Craft projects and other neat things

Our time is precious, so let's cut straight to it. Below is a quick list of project tutorials I've put together, people who have my attention and stuff I like.

Fresh art and craft projects:

Pop art printmaking

Elephant drinking station

Paper frog

Project inspiration from the archives:

Butterfly wall art

Ladybug brooch

Paper flower headband

Quick picks – admirable people; inspirational stuff:

Ellia Ana Hill: IG

The No Boy: Author – Ellia Ana Hill

Emma Knights: Freelance musician

Twenty Eighteen

These days I'm not much of a fan of New Year's Resolutions. Back in the day when I used to write those lists my resolve was bound to backfire. Looking back, I now understand my resolutions did not come with action plans or came with too high an expectation.

2018 is nearing completion, and no, I am not going to write a NYR. Instead I intend on using the next few weeks to rest, and take mental stock.

Doing the mental stock thing, I am following the recommendations of Marie Forleo. Marie is pure rocket fuel for my brain. Watching her videos really makes me think. And I do not mind revisiting her old videos, because, you know what? It's easy to forget, and travel off course. You are The Captain of your journey, but every good Captain refers to their Navigator. Yes, Marie is a Navigator of sorts.

With those brain farts out of my system, I want to share with you, my 2018 in review.

Let it begin:

Leonard Street (Australian indie fashion label) invited me to showcase my sloth doll designs in their Fitzroy store. The sloths are handmade armature (meaning, the limbs can move) felt dolls. Their clothes were made from the offcuts of Leonard Street fabric. Such an amazing project.

I am a regular contributor for the craft arm of My Poppet. My content has ranged from felt to paper projects. An exciting highlight was attending PAX as a media representative for My Poppet. Reporting my experience of this colossal event for My Poppet Living.

I have been a regular craft design contributor for the Australian magazine, Handmade.

I produced a downloadable ebook – a tutorial for making a simpler version of my Leonard St sloth designs.

I received a commission to make classroom finger puppets. The puppets were intended as a classroom tool, for students to express their feelings, in their transition to high school. These finger puppets have armature in the arms.

Although not craft design orientated, it is a worthwhile point to mention, I was hired as a photographer for a Fortieth Birthday celebration. It was both a highlight of my year and a creative job, therefore worth mentioning.

Worthy mention:

I handcrafted a felt furniture set. The bed and couch were designed to suit the dimensions of an LOL doll...

... and it was well received.

Surf's Up

Art by Melissa Gaggiano.

An Evening with Megan Hess

    A couple of evenings ago I put on my gravity defying black buckle high heels, coffee coloured lipstik and headed into the city to The Willows for a celebration of illustrator Megan Hess and her book Fashion House: Illustrated Interiors from the Icons of Style.

    The first part of the evening was spent looking through a gallery of Megan's work, talking with other fellow attendees of this soiree, and eating canapes [a first for me]. Champagne and wine was also on the menu but being that I was a bit dehydrated upon arrival I simply had a glass of water.

    Further into the evening we were led to a conservatory. From there we watched and listened to a relaxed, couch side conversation with Megan Hess, conducted by Sally Williams.

    Then we finished the evening with a book signing, which included a quick chat with the lovely illustrator of the hour.

    It was a happy and inspiring evening for me. At a time when I was thinking of retiring my drawing hand, Megan encouraged me to keep at it. I also learnt that she works with Japanese brush pens, so that'll be next on my art supply list.

    Oh, and I just have to say, Megan's book, Fashion House, is dreamy and gorgeous. It is a wonderful piece to have in my library. I have been staring at the pages every day since I came home with it.

Marc Martin's A Forest

    I have this book on my list of 'absolute must haves'. It is a watercolour illustrated book by Marc Martin titled A Forest. I first heard of this wonderful artist [and book] via Jacky Winter. A Forest is available through Penguin publishers. Yay for us!

Illustrated book by Marc Martin.

Illustrated book by Marc Martin.

Should You Be In Richmond, Virginia

    ... Just a quick note to anyone reading my blog, should you be living near Richmond, Virginia, USA or plan to be visiting the place in oh... say... the next twenty four hours, the lovely author, Candice Ransom, will be doing a Saturday book signing for her new book Iva Honeysuckle Discovers the World. For more information visit Candice's blog... http://www.candiceransom.com/honeysucklevine/2012/ivas-launch-book-signing/
If you know some book lovers in Virginia be sure to spread the word.

