Closed for a spell... more soon

{Keeping it all together. (View I)}

{Keeping it all together. (View II)}

A small blog hiatus is required. With a speaking voice reminiscent of Louis Armstrong, a knot of frogs in my throat and an aching jaw that feels the wrong fit for my skull, it seems the perfect time to take a little spell from high up in the trees. Not a long one, I think I’ll miss it too much to be gone for long. No, just a little one… I’ll be back late next week sometime or early the next, and when I return I shall have flown up to Noosa and back (to give a talk on Louise and my artists’ books and to conduct a workshop on experimental binding techniques. Did you know that we’ve been making artists’ books collaboratively since 1999? Neither did I until I sat down to prepare our talk...) and I’ll also be a little older. It’s my 32nd birthday next Thursday. A whole new year begins for me just as spring kicks into gear, and I think it’s going to be a ripper. Best get back to writing about those Pemberton’s Deer mice (Peromyscus pembertoni) sporting sailing ships for head gear, red herrings ala Agatha Christie, and unfinished woollen sleeves and fronts that have been fashioned into small pouches perfect for housing an artists’ book.

With luck on my side, I’ll return with photos to share, and maybe even a few pages from the sketchbook will make their onto the scanner too. I shall also, hopefully, have some new cards to show you. They are on the press and are closer than they were last week to nearing completion. The red has been knocked back and all is looking closer to how it should.

{Stuffie love.}

In the meantime, new Thelma’s felt pins, and a rather motley crew of felt and fabric stuffies have been added to both our hammer & daisy online store and our etsy one too. I’ve had to keep a couple of the pins for myself; one with a Portuguese button at the centre for it looks just like a little jam tart, and another with canary yellow detailing. Twenty pins and nine stuffies also made their way to Craft Victoria… a handsome collection of handmade beauty as made by my Mum.

{Felt blooms for spring.}

Enjoy what remains of Shari’s Natural Elements Week (I’d had such hopes of playing along) and I’ll be back in this space soon.

xo

Comments

[shari]

ooh. i hope you feel better gracia. good luck on your talk. i know you will be ace. love this little peek at your mom's new felt creations, too. and a very, very happy 32nd year my friend. hugs!

[gracia]

Thanks, Shari. A little good luck from you has got to be better than the rabbit foot keyring I was hoping to come across. Thanks for them birthday wishes too.

see you, g xo

[lisa s]

enjoy your break.

i too know you will be great on your talk!!
xo

[eunice]

oh, do feel better...we'll miss you though. wish i could go to your workshop (i love making books as well). looking forward to the cards.

[tommy]

Happy birthday in advance, have a good break, and see you soon.

[Brydie]

Oh May the gentle warmth of lovely Noosa ease the illness and cheer the soul {mind you Melbourne's current weather has been frighteningly sunny} Good luck on your seminar doo, experimental bookbinding eh?.... You two don't feel like binding up a fantastic Honours thesis on transforming meanings in empty vessels in October by any chance?! hhee... Actually do either of you know of any companies that do professional bookbinding? It Would be good to do for my final submission. Feel better, but don't ditch the Louis Armstrong Voice, that's one in a million! xx

[Brydie]

OOhh and happy birthday for next Thursday!!!! xx

[jessica]

feel better.
i just got over a cold with laryngitis. not fun.
oh what pretty colors.

[cd&m]

Enjoy your blog break.

[julie]

I hope you are enjoying your well deserved breat Gracia...your talk and workshop will be fab and i cant wait to see your new cards when you come back..

Enjoy xxx

[julie]

gosh i nearly forgot... many birthday greetings to you my friend - have a great 32nd year!!! xxx

[Kylie]

no, my dear, you simply cannot be turning 32 years of age! You are still 19, like when we met, I am sure!! Because if you guys are doing things like turning 32, that means I must be turning...?? Good grief, how did that happen?!

Enjoy Noosa, hope the head clears and the jaw returns to a normal size....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TOO!

[A Fanciful Twist]

Oooo! Love the treats!! Have a wonderful break... I have a sore jaw myself, I clench my teeth at night... Argh, such a difficult thing.... Bring us back photos galore!!! xxo

[risa]

enjoy your break! and happy happy birthday! i'm sending you some chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting...can you taste them?

[Elizabeth]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY-- I hope it is wonderful with LOTS of cake!!! And take a good rest, I know how it can be--- sometimes you need to step away to get a breather-- we'll all be here when you get back!

[Tiffany]

Good luck and have fun!

[sophie bond]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
XOXO

[true nature]

already missing you...hope you are back soon xo

[fanja]

hey, you're a virgo too! Happy Birthday Gracia, hope you had a great day x

[Veronica TM]

happy birthday, grache!!!
love the collage and the pins.
hope you feel better by now.
i will see you when you come back. enjoy your break!

[simple me]

I'm late ... I'm late ... I'm terribly late.
I hope you had a wonderful birthday and that your talk went smoothly ... I'm sure you brought the house down.

[Fliss]

Big belated birthday wishes to you Grache, another virgo 75!
Hope your talk went well and your feeling better. Sorry i didn't read your blog earlier, would love to of caught up.....up here. x

[cruststation]

So sorry for the belated birthday wish, hope you had a fabulous time. Sounds like there's a lot of activities over here, really love the collages, felt pins and softies, hope everything went well.

[amisha]

a very happy belated birthday to you gracia!! and hope that you are feeling better now. wishing i could have teleported for your talk... i love bookbinding and the experimental bindings sound wonderful.
xox

[bugheart]

oh i am
so behind...
but
i am glad
to hear
the talk
went well...
i so wish
i could have gone.
i love the new
collages...
collections
of wonderfulness.