PUMPKIN OF THE WEEK

Is it me you're looking for?

Easily pumpkin carving of the season via Cornbread and Butterbeans . Some of you might wonder about the validity of Lionel Ritche as a Halloween figure,  personally I have always found Lionel's giant chin terrifying, although perhaps not so terrifying as his latter day musical output.

The other hot contender was this cross stitched version via  Elsie Marley  - she's even done a super simple to follow how to on her website, however as this one cheated by using a fake pumpkin I put it out of the running. Still, pretty cool huh?

BECK

ANOTHER PROJECT OF THE WEEK

candy girl

The last time I made up candy trick or treat bags I had to send my family round the block to knock on the door. I had not one single taker - it was a mite embarrassing to realise that no one in my neighbourhood had embraced Halloween except me.

I'm nothing if not tenacious so I'm having another crack. Perhaps they'll be tempted by my vintage Halloween cards?

Below are the images I've used for you to make your own trick or treat bags (just right click on them and save to your desktop). I promise to knock on your door if you do!

Pretty tempting I think. RAMONA

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

spooky spooky spooky

Halloween fun continues in our house today with a fresh batch of flowers. One bunch is a thank you gift for a new friend who insists on everything (including her football team) being black and white. The branch with the birdies is our Halloween centrepiece for the table. Yes I am on holiday, yes I love this time of year, yes I may have lost my mind. Better whip up a batch for Beck too - so HML will be in total Halloween fever!

In other actual craft news out there in the world. The RMIT Gold and Silversmithing 1st and 2nd year students are having a group show at Storey Hall. It opens tonight and I'm off to check it out on Saturday. I'm always so impressed with the work that comes out of this course but I've only ever seen the graduate shows. Beck has discovered some amazing makers there so I'm determined to see it. It runs 'til the 6th of November which is ridiculously close so get in quick. Does anyone know who did the illustration on the invite? - nice one!

GOT A NICE RING TO IT
Storey Hall Basement
344 Swanston Street
Melbourne
RAMONA

FESTIVAL OF THE WEEK

hoot hoot

have you noticed it? This year Halloween seems to have taken full force in the stores - as if they've just realised this is a brilliant marketing opportunity. All Hallows Eve - as it's been known since the 16th  century - is not a bad holiday to co opt - especially from a crafting point of view. Lets face it, there are costumes, pumpkin carving, and trick or treat bags to make. I picked up my Kent pumpkin to carve this morning at the market and bought too darling little birdies from Cottage Industry to spook up the front door (more on that project tomorrow!)

Of course I've been on board the Halloween spook train for years thanks to my much derided Martha obsession - you want proof - here's a link to a post this time a couple of years ago - lets hope I have better luck this time!

RAMONA

RECAP OF THE WEEK

my pretties

Phew. Last week was just crazytown at HML headquarters. Beck seemed to be doing the work of 10 people while for me it was all about Magnolia Square.My little stand did quite a good trade over three exhausting days, so much so I did a bit of shopping myself!

I was neighbours with the very lovely illustrator Nikki Catalano. This Sydney based gal was so sweet, so talented and so genuine and her prints were walking out the door. Two of them came home with me!

Over the back fence was the lovely Andrea from Melbourne design label Odds and Ends. We loved her knitted cactus at Finders Keepers and I was thrilled to pick one up for the Intern at Magnolia Square

I bought a little tin of monster Xmas tags from illustrator Wendy June whose work is so so good, a little melancholy and little Sendak.

And you know it wouldn't be me if I didn't go nuts at the Cupcake Wrapper Company. I bought cupcake toppers, wrappers and beautiful polka dot paper lanterns! Heaven.

RAMONA

JEWELLERY SHOW OF THE WEEK

up to scale

SCALE PRACTICE

Tonight there are a bunch of new shows opening at Craft Victoria. Really good ones, and as taken as I am by Timothy McLeod's beautiful hand crafted wheelbarrows (they are soooo beautiful) It's this show by installation artists and jewellers Bridie Lunney and Meredith Turnbull that has really got me excited. Both artists work at a variety of scales.The extrapolation of ideas through size, material and technique leads to dynamic outcomes that confound, delight and surprise. I've been transfixed while watching the installation, this one is a corker.  In this exhibition they combine exhibition design, conceptual and practical display and wearable objects, presenting two parallel trajectories that use the impact of scale to create a landscape, while  investigating the possible intersections between wearable and sculptural practices. Neato.

SCALE PRACTICE

Meredith Turnball and Bridie Lunney
22 October – 27 November 2010
Gallery 1 Craft Victoria
Opening TONIGHT, 6-8pm

BECK

SHOW OF THE WEEK part one

me me me

Ok so I promise not to make this week all about me me me but the ladies of HML, so often reporting on what you all are doing, don't often get the chance to head out into the marketplace themselves. Well I'm doing  just that literally this week as I have a stand at Magnolia Square market on Thurs,Fri, Sat.

As well as new cards tags badges and key rings from my Words and Pictures range I'll also be spruiking my veritable garden of fabric flowers. I've been making these since I was little and I'm not sure why its taken me this long to really get serious about them.

It's really like painting still life with fabric. I love it! I promise not to spend the whole week waffling on about the trials and tribulations of getting read for such an event. There is plenty of other stuff going on this week I promise.

The pictures were taken with an iphone then put through two different apps 'tiltshift' and 'lo-mob'.I'm roping Beck in to doing my catalogue tomorrow.

