little ephemera empire

peace

2012-01-20T22:48:00.002+11:00

so i was riding the bus home this afternoon, late this afternoon, probably technically this evening, when i saw a flock of ibis. i was feeling a bit ticked at being late, at having to do things that i don't want to do and to smile while doing it. the flock of ibis were flying high, coming to roost in the ancient moreton bay figs that tower behind the normandy hotel. the sight of the birds brought me peace.

the ibis is a character that i've missed since moving south. alot of people consider them a pest. we often marvelled at thier ability to get into a dumpster bin. the bin behind the dominos at sandgate seemed to be a favourite, and it was amazing how many other types of birds would flock to it once they saw an ibis was on the scene.

but to me the ibis reminds me of ancient egypt and thoth who maintained balance in the universe and weighed the heart of the dead against a feather.

it's all about your point of view.

things

2012-01-19T22:14:00.000+11:00

been a bit obsessed with working out exactly what it is that i want. i think because whenever the question arises my mind's automatic response is to go blank. i suffer this terribly in music stores (what albums did i want to get?), video stores (what movies did i want to see again?) and in restaurants when i've been given a menu (what food do i like?). these situations never cause much worry because if i get it wrong i can always go back and try again a second time, but when it comes to future career directions i'm afraid i put a little bit too much pressure on myself to get an answer and to make sure it's right.

but i need to remind myself that knowing what you don't want is just as important as knowing what you do (want).

thinking

2012-01-13T22:17:00.000+11:00

i have been a bit caught up, with family, christmas, friends, new year and now a three week corporate placement that has got me thinking a little bit too specifically about exactly what i'll be doing this time next year when uni is done and i have a bachelors degree in my hand and am looking for a graduate position.

too much thinking.

i think karolina kubrik from le pink chocolat says it best;

"it's important not to make compromises."

fly

2011-12-20T18:38:00.004+11:00

what do you do on a three hour flight?

i read, play cards, look out the window and listen to music.

ride

2011-12-18T08:51:00.002+11:00

now that we have got the house situation sorted (and the next year is secured), we have been having some fun and been riding the tracks at kate reed, leaving the boxes unpacked and enjoying the warmer weather before we fly back to brisbane for christmas and new year.

they have recently done some burning off in preparation for bushfire season. the little blackened grass mounds left behind remind us of the echidnas that we often come across on the side of the track.

move

2011-12-17T10:58:00.000+11:00

last tuesday we picked up the keys to our new house and the move began. it took us two and half days to move all of the furniture and boxes (some that still hadn't been unpacked since we moved down from brisbane) using the little hilux (thankfully the new house is only a five minute drive from the old house).

for a while now i have felt that i have too much stuff. when we moved down from brisbane the removalists said that the two of us had the same amount of stuff as a single person, which surprised me but didn't change my feelings. moving again, especially those boxes that have remained unpacked for the past 2 years, has reinforced to me how much stuff i have that i don't actually need. and so i have made a little resolution. over the next year i'm going to sort through my stuff and get rid of what i no longer need, use or want (in the past week i've already gotten rid of 9kg of old text books and a box of clothes, so the sorting has already begun).

our new house is bigger, brighter and airier than the last. it has a fire place and no noticeable drafts so i am hoping it is going to be warmer too. out front it has a view of launceston, but i find that i am distracted by the blackbirds squabbling over the fruit from the plum trees that line the street. out the back there is a veggie patch with strawberries, raspberries, potatoes and a couple of other things i am yet to identify. and over the back fence there is a farm with black headed sheep, geese and a pair of horses.

i think i'm going to enjoy living here.

zip

2011-11-30T15:52:00.001+11:00

my desk has officially become a sewing table. my sewing machine has become a permanent feature (after being taken out after my final exam) and the surface is slowly becoming littered with tiny off cuts of thread and fabric. much better than the lecture notes and text books that were previously in residence.

i have completed a second too cute tunic dress (from fabric given to me by my sister – also from ikea) and have started on making a skirt from an unworn pair of pants.

yesterday i was sewing in a zip. it took most of the afternoon and involved at lot of unpicking. i had been thinking that perhaps it would be better to stick with the too cute tunic dress and other patterns that did not require zips, but on second thoughts i think what actually needs to happen is that i need to be sewing more zips so that when a zip is required it only takes me 15 minutes and not a whole afternoon.

race

2011-11-30T15:44:00.001+11:00

launceston cycling classic on saturday

this year has gone so fast.

sometimes i find it hard to believe that i’ve finished the second year of my studies. three years seemed such a long time at the beginning, but now i find myself with only one more year to go, and if the last two years are anything to go by then next year is just going to fly by and before i know it i’ll be holding a degree in my hand.

we have signed a lease on a new house which means we will soon be moving from the technicolour house. this has been a great relief. although logically i knew we had plenty of time to sort something out, i am very good at catastrophizing and had all these worse case scenarios running through my head. the new house is bigger, cheaper and has a veggie garden in the back yard as well as sheep, geese and a horse over the back fence. we will be in and settled by christmas.

i am a little bit excited by the move. when i was little i was forever rearranging the furniture in my room. i liked creating new spaces to hide and play in. after we had looked through the new house and put in our application i started to picture where we would put our furniture (despite my best efforts not to in case we didn’t get it). it will be nice to have a new beginning and start our last year a fresh.

track

2011-11-21T17:52:00.001+11:00

the Australian Historic Road Racing Championships at Symmons Plains yesterday. the riders in their leathers reminded me of super heroes and their bikes sounded like jet plains when they were going around the track. there were three women racing, all of them were passengers in the sidecar motorcycle races

the game

2011-11-17T16:50:00.001+11:00

it's all about playing the game, but i've never been very interested on playing games.

but the game is on, confirmed today by the real estate agent and matt and i will have to play (despite our best efforts to keep things straight, direct and no fuss).

we are on the hunt for a house to rent.

we started looking proper yesterday (after a shared feeling that the real estate agent was spinning us tales), but already i have a headache and the skin under my left eye has begun to twitch. i am not looking forward to the applications and credit checks but maybe we'll be lucky and have a house fall into our laps (you can always hope).

in the meantime i am on holidays and so need to be having fun, so yesterday i put on my apron and baked some yoyo biscuits (the recipe from frankie magazine's afternoon tea). hand beaten for that extra level of love (and also to relieve some of the guilt that comes from eating the result) the yoyo's are my first cream filled biscuit and going by matty's statement that they were the best biscuits ever i think i can say they were a success.

unwind

2011-11-14T15:42:00.001+11:00

my last exam was a week and a half ago, but it feels so much longer than that.

i've been attempting the great unwind, but i don't think it is going all that well. i still feel like i should be doing something. should is such a nasty word, i have tried to eliminate it from my vocabulary but it keeps on popping back into use.

my goal for the weekend just past was to catch up on some sleep, but i fear that the heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightening and my dreams filled with sharks (and only having a newspaper to defend myself and my sister with) last night have undone any of the catchup that i might have made.

i have however started sewing and last week finished the above dress, the fabric is from ikea and the pattern is based on the too cute tunic (i changed it a little bit) from sew la tea do by pip lincolne.

birthday

2011-11-03T11:57:00.001+11:00

last wednesday we headed down to hobart for matty's birthday to see Closer To The Edge. the movie follows the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (or TT) that is touted as the greatest and most dangerous motorcycle road race in the world. i was slightly taken aback while watching the movie, the racers in the film seemed all too familiar. they were all like big kids, somehow they had all managed to avoid becoming serious grown ups, but yet they were also highly focused and disciplined. they were also neat and tidy and knew exactly what they wanted and didn't take any nonsense off anyone. in other words they were just like matt (whose been racing motorbikes since he was 12). it was the last thing i was expecting, to gain such an insight and greater understanding. however the movie also raised my suspicions, after recognising some of the gym exercises and finding out that one of the riders was also a mountain biker, it seems that i might have been living the lifestyle of a motorcycle racer without even knowing it, well all the bits except the riding motorcycles that is, which seems to me to be the most fun bit.

ps school is out for summer after finishing my last exam yesterday afternoon. two years down, only one more to go.

almost there

2011-11-01T17:31:00.000+11:00

i have just finished reading the corporation by joel bakan (another book i can highly recommend for anyone interested in business) and just in time too for my last exam tomorrow afternoon for accounting theory; at 3 hours and worth 50%. i came across a quote a couple of pages from the end which i thought i would share (it's on a topic i've been thinking about a lot recently)

We live in a world full of fear, people are afraid of the dark, people are afraid of losing their jobs, people are afraid of speaking, people are afraid of giving their opinion, people are afraid of acting. It's time that we lose our fear... [and] develop the capacity to unite, to organise, and to recover our faith in ourselves and in others.

