giant elephant! It was pretty great and the kids had a great time, too! Hope your day was ACE!!
xx Pip
:: Do It Your Way? Shoes off?
Hi! Hi! Hi!
How are you? Are you well?! I am well! Well.. wellish. To tell the complete truth I have had a sore throat for a few days and am feeling a wee bit poorly and achy. Hopefully a nice resty day with my peeps will cure all. I hope! Are you okay? I hope you are!
Do you know what I was thinking about when I woke up? I was thinking about how, when I had had a sick day from school... or needed a note for anything, my Mum used to write in on a lovely blank illustrated card and send it on to school. And she wrote it with a fancy pen. Maybe a fountain pen with green ink. At the time, all I wanted was for her to write it on some crappy piece of paper (hopefully a bit screwed up) with a biro, and shove it in a dog-eared envelope. That's the way the other kids rode.
Instead I got the cards. I would take them up to the teacher, who would open the card in front of the class and smile... and put it away. And everyone would ask me 'Is it the teacher's birthday?' and I would say 'No (sigh)'. Then they would look at me funny. At the time, I thought it was embarrassing. But NOW I think... GO MUM! She liked to do things differently, in her own way, with a bit of flair. My Mum liked nice stationery and beautiful things, that's how she rode (and still does ride!) She did not care to follow convention. I think that if you want to raise kids who will be good problem solvers and creative beings, it's really important to defy convention.
I think that we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to slot in, to form a line and to do things perfectly (like they are on tv, in magazines or in other people's perfect lives). There are fashions and conventions we might try to follow, because that's how everyone else is doing it. But don't you think it's better to shake things up a bit, to think about the best and most pleasurable ways to get things done. And to do things like that?
It's nice to have a perfect dinner party... but maybe it's just as nice (even nicer?!) to invite all your friends for pot-luck and to sit on the floor and have your shoes off? And maybe the food doesn't need to be perfect, just plentiful? And maybe you might forget to serve the dessert because you were to busy chatting and sipping? And maybe those are the kind of friends you really need, the shoes-off, chatty, forgetful type? Do you think? Maybe you are shoes on... but totally into plenty and sip? That is good too!
Maybe you don't want your house to look like the pages of 'Fabarooni Casa' magazine? Maybe the clothes in 'Lady Chi-Chi' leave you cold? Maybe you serve straight from the pot, unlike the spreads in 'Yummyesque'? I think you should do stuff the way you want. There is nothing more refreshing than someone who is bold and brave and smiles in the face of convention. Cut loose, I say!
What do you think?! Do you like to do things in your very own way? Even a few tiny things that only you notice?!
xx Pip
10.22.2010
:: Phew... My book is out!
Oh wow!
Our new book is totally OUT! It started popping up in stores yesterday... and it should be in a store near you extremely very soon! How exciting. Here it is at Readings Carlton. It is also in at Readings in St Kilda. And the Brunswick St Bookstore has it today too.
I want to say thank you to you guys, for your (mostly!) constant support... and for checking in on me. Thank you. It really does mean a huge great lot to me to know that you are egging me on in the craftiest of ways. Thanks. For real.
And I want to thank heaps of other people too... you can read the acknowledgements at the back of the book, to see who helped.
A lot of things happened while I was trying to make this book. The very worst of it was when Cam's really superb-atron Dad died after a pretty gruelling battle with cancer (aren't they all, I guess). The very best things were when my Sister and Cam's Sister got married (in October and January!)
On the down side, our very gorgeous puppy Snoopy got squished by a truck. BUT on the up side I moved into a studio with Vic and Bec. Bugger, I also had pneumonia. But how ACE, I got to see my Nan on her 89th birthday. Wowee. Troughs and peaks. It really is quite amazing that this book actually got made and in fact hit the stores slightly ahead of time. Phew. When I look at it, I feel really proud. There were lots of dramas betwixt it's making. I am so glad I made it to the finish line! Not only did it make it, but it made it in the form of a really ace book that will get a lot of people sewing.
I really hope you like it. I really do like it a lot. It is like our family album, full of things we love and people we know. The handwriting that appears throughout the book is from Cam's Nan's and Cam's Mum's recipe files. There are lovely images by John Laurie.. and a page of snaps from my own album too. The kids are all friends of Michelle (our lovely designer and beloved of Mr Wide) or our own cute friends.
Lots of people came to the shoot to help, including Angela and Anita and Victoria and Cindy and Kirsty.... Invaluable and fun help, I might add. I worked with Jane and John and Chris and Michelle on the way the book reads and looks, as well as editor Janine Flew. Mel helped me to make the patterns. The team at Hardie Grant were marvellous.
