Beach Shack and Matters Muchly

Are you grateful for simple stuff?

I caught up with some old friends on the weekend.

The type where you can say any sort of frippery and nothing matters.

Everything just clicks.

Effort free and easy, thank you very much.

It matters muchly.

F, fresh from Far North Queensland's on a sabbatical at the nearby coast,

she didn't find this holiday shack, it found her. Nice.

Lucky for us.

It was lovely.

 

 

There's been a lot of road between us.

But still we find each other.

I trotted up in a pure cotton $20 Indian caftan.

I recommend you get one of the same for this Summer.

You'll feel relieved.

Sorry, if you are reading in the Northern hemisphere; I can't help you.

You'll have to keep consulting those fancy French blogs for sartorial style.

Here's the shack's driveway.

Transport mode.

Why not?

F loves her fresh fruits.

And juicing. And, I'm not going to pretend I could start the

 day with this juice.

I couldn't.

Had to forgo the juicy goodness for coffee.

Disappointing, I know.

She zhu-zhu'd this concoction while the rest of us were sleeping.

 

 

Remember this bowl of pink silk?

Well, now it's this rose Flora-One-of-a-Kind.

What do you think?

I'll have to finish it, soon.

It's a bit like that one Kate Moss had on her head at the Ritz, a while back.

I like to think so, anyway.

Here's Starr's painting.

Bit like the Flora.

Hope she doesn't mind.

If you care, here's a lovely note about the puppet show on the weekend.

The one my colleague vaguely mentioned, because she's behind those curtains in the heat

and humidity that is here at the moment.

It's amazing the things you find out when you blithely ask,

'what are you doing for the weekend?'

Yes, run by the vivacious Joanie.

Who really was something else.

What a treat she is, 91 years old, and her and the family members

had crafted the puppets and each year they stage a show for the community.

When I say they, I mean Joanie's the producer for sure.

Full stage direction.

Just gorgeous.

Joanie on percussion.

Five Little Ducks....

Old MacDonald had a Farm.

Singing green tree frogs.

Thank you for the inspiration, Joanie.

It mattered muchly.

I'll be back next year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Never Mind the Tree

Never mind the tree, what do your hands say about you?

Pink?

Mine are often pink, blue or even grey.

But, one is garnished with a Cartier ring.

Yes, people, because Mr Fascinata can't see his way fit to buy a blood diamond.

So Cartier's conflict-free stone is it.

And having lived himself in Africa,

would rather wear a CZ than the other option.

People, who am I to disagree?

I think I've got one of the hardest working Cartier's in the world, though.

It sees chicken wire, glue and paints on a regular basis.

Today's pink hands are the fault of these,

rose peonies.

A stunning gift from a colleague.

Look at those centres.

What loveliness.

Paint them, draw it.

No sooner had I got them home, was I dyeing

a batch of silk and lace.

Trying to emulate a peony Flora-One-of-a-Kind.

We'll see how it goes.

 

Tomorrow, I've invited myself along to a puppet show, organised by a grand lady of ninety-one

years young, who also owns the puppets. Some of them have been

around for a long time, too.

I can't wait!

I'm fascinated by puppetry and its frippery.

Stay creative and happy.

 

 

 



If You are Lucky

If you are lucky and you've got the tree sorted.

The Yuletide log planned.

(Here's mine from 2011.)

Outfits sorted.

Other foodstuffs, too.

Guests invited.

Gifts bought.

Kris Kringle covered.

You might have time to buy a gift for Kids in Care.

Consider it.

The Kids in Care Christmas Appeal

There's over 8000 kids in Queensland who live away from home in order to

be kept safe for all sorts of reasons. So far, Child Safety Officers have received

nearly 4000 wrapped gifts to distribute. They'd like 8000!

Can you help?

Harvey Norman electrical stores are one of the collection points, and ABC shops.

The gift should be around $25, and be marked with a note explaining

who it would suit.

Nice of you.

You'll help make someone's day!

Don't know about you, but I've peaked chalkface-wise.

Thank goodness.

Down hill from here.

Don't know how those poor bods work up 'til Christmas Eve.

Looking forward to a bit of creative goodness.

This lurex mesh is getting the treatment soon.

If you can, don't forget the kids in care.

Gifts due to pick up points by December 14.

Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Under the Pump

I love this time of year.

It's busy.

Even Barbie's zhu-zhu'd up on her official calendar.

There's point of sale Christmas frippery all over the place.

Packaging gets a makeover.

Today, I'm shouting out to the chalkface and its workers to recognise how under the pump we've all been of late.

I won't hear a bad word said, never mind those holidays and what they whittle down to, we've earned them.

If you don't agree, please, get on board.

Imagine this......

Come and engage numerous batches of 29 workers, one small room, multiple times a day, with no time to use amenities 'cept big break!

All sorts of personalities, yours included.

Please try it, you could volunteer a day.

Have had a mountain of paper A_B_C_D_E's to do.

Took time out to lie on the artificial grass's cool artifice.

After an onslaught today.

It was as hot as Hades.

 Brisbane's sunset was even throwing a bit of Christmas garland.

 

Whipped up a bunch of these:

roll the dough, wrap, chill and cut.

Decorate no nonsense.

Nice diversion.

No time for much more frippery.

Back to work, now.

How do you manage when you are under the pump?

All at once?

Last minute effectiveness?

Best under pressure?

Or little by little?

 

 

How Nice is This?

Here's lovely Jess Dempsey wearing a Flora-one-of-a-Kind on Cup Day, 2012.

A while back I contacted the popular Melbourne Stylist and Fashion Blogger and offered her a Flora-one-of-a-Kind

to wear during the Victorian Racing Season.

Jess is out and about all over the place working her stylistic magic.

And I had seen her wearing some truly stunning head pieces since reading her fashion posts over the last year or so.

I was chuffed when she immediately replied to me with a most polite

email, saying she be interested.

I then held my breath and eagerly checked her instagram
via her blog What Would Karl Do?

Then some days later I received another email!

Imagine my astonishment when she said she was trotting out the Flora on Melbourne Cup Day!

I love how she wears Hello Kitty with the black lace sleeve top and the fuchsia satin banded skirt.

Love how the sleeve looks a bit nibbled, like Hello Kitty's left ear!

There was also a stunning Chanel cuff in the mix.

Here's her Hello Kitty in the studio garden before dispatch.

And under construction.

Thank you beautiful Jess, you did Flora most proud!

It was lovely to contact you.