Oscar Olivera

ps. i successfully completed my 4,500 words over the weekend, and even submitted it with an hour and a half to spare.

clear

2011-10-24T17:18:00.000+11:00

the clouds rolled in during the night and this morning we awoke to the rain and the cold that had arrived with it. but my head kept clear and this afternoon i left my exam relaxed and quietly confident. my next exam is on the weekend and requires 4,500 words in 3 days for 50%, but it is the subject i find the easiest and so i am hoping the words will be easy as well. but before we get to the weekend there is a birthday to celebrate first and a mid week break to be had.

PS i heard this song for the first time in ages this morning. i thought i would share the memories.

blue skies

2011-10-23T20:17:00.002+11:00

blue skies outside, but the clouds are gathering in my head. blue sky thinking is thinking open-mindedly, generating ideas that are not necessarily grounded or are in touch with present reality. some call it brainstorming. i like to think of it as day dreaming. i don't think i've been day dreaming enough and i fear this deficit is disturbing my sleep (and is turning me into a dull girl). blue hat thinking is when you think about your thinking. it is when you direct your thinking process, when you plan, reassess, refocus and make decisions using the ideas and information you have gathered (i had come across the six hats at work but didn't really understand them, then i read Serious Creativity by Edward de Bono for one of my units earlier this year, and now understand them only a little bit better, but i probably just need to put knowledge into practice to get the full story like Einstein says). i've been thinking that i need to allow more time for fun in my thinking, a thought i've had before (why is it that i never learn my own lessons?). thankfully matty helped me clear my clouds today and i'm hoping the forecast for tomorrow will stay clear for my 3 hour exam tomorrow afternoon worth 60%.

quote me

2011-10-22T11:36:00.002+11:00

i finished reading anita roddick's book during the week (which i really, really enjoyed and can highly recommend to anyone who is interested in business). the book is interspersed with quotes and i'm a big fan of quotes (i'm thinking that the next issue of little - if i ever get around to it - will be on quotes). my
favourite one was this:

All knowledge should be translated into action.

Albert Einstein

i've never come across this one before and it hit an instant cord. i've been feeling lately that uni is all knowledge and no action, which has been frustrating me slightly (read a lot). but i mustn't whinge. only 3 more exams and then i am done for another year (and only 1 more year to go).

little revisited

2011-10-20T13:29:00.001+11:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More joanna coltman

10 years ago i made my first zine; little. i hadn't realised it had been so long. i was so pleased with how the penny black catalogue turned out that i dug out my old flats and decided to scan them in so i could upload them to issuu. i'm equally happy with the result, you can see the sticky tape and the rough edges of the paper (that often didn't come out on the photocopies). i read through the old pages as i scanned (and corrected some of the spelling mistakes, but i'm sure i missed some, i always, always do) and i was surprised by how some things had totally changed and by how some things have stayed exactly the same.

alice in wonderland is still my favourite book, i still order a fettucinne marinara when i go to an italian restaurant but i would have to say my favourite food now is japanese - either sushi or a bento box (i think half of it is getting to eat with chopsticks, something i love, love to do - it makes a meal more exciting i think). but the greatest surprise and the greatest change would be the heat. i used to hate it, and longed for cold days when i could wrap up in many layers of clothes and watch my breath hang in the air, but after living in a cooler climate for the last two years i find myself longing for the heat and those 30 degree + days when you can walk around in a singlet and skirt and feel the tension build through the day to give you a spectacular electrical storm at sunset. in this little area of my life i am now the total opposite. funny hey?

have you changed in any areas of your life to a point where you feel that you're now almost unrecognisable to the person you were before? i'm one of those people who believe that the leopard really can change their spots.

today is awesome

2011-10-18T14:56:00.002+11:00

Handmade Portraits: Rob Ryan from Etsy on Vimeo.

i really needed today. for the longest time now it feels like i've been putting in all this hard work only to have very little to show for it. last week was pretty bad, saturday was my lowest after receiving two knock backs in two days and featured quite a few tears (but this did mean that i slept well on saturday night, i always find crying exhausting). but have you noticed how things never spread themselves out evenly but how they always clump together? you know like the old saying 'it never rains, but it pours'? i think i first realised how true this was when i was working in retail, you would either have very little to do and would wander around the shop desperately trying to find something you could tidy or straighten up or you would be flat out with a dozen customers at the counter waiting to be served. well today it's poured again, only this time it's two wins in two hours, and hence today is awesome. (one of the subjects at uni i was worrying about has just delivered me an awesome mark meaning that i now have nothing to worry about while i prep for the exam and it turns out that i have secured something after all for the penny black project in the new year, just when i was about to give up).

something else that is awesome is rob ryan. you know rob ryan don't you? he is a papercut artist (one of my favourite types of artists) and etsy have recently featured him in one of their handmade portraits. in the video you get a sneak peak of his new book 'a sky full of kindness' which i'm looking forward to checking out. you can check out more of rob's work in his esty shop or at lark. i hope rob helps to make your day more awesome.

clarence prize

2011-10-16T08:44:00.000+11:00

matty's shortdivision

inside the old rosny barn

last thursday afternoon we headed down for the opening of the clarence prize at the old rosny barn in hobart. you can catch matty's shortdivision there until the 6th of november. the barn is a beautiful old building (apparently one of the oldest in australia) with stone walls, a sloping floor and an amazing wooden roof (i know i should have been looking at the furniture on display, but i couldn't help myself from looking up all the time, something about all those rafters and joists i found very appealing).

1

2011-10-10T06:23:00.000+11:00

first birthdays are cool, filled with cake and presents and bubbles and jaffas and raspberries and jam biscuits and pink chocolate and sausages in bread with sauce.

sprung

2011-10-09T18:16:00.000+11:00

yesterday we drove out to wynyard to visit the Table Cap Tulip Farm. between the 24 september and the 16 october the farm opens its field to the public and you can tip toe through the tulips. the colours were amazing.

pretty things

2011-10-06T17:10:00.000+11:00

the brain has been getting a bit mushy over the last couple of days, and i'm afraid hasn't been up to much beyond assignments and preparing for the run up to exams. so at the end of the day i've been giving it a break by looking at pretty things.

these are all from le petit atelier de paris, a little shop in paris run by stephane and jae froger. they also have a sweet little blog, perfect for mushy brains that don't read french and are forced to only look at the pretty pictures.

they don't make 'em like they used to

2011-10-02T18:18:00.001+11:00

to relieve the craziness today we drove out to longford for rock n rods. it was a beautiful day filled with shiny cars and dreams of a post uni life.

friday flowers

2011-10-01T10:25:00.001+10:00

one of the ladies at work brought me in a bunch of flowers from her garden.

it made my day.

the wall

2011-09-29T20:29:00.000+10:00

visual notes of the corporation by Austin Kleon

the essay writing continues, only the subject matter changes. this week, having handed in my ethics and maths assignment (all 28 pages of it) i have now moved on to accounting theory. i've been feeling like i've been hitting my head against a wall for the last couple of days, but then digging through my endless notes i came across something forgotten that got me interested in the subject matter again (like ER did with ethics):

‘In terms of power and influence, you can forget the church, forget politics. There is no more powerful institution in society than business, which is why I believe it is now more important than ever before for business to assume a moral leadership. The business of business should not be about money, it should be about responsibility. It should be about public good, not private greed.’

the above is from Anita Roddick's book Business as Unusual. Roddick you probably know founded the body shop (now owned by l'oreal, a company that tests on animals, and nestle a company with questionable business practices). Joel Bakan also argues for corporate responsibility in his book The Corporation (also a compelling documentary) in which he compares the behaviour of corporations to that of psychopaths. the argument is that companies having gained the rights of an individual in the eyes of the law (the right to enter into contracts, to sue and be sued) they must also bare the responsibilities, that is responsibility for their externalities.

exciting i know.

do you know issuu?

