Busy Days Ahead

The next few days are going to be crazy busy. As of today I will be sewing like the Mad Hatter, making curtains.
On top of that there are big plans to remove the carpet from the only room that still has the nasty stuff. Once that is done, work will begin laying new floor boards.
It is an exciting time, but will mean that you won't hear from me hear for about a week.
But before I go here's a little something that I wanted to share. Something from my childhood…



Over and out.

Kathy Comes Home

Remember this Kate Bush song — Wuthering Heights?

Did You Hear That?

OMG… This I Have To See

Everyone's Taking A Chance

Who remembers the The Safety Dance? I remember hearing this on vinyl when I was a lil‘ kid. Lord, I loved this song. Other songs I remember hearing on that particular vinyl included Making Love Out of Nothing At All (Air Supply), Reckless (Australian Crawl), I Walk Away (Split Enz). Those were the days. I really loved the 80s.



I didn't know. Did you?
The Safety Dance writer Ivan Doroschuk, explained that The Safety Dance is a protest against bouncers stopping dancers pogoing to 1980s New Wave music in clubs. New Wave dancing, especially pogoing, was different from Disco dancing, because it was done individually instead of with partners and involved holding the torso rigid and thrashing about. The bouncers didn't like pogoing so they would tell pogoers to stop or be kicked out of the club. Thus, the song is a protest and a call for freedom of expression.

Run Silent, Run Deep

After yesterday's blog entry I still have Shakespear's Sister on my mind. Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit so totally rocked.

20 Questions

I noticed Pip's blog entry for 20 Questions, and thought I'd play along:

1. Sweet or Savoury? Sweet & Savoury — I love eating it all.
2. Dresses or Jeans? Dresses & Jeans — I am a casual dresser, but love the opportunity to get all dressed up. 
3. House or Apartment? House — I like having space to move and breathe.
4. Shop Online or Offline? Offline (& Online) — Online does have it's appeal when I struggle to find those rare items. But nothing beats walking around inside Borders and touching the books before I buy.
5. DVDs or Downloads? DVDs — I like having the pretty package to go with the film. But when it comes to PS3 games I am into the downloadable packages, because they are so economical.
6. Cocktails or Juice? I fantasize about trying those tropical cocktails, but so far have stuck to my juice.
7. Chocolate or Strawberry? Chocolate & Strawberry — it causes me pain to make a choice.
8. Laptop or PC? Labtop in a heart beat (if I had one), I love that you can do your work anywhere, with a labtop.
9. Magazines or Newspapers? Magazine girl.
10. Facebook or Twitter? Facebook — I like to keep it simple. With my blogging I don't have the energy to share every brain fart that I have.
11. CDs or MP3s? CDs & MP3s — I go both ways. I like to be economical in this department, but sometimes you just can't beat the album artwork.
12. Kids or Pets? Kids & Pets — Why choose, when you can have it all.
13. Macaron or Cupcakes? Cupcakes — I have no idea what a macaron is, but I do know what a cupcake is, and I love eating those.
14. Walk or Run? Walk — running is hard on the joints, and besides you can burn the same amount of energy walking the same distance that you might have run.
15. Breakfast in Bed or Breakfast Out? Breakfast Out — Someone else cleans up the mess.
16. Market or Supermarket? Market & Supermarket — Depends what groceries is needed.
17. Sourdough or Grainy? Sourdough & Grainy — It's all good.
18. Heels or Flats? Flats mostly — I like to be comfortable. But the heels come out when I dress up.
19. Late nights or Not? Late nights — I am most definitely a night owl, and not a morning person.
20. Coffee or Tea? Tea — I generally find Coffee to be way too strong for me. So much as one sip of coffee and I am bouncing off the walls.

It's All About The Albums

I don't think there has every been a time that I wasn't inspired by music. I was always surrounded by it. Whether it was the music I loved or hated. Funnily enough, some of the music that truly disturbed me during my baby/toddler years, has come to be amongst my favorites as a fully grown adult. I guess if you hear it often enough, you get used to it.
I would like to talk about the music that moved me. Now I couldn‘t go through it all, otherwise I‘d be here all night. So I‘ll do the next best thing. I‘ll just talk about the albums that changed and moved me…


When I was about 1O years of age I was blown away by a girl pop-rock band called Shakespear‘s Sister. About a year later, on a Friday night, my parent‘s took me to JB Hi-Fi. This was a monumental evening for me because this was to the night that I would hold in my hands my first ever compact disc album. I was drawn to Shakespear‘s Sisters‘ debut album, so my parent's bought that for me. I felt so grown up beginning my CD music collection with this particular album. The music had a hard edge, but was also very feminine. Sacred Heart is good for a listen if it is the end of the week, your boss has annoyed you, your boyfriend has broken up with you, you‘re recovering from that lovely time of the month, and you are about to get ready for a night in town with the girls.

