Maddabling

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Wednesday Wishlist - Tea Party

One lump or two - pass the scones - it's a tea party Wednesday Wishlist !

BonTons

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Monday Music - Monday Playlist

I thought for something different I would search for songs with Monday in the Title or Lyrics.

Here's a special Monday Playlist - enjoy !

Friday, August 6, 2010

Friday Friends - Dusty Diva's Part 10

Welcome, once again to Friday Friends - Dusty Diva's !
Edition 10 ! Woo Hoo ! Friday Happy Dance !

This week I want to introduce to you Ali from Alipink .

Ali's story is inspiring and I am so glad she agreed to let me share her story with you. Check out Ali's blog (see the links at the bottom of this article) and you will agree with me I am sure. This lovely dusty diva is as special as her creations.

I love these sweet card and brooch combos and...................

these are a great gift for the young bloke who has everything.................

a measure up condom wallet and ................

this stunning delicious sunshiny clutch ..................

in gorgeous bright colours and ..............

I adore the paper doll fabric in this cute and practical messenger bag !

And now over to Ali who will tell you her story............

The Story of alipink

I live on the Gold Coast of Queensland with my husband and two daughters, age 3 1/2 and 5. Running a household keeps me pretty busy but I fit in part-time work as a Paediatric Nurse as well.

I am a life-long crafter - sewing, knitting, embroidery, and recently quilting and crochet. I have a particular love of vintage fabric and notions, probably as a result of rummaging through Mum’s fabric stash as a child. She still has a great box of fabric with many pieces dating back to the Seventies when she made clothes for my sister and I. I am also a keen op-shopper and love the thrill of hunting through shops looking for treasure.

I primarily make bags and purses although I do venture into other products like quilts, cushions, hats, brooches and cards. I take inspiration from the fabric themselves as well as vintage craft books and patterns.

I started selling my craft a couple of years ago and through that became involved in DUST and BrisStyle, both great communities of Australian crafters. I decided to set up my own local craft group, Crafty Coasters, earlier this year and we meet monthly to chat, drink tea and create.

I also enjoy selling at local handmade markets. It is great to meet buyers and to be amongst talented and passionate crafters.

Want to see more alipink goodness ?

You can find alipink here;

Etsy :
http://www.etsy.com/shop/alipink

Blue Caravan :
http://www.bluecaravan.net/alipink/

Made It :
http://www.madeit.com.au/alipink

Facebook :
http://www.facebook.com/alipinkbags

Twitter :
http://twitter.com/alipinkbags

Blog :

http://www.alipink.com/

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Wednesday Wishlist - Punk's Not Dead

For the punk-rock-girl - I present Punk's Not Dead - a Wednesday Wishlist ! Inspired by the Darren Hanlon song Punk's Not Dead "

"Couldn't give a damn about
The friends of mine she'll scare
Some people just can't see past studs
And bleached blond spiky hair
I say 'A' for Abba
She says 'A' for Anarchy
In the morning she says "Never mind the bollocks,
Here's your cup of tea"

And at night the house is quiet
You might wonder why
But punk's not dead
She's just gone to bed
Punk's not dead
She's just gone to bed

I pass her in the kitchen
She's got a longneck in her hand
She's playing me a Dictaphone
Recording of her band
Her drummer has been playing
For nearly seven hours
But he hits them with such passion
It makes other drummers cower

When the night has come
All safety pins must come undone
If the house is quiet
Well that's because punk's retired for the night
If the house is quiet
Well punk's retired for the night"

Monday, August 2, 2010

Monday Music - Guest Writer - Tomatrax - Unearthed Super Reviewer

Hi everyone - welcome to a very special edition of Monday Music !

This week I have a very special guest writer - the oracle Richard who is Tomatrax .

Tomatrax is a super reviewer on Triple J Unearthed and his music mantra states
"I am obsessed with music and am always on the look out for new music. I honestly believe that some of the best new music out there is from the unsigned bands; they’re the ones who are just starting up giving it everything they have to get noticed."

For those not familiar with TripleJ Unearthed this is the blurb from the unearthed site :

"new Australian music

Unearthed is triple j’s initiative to support independent, self-funded musicians and provide opportunities to those artists we believe show most potential. Since our beginnings in the 90’s unearthing a handful of acts from region to region, triplejunearthed.com now actively discovers new music every week providing exposure across radio, tv, online, podcasts, social networks, and mobile. With over 23,000 artists, 57,000 tracks and 175,000 registered users we are Australia’s top destination for the discovery of new Australian music.

At least 10 new artists are featured online weekly, and selected tracks from Unearthed receive daily airplay on triple j radio. Recent Unearthed success stories include, Art vs Science, The Middle East, and Washington. For more detail, read history.

Our ongoing aim is to maximise exposure for promising artists, and work with triple j supported partners and events to achieve this. Such as:

Run national comps to play at the biggest Music Festivals in Australia including Splendour in the Grass, Big Day Out, Homebake, Soundwave, Parklife, and Falls Festival.

