draw! pilgrim time machine: a look back at sept '09

step into my time machine and travel to the best of draw! pilgrim from six months ago...

see how i made some mess hiding cupboard curtains in my post kitchen stitchin'!

marvel at my salute to the doe eyed dolly: style icons: blythe

have your mind blown with come psychedelic selections from youtube!

gasp in awe at my screen printed bird bags!

and sit nicely to hear the story of please sit still!

hope you enjoyed the time travel! what do you enjoy seeing on draw! pilgrim? have a look at the categories in my sidebar for the regular features, or suggest something you'd like to see more of in the comments! i'd love to know what keeps you lovely readers coming back.

things pilgrim hearts: my top 5 movies of the 60s and 70s

lets play pretend today. imagine we all live in the same city. and imagine that somehow i've obtained the use of a cinema for a weekend, perhaps through luck, or maybe some kind of bloodless coup took place in front of the concession stand. the point is, i'm holding an imaginary late night film festival! starting late and going til the early morning (and bending the laws of time to fit five movies into one night!), we'll all meet up at this amazing imaginary cinema. you know the kind of cinema i mean: it's falling apart, the seats are hard and lumpy and the term 'flea pit' might not do justice to just what a dive this place is. but it wasn't always that way and there are the faded remnants of this cinema's golden age in unexpected places still. but in the dark, with some excellent company and some fun distractions on the screen none of that matters.

while we wait for our friends to arrive we'll loiter in the foyer admiring the art deco ornamentation and dog-eared coming attractions posters. wait a minute, that concession stand is really a fully stocked bar, and do my eyes deceive me or is that gentleman fixing me a perfect manhatten? he asks what you'd like to drink, and tells us the chef will be arriving soon to take snack orders. do you feel like some nachos? or maybe some kind of outrageously large ice cream sundae? oh and there's pick and mix candy too!

we head into the cinema and find a perfect spot and start to settle in. i've bought extra pillows and blankets and of course the invitations specified a strict pajama dress code! i hope you're comfy. its going to be a long night but such a fun one.

the lights dim and the curtains part. the chatter and giggles die down to a hush as our first feature starts...

brewster mc cloud directed by robert altman, 1970.

starring harold and maude's bud cort and shelley duvall in her first role, brewster mccloud is a quirky and pretty much forgotten movie about a boy obsessed with birds. the absurd action builds to a spectacular finale in houston's astrodome.

how about another drink? maybe get some popcorn, freshen up, have a stretch before returning to see...

bananas directed by woody allen, 1971.

woody allen seems to divide opinions, but i love him, and this film is classic comedy gold. while trying to impress a girl, typical woody allen character fielding mellish gets caught up in a south american revolution only to come out the other side the country's new president. the clip above is fielding on trial in the US. keep an eye out for j edgar hoover, look carefully though: he's in disguise!

ooh your coffee smells good. i think i might go grab some hot chocolate. can i get you anything? i think the chef mentioned something about fresh cookies...

beyond the valley of the dolls directed by russ meyer, 1970.

WARNING: possibly not office friendly! there's a nipple slip & a derriere.

the clip just about makes as much sense as any other part of this film. it really is a completely bonkers classic. taking the 'valley of the dolls girls find fame followed by downfall' plot and running wild in la-la land with it, this movie will delight, horrify and confuse in equal measure. record producer "z man" is apparently very closely based on phil spector and lets just say the ending of this movie could have been a case of art predicting life. if that's a thing. i desperately want a party like the one featured in the clip. where can i get me a pool of mayonnaise?

ok time for another stretch.. i know! time for a 5 minute dance party! let's put something silly on. ready to boogie?:

theme from the blob - burt bacharach

i love you alice b. toklas, directed by hy averback, 1968

peter sellers, bored with his straight life as a lawyer, falls for doe eyed hippie girl leigh taylor-young. she makes brownies. those kind of brownies. hilarity ensues. and another excellent party scene!

we're on the home stretch now, last movie. did i hear some one snoring at the back? oh dear. maybe they ate the brownies too.

barbarella, directed by roger vadim, 1968

its the 40th century. jane fonda must bring dr durand-durand back to earth. on the way she gets to know some new friends (in the biblical sense) meet some ferocious dollies and vanquish an excessive pleasure machine. all in a couple of days work for ms fonda i guess, but it certainly makes for a movie like no other! did you know frank zappa nearly compose the soundtrack? try not to imagine that or your brain might fall off with the wonderfulness of it all. i guess there is a thing as too much perfection!

