Totally hot freelancer

What would you do if it was a weekend and it was a beautiful, sunny, cloudless day of 40 degrees? (that's Celsius, for anyone who is more familiar with Fahrenheit). Beach sound good? Or cocktails by a pool? Ha! Those are all so .. 2010! No, 2011 is the year of WORK! So I have been INSIDE at the computer, translating my little heart out. But before I got started, I took a mini-break in the backyard. Here I am, typing away so you have proof that I do sometimes actually do work. Of course I could have taken a photo in the house, but that's not exactly atmospheric. So I posed myself under this tree for you instead.

Do you recognise the Tshirt?
Here are the sights I took in on my little holiday, prior to practically chaining myself to the table indoors.


Those of you from overseas might not have heard about this plant, it's called a kangaroo paw, for fairly obvious reasons...


Speaking of kangaroos, here's some of the wildlife that visits the garden from time to time... (if you're expecting kangaroos, you'll be disappointed, I was just trying to do a bit of a segue. Although there are some about 20 minutes down the road, and they're getting closer, as I have seen a few dead ones near my house when I've been driving).

The sulphur crested cockatoos are regular visitors and get extremely impatient when they want food. Some of them are escapees, they have bits of chain left on their legs, poor things.

These rainbow lorikeets are very impatient too. They're very beautiful but also noisy and aggressive and have no problems taking on the cockies, or in fact anything, even if it's ten times their size. They love to grab other birds by the tail, although sometimes it backfires as I have seen a crow dangling one of them by its tail after it got a little bit too cheeky.
There's a slightly better pic of them here, I just wanted to show you how many of them sometimes visit (up to about 20 at a time, it gets VERY noisy).

Sometimes ducks visit too! Here's Mr and Mrs Duck.


My favourites are the king parrots though...they are very tame and will even sometimes eat from my hand.

I know, I shouldn't encourage that, but how gorgeous is this guy!?

He's married with a wife and kids, but I do find him very attractive.


There's plenty of action after dark too, thanks to the possums. Here's mummy possum with her baby clinging on to her back for dear life. It's hilarious when the babies start to get too big for their mum's pouch but still try to get back in all the same. Bits of tail, leg, etc are left sticking out everywhere.

Oh, overseas readers, how I wish I could capture the dulcet tones of possums in disagreement to replay for your enjoyment, but it's something you just have to hear for yourself to get the full experience (if any of you have Australian friends, ask them to recreate the sound for you, but warn the neighbours before you do so).

There are a lot more birds and animals in the garden but I'll save that for another time. Hope you enjoyed a little slice of Australia on your screen! And if you're in Australia, well, Melbourne at least, it's going to be another hot one today, so here's a heat safety message from Suki.
Enjoy the sun, but be sensible about it!


Drink lots of water!


And keep cool however you can!

$2 for new earrings

After all the flattering comments about my legs recently, my ears were getting jealous, so here are some pictures of them that you can say nice things about too. Don't say I'm not good to you all!

Actually, this is just a quick post as I've suddenly been blessed by the freelance fairy and despite having had no paid employment for a few months, now have several assignments (translations and otherwise) due in the next few days. So I really shouldn't be mucking around showing off these new earrings!

Well, when I say "new", most of you will know that I mean "from an op shop". Yes, OK, they were from Savers and only cost $4.99. However I AM wearing them with a brand new bikini which was all of $15 from Kmart*. However, I didn't think it necessary to put up photos of me wearing THAT.

I've also made myself some new earrings out of a pair of $1 clip ons and some wooden donutty parts from normal earrings that cost $1.

You've probably realised by now that I'm rather partial to massive earrings and to fiddling with them to make new ones. Similarly to other ones I've made, I simply wound some wire around the base of the clip part and passed it through the tiny ring in the top of the donuts. I tried to take a photo to show you how I did these ones but my camera just couldn't capture the fine detail of the wire.

