origami nation

i have moved!

2008-06-08T02:21:00.000-07:00

come and find me at our new blog......

kee and fi

days when just being is enough...

2008-03-25T00:43:00.001-07:00

very sweet

2008-02-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

found this at curious bird and thought it would combine very nicely with some of my modular origami I plan to turn into a mobile when I get to my new state!

go,go,go!

2008-02-08T22:14:00.001-08:00

time has flown by and with 11 days till we move interstate, there is so much to do! i will be taking a break until we are settled and in our new home!

like & love

2008-02-01T22:31:00.000-08:00

i like this muchly. found it here

down south for weekend

2008-02-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

i'm catching the brand new train to mandurah this afternoon after work. sounds boring? actually, it's a momentous occasion as for all of my life i have been travelling between perth city (dad) and mandurah (mum). there was not even a freeway at one point. then it progressed to a freeway.

now, a train that only takes 48 minutes to get there! i feel like an excited child.

i can't wait to be loved up by my mum and have my sister file my newly grown nails.

uno momento of reflection!

2008-02-01T19:22:00.001-08:00

this is a picture of my uncle and my dad in their cowboy costumes when they first moved to australia. it makes me laugh. a lot!

i love my friends

2008-01-31T19:57:00.001-08:00

when things get crazy (or other people get crazy) i always just feel so lucky to have some of the most amazing friends.

honestly, how would i feel about this world if i didn't have those people to keep me strong?

cute

2008-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

again, more cuteness for kids. if these were in big people sizes, i'd have em for sure!

found at labour of heart

i'm back!

2008-01-29T20:51:00.000-08:00

what a lovely day it was! and an even lovelier honeymoon....dammit why does normal life have to return? thanks for all of the well-wishes xox

cya soon!

2008-01-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

this is my last post for a while. these are some beautiful flowers that Nina arranged for me on her rooftop in India in celebration of K and i getting married on 19/01/08.

i've got a giant pimple on my chin (and i'm not really a makeup girl) and i am gravely sleep-deprived so sure, what the heck - bring it on! and bring on that honeymoon!

fifi xox

i heart miro

2008-01-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

i really like miro. i was going to buy a miro calender but who needs 2 calenders? i don't want to be any busier than i already am!

well my friends

2008-01-15T21:32:00.000-08:00

pretty blogness is rather low down on my list of things to do at the moment. 3 days until we are married and we are tired and grumpy! just want to nap right now but we have a gazillion family dinners with all sorts of family that have flown over. yeah yeah - nice, i know. K and i just want to sleep in bed for a whole day but i don't think we're going to get the chance.

these are very nice.....

geometry rules

2008-01-11T21:46:00.001-08:00

enough said....Hanna

so cute it's sick!

2008-01-11T21:23:00.001-08:00

if pre-schoolers can look this great, what bloody hope do i have?

happy!

2008-01-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

well after a pretty ordinary day yesterday, today has arrived and i'm not feeling so grumpy. i started looking for an illustration to feature in today's post to adequately express my good mood and i found that the majority of indie illustrations are tragic, woeful and pretty much always sad in content! this made me feel slightly angry....*eeep* but then i found this by yumiyumi and my happiness is here to stay!

if i was an illustrator, all i'd do is make happy drawings. bjork once said when discussing songwriting that it's much harder to make something that is joyful rather than painful. i agree!

anti-perfection

2008-01-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

in defiance to all of those blogs out there that portray a perfect existence (but that i find inspiration from most of the time despite this)

i've been drinking coffee when i said i wouldn't (because i'm getting married in a matter of days and coffee makes me very jittery and nervous which at this point in time does not need to be encouraged).

my landlord screamed at me this morning and it made me cry and feel useless because when i was given the opportunity, i didn't say how much i was hurt by it.

i have the worst, most boring job in the whole entire world and every second i sit here it becomes more boring.

i have smelly breath right now (from said coffee before).

my period is late.

