tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8198880400167228772024-02-19T11:36:57.690+10:00Kuberblog... on making things, and other perils.kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-60411001044727914372015-11-05T08:34:00.001+10:002015-11-05T08:34:31.933+10:00Market prep... the truthIt's come around again, so quickly that I haven't managed a blog post since the last time. This weekend is the <a href="http://www.thefinderskeepers.com/brisbane-markets/">Spring/Summer Brisbane Finders Keepers market</a>, and I've been preparing for it like a demon for weeks!<br />
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The truth is, though, that there's still way too many things not-crossed-off on the to-do list. There's outstanding orders to fill, and lists-within-lists which feel a bit insurmountable.</div>
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There's stuff everywhere. Cupboards are uncloseable.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbNmBLDxyMuW1HbJkGxMvjloT79McGXqA-G5Nv0cwFBOS2acjSOf3BXGuxLs30ie_-UnL0FISuM2ZlHLHUdOIs8BM1PQlDyJabqBcIC139du54mVkFcBtiX_A8uyvXlQEYPbO3hkdm6Y/s1600/FK_prep_stuff.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbNmBLDxyMuW1HbJkGxMvjloT79McGXqA-G5Nv0cwFBOS2acjSOf3BXGuxLs30ie_-UnL0FISuM2ZlHLHUdOIs8BM1PQlDyJabqBcIC139du54mVkFcBtiX_A8uyvXlQEYPbO3hkdm6Y/s1600/FK_prep_stuff.jpg" /></a></div>
There's a cat shedding all over my stall setup, and every time I try to put something on it he either lies on it or knocks it off with utmost nonchalance.<br />
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There are concerns. Where are my new business cards that I ordered last week and paid 'Express' for? Will I have enough stock, and if not, what will I do? What can I do about my sad fingers? All the sanding and sawdust and plaster has given them a mummified appearance that is, frankly, starting to get painful and is too yuck to photograph! Is it going to rain? What on EARTH am I going to wear!?<br />
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I know it's going to be okay. I will find something to wear, and I will ultra-moisturise my hands. If I run out of stock, well... I will give people one of my new business cards. It'll be exhausting, but it'll be great fun. It always is!<br />
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So, do come. The markets are opening at 9am for the first time, and as there's no stalls lining the veranda this time, busy times will feel far less frenetic! I'm planning on making a jolly good start on my Christmas shopping... perhaps you will too?kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-26893880623423542112015-06-12T12:02:00.000+10:002015-06-12T12:02:06.037+10:00Finders Keepers preparationA big Wintry hello to you! Here, the days have been filled with woodsmoke and wearing slippers, and my belly filled with macaroni cheese and chicken pot pie. It's the only little sliver of the year when sitting in the sun in Brisbane is an attractive proposition. It's also (gasp) only three weeks until the next Finders Keepers market, and I'll be there!<br />
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I've been attempting a slow and sustained approach to my Finders Keepers preparation this time, as it can get a bit frenetic, and I'd like to avoid that. Plus, because my things often involve quite a lot of fiddly and repetitive finger-work, I'm trying to prevent my hands turning into cramped immobile claws. So far, things are going well, and I'm amassing a promising-looking pile of wares. It gives me a very nice warm feeling, that growing pile of wares!<br />
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So, I thought I'd share some of my new things that will be making an appearance that weekend. The delivery of a batch of new postcards always gives me a thrill, and is a reassuring thing to have crossed off the to-do list.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_cNVS_ywLQwxkWc23c0a3_7fi29XDDKFdBg3XY4WuY1jK8gOMxeyak0OIabWOoeKs3XWV3tlUB1sZfb1oiD2Wa9u7Zean5wbZIqHFirOuR37zN3VlPTVangxYEgqVy3YkIYlVtpPCHE/s1600/kuberstore_postcard_2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_cNVS_ywLQwxkWc23c0a3_7fi29XDDKFdBg3XY4WuY1jK8gOMxeyak0OIabWOoeKs3XWV3tlUB1sZfb1oiD2Wa9u7Zean5wbZIqHFirOuR37zN3VlPTVangxYEgqVy3YkIYlVtpPCHE/s1600/kuberstore_postcard_2015.jpg" /></a></div>
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These cards, printed on uncoated recycled cardstock, feature my latest enormous cast plaster gumnut wall hanging, which I have <a href="http://www.etsy.com/au/listing/232159016/">listed in my Etsy store as a 'made to order' item</a>. I have moulds of only eight of these little spotted gum nuts, so this wall hanging involves lots of rounds of casting and hand-finishing. I'm planning for it to take pride of place at my Finders Keepers stall, but in the meantime it's up in our bedroom!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8mG3ek8RAPE1X1mOtdSJjDa9TBeqQVOG4LyRrYGNG60is184FriZPPKqfNMxmXevsbuYlKi_OY6xG5m59V3VNxzJkK8LHl7v9ZlP6heYvujvIFK3wayVchXxHE4PfFVHXUqcwYukXII/s1600/kuberstore_wall_hanging_with_Ollie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8mG3ek8RAPE1X1mOtdSJjDa9TBeqQVOG4LyRrYGNG60is184FriZPPKqfNMxmXevsbuYlKi_OY6xG5m59V3VNxzJkK8LHl7v9ZlP6heYvujvIFK3wayVchXxHE4PfFVHXUqcwYukXII/s1600/kuberstore_wall_hanging_with_Ollie.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oliver Kitten seems to become very interested as soon as I try and take a photo of anything around here. He put himself right in the middle of the bed with no prompting from me!</td></tr>
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I've become quite focused on gumnuts lately, probably because the beautiful ornamental gums around here have just finished flowering. The lorikeets and parrots all love to feed from the blossoms, and so the ground beneath every tree is often littered with buds, flowers and nuts. On my morning walks I've been coming home with handfuls of them, and some of them have been made into new moulds. The resulting new plaster casts have provoked the development of lots of new wall hangings, some of which feature gum blossom petals made out of unraveled hemp twine. I'm super excited about these new little gum blossoms with petals!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGtBWVo8jcrD82SXGIhw53znHTdwu1rQDIOANDf1wV4E7PqhxnQZffqCchlmwKGRWcvzK0BFSalam7dBARtaE_Ss4xDDl6WvjgplStBQBz2ovTAvEu3IA9VHzHcjhC8KL1NwU9B6xHMw/s1600/kuberstore_gum_blossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGtBWVo8jcrD82SXGIhw53znHTdwu1rQDIOANDf1wV4E7PqhxnQZffqCchlmwKGRWcvzK0BFSalam7dBARtaE_Ss4xDDl6WvjgplStBQBz2ovTAvEu3IA9VHzHcjhC8KL1NwU9B6xHMw/s1600/kuberstore_gum_blossom.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR__mL6xJCR8SY9756fEM6Q6TfYvBaVnXQmvwAWzNLuGNp6xo2I2FqTSZPjKRiM1ExiSklAp_0z8cHZOvl5ZhnmjZhUJQrRWOM2P-kth1bAo9k7APAK2hLSuZueJCSYndOn11wvY1tp8/s1600/kuberstore_blossom_wall_hanging1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlR__mL6xJCR8SY9756fEM6Q6TfYvBaVnXQmvwAWzNLuGNp6xo2I2FqTSZPjKRiM1ExiSklAp_0z8cHZOvl5ZhnmjZhUJQrRWOM2P-kth1bAo9k7APAK2hLSuZueJCSYndOn11wvY1tp8/s1600/kuberstore_blossom_wall_hanging1.jpg" /></a></div>
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I've also been making the gum blossoms and their 'bud' versions into some little flowery sticks, a handful of which I'll have available singularly at Finders Keepers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQWBLATCZvr0DxFXHOjE-lmZjPY1f5TnFkc6je771FVnAWmdqvuev5lAuTBm1i2BGvPTrzOdkK00VdSSmD8OWsjePfi_rcW-a-U9vyIovuUeYEXICNcpHqFQ4uUOcn9wGETUsP5DZHhQ/s1600/kuberstore_gum_sticks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQWBLATCZvr0DxFXHOjE-lmZjPY1f5TnFkc6je771FVnAWmdqvuev5lAuTBm1i2BGvPTrzOdkK00VdSSmD8OWsjePfi_rcW-a-U9vyIovuUeYEXICNcpHqFQ4uUOcn9wGETUsP5DZHhQ/s1600/kuberstore_gum_sticks.jpg" /></a></div>
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So, things are chugging along. Right now, my worktable looks like a plaster garden of delights!</div>
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Lots yet to do, but I'm tackling it in a methodical and very 'listy' fashion. Here's hoping that the next three weeks are calm, and then maybe I'll see you at the market!</div>
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kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-89915891941614975262015-04-21T14:06:00.000+10:002015-04-21T14:06:16.353+10:00Sticks and dust and bugs and hot, hot water!I've started using some spotted gum branches in my wall hangings. I've never used spotted gum before, and one thing I have noticed about it is that it can be a bit buggy. If there's one thing you don't want to see as a person working with timber, it's this:<br />
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This branch, which had been sitting on top of my workroom cupboard for a month or so, ejected the most wonderful pile of borer dust, and got me thinking. Specifically, "Oh no!"<br />
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Until recently, I've only ever been using casuarina or she-oak branches in my wall hangings. I harvest them green and allow them to dry naturally for many months before stripping off the bark, and I've never seen any sign whatsoever of insect infestation. Perhaps the casuarina is naturally repellant, but there's been no sawdust or telltale 'exit' holes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIubV-GFzqBa_hkaKRT98tiHU-WI4TXEIU61OI5ZVUD5062a-cwN40X42orWl7tiXvIBKYoCy_kcJsW3-oFfrDCTuhftHB7MO0FHQc3U0xksuT1HBfa7Xabw3em254kegLJ5yRsdIIdkU/s1600/casuarina_branches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIubV-GFzqBa_hkaKRT98tiHU-WI4TXEIU61OI5ZVUD5062a-cwN40X42orWl7tiXvIBKYoCy_kcJsW3-oFfrDCTuhftHB7MO0FHQc3U0xksuT1HBfa7Xabw3em254kegLJ5yRsdIIdkU/s1600/casuarina_branches.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green-harvested casuarina sticks. Dried naturally.</td></tr>
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Now that I no longer live close to a reliable source of casuarina (waaah!), I've been eyeing off the timber to be found locally - here on the shoulder of Mount Coot-tha in Brisbane, it's predominantly eucalyptus, and we've loads of trees in our garden, regularly shedding lovely sticks. I've been casting lots of plaster gumnuts lately, so it's a natural progression to start using gum branches - if only it weren't so full of borer! It seems that borers love spotted gum, and it doesn't seem to matter whether the timber is green or dry - it's all full of holes.<br />
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Now, I love the holes. I do. They tell a story and can leave some lovely markings on the surface of the timber. But it would be pretty poor form of me to pass on some hungry passengers in a work that someone may purchase from me... eeek!<br />
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Much research on woodworking forums ensued. It seems that the most reliable way of ensuring that any timber-munching critters (and their eggs) are dead is to heat treat the timber. Big mills do this in 'kilns' which, these days, are actually giant industrial microwaves. Some woodworkers rig up wood-fired 'kilns' where the timber can be baked. Some bugs can be killed by freezing, although the northern hemisphere people scoff at that idea - for don't their bugs come back every year after being under ice for months? Some treat their wood using steam. Others swear by boiling - and this is the solution I'm going with. Just a few weeks ago, C said to me, "I'm going to sell my mum's old copper on Gumtree, unless you want it?" At that exact moment I was boiling up a test batch on our gas stove in my biggest and most expensive saucepan!<br />
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So, the copper has been fired up quite a few times since then. It's basically a very large electric coffee urn, and it fits loads of sticks in it at once!<br />
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The general gist of heat treating timber is that it needs to be kept at boiling temperature for at least an hour and a half. Super easy! And the smell... it's incredible. A steamy gummy tang (curiously, nothing like eucalyptus oil) whenever I open the lid. Afterwards, the water is stained a dark brown colour (from the tannins in the timber, I think) which I imagine could be used to dye something... I may try that in some future batch!<br />
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For my new gumnut wall hangings that I am working on (which use the thicker branches in the photo above) I then dunk the sticks in a mild bleach bath. After a soak, this gives them a lovely pale glowing quality that I'm really enjoying working with... stay tuned for an Etsy shop update in the coming weeks!<br />
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Incidentally, my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/au/listing/209768676/">gumnut stick bunches</a> in my Etsy shop are now heat treated, too. Previously, I've found that these smaller sticks tend to break when I'm sanding them, if they have been weakened by having a borer munch through them. So, I've been able to weed any possible passengers out - the heat treating will doubly ensure that any critters are inactive!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-81344265579696336532014-12-31T15:59:00.000+10:002014-12-31T15:59:21.044+10:00Renewal.Last year our neighbour passed away, and sadly, noone in his family had room for his old worktable. Granted, it was super-heavy and covered in decades-worth of paint, oil, resin and who-knows-what, but I was delighted when George's son asked if we would like it. Yes please!<br />
