You're invited (part II).

A snow white, wooden forest brimming with owl friends will be in the front window for all to see... 24 hours a day.

A PARLIAMENT OF OWLS - HANDMADE BY HAMMER & DAISY
28 August - 10 September

In the window
Craft Victoria
41 Flinders Lane
Melbourne

Hope you can pop along and see it...

{owl friends in a white landscape and an owl themed mail out}

And, here is a final peek at said wooden forest, in its current guise, squished onto a table by the window. One last look at our forest (of ten trees) teaming with (some) stuffed owl companions before we install them this coming Monday afternoon. These little guys, nestled in their white branches tie in with the Wednesday Piles popping up here and here. Ten freshly painted, white trees certainly equals a pile, as does over one hundred owls "ready for their close up". Hopefully they will all fit into my large striped African basket when it comes time to pack them up. The trees stack neatly in the boot, branches resting one on top of the other.

{Paper towers and actual tree branches}

Aside from being lost in a noisy sea of hooting owls, other piles like a new metropolis, have popped up where once their was space, save for the weeds. The principle city of the country of Paper has sprung up virtually overnight, like a new development threatening to engulf us all.

{Paper covers and fabric pieces}

Bags, numerous bags, of fabric remnants, offcuts, tablecloths and curtains fill what once was foot room underneath the bookbinding table. Envelopes, once neatly stacked, have taken a hit from a rogue cat paw en route to the sunny spot by the door. An actual tree branch brushes the ceiling with its twiggy ends. No longer required, it now looms over a pile of paper, covers, cardboard and more.

Why not post or share your own pile universe?

(Or get a chuckle out of... demons trying to rouse a sleeping Kumbhakarna as he is surrounded by piles of food and jars of liquid. A marriage ceremony with an altar bursting at the seams with piles of pots. Plus piles, stacks and rows of red books stored at the British Library Newspaper Library.)

Comments

[alyssa]

Wow, everything looks so grand! I love the invitation. Your hard work has paid off.

[julie]

Ooooooh, the white forest turned out beautiful...not that i doubted you!!!!! And the invite looks superb - love hte simplicity of the black and white.
And your stack of paper is nearly edible!!!
:)

[wendy]

love the white forest...and the postcard is so cute.
do you have to set it all up now?

[shari]

i love the white forest--home of the parliament. looks so fab. great invites too. as for piles, love the ones you dug up online. piles of books never seem to disappoint. :) xo s

[Jessica]

It looks terrific! Wish I could be there.

[herhimnbryn]

Wish I could visit...............but Perth is too far away!
My pile...........is books............see my blog.
Your owls look very, very, very wise.

[tiffany]

i just can't get over how amazing your owls and trees look! i wish i was over there so i could stop into craft victoria! to be able to see your work set up in a window, displayed for all the world to see..that must be such a great feeling!

i know that everyone who passes by will just love yours and louise's work! (how could you not?)

tiff*

[Veronica TM]

How I would love to see the Parliament in person! It looks wonderful in the photos.
Thanks for the links Gracia, great images.

[shona]

I am in love with your great promo postcard, simple + fun! OOH- I forgot that stacked up paper = PILES! I claimed to have a pile-free studio (as of last night). I was thinking of the need-to-sort + clean-up kind of piles.

[Marieke]

The invitation looks amazing! If I hadn't spent all my vacation money already I would hop on the plane immediately :-)

[Elizabeth]

oh your artistry is exquisite!!

everything-- the owls, the composition-- OH! it is all so utterly lovely and inspiring.

[christine]

A parliament of owls is one of my all time favorite collective nouns. The window is going to look wonderful!

[lisa s]

ah! your piles are glorious... your pile universe seems like a grand place to moi... and love the indian miniature piles.... and the red books - oh! xo

[maditi]

white and wonderful trees!!! I´m in love with the invitation card alone :)

[nichola]

I just discovered your blog through Lisa's and am delighted to see you are from melbourne (me too!). I will definately make a trip to see the forest. Great work.

[sarah]

so near and yet so far... wish i could come to melbourne to see your parliament of owls, looks so wonderful...such lovely piles too!

