With a cherry on top

Back again...

2010-12-18T14:49:00.006+08:00

Hello, little blog...

...I'm sorry I neglected you all that time...

...see, I had that trip to London, then it was straight back to uni and the kids at school and....

...Please don't look at me like that...

So, the uni and school terms have finished, and I've got some time to myself. It doesn't feel as good as I thought it would, since I'm really starting to miss the kids at the school I volunteer at. Especially when so many of them leave at the end of year. All the Year sevens, some of the sixes, even a few fives now that the local private schools are taking kids at Year Six. (Seriously! Ten year olds in high school!) So, I'm feeling a bit down about that...

The last week of school was a fun one though. Our Term 4 project was making paper mache masks. The kids all loved it, and the teachers were really impressed. Whenever new families visited the school, the first thing the principal would show them was the shelf with the masks on it, so she could talk about the school's "creativity-nurturing environment" . She even organised for the kids to do a whole-school parade in them in front of the parents on the last day of the year...

Candy asked the kids if any of them wanted to come up and say a few words about the project at assembley. One of the Year 1s stepped up.

"Yes, Johnny, what would you like to say?"

"Ifffapffffmaaammmfffmaaammhhmm..."
"...Maybe take your mask off so the audience can hear you. Now, big voice."

"It's a person drowning and there's a big hole in their head where the shark bit their brains out." He turned the mask around so the audience could see the red scribble all over the back of the mask.

"And there's blood!"

Fortunately, the people in the audience had a good sense of humour!

Quick update

2010-06-19T14:57:00.002+08:00

Well, it turns out that it IS possible to be a full-time uni student and volunteer primary school teacher two days a week... but not really possible to have a blogging life at the same time. So, now that the uni semester's finished, here's a quick rundown of what's been going on lately...

1. Uni's quite fun. I only have eight contact hours a week, but they sure make up for it in assignments! I'll admit it was a bit stressful at first. There's so many things that high school just doesn't prepare you for, like quoting and referencing in essays, but I think I've got the hang of it now.

2. At school, we're doing a comic book based project, which the kids love. They've come up with some amazing characters such as "Mr. Big-Nose the frog" and "The Musical Glue Ninja". I'll post pictures as soon as we get some scans of their work.

3. I haven't been walking Jasper as opften as I should, so he's gotten a bit more...cuddly lately. Dad's just invented a device for keeping him in shape. I think it might be a bit dangerous for passers-by, though! (Play the video below to see Jasper shakin' his booty with it!)

We've also had a few break-ins in our street lately. One night Jasper started barking at 4am, but we didn't get up to do anything about it. In the morning, we found the side gate open. Jasper may have scared off a potential burglar!

4. I'm still doing my drama, too. I've got to perform in a competition tomorrow...wish me luck!

And finally...
5. Mum and I are going on holiday soon. We're off to London for a month next week , and then I'll be staying with relatives in Texas for ten days. I'll post lots of holidy snaps when I get back, I promise!

Snakes Alive

2010-02-21T18:36:00.005+08:00

The school I'm doing my work experience at is undergoing a few renovations, so the art room now has a nice little courtyard area outside it. Candy was thinking of making some sort of garden sculpture with the kids, and we came up with the idea of making a huge rainbow serpent that could function as a bench, decorated with mosaic. I did a sketch of my idea:

And then we got the kids to come up with their own ideas and make models of them:

Sequined snake

Winged Snake

Frill-Necked Snake

Pretty Rainbow Flying Ballerina Snake

Mummified Zombie Snake

Snake on Stilts

They seem pretty excited about the project, and so am I. I start uni tomorrow, though, so I'm not sure whether I'll be able to come in and help out in the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to make time for both...

Dad on Avatar

2010-02-16T16:47:00.013+08:00

Well, it seems the movie Avatar has done some nasty things to people, but I was never expecting one of my own family to fall victim to it...

Anyway, since it was Valentine's day on the weekend, the most unromantic man in the world decided to do something special this year and take my mother to see Avatar. He has not taken her on a date for FIVE. YEARS. So this was a really special occasion... until it all went horribly wrong.

Well, you know how I have a bad history with intense (or not-so-intense) movies? Turns out it's genetic. (Although I probably should have guessed this before when Mr. Sunshine fainted while watching a video in his sex-ed class). Halfway though Dad started to feel really uncomfortable and had to leave before he passed out. He says it was a combination of the 3D effects, the emotional strain, the sensory overload, and the massive plot holes that caused him to start stressing out. He does have a history of panic attacks, but he's never had one during a movie before. I guess the amazing, realistic special effects were just a little too realistic for him...

But even though he only saw half the movie, he was able to provide some interesting comments on it. Unlike most people, Dad cannot leave his brain at the door. His super engineer brain was working full-throttle while he was watching, trying to analyze every single detail. He was locked in an intellectual wrestling match with this movie, preying on its weak spots and mentally exposing its inconsistencies. Unfortunately...

...the movie won.

Anyway, here are some of the things he had to say about Avatar:

- "It was actually too realistic sometimes... in that scene where he's getting chased by the Hammerhead rhinoceros thing I started getting flashbacks to the time I nearly got run down by an elephant."

- "One thing that was doing my head in- what happens to the Avatars when they're not being used? I mean, I know they go to sleep or something, but wouldn't the other Na'vis notice that the new guy sleeps for eighteen hours a day and doesn't wake up when you jab him with a stick?"

- "The 3D was a bit much... hey, how do those glasses work, anyway? I bet they're specially polarized or something- I'll just hold them up to the light... yep, they're polarized..."

-" Is Naviland a low-gravity planet? Because those helicopters shouldn't have been able to fly in a 1G environment. The planet's gravity would have to equal about 0.5Gs in order for it to stay airborne like that. Then again, the scenes with the humans seemed to indicate that it had the same gravity as Earth, so that's a major inconsistency."

Mum told him he should write to the director and complain about it. I don't think they'll be seeing any more movies together anytime soon...

Images from here and here.

A ray of sunshine...

2010-02-04T09:50:00.004+08:00

Mr Sunshine went back to school this week. He was actually quite good about it, as if he was happy to get away from his awful family for a change. He's a bit annoyed with Mum and Dad, though, since he's now banned from watching TV on weekdays.

Anyway, yesterday he got back from school and I was the only one home. Normally he would make a beeline for the TV without saying a word to me, but instead he just walked up to me and started telling me about his day. I was really taken aback, but it was nice- almost like the good ol' days. We ended up sitting down and just chatting away for about an hour or so before Dad got home. He told me about his new teachers, asked me what Year Eleven was going to be like, complained about Mum and Dad, talked about whether he should become a mechanic (what he wants to do) or an engineer (what Dad wants him to do), and even cracked a few jokes.

I didn't make a big deal of it, but I think he must have sensed that I was surprised, since halfway through the conversation he looked at me sheepishly and said:
" You do realize I'm just procrastinating from doing my homework, right?"
(Coz otherwise his sister might start to think he was enjoying the conversation, and we can't have that!). Anyway, the moment Dad got home he was back to his normal self, glowering at me to leave the room and looking disgruntledly at the switched-off television.

But it was nice to have that little ray of sunshine... maybe he really is on the mend?

Character sketch: Xander

2010-01-09T15:08:00.002+08:00

My cousin Guy has been working on a fantasy novel for the past few years. We're not sure if it'll ever be finished, let alone published, but he's really devoted to it. Anyway, Guy sometimes gets me to illustrate some of the characters for him from time to time.This is Xander, who is the nephew of the novel's protagonist, Tristan. (Who bears an extraordinary resemblance to Guy's nephew, Alexander). In the book, he's about twelve years old, and enjoys tinkering with things and making explosives. Guy's probably going to complain about the goggles, since it's set in some sort of medieval time period, but I think they suit him.

(I'm allowed to have a little bit of artistic liscence, right?)

When I grow up...

2010-01-09T15:05:00.004+08:00

... I'm gonna be this teacher:
(click to view full size) Only with slightly better Pokemon-drawing skills.

Image from here.

My new toy

2010-01-08T12:00:00.006+08:00

Now, I have told you this before, but my dad is an engineer. He buys stuff just because it's good value and as a result his workshop is full of weird and wonderful things that he never uses.

Me: Hey, Dad, would you happen to have a big wooden box, a sheet of clear plastic, and some spare fluorescent lights?

Dad: Nooo... why?

Me: I was thinking of making a light box.

Dad: Oh. I've got an old light box. I picked it up at an auction a year or so ago for five dollars.

Me: Really? Do you use it?

Dad: No. I just thought it was good value so I bought it.

So, Dad's had this thing sitting around for no particular reason for the last year, and it never occurred to his brilliant engineer mind that his daughter who does TEE Art might be able to find a use for it.

Dad: Well, you never asked.

So, now I have a new toy...

It's certainly better than the "two encyclopedias, a clear plastic container's lid and an unreasonably hot desk lamp" setup that I've been using up until now (especially when the unreasonably hot desk lamp started melting the plastic lid!) Having an engineer father can be quite useful sometimes- I just wish I'd asked him about it sooner! It would have made my art homework so much easier.

Anyway, here's another piece, courtesy of my new light box...

Lub-dub...

2010-01-07T11:56:00.003+08:00

This one's based off my art project from last year...

The Beachcomber

2010-01-05T13:20:00.005+08:00

Another one of my coloured sketches.

Happy new year!

Savage Zombies...and other things that crawled out of my imagination

2009-12-30T07:35:00.006+08:00

I do a lot of sketching in my spare time. Crazy things from my imagination that rarely get developed into full-blown art projects. I keep a shoe box by my bed, containing hundreds of sheets of scrap paper covered in sketches that nobody has ever seen but me.
Anyway, I had this idea of inking some of my sketches and scanning them into the computer, where I might be able to digitally colour them.

One of them was I design I thought would look good on a T-shirt. It's a rather... savage zombie. (If you watch Mythbusters you'll get the reference). Anyway, I thought it was funny and clever, but I showed it to my Dad and... he just thought it was horrible and distasteful.

So now I'm a little angry. Not at Dad... just at myself. I feel like my mind and the things that come out of it might be a little too twisted for normal people's liking. My brain produces things that Dad obviously thinks a teenage girl shouldn't be thinking about. I don't think I'll show Dad any more of my artwork.

