Tiki Tiki!!( again)

 I've done a few posts already about my love for Tiki designs. Its been one of my most popular posts ever, here on my wee blog. (See here!). So when the theme of this years Feile na Bealtaine parade was announced, as 'Masks', I knew immediately what I wanted to do.


For a few years now, I have worked with the local boy's school here in Dingle, designing and making their Feile parade costumes and props. I thought the theme of Tiki masks would suit the boys down to the ground.

Post Valentia Festival!

Only a Kerry island can offer what Valentia Isle Festival offered. The most fantastic location, facing the Atlantic, with distant view of the Skellig islands. Its one of my favourite things about Kerry. So much sky! Getting to spend a few days sitting out in sunshine, watching fluffy clouds roll by.

St. Patricks Day Parade in Dingle!

 The weather held out for the first part of the parade, and then went pretty dismal. So we didn't follow it around like we normally do. The parade was, well, as only a parade in rural Ireland can be. The child said it was bigger than last years. Always good to see an improvement. Fun day had by all, despite the rain

Electric Picnic 2012!

So, I'm off to do my 5th Electric Picnic! 

The Electric Picnic always signifies the last of the summer days, the shorter nights, and well, with the monsoon rains we've been having, some particularily wet camping. Cant believe the summer is coming to an end already!

I'm off to teach workshops in the Greencrafts Craft Village. Each year we have gotten a bigger space, and bigger audience and it is always an amazing epxerience. I havent seen the finalised tutor list, but I expect there to be all manor of stitchery going on; knitting, felting, sewing, and more. Lots of other traditional skills will be there - people working with wood, clay, metal, slate, etc...

I know I am biased, but its always lovely to hang out in the Grencrafts area...If you are coming to the festival, come down to the Greencrafts area, say hello.
This year, I will attempt to take photos. Last year, I didnt take many...

We had a Really Rather Very Good Time - Tiki Tiki style!

The car has just been unpacked, and packed again. I'm heading away on a road trip of sorts for a week or so. I thought I better get a blog post in before I get embroiled in another project.
The Really Rather Retro Romp Vintage Market and Disco took place last Saturday in McCarthy's Bar, Dingle. And PHEW! it was a long day and night, but a good one. I won't post all the pics here, you can see them either on Facebook  or on Flickr 

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!

One too many paper chains, perhaps...

In a previous blog post, I had talked about the fun we had making our Halloween Decorations, and talked about bringing back the paper chain. Well, over the past 2 weeks I have gone a bit mad with the Christmas decorations. It’s my first year in my new house (and hopefully the first of many, many years in the same house...). So, because of a combination my Yarnaholics Programme*, and the appalling weather we’re been having over the past month, I have managed to have nothing to do! I don’t mean nothing to do, but no crazy community projects or deadlines, having to be here there and everywhere. And my god, it’s tough! Its way harder than working hard. I am usually rushing around chasing after projects as time slips away, but now I am humming and hawing about what to next. So, for my first year in my new house, I have managed to make nearly all the Christmas decorations.

Firstly I made these....

Then I made these.

Lots of these. These were my favourites as a kid, and with a few different coloured packs of crepe paper, it’s amazing how many you can make, and get carried away with...

The tiny little synthetic tree was unwrapped, and we made angels

Then a lino-printing session to make all the Christmas Cards

Then, I had to crochet some snowflakes, and well, got carried away with that too, and made a few for the tree, and the window by the front door, and a bunch for token presents to friends and family

Snowflakes blocking

Oh, and we painted the front door...

Inside and Outside

PHEW! To top it off some Christmas tunes from The Rat Pack and Leon Redbone... It’s a festive, very cheap and cheerful Christmas. I'm almost ready to be snowed in...

*Must update the Yarnaholic Programme, it'll be my New Years Resolution...

Happy Christmas

Belated Halloween Post...and Bring back the Paper-Chain this Christmas!

We were the last on our road to put Halloween decorations, and the last to take them down. (finally got it together yesterday). Another point, is we were the only ones to put up only hand-made decorations.

Everyone else had the same plastic/glow-in-the-dark tat from China. I didn't buy any, because I dont believe in buying all that crap. It's not just the money, I'm not being a miser. It's well, the 2nd reason, what better projects to do with the kids on a rainy day!

For me as a kid, that was the whole thing about celebrations. Spending days up your eyeballs in paint, glue and glitter... So, anyway, here's some of the stuff we made, now safely stowed for next year, and now it's time to get going on the Christmas decorations.

Having a chat with a friend, we were talking about the ole days, the days of the paper chain. The days of cutting and stitching, tears and repairs. It's about creating memories for your kids. Kids are so confined these days, because of our fears, safetly from cars, strangers, etc... We dont realise they dont have that sense of being kids that we had. So, I'm saying for the sake of giving kids happy memories, this most memerable of Christmasses (the Christmas the IMF came), don't buy the plastic tat from China, bring back the paper-chain this Christmas.

Pan Celtic Festival 2011

Whenever people ask me what am I up to, I can't think of anything to say. But I know I have been up to something as I suffer from fiddlyitus, I am always up to something. But lately, it's been more a case of thinking. I've been doing a lot of thinking. And yes, it involves thinking of yarnie things, day-dreaming about possible yarnie projects, (and how to take over the world, of course).

So, what have I been thinking about? Well, for once one of my schemes/projects has come into fruition. I was chatting to the lovely Máire Treanor at the last Clones Lace workshop, about a possible trip to Brittany in the Spring to do crochet lace workshops. I love Brittany, having spent a month there, years ago, (drinking cider, dancing at Fez Noz, and generally having a ball). This book has sparked it off for me...

Available on Amazon

And also Maire has just re-printed her wonderful book

Breton Lace and Irish Lace are interlinked. Though technique, nuns, common historical disasters (famine) and general Celticness...So, when I hear the Pan Celtic Festival was going to be in Dingle again in 2011, I contacted the committee about doing a possible textile event, (I think I scared them with my enthusiasm)... Long story, several emails later, we have official approval!!

Here's what’s planned so far:

(a) an exhibition of lacework from the Celtic countries,

(b) a talk on the history of lacework and

(c) a demonstration of the national styles of lacework.

If anyone has intrinsic knowledge of lacemaking in Celtic countries get in touch! Otherwise you can just join up here for a chat:

Ravelry http://tinyurl.com/23k85ep

The poor underused Woolly Way Forum: http://tinyurl.com/2cm6smh