The inspiration suitcase, that's so heavy it hurts my back.

Hi peeps.

Well today was the day (and i'm still in the midst of it) of cleaning out my bedroom to make way for some new furniture and a more efficient work/sleep environment. Yes.. since my computer is in my bedroom it's all I do in here. working and sleeping.

I have a giant paper recycling bin because I accumulate a lot of useless paper.. I was going through a big stash of magazines that I got sent but haven't opened (I went to a conference and apparently that gives me no option but to be sent a giant magazine every two weeks.) And instead of just chucking them out I decided to go through and salvage any pretty pictures or illustrations that might be part of ads. Who knows what I might find..

Well I only found a few pages I wanted out of about 8 mags, but I suppose it was worth it.

I immediately cut some pictures out and used them to make these plain brown notepads a bit more fun..
I am slightly addicted to little notepads, anything I can put in my bag and take everywhere. No#1 lesson as a creative person is, you NEVER know when inspiration can strike. Also like to carry around my black ink pen. If not for inspiration, it's useful for making lists. I make lists constantly. I would just sit here and find it all too overwhelming and get nothing done if I didn't make lists.

A great place to buy these notepads is at $3 Japan, on Queen st in auckland, next to Burger Fuel. They sell all sorts of useful things, including rolls of coloured felt. Irresistable to the crafter in you. The great thing is, I'm usually in town at night, and they're open to 10pm! Yes..that's an idea for all you other auckland shops! Everything closes early it seems in Auckland. Anyway..


I have got there these felt pencil holders (and general junk holders) too. They are indispensable.



I also bought there once these novelty food erasers. Haven't used them very much yet they are too pretty. You can take them apart like puzzles.

So, Anywoo, once I have these scraps of pictures and things, sometimes bits of material (but only little, cos I have a different place to keep material) I put them in this massive leather old suitcase. I had to drag it out to the centre of my room today, this takes a lot of effort, i'm sure it's about 20kgs.

Here it is, the inspiration suitcase.


Inside, behold it's wonders.

The suitcase has a history, it was used by my mother, a midwife when she used to take it filled with 'delivery stuff' to people's home births. Yes..hippy home births! She still does these occasionally.. but she has a more nifty bag now.


And before I used it for pictures, my sister used it for pictures and stuff, and before that, I used it in a stage play of 'bugsy malone' when I played Blousey, leaving town with my suitcase packed..

One very useful item is my old National Geographics. I have had these ones for ages, and they have been well cut up, torn out, but STILL they produce gems of colour, pictures, expressions.



I have used this page to make a badge.




Choice wolf photos. Wolves are so cool eh.



Wolves kissing. Or something. I'm hoping it's affectionate.



Mutilated pages still hold fragments of goodness.



These men are playing chess in a swimming pool.



Interesting people from around the world. Brilliant photography. I use these for making cards sometimes, or wrapping paper.
Something about the old printing techniques that have a unique quality to them. Less glossy, more dotty, but better blues. my sister knows about this. You should check her blog if you haven't already. She's like, an artistic genius. And she can control the weather too. And she can feel colours. I think there's a word for that but it's escaped me. Oh yes.. synesthasia or something (spelt wrong I'm sure.) Oh and she's an ACE cook, and has LOTS of recipes for unusual things. She likes to cook with colour.

Some of the goodness I found in the magazines:



Owl woman.



Many many bunnies.



Monsters



An old scrap my friend gave me, from an old fairytale book.


On a completely different note, as I was going through these magazines I have since thrown out, I found an article on a girl who I thought looked interesting. I looked her up on itunes, and I have just bought her album. It's nice and good. I like the song 'A Bird's Song.' Her name is Ingrid Michaelson. She is 28 and from New york I think. Ahh new york. I'm going there for 6 months in september. Yeah! Hoping to find a house sitting job, all fingers and toes crossed. It's soo expensive to flat there.

Ok, fingers crossed about the threadless entry! Eeek!!

~Rhondah~

Anti-fashion league on threadless! vote 5!

Hey my lovely AFL punters.

I have been slaving away to increase public awareness of the coolness of knitting.
Yes - the age old art of making something out of a piece of wool and two sticks..
So, what did I do? I made a threadless design (threadless is a website where graphic artists
submit ideas which are voted on and sometimes end up on t-shirts.) It's choice, so check
it out and please vote for my latest submission.



You might have to sign up but it's well worth it. the email updates are always cool too - featuring new designs weekly and bargain bin stuff. Please give me a 5 so that I get a high score after 7 days and then win some $2500! That'll keep the afl running a bit longer!

Meanwhile on the market stall front, keep May 3rd and 4th in your diary - planning to have a stall at craftwerk at te-tuhi, and possibly at the coatsville market aswell. That'll be a first.

Thanks peeps.

~Rhondah~ x x

Smoothie list of shame - and how to avoid geting on it

Hello punters.

