strange

four of the strangest things i am courageous enough to tell anybody.
(there are many more embarrassing, but i'm not telling! XD)

i have an unhealthy collection of hoarded bags hidden beneath the bottom drawer of my wardrobe.

i must wear socks at all times when i am not in the shower or in the pool.
socks must be worn pulled tight on the foot, PROPERLY! (yes Ree, fix them!)

touching strange fabrics are a big no-no. silk and the like will cause extreme distress and occasionally, twitching.

printed spelling errors (in catalogues, on products & posters etc) make me furious.
i take photos of them and store them on my mobile.

dead sea creatures must always avoid eye contact with me. i don't eat seafood, but always feel guilty upon seeing them dead at markets or on dinner plates.
(we had to cover the fishy's eyeball when we dissected him in science class...)

it's amazing that despite how horribly neurotic i am (even verging on the edge of asperger's), johnny still just laughs at me, and takes me to get ice cream. :)

holiday break

I'm going away for a while.
Even when I get back I will take a little bit of time away from blogging to actually DO things I can later blog about. k?
LOVE!

before i go though, here's a sneak-peak of something I'm working on.
(just a draft, k?)

charcoal drawing

here is my first second attempt at charcoal drawing.
the scanner was MIA so i took a photo of it, hence the bad quality.
still practicing the technique, but might need some softer charcoal.



the image i copied was from a picture book called "Ock"
i traced the outline of the character but freehanded the rest + background.

thieves

i hate thieves with bad taste.

stacker pwn

johnny officially pwned this machine today.
we CLEANED-IT-OUT! haha.

had a great day roaming the city, partially christmas shopping, partially just enjoying the day.
stopped off at fair@square, but was kinda disappointed.
saw a lady spinning silkworms though, that was cool.

spent the afternoon browsing through the second-hand shops along chapel street, didn't buy anything from them though, just fantasied about owning the furniture and lampshades - and decorating my home with them.

short stacks at the pancake parlour get better every time i go there. honestly.

where the wild things are is the saddest film i've watched in a long time.
i don't think many people could relate to max, and although i don't quite relate to him, and i can empathize with him, and wanted to be able to pick him up and shake him all better. lol.
i love how the story has developed from the picture book, but certainly took it into some dark places.

on the way home we saw a leopard-print-clad woman play with her false teeth on the tram. at first she seemed totally normal, but by the time we arrived back at flinders' she was a total nut.
she kept pushing her falsies out of her mouth, making her top lip protrude, then would turn them sideways so that some of her teeth were hanging by her chin.

it was grotesque, and fascinating.

(apologies for the lack of grammar. 'tis late.)

ink and spindle <3

I am buying this fabric, I do not CARE that I already have millions of metres cluttering up my shelves.

This lovely fabric is Birch Forest in Robins Egg on Natural,
by the lovely Ink & Spindle.

As well as being at Fair@Square in Melbourne this weekend, Ink & Spindle are also hosting an open-studio event at
206/10 Elizabeth street, Kensington
the following weekend.
From 10am-1pm you can pop in there to view and buy their amazing fabrics. (joy!)

I am working that Saturday (sadface), but with the luck of some fine public transport timetabling, will be able to make it down just in time to snap up some fabric before scooting back to my desk.

I plan to use it as a wall decoration with the wooden frame I purchased from IKEA some many, many months ago.
I was waiting for the right fabric to come along, and this. is. it.

Ink&Spindle's blog

just a touch of sadness

"it's done, it's done"

officially NOT going to RMIT next year.
officially NOT going to be a graphic designer.
officially NOT happy about it, either.

What opportunities have I just passed up?
What mistake have I made?
(have i even made one at all?)

I know that this had been my intention for the past 6 months or so, but now that it finally came to crunch time, I hesitated and now feel butterflies in my stomach.
I just get the feeling that something isn't right, how bizarre - since i know that this is the right thing to do.

blahhh

no inspiration today.
glad to know that spotlight sells freezer paper though, $1.50 a metre.
Almost paid $30 for 50 sheets of it from etsy.com, glad I waited.