2 more people are moving into the house i live in at the moment. i'm grateful for the room at this house but it brings the total of people up to 6. 3 couples. i need space.

perfection blows and isn't real.

people are so clever

2008-01-09T18:17:00.001-08:00

me likey! - chris parry

i already own 2 ashton bribiesca rings....must have more!

my heart skips a beat! - anna wallis

perfect for nesting - JDavis

amazing once more - anna wallis

so appealing i wanna roll on thumbtacks!

2008-01-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

elisabeth dunker's pattern for a carpet 'Needle'

via fine little day (dunker's blog)

via little red stuga

via lula

gorgeousness! if i had this carpet in my living room, i wouldn't bother with sofas.

arctic madonna

2008-01-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

when we decided to move to canada for a working holiday last year, K's nan sent us a whole package full of stuff from when she went. included was this gorgeous book - Arctic Vision, Art of The Canadian Inuit - and it has since been one of my favourites. It's actually a catalogue for an exhibition. This is one of my favourites 'Artic Madonna' by Pitaloosie Saila (stonecut and stencil, 1980) from the Cape Dorset region.

uber consumer...

2008-01-07T21:48:00.001-08:00

a fun stencil from here

sweet brooch from here

most adorable onesies from here

photo catchup!

2008-01-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

i realised that there were quite a few photos i'd taken over the festive season and had failed to post so here are three. i just deleted everything from my flickr and am about to start again. will keep any who cares, posted.

great

2008-01-05T22:36:00.000-08:00

no words can explain...

drawing by amy jean porter

don't know why i'm sorry

2008-01-05T20:52:00.001-08:00

no one reads this really, so i don't know why i'm sorry that i'm hammering out the posts. just finding loads of fun, cute stuff. after all - the best thing in life is collecting.

find this wrapping paper and some very nice mugs here

wrong

2008-01-05T20:34:00.001-08:00

it is wrong to be working on a sunday. especially when the sun is shining and the beach is calling. alas - these are the cards i have been dealt today! luckily, between wrapping canvases for delivering back to artists i am able to peruse such wonderful blogs as 'kindra is here' which is jaw-droppingly gorgeous and inspirational!

really must get around to posting some photographs of things i've been working on lately. i have my eye fixed firmly on tomorrow! ha-ha! day off at last!

indian street patterns

2008-01-05T18:38:00.001-08:00

nina is in india at the moment and she just sent me some pics of street patterns.

delicious. i'm dying with joy - vicariously of course!

eeep!

2008-01-04T21:45:00.000-08:00

all from patchwork on central park in melbourne

craft drawers

2008-01-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

any every house i've ever lived in i've had some sort of 'craft drawers' - everything from the bottom shelf of a coffee table (a-la-vancouver) or my dad's chest of drawers from when he was 6 (a-la-doubleview).

i am very excited about setting this all up when we relocate to melbourne...found these excellent ikea drawers via a very lovely blog called kirin notebook and they look like just the boy for the job!

gorgeous!

2008-01-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

i won't be so brash as to say i'm going to 'quilt' anything this year....i mean the afghan is a big goal seeings as i don't even know how to crochet (although my omama ensures me it's easy).

found this subtle, gorgeous quilt pattern via Hyena in Petticoats and i'm definitely going to keep this one on the backburner....

happy new year!

2008-01-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

i don't really have many readers so i guess i'm wishing the universe a happy new year!

this year is going to be a pretty big year. first year of marriage. moving to melbourne. new job. more craft! I have some specific and non-specific goals for 2008

specific

crochet my first afghan blanket (oh it's going to take me a long time to even decide on the colours)

buy and illustrate/paint/decorate some blank matryoshka dolls

take the handmade pledge

keep on bloggin'

non-specific

ever-continual expansion of my culinary knowledge and obsession

do as many road trips/weekends away exploring my new state

continue taking as many photos as i have done in the last year

be more generous, kind, open, loving than ever before

oh my!

