Today I’ve been given the marvelous pleasure and honour of guest posting over on Maken Art.  It’s my first guest post ever, so I was rather nervous.

Maken Art is run by the uber fabulous Jess.  Jess describes Maken Art as

“… a place to create, try new things and not be afraid (or embarrassed) by the end result. Maken Art is a place to participate in projects and connect with all the wonderfully creative people on the interwebs. So pick up a pencil, get paint on your hands, and start Maken Art!”

Jess and I attended the Problogger Event, but alas didn’t meet.  We did however meet via Twitter just after the event and it turns out that Jess is in Canberra as well and shares so many of the same interests.  Sometimes the internet is such a small and fabulous world!

Anyway, you can check out my guest post here – it’s about my top 8 artist crushes.   Leave me a comment as I’d love to know what you think about the post and whether you found a new artist to love.

I struggled this week to find a song for Music Monday so I turned to Twitter to help me.  In a bold move CuzNikki took up the challenge and gave me someone I hadn’t heard before; Kate Miller Hiedke.

I haven’t been able to stop listening to her music since.  In fact I had to get the album and put it on my iPod so I could listen to it on our roadtrips.  It’s brilliant and is so in keeping with the weather and my mood lately.

Thank you CuzNikki!

Today’s activity in 31 Days to Build a Better Blog is to think about lists as posts.  I’ve been partial to a few list posts in my time, but I’ve not giving much thought to writing them.  So today I put my head to work and tried to come up with a list post.

I actually surprised myself and came up with a few different list ideas, but I’ve decided to stick with a simple one for today and post a few different list posts over the coming weeks.

In an attempt to let you know a little more useless information about me I thought I would give you….

1. Twitter – I don’t know how people lived without Twitter.  I am addicted.  Totally.  I love all the interaction that you can have without leaving the comfort of your home, and even if you have to leave your home you can take Twitter with you.
2. Etsy – The next evolution from eBay.  I adore Etsy.  I could spend hours just window shopping on the Etsy site.
3. Apple Products – My iPhone never leaves my hand.  My iPod is essential to making my day complete.  My Macbook Pro is my lifeline to the world I love.  I am totally an Apple disciple.
4. Books – I’m a mad reader.  I can’t get enough of books.  I would love to live in a library.  There’s something wonderful about books lined up on a bookshelf.
5. Teddy Bear – My Teddy Bear was a gift from my HUBBY on our first Valentine’s Day together.  I love my teddy bear.  I travel with my teddy, and the couple of times I’ve been in hospital my teddy has come with me.  I tell Ted all my secrets and when I’m really upset and just feeling low Ted is always there for me.  Every girl should have a teddy!
6. Television – I love television.  Only I don’t love watching television the conventional way.  Now it’s all about watching television while watching Twitter.  Or it’s about watching television shows in one big hit from DVD.  There are some really great shows being produced at the moment.  I feel like television is going trough a renaissance of sorts.  Love it!
7. Camera – I love my camera, I just don’t use it as much as I would like.  I love getting a good shot.  I love seeing life through the lens.  I love spending time with the men in my life talking about the shots and comparing what we’ve captured.  Always a great source of enjoyment.
8. HUBBY – Obviously this list isn’t in order of importance… I just didn’t want to put him at the top and then have to live with the gloating.  He’s my best friend and the person I want to rush home to and tell him about everything.  I adore him and would be lost without him.  He’s the perfect accompaniment to my madness.
9. Chocolate – My eating habits changed a lot after my gastric surgery, but one thing that didn’t was my love of chocolate.  There’s nothing better than a chocolate something.  It’s just amazing.  I can’t get enough!
10. Internet – Seriously, what did people do before the internet?  I would be lost without it.  I have meet so many amazing people through the internet.  I’ve learnt so much about the wonderful world we live in.  My mind has just been blown by the things out there on the internet.  I’ve also managed to spend many many hours doing nothing but surfing the internet.  It’s mind blowing.

