****happy new year****

Here in Durstonia all is quiet.
(I think 99% of my friends are overseas or interstate! My usual NYE partner-in-crime is holidaying in balmy Thailand.)
Staying in and having a quiet one. This heat is just ridiculous and I have melted into a buttery puddle.
Spot has been camped out on the bed in front of the fan all day- I don't blame her.
Hopefully the evil neighbours and their usual NYE party (with really bad techno) isn't happening this year.
(Ask me sometime about last year's party, the police, etc. It was a doosy!)
So I hope you all have a lovely evening with fireworks in the background and celebrating in whatever way you like New Year's Eve to be.
I'll see you all on the flipside!
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yawn, scratch, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It has taken me a week of snoozing, reading and dvd watching to start to feel a little bit together.
Having come down with one of those hideous summer colds hasn't helped either.
Am having trouble talking to people, think my tongue ihas gone on holiday without telling me.
Went out to Heide on Friday (hey that rhymes! if you pronounce it Fry-dee.........ok ok I'm a bit out of it) and sat under a tree and just chilled. Nice.



I like Melbourne in January, its kind of lazy and quiet (once we've got over NYE- dreading that) and slow.
This was taken up near Puddly Stark on Friday evening- impressive.

As you can tell I haven't much to write about, between the sleeping and the reading and the.......... might be time to go have a nap...... yawn.

and finally there is me

I promised some new photos. Well that promise won't be coming through sadly, the battery on the camera is dying.
I did manage to take a few snaps but they were all atrocious so this is all you are going to get at the moment.
I also thought that there are quite a few photos on this blog for you to stroll back over and have a look at.

Sonja suggested the other day that I write a book called '101 things to make from tea-towels'- and so here is another t-towel product. Sometimes I think it may be getting a little out of control. Hell, everyone has something they are known for!
And they are ridiculously geeky and cool at the same time. (If Nick Cave can do tea-towels as band merchandise..... my argument rests).

Of course I am not just selling products made from t-towels at the sale. I am also selling owls made from gloves, gloves made from rabbits (angora), monkeys made from socks, clocks made from old pictures, purses and clothes and knitwear and bags and cushions and bracelets and hairpins and quilts and samples and seconds and old stuff and new stuff- almost poetry really.

And most of all we are hoping to see you, so please come along so that we can put faces to all the people who buy our stuff and support us out in the big world.

artiste #4- Peeps

We were all getting worried that Beck wouldn't be able to join us for our studio sale, being head retail elf at Counter at Craft Victoria has had her tied to the- um well- counter and not in the studio being creative! But she managed to escape for the day and get her fingers a'twitching to come up with these lovely Xmas decorations, although they shouldn't be limited to this time of year only, really they are far too gorgeous. In fact I think they would look lovely attached to a present as an added bonus.
Last year Rebecca also created a fabulous '12 days of Christmas' series (from memory, there was a reindeer-man with baubles in his antlers- too cute). So we might be lucky to get some of her illustrations as cards too.
Fingers crossed Miss Jobson's elfing duties haven't tuckered her out, you might find her asleep under the table at the sale, murmuring 'would you like that gift wrapped?', if you do please say 'no that's fine, I like to do my own wrapping on Xmas-eve' and remember to buy a card on the way out.

artiste #3- Words and Pictures

Our elegant Madame du Barry, when not intriguing in the French Court of Louis the XV, spends her time painting charming naive artworks, creating cards and bibelots, and attending art soirees.
Ok- take 2.
Our elegant Ramona Barry, when not intriguing in inner city Melbourne, spends her time painting charming, joyous artworks, creating cards, badges and stocking fillers, and attending art exhibitions.
Hmmm. Interesting how history repeats itself.
To put all the cleverness aside, Ramona is one busy lady and I can't tell you how pleased I am that she has found the time to join us for the studio sale. She has requested wall space so I am jumping to the conclusion that not only will she be selling her smaller items but she is also bring along actual artwork!



We seem to have an owl theme happening!

a week early

We had someone (no names here, you know who you are!) turn up a week early for the studio sale today.
Hee hee.
Slightly red-faced but very eager!

Still lots to do. There is a serious amount of vacuuming to be done and sorting and packing away. Also new tea-towel skirts are underway and the French ric-rac to finish the 'Dell' linen tops has only just arrived in the mail today. Some work that was meant to be finished today hasn't been. And you can't see the surface of the kitchen table at home. There are purses piling up and half finished clocks (yes I wrote clocks- new product, if I get a chance I'll try and photograph some this weekend, they are really quite funny but that may also be Jess and my senses of humour.)

artiste #2- Nikki Gabriel

The lovely Nikki quietly knits away (well actually the knitting machine and the handknitting needles can be quite noisy when she gets a head of steam up) creating the most exquisitely beautiful pieces of work. She always stuns me with her virtuoso technique, construction and concept.



For the sale she has been having a bit of fun creating smaller pieces from all the left over yarn that tends to build up when you are knitting. Who doesn't need an Xmas stocking to fill at this time of year? And the great thing about these knitted stockings is that they will stretch to fit all those excitingly shaped packages we know Santa is going to bring us (maybe an Eg Etal jewellery giftbox or some strange shaped ceramic piece from Craft Victoria or..) and you can re-use them next year too! Really they are heirlooms in the making, just perfect to bring out every Xmas along with the pipe-cleaner angels and cotton-wool Father Christmases.

presenting today's feature (studio sale) artiste- Iggy and Lou Lou

What can we say about the wonderful Iggy and Lou Lou?
Magically turning humble clay into beautiful jewels.
I have to say I've been in love with the little golden honey- pawed bears for quite sometime (sadly not pictured here, just go to the website for the full glory of Iggy and Lou Lou and its worth the visit, I love the graphics, they make me smile and laugh).
Or how about a little Lost World dinosaur?
What's not to love!

studio sale

I'll try and post some pictures of stuff that's going to be in the sale.
Busy trying to get work finished and started and tagged and priced.