Cleaning up, I found this book/magazine from 1952. It was on B's bedside table. I think it was my father-in-laws (many of the 'ideas' remind me of gadgets he often made).

Check them out:

This one is an absolute necessity, I am surprised I haven't requested one before, to file away clippings and recipes 'in alphabetical order'.

Now this one, a ticket dispenser, is a bit of a worry. So far we haven't had to issue tickets at our house for anything?? Am I missing the point somehow or are we forgetting ourselves when we invite people around?

This one I seriously want. Check out the scrubbing brush attached to the side of his desk to hold his brushes!!! Brilliant idea.  Almost as good as the cotton reels nailed next to each other on the  inside of a cupboard door to slot knives in between.

This one is my favourite and I can't wait for a tree to die so we can try it out. "A novel lawn ornament which affords a welcome spot of shade can be achieved by disguising the trunk of a dead tree to look like a giant toadstool.....Both the trunk and the wire mesh top are coated a a mortar-like cement mixture to give a stucco effect."....I am actually lost for words....just a little anxious for the safety of the children in the photo.

This one is the fore runner of those wine glass charms everyone got for christmas 2 or 3 years ago (I actually loved them)....... "you can be sure guests won't pick up the wrong one by giving each guest a peronalized glass marked with his own initials.This is done easily by hand-lettering the initials on the side of the tumbler with a china marking pencil....After the party just remove the initials with soap and water." 

Just think in 1952 this was an 'idea'. I think it goes to show that 'china marking pencils' were a real novelty back then.

This one is titled DECORATED STATIONARY GREETS EVERY SEASON and is encocuraging all  young housewives to marble their paper and envelopes in colours 'in tune with the season'.

There are hundreds of ideas in this treasure of a magazine...too many more to share. What an insight into what life was like...some of the ideas are very sound and make our attempts at reusing and recycling timid and pathetic. 

Louis' band have been getting a few gigs lately and i'm just wondering if I should.......

Back to work tomorrow...might be a good thing!!!!!

book review

Holidays are almost over and head back to term 2, tomorrow. I have had a fantastic break. I didn't go anywhere so actually got a bit done around the place and spent a bit of time in the studio.

Last term I bought some pretty cool books on book making, and have had a chance to have a good look at them:

by Kojiro Ikegami

and Esther K Smith

I love Smith's style - both her layout, the images she uses and the type of books she makes.  She takes the simple books from childhood and gives us permission to use them at the level of artists book.  She has an example of the turkish map fold i used for BAO, (she calls it a pop-up map fold). Some of the other book types she talks about are pocket movies, origami star, shaped pamphlet and, my favourite, cross stitch star book.  Her diagrams are a little hard to follow but you can get them with a little bit of imagination. This book is definitely worth a look.  It took me back to primary school in a grown up sort of way.

Ikegami's book on Japanese book binding is a very different animal. Slick and informative it requires focused ready.  But it is well worth it. If you read the debate on Amanda's site about stab binding you might find it worthwhile to take a look at this book.  It does not try to bring the Japanese binding styles into the 21st century but it doesn't have to. It simply gives clear instructions on things such as four hole binding (kangxi, hemp-leaf, tortoise shell, chinese style, Yamato) Accordon books ledgers, scolls and miltisection book.  

It has very detailed. If you like lots of coloured pictures of examples and varitations of the styles (something i usually do) this is not the book for you. but i appreciated the information that was shared.  It certainly increased the already huge respect I have for stab bound books. Again definitely worth a look.

I am in the process of altering some board books I bought at the op shop last term.  have spent a lot of time gessoing and covering them and am now doing a lot of writing and drawing to fill them. Great fun!

Covered this one with an old butterick dress pattern, one with a old typewriting excercises and another with a maps from a jaranda school atlas.

have also done a couple more stick trees ....

ciao for now!

Stick Trees

Searching for some paper in my studio I came across some drawings I'd done last year.  A series (a very small series on stick trees). I had forgotten how much I'd enjoy drawing them......simple, imaginative, no rules apply....

stick tree

stick tree

stick tree

stick tree

.......I can feel some more stick trees coming on........