tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150036812024-03-07T15:51:28.411+11:00kirin notebook - the blog of lara cameronhand screen printed textiles & design, melbourne, australiaLarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.comBlogger642125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-25304968620846195992014-04-16T14:44:00.000+10:002014-04-16T14:44:28.484+10:00Ready and waiting...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Last day in the studio before maternity leave</i><br />
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So, I look pretty happy in this photo, but I tell you what - one week later, now that my due date has come and gone, I'm starting to feel pretty over it! It's one thing to be pregnant and busy busy finishing off everything that needs to be done before bubs arrives, and another thing entirely to be finally ready, waiting and realising that I have absolutely no control whatsoever on when this baby will come out! And being someone who strives for predictability in all areas of her life... ha! Yes yes I know that this is *just* the beginning and I can expect pretty much zero predictability for the rest of my life... better start getting used to it.<br />
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Anyway here's some things that have been happening over the last little while...<br />
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<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7191/13886897843_b397645911_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Hanging mobile in progress - timber birds fresh from the lasercutters</i><br />
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<i>Hanging mobile in progress - painting the birds and sticking on their wings</i><br />
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<i>The beginnings of a new print inspired by Bracken fronds I collected on a walk</i><br />
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<img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5496/13886833735_d8ffe323a8_c.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i>The <a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com/products/bracken-in-stream">Bracken</a> print come to life! I had a great time designing this and love that it works as an inverse print - with the background printed in the ink colour instead of the leaves.</i><br />
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<img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5289/13886908593_eee649fe18_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com/products/bracken-in-turmeric">Bracken printed in Turmeric</a> - one of my favourite colours :)</i><br />
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<i>More cuteness by talented friends - this blanket and elephant hand knitted by Dave's super talented workmate <a href="http://ophelielechat.com/">Ophelie</a></i><br />
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So, hopefully next time I post it'll be a picture of a cute little person who's finally decided to greet the world. Wish me luck! xx<br />
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Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-11235205644238140272014-03-02T17:08:00.000+11:002014-03-03T11:43:58.024+11:00Growing a small person - 34 weeks and counting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>My bump AKA food shelf, useful for when snacks are outside of reaching distance...</i><br />
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It's been an interesting time to be pregnant. 2013 was full on, with plenty of other things to be focussing on which I think for the most part has been a blessing. I don't think it's healthy to have not much else to think about than being pregnant, with an epic spread of google-able symptoms and contradictory advice a mere keystroke away!<br />
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Apart from Dave's major surgery, our wedding, honeymoon and moving house twice (darn landlord wanted to move back in!), 2013 also saw some epic changes over at <a href="http://inkandspindle.com/">I&S</a>. If you're not up to speed with the news, Teegs made the massive & difficult decision to leave the business to pursue other adventures. The timing wasn't ideal, but when things just don't feel right anymore you just have to follow your heart; after all I'm embarking on new life adventures of my own! So 2013 saw us commence the epic process of finding someone to take over her role and half of the business.<br />
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Fortunately the timing happened to be perfect for Caitlin (AKA <a href="http://www.pippijoe.bigcartel.com/">Pippijoe</a>) who was looking to get back into her textile design work after growing & raising three small people of her own! Read her "hello" post over <a href="http://inkandspindle.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/and-beginning-of-new-one.html">on the I&S blog</a> :)<br />
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<i>Me, the bump and Caitlin (and our textiles happily joining each other in the studio)</i><br />
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The last month or so has involved lots of business handover and training stuff, which has been going great. It's such a relief to be able to finally relax and know that everything has turned out fine, that the future of I&S is in good hands and that I can go off and focus on being a mum for a bit! I don't think I'll be away from the studio completely for too long, but at this stage I have no idea :)<br />
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Here's a few cute baby related things that I've been enjoying of late:<br />
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<i>Decking out the nursery</i><br />
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The up-shot of moving house is that we ended up in a place with more space, including the luxury of a dedicated baby-room. I bought the cot second-hand from Cintia @ <a href="http://mypoppet.com.au/">My Poppet</a>, the rug from our mates at <a href="http://armadillo-co.com/">Armadillo & Co</a>, but everything else - the prints and cute softies etc - I had already collected over the years from talented friends or made as samples for work.<br />
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<i>Hand knitted cardi by Leisl AKA <a href="http://jorth.blogspot.com.au/">Jorth</a></i><br />
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I'm also feeling very lucky to have such talented and patient friends! How cute is this tiny hand knitted kimono wrap cardi from Leisl!<br />
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<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/12871073464_25e0564424_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>I&S remnant quilt by <a href="http://www.sjmakesquilts.com/2014/03/laras-ink-spindle-quilt.html">S-J</a></i><br />
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This quilt was a recent totally unexpected but awesome baby shower gift. My sis-in-law commissioned her friend (and long term I&S fan) S-J to make this quilt for our little one using offcuts and pieces of our fabric that S-J has collected over the years. So incredibly special. It's like a trip down memory lane and I love it. I'm sure the little one will too! More pics <a href="http://www.sjmakesquilts.com/2014/03/laras-ink-spindle-quilt.html">on S-J's blog</a>.<br />
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xx</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-33949092547519926282014-02-17T14:01:00.003+11:002014-02-17T14:01:58.974+11:00Tassie Honeymoon & The Agrarian Kitchen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello!<br />
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In the spirit of blogging about things a few months after they've happened, here's a few pics of our recent honeymoon! Dave & I chose Tassie as our destination, mostly because we didn't want a cookie cutter resort/beach/cocktails & lounging around kind of honeymoon. We wanted to go somewhere inspiring, with artisan produce and small producers and nice scenery when driving around.<br />
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Here's some pics!<br />
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<i>I'm always a sucker for a good chairlift - Cataract Gorge</i><br />
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<i>Lovely peacocks wandering around the gardens at Cataract Gorge</i><br />
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<i>Bruny Island - The Neck, between North and South Bruny</i><br />
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<i>236 steps up to the lookout, not easy carrying a small person, had to stop quite a few times!</i><br />
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<i><a href="http://nant.com.au/">Nant Distillery</a> - no whisky for me but I loved this place! Built in the 1820's it used to be a flour mill, complete with 14km of convict dug water channel! It's been restored and is still functioning, with a water mill that grinds the barley.</i><br />
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The highlight of our trip however was most definitely our trip to <a href="http://www.theagrariankitchen.com/">The Agrarian Kitchen</a>. Highly, highly recommend! It was such a lovely, inspiring and educational day! And we got to eat so much delicious food. Win win win.<br />
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<i>Chef/teacher/owner Rodney Dunn takes us on a tour of his garden, replete with all sorts of new herbs and plants I'd never heard of before. Like Lovage and Winter Savoury and Purslane!</i><br />
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<i>We all had a go at milking the friendly resident goats. Dave only drinks goat's milk (cow dairy is not so great for Crohn's), so of course I started dreaming of having our own some day...</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3669/12577221063_e3257128a7_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Harvesting from the polytunnel for the day's menu</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2851/12577124575_2f02bc86af_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>The most beautiful & well equipped kitchen classroom ever</i><br />
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<i>Produce from the garden that we'd harvested and would use for the day's cooking</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/12577246193_65ac328de6_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Plating up the entree - featuring local quail eggs and salmon cured in their smokehouse. Pregnancy aside, I was definitely not going to pass up on that!</i><br />
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<i>Beautiful trifle dessert with berries from the garden</i><br />
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xx Lara</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-58779420342697487182014-01-26T20:08:00.001+11:002014-01-26T20:17:01.215+11:00Wedding pics!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So, it's only been a mere 2 months (!) since our wedding and I'm finally getting around to sharing some pics with you! And what an epic two months it has been; the usual pre-xmas craziness at work, xmas itself, moving house, a honeymoon, some big changes at I&S (more on that soon!), all whilst growing a small girl-child inside me. FULL ON.<br />