Cindy's guinea-pig and a shy rabbit and Nimbus (Maggie's dog) all starred in 'Sew La', as well as our magpie Rochester.
Thanks to Cameron (my bf) and Gemma (my df) and Rin (my d) and Ari (my s) and Max (also my s) for their constant cheer leading.
Thanks thanks thanks.
Phew.
xx Pip
NB :: My book is called Sew La Tea Do :: you can buy it online from Readings and very soon at Borders.... or you can check Booko. You will find it in all good bookstores. It will come out next year throughout the UK and Europe
::::::
10.21.2010
:: Mike's Top Five :: Music To Listen To
I thought we could do some Top Fives! This week we can do music, yes? That way we can all find really great music to listen to... and we can see what our blog buddies like to shake it to. Do you shake it? I don't often shake it, but when I do it is quite memorable. Not in a cool way. In a 'wow, look how un-co you are' way. When I am in the car, I always listen to music. I have the little cord that runs from my phone to the stereo. I like that cord. It means I never get stuck in a music rut. Do you do that too?
I use the iTunes DJ to make random play lists from my iTunes library. And I listen to albums too. Here are my favourite albums at the moment. Every single one is a corker, I promise.
1. Arcade Fire : The Suburbs
2. Karen Elson :: The Ghost Who Walks
3. John Grant :: Queen of Denmark
4. Richard Hawley :: True Love's Gutter
5. Foals :: Total Life Forever
You can buy all of those on iTunes... or direct from the artist's websites if you prefer that. I think that is quite cool, actually, don't you? Maybe the lead guitarist is trying to find the end of the sticky tape, so he can wrap up your CD? Maybe the drummer is emailing you your download while he cuts his toenails? Maybe? I am weird and like both those ideas. Also, you could buy these from your local independent record store. That is a really great thing to do too.
Do you have a top five of the musical persuasion? Maybe singles, maybe albums? Whatever you like. Maybe you have a play list over on your blog? Maybe your blog is ONLY about music? If you post a top five, do let us know in the comments so we can come and see it and add your faves to our wish list. These lists could also be a cool way to find Christmas gifts for people you like, couldn't they? Yep. I think so.
xx Pip
images via gigposters.com
10.19.2010
:: Choose-Day...
Craft Girl print : by Beci Orpin
from Outre Gallery
Beci Orpin is a really rad chick. She has two rad kids and a rad partner and she is extremely, very nice and makes great stuff. You can see Beci in the new Frankie magazine, too. She has made a very lovely crafty Christmas tree. It is an ode to all that is colourful, cheery, graphic and confetti-ish. You will love it. There are lots of prints and things you can buy for your Christmas beloved here too: and I really like THIS necklace a super huge lot. Don't you? Beci Orpin, we choose you... because you are very great.
Karen Elson Tour Poster
So so good. This is one of my very favourite books of all time, and I bet it ranks highly on your list, too. Totally part of my first literary memories... especially the pages with the holes in them. Don't you want drift off to sleep thinking caterpillar thoughts? I think so. We choose you, Retro Print Revival! (They have LOTS more lamps to choose from, if you are not in to creepy crawlies!)
xx Pip
10.18.2010
:: Peppermint Bay and Miss Haidee and Pip Stafford too...
This is where we had lunch in Tasmania on Friday. My Mum and Brother took us to their favourite place to eat, south of Hobart at Peppermint Bay. It is a lovely spot looking out to gorgeous Bruny Island over the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. (We used to take the boat to Bruny Island from Tinderbox when I was a little girl and have picnics on the beach.) We had a really lovely, relaxed meal and some champagne in a beautiful airy, cosy room with a lovely view. It was really ace! I can see why they like it!
Weirdly, today I found out that Miss Haidee and her family OWN Peppermint Bay. That is totally crazy because I unknowingly emailed Miss Haidee last week trying to buy a dress like the ones Rin bought us at Finders Keepers (Miss Haidee was there too! But I did not meet her!) Miss Haidee read my blog today and let me know that it is a small world and that she is THE Peppermint Bay gal. Gosh it is a teeny world. We spoke via email last week... and we could have easily spoken in person, because I visited her family's restaurant! Wow! Coincidence, no?! How does that happen? I like it that we are all moving in the same circles, even when we jump States... and even without meaning to!
(If you read the comments on this post you will see that three of us have our eye on the same picnic set in the same Margate shop!)
(Also I was staring at a gal at the Farmer's Market in Hobart on Sunday... and that gal turned out to be artful blogger Pip Stafford. But I did not know that then.. I just thought 'She looks a bit cute and bloggy!) Golly. Small world. We worked it out on Twitter today...! Sheesh! We could have had a lovely chat, had we known!)
xx Pip
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
add this
