magazine love

I DO like a good magazine. So pretty. So interesting. So informative. Not the ones that you get at the Doctors office, or supermarket queue. Not the ones that make me worry about my figure or the shade of my eyeshadow or trap me with tantalising bits about so-and-so's love triangle or baby adoption. But the ones that make me smiley, uplifted, inspired and a bit-more-knowledgeable about interesting-y things. Here are some I like very much.

Amelia's Magazine

(art, fashion, music, earth)

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Frankie

(fashion, art/craft, music, creative people)

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Antler Magazine

(art, design, literature and culture)

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Peppermint

(indie art and design)

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Condiment

(food, creativity and community)
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A cloth-covered button

(fashion, art, writing, design culture)

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dumbo feather pass it on

(creative interviews & autobiographies)

. Postmodern Ink

(tattoos, art, culture, lifestyle)

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MixTape

(art/craft, eco-awareness and pop culture kitsch)

. Slow

(for those who think life's too fast)
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Cosmos

(the science of everything)

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Organic Gardener Magazine

(um, organic gardening.)
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And on my list of magazines I will probably never read..

Government News, Planet Muscle, Great Walks, British Chess Magazine, Playstation Official Magazine, Your Trading Edge, Helicopter News, The Classic Motorcycle, The Death Mook (although this one looks fascinating), Practical Fishkeeping, Poker Player, OK! Magazine

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But I will browse and think about them- isn't it fascinating the number of interests in the world? People are interested in all kinds of things, and I find that interesting, don't you?

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Do you have any favourite magazines?

my creative space- name my sewing machine!

I feel a bit like I've fallen off the face of the blogging-world, but I am still here! You see last week my new sewing machine spluttered, coughed, and died. Died I tell you! Needless to say there was a fair bit of swearing going on 'round these parts, as I juggled warranty cards and sewing machine repair centres, hire prices and wondered how on earth I was going to make do. (If you ever need to hire a sewing machine in Sydney, I recommend this place). Enter stage right my Mum. She decided to chip in and then holy dooley look what arrived on Monday!

An industrial sewing machine! Isn't she lovely? Thanks Mum! She is quiet and friendly and not-as-intimidating as I feared. Lucky for me she has a speed dial, so I can work my way up to the racing-car speeds she is capable of. She cuts thread automatically, and has a knee lever for lifting up her foot, and keeps her need down for turning corners, and has a very nice faux-wood table. I like her very very much. (It is a little scary though, it suddenly feels much more serious with a machine like this behind me! Not a hobby anymore!)

Of course any self-respecting machinery needs a name, so I can talk to her nicely, but I need you help. Do you think: Jane, Penny or Alice? Please vote in the poll on the side bar there! I'll let you know the name with the most votes next week, and that is what she shall be called!

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Of course to accommodate her wonderfulness, I had to rearrange my studio, again.

(Digital prints arrived today from snapfish, sign up and you get your first 50 (!) prints free, and they're like 15c after that. Bargain)

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(On the way home from celebratory baklava I came across these ikea baskets perfect for storing fabric waiting to be stitched, and that wooden shelf perfect for holding giant threads! Awesome! I love free curbside stuff!)
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(I now have 3 domestic sewing machines, and none of them work properly, but can be coaxed to do a few stitches here and there. Little Miss I'm-4-weeks-old-and-I'll-break is in the repair shop.)

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(yes that's a bike wheel under the table. I don't know, it just looked like it might be useful for something.)

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(My main desk with my leather jacket 'cause I'm tough. And tapestry roses cushion that I found at Salvos. See the box sticking in to the bottom left of the corner? Six now has her own fur-lined drawer, which keeps her happy and off my work surface, which makes me happy.)

My loft bed is in there too, but it's messy and heaped with cushion inserts and curtain fabric and underneath tubs are overflowing with fabric piles and scraps. Not-so-pretty. It makes me dream of ikea storage solutions. Looking at these photos makes me wonder if I've got a little-too-much stuff on my walls too.