Program Unearthed bands at state body music conferences including Fuse festival (Adelaide), NT Music (Darwin), WAMI live showcase (Perth), and Big Sound (Brisbane).

Run comps to play at regional music festivals including Grooving the Moo, Open Arms, Trackside, Fat as Butter, and triple j's annual One Night Stand.

Run our annual Unearthed High competition aimed to find Australia's best High School band.

Work with NIDA post grad student to produce live action music video clips for Unearthed bands.

Hold our annual Unearthed J Award recognising the top Unearthed artists of the year who have shown the most growth and potential since their exposure on triplejunearthed.com."

Tomatrax has kindly put together his top 10 Unearthed Tracks for your listening pleasure - go on - treat yourself to the sounds of some new undiscovered Australian musicians ! PS I have listened to every single track listed in this blog and loved every single one of them - long live Unearthed !

Tomatrax Top 10 Unearthed tracks

10 Cloud Control - Vintage Books

Sounds like Country meets punk, and it works rather well. The music has the dirty and simple punk like riffs with interesting country undertones. The end result is something quite different but very catchy. There is also some solid slightly distorted guitar work towards the end. These guys have created their own sound and pull it off brilliantly, they are onto something good here!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=5675

9 Johnnie Mac - The Chant of Namatjira

A cross between Midnight Oil and Yothu Yindi. This is Australian rock as it should sound, full of energy, passion and interesting atmospheric sounds.Technically flawless. clever and creative. This is one of those moments where everything works!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=16543

8 Sophie Hanlon/snowie - If you ain't got soul

A stripped back indie sound led with a solid jazzy vocal sounding something like My Bloody Valentine with Shirley Bassey on vocals. As the song progresses it takes on a more blusey feel with a solid blusey piano solo. Sophie Hanlon/snowie's are truly amazing and would give everyone from Shirley Bassey to Aretha Franklin. She is able to hit on all manner of notes and hold them for as long as she likes. This is backed with some exceptional atmospheric music that lies somewhere between indie and blues. This is one amazing performer that has a heap of musical talent and originality!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=37287

7 Jess McAvoy - See How I Go

This song is absolutely beautiful! Jess has an amazingly powerful voice that acts as the dominant instrument in this song. It is back up well by the chilling acoustic guitar! The video clip for this is amazing too!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=2300

6 Circle - The Suffocating Delay

A mellow piano driven tune with an occasional Mike Oldfieldesq lead guitar coming in and out. As the song continues more interesting sounds and effects come in and out while retaining a certain poppy vibe. This is a very creative piece that shows off all sorts of different ideas and experiments yet manages to contain them all together in a neat package. These guys are without a doubt a band that is worth taking note of!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?ArtistId=4646

5 Streamer Bendy - Boy Oh Boy

A full on barrage of funk-rock energy, sounding like the Red Hot Chili Peppers with Chrissy Amphlett on vocals. The music is really tight and fast. The delivery of the lead guitar is amazing with a lot of interesting sounds exerted. Erinn Swan's dirty punk vocals top the song off especially with her sharp tongues lyrics. Oh boy this is awesome!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=25464

4 Super Massive - Fists In My Pocket

Spacey and poppy all at the same time. It has all the pop elements and slick production to make it stand up to anything the commercial radio will play you. At the same time it has a interesting spacey background vibe giving it a strangely wonderful depth. Above all it is full of energy and would work well being played on the dance floor or in your bedroom. Awesome stuff!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=20666

3 Stonefield - Foreign Lover

A cool smooth jazzy rock tune with elements from Deborah Conway to Jimi Hendrix. The 70s style riffs are infectiously catchy and full of energy. The song continues to impress with a psychedelic keyboard instrumental followed by a short but powerful guitar solo. This is topped off by some absolutely amazing vocals that have an abundance of range and strength hitting both soft and heavy notes with ease. This is a brilliant offering that sees all the members rock out with power and creative flair!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=19942

2 Michael Cullen - transmission

Michael Cullen’s music is reminiscent of bands such as Joy Division, The Birthday Party and the Triffids to name a few. He manages to combine the best bits of each of these artists to come up with something distinctive of his own. This song has a fast energetic vibe with dark atmospheric undertones. The music alone creates vivid imagery while the cleverly crafted lyrics add the story in.

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Artists/View.aspx?artistid=14291

1 Royal Chant - Coughing Fits

Royal Chant are easily one of the most interesting and innovating bands in Australia at the moment and this is one of the best tracks to appear on Unearthed! There is a good use of echoing vocals and dark atmospheric textures. There is a lot of energy throughout the song as well as all sorts of interesting background sounds. There is a phenomenal amount of emotion poured into this track and it results in an amazing rock anthem!

http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Reviews/All_Reviews.aspx?ArtistID=25251

Hungry for more ?

Checkout the online music magazine :
http://tomatrax.wordpress.com/
or join the Tomatrax Facebook page :
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tomatrax/255925286750
or follow Tomatrax at myspace :
http://www.myspace.com/tomatrax