As a list post it probably won’t go viral, but I’m sure thinking about some posts in the future that I hope will.  It’s given me a new found respect and possible love for the list!

This seasons Masterchef Australia has sucked me right in. Actually I should clarify the television series COMBINED with the #masterchef twitter stream has sucked me in. Again I’ve fallen victim to the thrills and spills of watching a show with the rest of the twitterverse.

I love the interactive quality that Twitter now brings to watching television.  It’s a great way to get to know like minded people and see the humour in some fairly boring topics.  (The #qanda stream for the ABC’s Q and A proves that every week!)

But back to today’s funny…

When I saw this clip over on Reality Ravings I nearly wet my pants with laughter.  Growing up I was a massive The Late Show fan and one of my favourite parts of the show was seeing the celebrity impersonations.  Even now, a decade on I still giggle when I think about some of the skits they performed.  It’s good to see that Rob Sitch still has it…

* For those that haven’t seen the show, here’s some explanation and humour from Matt Preston (one of the judges).

This is why I adore Twitter so much.  One of my Tweeps sent me this message:

Click on the image link and I was greeted with this:

This is all kinds of wonderful!  Thanks @elimaschio you made my day!

Yet another Tweet Up today.  This time it involved Alivicwil (of course), Schlep_star (understandably), Spence_84, Crankye, Joolery and Cryingpenguin.  The purpose of today’s gathering? To finally put a body to the voice that is Crankye.  Oh and get a lesson in crochet!

The place of our gathering, Edgar’s Inn.  Normally Edgar’s is a pretty safe bet.  Good location, great food and usually pretty interesting characters.  Today however the weather let us down and so did Edgar’s food.  But never fear the company more than made up for the little disappointments.

Apart from having a terrible hair day I was chuffed to be able to take my Thai Coke shirt on it’s first outing since purchasing it on holiday in 2006.  (It’s the little things in my world!)  I also took along my psychedelic wool and crochet needles.  I showed Crankye what I had learned from studiously studying Meet Me At Mikes tutorials on crocheting.

The previous day I couldn’t get anything to look right to save myself, but the power of Crankye soon had me sorted.  I managed to work out how to start my granny square and continue without it looking like something George had been alone with.  I was really proud.  (Again, it’s the little things!)

It was a wonderful afternoon.  It was awesome to meet some new people, catch up with some old ones and learn a new skill.  I haven’t had a lovely afternoon of lazying about socially in a long time and it’s made me long for more.  It also left me with a hell of a sugar headache.  (Much skittle and smartie action was consumed afterward when we wrapped up the afternoon with some Mario.)

I did manage to start on a less full on wool this afternoon to try and pay more attention to my stitching and get something a little more cohesive going.  I’ve managed to do this so far…

I’m happy with it and I’m planning on making it into a big lap blankie instead of granny squares as I’m all about the practicing at the moment.  Multiple granny squares will definitely be in my future though!

I’m suffering with a bit of joint pain, cramping and back pain at the moment.  It’s the first time I’ve really had the problem, so I’m a little behind on what works and what doesn’t.  A Twitter friend of mine, Icy from Individual Chic, suggested a heat bag.  I’ve seen them around, especially at craft markets, and I’ve always wondered if they would be any good.

I laid in bed contemplating getting up and heading into Target or somewhere to see if I could buy one.  Too much trouble and not especially bright when I probably shouldn’t be driving.  (Let-a-lone in public with a weeks worth of bedhead!)  So I jumped online to see what the wonderful people out there in internet land could share with me.

I found this site: Tipnut.  They have a great how-to on making a  microwave heating pad.  Sounded simple enough, so I decided I’d give it a try.