2011-09-28T17:19:00.002+10:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

i've been meaning to try this for ages and yesterday i finially got round to uploading the Penny Black Project zine from last year. i'm very pleased with it. so pleased i've been inspired to dig out all the old copies of little and upload them too - so stay tuned.

Eleanor Roosevelt

2011-09-27T18:08:00.000+10:00

did you know that Eleanor Roosevelt (one of my favourite people) was on the panel that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? she was the only woman on the panel of 9 and was elected as chair and considered her involvement as her greatest achievement. i found this out while working hard on my ethics essay (mentioned in the last post). just another reason to admire this awesome and quote worthy woman.

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't."

ps. matty bought me these bottles from the nook in north hobart last week.

furniture and regimes

2011-09-26T18:53:00.000+10:00

page one of matty's Khai Liew essay

it's essay city here at the moment. the weekend was spent with the two of us side by side in the computer lab typing away (someone mentioned how romantic this sounded, but i can think of a million 'less romantic' things i'd rather be doing). matty's been working hard on his essay on the very awesome south australian based furniture designer Khai Liew (have you noticed that no one is from any where any more? everyone is now 'based'). art nation did a really good piece on him last year that you can view here. anyway i usually get proof reading honours and i wanted to share a (biting) excerpt that i rather enjoyed:

"Liew’s focus on supporting hand skills [one of the key building blocks of design] shows a direct removal from the bigger local industries aligned with mass production techniques [most of which are moving off shore]. This deliberate decision by Liew opens up a flood of questions regarding Australian designers and engagement with local manufacturing and for the whole a manufacturing industry somewhat unwilling to support local design due to an assumed lack of international and local interest. An assumption derived from an Australian society who looks to others for cultural guidance and whose mind set is more focused on securing a better deal than securing a better product."

i have been working hard on my own essay, which is an analysis of the decision by nokia siemens networks to provide iran with surveillance technology in 2008 which was later (allegedly) used in the persecution of citizens (including imprisonment, torture and execution) using four ethical frameworks, namely utilitarianism, kantianism, rights and justice. i wont subject you to an excerpt from mine.

book binding love

2011-09-25T16:03:00.000+10:00

Love in the Kindle Era from Grant Slater on Vimeo.

via rosie who rocks

i have an A4 sized guillotine. i bought it early on in my zine making career as the zines i make tend to be A6 size which requires the cutting of many photocopied A4 pieces of paper. i have always been very happy with my guillotine, and use it at every opportunity, even in the opening of mail, but now i have guillotine envy. i have witnessed the joy that is a book binders guillotine in person. many years ago i made my own case-bound book at an introductory course in bookbinding that was run by the Queensland Bookbinders Guild under an old queenslander house at tarrangindi. after we had sewn our signatures together to form our textblock the edges were trimmed by the tutor using a huge old guillotine. there is something very satisfying about watching a blade slice through a stack of paper that is a good inch thick as if it were butter.

1000 paper cranes

2011-09-24T20:12:00.000+10:00

between working on essays i've been making paper cranes. i find it calming, relaxing and meditative. i taught myself how to make the cranes when i was a teenager. in primary school we read the story about Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. did you read this story? it is said that if you fold a 1000 paper cranes you will get your wish, and when i was a teenager there was a wish i wanted to come true more than anything and so i started folding cranes.

i don't know how many paper cranes i made, if i counted them then i've forgotten the number, but i do know that i didn't make it to 1000. this was mainly because i was granted my wish. now when i fold the cranes i remember my wish, and each crane is a thank you for the wish coming true. i give a lot of the cranes away. i hope they bring the receiver luck.

spring colours

2011-09-23T21:58:00.002+10:00

friday means a full day at work, which i previously counted as a day off (because of the lack of uni related work - which may help to explain why i've been feeling a bit crazy lately). but after realising that i work so much better (and get a whole lot more done) after having a proper day off i've decided to bring an end to this type of thinking, so today was a day of work, not of rest (see what i mean about the crazy?).

anyway today was another lovely sunny day (but not nearly as warm as hobart was yesterday - someone said they're predicting highland snow for the weekend) and i decided to eat my lunch away from my desk and out in the sunshine in city park and enjoy some of the spring. stop and smell the flowers sort of thing (and practice taking photos).

sanity break

2011-09-22T23:27:00.000+10:00

today matty and i played furniture movers, driving down to hobart to pick up shortdivision from the tasmanian museum and art gallery. we collected old shorty via the new argyle street entrance which shows off their very cool 60s/70s staircase and then transported shorty across the bridge (wrapped in a blanket in the back of the ute) and delivered it to the old rosny barn for the clarence prize exhibition which opens in early october (narrowly avoiding a very young pluver chick that was attempting to cross the road while its parents flapped their wings at us). the move went perfectly and was complete by lunch, which left us the rest of the afternoon to wander aimlessly and have a break from the relentless uni assignments that have been monopolizing our time for what feels like the last million years.

it was a beautiful day (at one stage i even took my jacket off). we both treated ourselves to new magazines (living the high life on our two-minute-noodle student budget), a peppermint for me and an english motorcycle racing magazine for matty (when it comes to bikes matt says if it's got lights on it then he's not interested in it - racing bikes don't have lights on them i have learnt, or the ones matty likes anyway). we walked into the city and a promise was made in fullers bookshop that i would attempt to bake some macaroons after we spied a selection for sale in the instore coffee shop for $3.50 each. we walked back to the car via salamanca and headed to north hobart where we ate sushi before purchasing a dried fruit and nut mix (which included some of those yogurt covered sultanas which always seem to run out first) for the drive home, and back to the insanity.

fun house - Japan

2011-09-17T15:16:00.000+10:00

via le container (one of matty's favourites) and design boom

(only 4 more weeks of semester... then exams)

get your skates on

2011-09-03T12:19:00.001+10:00

dream house

2011-08-30T17:57:00.000+10:00

if you've been watching Grand Designs you might remember the scandinavian house from a couple of weeks ago. it was built by Kathryn Tyler who is an interior designer based in cornwall, england. i got very excited watching that episode, the house she built was eveything i dream about, mid century, modestly sized with lots of storage and a thunderbird-esk underground garage (i might not of been dreaming about that last one, but i do now). well yesterday i found her website (and her blog) and thought i might share with you some of her house's awesomeness.

you can check out even more photos of the house here.

jojo and the whale

2011-08-27T20:27:00.001+10:00

yesterday i visited the blue whale that has travelled to launceston as a part of the Junction Arts Festival. apparently blue whales have made the waters off the coast of portland, victoria a winter nursery (you can do a helicopter blue whale watching tour which i'll have to put on my to do list once i have become an account - ie have the money). the inflatable whale measures 27 metres in length and allegedly has a car inside it to prevent it blowing away in the wind. it was created by Mark Cuthbertson with help from the portland community. the whale reminded me of the humbacks that are suspended near the entrance of the queensland museum, as i remembered standing beneath them and listening to the whale song that echoes through the expansive concrete corridor i realised that it was one of my favourite places in brisbane. long live the whales.

29 ways to stay creative

2011-08-19T16:59:00.003+10:00

it's been a big week and i am exhausted.

you could probably say it's been a big month by the level of activity on the blog... i have been away for a while.

busy, busy, busy, but got to make sure i make time for the important things.

things that fill the well, rather than drain it.