yawn... what a great night! what say we go find an all-night pancake joint?

thanks so much for coming to my imaginary film festival. we should do this again - i had to narrow my favorites down so much and leave out so many other 'favorites'. what films would you show?

to DIY for: recycled card or paper box tutorial

what's better than a cute craft project? a practical and cute craft project. and what's better than that? a chance to recycle while making something cute and practical!

today i want to share with you a tutorial for making your own little box out of a recycled cereal box and some recycled card or paper. its relatively easy and you could make a whole box in a couple of evenings. satisfying and just in time for easter.

hop to it! this box is so cute and easy, you'll have one made in no time!

i certainly didn't invent this method, but it seems to have fallen out of common knowledge. do you remember your grandmother or older relatives making these kinds of boxes? i remember seeing crochet edged boxes like this made of recycled christmas cards, wrapping paper or greeting cards at fetes growing up. even my sewing basket is made in a similar style, and i know a friend who has a wastepaper basket made the same way. its a very versatile way of using old cards or papers that you can't bring yourself to throw away, and with environmental responsibility and saving money at the forefront of a lot of people's minds, i think its time to re-embrace this canny little craft! does this craft even have a name? if you know, leave a comment!

you could top the lid with ribbons, flowers, rosettes. be creative!

i specifically wanted to make an easter basket, so i designed my own paper to use. this box pictured was constructed from photo paper (with my design printed on it), a cereal box, and some plain white card to line the box. i recommend covering the interior and exterior layers with clear plastic vinyl or transparent plastic (like overhead projector sheets) if you want your box to last well or intend to present edible treats in it. imagine receiving a cute handmade box filled with some fresh baked cookies! now thats a resourceful but heartfelt gift i'd love to get. hint, hint, any friends reading!

did somebody say cookies?

i love 'old lady' crafts because most of the time they're very practical and born of necessity. practicality really isn't my strong suite, but i'm a sucker for boxes and containers to store little stuff in. while the crochet edging is very pretty, don't be put off if you can't crochet. just follow the instructions the same way, but replace any mention of crochet with a simple blanket stitch. it will be a little bit less frilly, but you'll still have a cute way to use up those pretty bits of paper.

all you need, plus some cardboard

for instructions and template to make your own recycled card box click here

and as an early easter present to you lovely draw! pilgrim readers, you can make an easter patterned box just like mine! click here for an A4 sized easter paper pattern you can print out.

shop love: little sparrow shop tour & giveaway!

i've mentioned the little sparrow shop in north caulfield previously on draw! pilgrim, and i wanted to dedicate a post to this awesome local shop so you can all see why i love it so much! oh and there's a giveaway so you can share the love too! hip hip hooray!

little sparrow is run by the completely lovely shelley davies, who has used her crafty knowledge and experience with her own children to build a shop filled with inspiring creations and the materials to inspire you to create something yourself! the combination of toys and handwork (craft) supplies might seem odd, but in the context of little sparrow it makes perfect sense.

inside little sparrow, the majority of store fittings are recycled & built by shelley's husband who is a set builder

through her two children, shelley has been involved in the steiner education philosophy (or waldorf as its known in some countries), that focuses on the importance and quality of play and creation. many of the toys sold in little sparrow are wonderfully crafted and have multiple uses leaving plenty of room for a child's imaginative interpretation.

steiner/waldorf bee toys

while little sparrow is steiner inspired, its certainly not dogmatic, i'm not really a follower of any philosophy other than 'do what feels right', but the importance of play in steiner philosophy really speaks to me. i was lucky to have a mum with discerning taste in toys, so rather than have a ton of cheap throw away tat that broke after one use i've been able to pass on cherished toys to my son that i thoroughly enjoyed. what better investment than a child's development?