As soon as I saw Vanessa-Mae: Violin Player being promoted on television I just knew that this was something for me. At the time of getting this album I must have been in year 10. Vanessa-Mae‘s album moved and excited me. Never before had I realised that a classical player could do for the violin what Jimmy Hendrix did for the electric guitar. In fact to describe this album with just one word, I would say — electrifying.

Harry Connick Jr made me sit up straight and listen when he came out with the album She. I was almost through high school — I‘d say about year 11. After hearing the same old, same old on the radio Harry's old school big band sounds blaring out of the radio simply blew me away. Such a breath of fresh air, was this album. He really made me wish I had been born on the banks of the Mississippi.

At the same time that Harry Connick Jr found me, Sheryl Crow was another to also enter my heart. My reaction to both these artists were similar. I just could not believe that commercial radio was playing anything as pure as these two. It was like tasting nothing but junk food, then somebody putting something flavorsome, spicy and wholesome on my dinner plate. For the first time in ages I was listening to something real and from the heart.

I wear my sunglasses at night… So I can, so I can

Fashion Blogger Isaiah Garza has this to say about his sunglasses:


If you liked this little video you can cast your vote to this sincere designer over at the Sunglasses Hut.


You can also check out Isaiah's blog at Fashion Munster — TheFashionMunster.blogspot.com


Don't forget to have a look in at his website which is filled with images of elegant, lady-like garments and jewellery with feathery, flowery elements. You will also find a very personal opening statement. I love Isaiah's use of Kate Bush's music. Very appropriate, I thought.


Good luck with it all Isaiah!

Where To From Here

The next few months there will be a shift in focus. Normally I have been able to work on lots of little art projects. But I am taking a break from that.
This of course does not mean a complete time out, from sewing, drawing, cutting, hammering and gluing. In fact there will be more of this.
The time has come for some “home improvements”. An expression that brings joy and can still make you shudder. We are filled with joy just thinking about the end result. As we shudder, anticipating the uncertainty, and anxiety that comes with fixing up the home.
These home improvements some of it will be DIY and there is a lot to do. Following are just some of the things we are looking at doing:

• Replace old yucky carpet in master and replace with Gunstock Solid Maple floor boards.
• Fix the tiles in bathroom.
• Install shelving. Lot and lots of shelving.
• Convert back yard space into a sheltered entertainment area.

Just Very Quickly

The toddler is napping and I have a moment to do a few of my own things — Some embroidery, drawing and mentioning this…


There is a blog giveaway over at Handmade Kids, for this gorgeous Poppy, Bean & Bloss doll. Check it out now.

A Beautiful Trap

A few weeks ago I noticed this cobweb in my carport, and simply had to photograph this piece of work.
A cobweb is a spider's home and food trap. It's design is purely out of necessity. And yet from a human eye it is a work of art.
Funny to think that I am so terrified of spiders yet can stop to appreciate what they create. But alas as beautiful as this web is it isn't meant to last long. And sure enough it was gone the next day.

I am reminded of a story from Aesop Fables, called —

The Silkworm and Spider

Having received an order for twenty yards of silk from Princess
Lioness, the Silkworm sat down at her loom and worked away with
zeal. A Spider soon came around and asked to hire a web-room near
by. The Silkworm acceded, and the Spider commenced her task and worked
so rapidly that in a short time the web was finished. "Just look at
it," she said, "and see how grand and delicate it is. You cannot but
acknowledge that I'm a much better worker than you. See how quickly
I perform my labors." "Yes," answered the Silkworm, "but hush up,
for you bother me. Your labors are designed only as base traps, and
are destroyed whenever they are seen, and brushed away as useless
dirt; while mine are stored away, as ornaments of Royalty."

"True art is thoughtful, delights and endures."

That Which We Call A Rose

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

— William Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet)

Tuesday Wafflings

Doodling in Photoshop

Progress on Noir embroidery

There are quite a few projects I want to get started on. Some are house sized and some small. Though I hardly know where to begin.
When it gets like this I know it is time to make a list.
I also have an embroidery project which I still need to finish. So I'll make that my priority for this week. Just so I can say that it is finally done.

Extra! Extra!

A few more pieces of my art have been made available for sale at Red Bubble. You can visit my Red Bubble profile right here… http://www.redbubble.com/people/emjie

Enjoy the Sunshine

I couldn't ask for a nicer day. After two days of near constant rain the garden is looking magnificent. With a bit of grooming back in Autumn the rose bushes have truly taken off and have dozens of flowers in full bloom.
The day is looking bright and warm. It is the perfect day to be spending out of doors, enjoying the sunshine. Whether that be with a spot of gardening, a walk to the local shops or even a trip to the park.
When it is like this one of my favorite things is to put on a hat, make a sandwich, grab a reading book and go sit in the backyard and bask in the mild sunshine. And if it gets to warm I just move a bit into the shade.