the space in Echo's Lost

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we've had an artist pull out at the last minute from Echo's Lost. If anyone wants to participate in the show in the suddenly vacant space, email me at them[at] omnificassembly.com. Details of Echo's Lost are at http://www.omnificassembly.com/echoslost.html

Crafty types going out exploring

So we were learning about animation the other day, and teaching it to kids. I got so excited by the idea I went home and made one myself.

Presenting:
The craft of eating grapes


It was really quite simple, I set up the camera on a tripod and pointed it at the floor, I cut out a few simple shapes from felt (which I knew would stick together nicely and not slide all over the place, go team felt!) and placed them down, took a photo, moved it a little, took another photo and so on. There are 19 frames in this, plus the frame at either end with the credits, which I did by importing the photo into PhotoShop and simply adding text.

Took me about an hour and a half all up.

Then I put it together in a free animation software. Easy! And the entire project only added a little more glitter to the disco floor.

I was surprised and pleased at how easy it actually was. Try it, try it with your kids, go forth and animate! (now that's the most I've ever sounded like Dr Frankenstein)

Small musings

I'm in a strange situation. I'm stupidly overworked at uni, so I'm not spending all day crafting like I have in the past. And when I'm not doing uni work, I'm working on craft for the play, which I can't show you because then it'll spoil the surprise. So bloggically it looks like I'm not doing much, when behind the scenes I'm working like a dog
(should be sleeping like a log...)

Ahh well.

Our house is covered in glitter. There was a small explosion from one of the bigger glitter containers and now our house is disco. No matter how much you clean and vaccum, the glitter remains. Very pretty, but very scratchy when it gets into socks.

This is a lot of glitter for someone who doesn't have kids. And this isn't even all of it

Echo's Lost is kicking along. Two of the works are already in the mail! I'm so looking forward to this show. It's been a really easy ride this time around actually, after the 4 months of hard work for Totem, this one is breezing by. Every artist this time are well acquainted with exhibitions and all but one I've worked with before, so it's beautiful. Remind me to organise small exhibitions all the time! Fliers arrive this week and, for the first time, I'm going to pay someone to distrubute them. I've done a LOT of walking into cafes and asking to put down fliers over the years and this year I've decided that I'm too old and too busy to do it. So I'll pay someone else too. It's a big chunk of time and effort I can save, so I'm all for it.

Ok, homework time...

Things to eat, things to see, things to marvel at

A Book About Death is an exhibition about to be held in New York of artist postcards, of which I'm a part.

They've just put up a wall of images for those who wish to view it a different way than their blog. Check it out! Otherwise, my image can be found on their blog here.

In other news last night I had for dinner some home made little pies, filled with leftover curry,
with some of Sadie's chutney.
I also had some mushrooms fried with garlic
with some of Sadie's chutney.
And some fresh peas
with some of Sadie's chutney.

And lo, I felt that it is good chutney.

And this was out a window of an empty house and I thought there was something wordlessly beautiful about it. A pot that can grow sticks and autumn leaves is a pretty wonderful pot.



Grow, little pot, grow...

much, much homecooked goodness...

Can't you just smell it?
It's 5 jars (and one small fridge container) of Sadie and Lance's Sadie's Tomato Relish. It's a simple onion and tomato mixture with some malt vinegar (except if you suddenly realise after you've already been down the shops that you don't have any and instead turn to brown vinegar) and some spices.

Tangy, leaves a lingering warm finish and I can't wait to try some on pies, eggs, curry, toast or anything else that needs relish.

I love the net. It's the neighborhood community for the 21st century. Sharing recipes, patterns, tips and talk all over the electronic back fence.

Gosh, a winner

Last week Cate from the wonderful Polka Dot Rabbit had a give away on her blog to win these ace embroidered kitten mittens. I entered it, and won!

How nice is that? They arrived today in the mail, with gift card and the cutest little badge out of retro looking material.

Such a wonderfully warming package. Thank you again Cate!

Ah, time flies when you're busy as heck

Oh my god. So the second week of uni has wizzed past, and I haven't posted in my blog for 7 days! I think that's probably a record since I started... I have been crafting alongside the study and stress, but again it's for the play so I can't show you finished projects.

How about a few teasers?

Materials: ink, cardboard, felt, thread.


Materials: cotton fat quarters, thread, willow ball

This is part of my Big West Festival entry, 140cm long piece of knitting. It goes from grey/green colour, through this beautiful rust, some green and some red patchs up to blue and white at the top for the sky. It's an abstract tree, which is fitting since it will be stitched to a real tree somewhere in the Western suburbs. After the festival I've been assured that there is a plan for all the knitting contrubuted, which makes me happy because there's a lot of work and care gone into them all and I'd hate for them to be just chucked out of shoved into a cupboard in an office somewhere never to see the light of day again.

And this one
finger puppets are such fun to make. Especially when it's for a play so you can hot glue them together rather than stitch, which would take SO much longer...

I can't wait for all the props to be done so we can photograph them scene after scene and I can share with you some of my favs!