Anyway, you're all intelligent people, I'm sure you can work it out! And now I think I hear the freelance fairy telling me that mucking around time is over, so it's nose to the grindstone again for me...

*Yes, I did feel guilty about buying a new item of clothing that is not Fair Trade or otherwise ethically/ecologically certified. But I never said I was perfect!).

Cape of Good Hope

How's the weather where you are? It's been pretty hot over here (as you'd expect, in the middle of summer, although being Melbourne, it can be 45 degrees one minute and snowing the next) but that didn't stop me buying a woollen cape at Savers the other day.



At only $4.99, a normal person wouldn't have given the purchase a second thought, but not only am I possibly the tightest person ever, I do already have a kimono overcoat in this colour, and my wardrobe is kind of bursting at the seams so much that I have to store stuff in the garage.



I eventually gave in to temptation though - how could I resist the gorgeous coral colour?



Of course I won't be wearing it until winter, at which time I possibly will be wearing a little more underneath it... but the day I took these photos it was something like 30 degrees... so hopefully you will excuse me!



If you're liking the idea of a cape, I think it would be really easy to make one out of a light blanket or even a really big pashmina, it's basically just a rectangle cut vertically to half way, maybe with a little bit of the neck cut for shaping too.



At the risk of sounding even more airheady than usual, don't clothes look entirely different when they're in motion?


Apart from having too many clothes already, another reason I had to stop and think a bit before buying this cape was that I didn't think it looked that great when I was standing in the shop looking at it in the mirror, but once it's moving around, it's a whole new story...



It makes me feel like a mix of Wonder Woman, Masai warrior and style queen and nearly makes me wish for winter!

Funemployment fashion

In case you didn't know it already, jobhunting sucks. Don't let my smile fool you, it really sucks. But it does at least serve to make me aware of how important it is to go through my old clothes and op shop finds RIGHT NOW to work out how I can remake them so I will actually wear them. That sort of thing is CRUCIAL in landing oneself a job. Take a look at this kaftan, for instance (I got it for $1 at an op shop a few months ago).



In order for me to gain any sort of employment, it was crucial that this garment be transformed into something slightly less 70s. Kind of like this...



It was also crucial to go and stand in the garden with the dog to try to capture my creation in crappy photos for an audience who I've largely never met (but who are very supportive all the same!!).



Is that a laugh of cynicism I hear? You think I am remodelling my dresses just to procrastinate, don't you! And I bet you think that I made these earrings (which you can't even see that well, sorry!) just so I wouldn't have to address key selection criteria for the zillionth time!



*Sigh*... you'd be spot on. Oh well. At least you get a free insight into how I remade this dress, which, if I were employed, would probably not be happening. I cut off a very large section of hem (which I will use as a headscarf) to make the dress mini-length, then also removed much of the sleeves. I neatened up the resulting cap sleeves, then used strips cut from the excess material to make ruffles over the shoulders. It's a bit hard to see, because everything's patterned, and because of my bad photos, but what do you think? I'm still not sure if I should leave this mandarin collar as-is or change the neckline, so suggestions are welcome.

Meanwhile, here are two other projects that are on hold because despite all my making light of the situation (yes, that's what I was trying to do earlier in the post, for those of you who aren't familiar with my zany sense of humour), I really MUST step up the job hunt. But feel free to let me know your ideas for what I could do with these skirts.

This one I made from scratch about 14 years ago from some fabric I got in the Indian section of Kuala Lumpur (at least I think that's where I got it!). You can't really tell from the photos but it's very bright pink with yellowy-gold paisley patterns on it. It's also very wonky so I'd have to rejig things a bit. I also have a false obi made from this material so, combined, I think I could make a fitted dress .. if I could be bothered...




This one I'm not so sure if I should fiddle with at all. I'm kind of liking how it looks when the wind's blowing! A friend bought it for me at an op shop for $1, it's a French designer label with the initials LS, which also happen to be my initials, which is slightly freaky. It's pure silk and very well made, but the in-between length is a problem. I'm thinking of turning it into a mini dress but don't know if I have the courage/cruelty to hack into it with scissors... advice, anyone?

