Flying Ducks

Declaring my intentions

2012-01-14T10:55:00.000+10:00

I've debated over the last few weeks whether I should say something about my lack of blogging activity over the last few months. This morning I've decided that I will 'declare my intentions'.

I started this blog a couple of years ago. It was intended to serve as a record of the changes my husband and I made to our apartment, and also provide some sort of 'creative release' for me. I had been breaking my balls in the same job for almost a decade, and, although it was in a creative industry, I was getting very little back from it (besides a mediocre pay cheque to pay the bills). Having Flying Ducks helped me to feel that I was 'taking control' in some small way. I didn't expect anyone to read, but many of you did (for which I am very grateful).

Eventually, I was blogging several times a week. It was a few months ago that I realised that I didn't understand why I was doing this. It seemed to be mostly just to show off that I'd bought some new kitchen utensil, and not that I'd done something creative in the form of renovating or making. This, it dawned on me, was quite shallow. As many of you know, I also started a new job in the middle of 2011. I have felt much happier as a result, and have no longer felt compelled to force myself to write blog posts in order to feel like I am doing something (however shallow) to fulfil myself.

[I must also point out that I have no problem with those who DO choose to blog on a regular basis, and I am in no way calling your activities shallow. Many of you have a lot of great things to say or show, and many of you blog as an important part of your business promotion. That is something I respect.]

So, what's my plan? Well, I don't plan on closing this blog down. I'll still be using it whenever I feel that I have done something that I am proud of and that I'd like to show off. That might be something we've done to the apartment, or something I've made. What I won't be doing is blogging to show you a new tea towel or fruit bowl or ornament. There will be no giveaways. Ever. I can't say if I'll be blogging on a regular basis or not. That will depend on whether I've done something that I feel is worthy of a post. I may also start to again post on my other blog (which is intended to be largely political in nature), but I won't be forcing that either.

I realise that some of you like regular posts on blogs in order to justify following them, and that's cool. I don't expect everyone to be into it, so I understand if you unfollow. I've already had a couple do this, and that's fine. I'm not going to be paying any attention to my follower numbers or stats in the future. I've never made a cent from this blog and never intend to, so those things are irrelevant. As long as the people who ARE visiting my blog enjoy it, that's what I care about.

Thanks to everyone who's supported Flying Ducks over the last couple of years. I've met so many people (online and in person), and many of you I count as real friends. This has been the best part of it all.

New sewing project: apple print dress

2012-01-08T18:56:00.000+10:00

So rather than addressing the fact that I haven't shown my face around here in quite a while, I'll just get straight into showing you my latest completed sewing project.

A little while ago, my friend Kass (who I've known since I was eight, but not seen since I was twelve) contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in joining her to work on a sewing project. She had an original 1950s dress pattern that she wanted to try out, and I couldn't say no!

We both decided to tackle the view on the left. Kass is also adding the embellishments, but I decided to leave it plain given that I chose a bold fabric. We both made some minor alterations to the bodice, and I also omitted the piped waistband and decided to the bodice directly to the skirt. Here is the bodice in progress.

The bodice was by far the most complicated bit, so I was glad to have that out of the way. However, while the skirt was easy since I've worked with gathers before, it was very time consuming due to the ridiculous volume of fabric. Here is the unfinished dress (no zip or hem) right after I attached the skirt to the bodice.

Finally, once the zip was added and the skirt was hemmed (also very time consuming due to the volume of fabric), it was done! I decided to photograph it with a pop art filter to enhance its brightness.

I've purchased this patent red skinny belt online, as I think it will finish it all off nicely.

This was by far the biggest sewing project I've embarked on, and overall it went very smoothly. It did take me about 12 hours (including cutting the pattern), but I have to say it was well worth it. If I was to make this dress again, I'd definitely remove a lot of the skirt fabric; it's quite heavy (partly due to the canvas-like fabric), so not really suited to Brisbane summer days. That said, I LOVE this dress and will be wearing it every chance I get!

Sunny day dress

2011-10-30T11:04:00.003+10:00

Last night, after many months of no sewing (about ten months, actually), I decided to make a dress. I don't know if that means I'm officially 'old'. Ten years ago I would not have predicted that I'd be sewing late on a Saturday night!

I decided to pull out my Sew La Tea Do book and make Pip's fabulous sunny day dress, as I'm sure it will be a good thing to have on hand in summer. I had just enough candy-stripe material in my stash (thanks to my friend Irene), and I decided to use some leftover red fabric for the straps to avoid stripe overload. The pattern was for small to medium, so I sized it down a tad. I probably could have gone a bit smaller, but I guess a dress that's a little too big is better than one that's too small! I also omitted the pockets, simply because it would save time.

Pip also suggested using iron-on hemming, but I decided to sew my hem. This bit took quite a long time, as I had to get rid of a lot of excess fabric. I'm not entirely happy with it, but the dodgy bits are on the inside so I don't really care. I'm going to make a red sash to go with the dress as well. That way I can choose to wear it a little more fitted if I want to. I think the original 'flowing' design will be perfect for our humid Brisbane summer days, and perhaps even for the beach.

Overall, this was a really easy dress to make. The straps take a while to sew, but nothing in the pattern is overly hard to do. Pip's instructions are perfect for beginners. She even tells you when to make a cup of tea!

Close-up: art hanging system

2011-10-23T11:27:00.001+10:00

By popular demand, here are some close-up shots to show how our art hanging system works. Firstly, you remove the cap from one end of the track and slide in a hanger. Each of these hooks can hold up to ten kilograms.

Then you can adjust the hook to the required height by sliding it along the plastic tubing.

Finally, you hang your frame (or, in this case, skateboard) on the hook. The plastic tubing is quite long, so you can hide it behind by loosely securing it with a rubber band.

You can change the configuration at any time by sliding the hangers along the track or changing the height of the hook. This makes it very easy in our case to just add more skateboards to the wall!

David Bowie is here!

2011-10-17T19:02:00.000+10:00

Today we (well, John) finally got around to picking up my Cease and Desist skateboard from the post office, featuring none other than Mr David Bowie. As soon as I got home from work, I promptly set about installing it on our new art hanging system.

Also, thanks to those who commented on my post about the hanging system. As requested, shortly I'll post some close-up shots to show everyone how it all works.

Art hanging system

2011-10-09T16:52:00.000+10:00

In my last post about skateboard art I mentioned that we were considering having an art hanging system installed in the living room. Well, the price turned out to be so affordable that we decided to have two walls done! We went with the original plan of the wall above the TV (where the boards were hanging), as well as the main wall that runs along the hall.

I think this system will work very well for us, as it allows us to change our display very easily. The skateboards are now hanging on the main wall (with the two new boards still to be hung), and our framed Blacklist Studio prints (which were previously on the floor leaning against the wall) are now above the TV. I'd still eventually like to hang my Kozyndan print on the main wall once it's framed, but I love that we now have the flexibility to change our minds about the configuration whenever we feel like it (rather than drilling permanent holes into the concrete walls).

What do you think?! We've only had it installed for a day, so it's still very new and exciting for me...

Update: skateboard art

2011-09-24T15:04:00.001+10:00

Quite a while ago now, I mentioned our desire for more skateboard art in our home. We currently have two boards hanging in the living room: one glow-in-the-dark limited edition Dalek board, and one Neckface board signed by the artist on his 2007 Australian tour (when we are lucky enough to see him spraypainting at the former incarnation of the Alibi Room in New Farm).

In the last two weeks, we've added not one but TWO new boards to our collection, which means we'll soon have four on the wall. The first one was this Jordan Hoffart/Vernon Courtlandt Johnson (VCJ) board that John wanted. Apparently it's quite significant because it's the first commercial board produced by VCJ in a long time, and he designed some of the most influential graphics of the '80s. John was lucky enough to get one of the first five boards, which are signed by both Johnson and Hoffart, with all proceeds going to charity.

Our second board (which I purchased) is this Jason Lee/Cease and Desist David Bowie Aladdin Sane board. The Cease and Desist boards are replicas of (or, perhaps more fittingly, tributes to) original designs from the '80s and '90s which were only produced in limited numbers due to the fact that they infringed on copyright (and therefore subject to cease and desist letters). The new boards are hand printed in limited runs of 100. As it's next to impossible to get hold of an unused original of this design without parting with a significant amount of cash, this is the next best thing. Oh, and for those who don't know, the Jason Lee I am referring to is the one as the My name is Earl guy (he was a pro skateboarder in the early '90s).

We're considering getting a professional hanging system installed by the Art of Hanging in Nundah so we can display the boards in the best way possible (and so that we can easily change them around should we acquire more!).

Red porcelain

2011-09-20T20:10:00.000+10:00

In addition to the incredible Dinosaur Designs platter, my best friend also gifted me these stunning porcelain cups from Shanghai homewares store Platane. I'm also yet to find the perfect location to put these. They are deserving of an extra-special spot, I think.

Dinosaur Designs platter

2011-09-17T17:23:00.000+10:00

Wow, would you look at those tumbleweeds rolling on through the land of Flying Ducks? It seems that yet again I have been absent, due to a whole range of things happening in my life (a family wedding, sickness, study, work). Thankfully I only have to contend with study for a couple more weeks, so I should be around a lot more!

My best friend recently moved house, and decided to rid herself of her 'red things' in the process. Lucky for me, I love red things! Even luckier still is that I love Dinosaur Designs, and I am now the proud owner of this incredible (and HUGE) platter. I haven't quite worked out a place worthy of its presence just yet, but here is a little peek at its amazingness.

Cast iron apple pot

2011-08-27T16:10:00.002+10:00

How amazing is this cast iron apple pot from Terrain? I've long wanted to invest in a big cast iron pot, and I think an apple-shaped one is just perfect! It looks like it belongs in my kitchen, yes?

Alas, Terrain do not ship overseas. I'll just have to keep dreaming...

Real Living 2011 reader decorating contest

2011-08-07T15:42:00.000+10:00

This year, for the second year in a row, I'm entering the Real Living reader decorating contest. I really don't think I'll have much of a chance against the many other great entries they'll have, but it's worth a shot. I don't even want the prizes. I just want to get my home in the magazine!

My entry for the living room will consist of around 20 photos. I think I might need to post a CD or USB! Here's a sneak peek of a few of them.

For more information about this year's contest, visit the Real Living website.

Ottoman sofa bed

2011-07-31T20:38:00.000+10:00

The first part of the office 'upgrade' is complete with the arrival of our ottoman sofa bed this week. I was a bit nervous about purchasing a custom-made piece of furniture on eBay, but the experience with Sydney Lounge Specialist was wonderful. We weren't quite happy with the standard Wortley and Warwick fabrics offered by the store, so after two rounds of samples in the mail we settled on Wortley 'Hustle' fabric in Carbon colour.