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Anyway back to the wedding! From the 400 odd shots that the very awesome <a href="http://hellokateberry.com/">Kate Berry</a> sent to me, I had a LOT of trouble narrowing them down! Below is my <i>very</i> limited selection of favourites. Fortunately there's a bunch of pics over <a href="http://hellokateberry.com/lara-dave/">on Kate's blog</a> if you'd like to see more!<br />
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It started with a wonderful morning getting ready at home with my favourite girls...<br />
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<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/12147302684_5f4633d495_o.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
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<i><span style="color: #666666;">Hair & makeup by Dana & Poppy from <a href="http://kennyandthesunshinegirls.com.au/">Kenny & The Sunshine Girls</a>, native bouquets by <a href="http://knaveofdiamonds.blogspot.com.au/p/about.html">Brianna Read</a>, bridesmaid's dresses made in the I&S studio by Teegs, bridal gown by <a href="http://gwendolynne.com.au/">Gwendolynne</a>, vintage glomesh a $3 score at the <a href="http://www.ceres.org.au/">Ceres</a> flea market :)</span></i><br />
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Meanwhile over at the <a href="http://www.ceres.org.au/">Ceres</a> Village Green a crowd is gathering and a groom is doing a fine impression of keeping his cool...<br />
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Then there was the ceremony! (<a href="http://www.jasonmccheyne.com/">Jason</a>, our celebrant was awesome, highly recommend!)<br />
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After being showered with rose petals (possibly my favourite moment of the day!), we wandered off into the little garden laneways of Ceres for some pics with our awesome photographer <a href="http://hellokateberry.com/">Kate Berry</a>. Some climbing of locked gates may have been involved...<br />
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After the photos we made our way back up the hill to <a href="http://www.ceres.org.au/venue-hire/TheMerri.html">The Merri Table</a> to celebrate with all our loved ones over an awesome buffet of organic & local food. The weather was perfect, the setting was beautiful and everyone had a great time. What more could we have ask for?<br />
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What an awesome day. xx<br />
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Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-55861185453298397962013-12-02T18:29:00.001+11:002013-12-02T18:37:22.210+11:00Getting hitched - the making of!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>My gorgeous new husband (ha!) Dave and I, freshly married @ CERES. Photo by <a href="http://hellokateberry.com/">Kate Berry</a></i></div>
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Wow. What an absolutely spectacular day. I'm a little bit shell-shocked to be honest. I've never been one to imagine that I would put so much into one single day, and for the most part I've felt pretty relaxed about it all... but when you consider just how much time and combined effort and energy went in to the lead up to this event, it makes sense that right now I just feel emotionally & physically spent. But it was so, <i>so</i> worth it.<br />
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To do the day justice I'm going to wait till the photos come through from the ever talented and lovely <a href="http://hellokateberry.com/">Kate Berry</a>, all we have for now is the teaser above :) In the meantime however, here are some pics of just some of the work that went into making this very special day happen. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such talented people who generously contributed their time and talents to make the day what it was...<br />
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<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/11167700973_e9e12403e7_c.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i>Papercut gumleaves</i><br />
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It all started with this papercut pattern - a strip of gumleaves that I designed and papercut on my <a href="http://knkusa.com/shop/knk-zing/">cutting machine</a> (bought pretty much for this purpose but justified as a work expense because it also cuts signage!). This pattern formed the basis for the invites, decorations and even the cake...<br />
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<i>Cones for rose petals, ready to be filled</i><br />
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<i>Gumleaf design cut out of icing (!!) and placed around a cake made by <a href="http://nikkishell.typepad.com/">Nikkishell</a> and her secret pastry chef talents! </i><br />
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The next epic task was the bridesmaids' dresses. Because I was a bit fixated on some sort of mint/teal/aqua kind of colour scheme, and because there was nothing decent to speak of in these colours on the rack, Teegs bravely put her hand up for the task. A task that became more epic than either of us imagined, with the chosen pattern involving two layers of silk and one layer of chiffon. And if you've ever sewn with silk... well then I don't need to go on. Let me just say that woman has talent and endurance in equal measure.<br />
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<i>Teegs cutting out pattern pieces...</i><br />
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<i>Epic hemming...</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/11167360213_b20b5ac70c_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>The lovely <a href="http://www.simplyphoebe.com.au/">Phoebe</a> joined us for the last two days to help with some hand stitching</i><br />
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<i>Of course we needed some silk ties to match for the groomsmen - I made these and astounded myself with the fact that they actually turned out looking like real ties!</i><br />
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<i>A little leftover of the silk was printed in our Leuca design...</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2850/11167228674_e52c98ac94_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>...and made into 100 bomboniere filled with blue sugared almonds!</i><br />
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Continuing the theme of multi talented studio buddies (also wait till you see the rings made by <a href="http://abbyseymour.com/">Abby Seymour</a>!) here's a sneak peek of some of the floral work put together by the exceptionally talented <a href="http://knaveofdiamonds.blogspot.com.au/p/about.html">Brianna Read</a>, who should most definitely quit her day job...<br />
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<i>Corsages and boutonniere by <a href="http://knaveofdiamonds.blogspot.com.au/p/about.html">Brianna Read</a></i><br />
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I can't wait to show you more photos. It was a day I'm going to treasure in my memory for years to come...<br />
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xx</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-51681397061256720552013-11-17T19:08:00.002+11:002013-11-17T19:11:23.119+11:00Big changes over at Ink & Spindle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Our beloved Ink & Spindle studio - want to work here?</i><br />
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It'd be a bit of an understatement to say that life is a little bit full on right now.<br />
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I'm 19 weeks pregnant, getting married in 2 weeks, PLUS my landlord just gave us notice that they'd like to move back in to the gorgeous house we've made our home (<i>great</i> timing), PLUS there's some <a href="http://inkandspindle.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/ink-spindle-needs-you.html">major changes</a> happening over at I&S!<br />
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If you haven't heard the news already, Ink & Spindle is looking for a new business partner! More details <a href="http://inkandspindle.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/ink-spindle-needs-you.html">over here</a>, but in essence Teegs has made the big and difficult decision to move back up north to where she feels her true home and future lie. It's a decision that's been a long time coming and basically needs to happen now whilst I'm still able to handle a major transition (before my hands are full of baby etc!).<br />
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We've already been pretty overwhelmed with the response so far, so I'm feeling confident that we'll find the right person. We've worked so hard over the last 5 years to build our business to where it is, but I'm looking forward to finding someone who can put a bit of themselves and new energy into the business. It's not a huge money maker by any means but I feel like what we've built is so unique and so full of opportunity. Plus it's a lovely place to work :)<br />
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If you like the sound of that and are ready for a big commitment, drop us an email!<br />
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xx</div>
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Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-79901502733995276362013-10-20T09:56:00.002+11:002013-10-20T09:56:44.648+11:00turning 5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7391/10369231784_abaa2c095a_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
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Turning 5. Now there's a little bit of a big deal. Half a decade of running our beloved little textile studio, helping it slowly evolve into something that we can be truly proud of. I wouldn't say "growing" because to be truthful there hasn't been a whole lot of growth. Economy aside we've never wanted it to become some big unyeildy thing. More importantly the last 5 years have been about doing what we do better and better. Better practices, better processes, better basecloths, better designs.<br />
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I'm the type of person that needs things to feel streamlined and organised before I feel ready to tackle new things. And it feels like I&S is really getting to that stage where everything makes sense and is there for a reason. Sometimes I imagine the way our business moves being like a little inchworm - it reaches forward a bit, pauses, contracts, then reaches forward again. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next "reach forward" stage will look like.<br />
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I was off work sick with a nasty cold the other week (cold + pregnancy = ugh!) when I realised we urgently needed to make a poster to promote our upcoming birthday/open studio (which has already been and gone, sorry!). I had some beautiful gifted native bouquets in the house and big piece of paper. A bit of careful rearranging later and #5 came alive. It was the most fun I'd had in months!<br />
