floating world

new teatowels

New tea towels from Pata Pri. I ordered these because all my old ones were looking manky, and the $A has recovered enough for me to think about buying things on Etsy again. But now they've arrived they seem almost too pretty to use.

mixtape preorder

There's a new issue of Mixtape coming out soon, and it looks like it's going to be a good one! I'm extra excited to see this one because it's been redesigned and it is full colour and SQUARE. And there's going to be a little piece in there that I wrote on how to make coin quilts (like this one and this one).

I have every issue of Mixtape from when it first started, and I love flicking back through them... Justine does a wonderful job. It's so great to read something that's full of interesting articles and creativity, and NOT full of airbrushed models and advertorial. It makes me very happy.

This one's a limited edition, but you can pre-order here - check it out.

bounty from the markets

Golden kangaroo paw. And nubbly hemp fabric, handwoven in Laos. I'm thinking placemats and Christmas decorations.

half decade

Friday was Mark and my 5th wedding anniversary. When we were married my mother's cousin gave us three bottles of wine. Champagne for our first anniversary, white wine for our 5th anniversary, and a red for our 10th anniversary. I remember thinking at the time that it would be so long until we opened any of them, but five years have passed in a flash. They have been so happy, and full of adventures.

To celebrate Ali had a sleepover with my parents and Mark and I went to a Jens Lekman gig in a backyard in Five Dock. It was slightly surreal, because it was literally a suburban backyard, complete with a middle-aged dad on the barbeque and mum on the ticket desk. There was also an innovative DIY urinal down the side of the house, according to the boys. Everyone sat around on the lawn on picnic blankets drinking beer and eating sausages in bread, and Jens leapt around with a tambourine. Definitely one of the most memorable shows I have been too, and the total antithesis of those over-produced stadium shows where you might as well be watching TV. Afterwards we went out to dinner at our favourite French bistro, which was fantastic. And this morning I slept in for the first time in two years and read the paper in bed. Bliss!

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(Photos by Camilla Quiddington)

a new hat for mr. troll

When I heard that Magda Sayeg was visiting Sydney I hoped that might lead to some knit graffiti sightings. And then this week I spotted a new hat on the Guerilla Gardeners troll in Annandale. It seems like a very appropriate spot for guerilla knitting. And hopefully will keep his head warm.

some very good things from the weekend

• Dinner at Tabou (probably my favourite restaurant in Sydney) with my husband, for no reason at all
• Two Lovers at the Verona and girlie chat (Isabella - yay! Gwyneth - boo!)
• Cooking comfort food for a dinner party on a cold night
• Lily Allen. Love love love her latest album and am driving the rest of the household bonkers by playing it non stop.
• Craft Day. 18 women armed with sewing machines descend on a community centre to gossip and eat chocolate tart. Oh, and do a bit of knitting and sewing too. Lots of fun. 
• Organic grapes. Yum.

little golden books

What is it about Little Golden Books? I love them so much. I had quite a few of them when I was little, and now I have Ali it is a wonderful excuse to start a new collection for him.

Most of these have been picked up at Vinnies, but a couple were bought new.

It's extra exciting when I find the same ones that I had when I was little.

The illustrations are just so beautiful and intricate. Ali loves books and is happy to sit for ages talking about the different things in the pictures.

(The Bunny Book, illustrated by Richard Scarry)

(I Can Fly)

(The Large and Growly Bear)

The current favourites are Firemen and The Little Red Caboose.

We read the Little Red Caboose (or " 'boose" as it is known around here) soooo many times on the plane to Perth. Luckily there is enough detail in the illustrations that there is always something new to discover.

I remember my mum buying me a Little Golden Book in Jewel if I was good during the grocery shop, and loved lining all my books up so the spines were matching and shiny. I'm hoping that Ali will have happy memories of reading Golden Books as part of his childhood too.

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(More info on the history of Little Golden Books here and here)

things i like about succulents

(a) their silvery grey colour

(b) their geometric leaves (petals?)

(c) they are tough

I am not the most attentive gardner. I value plants that can thrive without too much attention. And so succulents are the perfect plant for me. My mum got me started - she has a big urn of them. She brought over some of the little ones, we stuck them into pots of earth, and I put them in a spot on the balcony where they get sun and rain. And that is it. Now the pots are densly packed with little ones popping up everywhere. I pull out the excess, put them in new pots, and they start off again. They are magic.

some nice wooden toys

Since Ali was very small I've preferred toys made from natural materials. Luckily Ali doesn't seem to mind, and most of his favourite toys right now are wooden or handmade. I'm so glad because, apart from being more appealing to hold and look at to start with, wooden toys age so much better. There is a set of those velcroed wood fruits at my parent's house that were my brother's (he is now 23) and they still look brand new.

A couple of the current favourites are these little trucks from Wonder World Toys, a Thai company that uses wood from retired rubber plantations. I picked them up at a local toy store, and they are really lovely. Perfect size for toddler hands, nice solid wood and very well made. They have already survived much vigorous abuse play by the toddler.

Another favourite is this train set from Ikea. Ali plays with it every single day. I was looking at the Brio train sets in another local toy store, but they are really expensive and made in China. The Ikea one is much better value and made in Bulgaria. Best of all, they're the same gauge and so if he ends up with pieces from other train systems he should be able to use them all together.



Ali was given this Haba stacking game for Christmas, and whenever he sees the box he shouts "Bock! Bock!" (trans: "Will you please pass me my blocks, mother?")

Right now he's happy to just thread the blocks on the spikes, but there is a dice and game element that he'll be able to play with when he's a bit older, so it should stay entertaining for a while.

Does anyone else have recommendations for durable, entertaining toys for toddlers?  What are your favourites?

(And, lest you think my home is only full of tasteful, wooden toys I must confess that Ali goes to bed each night with a plastic, singing go-worm. It helps him sleep, and so has well and truly earned its place.)

old and new

Things from my grandmother's house (she has just moved to a smaller unit, and had a big clear-out)

New red shoes.

Other things I am excited about:

• Cooler weather and winter clothes (although it is meant to be back to 31 tomorrow - eek).
• The latest Mixtape, which arrived in my letterbox today. This one is full-colour, so even glossier and more fabulous than usual. And there's a little article in there I wrote about the Toy Society. I'm hoping to snatch a bit of time during Ali's nap today so I can curl up with a coffee and read it properly.
• The Kusama Yayoi exhibition that opened at the MCA this week. Her work is always exciting, so I'm looking forward to visiting.
• Claudine just loaned me the Twilight books, and I can't wait to get started.
• Ali's jumper is almost finished. I just have the hood to go now. I tried it on him this morning, being careful not to poke him in the eye with the circular needle, and it looks like it's going to be a good fit.