Thursday, March 26, 2009

Publicity Makeover Giveaway

Contest: Giving Away A Power Publicity Makeover Spot!

Crissy Herron is giving away a spot in the upcoming Power Publicity 6 Week Makeover session. This is an $85 dollar value.

The winner will be working one-on-one with her to create a whole new marketing and publicity plan - plus implementing that plan during a 6 week session!

To enter, you can do one of the following 2 things:

1) Post about this on your blog. Your post needs to be at least 200 words and must link to:
http://indiebizchicks.com/wp/power-publicity-makeover/

For example - you could do a review of the makeover session, explain why you would want to attend the session, what publicity means to you, etc

2) Put in 3 Tweets (Twitter posts) about the makeover session using the hashtag #powpub6. Again, your tweets must link to: http://indiebizchicks.com/wp/power-publicity-makeover/

Once you’ve completed one of those, go to her website and leave a comment letting her know which option you completed, along with the URL to your blog post or your Twitter username.

The winner will be drawn on April 6… Good Luck and thanks for entering!!

Share and Enjoy:

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Studio nearly Sorted, ready for easy use, Work can Now really, Get Under way, Down Under


Wow ! thought I had sorted out, my new shelf, the other day , but I'm still fine tuning the sorting process.
Certain things need to be with the others of their kind, everything in it's place, and semi visible, so I know where it is and can also 'see' it, to realise it's best useage, or remember that I actually have it, to use !!!!

Life in the traveling bus was the same I had all my balls of yarn in plastic zip up bags, to contain them, yet allow me to view the contents easily.

Things are beginning to look organised and ready for my new creative surge, which I am prepping up, pumping up, trying to zap myself into gear, after this year or more of depleted health, trying to drag me under......

.....But "I come from a Land Down Under............where women glow, and paint Rainbows....."

Sooooooo...... I Will Suceed !

I have started my Competition Hat for 2009, I have sorted most of my wool, LoL, (still 3 plastic zip bags that need some big baskets to be found at Tip or Opp Shops), thought I had a lovely basket at the Tip Shop, last Wednesday. It was sittimg on the front counter , and I picked it up, only to be told that a woman still down the back had put it there to buy. We were there for ages, and the basket was still there even after all the other women , who were there when I arrived, had gone.
I was still eyeing it off, drooling over it in fact, as it was such a good size. Was just telling a friend we had met there, about it and went to show her, and it had been put below the counter, out of sight !!!
As we were just leaving I said hi to a Market Stall aquaintance, a woman who sells second hand items, just arriving, and suddenly it 'clicked', the basket I desired was being held for her to re-sell !!!!! , Hmmmmph !


Wednesday, March 18, 2009

What is Megg Working on Now ?????


Well as usual, I am working on more than one piece of work at the same time, as well as still trying to set up a workable studio. I dream of my old warehouse with it's plentiful storage shelving and space for large tables.

These pictures, illustrate why I need to go to the Tip Shop soon, to look for some appropriate shelving, pigeon holes to sort and store my growing supply of materials and bits and pieces.


Something that will enable me to find things, rather than just bury other things beneath other things.

I'd love to find the right sized tables too, one that can be narrow and long, and extend out width ways or have a larger top that sits behind for easy re-arranging. I've left my old table top over in the house, as it is a little to large for the room in it's present configuration, and with such a diverse array of crafts/art I am attempting to do in this one little room.


I've got the easel in the corner with two canvases on it the front one is a panorama, that I move up onto the ironing board, when I want to work on it, after first removing whatever is currently sitting stored on there, (all the nicely ironed pieces of fabric ready for the over-locker or sewing machine.)

On the two sides of the larger canvas I have my two finished or nearly finished dresses, for want of somewhere else to hang them up.
This black card table, and the white one with machines on, is constantly being emptied and it's use changed from sew/cutting out/pin-ing table to drawing painting table.



These two baskets hold the wool and latest two
hats I'm working on.










The Green and Purple one, was actually started last year, with the spiraling green top, before the Beaniefest !
And it sat and sat and sat.......!


Last month I pulled it out,when a friend was visiting, and got started on the addition of the purple.

It's still sitting, awaiting the right inspiration to complete it !


This earthy colored one, is progressing well, and will be finished, well before the above hat.