Anyway, here's my zombie... and a few friends...

The quote on the fairy one comes from my friend Chloe. Sometimes it's reassuring to know that there are people in the world who are just as wacky as me. As for that dinosaur... I don't know where she came from.So, what do you think? Is it normal/okay for me to think about/draw strange stuff? Would you want to see more crazy artwork on this blog (I promise they won't all be gory zombies!), or should I just stick to making soft toys and baking pavlovas?

I'd really like to hear your thoughts on this.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T07:59:00.005+08:00

We had a relatively quiet Christmas, for once. We just went and visited our relatives down in Pinjarra.

I made my Christmas pavlova, as usual. Grandma used to always make the pav, but since she passed away last year it seems I've inherited that responsibility...

And I got to see my gorgeous nephew Alexander. He's incredibly bright for a one-and-a-half year old, and so cute!

We barely saw Mr Sunshine at all, though. He really doesn't like parties so he nicked off to the shed and did some welding for Uncle Steve. Because, you know, there were a couple our aunties there, and for some inexplicable reason they always want to hug him.

And speaking of Mr Sunshine, I found these fantastic T-shirts for him at JayJay's. $25 for two. Bargain. I think they suit his attitude perfectly.

Would you believe he actually smiled when he saw them?

I couldn't have asked for a better present from him.

Didn't need to know that...

2009-12-23T12:38:00.004+08:00

We've just been camping down south for a week. It's a beautiful spot...

But there are snakes.

And scorpions.
And FLIES!

Jasper spent most of the time lying in the shade snappin g at the march flies. He's actually quite good at catching them. We had a pair of flytraps hanging up near our camp. This is what they looked like after one week.

Those white things? They're the maggots. Not putting you off your dinner, am I?

Which in turn lead to some interesting conversations around the campfire. For example, my brother Mr Sunshine looked over at the jar traps and asked Dad:

"Do you just throw them out when they're full of flies?"

"Oh, no" said Dad innocently, "You can't get refill liquid for them, but I just empty them out and put something else in, and the flies seem to like that..."

Mum began to giggle hysterically "Something else? I love the way you said that- 'something else'- especially when I know what that something else was!"

At that point, Mr Sunshine and I both knew we didn't want to know what "something else" meant. We also knew we were about to find out anyway.

" Well," said Dad, looking over at the dog, who was still snapping at flies, "Let's just say Jasper helps us catch flies in more ways than one."

I don't know these people.

Art projects

2009-12-12T08:34:00.003+08:00

I finally found my camera card reader, so now I can show you some of the art projects Candy and I did with the kids.

Pointilism (dot painting):

Scratchboard nature drawings:

Comic-book style pop art (based on Roy Lichenstein)- This is the picture I drew to get the girls' attention...
...and this is the one I did to get the boys' attention. You've got to know your audience!

This one was a team effort between me and one of the kids (Paola, age 7)- my drawing and her colouring.

Their school term finishes a week earlier than most schools, so last week was my last session with those kids. I'm actually really sad about leaving them- I went to their year 7 graduation ceremony last week and almost started crying! I'm thinking of arranging to do my teaching prac there next year, or possibly helping out with Candy's holiday art program. But at least I know I'm definitely making the right decision with my career choice. I'm really looking forward to next year.

Where's Mr Sunshine?

2009-12-11T09:00:00.005+08:00

The following is an account of a little incident that occurred on one of our family camping trips last year, as told by my mother. She had me type it up so she could submit it to a camping magazine, but made me promise not to tell my brother about it. That promise, however, does not include anything about putting it on my blog (wink), which my brother doesn't read anyway. So here it is. Please let me know what you think of it!

Once upon a time there was a thirteen year old lad who needed to go behind a bush...

As a family of four (plus dog), we had decided to camp at Jaurdi Station, northeast of Southern Cross and now managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation. We set up camp by an isolated dam, surrounded by thousands of acres of scrubland, D , J and 16-year old daughter and 13-year old son. It was Day 2 and dusk was approaching when our son picked up the toilet roll and spade and set off for some suitable privacy. I had not expected this to be a brief interlude, however, after some 35 minutes, my maternal radar went into high alert. Our coo-ee call system received no response! So... no thirteen year old, who had no water, no food, no torch, somewhere in the middle of nowhere... and now in the total darkness! Plus the day temperatures had been sitting at 35°C. Suddenly it became a desperate situation.

My husband and daughter set out with backpack, water, food, plus dog- we were extremely naïve in thinking the dog would follow the scent! Similarly, I was pursuing dreams in attempting to get the dog to sniff one of my son's jackets. (The dog proved to be totally useless in the whole venture). However, they set off into the black unknown, acting on the hunch that he may have gone northward. Miserably, I agreed to stay at camp. Meanwhile, valiant efforts in the coo-ee system were maintained between us for as long as possible, with my voice becoming hoarse in the effort.
In times such as these one's mind does not always follow rational pathways. Desperate for something positive to do, I built up the campfire in case it's beacon should guide the traveller home. I soon discovered this was a pointless exercise as the density of the surrounding scrub obliterated any visibility. My second course of action was to fervently pray- desperately hoping my plea would be heard.

Both my aging parents had recently departed from this world, so of course they were included in the silent casting out of desperate requests. Finally, I got into the car and drove along rough tracks, headlights on full beam, stopping at intervals to coo-ee. Another pointless exercise and no boy was found loitering on any track. On returning to camp, I gazed longingly at our satellite phone as my thoughts passed reassuringly to the volunteers on stand-by for emergency situations. D had been of the opinion that a call could be placed in the morning if necessary.
“Oh No,”replied the stern mother's voice, “If you don't return with him tonight, you will make the call before midnight!”As the days had been hot, my imagination was quickly calculating the worst-case scenarios of being left without water.

Trying to occupy my mind with mundane jobs, I kept the meal bubbling quietly on the campfire. Time passed ever so slowly...

Meanwhile, the other two stalwart seekers (plus dog) had travelled far enough to lose vocal contact with the fretting mother by the campfire. The dog was discovered to be a hindrance as his loud snuffles around various bushes masked any faint reply from the surrounding void. Eventually, though... my daughter having younger ears than her father, heard the faintest coo-ee in reply. Finally, at approximately two kilometres away from camp, the culprit was found in amongst a clump of tall shrubs. Spotlighting him with torches, his sister's mocking voice rang out:
“We have you surrounded! Drop your weapons and come out with your hands up!” He emerged brandishing a large shovel!

A mere hour and a half had passed- an eternity to a mother. Cheery voices called out their approach to camp, calming the maternal panic. I mentally told myself not to smother him with relief and calmly stated that I thought dinner was ready if anyone was hungry (a wonderful performance).

Later, upon analyzing the situation, we realized our son had overshot the camp, and had tried to correct his mistake. Each attempt had taken him further from camp in a zigzag pattern, therefore taking him a significant distance. So yes, we have learned a lot! The teenager has discovered that you don't just keep walking when you are lost, and that landmarks become useless in the dark. Thankfully early intervention helped the positive outcome and thank goodness for satellite phones just in case! We also feel that it's best not to go too far in order to gain your privacy!!

Teaching

2009-12-04T10:37:00.003+08:00

Sorry, haven't blogged lately. I've been doing work experience at a primary school, and I'm really loving it. I'm working with the art teacher, (a gorgeous woman named Candy) so I get to work with all the year groups.

I always thought I'd want to teach older primary school kids (Year 5 and up) but now I can't decide. They're all wonderful in their own unique ways. I mean, sure, you can do more with the older kids, but the littlies have more enthusiasm, and they are always eager to show you what they can do.

As for university courses, I'm not entirely sure about that, either. I went to an interview for the art course at a nearby uni, and the interviewer said she really liked my folio and said I would do quite well in the course. The uni also offers dip-eds, in which you can get both art AND education degrees in four years, but as much as I like art, I'm not sure whether I would have any use for a Fine Arts degree. I know I could get into either Art or Education easily, so that's not an issue, but if I went for the straight Education degree I would get more practical teaching experience.

At the moment I'm thinking doing straight education, but maybe with a few Art electives here and there. I'll also keep going with my drama training, since the higher levels of the course have an emphasis on teaching drama. But I'm still not sure if it's the right decision.

Any ideas?

Jasper the Wonderdog says no to drugs!

2009-11-25T15:19:00.007+08:00

Jasper and I were just at the park. An old homeless man walked past and sat down on the grass nearby. Jasper ran over to him, barking and growling furiously, but keeping a safe distance. I was a bit embarrassed, since Jasper's usually so friendly to everyone, so I tried to call him away.

The man started yelling at him and waving his arms. It was then that I noticed the little packet of white powder in his hand. But Jasper refused to leave him alone until I started walking quickly in the opposite direction.

He's never been a sniffer dog or anything like that, but somehow he must have sensed that there was something wrong about that little packet of white stuff. Or maybe he just didn't trust the old homeless man. Either way it's nice to know that Jasper is able to recognise danger and "protect" me for me.

Good boy, Jasper!

Rawr!

2009-11-14T09:28:00.004+08:00

My first softie in about six months!

My cousin Ross and his wife had a baby girl named Edwina a few months ago. They live down in Pinjarra, so I haven't had the chance to visit her yet (although Mum assures me she's gorgeous!) We'll be going down to see them at Christmas, so I decided to make a present for her. I figure she's probably already going to be showered with teddies and dolls by other people, so I'm going to give her a stegosaurus. As you do.

I have a few safety eyes lying around, but I decided to play it safe and go with felt eyes. Edwina's brother Alexander (age 1.5) is an adventurous little terror who likes seeing how things work and taking them apart!

So that's one Chrissie present sorted. I'm not sure what to do for little Alexander, since Mum says he's outgrown soft toys and has taken to messing with the controls on poor cousin Guy's wheelchair! (Remember, this kid is only 18 months old!)

Any ideas?

Freedom!

2009-11-11T10:41:00.003+08:00

I just had my last TEE exam yesterday.

I'm officially done with highschool... it's a strange feeling...

Not entirely sure what to do with myself. I've got a vague plan mapped out...go to university, train to become a primary school teacher, get a job, do some work experience, take some driving lessons... so much is going to happen in the next year.