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<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/10369229214_36c4236bd7_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Snipping and arranging stems on the coffee table</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5509/10369227484_8daa96657b_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>A handy window spot and an overcast day made for easy photographing</i><br />
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xx Lara.</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-31084788687122039322013-10-20T09:38:00.000+11:002013-10-20T09:38:32.594+11:00A little bit of big news<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been over three months since my last post. That's gotta be a new record. But this time I have a pretty good excuse:<br />
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<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/10369225775_c7ed01c490_b.jpg" width="550px" />
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Say hello to the tiny person growing in my belly!<br />
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Whew! It's been a fairly trying few months that's for sure, though I think I've had it a lot easier than most people. A bit of morning sickness but no vomiting, lots of feeling extremely tired in the afternoons and falling asleep at about 8:30pm. No exciting food cravings (not sure if Laughing Cow Cheese counts; I've always had the capacity to eat a whole wheel of that) but lots of food aversions and a lot of difficulty cooking or thinking about food. The worst has been the indigestion and having to avoid some of my favourite foods - tomato, citrus, chocolate (!!) and even onions. Add a gluten free diet on top of that and it does make eating times a little tricky! Thank god for avocados (especially delivered ones from <a href="http://www.barhamavocados.com.au/">Barham Avocados</a> - they're the best!).<br />
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That all said, we're 15 weeks along now and starting to feel more human again. It's been exciting to finally share the news. And I've also finally had some energy to plan our rather impending wedding (got a shotgun, anyone?). Only 6 weeks away now and getting excited, looking forward to sharing more about that and all the lovely creative people involved in putting it all together!<br />
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Talk about knocking a whole bunch of life milestones on the head all at once. Feel like a walking cliche ;)<br />
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Stay tuned for a bit of a blog-post-backlog, i.e. all the things I would have blogged about over the last 3 months if I'd had the energy!<br />
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xx</div>
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Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-51214773538883854322013-07-06T18:17:00.002+10:002013-07-06T18:19:38.425+10:00Blogging and big botanical prints<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My first post in two months. Not for lack of things going on, as always the opposite is true! Life's been throwing curve balls again and although in some ways the last month or so has been quite challenging and sucky it's also had it's fair share of good stuff so I can't really complain. My little garden is going well, wedding plans are in the works, I&S has a new website on the brink of launch and we're exhibiting at <a href="http://www.designmadetrade.com.au/">Design Made Trade</a> in 1.5 weeks. All fun stuff.<br />
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I also FINALLY got to launch some new designs! We were holding off launching them till the website was ready but my patience ran out. I've reblogged some pictures/text below from the Ink & Spindle blog, hope you like :)</div>
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<img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/9188609249_92d8fc5a64_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com.au/products/waratah-in-coal-snow" target="_blank">Waratah in Coal & Snow</a> - photo by <a href="http://www.seanfennessy.com.au/" target="_blank">Sean </a></i><span style="color: #0000ee;"><i><u>Fens'</u></i></span><br />
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Introducing two new & rather large prints - <a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com.au/search?q=waratah" target="_blank">Waratah</a> and <a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com.au/search?q=Silver+Gum" target="_blank">Silver Gum</a>!<br />
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<b>WARATAH</b><br />
<i>"Inspired by the beautiful, unique Tasmania variety of Waratah, this print was originally carved and printed from a lino block, retaining all the beautiful and irregular textures of lino printing."</i><br />
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I designed Waratah late last year, inspired after a trip to the spectacular <a href="http://www.vic.gov.au/event/2012/09/capturing-flora-300-years-of-australian-botanical-art.html" target="_blank">Capturing Flora</a> exhibition in Ballarat. I knew that I wanted to firstly develop a lino print and capture the beautiful texture of that medium in a screen print. The carving was done over one rather warm weekend down at Fairhaven, perfect weather to soften the lino!<br />
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<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5532/9191232992_79d5ce503d_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Waratah - original line drawing & carving the lino</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2852/9191232726_1b5aab8e3f_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Waratah - lino carving almost complete and made easier with <a href="http://abbyseymour.com/" target="_blank">Abby's</a> fancy Japanese carving tools</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5503/9188438635_4f7e8a2262_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>The final lino print. This was scanned and doubled in size before being turned into a repeat</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2859/9191247582_e06f472da7_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>The final result! </i><i><a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com.au/products/waratah-in-coal-snow" target="_blank">Waratah in Coal & Snow</a></i><br />
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<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/9188449227_55f86bdea7_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com.au/products/waratah-in-turneric-snow" target="_blank">Waratah in Turmeric & Snow</a></i><br />
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<b>SILVER GUM</b><br />
<i>"Silver Gum came to life one morning during a bicycle ride to work through Royal Park. Enamoured by the leaf forms, Lara picked these almost-flowering stems and popped them in her pannier for photographing later in the back yard. Both colours in this design are printed from a single screen – the second colour is printed with the screen rotated 180 degrees."</i><br />
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Silver Gum is another one of those designs that spent a lot of time brewing in the back of my mind before finally coming to life. The tricky bit was finding the perfect shaped leaf, but once that happened the rest of the process was fairly straightforward. I can't wait to see this print turned into some gorgeous curtains or upholstery.<br />
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<img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/9191231046_8fa3eeac3d_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Silver Gum - laying out stems for photographing</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2859/9191241890_5722d0131a_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>The final result - <a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com.au/products/silver-gum-in-eucalyptus-moss" target="_blank">Silver Gum in Eucalyptus & Moss</a></i><br />
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<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5506/9191251456_d8f88e4cc6_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><a href="http://shop.inkandspindle.com.au/products/silver-gum-in-almond-snow" target="_blank">Silver Gum in Almond & Snow</a></i><br />
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xx Lara.</div>
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Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-8260171611066594522013-05-05T14:00:00.003+10:002013-05-05T14:06:19.306+10:00I like these things...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There's a few things I'm quite liking at the moment...<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8411/8709512486_774b77dc00_c.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i><a href="http://au.whogivesacrap.org/">Who Gives a Crap</a> toilet paper</i><br />
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This ethical, 100% recycled loo roll is produced by the guys at <a href="http://au.whogivesacrap.org/">Who Gives a Crap</a> - a Melbourne based startup who crowdfunded their first production run and donate 50% of their profits to <a href="http://www.wateraid.org/">WaterAid</a>. I also appreciate their attention to fine packaging! 24 rolls of this sexy toiler paper were delivered to our door at home and I reckon they're perfect for most workplaces too. I highly recommend getting some for home or encouraging your boss to get some for work!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8265/8709512708_ff8c238cb6_c.jpg" width="550px" />
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<a href="http://shop.abc.net.au/products/mr-wilkinsons-favourite-vegetables"><i>Mr Wilkinson's Favourite Vegetables</i></a><br />
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Really enjoying this recipe book at the mo. Especially because it was written by a chef who's cafe, bar & produce store are literally around the corner from our house. We've got into a habit of doing our Saturday morning veggie shopping at Ceres (I know, I've turned into a Northside cliche) and then popping by Matt's new <a href="http://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/food-and-drink/article/church-hams-bacon">produce store</a> for extra bits and bobs and ethical meats. Local food + local recipes = win.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8263/8709512100_76c47ece6e_c.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i>Veggie garden progress - pak choi, carrots, broccoli and struggling silverbeet</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8129/8709512316_a3196be898_c.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i>Little kale</i><br />
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After a fair amount of false starts and trial & error my veggie garden is starting to resemble something that's vaguely productive! Not sure how it's all going to go but at least I'll be able to eat that pak choi sometime soon! I'm also happy about the fact that I grew them all from seed. For some reason it didn't seem right to grow from seedlings, I wanted to give this a go from scratch, I guess to prove to myself that I can.<br />