The sofa was made in Sydney from sustainable Tasmanian pine, and includes a ten-year warranty on both the timber frame and the foam. We paid extra to get an inner-spring mattress instead of a standard foam one, and the trampoline base also includes timber slats for extra support, so our visitors should have no reason to complain.

I couldn't resist buying some new cushions to celebrate. These are all from Target, who really seem to have stepped up in the homewares department.

I'll add more photos in the coming weeks when the room is a little tidier!

Baked rice puddings

2011-07-30T16:49:00.000+10:00

Last weekend I tested out my new ramekins and made some delicious individual baked rice puddings.

The Vinyl Living tea towel was a lovely birthday gift from a lovely friend for my birthday.

Design*Sponge Brisbane city guide update

2011-07-23T14:35:00.000+10:00

Remember the Brisbane city guide I wrote for the Design*Sponge website back in 2009? I've just recently written an updated version, which is now available to read on the site here. This much more comprehensive guide also includes a link to a Google Map with all the highlights pinpointed. Handy!

Do leave a comment to let me know what you think, either here or on the Design*Sponge site!

Heart for Art

2011-07-18T20:04:00.005+10:00

Some of you may have seen the post on my other blog a few months back about little-known overseas aid organisations. One of these organisations was Project 18, which is run by the Sunshine Coast's Cate Bolt. Project 18 is dedicated to a range of humanitarian and conservation projects, including Foundation 18, a girls' orphanage in Indonesia.

Today, bloggers around the world are getting the word out about Heart for Art, explaining how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference in the lives of the little girls living at the orphanage. All you need to do is make something crafty and send it their way! You might even get a little surprise in the mail in return. If you'd like to get involved, you can send your art projects directly to Cate Bolt:

Cate Bolt
Attn: Heart For Art
PO Box 239
Glass House Mountains, Qld 4518
Australia
If you're in the UK, you can direct your package here:
Lerner Farrington
Attn: Heart For Art
18 Suffolk Rd
Lincoln, LN1 2UG
UK
If you're not much of a crafty person but still want to help, there are so many other ways you can assist Project 18 in making a real difference in the lives of these kids:

sign up for their web hosting services
make a purchase from the Project 18 shop or Etsy shop
buy a ‘brick’ of Fairtrade chocolate and help build a ‘chocolate classroom’
make a one off, or regular monthly contribution directly to Foundation 18, Indonesia
grab a banner or button from the Project 18 website and add it to your blog or website
follow Project 18 on Twitter and on Facebook
participate in Auctions for Education.

For more information about Heart for Art, email HeartForArt18@gmail.com.

Nundah City

2011-07-17T16:19:00.000+10:00

After having brunch today, we noticed a newcomer to the vacant shops in Nundah Village. We're now lucky enough to have a fabulous retro/vintage store in our suburb! (Although, I must point out that the owner hates the terms 'retro' and 'vintage'.)

Nundah City is owned by Steve, who was behind Rotten Records in the city and Kleptomania in Fortitude Valley. Now Steve will be selling records, furniture and other homewares right in my neighbourhood. If anyone's keen, he currently has a set of bright orange Kartell nesting tables! I was super tempted myself, and probably would have caved had they been red, white or black.

He also has a replica of a Kartell magazine rack, which is a yellow version of the one I own.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be spending a lot of time looking around Steve's shop in the coming weeks!

Movie ticket giveaway: Big Mamma's Boy

2011-07-16T17:25:00.000+10:00

Thanks to Madman, I have five double passes to give away to a preview screening of Australian film Big Mamma's Boy.

The screening takes place at Hoyts Stafford 10 Cinemas next Sunday (24 July) at 10.30am.

To enter, just leave a comment before 5.00pm on Monday 18 July, and I'll pop tickets in the post the next day.

Birthday flowers

2011-07-09T18:31:00.001+10:00

During the week it was my birthday. It was the first birthday in a decade that I haven't spent at my old workplace, so the day was tinged with a tiny bit of sadness for me (given that the last decade equals most of my 'adult' life). I did, however, get to catch up with some wonderful friends for a picnic in the park today. Much eating, drinking and chatting took place.

I got some great birthday gifts from my husband, friends and family, many of which I will share in a blog post soon. For now, here are some lovely flowers given to me last weekend by my mother-in-law.

Origami flowers

2011-07-03T16:58:00.000+10:00

After patiently looking for more than a year for something suitable to place inside our Dinosaur Designs vase (gratefully received as a wedding gift), I bought these origami flowers from Hideyo at the Finders Keepers markets over the weekend...

Making sewing plans

2011-06-28T17:59:00.001+10:00

Remember my first sewing project of a skirt with Thea and Sami pockets almost a year ago?

Well, for some time I'm been planning to make another one. I figure I should get a much nicer end result now that I've made this pattern a few times! This time, I'm going to have one pocket instead of two, and the pocket fabric will this time be Thea's 'Marguerite' design on black linen (a big thanks to Thea for the lovely sample that was in my ABCD goodie bag!).

For many months now, the pattern pieces have been cut and waiting to be assembled. Alas, when I went to sew them all together (back in March, I think), my machine was not cooperating, so there was nothing to do except buy a new one!

Of course, I've since gotten myself extremely sidetracked, what with a new job and studying and holidaying, so I still haven't made my skirt. Sometime soon, I will get there.

Office plans

2011-06-19T14:13:00.001+10:00

Our second bedroom serves as both an office/art studio for John, as well as a spare bedroom for guests. As both our families live outside of Brisbane, we need to have a bed available for visits, and the current solution of the futon sofa bed has long outstayed its welcome. Although I've managed to improve the look of the hideous mattress by hiding it inside a quilt cover, it's not the most comfortable option for sleeping.

After considering the options, including a double bed, sofa bed or new futon, we've decided that the best solution for us is an ottoman sofa bed with an innerspring mattress. That way, the sofa won't take up much room, but it can be converted into a comfortable double bed when needed. We're currently narrowing down fabric options from the Wortley and Warwick ranges, and are leaning towards a dark charcoal or grey. Originally I was planning on stripes or something with a little bit of visual interest, but the samples we have look to 'busy' against the carpet. I'll have to add interest with cushions instead!

The next step will be to remove the tiered desk in the corner for something a little more understated (like a simple white desk) so John has more room for his drafting table (which is currently squished in to the right of the desk).

Has anyone out there got a sofabed ottoman (or slept on one)? I'd love to hear your opinion of them.

Greetings...

2011-06-06T21:28:00.000+10:00

Hello my dear (neglected) readers. I haven't disappeared off the face of the planet. I have been settling in nicely at my new job, so much so that I am no longer asleep on the couch at 8.00 on a Friday night! Therefore, rather than sitting on the nerd box all weekend, I took the opportunity to spend some time catching up with some wonderful old friends and colleagues, many of whom I hadn't seen in a long time. This little furry friend was also there...

This coming long weekend will also be one of relaxation, when I head with my family (sans husband) to Coffs Harbour to pop in and visit my grandparents. I intend to spend my time sitting in the sun catching up on my growing pile of unread magazines.

Until my return, here's a little taster of what's been going on in the Flying Ducks house lately. The office pinboard is still updated on a regular basis (except for a few things that seem to remain there every time I change it!). This is its current incarnation.

Solid wood

2011-05-28T15:43:00.000+10:00

We recently became fed up with our old Ikea chopping board. It looked pretty, but needed regular oiling where it had warped and split due to moisture seeping into the joins. It probably wasn't the most hygienic chopping board, either.

I embarked on an online journey to find the perfect rectangular solid timber board (none of these 'freeform' types). My search led me to to the 'Rocky', a beast of a board made from sustainable camphor laurel, and with red gum handles. It also turns out that the seller lives close by, and was able to drop my board off to save on postage. I can most certainly say that the investment was well worth it!

I was also recently given this adorable strawberry chopping board from Freedom. I have a feeling that it will end up making an excellent cheese board!

Farewell gifts

2011-05-20T11:35:00.000+10:00

On my last day at my job, I was treated like a princess! It's no secret that I love my cakes, and I was certainly indulged in that department. This is just a small selection of what was provided for morning tea...

Lovely Laura also baked me this platter of amazing brownies!

My colleagues all chipped in to buy me some truly wonderful goodbye gifts. My love of both books and design must be really obvious!

By far the BEST (and most thoughtful) present was this vintage milk glass vase, complete with a red bird print! Followers of this blog will no doubt recognise just how many boxes are ticked by this gift. Apparently this lovely item was hurriedly shipped over from the US. How lucky am I to have worked with such thoughtful people?!

Ampersand

2011-05-19T14:44:00.000+10:00

The day I accepted my new position, I decided to treat myself to a little gift. I've long admired the wares of Bespoke Letterpress, so when they released a French navy version of their ampersand print I was ever so tempted. As I am an editor, this print really was an appropriate purchase.

Thank you to everyone who left kind comments and sent emails in response to my last post. I finished up at my 'old' job yesterday, and I have a couple of days off before launching straight into the new one on Monday. I got some truly lovely farewell gifts, and I promise to reveal them here soon.

My heart wanders...

2011-05-08T15:59:00.000+10:00

Yesterday Tracey and I had the pleasure of attending an afternoon tea at St Francis in Milton to celebrate the launch of Pia Jane Bijkerk's new book my heart wanders.

We had a little hiccup on our way there (as a delightful little canine chap named Tedwin needed to be rescued from his adventures on a busy Nundah road), but we still made it with plenty of time to spare. We sampled some of the tasty treats on offer, and couldn't resist sitting on the very green (and very soft) grass. Later, we were lucky enough to meet Pia herself and have our copies of her book signed, and I look forward to reading it one winter's day with a blanket, a chocolate slice and a big cup of chai.

A big thank you goes to Kylie Johnson of Paper Boat Press and, of course, Pia for organising the event.

Also, just a little note to explain my diminished blogging activities of late. Recently, my heart has wandered a little bit too, and this has just last week resulted in me resigning from my job of more than nine years in order to move on to a new adventure in educational publishing. I'll be packing up my things over the next couple of weeks and the tears will no doubt flow, but I am excited to begin this new chapter in my working life.

More Marimekko goodness

2011-04-27T15:41:00.002+10:00

Remember I said that I was going to use my new Marimekko plate for cakes? Well, I found a better use for it, ensuring that it won't hide in the cupboard. I can now enjoy its beauty in the living room!

Winners... and an award!

