soundwave

Jonny Craig.
yup. we touched him and sucked his genius out.

i lost my engagement ring.
sad.

new york

whenever i get bored, i scan an old image from a book & colour it in.
effortless and bland, but i like it.
this might look purrdy printed on a singlet, but alas, the expenses.

this makes me feel better

replenished

okay, so i'm back. after an extended absence from blogging.
(like anyone cares anyway. lol)
a couple of things that were totally unexpected happened, thus delaying my intentions to blog more.
i'm glad to say that things are on the up&up, and that it looks like smooth(er) sailing from here.
here's a few things i've been up to lately:

1.planning my tattoo
the creative process for this has been really exciting. My original idea has shifted greatly, as have my expectations. the tattoo is getting larger and larger with every draft i submit, but i'm confident that we're almost there.
i have heaps that i need to sort out, but i've pin-pointed which one i want to be my first.

2.getting my education sorted
this has been on my "to-do" list for a year now, and what a relief it is to have finally crossed it off.
i chopped and changed between graphic art, graphic design, printing, industrial design, media, advertising, multimedia, library and even psychology.
despite all that, here's the plan.
(aka PLAN G... having failed plan a-through-f)
Diploma of Library & Information Services
RPL a fair chunk of the units, since I've worked in the library industry for almost 5 years.
Settle myself into a job & work out all that grown-up house stuff like mortgage, etc.
By then i will have decided if i want to pursue a career in design.
I'll do like a Certificate IV in Design at RMIT and really push my HOHKYO label as more than a lazy hobby.
etc.
i don't quite see myself making huge amounts of money from making "stuff" but i'm going to give it a shot.
i researched getting some of my designs printed onto t-shirts, but we're talking very minimal profit.


3.renovating my room
by renovate, i mean i added a new desk unit from IKEA, and strung up some string to hang my ever-increasing collection of glasses. i also took down my curtains, and am planning to make some new ones.

sadly, that's it.
but i'm over-the-hill on all that junk that happened last month and i'm ready to start fresh.

Lino Deco

Posh?
These items are the first unique spin on art deco design that I have seen in a long time.
Forget all of that faux art deco fashion, these necklaces are brooches capture the essence of the art deco movement far greater than anything else I've seen clogging up the markets lately.

nan lawson love.

GO TO NAN LAWSON'S ETSY AND BUY HER UH-MAZING
PRINTS OR ELSE FACE DOOM. DOOM DOOM & MORE DOOM.



(oh, hello friend) is holding a giveaway with Nan's store, up for grabs is a $30 voucher.
( Ta for the image. :D )

etsy

okay, so i finally got around to putting some things on etsy.
it is all very rushed, but i wanted to make sure i made the best of my "new year buzz" before it ran out.
unfortunately, it seems to have run out.

the products i listed for sale are unfinished, unprofessional and unhappy.
first there is that glaring and mean cat i made, and the sad and depressed emo softie.

if i ever find the time i will make things with a bit more love and care, so that when i realise that my softies replicate my mood at the time of it's creation, the end results will be.. uplifting?
i dunno, but im looking forward to sewing this monday.
woo for rostered days off.

soundwave timetable

12-12:35 Architects
12:35-1:00 Closure In Moscow
1:00-1:40 Set Your Goals
1:40-2:00 Taking Back Sunday
2:00-2:40 Emarosa
3:00-3:20 Glassjaw
3:20-3:50 Alexisonfire
3:50-4:35 Paramore
4:35-4:40 Placebo
4:40-5:20 A Wilhelm Scream
5:30-6:00 AFI
6:00-6:40 All Time Low
6:40-7:20 Dance Gavin Dance
7:25-8:00 My Chemical Romance
8:00-8:40 Escape The Fate
8:40-9:00 Four Year Strong
9:00-9:20 HIM
9:20-10:00 A Day To Remember

there will be some who'll say that i wont be able to see them all.
i challenge you to a duel.

depending on the setlists (which i will be scouring the SW forum for as soon as the other festivals are over) my timetable may change, namely due to soooooo many clashes.
hopefully some bands will be play bad songs at the same time that another band is playing good songs.

im still epicly bummed about Motion City & Emarosa clashing.
worst. decision. ever. soundwave. organizers.

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.