I’m only new to the world of sewing so I don’t have much of a material stash, but I’m lucky that nearly all of it is 100% cotton.  As I contemplated which material I would sacrafice for the greater good it struck me that I have a crapload of old flannel pajamas just waiting to be turned into rags.  [I don't know about you, but I rarely (if ever) wear the flannel pajama tops.  I tend to do a lot of tossing and turning in my sleep and I usually wake up when wearing them with the buttons torn off and it back-to-front.]  Flannel would be perfect for this task so I hunted down one of the pajama tops.  It’s worked out wonderfully!  Took me about ten minutes to make.  No measurements – nothing.  Here’s how I did it.

The equipment:

• Flannel pajama top – must be 100% cotton.
• Fabric scissors
• Quilting pins
• Brown rice (uncooked and unwashed)
• Fabric Marker
• Ruler
• Unpick
• Sewing Machine
• Thread scissors
• Thread – must be 100% cotton.
• Lovely Assistant (optional)

The process:

1. Cut a large rectangle of cloth out of the back of your flannel pajama top.
2. Fold it in over on itself and find the desired width of your heat bag.
3. Cut along the raw edge to make a small rectangle.  (Remember to leave enough room for seam allowance!)
4. Fold the material so that the good side (patterned in most cases) is facing itself.
5. Sew up two edges of the material.  (Not along the fold)  Make sure there are no gaps and that you’ve reinforced your start and end points by reverse stitching.
6. Turn inside out.
7. Fill half or three-quarters of the bag with brown rice.  Do not fill the bag to bursting, you want to leave enough room in the bag that it will mold to your shape and provide you with enough heat coverage.
8. Push all the rice to the end of the bag that is already sealed.
9. Sew closed the opening.
10. Microwave for 1 – 3 minutes.  Be careful not to burn yourself when you take it out of the microwave. (I put mine on a dinner plate to make it easier to remove when done.) Also do not leave it unattended while in the microwave.
11. Enjoy!

If these instructions aren’t clear enough – try How to Make a Microwave Heating Pad on Tipnut.

My completed heating pad is shown under the ruler in the first image.  It’s just the right shape for my lower back.  I’m loving it.  Not only is it providing me with much needed relief I also get to claim it against number 86 on my 101 Tasks in 1001 Days List.  Yay!

Part of my 101 Tasks in 1001 Days List is to do with my little website here.  I’d really love to get this site up and running and get more visitors, etc.  You know the goal of every person that starts their own blogsite.  This is my little corner of the internet world where I get to share the things that amuse me, soothe my soul and cause me lustful thoughts.

One of the things that I was keen to do was purchase some advertising space on blogs that I really love.  So imagine my unbridled joy at hearing, via Twitter, that Kind Over Matter were having an advertising sale.  It was kismet, and enough to make me launch myself off my death bed to take part of.

So I did it.  I took out three months worth of advertising.  Not only do I hopefully get some more readers, but I get to support a most amazing and wonderful blog in the process.  It’s a win-win and there’s so few of those in life so you have to seize them when they come by!

Let me start this with a couple of apologizes.  One, I’m sorry for the quality of the images.  When we attended the event we were unable to take our own photos, which is understandable given that they didn’t want anything to leak.  However Arena haven’t made available any of the shots that were taken on the night, despite requests, so I’ve had to resort to screen captures from the video on their website. Two, this is an image heavy post so I hope you don’t have a slow internet connection.  And lastly, I’m about to be very opinionated.

I wrote back in August about Alivicwil and I traveling to be a part of Project Runway Australia.  On the night five designers showcased their final runway creations; Ivana, Mark, Lauren, William and Anthony.  It’s a shame that they didn’t show all collections as they provided a great context for how outstanding the final three were, and it also show cased Mark in a way that the series didn’t show him.

I managed to take notes throughout the event, and so I thought I would share them in the format that got me there in the first place – Twitter

My thoughts on Ivana‘s collection in Twitter format:

• Who the hell cut her hair?  Did she go to Anthony’s barber?
• Rocker Chic
• Who knew cape’s were back… Has she not seen The Incredibles?

• It looks like a giant oil slick…
• That dress is very Lady Ga-Ga meets Kylie.  Image this as a short dress in black…

• Mixture of textures.  Inclusion of plaid is great.
• This is Victorian Steam Punk Noir
• These looks like they came from Doctor Who!