2007-12-29T21:30:00.000-08:00

came across these prints (which are currently out of stock) at Ork Posters and think this may be the perfect reminder of K's super casual but super excellent proposal whilst we were in Brooklyn, NYC. I can see this framed and hanging in every place we'll ever live....definitely purchasing this once we settle in, in Melbourne.

one last thing

2007-12-28T22:25:00.001-08:00

i got back into twine this year....especially since i have started to boycott wrapping paper (unless it's recycled of course!) and this looks like the perfect twine accessory! made by the small object

oh, to nest!

2007-12-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

we are moving to melbourne in february and as we have been travelling hobos for a while now, i am so excited about being able to have a house and to be able to buy things in aid of decoration!

found a site called cut and paste which has many cute things and will definitely help with the handmade pledge i am about to make! they stock lots of gorgeous hand made things! including this print by ashley g.

(after posting this i realised that my subconscience must be running wild....the above image appealed to me so much and after looking at it, it is of a man, woman and 'child'....nesting indeed! damn that clucky feeling! eeeep! i can't help it!)

best christmas ever

2007-12-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

well folks, that would have to have been the best christmas ever. an extended celebration spanning from the 22nd - 28th and it was LOVELY! Instead of rushing around like crazy, we had days designated for different parts of K and I's family and it was beautiful. not to mention HOT. it was 44 degrees on christmas day and 45 degrees on boxing day....

i've only been blogging for 2 months and have to say, after witnessing everyone's pure genious (craft genious that is) i am already looking forward to the year ahead of continuing on with everything crafty. plus, taking the handmade pledge and delighting in sending my friends and family handmade things. sometimes craft gets hated on....people just need to give it a chance!

check out these cute trees - there is a tutorial at the small object

although now christmas is over it seems like there is nothing between me and the day K and i are getting married. it's seriously soon.....i have major butterflies in my stomach.

am i being greedy?

2007-12-21T21:12:00.000-08:00

okay, this always happens. you buy something. you think you are happy. then you see something else and your mind starts to wander....

the white ones of these would go PERFECTLY with my wedding dress!

kyo hashimoto's jewellery is amazing. and not too expensive either (still $72 is a far cry from $5.95)

all i want for christmas...

2007-12-21T19:23:00.001-08:00

all i want for christmas is to look as cute as this!

marimekko has done it again!

Bakin' with Bacon (Kevin Bacon that is)

2007-12-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

our friends who live on tate street are hosting a christmas party and each of us has been given a job so we can all come together tonight and feast on barbecued meats, whole fish, cocktails, cheese, salads, tapas and more!

now one thing i have always wanted to chef but have never felt i could do, was to bake a lime tart. i don't know why i'm so intimidated by the lime tart. maybe because it's one of my fave desserts to order at a restaurant. anyway, after aquiring a 'loose-bottomed tart pan' (long story but it involves a K tantrum, a last minute trip into Claremont to find the RIGHT tart pan, purchasing a $500 knife set and home again) we began our mission to bake!

by this time it's about 9pm already (daylight savings can make a night slip away!) and i realised that i had missed a vital lime tart ingredient....icing sugar. i am notoriously horrendous at reading recipes which is another reason why i never usually bake such high-class dishes! so at 10pm at night, K and i pull our sneakers on, jump on our bikes and ride off into the night to the closest 24hr supermarket and buy some icing sugar.

i am so besotted by the lime tart that never once did my enthusiasm drop. sure, i complained. sure, K had mini-tantrums. but our dedication to the tart was unwavering!

after making the pastry we decided to take it a notch down and switch from music to television. bad choice. we ended up 'Baking with Kevin Bacon' as some very low-qual tele-movie was on. about how he had been hypnotised and saw dead people...i'm not even going to dignify it with giving it a synopsis. it was shit. K was hooked. our lime tart progressed.