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xx Lara.<br />
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Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-14226048301417014872013-04-17T10:14:00.000+10:002013-04-17T10:14:44.788+10:00It's not your right to have a perfect life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Over the last week I feel like there's been a common theme in a lot of conversations I've had and things I've read. And it's this:<br />
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It's not your right to have a perfect life.<br />
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It's not your right to have the perfect home. It's not your right to have the perfect job (one that satisfies you completely and is free of conflict with your workmates or boss). It's not your right to have the most fantastic holidays, adventures & experiences. It's not your right to have a life that's completely free of hardship, health woes, unexpected hurdles or relationship ups and downs.<br />
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The internet will tell you this is what you deserve (and what everyone else has) but it's bullshit.<br />
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In fact it is a privilege to have what you <i>do</i> have. A decent roof over your head, the ability to sit down at the dinner table with your partner or family or friends and eat a decent, healthy meal. A job that pays the bills, that keeps you satisfied and interested (but doesn't have to be your whole world and identity). If you're a creative, it's a privilege that you have the facilities to create your art, to <i>any</i> degree, whether it pays the bills or is just a hobby. Making money from your creativity is extremely challenging and rarely what you imagine it to be. If you want to make an income (even an modest one) there's always a sacrifice. That's why I come to work and push the squeegee back and forth, wash screens, send emails, cut and pack fabric every day. NOT design fabric (that's a rare and special moment when it does happen!).<br />
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The internet is great for fostering a false sense of community and closeness, but it's shit at fostering real closeness. Real closeness comes from sharing the shit stuff. Sitting down with a friend and talking about your tough relationship situations or the health of a loved one. Having coffee with a fellow business owner and talking about those behind-the-scenes challenges of managing staff, expectations and cash-flow that nobody ever sees.<br />
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How can I espouse all this when often I'm one of the perpetrators in this situation? Showing photos of pretty homes (mine and others) adorned with our textiles, hopefully inspiring you to do the same? I guess my justification is this - I still want my friends and customers to be conscious consumers. People who will buy one or two nice things that are meaningful and have ethical standards, rather than a tonne of mass produced bullshit that will fall apart or fall out of trend in less than a year. It is a privilege to be able to buy ethical, locally made fabric for curtains/upholstery/cushions and I feel privileged every time someone chooses one of our textiles for that purpose.<br />
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The tricky thing about the internet is that it's a great place for sharing. I love sharing things that move me, excite me, that I think others will find interesting/valuable/inspiring. But I'm not going to share all the shit things that go down because (and maybe this is just my hang up) I feel like it comes across as sympathy-soliciting whinging that reeks of unappreciation for all the good I <i>do</i> have. I'm sure many others feel the same, which is why we really need to take everything we see (especially on Facebook and design blogs) with a pinch of salt.<br />
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I find I keep chewing over this topic in various ways (like <a href="http://kirinote.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/2013-new-perspective.html">here</a>, <a href="http://kirinote.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/interior-values.html">here</a> and <a href="http://kirinote.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/behind-lens.html">here</a>) because each year it seems to get more and more relevant and intriguing. It's not cut and dry. But if I was to summarise my thoughts right now into a single sentence it's this:<br />
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<b><i>Take everything you see with a pinch of salt, be a conscious consumer, take enjoyment from the small things in life.</i></b><br />
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And on that topic, here are some special things from the last week that I very much appreciate:<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8118/8655678939_e76a681712_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>VERY locally grown eggplants - a visit to the new Pope Joan food store saw us leaving with a bag full of produce for one of <a href="http://shop.abc.net.au/products/mr-wilkinsons-favourite-vegetables">Matt Wilkinson's recipes</a> plus these eggplants picked straight from the garden on our behalf! How special did we feel! Plus they were delicious.</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8655678799_45270431c4_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Since the start of the year I've felt about as creatively as a rock. Now that life is returning to normal I'm starting to feel a little inspired again. Over the weekend I started working on a new print (like I said, a <b>rare</b> occurrence!). Hopefully it'll make it's way onto textiles if I can turn the idea in my head into reality!</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8115/8655678645_8e44f507e9_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>New (and much needed) curtains for the bedroom - one of the perks of our job which I feel very grateful for! I'd like curtains to make a comeback. They are about a gazillion times more energy efficient than their fashionable cousin the roman blind. But curtains can be sexy too!</i><br />
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<b>Some good reads:</b><br />
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<i>- <a href="http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tech/stop-instagramming-your-perfect-life">Stop Instagramming your perfect life</a></i><br />
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- <a href="http://theconversation.com/forget-fast-food-slow-down-for-better-well-being-11750"><i>Forget fast foods, slow down for better well-being</i></a><br />
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- <i><a href="http://theconversation.com/food-and-nutrition-absent-from-draft-national-curriculum-12978">The importance of teaching kids about food in schools</a></i><br />
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xx Lara.</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-14587070891245557132013-04-07T11:38:00.003+10:002013-04-07T11:42:00.118+10:00Returning to normal programming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What a tough couple of weeks! Dave's surgery went really well, thank god, and we're both so glad to be finally out the other side. In the last week in particular it feels like a fog has been lifted. Life feels like it's slowly returning to "normal" and we're able to do and think about things we haven't been able to for months. Simple, little things that previously I would have taken for granted; being able to go for walks, being able to cook and sit together eating the same food, being able to go out for dinner, being able to socialise. I feel so so so appreciative of each day that starts to resemble something more like regular life.<br />
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It's also been nice to be able to feel a little inspired and creative again, see the world through a different lens. Here's a little snapshot via Instagram...<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8626493000_dcb3bd760f_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
Pincushion Hakea in bloom - we spent Easter down at Fairhaven with my folks and my brother's little family, which was really, really lovely. This Hakea grows just outside the front door.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8542/8625385079_890955c4c0_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
The path down to Fairhaven beach is always littered with interesting things; dry bracken, acacia & bottlebrush pods ... I love all the textures.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8389/8625385249_b213f6d99f_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
Little bok choy! My planted seeds have all of a sudden started to sprout! I had a few false starts (mostly thanks to that crazy heat wave) but now I've got lots of little veggie seedlings on the way. I just need to figure out how to fend off whatever has been munching them; sometimes little holes, sometimes entire leaves will be missing. Hmmm...<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8404/8626493670_ce0d3020f9_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
It's also been great to get back into the routine of visiting the Ceres organic market on Saturday mornings. This weekend we treated ourselves to some of the <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/760211/restaurant/Melbourne/Black-Ruby-Carlton-North">best gluten free bread I've ever tasted</a> and some amazing raw honey.<br />
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Thank you everyone who left really lovely comments and suggestions on my previous post - every one was very much appreciated! xx</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-71501314770883973352013-03-14T22:21:00.000+11:002013-03-14T22:26:45.685+11:00Hate ya guts.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tonight (and for the next 7 nights or so) I'll be sleeping at home on my own whilst the man I love sleeps in a luxury $800 a night twin share down the road.<br />
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Not quite.<br />
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Before I met Dave I didn't really know anything about Crohn's Disease, but for the last few months barely a day has passed in which it hasn't been the main topic of conversation. You see Dave's Crohn's is particularly severe, and if you know anything about Crohn's you know that it's an unpredictable beast, affecting different individuals in different ways with no sure fire answers as to how to best treat it. The last year or so has seen a steady decline in his health; in short he's had a pretty shit time of it (pun most definitely intended).<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8557251596_cf81c6fe6d_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;">Dave doing his thing - To & Fro, Sunday nights on 3RRR</span></i><br />
