Friday, July 31, 2015

Finish it of Friday: this week's challenge might stretch to more than one Friday...

It's been a crazy-busy week. I've been sorting out my tax, guest blogging, and helping with the first Pop Up Office Small Business Fair

My Sweet Alice was providing coffee at today's fair, out of a vintage caravan.
A vintage caravan cafe.
A vintage caravan cafe.
 Which made me think of the retro caravan kit I had in stash from Seaside Miniatures.
Modern dolls' house miniature retro caravan kit, in packaging.
Close up of a modern dolls' house miniature retro caravan kit instructions, with pieces.
 And made me decide that I really needed to start building it, based on my love of caravans.

There were other minis on display today: one of the stall holders had this fairy garden on their stall:
Miniature fairy house in a bowl on a small business stall.
 And the venue had a lovely pottery building on display (thankfully, for my budget, sold...)
Clay house on display in a gallery. In front of it is a clay kangaroo and sheep.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Gascoigne at Goulburn Gallery was great!

In the Canberra Times art magazine a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that there was a Rosalie Gascoigne exhibition on at the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, which is a mere hour up the road.

I love me some Rosalie Gascoigne about as much as I love me some Alex Asch, so of course I had to go. And since I have no job, I could go any time I wanted :-D

Today was the day, and friend Tina joined me for the trip. And, being such mature grown-up people, our first stop in town was a selfie in front of the bum of The Big Merino
Two women posing in front of the bottom of the Giant Merino in Goulburn.
(which I shared on Facebook with the title 'Yum yum, sheep's bum, road trips are great fun!'). Yep: completely adult.

Seriously though, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition
Entry sign for The Daylight Moon: an exhibition of Rosalie Gascoigne's  work, showing at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.
 (especially as we'd drive past Lake George to get there. And had the place to ourselves...)
A woman standing in front of work at The Daylight Moon: an exhibition of Rosalie Gascoigne's  work, showing at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.
Two works at The Daylight Moon: an exhibition of Rosalie Gascoigne's  work, showing at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery.
The day got better when I discovered the children's room at the end of the gallery, which invited us to 'create your own Rosalie Gascoigne inspired [sic] collage and add it to our group work'.
The children's room at The Daylight Moon, with a sign inviting people to 'create their own Rosalie Gascoigne inspired works.
As we read, our plans to visit the local op shops before we had to return home faded away.
A woman selecting paper for her collage in the children's room at The Daylight Moon exhibition.
A woman cutting paper for her collage in the children's room at The Daylight Moon exhibition.
 I decided to photograph my pieces with the works that inspired them...
A woman holding up her collage in front of a work by Rosalie Gascoigne in The Daylight Moon exhibition.
A woman holding up her collage in front of a work by Rosalie Gascoigne in The Daylight Moon exhibition.
 And, finally, I just had to make a miniature-sized work
A selection of pieces of paper, scissors and a glue stick arranged on a table top.
which I had to play with once I got home.

The first thing I spotted in the stash when I started looking for inspiration for the scene (because one more 'desk and stuff' or 'sofa and stuff' scene would probably put me to sleep) was this chair from Minisx2:
Modern dolls' house miniature collage art work hanging on a black wall. In front of it is an art chair.
And, as sometimes happens, the whole story for the scene fell into place. It was a gallery shop, of course! (And what a long time since I've done a gallery...)
Modern dolls' house miniature collage art work hanging on a black wall. In front of it is an art chair. On the left is a cabinet  with a wooden pear on top of it.
And, as happens, things seemed to just jump out of various storage spaces, demanding to join in the fun:
Modern dolls' house miniature display wall in a gallery. A collage art work is hanging on a black wall. In front of it is an art chair. On the left is a cabinet  with a wooden pear, fish and chair on top of it, and a table and wooden art work next to it. In the cabinet are a selection of items including a wooden ampersand tile, a modern tray, wooden bowls and a book safe.
new things. Old things. And things that have been waiting in stash for a while for the perfect setting.
Modern dolls' house miniature display wall in a gallery. On display are a wooden pear, fish and chair, and wall plaque.
Modern dolls' house miniature glass-fronted display cupboard containing a modern wooden tray, an ampersand tile, two pieces of wood turning, and a book safe.
 They all suddenly working. Perfectly.
Modern dolls' house miniature plinth in a gallery, showing three pieces of turned woodwork.
Modern dolls' house miniature plinth in a gallery, showing a wooden case with removable lid and drawer.
 If I had money, I'd shop here.
Modern dolls' house miniature gallery, showing various wooden furniture and homeware pieces displayed on plinths, in a glass-fronted  cupboard, and on the wall.
 Wouldn't you?