12:30am and lime tart was complete. Kevin Bacon bid us goodnight and we went to bed feeling wholesome, satisfied, and in love!

i will post the recipe next time. it's super easy and apart from all of the 'waiting' 'cooling' 'baking' that comes with pastry - it's a delight to make. especially if you love cooking!

very inspiring

2007-12-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

pretty....stuff by thomas campbell

christmas

2007-12-20T03:32:00.001-08:00

so many crafty bloggers have been discussing christmas....i wish i had more time and money to get stuck into some handmade gifts this year. next year though, i'm taking the buy only handmade pledge (i've never had a new years resolution before - this will be my first!) but i always make cards. this year i have combined card and gift tag and made these. i have a gorgeous new ink pad and the colour is called 'lettuce'...i like it!

just in time

2007-12-20T03:26:00.000-08:00

just when time was beginning to run out and just when i wasn't looking. finally! earrings to wear with my wedding dress. and for some reason i got a huge kick out of the fact that they were only $5.95.

keeping them safe in a little pill box ruth bought back from sri lanka for us...

i want these....

2007-12-19T22:59:00.000-08:00

do these make anyone else wanna totally curl up and die in a fit of outrageous desire? maybe it's just that K and i are about to have our own house next year. maybe it's because i'm ready to nest that pillowcases seem so appealing...

find them here (loads of other cool stuff too)

calender obsession

2007-12-19T18:32:00.000-08:00

i get so excited about diaries and calenders at normal times of the year, let alone at the end of a year! here is one that is pure eye candy. not sure how practical it would be but maybe it would become a nice morning ritual...

daft punk

2007-12-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

with the forecast for thunderstorms, we made our way to the esplanade in the city with our emergency ponchos at the ready, to see daft punk.

what a show. i am going to be drawing triangles for weeks....their giant, lit up pyramid. their robot costumes! their grid of triangles that lit up in a myriad of colours and sequences. it was a visual feast. K and i swore we'd see triangles in our sleep.

i had to laugh at all the people who were out of their tree - i mean, that light show spun me out and i was sober.....

oh daft punk, you are eternally cool.

christmas goodies

2007-12-13T22:41:00.000-08:00

today has been a lovely day at the gallery. received 3 gifts! a beautiful handmade christmas cake wrapped in paper and twine from my favourite artist Margaret Vinciguerra, a box of cherries from another artist and some beautiful berry jam from Torbay from another lady. Thank you!

tonight i am looking forward to a quiet night in. i have bought supplies to make christmas cards. after receiving a christmas card from my sister and kids who live in Tom Price, i feel inspired and motivated to get some in the post. I'm going to make 10 and thats it....

early christmas present for myself!

2007-12-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

came across this delightful bag by Belle Bijoux and after having coffee with Belle this morning to view the sample, have purchased one. it will be made and ready to pick up before christmas. the leather detail is delish! Thankyou Belle for taking time out of your crazy busy schedule to show me the bag! It's my first, proper, grown-up-lady handbag!

weekend

2007-12-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

best weekend in ages. loads of time with K. normally there aren't ever shells on our beach so i was delighted to find these! collected them thinking of mum. ate delicious lunches. cleaned our bedroom (clean sheats, oh yeah!) and had a beer with friends last night. starting to get the beach back into our lives - it is only a 5 minute walk from our house. the weather is sublime. sorry to our friends who are living in the northern hemisphere where it's gettin' chilly....this is what you are missing out on! a hot christmas is the best...

calender

2007-12-08T02:19:00.000-08:00

i've been trying to design my own calender for next year after being not so happy with the calenders on offer. i haven't quite managed to finish the design but i did come up with this happy, calender-inspired hand-drawn pattern. excuse the drawings you can see from the other side of the paper. again unfortunately, the scanner does not do my gorgeous polychromos pencils justice!

so perfect

2007-12-08T02:12:00.000-08:00

it kills me that this photo is not focused properly. this is a door i spotted somewhere in new york city and it honestly is probably the most accurate image of everything i love at the moment. the shapes, the colour combinations.....it all kills me! can anyone help me out as to where in nyc it is?

