Back home again in Perth

We had a wonderful weekend in Melbourne - very relaxing indeed. Helped by the business class flight over and back using up some of the frequent flyer points we have accumulated and never seem to be able to use. Here we are in Degraves Street for breakfast - Ian reading one of the many newspapers he buys. He seems to think each one will have different news in it.

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Lovely contrasts of old and new - I love all the old churches in Melbourne - Perth has successfully managed to get rid of almost all of its.
We enjoyed Federation Square this time.

Then, Holey Moley people, is this a hole or what?

We spend quite a few hours at the Dali exhibition - almost got Dali'd out. So much to see. It's not that all of his work grabs me but he was a clever guy.

Saturday night we went to Jersey Boys - what a fabulous show it was. We were up in the very back row but that didn't matter at all.

On Sunday there we were in Federation Square yet again - all those lines this time. We spent quite a while in the Art Gallery. When we go over for a show like the Quilt Show etc we don't have time to go see anything other than the inside of a building. It was lovely to sleep in and relax and wander. I went to the markets under the Arts Centre as well and bought up a heap of printing paper for my Polaroid Pogo so now I am back in business.

Back home, back to work. Today a very large shipment of tussah and mulberry silk arrived Very nice too. Just got to start packaging some of it. Tomorrow......

lovely rain some more

This morning it rained heavily - here is teh view form our back door. I run to the studio in between the drops. Can't catch the downpur but it is wet on the surface.

Thanks Sandy for the suggestion - I shall keep those three and create something extra and make my series 9 in all.

This afternoon we are off to Melbourne for the weekend. Using up our frequent flyers and going business class - back on Sunday. We are going to check out the Salvador Dali exhibition and go to Jersy Boys on Sat night. Looking forward to it. 2 small cases but of course stitching, reading and journal and my couronne stick.

back to the drawing board

remember Monday's picture of the eucalyptus pod? Well this is what happens if you heat it. I printed onto craft vilene using TAP for the back and then bonded my two pieces of craft vilene together using Gossamer Fuse (yes - it really does bond things together very well) using a hot iron and this is the result. Having now used up all my paper and not having any more as yet I am about to unpick all my stitching and start again. Keep watching this space.

The people enrolled in The Holey Moley Club are a wonderful bunch - so much sharing of info. I love it.

monday busy busy busy

Monday is always busy here but we were like a receiving station most of the day - receiving orders which we tried to wade through and receiving parcels and parcels. We reckon we grow rubbish at our place with all the boxes and packaging. Anyway - 4 new books - Maggie's, Carol and Lynda's, a very good free machine embroidery one from Carol Shim (I think I have the name correct) and Inspired to Quilt. Along with a shipment of Romeo, 4 fabulous moulding mats from Sarah Lawrence a very large box of Shiva stuff, lots of wool and silk from Jacinta and new packaging stuff. So kitchen is just starting to look like a kitchen once more at the end of the day.



I have had a lot of fun with my polaroid pogo photographing eucalyptus leaves and flowers and stitching them onto backgrounds - I am making a series of 6 and here is the beginnings of one - the last one in fact with the close up of the pod. If you are coming to Ally Pally you might have a chance to receive one of these with other goodies but more of that later on. I have more stitching and stuff to add and of course the backs but when I have finished I will show them as a set. from the leaves through to he close up of the pod on a eucalyptus background.

6 wins out of 11 races

Well they didn't win but 6 first places in 11 races is pretty good.You deserve it Grant - having to work hard at a real job to pay for it - not like being a professional sailor all the time. We are very proud of you! An opportunity to open the champagne tonight with some scallops on the bbq around at your house.

Friday report

Well because we stayed at Grant's house last night (it's just around the corner and like going off for a little holiday), we didn't get to see how the racing went on the computer. Woke at 3am to a text message - good news and bad news. They won the first race (that's 4 out of 5) but at the start of the 2nd race they had a collision and retired so now they have 2 races with max points and have to wait until after race 9 to be able to drop another race. Fingers etc crossed for tonight's races. We have decided to stay at Grant's again - he has a lovely shower and it's like being on holiday and after breakfast we can walk to work. Means I walk the wrong way to get the papers in the morning before breakfast though and the guy at the shop noticed I came from the wrong direction. Plus we forgot to put the phone on call divert so I hope no-one phoned.



Thanks to Maggie (and I have stolen her pic) I now have a wonderful new toy - a Poloroid Pogo which works a treat - take a photo from my camera - plug it in and print it out. I have taken one and had a play but not worth showing here. It means that when we go away next I will be able to do some instant journal pages while I am away. Paris roses instantly.

