Liberté, égalité, fraternité!

1. French flag, 2. 359 Old French Citroen CAR 2CV, 3. Drapeau Français / French Flag, 4. Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, 5. French flag, 6. French flag made of three reels of threads, 7. French Flag, 8. French flag in British Market, 9. Vive la France !

This is .... what gives me goosebumps

I love the way stories of significant events have been passed down throughout history in poetry and song.

Twenty years ago, Australian musicians Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody wrote a song to celebrate the story of Vincent Lingiari, whose demands for wages, land, and respect for his people evolved into a much larger battle for Aboriginal land rights.

No matter how many times I listen to the original version of 'From Little Things, Big Things Grow', with Tiddas providing back-up vocals, it always gives me goosebumps. Paul Kelly's rendition of the song is compelling, triumphant, hopeful and, for me, very moving.

I haven't been able to find a free online recording of the beautiful original version, but the lyrics and guitar chords can be found here. I do recommend that you try and find the original if you haven't heard it yet ...

Here is a famous photo of then-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring soil into Vincent Lingiari's hand, in a symbolic gesture to acknowledge his people's traditional ownership of the land:


At that point in the song I always get goosebumps and a lump in my throat!

photo source and details: nga

A very big thank you to Three Buttons for letting me choose the theme/s for this week! I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts .... (you can see who else is playing on the Three Buttons blogroll).

Post script - After reading many of the comments on this post, I was browsing through various live versions of the song on Youtube, feeling a little disappointed that I couldn't find the original. Because I love that recording so much I didn't think the live versions would give me the same goosebumps, but sure enough ... as soon as Paul Kelly started singing on this recording from the Live Earth concert, there they were, all up the back of my neck, down my arms and all the way to my toes! Yipes!

Vinni Puh

Today I found this little Russian version of Winnie the Pooh from 1969 - it's very cutsie but oddly appealing:



(found via Grain Edit)

Vinni Puh! I think you're krasivaya!

Sometimes the world is flat

Although I hadn't yet seen the Japanese monorail fitted out by Ikea, I did spend a bit of time in the Swedish store the other day and was pleasantly surprised by some of their new designs. I think I might buy some lamps this week, and I'll definitely post pictures once I get my hands on a camera cable.

If you're in the market for extra-special flat-packed goods, pop over to Studio lo (found via A A A), where you can find little items like this:




I have my eye on those slippers, and I've seen them in red somewhere too ...

Cycle bug

OK, here's the thing. I refuse to accept any excuses for cycling in the city dressed in skin-tight lycra (see above), unless you are a professional cyclist for whom the mini-seconds gained from the aero-dynamic properties of such clothing will determine your racing success on this ride.

For everyone else, it is perfectly possible to choose cycling gear that leaves a little more to the imagination. Simple shy-shorts or skirts over leggings would do the trick if you need a bit of support and comfort. My hubby looks smart as he goes from bike to cafe in classic hemp and woollen breeks from Bicyle Fixation:


If you're not particularly fiscally challenged, why not deck yourself out in fabulous items from Dashing Tweeds in London? They manage to combine classic style with reflective thread in their tweed products, so you can look snappy and be safely illuminated in dim and dark conditions. Of course, camera flash bulbs also highlight reflective material, so these tweeds provide unexpected but impressive bling when you're being hounded by the paparazzi - So wonderful!






Check out further pics on the Dashing Tweeds blog.

London Cycle Chic is a great place to find all kinds of lovely cycling stuff in general, and Carectomy.com explores various options for removing cars from our roads. Great stuff!

Thinking about clutter and colour

I'm feeling inspired by Miss Dottie's plans to "give clutter the karate chop!" .... excited but daunted by the prospect of starting a thorough clear-out/clean-up of our house tomorrow. Sometimes my confidence does waver though, and I wonder how I'll manage to get through it all!

No camera cable in sight yet, although there are lots of pics I want to post. Instead I'll just mention a couple of things I'm planning ....