I will finish it off with a dark brown rolled brim, I'm thinking .......?





This is what I made today, using a pre-loved
Rainbow singlet top, with some fabric I found at the market on Sunday and some rainbow fabric found at Uki market some years ago.

It's not quite finished yet, I plan a few more finishing touches, possibly a balancing 'flower on the right hand side under shoulder strap.



This is so much fun to be able to sew, using my new over locker, I think I will really be able to immerse myself in all the material I have been acquiring over the past several months.



I plan to make Wonderful Dancing Dresses,
like this young girls size 8 dress, as well as
Accessories, like bags, headbands, and other colourful stuff,





This is a wonderful piece of exquisite bead
work made by Sue of Dancing Wind Design, made to honour the Fire Fighters, that came from all over to help control The Great Turn-around Fire in North America, which miraculously turned around , burning for two months. It burnt out the Okefenokee Swamp, just a few miles from Sue's house.

She was so thankful, she made this to honour them. She then donated it to our Aussie Etsy Down Under Street Team's Oz Bush Fire Appeal Shop, where I bought it.

I am going to incorporate it into a hat, in memory of Forest's Lost, Dear Freinds Lost, 200+ Lives Lost, and so many homes destroyed, by what has been called a Mega Fire Storm, which began on the 7th of February, my birthday.

Here is the start of it, begun tonight, the trunk of a tree, crocheted around an armature of wire.



You can see the bead necklace wound around
the basket of selected wool for the first stage
of this sculptural piece, that may well be one
of my entries for this year's Beaniefest, we will
wait and see, how it grows

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Dreaming Greener Dreams for Victoria

Here is my latest hat, created for the DUST Teams, Down Under Monthly Sale 'Green Dreams', wishing new green growth for all fire ravaged areas of Victoria
http://www.dustteam.com/sales/salelistings.php



Sunday, March 1, 2009

2009 Beaniefest Competition Categories



OK it's time again to really start making beanies for this years festival, I have had quite a break from hat making lately with only a few made here and there.

Here are the categories for this years comp.

This year we will be celebrating the United Nation's International Year of Natural Fibres. Along with renewable fibres we value the handmade. Our textile techniques- knitting, crochet, felting, weaving are easy to learn and difficult to master. Amazing levels of technical skill can be developed to make ideas come alive. This is when the ordinary beanie becomes extraordinary. We invite you to test the possibilities of your creative fibre and the fibres you work with.



1 Natural Fibres Beanie
For a fabulous beanie made from natural fibres, incorporating a great idea and skill.

2 The Madcap Prize
A festive beanie that invites interaction and fun.

3 The Rich Layering
Embroider, scrumble, bead, dye, weave: use a mix of techniques

4 Spirit of the Land
Explores the ranges, the bush, the sea, the desert.

5 The Passion
Make a beanie that reflects or embodies an aspect of a passion

6 Best Animal Beanie
Animals, birds, reptiles, insects and strange invertebrates all welcome.

7 The Eileen Bladon Tea- Cosy Prize
Tea- Cosies are sister objects to the beanie.

8 Best Hand-felted Beanie
Including wet felting, needle felting or knit and felt techniques.

9 The Central Australian
Prize for an outstanding local piece of work.

10 Festival Committee Acquisition Prize
For wonderful and unusual work.

11 The Robbie Beard Handspun Prize
Prize for a work made with yarn handspun by the artist.

12 New Wave Beanie Encouragement Prize
For a school-aged beginner beanie maker.

13 New Wave Beanie Prize
For a school-aged advanced beanie maker.



And the traveling Exhibition, is still moving around the country, soon to be in Victoria again, Here are it's next galleries for you to visit.

La Trobe University
14 March 2009- 19 April 2009
La Trobe University, Victoria 3086
Tel:(03) 9479 1111
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/

Bega Regional Art Gallery, NSW
1 May 2009- 30 May 2009

Cowra Regional Art Gallery, NSW
11 Jul 2009- 16 Aug 2009

Wagga Art Gallery NSW
1 Sept 2009- 11 October 2009

Shear Outback Museum VIC
20 October 2009- 1 February 2010

To be confirmed- Touring through the Northern Territory 2009

Territory Craft
Katherine NT
2010