Project Update:
making purses (with pocket compartments!) out of old ties found at the charity store.

Soo glad that ANNA won The Fashion Show (bravo/arena)
her designs were pretty and she wasn't as bitchy as Daniella.

mega geek

ThinkGeek.com

Quite possibly the coolest fridge magnets ever.
Currently out of stock, but I'm sure they will be restocked too, they've been blogged all over the world today.

woah, i was deep

sifting through the posts on my old blog, i came across this.
Something I wrote almost 12 months ago.


"i watched everyone around me grow up long before i realised i had been growing too.
suddenly things just fell into place; these concrete stepping stones, and they're leading me directly to where i want to go.

to all of my beautiful friends; i love you.
thankyou for sticking with me throughout the year;
you have each made this the best year of my life.

johnny boy you are my rock. you keep my feet on the ground even when you sweep me off them. i love you to death and even after.

alana you never ever fail to make me smile. i wish you and james the best possible life as you begin your new chapter living together in ballarat.

bronwyn i love you like a fat kid loves cake; probably even more. we grew up in this shithole, and im so glad you're about to get away. you have always been there for me,
and i feel so lucky to know that you feel the same.

ree i hope you find yourself a fantastic job that allows you to do your course with ease.

sarah im glad i have you back in my life. dont ever ever go away again because i dont know if i can cope.
mindy you are going to awesome at whatever you get into; and you will get into something because you have sooo many other options. you're not at the end; the stubborn fence. there's a gate just a bit to the right.

toni i'm glad you got away from this town. i will miss your subway discounts though.

steph you amaze me with your determination to succeed. i want to suck it out of you.
(eww? haha)

fabrice you're a funny lil french man, and you make me laugh - especially when you get naked and/or hump people. (i miss you now that you're back in france. come back soon)

meagan i dont talk to you as often as i'd like. i hope to change that.

olivia my darling daughter, oh how you've grown. i miss talking to you and seeing your face every morning like i used to.

tina my handshake buddy, i love you very very very very very very very much and i still miss you.

miranda you are probably the coolest person ive ever met online.

lewis we go way back, in the most unusual of circumstances, but you've always been a good friend to me. we should talk more.

rowie you and your effeminate ass brightened my days at school.

and to everyone else who i sat with on that brick establishment, and laughed with at the sound the pipes made when we lit deodorant in them, you will never be forgotten.

finally, to the people i no longer talk to - im glad you fucked off to wherever you went.
to the people who made me angry or made me sad - i hope you choke on your ego."

woah, I was deep.

finally

decided to upload some pics of my creations.
most are unfinished, probably due to my obsession with detail, and perfectionism.
sadly, i can never replicate the ideas that spawn in my head, and the physical product is often a let-down.
here are my favourite softies, although some of the designs are not my own.
(the bottom two softies were from the book "softies: 22 friends for you to.....")
[i forget the full title, okay? you know which one i mean. :P]




^not finished (obviously?) but she/it has been like this for many months now.

creepy, no?


poor thing doesn't even have any arms...




this is just something i created with left over scraps.
I guess it's a brooch, but i am yet to attach the pin.
simple, but pretty.

happy birthday mum

wow @ this optical illusion.
i'm putting up the christmas decorations today. no time to blog.

books!

Any of these would be an excellent gift this christmas, for the "artsy" type of friend.



Stencil 101 Decor: Customize Walls, Floors, and Furniture with Oversized Stencil ArtBy Ed Roth
$24.95 from chroniclebooks.com



Hot Type
30 Sheets of Typographic Fabric Transfers
By Brett MacFadden and Scott Thorpe
$12.95 from chroniclebooks.com



Reprodepot Pattern Book: Folk
225 Vintage-Inspired Textile DesignsBy Djerba Goldfinger
Foreword by Grace Bonney (Design*Sponge!)
Crafts by Mollie Green
$24.95 from chroniclebooks.com

also available is a FLORA version; 225 more vintage-inspired textile designs.