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Thanks for making it all the way to the end of this extra-long post! And don't forget to vote for your favourite sewing machine name on the side bar there!

blog love of the week- man bloggers

This week I pass on my hurrah's to the man bloggers all over the wide web. (does anyone say that anymore? world wide web?)

Lots of my bloggy friends are lovely gals, but I do very much like lots of guy blogs too, there just doesn't seem to be as many. These ones are some of my favourites.

Mr London Street is funny. Very funny. Get a cuppa and settle in for a good read and a laugh; if dry, occasionally acerbic wit is your cup of tea. I read lots of lovely sweet blogs (which I adore) but it's nice to get a unexpected kick in the pants with a hilarious and not-quite-politically correct metaphor every now and then. Plus every weekend he does a 100 word post on a topic submitted by a reader, which makes for fascinating, succinct and curious stories. I like.

...my life, nothing more, nothing less... Rolley grows heirloom veges, knits like a demon, grows his own coffee, has 3 beautiful kidlets (I love this photo) and loves a good rum. He blogs about all of these things as well as some philosophical wonderings and music love. Also camping and rafting and bushwalking too. I think he's damn ace. He's also an old friend of mine, which makes him even more ace!

Dude Craft If you don't know this dude, you are seriously missing out on some cool shit. Seriously, Go.Look.Right.Now. Stuff that makes you turn your head sideways and gasp.

Don't delay.

Leos Lego Lab Okay, so Leo is 5 years old, but he will be a man, so that sorta counts, right? As you can guess from the title, his blog about his love for lego and his awesome lego creations, but also other things like his drawings and sewing projects and cool things he sees. I enjoy his 5 year old voice and it makes me want to keep lego in my lounge room.


Draw Dimension Ari is ten. His blog is about things he draws and things he is interested in. I like it too (and he's even closer to manhood than Leo up there, so he totally qualifies for a post about man-bloggers) I especially like this drawing. He's also seen every now and again on his mum's blog.

Monsterosity This Aussie dude makes killer toys (I sure like this one) and lives in Tokyo. 'Nuff said.
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So thanks dudes. You rock my blog world.

.Who are your favourite man bloggers?

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(edit)

Ohmygoodness I can't believe I forgot Made By Joel. Joel makes awesome stuff for his twin kidlets, usually from simple things in every house. I would link to my favourite but I love THEM ALL. Awesome. I secretly want him to be my dad. or at least an uncle or something. Or maybe we could hang out. Thanks so much Camille for reminding me!

catbirds!

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Are these not the Cutest.Things.Ever?

This morning I was walking to the train station with my mum and stopped by the markets, and I saw the cutest cards you ever did see. Collages of cats faces. On birds. And people. I Love. They are handmade (no photoshop here peeps) and and made me gasp quietly. The craftmanship. The aawww factor. And CAT FACES people!

They are made by Ange, you can see more here and like them on facebook too!

Thanks to Ange for letting me use her pics!

my creative space

Ah another Thursday, another creative space!

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This week I've been working on antlers. The same ones. Three times. First they were too small and looked a bit funny. So I made them bigger, but they were too floppy, and antlers should not be too floppy. In the interests of child-suitability, wire was out, along with hard plastic. I perservered, and by fusing four layers of felt together then blanket stitching around them, I have antlers that are still soft but stay upright! Woho!

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So yay for antlers I'm happy with, this deer has a green body from a recycled pair of woollen flares and some more japanese print.

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Something else driving me nuts this week is taking good product photos. The light has to be just so, and it's been raining and cloudy and generally wintery here in Sydney, so they are dark and dim and I'm.just.not.happy. Does anyone have any tips for this?
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Hope your creative week has been a little less frustrating!

See more creative spaces here.

Pepper Stitches on Blue Caravan

Yay! Pepper Stitches can now be found on Blue Caravan, an ethical design market that supports independent design and promotes direct trade and loves fairtrade and sweat-free certification.

