tastes like cardboard

WEBSITE/S OF THE WEEK

This is how the typical hml brain train works. We are off to the film festival. We are going to see a documentary about American architect Frank Gehry. He made a cardboard chair once didn't he? It 's called the wiggle chair.

Hey I bet you can get cardboard from reverse garbage! I wonder how you build a cardboard chair? Not like the fancy pants gehry one of course - but a simple origami style shape stool by swiss designer Carine Imhof.

Sounds crafty to us.

So we've managed to find instructions on the amazing Design Boom website (they would not let us link up the page directly but if you type in cardboard in the search bar the instructions pop up)

We may attempt it. We may just waste another hour looking at Frank Gehry designs...

hoots toots och aye the noo!

QUEENSLAND CRAFT FIND OF THE WEEK

I had the great pleasure of heading off to the Childers Multicultural Festival on Sunday, where I came face to face with every crafters dream... the local CWA craft stand. WOOO-HOOO!!
What these ladies can't do with a knitting needle, crochet hook or devonshire tea just isn't worth knowing. While I was tempted by the array of barbie dress toilet roll holders, crochet covered coat hangers and cross stitch bookmarks it was this fantabulous knitted ode to The Simpson's Groundskeeper Willie that captured my heart and small change.
And given my highland background and his tartan trousers how could I possibly say no?

reduce, re-use, recycle

SHOW OF THE WEEK - QLD

Haasch lamp - Junk-IT 2006

The ladies of hml love recycling, and if we can refigure, re-wire or re-invent a piece of rubbish into a nifty craft work then we are very, very happy campers. Call it the great tradition of Australian invention, call it suburban arte povera, or just call us cheap, we just cant help ourselves.

Serious reverse garbage officiandos like ourselves just cant walk past a peice of rusted tin, broken tennis ball or tree cutting without wondering what we could make out it. It appears that this is not just a southern state phenomenon. And seeing as at least one of the hml team is currently on tour interstate enjoying the tropics we thought it only proper that we feature something on our northern neighbors...

Rebecca Ward - Junk-IT 2006

Junk-IT is an exhibition being held by Brisbane's Reverse Garbage and "will feature lamps, handbags, jewellery, clocks, key rings, note books, even an interactive shooting gallery sculpture, all crafted from computers parts that were destined for landfill". A most excellent sounding show, and well worth a visit.

Junk-IT
www.reversegarbage.com.au
296 Montague Road West End - until August 12

oh I do like to be beside the seaside

SPECIAL HOLIDAY EDITION
Well here I am in (finally) sunny queensland enjoying the extra cheap pokie club drinks, and let me tell you there's a lot of kooky beach related craft and cement figurine work decorating this here beachside town. I might even go so far as to say that this is the home of the gnome, not too mention the tyre swan, concrete kangaroo and pink flamingo... and i'm loving it.

While all of the kitsch has been a delight, the most important personal hml moments came while visiting my Nanna. I've coveted her knitting bag for years, and she finally deemed me worthy enough to take it (it was a very special intergenerational crafting moment). Apart from being a very handy knitting bag, it's a super crafty family heirloom as she hand dyed and spun the yarn herself, and then knitted it up in the early 60's (four years after emigrating to Australia), and apprently my pop made the bamboo handles. She also gave me a"festival of Britain" embroidery sampler of she made in 1951, and some beautifully fine crochet lace made by my great-grandmother when she was sixteen. Priceless, and very swoon worthy.

Nana is part of a pensioner posse of crafters that meet twice a week over tea and sandwhiches. I came upon a stack of pieces made by said posse on sale at her retirement village at ridiculously low prices. I quickly snaffled this owly tea cosy for Ramona. There are clearly some very talented crafters on-site, and although I didn't get to meet her, Nana told me one of her friends is 90 and still making the most beautiful pulled thread embroidery you can imagine, even with arthritis and failing eyesight.

Now that's what I call living a handmade life.

HML on location

Ok I'm here, finally I managed to get both my Father and my boyfriend off the damn computer long enough to get a chance to say HELLO from HERVEY BAY!!!

Ramona, you've done a most excellent job this week and i've got to say you looked an absolute treat in the "studio shot". Verrrrry Nice. I must confess I have been making nothing but pineapple juice, and avocado sandwhiches since I arrived. Nothing like a holiday. Still if it's any consolation it has rained solidly for 24 hours... I think Melbourne has the better weather at the moment. typical.

Regarding my on location hml duties: I have managed a couple of op shop trips and bought a few 'how-to' craft compendiums, a swag of hand embroidered 1950's style aprons i'm sure will feature in the next hml bake-off, as well as a couple of truly terrible postcards which should be arriving back in Northcote before I return - which should be quite a surprise for everyone because my usual effort involves posting them from work the day I get back.

Finally a big Congratulations to my better hml- half (Ramona) for her speech at Emma Davies exhibition opening, from all reports she stole the show!