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I'd been working on a too-large and ultra-wobbly trestle table, and this table was the solution: it was the right size, height, and was super-sturdy, too. I got the belt sander out, and promptly broke about ten belts taking all the muck back to bare timber. It was worth it.</div>
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A rub-down with some teak oil re-hydrated the dessicated pine while enhancing the years and years of work-marks, which I love.</div>
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The wobbly trestle has been banished to the storage room, and this little table is now proudly occupying a just-the-right-sized corner of my workroom.<br />
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So, today it's the last day of the year. I LOVE this day. To me it feels full of creative anticipation and possibility, and I like to spend it cleaning up and clearing out my workroom. I like to know that when I awaken tomorrow I'll go somewhere to watch the sun rise (because, for this early riser, staying up until midnight to see in the new year is just a jolly inconvenience!) and then come home to a tidy workroom to welcome the new year and whatever it may hold.<br />
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In anticipation, this morning I took everything off my pinboard and cleared the Christmas detritus off George's worktable. My first task in this newly-vacant space was to transfer all my 'stuff' from this year's diary to the next.<br />
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Now, I feel ready for tomorrow, and looking forward to making my own work-marks on this table in the coming year. A very Happy New Year to you!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-75019364549739389762014-12-09T10:54:00.001+10:002014-12-31T15:21:37.807+10:00Hot cakes, Bah Humbug and other Kuberstore news.Over the past few weeks I've been experiencing a phenomenon that I thought I'd never see again - my Etsy shop has been on fire. Figuratively. I've been filling a glut of orders that has seen me buying not one but three new rolls of packing tape, and I'm expecting another delivery of shipping boxes today. I haven't seen anything like it since those heady pre-GFC days in 2008 when I was sitting at work watching those thrilling 'Etsy Transactions' emails coming in and panicking because I didn't know how I would fill them all in a timely manner! This time my main concern is running out of the particular plaster I use - I bought the last three available kilo jars from Barnes two weeks ago, and the next shipment isn't arriving until January. Eeek! (I think I'll make it. Just!)<br />
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I do know what started the rush - one of my items was chosen as a feature image on Etsy's 'Home and Living' browse sections page, heading up the classification 'ornaments'. I've been making my little cast pine cones for a while and never (before this year) thought to list them as <a href="http://www.etsy.com/au/listing/210337733/">a set of hanging decorations</a> - silly me, as it turns out, because this year they'll be adorning Christmas trees in Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, all over America (including my first order from Hawaii!) and within Australia, too.<br />
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I've mentioned before that I love Christmas... I love trees and decorations and wrapping presents and making cards - and it just gives me so, SO much joy to think of these little pine cones arriving at their destinations, being unwrapped and included in someone else's festivities. I feel humbled and grateful and delighted and excited every time one of those 'Etsy Transactions' emails arrives - a buzz that has never, ever gotten old! These 'hot cakes' moments are rare, and thus treasured.<br />
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New in my Etsy store this Christmas are my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/au/listing/209643808/">'Bah Humbug' plaster coal decorations</a>, which have also been selling quite well at the markets - people seize upon them as a Secret Santa gift for someone who is, perhaps, less than enthused about the festive season. Referencing that story about naughty children receiving coal rather than gifts in their Christmas stocking, these painted hanging ornaments are cast in a mould made from a stone I've had since I was little. I kept it because it had two little sun-shaped fossils on one side, and the fossils came out excellently in the cast result. Hooray for Pinkysil!<br />
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Market news... I've been enjoying doing the markets lately. At the breezy Green Heart Fair at Carindale a roving photographer took what could be the nicest pic anyone's ever taken of me and my stall - generally I turn out looking a bit uncomfortable and gumby-esque. Here I am:<br />
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The BrisStyle Bazaar in the Whale Mall at the Queensland Museum was a busy day - and a great spot for a market as it nabs lots of passing trade and is protected and coolish. Plus the lights under the huge whales cast the most incredible electric blue and yellow shadows!<br />
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You might see on the left of the photo above that my new painted cast plaster necklaces have made their market debut. Followers of <a href="http://instagram.com/kuberstore/">Kuberstore on Instagram</a> have had a blow-by-blow account of their development, and I'm pretty excited about how they've turned out... stay tuned for a blog post about them soon.<br />
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I'm currently using up the last of my plaster to make a few final pine cones... my last market for the year is this coming Saturday at
Brisbane City Hall - this special (and final!) BrisStyle pre-Christmas
market has the extended opening hours of 9am until 4pm, and I'll be there. Perhaps you will be too?kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-81866933029327342512014-11-26T05:13:00.000+10:002014-11-26T05:13:35.463+10:00A marrying.C and I decided we would very much like to be married. Luckily for me, C wanted to do it with a minimum of fuss, too. <br />
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So, I had a ring made. C didn't want one, being the sort of chap for whom rings create an occupational hazard, so I gathered a few bits of gold I had stashed away and gave them to my market friend Clare, the wonderful and talented jeweller behind <a href="http://clarepoppi.com/bio/">Small Green Leaf</a>. The gold I had was a delicate too-small ring given to me by a dear friend, a too-large thin gold band (that, family legend has it, was discovered by my Dad in the 60s on the bottom of a pool in London where he was working as a lifeguard, having been employed purely because he said 'I'm Australian' when he inquired about the job) and a few little chunks that my Nana Mary had been keeping - remnants and offcuts from alterations she had had done to her jewellery over the years. Clare graciously allowed me to hover around her workshop while she chopped it all up and melted it down into the sweetest little ingot, and later presented me with a ring of undeterminable carat-age which beautifully fit my criteria of wanting it to look 'like something that had been dug up out of a field'.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gold collection, Clare's crucible, Clare wielding fire, and the sweetest little ingot.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Next, we engaged the celebrant services of a jolly and champion bloke called <a href="http://marriedbyjosh.com/">Josh Withers</a>, who was happy to come to our place and perform a brief ceremony that really just took care of the official bits as required by law. Easy.<br />
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The day arrived. The house was clean, Oliver kitten had been brushed. C ironed his good shirt while I got a haircut, and presently my Ma arrived with a van-full of flowers. She and my Fairy Godmother Helen had stopped at the Rocklea Flower Markets on their way up from the Gold Coast, buying masses of roses, jonquils, tuberoses, stock, delphiniums, lisianthus, and those wonderful waxy natives that I can never remember the name of. <br />
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Never one to wear white (or in fact any pale colour), I had found a lovely embroidered cream silk skirt from <a href="http://www.zimmermannwear.com/readytowear/clothing">Zimmermann</a> that I thought gave a nod to the idea of a wedding dress without actually being one. I wore it with a simple black jumper and a long string of beads.<br />
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So, with every vase full of flowers (and some buckets, too), our house smelled incredible
and was completely bedecked! Helen tucked some tiny roses behind my ear, and we were
ready.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">C, me, and Oliver kitten.</td></tr>
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Our nearest arrived, followed by Josh, and we stood around our kitchen table and said those simple, lovely, timeless words. There were smiles and laughter, and afterwards some champagne and cake. That evening we went to <a href="http://www.mondo-organics.com.au/">Mondo</a> for dinner with the rest of our immediate families, and it really was the most uncomplicated, perfect day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me laughing about the transparency of my skirt, and me and C.</td></tr>
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So now, we are married. We've had a road-tripping/camping Central Queensland honeymoon holiday, and I'm getting used to wearing my ring. Every now and then I look over at C and say 'You're my husband.' and he looks back at me, and says 'You're my wife.' and frankly, that delights me!<br />
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kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-30302155704205957312014-09-18T07:40:00.000+10:002014-09-18T07:40:32.009+10:00There will be more markets...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNTnHHW0rpUUQPuaQxM9iEmPr6H2pvTjo3sdrzHgZp2JKf5B4p7zcrS-93-2rb6dLGD_2UBJcI28k5QpBYQeLXAlhW7XsDXnp4bP8EmfmulddcMQHwq-iLtz6rl3HUJMVDC10nQrqYuQ/s1600/FIND+ME.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNTnHHW0rpUUQPuaQxM9iEmPr6H2pvTjo3sdrzHgZp2JKf5B4p7zcrS-93-2rb6dLGD_2UBJcI28k5QpBYQeLXAlhW7XsDXnp4bP8EmfmulddcMQHwq-iLtz6rl3HUJMVDC10nQrqYuQ/s1600/FIND+ME.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>Hi there. It's been a long time. Like many of the people whose lovely blogs I follow, lately I've dropped off the blogging radar in favour of the immediacy and gratification of Instagram. It's quite the addiction, isn't it? I've been busy, too, and I'd really like to tell you all about it, but this week I am preparing for a market. It'll be my first in quite a few I've got lined up for the rest of the year, and I'd love to see you there.<br />
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Brisbane City Hall. 9am - 3pm. There will be painted eggs and there will be wall hangings, there will be plaster gumnuts and some nests, and there will be me, if you would like to say hello!<br />
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I will be just inside the door of the first room, where the tantalising smells from The Shingle Inn will taunt and tempt me all day. Do drop by!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-19557526565941381882014-06-20T10:07:00.001+10:002014-06-20T10:07:29.611+10:00... on Finders Keepers countdown.With two weeks to go until the next Brisbane Finders Keepers market, there's been a lot of preparing going on around here, and it's just stepped up a notch. Before it gets out of hand, I thought I'd let you know what I've been up to, and what you might see should you come visit me at The Old Museum on July 5th and 6th!<br />
