News and bits and pieces...

Did you know I'm curating a craft show at my house from Melbourne Fringe Festival? It starts in about three weeks, very exciting! We're still designing a flyer but more coming soon including pics. Some ace women are in it, including Rayna Fahey, Camille Condon, Clem Bastow and Anna Boyd Dunlop. I hope you'll all come visit us and view all the amazing exhibits!

My website Polka Dot Rabbit is being redesigned and includes a vintage section. It still needs a bit of tweaking so bear with us, but it's ready for a spot of shopping if you like! At any rate, feedback is always appreciated.

I'm working on a bout of healthy eating and less drinking to try and lose some of my thyroid weight. Nothing too exciting and I hired a cross trainer. If you have any tips or favourite healthy recipes, I'd love to hear them.

Have you seen the Frankie Blankie? I was honoured to embroider the Beci Ophin illustration! You can place a bid and have it sitting proudly on your bed! Just email quilt@frankie.com.au with your highest bid. Bidding closes on October 19 and the final winning bid will be donated to The Salvation Army.

Things I like today

Beautifully built books by Jennifer Khoshbin from here.

I've always been a sucker for tin toys, and this one is particularly lovely.

A song lyric by The Smiths, part of an installation for the craft exhibition Home is Where the Craft Is I'm curating for Fringe Festival!


This is such a beautiful image

Things I like today

It's really cold here in Melbourne at the moment so I find this picture very cheering...

Oh for a house like this....

Funny gumboots, would be preferable if I lived in a country without drought! (found via Swiss Miss)
Loving this wall decal

Things I like today

My efforts at healthy eating means that vegetables are my friends. I found this awesome array of tattoos over here



With recent events here in Australia I feel quite compelled to watch Election. It's one of my favourite movies....
These cute coat hangers are from Rice. I think it would be great to make your own as a gift to someone moving house.


This poster is very much the story of my life

Have you got the latest copy?

Sadly Mix Tape will soon be no more in it's current form. But you can buy the latest edition here...

Things I like today

Cutest embroidery ever!


Very impressed by this method of storing small pieces of fabric! Will have to give it a shot!

This cute Finlandia teapot is coming soon to Polka Dot Rabbit vintage!

Away from the Internet....

Hello dear readers,
won't be around much this week as I am working for the AEC for the Federal Elections helping people in aged care facilities and hospitals cast their vote.

Banksy pic from here

Hope everyone has a spectacular week with lots of good fun.
xx
Cate

Things I like today

I have many of these brooches and adore these necklaces!

Loving this hand patchwork chair pad

image from modern embroidery by ike rosen, published by charles scribner's and sons, new york, 1972



I've listening to Faker this morning and remembering how good their first album was.

Living frugally and liking it...

pic from here

Some of my regular readers will be aware that Chris and I quit our full time jobs quite recently to concentrate on Green Renters, Aduki and Polka Dot Rabbit. It was quite a scary thing to do but very necessary to make the jump as we were stressed and unhappy for various reasons with our previous employment.

Living on a smaller income has been ok really as we both have savings and have been earning a small income from our respective small businesses. What has really come home to me is the value of exploration and research. There's so much to do in Melbourne for free or at very low cost. In the past few weeks we have visited a heap of new places at Melbourne Open House, attended the State of Design launch, listened and learnt from some great speakers, attended some gardening workshops and great films at Melbourne International Film Festival. I finally have lots of time to go to the library and borrow books and dvds and enjoy spending time cooking and crafting.

That said, working for yourself is work. Whether you choose to work dressed or otherwise, early or late, you still need to do the work. Even if there's better things to do like lie in bed or read a book when you have to sew. You can spend the day doing housework or cooking or whatever, but you won't get paid for it.



You also need a bit of a little nest egg as it can take a while for things to get going. I've been lucky in picking up some at my old job last month (it reminded me while I left) and in a couple of weeks I'll be working for the Electoral Commission for a few days.

I'm getting really excited about the Fringe Festival exhibition Home is Where the Craft Is. It'll be at my house so you'll have a chance to see where I live (must clean up!) and see the work of some amazing women! Stay tuned for more....

PS. Did you see my interview last night on the lovely Madeit.com blog?

My Creative Space

My creative space at the moment is overtaken with vintage goods and camera bits and pieces as I am working on putting together my vintage shop corner for the new Polka Dot Rabbit site. We have an excellent camera but my skills aren't brilliant. I hope they will improve! Here's a quick sneak peak...I'll be investing in some white canvas to use as backdrops over the weekend, I've tried a light box and anything flimsy just doesn't seem to cut it, especially as it's winter.






I find it particularly hard photographing anodised metal which is a pain as I have a lot of it! any tips would be appreciated dear readers. I've tried different angles and such and either get dull pics or mirrored images as you can see above!


I'm also putting up some of my Figgjo crockery on ebay, hopefully it will go well, I've never actually used it! You can see other creative spaces over here

Things I like today

I'm actually rather dreadful at cake decorating and therefore I really like this cake bunting. My kind of decorating, no piping bag required!

I love the textured look of embroidery photographed close up

haha perfect for any happy couple

Loving this Picasso doll