A Little Bit of Pride...

Last week I excitedly discovered Meet Me at Mikes Bookclub are reading Pride and Prejudice.  Yay!

As this endearing classic is a beloved favourite of mine, I could not help but join in.
(Any old excuse right?)

But then I devoured this novel ever so quickly that I was left twiddling my thumbs and wishing it was 10 volumes long instead of 3.  So then of course I had to go out and hire the 6 part BBC production starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. (I know you all swoon over that particular Mr Darcy.) The acting is superb and it is a true rendering of the text to the finest detail.

Then, inevitably, came the Keira Knightly Pride and Prejudice film which is not a true rendering at all but the two leads have good chemistry which makes it an ok diversion. 

And now, after living and breathing Jane Austen's world for a whole week , I have only the Lawrence Olivier and Greer Garson 1940 film left to complete my obsession.

How fabulous does it look?

Remember when I made a Jane Eyre Doll?  Check her out here.

I think there may be a little Eliza Bennett idea forming in the coming weeks.

But until then how cool are these Etsy finds for all the Pride and Prejudice admirers out there?

Pride and Prejudice book bag by Rebound Designs

Necklace from Just Be Designs

Mr Darcy quote- 

"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. 

My feelings will not be repressed"....

Early 19th Century replica Bonnet by Regency Regalia.

I think we should all wear a bonnet at least once in our life! 

The Pride and Prejudice book purse is so much my favourite, quite a clever and well executed idea.

It has been the  most satisfactory week for me, swooning all over the place and imagining I too am married to a high born gentleman and have a Pemberley Estate of my own.

Sigh...............

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.

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:)

Merry Christmas...

Well it has been a travesty but my little laptop has been struggling along far too slowly for me to upload anything, so I have been quietly wrapping my gifts and biding my time.  Then suddenly a friend of mine appeared and 'defragged' my computer???? Amazing, absolutely amazing.  And now ever so fast again.  Thankyou.

Where I left off was the Made In Thornbury Market, which went really well considering I was in a terrible position.  (Facing the back wall- practically invisible).   It is a very friendly and gracious market and the people that did notice my little stall were very warm and encouraging.

I chatted a little with the other crafters but was able to have long chats with Felicity from Flicketty Splits, who fantastically let me ramble on and on about absolutely nothing in particular.

Now time has gone on and Christmas is nearing way too fast. I'm exploring lots of crafty options this Christmas. A teepee cubby house, dresses, shorts and also I finally perfected my

Little Red Riding Hood doll.

 

On Sunday I had the pleasure of lovely company for my Annual Christmas Drinks which I combined with my Annual Croquet Match.  And I did run with the Kitsch Kringle idea.  It was pretty funny, but not quite as funny as last years Krap Kringle which has made its way into my Top 10 Funniest Moments ever list.

 Thats Little Jim and me with our Kitsch Kringles.  Priceless I know!

I'm very proud to announce that I only needed to buy one Shopping Centre gift this Christmas. Which was an electric grill for my nephew to make his delicious tosdadas on.  All the rest are handmade gifts or gifts that support small business.  Our Christmas tree was purchased from the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Little Jim's toys are again made from sustainable materials such as this Plan Toy which is an ethical company. 

Some time ago I alighted to the fact that giving friends and family beautiful gourmet food and fine wines is always a winner and this year I have boxed up a pile of gifts from Outback Pride, which is a fabulous business providing jobs and training for Indigenous Australians.

They make beautiful jars of  pickles, relishes and spreads amongst other things all made from native bush food grown in outback communities. You can purchase them from Oxfam.   I also discovered my local Naturapath sells beautifully packaged and delicious Organic toasted Muesli. All in recycled materials. The idea of giving natural, healthy and beautiful foods as gifts makes me feel extra good and I'm happy to say that there is no pre Christmas stress in my life.

I'm reading Peter Singers 'The Life You Can Save' at the moment.

