new tunes

So desperate for new music at the moment, yesterday I went and bought 2 new CDs and tickets to a concert. One of the CD purchases was because I like the band (Howling Bells), and the other was purely in aid of the cool illustrated tracklist and even better cut-out cover sleeve. To tell you the truth, I haven't even listened to this one yet, (Gravity Won't Get You High, by The Grates) and am not even sure I like their music, but the cover, seriously, I think it was worth it just for that!

Both CDs have excellent illustrated cover art, a very nice shift from the stock-standard photography covers you're usually fed.

The Howling Bells Illustrated by Mikko Rantanen.
The Grates credit their artwork as being their own.

can recommend

Still at a bit of a loss as to what to chat about, so I thought I'd show you a photo of this cool old original side show contraption. A couple of weeks back we helped a friend celebrate her birthday at Luna Park. Luna Park has been around for ever as far as I'm concerned. I remember going as a child and it being like nowhere I'd ever been before (this was before all of the DreamWorlds and SeaWorlds and MovieWorlds that are around these days).

I was so impressed to see that many of the original features of the park have been retained. All the hand-painted signage and wall decoration, along with a few old machines (no longer working) standing around the edges, still watching on from the sidelines.

I was particularly taken with this kiss tester, the brass hand plate rubbed smooth from many contenders, many years ago.
I liked to imagine all the sailors and soldiers trying their luck during World War II.

I think our friends were a little perplexed as they dashed off to the next spew-inducing ride, Mr You and I stalled inbetween to look at all the old photographs and paintings on the walls and these great old machines.

sticky

My Illustration Friday attempt for "sticky".

Completely unrelated to my illustration, but sticky all the same...
At a big wedding on the weekend I witnessed the aftermath of a chocolate fondue fountain exploding all over a bunch of children. They all came running outside, splattered from head to toe in big dollops of chocolate, squealing... with joy. It took us a moment to work out if they were squealing in pain from being burnt, but no, they were running around and around in circles, with the biggest of them yelling out "It's a very chocolatey chocolatey day!", as if to thank the gods for this fortunate event.
The rabble punctuated occasionally with each of them stopping for a pit stop licking some chocolate off their knee or arm or anywhere else really. Seriously they were covered in it!

an F minus in speed reading

My little heart broke last night when we went to see Superman Returns. Mr You worked on the movie at Fox studios last year (he’s not in it, but his fine handy work is), so with much anticipation and a little trepidation we went along to see it.

I’ll admit I’ve always had a soft spot for the man in tights even when I was young. He’s got so much dignity… apart from that dicky little curl and the undies on top of his tights business that is, which, well you know, not so dignified. Anyway it’s not surprising that I enjoyed it. But my heart broke during the credits as I craned my neck and put all my speed reading skills into action to see my Mr You’s name on the big screen… and missed it! (snap)

Did you see it? he asked excitedly
“What? No! Where?! Nooooooo” but it was too late, it scrolled up and off the screen before there was time. (crack)
heartbreak…

Even so, I’m still awfully proud.

lack and abundance

Nothing much to report really. Feeling much less fowl about the jacket incident thanks to your understanding comments.
Haven't had a chance to make anything, although I did finally get my sewing machine out of protective custody.

This week for some reason I bought 3 different bags of buttons. I have no idea what I'm planning on using them for. I think it's related to the severe case I have of 'Jack of all' that Creative Kismet described. Symptoms include stockpiling craft goods and fabrics, unfinished and even more unstarted projects clogging up space, and a mind fat with ideas accompanied by a lingering feeling of frustration.

At these times, instead of getting stuck-in and doing stuff I spend hours lusting about other people's wonderfulness.

A highly abbreviated list of those who's illustrations are bringing me joy at the moment (illo's only, don't get me started on sewing or craft):

Mutt Ink who's illo's are cleverly pumped with a yummy plumpness.

Girl Vs World's elegant, patterned ladies. Great etsy store too.

Troglodyte mignon with amazing watercolour skill and quirky interesting characters, who each seem endearingly flawed.

Mareike Engelke, who, no matter which medium is chosen, manages to keep a consistent style.

Allison Sommers with odd folk, floating hands and a vintage hue.

rain

My Illustration Friday attempt for "rain".

It has stopped for the past 3 days, but before that it had been raining here for weeks.

tempted?

Right now I wish I had a web cam set up on each of your faces ready to take a quick snap at the very moment you spy this pic. I’m laughing already, partly because of the funniness, the other part is pure nervousness as I wonder if this is the point where I finally lose all my online friends, once and for all.

Wait! Before you think to yourself “I thought this girl was sweet and wholesome… turns out she’s a freaky-pervert-sicko” and snap your browser closed, please, let me explain.

I innocently happened across this in one of my art supply boxes the other day.
“Yeah? Well how did it get there?” I hear you ask.
Okay, fair question.

Some years ago a I did a photoshoot for a friend (a talented dancing and singing camp gay man) for his promotional material. As a thank-you he gave me a hamper. A normal hamper, as hampers go, you know crackers, olives, relish, chocolates, a bottle of wine… OH! And this totally weird set of "Temptation edible body paint, in 4 devine flavours"!

I have no idea where he bought the hamper from, or if he knew this was in there; all I can think of is he must have accidentally picked up the ‘honeymoon’ hamper instead of the ‘thanking a friend for a non-sexual favour” hamper he intended to.

At first I was shocked, then confused, then embarrassed then I just laughed.

Have a look, (if you can bare) she’s a friendly lady isn’t she? And doesn’t she pull off that early 90’s Warrant groupy look so well? Isn’t good to see that even though she misplaced her bra, those sensible big white nickers were handy? And how about that wonderful landscape she’s painting?

I laughed even more when I opened it up to see what the paints actually looked like. OMG, they cannot seriously be edible! What exactly is ‘blue heaven’ flavour? They look like radioactive waste. Even if I was feeling kinky enough to try it, I certainly would think twice about letting that stuff come in contact with human skin, let alone eating it!

What’s wrong with chocolate anyway? Can’t go wrong with chocolate!
(Having said that, a guy at work told us a story of over ambitiously coating his girlfriend in chocolate body paint, methodically starting at her hand then being too sick to continue by the time he got to her elbow. The less-than-sexy attempt ended with him sending her away to shower the rest off herself).

Back to the radioactive waste…
I was too scared to throw it out in case it fell out of the bin on rubbish night, ending up in the neighbours garden, forcing them to start a petition against us, thinking we’re swingers with a keen but low-brow interest in art. That’s how it ended up in one of my less regularly accessed art boxes, and there it will stay I suppose.

That is until I’m brave enough to sell it on ebay! It’d gain loads of interest don’t you think?

(p.s. I never did mentioned it to the friend who gave me the hamper. We’ve since lost contact.)
(p.p.s. I wanted to post the images bigger for added shock value, but was concerned about hate mail from protective mothers)