2011-04-24T15:49:00.001+10:00

First off, an Easter treat for my lovely commenters.

I'll be sending an origami recipe heart to Chelsea, Fizzleout, Julie, Widge, Jane, Katyha, Littlemissairgap AND Chrisy. That's right, every single one of you who left me a comment! Please shoot me your address details and I'll get folding and posting! In exchange, I may ask for the full recipes for some of those treats, as they all sounded delicious.

And, now, an award for me! This is the second time I've received the Versatile Blogger Award, and it has been bestowed upon me by the lovely Tracey. I am required to tell you all seven facts about myself, and then pass the award on to other worthy bloggers. So, without further ado...

1. As a child I was obsessed with the Swedish pop group Roxette. The happiest day of my life was when I opened my Christmas present as a twelve year old to discover tickets to their Brisbane concert.
2. When I was eleven, I won the school fete karaoke competition. I sang Roxette's 'The look' (of course), and won a hefty $10 prize. I spent my winnings on a talking troll doll. Creepy.
3. My ankles have about 50 per cent more rotation than they're supposed to. No high heels for me!
4. I listen to records quite a bit. Some things just sound better on vinyl. Currently, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is a favourite.
5. The first thing I ever saved my pocket money for as a child was a My First Macquarie Dictionary and a big fat Jacaranda world atlas. I was five. I'm pretty sure the dictionary was a sign of things to come.
6. I know all the words to Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby, as well as far too many other eighties and nineties hits.
7. I am going to be a bridesmaid for the first time this September (for my younger sister).

That's all! Ok, I now tag Katyha, Lavender's Green, designed to a T and kit and nancy!

Giveaway: Origami recipe hearts

2011-04-17T18:23:00.000+10:00

As you may have seen a little while ago, I recently made some origami recipe hearts for the Brisbane ABCD Meetup. I went along on Friday night and met some super lovely and creative people (not to mention the super lovely and creative items they all made for the goodie bags!).

Would you like an origami recipe heart to appear in your mailbox? If so, please leave a comment and tell me what recipe you would put inside. You have until Wednesday night... good luck!

Marimekko in its new home

2011-04-09T11:03:00.000+10:00

My Marimekko purchases arrived during the week! Hooray!

My lovely tea cup currently resides on top of the cabinet in my dining room study nook. I am quite pleased with the little vignettes that I have created here.

Here's a peek at how the space is currently looking.

Origami recipe hearts

2011-04-02T16:50:00.003+10:00

I'm excited to be attending the next Brisbane ABCD Meetup at the Powerhouse in a couple of weeks. The gatherings are for all creative types who blog, and as I've never attended one before I thought it might be a nice opportunity to put some faces to names! I've even ordered myself some business cards in anticipation.

The most exciting part of all is that everyone can contribute a crafty treat to goodie bags for everyone to enjoy. Not having my own crafty business, I had to think long and hard about what I might be able to contribute. I eventually came up with the idea for these colourful origami hearts.

Inside each heart is a personal recipe of mine, which can only be read if you're willing to unfold the paper to reveal it.

If you're a crafty blogger in Brisbane and want to know what the recipe is, you'll just have to come along to the meetup! Check out the ABCD Facebook page if you're interested.

Pear and banana pikelets

2011-03-27T14:54:00.001+10:00

Yesterday afternoon I was flicking through some old copies of Mixtape zine and stumbled across a recipe for these delicious pear and banana pikelets. We had a bit of tinned fruit in the pantry and a couple of leftover bananas for the week, plus I'd already been thinking about making some pancakes or pikelets...

Marimekko splurge

2011-03-26T09:53:00.000+10:00

A couple of days ago Brands Exclusive had a sale on a range of Marimekko homewares, and I couldn't resist indulging a little (considering everything was half price). Thankfully they didn't have any tea pots, because I may have gone a little crazier with the spending if they did.

I bought myself a tea cup and large plate from the Siirtolapuutarha range. I won't be using the cup for tea, though; I think I'll put something lovely in it instead. The plate will be used for cakes, of course!

There are still a few items left in the sale, which finishes tomorrow night. I happen to know that a certain other blogger has already indulged...

Magazine storage

2011-03-25T12:50:00.000+10:00

I have the day off work today to run some errands and write some of an essay for my second-last university subject (yuck). I popped into the discount store when I was out and about, and found this pretty red spotty box that looked like it needed to come home with me. It's perfect for hiding some of the many magazines I have laying around.

Storage is very important in the Flying Ducks house, as we both accumulate a lot of 'stuff'. Click here for a peek at some of the other storage we use.

Our home... in Pop art

2011-03-20T12:15:00.001+10:00

Yesterday I picked up my fancy new camera - an Olympus PEN EPL-1. It's a nice, happy medium between a compact point-and-shoot (which is what I had previously) and a full-blown DSLR (which I really have no need for). Amongst other advantages, it will no doubt make my blog photos 100 times better.

The camera has six built-in art filters, and due to the large amount of red in our home I've become a little obsessed with the Pop art feature. The following images were taken on a very gloomy, overcast day (which would have meant 'don't bother trying to take photos' in the past). I can't wait to see how photos look when the sun is out!

Ukiyo-e demonstration and workshop

2011-03-14T20:12:00.000+10:00

On the weekend, I attended a ukiyo-e demonstration and workshop with my friend Irene. It was hosted by the Japanese Consulate in Australia, and included a lecture by the Director of the Ukiyo-e Museum, Kunio Sakai. We were also very lucky to witness the skills of one of only thirty ukiyo-e printmakers practising in Japan today, Tatsuya Ito. For a comprehensive account of our afternoon, check out Irene's post here.

After the demonstration, we were privileged enough to use Ito-san's woodblocks and print two colours of a print ourselves.

Thanks Irene for inviting me to come along!

Bicycle typogram print

2011-03-13T14:00:00.001+10:00

Remember I made John a tasty pear and cinnamon upside-down cake for his birthday? Well he got a present too, in the form of this first-edition bicycle typogram print by Aaron Kuehn. Just today I've hung it in the hall near the back door.

Sew La Tea Do!

2011-03-05T18:14:00.000+10:00

Last night we met my sister in the city for dinner (thanks to Irene for the Satay Club recommendation!), and then we stopped off at the book store before heading home. I stumbled across Pip's latest book, Sew La Tea Do, which is lovely! It even has a big fat pocket full of patterns.

Within its pages, I instantly found a treasure trove of goodies I'd like to make. The photographs are amazing, and I even spotted a big fat guinea pig! I would particularly love to make the sunny day and Miss Marlo dresses, as well as the super cute origami wallet.

This morning I had a little bit of time I my hands, so I decided to make some little zipper pouches from some spare fabric. They are a little smaller than Pip's (as I only had 15cm zips), but they are the perfect size for coins. Pretty soon, they'll be in the post to some unsuspecting friends. Hurrah!

Our home in wide angle!

2011-03-01T21:05:00.000+10:00

Our friends Enis and Natsumi came to visit for dinner a few weeks ago, having recently moved back to Brisbane from Japan. While they were here, Enis took some wide-angle shots of the living room. This really makes me want a new camera...

Images: Drone Bot

Pear and cinnamon upside-down cake

2011-02-20T17:16:00.000+10:00

Baked in the searing heat this afternoon in preparation for John's birthday tomorrow...

Thank you: Peppermint magazine, Mina + Oli and Quiet Paws!

2011-02-19T14:00:00.000+10:00

Over the past week or so lady luck has been smiling on my yet again. First off, I won this beautiful Mina + Oli wristlet from Peppermint magazine! The lovely Laura selected this blue number for me, which is made from a recycled leather jacket. I really, really love it!

Then, I was most excited (and amused!) to learn that I'd won a HUGE prize pool over at Tracey's blog Quiet Paws. Tracey has won a few Flying Ducks giveaways, so I guess what goes around comes around! I won all this awesome stuff (including the scarf, which is from Tracey's personal collection), plus a $25 donation in my name to the RSPCA flood appeal, which means an awful lot to me as an animal lover.

Image: Quiet Paws

I'm also very patiently awaiting the arrival of a Cocolo chocolate pack, courtesy of a Twitter giveaway from Fair Trade Australia. I am a big Cocolo fan, as I usually buy chocolate 'bricks' through Project 18 to help raise funds for an orphanage in Indonesia.

Clearly I'm a very lucky girl lately!

Movie ticket winners! Plus preview passes to The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

2011-02-16T18:00:00.001+10:00

The winners of the Certified Copy in-season passes are Thea, Brismod, BrissieMum2, Claire and Online Tutor! I have postal addresses for Thea and Brismod, but if everyone else can please email me their postal address that would be grand.

Now, I have five more passes to give away to lucky readers! Thanks to Rialto, these are valid for a preview screening of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest at Dendy Portside on 2 March at 6.30pm. To win, please leave a comment and your email address before 5.00pm next Wednesday (23 February).

Please note: This is not a sponsored post, and I have received no payment for running this giveaway.

Pears in sunlight

2011-02-13T13:55:00.000+10:00

Remember the cute little pyrex bowl I acquired last week? Here it is holding my fresh organic pears as they ripen on the windowsill.

New shots of the living area

2011-02-12T12:20:00.000+10:00

I realised this morning that I haven't taken any overall room shots for a while, so I snapped a few whilst indulging in the latest Go! Team album...

Movie ticket giveaway: Certified Copy

2011-02-11T12:50:00.001+10:00

Thanks to Madman Entertainment, I have five in-season double passes for Certified Copy to give away (valid at participating cinemas across Australia from 17 February). Just leave a comment before 5.00pm Wednesday (16 February) and I'll randomly draw the winners. If you don't have a blog, please leave an email address as well.

Academy Award-winner Juliette Binoche stars as an antique dealer, living in the Tuscan countryside. One day she sits in on a talk by visiting English cultural commentator (opera baritone William Shimell) on the value of copies in art. At the end of the talk they meet, and over the course of a single afternoon, they drive into the sun-dappled countryside, have lunch, wander around galleries, discussing the nature of love, art and life. But what really is the nature of their relationship? Have they met before? Are they are a couple, or in fact perfect strangers?

Please note: This is not a sponsored post, and I have received no payment for running this giveaway.

Valentine Pyrex

2011-02-07T21:02:00.000+10:00

You see this pretty little Pyrex bowl?

Image: Kit & Nancy

The lovely Laura intended to sell it at Suitcase Rummage on the weekend. But she didn't. It didn't make it there. Because I hurriedly emailed Laura and asked her to pretty please keep it for me. Today, she brought it in to work, and our transaction was complete. Hurrah!

Laura's Suitcase Rummage efforts raised a fabulous $245 for the RSPCA flood appeal - everyone wins!

