Just a minunte in February

Got in in the nick to time. To join in and see who else is playing visit Jen.

Listening: To ' Live at Sugar Mountain" Neil Young, it's a gorgeous album with him talking through it, is his cute and appealing Kermit the frog sounding voice. Also Fireside Bellows an amazing collabration between Jordie Lane and Tracy McNeill. It's a REALLY BEAUTIFUL album too and if you don't know it, well I highly recommend it.

Watching: West Wing- now onto season 2. Still loving it, ( this well be my answer for a while)

Making: Bears of course. Right now I'm finishing off an Eric, and then I plan to either tackle the next Colin head, or perhaps do another bear a bit like Beetle.

Planning: To go to the Phoenex Bush Fire Appeal at East Brunswick Club tomorrow

                  To go to the Ghostpatrol/catrabbit exhibition soon

                  Get some stock up before the Book comes out.

Wanting: M. Wards's "Hold Time", "Dark was the Night" LP, Pains of being Pure at heart self titled LP, Andrew Bird's " Noble Beast".

the peach season never to end. 

All the fires to stop.

Reading: Climate Code Red by Philip Sutton and David Spratt. An amazing book on Climate Change with a solution and a really positive out look on how we can turn the effects of Climate Change around.

Frosty fun

Ok Confession time, I love defrosting my fridge. Remember my beautiful old Kelvinator, well he aint no frost free guy, and he likes to get icy. When it first started happening  I wasn't sure at all what was going on, I thought perhaps there was something wrong with it, ( I'm meaning the icing up etc) and being a child and innocent of the frost free fridge era. I spoke to Mum, and she explained I needed to defrost it, and "it was a pain in the....." So last year prepared for a terrible job, I embarked on my first defrosting. Well I have to say I never feel so satisfied. I'm not the sort of lay back and wait for the hot water to do it's trick defroster, i'm more the get involved defroster, standing there with my knife stabbing at big icicles and ripping them out. It's so much fun trust me, and it is strangely addictive and obsessive, before you ( ok or I and may be the only one in the world) know it you've spent you whole morning pulling bits of ice out of your fridge. "OH just that one, and maybe no look at that one).

Now it was second time to do it, and I've got my whole system perfected, it's quite methodical and sort of recyling too. With the bits of ice pulled from the fridge I make make-do eskis in which I put all the usual fridge foods in, and with the melted ice and the hot water from the defrosting now gone cold I put on my garden.

Ok I just have realised how much I have written on my excitement and systems over defrosting and aware of how scary and crazy it looks. I will stop now before I scare you ( and myself) anymore.

My creative space

i'm playing along with Kirst this week.

Trusty old couch. Too many bears on the go and my usual crafty chaos.

Left front, the sort pile of green, orange, white and tan yarns, and crocheted bits  are of  the current Scooter I'm hoping to finish off today, with my favourite earless elephant pincushion on top. Behind that we have a Panda head for the next Eric, next to that is Mr Rusty, just keeping me company, a granny square( god knows why) a old knitted bear from the oppy.

In front of old knitted bear, there's the current reject head for my next Colin, that has caused me quite a lot of frustration because I really thought I had got "it" you know or I was there or I was happy and it was right, but then I put the proper eyes in and well no to put it frankly and there I find it more heartbreaking when you've spent a lot of time on something and it's almost done and then disaster. It's partly why I've been a bit absent from blogging I've been so absorbed in this bear, the mohair bear and pattern work can for me anyway be quite obsessive. In front of the reject head is the next possible pattern for next Colin head I've drawn up and some chopticks which are my stuffing sticks. On the right next to them is Gus my beautiful old bear, who Colin is inspired by and he's leaning against a gorgeous old redwork pillow  I found on ebay, a long time ago now, before redwork was "worth" anything.

thanks Kirsty, to play along and see who else is joining in head over here.

OH!

Fun ways to help

If you like music, there are quite a few benefit gigs coming up for the Victorian Bush Fire Appeal.

The Corner has two events, including a blues one, Northcote Social Clubs covering folk and there's also one at East Brunswick Club.

Beetle!!

Beetle is my latest new bear, and she has been specially made for the Art Fights Fire, a benefit in which all the proceeds well go to help with the Victorian Bush Fire appeal.