Scarf style for $1.50

Many months ago, when I was still finding my feet as a blogger (as opposed to now, where I get stopped in the street and offered vast sums of money to advertise brands on these here pages... yes, of course I'm joking) I posted about a scarf that I'd bought for $1.50 at an op shop. I wonder if you can recognise it now?



I made it into a simple top with bust darts using the centre part of the scarf to get the most of the paisley pattern, then adding the leftover bits from the side of the scarf to make a frill along the waist. The lining is made from calico that I got from the Salvos along with some other material (it was a whole bag of different fabrics for $3) and the red bias binding** around the neck and cuffs is from another Salvos, I think it cost $1 for a few cards of binding.



The back does up with buttons that I originally bought (new! yes, shocking) to decorate a jumper, but which I have since decided is better unadorned. I do a lot of recycling like that, many of my clothes suffer several incarnations before reaching their final destination!




It is a bit of a challenge to style without showing off my tummy as the scarf was not that big, ergo the top is a bit short. Surprisingly, this leather mini works quite well, and who knew that a leather mini would work with clogs? Not me. The whole thing somehow brings to mind a modern version of a Tyrolean costume...although if you're looking up "lederhosen" images on Google, be prepared for a bit of a shock... yodelay-hi-hoo!

**It's now the 19th of Jan and I've just got home after having worn this top ... and realised the bias binding was NOT colourfast. I look like I have a hideous underarm rash and the red has all bled onto the white Bonds singlet I was wearing underneath the top too (it was cold when I left the house so I had to layer)!! I suppose anyone who was going to read this post would have already done so, but any new readers be warned - you probably need to WASH bias binding before you use it!!

Help Alice help the Queensland animals

How are things in your neck of the woods? As I sit here typing this in Melbourne it is pouring with rain, but at least I still have a roof over my head, electricity, and all my worldly possessions. I don't know how much news about Australia gets broadcast overseas, but in case you have not heard, nearly the entire state of Queensland (ie, about the size of France and Germany combined) is under water thanks to the worst floods since 1974, 15 people have died, and thousands have lost everything except the clothes on their backs. Farmers have lost all their crops, which is going to have an enormous effect on the economy as well as, of course, on the poor farmers. There are a lot of relief appeals set up and lots of stores are donating all profits from a day's sale to help - I found out about one yesterday while I was window shopping. Alice Euphemia is holding a garage sale on January 29th with the hope of raising over $3000 to help the RSPCA as well as people affected by the floods, and they're calling out for clothes donations now. I'm going through my wardrobe to see what I can give them - I'll put pics up when I find stuff. For now, this is an image-free post, I just wanted to let you know about the sale and about what's been on the mind of many Australians this week. Click here for more info about the Alice sale.

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Footwear style in-fringe-ment

Are you the kind of person who can never throw anything out just in case it comes in handy some day? I am, although I suspect you had probably come to that conclusion all by yourself if you've read even a handful of my posts. Case study number 3004958 (I'm also known to exaggerate, as you have possibly also deduced) - these shoes. Above, you see them as they are today. Below, the shoes in their original state when I bought them from the Salvos for about $9 over a year ago.

Black, velcro straps and platform heels dates these as most likely being a product of the mid 90s. As they were slightly too loose and also too boring to wear as-is, they lay untouched in my "things to fiddle with" pile, which is basically stuff that is too good to throw out and about which I intend to have an epiphany as regards how I should lengthen/shorten/embellish/simplify/completely remodel it. But then, for another project, I bought some leather and suede scraps, and a light went on in my brain. I cut some black suede into long strips and wrapped them around the front strap and the heel strap, securing it with a little bit of superglue.

This served not only to give me something to do in front of the TV, but to cover up the original boring leather which was a bit stiff and likely to have given me blisters. And there was another bonus - adding this wrapping meant my feet didn't slip around inside the shoes! Yes, I'm incredibly intelligent, I know, I know. But I was not content to leave my genius at that level. Behold, ankle fringing! And slightly inventive camera angles!

