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.

November, the month I (felt like I) joined the Circus

Been a busy bee for the best part of November and am now playing catch up.  Two circus themed events happened within a few weeks of each other, both of which I made some stuff for. The Dr Stoker Circus of Horror, a charity gig in the INEC, and the decor for the Festival Club of the Tralee Circus Festival.

How to draw a Tiki Head!

As I said in a previous post, I got my son to help me design the tiki stuff I made for the last Retro Romp. So here's is the method I worked out, so he could help me. He picked the features and I drew them out. Its an incredibly easy system, and a great one to do with the kids and for just general doodling. The diagrams I've drawn are a bit rough, but what the hey, you'll get my drift. This is tribal stuff, the rougher the better.

And don't be fussing about the lines! Kids are constantly told in school to stay within the lines, and unfortunately this can stay with us as adults. When one neighbours kid got upset because he coloured outside the line, I just gave him the big black marker and said, change the line. He was chuffed...

Finally! Some pics of the 2nd Retro Romp

Between sick kids, sick me, and sick computer, (hence the previous “@!”%**&@!” post...), its been hard to get my head around anything the past few weeks. 

So, finally, here are some pics of the 2nd Retro Romp.... 
(its like a recipe for a good party..)

Lots and lots of Bunting, enough to go round the room a few times...

 Enough Paper Roses to decorate, pretty much everywhere...

A few cool Cupids

Some Hearts with Wings

A few retro-sailor type Paintings

2 Dj's

some little treats eg. Liquor Lollipops

Some Cool Cats

A recipe for a another successful Retro Romp 

https://www.facebook.com/retroromp

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!

Did you know that yesterday was The International Day for Biological Diversity? No, neither did I, I read it this morning on the Heritage Council newsletter.

I've been a flu-induced haze for the past week. I knew I was tired after my trip to Mayo, and came down with a touch of a cold. Well it developed into full blown, stay in bed flu. Then when the flu subsided a bit, the sinus and chest infection kicked in. I though, oh a few days in bed catching up on some crochet, but I haven't able to do a thing, except watch endless telly...I am feeling a bit better today, so I checked my emails, and discovered yesterday was International Day for Biological Diversity, and this is the end of Biodiversity Week. There has been loads of activities going on all over the country, and as usual I missed them all... The only thing I did yesterday was go to the doctor to confirm my illness, get drugs, and then back to bed. My garden has been taken over by biodiversity, and I plan on spending a few days once I'm better, on destroying a lot of it, eg grass, slugs, snails, moss, dandelions, daisy's, etc, etc.....Not very PC, but a veg-patch is like a war-zone. I'm a pacifist towards the ones that can walk, wiggle, or otherwise move. They benefit from the re-location programme. But the weeds, I'm not so pacifist... (But there is karma for you, you will return as compost!)

So to celebrate some kind of International Diversity, I shall tell you my photo's got accepted into the International Freeform Crochet Guild

The 2009 International Freeform Guild's Show, Four Seasons, includes 52 freeform fiber artists from all around the globe. The artists were given the choice of creating one or more freeform pieces interpreting the four seasons.

Here's my page!!
http://www.freeformcrochet.com/2009/Pages/orla.html

All love and hearts

Its a bit late for me to be putting up how to make Valentines stuff, thought it was the plan. So, here is some stuff, maybe I'll get the instructions together for next year..

I just couldn't get some nice photos of the smaller ones.. so I just ended up scanning them..pics are a bit rough...

Ideas for Emergency Valentine Cards

Materials: different coloured Card, last years valentines card, shiny sweet wrapper, string, glue



Woven paper Heart

Materials: paper, scissors


Valentine Cards

Materials: Red card, red paper, sweet wrappers, glue, scissors, red bead things, glue


Paper Flower

Materials: 3 paper bun cases, 1 handle of paper bag, scissors

Crocheted Flower

Materials: 1.25 hook, thin wool (2 shades of red, 1 maroon)

Inspiration for 2009

I first came across the Manchester Craft Mafia because of Sackboy. They were invited by Media Molecule to the Little Big Planet launch, to do customized workshops in making your very own Sackboy. I love keeping track of what this fantastic craft group are doing. It makes my heart ache for something similar here in Ireland. Its one of the reasons I set up The Woolly Way of Ireland. If The Woolly Way was even a fraction of a success like the MCM,I would be very very happy....unfortunately, at the moment its a one-person show (mine!) and trying to get it off the ground is taking its toll, and time on all the other things I'd like to do. That's why I feel inspired by what they are doing over the water. I feel I'm not really crazy to believe something like this can exist. I have such grandiose ideas for the Woolly Way, apart from it being a textile directory, networking site,forum, I had plans (eventually) to try take it on the road,doing a Woolly Way Roadshow! I got such a great reception last year at the Electric Picnic Music Festival, I really thing there is interest in it.

I haven't voiced a lot of my plans before, because, this is Ireland after all, and if people who know me think its a bit odd, what will the rest of the country think...So, imagine my delight when I get the latest update from Manchester Craft Mafia to tell me about UK DIY a craft uprising in the north west of England :: a series of events, exhibitions and projects exploring DIY crafts across the UK The project stems from all things ironic, political, environmental, fun and subversive found within contemporary craft, communities, and entrepreneurial makers.

Then, I come across these The Great British Craft Tour

This is the kind of stuff I dream about doing. Getting on the road in a VW van and driving all around the country gathering all the info you need. This is pretty much what I had in mine for the Woolly Way. I don't just want to get lists out of the phonebook, I want to physically gather the info, visit the venues, talk to anyone who has an interest in textiles from makers to seller. What I had hoped was to get a number of volunteers around the country to check out their areas,but the uptake is very slow(hint,hint) so I guess I'll just have to hit the road myself...

My New Years Resolution consisted of

1) more action less talk

2)trying to be less grumpy in the mornings...

So, this will prob be my only rant for along time, but I needed to get that out, or I would have burst! I am so excited about the way textiles is going in other countries, its everything I've dreamed about. But if I say this out loud to anyone around me, they just switch off. In fact they are so uninterested in what I do, or want to do that I don't even tell them. When people ask me what I am up to I say nothing, I'm just a stay-at-home-mum lost in Suburbia..with insane woolly things on my mind...

Viva la Revolution!

World Beach Project

I finally got it together to go out to the beach to arrange some stones and take some photos for the World Beach Project. Not the nicest beach, but the nearest to me. It was late afternoon and already the sun was starting to set so I did a very simple, not very original, stones on top of each other set up.

Kilfenora, Fenit, Co. Kerry

World Beach Project

Just came across a lovely project on the V&A website about the World Beach Project.

The World Beach Project is a global art project open to anybody, anywhere, of any age. Building on the experience many of us have of making patterns on beaches and shorelines, this project combines the simplicity of making patterns with stones with the complexities of shape, size, colour, tone, composition, similarity and difference.

Simply, go to a local beach, make some sort of design with stones , take a photo and add it to the online gallery. Couldn't be simpler!

There only seems to be about 7 Irish entries, which is a bit poor considering we're not short of a few stones and we have a vast coastline. So, use it as an excuse to get out for a walk, play for a few mins.