2011 City of Hobart Art Prize

2011-07-24T18:27:00.000+10:00

have you ever had one of those experiences where you didn't quite realise what it was you had gotten yourself into?

friday we drove down to Hobart for the opening of the 2011 City of Hobart Art Prize. this year the call was for works for wood and paper (every year is different, last year it was digital and ceramics). the super hero submitted shortdivision and it got in. the Lord Mayor read out the stats before he announced the awards. the 3 judges; 1 from the MCA Sydney, 1 from the Heide Melbourne and 1 from TMAG Hobart, sifted through 400 entries from across the country, and selected 41 artists for the final exhibition, 29 in paper and 12 in wood (and the superhero was one of the wood). we were both a bit awe struck to see shortdivision surrounded by pieces of art by established artists (the winners in both the categories had both been practicing for at least 20 years, had completed doctorates and have artworks in both national and international collections).

matt has made a couple of shortdivisions, one sits in our lounge room stuffed full of books and dvds. but strangely it also looks at home, empty on a plinth in an art gallery (though both of us were questioning just how it managed to get there). the experience was very humbling but also very exciting.

you can check it out for yourself, the exhibition runs until September 18, in Art Galleries 1-4 at the Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, Hobart.

mr & mrs smith pt 2

2011-07-06T18:02:00.000+10:00

small and simple

we were both there to greet our 16 guests, all immediate family

my bouquet had a flower for each guest, plus one for matt's dad

the day had began with some light showers, which meant we had the park all to ourselves

matt organised a pair of eames chairs and a saarinen side table for the signing of paperwork

the sun broke through by the time the deed was done

but the wind picked up too

the day turned out better than either of us had expected

a perfect start

Mr & Mrs Smith

2011-07-01T08:12:00.002+10:00

yesterday matty & i got married.

more images to come...

dress (marimekko fabric 'ruusupuu' by maija isola, 1957) - kiitos

furniture - Herman Miller & Knoll

invitations - Peace, Love & Letterpress

minister - John Gill

music - Seu Jorge & David Bowie

reception venue - The Flying Nun Cafe

shoes (bride) - Wittner Shoes

shoes (groom) - Adidas

suit - Jack London

roses - Oopsa Daisy Flowers

wedding bands - Utopian Creations

wedding venue - Moora Park, Shorncliffe

preview

2011-06-29T17:24:00.002+10:00

tomorrow's going to be a big day, i'm hoping to post some photos and fill you in on friday, but i thought i would give you a sneaky preview to pique your curiosity.

wonderland

2011-06-27T17:57:00.000+10:00

i thought going home to brisbane would mean an excape from the ice, but then i find they've installed an ice rink in king george square.

praise to pele

2011-06-25T21:50:00.000+10:00

today we flew north for mid year break, it seems that pele heard my prayers during the week and kept the ash cloud at bay long enough for us to reach brisbane unhindered, thank you pele.

brain wave

2011-06-23T17:16:00.002+10:00

the name of that documentary series i was talking about is Architects of Change. i was up all night trying to remember what it was called, but i didn't remember it until this afternoon. and i am so glad that i did as Foundations to Entrepreneurship has really got me wanting to revisit it.

(can't believe i've only got half a day to go and then i have one whole unit done, except for two questions on a take home test that is, just brilliant)

2011-06-22T12:42:00.000+10:00

Bat Girl by Mel Stringer

because i am a crazy person, i have signed up to do a winter school. how could i not? three days and i have a whole unit done (instead of 13 weeks). it's entitled Foundations of Entrepreneurship. i first got interested in enrolling (i mean other than the three day thing) after watching this documentary series on the ABC following social and environmental entreprenuership around the world (i have no idea what it was called, despite having watched it for five weeks, but it was during semester so my brain was mush). it was very inspiring. i'm hoping the unit will aid in my plot to change the world through accounting. it's not as far fetched as it might first sound. money makes the world go round after all. and who is it who provides the information for investors to make the decisions about the allocation of resources? accountants. ahh it all falls into place.

something completely different

2011-06-21T15:49:00.001+10:00

Frocks on Bikes from Suzie Haslam on Vimeo.

i've been finding uni all consuming, so much so that i've been forgetting what it is i do for fun, like when you go into the video store and forget what movies you want to get out or the music store and forget all the bands that you like, but over the last week i've been slowly remembering.

matt & i have made a pact to have more fun. hopefully when the new semester ramps up our pact wont be forgotten.

big thanks to rosie and her blog, where i first saw the above video. i thought you might like it too.

Brick 2

2011-06-13T13:45:00.000+10:00

had my last exam on saturday. can now put my second brick to bed (featuring the australian accounting standards, 2116 pages). although i was rather pleased with my rainbow tabbing on this one.

two down, one to go

2011-06-07T17:58:00.001+10:00

Returning Ladder After Painting With Hiroyasu - A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far Away

by ghostpatrol

brick

2011-06-05T14:53:00.000+10:00

sat the first exam yesterday (1 down 2 to go), which means i can finally put one of my bricks to bed - the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) - all 2490 pages of it have accompanied me on tuesdays (tute) and wednesdays (lecture) for the last 14 weeks, and then again to yesterdays exam.

next one's tomorrow.

save the cows

2011-06-03T17:30:00.000+10:00

i put my money where my mouth is today, and helped put this add on tv.

down the rabbit hole

2011-06-01T16:40:00.000+10:00

had a practice exam today. i thought it would go for 45 minutes, but instead it went for 2 1/2 hours, so i got that wrong. the exam papers has a watermark across all the pages saying 'mock exam' which made me think of the mock turtle from Alice in Wonderland. apparently back in the mid 1800s mock turtle soup was a popular dish. it was made using veal instead of turtle, so while i was supposed to be thinking about finance lease payment schedules and provisions for long service leave and resulting expense calculations, i had a cow with a turtle shell doing his sad dance in my head (speaking of sad cows you should really go here, if you haven't already, but be warned these cows will make you sad too).

i am almost there, but i have been finding it hard to keep my motivation levels up, corporate regulation, microeconomics and australian accounting standards, i would much rather be doing an exam on Alice in Wonderland.

last one

2011-05-28T16:48:00.001+10:00

Act Hysterical by SadLittleCrown

i handed in my last assignment this afternoon, that's two whole days early, how good am i?

just need to keep it together for another 2 weeks...

i think i can

2011-05-27T11:32:00.003+10:00

keep it simple by inaluxe

this week was the last week of lectures. horray. for a time there i didn’t think i would make it.

over the past 14 weeks i have completed 1 oral presentation, 2 mid-semester tests, 3 assignments, 5 essays, 9 in-tutorial tests, 12 sets of tutorial questions and 17 quizzes.

but i'm not there yet. i have 1 assignment and 3 (3 hour) exams (worth 60% each) to go.

at 4:15pm on june 11 it will all be over. not that I’m counting down or anything…

be your own hero

2011-05-23T19:00:00.001+10:00

on the weekend we crossed off something that's been on my 'things to do list' for a very long time.

it was awesome.

will have to go again.

gratitude

2011-05-19T09:11:00.002+10:00

some how, two years ago, i managed to score myself a Yen subscription. i'm not entirely sure how... maybe i entered a competition somewhere... but anyway every 2 months the latest issue appears in the letterbox. i have a flick through and always read the profile on the last page, but other than that i don't usually find much that piques my interest.

this week issue 50 appeared in the letterbox and on page 114 there was an article about practising gratitude. this is a topic that i keep on running into, so i took the time to read it (and i thought you might like to read it too). after reading i was thinking about my day and i remembered how on my walk to work a lady smiled at me as we passed on the street, i was not feeling the best as i was not looking forward to my day, but this smile made me feel better, and remembering this on the couch at home made me feel better again.

i think i'll start practising gratitude more regularly.

and another

2011-05-16T15:51:00.003+10:00

when the world sleeps by dkim

another assignment handed in, only one more to go.

do you believe

2011-05-14T17:58:00.000+10:00

"The thing is that you've got everything you need in yourself, and you just need to believe. Often believing is the hardest thing."

Kate Bezar (p. 29)

PS. Dumbo Feather is one of the magazines i subscribe to.