 Wish me luck! RAMONA

GRAND SALE! GRAND SALE!

fete-alistic

'I know I know the weather is disasterous... but that might mean that you can actually snap up a great bargain without having to elbow peeps out the way like its the myer stocktake sale. Beci Orpin is having her annual tiny mammoth sale TODAY at the wimble st childcare co-op fete. She'll be clearing out winter stock and samples/seconds from previous collections, and a few bits of old princess tina stock and some beci orpin samples/seconds too. we have been guaranteed that everything will be cheap and that a percentage of the profits get donated back to wimble st childcare co-op. So you can feel good about spending up big! There will also be the full quota of magnificent fete-y goodness on hand – cake stall, plant stall, trash and treasure stall, bbq etc. Get your umbrella and get on down.

Oh and Sunday there's also the Westgarth primary school fete - this one's easy for me as it's literally just across the road. Last year it featured amongst other things, a rock climbing wall, pony rides and a bedoin tent. It may be missing the pull of a tiny mammoth sale, but i'm sure it will make up for it with the great dodgy bands, second hand book fair, plant, cake and preserve stalls, kids swap meet trash'n'treasure and being a Stephanie Alexander school gardens school EXCELLENT FOOD. Oh and if you needed any further incentives it's not supposed to be raining either.
BECK

finders keepers

no losers or weepers

stand of the day - the storybook rabbit

Well it might be a few days late but finally here are some snaps from our visit to the terrific Finders Keepers market last weekend. Anyone who made the trip through the wastelands and down to the docks will confirm that it was well worth the trip. Great vibe, happy punters, delicious food, good stalls, friendly stallholders and a fantastic range of goodies on sale.

super hip

polka dots and musk lollies at georgie love

felted neck purses from a wilderness for you & me

super cool portable plywood speakerboxes so on the christmas list for this year

the best softies of the day by benconservito

lady punters getting busy

a garden of unearthly handknitted delights by odds and ends handmade

al fresco dining

a birdhouse after my own heart

a forrest full of felties from herbet and friends



georgie loves teddy bears picnic

more goodies from pocket carnival

all hands on decks at roman skateboards

It was just as nice to see some familiar faces with new work as it was to see new faces with familiar work. Big shout outs to the lovely ladies of Harvest Textiles anhd Sally from Georgie Love, great to see you there so busy and enjoying yourselves! Similarly it was terrific to see such a large market that managed to maintain a sense of excitement, community and such a relaxed atmosphere... maybe it was the retro furniture and folky bands playing in the faux loungeroom that managed to transform the gaping shed into something more cosy altogether...who knows? Needless to say however, we'll be back for more.
BECK

SHOW OF THE WEEK

THOROUGHLY MODERN MANNERS

Tara Shackell

Keiko Matsui

Brunswicks Pan Gallery is holding it's Annual Ceramic Art Award again. In this it's second year the artists have been called upon to locate the relevance of traditional societal etiquettes in today's world through the most well mannered of object pairings - the cup and saucer.

Zoe Baker

Sandra Bowkett

This year's winner Nutz Luk Mei Fei

TABLE MANNERS has been co-curated by two of Craft Victoria's finest - Kim Brockett and Anita Cummins and features fifteen works by a range of some of our favourite emerging and established ceramic artists - Zoe Baker, Sandra Bowkett, Naoko Coghlan, Robyn Hosking, Tracey Lanesbury, Vanessa Lucas, Nutz Luk Mei Fei, Sachiko Mardon, Keiko Matsui, Tracy Muirhead, Debra Parkins, Jo Quirk, Tara Shackell, Jane Walton, Gerry Wedd. This years's winner, judged by the lovely and supremely talented Kris Koad  was Nutz Luk Mei Fei, who is the lucky recipent of  both the honor of taking the title and $1500 cash prize. High Tea indeed.
On until October 27
Pan Gallery,
Northcote Pottery Supplies,
142-144 Weston Street, Brunswick East.
BECK

GUEST SPOT OF THE WEEK

long time listener, first time caller

Yes people it's that time of the month again. Ramona will be making her way to the RRR studios and talking up the craftiverse today at 10.30 on the grapevine while I will be stuck talking wallpaper at work. Expect the usual round of exhibitions including TABLE MANNERS at Pan Gallery (more on that tomorrow)

a review of the fabulous FINDERS KEEPERS market held over the weekend, spring craft projects to try...

talk of the week at Harvest Textiles with UK based Australian textile designer Clara Vuletitch of Bricolage fame at Harvest Textiles (Thursday 14th October) ... and of course more about how many hand made presents have been crossed off Ramona's 'extensive' Christmas Craft List. Tune those dials and  Listen up!

BECK

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

We here at HML are big fans of online magazines and we were particularly impressed with the Christmas themed Gifted from Creature Comforts - one of our daily blog reads. Those of you on iphones wont be able to see it so jump on your computers - totally worth a viewing. Be warned- there are alot of ads -but they can be inspiring too. What a great format! We sense a hml online mag for 2011! RAMONA

Open publication - Free publishing - More christmas

MARKET OF THE WEEK

finders keepers jeepers creepers

Ok so what can we say? Finders Keepers, the big indie fair from Sydney has made its way to Melbourne and will be taking over docklands this weekend. It's kind of like if Etsy was Australian and existed in the real world this is what it would look like. The ladies of HML have crazy lives at the moment and  may be hard pressed this weekend to make it but we urge as many of you as possible to go and support and enjoy what is essentially a craftier version of the Design Market.

Some of our faves will be there - Georgie Love, Harvest Textiles, Ink and Spindle, Maru and Lark all have stands. There is the added bonus of live music and good food on site so make a day of it.

And for those of our readers who live in Melbourne, even if you don't make it to Finders Keepers - how lucky are we to live in such an amazingly creative town? As we went through the list of who was going to be there we we mighty impressed with just how many creative people live here. Must be the weather. RAMONA x

PS: What do you think of our new header? Beck did an amazing job!