Lettering & Type
Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces
Princeton Architectural Press
By Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals
$24.95 from chroniclebooks.com



The Graphic Eye
Photographs by Graphic Designers from Around the Globe
By Stefan Bucher
$35.00 from chroniclebooks.com



Andy Warhol Men
Illustrations by Andy Warhol
Foreword by Alan Cumming
$16.95 from chroniclebooks.com



Custom Kicks
Personalized Footwear
By Kim Smits and Matthijs Maat of MAKI Design
$19.95 from chroniclebooks.com



Indie Publishing
How to Design and Produce Your Own Book
Edited by Ellen Lupton
$21.95 from chroniclebooks.com



Iron Me On
30 Sheets of Awesome Fabric Transfers
By Mike Perry
$12.95 from chroniclebooks.com

COMING SOON:


Stencil 101 Journal
By Ed Roth
die-cut plastic covers with Wire-O binding
Will be available after Wednesday February 03, 2010.
$12.95 from chroniclebooks.com


FREE SHIPPING (when you spend $35 dollars or more)
hopefully that means international, too.

the tribe has spoken

i have officially decided on the course I'm going to enroll into next year.
Diploma of Library Services.
yup.

The Diploma of Graphic Design course would be a great deal of fun, but wouldn't actually be sending me into my desired direction.
Yes, I want to be a designer, but I don't want to be a graphic designer.
I found the units to be quite limited to traditional methods of graphic design and things like life drawing, etc are not my cup of tea.
When I design, I like drawing on my own strengths and using familiar techniques.
I don't want to design something specifically for someone's taste, I would rather show the world what I do and offer them the choice to buy it, or not.

Certificate IV in design looks more practical. Sadly, I was turned off it last year by a lady who had lipstick on her teeth and was keen to emphasise how it ISN'T a diploma, and how a diploma IS BETTER than a certificate IV.
lol.

So I've come to the conclusion that I don't know.
For now, it's Library Services.
In a few years time, once I've gotten bored of my familiar techniques, and my strengths are looking a bit drab, I'll enrol myself into a design course.
And be one of those cliche university students living in/near Brunswick, carting a folio around (even on weekends), strolling through on Ceres and drinking organic (fair trade!) coffee.

Once Upon - An Exhibition

i am so disappointed that i missed out on this!



Image by Jordan Clarke.


I mean, apart from the fact that I don't live in Sydney, but by the time I discovered this, all the good artworks were sold. -sadface-
Take a peek at this amazing collection of Australian artists pictorialising classic fairytales in their own beautiful styles.
I am drooling over the works of Ben Zen (The Emperor’s New Clothes),
Jordan Clarke (Jack and the Beanstalk),
Laura McKellar (The Ugly Duckling)
& Sarah Barron (Beauty and The Beast).
Check them out for yourself, and maybe if someone was unsure about what to get me for christmas.....

fancy business cards

(nicked from oh, hello friend.)


brckt.com





I've got to get my game on, lol. Will take a trip to some craft stores in hunt of some good quality paper and get a design in order. People need to know about HOHKYO.

guess how i got my scar

Okay, so even I have experienced a bit of confusion over the origins of the scar along my left cheek. So we're gonna have to play a guessing game.
I know now what really happened, but because various family members were telling me different things, I was very unsure for many years. lol.

Just submit your answer via comment and I'll announce the winner in a week's time.

a)i was attacked by a crazy magpie.
b)i was attacked by a homeless person.
c)it's just a weird chickenpox mark.
d)my brother did it to show me who was boss.

(FYI, I'm the boss.)

hectic, yikes

I have far too much on my plate right now.
I've been really stressed, but over such trivial things!

Firstly, my brand new iphone is useless, and I'm swamped in nerdy technical jargon but trying to make sense of it.

The Acekard I purchased for my DSi still hasn't arrived, and I think the company scammed me. lol. I'm trying to be patient but my recent problems with online shopping have made we weary.

There was the drama with Ebony's "sciphone" and the totoro sticker AND the cheap monday jeans. I'm cursed with bad luck it seems!