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Recently I found a handful of tiny spotted gum nuts that immediately called out to be be-moulded and cast. I liked that they were somewhat warty and carbuncled - I've found that these textures transfer really well to plaster, so I gave it a go. I fancied I could make the wee gumnuts into wall hangings and maybe a necklace, but as soon as I saw the cast result I wanted to put them onto sticks - a handful of which would look a bit nice standing in an old glass bottle, or maybe just one tied into the ribbon of a wrapped gift.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1K3VG3aXgTKQ3RxO2OVMPyp4BohYVl62y_U_oj5Q9M8PDHxcF0_jCpiQTHQTNGfwwUaWrhSw8gcaJ64Slh1umgUZLAMh20EnXAPLa6SnwID1JaLlI9qVoEKGHVNhk03fnEzI-oqqFps/s1600/kuberstore_gumnut_prep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1K3VG3aXgTKQ3RxO2OVMPyp4BohYVl62y_U_oj5Q9M8PDHxcF0_jCpiQTHQTNGfwwUaWrhSw8gcaJ64Slh1umgUZLAMh20EnXAPLa6SnwID1JaLlI9qVoEKGHVNhk03fnEzI-oqqFps/s1600/kuberstore_gumnut_prep.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have filled the interior voids of these spotted gum nuts with plasticene prior to taking a mould from them. This makes the casting and demoulding process a bit tidier.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-WRVqc92Y7kO0iD8j8sHT6A95fmPsgCpuqM9Vne8hphZWJTD7yWSNhr4Ts1xnnTfn0f8UMdGjyuVI-XEsTwrqQtskXgbv7sIadl0g2wpd_GO0ocKlvkZrO0AVUHZ44cso5BcT4xNT7c/s1600/kuberstore_gumnut_prep2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2-WRVqc92Y7kO0iD8j8sHT6A95fmPsgCpuqM9Vne8hphZWJTD7yWSNhr4Ts1xnnTfn0f8UMdGjyuVI-XEsTwrqQtskXgbv7sIadl0g2wpd_GO0ocKlvkZrO0AVUHZ44cso5BcT4xNT7c/s1600/kuberstore_gumnut_prep2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the smallest items I've ever cast - they are only as big as the end of a finger.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGtD5tSHEOAspVMmCoReLmFsWIfHZ7HRGV9z3EQxqNBhaEquX19XxE9c8uSZC5AVRppfdwZMeXjv4lxox_EoNiDKspWi27dTjEnWenJxM3NXzSKcwaZVULVeA-Z-_HAr9KQvHgQ4fQOs/s1600/kuberstore_gumnut_prep3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGtD5tSHEOAspVMmCoReLmFsWIfHZ7HRGV9z3EQxqNBhaEquX19XxE9c8uSZC5AVRppfdwZMeXjv4lxox_EoNiDKspWi27dTjEnWenJxM3NXzSKcwaZVULVeA-Z-_HAr9KQvHgQ4fQOs/s1600/kuberstore_gumnut_prep3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've rummaged about in the garden and found lots of little spotted gum branchlets, and given them a bit of a pruning and sanding. I'm drilling a hole in the plaster gumnuts and glueing them securely to the sticks. I'm quite liking the notion of using <i>actual</i> spotted gum branches for these spotted gum nut casts.</td></tr>
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I have also been making some special painted plaster eggs to wear as necklaces. I've figured out how to drill right through an egg without it blowing out, and it requires accuracy, patience, and very strong fingers. As I'm a bit un-blessed with the 'patience' part, C has been doing it for me!<br />
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I wanted these necklace eggs to be extra-lovely, so have been building up layers of colour with watercolour and acrylic paint, wiping and/or sanding back the plaster and then painting more, to create a really rich background to add the speckles to. I've written before about how the differing densities of the plaster in each egg allow it to soak up more or less pigment, and I've allowed parts of that variation to show through. I've also tried to make sure that the two sides were a bit different, giving the wearer two options depending on their outfit/mood/preference.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwFQ9HU7Bz89StgRHkT1xnV5cG7isuYUFySNH48A_pYrMsj7G7rsvVeJChtwXMNWn3TD7amQg2sDNdXeKJV1bV7cM7FP2cSAPIlM5TOfWWWhv-Vrtlr1iGTNWXZ8DLt2WZNdeCwlIExU/s1600/kuberstore_necklaces_prep1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhwFQ9HU7Bz89StgRHkT1xnV5cG7isuYUFySNH48A_pYrMsj7G7rsvVeJChtwXMNWn3TD7amQg2sDNdXeKJV1bV7cM7FP2cSAPIlM5TOfWWWhv-Vrtlr1iGTNWXZ8DLt2WZNdeCwlIExU/s1600/kuberstore_necklaces_prep1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These necklace eggs are ready for speckling.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1v9N1cnhWUgT4O0mXtUXA70TKjEftsMns2raXrq8MTG9sQ-xrwPQvim8MjkLXGKqCuVBv7qzq_tshVwbHC9U2C_a5Bl-EUthgKZypuTSgtZyXfHoJkLRLDI1ZfxkV2X4cfmn5-ymRjo/s1600/kuberstore_necklaces_prep2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1v9N1cnhWUgT4O0mXtUXA70TKjEftsMns2raXrq8MTG9sQ-xrwPQvim8MjkLXGKqCuVBv7qzq_tshVwbHC9U2C_a5Bl-EUthgKZypuTSgtZyXfHoJkLRLDI1ZfxkV2X4cfmn5-ymRjo/s1600/kuberstore_necklaces_prep2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two different eggs... extra-careful speckling going on here.</td></tr>
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I trialled a few cords, including waxed linen and cotton, unwaxed hemp, and woven polyester. Although I initially wanted to go with a natural product, I settled on the polyester as it proved to be durable, colour-fast and super-comfortable to wear. The cord I've selected is a quality American-made type that makes an excellent adjustable/sliding knot. Wear it any length you choose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4FDEY4_dACTkGSnjQHahBUCZywMbIyg_AHHs8Vtzgki0Kf0zps_wBp6Uk1aHAhxrgjoCf6oCmV172WeqQWOHNw__TJQKl3KS4EennKFdBslLxDxf_7CZG6mb-9zK80OMINr9Wbwta_M/s1600/kuberstore_gumnut_necklaces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4FDEY4_dACTkGSnjQHahBUCZywMbIyg_AHHs8Vtzgki0Kf0zps_wBp6Uk1aHAhxrgjoCf6oCmV172WeqQWOHNw__TJQKl3KS4EennKFdBslLxDxf_7CZG6mb-9zK80OMINr9Wbwta_M/s1600/kuberstore_gumnut_necklaces.jpg" /></a></div>
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There's also a lot of list-making going on, and I'm looking forward to getting a few more things crossed off. I suspect the list has yet to grow before it gets smaller again but I'm starting to get excited, now. I've got little piles of postcards and business cards and stickers, a stack of my sewn brown-paper packing bags, and two lovely reams of recycled tissue paper to wrap everything up in. That part, at least, is under control!<br />
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Now I just need to finish stocking up, sort out my new display pieces, pack up, and make my lunch. See you there!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-24312181238679731662014-04-02T09:59:00.000+10:002014-04-02T09:59:28.080+10:00... on new things and being out-of-place. And eggs.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, it's done. We've moved house. I'm sitting here facing a strange wall in a strange room, surrounded by boxes, and I'm hoping that it will start to feel less odd very soon, as (I may have mentioned before) I'm not that great with big changes and associated upheavals.</div>
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In the midst of all the ruckus, Violet (the solo female from my batch of five Pekin bantam chicks last year) has laid her first egg, which was very sweet and small and brown. Here it is next to an egg from one of the grown-up ladies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXBxo7LYT6djTt4mf5fUNAzTst6YVjS9sBagHCTFUxsTxI8mP3SOsdwzfr_ccwKembzhTnlzEINb1jsDe5eFi057vvf4RRwL1k84yNAUIa_MW05LoB0a-IP3XZNGmEJVvpPEN89LuA0Q/s1600/March2014_violets-first-egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXBxo7LYT6djTt4mf5fUNAzTst6YVjS9sBagHCTFUxsTxI8mP3SOsdwzfr_ccwKembzhTnlzEINb1jsDe5eFi057vvf4RRwL1k84yNAUIa_MW05LoB0a-IP3XZNGmEJVvpPEN89LuA0Q/s1600/March2014_violets-first-egg.jpg" /></a></div>
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I'm always delighted when a young hen lays her first egg. In the nestbox, too. Clever chicken.</div>
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My Ma found an intriguing egg for me on the beach at Bilinga, where she now lives. She said it was just poking out of the sand a little bit, and at first she thought it was a ping-pong ball, as it was about that size. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDGR4LzJfqZRobooQd2sWgBFPDdlEENf701GvSLRqy4tmeAJT5T7GvfvsCmRY_WPtaPO7k201zB_kPsXIuwpKD78G4cRpqJRB3nEQAKk8UppqRM53Ga3Bft0rW19rg657dbElYn91Cpg/s1600/March2014_beach-egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDGR4LzJfqZRobooQd2sWgBFPDdlEENf701GvSLRqy4tmeAJT5T7GvfvsCmRY_WPtaPO7k201zB_kPsXIuwpKD78G4cRpqJRB3nEQAKk8UppqRM53Ga3Bft0rW19rg657dbElYn91Cpg/s1600/March2014_beach-egg.jpg" /></a></div>
See, it has some tiny pink barnacles attached to it! For some reason this egg had been floating about in the sea long enough for barnacles to adhere to it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcvFdvxt5ScK_jmBGt2AcyGXss_c4MqNFaNNTXs6mkKmDS9oSq9-Ektfk6YUWvC2rmMyBnPpk2NF8vEbXENspzDrX4DJBi9CVShqfXiWwJ9sBi03Li-Z-a9FSHm1sDnqymMaaaGexvY0/s1600/March2014_beach-egg-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcvFdvxt5ScK_jmBGt2AcyGXss_c4MqNFaNNTXs6mkKmDS9oSq9-Ektfk6YUWvC2rmMyBnPpk2NF8vEbXENspzDrX4DJBi9CVShqfXiWwJ9sBi03Li-Z-a9FSHm1sDnqymMaaaGexvY0/s1600/March2014_beach-egg-detail.jpg" /></a></div>
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It had distinct pores, and one end is almost spherical, the other quite pointed. It was quite ominously heavy. To my horror the day after my Ma had given it to me Something Started Oozing Out of it and stinking up the drawer I had placed it in to prevent Ollie breaking it. Ugh. This curious egg is now residing in a sunny spot well up the (new) back yard away from the house where it might dry out. I do hope it will, as some of my other egg specimens have done when given enough sunshine and time.</div>
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Pew, what a pong, though! It was the sort of magnificent stink that lingers in your nose and taints the taste of everything you eat for some time!</div>
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Anyway, like the egg floating in the ocean (how? why?!) or the barnacles attached to an egg (huh?) I'm somewhat out-of place. I can't remember what's in all these boxes. Better go and find out, hey?</div>
kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-26947703365269800282014-03-18T08:16:00.000+10:002014-03-18T08:16:20.881+10:00... on good news!Some lovely and grin-inducing news quite late last night - I've been accepted into the next Brisbane Finders Keepers market in July. Hurrah!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsvmOEi6gROHs7KQNQ7PjVKsgM2RaAbIm8YpBwld-JayaqU6OnGDuYqRtKl2heFCm28UXDYnIHIwY360jk5HRsOKGJy7yGVBFzZ9MLtOBZJobQE7BRQhAp-2SHmq9NmMswszaShPvEUw/s1600/FK_BRIS-AW14-WEB_smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsvmOEi6gROHs7KQNQ7PjVKsgM2RaAbIm8YpBwld-JayaqU6OnGDuYqRtKl2heFCm28UXDYnIHIwY360jk5HRsOKGJy7yGVBFzZ9MLtOBZJobQE7BRQhAp-2SHmq9NmMswszaShPvEUw/s1600/FK_BRIS-AW14-WEB_smaller.jpg" /></a></div>
There's probably no need to tell you that I'm rather excited about this, and I'm extra happy because knowing so far in advance makes preparing for it seem much more manageable. Plus, judging from my media feeds this morning, there's quite a few Brisbane makers who I admire heaps who will also be stallholders, and I look forward very much to seeing them there and perhaps stealing a quick chat.<br />
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I've got a larger space to fill this time, and I'll be inside one of those lovely rooms at the Old Museum. I'm keen to rough out some new display ideas and am strategically eyeing off a big pile of old fence-paling offcuts that C has stacked in the yard!<br />
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Much to do. Oh so much to do, because we appear to be finally (but suddenly) moving house - THIS SATURDAY! Time to pack. Oh boy is it time to pack!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-76186080259434669452014-03-13T09:13:00.000+10:002014-03-13T09:13:09.493+10:00... on finding something, and using it.I found my rotary tool a few weeks ago. I'd had it for years, but never figured out what all the various attachments were really for. When I was making things out of corrugated iron I'd tried it out on the rough edges but found that it didn't work how I expected, and then I thought the extension arm thing broke, so it was packed away and put on the shelf of tools-that-might-have-been-good-but-weren't.<br />
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I'd been restocking a few of my watercolour eggs, and in the process of watching how the pigment settles in different ways according to the density/texture of the plaster, had suddenly wondered how engraving into them would go. I dragged out my rotary tool and gave it a whirl. It wasn't broken - I'd merely forgotten how to put it together, and with C's help the extension arm thing was reassembled. After a trip to the hardware for a new set of Dremel engraving/carving bits, I was set.<br />
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I had in mind a new style of hanging egg decoration - something jewel-like and intricate, with bits of worn gold and silver patina, a dark watercolour wash with splashes of messy bright colours over the top. Something a bit unlike anything I've done before - 'tarnished bazaar'.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdoc6rwXTI3fHFxntI4DrIgCrSwlFuCXVCCLJIlNkAzt_3n3hyphenhyphen463lDAmGeR6XXsCM42AlYiKlttG2R7HPMcH7ivkMu_7yWS34JhIC4ByIJ626EQUxAawcLbO6TDYRMJqVR1AljFSF9A/s1600/Mar_2014_carving_eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdoc6rwXTI3fHFxntI4DrIgCrSwlFuCXVCCLJIlNkAzt_3n3hyphenhyphen463lDAmGeR6XXsCM42AlYiKlttG2R7HPMcH7ivkMu_7yWS34JhIC4ByIJ626EQUxAawcLbO6TDYRMJqVR1AljFSF9A/s1600/Mar_2014_carving_eggs.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry about the manicure. What can I say? You should have seen my fingers after I'd used them to apply the gold and silver Rub'nBuff. Yuck.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGFq6QPOZElcwfeUCZSHNg-9Rx_KlMbg1sCfRnMT8BC6hD3co4cTq31tR_ugfRnFzNqodATTGjtVPcMQt9RMZ7txT8GUM5UZEbJOsQ-zjAV6RHP6muEGPRZx9XWKndHjbs-eIe95w7Eg/s1600/Mar_2014_carved_eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGFq6QPOZElcwfeUCZSHNg-9Rx_KlMbg1sCfRnMT8BC6hD3co4cTq31tR_ugfRnFzNqodATTGjtVPcMQt9RMZ7txT8GUM5UZEbJOsQ-zjAV6RHP6muEGPRZx9XWKndHjbs-eIe95w7Eg/s1600/Mar_2014_carved_eggs.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> I kept the engravings simple.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZS17bhqkuRf77Ijp_McxsXVu5zlMrXUcWZtVQ53hjwbENTFVN1tNEjwcWIIz_1nC3jxVJ54QpXGgrVJal3whJt6yQJ1jDi5sMN8V9qyUpekHAsRnTyGsOfZIC_fWuFcRFIZ6tiULmmAA/s1600/Mar_2014_carved_egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZS17bhqkuRf77Ijp_McxsXVu5zlMrXUcWZtVQ53hjwbENTFVN1tNEjwcWIIz_1nC3jxVJ54QpXGgrVJal3whJt6yQJ1jDi5sMN8V9qyUpekHAsRnTyGsOfZIC_fWuFcRFIZ6tiULmmAA/s1600/Mar_2014_carved_egg.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 'dotty' version ended up being my favourite. Adding a bright colour over the top of the engraved areas made it really shine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rGdbyWAIkJP3h6-y7MG2oFUwsQ4Hoi2TSlSsrWiZe-ISXYVRMcqR6vT61lGgCIVxr7leZlIloNX9BwdD8KcXxKfrpgvLG7H5Ecu3lFtvcxjhcYYfqT55bStGYLvJd4lsrnh8OHr7Ims/s1600/Mar_2014_carved_eggs_finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rGdbyWAIkJP3h6-y7MG2oFUwsQ4Hoi2TSlSsrWiZe-ISXYVRMcqR6vT61lGgCIVxr7leZlIloNX9BwdD8KcXxKfrpgvLG7H5Ecu3lFtvcxjhcYYfqT55bStGYLvJd4lsrnh8OHr7Ims/s1600/Mar_2014_carved_eggs_finished.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here they are, varnished and be-ribboned and ready for market.</td></tr>
