Tuesday 30 June 2009

Morning Tea with French macaroons

My sister Renee was on France recently for a figure (ice) skating competition near Grenoble (she came 5th and 6th for something...representing Australia!!)



So Renee came to visit when she got back from Europe and brought some Macaroons with her...the colours are surreal!!


Enjoyed with a nice cup of Mariage Freres Ceylan Tea...it was so lovely of Renee to bring these treats all the way back....

Thursday 25 June 2009

Current Exhibition

CRAFTY is an exhibition curated by Catherine Badcock and includes a tea cosy artwork of mine, recently posted on my blog.

I'll post images from the exhibition after this weekend.


Wednesday 24 June 2009

Good Works-Habitat for Humanity, Zambia May 2009

An American friend and fellow Tea Cosy enthusiast, Elaine Vedette, just sent me the link to a project she's been working on and I wanted to share it with everyone, with the generosity of just a few people, it's a simple, practical solution for communities living with dangerous reptiles and insects (we can appreciate this in Australia too!)

Monday 22 June 2009

I HAD to post these...Fujiya & Miyagi tribute...I'm so inspired!

I just found this animated clip on the delightful Meet Me At Mike's blogspot and that led me to the other two clips- equally fascinating and technically stunning...does anyone know if they're stop-animated or CGI?

The animations for this is amazing...though I'm not sure what the massacre of jungle animals is all about??!!


(And this is the Jaguar Commercial version!)


What you can do with domino and computer keyboard pieces...


This one is a cutie, lots of word-play...

Sunday 21 June 2009

Teapot Monument in the UK

Carole Miles in the UK has given me permission to post her photos of this Teapot Obelisk at Deene House which she took recently.
There is also more info about Deene Park here (click on the highlighted text).

What a fantastic idea! Carole said the obelisk was erected to celebrate the millennium and I really cannot think of a more peaceful and nourishing icon to honour in this way (I'm biased of course!)...at least its a symbol that everyone can identify with, rather than a huge bronze of some self-important person seeking representational immortality and only really know by a few! (I had Mariage Freres' French Breakfast Tea this morning and I'm feeling a little anti-bourgeois, even though Maison Mariage Freres is a modern bourgeois symbol!)



And a lovely detail of the teapot atop its perch!

Sublime Sublime Sublime...

I first saw this version of Alice in Wonderland on SBS (Australian) television over ten years ago and it's been firmly wedged in my mind ever since as one of the most profoundly inspiring animated films I've ever seen...Czech film-maker Jan Svankmajer is a genius!

I've posted a few sections of the film here...





And this section has the Mad Hatter's Tea Party in it...

Monday 15 June 2009

The Battleship Potemkin, the real thing and an Italian parody...

I first saw a version of "Stick Figure Theater: Sergei Eisenstein's silent classic 'The Battleship Potemkin'," an animation in the early 1990's, and I loved it so much...I've tried to find it on youtube and online in general, and it seems to be deleted, or just not available to even add a link to, which is really sad.

'Stick Figure Theater' was part of Liquid Television, showcasing some really stunning hand drawn (stop-?)animation work, such as the seminal Aeon Flux and Speedbump the Roadkill Possum.
These two examples aren't everyone' cup of tea, so a general 'tasteless and potentially offensive' warning, if you're not a fan of animated violence and cartoon gruesomeness then perhaps don't watch these.









I think this classic film has come back to me now as I've just completed the rest of the 'Teacosy* Number (Untold number of deaths?); Journey through the debris of conflict Cosy', 2009 which now has a freehand machine embroidered tank on the other side of it.

Wednesday 10 June 2009

World's biggest Tea Cosy!

A friend in the UK has just shown me this amazing project!

I have copied the article from the Watford Observer by Lester Wyatt here, posted on my birthday (Its a sign!!)
This is exactly what The Teacosy* Revolution is all about...the conversation around the teapot being meaningful and soothing for many....
Thanks for his link Sue!

BUPA CARE HOMES KNIT WORLD'S BIGGEST TEA COSY.

10:47am Thursday 16th April 2009

By Lester Wyatt »



BUPA care homes across Watford and Elstree have helped set a new Guinness World Record by knitting the world's biggest tea cosy to help raise awareness of loneliness concerning elderly people.

The world record is part of Bupa's communi-tea week taking place between April 20 and 26 and is seen as the perfect way to help tackle the issue of isolation and loneliness within old people. As part of communi-tea week and to celebrate the world record, the care homes are hosting afternoon tea parties and are inviting older people in their local communities to join them.

River Court Residential Nursing Home and Brunswick Court Care Centre in Watford and Hill House Care Centre and Elstree Lawns Specialist Nursing Home in Elstree are the Bupa Centres joined more than 300 Bupa care homes across the UK, Spain and New Zealand took part in the record attempt after urging communities to help by sending in their own knitted squares for the giant tea cosy.

Susan Kane, manager of River Court Home, said: "Not that we ever need to make an excuse to put the kettle on, but now we can raise our mugs in celebration of a great cause and a world record. Communi-tea week offers the perfect chance to help someone who maybe struggling on their own, so there will be plenty of tea and entertainment to welcome any new friends and faces."

This years communi-tea week will also see a record number of tea parties taking place across the country with thousands of residents inviting memebers of their community to join them.

Siobahn Drane, Bupa's community consultant, said: "A simple cup of tea could make all the difference to someone in need of support. We've got a huge variety of tea events planned, including tea dances and tea tasting sessions, so we hope many people can join us for what promises to be a very enjoyable week."