Sent out the newsletter yesterday and noticed 2 errors as soon as it went. I told Ian the first person to let me know would win a prize of something. Doreen, being the best internet policewoman we have, is the winner. I could say I did it on purpose but I won't. And this is the fastest that an newsletter special has sold. We have 1 style stone left after less than a day. Wow...

For all those of you in Australia who are interested, Enid has just told me of a show worth watching on the ABC The film, "Threaded Connections" follows the making of a large textile installation by members of the Lismore and District Embroiderer's Guild and featured in an exhibition in late 2007. This project portrays the social and geographic history of the area and the importance of women past and present. It involved countless hours of meetings and stitching during 2006 and 2007. It will be screened on ABC2 on July 5 at 21.25 and on ABC1 on July 12 at 15,54.

SLAM SLAM SLAM

You don't mind being woken with a text message at 3am when your son wins both races. Being wide awake of course I hopped up and watched the replays on my computer. Then I had a sleep in of sorts but of course the phone rang. Never mind. These photos were all taken by christophefavreau He even has a great video SLAM on his blog.







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sailing at Carnac

2 races at Carnac yesterday - we started watching - it is fascinating that we can follow Slam around on the course. When we woke up this morning they had won the first race but the second race - well they were OCS (over the line at the start) Rewatching the race there were a few others over as well so they were done in on that one methinks. Anyway proud Ma and Pa for the win! May there be more - shame we- the number 1 groupies - aren't there to watch. There are 30 skiffs racing. If you want to see the real details (and the GPS stuff), Grant has links on his blo.g

wild and wooly weather

The weather is pretty wild here at present - we are watching our trees - very stormy and lots of rain in big downpours. Good weather for staying indoors.

We were waiting to follow Grant in Carnac as they must have GPS on each boat and we could see where he was but the racing was finally cancelled - no wind. Pleased to say he was out training in the very light winds. Rather spectacular really. This is what yachties do when races are postponed - this was yesterday's scene at Carnac.



Heather - Warandyte is a suburb in Melbourne where Jacinta lives. It is one of her original colours she dyed and I love to use it in my rusty stuff. I wanted her to change it to The Claremont Yacht Club Rusty Pylons but lost so I am educating you all in the name for rusty! These are the Warrandyte silk tops - people often forget that rust has wonderful shades of blue in it at times.




Lots of parcels arrived today including the latest CPS which will go out tomorrow and finally after waiting for yonks (and paying for it yonks ago) our shipment of Twinkling H20s and Polished Pigments so we now have all in stock. We were down to about 2 packets of the Twinklings and Ian was worrying that they would never turn up.

teapot day

I thought I would make it blog teapot day today sitting by another bunch of my roses - I do love them and since they cost around $7 each time i buy them I reckon that's okay. We are not really tea drinkers - just the occasional herbal tea but I am rather fond of this one. We had a student at one stage who put my beautiful big pottery teapot on the element and while it didn't break up, it cannot hold tea anymore so I got this one instead.

I think a blog jug day is coming up soon - what do you think?

It is still raining a lot but we did manage to get out for a walk and coffee and I run to the studio inbetween the downpours. It really is lovely.

sat night rugby

Not a good game for the All Blacks tonight - they really are going to have to lift their game for the Tri Nations. Maybe I will follow the netball -- I think Bay of Plenty might be playing in Perth this weekend?


Grant is in Carnac sailing in his 18ft skiff - I think it starts today

A wet friday

It is so lovely going to bed with rain on the tin roof. And rain bucketing down. The little things that give you pleasure.



You might imagine that I have taken up dyeing again - most definitely not so. Jacinta knows how desperate I always am for stock so she often sends me overnight bags with wet fibres and I lay them out on the table outside and they drive in a jiffy but not at the moment so here is a lovely collection of Kimberley Dreaming and Lapis Lazuli colouring up our kitchen. And some Lime Fizz as well.




And if that isn't enough colour, here is what I have been doing all afternoon - finally organising the silk tissue which Rae has dyed for me. Now you can see why I would never have time to dye.

wet tuesday

What a bonus - rain and cool - it actually makes you think you might really be in winter. This is Perth from the South Perth foreshore - it's not a big city at all in case you thought it was - tonight we are off to Spaghi since I forgot to go to the butcher and it is in South Perth and we will walk along the foreshore and look across to this sight after dinner.



Sarah's new book arrived just before we went to Melbourne so I took half of the order with me and sold them all as I thought I would. Have had to order some more. It has taken a long time to get to Australia - I haven't been able to import it this time - just had to wait but worth a wait and not because she is a mate..... it's on our website. It was high time someone wrote a comprehensive book on silk paper.

