Random « CrumpArt

February 21, 2010

What do you mean “hard to buy for”?

Filed under: Random — Tags: birthdays, gift, i'll be 31 next week, presents, wishlists — Crumpet @ 5:37 pm

I don’t really expect people to buy me things for my birthday. But I do like presents. This is mostly for the benefit of the people who ask Paul what they should buy me.

A warping board.
I need one of these. I wish I was a) better at woodworking or b) these were more prolific and less ridiculously expensive in Australia.

A skein holder
So I don’t have to use two chairs to wind a ball of yarn. A ball winder would be great too, but is less essential.

A drum carder
I’m dreaming, I know.

Black Monday
This is an etching by my friend Kyoko Imazu. I adore it. One day it will be mine. Also, any of her drawings or paintings from the Rachel’s Cabinet shop.

This tape dispenser
I saw it at the NGV shop and it is MADE OF AWESOME.

An old school, hand crank pencil sharpener
I fell in love with one of these at the library. The one I linked above is more adorable.

A bone folder
I have one of these, but I’d like a second one to keep at uni. A bone folder is the most essential tool for anyone working with paper. I’d also like a second awl, which is used to punch small holes in paper for sewn bindings, etc. in bookmaking.

Safety glasses, dust masks or a respiration mask
An odd request, I know. Clear safety glasses are most essential. As non-dorky and comfortable as possible is even more important. These are all part of our OH&S requirements for uni. The dust masks are for doing things like filing copper, using talc, etc.. The respirator mask is for using chemicals like turps or acid. I’ve managed to not need one so far and just worked near the exhausts, but it might be useful at some stage.

A Microplane zester grater
Please. Pretty please.

Kosta Boda ‘Mine’ tumblers
In any colour. I have two in orange and love them. I’d like to build the collection.

A floor-standing knock box
Because bench space is a precious commodity!

A double spout
For my Vibiemme handle. Part number 511672. It’s that easy.

An adjustable dress form
I’ve asked my parents for a Lincraft gift card to put towards one of these.

Finally, things from my various Wishlists.
Amazon, Fishpond, Etsy.

Comments (2)

February 19, 2010

Help me help you.

Filed under: Random — Tags: employ me because i'm awesome, i need a job, plea for help — Crumpet @ 9:37 am

Dear Internet,

A year ago, I started a contract job at the State Library of Victoria doing basic but Very Important collection work — retrieving items, reshelving, collection maintenance and front-of-house service. At the same time, I was accepted into the Master of Fine Art (Printmaking) course at RMIT University. My job was full time, so I took a Leave of Absence from the course for a year.

A month ago my contract at the library finished, and while I would have loved to stay there, my contract wasn’t extendable and no other jobs with the library were available. Next week I start my new degree on a part time basis, and I am very excited about this. What I am less excited about is the fact that I still have no job.

Obviously I’m looking for something part time or casual. My contact hours at university are minimal and self driven, but I will still have a lot of work to do. I would prefer art gallery, museum or library work. I love art. I love putting things in order. I love managing collections. If you have or know of a position in this realm, please let me know. I also have a degree in advertising and worked as a copywriter for several years before taking the art path. I graduated at the top of my class, I enjoy writing and people seem to think I do it well. Any job leads in this area would also be welcome.

So, email me at getajob AT crumpart DOT net if you think my awesomeness would be appreciated somewhere. Thanks Internet!

Comments (4)

November 26, 2009

Shudder.

Filed under: Random — Crumpet @ 5:43 am

We will not be moving here.

Comments (5)

November 19, 2009

Finishing up. Moving on.

Filed under: Melbourne, Random, craft, knitting — Tags: knitting, moving house, socks — Crumpet @ 7:03 am

I’d like to fall into the blog cliche here and apologise for not posting much of late. Been busy, la di dah di dah, all that stuff. The main reason though? We found out three weeks ago that, after 5 years and three months living here, our landlord is moving back in. Oh joy. Looking for a house during a heatwave at the end of the year is not fun. And rent is far more expensive these days than it was five years ago.

So far we’ve been rejected by one landlord because they apparently thought their fence wasn’t safe enough to keep the dogs in, we’ve rejected a landlord because we decided we didn’t want to settle on their crappy house after all, and we’ve been rejected by another landlord who seems to have some weird phobia of dogs. We really, really want the last house, and the real estate agent really, really wants us to have it. We should hear today if the landlord has changed his or her mind. I’m looking forward to the excessive amount of cupboards and having more than a 30×40cm patch of preparation space in the kitchen. Paul is looking forward to the air conditioner and the dishwasher/two sink combo (he will no longer have to do the dishes in what is essentially a doorless cupboard.)

On the knitting front, I’ve had to start a couple of things, but I’ve also continued my streak of finishing up old projects. The purple and gold sock in the photo above is a Sidewinder I started in July 2007 while in Darwin for my sister’s wedding. I finally sat down and grafted it together, and now just have to make the second one. Ravelry details are here. The grey, pink and green socks were started while gallery sitting our graduate show almost exactly a year ago using a basic sock recipe and ridiculously small needles. Ravelry details are here.

I also finished a pair of toe-up ankle socks made from Cascade Fixation… that I started in April 2007. 2007. I blame the fact that I hate the yarn for them taking so long. It only took me a day to finish the second sock once I started it, but I just hate the yarn so much. It’s a thickish blend of cotton and elastane and is a real chore to knit with. I’d also found that a previous pair of socks made with the same yarn really didn’t hold up well at all, but I was desperately in need of foot coverings, so I finished them anyway. Ravelry details here.

Anyway, be prepared for your next knitting pictures to feature 70s cream shag carpet instead of floorboards. Oh yeah.