Firstly, stay tuned for some giveaways in the next couple of weeks. I'm sure as I sort out each room I'll find lots of perfectly good things that have just ended up in the wrong home, not being appreciated or used to their full potential (I'm thinking maybe fabrics, prints, books, trinkets, crockery etc.). I'll be happy to rehome them where possible.

Also, I've developed such a passion for vintage posters and illustrations (particularly from the 1920s to the 1940s) that I'm planning to start another blog to collate the images I find in my travels.

Here are some examples, found on allposters.com:







Any suggestions for a suitable (and available) Blogger blog name would be welcome!

This is .... my most treasured childhood posession

Among my most treasured childhood possessions are my photo albums and scrapbooks (the real scrapbooks, on grainy, unbleached paper, in which I stuck all kinds of things with Clag glue - not the modern concept of scrapbooking!). I love the way photos and collected ephemera are little windows into all kinds of memories that might have otherwise faded away.

Many thanks to Danielle for this week's theme - it's fun to see everyone's treasures. Thank you also to Angela for the weekly hi-jinks, and for asking me to suggest next week's theme!

Hmmmm .... Can I flout the rules and offer two themes to choose from next week? I was thinking of these:

This is ... what gives me goosebumps
and
This is ... what scrambles my brain when I try to understand it

With the goosebumps, it could be the good sort (warm and fuzzy tingles of joy), or the opposite, icky creepy kind. I hope the second topic is self-explanatory.

Looking forward to seeing your responses!


*
(I'll have to come back and add pics to my posts later - still trying to find my camera cable)

Stamp! Stamp! Stamp!

I have a bee in my bonnet about home-made rubber stamps this week, and I've been collecting ideas so that I can make my own.

I mentioned tsk tsk's tutorial in my previous post, and I've also found the tips provided by Creative Kismet, Ciara Elend, and Kirbert to be very helpful.


I have dozens of designs in my head already (although, as with my softie-making exploits, I'm not really sure that I'd use many of the end products myself .... maybe they'll end up as little stocking-fillers or random gifts). I do like the idea of printing on fabric, so I'm sure I can customise my skirts and bags....

Speaking of tutorials, Creative Kismet has gathered a whole page of links to her favourite tutorials and shared them on her blog. Thank you Regina :-)

Here's one of the tutes from the list that I hadn't seen before - a quick and versatile little fabric box from My Little Mochi - it's a snap!



(BTW - most north American bloggers seem to recommend Speedball's pink carving rubber product for making stamps, but the postage costs for delivery to Australia are quite prohibitive. Does anyone know where I can buy pink Speedball carving rubber in Melbourne, or by mail order within Australia?)

Sharing the love

As our house fills up with plaster dust and fresh paint, G and G and I have been pretty much confined to our bedroom, which is not particularly spacious. We're eating our meals and generally doing our work on the bed and huddling over the little oil heater that I bought yesterday, as our 120-year-old house is more than a little bit drafty!

I do have plans to start some crafty projects soon, when everything's cleared up and I find some space. I'm feeling rather inspired by these tutorials:

Neat and nifty Storage baskets by JCaroline Creative:


Molly's simple co-ordinated napkins (we only have boring navy blue ones at the moment):



Some rubber stamps or lino cut printing blocks, with help from tsk tsk:



... and a pretty box-pleat ruffle for aprons as illustrated by Giabella Designs:



I love the generosity of people who post tutorials online - it's greatly appreciated!

This is ....

... the space in which I would like to post pictures for this week's theme from Lino Forest, 'My Best Op Shop Find'. Unfortunately our house is being replastered and painted this week, and I don't know where I put my camera's USB cable in all the frantic packing. Boo!

My camera is also hoarding some pics of the pretty apron I received from Shawnee in the July 4 Flirty Apron Swap. I love the apron but unfortunately the pictures will have to wait a little bit longer for their blog debut.

For now I'll post these pics of gorgeous ceramics by Aida Dirse, found via Dear Ada. I totally agree with Dear Ada in her appraisal: "Such happy patterns, happy palettes, extra happy forms and finishes. And now happy me."