Peter Singer is a beautiful writer, speaker and philosopher.  His lectures on Ethics are esteemed the world over and in this book he reminds us as individuals about how we can modestly save a life from poverty. If we all take up his challenge individually then collectively as a Nation we can achieve much. And we can do more than we think.  Read more about his vision here. Or here if you wish to take up the challenge.
Peter Singer will be giving a talk at Melbourne University about 'What responsibilites do Australians owe the global poor' on February 16 2010.

Christmas is a good time for us all to think about how much we have, how fortunate we are and about how we can help others too. There is no greater evidence of this than the effigies and Nativity scenes all around us at this time- as Mary and Joseph are the most famous refugees in all of history.

I would like to leave you all with a little Christmas wish list that a crafter like myself would be extremely excited by.

•  Oxfam Christmas Decorations (now half price). Stunning and proceeds go to a great cause.
  

• Subscription to Frankie Magazine  A magazine to your door = Yeah! Plus one that features other crafters, double yeah!
  

• Honeyweather and Speight Dolls House. Made from recycled cardboard. For the child within, you can never be too old for something so beautiful and handmade.
  

• La Creuset cookware I'm told it's the best and makes cooking pure unadulterated joy. Now this one is an expensive gift but you can spread the love by cooking for friends, family, neighbors and cooking for them Forever as this cookware lasts a lifetime.  No more throwing away crappy pots!

• Barkcloth.  The most challenging gift of all to find, but this is like the Holy Grail of fabric for a crafter or lover of vintage, the most beloved and coveted fabric imaginable.  Buy it on Ebay or buy it here. Buy it anywhere you can.  Don't ever feel weird about buying second hand.

Merry Christmas to everyone and hopefully will catch you sometime before the New Year. x

What's Hot + What's Not....

I have recently discovered this great blog Loobylu and I'm loving 'What's hot and whats not Wednesday'. Also loving that this week we can all join in. Yay! Ok so here we go.

HOT!

Fashionista Friends, 

I spotted these two ladies leaving the metro in Barcelona and was imediately struck by the awesomeness of their outfits.  Friends everywhere should unite in fabulous fashion because that is Hot.

Cups of Tea are Hot.

Most notably Natures Cuppa Organic Earl Grey Tea.  Forget Twinings, it is forever rendered meek by comparison.

Friends winning the Vogel literary award is Hot!

This year beautiful Lisa Lang was a joint winner of our nations most prestigious award for young writers.

Being around talented creative people is very hot indeed.

Florence.

Ah this album renders me speechless & awestruck in its Hotness.

The mechanism on my Canon camera called Colour Accent that allows me to do black and whites featuring one colour is really really hot.  I know most people just use photoshop for effects but it is quicker this way.

I don't think I could ever get sick of this feature.  I'm obsessed!

Ok Now.

NOT HOT!

The Birman.

Between the vomiting, frequent indoor urination and constant meowing my little Kameko is most definately Not Hot!

Poor little pussy cat.  I would be a lot more sympathetic if she were not so gross.

Another thing that is terribly, most hideously Not Hot, is when friends drop you like a hot burning coal the minute they get into a new relationship- as if love is the all sustaining, one and only nutrient necessary for life?

Mmmmggh!

(That little rant was an ode to people everywhere that have had that happen to them.)

Tonight, rushing into my sons bedroom annoyed that he is noisily playing instead of sleeping only to discover that he WAS sound asleep until I woke him and it was, in fact, the washing machine making all the noise.

Is utterly NOT HOT.

And what a fool I am.......

Lastly I find sometimes the photos I upload to blogger have an annoying ghostlike way of moving themselves around when my back is turned and then utterly Refusing to go back to their rightful spot.  They may only go left when I want them right, they may only go small when I want them big, they disappear for days on end only to reappear when I'm on someone elses computer complaining about their disappearance.....Occasionally I have been known to 'ask' an online forum for assistance.  In the lamest of lamens language I will seek my answers out only to receive a reply in some freaking computer psycho-babble, heavily reliant on the use of strange unknown terms or quaint known terms such as 'cookies' but disturbingly out of context. Or I'm told to change my template which takes forever only to have the same thing keep happening, strange gaps, flying photos, its like Alice in Wonderland in here some days.

Drives me CRAZY

Definately NOT hot.

Check out Loobylu for more Hot + Not Hots....