More photos soon of my lovely bowl in its new home...

More apples! And an owl...

2011-02-04T13:28:00.001+10:00

A few weeks ago John and I purchased a stylish-looking new stereo with some gift vouchers we received as wedding gifts. Previously, we had a rather chunky system that I bought about nine years ago. For those who haven't trawled back through our 'before' pictures, here it is on the left. The previous owner's choice of paint colour still amazes me today...

As our new system is a lot smaller, I decided to sew a table runner to cover the veneer of the shelves. I was recently given a HUGE stash of fabric (thanks Irene!), so I started rummaging through. It was then I realised that the apple calico I printed at the Thea & Sami workshop would probably fit perfectly! All I needed to do was cut some red fabric from my stash to use as backing. It is a little shorter than I would have liked (and I did have to trim the bottom off some of the pears that were printed a little too close to the apples), but it does the job!

Did you notice my new little red owl friend? He was purchased from Little Shop Of... during the recent flood fundraising, and sits with his larger buddy on the top shelf.

Thrift store treasure

2011-02-01T09:09:00.000+10:00

For the third trip to Toowoomba in a row, I didn't make it to the St Vinnies store that I desperately wanted to visit. I've had some amazing success there in the past, but it closes at 11.30 on a Saturday morning! We left early enough, but didn't account for all the traffic backed up to get onto the range (which currently has a lane closed after the floods). Consequently, we took the Murphy's Creek detour instead, which added 40 minutes to our journey. (But, it did give us the opportunity to see how well the army and emergency services are progressing with the clean-up.)

However, I did manage to stop off at the Lifeline around the corner, which I've had limited success with in the past (such as getting my hands on the ceramic pie dish I used to bake my pavlova). This time, I had one lucky find: this pretty little carafe for $1.50.

I decided to put away the brown bowl that had been sitting on the bench holding pens and rubber bands and other bits and pieces, and it's been replaced with spotty cups and saucers that have been hiding away. My little display sits under the microwave in the right side of the kitchen, which means it's visible from the living area. It's nice to finally have an arrangement there that I'm happy with!

Butterfly art

2011-01-28T14:04:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I went to Myer in search of a box frame for my Paper Tree Design butterfly art work kit. It was just my luck that they had 40 per cent off frames! I found a lovely white one, but before heading to the register found a range made in Australia from Australian materials for the same price. They didn't have white in the size I wanted, so I bought the red instead!

I got to work late afternoon, cutting my card to size and arranging the silhouettes. (I also pedantically drew a grid to ensure they were evenly spaced). Once they were glued down, I just had to wait a little while for them to dry before popping the wings out.

I found the perfect little wall for the frame, right between the office and bathroom.

Apples and pears

2011-01-27T15:53:00.000+10:00

Today I had to head into the city for a haircut (I'm still working from home until further notice). Afterwards, I went to Target and Myer to try and find a box frame for the butterfly art work kit I got for Christmas. Success!

As I was passing through Target, I saw an apple print mug out of the corner of my eye. I went over, and realised that it was only $1.87. Bargain! Even better was the fact that there wasn't just one style of apple mugs, but two! Even better than that was that there were pears as well! We don't need mugs at home. In fact, we have plenty. But I couldn't not have them considering the designs are so similar to the ones I printed at the Thea & Sami workshop last year.

As we don't need to drink coffee from them until we break every other mug in the place (I expect that to take at least ten years), they can sit pretty on top of the microwave accompanied by my nesting doll measuring cups.

Office pinboard reworked

2011-01-26T13:44:00.000+10:00

The other day I curated a new display for our office pinboard (after deciding back in November to make a regular habit of changing the display).

I've kept the Bespoke Letterpress initials from the previous display, but changed to a different gift card. I've also added a gift card from O-Check, postcards from Love and Peta Pledger, as well as a couple of postcards and a polaroid received from friends (thanks to Elissa for the polaroid!). There's also bits and pieces from Pigeonhole, Pinecone Camp and Anthropologie. The red ribbon is from Rivane Neuenschwander's I Wish your Wish installation at the Gallery of Modern Art. It reads 'I wish I could make a time portal'. Really, I do.

Crafty folk raising money for the floods

2011-01-17T09:00:00.001+10:00

Apologies for the lack of posting. Although we are completely untouched physically by the floods here in Nundah, I couldn't help but be glued to the TV for the last few days. We have plenty of friends in the affected areas, but to my knowledge no-one we are close to lost a lot (although, that may be because we simply don't know yet).

I left work at about 10.30 last Tuesday morning (to get home before transport was potentially halted), and I haven't been able to go back. We've been told that we'll likely be allowed back in on Wednesday, but that's not confirmed. I've had no access to my work email until late yesterday, so today and tomorrow I'll do what little I can to try and help out.

As we all know, there's been a huge amount of support being offered by so many in our community - not just in Brisbane, but elsewhere. John and I spent a couple of days cooking up a storm for Baked Relief, where snacks and meals are cooked for the hungry volunteers around the city. The lovely Kelley from Peppermint magazine was even lovely enough to collect a batch. More food will be needed in the coming weeks, so if you can spare a few hours to cook, please do.

A sample of my baked goods on day 2!

Image: Peppermint

The BrisStyle team has listed HEAPS of items on Etsy for their Handmade Ark Appeal, with all proceeds going to the flood appeal. There are a few similar Etsy groups happening too, such as the Australian Flood Appeal.

Make it Perfect has an auction of similarly crafty items, with all proceeds going to the appeal.

Jewellery-makers Epheriell Designs (until 20 January) and Polli (until 31 January) are donating 20 per cent of sales.

Little Shop of Handmade are donating 100 per cent (yes, 100 per cent!) of all internet sales from 20 December to 23 January. This is so amazingly generous, so I think I'll be doing some shopping!

If there are any more places deserving of a mention, please leave a comment and I'll add them to the list.

Please also don't forget the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal if you wish to donate directly. Also, the RSPCA do not receive any of the appeal funds collected, so are running their own fundraising campaign. They need to rebuild their entire Fairfield shelter (including the veterinary clinic), so please help if you can. Lifeline could also use some help, so they can assist with counselling those affected.

Sewing experiment... and a new skirt!

2011-01-09T16:11:00.000+10:00

Yesterday afternoon I spent a couple of hours experimenting, and made a skirt with no instructions. When we visited Coffs Harbour my nanna gave me a box of 39 weekly 'Make it Easy' patterns from the 1980s. Each week included patterns for a few items, such as a skirt, a top and a dress, in one envelope. I wanted to make a simple skirt to replace the one I've been wearing to death for 16 years - my mum made me one when I joined St John Ambulance when I was 12, and it still fits (although it's a little closer to dark grey than black these days!).

I found a simple-looking pencil skirt; however, when I went to cut my material I realised that there were no instructions included in the envelopes - they must have originally been accompanied by a weekly magazine with all the sewing details! Having made a few skirts already, I figured this wouldn't be a challenge at all - just do the darts first, and leave a space long enough for a zip. And here is the result! (The photos are terrible, but this rain means no venturing outside for nicer pictures.)

It all came together really quickly and easily. However, I encountered a problem when I tried to test the sizing after sewing in the zip - I couldn't get it over my hips. So, I put in a longer zip, and removed two of the darts in the back. It is now perfectly fitted - so perfect, in fact, that if I put on even a tiny bit of weight it will no longer fit! I must admit that I didn't bother taking the measurements - they were the same as listed for the other skirt pattern I've made, although I realise now that particular skirt is not fitted so the hip measurement didn't matter.

I wanted a waistband without stitching on the outside (like the one my mum had made), so I looked in the box of handy reference cards that came with the patterns to see if there were any tips. I found comprehensive instructions for making a perfect waistband, right down to slip-stitching it along the inside seam.

In terms of construction, this is by far the best quality item I've made. I'm really pleased with how it all came together, especially since I had no instructions to guide me. It's proven that I really HAVE learnt sewing skills, not just the ability to follow steps written for me.

Goals for 2011

2011-01-09T12:22:00.000+10:00

Now that I've told you how I went with my 2010 goals, it's time to reveal what's on the list for this year. Most of my goals from last year could be done with piecemeal investments of my time (such as a few hours devoted to sewing or painting), due to the fact that I study in addition to working full-time. But, my studies are coming to an end in about nine months, so I'll be able to tackle some larger projects.

So, here's the list for 2011.

Goal number 1: Get stuck into my interior decorating course
I enrolled in a correspondence certificate in interior design and decoration when I was on long-service leave last year, but haven't really done much of it yet. This year I need to get some of those little assignments done!

Goal number 2: Fix up my sewing table and chair
Some may remember the ladder chair I bought from The Old Boathouse, and the old dresser I found on the side of the road with gorgeous silky oak drawers. I haven't made any advancements towards turning it into a sewing table as yet, but once my studies are out of the way I'll be getting stuck into it!

Goal number 3: Start screenprinting

Ever since I did my course with Thea & Sami, I've been itching to print something. But, the sad reality is that screenprinting takes a decent investment of time, so I've not venturing there until I have some more of that up my sleeve. Hopefully from October onwards I'll be playing around with some little designs of my own in the garage.

Goal number 4: Save save save for a trip to the US
In 2012, we are planning to visit the US! We'll be spending a couple of weeks in Los Angeles with a good friend of John's, followed by a couple of weeks in New York with Shilo! In between, we'll also be stopping off In Louisville so John can go to Wonderfest.

Goal number 5: Post more on my other blog
You may or may not have noticed that I now have a second (and somewhat neglected) blog focusing on all matters of politics. The content is largely drawn from my education over the years in cultural studies and Australian history. Hopefully once I finish my formal studies I'll have more time to write content specifically for the blog, which I'm looking forward to.

Christmas presents!

2011-01-02T10:05:00.001+10:00

Christmas this year was spent with John's family in Toowoomba, and unfortunately I spent Christmas eve with a stomach bug (which also meant I didn't really feel like indulging much on Christmas day). Nevertheless, we had a lovely time, despite the incessant rain.

After Christmas we made it to Coffs Harbour to visit my grandparents before many of the roads were cut (it's lucky we weren't going to visit my parents and sister in Bundaberg, as we wouldn't have made it!). In Coffs Harbour we had one full day of rain, and two full days of sun! We spent our time reading, walking on the beach, swimming (and getting a little sunburnt - oops) and visiting the Big Banana in order to eat frozen chocolate-and-nut-covered bananas.

Of course, with Christmas time also came present time! My family and friends sent some lovely and very thoughtful gifts my way, including a whole heap of books! Yay for Frankie Spaces!

