Sadly my experience of the TINA festival this year has been limited due to the weather. Tomorrow is the zine fair, which I have been hanging out for for aaaaaaages and have saved a little bit to spend on lovely paper things, so hopefully the rain and wind doesn't wreak havoc there. I will report back on my findings. Since Thursday we've had our friend Ash stay, and another friend, Mel arrived last night. I'd forgotten how lovely it is to have company. Cam went to work last night, so Ash made us a huge, delicious curry and we looked at a whole lot of funny blogs, then he went off to be a dancer for a band (I asked him what his dance was and he did a Molly Ringwald dance impersonation) and DJ and then Mel got in from Sydney and distracted me while I cleaned the kitchen. Even though I haven't done much TINA related having guests has been lovely. Today I went out to find zine related things and wandered around the mall, but wet and windy weather doesn't seem to draw crowds, so the workshop I was going to appeared to be missing. Staple Manor did look quite cool though.

C is totally obsessed with Lamebook at the moment.Very addictive stuff. I submitted a status that a girl in my friends' list (who I went to high school with) wrote a few weeks ago. Her status updates are often pretty interesting and usually describe her attendance at 'B'N'S Balls' (definition here which leaves out all of the gory details) and sexcapades and this one isn't the worst and I don't doubt that it's true (there were some supportive and some negative responses, but too many to fit in);





Here's some mail I've sent recently (I spent $15 on stamps yesterday. Cameron keeps telling me jokingly "you've got a problem" as if I'm an addict or something. We decided there are much worse things I could spend $15 on);



^ After receiving a lovely handmade envelope from Chandlerguera a few weeks ago I've been thinking of all types of paper paraphernalia that could be repurposed into envelopes. This is made from a record cover. Please send my friend Doug lots of hate mail :)


^ A postcard I made for a Swap-bot Doodle Swap.


^ In his recent mail-tag letter my friend Doug requested a drawing of him that he could put as his Myspace display picture. I don't think this looks much like him, but he said whatever it looked like he'd put it as his dp. Ps. He looks kind of like a girl in real life, hence the girlishness.


^ I ♡ Wonder Woman stationery.








^ I hosted my first Swap-bot swap last week which required participants to make postcards out of old record covers, these are all from a record called 'Colours' by "The Resurrection Band". I didn't listen to the record, but I did put it in the oven and turn into a nice wonky book end.


^ I love the rubber border stamps that C bought me.


^Fake & foreign stamp overkill.

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Today I am feeling pessimistic and grumpy, and sometimes you need to force yourself to appreciate stuff and not to take things for granted, so I thought I'd give this another go...

+ Lovely blog comments when I wake up.
+ Receiving lovely mail from strangers (not Postcrossing mail).
+ Overusing the world 'lovely'.
+ Sending mail to strangers, and putting in as much effort as if I were sending something to my best friend.
+ C coming home from Tasmania.
+ David Horvitz;



+ Receiving 18 postcards, two packages, a stationery set and rubber stamps from C while he was in Tasmania.
+ Sooshi, wtf?
+ Smiling at babies in the waiting room at the doctors'.
+ Visiting my friend Alisha in Dungog and the decadent food platter she made us.
+ Optimism about health issues.
+ Enjoying the Spring warmth (but not today as it's 30°+)
+ An aching hand after writing a really long letter.
+ Bat For Lashes;



+ The 50% off stationery closing down sale at the newsagents not far from my house.
+ Carnivale.
+ My very talented friend Ben.
+ TINA!
+ Yayoi Kusama. Paige, Michael and I saw her exhibition at the MCA at the start of the year and I haven't stopped thinking about it;



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+ New albums by your favourite band, in the same week they announce they're touring near you.
+ Homemade melting moments, that really melt.
+ Dreams featuring characters from your favourite TV show.
+ Green & Blacks organic butterscotch milk chocolate.
+ Planning a house rewarming.
+ Shit My Dad Says.
+ The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell - Marilyn Manson.
+ Playing with Photobooth with lots of people to make a monster at my parents' house;



+ Going away to my parents for two days and coming back to see my Tumblr's 'tumblarity' has gone from 20 to 940 just because I posted a single picture which people reposted hundreds of times. Furthermore, being in the top 100 Australian Tumblrs for a week.
+ Wonder Woman stationery.
+ Clean sheets.
+ This gif, I just can't stop watching it, so fascinating... How A Sewing Machine Works (via swissmiss)


+ Even though I don't speak German, I really enjoy this blog. Lol @ the German prime minister;

I'm trying to put together a tiny portfolio of art and design work to enroll in some courses and I tracked down some scans of my high school art major work and thought I'd post some here. I had this thing where I'd take these oversized index cards with me everywhere and I'd draw on them or stick things on them in my spare time, and so eventually I'd made quite a few. Overall I don't know what I was really trying to make it about, so it ended up being almost 50 collaged index cards with no real theme. I think I ended up saying it was about the 'self' or it was autobiographical or something. I really enjoyed making them and I didn't do too badly which was nice. I haven't really done any collage since (almost exactly a year ago). I'm trying to track down where the actual body of work ended up. I think it's in the shed of a friend of mines' parents' house! So, above are some of my favourite cards.

^ I ♡ these photos from this colour set.

Currently reading: Long Hard Road Out Of Hell by Marilyn Manson.
Currently watching: Carnivale (when C gets home).
Currently eating: curried egg and lettuce sandwiches.
Currently drinking: Lemon soft drink.
Currently listening to: Elephant Eyelash by Why?

Today C laughed at me for being excited by really boring things. We walked to Mayfield to do some light shopping and purchasing new coat hangers, deodorant, computer wipes and blu-tack amongst other things, made me really happy. Just really basic necessary stuff. I guess I'm easily amused/satisfied.

When we got home C made curried eggs, which were SO good and then he got whisked off to work. It's been so lovely having him back. My mum said to me a few months ago that if we're "still like this" in a year, there's something wrong with us. It's just nice :)



This weekend Newcastle's THIS IS NOT ART Festival returns and I hope to wander around this year and do and find things. Sometimes with events like these, I'm glad they exist and I think they're interesting, but I kind of never have anything to do with them. At the very least I'll definitely be making an appearance at the zine fair. We'll be having people staying with us during the festival which should be nice and will probably encourage me to get out to the festival.

I ♡ this 'new (media) workout plan' (via swissmiss). What a wonderful way to encourage exercise;


I ♡ the photographs of Hana Davies/water&sleep;





I ♡ these driftwood horses by Heather Jansch (via Sweet Sweet Life);





I ♡ these diaries by Archie Grand. I'd like one, or two, or three...;




I ♡ these Peter Ibruegger mugs (via swissmiss);


I ♡ this rainbow cake by Whisk Kid (via Incredible Things) - and she makes it sounds so easy!;


I'm going to have a nap! :)