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I had a small batch ready for last weekend's BrisStyle Indie Market in City Hall - my first market for the year - and they will soon be landing in my Etsy shop, too.<br />
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Here's to rediscovering forgotten power tools! Now, about that bandsaw wrapped in a sheet under my desk...</div>
kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-80668688770912125542014-03-05T11:48:00.000+10:002014-03-05T11:48:09.001+10:00... on photographs and confessions.Earlier this year I took it into my head that I wanted to take a photograph of my worktable that I could use as a general Kuberstore marketing-thingy-type-image, something that shows a little of both my aesthetic and my work process. I climbed up a ladder with my camera and took this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4k3nSYgAsBIpqwpH66Edo9s3SQBfZ5uM34bvAeMqKEhuVmh8EXy0mlUQ-vD1Eq2klmZsKltTGZn3VoUDUa_1VXEdQDspPE_3Uf-o5rprMxy3tUvK2B6ud1LbkBKVFFG25zusCedRS-4/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_initial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4k3nSYgAsBIpqwpH66Edo9s3SQBfZ5uM34bvAeMqKEhuVmh8EXy0mlUQ-vD1Eq2klmZsKltTGZn3VoUDUa_1VXEdQDspPE_3Uf-o5rprMxy3tUvK2B6ud1LbkBKVFFG25zusCedRS-4/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_initial.jpg" /></a></div>
Great. This looks like my aesthetic is 'hoarder' and my work process is 'cataclysmic'. Obviously my table in its natural state wasn't going to cut it! Once I'd sorted out the carnage I roughed out a basic composition:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5au0AJGK97Zl6hSqfI8GVM8uIPH6jGro_mT1gPq-4zZNG8ofBwOxEXHs4fwnkHT2YrndBH9zZnOAqZdif45QeUMlaj_zuwaozWIF_K_veF3r77IYr7CMtGauvp2GPVjnWIqVjyOwYhY0/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_interim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5au0AJGK97Zl6hSqfI8GVM8uIPH6jGro_mT1gPq-4zZNG8ofBwOxEXHs4fwnkHT2YrndBH9zZnOAqZdif45QeUMlaj_zuwaozWIF_K_veF3r77IYr7CMtGauvp2GPVjnWIqVjyOwYhY0/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_interim.jpg" /></a></div>
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Getting there, but I felt like I wanted to fill the table more, so I added in some more stuff:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oiX1cABvMwwNJ4wgzQddszfrZ8sKa2hO43GmVZUlUgzSbDiypx_NZZN82ph_rM5ZZEZ5aawyrMD3mJsw6bGmW7hSgoLiWYel2zLwJsWKOK_sqPozzLu7C6y9VVDr7cXgosYYa-OsVfg/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_interim2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oiX1cABvMwwNJ4wgzQddszfrZ8sKa2hO43GmVZUlUgzSbDiypx_NZZN82ph_rM5ZZEZ5aawyrMD3mJsw6bGmW7hSgoLiWYel2zLwJsWKOK_sqPozzLu7C6y9VVDr7cXgosYYa-OsVfg/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_interim2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Whoa. Too much. I decided to remove anything that was acting as a 'prop', leaving only the items that I would conceivably be using to work with to make my seedpod and egg wall hangings.</div>
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It was at this point that I noticed that nothing in the top right corner of any shot was in focus. Gah. My beloved Canon G7 (admittedly, some 7 years old now) was failing me. Although it does produce lovely macro shots, plainly this middle ground non-macro stuff was beyond it, at least in that top right corner:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PhwUESBslpuUkAwPRi_mL6IbmFc0ypLkT6U482hU2eU5mplf4dhp7V5MHWKRe-4EonNB9N4pBato8cS6Crujiwnkhjr3JCTiujdVlTbnb6v9k2IG0jFKenFMyrRa4aX8-MSsBSMAkHU/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_focus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2PhwUESBslpuUkAwPRi_mL6IbmFc0ypLkT6U482hU2eU5mplf4dhp7V5MHWKRe-4EonNB9N4pBato8cS6Crujiwnkhjr3JCTiujdVlTbnb6v9k2IG0jFKenFMyrRa4aX8-MSsBSMAkHU/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_focus.jpg" /></a></div>
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It pained me a little to do it... but I picked up my phone, and took a test shot:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJvmEiXhxVZgkMUj5YEqojYa6Ot7-tgwK36-eGrm4EmBKyBHvCSeXHsEn1JsaOaT0aK1U_xlptzf8LpwfLOQvoBhqlENIPAjrXyueMPzZj26uEqQqpOZXYYpfEHmfvt3SQRp87IBL16k/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_iphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJvmEiXhxVZgkMUj5YEqojYa6Ot7-tgwK36-eGrm4EmBKyBHvCSeXHsEn1JsaOaT0aK1U_xlptzf8LpwfLOQvoBhqlENIPAjrXyueMPzZj26uEqQqpOZXYYpfEHmfvt3SQRp87IBL16k/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_iphone.jpg" /></a></div>
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Better. In focus, at least. Focus was going to win over file size. This was more or less the composition that I wanted, too - space for text, no unexplainable items, but I needed some 'bleed' (extra bits around the edge) if I was going to use it for a postcard. Up the ladder again:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59Jpliw7pTyVuNEdp2d7PxZz3guO2TyZWxJshU5DqynCnr7xmOZ0mDIKLFBX1C_0uRexE0pKnJ-w2ONnS9MqvE8b8ojaidKfx81r3buFFAPctLVhdTRTE0Yo9Oy8dG8NMzU1kUDPvYG0/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_colour_untouched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59Jpliw7pTyVuNEdp2d7PxZz3guO2TyZWxJshU5DqynCnr7xmOZ0mDIKLFBX1C_0uRexE0pKnJ-w2ONnS9MqvE8b8ojaidKfx81r3buFFAPctLVhdTRTE0Yo9Oy8dG8NMzU1kUDPvYG0/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_colour_untouched.jpg" /></a></div>
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Satisfied. But not with the colour, as my eye just kept jumping to those pink moulds. In the end I went with a black and white version with a slightly warming (yellow) filter applied:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH-ilC-hqW3QtMIewF7a2pr3rTgX7dbGwv70rki7JzbUH3XAuotclFAC1_VFYM2ZFLsu6Yhvd20Ov-oqK3_gc6BUQ9_ceP0xisQQUMgYBKeCEp7amJJ1_r9zFoXZnxrTXX7K5g1Eh9PE/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_sepia_untouched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH-ilC-hqW3QtMIewF7a2pr3rTgX7dbGwv70rki7JzbUH3XAuotclFAC1_VFYM2ZFLsu6Yhvd20Ov-oqK3_gc6BUQ9_ceP0xisQQUMgYBKeCEp7amJJ1_r9zFoXZnxrTXX7K5g1Eh9PE/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_sepia_untouched.jpg" /></a></div>
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And then, because I can't help it, I photoshopped out the big crack in the table, and any other nasty mark that I didn't fancy. Here's the end result:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bIlPxw8VQ4UMeJb73s0KqxKACYdYh9kVb7kCwT0Nk_pPBeWTHPpPD0oP1UkTLAUv_d5RHVoTMp2lzzW41majZpCvUDvtBrKIOu4u2DOE3436wb6z2JmMDbDbaiM0d04Ov6CKVgz5o_o/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bIlPxw8VQ4UMeJb73s0KqxKACYdYh9kVb7kCwT0Nk_pPBeWTHPpPD0oP1UkTLAUv_d5RHVoTMp2lzzW41majZpCvUDvtBrKIOu4u2DOE3436wb6z2JmMDbDbaiM0d04Ov6CKVgz5o_o/s1600/Mar13_kuberstore_worktable_final.jpg" /></a></div>
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In the end it took 9 days, 38 photographs, lots of waiting for the optimum natural light, innumerable trips up the ladder and a disappointment in my digital camera, but I got there. </div>
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I've just had some postcards delivered so if you'd like one I'll be at the BrisStyle Indie Market at City Hall this Saturday between 9am and 3pm - do come and say hello. Alternately drop me your address in a comment - I won't publish.</div>
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Now, as this has turned into a post about documenting a process of documenting my own work process (if you get what I mean), I'll make another photography confession. I say 'confession' because even to me it's sounding like maybe I think about this all rather a bit too much?!</div>
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*</div>
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Task: to take new photos of my plaster seedpod wall hangings, of which there are now four designs.</div>
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Thought: that I wanted a single shot of all four hangings, so that one photo in each individual Etsy shop listing shows the whole range.</div>
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Limitation: I didn't really want to make any more holes in the wall (as we're moving soon), so I would have to use my white-painted noticeboard as the background.</div>
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I set up what would probably be a perfectly adequate grouping of items, wait for the right light, take some photographs, open them in Photoshop, and then roughly chop up the composition. After moving things around into what I suspect will be an even more pleasing arrangement of items and acknowledging that my retouching skills aren't up to fixing up the joins (repairing shadows is intense), I go back and take the photographs again. I'm mad.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK6WP2CG8whLbqHFm96dcz8sozhyphenhyphenDMaDXbwAtead26hEL0NGIsKMHEyNt6mfE5_wXmvXWPW-tM11WLRruVSV_xSGAa0W7ZpGMHGM7lPupjTTVRO3PJir7-H0uY3WJXOQh1PGRcuBhAmQ/s1600/Mar13_wall_hanging_test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK6WP2CG8whLbqHFm96dcz8sozhyphenhyphenDMaDXbwAtead26hEL0NGIsKMHEyNt6mfE5_wXmvXWPW-tM11WLRruVSV_xSGAa0W7ZpGMHGM7lPupjTTVRO3PJir7-H0uY3WJXOQh1PGRcuBhAmQ/s1600/Mar13_wall_hanging_test.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Probably a perfectly adequate grouping of items...'</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaysGcJElEE45ligfWMASo7g41nZyZcGx73Obuxi97T2gSvZ8b6-aQofq4p9K9lYYeYyo8fP0oT5DgiJjZs8lUdMmAWbI8t8bz8Kbyv9wGAiLk651Y4jWxD06ZafsGRVt6RzPRC3Ie6SI/s1600/Mar13_wall_hanging_edits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaysGcJElEE45ligfWMASo7g41nZyZcGx73Obuxi97T2gSvZ8b6-aQofq4p9K9lYYeYyo8fP0oT5DgiJjZs8lUdMmAWbI8t8bz8Kbyv9wGAiLk651Y4jWxD06ZafsGRVt6RzPRC3Ie6SI/s1600/Mar13_wall_hanging_edits.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'... chop up the composition.' Chop! Chop!</td></tr>
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Sigh. Perhaps I do overthink these things, and I wish I'd ignored myself about using the noticeboard. I don't know how many pinholes I photoshopped out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJvGGhgrx1jav8CWkO7h2EHTmh40mdzvc7sjz6p3dlM2baXz6F0VUf8tokowna6TvB-zaYSisfT21IUNev41NoqZVviOk-5LhsGPfwYtHZTBugseK-rm3kZRkluuEONhVxuksSegRuL0/s1600/Mar13_wall_hanging_retouch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJvGGhgrx1jav8CWkO7h2EHTmh40mdzvc7sjz6p3dlM2baXz6F0VUf8tokowna6TvB-zaYSisfT21IUNev41NoqZVviOk-5LhsGPfwYtHZTBugseK-rm3kZRkluuEONhVxuksSegRuL0/s1600/Mar13_wall_hanging_retouch.jpg" /></a></div>
Here's the final Etsy listing pic. The greyness of the bottom left corner perplexes me a bit but it's the result of a tradeoff - natural light coming in from the right versus not letting the white plaster blow out too much against the background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieajLHqYuwtm67BhECkndv99x3G7ZuY2ML334orQc4vuVjruQE_jFVHqyg46gfalX5VbzR-dDECgS94TCChik72nT0FNn7cBoFKH6QnNfnN1P-xgG8-vALqCddqgw0ySQoPDAO8VisoTk/s1600/Mar13_wall_hanging_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieajLHqYuwtm67BhECkndv99x3G7ZuY2ML334orQc4vuVjruQE_jFVHqyg46gfalX5VbzR-dDECgS94TCChik72nT0FNn7cBoFKH6QnNfnN1P-xgG8-vALqCddqgw0ySQoPDAO8VisoTk/s1600/Mar13_wall_hanging_final.jpg" /></a> </div>
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Okay, that's it for my photography confessions. I've revealed that I have a tendency to keep going back and trying to make things better, which results in a simple idea taking nine days to execute! GAH!</div>
kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-56417059734220086392014-02-08T14:57:00.000+10:002014-02-08T14:57:07.112+10:00... onwards.So, I'm pretending that we aren't in fact moving house anytime soon, and have decided to Get On With It. I'm feeling better already. The studio is vacuumed (it was disgraceful, the floor had been almost obscured by shredded paper and plaster dust for months. There were a few alarming rattles up the vacuum hose but I guess I'll figure out what they were when I go looking for <i>that</i> tool and can't find it.) and the room is feeling again like a productive workspace rather than a niggling job on my cleaning list.<br />
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To celebrate, I've been making some more mess! I've been meaning to expand on my seedpod wall hanging range ever since, a while back, I found a tiny sweet pine cone among my grandmother Mard's seedpods, which she collected on her travels around Australia with my grandfather. Followers of <a href="http://instagram.com/kuberstore">Kuberstore on Instagram</a> will start to see the emergence of a pine cone theme.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWG_fO0kap1zuB8iWbnX52uoFg8HRHZ2iorIeZW8mXmmGc8nl6W3X4uXCEY34UAe5z35u_OIMGJaAQFGfOD97GdxnEXyxzYL73-HaVplmLJ5kSzZowk9iG_mDE0XsTbFMDP4HB7NUHqU/s1600/Feb14_seedpods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWG_fO0kap1zuB8iWbnX52uoFg8HRHZ2iorIeZW8mXmmGc8nl6W3X4uXCEY34UAe5z35u_OIMGJaAQFGfOD97GdxnEXyxzYL73-HaVplmLJ5kSzZowk9iG_mDE0XsTbFMDP4HB7NUHqU/s1600/Feb14_seedpods.jpg" /></a></div>