PPS. You should also check out the june issue of home beautiful too, someone i believe in appears on page 34, how awesome is that? (you don't even have to go to the newsagent, you can buy this thing in the supermarket).

and another

2011-05-11T15:35:00.006+10:00

Jenny / tiny canvas print by tushtush

today i handed in that horrid accounting essay, horray! it's also my last essay for the semester, double horray!! just 2 more assignments, 2 more in class tests and 3 exams to go...

another one bites the dust

2011-05-09T14:23:00.007+10:00

today i will be happy by candidate

today i handed in my economics essay. i have three more assignments to go, which i wasn't feeling too enthusiastic about last week, but on friday the exam timetable was published and with my end date in sight i'm feeling all reinvigorated. plus i've taken on a new mission to have more fun, like i used to before uni ate my life, to help prevent angry outbursts in the kitchen while trying to refill the honey squeezey bottle before biting off heads and running to the bathroom in tears to prevent further dismemberment (we buy our honey in bulk by the way and it can be quite tricky refilling the bottle, especially when all you want to do is eat your breakfast, preferably with honey).

one of the things i used to like doing was hanging out at borders and reading all the magazines. cheap i know, but i just liked flicking through the glossy pages and looking at the pretty pictures. this is something i've been missing. there's no borders down here, and no newsagents with a big enough selection to keep me interested for long, plus the sales assistants are way too attentive and i feel guilty if i don't end up buying something, which i don't so i just don't do it anymore, unless it's really busy and i can slip through unnoticed for a quick 5 minutes, but i used to spend up to an hour in borders back in the day... (i subscribe to all the magazines i read by the way)

do you like to flick through the magazines at the newsagent? do you have a favourite that you pick out straight away? mine is real living, that's my pick for a quick flick. but this month i recommend you seek out Green Magazine (issue 19) and flick to page 15 because you will find someone awesome there.

12 ways to make it happen when you don't wanna

2011-05-04T17:53:00.000+10:00

grrrrr by pretty little thieves

my motivation levels have been pretty low lately (but you may have used your powers of deduction and already worked that out by my sparse blogging of late). it caught up with me this morning. i hadn't finished some work due for hand-in this afternoon, and this morning i realised that i had totally underestimated the amount of work left to do, and how much time it would take me to do it. i felt like a teenager in high school. i was so disappointed in myself. i thought i was more organised than that. (and i often find myself thinking less of people who leave things to the last minute - well i guess i've been put in my place now)

anyway this afternoon i decided to go through my emails, they've been piling up and i thought it best to get on top of them before they get too out of control. there was the latest when i grow up newsletter in my inbox, and lately i've just been deleting them without reading, but today i didn't and i'm so glad i didn't because there was some motivation advice. just what i needed. if you need some help too, you can read it here.

do you ever feel like you should be doing something else?

2011-04-27T14:10:00.001+10:00

for the last two days i have been trying to find some journal articles for my accounting essay and it is doing my head in. the essay question is:

The AASB Framework and SAC2 describe 'usefulness' as the basic objective of financial accounting. Discuss the implications of this objective for the preparers and users of financial reports, with particular reference to Australia's new differential financial reporting framework.

i fight catatonia every time i read it. why couldn't it be something practical? i like accounting because it is practical, but i'm discovering that uni is not always practical. right now i'd rather be making something look pretty.

day dreaming

2011-04-18T20:06:00.000+10:00

lately i've been having thoughts of throwing out all my clothes and replacing them all with dresses. this one is from christina pires.

play

2011-04-17T20:04:00.000+10:00

today i actually got to watch art nation for the first time in months. i used to love sunday afternoons, lazing on the lounge watching the art programs on the abc. just haven't had the time of late, but today i managed to watch a full 20 minutes, which i just drank up. all work and no play makes jo a dull girl (and is driving her a little insane) and after a discussion with the super hero this afternoon i'm thinking about cutting back a day at work so i can fit in just a little bit of play.

ashes to ashes

2011-04-15T18:21:00.000+10:00

uni was a real struggle this week, i don't know if it was because i wasn't feeling 100% or because it was extra especially boring. anyway i've been holding on to anything that shows just a little bit of imagination and creativity.

“Phoenix company is not a legal term. It describes a company that operates a business and incurs debts that are not paid. When creditors threaten to liquidate the company because of insolvency (1), the directors form a new company and transfer to it the old company’s business and its most valuable assets for little or no consideration (2). The old company is left an assetless shell and may be wound up by its creditors who receive very little in the liquidation. The new company, like the mythical phoenix, rises from the ashes of the failed company.

Liquidators of phoenix companies face a major practical problem in prosecuting the directors for breach of duty. Because a phoenix company is usually stripped of all its valuable property, its liquidator rarely has enough funds to launch legal proceedings against it directors. This inevitably means that ASIC prosecutions of directors for breach of their statutory duties are the only avenue for dealing with such improper behaviour.”

Lipton, P, Herzberg, A & Welsh M 2010, Understanding Company Law, 15th edn, Lawbook Company, Sydney. (p.402)
1. i e. unable to pay its debts when they fall due
2. working in accounts payable i've actually seen this done

gotta keep my eye on the prize, but lately i've been unable to see the forest because of all the boring trees. but don't worry i'll keep plodding, i'm stubborn like that...

don't mention the war

2011-04-13T17:50:00.002+10:00

when i went to europe years and years ago, i was struck by how much the shadow of world war II loomed over everything. often i'd hear the tour guide say how all of these buildings had been rebuilt since 1946 (the time i remember most clearly was when we were looking down a street of medieval buildings in Warsaw). i thought at the time that in Australia we were free from that shadow, and we are when it comes to the destruction i suppose, but there is one thing that is so big that i overlooked it...

"Australia's 4 million-odd baby-boomers, born between 1946 and 1961, are heading in droves towards retirement. From 2007 onwards, about 700 boomers will leave the workforce every day, and their expectations and aspirations will be very different from the generation of retirees in whose wake they follow.

The baby-boom generation represents a complex mixture of idealism and rampant materialism. Their influence is already pervasive in Australian society as the market has chased their huge demand for travel, education, housing, cars and fashion. With an 'I deserve' mentality, baby-boomers are used to treating themselves to high-end goods, services and experiences. They are also used to borrowing to pay for them. 'Empty-nest' boomers, who are the first in line for retirement, are notorious for being the country's poorest savers and biggest spenders.

Baby-boom retirees are likely to carry their insatiable appetites for spending with them into retirement. Boomers will demand resort-style retirement villages, complete with golf courses, marinas, tai chi classes and financial advisers. Some market sectors can hardly fail to profit as boomers age. Pharmaceutical and cosmetic firms will be there to help boomers age gracefully. New fashion lines from many of Europe's fashion houses have necklines and colours that are sensitive to ageing boomers. Publishers have expanded their large-print book selections (along with bigger price tags) for boomers with failing eyesight. And even in retirement, boomers are expected to keep alive the demand for Harley-Davidson motorcycles and blue denim jeans."

Frank, Robert H., Jennings, Sarah M. and Bernanke, Ben S. (2009), Principles of Microeconomics, (second edition), McGraw Hill. (p233)

i guess there is one shadow from world war II that we will be living under for some time yet.

things i have learnt this week

2011-04-12T12:31:00.000+10:00

( 4y^-3 / x^-2 ) / ( yx^-2 / 3y^2 )

= 4y^-3 x^2 / yx^-2 3^-1 y^-2

= 4y^-3 x^2 y^-1 x^2 3y^2

= 12y^-2 x^4

i think i may have cleared a blockage left over from high school, which is cool, but it's still algebra so nothing to get too excited over. i also managed to hand in my maths assignment a day early, how good am i? next one's due in another four weeks (for maths that is, i've also got another two on the go as well as i don't know how many tests...)

hanging around

2011-04-11T14:00:00.001+10:00

at the start of march it was one very special person's 4th birthday and i decided to make her a dress for the occasion. the pattern is from simple sewing for baby by lotta jansdotta which i felt a bit funny about buying as i have no baby of my own, but i have found it very handy when it comes to presents for nieces and nephews, so am glad that i bought it anyway.

the dress has a pocket which houses a pocket friend that is attached on a string so that it doesn't get lost. in the book the pocket friend looks more like a bear, but as i was making the little guy matt had the idea of making the friend into a bat,

that way when he was out of his pocket, hanging around upside down, he would be just as happy. genius i thought. i think the birthday girl liked it too.

super hero love

2011-04-09T17:29:00.002+10:00

last saturday we took a couple of hours off and went down to seaport to check out the apron markets. i love a good craft market and there was lots to to check out including goodies from notions, ruby victoria letterpress, the little one said, cocoon, my paper doll, grandeliers and anita & luke dineen. alan from photobat was also there and he took an awesome photo of matt (but i might be a bit biased). you can check out more of alan's awesome photos on his blog :)

craft pony

2011-04-08T17:30:00.000+10:00

so as i was saying, before uni ate my life (again), i did manage to squeeze in some craftiness. i was hoping that the momentum from this craftiness would carry me through when uni started getting insane, but alas it has fallen away and i can see that a new push will need to be made on the craft front (because a little craft here and there is a huge help when it comes to relieving stress levels).

so anyway at the end of february there was a birthday, and by some random stroke of luck i remembered that the person having the birthday had asked me ages and ages ago if i would knit her a cozy for her favourite mug (i may have had some help from etsy with the aid to memory, have you seen the apple cozys?). so i got out my crochet hook, some left over red wool and my cutest button and ta dah, one mug cozy. better late than never i suppose...

getting better

2011-04-07T19:03:00.000+10:00

had my second mid-semester test today and feeling much better, infact feeling the exact opposite to what i was feeling yesterday, yay :)

i don't feel so good...

