It is always a difficult task to choose just one favourite. (Olive seems to have inherited my indecision. If we offer her more than one thing at a time she hesitates for the longest time, hand poised mid-air.)
I was a real book worm as a child and have gone through many favourites over the years but have lost any interest in fiction more recently. I can't quite see the point of making up a story when real life and the present are so much more important and compelling. So I knew that my curent favourite would be non-fiction - most likely art or craft - but to find out which, I had to go to the book shelves and see which one I most wanted to hold. And the winner?
The Taschen 25th anniversary edition of Hundertwasser by Harry Rand. I have blogged about Hundertwasser's architecture already but hadn't mentioned how much I love his paintings and prints too. All those beautiful colours and sinuous lines. Makes my toes wiggle with pleasure just to think about it.
You may remember that quite some time ago, I vowed to get serious about my UFOs. They had spilled out of the "finishing" box and onto my desk and the floor, where they had taken up permanent residence.
This was one of the worst: a knitted sampler blanket that I started after Millie (my first baby) died to provide myself with a distraction on the train to work each day instead of crying the whole way. It did prove to be good therapy for me, I used up most of my leftover yarns and I learnt lots of new stitches along the way but
I ran out of enthusiasm when it came to sewing all of the samples together, which instead spent close to two years in a pile on the living room floor.
After a very shaky beginning last weekend when I came down with gastro on Olive's first birthday and had to postpone her party (I didn't even remember to sing her happy birthday, poor poppet), we finally got our act together this weekend. So on Saturday we went to our nephew's third birthday party in a play centre - very noisy but fun. I gave him a pencil roll, which I really enjoyed making. Maybe because of the anal-retentive suggestion that you always have to line your pencils up according to the colour wheel.
And today was the grand event, an afternoon tea party for Olive in our back yard. She has no idea that the fuss was all for her but did enjoy having so many people and so much food around. Now, where to store all of her new toys?
My latest discovery was a rats nest in the back yard. On the one hand, I was horrified, but on the other, the four(!) rats that I saw scampering about were so cute! I'm not sure what to do about them yet. None of the humane traps I have found work and I can't cut off their food supply because they are stealing from the chickens, who still need to be fed. Any suggestions?
A more blog-friendly discovery of late was StumbleUpon. It randomly takes you to websites based on your interests and feedback that you give. And it actually works! So StumbleUpon has in turn led me to lots of interesting new discoveries. Like this cute hedgehog softie; 10,000 sheep; dirty car art - paintings made using the dust on car windows; and and amazingly intricate 3D papercutting by Peter Callesen.
Fabric bought at Patchwork on Central Park. It was my first visit and I was very restrained, only buying two pieces of fabric. There were many, many more that I loved but my fabric stash seems to be growing much faster than I can sew with it at the moment.
Then my sister mentioned that she wanted to make an elephant softie and I was like a woman possessed. I suddenly became obsessed with making elephant softies, even though I had no real need for them.
Attempt number one has a good trunk for hanging onto but does not have much character.
Attempt number two. His name is Albertus and he is curently residing in my shop.
This is attempt number four, already on his way to a new home in Norway.
And there are others. Soon we will be a house overun by marauding elephants ...
Lily and Agathe wasthe source of this week's "this is ..." theme and it's a real doozy! I get to choose six people to invite to dinner. In reality, I think I would feel much more comfortable inviting established friends and family but that's probably not so interesting for you to read about so I shall have a crack at a rather more exotic list.
The number one thing I want at a dinner party is lots of laughs. Dear Mr Larry David, will you please attend? He would be sure to add some controversy to the evening's procedings too.
Next, the conversation needs some intelligence. And as I can choose absolutely anyone, why not also make it someone whose invention has changed many lives. There's an awful lot I'd like to talk about with Louis Braille.
Of course, I need someone to talk textiles with. How about Liza Dalby, author of Kimono and The Tale of Murasaki? I am seriously fascinated by the idea of having a different wardrobe for every two-week season throughout the year, or wearing seventeen layers of skirts all coloured to suggest a certain element in nature.
Now to make sure that everyone is happy, we need a caring, grandparenty-type person. What the hey, why not invite Santa Clause?
For our entertainment, a musician would do well. For something acoustic and an intriguing life story, I would like to invite Nick Drake.
Call me lazy, but my idea of a perfect dinner party does not include me cooking, so I'd better invite a vegan chef along as well. Miriam Kasin Hospodar, author of Heaven's Banquet, would be great not just for her cooking but also to explain a bit more about Ayurvedic cooking.
I've just realised that I've listed six of the qualities I value most. How interesting. Now to go see who everyone has chosen ...
I am late with my meme post again, this time becuase I have been working all week. I'm not used to this full time business and very glad that it's ony temporary!
This is my jewellery/trinkets box. You will notice that it is empty, due to the fact that I don't wear jewellery. But I love the box because it was made by my extremely talented mother.
We visited the Melbourne Museum of Printing on Sunday. The drawers full of fount were so very beautiful (sorry - I took the camera but couldn't use it with a wriggling baby in my arms) and I was reminded to pull out the slugs from the old man's shed in the back yard. You see, our house only had one set of previous occupants who built it themselves. The old man died about ten years before I bought the house but all of his tools and miscellaneous treasures were still locked away in the shed. Including these slugs used to print invitations to a 1959 cabaret ball.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have just discovered Blurb. Make your own book - it is too, too tempting! I have started sketching out ideas but in the meantime have ordered Kal Barteski's Cargo and Woot. So cute!
Still on the topic of books, I just recently bought a copy of Oliver Jeffer's Lost and Found. Both the story and illustrations are incredibly beautiful, especially the last page. It reminds me of why I love books so much. *happy sigh*
Leona is an at-home mum, maintaining her sanity by studying textiles very part-time and looking for beautiful things wherever she goes. I love to craft but am restricted to very small projects at the moment. This is my space for collecting and sharing images and ideas that I hope may bring you a little piece of happiness.
The Taschen 25th anniversary edition of Hundertwasser by Harry Rand. I have blogged about Hundertwasser's architecture already but hadn't mentioned how much I love his paintings and prints too. All those beautiful colours and sinuous lines. Makes my toes wiggle with pleasure just to think about it.