I don't know about you, but these days it's hard to get a decent smoothie around town. But you may be confused about exactly what I mean when I say smoothie. I mean - NOT some syrupy milk shake, or blended ice with syrupy milk. Nor do I mean anything made with 'sachets' or powder.
I mean, the real deal, Something real (take fruit, or nice chocolate sauce) blended up, and mixed with either icecream, milk or yoghurt, or a combo of all.

I cannot express how disappointed I am with many cafe's throughout Auckland listing smoothies on the menu, and then charging up to $6.50 for what turns out to be nothing more than a squirt of syrup and crushed ice. This, is called a 'frappe' or as I like to call 'crappe' and a sad substitute for the real thing.

I guess, some would argue that smoothie falls into two categories. One creamy, one icey. But if you ask me, the creamy variety is FAR more superior - unless you're alergic to dairy, in which case, I am sorry for you, and I thank my lucky stars that I am not. I would just die if I couldn't drink smoothies. Or eat cheese. Or milk chocolate.

Well I've written a good few paragraphs without any mention of the list of shame, so here it is.
The following cafe's in Auckland do NOT know how to make smoothies. - Bear in mind EVERY time I ask for a smoothie, I go to great lengths to spell it out - "Do you make it with icecream?" (if they don't I won't buy one) "yes" "Ok can I please have it really thick, like as thick as you can make it." "ok. sure." ((wait ensues)) [Smoothie delivered] ((smile fades as the straw is lying lazily against the edge of the glass, filled with a substance that reveals lightly frothed pink or brown milk.)) Then, one of two things happens. I either say "Oh, I'm sorry, there seems to be some mistake, I asked for it 'super super thick.' " They then say "Do you want me to re-do it?" then I say "Yes." This is usually followed by a short wait, then a re-delivery of what I swear is exactly the same smoothie, perhaps with some saliva or something added for the pesky customer (namely me) and me slowly loosing faith in Auckland's cafe staff. The other option is, I don't say anything at all and then spend the whole time complaining to whoever I'm at the cafe with that nobody knows how to make them like I do at home.

THE LIST OF SHAME:
Do NOT order a smoothie at:
Cezannes, Ponsonby Road. (they used to know how but now the owners have changed.) And, they are still harping on about how they got '2nd best cafe' in metro 2004.. Do something about winning it this year guys!

Dorothy's Sister, Ponsonby Road (I'm sorry chaps but this is probably the worst smoothie ever.)

Sealy Cafe, Thames (I ordered a chocolate smoothie here, after the second attempt I decided to give up. They know how to do 'iced chocolate' but not smoothie.)

The graduate lounge cafe, (Again, asked for it THICK but a crappy milk shake appeared.)

THE HIT AND MISS smoothie list:

Rakinos, High st (Depends who makes this and whether there are a lot of people there. Sometimes they put mint in with the berries which can be quite nice.)

The Auckland Library Cafe (The smoothies are expensive but you get HEAPS in the cup. However they make them in disposable cups which is probably not so necessary given you can't recycle the polystyrene. Also they are a little bit frappé ish but still pretty nice. Perhaps one would use the word 'juicy' rather than 'icy.'

THE ALWAYS SPOT ON list:

Rhondah's kitchen.


Some signs of a good smoothie include:

It has real Flavour, as opposed to really sweet syrupy flavour
The straw stands up by itself
There is quite a bit of tension when you take a sip..in that the stuff is getting
stuck in your straw. VERY good sign
There are no bubbles on top. (this indicates it has been shaken not blended.)
It takes a little while to get to you. (this indicates at least three real ingredients are used, not a 'rip the satchet, blend the ice job'.)

Ok Now I'm going to step you through it, with illustrations to make a 'chocoboys' smoothie. I have found boysenberries have the best flavour for smoothies. Raspberries are too sweet, strawberries too hard to blend. (we are talking frozen here.) and blueberries have annoying bits that get stuck in your teeth.

Ingredients to get:

Neopolitan icecream of a reasonably good brand. (signature range is ok, not Kiwi.)

boysenberries frozen

Yoghurt (plain greek or something)

Milk (not much.)

Put on your apron.

Get out the blender. Make sure there's not weird bits of vege in it from the soup you made the other night.

Blend in the blender about 10 boysenberries. Keep it going until they are in bits that look like scarlet rocksalt. You may notice a freaky white cloudy mist rising after blending. This is good.

Then add a few scoops of icecream of every stripe in the neopolitan. Or you can go with more chocolate.. but best to use up the vanilla too cos it's always left to last.

Then a splash of milk, and before you blend it, mix it over with a spoon.

Blend a few more times then stir each time if it's not mixing properly.

Don't add too much milk, keep it nice and thick.

Pour into a glass with a spoon. (If it's the right consistency it should go in big gloopy plops into the glass rather than pouring smoothly.)

Drinking from the glass can get messy..and frozen top lip, as Vice-president claire is demonstrating.

So eat with a spoon or a straw. IMMEDIATELY.

Perhaps drink it in the garden and wonder at nature's marvels. drink it slow. Or perhaps sit at the computer and blog whilst drinking sporadically.


Clean up the mess that looks like you've slaughtered a small animal.

Now that's how to make a good smoothie.
~ x x rhondah xx ~