28.7.12

POP UP SHOP ! ! !


You know my incredibly inspiring friend Michele aka tinytrappings? Of course you do, I do tend to go on about her a bit, because well, I love her and her amazing art and love to follow her creative adventures! And her latest one is that of a pop up art space on Sydney's lower North Shore. Michele and 7 other artists have taken over some derelict shop fronts in Crowsnest and turned them into places of wonder where the community can come in and be inspired and actively participate in some art and craft. There is lots more to see too but I have only focused on Michele here, because she is one one of my heroes.

So come on in...!





Michele in her cosy nook where she will be crafting away for the next few months. Pop in and say hello!


Read more about this fantastic initiative from North Sydney Council here.

Anna, Queen of Pompoms




This is my mate Anna and her amazing fleet of pompoms. Anna is a mama, graphic designer, photographer and a craftitian with a penchant for finding rad bargains. She has a wonderful eye for colour, detail & style. You can swing past Anna's gorgeous blog, Rummey Bears here to see more of this inspiring lady and her beautiful photos.


Oh & she also does a pretty mean emu shadow.



20.7.12

Making a Fleece Ball

'The ball is the first toy a child should have, for it is the symbol of the whole.' 
-Friedrich Fröbel


I picked up a a book from the library about making toys that evoke using the imagination. And although my son is a wee bit beyond first toys developmentally, I thought I'd start with a simple project of making a fleece ball since I've got quite a bit of yarn up my sleeve at the moment. So here's the how to..


Start with some felt or unspun sheep's wool and randomly wrap it tightly around itself into a ball shape. It will shrink in the making process so make it a third bigger than your intended finish size. (make it small enough to be held by tiny hands but too big too fit into tiny mouths).

 Now wrap randomly some selected colours of yarn around the felt ball for the outer layer.


Submerge the ball in a sink or bowl full of warm water until it is soaked.


Generously squirt the ball with washing up detergent.


Now cup, rub and pack the ball as if you were making a snowball. Keep the roundness of the ball.


Work the ball quickly so that the outer fibers begin the to lock. You'll need to do this for at least 5-7 minutes for the felting to begin. Rinse in cold water, still cupping, rubbing and packing the ball. This helps to firm the locking fibers.

 

Re-submerge the ball in warm water add more detergent if you need to and work at it again for another 5 minutes.

Thoroughly rinse the ball in cold water, sqeezing all of the soap out. Rub in a towel and dry.

The ball will take a long time to dry out properly, place it in front of the heater to speed up the process.


Ta da!

14.7.12

Benja Harney - Pop Up Extraordinaire


 

What a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon - learning the basics of pop up books! Sydney-based paper artist Benja Harney of Paperform conducted the workshop down at Object: Australian Centre for Craft & Design as part of the Making Workshop Series. For all wanting to top up their crafting skills.. yes please!

13.7.12

Dandelions & Banksias



 

 


 Very much into Dandelions & Banksia plants. They're everyday objects round here. Did you know there are hundreds of varieties of Banksia? I didn't until I came across this amazing photo of the Birds Nest Banksia (third image down). My lovely friend Anna pointed out that the yellow ones smell like white jasmine tea mmmmm.

Jona's Dandelion t-shirt from Shorties, by the brilliant kids label Duns.