A bit of relief

I have been making garlands 'til they have come out of my ears or actually my neck. This is because over the weekend I have developed a massive pain in the neck from some kind of pinched nerve because all I have been doin is repetively making garlands!

So today I am giving myself a break and after some good sales yesterday, permission to make some tea towel cushions. They are a comfort to the eye... I  tell you that Bob! Yessiree! These will go up to Brisbane next week to the Bris Style Martkets. (Yes I am flogging this a bit, but I am tres excited!)

I originally thought the fish themed cushion would be a good idea for Fathers Day, but everytime I mention it, I just get bemused and amused looks, shakes of the head and tut, tut, tuts. Oh, I can but try.

These other cotton calendar tea towels are for a custom order. It is going to be very difficult cutting into the 1969  tea towel, but hey, at least it will be on show all the time instead of being shoved in a drawer, or used to dry dishes.

I am playing today with Kirsty at Kootoyoo.

Balance and abundance

I am the kind of person who can become fixated on a project quite easily. You could call it focused if you want to put a positive slant to this quality...or you could call it obsessed if you want to be...less than positive.

My recent 'focus' has been my collecting feathers label. I enjoy doing all the work (except photgraphs) so much I don't mind working into the night. My previous, obses...err focus was gardening. 

Yesterday, I realised that I hadn't gardened for yonks, and even though it is winter, it is no excuse. My garden should be looking fabulous darling! I should be out in the sunshine, on a daily basis, becoming centred to the universe and soaking up vitamin D.

It was a gorgeous sunshiny day, so I wandered up to the orchard and vege patch to pick the five kilos of chilli's on the bushes, and found the chooks had been having a wonderful time. It was a complete shambles! Mulch was everywhere and they had eaten all of my green barrier plants.

Trees were overladen and fruit, and citrus was everwhere. Sparky and I worked for half a day  and made a small dent in the debacle of the garden. We harvested so much produce that I will have to spend the rest of the week making jams, sorbets, curds, sauces, cakes and pies. (What do you do with 50 leeks?!?)

I have decided that I have to conquer this focused nature and become a more balanced creature (she said blogging st 8.30 on a Monday morning and thinking about making more garlands this morning).

In the arvo, I allowed myself the time to make some 'Hearts and Flowers' galands. I use vintage hankies (presoaked in napisan!) and vintage music handcut into hearts. There are some hankies that are so old and lovely  that  I am hesitant to cut into them, but I am also overcoming that foible. If I didn't use them creating something pretty, most would just be thrown away or be used for their original function. (I am too delicate to spell that function out)

The hanky on the bottom left, my favourite was from the early to middle 50's and made of superfine lawn, in aqua and red and a wonderful graphic of a flower cart.

Although I am not a feminine, girly kind of girl, I get such a thrill out of these fabrics and making these garlands. They are so purty!

Brissie Market

Things are hotting up and I am all excited and getting into 'Market Mode'. I will be heading up to the BrisStyle Indie Designers Markets (BiDM) on Saturday September 4, at St Augustines Church, Hamilton. It is three weeks away, but it may as well be three hours away in 'Nick time.' I spent yesterday constructing alot of my packaging. Metres of mini garlands for my little folders.

'Cos I am a newbie and don't really know the ropes I decided to share with somebody who did (know the ropes)  That person is Julia from 'A creature strange.' She stocks lovely bags, purses, and jewellery so our products will live in harmony together, side by side, creating a mini emporium!

Artpiece Gallery - new paper exhibiton

I popped over to Artpiece Gallery in Mullumbimby, for their new "On paper, in time and in others' minds" last week and was so impressed by the beauty of all the pieces.

Standouts for me were Cumulous, by Belinda Smith. A beautiful abstract work of sewn paper circles

I was surprised to see that she was the artist of another one of my favourites from the preceeding exhibition.
 

 
These caught my eye and I haven't been able to forget them, and I just realised that they are by Kate Maurice, the wonderful artist of crocheted bottle tops.
 

 
And to add to the Collecting Feathers/bird theme here are a few birdies that caught my eye...they seem to be everywhere.
 
Sarah Harvey
 

Lizzie Buckmaster Dove
 

If you have a chance, pop in and have a look at this gallery. It is the lovliest private gallery on the North Coast and is on par with most of the Regional Gallery Exhibitions.

Oh, and did I mention, my Collecting Feathers Bunting and Garlands are on sale in the retail section? Beautifully gift packaged in lovely Collecting Feathers booklets.

 

For the foodies, wander up to an upmarket deli type takeaway shop towards the top of the street. (Turn right when you leave the gallery) We had THE BEST potato, thyme and garlic soup there.

Lead Pencil heaven

I saw some of these images from Handmade Life today and was totally gobsmacked by them. They are lead pencil sculptures by Dalton Ghetti (or Getty). Does anyone else get that feeling of excitement in the pit of their stomach when something is "right"?

Dalton Ghetti is a 45-year-old Brazillian-born resident of Bridgeport, CT who turns ordinary pencils into miniature sculptures, without using a magnifying glass. He works only and hour and a half a day to preserve his eyesight, using just a small blade and a needle to work his wonder.

 

This alpahabet sculpture took two and half years to do! So simple and elegant. I love them.

Dalton believes that his sculptures are forcing people to stay for at least a few moments and escape from the mad rhythm of modern life and see the beauty in miniature detail.



Also have a look at some of his other work at Best Design Tuts.

A room of my own!

My baby boy moved out of home last weekend. I became very emotional for about an hour or two, (you have just got to move on) but then set about cleaning out his room, so it could become MY SPACE!

I wasn't sure if I could fill the 6m x 6m space...but I have.