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Along with the pine cone, which I thought might mould up nicely, I recently found a handsome and suitable gumnut that I thought might also work. This morning I busted out some Pinkysil and went for it. I'm still in love with <a href="http://www.barnes.com.au/catalog/pinkysil-p-1846.html">Pinkysil</a> as a mouldmaking material - it sets so fast that you can go from 'no mould' to 'removing first casting' within an hour. Suits my impatient soul!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI87vej2e3Q4NBbFzPPf7bArBsgoTblzg78E9sZYpzn7zXMA6HMC3zP96WlzeCFaYYpgv_Ln1fYKzMalfhKooHdimu8yQHRJegPhUDLJ8Zd1cFSXD82Vj_xnpnkjDLYlj4BEIhAWlGOw/s1600/Feb14_nut_cone_moulds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvI87vej2e3Q4NBbFzPPf7bArBsgoTblzg78E9sZYpzn7zXMA6HMC3zP96WlzeCFaYYpgv_Ln1fYKzMalfhKooHdimu8yQHRJegPhUDLJ8Zd1cFSXD82Vj_xnpnkjDLYlj4BEIhAWlGOw/s1600/Feb14_nut_cone_moulds.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inbuilt mould identification for the first time ever! I wish I'd thought of this before now, because I often find myself squinting into similarly-shaped moulds to try and figure out which one I want. This time I wrote (backwards) into the base layer of plasticene with a sharp pencil before pouring the silicone. Yay!</td></tr>
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It's so exciting to crack open a mould for the first time and see the cast result. Double joy for me this morning!<br />
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Pine cones and gumnuts... and wall hangings to come. Progress! AT LAST!</div>
kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-58343968208560468492014-02-05T09:06:00.000+10:002014-04-02T09:59:58.605+10:00... on hair. Grey bits, and Something I have just learned.I found my first grey hair at age seventeen, with a predictable degree of disgust. For a few years I experimented with as much hair colourant as any young woman, veering from almost-blonde to darkest-brown, with a rather risque peroxide and mulberry streaking period sometime in the 90s when I was a hair model for a girl I worked with. I found, like many young women, that dyeing your hair all the time really screws it up, and the only way back to nice hair (for me) is to grow it out, which takes ages. So, I haven't dyed my hair for years, and I have to say that I've enjoyed having hair in my 'natural' colour - generally brunette: darker brown at the roots, with degrees of sun-bleaching about the ends which may or may not in some lighting conditions look a bit reddish. And grey, of course. They've been multiplying happily ever since that first grey at seventeen. Scrutinising this photo of me and Ollie the other day prompted me have another look at the back of my head with the aid of two mirrors. As you do.<br />
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I made an interesting discovery. Some of those greys are <i>as long as the longest hairs on my head</i>, which at the moment is hanging at around the middle of my back. I'd never noticed that before. I also realised that as far as the placement of greys goes, I'm starting to develop concentrated areas of greyness that may be described as... streaks. Yes, grey streaks.<br />
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Now, I started loving my greys years ago. As a twenty-four year old I'd been introduced to a girl, only just older than me, who had developed a strong grey streak in her fringe, and she was rocking the look. I was in deep admiration of her grey streak, and it changed the way I felt about my own regrowth. I thought that, over the course of a (hopefully long) lifetime, a girl really only has a short time to enjoy her natural hair colour before it goes grey, and chances are it'll be grey a lot longer than any other colour it ever was. So, I chose to enjoy. I'm sure some women can dye the hell out of their hair and suffer no adverse effects - not me. I'm not saying I'll never hit the bottle again, but for now, no.<br />
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Anyway, I'll be forty next year, something that I can scarcely believe. Another thing I can't believe is this little snippet about long hair care which I've only just discovered. I had thought that my hair had a 'maximum length' (for me, about mid-back), where it just wouldn't get any longer before shedding and breakage and regrowth somehow cancelled each other out. Then recently - a revelation. I don't remember where I read it, but it was about how you get water out of your hair. I've always been a bit of a 'throw hair forward, cover with towel and scrub the blazes out of it' type of girl, and it turns out this could be the cause of my problem with (ahem) breakage. I feel so dimwitted about this. Apparently long hair needs to be treated gently! Huh? Squeeze the water out! NO scrubbing with a towel! NO! Such a simple thing. WHO KNEW!?<br />
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Not me.kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-57800429271793147072014-02-03T15:06:00.001+10:002014-02-03T15:06:45.666+10:00... on packing, or not packing, and somewhere inbetween.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A little while ago I mentioned that we're moving house. At the time it seemed like the most imminent thing but due to one thing or another (more like 'one thing AND another, and then many more other things') it just hasn't happened yet. What with the holiday season and a long delay to a certain process (we're waiting on YOU, concrete-floor man!) it seems that my builder's maxim ("Double the time you think it will take and you'll be halfway there") is ringing true for us moving house, too.<br />
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I feel a little bit in limbo. I've been hesitant to get too involved in making anything, and my Etsy store remains closed for the moment. There's a number of piles of weeks-old half-started things on my worktable, and this sits awkwardly with me. Small hurdles seem insurmountable (WHY can't I drill right through one of my plaster eggs without breaking the bit, damnit?!) and the idea of packing up my lovely studio weighs heavily. I feel like I've only just moved in to it, although it's been more than a year. The as-yet-unpainted bathroom door mocks me somehow - I'll need to do that (insurmountable!) before we get our little house on the market. The garden here is running a bit rampant in parts, and is desiccated and bare in others. After all, there's not too much point in getting more vegies going when we'll be leaving them, is there? My gardening head is already thinking forward to the removal of weeds and sunburnt bromeliads at the next house.<br />
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So, as someone who doesn't really embrace change all that willingly, the stalling of this one has put me out of kilter with the things that are most good for my soul!<br />
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But, on account of the fact that it is suddenly February already, I'm feeling like I need to take control of this wait somehow. My Ma has suggested that I reopen my Etsy store, and pack up most of the studio, leaving out only the things I need to fill any orders that may come through. It seems so simple, but I needed someone else to point it out!<br />
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If anyone has any advice about how to manage indecision, running a handmade business through a house (and studio) move, and also about a vague and persistent lack of focus, please do share! I'd be greatly appreciative!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-91309270838678374372014-01-10T12:35:00.001+10:002014-01-10T12:35:19.474+10:00... on a mystery, solved!Quite some time ago I wrote about finding <a href="http://kuberblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/on-plasternessing-something.html">these seedpods</a>, which I then made a mould from and began casting. The resulting plaster versions have been featuring on one of my wall hangings ever since, but when people asked me, I had to admit that I didn't know what kind of a tree they were from.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIR7snET7q5JHso3f19xBGqWpGUS2gqE_HRud0BJ0jSJmA6CayeHlQO5kGWdLE5B8HwoNbY2LUDCB4QiVTChgr36EBOnrj-DHYDSu0g7A7UUPlxPHZVU40k3sOLwsoqK85qjk7cIGoyw/s1600/kuberstore_queensland_maple_hanging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIR7snET7q5JHso3f19xBGqWpGUS2gqE_HRud0BJ0jSJmA6CayeHlQO5kGWdLE5B8HwoNbY2LUDCB4QiVTChgr36EBOnrj-DHYDSu0g7A7UUPlxPHZVU40k3sOLwsoqK85qjk7cIGoyw/s1600/kuberstore_queensland_maple_hanging.jpg" /></a></div>
I'd posted the question on an Australian plant forum, where it was suggested to be an immature Crow's Ash seedpod, which I thought was a possibility until I found a tree in the park and saw what the young pods looked like.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JY0asvNjCOYxBSkIlNuIAe8Enq19A1GKk7U1LBOIlcPkYP4mN7_zsGPJZ4eo3MO-UoalPuOQ1dZQxdYMroDqWLM_P2JySUeOXTcWMac17TE0P5zJk8xM3DTMff8x0heRPhaX2G91N6s/s1600/kuberstore_crows_ash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JY0asvNjCOYxBSkIlNuIAe8Enq19A1GKk7U1LBOIlcPkYP4mN7_zsGPJZ4eo3MO-UoalPuOQ1dZQxdYMroDqWLM_P2JySUeOXTcWMac17TE0P5zJk8xM3DTMff8x0heRPhaX2G91N6s/s1600/kuberstore_crows_ash.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crow's Ash (<i>Flindersia australis</i>) seedpods. The large open one was collected by my grandmother Mard somewhere on her travels, and the small one is an immature pod that I found beneath a tree in the Seventeen Mile Rocks park on the bank of the Brisbane River.</td></tr>
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At the Finders Keepers market, one visitor said they looked just like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia">bitter melon</a>, and they do, a little... except bitter melon are green and large and the mystery seedpods were woody and small. No go.<br />
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It's funny - sometimes if you wait long enough, the answer to an old question will just... appear.<br />
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On my morning walk yesterday I took a route that I hadn't been along for some months. I was halfway up a particularly vicious hill, bordered on one side by a patch of bushland. As there was no footpath and the side of the road was gravelly and rutted, I was watching where I put my feet. Suddenly, among the spiny lantana branchlets grabbing at my socks, I saw a woody seedpod. It had opened up into three parts, but I could see that it had five lobes, and a rough exterior texture like my mystery pods. I peered up at the tree above, a towering rainforest-y type with large leaves and a smooth, mottled trunk. Could it be?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_t74LPcyMC_54HlTbBBjF_p1BDwccPyQOcTbtRuMIjoE5Cuea5vWOGRASKYysOyD5uaCSc1JPlaFAZatnAkZG4paQjxGB-u_OOEb_DLJKdeo32VkE_2jau9Hs1G9stGDzKq2F-XAXgQ/s1600/kuberstore_queensland_maple_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_t74LPcyMC_54HlTbBBjF_p1BDwccPyQOcTbtRuMIjoE5Cuea5vWOGRASKYysOyD5uaCSc1JPlaFAZatnAkZG4paQjxGB-u_OOEb_DLJKdeo32VkE_2jau9Hs1G9stGDzKq2F-XAXgQ/s1600/kuberstore_queensland_maple_1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mystery seedpod is as big as my hand... but what IS it?</td></tr>
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Although Google had previously been no help to me, now I had some more information. I knew it was a tall rainforest tree native to Brisbane. I found a comprehensive list at <a href="http://www.qld.greeningaustralia.org.au/">Greening Australia</a>, and started at the top. Some of the species had photographs of their fruit or seedpods, but for those that didn't I searched the scientific name in Google images. That's where I struck gold. My tree, with my pods. HURRAH! It's Queensland Maple! <i>Flindersia brayleyana</i>!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1M1wFqFDLA6xhfoNNP7uStDVGWO3Gk4xJtEWIB-HdkhgWsQFRPO7OBMbO1srmJJ4oOnANiE2VX6l-ovNITmpjqezz6AZYpshhEZHlASeJCgqHYsbyB2X0fQdcLDWTOlo5eRzr0N5Qe3s/s1600/kuberstore_queensland_maple_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1M1wFqFDLA6xhfoNNP7uStDVGWO3Gk4xJtEWIB-HdkhgWsQFRPO7OBMbO1srmJJ4oOnANiE2VX6l-ovNITmpjqezz6AZYpshhEZHlASeJCgqHYsbyB2X0fQdcLDWTOlo5eRzr0N5Qe3s/s1600/kuberstore_queensland_maple_2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interior of the Queensland Maple (<i>Flindersia brayleyana</i>) seedpod has the most wonderful texture - silky and papery and yet somehow woody at the same time.</td></tr>
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I was on the right track with the Crow's Ash, even though they look like such different trees (and such different immature pods), as they both turned out to be <i>Flindersia</i>. I am so delighted to finally know what this is, and extra-happy that it's a Brisbane local!<br />
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Mystery solved. At last!</div>
kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-75443090610685027402013-12-30T09:06:00.000+10:002013-12-30T09:06:58.946+10:00... on Christmasness and the coming year.You know, I breathed a sigh of relief after my final market for the year. Unpacking the car for that last time felt like... like when you're finally on holidays from school, and they've been a long time coming! Don't get me wrong - I have enjoyed taking Kuberstore to the various markets this year, but I have to add that they wore me out in more ways than one, and I think this is why Christmas crept up on me this year. The house was unadorned until only a few days before, and I'm ashamed to say that this is the first year that I can remember that I haven't managed to send any christmas cards out. I'm more disappointed than I expect about this, because I did try! Making my christmas cards had, until this year, been an annual joy for me, but this time my first idea failed badly, and my second even more so, and then it was all too late and the whole lot sat in an accusing pile on my workbench until yesterday, when I chucked them out. But I have missed the rest of the process - the writing, the envelope-sealing, the addressing, stamp-affixing and the dropping-into-a-postbox. Perhaps some 'Merry January' cards might be in order?<br />
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But the past few weeks have seen rather a lot of company and a mild case of overeating rich foods - I feel like I would like to just eat plain lettuce for a while. A christmas tree was out of the question, given the interest it would generate in our monstrous teenage cat, so the Airspeed fan was bedecked, which was mostly-out-of-reach. Mostly.<br />
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A trip to the Rocklea flower markets a few days before Christmas saw me coming home laden with armloads of New Zealand christmas bush, and some of those bunches of northern-hemisphere-type festive greens that enlivened the house (and the cat) and filled up every vase I have. Their smell, drying slowly, made me think of snow, which was a good mental antidote to the heat here in Brisbane. I took refuge in our little air-conditioned house and also in the odd night away at my Ma's place at Currumbin, where ocean swims were had and my newfound interest in <a href="http://instagram.com/kuberstore/">Instagram</a> was indulged. Instagram is fun, isn't it?<br />
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Christmas itself was calm and foodful. Ma and I had our annual prawnfest on Christmas eve, and family came for breakfast on Christmas morning. C smoked out the neighbours (and alas, my washing that I'd forgotten was on the line) with the barbeque. Oliver-the-kitten (who was born on Christmas day) turned one.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Me? Pull down your christmas decorations? Not me!" Yeah right.</td></tr>
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Now, though, the greenery is in the compost heap and all the sparkly things are packed away. My home-made mint creams are all gobbled up, and the recycling bin is clinky with bottles!<br />
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I do always look forward to a new year, as it's a time of list-making and mental clearing-out, both things very good for my soul. It'll also involve an actual clearing-out for us, because we'll be moving house. It'll be sad to leave our little house here at Oxley, and I'll miss my lovely studio like mad, I suspect. But there's a room put aside for me at the new house at The Gap, which I'll report upon soon. For now... think termites, bagged eighties bessa-block, shagpile carpet and never... been... cleaned. But also... a great outlook and a big old pool that's like swimming in a sandy lagoon. Aaaah!<br />
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Happy New Year, all!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-45369735962959222732013-11-26T12:40:00.000+10:002013-11-26T12:40:03.210+10:00... on eggs. Real ones!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've got a few eggs to show you. A while back there were some mickies nesting in the wattle tree out the front, and one day, soon after tiny whistlings started coming from the nest, I found an egg on the ground. It was almost-intact, save for a small hole in one side, and it must have been shoved out of the nest as a dud. </div>
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Then, another bunch of mickies nesting at my Ma's place. They'd built in a hanging branch of a paperbark tree, quite low to the ground, and it contained three of their lovely brown-speckled eggs. A few days later though, my Ma reported that the nest must have been raided by a bigger bird, for the eggs were gone (as were the mickies) and the nest was hanging crookedly from the branch. Did I want the nest? Oh yes please!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaS0y2eVCRuGk7cAHwqaJPCNDUJ_zAxYBOiPNPPKpQA71zfKuSNpMyEu21yGsj9vjwHe0klsEVHUSDUCxTaGdSzu8U_qHGiAMIr9jsKJLb4ElfyZSXNxtUts0cKZFEAjIRyMOuYMWW5c/s1600/kuberstore_nest_nov13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaS0y2eVCRuGk7cAHwqaJPCNDUJ_zAxYBOiPNPPKpQA71zfKuSNpMyEu21yGsj9vjwHe0klsEVHUSDUCxTaGdSzu8U_qHGiAMIr9jsKJLb4ElfyZSXNxtUts0cKZFEAjIRyMOuYMWW5c/s1600/kuberstore_nest_nov13.jpg" /></a></div>
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Can you see the wonderful stuff they've used to pad the nest? I'd seen a few nests where the birds have sourced fluffy building insulation to use, which is generally white or grey, but these mickies have found some two-toned synthetic green material, and used that. </div>
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There has been some interesting chicken egg action around here lately. Normally my Pekin bantam girls lay white-to-pale-brown solid-coloured eggs, but have at look at this delight that awaited me in the nestbox recently. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPKeIXMdM8vPj-HDI4nVZ1Df4nnOL5jCqS-bKrdCGEXOBBc7fxlTSLsEmENPVYGlOpXCnPIh_dbYw4cLL3Iaei4H8olW9xlywRp_AI8YimA0A4rjzxVPeGmoXBOqpUdi6RjWE6NytWYQ/s1600/kuberstore_pekin_egg_nov13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPKeIXMdM8vPj-HDI4nVZ1Df4nnOL5jCqS-bKrdCGEXOBBc7fxlTSLsEmENPVYGlOpXCnPIh_dbYw4cLL3Iaei4H8olW9xlywRp_AI8YimA0A4rjzxVPeGmoXBOqpUdi6RjWE6NytWYQ/s1600/kuberstore_pekin_egg_nov13.jpg" /></a></div>
A speckled egg! There has been only one, and I have my suspicions that it's the result of some antibiotics that I have been giving Ginger, trying to combat an ongoing case of bumblefoot. Isn't it special? (Ginger is much better, too!)<br />
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Lastly, a couple of oddities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63sJcXqKsqT2TJmD7N1VaDXiIOPqhVxg-jqV8t_5NgcUanQxTy90TnFi38emz6V1PO9lOjp3sD2aJYaMUetAJ0GV-fyCcorI3xCl7LFL4ItQ4fFKJ3k_ctoIdHZFrWqqF-Cy-GzrbY5Y/s1600/kuberstore_odd_eggs_nov13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63sJcXqKsqT2TJmD7N1VaDXiIOPqhVxg-jqV8t_5NgcUanQxTy90TnFi38emz6V1PO9lOjp3sD2aJYaMUetAJ0GV-fyCcorI3xCl7LFL4ItQ4fFKJ3k_ctoIdHZFrWqqF-Cy-GzrbY5Y/s1600/kuberstore_odd_eggs_nov13.jpg" /></a></div>
That big egg at the back is a regular Pekin bantam egg. The little white one in front is an end-of-the-season egg from my Ma's English Game hen, Major Hoolihan. The tiny brown one to the right there is a bit special because it's come all the way from Stanthorpe, through the mail, from fellow BrisStyle member, Sarah. I believe the egg came from friends of hers, and it's extra-special because it's the very <i>first</i> egg one of their bantams has laid. Shortly I'll make moulds of those two wee eggs, and see what happens next!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-30640205855936703712013-11-19T05:18:00.001+10:002013-11-19T05:18:39.437+10:00... on Finders Keepers... far out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2iveRUipbdO2UkCTtkE1Q0tjDgX0C5JMwirDqlqlY-E7qsb4s-DRkSqvv7IZdt4hRXM0Q01usvP_QNu6rFe8uSH7vi1PdBbhOYZ-qkfGljKepCEUVXHKHGR0E00WC7ZUZLeY8k5HeXGw/s1600/2013-Nov-Finders-Keepers-Kuberstore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2iveRUipbdO2UkCTtkE1Q0tjDgX0C5JMwirDqlqlY-E7qsb4s-DRkSqvv7IZdt4hRXM0Q01usvP_QNu6rFe8uSH7vi1PdBbhOYZ-qkfGljKepCEUVXHKHGR0E00WC7ZUZLeY8k5HeXGw/s1600/2013-Nov-Finders-Keepers-Kuberstore.jpg" /></a></div>
Oh my goodness. It feels like about three weeks since Friday afternoon, and yet the weekend flew by, too. I'm not sure that's possible, but it feels true to me right now! The studio is a shambles, the car is as-yet not unpacked, my feet are sore but I'm smiling, still!<br />
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In case anyone missed it, Kuberstore was a debutante at this past weekend's Brisbane Finders Keepers market. To me, Finders Keepers is a big deal. It's only on twice a year, and it's been something I've aspired to ever since I first visited one. The stalls are always so beautiful, and there's a cornucopia of desirable things on offer. If you have the stamina you can do just about all your christmas shopping in one hit, as you hone your ducking-and-weaving skills amongst the mad crowd.<br />
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What a fabulous weekend! I had a wonderful spot beside some beautiful red brick arched doors on the veranda of the Old Museum, and the only problem was my stock of paper bags running dangerously low on Saturday afternoon. If you had told me beforehand that the number of paper bags I had taken wasn't going to be enough then I would have laughed, because that would have meant that they were going off out into the world in the hands of buyers, filled with Kuberstore things. Well, they did! At 3 on Sunday morning I awoke, worrying about this no-more-bags issue, and got up to fashion some up out of brown paper on the sewing machine!<br />
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So. Two days of a pace so frenetic that it verged on nuts. At times I simply couldn't get around the side of my stall to tidy or restock the other end, so it got a little unruly down there. (Note to self for future stall design... ability to access it all <i>from behind</i>!) Lots of chats, and some degree of tablecloth wrangling as they did Monroe skirt impressions in the strengthening breeze! I saw a number of dear friends, (some of whom I hadn't seen for too long) and it was so lovely to spy their familiar faces coming towards me along the crowded veranda. The weather held. It was a long weekend. It was over in a flash. I'd do it again!<br />
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Many, many thanks to those who visited, your support and words of encouragement are absolutely cherished. Extra thanks to my Ma for minding the stall while I had a quick break, and to C for that fabulous breakfast you made us on Saturday morning, and everything else, you splendid man!<br />
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Three cheers for Finders Keepers! HURRAH!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-46527376241544064372013-11-14T12:25:00.002+10:002013-11-14T12:25:34.820+10:00... on countdowns and crossings off.Well, the countdown is almost over - it's Finders Keepers this weekend. I haven't done it before, so it's a shot in the dark, and I'm apprehensive because I have no idea what it'll be like or how it will go and whether the wind will blow my veranda stall away and will the folding table bear the weight of my display and what are 'fire resistant timbers' (I'm just ignoring that little piece of info in the stallholders manual!) and what will I do if I run out of change and... and... can you tell I'm anxious!?<br />
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But, I'm almost there. I've got lists, MULTIPLE lists, with lots of things crossed off them, and only a few more major (but achieveable) things to do before bump-in tomorrow evening. I've got stock levels that I'm comfortable with in two ways - if I sell out of a particular thing that'll be surprising and delightful, and if I sell none of a particular thing then it's not too much to have on hand. I've got a new cast plaster letter display that fits in much better with the look of my stall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfg3yvu31uPnIcQMhULPMtkZrmsWwTM3yFPuurEJgawjc4Saunpitukk08ZfiQEWEeASuG2Razj9GUBhdTEMDQLpOH_TT78GI-gVM5FOluGtyoMq4R5tAxYkEGI8bPeICpFmVDHB7nb8/s1600/kuberstore_letter_display.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfg3yvu31uPnIcQMhULPMtkZrmsWwTM3yFPuurEJgawjc4Saunpitukk08ZfiQEWEeASuG2Razj9GUBhdTEMDQLpOH_TT78GI-gVM5FOluGtyoMq4R5tAxYkEGI8bPeICpFmVDHB7nb8/s1600/kuberstore_letter_display.jpg" /></a></div>
The map of stallholders has now been released, which I have popped up on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kuberstore/269179399803555">Facebook page</a>. I'll be at stall D10 which is on the veranda near the stairs going down into the garden. Visitors who stop by can have a first look at my newest wee linen nest, containing an extra-special speckled egg.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmnGbGzFZBdNAhqSMdyC2qcg8p9JV4Xv-a9zgazTKSkDgiL4l7xNpfFziKg6HaA6ETozstKTEa7gaIuPjat0Z8w-u1yE345YIqfqKgpS351dg0qftYfg8gLUDkdWTbC3h2oSKGO20_Sg/s1600/kuberstore_linen_nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmnGbGzFZBdNAhqSMdyC2qcg8p9JV4Xv-a9zgazTKSkDgiL4l7xNpfFziKg6HaA6ETozstKTEa7gaIuPjat0Z8w-u1yE345YIqfqKgpS351dg0qftYfg8gLUDkdWTbC3h2oSKGO20_Sg/s1600/kuberstore_linen_nest.jpg" /></a></div>
