Kris's Libyan beauty

I'm a regular visitor to Kris's Color Stripes blog, a delightfully inspiring and beautifully presented colour diary. Last week I fell in love with her pictures of this painted house in Ghadames, Libya.


Kris said it reminds her of a giant cross stitch work, and I agree!

Little People - a tiny street art project

I absolutely love this project documenting the emergence of "little handpainted people, left in London to fend for themselves". Slinkachu's creations are beautifully wistful, their tiny scale contextualised through long-shot photos. It's such a shame that the little people often get stolen - I'd love to find them on my local streets!


There he is - a teeny weeny person posting a letter near the bottom left of the human-scale letter box (on the Little People website, you can click to enlarge the images).




Hope she doesn't feel too much pressure to "Lose milligrams today!"



Careful when you step on that manhole cover ...

There are also some rather artistic snails making their way around London's inner city these days (albeit not completely voluntarily). I wonder if they know Mr Fly?

Before the Pause button existed

This is from a new post over at Shorpy.com:

* tee hee! *

"I was watching an episode from the second season(1958-59) of "Leave It to Beaver" tonight when I got to the part where Ward reads a note from Beaver's principal, Mrs. Rayburn. If you freeze-frame the note it says:

Mr. Ward Cleaver
485 Mapleton Drive
Mayfield, State

My Dear Mr. Cleaver:

This paragraph has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It is here merely to fill up space. Still, it is words, rather than repeated letters, since the latter might not give the proper appearance, namely, that of an actual note.

For that matter, all of this is nonsense, and the only part of this that is to be read is the last paragraph, which part is the inspired creation of the producers of this very fine series.

Another paragraph of stuff. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. My typing is lousy, but the typewriter isn’t so hot either. After all, why should I take the blame for these mechanical imperfections, with which all of us must contend. Lew Burdette just hit a home run and Milwaukee leads seven to one in the series. This is the last line of the filler material of the note. No, my mistake, that was only the next to last. This is last.

I hope you can find a suitable explanation for Theodore’s unusual conduct.

Yours truly,
Cornelia Rayburn

To judge by the contents (here's the last line, whoops, no, HERE's the last line) whoever did this folded the note first, to mark the middle third of the paper, then put it in the typewriter, started the body of the letter at the first crease and banged away until he had enough to fill out the middle section.

The Lew Burdette reference would put the date at October 2, 1958 — Game 2 of the World Series between the Braves and the Yankees, and a month before this episode ("Her Idol") aired. I see where this has been referenced elsewhere on the Web but as far as I can tell no one has transcribed the entire letter. Until now!"

We now return to our regularly scheduled program.

What Would Martha Do?

This afternoon was full of laughter, chatter, delicious snacks, sewing machine sounds and wonderful fabric creations, thanks to the generous hospitality of Big Cat and Ms L, along with the sewing expertise and creativity of Cam, Sherrin and Serena at our Thornbury Sewing Extravaganza. We missed Belinda but I'm looking forward to meeting her soon. It was a great day - I feel totally inspired and excited about getting my little machine into action again.

Thank you guys for all your tips and encouragement (and particularly to Cathy and Ms L for letting us invade your space!).

Pics to come soon ....

Je ne suis qu’une pauvre plume

Last night this lovely lady left a comment on my other little blog, so I skipped on over to take a peep at her 'pog'. I love discovering insightful and engaging writers, and I really enjoyed reading the musings of this "pop culture intellectual" ....


For starters, you might like to peruse this article. I might be a bit biased, as I've had concerns for years about the growing prevalence of the more stupid elements of American culture, even in my home country (that's Australia, not Austrla or Austria).

Your thoughts?


(quill and inkwell image from here)

Drawing dirt

Sakura Snow has been working on some whimsical new black and white illustrations with the theme 'above and below the earth'.

Check out more of her lovely work over here.

This wonderful creation from Betz White also made me smile today.

Your house without you

Have you seen this little video, created to accompany Alan Weisman's book The World Without Us?

Guess how many years it would take for your typical weatherboard home to disappear (notwithstanding all the stuff inside it!), then take a peep at this ...



Food for thought.


(Link from Sew Green)

Craft space/space craft

I found pictures of this craft studio on Honi Design this evening - it's so neat it's a little intimidating but I do dream of having such a setup one day! I think I'd add a taller, bigger table somewhere for cutting fabric, and a big comfy chair for curling up in with a cup of tea ....


This set me thinking, and I went on a bit of a wander around Flickr. Here are a few of the lovely crafty spaces I found on my travels (clickedy-click to see them more clearly):


1. studio, 2. studio, 3. in daytime, 4. studio 1, 5. Craft room - overview, 6. StitchCraft in Petaluma!, 7. The Posie studio, repainted and reorganized at last!, 8. My new craft studio, 9. More office, 10. Craft Room - Studio Worktable, 11. Craft Room - Studio Desk, 12. tidy sewing room, 13. Studio: Entry, 14. New craft studio - WIP, 15. my new craft room!, 16. The Posie studio, repainted and reorganized at last!, 17. the studio work bench, 18. The Table - Pink Sugar Pop Studio

Luckily our house is being replastered and painted this week, so we have the opportunity to clear out clutter and reorganise furniture. A good time to think about improving my own little space....