adopted lily

2007-12-08T01:58:00.000-08:00

ruth saved this lily from the pond of a house that was going to be demolished. it has settled into the backyard pond very well, don't you think? it was begging to have it's photo taken when K and i returned from our saturday morning walk at the beach.

papercuttin'

2007-12-08T01:40:00.000-08:00

papercutting is deliciously and instantly gratifying for anyone who wants to cut and play with something pretty in seconds!

bright light of afternoon

2007-12-05T23:44:00.001-08:00

having a contemplative cup of peppermint tea. thinking how much i love daylight savings and how annoying people are who complain about it. tired, heavy eyes. been experimenting with hand drawn patterns and it's hard to continue when things don't go so well. luckily my journal has many pages and i just stick another piece of paper over anything i don't like. i close my eyes and pick out two pencils from my pencil box and they are the colours i use for my pattern of the moment. not really making any patterns that i like so much, but i'll keep on - you never know what might pop up!

nathalie lete's cutie-patutti bunnies

2007-12-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

these are some gorgeous postcards done by Nathalie Lete and i can't wait to frame them. she is such an amazing illustrator not to mention creator of all things gorgeous! very inspiring.

december rain

2007-12-05T02:08:00.000-08:00

novelty rain (such as today's) gets me in the mood for crafting!

i have a few projects on the go and have to be careful not to just do a whole lotta nothing and actually try and finish things carefully.

K and i are going to a late movie tonight at the Luna. Rescue Dawn by Werner Herzog - a favourite director. hopefully it's worth staying up for.

with the prospect of more time on my hands now that volunteering has nearly come to an end, i am happy. trying to convince father christmas to bring me a holgaroid (a holga with a polaroid back)and it looks mighty fun....filled with instant low-fi gratification! c'arn santa!

colouring in is forever

2007-12-05T01:55:00.000-08:00

i still love colouring in.

christmas time reminds me of colouring in with my little sister.

here are two buki geometric patterns that i have coloured in. buki is the greatest, cutest, loveliest company that makes educational, crafty toys. they fill me with such nostalgia!

they have loads of great gift ideas for any creative person of any age!

more inspiration...

2007-12-03T23:03:00.000-08:00

thanks to anastasia i found this cute website a fine little day...go on, look at it! you know you want too!

(nina, sonny & lici...go on! look!)

so cute it hurts!

2007-12-03T19:11:00.001-08:00

was having a lil meander around the place and i found these...knitted hotdogs, robots, cups of coffee, tv dinners! eeep!

the world would be in trouble if i could knit/crochet like this!

BNice2Mice you are so talented!

and so it begins again....

2007-12-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

back at work and the exhibition cycle begins again (just had an opening on friday night and i begin organising the next exhibition immediately after).

had a great night volunteering last night. it was the australian premier of stan alley's documentary FIGWIT as part of the ByteMe! 07 digital content festival. Oh yeah, thats what i've been volunteering at. it's on till sunday, check out the website below! i have been picking the brains of some great international and local artists.

very inspiring despite a pathetic attendance from perth locals as usual! oh well, not to be disenchanted!

cups-o-tea & snowbunny sewing in the sun

2007-12-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

well my solitary day off has arrived and i am happy to say that i am lounging in my lotus pj pants, drinking cups of tea and finishing up sewing my second snow bunny to the sounds of radio national. no one is home and i've been ignoring the phone (except for when you rang mum!) and it feels very good. i have volunteering again tonight for a few hours which i wish i didn't, but i do.

managed to take a photo of my recent fabric acquisitions. how cute is the gorgeous japanese mushroom fabric? it was only $12.99 from spotlight of all places. i bought 1 metre of each without any project in mind but have since decided upon making a sturdy tote with possibly a pink gingham lining. i'm determined to do one completely by the book and have been scouring online tutorials for the perfect pattern. the mushrooms deserve nothing less than perfection!

ninoo! i miss oo!