(starting top left hand corner) monster etc puzzles, pumpkin doll, wooden house & bird, doll's clothes,

knitted biscuits & enamel tea set, (centre) handmade blue daisy dress, felted gnome & toadstools,

felt ball, 'ask alice' apple notebooks,

knitted mouse toy, handmade hairbands, hand stitched felt swan, gnome in a boat

hand stitched felt bird mobile

i think it would be hard to go wrong with any purchase from little sparrow. aside from beautiful one-off handmade softies and felted toys there are wooden trucks and cars, handmade children's clothing, art and drawing supplies, puzzles, books, dolls clothing, hand embroidered mobiles and shelley's own special friends dolls.

from bushfire to blocks

little sparrow is a celebration of good work, and shelley strives for it to be a place that caters to buyers and also the makers who craft her stock. a lot of the store's produce is made by shelley's friends, and hearing the stories behind each object just makes for such a richer shopping experience. i think one of the most moving things was hearing of a man who lost his home in the devastating black saturday bush fires. from the wood salvaged from his property he began making bags of play wood pieces, kind of free form building blocks. each piece is cleaned and rough parts are sanded but mostly the wood is left as natural as possible. its just like the bits of wood kids bring home from the park, but its cleaner and the journey it's taken is very special. the innocence of children at play gives this bushfire survivor a new life. how's that for a feel-good purchase?!

pure wool felt

i also really love the range of handwork supplies stocked at little sparrow, many of which are environmentally responsible. organic wools and yarn, delicious pure wool felt in loads of colors, wooden buttons and notions, hooks and needles of all varieties, pure wool stuffing, trims, ribbons, and kits for all sorts of projects! my next purchase is going to be a flower loom, which i've been dying to try for ages. and if you're after the best wool, check out the range by woolganic yarn available at little sparrow. its such a pleasure to work with, none of that nasty squeaky action i get with acrylic yarn. i'm pretty much a convert and can't wait til the last dregs of acrylic yarn are used up!

ask alice 'love' card, special friends waldorf style doll

princess kirstie jane embroidered felt brooch, little sparrow wooden buttons

all these supplies are all well and good if you know what to do with them, but what if you're a novice or just an in-between crafter? little sparrow is good for that too! throughout the year there are various classes run after hours: you can make your own steiner/waldorf doll, stitch a felt brooch, learn to crochet, or try felting, embroidery, and toy making.

colorful owl softies

to share some little sparrow love, i'm giving away a $50 AUD gift voucher for use in-store or online.

to enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering: what would use your $50 voucher to buy from little sparrow (click to see what's in store)!

this competition is open to everyone in the world! winner will be randomly drawn (using random.org) and announced march 25th! good luck!

visit little sparrow in person or shop little sparrow online

as seen on etsy: raise your glass to vintage glasses

strawberries ✽ aqua butterflies ✽ mod shapes

white daisies ✽ orange daisies ✽ mod black daisies

arch pattern ✽ children

7by7: March 12th 2010

for an explanation of the ever so witty image above, click here

this is a bit of a cheeky 7by7, i know its my 'week in pictures' but the truth is... there are no pictures this week! naughty. this week has gone so fast i've barely caught my breath and when i was out and about i'd forgotten to take my camera. epic 7by7 fail. but, rules were made to be broken (especially the rules i make) so rather than my pictures painting you a thousand words... let my thousand words paint you a thousand pictures. wait, that can't be right. ah well, maths isn't my strong suit.

last friday started with a bang when my son's bookcase collapsed. no one was injured (unless snow globes count) and only the bookcase itself was badly damaged. being the opportunist that i am, i took this to be divine intervention that it was time to update the babyish nursery into an adventuresome little boy's room. so far so good. we did the ikea thing to get new shelves, the thrifted bed frame is getting stripped and repainted, and a mood board is keeping me from going bananas and painting everything a different shade of yellow. stay tuned for the final result, if i'm not crushed by any new wayward bookshelves before i finish.

wednesday was 100% lovely. i got to have a boy date and a lady date! my boy date involved lunch at one of our favourite cafes and a peaceful afternoon nap! this is what parents do when they have time alone away from their child: eat in peace, and sleep. pretty rock'n'roll, eh?

lady date on wednesday night involved more delicious food, and more delicious company. i had amazing sorbet and then we saw a single man at the fancypants cinema (that's the one with crushed velvet and brocade and popcorn cooked in olive oil) and it was really beautiful. a beautiful story, beautifully executed. i hope tom ford makes more movies, but i felt like a single man was so perfectly him i can't imagine how he could better himself. but if anyone can, tom ford can.

the rest of the week has been work, child, make, plan, and ouch (i've messed up my foot wearing terrible shoes and have to wait another week to see a podiatrist. blurg!) so i'll spare you the mundane details and leave you with the promise that next week on draw! pilgrim is going to be knock-your-socks-off-balls-to-the-wall-amazingtastic-a-go-go to the power of seven! so, there's that to look forward to!

