papier mache magazine

I can't think of papier mache without thinking of the year 4 art class i had to do where we made masks of mythical creatures by layering newspaper and clag onto a balloon and painting it at the end...it took weeks and weeks as we had to let each layer dry. Never again. Now I have a totally new connotation for this lovely french phrase- by far the most beautiful online mag I've ever seen, and it's Aussie! Click here to experience the ethereal beauty of papier mache magazine, produced by The Convenience Store.

let's hear it for the girls

"Oh you pretty things, don't you know you're driving your mamas and papa's insane?" -David Bowie.

These ladies have been keeping me busy with the back page of Home Beautiful mag which i have the honour of illustrating each month to accompany the sardonic David Smiedt's column. After an afternoon doodling with a tube of water colour on my balcony i found that i now prefer to draw lines with ink rather than pencil these days.

get folksy with elizabeth prince

A few months ago I lost my wedding ring...i had to conclude it must have slipped off during a morning swim. But when it gets replaced I'll be purchasing one of Elizabeth Prince's ceramic dishes and keeping it on my bedside where I can put my rings when I run down to the beach for a splash before work or less glamourously, have to clean the bathroom.

On a much more important note, I discovered Elizabeth on folksy.com... you are probably all ahead of me on this one, but methinks it could trump Etsy the way Facebook did Myspace! Not only are there talented craftspeople selling their wares, just as much of the site is devoted to step-by-step projects you can do at home contributed by members free of charge, like this envelope cushion cover. I love the idea of people sharing their crafty secrets for free, it keeps alive the spirit of pre-internet craft.

plastic fantastic

Trying to match that glaringly hideous shade of Coles 'envirobag' green to any outfit is impossible. I've always objected to those bags which are made of plastic-pressed-to-look-like-fabric anyway (am I the only one to notice?) and which have been mass produced in such volume they can't possibly help mother earth in this lifetime or the next. If 'they' want us to re-use plastic bags, they'd have to be hand crafted, in trendy colours from scrap material by Susan Bilj. By making them precious we'd use them again and again...think cost per wear and forget flying that faux-green tote from the supermarket today!

do little, eat much

Craft that looks like food is like window shopping and not buying anything. Sometimes this can be strangely satisfying. Unless of course you have the palate for felt, in which case you would need professional help but at the same time be able to indulge in these little french macaroons by Dolittle Design!