Monday, July 27, 2015

#Frugal15 Week seven

Mosaic of images showing a selection of groceries and three meals. The meals are smoked salmon, brocolli , red pepper and blue brie pasta; a salad plate with felafel, hummus and pita bread and oat cakes with caramelised banana, yoghurt and berries.
 It was a busy week, and my focus wasn't really on food. But I still made and ate a variety of healthy, colourful, frugal meals.
Mosaic of images showing a mug of tea, a takeaway coffee at a cafe, morning tea with scones and jam and cream and takeaway pizza and wine.
And, as usual, made time to catch up with friends. I took muffins from the freezer on a visit to see a friend's new flat, bought myself coffee when I arrived early for a meeting (and appreciated it so much more than I used to when it was a daily habit), had a Friday-night dinner and movie night with friends (they decided to order in pizza), and visited the National Gallery of Australia's Members' Lounge and was bought coffee and noms for the second week running.

Oh, and just to prove that leftovers can be fun...
Two roasted potatoes, cut in half with melted cheese in the middle and peppercorns inserted to look like eyes.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Saturday scene

Last week a friend and I took her kids to Canberra Museum and Gallery to see INK REMIX: Contemporary art from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. As we were admiring one of the pieces I mentioned that the opening invite I'd received had an image of it on the front, and that I'd tossed the invite into my pile of things to use in a mini scene.
Modern dolls' house miniature scene showing a blue and gold modern chinese panel on the wall. Underneath is a sideboard with a variety of blue and gold items on it, and beside it, two french cafe chairs in black and gold.
Since it was on the top of the pile, it was what I grabbed to start today's scene with... 
Modern dolls' house miniature scene showing a blue and gold modern chinese panel on the wall. Underneath is a sideboard with a variety of blue and gold items on it.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Finish it off Friday: bins and boxes

A day of old and new. The bins were bought when I lived in Sydney (so at least 16 years ago) and I'd somehow never got around to painting the wheels until today. While I was at it, I touched up some paint chips on the bins.
Three modern dolls' house miniature wheelie bins, on a workbench after being painted.
 I also finished some brooch commissions.
Five box brooches drying on a on a drying jig, with camps, toothpicks and glue.
Also finished this week: the August issue of The tiny Times (yippee!)  and my tax. I'm feeling rather chuffed all round.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Almost there...

Laptop computer showing a magazine design in progress, on a dining table. AT the other end of the table is a dolls' house miniature school building.
I may still be in my PJs at almost 4 pm. My kitchen may be a disaster zone as I dash in, make food, and run back to the computer before I clean up.

But the August issue of The tiny Times is looking pretty good right now. Or at least I think so.

No doubt my co-Editor will be able to point out all the mistakes when she starts to proofread it tomorrow.

For now, I think it's time to go and start the day before it's completely over...

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

A trying Tuesday

Modern dolls' house miniature desk, from above, showing an opened bag of chips, a laptop, several issues of The tiny Times magazine, red reading glasses and a digital camera.
I'm at that stage with the latest issue of The tiny Times where I wonder why I ever thought this would be a fun thing to do and toy with the idea of quitting.

Luckily I know, from previous experience, that this will pass and I'll end up feeling very proud of the end result...

Monday, July 20, 2015

A little lovely from Lundby

Last week I received an email from Paula at Lundby Australia, who has just returned from a trip to Sweden to visit the Micki/ Lundby factory. She said she had picked me up a little something while she was there and would pop it in the post. It arrived today
Copy of the magazine Retro Klassiker Leksaker Design i Dockskåpet
 and contains lots
Internal pages of the magazine Retro Klassiker Leksaker Design i Dockskåpet, showing a selection of  vintage dolls' house chairs by Lerro, Lundby and Brio.
 to drool
Internal pages of the magazine Retro Klassiker Leksaker Design i Dockskåpet, showing a selection of  vintage dolls' house chairs and sofas by Lerro, Lundby and Brio.
 over...
Internal pages of the magazine Retro Klassiker Leksaker Design i Dockskåpet, showing a selection of  vintage dolls' houses by Lerro, Lundby and Brio.
(Speaking of drooling: I can't wait to try out the new Lundby Bluetooth stereo when it's released!)
Modern dolls' house scene of two dolls dancing in front of a stereo.

#Frugal15 Week six

This week whizzed past in a blur and I find myself, between goodies delivered by friends (Camembert, smoked salmon and Oreos, plus Turkish pide!) and meals eaten out or at friends', with a good number of the groceries I bought at the beginning of the week still sitting uneaten. Which can only be a good thing for week seven's budget.