In addition to the above, I also got Anh Do's The Happiest Refugee, which I read during the rainy periods in Coffs. I also got this super stylish Joseph Joseph colander, which will no doubt be used in conjunction with the recipe books. It hooks onto the side of the sink!

I also got myself some nice new jewellery items from Baba Ganoush, Limedrop and Polli.

These lovely trinkets were courtesy of some good friends - a plaster tree decoration cast from a seed pod from Kuber, an adorable jar of gift cards featuring deer and squirrels from O-Check, and a DIY butterfly art work kit from Paper Tree Design.

And, finally, I got this lovely watering can planter, which I'm going to put some tasty herbs in. There were a couple of World Vision Smiles charity cards inside the planter as well, which I was most grateful for.

So that's Christmas over! Over the coming days I'll be posting my 2011 goals, of which there are quite a few.

I hope that all of my Flying Ducks readers had a happy and safe Christmas and new year!

Merry (early) Christmas!

2010-12-22T21:23:00.001+10:00

Tomorrow morning we're off to Toowoomba for Christmas with John's family, followed by Coffs Harbour next week with my grandparents. I doubt there will be much blogging taking place during that time, and I'm certainly not organised enough to have scheduled posts in advance.

So, instead of my posts, how about reading some of these Christmassy blogs instead?!

Tracey at Quiet Paws has been posting a few Christmas-related treats this week (including an adorable washi tape bow tutorial and pictures of her handmade cards).

Images: Quiet Paws

Charlotte over at Lottie Loves has been profiling very pretty gift wrap and cards as well as other Christmas goodies.

Image: Country Living via Lottie Loves

Image: Nice Package Gift Tags via Lottie Loves

And, finally, Julie from Olive & Joy has just launched her online pop-up store in preparation for the 'real' thing coming soon! It might be a little late to buy something in time for Christmas, but there are some fabulous gift ideas nevertheless. I am hiding my credit card from myself... now.

Image: Olive & Joy

Happy Christmas to all my lovely Flying Ducks readers!

How I went with my 2010 goals

2010-12-18T09:21:00.000+10:00

Some of you may remember that at the beginning of 2010 I wrote a list of six goals for the year. I thought I should revisit and see how I went with them.

Goal number 1: Learn how to sew
Success! This is the goal that I most wanted to conquer. I started off with a short course at a local school, as well as some help from my friend Shilo. I haven't yet tackled the cushions I want to make with my Florence Broadhurst fabric, but that's because I want to tackle more difficult things like clothes first. Then the cushions will seem super easy! Here are a couple of my creations from throughout the year.

Goal number 2: Get plantation shutters installed

Thanks to a very generous wedding gift from my parents, we got our plantation shutters in March. There were some slight problems with them (the mechanism on the living room ones was a little loose, and there was a large scratch on the bedroom ones). But, Cosmopolitan Shutters were kind enough to replace the whole lot for us, so now they're perfect!

Goal number three: Have some art works framed

Although this goal hasn't quite been completed, I took some steps towards achieving it! At work they were auctioning off some high-quality frames used for art works, so I picked up a couple of big ones for some of our prints. I'll just need to take them to the framer for correct mounting sometime in the new year.

Goal number four: Finish the bathroom

Again, this has been partially done. We repainted the week after our wedding, but haven't quite finished off the second coat of the edges. We didn't install towel rails, but instead got a much more aesthetically pleasing stand-alone rack. We've decided to have a bit more work done on the bathroom, such as replacing the vanity and shower curtain rail, and installing the shower head and tiles a bit higher (as with the height of the new bath the shower head is far too low for John!). Here's what we've done so far.

Goal number five: Paint the cupboard doors

Ok, we didn't do this one. Maybe next year.

Goal number six: Learn to take better photos

I think I did ok with this one. I didn't get myself a better camera, but just practised a lot more. I think my main success was photographing food, but I think I also did ok with photographing our home as well. How do you think I went?

I also achieved success with a couple of other goals that weren't listed in my original list. I got married, but I also learnt to drive, and in a manual car! I started taking lessons at the beginning of my long-service leave, and finally got my licence in early October. Now all I need to do is build up the confidence to drive alone!

I already have a pretty big list of goals for 2011, so I'll do a post about those in the coming weeks.

Winner of the final Christmas giveaway!

2010-12-16T12:59:00.000+10:00

Thanks to everyone who left comments for my three Christmas giveaways! The winner of the gorgeous rubber duck is... Tracey!

Tracey will get her prize when we meet for pre-Christmas lunch next week!

Relocated damask lamp

2010-12-11T16:35:00.000+10:00

Last weekend I moved our damask lamp into the bedroom (a housewarming gift from a few years ago from my best friend Rebecca). It used to sit in the living room where our new Kartell lamp now resides.

Here it is in its new home, in the reading area of the bedroom.

With the largely black and white theme we have going in this room, I think it works rather well here. What do you think?

Final Christmas giveaway!

2010-12-10T11:33:00.000+10:00

I’m a little bit slack today, aren’t I?!

Ok, it’s time for the final Christmas giveaway from Flying Ducks — and what better to celebrate this occasion with than a duck?! I have this very regal rubber duck from Bud. He comes packaged in a very fancy-looking box. He’s black and white, so should suit any décor. I like him so much that I have one of my own sitting on the bathroom windowsill!

Image: Bud by designroom

This giveaway is open to everyone — just leave a comment here before next midday Thursday (Brisbane time), and I’ll get him in the post to the lucky winner before Christmas.

Good luck!

Please note: This is not a sponsored post, and I have received no payment or goods for running this giveaway. All items have been purchased independently by me.

And the winners are...

2010-12-09T12:37:00.001+10:00

The winners of Christmas giveaway #2 are:

Lantern Studios tub
Jess

Typo mini notebook and pen
Jane
Liesa

I’ll email you all to arrange delivery of your little packages!

Stay tuned for the final giveaway starting tomorrow!

Kartell 'Cindy' table lamp

2010-12-06T18:35:00.000+10:00

Yesterday, armed with the gift voucher we received from Irene for our wedding present, as well as the money we were given by our friend Jeni (who'd instructed us to buy something nice for our home), we finally made our way to Space Furniture. Of course, we could only actually afford a very small percentage of what is in the store , but we managed to narrow our few options down to a couple of Kartell lamps.

We could afford to buy two 'Take' lamps, designed by Ferruccio Laviani (we liked it in black, and thought they'd make nice bedside lamps). I think this particular lamp is the cheapest item in the Kartell range.

Image: Kartell

The other option was to buy a platinum-coloured 'Cindy' lamp by the same designer. This particular lamp was $60 cheaper than its usual retail price.

Image: Kartell

After much deliberation, we decided on the 'Cindy' lamp. The lamp now takes pride of place in the living room, and I must say it looks very classy. Apologies for the grainy photographs - they were the best I could do in this miserable weather!

The damask lamp that was previously here now sits in next to the Barcelona chair in the bedroom. I'll add photos of its new location on a sunnier day!

Christmas giveaway #2

2010-12-02T19:52:00.001+10:00

Welcome to my second week of Christmas giveaways!

This week I have two more tiny A7 buffalo leather notebooks and pens from Typo.

As well as this tub of white paperclips and bulldog clips from Lantern Studios.

Anyone worldwide can enter to win the notebooks, but the tub will need to go to an Australian resident for postage reasons. Just leave a comment to be in the running! A winner will be drawn next Thursday at midday Brisbane time.

Please note: This is not a sponsored post, and I have received no payment or goods for running this giveaway. All items have been purchased independently by me.

And the winners are...

2010-12-02T12:10:00.001+10:00

The winners of Christmas giveaway #1 are:

Lantern Studios clips
designed to a T (Terese)
Fizzle Out (Jasmine)

Typo mini notebook and pen
Raine and Sage (Sonia)
Riini (Irene)

I’ll email you all to arrange delivery of your little packages!

Stay tuned for giveaway #2 starting tomorrow!

The Christmas decorations are up!

2010-12-01T19:12:00.001+10:00

I spent last night carefully punching out my recycled paper Polli decorations and tying them to our recycled timber Christmas tree. I had so many left over that I also strung them up above the shutters (and I STILL have about six left!).

Aren't they pretty?! For those who missed my posts last year, John and our tree from scrap timber we found at Reverse Garbage, and then I decorated it with leftover paint in the garage. With our added eco decorations from Polli, we now have an environmentally friendly decorated home for Christmas!

There's less than a day left in my Christmas giveaway for this week, but there will be another one up on Friday!

Caribou footwear?

2010-11-29T17:48:00.000+10:00

I decided that the white concrete frame in the living room was well overdue for an image change, so I trawled through my records for something suitable. I found this inside the Rolling Stones' Tattoo You album as an insert.

It appears to be the leg of some sort of deer or caribou, with the hoof replaced with a lovely patent high-heeled shoe. Isn't it lovely?

A reminder to enter the first of my Christmas giveaways if you haven't already. This one is open to everyone worldwide, and all you have to do is leave a comment over here.

Christmas giveaway #1

2010-11-25T20:29:00.001+10:00

Welcome to week one of the Flying Ducks Christmas giveaway!

This week, we have four prizes. First up, there's two packets of cute red and white bulldog clips from Lantern Studios.

I also have two teeny-tiny A7 buffalo leather notebooks from Typo, including some equally tiny pens to go with them.

To enter, just leave a comment and an email address (if you don't have a blog where I can reach you) on this post before midday next Thursday 2 December (Brisbane time). This giveaway is open to everyone, including those overseas. Good luck!

Please note: This is not a sponsored post, and I have received no payment or goods for running this giveaway. All items have been purchased independently by me.

Project 18 Christmas party

2010-11-24T15:41:00.000+10:00

If you’re in the Brisbane/Sunshine Coast area and looking for something to do next weekend, think about supporting the Project 18 Christmas party and raising money for this wonderful organisation.

Run by the lovely Cate Bolt, ‘Project 18 prides itself in the fact that we aren't here to offer band-aid solutions to broken lives. Our mission is to increase the quality of life for underprivileged and orphaned children but we go further than just providing shelter, food and the basics in life.’

The Christmas party will be happening on Steve Irwin’s Whale One, and includes a three-hour cruise and delicious banquet lunch. A full bar will also be operational.

Please visit the Project 18 website for more info or to buy tickets. Or, if you can’t make it, check out the other items in the Project 18 shop (including Cocolo fair trade chocolate, which contributes ‘bricks’ to building a classroom in Indonesia).

It’s almost Christmas giveaway time!

2010-11-23T11:15:00.001+10:00

This year I’ve decided to be super festive and hold a Christmas giveaway. For the next three Fridays, I’ll launch a little competition with some cute little goodies on offer.