At rest

Yesterday was a long day - sad, but also a lovely send-off for G's beloved grandfather (a great friend and mentor).


Rest in peace, Pop.

Hearts for you

I found this pretty little weed in the park this evening - how cute are the mini seed pods that stick out like tiny hearts along the main stems?! I couldn't photograph it in natural light but I hope you can make it out (click to enlarge the image)....


Does anyone know what it is?


Yesterday when we were packing up the contents of three more rooms (how did we manage to accumulate so many books and pictures???) I found my Rob Ryan book sitting next to a cushion cover that I bought in Hungary several years ago. I think they complement one another well.

Let's fly away!

When things get really busy, sometimes I just switch my brain down a gear and dream about our next holiday/travel adventure. Late last year we planned a 6-month trip (due to start in September this year), but my decision to stop working and finish my studies meant we had to ditch our travel plans. Poor G - he's really in need of a break.

So here's the new plan (in its embryonic stage) for next year - just my initial ideas at this stage:

Iran - Isfahan, Tehran ...
Turkey - Istanbul, Cappadocia ...
Romania
Slovakia
Russia - St Petersburg, Moscow ...
Germany - Berlin, Flennsburg, Hamburg, Speyer, Munich? ...
France - Paris and countryside ...
Spain - Barcelona, Granada ...
North-East USA - Virginia, Massachusetts, Maine, New York? ...
Eastern Canada - Newfoundland/PEI, Toronto ...
Western Canada - Vancouver and surrounds ...
Western USA - Portland, San Francisco ...
and finally, a Pacific stop somehwere for a bit of sun-lounging on the way home

If you're local to any of these areas or have any suggestions about places to include or avoid, please feel free to leave a comment! It's always great to have some insider information.


1. Isfahan/ Imam(Shah) Mosque, 2. Aya Sofia, 3. Easter Eggs (Romania), 4. Slovakia, Belianske Tatry Mts., 5. St. Basil's stripes, 6. endlich himmelblau, 7. Goat Cheese Making 101, 8. Alhambra, 9. PHL Sunrise, 10. Red Shed, 11. Sunset on the Golden Gate Bridge, 12. Snorkeling

Cyclicious!

I know that a wise girl would put any money gained through a tax return straight back into the bank to make it work for her as an assisted savings scheme ....

... but I've decided to treat myself this year to a bit of old-school cycling goodness. Although I have a perfectly functional, sporty bike, I've had my eye on a lovely Velorbis model for a long time now and I think it's time to bring one home.


I'll have to decide between red and black. Your thoughts?

I'm also on the lookout for the perfect trimmings to decorate my basket - with inspiration from here and here.

Oooh! Wouldn't Gus look smart sitting up behind me in a little wicker trailer?

And lastly, I'm going to look for a fabulous bicycle bell. I love this kitsch teapot bell:


and this little pepper just makes me smile - it's so cheesy!

It's still cold, but Spring is around the corner

This is .... a work in progress

Thank you to Debbie from Kept in a Jar for this week's theme - I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's projects!

Our current WIP is our little old house - just fixing up the plaster and updating the paintwork didn't seem like a huge job initially, but that was before G was booked in for surgery, several close family members and friends got very sick, my back started playing up and the cold rainy weather set in. Yipes! We do hope to have the bedrooms finished by the end of this month, and I can't wait to get our couch back from the upholsterer, hang all our pictures and make the place look pretty again!


I think this is what's described as 'character' in old homes ...



Dingy late-80's coral/terracotta plaster detailing - you're outa here!



Modelling the cute apron I received from Shawnee in the Flirty Apron Swap - over several layers of clothing, 'cause the house was so cold!
Plasterwork patching adorns the walls.



Godfrey: "I'm not sure that we should let Gus come in here when we're not around ... he might eat the plaster."

Juddie: "He won't eat the plaster!"

Gus: *...crunch...crunch...cough!*



Undercoat started, and looking brighter already!



Although the hall and living areas are finished now I don't yet have photos as I haven't sorted out the furniture and pictures properly. So glad to be rid of the blue ceiling in the bathroom though!

Belgian Waffle, and a fete worse than death

Jaywalker's blog, Belgian Waffle, has been totally cracking me up today. I love good writing, and when it's teamed with a healthy mix of cynicism and humour it's perfect entertainment for a rainy afternoon.

My sister found it for me, suggesting that I might like Jaywalker's plans for a blogland/interweb village fete. It sounds like fun - a great way to brighten up the gloomy winter (or perhaps steamy summer?) months. Here are the rules, and a vegetable photo story to get you started.

Pootling around on the net, looking for ideas for the fete, I found the Cakewrecks blog. Oh my! (*wipes tears from eyes*) The comments are so cutting, and the cakes are downright disturbing!

Snuffle

This post from Down-To-Earth brought a little tear to my eye tonight, as did this poem ...

Perhaps the only thing sadder than losing a pet would be never having them in our lives at all.


(pic from here)

Snippety snip!

Last year I bought a book of Rob Ryan's papercut illustrations and was a little disappointed, as it didn't seem to capture completely the delightful whimsy found in some of his work. It is fun to drop by his website and blog occasionally though, to riffle through his recent creations.