Dudley in public

Hello! what a couple of great weekends in Sydney.. Last week the Finders Keepers, which i have to say is going from strength to strength. Its' only downfall is how busy it is.. My tip for the organisers is at least have the stalls 4 metres apart as it was getting a little competitive! Click on the above link for some decent shots of the scene. Personally i was so glad that Shannon from Aunty Cookie had flown up from Melbourne - I had to buy this whimsical piece for my wall. My other great discovery was this beautiful scarf (the picture here not quite doing it justice) from states of nature. go have a look..

So then, yesterday Sydney's Zine Fair. WOW what a blast. Amzing how such an adrenalin rush can stop a person eating for 6 hours! Thanks to everyone who dropped by to say hi and for your support!

As a busy human, (there's a lot of us out there) full-time working, mother, i don't get out to sell my wares often - so was very pleased to have this opportunity. It always fascinating to hear peoples reactions and to see what sells.. (who'd have thought that so many people wanted to read about a fluffy white cat named 'Elvie' who wasn't so charming leaving a pile of vomit outside the bathroom door in the early hours of this morning).
i did have a quick look around and this is what i found..

My absolute favs are the girls from tiny paper hearts, they just have a great way with words and pictures. The 'mini zine pack' by the Fetus was my pick of the day... sure this the downturn - but hey handmade is definitely going strong!

One week to go...

Hello, Dudley stayed in for most of this weekend.. preparing for his big outing NEXT SUNDAY at the Writers Festival. Dudley will be selling his zines at the zine fair. Woo hoo!
In case you are not sure: zines are small circulation, non commercial publications on all sorts of topics..in sorts of shapes and sizes. The fair is a real buzz with lots of cool bits and pieces and great creations from all sorts of talented people.
If you can make it to Sydney, pop into the Museum of Contemporary Art between 11-5pm and come and say hi!

mum was the word

I emerged from my bedroom at 8.15am. The 11 y-o's watching cartoons. "Morning, I'm ready for attention now" i announce. "A juice and porridge, thanks".
I return to bed to fluff up my pillows and settle back in. I can hear discussion in the kitchen over who is doing what ...
"Oh and a cup of tea and some toast would be lovely" I suggest, so that tasks can be shared. The toast soon arrives.
"what happened to the porridge?" I ask.
"oh she forgot to stir it, so shes doing it again." My son replies.
"oh, that's ok you can just add more milk and stir" I say.
"you didn't need to chuck it out she said it's alright, you can fix it.." i hear him tell his sister.
He comes back to question me about the tea, quantities and correct colour.
The porridge arrives, so do the cards and a lovely book (ok - so i bought that myself).
Then the cat vomits.
AAHHH what a lovely morning.
ps. later on a new student arrives from Tokyo to stay with us - she gives me "1000 styles of Real Tokyo" a magazine. WOW! I'm i in luck. It has great pictures taken on the streets of Tokyo, English captions and names and adresses of places to visit. Talk about an excellent day. Hope yours was too.. whatever you got to do.

Yipee!!

Was completely chuffed to see one of my new designs on Print & Pattern. Who knows how we would cope without such a fantastic blog.. she sees it all and spreads the word. Such a fabulous resource..
Thanks Dora for letting me know..

Quick Getaway

Hello! here i am - that's me in the kayak - pootling along the Brisbane river. I just popped up to Brisbane for a 3 day getaway taking Master R to visit his cousins... "ORH! Awesome!" he declared when he realised we could walk across the runway to board our plane..
It was lovely to thaw out a bit after some chilly Sydney weather.. We went to the park, beach, river AND then my sister and i checked out the Stitches & Craft Show.. which has recently had a bit of an overhaul.
The draw card for me was the screening of Handmade Nation, made by Faythe Levine who travelled the States interviewing indie crafters. Here is what i thought:
• The movie was worth the entry fee and was very inspiring.
• The exhibition hall vibe didn't quite match the sentiment.
Australia still has a little way to go, but yes - we are a small population.. but we can do it! Support handmade..
encourage people to make things.. embark on a creative journey!
ps.. the fish above is either a toadfish or a puffer fish, poisonous either way - according to the fisherman on the wharf.