Gypsy deathcore. Doesn't get more energetic than that!
Legendary kids playing ghostbusters
A cable car tunnel
shopping
parliament house. incredible architecture
view from the botanic gardens
street art
As I mentioned in my last post we went to Wellington over the weekend. It was the first time for C in Wellywood and I hadn't been there in years. Welly is known as the 'cool' city in NZ and certainly lives up to its name with a great selection of cafe's and restaurants (Duke Carvells, Memphis Belle, Fidels), good op shopping (Emporium ex Christchurch is now on Cuba St) and lots of street art. Our visit deliberately coincided with the International Arts Festival. We saw some "interesting" street performers and the high-energy gypsy punk sounds of Barons of Tang. Our accomodation was the stunning Museum Hotel that has the most incredible reception filled with art from around the world.
C was delighted to get a tour through parliament house and we spent the evening pounding the pavement and bar hopping (love cocktails at The Library) on Courtenay Place. We had a great one night break away and luckily managed to get some decent weather while we were there. Oh and for all you crafters, if you're ever there - check out Minerva, the best textile bookshop!
Lastly here is a bit of a shaky video I took of projections on Te Papa on saturday night.
A serious lack of blogging hey?! Well I don't really have an excuse. But here's what I have been doing when I haven't been tip tapping away on my keyboard.
Watching this documentary. It appropriately screened one year on from our most devasting earthquake. If you're not from Christchurch I sincerely recommend you watch this to understand what the city went through.
Working. Yep, I'm a working girl/lady. I've been busy trying to organise film shoots around the rain, doing presentations to the CEO and managing my largest campaign to date. Quite energy sapping! I don't have a cool eighties suit like Melanie Griffiths but I have been dedicated to working lately to try and achieve one of my New Year's Resolutions to appreciate my job more.
Playing words with friends. Why is it so addictive?!
Listening to this. How good is it?! (Thanks for the link Jeanie). Who said country tunes have to be lame?
Also I've been:
attending beer festivals
rescuing my shoes from Lucy's jaws
renovating parts of the garden
trying to find a good novel to read - recommendations please!
and getting excited for our quick trip to Wellington this weekend. I will post a summary on Sunday when we get back!
C and I had a picnic lunch at Selwyn River today. We managed to escape the easterly wind and find a secluded spot. Lucy retrieved sticks and chased butterflies while we waded in the impossibly clear water. The wildflowers down there were so pretty! I love exploring days, do you?
This DIY cushion is a really basic way of upcycling the quality old wool blankets that you can find at nearly any secondhand store. I got an enormous one from the Sallies store for $4. For the applique you can use an iron-on adhesive to hold it in place however I chose to just pin mine which meant the elephant is a bit puffy.
What you need:
Wool blanket
Felt
Coloured thread to match the felt, needle
Sewing machine & thread to match wool blanket
Paper scissors
Fabric scissors
Step 1
Find an image that you like that has very few fiddly bits. Search for silhouettes to find nice simple images. I picked this elephant. Print out the image and cut it out. Note: You can always skip the first two steps if you want to free-hand a design onto the felt with chalk.
Step 2
Pin your cut out to a piece of felt in your chosen colour then cut out the shape.
Step 3
Cut out your cushion pieces. I used a strip around 60cm wide and 120cm long. This will make a rather large cushion. I suggest you get your cut out shape and place it on the blanket then measure an appropriate size cushion relative to the size of your cut out. Pin your cut out in place on the right side of the cushion. If you are going to use an adhesive here, this is where you would do it.
Step 4
Get your matching thread and your needle and blanket stitch all the way around your shape. This is why you don't want too many fiddly bits on your shape as it could prove tricky!
Step 5
Turn your cushion wrong side out and fold over so you have a square. Pin your sides together ready for sewing. Make sure you mark a gap on one side where you will leave it open for stuffing.
Step 6
Sew your sides together and then turn the cushion right side out so you have your (almost finished) square. Now for the fun bit! Grab handfuls of hobby fill and stuff through the gap you have left. There is no rule here on how much you stuff in but do make sure it is pushed right into the corners. Fold in the rough seams of your little gap and sew together. Depending on the capability of your sewing machine you may need to hand sew this part as it's pretty chunky. You're done!
Hurray! A long weekend approaches and I'm chill. It's Waitangi Day on Monday in New Zealand, a commemoration of the signing of the treaty between the british empire and the maori. The Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document of the country and an opportunity for us all to watch the Sevens, go to the beach, have a bbq and watch politicians waxing lyrical on television. So, lets kick on. Here are my five favourite things this week.
If the weather holds tomorrow I'll be moving, breathing and relaxing my way to a peaceful Saturday with Yoga in the Park. It's free, just bring a mat. See you in the gardens at 10am.
The weather has been overcast and chilly for the last few days. It reminds me of this moody Feist video. It makes me groove. Check out her My Moon My Man clip, aren't those airport travelators so much fun?!
Throw the old water crackers on the compost theres a new snack in town. I'm nuts for these walnut oat crackers! Quince paste and camembert. yum gurgle drool. Freaking terrible photography sorry (It's Friday night, gimme a break).
I have a crush on Aubrey Plaza, the queen of deadpan. Parks & Recreation, Portlandia & Scott Pilgrim. Girl, you're too cool.
Since I'm talking about female artists I love, I can't really go past this classic. A glass of pinot, a cold evening inside and good speakers is all you need to slowly melt into a Tracy Chapman moment. Not even that. Just close your eyes and listen.
