Asset-less!

Not really - one only has to reflect for about 2 seconds on the lot of so many locally affected by floods and cyclone, not to mention further away catastrophes this year - but a little robbery at home has left me without my laptop, my camera, and our second set of wheels, which did feel a bit personal at the time and has kept me on my toes for the past 6 weeks chasing up bits and pieces of insurance claims. (Photograph your techno treasures, reader dear, and then keep the photos somewhere other than on your laptop!) Did anyone say: "back up"? One moves on, but it's hard to blog without images, so I'm going to resort to my pinterest boards to liven up this post.

Pinterest is a site for cyber pin boards - collections of images. For someone who makes a full time occupation out of collecting images in hard copy it's one of my favourite down-time past-times to go on a hunt for a new pinboard on pinterest, my own or someone else's. My latest has been 'fibrication' - things crocheted or knitted, for example:

the knitted wedding party from Elizabeth Anne Designs

Check out Pinterest for further collections of images from across the world.

News for wimcee is that I will be joining the wonderful collective of hand-madees again at the BrisStyle indie Designers Market, the first day-time market that they have held for 2011, on July 9th. Get all the details from BrisStyle at BrisStyle on Facebook

One of the beautiful resin necklaces from BrisStyler,  Strat Designs, who will be at the July BiDM.

And immediately following the BiDM, Piece Together will be launched on July 11th, a wonderful initiative from some of Brisbane's super sewers and craftees, which will offer sewing and crafting workshops for all levels as well as a gift shop and gallery space, and embracing the lost arts of handiwork combined with an environmentally friendly ethos. Wimcee will be providing workshops in bag-making and embellishment, but there will be a range of opportunities to learn skills and develop interests at piecetogether 

Insurance front suggests that I may be getting my camera back shortly so hopefully back to more reliable blogging soon. Apologies in the interim!

Wimcee at Bleeding Heart

From next week whims from wimcee will be on sale in the gift shop at Bleeding Heart, a cafe, retail and gallery space that is not-for-profit and located in the historic School of Arts, 166 Ann Street, in Brisbane's CBD. (For more information about opening times etcetera see Bleeding Heart)

I plan to install a series of pouches, inspired by the collages of Nami Ogihara, amongst other things, so please visit Bleeding Heart and have a look at the work of a number of local crafters featured in their gift shop display.

collage pouches and candlesticks by wimcee

These little pouches are made partly or fully from recycled and vintage fabrics and it's my intention that they are the first in a number of projects for 2011 exploring different vehicles for fabric/paper collage. However, they're also pretty cute!

Another form of fabric collage that I've really loved working has been cushion covers - these floral collages are other examples of new work for 2011.

(wimcee will be at market again soon, starting with the wonderful Mamma's Market at Buderim on February 19th. )

Vale 2010...

My blog, etsy shop etcetera have been neglected in the last few weeks with so many markets, such challenging weather conditions, and the wonderful trio of events, family arrival from o/s, Christmas all together again, and a major birthday in the family yesterday.

2010 has had ups and downs for the wimcee's personally, but overall it has been a wonderful and eventful year. I have enjoyed my sewing and crafting so very much, and I have delighted in finding others really zeroing in on the wimcee stall too and getting it...not everyone, and that's why an organisation like brisStyle can be so successful, as each creative member of the collective has their own individual style and stamp, and for each there is an equivalent mind-set out there amongst market shoppers that just gets, and loves, what they do.

For one who has spent most of her life painting, thrashing about, metaphorically at least, with the challenges of portraiture in particular, I understand only too well the lack of recognition, and appreciation, that crafting can attract in its public incarnation. Thank heavens for the legions of young women and men who have a very different perception via etsy and brown owls, cath kidston and rowan, kellie doust and yarn bombers, bloggers and city farms, lovers of vintage and retro, and so on and so on...all that is wonderful and exciting out there in the world of art-meets-craft.

Fancy fronting up to a day at the end of this week with a numerical nomination of 1.1.11! That's got to be the starting point for many great things to develop out of the new year!

Happy New Year!