In the spirit of getting things done, recently I crossed a big thing off my list of things to do. You know you're a bit slack in the 'do website' department when you get an annual hosting renewal notice before you've managed to get around to designing your site. Hello <a href="http://www.kuberstore.com/">something-more-than-a-holding-page-at-kuberstore.com</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYFaaPDYK4lMm4l-hLXflRyGUuHra2nYPpJpFsAa-LAooAResFP3hkjHoHOgq4AqWuSrrM7jPlIAIHOYLMg7aULrbGE3kFOB2z2xIqKW1yeK41snuWNs7VnVXwnjXQ_wvvlyw9UTfHa0/s1600/kuberstore_com_landing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYFaaPDYK4lMm4l-hLXflRyGUuHra2nYPpJpFsAa-LAooAResFP3hkjHoHOgq4AqWuSrrM7jPlIAIHOYLMg7aULrbGE3kFOB2z2xIqKW1yeK41snuWNs7VnVXwnjXQ_wvvlyw9UTfHa0/s1600/kuberstore_com_landing.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZtEm3n23dceqZJSbduzjFmfxIrY7JMbKRRKV1o8TkSd59O1ooyYwxQK5I5on-fd1XtFEJtN6D7n4Nhd8idfMkX6hYgGF8eFLjOzrs1rDf3eniplKRj1EHFow73JLN4VpSEwUN77Qjro/s1600/kuberstore_com_about.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZtEm3n23dceqZJSbduzjFmfxIrY7JMbKRRKV1o8TkSd59O1ooyYwxQK5I5on-fd1XtFEJtN6D7n4Nhd8idfMkX6hYgGF8eFLjOzrs1rDf3eniplKRj1EHFow73JLN4VpSEwUN77Qjro/s1600/kuberstore_com_about.jpg" /></a></div>
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I've done this using <a href="http://www.squarespace.com/">Squarespace</a>, as their level of customisation potential was able to balance my 'desire to make it look a certain way' with 'I am a web design gumby' and 'I'd like to be able to change this whenever I want'. Doing Finders Keepers was the kick I needed to get my website sorted out, and I'm glad, as quite a lot of traffic is coming from the FK stallholder profiles right now!<br />
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So. Fingers crossed for mild weather and smiling faces and non-collapsing tables! See you there if you're going, or stay tuned for a Finders Keepers wrap-up next week. Cheerio!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-47769749440200493762013-10-11T14:47:00.002+10:002013-10-11T14:47:28.330+10:00... on little bits of signage.I'm just about ready to pack everything up for tomorrow's BIM at City Hall. You know, every time I'm preparing for a market I find something that I can do better. Each market I've done up until now has seen me scurrying about at the last minute sorting out something small but vital - pricepoint signage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWohteJ6fZKs02s1CYDxspGbMtUAIKfn8Y4NxzZV7i8IL9j3WtyFSIk_cWs9VxOQlXnXBW1p-r15X-JcNFM797dpkLM1kwGToPW9VQeOgukMpGT4DH_uYdfS2Q3avJ6cb3qewweS7bfcM/s1600/kuberstore_old_pricepoints_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWohteJ6fZKs02s1CYDxspGbMtUAIKfn8Y4NxzZV7i8IL9j3WtyFSIk_cWs9VxOQlXnXBW1p-r15X-JcNFM797dpkLM1kwGToPW9VQeOgukMpGT4DH_uYdfS2Q3avJ6cb3qewweS7bfcM/s1600/kuberstore_old_pricepoints_detail.jpg" /></a></div>
These folded cardboard signs have worked well in terms of angle and size, but as they've been taped together at the start of the day and then thrown out at the end, I've been having to re-create them each time. I can only fit three to an A4 page so I was going through lots of card. Plus they have a tendency to blow away. I liked the look, but as I've got at least three more markets to do before Christmas and I'm almost out of card, I wanted to sort out something less disposable. Enter C and his mad saw skills. Bless the man, again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDuvTYBEKKFYd5921L4uCBH6S5ZzavaKLBkUH_ea9h8rmvKx2OWtt5Tju45czA6mV02m5jSU5ADf76SnqFIISuxIMXAEmyA1hbU1xj7OM3uR0nY65hvDMTxW2w_3_fCj5BfEjUAAGg34/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDuvTYBEKKFYd5921L4uCBH6S5ZzavaKLBkUH_ea9h8rmvKx2OWtt5Tju45czA6mV02m5jSU5ADf76SnqFIISuxIMXAEmyA1hbU1xj7OM3uR0nY65hvDMTxW2w_3_fCj5BfEjUAAGg34/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_wood.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNFw9w4BDmUvFFeBnnZpE0jDC2meip9bPEcEe0vQZXafN-aO2Q_jhwCZDM7FJQATNFkNbFWG7JADwMHYYRczyx_Bq923BqMjx7ucq9o6H0RKcmBfPTjoy9VMgKFIfGAq5QNyPpcR0vJs/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_sanding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNFw9w4BDmUvFFeBnnZpE0jDC2meip9bPEcEe0vQZXafN-aO2Q_jhwCZDM7FJQATNFkNbFWG7JADwMHYYRczyx_Bq923BqMjx7ucq9o6H0RKcmBfPTjoy9VMgKFIfGAq5QNyPpcR0vJs/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_sanding.jpg" /></a></div>
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He rummaged about and came up with a piece of timber from a pallet, and chopped it up into lots of triangular prism shapes for me. A once-over with some sandpaper and they were just as I'd imagined. All my pricepoints fit easily onto a single printed piece of A4 card...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5t5e0kZVXf43i6f-rUtXQvPZiscSBWz9rKXqWCdOK5GGCzVo1dpmlJDby93JYrtkt06rZoQjpoDFVC6VTAWu08f0C_v_2_WVHT3SHlIWmZgIDfS1U0hZ3OeO1JRooBfxes2gWIeXVos/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5t5e0kZVXf43i6f-rUtXQvPZiscSBWz9rKXqWCdOK5GGCzVo1dpmlJDby93JYrtkt06rZoQjpoDFVC6VTAWu08f0C_v_2_WVHT3SHlIWmZgIDfS1U0hZ3OeO1JRooBfxes2gWIeXVos/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_collection.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmqltzez_frtxvk4bgYpCd5V8jCwt5wJdGWo-wiFB6S3z4yeZsE-I5O56zsfFkPz_90znp2srvMSmOeCL5xjCk6SkO-YRk05euvjoyEsv9xIpn9BAHCj9YX0NXhOJGQpRbaF27ZNzrGs/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmqltzez_frtxvk4bgYpCd5V8jCwt5wJdGWo-wiFB6S3z4yeZsE-I5O56zsfFkPz_90znp2srvMSmOeCL5xjCk6SkO-YRk05euvjoyEsv9xIpn9BAHCj9YX0NXhOJGQpRbaF27ZNzrGs/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_detail.jpg" /></a></div>
... and they certainly won't blow away! They tone in nicely with my old wooden display items and my little wattle forest, and my shredded paper egg display nests that are also making their first appearance at tomorrow's market.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eazSbIy5JlpBTHeA-re-YNuTR8cY3s-eiwiPNWk-sd0qlLPdHA1EC9RfLSfMTcmTPfnfDEkJd1GvCk5pCCaYaNJTORAJf6Vg8mk8DP6i_WLLvcaBt-HX3aZJIxjED9vK4XPCbyzts1c/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_nests.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eazSbIy5JlpBTHeA-re-YNuTR8cY3s-eiwiPNWk-sd0qlLPdHA1EC9RfLSfMTcmTPfnfDEkJd1GvCk5pCCaYaNJTORAJf6Vg8mk8DP6i_WLLvcaBt-HX3aZJIxjED9vK4XPCbyzts1c/s1600/kuberstore_new_pricepoints_nests.jpg" /></a></div>
Is anyone's market setup ever 'finished'? I feel that each little thing I improve upon contributes to a better display, but I don't know whether it's ever going to become a static or finished thing... and that's good!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-49054267276478328402013-10-02T15:24:00.000+10:002013-10-02T15:24:37.419+10:00... on plants.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There has been so much going on in the garden recently. It seems that just about every day there's been something new to sniff. One of my favourite flowers as far as scent goes are those little old-fashioned white freesias. This year I got a stack of bulbs from <a href="http://diggers.com.au/">The Digger's Club</a> and put them in a big shallow pot on the deck.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjKKt4QOoBn3k4Y-VjQ6U6Zr24oeDU9W8k-eqrKE39ygMVstJh1UITl5tOygJ9D9raLwPeA6uuMZBUWU2TkWwMmBS-ZyTp1JpsGdaaXx6yGVIftVICOJuAhyzufYgtmOsX3XKdBBhuD8/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_freesias.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjKKt4QOoBn3k4Y-VjQ6U6Zr24oeDU9W8k-eqrKE39ygMVstJh1UITl5tOygJ9D9raLwPeA6uuMZBUWU2TkWwMmBS-ZyTp1JpsGdaaXx6yGVIftVICOJuAhyzufYgtmOsX3XKdBBhuD8/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_freesias.jpg" /></a></div>
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The native bees are still around, and it seems they like freesias too. Look at their little pollen balls!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfYL1iqywpK3HItcBmdkjccCCgPvcRyWkYz8lGQectM3FX4sh66lwwf_fhta8mQAbq5erp6E8nLYE6nrjrYJnu0cR_yPnBVgvjkf9Iey1Bzml4doYfnsPBTbt0VSAw4mi1WQHeeqhIKs/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_pots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfYL1iqywpK3HItcBmdkjccCCgPvcRyWkYz8lGQectM3FX4sh66lwwf_fhta8mQAbq5erp6E8nLYE6nrjrYJnu0cR_yPnBVgvjkf9Iey1Bzml4doYfnsPBTbt0VSAw4mi1WQHeeqhIKs/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_pots.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div>
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My big pots of pansies, heartease and anemones have been flowering spectacularly for weeks. I don't think I've ever had such success with flowers in pots before!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-zaF5nRAvH2xQIZD1BQOnvvQIRmO3r5rvSubEqBS0ACTMnshn6R7JsOdleG3PdBzDaFalMN6qjL9CXvmH6798gK_xo4AJ8_iO-FFehh9XAMu0wVtnO35_W78OpRDMyB2BmmDarE2djY/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_pansies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-zaF5nRAvH2xQIZD1BQOnvvQIRmO3r5rvSubEqBS0ACTMnshn6R7JsOdleG3PdBzDaFalMN6qjL9CXvmH6798gK_xo4AJ8_iO-FFehh9XAMu0wVtnO35_W78OpRDMyB2BmmDarE2djY/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_pansies.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWWjrdHoLASATCIGiJzpIn9t0LfQc8kApPbUs33OOT0Xjaqspx3ki9HccmFvlvkWtiepPpBvD0tMgql_8MoCOc0WxbzlQ8N1lz4YAXmIXfEotQX8zPq6RA2GFoNSnOj5NC5baJit1rS0/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_anenomes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFWWjrdHoLASATCIGiJzpIn9t0LfQc8kApPbUs33OOT0Xjaqspx3ki9HccmFvlvkWtiepPpBvD0tMgql_8MoCOc0WxbzlQ8N1lz4YAXmIXfEotQX8zPq6RA2GFoNSnOj5NC5baJit1rS0/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_anenomes.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div>
The vegie garden (with the new hardwood edges) is packed full of greens, and they're now at the stage where we can hardly keep up with the output and need the chooks to help out! There's some carrots up the back there too, they should be ready in a couple of weeks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvMA0h4DwmmT5xTciir-t1qwrc4uf2420qRVkclokq0Rsc2QYON21Y3GGO1VhFOx0Vh11O8QSnck9PTVEyLhyT4m9X6ONuADoOKGOEJ1_Cvb9u8jdlpODujrmUh0EsDCI3Op6-Zy9BIk/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_greens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvMA0h4DwmmT5xTciir-t1qwrc4uf2420qRVkclokq0Rsc2QYON21Y3GGO1VhFOx0Vh11O8QSnck9PTVEyLhyT4m9X6ONuADoOKGOEJ1_Cvb9u8jdlpODujrmUh0EsDCI3Op6-Zy9BIk/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_greens.jpg" /></a></div>
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This morning there was a first flower on my extra-special purple beans. I do so love purple food.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJq0483JbJ3kbztOJWS6CojwNS2_vYGspk-iB2FKYwGhVU_N8cijebNuAYNGiUidWPzm1mUlDCwh6w-Nj9z_q2UkZqxWRjv-O2RAS99bl52_Qasrp7dbbCO9Fg7iE1CwqGtItgLWuBls/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_purple-bean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJq0483JbJ3kbztOJWS6CojwNS2_vYGspk-iB2FKYwGhVU_N8cijebNuAYNGiUidWPzm1mUlDCwh6w-Nj9z_q2UkZqxWRjv-O2RAS99bl52_Qasrp7dbbCO9Fg7iE1CwqGtItgLWuBls/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_purple-bean.jpg" /></a></div>
Speaking of chooks, (who are somewhat garden-related as that's where they live) Marilla had been sitting in an expectant trance for three weeks. Over three weeks, actually, as it took me about ten days to source some fertile eggs for her!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZVeBjkQp9ZCcoXV2rxBDpmmsbGkd7yIQFzs6xsXBdCh-I82rPSjOyQIhzq0BEkR6MnJ9zmVZ31H3qQIGTbu3tvapi27pZm_PueCmLslXHjmgj2kaLIVR05orDZaLbrE1jl24uQH31gA/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_Marilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZVeBjkQp9ZCcoXV2rxBDpmmsbGkd7yIQFzs6xsXBdCh-I82rPSjOyQIhzq0BEkR6MnJ9zmVZ31H3qQIGTbu3tvapi27pZm_PueCmLslXHjmgj2kaLIVR05orDZaLbrE1jl24uQH31gA/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_Marilla.jpg" /></a></div>
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Of the twelve eggs, five hatched, which isn't a bad result considering the eggs came through the post. There was a possibility none would hatch, as who knows what happens to a fragile package en route? But there's now five one-week-old Pekins cheeping in their coop, which is just a wonderful thing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGTvP9aqliZVUvjbKHrVHOrtSL4pwvzYr-MdwRTDJiuMBfF4PhZdBjkZQ6qKYSI28BBv9s8NDQ2csPL7u9MQb-qHs77S5DrvkvrL-eCvoyT9mXaOpU8zlq-LysJV-iK3ukkGWxpXFmp0/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_toes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGTvP9aqliZVUvjbKHrVHOrtSL4pwvzYr-MdwRTDJiuMBfF4PhZdBjkZQ6qKYSI28BBv9s8NDQ2csPL7u9MQb-qHs77S5DrvkvrL-eCvoyT9mXaOpU8zlq-LysJV-iK3ukkGWxpXFmp0/s1600/kuberstore_2Oct_toes.jpg" /></a></div>
Look at those feet! Time for me to go and pick a colander of greens for our dinner, and squeeze a few chicks. Not a bad way to finish the afternoon!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-11057334681110093272013-10-01T16:29:00.003+10:002013-10-01T16:29:45.410+10:00... on finding, keeping, and other excitement.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Excitement comes in funny forms around here, sometimes. One recent burst was a result of a delivery of <a href="http://www.ecocern.com/product/shredded-recycled-paper/">recycled shredded paper from Ecocern</a>. It was some days late, having been misdirected from Sydney to Perth, but seemed none-the-worse for its WA holiday. Not so hot on the carbon miles, however!</div>