This fringing idea was really easy and did not even involve buying any extra materials. A few years ago I bought a black leather skirt (from an op shop, of course) which was too long, so I cut off some of the hem. Voila, mini skirt, modelled with a top I made and a headscarf (naturally, also from an op shop).

Now, take a guess at where the ankle fringing came from... not hard to see that I made it from the hem of the leather skirt I'm wearing, is it?

You're all so smart that you probably don't need me to explain how I made the fringing, but just in case...

I took a rectangle of leather for each ankle, wrapped it around my ankle to check the size and allow for a bit of overlap, then cut strips into it vertically (that's the fringing!). Then sewed on some press studs so that I can just snap the fringing around my ankle (you can see the inside and the outside of the fringing in the pic above). This means that if I want to, I can wear the shoes without the fringing, or I can wear the fringing with other shoes.

Yes, pure genius, I know. Hark! Is that Mensa I hear knocking at my door?

*If you want more of my shoe remodelling ideas, try here and here.

From Tokyo to Fitzroy with the help of a Magic Lantern

For most people, the silly season and its subsequent socialising is over, but mine seems to have only just begun, with friends dropping in from all corners of the globe - a few weeks ago I caught up with a friend who is just back from flying around Europe with her man in a plane they built themselves (yes, you read correctly: you can read more of their crazy antics here) and this weekend it was time to catch up with friends from Tokyo, who went the old-school way and got someone else to fly the plane.

I got to meet their new addition at lunchtime... 

As Nicole is Australian and Keith is Canadian (via Hong Kong), little Olivine is a fellow halfie, but she didn't seem to be enjoying the sisterhood.

 

I often have this effect on kids, whereas Gen had the magic touch with her nephew Max.

 

Maybe Olivine didn't like the outfit I made her a few months ago...? 

After our leisurely lunch reminiscing about old times in Tokyo, we took a stroll along Brunswick Street and stumbled on this gorgeous window display... (sorry about the crappy pics with all the reflections, if you sit back from the screen when you look at these you are somehow able to see them better).

 

Can you see the Sylvanian Families rabbits in the pic below? I LOVED my Sylvanian Families!! They are still living happily in my dollhouse. I can't let them see the garden that these ones have or they'd be extremely jealous. 

 

With a window display like that, and this debonair dude next to the doorway, how could we not venture inside?

The shop is called Magic Lantern (details below) and it only opened about two and a half months ago, according to the charming Argentinian proprietor, who was the most puppeteer-like person I have ever met (think modern day Geppetto in a Western shirt and you'll get the general idea). Seeing as the shop is all about puppets and plays, I suppose that's rather appropriate. I didn't get his photo so you will just have to go and visit him to see what I mean (or check Nicole's blog in a few weeks when she gets back to Tokyo and probably does a blog post on this with better pictures than me, thanks to Keith's photography skills!).

For those of you who can't wait for Nicole's post, here's my own little tour of the shop...

Nicole and Olivine in front of the tropical garden set which partially conceals the puppeteer's atelier (he was working on something with an animal skull head when we were there).

There was an interesting selection of reissued books, all of which I thought were very reasonably priced, especially considering that you are unlikely to find a book that shows you how to make your hands into shadow puppets of Shakespeare, Fagin from Oliver Twist, a cockatoo, etc anywhere else...

If you're looking for interesting gifts for kids or friends with a taste for nostalgia, you'll find it here. The "pre-cinema toys" include things like make-your-own cardboard theatres for $29 and a variety of puppets and quaint curios. It's pretty rare that a shop really transports you to another world, but this one certainly took me back in time to an era when "special effects" had nothing to do with holograms and digital remastering and everything to do with pulling the right strings.

Magic Lantern is at 155 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia, The World, The Universe, etc. There's no website yet but the email is themagiclanternstudio@googlemail.com