There will be some pretty little stationery items from Lantern Studios…

Images: Lantern Studios

…as well as this very regal-looking Décor Luxury Duck from Bud (you may have spotted his twin brother in our bathroom already).

Image: Bud by designroom

I may add a few other goodies into the mix as well.

To enter, all you’ll need to do is leave a comment with your details on each of the giveaway posts. Each winner will be drawn on the following Thursday before the new giveaway starts the next day, and I’ll do my absolute best to get all the prizes in the post before Christmas!

Please note: This is not a sponsored post, and I have received no payment or goods for running this giveaway. All items have been purchased independently by me.

Shopping up a storm

2010-11-21T12:19:00.001+10:00

One rainy day last week I made a lunchtime trek into the city with the intention on buying one or two extra Christmas presents for John from Typo. My mission was a success! But, I also successfully spent a whole heap more money on stuff for myself. Some of it was stuff that I 'needed', like this stainless steel water bottle.

And then there was the stuff I'd intended to buy for myself at some stage anyway, like the matching measuring spoons to accompany my matryoshka measuring cups.

And then there was super-expensive washi tape, which is 'essential' for the wrapping of Christmas presents. As you can see, I've already commenced this process. Mr bunny is looking on in horror.

I also found these cute little Scrabble tile canvases and couldn't resist. John doesn't know about these yet. Surprise!

It's no wonder that Typo don't have an online store. Much like Ikea, they rely on suckers like me to walk in with the intention of buying one thing and walk out with half the store...

New impromptu top

2010-11-20T15:55:00.000+10:00

This morning John went out on his bike for a few hours, so I decided to use my time constructively and finally sew the top I'd been meaning make for ages. The pieces have been all nicely cut out for more than a month, but I haven't found the time (or patience) to tackle it.

I used the same pattern that I did for my last top. At the last minute, I decided to do away with the plain black sleeves and instead use some vintage checked fabric that I picked up from Lifeline in Toowoomba recently for 30 cents (yes, 30 cents - and I only used about a quarter of it). Everything went quite smoothly today, and I only needed to unpick a couple of times.

And look! I even took some close-up shots without having to be asked by my readers! The brooch is from That Vintage, and was a treasured birthday present from Shilo earlier this year.

Christmas decorations ahoy!

2010-11-15T09:12:00.000+10:00

I currently have these gorgeous decorations on their way from one of my favourite stores, Polli. They are printed on 100% recycled card, which means no guilt for me!

Image: Polli

I'll be using them to decorate the home-made Christmas tree that John and I fashioned from bits and pieces recycled from Reverse Garbage last year.

I'll be doing little brown paper packages again this year, but instead of the brown twine I'll be using this candycane-inspired twine that was in my awesome package of red things from Cerebral Excrement earlier in the year.

What are you doing to prepare for the festivities in your home?

Office pinboard

2010-11-13T16:55:00.000+10:00

I'm going to try and make an effort to regularly curate the material on the pinboard in our office, rather than letting it get cluttered. Here is my first attempt...

Four things about four things about me: Part two

2010-11-08T13:34:00.002+10:00

Here's my remaining eight things about me (started in my last post).

Four things I would like to have done but didn’t

1. Paid more attention in biology class. I took biology in my senior years at high school, but I unfortunately did quite a bit of mucking around. I find these kinds of subjects very interesting these days, so I just wish I’d paid more attention back then.

2. Not gone to see Marilyn Manson on his last tour. Sometimes when bands I loved in my youth tour, I go and see them to reminisce. Even though I would not consider myself to be a fan these days, usually when Marilyn Manson tours, I go along and am thoroughly entertained. I wasn’t so entertained last time. He was older and fatter, and the fantasy was gone.

3. Taken more photos at the Big Pineapple. As you can see over at my other blog, recently my friends and I took a trip to the Big Pineapple. What we didn’t know when we went there was that it would actually close down two days later. It had been for sale for a number of years, but was only quietly sold last month. Apparently it will re-open as a car museum before Christmas.

4. Said goodbye properly. My close friend Shilo is currently (as in, right this very second) on a plane home to NYC. It will probably be a while before I see her again. We will catch up on the internet, of course (after all, it is how we met in the first place), but it would have been nice to have done a proper goodbye in person. We saw each other earlier in the week, and assumed we’d catch up again before she left. But we didn’t, so I didn’t get to say a real goodbye. There is a personal story to explain why saying goodbye properly is particularly important to me, but I won’t share that here.

Four things you may not know about me

1. I just got my licence, aged 28.

That’s right. Last month, in fact. I started lessons with a driving school back in March, having been renewing my learner’s permit since I got it when I was 16. I even went all the way and got a manual licence. I’m still not entirely comfortable driving, so I’m yet to venture out on my own. But I’m getting there!

2. I don’t like dried fruit.

I find it disgusting. No sultanas, dried apricots, or even dried goji berries for me. Gross.

3. I have floppy ankles.

My ankles have roughly 50 per cent more rotation than most people’s. I believe it’s somewhat connected to me walking pigeon-toed as a child, and sitting in some rather awkward positions as a kid. I still sit in awkward positions, often on my feet with them all curled up. It still freaks my husband out. Thankfully I have excellent bones, which I attribute to my excessive milk drinking throughout my life, so the many instances of me rolling my ankles have never resulted in a serious injury… yet.

4. I was a teenage goth.

No need to say any more about that one.

Now, it's time to nominate four more people to participate!
1. Tracey from Quiet Paws.
2. Emma from Down to Girth.
3. Emily from Kuberblog.
4. Sandrine from histoire de soie.

Four things about four things about me: Part one

2010-11-06T14:38:00.000+10:00

So I guess that means sixteen things about me!

Nadiah over at Playing Fair tagged me for this meme, in which I have to tell you all kinds of personal stuff. I'll give you eight over this post, and the rest later on when I have more time to think! Enjoy!

Four things in my bag
1. Amazon Kindle. I've had it for just over a week now. I've downloaded some free public-domain classics to start, as well as a trial subscription to Time magazine. Isn't it pretty?!

2. B.Sirius wallet. This is from a Melbourne company that I discovered a little while back.

3. Boston umbrella. This is the best umbrella I've ever owned. It was pricey as far as umbrellas go (about $35), but it folds up really small and can't turn inside out and rip - genius!

4. Ear plugs. We go to quite a few concerts, and many of them are pretty loud. These ear plugs are good at reducing the decibel level without distortion.

Four things in my bedroom

1. Birdy bookmark. This little guy is from kikki.K, and he was given to me by a friend.

2. Fez-wearing monkey. This dude belongs to John, and he's had him since before we met. I am unsure of his significance. Perhaps I should ask. He's kind of cute though, and his head wobbles.

3. Childhood art. You've probably seen the vintage suitcases that we have in our bedroom, but I've never shown you what's inside. The red one contains all the paintings and drawings I did at kindergarten and preschool - my mum kept them all in this little case.

4. Sudoku book. As you can see, I got rather frustrated with some of the medium puzzles.

In the next post, I will reveal more serious matters such as four things I wish I'd done but didn't, and four things you may not know about me. I'll also tag four lucky (or perhaps that's unlucky!) people to go next. Stay tuned!

Stripy red bowls... and giveaway winners!

2010-10-31T16:22:00.000+10:00

About a month ago, I spied these ultra-cute stripy red bowls in Kmart for $2.00 each. Insane, yes? I didn't buy them at the time, but filed their existence safely away in the back of my mind.

This afternoon, John needed to go to the shopping centre for something, so I told him I needed to 'look at something' at Kmart. Of course, I returned with $8.00 worth of stripy red ceramic goodness. It's ok, though - it means I can move the remnants of our ugly old dinner sets off to Lifeline to make way for them. Here are my new purchases on a disgracefully unironed Thea & Sami Spoon and Whisk tea towel.

I decided to use my new bowls to draw the screenprinted bag giveaway a tiny bit early. Drumroll...

The winners are... Tracey and Rachel!

I will email both of you shortly to arrange delivery of your prizes.

More screenprinting workshop... and a giveaway!

2010-10-25T19:34:00.000+10:00

You can now see Thea's overview of the weekend screenprinting workshop on her website. The other ladies produced some fabulous designs (many far more ambitious than my own!), and I think we should all be very proud of ourselves. Here's a picture of me at the studio with one of my newly printed bags.

Image: Thea Samios

I also forgot to mention that after the class, John and I stopped off at Love Love Studio (in Newstead, Brisbane) to pick up a print we purchased at a recent exhibition. On hearing that I've just done a screenprinting course, the guys were kind enough to give me one of the screens they had laying around the studio. How awesome is that?!

Now for a giveaway! I'm giving away one each of my apples and pears bags! Keep in mind that these two bags are far from perfect - they certainly have their flaws! If you would like to win one, just leave a comment before 5.00pm Sunday (Brisbane time - keep that in mind daylight savings people!).

Pavlova

2010-10-24T13:50:00.000+10:00

One thing I've never mentioned on Flying Ducks is that I didn't take home economics class after the compulsory year in eighth grade (as I hated sewing!). Instead, I took a class called food studies for two years. This class attracted a lot of naughty kids, as they thought it would be a 'bludge' kind of subject. It wasn't. Food studies gave me some skills which I will keep for the rest of my life - basically, the fundamentals of how to cook pretty much anything. You know, the stuff your nanna used to teach you - how to make a white sauce, how to bake meringue and choux pastry, how to make a biscuit or cake batter to adapt for almost any purpose, and how to fix stuff that's gone horribly wrong! I even won the award for being top of the subject for two years running.

This weekend, I've used those skills during some rather successful cooking sessions. Last night I made a free-range organic goat (yes, goat - sorry vegetarians) lasagne. John bought the goat mince from the organic butcher a month or two ago (I have know idea why), and it's been sitting in the freezer waiting for me to pluck up the courage to cook it. It has an extremely strong flavour, and was perhaps a tiny bit too strong for a lasagne. But it was tasty nevertheless, thanks to my excellent lump-fee bechamel sauce made from scratch.

Today, I made my first ever pavlova. I plan on making one of these for the excellent Shilo before she heads home to New York in a couple of weeks, and I decided to make a trial pavlova today just in case I needed to perfect anything. Before you ask: no, I did not buy one of those White Wings Pavlova Magic things. I made my meringue using good old-fashioned egg whites and caster sugar. And it was super easy! Add whipped cream and berries to the cooked meringue, and you get this...

I'm going to see if our lovely old neighbour Merv would like to share it with us.