They believe that ‘ethical’ is no longer a choice separated from style and design and have so many beautifully designed goodies that you can't help but agree! Based in Australia, everything is in Australian dollars, and I like that you can search by category (like stationary, home & body, ceramics or for little people) but also for organic products, handmade, upcycled, eco-sustainable and fair trade.

Alice Dress by Rummage Style
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A Love Story pendant by honeybee

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Fabric Covered Journal - Rooftops by rabbit & the duck
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Here are some of my favourite things.. Now, must go sew more so I can buy them without guilt (one of the new rules I've had to make for myself, spending time in all these beautiful markets; must not buy lovely things faster than I post my own listings!)

watercolour- Amy Ross

Fairy Ring

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Woodpeckershrooms

.. Duck Magnolia
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I do love these watercolour prints by Amy Ross, combining plants and animals in beautiful and unexpected ways, and humans and animals, and all kinds of whimsical notions. I also like the branches, they make me think of woodlands and crunchy leaves underfoot.

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Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, artist Amy Ross is interested in the idea of artist as mad scientist. She creates paintings, drawings, and collages that turn the natural world on its head, morphing flora and fauna together.

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Some prints are available in the Keep Calm Gallery, and you can see so many more in her portfolio here, including some amazing series.

my week in pictures

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On a day off, woke up to strawberries, perfectly poached eggs, watercress salad, goats cheese wrapped in bacon and buttered sourdough. *sigh* The Boy can cook.

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Finally made some roses bunting inspired by these. It hangs above my bed, matches the roses on the cornices, and makes me smile and think of my sisters.

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Best.Duck.Noodle.Soup. Ever. Followed up by popcorn at the cinema watching Toy Story 3. It's good, I laughed so much, Oh Ken! (and cried a little at the exhorbant ticket prices for 3D. Basteerds.)

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A friends birthday cued drinking and mixing. By him and the Boy, not me.

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I mostly choose wine from the prettiness of the label. (Come on, I know I'm not the only one). This wine had an awesome letter-press picture, and a funny name, and was really really tasty. Winner.

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My housemate playing guitar. She is super-ace and makes me laugh.

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This is my new favourite drink. Swedish Cider. Refreshing and lovely, like drinking dessert and more pretty labels too! (realising this post makes me look like I spent all week drinking. I didn't.)

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I also went to a small business expo (much more interesting and informative than I hoped!), posted custom orders, and read 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen. Which is now making me want to watch BBC period dramas and sigh.

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I hope your week was lovely too!

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blog love of the week- paperlion

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This weeks blog love is Jenny from Paperlion, who just did an ace interview over here. Jenny is also a fellow brown owl, and is such an ace person, she is lovely and made me feel at home when I first joined and is super encouraging too! Paperlion is a lovely blog with photos of Japan (and her cute cat), and lots and lots of lovely hand-bound journals.
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Her shop is 'the result of my stationary obsession - handbound notebooks and photo albums, handcut gift tags and fabric journal covers.' See lots of gorgous journal and paper-ness at Paperlion's etsy store.

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I'm trying to get back into journal writing, and these are perfect, they're oh-so-pretty and they open flat for easy writing. If you're journal writing too, I also recommend this blog. It's making me want to pick up a pen post-haste.

deer little antler creatures!

Oooh here are my antler boys featured on an ace blog for styley cute things for kids- minimusthave! Yay!

my creative space

Running a bit late for this week's my creative space, but here we go!

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More sweater cushions. I love these, the different textures are lovely and using them is like hugging clouds. Or your nana. Or a nana cloud. I'm working on a range of them, and am eyeing off all of my sweaters for possibilities. Lucky for them it's winter and I need them more whole.
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Playing around with my first stencils and fabric paint. Oh the possibilites. I'll be adding machine stitch detail in coloured thread, then making them up into tote bags with green lining. Oooh. Greeeen. Will keep you posted on how (if) these turn out.

More creative spaces here.