We also received (I read in the paper today that there is a suggestion that the 'i before e' rule be abandoned in schools) a shipment of our new heavy metallic threads - metallic and rayon wrapped around a papery core - 30 colours - I loved the samples for wrappings and stuff. Just working out how best to package them. I am also very busy working on The Holey Moley Club - the requirements are nearly ready to email out and the draw for the big prize for signing up before 5th June will be on Saturday. I have also loaded new dates for Embellish Stitch Enrich and Ratty Taty Papers - this time I am allowing 2 weeks a lesson. You can read about that on our website. And amazingly - my roll of 70gsm Lutradur arrived as well after a 3 month holiday on the high seas I think. We have reduced the price a little and now have plenty of stock. It's the best weight for journals and goes well with the light and the heavy for layering.

Time to finish work for the day and maybe tomorrow I can go play in the studio.....

Back home again in Perth

Here we are back in Perth - and here I am flat out at the computer answering the emails and preparing to be filling orders today and unpacking. It was lovely to be in Melbourne - we managed to spend the first morning roaming around and then at night catching up with friends and rellies. Paperific is quite a small show and different from the usual hectic scene and it was lovely to see all those customers who we normally don't get much of a chance to catch up with. I took the camera but only took one photo and that was at breakfast before the show even started.



on the other hand - here are all of us at the airport when Kaz and Bruce flew off to Japan.

On Saturday night we settled into our apartment and watched the two rugby games. Very pleased and relieved that the ABs won - in atrocious conditions in Wellington.



Off to work and unpacking and ordering. I have a few things to chase up today in the way of new goodies - going away gives me time to think and lots of emails to answer.

Happy Birthday Sarina

Happy Birthday Sarina - hope you and Frank are having a great day up in Cairns. We will get there one day. I need to take a photo next time you are in Perth so I can post it here!Here is a pic of Perth in winter....

Forgot the camera last night but we had a nice bbq at Grant's - we are the chief custodians so it is a very nice weekender or weekdayer or whatever.

Off to Melbourne this afternoon so if you are coming to Paperific do come and say hello - I am planning to do lots of demoing and maybe finish some of the things i have started. A wonderful parcel full of Angelina fusible film arrived today - thanks Annette

Annette and fusible film and more

Annette has been creating again - this time with fusible film and Opals - do go and visit her blog for a look see and make sure you read her previous entry as well. Very pertinent. She sent me this picture so I hope she doesn't mind that I have popped it here but I thought it was so wonderful.

And Heather - if you left London tonight you would be here in time for the concert.

Off to Grant's for a bbq - take the camera this time

Australian Chamber Orchestra

We have just discovered that we will be on our way to Melbourne tomorrow for Paperific when the next ACO concert is on. If you are in Perth and want to go we have 2 tickets for tomorrow night. You just have to collect them from us, go and enjoy a fabulous concert and tell the lady who sits next to Ian that we are away!

Sunday Stuff

Having a relaxing day today - it is nice and crisp in the mornings and here and there are trees with leaves changing colour and falling off. You don't take that for granted when you live in a country full of eucalyptus trees.

We watched the 2 rugby internationals last night and had a very nice bbq - gosh fish is expensive these days. Ian and I are having the balance of the pink snapper on the bbq tonight. Sad to say the ABs lost and more injuries happening.

Today I went to the opening of the Head & Shoulders exhibition which opened at The Old Bakery on 8th Gallery - I loved Linda's bags - fabulous textures and colours Linda's blog you can have a sneak here.

Ian has started making his garden shed - he says it is worse than Ikea put together stuff. Slowly slowly - it will be another tick when it is up.



I have made a little piece using cocoon pods and Starburst Sprays for Melbourne Paperific. Then I split some lengthwaise and hope to finish a little book to take with me.

Blog Plate day

Elizabeth invited me to take part in blog Plate day today - she has some glorious plates posted on her blog. here are some of mine. When we travel I like to collect plates and sometimes jugs - maybe we can have a blog jug day?

This is one of our Denbyware plates. I started collecting these in 1968 when they first appeared. Whenever a shipment arrived in NZ I would buy a few until I finally had a full dinner set - most are still intact. We had cups and saucers and a coffee pot - all in the very fashionable brown of the day (like most things we owned then including my clothes). Bruce hated these when he was little but now he and Kaz own them. Then we saw Polanski's film Rosemary's Baby and I couldn't believe that my coveted dinner set was used in the film.




This is the plate I bought in Matakana last year when we went to NZ - Nikau Palm decoration - I have 2 of my favourite fruits sitting on top - tree tomatoes - these days called tamarillos. I indulge myself when they are in season and have 1 with my cereal in the morning.




This beautiful plat,e along with an enormous salad bowl, we bought in Tuscany a few years back - they cost as much again to have sent back to OZ but I love them both.