And it's also strange to think that all the stuff I've been desperately trying to cram my head with for the past few months is now utterly useless to me. I'll never have to know what a mitochondrion or a palinode is ever again.

My friend Chloe said she was going to burn all her old notes, but she burned one sheet and then felt guilty about the carbon emissions... so she's just going to recycle the rest. (Bless her little environmentally-conscious heart!)

Oh, and I have to share this little gem I found when I was studying the old examiner's reports:

"Unfortunately, too many candidates drew inspiration from Jurassic Park and not their understanding of biology. Eg 'The dinosaurs weren't nice and because they were scary predators, they had no one to snuggle up to to keep warm. Death by loneliness.' "

Poor dinosaurs.

Superpops!

2009-10-15T15:34:00.005+08:00

This is my entry for Cam's Superpops challenge. (I've finished my mocks and I NEED a break from study! It seems like ages since I did any non-school-related art.)
She's drawn in marker and coloured using Microsoft Paint. I think she turned out quite well, but I need to practise drawing hands. I was trying to figure out how to give her a "crafty" look, which is how I came up with the giant quick-unpick. Hope Cam likes her!

The Biltong Bandit

2009-09-30T14:27:00.006+08:00

A recent study found that dogs do not, in fact, feel guilt. It claims that dogs are only responding to the way we treat them, and they will look upset if we tell them off, but they won't actually feel any sense of remorse for their actions.

That study is a load of codswallop.

I have conclusive photographic evidence that dogs can feel guilty.

That black thing on the floor is a piece of biltong, raided from Dad's briefcase. Jasper knows he's not supposed to have it. He knows he's in disgrace. He dropped it as soon as he saw me, before I told him off.

That is a guilty dog.

Meantime, there is the dilemma of what to do with the biltong. It doesn't seem fair to let Jasper have it, since that would be rewarding bad behaviour, but we can't really let it go to waste since biltong is expensive. Dad suggested washing it and giving it to Mr Sunshine, he'd be none the wiser.

I'm quite horrified that Dad would even consider feeding his son something that had been in the dog's mouth and is obviously not fit for human consumption. But then again, my brother seems to have exiled himself from the human race anyway, so...

Hey, Sunshine! You hungry?

(You know I'm only kidding...mostly...)

More incriminating photos...

2009-09-23T17:01:00.005+08:00

...of me pretending to be a crazy-gladiator-fish-lady when I should be studying.

The Aftermath

2009-09-21T15:32:00.003+08:00

Well, I've finished my Art and Design project.

The fabric for the dress is calico painted with fabric ink. I cut the hem into a ragged shape to look more like fish fins, but realized the dress was going to be a bit short for my liking, so I added another layer underneath.

I also ended up making a "shark-tooth" necklace to go with the dress. I think it fits in fairly well with the overall theme. (I made the teeth from polymer clay).

It was fun making it, but Mum and Mrs C. kept giving me guilt trips that I should be spending more time on my TEE subjects instead of the relatively unimportant Art and Design. I've got my mock exams in ten days (during the "holidays"), so I probably should be studying. I will, once I get my "study space" organised...

And maybe I'll remember where I put my bed sometime, too! (The disadvantage of having a "study space" which doubles as a crafting and sleeping space...)

Art Update

2009-09-11T17:34:00.006+08:00

I've made a bit more progress on my two art projects.

For Art and Design, I've made the chest armour. I ended up changing my design quite a bit from the original sketch, but I quite like the way it turned out. (Although, it's still a bit too pink for my liking, but I guess that doesn't really matter.) I made the edges appear more like fish fins and sewed grooves into it to give it more shape and texture.

Also, in TEE art, I've started my oil painting.

It's nowhere near finished, but I've been trying to get a sense of depth by fading parts of the fish into the background.

Other than that, nothing much has happened. I've got my mock exams coming up in a few weeks, so I'll be busy studying for them and probably won't have time to blog much.

See you when I get back!

You were warned...

2009-08-29T14:19:00.005+08:00

I said my new art project was crazy...

In Art and Design, we have to do a project bases on sea creatures (same theme as my TEE class), but we have a choice of working in graphics, painting or textiles. I chose textiles. I decided to have a crack at making a garment, since I've never really made a piece of clothing before. Then I started trying to decide what to make... a hat? a vest? a dress?

Oh, heck... I'll make a whole costume!

The design I had in mind was for some sort of female warrior/gladiator but with "armour" that was based on a lionfish. I don't know how I come up with this stuff. Maybe I just like being a big, red sea creature...Preliminary sketches (I actually have about a dozen pages of these!)

I'm making the "soft armour" by putting several layers of fabric together and then crazy stitching it in a circular pattern to look like fish scales. So far I've made the gloves and the helmet.

I dyed the fabric myself. It came out a bit pinker than I would've liked, so I've been trying to remedy that with red stitching.Mrs C. keeps gently trying to remind me that I should be spending more time on my TEE art project, but to be honest, this is a lot more fun.

I have an ominous feeling that I'm going to live to regret posting those photos. Oh well, enjoy them anyway, and if any of my friends want to use them for blackmailing material, then they'll be hunted down by a crazy gladiator-fish-lady, so I'm not too worried.

When they were handing out maternal instincts, my mum went back for seconds

2009-08-27T15:44:00.005+08:00

Long story...

It started a few weeks ago. Every day I walk Jasper down the cafe strip outside the shopping centre, and there's a couple who are there outside one of the cafes every day. I knew the woman because she walked her dog at the same park I do. I didn't know the man so well, but I'd say hi to them both as I went past.

Then one day they asked me if I'd like to stay and have coffee with them one day, so I said okay and we met up the following Saturday. I told my parents what I was doing and it was in a place with plenty of people, so I wasn't too fussed about my safety.

I sat down with them and they kindly bought me a hot chocolate and we had a good chat...

...and then the woman left. It kind of went downhill from there. The man got a bit... "friendlier" and asked me if I'd like to see a movie sometime. I said that sounded nice, but, you know, I'd have to check with my parents first and... oh, look at those clouds! I guess I'd better see if I can make it home before it rains! Bye!

I got home, I told my parents, they seemed considerably less freaked out than I was, they got me to calm down, and I decided to take a different walking route from then on. And that was the end of that.

At least, it should have been.

You see, even though her initial reaction was unusually calm, Mum has been thinking. And the more she thinks, the more she worries.

She started talking to people about it, and a friend of a friend told her there was a pedophile living in our suburb five or six years ago. Mum proceeded to warn the shopping centre security, the local primary school, and, without telling me, my high school (which is three suburbs away).

Dad only just managed to stop her from calling the police.

I now have to vary my walking route every day, keep my phone on at all times, and be home by 5:15. Also, I need to keep checking behind me to make sure no-one's following, and if a car pulls up nearby, I should run in the opposite direction.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a bit of an overreaction. This guy hasn't even done anything illegal. There's maybe a 1% chance he's a pedophile, and a 99% chance that he's just a sleazy middle aged man who likes hitting on younger women, and just happened to pick one who was a little too young. I mean, sure, he's a scumbag and I never want to see him again, but Mum told me to scream and run away if I do.

Isn't that... a bit extreme?

I've always been honest with my parents, but if I'm going to tell them when something like this happens and then be punished by having my freedom restricted, it really isn't a good incentive for me to be honest with them in the future. I know that's a very bad way of looking at it, and Mum's only doing what she thinks is right, but it's getting a little out of hand. Even Dad agrees with me.

What do you think?

One fish, two fish...

2009-08-23T09:44:00.004+08:00

Eek! Haven't blogged for two weeks! Well I've been a good girl and I've been doing my homework. Well, my art homework, anyway. That counts for something, right?
I don't know why I like drawing octopi, but it's quite fun. Priscilla thinks I'm just doing it to annoy her. (for more information on why Cilla hates octopuses, go here.)

Mrs C. mentioned that my work seems to be getting more "delicate" as the year progresses, as opposed to just doing a big scribble and watching an interesting picture emerge from it.

And there's my favourite puffer fish again. My art teacher said he looks like he's going to start singing.

And, finally, another lionfish. The photo doesn't really show the detail of the original, but I quite like these fish, too. I'm thinking of doing my final piece based on one.

I'm also in the middle of another interesting art project for my other class. It's based on the same theme, but it's a bit crazy (even for me). Pictures up soon.

You know you're having a bad hair day when...

2009-08-09T10:10:00.002+08:00

Puffy

2009-07-31T16:31:00.005+08:00

How insanely cute is this fish?

Yes, I know he's incredibly poisonous and his body is covered in sharp spines. But come on...

He's smiling.
And look at his little fin... he's waving!

Awwww... he's such a cute and happy little venomous fish. I want to hug him.

Well, not really... but you know what I mean...

My next art assignment has an underwater theme, so my class went to the aquarium and that's where I saw him. I took tonnes of photos but that one was my favourite. I also did this drawing:
... but I think I like the photo better. He looks kind of devious here...

Lub-dub...lub-dub

2009-07-22T15:43:00.004+08:00

Okay, I've finally finished my crazy heart-art.It's a mixed-media piece, using ink, gouache, oil marker and a bit of felt-tipped pen. The general reaction from my class was along the lines of "That's insane!" (Or, occasionally, "You're insane!")

Also, I've just started my next project, hopefully I'll have pictures up soon.

Butterfly bag

2009-07-17T14:57:00.005+08:00

In addition to my TEE art project, I also have an textile project for Art and Design to do over the holidays.

I've been looking for an excuse to try some crazy stitching, but haven't really had time due to schoolwork. But since this technically IS schoolwork...

(Five reels of cotton later...)

I wanted to do a purely abstract piece, but since the assessment criteria said we had to start with some realistic drawings, I just drew some butterflies and incorporated small sections of the wing patterns into my design. And it eventually became a nice shoulder bag. (My teacher wanted me to do a plain old wall hanging, but I really needed a new bag.)

..I guess I'd better get started on my real homework now, huh?

Is there a dermatologist in the house?

2009-07-09T19:25:00.003+08:00

You're probably getting a bit sick of hearing about everything that's weird about my brother Mr. Sunshine, but I'm actually quite worried this time...

We've realized he has a skin condition called melasma. The skin on his forearms, neck and cheeks has turned a deep brownish-grey (which is quite striking because the rest of him is very pale). The disease apparently appears mostly in pregnant women and people taking contraceptives, but I can't find any information about it occurring in teenage boys. So that's slightly unnerving.

