Shinzi Katoh's Mushroom & other hobo stories

Its exceedingly difficult for me to stop thinking about mushrooms, big and small, cute or classy. Its 3am here and I'm having trouble sleeping. This hobo keeps staring at me in the face. I hop on over to blogger and start to write....

I have a long standing love with Shinzi Katoh, ever since the Branche print came out, I'm floored. I rushed to grab one of his shorty totes in the Branche print. Sadly, it wasn't to my expectations as the material was a tad lumpy and the construction was a little shoddy. Was it my tote, I wondered. I never did quite use it. It sits in my wardrobe with my collection of not-quite-right bags. How many of us have that problem already? Strangely, my shoes are getting plenty of action. As I get fitter from my gym classes, my heels got higher. I even got semi-drunk on Moet during Sunday night's uncle's 65th birthday dinner. How can I refuse my dear uncle? The Moet was definitely the cherry on top of the ridiculously yummy fudge cake. I have a new addiction because of that. But I digress!

So how did panel hobos come about? 4 scores & 7 years ago(nah, not that long!), I remembered I had a piece of the Safari Dream print fabric lying around. Not big enough for a tote, not right enough for a wallet or anything else. I wanted to do something that would efficiently use the entire piece without wastage. I did a bit of shifting with fabrics and came up with the panel hobo. One of my biggest customer had to have it when shown the picture & snapped it up without waiting for it to run live on etsy. I had the same piece of fabric in about the same size for the Shinzi Katoh prints and thought I could do the same thing coz I seriously loved the panel look. It took some practice to get it perfect & as I worked on it, I fell in love with it and started working on a more of it. A bunch of wonderful people felt the same and couldn't resist them! I was more than happy to hear wonderful things they had to say about the reversibility and the cuteness. Lucky that I had the canvas red gingham on hand for Mushroom & Stroll. They work beautifully together & I'm always over the moon when I see them click like magic.

Of course, people in florspace have a weird tendency to love mushrooms. We eat them, think about them, make them and love them. I think they're awesome! Maybe one day they'll talk!

Mushroom Magic! Yaaaay!

Red & oh-so-brighty
White & very spotty
Staring at me
innocently naughty

Grown in spurts
He is stumpy, she is mighty
They are tall
All so spotty

Watch the feet!
Watch those hands!
I'm a cutie
but not for tummy

The winds gently breeze
Never shy nor lethargic
swaying in the fields of green
Mushroom magic!

Bondi is haunted?

I didn't mean to scare anyone with the title but I had a weird experience in the loo near to Borders at Bondi Junction's Westfield.It wans't particularly late, maybe about 7pm. Westfield is obviously already closed, except Borders that stays open til 10. God bless 'em. We hung around borders reading and downing cocoa. Then it was leaving time coz I was dozing off and DH looked like a vamp. I thought I'd use the loo before we go. DH sat right outside at the couches. I went in, it was quiet. No one seems to be around. I went into the 1st cubicle nearest to the door coz I just wanted to get in and out. So I went in, bent and took some paper to clean the seat as I always do and suddenly incessant banging came from the next cubicle right beside me. it was obviously like someone using both fists and banging on the door and it didn't stop. I freaked out, opened the cubicle door and bolted. But the funny thing was the banging stopped the moment I opened the cubicle door. It felt really funny coz I was certain the next cubicle has no one in it. When I went in, the door was slightly open and the green thing on the door said vacant. Who would keep banging on the loo door? I went out, told DH about it and waited for a while outside but no one came out. Yikes.

I thought about it for a while when I got home but unless I paid another visit, it remains a mystery. Pretty freaky one too. :P

Le Concentrism

This conversation happened 2 days ago (I think. My concept of time is almost missing). Friend and I were shopping.

Friend: You didn't blog about Le Concentrism.
Me: Huh? Whatza?
Friend: Le Concentrism.
Me: What are you talking about? Hey that bag looks cute!
Friend: Yours was more fetching.
Me: Huh? Which one? You wanted something?
Friend: No, I mean you didn't blog about the Concentrism bag, the one with circles.
Me: Oohhhh....that tote. I didn't?

Here it goes.

Once upon a time.... a girl was working in her cute factory and realised she ran out of supplies! Off she went in her red hoodie and wicker basket into the woods and into the city she tread in search of the good stuff for her little factory. She stopped at a little fabric shop after getting the nobs and bobles as she always does and looked with her sharp little eyes for the wonderful things hidden behind bales of duller choices. Without disappointment, she chanced upon something gleaming in the far dark corner of the shop. It was hidden behind larger rolls of fabric that virtually dawrfed her petite frame. Her heart was palpitating with excitement. Could it be the one? The one wonderous fabric that would scream out to her, get me outta here & make me into something! Anything! Make me good! She hopped on one feet hoping to get a better glimpse of whatchamacallit. "Sir, could you help me?" She asked politely. "Of course, little one. Which would you like?" the dear old man answered. She pointed out to the little gleaming spot of orange and red. "Aaahh, that one. Might take a while..." She waited patiently, without expectations as she was used to the disappointment that it might not be anything great. However, this time, it was different coz she had a little gleam of that special feeling right at the bottom of her heart that it might just be something great. Bales and bales of fabric came out, some slinky, some dull, some spotty, some smooth. The old man painstakingly removed the bales and set them aside, all in the unseasonable warmth. Immediately she felt bad for him. Unfortunately the old man wouldn't let her help in consideration of her petite frame, the bales might just topple over her. As he finally reached the last dark navy bale of fabric that covered the One, she held her breath.

It is the One. The one such fabulous fabric that would complete her, at least for that day. It was gleaming among the dark, all that concentric circles in reds and oranges, perfectly combined with whites all on the great decorator weight canvas. As the bale of concentric cirlces was brought closer to her for inspection, she sighed and caress the fabric as if it were silk.

"How many yards would you like?" The old man asked, jolted her concentration. "2 yards, please" she said, without looking up. She was fixated on the circles and was floating into the retroness of it all. The bale was removed and exactly 2 yards was snipped, folded and packed into her basket. She paid and thanked the man. As she was leaving the shop, she turned back and saw the old man putting the bale back into the corner and wondered who would be lucky enough to spot the wonderous behind the masses. She felt sad to leave the rest of the fabric in the shop behind, but happy to be swinging the find of the day in her basket.

And home she went, conjuring infinite possibilities for her new find all through the woods.

(Long ass story, but that pretty much happens everytime. :+)