On the bright side, I've finally got myself sorted out in terms of studying and my new goals. I will soon enrol to study Library Services and will kiss my dreams of being a graphic designer goodbye.

Long term, I hope to one day launch HOHKYO as a fashion accessories label, but I really need to get sorted with some more important things first.

Johnny and I will begin looking into home loans (we're talking more than a few years away though) and once all of that is sorted, I can look towards starting my new career as a designer. For now though, it's time to put some books away.

papercraft self portrait

oh.my.gosh. take a peek at this!
testroete.com
Note to self: download a copy of 3D Max 2009.

photoshop fun

Since stumbling upon Sarah Hogren's etsy store, I felt inspired to create my own anthropomorphic images.
Using images that I scanned from books at work here is a sample of what I produced.
The weather is too hot today to sit outside, so instead I sat at my desk for my lunchbreak and fiddled around with photoshop.
My next project will be to tackle charcoal drawing. I'll let you know how it goes.

weekend cruise

okay, so oddly enough my horoscope told me that this weekend wouldn't go as planned.
i didn't get to hunt around melbourne nooks and crannies for corkysaintclair, but my weekend was better than anticipated.
Sometimes, the things you plan with little preparation are the ones that turn out better than the ones you spend days or months preparing for.

3 people, 11 cans of energy drinks, 2 torches, 918MB of music, 1 full tank of petrol, 10 hours, 4 toilet stops, 2 shooting stars, 1 unforgetable night.

Firstly we went to Lazy Moe's for dinner. Not our usual choice, but the food was really good! Ree and I had amazing cocktails. (Jellybean for me and a Frozen Jap Slipper for ree)

Then began our all-night cruise along the great ocean road/nepean.
It was still warm and there was no clouds in the sky - summer is definately on it's way.

Bonbeach.
We stopped here because St. Kilda was full of people. We were wanting somewhere quiet where we could chillax.
Ree dropped her camera into ocean. -sadface-

Dromana.
We drove for ages, stopping only at a Safeway to buy some torches & snacks.
Memories flooded the car as we drove past the drive-in cinema, and we began reminiscing of our time on holiday here last year.

Arthur's Seat.
A dead obvious choice. lol. It was such a clear night and we were able to see the lights lighting up the way back to Melbourne. It's such a beautiful place.

Rye.
We went back to the portion of the beach we visited when we were away on holiday.
We bravely entered the secluded beach via the path where a grandma warned us of a brown snake with babies and sat for what felt like hours on some random beach-hut and looked at the stars. We watched the moon rise and was surprised to see it glowingo orange. It was such a beautiful thing, but freaked us out for a little bit because we weren't sure what it was. lol.

Portsea.
We collected shells at Portsea beach, saw a man locked inside the public toilets, woke up a man sleeping in a tent on the beach and then drove allll the way home.
It was so much fun chasing the tide back into the ocean so that we could collect shells.
We'll make necklaces with them. :)

where to buy corky saint clair

Today might be the perfect day to hunt some of these shops down.
I'll let you know how I go. :)

little twig

Little twig is a Hobart based design collective producing hand crafted jewellery, innovative stationery and giftware. It is the 'quirky' product of ongoing collaborations between the two founding 'twigs' - who in real life work as Graphic Designer and Jeweller respectively. We share a love of illustration and are inspired by all things 'twiggy', quirky and cute. All 'twig' designs originate from detailed illustrations created by both of us, these are then manipulated and either developed into printable artworks (cards, prints, gift tags) or jewellery objects. All pieces are handmade locally in Tasmania.

linkage: littletwigbits
You absolutely have to visit their blog! I promise you will fall in love with their products.
(pssst! christmas is fast-approaching, and I would LOVE the acrylic sparrow brooch, you know which one. :P)
(pssst! but if you're feeling generous, the wooden bird-in-flight brooch would be awesome too.)

pffft. I'll just buy my own.

<3 The Pigeon

Working in a library, you often come across some real literary gems.
Mo Willem's character, The Pigeon, is the most expressive little thing I have ever seen.
The pigeon is the star of a handful of picture books, some of which are titled "Don't let he pigeon drive the bus" and "The pigeon wants a puppy"
Reading them reverts me back to my childhood, lol.