It doesn't do anything really terrible, it just makes the skin a lot darker in patches (It's like the opposite of what happened to Michael Jackson) It gets worse if the person affected spends a lot of time in the sun. So I guess we'll be keeping him shut in a dark room from now on. (Actually, he does that a lot anyway...)

Now, Mum and Dad want to take him to a GP, but they haven't actually told him about his condition yet, and being a sensitive sort of lad, we're not sure how he's going to take it. He's probably noticed it, but he hasn't said anything...

...Is there a tactful way to tell someone that their face is going to turn black?

BRAAAINS!

2009-07-05T14:04:00.004+08:00

We'd studied Pride and Prejudice in Literature class last year, and I must regretfully say that I rather enjoyed it . (Something no teenager should ever EVER admit to...) Not so much for the run-of-the-mill love story (Which we have all heard a billion times before in everything from Bridget Jones to Twilight) but because Jane Austen just had such a wonderful sense of humour.

So of course I just had to get this book for my birthday...

If you're familiar with the original text then you'll know which bits have been added in, but it's actually pretty amazing how well the zombie plot fits in with the original storyline. And of course, the characters' facade of manners and elegance becomes even more hilarious and ironic when there are people being slaughtered and consumed by "unmentionables" all around them.

I'd intended to keep it for holiday reading but curiosity got the better of me and I'd ravenously devoured it within a couple of days, and then spent the next week of Literature class sneakily passing it around to my friends as we desperately tried to suppress our giggling fits. And then my teacher found out about the book...

... and I ended up lending it to her for the holidays.

...I sincerely hope she doesn't burn it...

More crazy art...

2009-06-26T16:02:00.008+08:00

I've made a bit more progress on my art project, and I've got a few crazy ideas going around in my head. The theme for the project is "Urban Chaos" , and I'm thinking of looking at the city as an organism.

I'm using Erik Abel and Damon Soule as my artist influence since those two artists work with similar styles and themes to what I had in mind.

Here's a drawing of a Chinese lion(?) statue I saw while I was in the city.

And here's a mechanical-looking stylized version inspired by Erik Abel.

And I'm not entirely sure about this next one. I just started scribbling and it gradually evolved into the mess you see before you.

I don't know what it is. Or where it came from. But it sure was fun to draw. Just don't stare at it for too long or your eyeballs will try to climb out of their sockets...

I had an idea for a bio-mechanical "heart" of a city. I did a reference drawing of a sheep's heart from the butcher's. (The things I do for art! Ewww!)

And this is my first design concept for how the city's heart might look.

I also have to post this hilarious card I got from my brother's friend for my birthday yesterday. We have a private joke in our family that Mr. Sunshine may actually be a sasquatch. (You know, big, hairy, only speaks in grunts... he didn't even say "Happy Birthday" to me!)
I love his cartoon characters!

Top Dog

2009-06-14T14:35:00.005+08:00

Our local newspaper's having a dog photo competition and I'm thinking of entering Jasper into the "Best-Looking Big Dog " category. I've narrowed it down to a couple of photos, but I'm not sure if we're allowed to send more than one.

Here's Mr J. in all his handsome glory:

Which one do you like best?

What's the matter? Never seen a ballerina cat before?

2009-06-12T15:19:00.003+08:00

Oh, Albert, you crack me up!

Urban

2009-06-12T14:39:00.005+08:00

This term's art project has an urban theme, so here are a a few pages out of my visual diary:

A semi-completed brainstorm of ideas.
Contour drawing of nuts and bolts
A photo montage.

And a representational drawing of an old shopping trolley in an alleyway.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with them...

Touching base

2009-06-05T10:57:00.002+08:00

I still have one more exam to go, but I'm just visiting Blogland again briefly, to break the monotony of study.

Nothing much to say, though...

...studying hard...

...my best friend is being slightly more neurotic than usual...

(You're so cute when you're being neurotic, Cilla ^_^)

...Mr Sunshine is all smiles and rainbows...

...We got Jasper the Wonder Dog a nice warm dog coat for winter...

...He liked it. He said it was delicious...

(Silly mutt can't tell the difference between beef jerky and imitation leather!)

Oh, yeah. I've realized I haven't been posting about my artwork lately. I'll try to get some photos up soon. It's, um, very different from the last project. I'm not sure what you'll think of it, but my art teacher seems to like it, so we'll see.

Just so you know...

2009-05-24T09:20:00.003+08:00

I've got my semester exams coming up so I'm taking a short break from the blogosphere for a few weeks.

More misadventures when I get back!

HELP! I'M A SMURF!

2009-05-14T15:42:00.005+08:00

Now I know I've been feeling a little bit blue lately...

...but this is just ridiculous!

Yesterday I made a very interesting discovery.

My legs have turned blue!

After a brief moment of shock and confusion, I realized that some of the dye had probably leaked out of my new school pants and put a bit of colour into those pale thighs of mine.

Thinking it was pretty funny, I decided to show Mum, but when she saw my legs she started freaking out because she thought I'd somehow managed to cut off the circulation!

I explained the situation to her and we both started giggling uncontrollably.

I managed to wash most of the dye off in the shower, so now I'm more of a pale grey colour.

So it looks like I won't be wearing any skirts for a while...

Van Gogh

2009-05-10T09:44:00.006+08:00

Just wondering, has anyone heard what they're saying about Van Gogh now?

Apparently he didn't cut off his own ear.

Apparently he got into a swordfight with Gauguin after an argument, and Gauguin lopped it off accidentally.

I don't know if it's true or not, but one thing's for sure...

My Art History classes would be a lot more entertaining if the Post Impressionists got into swordfights more often.

Mothers' Day

2009-05-10T08:47:00.006+08:00

Okay, getting Mum a present this year was a bit complicated since I had this bright idea that I could get Dad to give Mum some flowers. Dad is the most UNROMANTIC man in the world and would never do anything romantic and spontaneous of his own accord. Here's the conversation I had with him:

Me: Dad...
Dad: Yes?
Me: Should I get Mum some flowers for Mothers' day?
Dad: I'm already giving her a pair of secateurs.
Me: Well that's a bit mean.
Dad: Why?
Me: Because it's basically saying "If you want flowers, you can go out and pick them yourself!"
Dad: But she's always saying she can't find the secateurs, and I'd rather get her something useful.
Me: (sigh) Okay. (You don't know a thing about women, do you, Dad?) I'm going to walk the dog.

Me: (returns from walk) Okay. We're doing a swap. I'm giving her the secateurs and you're giving her these. (pulls out big bunch of flowers)
Dad: (is a bit cranky because the computer is misbehaving) No, Sarah.
Me: Why not?
Dad:Because you bought them. You should give them to her.
Me: But she appreciates flowers so much more when they're from you.
Dad: But she's your mother. It's Mothers' Day, not Wifes' day!
Me: Okay, I'll get Mr. Sunshine to give them to her then.
Dad: No, Sarah. You've got no chance of that.
Me: So you'll do it then?
Dad: YOU should do it!
Me: (realizing I'm probably getting a bit annoying) Okay. I'm sorry (sniffle) I just thought it would be a nice thing to do and it would make Mum really happy but that's okay ...

Of course you realize by now, I'm a devious little brat.

Anyway, I felt my intentions had been noble, but Dad really didn't want to do it and I guess I should have respected that. But anyway, Mum noticed I was looking a bit down and asked why, so I just told her that I had an argument with Dad but wouldn't tell her anything else.

Mum went and extracted the details out of Dad, so now she's annoyed at him and extremely happy with me. So my plan to get Dad to make Mum happy kind of backfired on him, but worked out for me. But I still feel guilty about it.

Note to self: Don't marry an engineer.

And as for Mr Sunshine, he just mumbled something that sounded like "Hapmos'day" and that was it.

Poor Mum.

You are my Sunshine...

2009-05-06T15:54:00.004+08:00

By now, you're probably familiar with my brother, Mr Sunshine. I know I generally portray him as being horrible and grumpy and antisocial...

...which he basically is...

...but he wasn't always like that. We used to be really close, about as close as siblings ever get. Sure, we squabbled now and then, but he was probably one of the best friends I've ever had. He was always cheerful and cheeky and acting the clown. He used to make up silly songs and dances and he cheered me up when I was going through a bad phase.

We had secret in-jokes and it would often get to the point where one of us would just have to nudge the other and utter a single word and the other one would burst into hysteric laughter and nobody else would have any idea what was going on. And it never helped if we tried to explain it to them. "You had to be there," as they say.

Back then I could have referred to him as "Mr. Sunshine" without any trace of irony.

I used to go into his room and play with his action figures with him. We finished each other's sentences. And, I don't know why, but these last few days I've suddenly started to miss him. I think I've been missing him for a while, but it's really only become apparent recently.

We have one of his friends staying with us for a few months at the moment, and he's such a nice boy (not as good as Sunshine used to be, but certainly better than most boys his age), so maybe having him here triggered all those memories.

I know that those days are gone for good, but I really hope he grows into a decent human being.

I love you, Mr Sunshine.

Please come back soon.

Dog vs Kid

2009-04-28T14:07:00.004+08:00

Here's a video I shot a couple of weeks ago of Mr Sunshine's friend playing a mean trick on my ball-obsessed dog Jasper.

Almost there...

2009-04-28T08:37:00.001+08:00

I think I'm about done. It's due in tomorrow when school goes back so I may just touch it up a little more.

No more eating cheese before bedtime...

2009-04-24T09:26:00.002+08:00

I had a strange dream last night. I dreamt that aliens took my brother and replaced him with a robot clone that only said things like "Shut up!" and "Meh"....

....And nobody noticed the difference...

I wonder if it means anything?

Holiday Mode

2009-04-11T10:23:00.004+08:00

I've calmed down a bit... I've stopped freaking out about how much work I've got to do and I'm just trying to work through it gradually.

Hopefully I might have a few days at the end of the break where I can just sit back and relax. One of my teachers said that if we're serious about our exams then we should be revising our notes for about five hours a day on the holidays. But we're going camping for a week as of tomorrow so that might slightly complicate things.