The china flan dish is from Japan. I picked it up at Lifeline in Toowoomba last weekend for the princely sum of $4.00. It doesn't have any chips or scratches, so I think it was an excellent find.

Overview: Thea & Sami screenprinting workshop

2010-10-23T17:27:00.002+10:00

Today, after anticipating it for many months, I finally got to attend my screenprinting workshop with Thea & Sami. Thea taught myself and four other lovely young ladies how to screenprint our own basic designs at home, and also gave us an brief overview of how her own commercial practice works.

To start, we all cut out our design ideas that we came along with, and then tried out printing them on calico. I printed the set of two apples on a small screen to start, and then moved on to the three pears on a larger screen.

I liked the paper outline that was left over from my first screen so much that I took it home to frame.

After perfecting our techniques, some us us printed on other items that we'd brought along. I printed up my designs on some of the tote bags I had laying around.

Now I have officially 'graduated'! And I also have a much greater appreciation to the level of skill and hard work that goes into Thea's practice. She really is a wonderwoman!

I also snuck in a little bit of retail therapy while I was at the studio, and picked up a few of Thea's beautiful tea towels that she had on sale due to some extremely minor imperfections. I LOVE them!

If anyone in Brisbane is keen to see how a real screenprinting studio operates, you're in luck! Next Saturday (30 October), Thea & Sami will be opening their doors to the public, and they'll be pulling out their super-sized screens for demonstrations. You'll also have the opportunity to pick up some clearance items at bargain prices. It sounds a little too dangerous to me!

If you're interested in taking one of Thea's classes for yourself, you can book on the Thea & Sami website. Places often fill months in advance, so make sure you get in early.

Home Decor Event: Bedroom and office

2010-10-20T21:33:00.000+10:00

Today as part of the Being Tazim Home Décor Event, you can see an overview of our bedroom and office.

There are still two posts to come! The Home Décor Event runs until 24 October.

Home Décor Event: Introductory post and living room

2010-10-19T16:22:00.000+10:00

My first two posts in the Being Tazim Home Décor Event are now live.

The first post is a brief introduction to the Flying Ducks blog and what I do — from interior decorating to cooking and craft. The second post is a before-and-after feature about our living areas. Many of you may already be familiar with a lot of this stuff, but newer readers who haven’t trawled back through the archives might enjoy this little overview. Here's a sneak peek of a few of the images I've included (which have appeared on Flying Ducks previously as well).

Keep and eye out tomorrow for a feature on the bedroom, as well as posts about the office, kitchen and bathroom to follow. You can also win prizes by commenting on many of the posts in the Home Décor Event. Thanks so much to Tazim for inviting me to participate!

Screenprinting workshop with Thea & Sami

2010-10-18T15:00:00.000+10:00

This Saturday, I am privileged enough to be attending one of the extremely popular screenprinting classes of Thea & Sami! Thea is going to teach me and the four other participants how to print up our own basic designs on natural fabrics, and I’m very excited to have a go!

Over the last few weeks I’ve been browsing some royalty-free stock image website for inspiration, and I’m leaning towards a design in the vein of these vectors of apples and pears. My idea is to have an image of a whole apple with a cross-section sitting next to it, and the same for the pear design. I’ve coerced my lovely husband into drawing up my designs in the size I want so I can take them along with me on Saturday.

Images: Shutterstock

There have been some really great designs produced at previous workshops, and I'm hoping that mine turn out just as good!

In addition to printing on the supplied fabric (and perhaps even a tea towel or two!) in the class, I’m going to take along a whole heap of spare calico tote bags that I have laying around from when I started my hugely successful (sarcasm) Etsy store. Christmas presents ahoy! Perhaps if they turn out ok I’ll even think about having a little giveaway to celebrate…

New blog

2010-10-10T11:32:00.000+10:00

In addition to keeping Flying Ducks running to record my adventures in home decorating and crafting, I've decided to launch another blog. This one will be slightly more serious and delve into matters of politics and general areas of interest for me. It will be mostly text-based, and I'll draw from my studies over the last seven years in many of the topics I discuss.

If this kind of thing is up your alley, head on over to my Kylie P Challenor blog for a peek now!

Home Decor Event schedule

2010-10-06T16:49:00.000+10:00

Exciting news! Later this month, I'll be guest posting for the Being Tazim Home Decor Event. There are heaps of great bloggers taking part, and you can check out the schedule here. There will also be heaps of great prizes on offer.

I'll be starting off with an introductory post about Flying Ducks, and then giving a room-by-room tour of my home each day, complete with loads of pictures. I'll pop a link up each day to my guest post so you can all have a read!

Move ticket giveaway: The Loved Ones

2010-10-04T15:20:00.000+10:00

Thanks to Madman Entertainment, I have quite a few (a lot, actually) double passes to give away to a preview screening of The Loved Ones - a 'modern, sexy, fun, relentlessly attacking pop-horror nightmare that takes the conventions of the genre then runs them off the rail'.

The screening is at Event Cinemas, Indooroopilly, next at 6.30pm Wednesday 13 October.

If you'd like a double pass, please leave a comment before 6.00pm this Thursday 7 October. I'll post the passes out before the weekend so they're received well before the screening. For more information about the movie, check out the Madman website.

Please note: This is not a sponsored post, and I have received no payment for running this giveaway.

Favourite Things Project: Storage

2010-10-02T10:15:00.001+10:00

This week for the Being Tazim Favourite Things Project, the topic is creative organised spaces. As both John and I have a tendency to leave lots of stuff laying around (mostly bits of paper, bills and magazines), we've had to make sure that we have plenty of storage places available to hide it all. I wouldn't say any of them are creative as such; they're just what I consider a necessity!

In the living areas, we have magazine storage boxes under the television cabinet...

...a lockable cabinet to hide all of my study mess in the dining alcove...

...a giant plastic apple to hide little bits and pieces...

...and a vintage Kartell magazine rack which I love dearly.

In the bedroom, we have a couple of old suitcases (the top one holds the drawings and paintings I did as a child, and the bottom one holds yet more magazines)...

... and a red Pantone canister that holds all of my button badges.

In the office, we have some plastice drawers which I covered with textured wrapping paper (they hide all kinds of random things, most of which probably should be thrown out)...

...and a Kartell Componbilli unit for all of John's sculpting materials.

And, finally, in the kitchen, I have an assortment of red canisters on the windowsill to keep tea bags and sugar.

As I currently have a big pile of magazines sitting on one of the side tables, some on the floor and others in piles elsewhere, I should probably invest in more storage boxes sooner rather than later!

Because I Am a Girl

2010-10-01T09:39:00.006+10:00

Last week, Plan Australia launched their Because I Am a Girl campaign. A number of prominent women across Australia have joined their alliance aimed at raising awareness and investment in the future of girls across the world.
Plan have asked for others to share their stories of ‘being a girl’ to promote the campaign, so I thought I’d deviate from my usual blogging a little and share mine.

The purpose of the Coalition is to raise awareness about the plight of girls in developing countries and how investment in girls will help break the poverty cycle... The Because I am a Girl Coalition members are demonstrating the importance of investing in girls by sharing a personal insight into the critical investment they received as young people that helped to shape who they are today.

I grew up in a household with both of my parents and a younger sister. As a child, I was keen to involve myself in a range of personal pursuits, including playing the violin, writing, and participating in community organisations — all of which was supported by my parents. None of these activities was ever forced or even suggested by my parents — they were all undertaken of my own choosing. I was always a little ‘different’ to the other kids in some ways, but my parents rarely insisted that I be like everyone else (although I’m pretty sure they weren’t impressed with the black lipstick or pierced tongue).

When I was 12, I decided to join St John Ambulance as a cadet, and I stayed with the organisation until I was 18. During that time, I learnt invaluable skills that were not only practical (such as life-saving first aid training), but I also received mentoring from other women who helped to shape who I am today. One of these women was Deanna, my superintendent at the Welcome Creek Division of St John Ambulance. Having been a member of the organisation for many years, Deanna was an inspiring person to lead a group of young people (mostly girls). Deanna’s influence was so great that in 1999 I was a member of the team of three who won the State Titles for first aid competitions (Queensland), and she then took us to Melbourne to compete in the National Titles a few months later. Deanna now has three daughters of her own, who will no doubt grow up to be inspiring young women themselves. Although I am no longer a member of the organisation, its positive influence will stay with me for the rest of my life (and I keep my first aid training up to date!).

These days, I have a full-time job in publishing, and am newly married with a mortgage. I am fortunate enough to live in a society where I have the choice of whether to work or stay home and have a family, and I have a choice in who I marry (or whether I marry at all). I do all the cooking in our home, but my husband cleans up after me, and we share all the other household duties. I don’t want to be a high-flying corporate executive — I just want to work in a job that I enjoy in a profession that I have chosen and be paid a fair amount for it. And, although I may grumble about it at times, that’s generally what I have right now.

Recently, I’ve begun learning some skills that are traditionally considered to be ‘women’s work’ — sewing, in particular. However, unlike young women in many other societies, I made this has been solely my decision. I have become increasingly aware of the sweatshop conditions that are endured by countless women around the world, so I wanted to do my little bit to help. I’ve started purchasing as much clothing as I can from companies that do not use sweatshop labour, in addition to making some items myself. I may find it frustrating and tiring (and I have been known to curse at my very old machine), but I can eat when I want, I can take toilet breaks, I can watch the television, and I can stop whenever I feel like it.

That’s a little bit of my story as a girl. I sponsor a child in Pakistan, Fazila, so that I can help to make a positive difference in the life of at least one other young girl. My hope for Fazila is that she grows up to become an educated young woman who is able to make choices for herself. Please visit the Because I Am a Girl website to read more stories, as they are truly inspiring.

Funky Fabrix!

2010-09-29T12:39:00.001+10:00

This week I decided to try my hand at winning some auctions by Brisbane’s favourite fabric store, Funky Fabrix. I haven’t yet made it to the store in person, and there’s a very good reason for that — I’d spend WAY to much money! All of the fabrics up for auction were half metres — perfect to use as embellishments such as pockets or waistbands on skirts (or they could even make some small throw pillows). I ended up winning three of the pieces I was after — yay!

The first one is Woodland Delight designed by Paula Prass for Michael Miller Fabrics.

The second one is the very geometric Groove by Caleb Gray for Robert Kaufman Fabrics (I’m thinking of maybe using this as the front panel for a throw pillow with some plain red fabric on the back).

And the third one is an Amelia print by Timeless Treasures, featuring lots of cute flowers and birdies.

I got all three for under $25, plus postage — and I should have them before the weekend!

More top pictures!