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We've done a lot of research, <i>oh</i> have we done research - endless scrolling and turning of pages, seeking advice from all sorts of traditional and non-traditional practicioners - and although we've gained <i>so</i> much wisdom (hence my particular interest in food/diet at the moment), unfortunately as things stand right now the only way forward is surgery. Tomorrow morning a specialist surgeon is going to cut him open right down the middle and remove a section of his small intestine that's become so scarred and strictured barely any food is able to get through.<br />
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We're both pretty upset that it's come to this point, especially since this will be the third time Dave has been through this over the last 14 years. <i>But,</i> we're both feeling confident that with some positive dietary changes we can master this beast. That's all we can do right now; have optimism for the future and try to be as proactive as possible.<br />
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As I like to say from time to time: 'I love you to bits, but I hate ya guts' (and I'd really much prefer to keep him all in one piece).<br />
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I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that tomorrow all goes smoothly.<br />
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xx</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-51055786973111513662013-03-12T09:47:00.002+11:002013-03-12T09:49:54.607+11:00A trip to Taranaki Farm<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you're one of those fools who doesn't believe in global warming (which I'm sure you're not, if you're visiting this blog) then try living and working without air-conditioning over the last couple of weeks. The last few days been particularly exhausting; riding my bike in the heat from one rather warm house to one very warm workplace. I'm not surprised to hear research suggesting that recent increases in heat and humidity have <a href="http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671962/bad-news-global-warming-is-smothering-our-productivity">lowered human productivity by 10%</a>!<br />
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The long weekend saw <a href="http://www.toandfro.com.au/">Dave</a> and I escaping the blistering heat of Melbourne for a couple of nights in the central highlands, with one very pertinent stop-off along the way -<a href="http://www.taranakifarm.com.au/"> Taranaki Farm</a>. What a bloody inspiring experience that was. If you have any interest in ethical food production (or even if you choose to keep your head in the sand about these things... actually ESPECIALLY you) then I highly recommend a trip to <a href="http://www.taranakifarm.com.au/">Taranaki Farm</a> for one of their farm tours. For several hours farmer Ben Falloon lead us around his property as he eloquently and liberally shared details of their farming practices. Truly revolutionary, unconventional farming.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8240/8550334468_2154d280aa_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;">Taranaki Farm Tour with farmer Ben Falloon</span></i><br />
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Ben has drawn a lot of his ideas and techniques from Joel Salatin's <a href="http://www.polyfacefarms.com/">Polyface Farm</a> in the US (which you might have seen on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0">Food Inc</a>) which I think is fantastic in itself - farmers around the world helping other farmers operate in an ethical and sustainable manner. All we need now is more farmers doing the same thing!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8233/8550334792_7fe49562c8_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;">A happy wallower at Taranaki Farm - I swear she was showing off to us: "check out my wallow and how much fun I'm having, it's AWESOME".</span></i><br />
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There's definitely plenty of valid arguments to suggest that we shouldn't be eating meat at all, but I believe if you give people a choice between unethically farmed meat and no meat at all, the uneducated masses will just choose unethical meat. I believe it's important to bridge the gap between the undiscerning omnivore and the vegetarian; get people consuming less animal products, but ensure whatever they do eat is farmed in an ethical, sustainable and considered manner.<!------><!------><br />
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<b>Further reading (and viewing!)</b><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxTfQpv8xGA">Polyface Farm [4 minute video]</a> - Meet Joel and Daniel Salatin, the father-son team at Polyface farm. </i><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/18/halve-meat-consumption-scientists">Halve meat consumption, scientists urge rich world</a> - it's not that hard.</i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-43961427137582669832013-03-03T18:10:00.000+11:002013-03-03T18:13:30.248+11:00Figuring out food...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Food is a bit of a thing around our place at the moment. I wish I could say it's been in a good way (full of exciting cooking adventures and inspirational meals) but instead it's been in a tricky, restrictive, difficult-to-manage kind of way.<br />
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Both Dave and I have recently made some pretty big changes to our diets for various health reasons (more on that later!). Dairy is out. Gluten is out. Along with caffeine, alcohol, red meat… I'll spare you the extended list of all the things Dave can't eat right now, but suffice to say it's been tough.<br />
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Every now and then I slip up (cheese is very hard to resist, and gluten is a challenge when all sorts of delicious baked goods pass through our studio doors) but more often than not I really feel it - and regret it - when I do. It's amazing how once you take a bunch of stuff out of your diet you become so much more aware of the discomfort caused by those certain foods. Was that always the case? Did I just not notice? Was I attributing those symptoms to something else?<br />
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I also find it interesting how, once you have eliminated some of those big items from your diet (dairy, gluten, red meat) it becomes a lot easier to start thinking about eating ethically. It's not a far stretch to go from where we are now to eating only ethically farmed and/or organic produce.<br />
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On the home garden front, things seem to be progressing, although I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing:<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8506/8523820286_cbee45dc46_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Broccoli sprouts - possibly a failed attempt</i><br />
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I sprouted some broccoli seeds in punnets as they said to do, but realised maybe a bit too late that I should have thinned out the sprouts early on so there was just one in each compartment. Now they're long and spindly and looking more like microgreens than something that will actually grow into a plant. I'm going to wait and see, but in the meantime start a new punnet with fresh seeds and see what happens.<br />
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In other developments, my new worm farm arrived!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8385/8522706855_abc94f2dea_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
Worm farm from <a href="http://www.ecoflo.net.au/">Ecoflo</a><br />
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I'm really excited to have a worm farm again, and this time I'm trying a different style. This one doesn't have the same sort of rotating trays structure of most worm farms, you just feed from the top and take from the bottom via the hatch or tap. Worm farms don't smell, so I've got this one sitting in a corner of our kitchen within easy reach.<br />
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<b>Some interesting reading...</b><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.ceres.org.au/farmandfood/urbanorchard.html">Urban Orchard</a> - I love this concept! Grow something? Got too much of it? Take it to the Urban Orchard table at Ceres and swap it for something else. I cheated and took some of the back-laneway-figs, and picked up a Zucchini (of course) in return.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2013/02/chef-pete-evans-goes-wheat-free/">Wheat Belly</a> - Some veeeery interesting insights into modern wheat and why it's making us feel crap (scroll down to the bit titled "WHEAT: UNhealthy Whole Grain")</i><br />
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<i><a href="http://theconversation.edu.au/acccs-inquiry-into-supermarket-bullying-misses-the-real-issue-of-duopoly-power-12247">Supermarket Bullying & Duopoly Power</a> - if you're still shopping at Coles and Woolies, read this!</i><br />
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<i><a href="http://getgoodgoods.myshopify.com/">Who Gives A Crap</a> - ethical toilet paper by some awesome Melbourne guys! Pre-order now :)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
xx Lara.<br />
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Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-54422541086718873472013-02-24T21:33:00.002+11:002013-02-24T21:35:37.047+11:00beginnings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So, I've had a pretty fun and productive couple of weeks since my post about <a href="http://kirinote.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/2013-new-perspective.html">a new perspective</a>. First things first, I found this shipping crate posing as a raised garden bed on eBay:<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8102/8502148103_303afcce59_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;">Raised garden bed from eBay, <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160977603482#ht_828wt_1348">here</a>.</span></i><br />
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It was only $40 plus delivery which I thought was pretty good for 1 square metre's worth of garden-bed goodness! Whilst I was waiting for it to arrive I gathered some inspirational reading material:<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8503253314_161709475e_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;">Inspirational reading - The Little Veggie Patch Co & Animal, Vegetable Miracle</span></i><br />
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Since I am a complete noob when it comes to veggie gardening I've done a LOT of reading. <a href="http://littleveggiepatchco.com.au/">The Little Veggie Patch Co</a> book has been great, but I did a whole lot of googling as well. How to make a no dig garden, what I should plant, when I should plant it, what I shouldn't plant it next to and what I should. Etc etc etc. It was all a little overwhelming so I made myself a little chart and plotted out planting/harvest times and compatibilities for all the things I was interested in growing. Yes that's a bit nerdy but that's the way I roll. I found the <a href="http://www.gardenate.com/">Gardenate</a> website (despite being rather hokey in design) quite useful in summarising all that info in an easy to digest format.<br />