[bugheart]

oh how i wish
i could go...
do i get
a mailed invite?
;)
and the owl trees
wow-
they turned out
fantastic!

[Hayley]

Oh I love the display! I white trees look so beautiful and graphic. I bet the owls are loving their new homes...

Cheers!

[gracia]

Hi Alyssa and thanks. The invitation was a last minute idea, whipped up and later photocopied off at Officeworks.

Hello Julie, paper stacks always have a way of looking "nearly edible", like books, they seem made for towers, stacks and piles. Glad you liked the white trees too.

Hi there Wendy, we'll be packing up our little forest and owly friends on Monday morning to install it in the window in the afternoon as all the office workers stroll past. It should be super easy to install, especially as the round bellied owls fit snugly in between many of the branches.

Hi there Shari, as you can see, LJ & I are still very much taken with the collective term for a gathering of owls... and the British Library archive of online images is a virtual treasure trove of linky goodness.

Thanks Jessica... fret not, I'm bound to take numerous pics of the installation process and the actual window, from start to finish (so long as I remember to pack my camera on the day).

Hi Herhimnbryn, how could I resist the urge to check out piles of books. I'll swing by and check it out!

Thanks Tiff, I hope your prediction is right... and hopefully our little feathered friends will do their utmost to woo the passers by.

Hi Veronica, glad you liked the links... I loved the altar decorated with columns of pots... too wonderful not to link to.

Hello Shona, paper piles are the best kind... and handy too. Since these photos they have taken it upon themselves to multiply... so too have the less visually appealing miscellaneous piles.

Thanks Marieke, we'd both like to hop on a plane to explore your neck of the woods too. I'll have to live vicariously through your blog for the time being.

Hi Elizabeth... and thanks! Overwhelmed by all the positive responses to our forthcoming window. I'll keep it all in mind as I'm painting the final coat on the trees this Sunday.

Hi Christine, I have a love of collective nouns as well... a peep of chickens, a watch of nightingales, a business of ferrets, a romp of otters... ahh, I could go on and on. A stare of owls is another alternative to a parliament, which I quite like too.

Hi Lisa S, The Indian miniatures were a lucky stumble... they're wonderful aren't they? Happy to join your pile universe in the blog world.

Thanks Maditi, there's something wonderful about snow covered trees, even though I never see any in my pocket of the neighbourhood.

Hi Nichola... I'll have to pop across and visit your blog too... and hope you like what you see of our forest.

Hi Sarah, there are plenty more piles both decorative and not so decorative, clumped around the house eagerly awaiting their turn in the spotlight.

Hi Gwen, an invite via snail mail? Sure! We'll dispatch a snail to your letterbox this weekend.

Hey there Hayley, the owls were, until recently, enjoying their new home. Omar decided to trample through the forest not long after the photos were taken, sending owls falling left, right and up in the air. A swift flick of the tail and what was once an idyllic scene was turned upside down. Needless to say, he will be resting at home when it comes time to installing the forest in the window.

Thanks all!
take care, grache

[amy lowrey]

i love the owl display and your drawing for the postcard! fun piles! best!

[gracia]

Thanks Amy, sometimes you can't go wrong with a simple black & white photocopied invite, especially when the pennies are scarce. Glad you liked a peek into my world in piles as well.
cheers, grache

[honey]

I forgot to mention that I thought I lost Mr Percy Parsley about two months ago, and I went berserk. I did a dance of joy when I found him again two weeks later. He is too beautiful to live in my sewing box, so I keep him on the shelf, where everyone can see him.

[simple me]

I just think that the forest is absolutely fabulous and the owls look vey happy in their little white trees. And the cards? I love the simplicity. Well done!

[gracia]

Hi Honey, we loved making that owl pinnie especially for you using your own green dream buttons and fabric, so we too are relieved you found your not so trusty companion, Mr Percy Parsley. I'm sure he likes the view from the shelf as opposed to the inside of the sewing box too... those owls like lofty perches!

Thanks Paula... I've enjoyed sharing the whole process virtually from start to finish with you.

take care, g