Halloween!! (but really its about the Retro Romp)

Only 8 days to Halloween!! My favourite time of the year. (And 11 days to the Retro Romp!!) Luckily the Retro Romp ties in with Halloween, or my son wouldn't let me away the with the mess I've been making lately, (and the time I am spending, making the mess). We want some of the stuff we've been making, to be a surprise, so the picture above is a glimpse of some papermache I've been working on. If you pass by my house Halloween night, you might recognise those bones...

I'm really enjoying working on the Retro Romp. I haven't done papermache for years, or painting for that matter, and its nice to get away from woolly things, for a change. (Never thought I would say that!). We've pretty much made all the decor, mostly out of salvaged and recycled materials. What I love about it, is the fact we are trying to bring together some of my favourite things; crafts, music, dancing and people. And I'm working with some wonderful people, who want the same things!!

I've had a few people ask me why are we putting this on? Whats it for? I have an answer, a really good answer that will explain it all and sound really intelligent, deep and artyfarty. When I get my head around the spiel, it is there, I just haven't got the words right yet. And considering I have been up late painting every night, I doubt it'll come to me soon. So, for now I say, fun! Its for fun, do you remember fun, purely and utterly for a fun night, well, music, dancing and people.

McCarthys Bar, Retro Romp Photoshoot!

The Really Rather Retro Romp!!

Remember I said how much I loved the Gramaphone Disco at this years Electric Picnic? (If you dont, read the post-EP post). Well, so did Kate and Michelle, 2 other ladies from Dingle. And on our return home, we have plotted and planned, and we have now come up with our own Vintage Disco!

Kate of Bijou Entertainment did the beautiful drawings for our poster and tickets, and together we are plotting and painting, sticking and stitching to create vintage visuals influenced by bones, kitch and chinz!

The DJ for the night is none other than Electric Picnic Gramaphone Disco DJ, whose collection of jazz, ragtime, rockabilly, blues, country and world music will have you dancing your spats off. There isn't a dress code, but dressing to excess is advised...vintage, burlesque, steampunk whatever tickles your fancy. It is Halloween Week, so anything goes...

Tickets are now on sale in McCarthys Bar and Re-Nua Health Food Shop, Dingle. Tickets are limited, so you are well advised to buy your ticket in advance. (Seriously, I'm not just saying that because I want to sell tickets, they were selling even before we made them!)

I'll probably either talk about nothing else for the next 2 weeks, or not talk at all! And add it to my backlog of projects I must blog about. Either way, if you can make it out on Thursday the 3rd of November, it'll be a night to dance, chat, plain old time party. The big decidion is now what to wear....

Cork Textiles Network

I've been in the CTN for a few years now, and am a pretty, well, crap member. They run several exhibitions a year, (I barely get it together to do one), run workshops, an amazing conference (which I got to last year!), and have 2 AGMs a year. I finally made it to an AGM (my first one!), and although it is a bit of a trek for me from Kerry, I am glad I did. I got to meet and chat with these fantastic members, put faces to names, vote on future events, and just generally feel part of a wonderful textile community. The Conference for 2012 in now in UCC, a sign of not only its popularity but its reputation. It is getting a great reputation abroad, as a very professionally run event. You don't have to live in Cork to be a member, in fact there is now a large non-Cork membership base. I do feel guilty for not being able to volunteer to hang or monitor exhibitions, or get to regular meetings. but the Cork crowd do understand that, and appreciate any other support given such as admin or internet support.

If more non-Cork members join we can start sub-groups, maybe meet up regular ourselves, share the driving/costs of going to the meetings. There are also other events such as The Knitting and Stitching Show that happen in Dublin. I cant say enough good words about the exhibitions, and would love to have a piece in every one! But going to and from Cork is a difficulty, not in costs but also in time. Again, this is where non-Corkonian members can help each other out, either share the costs, or take turns in traveling. One does the drop off, another the pick-up.anyway, enough of the speech, here's the latest CTN news

re:View 
The Knitting and Stitching Show, RDS, Dublin
10th - 13th November 2011

A retrospective of selected members work


The Colour of Sound
The Cork School of Music
Thursday 24th November until 21st December 2011