Yesterday I worked on my art piece for most of the day. I've been trying to imitate the crazy stitching on the shawl. This is the original:

And here's my version:

I discovered that I didn't have a brush that was small enough to get the tiny stitch-lines, so I ended up using a wooden skewer dipped in paint. It's also kind of hard trying to capture all of that detail while making sure it doesn't compete with the doll's face, so I'm having to subtly work a little bit of grey in there to tone it down.

I'm Free!! (sort of)

2009-04-09T16:45:00.004+08:00

Today was the last day of term. In previous years this would mean I get two weeks holiday without having to do schoolwork.

But I'm in my final year of high school.

The word "holiday" should not even be in my vocabulary, as far as my teachers are concerned. My art assignment is due in the day school goes back, so I'll have to get most of it done at home (I'll spare you the details on what I'm having to do for the less interesting subjects). At the moment, I'm working on the doll's face and trying to make it more lifelike:

My art class went on an excursion to the city yesterday to take photos for an upcoming art project, and we also stopped by the art gallery because they're having an exhibition of the top Year 12 students' work from last year. As much as I would like to say I felt inspired by the amazing artwork, I have to admit I'm feeling a bit down about it. I'm just feeling like I have so many expectations to live up to, and I'm getting so many mixed messages. For example, my parents say they don't care what kind of grades I get as long as I'm happy, but when Mum saw that I got only a "B" for Literature she said she was surprised.

I only need a TER (final mark) of 70 for my end of year exam to get into the uni course I want, but the school wants us all to do well and make them look good. At the moment they're discouraging a lot of kids from pursuing the tertiary entrance subjects, but I'm not sure whether this will be beneficial to the kids or whether it's to make us perform better as a school.

I guess I'm just feeling a bit exhausted and down with the amount of work I'm having to do, but hopefully I'll settle into holiday mode and get over it...

WIP: Doll painting

2009-04-05T10:49:00.002+08:00

Hello. I'm sorry I haven't been blogging very much lately, mainly because

a) I'm drowning under a pile of homework, and

b) I can't get to the computer very often unless it's for homework, because Mr Sunshine's friend is staying with us. He's a very sweet boy, and unlike Sunshine he can actually sustain a conversation, but he needs to check his Myspace every half hour or he'll die.

Anyway, I haven't really been doing any crafting or cooking to blog about, but I am making progress on my art assignment:

It took me a while to get the colour and texture of the shawl right. On the original doll it was needlefelted, so I'm trying to replicate the texture using acrylic paint and impasto gel.

And I made an interesting discovery the other day: acrylic paint sticks to nail varnish and is rather difficult to scrub off.

So I've been walking around with some very interesting manicures this week.

Final composition

2009-03-28T10:49:00.003+09:00

This is a colour draft of the painting I'll do for my final piece in Art class.

Having a ball...

2009-03-22T13:28:00.003+09:00

(warning: the following post may contain traces of waffle)

We had the dress-up day on Friday morning, so I wore my octopus. There were so many fantastic costumes there! The girl that won was dressed as a walking ATM (you know, the one off the ANZ ads) and Priscilla had this beautiful red kimono she bought in Hong Kong. But I got more hugs than she did. Everyone wanted to hug the octopus. Although there was one guy dressed as a devil who threatened to make me into sushi with a Styrofoam axe, so I smacked him in the chest with a tentacle. They make very good weapons, actually. Priscilla's mum picked us up afterwards, and since she had to drop Cilla's little brother off at daycare, she insisted that we go in in our costumes to show the kids. So we did. The octopus was a huge hit and all the kids were screaming : "Nah-Nah! You can't catch me, octopus!!" and running around wanting me to chase them:

So that was fun. It's pretty stuffy in there though, particularly if you're running around like that. then we went back to Cilla's place for lunch and started getting ready for the ball. Priscilla's mum runs a bridal shop so Priscilla had access to an enormous range of dresses and had narrowed it down to either The Pink One or The Brown One. Both of them looked stunning on her. Somehow she decided on The Pink One eventually though. Priscilla's mum is also great at doing hair and make-up so she did those for us. She'd dusted Cilla's shoulders with this powder that made her skin all pretty and sparkly, so I referred to her as "Edward" for the rest of the day.

Mum arrived mid-afternoon and took some nice photos of us. I'd like to put them here. Really, I would. But I asked my Dad whether he would kick and scream and bang his head against the wall very much if I did and he has indicated that he might. Okay, he said "I'll think about it". And that means no chance. Sorry, folks.

The other people who were sharing the limo arrived later in the afternoon. Cilla's mum had put together a massive buffet of food for us, but most of the other guests just stood around saying things like

"I'm scared I'll get it on my dress."

"I don't want to smudge my lipstick"

" I'm on a diet."

But I wasn't particularly fussed about any of those things and ignored my mum's advice that I needed to hold my tummy in and shouldn't eat too much. After all, Cilla's mum had put in a lot of work to make so much food.

There was a minor crisis because the limo had arrived and Priscilla's date had not. He came late, in a velvet coat, orange-and-purple striped tie, and a top hat, a look I would describe as being about halfway between Mr. Darcy and Willy Wonka. He gravely presented Cilla with a bunch of flowers and she gravely accepted them. They're not really speaking to each other at the moment.

It began to rain almost as soon as he arrived, so amid a lot of shrieking we all huddled into the limo. When, all of a sudden...

rrriiiiip!

That can't be good.

Priscilla's beauitiful handmade dress had a tear in it. Fortunately, it was on one of the inside layers, so it wasn't visible, but she began lamenting the fact that she hadn't worn The Brown One.

When we got there it had momentarily stopped raining, so we were able to safely get into the hall. I'd ended up being put at a different table to Priscilla, but I went over and talked to her as often as I could. It was a little difficult to talk over the booming music, though. It was all disco music, so fortunately there were no slow dances and I was able to avoid a certain gentleman's attention. Priscilla's Mr Darcy, however, was refusing to dance with her at all, so she was a bit miffed about that. Poor Cilla. I don't think she enjoyed herself as much as she should've...

The food was great. Beef salad for entree, Parmesan chicken with gourmet mashed potatoes for the main course, hazelnut cheesecake for dessert. Halfway through, however, I realized I probably should've listened to my Mum's advice... (holds stomach and groans)

Anyway, it was a good night. I was pretty shattered when I got back to Cilla's though, and went straight to bed before her mum even had time to get out the karaoke machine...

The Big day...

2009-03-19T16:55:00.003+09:00

I've got my school ball tomorrow!

Ah, that magical day in every teenager's life where they get all glammed up and feel like royalty for an evening and then most of them go and get drunk and do something stupid at an after-party. Don't worry, I won't be one of them. I'm having a sleepover at Cilla's instead of going to any of the after parties... at least, I am hoping there will be some sleeping involved. At the moment it sounds like her mum is planning an all-night karaoke party.

And as with any major event like this, the schoolyard politics have gotten quite serious these last few days...

A friend of mine is trying to break up with her boyfriend, or at least prevent him from wearing that horrible orange tie...

And it seems that a young gentleman at my school intends to ask me to dance, but will only have the courage to do so if one of his friends gives him five bucks. And that "friend" is only paying him so he can watch him get rejected. Yep, the boys at my school are full of class. I suppose I'll dance with him. He's had a crush on me since 10th grade, so I might as well humour him. I think the whole situation's quite funny, actually, although I am a bit insulted at being used as a money-making device. Priscilla says she feels sorry for me.

Don't get me wrong though. I am definitely looking forward to it. It's just that I'm amazed and amused about how silly we teenagers can be and how we worry over nothing. So what if your date's tie is ugly? So what if you dance like a dork? Or with one? So what if you develop an enormous pimple right on the tip of your nose the day before the ball? There are people in the world who are far worse off than we are and all we think about is our stupid, selfish little problems.

But for now, I need to figure out a way to cover up that pimple...

The Hoarse Whisperer

2009-03-13T15:52:00.003+09:00

This is going to sound weird, but I haven't really heard my brother's voice for almost a year now. Like most lads of his age, he's really not into talking very much at all, but when he does speak, it's in this low, gravelly whisper. He insisted that it was his natural voice, but we all assumed that his voice was breaking and he was trying to stop it from squeaking.

Anyway, a few days ago, Mum decided that it had gone on too long and that, if that was his real voice, then maybe there was something wrong. So, she carted him off to the doctor.

When they got home, Mum stormed in muttering "He could've told me he can talk properly when he wants to!"

Apparently he just has this really deep baritone voice that for some bizarre reason he doesn't want to use.

The plot thickens...

More doll art

2009-03-07T17:22:00.004+09:00

I've been playing around with unusual viewpoints when drawing the dolls, and I'm trying to get more detail and texture with the acrylic paint.

Click to view full. I quite like the detail on the shawl, but I think the angle I drew the head at makes it look a bit more grotesque than in my previous pieces. At the moment I'm not quite sure whether I want it that way in my final piece or not...

What do you think?

Painting with the Wild Beasts

2009-02-27T20:49:00.006+09:00

In Art we have to choose an artist and incorporate an aspect of their work into our own.

I've chosen Matisse for his crazy use of colour. It fits in well with my own "make it up as you go" style. When his works first went on display they received a lot of criticism. One critic even said it looked like it had been painted by a wild beast!

When I first started painting this, I kept wondering whether it was going to look any good or whether it would look like it was made by a deranged monkey with a paintbrush up its nostril. But I think it came out okay. The teachers like it, so that must count for something.

I found it interesting how I kept having to correct myself to make the colours "wrong". I'd get stuck into it and suddenly think Wait! The face is too pink! Put some green on it!

Tagged!

2009-02-24T16:32:00.004+09:00

SWIRL has tagged me in this thing where you go to your photos folder and find the 6th photo in the 6th folder and post it on your blog with a brief description. Then you pass the tag on to six other people

Okay, this is a picture of what my bedroom looked like a long time ago. When I was about 12. It displays some of my crazy and daggy decorating ideas, including sticking tinsel to the wall and covering the doors of my closet in old birthday cards. The round object at the end of my bed is a big piece of cardboard made to look like a giant cookie. I can't quite remember its intended purpose but if you look closely you can see tiny puncture marks implying it was used for target practise with one of Mr. Sunshine's vile inventions (He began making things that shoot at a very early age!)

Okay, I need to tag some people...

First up, my best friend Cilla, because she is a lazy blogger and only seems to make posts wen other people tag her.