have a great weekend, any exciting plans? tell me! let me live vicariously through your adventures while i pathetically lounge around with my foot up, in a nurofen daze!

my mum: on being a graphic designer in the 70's

my mum, aged 23

tomorrow, march 10th was my mum's birthday so i thought i'd celebrate her a bit and show you the lady who made me!my mum's name was jill, she was a petite, redhead whose lack of height was made up for in personality. she had a quick wit and was a knockout at quiz nights and crosswords, and i have her to thank for the enormous amount of trivia i know as well as my creativity. of course i could talk forever about how fab she was, but i'm going to focus on her work, because i think about her and her work a lot now i'm in a similar position. further down i'll tell you about my mum's own thoughts on her work at the age i'm at now.

at 21, on her wedding day

mum left school early to go to art school, where she studied to become a graphic designer. she worked in a number of companies - ad agencies, a television station, a children's footwear company and a technical college where she worked for 20 years! it was always so much fun to visit her work and admire all the tools she used before computers. my favorites were the letraset, the windsor and newton inks (which still have the same packaging!) and the pens and compressed air used for airbrushing. i liked the way ice formed on the air can, and i learned the hard way that if you're gonna lick that ice, be prepared to be marched down to the water fountain to have your tongue defrosted from the frozen can: embarrassing!

snakes on a dame: on honeymoon in bangkok.

i used to visit mum's office a lot, and spent lots of time there during school holidays. she worked for the government in a technical college, making their educational materials. the department she was in comprised of all kinds of fun stuff aside from the designer's studio. there was the film studio (with prop and costume departments!), the editing suite, the audio studio and an excellent photography department, so holiday visits there for me were a wonderland of activities. i used to hang out with the audio guys and they'd make tapes of me singing nursery rhymes, or i'd play in the editing suite and go crazy using the chromakey (green screen), i made animations in the film studio and developed my blurry photos of my feet in the dark room.

photos of my mum, a lithograph by her, and her bamboo page art brush

mum's work was just as diverse as my amusements. though she was principally a graphic artist, she was also called on to direct, edit and even write some of the educational videos. i used to love spending time in the editing suite with her, it was so dark and quiet. it was a good place to talk. i still have a fondness for studio egg crate style insulation foam, peg board and the smell of tape and electrical equipment, not to mention design tools! when my mum died i inherited her tools, so i really relish the opportunity to hand draw something knowing i'm working with her french curves, or her brush etc.

mum working at her desk, from the "register of women in non-traditional occupations"

she was even featured in a book produced by her work in 1978: "register of women in non-traditional occupations". its quite funny to look through now, considering a lot of the jobs talked about are no longer particularly exotic: real estate agent, lecturer, politician etc.

the index listing the "non-traditional occupations"

the page featuring her says:

jill is a graphic artist in an educational organisation. she is 27 years old.

"my work involves visual work for television - any lettering, illustration or animation needed for a television program. i won a scholarship to art school while i was still at school and did five years at art school working freelance in advertising agencies and industrial design firms. the qualification gave me a wide range of training and gives me access to employment"

"my being female was a bit of a handicap in private industry, but not in this organisation. people didn't take me quite a as seriously as they would a man. if i had wanted to make a career in advertising its doubtful if i would have been able to become an art director. the women tended to be given the quick paste up jobs, not the long term or demanding jobs that required liaison with the client. here i have more freedom to do that work.

i haven't thought about being in an unusual situation, despite my previous experience of being the only women in the workplace in private industry. i would like to set up my own business eventually and see myself as someone committed to a career. people with whom i work still assume that i'll leave soon and have children, but i'm a permanent worker. i assume i'll continue to have a career, not just a hobby, and i'll fit in all the other things i do in my life as well."

way to go mum! she was a permanent worker, too. after i was born she returned to work and my dad was the one to stay at home with me, which in 1982 was not unheard of but quite out of the ordinary. its so interesting to have this record of what it was like for her at work, and what she expected from her job and life. its very easy to take being a female designer for granted these days. that book was published four years before i was born, when my mum was 27, the same age i am now. its interesting comparing our lives, in parallel.

so happy birthday ma, wherever you may be. i'll be having a pimm's and dry ginger in your honor.