Welcome to Iva's World



Photography by Candice Ransom

    The author Candice Ransom, a childhood favourite of mine, is now celebrating the release of her book and cheeky new character - Iva Honeysuckle. The book is called Iva Honeysuckle Discovers the World, published by Disney Hyperion.
    Come join the party and help Iva and Candice celebrate the publication of this pretty book... http://www.candiceransom.com/honeysucklevine/2012/publication-day-party/


Photography by Candice Ransom

Annie's Pilgrimage

Image by Melissa Gaggiano

  Excitable me here! The other day I visited a bookshop with a gift card in hand. It has been a while since I last bought a book so I was looking forward to my little splurge. What with my burgeoning love of photography it was little wonder that I chose this book - Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz.
    As the title implies the book covers Annie's pilgrimage, over the years, to the homes of people that interested her. This photographic essay is part history lesson [but not the boring kind] with a personalised account. I am seeing the homes of Virginia Woolf and Emily Dickinson [to name a few] through the camera and personal senses of Annie. This book is a treat.

Admiration, Projects, Ideas and Music

    So what is happening in the world of Melissa? I am reading Neon Angel by Cherie Currie and I am hooked, line and sinker. I am so into it that I have created an ipod playlist that includes Joan Jet, David Bowie, Blondie, Billy Idol, The Divinyls. What is the theme here? Well I guess it's vintage rock mixed with essence of pop - old school baby. 


Neon Angel written by Cherie Currie, with Tony O'Neill

    I am also working on my granny square project - 52 squares down. I just gotta work on that momentum.
    I am brainstorming new photography ideas. And of course Cherie's book has been inspiring me and I have had a whole bunch of fresh ideas burning a hole in my brain since 3 o'clock this morning. So you can imagine I am a bit tired this morning.
    I have saved my first piece for my eventual pinhole camera. It is a baby formula cannister. My next step will be to spray the inside of the can with black matte paint.
    Yonks ago I had a Vogue magazine with this creative fashion shoot involving balloons. I was reminded of the photoshoot when my daughters were playing with balloons the other day. The photography in question was by Sølve Sundsbø and here are some examples from his balloon fashion shoot...


Image by Sølve Sundsbø 



Image by Sølve Sundsbø



Image by Sølve Sundsbø



Image by Sølve Sundsbø



Image by Sølve Sundsbø



Image by Sølve Sundsbø



Image by Sølve Sundsbø

I Like Flowers

     I like flowers. Indeed I do. There are roses in my garden, as well as zinnias, marigolds, sweetpeas and gardenias.
    This week I have been busy with the usual things that need doing around the house, as well as trying to recover from a head cold, playing with the girls, reading the Trueblood Omnibus [for the third time], and crocheting granny squares. Never a dull moment.

Good Reads

    Today I picked up a copy of Frankie. I was pleased to see it so choc-a-block packed with inspiring and laugh out loud reads.
    I am also re-reading Sense and Sensibility, written by Jane Austen.
    You know, by saying this some people will probably want to throw books at me, but I think Marianne Dashwood is a bit of a twit. Her melodramatics are beyond ridiculous sometimes. In her warped sense of the world she will easily insult good people, and speak cruelly of her acquantances. But then shows an acute sensitivity to anyone making light of her romantic sensibilities. There are many times when she hurts Elinor's feelings by accusing her of no feeling simply because her sister prefers to take the cautious path in life. Elinor understands well enough that much damage can result in character iftoo exposed to the public. Marianne feels a life is half lived without absolute drama. Inevitably this sick pleasure for gratifying her absolute joy and heartache does lead to ill health, and near death, as she chose to not take good care of her own well being.
    And there you have it. That's what I think of young Marianne Dashwood. I cannot help but wonder. When Jane created this character, did she despise her? Was she based on someone she knew? A sister, perhaps?

Twilight Vol 2

I am so, so happy to hear that Twilight: The Graphic Novel Vol 2 will finally be coming out 11th October, this year. This book has been a long time coming. But if it is anything like the first graphic novel it will be worth the wait. All the same, I can hardly wait.

WIP It

I am still knitting a winter skirt for Gwennie. You can see the progress as per the above photo.


What else can you see in that photo?

• There is a sketch/art journal, which includes my knitting notes.
• There is a mess of wool — which my daughter got stuck into and had fun with.
• A dressmakers measuring tape, so I know when to stop knitting.
• And there is a library book, that I have just started reading — Ghouls Gone Wild by Victoria Laurie.

Candice, Kobie & Me

When I was about age ten, I was given the book Fourteen and Holding, written by Candice Ransom. It was my first teen book, and it was an absolute hit — being about Kobie Roberts, a young teen coping with family, friends, bullies and herself. The book now looks quite pounded because I read it over and over, so many times. Then when I was twelve, I was allowed to order through book club the follow up book Fifteen At Last. I was so excited about reading the continuing adventures of Kobie.