This space started out as a living space, kitchen/bathroom/living,  when we were building our mudbrick house. We slept in a leaky old 60's caravan. The kids didn't mind sharing a bed, the lights filled up with water and we were pretty happy. It then became a garage, then a junk/storage facility, then an art studio, then a bedroom for a growing boy and now has become my Collecting Feathers Studio!

Although I have cleaned and scrubbed really really well, there is still that Teen Spirit/man/boy/bourbon smell that permeates. But that doesn't detract from my enjoyment spent in the space. It adds a little bit of pathos, yes, a bit of reminiscence of my baby turned adult, but I finally feel completely comfortable doing the stuff I do and "being" there, outside and away from the rest of the family.

Boo Hoo, boo-hoo

I have been trying and trying to get with the times and do the facebook thang! I am on my 6th cup of tea for the day and very close to reaching for the vino.

I have tried to add a link on this page, and I think it has finally worked. My internet is a very slow satellite connection, so all you lucky ducks (with good connections) out there imagine the massive conniptions I am having trying to get things going. I truly believe I am on the way to a coronary!

I am still trying to work out what one does when on the Facebook page. Do I say "I like this" on other peoples pages? Does this make me a friend?

I won't swim against the tide, though I refuse to get a personal page. Saying that I think I have had to keep an old facebook page to make my business page. However, I don't want people going there, I want them going to the Collecting Feathers page, and so I made up a name. (Jane Wood, Jane for my middle name and Wood because I used to love Woody in the Bay City Rollers when I was a wee tacker!)

But, to make it more confusing, when I am somebody's friend, it doesn't come up with my business page, but my fake name.  When I attempted to change it back to my real name, Facebook blocked me! GRRRRR!

I am just going round and round in circles.

From what I gather, you just continually promote yourself on it. Is there a way for me to link my blog postings to automatically post on Facebook?

Please, anyone, if you have any advice for me. Please give it. And if you care for my well being make a presence for yourself on my page and I will attempt to reciprocate.

Cubby Bunting

I took a heap of pics on the weekend of a bunch of Little Golden Book bunting that I made last week, ready to be loaded onto Etsy and Made It. I have a new pennant shape that is especially good for the books that carry large illustrations.

Shown is a Three Bears from the 70's. Lovely saturated colours of blue, pink, and lime green, taken on the kids old cubby, complete with a the target for shooting practice. Hmmm, photography  is very challenging to me.

Like the porridge, most of the bunting is gone!!! It has been sold before I can even get the time to sit down and upload it to Etsy and Made It. Aahh, at least I have the pictures to keep as memories!

New cushions

I have just finished some new cushions which I thought I would show you. I am finding the whole photographing caper a bit of a chore. I don't think I have the patience. And the thought of uploading these to Etsy and Made It...quell horror! (sorry about the colour, it is a bit blue)

The Victorian one is already sold and off to its new home.

 I am working on some cushions for men and boys. My current train of thought is that Fathers Day is September 5. It is hard to buy for men. Women like buying things that they think men will like. Voila! A "fishing" cushion for the den, or special chair. Aah, you can but try!

And yikes! (That is my Trixie Belden impersonation) I just realised as well, that yesterday,  KID Independent has featured my latest children's cushions. How wonderful! Two of them, I am happy to say have already been sold, Miss Moo and the Dandy Tiger, as well as one 'fussy' barkcloth animal cushion.

Pop oer and have a look. There are some mouth watering itmes over there!

Flea Market Finds - Auction Hell

I didn't do much op-shopping this week as I was committed to making items to fill orders, etcetera etcetera etcetera. I also knew that I had, pencilled into my diary, the Tweed Auctions,  Antiques Auction on Saturday.

I was all geared up to go. I knew there was a lovely Parker coffee table to be had and a pile of retro baskets that had my name on them. I imagined daily, the bargains that were going to fill up my car.

I got there early, made my list with my coded messages next to each number (just in case somebody looked over my shoulder and saw my limits...as I am wont to do!)

The auction started off well. I got my pile of baskets. (I am sure I am before my time on these, as no-one bid against me, or maybe, the floral contact was too much for them!)

It started going downhill when I lost the brilliant pressed crocodile skin gladstone bag to the dealer, two people over, and plumeted, when I thought I could get a Tretchikoff type print for twenty bucks and it went for $160! (I don't think it was Tetchikoff, it was of a bare breasted tropical girl)

image from here

After that every thing I bid on went for over a hundred dollars. While I was gasping over the Poole Aegean vase that went for $140 (I thought I would pick it up for $50, tops) I missed the other Tretchikoff print that went for a song. (I am not sure how much, but I heard the gay dealer next to me exclaiming how cheap it went)

Image from here

I had to stay until the end of the auction, the Parker table was called in the last hour. I thought I would go as high at $60....bidding started at $60! I re-evaluated. Bidding was fierce going up in $5 increments. I thought  had a chance. The adrenilin was racing.I looked over to the dealer I was waging war against when I hit $150. He just smirked knowingly. I folded. The table went for $160. I looked on e-bay this morning. The same tables were $300 plus! I could have got a bargain...but I was too cheap to part with my money.

Why do I think I can find a bargain in this day and age? Is it because I have turned into a cheap rag and bone picking type person, one step above a dump rat? Or...have I turned into a dump rat!

Anyhoo, the day was exhausting. I was wrecked when I got home at four. I had to take to my bed with a couple of cups of tea and some granita's. I felt like me old Nana. (All I needed was a box of Cadbury Roses under the pillow, the TAB guide and a transistor radio)

I think I am going to give up the bargain hunting for a while. Bargains are few and far between. I will from now on pay a fair price for a fair item and my bargain dreams can be put away.

Pop over to Sophies for some more finds.