This is a bowl (somehow the other one has disappeared) painted by Jenny Dawson in Perth - we have a couple of her mugs as well. Bought some years back.



And this last one is my breakfast bowl which I bought in a market in Provence. I have my Ansko Muesli and yoghurt and today a tree tomato in it almost every morning.


Do go visit ELizabeth's New York blog and link to all the others taking part. Thanks for inviting me Elizabeth - it was hard to choose....

Sushi in Sapporo

Kazuko, Miyako and their Dad -

time for a little play

I received this wonderful book in the post today - all paper - unbelievable and everything is so exquisite. Giving me loads of ideas. Paper Illusions is its name.

And this is one of my playings for Paperific next week. Tomorrow I need to pack the boxes so the palette can go on Friday morning. We have had lots of emails from people saying they are coming which will be lovely. I am not bringing lots of threads by the way - lots of goodies we don't usually take to shows because of space constraints etc - I am also hoping to do plenty of demos throughout the show.



For all those who have asked - Bruce and Kazuko had a one way ticket to Japan and plan to stay for a couple of years. Bruce's Japanese should improve I would suspect.

Few exciting parcels arriving this week along with the book which was a bonus for me. thr3fold no 4 has arrived as well. They really are beautifully presented.

off to Japan.

Bruce and Kazuko flew off to Japan last night on their next adventure - naturally we forgot to take our camera with us so will have to wait for them to send us the pics from theirs. They have an 8 hour wait in Tokyo and then off to Sapporo. Here they are last year while we wait!


And this was from their wedding in 2002 - Doesn't time fly....

In the meantime - they go off to the northern hemisphere and Grant flies to Singapore tomorrow for a couple of weeks work.

And Happy Birthday Bev!

our wee iris

While we were away in Brisbane, our iris bush had a heap of flowers - this is the only one out today - it is a lovely little bush which has been here outside the back door since we came here - Barbara used to sleep in it and Bruce reckons she prevented many flowers from growing but i know they come out in sympathy as she died here one morning. The irises are lovely and I always draw them every year. I don't seem to get any better at it though.

Last night we took Bruce and Kazuko out to dinner as they are off to Japan tomorrow - tonight we are having a bbq at their place before we watch the Baa Baas play the Wallabies.

lovely rain - it must be autumn

I thought I took lots of pics in Brisbane or maybe they were all so bad that Ian deleted them. I surely didn't have time to take any pics on Friday - I couldn't even get in to tidy things up so I took my photos on Sunday - Sunday being Sunday.

Here is the lovely Lisa posing in front of the Connections exhibition - being the judge I thought we should have her -- I can't see your lipstick though Lisa which was so carefully applied. That is something I always forget at shows - take it with me to put on and never ever do and then months later find the tube in the bottom of my handbag.


This is the stand on Sunday - had a wee chance to move things around - on Friday there were so many people on the stand I simply couldn't get in to do anything. I had to ask a customer if she would climb under the table and pull out more flimsies and the minute I added them to the basket they were snapped up and sold.



Looking across our piazz to the ATASDA stand - the layout of the show was excellent and you had looking vistas rather than loads of just trading stalls. And we were at the end of row which is how we like it.


Here I am hiding behind Carol Wilkes and Sharyn Hall - I can see that Carol has been shopping - it was great to catch up with her. Maybe we will take up your offer Carol and come visit and play.



On my roams I snapped Lisa and Peter at Dyed and Gone to Heaven - always full of wonderful hand dyed fabrics and those beads...well....



As usual when we go away we are pretty busy but we have had some lovely rain especially at night. Last night we went out to celebrate Val's birthday as she gets younger - and by not being here when it really was, it extends it!

I wrote the newsletter on the flight home on Monday so it will be ready today and i had time to make a few drawings and notes while we were away so I am off to play with them later today once I have packaged a heap of Angelina.

Brisbane

We have just arrived home from Brisbane - what a wonderful show and what wonderful people we met up with. Thank you all so much for your support - made it all worth while. We enjoyed our stay and will post some show pics tomorrow - we hardly had time to do much other than get up and go to the show, tidy up at the end and go back to our apartment but we found this wonderful restaurant - Barolo - where we went almost every night so if you are a foodie in Brisbane we would recommend it to you. Cnr of Mary and Felix - great ambience, great food, nice people.

Right now we are unpacking, doing the washing, answering emails and phone calls and starting on orders and then some. It is a holiday here in Perth for whatever reason but this is usually the weekend we go to Broome so not until next year.

Off to Brisbane

We are off to Brisbane this morning - back on Monday. Don't forget to come and see us if you come to the Textile Art Festival on Stand 66. I am giving a talk each morning at 11am and a hands on workshop each afternoon at 1.30 and also make sure you see the Connections Exhibition.

See you next week.