The author, Candice Ransom has written more than a hundred children's books. That is amazing to me, as I am someone who struggles just to finish short stories, or write even a single coherent blog entry. :)

I highly recommend visiting Candice's website, which is filled with lovely, interesting details about the author:

http://www.candiceransom.com/

And it is only natural, being that Candice is a writer, that she keeps a blog:

http://candice-ransom.livejournal.com/

…

Thank you Candice, for your lovely response to my email.

New French Country

Recently I borrowed a fabulous book from the library — New French Country: A Style and Source Book by Linda Dannenberg.

I highly recommend this book to almost anyone as it can appeal and be a handy resource to a wide and varied spectrum of people. Such as crafters, historians, interior designers, gardeners, people simply wanting inspiration to redecorate their own home, francophiles. It also goes without saying (though I am going to anyway), New French Country is a wonderful choice as a coffee table book.

New French Country provides a cross section of current country style within Provence* (a region in France's South East). Let me say, as one who has been long seeking just the right inspiration for redesigning my home, and coming up short, finding this book in the library has provided me with the perfect solution.

The photos in New French Country portray a country style with an elegance which sometimes seems to be missing in the modern home. In today's world where so much of what we own is mass produced, a lot of intricate detail is missing. But back in the old days to have something made — a cabinet, a quilt, you name it — quite a bit of time and craftmanship went into the product.

To recap, coming across a book like New French Country truly is like finding Leprechaun's bucket of gold. I'll definitely add New French Country to my Christmas wish list, because I just know it'll be a difficult day when I return this book to the library.

* Did you know? When the Romans conquered Provence in the 2nd Century BC they named the area Provincia Nostra, which means ‘our province’. So the name in French then became Province. 

Indeed I am…

… a lucky thing.

Just now in the mail I received the above book, Cupcakes and Muffins: Collectors Edition. This lovely book of scrumptious cake treats was a prize giveaway, recently hosted by the generous Jenaveve of August Street: Tales of a Seamstress.

It really is a fantastic book. The layout is very easy to follow, plus very pretty. Just by opening the book I feel like I have uncovered the secrets of the Mad Hatter. What a great excuse to have a tea party.

Thank you Jenaveve!

Awesome

So today, in the mail I was treated to find a very large parcel completely filling my letterbox. The parcel was none other than the very book that I reviewed a few weeks back — The Essential Principles of Graphic Design.

Debbie Millman, the author sent me my very own copy of this book, as the original that had been reviewed had been a library book. And for that extra special warm fuzzy feeling the book is signed by Debbie.

To read my review of this book, simply follow this link.

Thank you Debbie. I look forward to re-reading your book, and referencing it many times in the future.

Trades, Needlecraft & Stamps

As part of a trade (organised by fellow blogger, Claire of claribell.wordpress.com), today I received by post a massive package wrapped in brown paper (I love it when things are wrapped in brown paper... I can't explain why).  It is a 480 page book of glorious needlecrafts. This is a fantastic reference guide for me because I do want to enhance the things I sew by adding little extra decorating details.

As an added bonus, I do collect stamps. So I got to add these New Zealand stamps into my collection.

In return for this fabulous book which Claire sent me, she will be receiving one of my signature Hoo Owls.

Thank you Claire!

Knit Knit

I highly recommend you borrow this book from the library... Knit Knit written by Sabrina Gschwandtner.

It is filled with profiles and designs of some truly radical domestic knitters. I have been reading this book and it has inspired me to pull out my own knitting needles and practice knitting and even some crochet.

I have been bitten!

Okay! So what? I am hooked, line and sinker... on the vampire story Twilight.

It all happened on a Thursday night. Just last week. I drift off into an eventful sleep. Three times that night I dreamt of nothing but Twilight. Which is funny considering the only thing I knew of the film came from the trailers I had viewed several months back. And even more strange was that I hadn't even been thinking about Twilight.

So Friday morning I awaken with an irrepressible urge. I must buy the film Twilight.

I visited Southland, picked up the film at JB, then on my way out I stop off at the bookshop. 'What the heck! I'll go all the way'. I bought the book Twilight, written by Stephenie Meyer, which the film was based on.

I have now watched the film. Twice!

I am reading the book, nice and slowly so I can absorb the words. I normally have this habit of practically speed reading through my books.

My computer desktop now has rotating Twilight wallpaper.

Oh yeah! And I now have the soundtrack.

I have been bitten. I always did like a good vampire film, dating back to The Lost Boys. And now this story is perfect for me, because it is actually a love story rather than being horror based. Swoon.