Also Ms Hen, who is a great crafter, cook, painter and all-round lovely person.

Juddie, who has a knack for finding the funniest bits of the internet and takes wonderful photos.

Kate, because she makes gorgeous soft toys and has some very cute kids.

and the Spoonful of Sugar girls because they are crafty and generous (they run so many great give-aways !) They're such a great team!

Hmm, that was only five. It seems everyone else I know has already done it so if I didn't tag you and you would like to do it, consider yourself tagged!

More doll art

2009-02-21T15:52:00.003+09:00

Just some more drawings I've done in Art class lately...

Busy, Busy!

2009-02-15T10:46:00.008+09:00

So far this has been one hectic weekend! It was my brother's birthday on Friday, so I made him a chocolate mudcake. . .

Because I don't quite love him enough to get him a present. But I do love cake! (recipe here)

He had a bunch of friends sleeping over, so I also made a pavlova, half topped with peppermint crisp (Thanks Cam! It was delicious!) and half topped with chopped Mars Bar for The Fussy Brigade, then drizzled with chocolate sauce.

The boys got into all sorts of mischief involving a skateboard, a wheelie bin and my big bag of stuffing...

I made some more toys for the bushfire victims.

I did my Valentine's Day drop for The Toy Society.

And, when I had a few seconds to spare, I sat and watched...

Crafting for a cause

2009-02-09T20:48:00.005+09:00

Well, I emailed my idea about making toys for the survivors of the bushfires to Bianca from The Toy Society. She thought it was a good idea and now she's encouraging crafters to make toys and send them her way and she'll find a way to pass them on to people affected by the fires.

(For those of you who don't know, the Australian state of Victoria was devastated by multiple bushfires on Saturday night. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and so far at least 130 people have died.)

There has been a massive response from crafters all over Australia and a few international ones. I'm really amazed and overjoyed that there are so many like-minded people out there. I'd like to say thank you to everyone who agreed to be a part of this and everyone who is helping to spread the word by posting about it on their site.

There are other ways to donate if toys aren't your thing. Juddie is organizing donations of secondhand books. Rach is collecting handmade children's clothes, and many other crafters are holding charity auctions or donating part of the proceeds from the things they sell on Etsy. If you would like to make a financial donation, go here.

Rag Doll

2009-02-08T10:20:00.005+09:00

Nanna knows a family in Bridgetown who recently lost everything they own in a bushfire. They have two young children so I'm making softies for them. This is a doll I made for the little girl:

The fire happened just after Christmas so the kids would've lost all their presents. I hope this will make their lives a little easier.

EDIT: I made this post this morning before I knew about the fires in Victoria. I know a lot of people who read this blog live in Victoria and many will know someone who was affected by it. I'm thinking if we get lots of crafty people together we could start making toys and other handmade goods for those in need. It's just an idea. Please let me know what you think. Leave a comment or E-mail me: sklangridge@gmail.com

The Artful Smudger

2009-02-07T20:06:00.004+09:00

Here's another drawing of one of the dolls, done in fineliner.Despite my scribbly technique, I think fineliner actually works quite well for me, since I can avoid my art teacher's worst nightmare...
SMUDGES!
Most of my works in graphite or paint are inevitably subject to some smudging from my clumsy hands. My teacher, Mrs C. is continually chiding me over this. I'm quite possibly the messiest student she's ever had. She describes this drawing as a "chaotic composition". With regard to neatness, she generally uses my work as an example to ther rest of the class of what not to do.

I'll just go stand in the corner and wear a dunce cap, shall I?

Yep, that's me. The Artful Smudger. Don't get me wrong, though, Mrs C. does like my style of drawing and my somewhat eccentric artistic techniques (like my tendancy to use tissues more than brushes for painting) . I think I'm getting the smudging under control, though. Now I just need to fix my handwriting...

Back to school

2009-02-05T16:51:00.005+09:00

I've been back at school for a few days now. I'm taking two art classes, one which will count towards my final exam score, TEE Art, and another course called Art and Design which is really just for fun.

In TEE Art we get to draw these strange-amazing handmade dolls.

It's quite funny, because my art teacher is able to immediately and accurately pinpoint which drawing was done by which student based on the style. Mine is always first to be recognised. The way I draw is by sketching and scribbling out the vague shapes of what I want to draw, because somewhere in that scribbly mess is the image I want. I then refine the image and add detail. This is where my scribbling has got me so far on this project:

Chloe's Elephant

2009-02-01T14:17:00.004+09:00

As I mentioned before, my friend Chloe has requested an elephant softie for her Christmas / birthday present, and I found this fantastic fabric which is just perfect for her. (My camera doesn't really do it justice!)

I go back to school tomorrow, so I'll give it to her then. Hope she likes it!

Arrr, me hearties!

2009-01-31T13:34:00.004+09:00

The Toy Society is having a Valentine's day drop involving heart-themed softies, so I made another pirate. As you do.

Everyone loves a pirate!

Octopus Maximus

2009-01-28T17:26:00.006+09:00

I haven't posted for a while since my computer has almost completely run out of memory and is having trouble using the net. But anyway...

I finished my octopus!

It's made mostly from recycled materials, and only cost around $25 to make and... OH MY GOSH IT'S EATING THE DOG!!

The photos are a bit blurry because I was laughing so hard I couldn't hold a camera still!

Octopus update

2009-01-24T12:20:00.004+09:00

So far, I'm about halfway through making the octopus's head.

The eyes are made from a painted styrofoam ball cut in half with a felt eyelid sewn over the top.

And here's yet another picture of Albert lying around.

He doesn't do much else, really.

WIP: Giant octopus

2009-01-21T07:07:00.006+09:00

It is a tradition at my school that on the morning of the school ball everyone comes in fancy dress to raise money for charity. Prizes are awarded to the best handmade costumes.

I came up with three ideas:

The Queen of Hearts- Pros: I get to trot around shrieking “Off with their heads!!” Cons: I’ve never made a dress before and I didn’t know where to start.
A giant octopus- Pros: High chance of winning prize, and I can scare my friend Priscilla. Cons: A few design challenges, but not as much as #1.
Daria- Pros: Dead easy. (Just have to do a bit of op-shopping for some lace-up boots and find some Harry Potter glasses). Also bound to get a few laughs and make fun of my sibling ( I sometimes use “Daria” as an alternative nickname for Mr. Sunshine. ) Cons: Won’t win a prize, and I’m sort of against going as a TV character.

In the end I settled on the octopus, since it would be easier to make than the Queen of Hearts but would still be impressive enough to be in the running for a prize. So I went op-shopping and bought this massive doona cover.

So far, I've mnaged to hack it to pieces with the quick unpick and make the octopus's tentacles.

I began stuffing on of them, but I soon realized that it would take a whole bag of stuffing to fill one tentacle. Luckily, however, being an engineer my father has a particular talent for getting things cheaply or free, so he came home with quite literally a truckload of stuffing!

Well, a trailerload, anyway. The factory unit next to Dad's manufactures ceiling insulation and they have all these massive bags of waste fluff which would otherwise end up in landfill.

Jasper certainly liked the look of it.

( His nose isn't really that big, he's just holding a black toy in his mouth. My dog is not Pinnochio!)

To give you a sense of scale, Jasper is about the size of a Labrador.

We had a bit of trouble getting him off it!

Bad Dog!

2009-01-17T13:34:00.003+09:00

Jasper did a bad, bad thing at the park this morning.
You see, there was a kids' cricket match occupying the oval, so I thought I'd just take him for a walk around the edge of the park.
One of the parents had left her belongings unattended so Mr J went and sniffed them.

Jasper! Here boy! Leave that stuff alone! Jasper!

He cocked his leg.

No! Jasper! Don't you dare! No! BAD DOG!

He came away. I inspected the pile of stuff and didn't see any wet patches, so I decided to just grab Jasper and go before anyone...
"HEY! YOU!"
... saw me.

A woman came marching towards us.
"That dog had better not have peed on my designer handbag!" I apologised and said I didn't think he'd actually peed on anything and I'd help her wash it if he had. She let out a shriek and pointed to a tiny yellow spot on the bag. My heart sank.

"That was a $350 handbag!" I asked her if it was washable.
"Of course it's not washable, it's fabric!"
Pardon my ignorance.

She had her hair in a ponytail and wore a white baseball cap. A full-0n Sports Mum. She probably gives her kid $10 for every run he gets. Another mum came over and the two started talking while I continued to apologise and tell Jasper off.
" It's always the kids who don't keep their dogs on leashes, isn't it?"
" I know. The same thing happened to me a while ago."
" You're a BAD BOY JASPER!! You hear me?"
"Oh Bad Boy Jasper, Bad Boy!" The fact that she was resorting to mimicking me showed just what a sophisticated and mature adult she was.

There were quite a few things I would've liked to have said to her, none of which would have made the situation any better. Instead, I utilized my five years of drama training and burst into tears. What she was saying wasn't really enough to move one to tears, and I was secretly finding the whole scenario more entertaining than upsetting, but I couldn't think of a more reliable way to get her off my back. After all, you can't keep screaming at someone who's crying, can you?
I then buried my face in my hands, sobbed out a final "I'm sorry!" took my dog and hurried off before she had time to react.

... I'm sure there's a moral to this story, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is!

We're back!

2009-01-17T11:07:00.004+09:00

Mum and I got back from Margaret River yesterday. We had a great time! We stayed in this adorable little cottage with plenty of birdlife around.

We went on bushwalks...

Visited the beach (although it was too cold to swim)

Looked at an art gallery...

Went on cave tours...

And watched DVDs. Chick flicks, mainly. Mum and I even managed to cringe our way through Mamma Mia (with the aid of plenty of wine and cookies respectively!) I went through an intense ABBA phase when I was nine which my brother Mr Sunshine has not allowed me to forget, and as a consequence I have spent the better part of the last decade avoiding everything ABBA-related. But Mamma Mia helped me finally conquer my fear of ABBA. (although we both agreed that James Bond's singing voice sounded a lot more shaken than stirred!)

We picked the hottest day of the year to drive home. It was 40 degrees in Perth. I had so far made my way through summer without getting sunburned once, when I found that I had been burned on the back of the neck while in the car on the way home!

