Home again, home again, jiggity jig

Boxing Day morn, when most people are digesting 4 kilos of turkey and resting comfortably after the Christmas fest, I was up at sparrow’s fart throwing fins, a mask and a bunch of clean underwear into my bag. A superbly nice Christmas day left over drove me to the airport and I reluctantly said bye and two hours later was in the balmy goodness that is Mossman and Port Douglas with my family.

I met the new dog ‘Bizzie’ and we took the new excessively large car to the creek to cool off. Lying in the shallow, slow flowing creek with two moronic heelers dying to have a stick or rock thrown, again and again and then again.

It is so beautiful here for a holiday.

Cooled down, we promptly got hot and sticky again and made stuff and I rummaged through all my mum’s beautiful buttons and fabric and old Pyrex kitchen stuff.

I selected a few pieces that will be coming home with me. ‘These are nice’ ... ‘oh you can have them’ ... correct response.

Went to the market and had sticky rice with mango for breakfast, bought this cute cup then went and had tea with my cousin in a thunder storm. It’s so hot the dogs are too tired to be stupid. 

Tuesday Love Letter, I love letters

Firstly if you find your way here, read the post before this one and leave a comment ... thanks you rock!

Just found out about 'Mail Art' I love getting letters, not letters from the phone company or my bank but real letters with handwritten words about things that are happening, have happened, will happen to other people in places far from where I live.  I used to write letters when I was younger, and I really don’t do it enough now.  So while I sit here in my lovely little house with my hairy hound Sybil I thought it’s be nice to get more letters ... it’s such a beautiful form of communication that is fading out like tungsten light bulbs.  

So I want you to write me something, write me something beautiful, funny, idealistic or just a dot point on what your dog did today.  Make it arty, include doodles and drawings and cut out bits from magazines and paste them on, oh and use one of the words in the word art below from Wordle ... I will take a photo of your lovely creation and make it the letter of the week each Tuesday.  If you are up for it let me know and I’ll let you know where to post it ...

This week I have no real letters so I have featured the an old post card that was my great grandmothers and is written in Swedish, a language I know very little about except I occasionally do renditions of the Swedish Chef at parties, gatherings, bahmitzvahs etc.  

The ponies on the front are so beautiful and simplistic, it’s a pity i have no idea who the artist was.  I imagine the post card to say something along the lines of ‘Dearest Ella I hope this letter finds you and well. 

The winter here is terribly cold this year, yet the snow fall outside the house and over the lakes is so beautiful I am not inclined to complain.  We are getting ready for Christmas and the house is full of people and food and little muddy boot tracks ...

Monday, time for another cup of tea and a bunny

So the prediction may not have come true, yet Chrissy is still the winner of the brooch.  Please have a look at her beautiful blog here http://sophismpress.blogspot.com/

Last week’s little goose is packaged up and off to Romania.  Thinking about far off places gets me all nostalgic for travel.  I’ve been looking through the photos and talking to my lovely little matryoshka dolls on the mantle.  My little painted duck from the exquisite beautiful city of St Petersburg was taken from the mantle and captured in amongst the wise words of The Young Homemaker.                                                                        

                        

I found this cool blog on all things Russian ... it featured this brilliant new way to waste time, Wordle great fun try it out.  I cut and pasted some words from a poem I wrote a while ago.

I’m drinking tea that tastes like vanilla.  I have a bean pod in the ceramic jar with all my bags and each time it’s opened I can smell the wonderful mixture of my favourite tincture and my favourite spice.  So as I sip on my 3^rd cup of tea you should have a little ponder on how to finish the poem yonder and you can win the babies bunny.  Just leave a comment, good, bad or indifferent on this post.

Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl!

“How charmingly sweet you sing!

“Oh let us me married! Too long _ _ _:

The 15th day of the last month this year, and it’s a Monday

The dwarfish goose went to ... this week there is a clairvoyant bunny to giveaway. For Brisbane readers you may be interested to know that some of the brooches that are kicking about the Museum of Brisbane store were in Map magazine this month. Yay me. So if you have a copy lying around the house or work (if you’re reading this on your lunch break) flick to page 60 for a squiz.

I bought fairy lights on the weekend. They have been haphazardly arranged on my front deck. That’s about as Christmassy as I get. And I plan to leave them up well after Christmas as I just like pretty coloured lights. My brother and his Finnish lass sat on the front deck last night smoking skinny Thai cigarettes watch a possum eat grevillea flowers under the dapple fairly light glow.

Lovely.

So finish this poem however you see fir and the bunny may be yours ...