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Once the garden bed arrived it was time for a visit to Ceres to get all the necessary ingredients for a no-dig garden. It was rather epic trying to get all this stuff into the car. Due to poor planning I ended up with the cow manure sitting on the front passenger seat and a boot strewn with debris from my desperate attempts to wedge a straw bale into the back of a '91 Corolla.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8093/8502147979_2678e009fd_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;">No-dig garden ingredients - pea straw, lucerne hay, cow manure and compost</span></i><br />
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Making a no-dig garden is kind of like making a giant lasagne. There seem to be a bunch of different ways to do it but the basic principle involves layering up different kinds of organic material to whatever height you desire, and over time the layers decompose to form a nutrient rich soil.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8502147143_58d2c00230_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;">My 1 square metre of no-dig garden goodness, ready to go!</span></i><br />
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This is the finished result; not particularly exciting yet! I let it settle for about a week and planted some seeds this evening. Fingers crossed something will pop up in the coming weeks! Proof will be in the pudding. Or lasagne, I guess.<br />
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In the meantime I've been satisfying my desire for home grown produce by 'borrowing' figs from a tree growing over the fence in our back laneway:<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8378/8503253096_90ace12ea9_b.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i><span style="color: #999999;">Neighbourhood figs in endless supply right now!</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;"><br /></span></i>
xx Lara.</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-78414413472251028922013-02-19T19:05:00.001+11:002013-02-19T19:05:19.466+11:00Forte Living Festival this Fri & Sat!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.forteliving.com.au/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8484080302_4fc470b00d_o.jpg" width="550px" /></a><br />
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It's not every day that an opportunity like this comes along. Ink & Spindle has been asked to fit out an <a href="http://www.forteliving.com.au/index.html">eco friendly apartment</a> from top to bottom! How awesome is that? Of course we've rallied together a bunch of our favourite local & sustainable businesses to pull this off, and we feel so chuffed about everyone's enthusiasm and willingness to help.<br />
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There's more info over <a href="http://inkandspindle.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/forte-living-festival-this-friday.html">on our blog</a>, but if you can make it down to Victoria Harbour the apartment will be open for viewing this Friday & Saturday as part of the <a href="http://www.forteliving.com.au/">Forte Living Festival</a> (which is part of the <a href="http://slf.org.au/">Sustainable Living Festival</a>!) and also by appointment for the next month.<br />
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Hope to see you there :)<br />
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xx<br />
<br /></div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-11174427562550111552013-02-11T16:14:00.003+11:002013-02-11T16:14:50.308+11:00Open Studio - this Saturday!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8455428396_8d91c5cbb3_o.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
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Would you believe it, it's time for Ink & Spindle's first Open Studio for the year already! Where did January go??<br />
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This Open Studio is going to be a little more exciting than usual in that our lovely studio buddy <a href="http://abbyseymour.com/">Abby Seymour</a> is going to have her wares for sale also. Not only will her gorgeous <a href="http://abbyseymour.com/products">current range</a> be available but she will also be selling some of her beautiful ex-season stock at pretty generous discounts.<br />
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Hope you can make it down to the studio next Saturday 16th Feb - 11am to 1pm, with a printing demo at about 11:30!<br />
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xx</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-61760362045984230662013-02-09T18:56:00.000+11:002013-02-09T18:57:19.908+11:002013 - a new perspective<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8378/8458087132_b9221bf5f6_b.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i><span style="color: #999999;">A new perspective for 2013 (literally, too)</span></i><br />
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I have to say, 2013 is off to a strange (but good) start. Where do I begin?<br />
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First and foremost, being in Nepal - completely separated from home and work and routine - was a bit like pressing one big reset button. It was the first time in 5 years (or more) that I felt like I completely detached myself from my work. Usually a part of me is always conscious of what's going on back in the studio. This time? Nup. It was a strange feeling, and when I got back to Australia I found that I didn't want to put my head right back into work mode again. I wanted to keep myself slightly separate, because I felt like only from that detached vantage point could I look at my life and see it slightly more objectively.<br />
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The other big thing that has happened is that I've moved house - again! I know it's pretty customary to live with your partner <i>before</i> getting engaged but due to share-house commitments (and a bit of impatience!) it just didn't work out that way. Within less than a week of me returning to Melbourne, Dave and I had signed the lease on a little place of our own. I LOVE it here. It feels really good to know that every night I'm coming back to the same place, the same face, surrounded by things that inspire me. This has also helped give me the sense of a 'clean slate', and a bit of a clearer head.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8458086728_ba122c4132_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i><span style="color: #999999;">Our new home. Love all the natural light and the ivy filled, north facing windows!</span></i><br />
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So what has this clearer head space and new perspective brought to light? Here's a summary:<br />
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<b>It's time for a break from design blogs</b><br />
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Being constantly in touch with everything that's going on in our creative community via the interwebs can sometimes be inspiring, but it can also stifling, draining and subconsciously limiting. <a href="http://www.180360720.no/?s=having-original-ideas-in-a-world-of-collective-thinking">This article</a> summarises things quite well. I love this quote:<br />
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<i>"Have we turned our time online away from digging, exploring and unearthing secrets, to passively letting ourselves be entertained by thoughts we already agreed to and build on ideas we already had?"</i><br />
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It's for this reason that I've finally decided to unsubscribe from a whole lot of my (much-neglected-anyway) blog feeds. What a weight off my shoulders! The most popular blogs at the moment seem to be more about curating than creating, the byproduct being the constant celebration of mostly just fads and trends. I find those sorts of things distracting and not really in line with my business ethic anyway, so why torture myself by being exposed to them every day?<br />
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<b>It's time to dedicate some of my energy to new passions</b><br />
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So what do I actually want to be doing/learning/achieving? I still love textiles & interiors and will continue to put energy into my work, but there are a host of other things that I'd like to explore. For one: I'm stupidly excited to learn a bit more about growing my own food. The courtyard garden here is tiny, but there's a perfect spot for a raised veggie garden. It's a very small start, but a start all the same.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8530/8458086542_9aa4314ed0_b.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i><span style="color: #999999;">Duck eggs for lunch from one of Dave's colleagues - I can't wait to one day have chooks/ducks of our own</span></i><br />
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<b>It's time to encourage change</b><br />
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My dislike of trends, my passion for sustainable textiles, my desire to learn more about growing my own food - it all stems from one very obvious place! Living a more ethical and sustainable lifestyle is the only way forward, for all of us. Instead of being creatively stifled by design blogs I'm actually learning a lot about useful things. I'm thinking that this blog could be a great place to share some of those discoveries. Such as:<br />
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<i><a href="http://theconversation.edu.au/no-basket-case-tasmania-on-the-bumpy-road-to-economic-sustainability-11293">No basket-case: Tasmania on the bumpy road to economic sustainability</a> - (LOVE this article, really interesting stuff!)</i><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.taranakifarm.com.au/">Taranaki Farm</a> (these guys are doing great things. We're booked in to go on a farm tour next month, can't wait!)</i><br />
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<i><a href="http://blogs.crikey.com.au/croakey/2010/06/16/food-inc-why-its-so-relevant-for-australian-audiences/">Food Inc – why it’s so relevant for Australian audiences</a> (and if you haven't yet watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/">Food Inc</a>, the movie, you should!)</i><br />
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Thoughts?<br />
<br />
xx</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-58404134427111782322013-02-07T19:02:00.000+11:002013-02-07T19:06:39.835+11:00On internships & industry...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8091/8451875979_d270bab1b6_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
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<i><span style="color: #999999;">One of our past interns Lauren, printing a two colour repeat design</span></i><br />
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I'm taking a little break from my usual programming to talk about something a little controversial at the moment - internships. Sparking into a bit of a hot topic in the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-07/fair-work-launches-crackdown-on-unpaid-work/4505370">media</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=internships">twittersphere</a> in the last few days, Fair Work Australia are <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-07/fair-work-launches-crackdown-on-unpaid-work/4505370">cracking down on internships</a> that might be deemed illegal if they're not conducted as part of an 'authorised educational training course'.<br />
