my etsy favourites: things i'm not allowed to buy

I have too many Things. Some big things, but mostly small things, things that don't have any use and take a lot of dusting. My husband was looking for some Useful Thing the other day and found a ceramic cat playing a violin. For some reason this was the last straw and he is now convinced that I have too many things. (I agree, but that cat has REAL WHISKERS. And several bandmates. I'm not getting rid of the cat.)

So when I see Things on Etsy that I want, I add them to my favourites. It's like walking around a shop, filling your cart and then abandoning it. It's almost satisfying.

Plus, I have all these Things ready to buy when I move into a mansion.

happy easter

 

 All photos by Sky Croeser

Every two weeks a group of my friends gets together for Crafternoon. Recently several of us were complaining on missing out on fun ethnic traditions because of our boring backgrounds so this weekend Sky, who is of Greek heritage, hosted Greek Easternoon.

 We made tsourekia together and dyed and polished eggs. Making bread as a group felt like a ritual.

It must seem strange for people from the Northern Hemisphere to see traditional holidays taking place at the opposite end of the seasons. All the traditional symbolism of Easter is about its traditional roots as a spring festival: eggs, rabbits, birth and rebirth, fecundity and fertility.

But summer is so brutal in Perth that this time of year, when the weather starts to cool, feels like a rebirth to me. After being battered by the heat for so long, I feel revitalised by the cooler weather. I want to bake and potter around and nest again. Plants and lawns are recovering from the blistering sun and starting to grow again. We're all coming back to life.

stuff to read, stuff to do

 Here is some stuff for you to look at.

1. The amazing Sara Bauer (@yellowcardigan on Twitter, owner of the world's only comic-making cat Paisley) mdae her own spice rack and then put up a tutorial because I asked her to and she is sweet. This is exactly what I need in my new, smaller kitchen: easily accessible, taking up no counter or cupboard space.

2. This Tumblr is fantastic: Citation Needed, a collection of the worst Wikipedia writing. If you need convincing, read some of my favourites.

3. Please watch this:

"YOU OK YOU OK YOU OK." This is my favourite video of all time maybe? I have it bookmarked so I can watch it when things go wrong in my life. Via Videogum.

4. Yelping with Cormac is a collection of Yelp reviews "written by" Cormac McCarthy. This is hilarious and beautiful.

5. I want to make this, how is it even possible? Radmegan posted a great tutorial but I am pretty sure it is mostly magic. Via Craftzine.

6. This Raindrop music maker is so soothing and happy-making. Play with it for a while.

commonwealth festival

Two weeks ago the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held in Perth. (I never got sick of hearing that acronym. Choggem! Choggem! Choggem!) Perth hoisted up its stockings and tarted itself up for the international visitors, including a Commonwealth Festival which took place in the Cultural Centre. I was drawn there by the international food stalls (OMG best takoyaki ever!) but there was a lot of nice stuff going on, and I took some pretty photos.

70s crafts

 US National Archives, 1972

Lately I've been really digging 1970s crafts. The 70s look is very present in fashion at the moment but I've always loved 70s style. I've noticed some awesome and fun retro craft projects online, so here are some of my favourites!

monster

Hey, didn't this blog used to be about making stuff?



This Christmas (yes, I know, it's only six months ago, jeez) I decided to make a plush toy for my first ever nephew, Oscar. I wanted to make something colourful and fun but soft and safe.



The original sketch. I wanted something simple and huggable (and easy to sew).



I made a simple template with paper and used super-soft 'minky' fabrics and felt.



"I wonder if I can pull these off and choke on them?"



TOO CUTE.

Stamping is awesome

I carved my first stamp! It is a little bird. It came out a bit wonky but I prefer to think of it as rustic!



I just used an eraser and a craft knife, although I've just bought some carving tools which will hopefully help me make the next one a bit more polished. It's so much fun, I can't wait to make more!