2010-09-28T20:33:00.001+10:00

Well apparently my self-shot photos in the mirror aren't good enough, so Rebecca kindly took some more for me at work today. The stripes photograph a little psychedelically, but at least you get a better idea of what it looks like!

And I have great news too! Shilo has just added her new skirt photos to her blog. Get yourself over there right now and have a look.

Round-neck top complete!

2010-09-27T19:12:00.000+10:00

After work on Friday I headed off to Lincraft to buy some plain black fabric to make into a round-neck top from the same pattern I used for my last project. I got the black fabric, but I also got some cute navy and white stripes. So, on Saturday morning I cut out my pieces, and over the course of a few hours on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning my project came to fruition (in between essay writing, driving lessons and a hen's night!). I had a few issues with this one, mainly because I was not paying enough attention to what I was doing (I had to unpick all the facing, the zip and one of the sleeves, but only because of silly little mistakes that could have easily been avoided).

As I was home alone today for study purposes, I had to take my own photos again. Note the intense concentration on my face in the first one (not to mention my new hair!).

The white owl brooch is from the Little Shop of Handmade.

On Sunday afternoon, Shilo came over to work on her own sewing project - a skirt inspired by a dress she owns. Keep an eye on Yikes Machine, as I'm sure photos will be posted in the coming days. And pretty soon we'll be adjusting the pattern for me too - yay!

Bikes + books = perfect!

2010-09-24T13:12:00.001+10:00

I’m sure this has been featured on a few blogs this week, but I just HAVE to feature it again because I love it so much!

There’s not much to say, really. A bike rack that doubles as a bookshelf. Genius! As the owners of several bikes and many, many books, I think this would be right at home at our place…

Visit Knife and Saw for more info!

Sewing project: Box-neck top!

2010-09-20T21:14:00.000+10:00

Yesterday after I'd completed my essay-writing quota for the day, I decided to tackle the top I'd been wanting to make for a little while. I'd spent a bit of time trying to decipher the pattern, and I'd vaguely worked it all out - so I went for it. Here's a refresher of the pattern:

I will tell you right away that it took me WAY longer than two hours, but that's because I spent so long working out what the pattern all meant. I also spent a lot of time zig-zagging my edges and making sure it was finished off as nicely as I could manage. And, I must say, I am VERY pleased with this one!

I did another near-perfect zip too, which I am quite chuffed about!

My main hiccup was that I cut a little too close to the seam on the inside front corners of the neck, so a little bit of the facing peeked out. I quickly fixed that by adding buttons - a cute addition to a pretty plain top, so I didn't mind at all.

I now want to make the round-neck design in a few colours and accessorise them with buttons and pretty trinkets. At least with that version I won't have those corners to contend with. :)

Thanks to the lovely Rebecca for photographing me at work today!

Favourite Things Project: Creative pursuits

2010-09-18T18:34:00.000+10:00

This week's theme for the Being Tazim Favourite Things Project is creative pursuits. When I started this blog, its purpose was to to chronicle my creative hobby of home decorating...

Over time, I have other bloggers have inspired me to try my hand at some crafty pursuits as well...

And I like to take photos of my food when it looks good too (usually baked goods)...

Keep an eye on the Being Tazim website over the next few weeks, as I will be doing a little bit of guest blogging over there for the 2010 Home Decor Event!

Bathroom... finally!

2010-09-18T12:39:00.000+10:00

Some of you may remember that a year ago John and I had our rusty, leaky metal bath replaced with a brand new one. At the time, we decided that we'd repaint the bathroom again, keeping some of the Desert Bake colour we'd used the first time, and painting the main wall Cherokee Smoke.

Here's a refresher of what we were dealing with when we moved in...

Here are the walls totally painted in Desert Bake (not quite to John's liking)...

And now, three years after moving in, this is what we have now!

As you can see, we've kept the original 1970s floor tiles and matched our colour scheme to them. This is partly because we can't really afford to pay someone to jackhammer up two-inch thick concrete, and because we actually quite like them!

There is still a little bit of work to be done. Some of the walls need a second coat of paint around the edges, and the ceiling still needs to be done. Eventually we might agree on a wall-mounted towel rack, and the shower head really needs to be raised (as the height of the new bath means it's a tad low for John). Still, I'm rather satisfied with the improvement compared to what we once had.

Stretch sewing - win!

2010-09-13T16:19:00.003+10:00

I've been at home today due to allergies - I woke with a headache, itchy throat and itchy eyes, so I had no choice but to take some pills that were likely to make me drowsy. But, that meant I had the chance to brave the knit top pattern that I accidentally bought! I decided to try view D, which is a loose-fitting singlet top with a tie at the back.

Images: Simplicity New Look

Aside from the fact that it took WAY longer than the two hours it said on the pack (largely because I had no idea what I was doing), it turned out quite well. The only major unpicking I had to do was the hem, funnily enough (because the tension looked a bit screwy). It's not particularly attractive on the inside as I didn't really finish off the edges in the same way as was directed in the pattern (I kind of made it up a little bit as I went along), and it is a little big (even though it's the smallest size), but it worked!

John's not home until late tonight, so I tried my hand at taking some photos myself. Apologies in advance for the poor quality, but hopefully you'll get the idea! I'll do some close-ups later on when I can be bothered...

More great stuff from Thea & Sami

2010-09-12T19:39:00.002+10:00

Remember the photo shoot I did a couple of months back for Thea & Sami and their amazing new linen bags made in collaboration with Lyssy May? If not, here's a couple of pics to refresh your memory...

Images: Thea Samios, Thea & Sami

Well, I was excited to see this week that Thea has added more images from our shoot to her site, this time for her Le Soir organic clutch purse. I can attest that this purse is simply gorgeous (as is the linen bag)!

Image: Thea Samios, Thea & Sami

What's more, my image is now splashed over the homepage of the Thea & Sami website - making me feel ever so special indeed. I dearly love Thea's products, and I'm incredibly happy to be associated with such a wonderful local talent. Next month I'll be joining Thea for one of her very special and rather exclusive screenprinting workshops, and I can't wait! I'd better start thinking of some designs to print...

Frontliners

2010-09-10T11:43:00.000+10:00

I'm sure many of you have already seen the new Frontliners blog by Natalie Walton (of Daily Imprint) and Kata Varga. The site 'documents how people live at home when one turns into two or more', and focuses on how families share their space to create a home that suits everyone.

I'm really loving the photos of the home that Kelly Searls of Pony Rider fame shares with her family. Here's a sneak peek from Frontliners...

Images: Kata Varga, Fronliners

Make sure you pop on over to the Frontliners site and check out all the other great homes!

Replicas vs the 'real thing'

2010-09-08T15:04:00.000+10:00

Anita from Fun & VJs has started a dicsussion over at her blog about replica furniture versus licensed designs. Without repeating everything that Anita has said (as I want you to visit her blog to read the full discussion!), apparently there has been a little bit of vigilante action taking place within the community against replicas.

Real Living also recently featured the Authentic Design website on their Twitter, so I've been thinking about this issue quite a bit. As someone who works in the arts (and in the area of artists' copyright, for that matter), am I a hypocrite for having some replicas in my home? As it turns out, the answer is no, and for the following reasons which I explained in the Fun & VJs discussion:

I have a number of replica pieces in my home, a well as original pieces. I buy the replicas because I can't afford the real thing in most cases! I also actually work in the area of copyright (predominantly art work copyright), so can see the other side of the coin as well.

It differs from country to country, and I must admit I am not 100 per cent familiar with the laws for different kinds of copyright, but as I understand it design patents (including for furniture) expire after 20 years or so. This means that after 20 years of the original patent being submitted for a furniture design, it is legally up for grabs for reproduction (regardless of whether an artist is living or dead). On the other hand, copyright in things such as art works and literary works does not expire until the creator has been dead for 70 years. Even so, for both copyrighted material or patented material, I believe that the moral rights of the creator must still be upheld.

I think in many cases the areas of patents and copyright is becoming confused/blurred, which is why there is this 'backlash' occurring. But, at the end of the day, so long as the furniture patent has expired replicas are perfectly legitimate.

One particular design vigilante page I saw recently (I can't remember the exact site off the top of my head) lumped furniture replicas in with graphic design and other art work ripoffs - this is quite misleading, as both are covered by different parts of the law.

...

Further to my above 'essay', I just did a little more digging to try and explain the difference between copyright and patents in terms of what they protect. Copyright protects non-functional items (such as art works, text, music etc.), whilst patents protect physical, functional items (such as furniture, medications etc.). It's the same arrangement that is used in the health sector - we're often offered 'generic' medications, which are made available once the 20-year patent on the original medication has expired.

Therefore, the intellectual property of a poster design, for example, can not be compared to a piece of furniture, as they are not considered by intellectual property law worldwide as the same thing. So, unless a replica is made of a piece of furniture where the artist still holds an existing patent because it was created less than 20 years ago, it is considered to be perfectly ethical, at least in a legal sense.

Of course, the above does not mean that I condone copyright infringement in any way, shape or form. I don't even download music without paying for it - that's how much of a purist I am. But the fact is that furniture replicas, provided that the 20-year patent has expired, are perfectly legitimate. There is no 'theft' taking place because there is no intellectual property to steal. You'll notice that most retailers of replica furniture acknowledge the original designer of a product, thus ensuring that their moral rights have been upheld.

When we bought the replica pieces in our home, my husband and I were simply looking for a dining set that looked retro. We really didn't know much about furniture designers, we just knew what kind of thing we liked to look at and sit on. Consequently, we ended up with a replica Saarinen Tulip table and Panton chairs.

Since then, I've learnt an awful lot about furniture design from other bloggers and interior decorators, and now have a much higher appreciation and understanding than I had before. Like it or not, but this was a direct result of my purchase of replica furniture. (For the record, we also have a replica Barcelona chair in the bedroom - a design originating in the 1930s for which the patent has well and truly expired.) I've also now acquired some small 'licensed' designs for our home as well, so I most certainly would not only ever purchase replicas. It's all a matter of what individuals can afford for their own spaces, and their own personal preferences.

I (and Anita) would love to hear what you think - but please be nice and constructive!

Ana Kras furniture design

2010-09-05T19:38:00.000+10:00

While flicking through the latest Frankie magazine this afternoon I stumbled across this feature on Ana Kras, a furniture designer from Belgrade, Serbia. I really love her Noodle design - a side table inspired by the design of a wastebin!

Images: Ana Kras

Apparently the top of the table is removable, allowing it to be used separately as a tray. Nifty!

I'd really like to get my hands on one (or a couple!) of these, but my internet searching has been fruitless. Does anyone know where I might be able to purchase one?