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Of course the topic is pretty close to my heart because at Ink & Spindle we engage interns on a fairly regular basis. Some of our interns are requesting a position as a compulsory part of their degree, others are coming to us entirely of their own volition. They might be a full-time parent looking to return to work, or a student who has studied something entirely different and now are curious about changing career paths... to us it doesn't matter what their background is so long as they're keen.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8108/8452967246_6f610cf577_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>A very blurry Robyn, printing a single colour repeat design of dutch houses!</i><br />
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I think that yes there are instances in certain industries where internships are exploitative - big companies offering long term positions when they could afford to pay someone but choose to substitute a paid position with a free intern. These situations are unethical and set a bad precedent in their industry. But there are other situations such as ours where we simply can't afford to pay an extra person. We aren't dependent on interns - our business functions fine without them - but if there are individuals keen for the experience we'll gladly take them on board. We might not have a lot of spare cash but we do have a wealth of knowledge to impart. There are a lot of menial tasks to be done around the studio but we try hard to ensure that the positions are mutually beneficial.<br />
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I can't help but feel that the issue of unpaid internships is largely a 'first world problem' and seems to occur largely in 'desirable' industries, e.g. textiles, music, fashion, design. There seems to be an abundance of willing workers and not enough jobs for all of them. To me that's not just an issue of exploitation but equally an issue with our education system. Here we are providing an gamut of exciting higher educational opportunities, giving people the illusion that they can work in whatever field they desire, but without any accountability from our educators with regards to finding work in the chosen field after study.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8380/8452967310_7f1a4cbcba_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Intern work - stencils on the lightbox</i><br />
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Textiles is a classic example. Perhaps it's my ignorance but sadly I just don't see where all the jobs are for the students who are studying textile design. Yet our universities keep producing new graduates; students who are passionate about design and are lead to believe there'll be work at the other end. And when there's not, it's no surprise they're willing to do unpaid work to give themselves an edge.<br />
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In my opinion the best way to find work in our field is to make your own job. That's what we did. So when our interns come through we focus less on 'textile design' and more on 'small business' - how our business runs, how we make it work, the ups and downs and challenges. These are valuable insights for anyone, not just a student of textile design. Interestingly most of the successful creative individuals I've met are those who first studied something else entirely different. I think that's awesome.</div>
</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-4837143636842989172013-01-10T21:13:00.000+11:002013-01-10T21:27:52.767+11:00Hello from Nepal #2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi everyone!<br />
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It's been an epic couple of weeks over here. Whilst all my friends back in Melbourne have been struggling with 40+ degree days, in Nepal it has been cold, cold, cold. As much as I am experiencing some really amazing things over here I won't say it hasn't been tough in equal measures.<br />
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I knew before I came here that this trip would be difficult for me, and that's a huge part of why I decided to come. I am a person who likes my relatively familiar, comfortable and simple life. I am proud of my home, my work, my family and my relationships back in Melbourne. I don't feel the need to uproot myself to find wonder and amazement somewhere else. Melbourne is my home and I feel proud of the fact that I've really build something great for myself there.<br />
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Here on the other hand I am faced on a daily basis with things that I inherently find difficult. unfamiliarity; being away from home, loved ones and routine. The cold; oh man it's been cold. Patience; things happen on "Nepali time" here, and often in a seemingly absurd and confusing manner. People; I am naturally introverted and sometimes I have to push myself to be around people and make conversation.<br />
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The other day I was feeling so upset at myself for struggling so much whilst I've been here. Not being able to "live in the moment" all the time or find everything spectacularly amazing and wonderful. But then I had a realisation that maybe I'm actually doing okay. For the most part I have been happy here. I've had some teary moments and homesick moments but for the most part I <i>am</i> making the most of it. I could be doing a lot worse. I can't expect myself to be like everyone else so I should be happy with the fact that I am doing the best I can.<br />
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Anyway, that all aside, here are some more photo snippets of the great things we've done in the last few days!<br />
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First and foremost, a visit to the <a href="http://www.fost-nepal.org/">Foundation for Sustainable Technologies</a> which was established by a man named Sani Kaji, possibly the most endearing, enthusiastic and inspirational person we've met here. Sani has dedicated the latter part of his career designing sustainable alternatives for the Nepalese people, in particular his unique "Briquettes"which are made from a compressed combination of waste paper and biomass (sawdust, grass, leaves or rice husks etc). 1.5kg of his briquettes is the equivalent to 5-8kg of timber in terms of cooking capacity, and he is training people to make their own.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8367096078_a903cec3ed_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Social entrepreneur Sanu Kaji in his greenhouse</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8234/8367096454_c2a487ffba_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Sanu Kaji's briquettes</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8187/8367097932_5ea35c41c8_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Making briquettes from paper pulp and biomass (sawdust, grass, leaves or rice husks etc)</i><br />
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Next up, a trip to Chitwan National Park! We floated down the river in a massive canoe made from a single dug out log (past 3m crocodiles!), went trekking, and slightly contentiously went for an elephant ride through the jungle. I'm not 100% sure about the ethics of elephant riding. It does seem very different here to places like Thailand; most of the elephants seem to be cared for in people's back yards amongst their chickens and goats which is nice. Not sure if that makes it ok though. I do know that the elephants are largely used for conservation in the jungle as it's the safest way for the rangers to patrol the area. But it has also definitely burgeoned into a tourist attraction and I don't think elephants being raised for that kind of life is necessarily the best thing.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8467/8366032773_c9cdfa3108_o.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>A rhino in Chitwan National Park</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8352/8366033181_5d72437761_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Thanking my elephant for the privilege</i><br />
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On the way back from Chitwan we detoured to the very rural district of Gorkha. Visting Gorkha has to be up there in terms of the most difficult experiences of my life, mostly due to the cold and lots of waiting around in the cold due to "Nepali time". Whilst Kathmandu is sunny during the day, the mountain areas were foggy the whole time we were there. There isn't much distinction between outdoors and indoors and certainly nothing resembling heating (not even a fire to huddle around). That said it was beautiful to witness the simplicity of rural life. And it certainly made returning to Kathmandu feel like a luxury.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8359/8367102502_87061b2440_c.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i>Rural living in the Gorkha district</i><br />
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Last highlight of our trip - teaching a class of students at the local school! They were gorgeous and so enthusiastic and asked for our autographs at the end, funny!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8518/8366037449_0e3c4d4a18_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>My class of kids at Precious National College</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8366037751_2929618442_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Kids at Precious National College</i><br />
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6 more days and I'll be back in my beloved Melbourne town. I'd best go make the most of it. See you back home soon!<br />
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xx Lara.</div>
Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-51438092828548362572013-01-05T13:29:00.003+11:002013-01-05T13:32:05.666+11:00Hello from Nepal!Hello and a Happy New Year from Kathmandu!<br />
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I've been here only a week but it feels like months. We've done and seen so much that it feels impossible to distil my experiences into a single blog post. In short it's been a sensory and emotional overload. The streets of Kathmandu are as you would imagine - narrow, colourful, rambling, loud and chaotic. But strangely there's an amazing sense of calm and order in that chaos; not once have I felt concerned or unsafe on the streets here. Even though the roads are teeming with people and motorbikes and cars and bicycles all tooting their horns and weaving in between one another, it's all done with a cheery disposition. You never get the sense that anyone is anxious or aggressive. They just go with the flow and it works.<br />