Couldn't I have at least get sunburned doing something fun?

C is For...

2009-01-11T14:41:00.002+09:00

Yes. I know in Australia we're meant to call them "biscuits" or "bikkies".

But just look at them!

Yes, I firmly believe that these particular biscuits have to be called cookies. Apologies to those old sticklers who are constantly lamenting the Americanisation of the "Australian language". (Although if it's any consolation to you, I only ever pronounce the last letter of the alphabet as "Zed".)

The recipe is here.

Mum and I are heading down to Margaret River tomorrow, and we'll be back on Friday. (Mum decided she needed to get away from "the boys" again!)

Some Miscellaneousness

2009-01-09T14:01:00.005+09:00

Okay. The sleazy builder didn't come around or anything, so I'm quite thankful for that. Nothing serious came out of the incident, but I have definitely learned my lesson.

---

Jasper's got a bit of a flea problem at the moment, so we need to wash him as often as possible. Jasper knows when it's bathtime because Sunshine walks around saying "Oh No!... Oh No!". Jasper promptly curls up in a corner and becomes as heavy as possible, so we practically have to drag him out onto the lawn. In an attempt to make dog-washing more fun, Sunshine and I discovered that using one of those sponge mops is a good way of keeping yourself out of range if the hound decides to shake himself.

And if the flea shampoo doesn't work, we can just blast the little blighters off with the hose if we have enough pressure.

He takes everything we do to him very well, although those big eyes tell me he's not really enjoying it...

But he loves being smothered in towels at the end of it!

---
I figured out why my blog doesn't seem to be read by people my own age, thanks to this test I found through SWIRL's blog...

Apparently they can't understand it...
---

And I made this little scrapcritter yesterday. He was meant to be a fox, but I think the face looks a bit more like a cat.

I'm trying to see if I can work without using a formal pattern. I make all my own patterns anyway, but on this I just hastily sketched a vague shape and cut it out without really worrying about symmetry. I've noticed I'm rapidly going through different phases in my sewing, but I just keep having ideas and needing to try them all!

A new experience...

2009-01-07T08:37:00.000+09:00

Okay. I was on my way back from my morning walk with Jasper when I met a construction worker at a house that was being built a few doors down. He stopped me for a chat. He was about ten years older than me.There were some questions I didn't want to answer, but I did anyway for fear of appearing rude. I ended up telling him my name, age, where I lived and the fact that both my parents were working today.

I know. I'm very naive.

He was friendly. Maybe a little too friendly. He said that maybe when my parents left for work I could come back and have a bit more of a chat. I said maybe. He invited me into the house to see the tiling job he'd done. I was a bit suspicious at this point, but I had my big dog and a mobile phone with me, so I knew he couldn't try anything.

And then...

He told me I had a "fit body". I told him he was starting to sound a little creepy. He said I could go if I was feeling uncomfortable. So I left without looking back.

What do you think? Did I overreact? Was he being creepy, or just friendly?

I'm very confused...

Howdy!

2009-01-06T08:41:00.000+09:00

A while ago, Dad gave me a bag of little plastic squares, wondering if I would be able to find a use for them. (I think they were originally used as packaging for some little machine parts).

And, at last, I have found a use for them...

Belt buckles for soft toys!

This is ScrapSheriff. I tried sewing the buckle on using the button-sewing feature on my Bernina, but it ended up being the source of a broken needle and a little bit of cussing on my part which I hope my Dad didn't hear. I found that it works if I use the button stitch, but turn the wheel by hand rather than using the pedal.He's a bit more serious-looking than the other ScrapPeople. I was trying to give him an embroidered mouth, but I couldn't get it quite right so I just sewed a felt moustache on instead. I then decided he wouldn't look right with big googly safety eyes like the other two, so I just embroidered them.

Viva Pavlova!

2009-01-05T09:59:00.000+09:00

My recipe for the most wonderful dessert in the world...

6 egg egg whites
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
1 2/3 cup caster sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
2tsp cornflour
1tsp vinegar

To Serve:
300ml cream
1 kiwifruit
250g strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Line a large oven dish with baking paper. Beat eggwhites and cream of tartar in a large bowl until soft peaks form.

2. Add sugar to the mixture slowly while beating. Beat for a few minutes or until mixture is smooth, stiff and glossy (the sugar has dissolved.)

3. Stir cornflour, vinegar and vanilla into the mixture.

4. Pour mixture into oven dish and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 110 degrees C, then bake for a further hour and a half (until shell is pale and crisp). Turn off oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar.

Serve with cream and fruit.

Notes

Okay, one pavlova recipe is more or less like another, but it's the little things you do that make a pavlova successful.

-Make sure there's no yolk mixed in with the egg whites. Crack eggs one at a time into separate bowls so one mistake won't ruin the others.

- The yolks can be used for other stuff. We've just bought an icecream maker which is a very useful way of disposing of them!

- Only put the cream and fruit on just before serving so the meringue doesn't go soggy.

- The pavlova shell itself, however, can be stored in an airtight container/ bag for up to 2 days prior to serving.

- The cream of tartar helps stabilize the whites so that the eggs can be beaten for longer periods of time.

- Separate eggs when cold, then let them warm up a bit before you beat them(10 minutes).

-Don't keep beating after the whites have become glossy and firm, or they will separate into clumps.

-Only use caster sugar, as regular sugar won't dissolve properly.

- Put the pavlova in oven almost immediately after you've finished mixing or the air will escape.

- The oven needs to be at a constant temperature, so DON'T open the oven door. On several occasions certain family members have opened the door to take a peek at my pavlova only to watch it "flop" virtually before their eyes!

- According to Dad, the oven needs to be above 100 degrees at all times, since 100 degrees C is the boiling point of water, so this ensures that any moisture is in a gaseous state and keeps the pavlova crisp and free of moisture...
Dad's an engineer. You can tell, can't you?

- When cooking for Mr Sunshine, ensure that his piece is cut after the cream has been added but before the pav has come into contact with any fruit! But even then, don't expect a "thank you" when you serve him his piece.

Ahoy there!

2009-01-03T16:51:00.000+09:00

As promised, Scrapninja now has a new friend, ScrapPirate.I think I might become addicted to making these little guys. They're just so easy to make and there's an infinite number of ways to embellish them.

Scrapninja

2009-01-02T16:52:00.000+09:00

Made another softie today. I'm experimenting with more doll-like softies rather than animals this time.

He was meant to be a spaceman, but I think he looks more like a ninja. A scrapninja. The pattern is also quite versatile so I could make a variety of different dolls with it. So Scrapninja can expect to have some new friends fairly soon.

(As you may have guessed, I'm on a bit of a blogging spree at the moment- 3 posts in one day!)

The Elephant in the room...

2009-01-02T10:15:00.000+09:00

My friend Chloe has requested an elephant as a late Xmas/early birthday prezzie, so I'm working on the pattern.

This is just the prototype. I'll probably make a larger one for her, but at least I know the pattern works.
Happy New Year!

Farewell, Auntie Steve

2009-01-02T06:35:00.001+09:00

Dear old Auntie Steve flies back to Queensland today.
Mum is over the moon.
At a glance, Steve appears to be just another silly, tactless old bat who talks far too much, but I suspect she secretly delights in causing Mum headaches. She's a bit sadistic in a harmless sort of way...

For example, when we were going to visit an old school friend of Mum's, I asked her if I should bring a book to read. Mum replied that I shouldn't.
"Why can't we bring books!? demanded Auntie Steve.
Mum sighed. "You can bring a book It's just that Jane has a daughter Sarah's age--"
"But you're going to be yakking on with Jane aren't you?"
"We will probably have a bit of a chat, yes..." said Mum, trying to remain calm.
"Then I don't care what you say. I'm taking my book!"
"Yes!Good! You can bring a book!" Mum is beginning to sound like the parent of a very argumentative five-year-old.
"And I'm going to sit in the corner and blend in with the background."
"No you won't. I do expect you to meet Jane."
"Oh all right. But then I'm going to sit in the corner and read my book. "

But she didn't, though. Oh no. She talked to her heart's content, about the most inappropriate topics possible. Now, first I should explain, that, in a stark contrast to her behavior towards Mum, Steve has a tendency to agree with everything I say and admire everything I do to to the point of it being embarrassing (I'm sure it's done deliberately). Sitting on an easel in Jane's lounge room was a painting by one of the children of the house. Steve took one look at it and declared "You haven't seen anything yet. You should see what my Sarah can do."

I made myself scarce at that point. Fortunately, Jane was only house-sitting, so it wasn't made by one of her children, but she was definitely pushing the limit here. It was, of course, all part of Steve's evil plan to embarrass poor Mum.

She also delights in humiliating my poor brother, Mr Sunshine. After giving me a goodnight kiss, she turned to him and spread out her arms. "Come here, (Sunshine)."
Sunshine had had enough experience with aunts to know what was coming, and promptly took several steps back.
"Oh, come on, I only want to wish you a happy new year!"
"You can say it from there." was the gruff reply.
She eventually gave up on him, as Aunts inevitably do if he resists a hug long enough.

Mum and I have been issued with an invitation to visit her in Queensland, where I may have the honour of cooking for her in her own home! I'm fairly sure she was kidding, but she always sounds so deadly serious that it's hard to tell.

(If you think I'm being a bit mean, just let me know, but just bear in mind that she's been having fun at our expense for the last week, so I think it's okay to get my revenge now and then)

To be fair, I will definitely miss having her around. She was an endless source of entertainment.
But I think the rest of the family will be all too happy to bid her goodbye at the airport.

The beach

2008-12-30T12:12:00.000+09:00

We took Jasper down to the dog beach this morning.

(That's my Dad with the hat)

Now, Jasper has this obsession with balls, so when he saw a BIG RED BALL floating out in the water he had to go and chase it! So he dived in and started swimming towards it.

No! Jasper! Come back! That's not a ball! Jasper!!!

He was about a metre away and ready to grab it when he realized the ball was, in fact, an old lady in a swimming cap! He sheepishly turned around and headed back to shore.

Mind you, I don't think he would've realized if the old lady hadn't heard him coming and turned around. I dread to think what would've happened!

