Basket Revamp

I have been seeing some beautiful baskets around this Summer. Lots of bright colours, braid and pom-poms seem to be fashionable just now. I am too much of a tight-arse to spend real money on such a thing but when I spied a nicely shaped basket - with a zip closure (!) - in the op shop I figured I would have a go at creating one ...

It is a nice shape and as I said it has the big advantage of a functioning zip closure and an internal pocket ... but the bow? Well, needless to say it just had to go!

It already looks better if you ask me!

A rummage through my braid box brought to light some fun tassles and vintage ric-rac ...

So it was out with the hot glue gun and the fun began!

I reckon it is a pretty decent improvement. Not bad for a 50cent  outlay on the basket and a few glue sticks!

Getting Christmassy ...

The temperature here reached a blistering 43C yesterday - that's around 109 degrees for you Farenheit Folk! It seemed the only sensible thing to do was be inside and stay as still as possible. With Christmas fast approaching I would normally find this is a bit easier said than done but I must getting better at finding my Zen place cos I actually enjoyed doing a whole lot of not moving! Of course I wasn't really idle ... 

The other day I was having one of those pre-Christmas tidying frenzies and was putting away lots of stuff that seemed to have been lurking on every available flat surface for a goodly while. As I went to put some of those old school self- covering buttons in their rightful home, a whole bunch of their cousins leapt out of the cupboard to greet me .... That is to say that the container housing them toppled off the overfilled shelf  and the contents went all over the floor. As I was tsk-tsking at myself and the wilful nature of cupboards that can't properly contain their contents, I had the merry thought that putting those buttons to use would be heaps more fun than just stuffing them back in the cupboard. A bit more scrounging was required to find the scraps of Japanese silks and other yummy bits but I emerged triumphant! I settled comfortably at my kitchen table and happily stitched and covered for ages. All thoughts of Christmas tidiness were readily submerged beneath the snipping rhythm of sewing scissors and the satisfying 'snap' of button backs being slotted into place. Now, what to do with them?

Ah yes - buttons as jewellery! Textiles and jewellery - perfect combo!

I finished them off with some lovely Chyiogami cord and made some pewter beads to hide the joins. A handcrafted 'slider' bead completes the piece an means the necklace can be worn at different lengths. So you see folks there is quite a lot to be said for pre-Christmas tidying up ... particularly if you ignore it and spend your time crafting instead! 

Been a little "cray cray" around here ..

So, I got back from swanning about in Oaxaca and kinda hit the ground running. My house renovations (studio on its way!!) had gotten underway and there was a whole lotta chaos. The builders seem to have this fluid timeline so I still have a temporary wall dividing half the house and the contents of that half stuffed into every available space! I pretty much jumped off the plane and took myself off to the dentist and started root canal treatment - oh joy and a week later had a minor knee op. The op at least was a scheduled thing so I knew it was coming and I must say I am dead impressed with modern surgical techniques. They fixed up a heap of stuff in my knee and all I had to show for it was a couple of little holes! Remarkable! Hence, I haven't blogged at all because let's face it, my minor health issues are really not that interesting - I am just using them as an excuse to explain my absence in BlogLand!  What has actually kept me happily busy have been preparations for an Arts Bazaar that the art school I study at holds annually. So much fun! As soon as I could get off the couch I was in my little workroom beavering away like a madwoman ...

Here is my stall - with just a touch of Mexico! I couldn't resist!

I think Oaxaca has had an effect on my jewellery making as I just couldn't resist using lots of colour ...

Well, the influence is pretty obvious here ... I had the best time making these! They are cut from old silver plated trays and adorned with brass findings and their eyes are cut from old Tupperware lids. Joy!

These are a new thing for me. They are cuffs made from tea tins and biscuit tins. Again a result of my travels as I met a nice street vendor in San Fransisco who also worked in recycled materials - my take is naturally a bit different but I owe him a debt for the inspiration.

