Full of Christmas Cheer (and Hope and Advice)

I had banned the dreaded "C" word in my house until the 1st of December, but I am actually feeling full of Christmas Cheer at the moment, so I'm declaring it Christmas now.

After my weekend in Kilkenny, I feel hope, something I have not felt in a while. Hope in the work I want to do, that I will find the right people to work with, and hope in the salvation of the world. OK, this seems a bit extreme, but, on returning from my travels, I did 2 things that restored my faith and salvation in the world. I finally finished 1421 by Gavin Menzies. This book changed the way I look at history, and the whole bloody Eurocentric thing. If you are into history, maps, navigation, anthropology, botany, and numerous other fields, read it.

I also watched a film The Economics of Happiness. This film, is the most inspiring documentary I have seen recently. It’s very depressing at the start, but ends up very hopeful; it actually ties in with everything I believe in, the way I like to work, the way I believe communities should work, the future of mankind... It really is that deep! It all ties in together, and wow, I haven't felt this positive in a long, long time.

So, that’s just a bit of Christmas Cheer and now here’s the Christmas Advice. I don’t usually offer advice on my blog, well apart from advice of a crafty nature, what glue or stitches to use, but I am feeling so full of cheer, and chat, and reality of the overhypness of Christmas, I want to help you all cope with this coming Christmas. (Obliviously I'm not religious. If I was religious I would actually take affront at my religion and icons being used to encourage several of the deadly sins, which my religion is supposed to be safeguarding me from. I am always surprised the Church has not come out and actually renounced any and all association with the excesses of Christmas. Is it because theres no such thing as bad press?).

Advice for buying presents for kids: 

• BLAME SANTA!!  If Santa does not give them the presents they asked for, you are not to blame, Santa is. So if your kids are unhappy, tell them a story about the North Pole getting flooded due to the polar caps melting and all the presents were destroyed. So, Santa did the best he could under the circumstances. (Get them to watch The Economics of Happiness film)
• YOUR KIDS WILL NOT HATE YOU FOREVER if they do not get the presents they wanted, they will just hate you for a little while. Giving them what they want just gives them unreal expectations of their doomed future (get them to watch The Economics of Happiness film)
• KNOW YOUR CHILD, Put some thought into it. Do you really know your child? I mean really? We're all so busy these days; it’s easy to not notice the small things. Buying them something they want is the easy way out, buy them something surprising, something they don’t realise they want, but they will remember forever. (Get them to watch The Economics of Happiness film)

Advice for buying presents for loved ones: 

 

• FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS/WANTS EVERYTHING buy them the The Economics of Happiness. They definitely need to watch this film, so they can see how their excesses are destroying the world.
• FOR THE PERSON WHO DOESN'T WANT ANYTHING buy them The Economics of Happiness.They will really appreciate this film. It might make them a bit smug, because they are already on the right track with regards to possessions.
• FOR ANYONE WITH ANY SENSE OF ENVIROMENT buy them the The Economics of Happiness. This film might make them cry because they have been following the destruction of the earth with great detail. It says everything they have been saying, but more intelligently with great visuals and in 68 minutes. It will also give them hope.
• FOR ANYONE IN ANY POSITION OF POWER OF DESICISION MAKING (Real or imagined e.g. bank managers/CEOs/politicians etc) buy them the The Economics of Happiness. They are the people who really, REALLY need to see this film. They are destroying the world.

 http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org/

The Economics of Happiness - Official Trailer from The Economics of Happiness on Vimeo.

Curation Masterclass

I'm just back from a few days in Kilkenny, the nerve centre of the CCOI. I've been attending a series of Curation Master classes, the first time the CCOI have run workshops on the craft of curation. (And believe me it is a craft; an elusive, time-consuming, art-form that, I believe, involves a huge amount of craftiness in order to succeed).

Well, I only actually attended a couple of the series, because I couldn't make it to all of them. But I was very, VERY, lucky to have attended both of the classes that were facilitated by Freddie Robins and David Littler. Two incredibly inspiring people. Its impossible to really describe what actually went on in these sessions, which were a 2 day conversation about curating contemporary craft. But here’s is some of the key words... well, an awful lot of key words...(I do like a good word cloud...)

Finally, a crafty blog post; Papermaché

Its been ages since I blogged about anything crafty! I've finally gotten round to taking a few pics of the papermaché I made for the Retro Romp. I hadn't done papermaché in years, so they are a bit rough and ready. Made as quick as it is possible to make papermaché in a damp country. But it was great to get back into it, I'd forgotten how much I liked working with paper and paint.

Skeletal Cat #1

 Skeletal Cat #2

And Skeletal Flamingos 

Tralee Circus Festival 2011 (again)

Heres a few pics from the Tralee Circus Festival Parade, which we nearly didn't bother with because of the rain. But the rain eased just in time...The parade was small but certainly loud, fun and colourful!! I've post more on Flickr.

After the parade, I went to the Festival Club was in The Brandon Hotel, where we got to see some great performances from The Daredevil Chicken Club, The Twilight Players and The Roaring Forties!!

 Great night, well done to the Tralee Circus Festival, gets bigger and better every year!! Next year, the child wants to be in the parade, so will have to come up with some good costumes....

Tralee Circus Festival 2011

Don't forget the Tralee Circus Festival is on next weekend!!

Last year I brought the small man to a kids juggling workshop, and it was great fun.

More info here www.traleecircusfestival.com

and on Facebook

More Retro Romp (but a short one...)

OK, finally some pics from the Retro Romp up on Flickr!! 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stitchlily/

What a fantastic night! Great crowd, great music. Thanks a mill to everyone who came, especially those of you who got dressed up!! We will be putting on another night soon, but it probably wont be until next year. I forgot my flash, so I couldn't get decent photos of the crafty stuff we made. Next chance I get, I'll take some separate pics and post them then.

It was such a great project to work on. As I said in a previous post, its combines everything I love; music, crafts, people. It confirmed my belief we need to take crafts back. Every human culture has crafts interwoven into their customs. And sometimes I feel we are losing them, not just because they are undervalued, but because what we have, has become too precious and expensive.  I know everyone has to make a living, I do too, but it doesn't mean we have to have a class system for crafts. Its only by making it part of our everyday lives again, that people will appreciate it, and more willing to pay for it. We need to reclaim it from posh shops, the galleries, the museums and make them living crafts. Make it part of very event, every festival, part of everyday life.

I was very proud of the work we put in this night, the place looked fantastic, and we pretty much made it all ourselves, on a crap budget, with recycled materials. If it makes people see, the beauty you can create from simple materials and simple skills, its worth the effort.

 
"I half wish that I had not been born with a sense of romance and beauty in this accursed age".

One of my favourite quotes by William Morris, which I sigh on a daily basis.