It's interesting how one eye, an eyebrow and two wings is all it takes to convey the pigeon's fiesty, stubborn and quite ambitious personality. Willem's has certainly mastered the art of visual communication.


click on image to full full-size.

Etsy shop spotlight

Sarah Hogren
I stumbled upon this mixed media artist a few days ago on etsy, and immediately fell in love with her artwork. Her pieces, made from vintage images, decorative paper, inks, stamping and drawings are surreal and reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland.
Her anthropomorphic characters come alive with a sense of childish imagination, but aren't childish in any form.
A fine attention to detail and colour palettes make her pieces look aged, but it's desirable to want one these sorts of faux antique pieces these days. (It's "in")
Below are some screenprints that are on sale in her etsy store.


Owl & Bunny II


A Bunny Boy


Pug Ride

halloween preps

eeeeee
halloween had approached too quickly this year.
addmitedly I should be catching up on the 20 things still on my "to-do" list before tomorrow, but wouldn't be much for fun if I had to rush a bit more? lol.
I will upload some pics on sunday if I get the chance.
Also, don't forget that Sunday is World Vegan Day.
Support alternative lifestyles by trying one out!
Beata introduced me to the miracle of vegan bluberry muffins. Handsdown, the BEST muffin ever.

coffee on puckle

hmm. not that exciting afterall.
it only cost me $1 so i guess that's good, but i mean, its only coffee, and doesn't really seem to validate the masses who flock to sit under umbrellas on the sidewalk to drink it.
maybe i'm just too much of a country bumpkin to comprehend this social activity. lol.

the only other thing i can comment on this situation was that the man who made my coffee was french. he reminded me of Fabrice, and made me sad a little bit.
damn that french-man.
he stole our hearts and then jumped back over the equator, never to be heard of again.

family history 101

When I was younger, my brother split my head open.
I required 3 stitches across an inch-long gash in the centre of my forehead at the tender age of 2.

Daniel thought that the only way to see The Simpsons through the back of my head was to simply kick it out of the way.

So I fell forward onto a sharp corner of an ajar door of the tv cabinet and started to bleed everywhere. (some-what like a water fountain i'm told.)

Pop was the first to the scene, desperately trying to stop the blood from gushing out of my head, he held me to his chest. He kept the shirt (for some unholy reason) and showed it to me a few years ago.

The only thing I remember (probably my earliest memory) is being gassed at the hospital to be stitched back up.

Daniel won a snickers chocolate bar at school for winning something along the lines of "coolest bad thing you've ever done to a sibling." I got nothing, so thanks ms. trail. thanks.

poketo tees

they arrived a few days ago but i hadn't grabbed the chance to upload pics.
2 of them had to be sent back because they sent girl's sizes by mistake, but the prints are fantastic.
POKETO






sad that both robio stores had closed down, but happy to learn that buying them online and internationally was much cheaper!

Decision Making

In a few days there will a letter arriving at my house.
Asking me to confirm my enrolment into university.
Yeah, I chose to take 12 months off study to save up some cash and take a little break, but things have gotten really complicated in the past 12 months.
I thought I knew what I was doing, and I thought I knew what I was going to do.
Now I'm utterly clueless and this feeling in my gut just won't go.
I set some goals when I entered VCE and I achieved them all.
The trouble now is, I've reached the end and don't think I can go any further.
I passed. (tick!)
I got good grades (tick!)
I survived the interview (tick! although the goal was to actually GET an interview)
I got a first round offer (tick!)
And now I'm going to uni.... right?

That's the dilemma - I don't know if I want to go.
Sure it means discounted train tickets but it also means homework and hard work to achieve something I just don't feel passionate about anymore.