Comments (1)

October 26, 2009

10, 00-09

Filed under: Random — Crumpet @ 8:25 pm

Steve tweeted about blogging his top ten albums of the decade thus far, and as a result I’ve spent my entire evening pulling my list together. Here they are.

10. Yo La Tengo, And then nothing turned itself inside out

I poached this album title for an artwork, that’s how much I love it. Cherry Chapstick is my little piece of crazy guitar heaven.

9. Dan Bern, New American Language

Dan Bern has many wonderful albums, but to me this seems the most personal and honest. I did want to put the Swastika EP in place of this, but decided to be strict and pick a full length album instead. My favourite tracks are New American Language and God Said No, while Mr Pants In Motion loves this one.

8. Tim Oxley, It’s all about love

Paul bought me Tim Oxley’s first album as a surprise random gift one day after it was chosen as album of the week on Triple R. He knew I would adore its folky poppy lovely beautiful sweethearted prettiness. Unfortunately I couldn’t find an adequate clip to go along with this pick.

7. Darren Hanlon, Little Chills

It was a toss up between this and Hello Stranger. Again, it could’ve gone either way. Full of folky, lovely, silly wordplays. My favourite track is I wish that I was beautiful for you (you are Darren, silly muffin!), but you get The Unmade Bed.

6. Hem, Rabbit Songs

The story goes that the lead singer from Hem didn’t really know if she had a good voice before she answered the bands’ ad for a singer. She can sing, oh hell yes. This is a beautiful soft dreamy pillow of an album. Go and buy it now.

5. Tegan & Sara, The Con

Again, I could have chosen any Tegan and Sara album, but went with The Con because it’s essentially perfect. All the other CDs have one or two tracks that I skip, this does not. Power pop at its brief finest. The new album, Sainthood, is in the post and I have high, high hopes.

4. Architecture in Helsinki, Fingers Crossed

Architecture in Helsinki’s first album NEVER fails to put a bounce in my step. Sometimes we all need a dash of twee lightheartedness.

3. Sigur Rós, Takk

When I’ve had my share of twee lightheartedness, I enjoy an excessively indulgent epic or two or eleven. Hopelandic, Icelandic, it’s all good. And this video clip is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

2. Josh Pyke, Chimney’s Afire

I bought this album on a whim one day last year having heard one Josh Pyke song, downloaded as the free track of the week from iTunes. It got me through the last semester of my degree. I’d just printed up the Moby Dick models for my animation and took a JB HiFi break to buy a game for Paul and picked up this too, without really looking at the image on the cover. This album tied in so well with the work I was doing at the time. To me, it feels literary… music about storytelling. It’s mellow and beautiful and whole.

1. The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Whoever thought a song about a killer pink robot who develops emotional understanding could be so inspiring. I cannot adequately express the love I feel for this album and its predecessor, The Soft Bulletin. I touched Wayne’s foot through the bubble at the concert this year. <3 I’m tempted to say my life is now complete…

Comments (1)

August 30, 2009

Halp! Need new things!

Filed under: Random — Crumpet @ 9:28 am

And I’m sure you do too. And the new things you need are art for your walls. Yes.

Have just listed these three in my Etsy shop. I’ve also dropped the price on my other artwork to reflect the healthier state of the Australian dollar, and have listed a couple of other things as sale items. Go forth and spend!

below the thunders of the upper deep.

down, down, down. would the fall never come to an end?

in roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

Comments (0)

August 21, 2009

An Open Letter to Phoenix Drinks

Filed under: Melbourne, Random, food — Tags: ignorance, natural, organic, sceptic, science — Crumpet @ 5:00 pm

Science Labs ad

Yesterday morning, knitting happily on the tram while travelling to work, I happened to look out the window and noticed a truck driving past. It told me not to drink science, because I don’t know where it’s been. This, quite frankly, horrified me. And what disappointed me even more is that the brand in question was Phoenix Organic Drinks. Phoenix are a New Zealand company who make tasty, tasty beverages that I like a lot, and now I can’t drink them because their marketing people are happily, blatantly promoting ignorance and stupidity. It’s almost as if Phoenix have taken a leaf from Barbie’s book and proclaimed, “Math is hard! Let’s go shopping!” And I say all this as a public servant who votes Green, studied fine art, has been vegetarian for over ten years, makes her own soap, and whose pantry contains vast amounts of brand-free dried legumes and 5kg cotton bags of rice.

1 : the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding
2 a : a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study [the science of theology] b : something (as a sport or technique) that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge [have it down to a science]
3 a : knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method b : such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena : natural science
4 : a system or method reconciling practical ends with scientific laws [cooking is both a science and an art]

As noted in the dictionary definition above, science is not something separate from the natural world. It is a study of the natural world. Science is not merely random equations, chemicals and words that are hard to spell. It is a continual system of knowledge and understanding. I would never buy a mass-produced food item from a company that is proud of not having a science department. I want to know that the products I consume have been formulated, tested and proven not to make me sick, regardless of them being made from natural or synthesised ingredients. Just because something is natural, doesn’t mean it won’t hurt me. Like anthrax. Or arsenic. Or any number of ingredients or components of common ‘natural’ items. Hell, even regular issue Coca-Cola is made of all-natural products in Australia. We even still make it with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Doesn’t mean it’s good for me. And you know what I do when I don’t know what something is, what a word means or how to spell an ingredient? I look it up. Simple as that. I’m sick to death of the anti-science ignorance that proponents of ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ lifestyles banter about. Science is not the enemy, and until you learn that I won’t be your friend. Or buy your things.

Don't Drink Science ad

I wanted to add, I lifted these images off the Phoenix website because I think it’s important in this instance to see a physical representation of what I’m criticising. But I’m hosting them here as I’m not mean enough to hotlink.

Comments (6)

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