Movember

Heard of Movember? The month long moustache celebration to raise funds for research and support towards prostate cancer and mental health?

The Faux Mo Badge by Marika

Well, Maz has been busy making cute badges for those of us who can't grow a mo but would also like to help out. Cool huh? I think she'll have more info on her blog soon...

Spoilt

Swappy goodness package from Edan Rose

How lucky am I to get two items from a swap? Trinkets from Georgie Love

What better way to celebrate my return from the Twilight saga coma (obsessed I tell you, I was am) than to share with everyone some items I was lucky enough to receive as part of the latest Georgie Love Swapabalooza.

I received two gifts for the price of one because my parcel was a little delayed coming to me so Sally of Georgie Love made sure I didn't miss out by sending me more stuff.

Megan of Edan Rose just opened a new shop and even though it was a little delayed, I received lots of trinkets from her - bird softies, bracelet and a ring.

From Sally, loads of interesting items including a craft music CD, fabric swatches, buttons, antique keys and tags recycled from old cereal boxes. Very environmental. :)

I love stuff but it's slowly dawning on me that I'm a bit of a hoarder.

The secret is out

Foray into printed media

So according to my family, I'm famous. A few weeks ago I was interviewed for a story on blogging and whether social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter have killed blogging. I didn't say so but apparently they have . The article was featured in the Green Guide section in The Age. If you're really keen, go check out the full article.

I am a little tickled when my friends say after reading the article and with a hint of sympathy in their tone, "Oh at least it's a good picture". Come on guys, my quote wasn't that bad! Independent designers have used blogging as a successful marketing tool. Look at Lara, Aunty Cookie, Cheeky Beaks...!

In other "news", stay tuned for pics of my new clutch which features one of Louise's pretty buttons.

Clutch

Navy Leather Clutch painstakingly handmade by me

I've disappeared for a while due to work commitments, a bit of interstate travel and catching a cold! Boo for me for catching a cold and having work commitments. But it was lovely to see my cousins in Sydney. I also gave them the nappy cake I talked about previously and they loved it!

I have managed to do some crafting while I've been away from the blog however. I completed my first leather clutch as seen in the photo above. I am really loving working with leather. It's not the easiest medium to work with but I'm really getting there. Slowly.

My friend asked me what I would sell it for, and I didn't really know how to respond. I mean, it took me aaages so how do I factor in the 10 hours I spent on it? I really need to speed things up before I can make a sustainable business out of my crafts.

Excuse me, do you have any talent to spare?

Berlin Bar - Interior Design by Yelena Beylin Perry

Every day I am blown away by so many amazing creative people out there, following their dreams and making it a reality. I am so inspired by their passion and dedication to their chosen field. Yelena, a friend I met while we were both working as slaves at the not so local cinema, is one of these super creative people.

She has been an Interior Designer for the last 5 years and has produced some amazing work - like her design for Berlin Bar, pictured above. She has recently launched her website too which I am so pleased to be sharing with you - Arium Design.

Check out some of her stuff - you may have been to a bar she's designed!

There's a chair in there

Finally something crafty to show!

The chair before

The chair after the restoration project

A few weeks ago, we found an abandoned chair pretty much on our front doorstep. I was initially quite annoyed that an idiot left their rubbish in our common property to be someone else's problem but after some further inspection, we realised the chair was in quite good shape despite the insides falling apart and not wanting to sit on it for fear of falling through.

So aside from the fact that neither Nathan or I had ever restored a chair before, we thought we would give it a go. After working on it on and off for a few weeks and after a fair share of expletives expended from our mouths, we turned this piece of trash into treasure. Nathan stripped back the wood and gave a few coats of satin varnish while I worked on finding new foam inserts and making new covers.

For more pics, check out my new flickr page.

And, does Lara really need any more publicity for her fabric? ;)

If you want to see even better restoration projects, check out Heather's blog.

Yes but, can it take calls?

Feeling a little attached

I used to be proud of my phone with no features other than to make and receive calls. No camera, no applications, no blue tooth connectivity, no music player and no 3G connectivity. I never stressed when I left it at home or in the car. Nor did I feel any pain when I dropped it on the floor (several times).

This was until recently I was laughed at by someone I least expected while saying my phone was "sooo old". In that moment I went from feeling no emotion toward my phone to feeling ashamed and wanted to bury my little dinosaur to the bottom of my handbag and ignore it when it rang.

So I have sold out. I am now expecting my new iphone to arrive in the mail. This should be a proud moment but it's not. I feel confused! Do I really need a phone which can play air hockey with me?

P.s. This little pic is a Karin Q original. Knocked up using my very basic Adobe Illustrator skills. :)