Friday's Film: Bunny and the Bull...

For lovers of  wildly offbeat comedy and inventive visual design- the makers of The Mighty Boosh deliver this incredibly eccentric film about a man called Stephen Turnbull (played by Edward Hogg) who relives a European adventure he took with his best friend Bunny the year before, entirely from within the confines of his flat.  Using snapshots, paper sets, replica landmarks like snow domes and deeply clever use of stop motion, his memories and the characters of the past are beautifully imagined from one side of the room to the other.


The Mighty Boosh comedians Noel fielding (who I love, what with that hair and all) and Julian Barratt appear briefly in the film, the latter in what can only be described as one of  the most grotesquely hilarious scenes I've seen in some time. I saw Noel Fielding at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival many years ago and found him unforgettably brilliant and I just really 'get' his surreal humor. This film is worth seeing for its art direction alone, but definitely an appreciation of absurd, off the wall humor will greatly add to ones enjoyment. Check it out if you dare :)

www.bunnyandthebull.com

Creative Space XIV...

Ooh I have had such a big break from Creative Space and am excited to be playing along again.  I have quite a few projects going on at the moment, some quilts, a silk scarf design, some knitted things and am trying very hard to finish off all my unfinished projects, the ones I have been putting off  because I have lost steam along the way.  I could never decide for instance how to finish off this Bird Boy until thankfully someone gave me another Lindt Chocolate Bunny with this bow that I can put to good use. These vintage buttons from Cheeky Little Monsters are my favourite and I always want to use them but have a strong dislike of button sewing. (These are pinned on, but I'm getting there, really I am.)

Sometimes I think my dolls look almost scary when they are inside out, stitches EVERYWHERE as I'm so particular about reinforced seams.  And then when they are turned out they look almost cute, but oh so strange until finally they are stuffed and dressed and then they are my little friends and I love each and every one.  Well this Sailor girl above is somewhere in that 'between' world- not yet loved but no longer seeming like she was cobbled together by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  (I'm reading this at the moment and Gothic literature is so exquisite- it makes me want to recline on my 1950's sofa and sigh heavily all day with a hand to my brow).

For more wonderous Creative Spaces tottle on over to Kootoyoo.

Pussycat Doll...

How Amazing is this Pussycat cotton from Kelani Fabric?  I truly love being inspired by beautiful fabrics as I was here with my latest Pussycat Doll and another Madamoiselle Pussycat.  You can see the lovely texture as well and how it goes so wonderfully with thick black wool and vintage red velvet.

Arrggghh fabric obsession, will you ever go away?
Hopefully not!

I Can Never Stop Listening to Tunng.......

Finally I have Tunng's new album 'And Then We Saw Land'.  They are just so cute, I can't stop listening

at home, in the car, at the gym..... So special. :)

The fundamentals of Hats and High Tea...

Every year at St Lawrences Catholic School we were subjected to the Easter Bonnet Parade.....

(My hats were all quite forgettable, especially Grade 2 and that ice-cream container monstrosity)

They were nothing like this for instance-

Or this in fact.

Kimono Ken riding a Hmong headpiece rodeo style was sadly absent from my Primary School experience.

I firmly believe when celebrating with High Tea one can never be too lavish.

Nor too gastronomically indulgent.

 

Less is never more for example.

I do maintain that the more preposterous the millinery creation-

the greater the appeal to the audience.

One can never be too over the top or too daring.

Nor should one feel the need to relinquish their cocktail during the Parade,
it only adds to the overall feel of the show.

One should choose their surroundings well and be not afraid to stalk that runway.

And finally the odd channeling of an iconic style queen here and there should never be underestimated.

I hope these notes do help you if you are ever prone to this kind of ludicrous activity and please remember- the more angular or perpendicular the hat- the greater the prize pool. :)

A Little Jane...

Recently my friends and I spent a weekend away at a cottage in Daylesford and I found myself tucked up in a giant four posted bed once again relishing the opening paragraph of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

Marty had graciously pointed out the giant copy of The Complete Works of the Bronte Sisters to me in the op-shop and I quickly snapped it up as a book to keep in the car for my many and varied trips to country Victoria.

But alas I was barely up to the second chapter when my Daylesford weekend came to an end and I found myself longing for another trip away so that I could take up with Jane again and immerse myself in her humble world.  Some time later I had a weekend away at my mums and there she was at last with her terrible orphan years but I was barely introduced to Mr Rochester before the book was out of my hands and tucked under the seat of the Volvo once again.

Which gave me an idea......

 Since Jane Eyre was decidedly my 'away' reading and I was going to be home for a while, why not bring her to life in cloth instead???

So I did.

A black wool cloak seemed the most fitting. Green eyes and brown hair.

I could not bare to give her a black dress as well, I felt she deserved a little bit of colour in her life.

Though somewhat ill-fitting for a character who speaks thus: 

"My habitual mood of humiliation, self-doubt, forlorn depression, fell damp on the embers of my decaying ire."  

I could not resist the dusk red lining.

She is for sale now at Thread Den's new store on Brunswick St.  Sitting in the front window looking exactly like the clever yet reserved lady of her namesake.

The new store is beautiful and full of gorgeous things and the Thread Den girls have done such a great job with the art deco styling.  You truly must drop in if you are ever passing by 422 Brunswick st Fitzroy.

In the meantime it is the Easter holidays and I am again away with my family and Jane Eyre (the novel) is tucked up just where it should be with me nightly:)

Happy Easter......

(Illustration by Marjorie Flack 1934

 

I'm skipping off to the country to be with my wonderful family and wish you all a Joyous Easter break full of fabulous food, family, fun and frivolity.

Upon my return I promise to fill you in once again with my crafting explorations.

Until then Happy Easter....:)