What did get made included my favourite breakfast burger (a bun with a stack of hollandaise, spinach, smoked salmon, grilled mushroom, feta cheese and a lightly fried egg), tuna and vegetable pasta (a store-cupboard staple), a haloumi salad idea shamelessly stolen from Lido Cafe in Wellington and a lovely fresh tomato soup. And hummus with vegetable sticks and rice crackers, when friends visited.
Mosaic of images showing a selection of groceries and four meals. The meals are a breakfast burger, pasta with tuna and vegetables, salad of haloumi with beetroot, avocado and spinach and tomato soup with cheese on toast.
 Once again, I've been fortunate with being fed by various friends. One brought Turkish pide to a mid-week gathering. One bought me a delicious cake and coffee after we visited the National Gallery to see The story of Rama: Indian miniatures from the National Museum, New Delhi.I had lunch next to a friend's pool on Friday and lunch at another friend's farm yesterday.
Mosaic of images showing morning tea at a gallery, takeaway Turkish pide at home, lunch by the pool and apple pie with cream and strawberries on a kitchen counter.
The excitement of the week was a friend letting me use her spare comp ticket to see the most excellent Flying Fruit Fly Circus (and also buying me bubbles and popcorn to boot). This was excellent timing because I'd found out earlier in the day that I hadn't got a job I'd applied for.

I joined another friend and her daughters on a visit to Canberra Museum and Gallery, and attended the monthly #Frugal15 shared lunch at my old work (bringing my muffins for the week: Spinach and cheese polenta.)
Mosaic of images showing three social occasions: glasses of sparking wine and tubs of popcorn next to a theatre flier for the circus, a mother and daughters sketching in a gallery and a woman peering into a container of freshly-baked muffins.
Perhaps this week will be a little quieter?

Friday, July 17, 2015

Finish it off Friday: going potty

This kit first followed me home from the Canberra Show in April 2013, and was used in a blu-tacked together state for one of my favourite scenes, in May that year.
Dolls' house miniature potting table kit in packaging.
 Today I finally put it together properly.
Dolls' house miniature potting table kit, components laid out, with instructions.
 (Which ended up being a very quick
Dolls' house miniature potting table kit upside down, with legs glued on and clamped.
 and easy
Dolls' house miniature potting table kit with legs and underneath shelf glued on and clamped.
job.)

Thursday, July 16, 2015

It's that time again...

Laptop computer with, on the left, a plate of turkish pide and a mug and, on the right, a biscuit tin and a copy of the magazine The tiny Times.
...when I start work on the next issue of The tiny Times, and take the now ubiquitous photo of my laptop with the snack du jour.

This time it's turkish pide leftover from a friends' visit last night...

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

#Frugal15 July round-up: Haloumi love

One of the most important parts of eating in a frugal way is sticking to your budget: which is best achieved by making a menu plan and a list and only buying what's on that list when you visit the supermarket.
Supermarket trolley with groceries in it, a calculator and grociery list on the child seat. Behind the trolley is a sign which says '1/2 price: $1.55)
I try to stick to around $35-$45 a week for groceries, but last week my budget blew out to $65. Was I worried? No.

You see there was method in my madness. In her book 'destitute gourmet: Everyday smart food for the family' Sophie Gray talks about making a little bit of something luxurious go a long way: buying a little something special each shop that can be eked out over several weeks and add interest to a frugal meal plan.

The week before last, as I was doing my shop, I noticed that haloumi was on deep discount. Now I love haloumi but can't justify it at the moment at full price. I checked the tag* and saw that the special ran for another week so made a mental note to add it to the next menu plan and shopping list.
Selection of groceries arranged on a kitchen bench.
It was a good week for deep discounts on things I love but can't justify at the moment. So I made the decision to spend more on my groceries this week in order to stock up on little luxuries, while they were at a good price. Especially little luxuries that have a long use-by date.

This is what $25 extra bought:
Luxury grocieries arranged on a kitchen bench, including blue cheese, chocolate baking bits, haloumi cheese, salmon burgers and olive oil.
(and this is what $25 extra saves: I ended up spending $65 on $90 worth of groceries).
Shopping docket showing savings of $25.98.
(*I assumed everyone knew this trick but after talking to a couple of friends, it would appear that I may have been wrong. So: 
Supermarket sale tag. At the bottom left is a price per kilo and at the bottom right is the date that the special ends.
At the bottom of supermarket sale tags are two important and useful bits of information. On the left, as on all tags, is the price per kilo (ml, piece, whatever). It's always worth checking this against other sizes of the product that aren't on special as they may still work out cheaper per kilo than the 'special'. And on the right is the date that the special runs through to. This is useful so you can work out if you need to buy the unexpected bargain right now, or if you can hold off until next shop.)

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Dippity do da

Modern dolls' house miniature stool with raw wood legs and white-dipped top part., displaying a letter eight in a wooden box, along with a glass with twigs in it.
So, after a false start, some dithering and a leap of faith, I finished painting last week's stool.

I'd planned to show it in a full scene but the day got away from me and I suddenly realised I was losing the light and so this is as far as I got...