It is quite unusual for me to make a girl bear, as I'm rather sexist and belief all bears are boys, but as a bear maker you have to understand I am only partly in control of the bears that I make, the other part they just seem to do themselves sort of like babies, you know, like their own little personality comes through. OK I'm probably sounding nuts, but it's true. Like with Beetle, I knew her name was Beetle and she was a girl as soon as she was just a head with pinned on ears and eyes, she was already there, bursting out of that little bodiless head. Others well they are a bit more shy, they take a while to tell me their name and come out of their shell.

Anyway more about Beetle. She is fully jointed made from a felted mohair, with hand tea dyed felt pads ( which is why they are uneven) and measured 28cm tall. She has one vintage button and one antique shoe button for eyes, and not much of a nose ( too much kissing). She is hopefully quite old/vintage looking. She's a happy go lucky girl, nothing is too tough for her, she enjoys skipping and cucumber sandwiches.

She is one of a kind, and comes with the vintage knitted singlet/dress, and she is very excited to be part of this special event Gemma is running.

THere are a heaps of amazing artists and crafters contributing so please check it out! And tickets are on sale now from these places.

Sadness

I haven't felt like blogging much in the past few days. I just wanted to write I quick note and say my heart goes out to all the people who've been affected by the fires, lost homes, family, friends, loved ones, everything. The countless volunteers and firefighters fighting the fires, the people who work in the burns units, organizations working to support and comfort families are all incredible hereos.

I feel strangely uncomfortable, here safe in my home, and there are people out there suffering unbelievably, have nothing and are forced to start again sometimes less than an hour away.  It is all too horrific. 

You can donate to the fire appeal at the Red Cross 

. Money is probably the thing that is needed the most at the moment, and even if it's only a little  you can give, a little goes a long was. Just think if everyone donated $5 for example, it would actually be alot.

For other ways to help, visit Meet Me at Mikes, Handmade Help and over here too.

Clem Bastow is collecting toiletries today at rrr today, as they have been called for urgently and will distribute them to the necessary organizations , things like sanitary napkins, shampoo, soaps, babies products, toothpaste etc. The little annoying things that you need, but don't necessarily want to spend money or get overlooked , especially in a time a crisis. Feeling clean is another way of feeling more human.

Book Love

The Lonesome Puppy, originally uploaded by Carpathian Psychonaut.

I'm probably way behind the eight ball as per usual but the other day when I went into Polyester in the city ( which was pure torture there are so many cds I want to buy and more on the way too), and while the guy was getting the cds out of the cupboard filey thing, I picked up this book and read it, and totally fell in love with it. It is so beautiful, the sort of beautiful that makes you cry and make little noises out loud. You know? Anyway if you don't have it or know it or haven't read it, BUY IT! Your life will be better for it.

The Lonesome Puppy

The Lonesome Puppy, originally uploaded by Carpathian Psychonaut.

I'm probably way behind the eight ball as per usual, but yesterday when I was in Polyester in the city ( which was pure torture! There are so many LPs I want to buy and more on the way) I picked up this book and read it while the guy was getting the cds from the cupboard file thing, and fell in love. It is soooooo beautiful, you know the sort of beautiful that makes you gasp and cry a little and make noises out loud. So if you don't know it or haven't read it, BUY IT! Your life will be better from it.

Now I Wanna Be Your Dog

Now I Wanna Be Your Dog, originally uploaded by Gianni Motti Assistant.

I'm probably way behind the eight ball as per usual, but yesterday when I was in Polyester in the city ( which was pure torture! There are so many LPs I want to buy and more on the way) I picked up this book and read it while the guy was getting the cds from the cupboard file thing, and fell in love. It is soooooo beautiful, you know the sort of beautiful that makes you gasp and cry a little and make noises out loud. So if you don't know it or haven't read it, BUY IT! Your life will be better from it.

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen, originally uploaded by Ron-Dorothy.

And tonight I see this man!! How lucky am I?

Still Flyin'

I saw these guys last night, they were great!! It was really like one big party!!! Everyone was dancing and at the last song, there were almost more people on stage than wathcing.