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It came in a large tightly-rolled bale, 20 kilograms of it. As it wasn't available in Brisbane I found two other BrisStyle girls to share the costs with, and once unrolled, each share filled a huge (wheelie-bin sized) garbage bag. I've got enough shredded paper to last forever, as you can see by my little foot in the photo below. Mountains of it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zkkuu61BLwqA8RtTZb2NsdxMQOTrkovtPrE6so6zLh7pHGd1kOXpnKhvXZOWPM08nFP9mwh29i1kRrHxCJB3YLuFkiGGCoQGIyjNtbSwvMJ6oyOCi60Sb0ZWv5g1GH6XG9X93ZajyTY/s1600/kuberstore_ecocern_shredded_paper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zkkuu61BLwqA8RtTZb2NsdxMQOTrkovtPrE6so6zLh7pHGd1kOXpnKhvXZOWPM08nFP9mwh29i1kRrHxCJB3YLuFkiGGCoQGIyjNtbSwvMJ6oyOCi60Sb0ZWv5g1GH6XG9X93ZajyTY/s1600/kuberstore_ecocern_shredded_paper.jpg" /></a></div>
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As soon as the paper arrived, I just had to pull a bit off to try out an idea I'd been chewing over. I wanted something to display my large hanging egg decorations in at the markets, and I had in mind a messy shredded paper nest on a sanded branch sitting on my linen tablecloth.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzyUllMlCi7gGr5hfXzVHO_ToqMUOIOIrhTaUirSks0tuQ_NjsZaMXobmq3ULeW558NCiF0-38G-jSuB8zAmoyfBXYmDV-7YdR4eXYIX_akz5VzKXeTWFIrScSf5XCo2bbESKumJIVlU/s1600/kuberstore_nest_display.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGzyUllMlCi7gGr5hfXzVHO_ToqMUOIOIrhTaUirSks0tuQ_NjsZaMXobmq3ULeW558NCiF0-38G-jSuB8zAmoyfBXYmDV-7YdR4eXYIX_akz5VzKXeTWFIrScSf5XCo2bbESKumJIVlU/s1600/kuberstore_nest_display.jpg" /></a></div>
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That's a work-in-progress photo, but you get the idea. A couple of those will almost certainly work a lot better than my previous paper-bag-with-the-top-rolled-down technique, which was admittedly only a temporary fix!</div>
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So, now to begin preparations for the upcoming markets. The next City Hall BrisStyle market is on the Saturday-after-next, on October 12, and I'm currently making a batch of my large natural-toned eggs. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVU09uQjDfWiqoSOUniopEHV-xPkF75Zl37xzIob7DTimu7HDj9WoHtmLSYZL0dDRj1KRgsZ7mj44gsUE9dc82ZUTGfJn_xbzbRx1UBiGP5F9DrNX-uvJrwvRY9KlTHdyoR-I73l5_fv4/s1600/kuberstore_eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVU09uQjDfWiqoSOUniopEHV-xPkF75Zl37xzIob7DTimu7HDj9WoHtmLSYZL0dDRj1KRgsZ7mj44gsUE9dc82ZUTGfJn_xbzbRx1UBiGP5F9DrNX-uvJrwvRY9KlTHdyoR-I73l5_fv4/s1600/kuberstore_eggs.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry, trimmed and sanded, these cast plaster eggs are ready to be drilled.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRBUIY659dh9SeoxXe33JosyOWGp_1zZQMt3-0IgR-b3LIjvdfElxW3saeqaCw38vIfQ7kUjR9PYxOINTbb5HvcgiG0vB7qSy7uk-a8TJo8iQYEkyeoX9axgLSvb3Wv7SkyuK4ziPdaw/s1600/kuberstore_eggs_glued.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaRBUIY659dh9SeoxXe33JosyOWGp_1zZQMt3-0IgR-b3LIjvdfElxW3saeqaCw38vIfQ7kUjR9PYxOINTbb5HvcgiG0vB7qSy7uk-a8TJo8iQYEkyeoX9axgLSvb3Wv7SkyuK4ziPdaw/s1600/kuberstore_eggs_glued.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once they've had their little metal rings glued into them and the glue has cured for 24 hours, it's time for the eggs to be painted with their base colour.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIRkOzTNcMivcIYnamsu0gUEKUXr1X6_RnJnK60ywY6AojaKqnG9jEMUJRCbed9aZqq4A2oOGhnAhMA_k6OFj-Ko9M9McyeXDexsVBq9hI8IJv591G3uIL1Dabzmeq13pV_5RDM7QVMU/s1600/kuberstore_eggs_prep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIRkOzTNcMivcIYnamsu0gUEKUXr1X6_RnJnK60ywY6AojaKqnG9jEMUJRCbed9aZqq4A2oOGhnAhMA_k6OFj-Ko9M9McyeXDexsVBq9hI8IJv591G3uIL1Dabzmeq13pV_5RDM7QVMU/s1600/kuberstore_eggs_prep.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie Beer's fruit paste containers make excellent mixed-paint pots. Thanks, Maggie!</td></tr>
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Now for a most exciting happening. I did a happy dance in my seat (you know the one) the other day when I received news that my application for the next <a href="http://www.thefinderskeepers.com/">Finders Keepers</a> market here in Brisbane had been successful. I'll be occupying a debut stall site on the veranda of The Old Museum, so let's all cross our fingers for calm weather, or I'm sure Kuberstore will be taking flight (in many, many pieces) out over the RNA showground! Weather predictions aside, I'm so delighted to have this to prepare for, and I'm sure the next six weeks will simply fly by. Eeek! But HURRAH!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u7SblrtIHXD55OX14Npj5MugffuW0PlzgOaSC7XH4-ilkVi_39zQ8Sh-xErwkzH_lUlnbd7EuyA33es200DOWPmFN2It5bphLc7Zb5ISheWOLEGPQZdBB6z55sZptTJzLttjKbkWqRI/s1600/kuberstore_fk-ss13-bris-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2u7SblrtIHXD55OX14Npj5MugffuW0PlzgOaSC7XH4-ilkVi_39zQ8Sh-xErwkzH_lUlnbd7EuyA33es200DOWPmFN2It5bphLc7Zb5ISheWOLEGPQZdBB6z55sZptTJzLttjKbkWqRI/s1600/kuberstore_fk-ss13-bris-web.jpg" /></a></div>
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kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-50347842247584835842013-09-07T13:33:00.000+10:002013-09-07T13:33:43.788+10:00... on taking an idea and running with it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week I <a href="http://kuberblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/on-variations-on-theme.html">shared some in-progress shots</a> of the speckled egg cards I've been making for the upcoming <a href="http://www.brisstyle.com.au/brisstyle-indie-markets/">BrisStyle Indie Market</a>, which is next Saturday. They're now all packed up with their stripy brown-paper envelopes in A6 plastic sleeves, and C has made me a nice little plywood box to display them in on the day. Many thanks, C!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2f2N2AgbuAXS41Q4lUNhMgYIg77XD-MgPR_lu6UHx4BYi7d-yo464NiDT1hloltFtNI6YgZofGBcd1odU7WM2jcbpVfN4y1WW_6ojabL9sPNwJDrf-RJtGBCr4KDrA67gvMkBRi6RFc/s1600/kuberstore_egg_cards_packed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2f2N2AgbuAXS41Q4lUNhMgYIg77XD-MgPR_lu6UHx4BYi7d-yo464NiDT1hloltFtNI6YgZofGBcd1odU7WM2jcbpVfN4y1WW_6ojabL9sPNwJDrf-RJtGBCr4KDrA67gvMkBRi6RFc/s1600/kuberstore_egg_cards_packed.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These will be available for $4 each on the day. Hurrah!</td></tr>
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Then, I wanted to try a more random assortment of eggs... different sizes and varying shapes, and arrange them like the photo of the real eggs displayed in the Launceston Museum that my friends had sent me. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCJxf_BcuUYZ5uh-j-4voyskqEtbtNflP2x4ZCnFmd87BsqB_R3eSkYxsxu1AJHRo7z-lbF9JY5f3s8ma-MRZhyUSnPU7SZEXCoZ8hNx3nQfJlCP7LJZ-ILwKO8DM1lwYGqXG3U7BzE0/s1600/kuberstore_cutout_eggs_random.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCJxf_BcuUYZ5uh-j-4voyskqEtbtNflP2x4ZCnFmd87BsqB_R3eSkYxsxu1AJHRo7z-lbF9JY5f3s8ma-MRZhyUSnPU7SZEXCoZ8hNx3nQfJlCP7LJZ-ILwKO8DM1lwYGqXG3U7BzE0/s1600/kuberstore_cutout_eggs_random.jpg" /></a></div>
I set about taking this idea and turning it into a repeating pattern. I photographed my paper eggs, jumped into Photoshop, and three days later I had just about figured it out! I'd never made a proper repeating pattern in Photoshop before, so I learned a few things along the way. One thing I wish I'd figured out sooner... start with the corners. I wanted this pattern to work as a tile - that is, for the original piece to be able to be repeated infinitely without any discernable join on any edge, not even by one pixel. So, once you have got one corner sorted out, you essentially have all four. Wish I'd figured that out sooner.<br />
Anyway, here's the resulting pattern. This is a piece slightly larger than one tile.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-VMznbURCJp4ZXNznId3zBM0zHNV2AjlxrkSYbru8wHCeeMuRLM4HRTNDsG1mKD_xy-7nq5TDZ7ZFi-TuJ2QyFkQNrFObHLIm4GRoLcl_gBvNxFUHrJUOQtFA-1v11qwMdJ3ksnsqyU/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy-VMznbURCJp4ZXNznId3zBM0zHNV2AjlxrkSYbru8wHCeeMuRLM4HRTNDsG1mKD_xy-7nq5TDZ7ZFi-TuJ2QyFkQNrFObHLIm4GRoLcl_gBvNxFUHrJUOQtFA-1v11qwMdJ3ksnsqyU/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_original.jpg" /></a></div>
One thing I'm glad I realised early on is that it's helpful to work at the highest resolution you can, although I did eventually figure out that there's a 2GB limit on Photoshop file sizes on my computer. This amazed me - and then didn't, when I remembered that the first computer our family owned had a hard drive with a total capacity of 2GB, and that it cost almost $20,000. Phew!<br />
So, I worked big - this is about actual size:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUp9L2fd_5FjL4I0TjZfkam90cbcoPayz8rsu-IeAujYaz3FwQOcIJNx7MK-2anKi34WU6X8crA9loiZnF56sMQrVa0O5Ct95_mMhRmp-2hyYdmTW2AjSx8sQzNCUc2WleN0xxL_RO4rQ/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_sizing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUp9L2fd_5FjL4I0TjZfkam90cbcoPayz8rsu-IeAujYaz3FwQOcIJNx7MK-2anKi34WU6X8crA9loiZnF56sMQrVa0O5Ct95_mMhRmp-2hyYdmTW2AjSx8sQzNCUc2WleN0xxL_RO4rQ/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_sizing.jpg" /></a></div>
After I'd triple-checked that everything was in order in terms of the repeat, I could then start to play. Oh did I play. I'd forgotten how lovely working in Photoshop can be, and in fact it's very easy to go crazy with variations and become a little overwhelmed. Once I'd got myself back under control, these were the results:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnCyocUpa-bzVj6RZwUpuCaJxRoJicpc3EvT9VIsESaWT4Mr2rcqKrc7KIWL9aw5t9oleJZY6DzAOkJG9-rXZw4_wZGJQltDbmn3rV5hFDsBI9-lks_-3O4AfclS3Jx6oYH-3cXFIPs0/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZnCyocUpa-bzVj6RZwUpuCaJxRoJicpc3EvT9VIsESaWT4Mr2rcqKrc7KIWL9aw5t9oleJZY6DzAOkJG9-rXZw4_wZGJQltDbmn3rV5hFDsBI9-lks_-3O4AfclS3Jx6oYH-3cXFIPs0/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu8JaNQN9Gc1Mfxx_09-MzH24ggxTpqu6B829KUSkD3EMml2l8qtmM1bO86LccBC7wfSfYcv4lMI2YdvSD29N1bl7fJHtLCaEUoXa6Q96F92OZXxckMC_PmWPadSsG8sdwYQtWg2CL_Q/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu8JaNQN9Gc1Mfxx_09-MzH24ggxTpqu6B829KUSkD3EMml2l8qtmM1bO86LccBC7wfSfYcv4lMI2YdvSD29N1bl7fJHtLCaEUoXa6Q96F92OZXxckMC_PmWPadSsG8sdwYQtWg2CL_Q/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_1.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21ThJ78Dqse4luhuIMQuE47hyphenhyphenZUZMHaSyIDr33NiN4joQ9gcqiM_SZKwB_Bkfns9j-ZGMm8ZY4EbZFSRMTSJ6VbrNP5wwn0uDnBsfR4pmyZD0h-E9SnfhHSgHe7McZp9bFfUH-mex28Y/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21ThJ78Dqse4luhuIMQuE47hyphenhyphenZUZMHaSyIDr33NiN4joQ9gcqiM_SZKwB_Bkfns9j-ZGMm8ZY4EbZFSRMTSJ6VbrNP5wwn0uDnBsfR4pmyZD0h-E9SnfhHSgHe7McZp9bFfUH-mex28Y/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_4.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LvW69Jvs5cX-VaFz2sj0y_DoAu5uHjnfuaO_Ayr27_NuMXG3MK9dMrTuCfQvxmDbClELowc1AjiSEd7_NA61ccZmcoTvDG3P5oOXx8G5TQL20_y0xZt6kYomz2xVb5yQcIlUnNt1YvQ/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LvW69Jvs5cX-VaFz2sj0y_DoAu5uHjnfuaO_Ayr27_NuMXG3MK9dMrTuCfQvxmDbClELowc1AjiSEd7_NA61ccZmcoTvDG3P5oOXx8G5TQL20_y0xZt6kYomz2xVb5yQcIlUnNt1YvQ/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzRIGfjECp2GlXdLPdJtzFe_34wCv0q6N_ONiXyrqlrcoXN4aDFp3CPQ_rIvXcgRIr8BUUm5lzD0DFW85IvHnoksrg0Xygez7TZOeojKALzz0vURmhEhmGGOvOTuGo_RghhfYzqAsCeE/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzRIGfjECp2GlXdLPdJtzFe_34wCv0q6N_ONiXyrqlrcoXN4aDFp3CPQ_rIvXcgRIr8BUUm5lzD0DFW85IvHnoksrg0Xygez7TZOeojKALzz0vURmhEhmGGOvOTuGo_RghhfYzqAsCeE/s1600/kuberstore_egg_pattern_5.jpg" /></a></div>
I'm feeling like it's Christmas morning! There's so many possibilities. I feel like uploading them all to <a href="http://www.spoonflower.com/welcome">Spoonflower</a>, digital printers of fabric and wallpaper, and ordering lengths of silk and upholstery linen, and wallpapering my whole house.<br />
I'd love to know your favourite version... do let me know!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-819888040016722877.post-44145639000544894732013-09-06T12:12:00.000+10:002013-09-06T12:53:29.593+10:00... on a recent curious visitor.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A little while ago I mentioned that the studio was unusually tidy on account of a curious visitor. That visitor was <a href="http://www.styletribeonline.com/about/">Susan Schwartz</a>, who had contacted me to ask whether I would like to be interviewed for an article for her new blog, <a href="http://styletribeonline.com/">styletribeonline.com</a>. Susan arrived, enviable camera in hand, trailing tripods and notebooks, and we spent over an hour chatting and poking about the studio. It was quite lovely to show her around. I enjoyed it!</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqhP7mkXewbslpTHOT2RwezCT1PwBs_UWD0Uj6yq4IVWOUQWfmCHlU_JHBy1I6iRfo1-sbJ_yl6PLpWhgQX0XD-zBQxKQdk0diDVeEvE8GaT8nN6ugfbOsced6pkhQsAkYuhfLnxDsyk/s1600/kuberstore_styletribe.jpg" /></div>
StyleTribe has just gone live this week, and the article about Kuberstore appeared yesterday. I'm loving Susan's high-contrast photographs, and I'm delighted that one of my Pekin bantams has made an appearance too! Susan hopes that the blog will become a resource for all things design in Brisbane, and I wish her all the very best for it. I'll be checking in often!<br />
You can <a href="http://www.styletribeonline.com/2013/09/a-nest-egg-is-given-an-artistic-twist/">find the Kuberstore interview here</a>. Hurrah!kuber...http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573584709105936012noreply@blogger.com1