I found this in Hay-on-Wye today, sadly ‘Needlepoint News’ does not tell me how to make these dogs (only how to achieve ‘real curves on canvas’) but I love them! I think it would be amazing to have a colletion of tapestry sewn Guinea pigs…

Haha! something useful is slowly coming out of my latest obsession, check back for more!

I have a craft blog, this is where I procrastinate, although all work is good work? maybe one day I’ll make things out of socks to fuel my rock star lifestyle. Anyway, although it’s still in an embryonic phase take a look here:

This is my most recent creation, I feel slightly ashamed about his lack of arms… but I do like his little belly button, although he will never be able to scratch it.

Another attempt in Photoshop.

I’m rather pleased with this little chap. I’ve been trying to master clipping masks and layers today in photoshop, I want to be able to put my silhouettes and shapes into photoshop and illustrator in order to manipulate them, but then I don’t want it to look like I’ve used a computer, can’t win really!

Today I finally get round to watching the DVD I’d bought of Jan Svankmajer’s Alice, and I was not disappointed, a great antidote to the saccharine sweetness of the Disney version, Svankmajer’s story is decidedly darker. Cleverly using the stop motion which he is renowned for, Svankmajer takes the viewer into a subverted universe existing entirely within the playroom. For instance the caterpillar becomes a threadbare sock with false teeth and glass eyes who sews his eyelids shut to go to sleep, while the rabbit is a taxidermist model who we see smashing his way out of the glass cabinet that contains him at the beginning of the film.

This may not seem like the most desirable thing to watch on a lazy Sunday morning, and it may be too surreal for some, but I certainly enjoyed it.

And some more of his work:

My friend Alistair recently drew my attention to a competition being held by Dazed and Confused Magazine entitled ‘Decade drawn out’. The brief was simply to illustrate one of a selection of magazine covers taken from the last ten years and put your illustrative mark on it. This is my entry:

and original:

The prize is the chance to be commissioned by Dazed for a future edititorial project, Fingers crossed! the image can be viewed on their website, here

Having recently learnt to crochet during the snow of the last few weeks, I was delighted to receive this link from my friend Holly, let’s just say I have all of next years Christmas presents sorted out already. I think Holly pretty much sums this up by saying ‘Imagine if you were created to simply sit on loo roll to make it look “pretty” ‘

www.toiletpapercovers.com

(Image taken from http://www.toiletpapercovers.com/Dachshund.html)

Today I was very excited to find an old (ish) polaroid camera in my local charity shop for the princely sum of £0.95, unfortunately though something seems to be stuck inside and rather than spitting out the black protective cover from the film out then allowing you to take pictures it simply kept disgorging my precious polaroid films exposing them all. The price of these films today means that I was very sad for a while and looked mopishly at e-bay for half an hour as I wondered how long my last box of films would last me. until I spotted this website:

http://www.theimpossibleproject.com/2009

which suggests that someone else might be taking over the production of polaroid films in the near future, which makes me considerably happier, but for the moment I still have my eye on a pack of black and white 600 film from e-bay, hands off!

Inspired by Channel 4’s Indian Winter I thought I’d post some of the Indian postcards I have in my possession. The green hand on the end is actually a henna stencil, I would use it but I think it’s too nice just as something to look at, although I would love to have my hands properly painted in henna.

(Image taken from www.weheartit.com)