2011-04-06T15:56:00.000+10:00

... i have a bad feeling about the test i did today, time will tell (i've been wrong about these things before), it's only worth 15%, and i've got another test tomorrow too...

things i have learnt this week

2011-04-05T12:59:00.001+10:00

René Descartes came up with the idea of cordinates, where each point on a plane has an x-coordinate representing its horizontal position, and a y-coordinate representing its vertical position (also known as the cartesian coordinate system), keep that in mind the next time you look something up in a referdex (or street directory for all you non-queenslanders)

not all leases are tax deductible. only operating leases can be expensed, while financing leases must be recognised as assets and liabilities (as per AASB117). there is talk between the IASB and the FASB to get rid of the distinction between operating and financing leases and to treat all leases as financing. this would mean that reporting entitys could no longer hide their assets in their P&L

in a corporation (company) the shareholders (or members) appoint the directors and the directors appoint the managers. directors can be either executive (that is they work in the company from day to day) or non-executive/independent (they come in for board meetings and the free lunch).

elasticity is the measure of the responsiveness of a dependent variable to a change in an independent variable in economics such as a change in the sale of puppies (dependent variable) when there is a change in income (independent variable). a measure that is greater than 1 is described as being elastic while a measure less than 1 is described as inelastic

exciting times.

Marimekko love

2011-03-18T15:36:00.002+11:00

state of green

2011-03-14T15:12:00.000+11:00

state of green have published an interveiw with matt on their blog. it's very exciting. you can check it out here. (you might even recognise the outline in the top picture).

i'm afraid that the most exciting thing that's happened to me lately is that my law lecturer was so impressed with a presentation that i did on the expropriation of shares of a minority sharholder that he asked me if he could put it up on the online learning site as an example for other students to follow. (matt meanwhile is doing an assignment on ray & charles eames, some people have all the luck). i have managed to squeeze in some craftiness between the endless uni work (there have been quite a few birthdays of late which required some handmade presents), so i'll have to post some photos so you can see what i've been up to.

but if you're a majority shareholder wanting to know how to expropriate yourself some shares let me know and i'll put up my law presentation as well.

i am enough

2011-03-09T10:57:00.001+11:00

Yesterday I was told to listen to this TED talk by Brene Brown (who is a research professor in social work). I ended up watching it twice. I only half listened to it the first time because I was doing something else at the time (which seems to be my whole life at the moment), but a couple of things jumped out and made me stop, so I went back and watched it again, this time giving it my full attention.

I really liked what she has to say. You might like it too.

count down 1

2011-02-23T08:47:00.002+11:00

Stranger than Fiction featuring Will Ferrell as Harold Crick.

did you know that all the chracter surnames in Stranger than Fiction are named after mathematitians, scientists, engineers and artists? Harold is named after Francis Crick who with Watson and Wilkins found the structure of DNA. Maggie Gyllenhaal's character is named after Blaise Pascal who was a French mathematician and philosopher. Emma Thompson's character was named after Gustave Eiffel, the engineer and designer of the Eiffel Tower. Queen Latifa; M.C. Escher the Dutch graphic artist. And Dustin Hoffman; David Hilbert the German mathematician. I think that is the coolest idea ever. This movie, as well as being in my top 3 featuring accountants, is one of my all time favourite movies. It reminds me a bit of Charlie Kaufman, features some cool graphics and displays the beauty you can only find in a well crafted plot.

count down 2

2011-02-21T14:33:00.001+11:00

#2 Brewsters Millions featuring Lonette McKee as Angela Drake

i first saw this movie when i was little. it is super fun. imagine if you had $30 million you had to spend in 30 days! even if you couldn't acquire any assets i still think you'd have a super awesome time. the film also features the inverted jenny stamp which i included in the penny black project last year (it was my little tribute - i wonder if anyone else recognised it from the movie too?). anyway this is a fun movie full of 80's fashion and Richard Prior goodness (my favourite superman movie is superman III because he's in it), and it is full of hot tips on how to get rid of money if you don't want to have anything to show for it at the end.

count down 3

2011-02-20T08:58:00.006+11:00

there are only three more sleeps til my first day back at uni. so to help motivate myself (after feeling a bit negative last week) i thought i would count down my top 3 movies that feature accountants.

#3 Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium featuring Jason Bateman as Henry Weston aka the Mutant.

i saw this movie a couple of weeks ago. it was on a saturday night and i was practising my granny squares on the couch while watching tv. i remember seeing this movie advertised before and it had caught my interest (mainly because Mr Bateman is in it), but i think the reason why i never watched it before was because of Natalie Portman (who annoys me most of the time - although i did like her in the Darjeeling Limited...) it is a beautiful film that deals with death, self belief and the secret to magic (and it reminds me a bit of Roald Dahl who is one of my favourite writers). it has an excellent message - one i think adults need as well as kids. the film also looks pretty good too - i particularly like the hospital where the furniture and equipment are all bright yellow.

crafty

2011-02-18T21:57:00.000+11:00

about 6 years ago, while i was living in hobart, i bought a kimono. it was blue with grey stripes. i picked it out of a basket that was full of old second hand kimonos marked five dollars each. i enjoy a good rummage (do you enjoy a good rummage?). i probably spent ten minutes happily sifting through the mass of kimonos, picking exactly which one i was going to take home with me. anyway my kimono wearing days didn't last very long, it turned out that i didn't lead a kimono wearing compatible lifesyle (those sleeves always got in the way). so i packed up my kimono and added it to my fabric stash with the intention of one day cutting it up and making it into a dress.

for christmas last year i got

sew la tea do by pip lincolne (one of my favourite people). when i was drooling over the book in the book shop before christmas (on more than one occasion), the project that caught my eye the most was

the too cute tunic dress. so last month i made

one for my very own.

Fear

2011-02-17T17:17:00.002+11:00

when i was little i always wanted to be good at something without having to put the effort in. i had friends who were effortlessly good at sport and art and music and i always envied them for their talents, but i would always tell myself that one day i would find something that i was good at. then in my 20's i stumbled upon accounts and i found that it was easy, it was well paid and that people didn't like doing it.

yesterday i had orientation for one of my units at uni. i have been working full time over the summer and have been finding myself looking forward to the start of semester. but then yesterday i had a look through the outline for bridging maths (that i have to do because i went to high school a million years ago, so that i can then do quantitative methods), and my enthusiasm wavered. after my free lunch of veggie burger and apple (i resisted the icy pole - we have a freezer full at home) i looked up my other units and was reminded that they are principals of economics, financial accounting and corporate regulation and accountability. exciting hey? especially when you compare them to the super hero's subjects and all the cool stuff he gets to do. but it's what i have to do to get to the place i want to be (and the work i want to be doing).

what scares me is this fear of becoming boring. accountants are always depicted as being grey, unimaginative and dull. i have never really fitted into anywhere, i have almost always felt out of place and now i worry that i will fit into the category of accountant. but then i have my creative side, this constant desire to create, my love of stories and being silly and having a laugh, and the people who are not underwhelmed when i tell them what i am studying are almost always surprised so surely all that must count for something. but then fear is not a rational thing.

last semester the super hero would come home his head full of architects and design and i would listen to him happily for i have always been interested in that kind of thing (when i was in primary school i wanted to be an interior decorator because i loved building cubby houses and moving around my bedroom furniture and arranging my toys). he has threatened to stop doing this, because surely the last thing i'd want to do after a day of uni is hear all about his day at uni, but i hope that he doesn't follow through on his threat, as it was always the highlight of my day.

but enough of the negativity. all i need to do this semester is look forward to the winter school when i'll be doing foundations of entrepreneurship so that in semester 2 i can do entrepreneurship and creativity as well as managerial social responsibility because these are more inline with the sort of work that i want to do.