I think when I had a quick count up I hade made something like 35 neck pieces and scads of earrings. This is pretty much the only market type thing I do now and I really enjoyed the face to face contact with people and watching their reactions when I explained about the materials ... They are often very very surprised. And of course they tell me how clever I am (even when they don't make a purchase!) which doesn't hurt the old ego at all!

So that is me done and dusted for 2013 making commitments - now it is all about fun and development of new ideas. Oh and I guess I will be getting amongst the whole Christmas thing now ...

Beautiful Oaxaca ...

This is a wonderful city full of colour and vibrancy. The artisans of Oaxaca make beautiful things and I have been greatly inspired by the craftwork and architecture I have seen. I found Oaxacans  to be super friendly and kind and very patient with the non-Spanish speaking "gringo"!

So much saturated colour...

Paper mâché piñata . So cool!

Even street vendors need to take a break.

I have always relegated marigolds to being just companion plants for tomatoes but after enjoying their proliferation in Oaxaca I have changed my mind about them!

...and of course the Dia de Los Muertos festival was a feast for the senses! 

Homeward bound now and looking forward to seeing all my loved ones back in Oz but I think I may have left a little piece of my heart in Oaxaca ...

Bead porn ...

All of these pieces of jewellery belong to the Cultural Museum of Oaxaca. Pre-Columbian, Zapotec and Mixtec designs - they are really really old. And really really beautiful. I will let the pictures speak for themselves ...

and teeth ... Lots of them!

Also a really amazing skull covered in turquoise . That is just a sample of the Museums collection. It was really very impressive and in the most beautiful setting - part of the Santo Domingo convent built in the 16th Century. sigh - loving Mexico!

San Diego.

What a lovely beachside town. The pace here suits me I think! 

And I am fond of mermaids ...

It is kinda hard to impress an Aussie with beach sunsets but these were pretty good!

I loved that the dogs had their very own beach! Clearly humans are difficult to train though!

Lots of Halloween preparations happening and I think being so close to the border there is a little cross-over into Day of the Dead imagery here.

The zoo was AMAZING!

And the margaritas eased one day into the next ... All in all a lovely stepping stone to Mexico!

Things to love about San Fransisco ...

The weather. Moderately warm with cool evenings makes for perfect holiday weather.

The de Young Museum. Amazing architecture and full of STUFF ...

Everything about Golden Gate Park is fantastic. The sculpture, the gardens, free music, couple dancing -oh my goodness I could go on and on !

I loved the wide, hilly streets and the Spanish influences in the streetscapes.

And I really like the old school cop cars! This city was a great change of pace after New York!  I also love d the cliff walk along the coast to the Golden Gate Bridge - it is quite the icon ...

Now look out San Diego - you are next on the list!

Love love love ...

Love was in the air on my last day in New York ...

A brisk stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge revealed that romance is alive and well in the Big Apple ...

Just like their European counterparts, loves lock a padlock to the bridge and throw the key into the water to pledge their love.

Tres romantique!

I would have to write 11687.50 days and still counting ...!

And of course on the way to MOMA I stumbled across Robert Indiana's iconic sculpture. So long New York - I think I could be just a teeny bit in love with you myself!

More New York adventures (stop me when it gets boring ...)

I think today was my favourite day in New York! It all started at The Metropolitan Museum of Art...

This place is just one giant treasure box - so many amazing objects. I was in Heaven! I spent oodles of time in the Medieval area and so on. I have to admit I kinda flew through most of the painting galleries ... Well the Miro was awesome and I guess Monet has a certain appeal ... But for me it really was all about the objects from all over time and place. I was shattered by the end of the day so I strolled down to Central Park and indulged in one of these ...

...this could in fact be love! As I sat there munching on my ice cream a little Jazz trio struck up some tunes ...

There were some cheeky little visitors too ...

Now a little bead porn courtesy of those crazy guys and gals of Ancient Egypt.

Will share some more jewellery from the Golden Olden Days soon! What a treat visiting New York has been! I am ready for a change of pace though - guess I am a country girl at heart!