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

2008-12-30T09:45:00.000+09:00

400g spinach, chopped
350g ricotta
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/3 cup grated cheese (cheddar or mozzarella)
Pinch nutmeg
200g instant cannelloni tubes
3 medium-sized tomatoes
2 tsp basil
3 tsp ground black pepper
½ an onion, chopped
400g store-bought pasta sauce
¾ cup grated cheese, extra

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine spinach, ricotta, garlic, cheese and nutmeg in a bowl. Stuff the mixture into the dry cannelloni tubes.

Place tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 10 minutes, then peel and chop. In a saucepan, combine tomato, onion, pasta sauce, pepper and basil. Cook over medium heat until boiling.

Place half the tomato mixture in a large baking dish, topped with a layer of the cannelloni tubes. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the cannelloni, sprinkle with extra cheese. Bake in the oven for about half an hour or until cheese begins to turn brown.
Serves 5
NOTE: I use instant cannelloni because it doesn’t need to be cooked beforehand and it’s a lot easier to stuff when it’s dry.

Guaranteed to please the whole family (Except for Mr Sunshine who won’t touch spinach or tomato with a ten-foot pole. He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on!)

Xmas

2008-12-27T10:01:00.000+09:00

We had eccentric Great Aunt Eversley from Queensland (Mad old Auntie Steve) visiting us for Christmas. The last time she graced us with her presence it was because it was her 80th birthday and her friends were going to throw her a big party, so she fled to the other side of the continent. She seems to have made it her life's mission to possess the opposite opinion to everyone else. The first thing she did when she got her was tell me how fat my dog is.
"He's terribly overweight. A vet told me one should be able to see the last three ribs and I can't see any of his. He's the most spoiled dog I've ever seen." The cat received similar criticism.

She was quite impressed with my sewing though. I'd already put aside one of the kangaroos to give her but she took one look at the cat cushions and demanded one for Christmas. "...And it has to look exactly like Albert." So in the few days before Christmas I managed to whip one up:

You won't see the real Albert curled up with Jasper, but he doesn't seem to mind the stuffed one...

Mum got put on call ( she's a nurse) on Christmas day, after having worked Christmas Eve. So of course, at 7.00am sharp (just as we'd started opening prezzies) her phone rang and she had to go to work. Poor Mum. She was back in a few hours though, so she didn't entirely miss Christmas.

We had Christmas at Auntie Aileen's house with about 20 people from Dad's side of the family (Steve is on Mum's side). My grumpy brother, Mr Sunshine, stood in the corner looking gloomy for the better part of the day. I made a couple of chocolate cheesecakes with strawberries and a pavlova. I left a slice of each with no fruit for Sunshine 'cos he's fussy, but both were rejected on the grounds that they had been next to pieces containing fruit. Seriously. That's how fussy he is.

So I just put some fruit on them and gave them to somebody else before he had a chance to change his mind. I don't know why I bother with him sometimes.

Surprisingly, Auntie Steve turned out to be the life of the party despite previously declaring that she hated large gatherings and that she would be a fish out of water. She does like to talk, you see, and was entertaining everyone with her stories. I also overheard excessive praise of my stuffed animals.

So overall it was a good day (whatever Sunshine may say to the contrary). And Jasper the overweight dog is enjoying (destroying) his Christmas present...

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Toy Society

2008-12-20T15:40:00.000+09:00

I did my drop for the Toy Society this morning. Jasper and I went for a long walk down to South Perth. It was raining a bit, which was
a) Bad- because we both got wet and

b) Good- because there was hardly anyone else around to see us.

I decided to drop them at playgrounds so some kids would find them. I used one of my giraffes and the orange cat for the drop:

I put the giraffe in a tunnel where it wouldn't get wet. I can confirm that this one has been found because just as I'd finished taking my photos I saw a man with a cute little boy approaching so Mr J and I made our escape and watched from a distance as they took the toy.

So I know at least one of them's gone to a good home.

I put the cat in a tube slide at another playground.

silly old cats

2008-12-18T09:29:00.000+09:00

I'm trying something a bit different in the toy department at the moment. These are hand-painted cat-shaped cushiony things.

The grey cat is loosely based on my own silly old cat, Mr Albert.

He of the strange sleeping habits!

vampires and octopuses

2008-12-11T15:17:00.000+09:00

I went and saw Twilight with Priscilla today, and gave her the giraffe, which she adores. I thought I'd better give her something cute this time, after what I did on her birthday...

Okay, first I must explain that Cilla is currently debating whether to dump her boyfriend or not. She has been fussing over this matter for about four months now. I now know not to try to give her any advice on the subject, even when she asks for it, since her own moral compass is pointing her in the right direction and she knows what needs to be done, she just hasn't quite got around to it yet...

The main problem is that he doesn't talk to her, he just HUGS. He has very long gangly arms which can almost wrap twice around her body, so we have this private joke about octopuses (octopi?). So, for her birthday, I made this:

This was the first toy I designed and made. His head was a funny shape and his face was a bit lopsided, but he had the desired effect. I wrapped him up, but Cilla knew it was a soft toy immediately. Maybe it was a teddy or a bunny? She was going to wait until after school before she opened it, but eventually the suspense got the better of her and she opened it during math class. She took one look at his smiling, lopsided face and...

Yeah, well, you get the idea.

As I said, we saw the Twilight movie. I'm probably the only teenage girl on the planet who hasn't read the book. I thought it was good... until... I kind of...

Passed out.

This is embarrassing. I fainted during Twilight! There was a scene with quite a bit of blood (which you'd expect from a vampire movie) and someone getting their head torn off. I'm not normally squeamish about this stuff, but I just felt dizzy and blacked out and spilt all my popcorn. I woke up about a minute later and found I couldn't look at the screen without feeling giddy even though the bloody bits were over, so I just lay on the floor. It was towards the end so I didn't miss that much, but I have no idea how it ends. Oh well, I can get it out on DVD.

giraffe v2.0

2008-12-10T16:33:00.000+09:00

I made a few changes to the giraffe pattern, although it still needs a bit of work:

The pink one's going to be a Chrissie present for my friend Priscilla. Cilla likes pink stuff!

And here's the latest bit of trouble my family's gotten into...

You see, the trailer had been sitting in the driveway since our last camping trip (6 months ago) as no-one had got around to putting it back in the garage, with no form of brake mechanism in place. Then the other day Mum backed the car in just a bit too far and nudged the trailer just enough to send it hurtling into the garage door. I won't tell you what she said. Let's just say I learned some new words and leave it at that, shall we?

the farm

2008-12-08T15:31:00.000+09:00

Over the weekend, Mum and I left the boys (Dad, sibling, cat, dog) at home and went to visit Auntie Karen down at Harvey (2 hours' drive from Perth). One of Auntie Karen's friends takes in orphaned baby animals, and had to be away for a day, so Auntie Karen had a few extra mouths to feed...

Now, I know I've been showing you quite a few kangaroos lately, but mine just can't compete with the real thing! This is me with baby Matilda.
Isn't she adorable? We were a bit worried as she was refusing to drink much, but apparently she's started feeding now.

And this is Koko Geronimo Thump Vogol.
Vogol being the surname of the wildlife lady, Koko because she thought it was a good name for a parrot, Geronimo for when he fell out of the nest, Thump for when he hit the ground ( the last two names were selected by her children).

Auntie Karen has the most amazing veggie garden...

You can tell someone's got a green thumb when their spinach is over 6ft tall!

We both had a nice relaxing time, and I don't think Mum was too pleased to come back home. My sibling had built himself a marble gun and promptly shot himself in the face with it, chipping his front tooth. Argh! Boys! Can't leave them alone for a few days without them doing something insensible! (Teeth problems seem to run in our family; Mum received a similar injury as a child when she fell off a stage, Dad has caps, Nanna and Pop both had false teeth, and according to my dentist, I need to wear a retainer until I'm thirty.) But hopefully our little trip has provided us with enough sanity to get us through Christmas...

more toys

2008-12-04T15:59:00.000+09:00

Here's yet another kangaroo...

And a giraffe.

Jasper can't stand any other creature (let alone a stuffed one) getting all the attention...

nanna

2008-12-02T16:09:00.000+09:00

Nanna's become a bit lonely since Pop passed away earlier this year. She's been giving my parents subtle guilt trips that she doesn't see her grandchildren often enough. So I took her out to lunch today (again by the river)

Afterwards, we went back to her place and she showed me some of her old craft magazines. I realised just how old they were when I saw a pattern for the "Chieftain" doll:

The first line of the instructions said: "Use nigger-brown cotton fabric for the body". Can you imagine walking into a fabric store and asking them if they had anything in "nigger brown"?! Somehow I don't think they make that colour any more...

summer

2008-12-02T07:54:00.000+09:00

To celebrate the first day of summer, Mum and I went for a picnic by the river yesterday.

And we took the dog of course...

I think Jasper felt the heat a bit more than we did... when we got back to in car he was panting so hard the whole car was shaking!

Hope you all have a lovely summer (or winter)

Another 'roo

2008-11-30T14:13:00.000+09:00

Here's another kangaroo I made this morning.

It's funny how changing the position of the eyes can affect a toy's expression so much:

Mum remarked that she looked a bit dumber than the last one. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with her, but I'm thinking of doing something for The Toy Society's Christmas drop. At the moment I'm working on a new pattern so hopefully I'll have something to show for it in the next few days.

Australia

2008-11-28T16:52:00.000+09:00

Mum and I went and saw Australia today. It was absolutely breathtaking. It went for about three hours but the time just flew. I won't give anything away, but chances are you'll need a tissue. Mum was sobbing uncontrollably by the end.

After that we went shopping. I got this t-shirt as a Christmas present for my brother:
I think it basically sums up his attitude towards life at the moment. Anyone who has ever lived with a teenage boy will know what I mean when I say he's at "that" stage. You know, vocabulary reduced to a series of grunts, hating the entire human race, an obsession with making weapons... actually maybe the last bit's not quite normal... but I love him anyway.

Welcome

2008-11-27T08:19:00.000+09:00

Hello!

I've just started school holidays, and have decided to dedicate them to cooking, sewing, and starting a blog. Basically, I tend to spend way too much time "lurking" on other craft blogs, and I think starting my own blog would help me put myself and my work out there.

Here's a kangaroo I made yesterday:

The little joey in her pouch is actually a finger puppet. She's going to be a Christmas present for my cousin in Texas.