“And with holes all round
To send the light,
In gleaming rays on the _ _”

Happy Birfday Normie

It's my little brothers birthday today and we celebrated by going shoe shopping. He was thrilled. Laura and I purchased nice new shoes and he got a pair of thongs (or flip flops as the European's and now him are calling them).

So we are flip flopped up and kicking back with some posh type beers with the newly washed hound. Laura is bored ... like ‘cardboard’ apparently. Will have to take the kids out for sushi, to entertain them. Oh to be 20 again.

I have spent the afternoon photographing brooches and adding them to etsy ... go check it out. And if you happen to pass by this blog on this sunday, comment on the blog two blogs down and you can win you one of them there pretty brooches.

BrisStyle Market and some things I thought about on Saturday

The day was unbelievably hot; Brisbane is a panting dog in summer. The market was great, a big thanks to all the girls who helped organise, promote, and play. The stall next to me was Little Diva, and I now have a green monster softie on my bookshelf looking at me, waiting to be taken to Port Douglas and given to Jesse for Xmas. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5825380
Tomorrow I am going to put a pile of brooches up on etsy and madeit as I’m marketed out for the next few weeks. http://www.reread.etsy.com/ and http://www.madeit.com.au/madeit/supplierdetail.asp?rsSupplierID=16735 if you want a free one leave a comment on the post below ...

I feel like watching a Bette Davis film with a cup of tea. I feel very Bette today, however the lady herself surely would had never been this sweaty, sticky and just plain ‘blah’ with this topical heat. It’s too hot to blog so I will leave you with her line “Don’t lets ask for the moon, we have the stars”. Did you look outside to see the biggest moon of the year.

And remember there is no proof that the full moon makes people crazy.

Monday, Monday it follows Sunday

This week the winner of the Shady Cat was CherryPal: Computer Friend or Foe? congratulations and enjoy your new feline friend. I’m still quite pleased with my effort at the Young Designers Market, I walked away with the funky kit below (previous post) and my hot little hand full of cash. Will be back for more.

But before I go back to the YDM I will be at the Bris Style Handmade Christmas market this Saturday. Myself and my little Etsy Street team will be flaunting our wears at the Hamilton town hall www.Brisstyle.blogspot.com

This week’s booty is a tiny, dwarfish goose. He has some autumn leaves floating about his russet down, and would little goose would look fantastic on your gown. So once again leave a comment and if you like finish the last line of this poem...

“The Dong! – the Dong!
The wandering Dong
through the forest goes
The Dong! – the Dong!The Dong with a _ _”

I’m back from my first Young Designers Market. I was hot (not Paris Hilton ‘that’s so hot right now) but the sweltering Brisbane weather didn’t deter everyone, and the gleaming skin of sweating shoppers pushed on through the heat and shopped up big.

So I’m home with a desperately needed cup of the Earl wearing my nice new things.
This beautiful white pottery necklace is designed and handmade by Danielle Mann, I can’t find a blog or website for her designs but she does sell at Thousand Island Dressing in Paddington.
http://www.thousandislanddressing.com/jewellery.htm

Next are my dangle, drop strawberry and cream glass earrings from Hot Toffee. These earrings are so beautiful, and the silver backing has ‘me’ and ‘you’ engraved on the backs. You will find the musings of Hot Toffee on 'Bits of toffee' blog.
Click here for the more on the toffee http://bitsoftoffee.blogspot.com/

So after the success of today I will be back. Next week we have the Bris Style market in Hamilton. If you're in Brisbane make sure you get along to this for more handmade wonders.

It’s the first day of December, it’s Monday, what the hell happened to the year and how did I get home last night? Blog flog number one – This Sunday I will be at the Young Designers Market at Southbank, come and shop local ... click here for more information www.ourbrisbane.com/shopping/fashion-and-design/young-designers-market

number two ... a bris style member also has a giveaway, a tres cool paper doll, all you have to do is give her a name ... http://www.sharlzndollz.blogspot.com/

It’s well and truly summer here in Brisbane, balmy nights the sexy sweetness of frangipani and mock orange floating through my open windows, fruit bats in the lily pilly spiting balls of masticated fruit all over my deck, flying off with a whoop from those satiny skinned wings. Drinking Pims with a sun hat on, sitting in the kiddie pool with the dog.

So for a summery feeling this week there is a ‘shady cat’ to give away. So to win this shady little number ... finish the line in this nonsense poem.

The Pobble who had no toes
Had once as many as we;
When they said, “Some day you may lose them all,”
He replied – “Fish _ _ _”