2007-12-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

today i am crafting away and am reminded of the recent departure of one of my long time crafting besties - nina. love you!

puffy eyed panda

2007-12-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

i am beyond exhausted....just wanna stay home in my pj's and finish sewing my new snow bunny and begin other assorted crafty projects. all in the name of a deathly combination of work and volunteering! tomorrow i have the whole day off and all i have in mind is cups of peppermint tea, vegemite toast and hand-sewing in bed. heaven!

how could i forget?

2007-11-30T20:25:00.000-08:00

how awful am i? in all the excitement over my new pencils i forgot - we picked up our wedding rings this morning! gorgeous! just lovely, simple, architectural wedding bands. Is it badluck? K and i went to grab a coffee and i wore it all the way from the cafe to the car.

i love them.

oh so lovely!

2007-11-30T20:06:00.000-08:00

K dropped me at work this morning and just happened to let me jump out of the car in front of Jacksons Art Supplies....$40 dollars later and I came out with some delicious Faber Castell Polychromos Pencils and some tracing paper (i love tracing paper). The pencils are in the most fabulous colours and they have their names in German etched on the side:

Laubgrun (Leaf Green)
Kadmiumgelb Hell (Cadmium Yellow)
Geraniumrot Hell (Pale Geranium Lake)
Fleischfarbe Dunkel (Dark Flesh)
Pthalogrun Hell (Light Phthalo Green)
Kadmiumorange Dunkel (Dark Cadmium Orange)
Kobaltgrun (Cobalt Green)
Blauviolett (Blue Violet)
Karmoisin (Crimson)
Ultramarin Hell (Light Ultramarine)

Blauviolett is my new favourite word...

election day

2007-11-23T21:33:00.001-08:00

To soothe any worries I may or may not have, I bought some of those delicious, vintage kimonos from Made In Japan in Subiaco. And only $9.95! A beautiful, black, crepe one which I am planning to wear tonight to Willow's "Dress to Kill" horror themed birthday party, and another just for sheer pleasure. Beautiful, soft, pink and crimson kimono prints amongst ibis.

K is buying me some vampire teeth and I am wearing them tonight with my black kimono. I don't think I've ever seen a Vampire Geisha before but Mum assures me I can bluff my way through....

Kimonos are heavenly! Takes the kimono count to 5 (I just love swanning about in them but I keep threatening to cut some of them up to make snow bunnies with!)

i love fritters!

2007-11-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

Because I am marrying a vegetarian, various family members have been really cute about embracing this 'different' way of eating. Here is a recipe my Nanny Lancaster gave me the other night - they are so easy but look impressive! We ate them with ocean trout and a garden salad but they would be just as yum with a beer or two on a day like today (36 degrees)...

(I meant to take a picture of them but forgot, in my rush to shove them in my mouth!)

cauliflower fritters
(serves 4)

1/2 cauliflower
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 red chilli, finely chopped, or to taste
1 tsp salt (sounds excessive but totally necessary!)
1 egg
enough milk to make a thick batter
vege oil for cooking
natural yoghurt and fresh coriander to serve

method:
Cut the cauliflower into florets and simmer for three minutes. Then cut finely enough to make two cups of vegetable. In a bowl, combine the flour, spices, chilli, salt, egg and cauliflower. Add enough milk to mkae a thick but flowing mixture. It will look like a lot of vegetable but it will be fine.
Heat a shallow depth of vegetable oil in a heavy pan. Drop in tablespoons of the mixture and cook over a moderate heat until golden brown. Turn them over and cook the other side. Repeat with the rest of the mixture. Serve three as a portion topped with a blob of coriander sprigs.

thought for the afternoon

2007-11-22T00:18:00.001-08:00

does anyone else despise blue pens as much as I do?

my love of low-fi

2007-11-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

Well, making the transition from my handwritten journals to a blog is quite big, I must say. But my motto for the moment is 'participate' so I'm taking the leap. I joke about having a 'techno-disability' and much prefer old photocopiers, typewriters, scissors and glue. I can still indulge in my love of all things low-fi, they just now have to make friends with shiny, snazzy objects like scanners and flashdrives. We can all be friends, I know we can!