Maker's Market part 2

2011-02-15T10:12:00.001+11:00

saturday was the Maker's Market at the Design Centre. it turned out to be a beautiful day (after a rainy and cloudy friday). all the stalls looked awesome and were very inspiring to a craft pony such as myself (as opposed to a work horse - thanks maria for introducing me to the term). one day, if i get my stuff together and have enough stuff to sell maybe i'll have a table at a craft market...

Hideyo

Rebecca Roth

Ruby Victoria Letterpress

Launceston Brown Owls

Joanna Gair Paper

Jillian Jak

Paris + Tasmania & Anita Dineen (Minor Marvels)

Maker's Market

2011-02-09T13:56:00.000+11:00

at work i've been helping to organise the Maker's Market which is on this saturday as a part of festivale. i'm a bit excited about the group of people that are going to be there (and can't wait to see all the crafty goodness that they will have on sale).

Ruby Victoria Letterpress

Launceston Brown Owls

for the librarians

2011-01-29T09:54:00.000+11:00

i've been working full time since getting back from our exhibition - christmas - new year trip to brisbane. it's been a month shy of a year since i worked full time and i'd forgotten how consuming work can be - it's just not an issue when working two days a week. i have often been writing posts in my head but i haven't successfully transcribed them onto the computer (i have some catch up to do).

the friday before last i received my official receipt from the national library of australia for the penny black project zine (can you see on the letter they've addressed me as 'Dear Publisher'? pretty cool hey?). it was a pretty good letter to come home to, after working a long week with numbers on lots of bits of paper, it was nice to be reminded that i do other (more fun) stuff too. they also sent me a link to the catalogue record and have asked me to remember them when making the zine for the penny black project round 2 (have you checked out the blog lately? have you seen how many people have signed up? it's pretty exciting).

anyway it reminded me how important it is to hold onto your dreams (which can be so easily stamped out by the routine of the every day) and how a little thing can make a big difference.

a belated thank you

2011-01-19T19:00:00.000+11:00

you may have noticed a little while ago (being the observant person i know you are) that i changed my banner. i had been procrastinating over a new one for quite a while. i wanted something that was and looked hand written, but all my own attemps on writing one looked, well, rather crappy (in my opinion). so i gathered up all my courage and asked someone who has always impressed me with her hand lettering - hannah of one yellow jumpsuit fame, and well, i was overwhelmed by what she sent.

what hannah sent was even better than what i had in mind and i just wanted to say (a belated) thank you.

Cannonball - The Breeders

2011-01-10T16:57:00.000+11:00

i heard this song in a cafe the other day. i hadn't heard it for ages and ages. i recognised it immediately. i'd forgotten how much i love this song.

resolutions

2011-01-09T08:35:00.000+11:00

do you find yourself making the same resolutions at the start of every year? i do. mine is to be more crafty, to make more stuff. especially to make more presents for people because i am always so touched when people give me something that they've made. these are always the presents i treasure the most because they hold that persons thought, time and skill. i hope that when i make something for someone else that they feel the same way.

there's something very satisfying and terrifying about giving someone something that you've made. i am always plagued by self doubts before giving a handmade gift. i always second guess my choice of craft and the quality of my crafting. but when the gift is opened those feelings are usually swept away by the response given by the receiver. like when i gave the above necklace to someone special who likes to crochet, she put it on straight away, that always makes my self dobts melt away.

Penny Black Project Round 2!

2011-01-02T12:36:00.000+11:00

Since the Exhibition & Zine Launch I've had so much interest in the Penny Black Project that I've decided to do it again...

Do you want to be more creative but find you’re short on time? Start small by registering for ROUND 2 of the PENNY BLACK PROJECT. Six projects, six weeks apart. Create a series of postage stamps as art.

For each project brief you will be sent;
· Denomination
· Feature colour
· Size/Proportions

You can follow the brief as closely as you want, or not at all - make this project what YOU want.

Submissions will be published at PENNYBLACKPROJECT.BLOGSPOT.COM and be compiled into a zine at project end. ROUND 1 also turned into an exhibition, who knows what the New Year will bring.

Interested? Register by sending to LITTLEZINE@HOTMAIL.COM;
· Photo/avatar (for blog)
· 25 word (or less) bio
· Website/Blog (to plug)

Registration closes FEBRUARY 11

Check out PENNYBLACKPROJECT.BLOGSPOT.COM to see what people did for ROUND 1.

happy new year

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000+11:00

quote by Eugene F. Ware

print by happydeliveries

furniture

2010-12-27T21:10:00.001+11:00

this time last year we were preparing for the great move from Brisbane down to Launceston. it's hard to believe that it's been a whole year, the time has gone so fast...

the reason why we moved was for study, not mine - i'm studying business, majoring in accounting (which you can do absolutely everywhere) - but so matt (my super hero) could study environmental design (architecture), majoring in furniture. there are only a couple of places in Australia where you can study for a BA in furniture that is not an arts or industrial design degree (i think the two that matt had on his shortlist were UTAS and RMIT). last year (2009) we went down to Launceston and met with the head of the school and had a tour of the workshop - which was brand new and very impressive. the more matt found out about the UTAS course the more it seemed that it was designed just for him - a balance of hand skills, design theory and application.

the last year has been a lot of hard work, but of late it's also been very exciting. matt's end of year project, short division, has been accepted into two exhibitions - Furnished in Hobart as apart of Ten Days on the Island (Tasmania’s state-wide biennial multi art-form festival ) and the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection 2010 Biennial Exhibition in both Hobart and Launceston. short division has also been nominated for the Design Now! 2011 exhibition at Object in Sydney. but that's not all. if you're in Launceston, you can check out short division in the window of the very cool cocoon. and if you're not in launceston then you can check it out on matt's new blog.

exciting hey?

exhibition & zine launch part 6

2010-12-18T14:27:00.004+11:00

(this is the last part I promise)

Two more people who dropped by the Penny Black Exhibition who I think you should check out (especially if you're into zines) are Susy Pow and Jeremy Staples

Susy Pow, as well as making zines and skating roller derby, runs the Bird in the Hand Zine Shop in Newcastle (in a retail space provided by Renew Newcastle, if you haven't heard about these guys you should definitely check them out too). She was telling me she has 450 titles, so if you're suffering from a zine shortage check out the online shop.

Jeremy Staples is one of the mighty three who run the Paper Cuts Collective in Brisbane. The Paper Cuts Collective is focused on sharing a love of zines through collaborative initiatives, new distribution outlets and zine fairs. Jeremy is also running three zine workshops as apart of The Stoke (skateboarding in Brisbane) exhibition on at the Museum of Brisbane. The workshops will be on 22 December, 12 January and 9 February. Entry is free but spaces are limited. Contact MoB for more information. So if your in Brisbane and have the time, get yourself along to one of the workshops. I think everyone should be making zines.

exhibition & zine launch part 5

2010-12-13T22:07:00.001+11:00

Saturday was the last day of the Penny Black exhibition at Myrtle Street Studio. The exhibition was only up for a week, but what a week it was. I never realised how much hard work there is in putting on an exhibition! But the hard work was worth it because the whole process was really rewarding and a huge learning experience. I also received lots of encouraging feedback - including an email from the National Library of Australia in Canberra asking if I would donate a copy of the Penny Black Zine to their collection (how cool is that?). And it looks like people are keen on a Penny Black Project round 2 (I will keep you posted about any developements on this).