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Nepalese people are renowned for being friendly and cheerful and that definitely seems to be true. They have an infectiously warm and positive nature. Their lives don't revolve around working, they are centred around family and community. Although these people might be 'poor' by western standards they seem truly happier. This might sound flippant and naive but it really does seem that the simpler your life is the happier you can be. As humans (particularly westerners) we find it so hard to be content, but having less opportunities, lofty ambitions or obsession with material goods can be somewhat liberating.<br />
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Poverty is another thing, and there are definitely degrees of poverty and injustice that just aren't good through any lens. The work that Seven Women are doing here is aimed at instances of extreme poverty and discrimination. Women with disabilities are hugely discriminated against over here, since the Nepalese belief is that these women committed sins in a previous life. We've had the pleasure of meeting some of the women that are now living and/or working at the Seven Women centre and they are truly lovely. I had such a fantastic time working beside these women teaching them how to make some new products.<br />
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I could prattle on for ages, but instead I'm just going to fill the rest of this post with pictures!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8080/8345232245_5c9d59d32d_o.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Hello from Hotel Moonlight, Kathmandu! Very cold here so I'm perpetually rugged up in mum's knitting - thanks to Ravelry for the patterns! (<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Rikkelondon/stockholm-scarf">Copenhagen Cowl</a> and <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kabuto">Kabuto Hat</a>)</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8346266980_a64f680a9a_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>The view from our hotel rooftop. Marigolds are everywhere here.</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8078/8345214321_e699a5a52d_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Working with Kumari and Selena on some new products at the Seven Women centre</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8355/8346270634_41f3a58427_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Pink house with matching pink creeper - very Kathmandu!</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8215/8345216513_a6fdae4120_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>A group of women making felt ball mats at the fair trade felt factory</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8346275820_703a1ab35f_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Felt balls drying in the sun</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8503/8345221227_488ba97004_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>A woman rolls felt balls at the fair trade felt factory</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8357/8346281450_c1fb02907d_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Walking down from Nargacot we visited this small rural village</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8358/8346287804_b23466238c_o.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Village children with their homemade street luge! (photo by Annelise Hickey)</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8211/8345230041_9b604fba1d_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Rural farmland on the hillside</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8491/8346284378_918859a078_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Love this tiny rural farmhouse with it's goats, chickens and cows in the yard</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8076/8346286976_14f009b9e8_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>View from the rooftop of our hotel in Bhaktapur</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8364/8345234189_2856897cb5_c.jpg" width="550px" />
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<i>One of many, MANY fabric stores I've seen here. Lots of tailors too. How fashion should be.</i><br />
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Hope to write more soon! xxLarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-65325675069988599732012-12-27T16:09:00.002+11:002012-12-27T16:09:54.687+11:00Big happy newsI haven't really talked much about relationshippy stuff on this here blog of late. I guess that part of my life hasn't historically delivered the best of times and I got a bit tired of documenting those ups and downs and sounding like a broken record.<br />
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But 7 months ago I met a particularly special someone. Someone I instantly connected with, became best friends with, have not had a single doubt about and love with all my heart. It hasn't always been easy, we've both had some pretty difficult personal/health woes to deal with, but as a couple we've been solid through it all. I definitely have that feeling of 'oh, THIS is how it should feel'.<br />
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Well it seems the feeling is mutual, because at 3:42am on the 25th December (our 7 month anniversary), the man I love walked around to my side of the bed, grabbed both my hands, knelt down in front of me and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8077/8312539029_5888a498e4_z.jpg" /><br />
<i>Lara & Dave, getting hitched! (and wearing my Nana's old ring)</i><br />
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As they say, 'when you know, you know'.<br />
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Now for the hard part - bidding adieu to my new fiancé (not sure if I'll get used to that word), jumping on a plane and heading off to Nepal for a few weeks. Talk about a contrast of worlds. Wish me luck!<br />
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xx Lara.Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-5897275393486444612012-12-16T22:32:00.000+11:002012-12-16T22:32:12.074+11:002012...<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8364/8277565686_2266289770_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Monochrome duvet cover in Leuca</i><br />
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So. 2012 hey. What a year. Another one that has positively flown by.<br />
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If you asked me if I've achieved much this year offhandedly I'd say 'not much' but when I take a moment to <i>think</i> about it actually a gazillion things have changed. It's been a year of much growth and revelations. Some major ups and downs. Some epic emotional and health related struggles but also some massively good things have come my way too. I'm feeling pretty fortunate at the moment and can see more great things to come in 2013.<br />
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The photos accompanying this post are mostly here to make it look pretty, but are also a little bit relevant. They partly relate to the fun that I've been having lately with styling and photography (still much to learn!) but they also relate to a pretty special person who's come into my life this year. I made this duvet cover as a birthday present, and because he happens to be a bit colourblind I thought a monochromatic theme was rather fitting.<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8276507501_a63a1966ce_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Monochrome duvet cover in Leuca</i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8493/8276508243_261b978dbf_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i>Monochrome duvet cover in Leuca</i><br />
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I hope to post again before Christmas and my impending trip to Nepal, but if not I hope you all have a great relaxing break and come into 2013 with lots of energy and passion and potential for doing good things!<br />
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xxLarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15003681.post-22177486663053388222012-11-28T10:21:00.003+11:002012-11-28T10:21:35.022+11:00Nepal fair trade fundraising AUCTION!<br />
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8218975405_40ce9ae015_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 25.733333587646484px;"><span style="color: #999999;">Leuca Duvet cover - up for Auction right now. Help raise funds for a fair trade enterprise in Nepal!</span></i><br />
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My <a href="http://kirinote.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/nepal-study-tour.html">trip to Nepal</a> is swiftly approaching! I know it'll be here before I know it and I feel like I have so much to do before I go. Eeep!<br />
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But... there's one big thing I have to do before I go for which I NEED YOUR HELP! Each person on the trip needs to raise some money for one of the enterprises we will be visiting. We each get to decide which enterprise to donate our raised money to once we get there, which is pretty exciting. I'm sure this will be a tough decision since they will all be very worthy causes!<br />
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SO, in collaboration with the VERY lovely and generous Olivia of <a href="http://www.moochielou.com/">Moochie Lou</a>, we have made one very gorgeous, ethical, organic duvet cover to auction off for this very good cause!<br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8218974973_583b77fd5d_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 25.733333587646484px;"><span style="color: #999999;">Leuca Duvet cover - up for Auction right now. Help raise funds for a fair trade enterprise in Nepal!</span></i><br />
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<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8057/8218975593_e6d3446bc1_c.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 25.733333587646484px;"><span style="color: #999999;">Leuca Duvet cover - up for Auction right now. Help raise funds for a fair trade enterprise in Nepal!</span></i><br />
<br />
<img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8345/8220055006_5c104fb135_b.jpg" width="550px" /><br />
<i style="font-family: Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 25.733333587646484px;"><span style="color: #999999;">Leuca Duvet cover - up for Auction right now. Help raise funds for a fair trade enterprise in Nepal!</span></i><br />
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The duvet cover is queen sized, made from 100% organic and sustainable fabrics and comes with two matching scatter cushions.<br />
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The <a href="http://inkandspindle.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/nepal-fair-trade-fundraising-auction.html">auction</a> is being held over at the <a href="http://inkandspindle.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/nepal-fair-trade-fundraising-auction.html">Ink & Spindle blog</a>. If you'd like to place a bid, just leave a comment on that post!<br />
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Thanks so much!<br />
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xx Lara.<br />
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Larahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866886848733190371noreply@blogger.com0