I don't want to blame anyone or anything, but I certainly can. (lol)
The few clients that I worked for were such pains in the asses and even though some of them were resolved peacefully, I still wanted to fly-kick them.
It opened my eyes to the reality of graphic design, it's no glitz and glamour and ludicrous payments, it's just some old bag who wants a logo for her stupid business and knows exactly what she wants and it stubborn about it, yet assumes that because I'm the artist that I know exactly what she meant to convey with her vague expressions. It's too much "fine-tuning" and not enough "here's your fucking artwork, it's fantastic, I spent hours on it making it look pretty, give me thousands of dollars"

I won't lie. I honestly thought of it that way. How pathetic I truely am.

So what to do now?
I have secured a full-time position at the library and am considering studying the technician's course off-campus.
I don't think I want to work in a library forever, but I'm nervous about not doing enough. I feel that I NEED to be studying, something, anything!
and this just seems like the best option.
I have the benefits of working full-time, with study leave, earning a qualification while being able to afford it.
I'm not sure I can survive studying full-time without a part-time job at KFC.
It's just not my thing.
Centrelink won't help me, and if they do they will probably cut nan's payments too.

I just don't know what to do anymore.
I've set really vague goals lately, but I have never found myself to be working towards them. I feel lazy, but am frustrated that I never get anything done.
There isn't enough hours in the day.
Or maybe I just waste too many of them.

The Uniform Project

Sheena Matheiken is one clever little thing!
She is almost half-way through her fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, called The Uniform Project. All contributions made go towards funding uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums. For 365 days, Sheena exercises sustainable fashion by wearing the same dress that is reinvented with accessories, layers, and other goodies everyday.
You can see pictures of these daily outfits on her site reaching back to May of this year, when the project began.

It’s brilliant how she is able to express herself by creating so many versatile looks with just one dress. She taking sustainable fashion to the next level and actually making it interesting!



The Uniform Project

You're Invited to a Swap Party

Join us for a fun way to get new stuff... without costing the earth!

Tuesday 10 November, 2009
12pm - 4pm
Kellaway Avenue Neighbourhood Centre,
Kellaway Avenue, Moonee Ponds

Update your wardrobe, music and book collection, toolshed or kid's toy box - for free.
Bring along good quality, clean items you no longer want.
Register each item in exchange for a token.
Browse what others have brought.
Then swap your tokens back for new items!

Overheard

"What's with everyone being so agro lately? I'm gonna fucking smash someone, i don't even care anymore."
~Youth on Puckle Street

"Catching that tram was so much fun. Made me wish I was a boy."
~Girl on train

3D dress. sorta.

Isn't this just the most creative thing you've seen all week?

I have a little obsession with 3D glasses, okay?
Ever since I was little I was collecting Tom & Jerry brand "fads" at school and using my 3D glasses to read the comic on the back of the box.
IMAX is my #1 love, and I even enjoyed the gore of My Bloody Valentine in 3D.

natalie dee, you complete me

regretsy

There's just something about websites like these that I can't help but love.
The ones that are created to poke fun at all of the stupid ugly people in the world.
Sarcasm is the fuel to these things, and i love it!
Take a peek here at regretsy.com
It showcases all the hideous things that people have tried to sell (and sold!) on etsy.com.
Some are weird, most are ugly, and some are just.... o_0

beware the ninja with fangs

An elderly couple decided to sit near me today.
His bottom teeth were slanted outwards and he stank.
She sat with her hands clenched and lips pursed.
He was a grumpy old shit, and looked like the kind of man whom in a novel would bellow "get off my lawn" at small children.
She looked like she'd eaten a warhead.

First, they sat on the other side of the train.
The morning sunlight was in their eyes. (Ha!)
Then they sat opposite me.
The goth sitting beside me got up and left at glenbervie station.
The man decided to sit in his seat, thus next to me.
She shuffled into his unoccupied seat, lips still tightly pursed.
I have never hated two old people for being old people ever before.
But if his hairy elbow had nudged me once more, i would have morphed into a ninja.

Beware the ninja.

And another thing about Glenbervie station.
To all of you, who think it's funny to prove me wrong by actually getting on the train at the station - rather than walk the extra three seconds to Strathmore,
I HATE YOU. STOP GOING TO THAT TRAIN STATION, OR I WILL GET YOU.

*fangs*

dirty poster