While babysitting the gallery I met Emma from hello sunday a cool blog that I thought you might be interested in checking out. Every Sunday Emma takes a photo and Tegan writes a story about things to do on Sunday around Brisbane. They've been going since March and the plan is to do it for a whole year. It's such a great yet simple idea.

exhibition & zine launch part 4

2010-12-05T20:09:00.018+11:00

on friday night we had the opening of the exhibition and i did a little speech. i didn't end up saying exactly what i had planned, but i managed to hit all the main points that i wanted to make thanks to my trusty palm cards. i was so nervous, my mouth went dry and afterwards i was all shaky, but everyone i spoke to said that they couldn't tell because my voice was strong and confident, which is what you want; if you don't feel confident you want to appear like you are.

so here is the speech that i planned on saying:

The idea for the Penny Black Project came from wanting to be more creative but not having the time, so I was looking for something little that I could fit into the never ending list of things I had to do everyday, and then I thought about the idea of a postage stamp as a piece of art. The Penny Black Project consisted of six projects spaced six weeks apart. I would send out some research on a famous or rare stamp along with a feature colour, a size and a denomination and six weeks later I would get back all these stamps which were all completely different. I was constantly amazed by everyone’s imagination and creativity and the variety of the responses to the same information.

I really believe that it’s the little things that are important. I am a big follower of Uncle Bob Randall’s advice of ‘don’t worry about big things, just do little things’, and that what I try to do; little things, things that are small enough to do everyday and I think you’ll already know that once you start something that there is momentum in action and before you know it, all these little things accumulate into something big, like tonight

Before I finish I would just like to congratulate Jay Dee on the first year of Myrtle Street Studio. She has produced a beautiful and professional space and I think Jay Dee has proven, although it is a lot of hard work, dreams really do come true.

exhibition & zine launch part 3

2010-12-05T09:23:00.002+11:00

this is the zine i made for the exhibition. it's my first foray in InDesign and i'm pretty happy with how it turned out. i had lots of help from Matty (my super hero) who showed me how to use the program. i've printed an edition of 30, the first 10 i've set aside for the participants and i'm selling the remaining 20 through Myrtle Street Studio (though i think half had already been sold, so if you're wanting one you better get in quick). this is my first zine in quite a while, and i'm all inspired to start making more :)

exhibition & zine launch part 2

2010-12-04T08:19:00.002+11:00

the calm before the storm

machines for printing

stamps by manuela dobelin

stamps by joy serwylo

stamps by jay dee dearness

stamps by georgi lewis

stamps by michelle vandermeer

stamps by kate moore

stamps by vanessa berry & simon yates

stamps by e j zyla

my write up about the project

artworks (& zines) for sale

party time

exhibition & zine launch

2010-11-27T16:57:00.001+11:00

you might have noticed my other blog the Penny Black Project. well next saturday all the stamps that people made from the project will be on exhibtion at Myrtle Street Studio. how exciting is that! i've also made a zine to mark the occasion. so if you're in Brisbane, looking for something to do... drop in and say hi (I'll be hanging out there gallery sitting most days).

book love

2010-11-13T10:45:00.002+11:00

I have my eye on a couple of books...

Sew La Tea Do by Pip Lincolne. I had a look at this in the bookshop last weekend and there's a tunic style dress that I'm keen on making, as well as the fox quilt on the front.

Handmade Living by Lotta Jansdotter. I already have two of Lotta's books, being a big fan of the Scandinavian style. This one is filled with lots of photos of calming interiors, little crafty projects and ideas as well as some recipes too.

Built by Wendy Dresses by Wendy Mullin. This one has been out for a while now, I have the other two in the series and I've been thinking lately that I should complete the set, especially as at the moment I've been hankering for more dresses in my wardrobe (who would have though it, there was a time when I didn't own a dress that wasn't a school uniform).

Are there any books that you have your eye on? Christmas is coming after all...

how to make a little paper house

2010-11-08T14:09:00.000+11:00

last week i went along to the art party at the mill providore and showed some people how to make a little paper house. i didn't have the time to make up any instructions (being somewhat distracted by exams), so here is a (not so) little tutorial as promised.

Step One: cut twenty-one rectangles 5cm x 8 cm.

Step Two: Take two rectangles; place one on top of the other at right angles to for a cross.

Fold the two ends of the bottom rectangle over the top rectangle

Turn over and fold the two remaining ends to create a square. Make six squares (using twelve pairs of rectangles).

Step Three: Create a cube. Separate the rectangles from the squares made in step two. Place one rectangle of your work surface with the two folded ends pointing up.

Place two rectangles with one folded end under the first rectangle (straighten out the other end to make things easier later on).

Place two rectangles between the folded ends of the first rectangle and the two side rectangles.

Place one rectangle on top and re-fold the two ends of the side rectangles.

Take a rectangle and slide one of the folded ends under the corners of the two flaps on one side of your cube.

Fold the new rectangle down and slide the other folded end under the corners of the two flaps on the other side.

Repeat until you have covered all the flaps on all six sides of your cube.

Step Four: Make the roof. Make two more squares following the instructions in step two.

Separate the rectangles. Slide the folded end of one rectangle under the corners of the two flaps on a second rectangle.

Fold the first rectangle down and slide the other folded end under the corners of the two flaps on the other side to form a panel. Repeat with the other two rectangles.

Take one rectangle and fold in half.

Take the folded rectangle and slide each half into one of the panels as the peak of the roof.

Fold two more rectangles in half. Slide one half of each of the rectangles into the bottom of one of the panels.

Slide the other half of the two rectangles down the side of your cube to attach the roof.

Take the two remaining rectangles and fold in half lengthways (as before). Fold in half widthways and pinch the top to mark the centre.

Fold over the corners of the rectangle between the fold and the pinch you just made.

Slide the unfolded half of your rectangle down the side of the cube. Slide the two folded corners into the side of the roof. Repeat on the other side.

and there you have it; one finished little paper house.

blue skies

2010-11-08T13:33:00.000+11:00

last thursday i had my last exam (three hours of accounting information systems, exciting stuff hey?). i had forgotten how awful exams could be. i've been a bit of a stress bear the last couple of weeks, had a couple of restless nights and suffered from some tummy somersaults. but now it's all blue skies.

alive

2010-10-21T15:37:00.001+11:00

my sewing machine lives! i picked her up on Tuesday and brought her home. she came with a little disclaimer attached though... apparently she has a cam that is splitting (a part that is of course no longer available) and once that is gone all she'll be able to do is straight stitch. i have finished sewing in the zip that i started the Sunday before last, but i have grander plans in mind. once all these pesky exams are over (the first is on Saturday, i have spent the week making sure that my head is full of financial management formulas and theory) i'm thinking that i will finally have the time to attack that stash of mine and finish all those sewing projects that have been waiting patiently for me to finish them.

have you heard of Noella Thomson? she has made outfits for Patience Hodgson and Megan Washington and Sarah Blasko which you may or may not have heard about (i know i heard about Sarah Blasko's white dress with the puffy sleeves).

i think she is awesome. (there is also an interview with her in the latest Yen magazine). she has inspired me to sew more and to have more fun with my clothes. i used to love playing dress ups when i was little and i think it's time for me to start playing again.

almost there...

2010-10-14T17:43:00.000+11:00

today was my last day of lectures. but it's not all over yet. i still have four exams to sit over the next three weeks.

i have found uni to be all consuming and i am feeling a little drained. i tried to keep up my daily pages, but i had to give them away. i have been all work and no play and i feel i have turned into quite a dull girl.

last sunday i got out the sewing machine (i had been thinking about it for weeks). i started to replace a zip in a skirt, but then the sewing machine stopped to work. i re-threaded, i made sure there wasn't any dust, but still the top and bottom threads wouldn't link. i didn't lose my cool. i just packed it up and looked up a place to get it fixed in the phone book. i am a little worried about it, it's an old brown and cream, cast iron husqvarna from the late 70s early 80s and the last time i had it serviced i had to argue with them to do it because they told me it wasn't worth it. however i am embracing the optimist; if they can't fix it then i'll just have to buy myself a brand new one.