My thoughts on Mark‘s collection in Twitter format:

• Mark in person is like a little wizard in person. Just want to gobble him up!
• Finally some colour!
• The blue colour is amazing! I love it.
• The second dress is DIVINE!
• A catsuit! Meow!
• His clothes are so flattering.

Now on to the final three.  I’d also like to go on record here as saying I picked the final three based on the catwalk shows.  I’m the only one that’s going to care about that… but I just wanted to point it out… my brilliance… just saying… *grin*

My thoughts on Lauren‘s collection in Twitter format:

• Lauren is stunning.  The show didn’t do her justice.  Stunning, and small.
• She needs colour in this collection.
• Those hats look like florist ribbon.
• Dress #6 is lovely.
• Oh Max Factor what have you done?!?!  Black lips are never attractive!
• Unless you’re a clown, tightrope walker or juggler stripe pants are not attractive!
• Some items give the appearance of poor tailoring.
• Chain mail is from Mitre 10 challenge.
• None of these models can walk in a straight line.
• I love the jacket.
• Black is such an easy choice. Colour is brave.
• Music is a good choice.
• Last dress is a nice concept dress – shame the model couldn’t walk in it.

My thoughts on William‘s collection in Twitter format:

• He’s so wonderful.  Can I take him home with me?
• Fashion = fun! Yes it does!
• South American influence.  This should be awesome!
• That skirt is OMG wonderful.  I love the print.
• Mustard and red *swoon*
• The jacket reminds me a little of Chanel…
• PRINT AND COLOUR – he’s my hero!
• Eiffel Tower detail from Peter Alexander Challenge.
• Cate Blanchett from Aviator
• The hair is whimsical.
• Jewelery is STUNNING! I want!
• Pink dress is very 1920s
• Another catsuit. I see the beginnings of a trend.
• Where’s Miss J when you need him? These models are crap!
• His last model looks like she’s been smacked with the dumb stick!
• It’s like Monastery Chic crossed with Madonna’s Like a Virgin.

My thoughts on Anthony‘s collection in Twitter format:

• What the hell is that on his head?
• It’s stunned shocked silence.

• I wanna run my hands through that fringe!
• Two men – nice change.
• What is she wearing on her head? Why is she being silenced by a rose?
• The detail on the back of that jacket… it looks like a present bow.
• The midnight blue is wonderful.
• Nice knickers!
• I love the shoes… I don’t know why, but I do.
• The construction is outstanding.
• The clippers are cutting edge! (Pun very much intended!)
• Is she wearing a chux on her head?
• The music combined with colour is more like a funeral.
• Scored on the shock value, failed on the fashion value.

Watching the show on television it provided a much more detailed view on some items.  It also gave insight into the selection process of the items shown.  Ultimately all the designers put together amazing shows.  I wish William had won, but I understand the decision to give it to Anthony.  Do I think people spend too much time making fashion an intellectual study when it’s really about eye pleasing, yes.  But that’s their want.  I like looking at pretty things, and this certainly gave me the experience I craved.  I’m going to miss my Wednesday night tweet and critique.  Thank you Project Runway!

You can see the final episode here -> click!

On September 8 @GuilianaRancic, host of E! News, put out a call from Twitter asking for questions you’d like to ask Oprah.  It was an amazing opportunity to talk to the Queen of Television, so I put forward some questions.

I like to think that @GuilianaRancic and I have some history.

You could say we’re practically BFF‘s, so it really should have come as no surprise that @GuilianaRancic would choose one of my questions to ask Miss O.

I’d kind of forgotten all about it until this morning I got this tweet from @ TashaAllenMVMT:

@gnomeangel hey i saw you on tv!

I had no idea what they meant.  I still really didn’t understand until @SimonProietto tweeted:

@GnomeAngel I just saw your tweet to oprah on e!

Well I’ll be… so I rang home and got HUBBY to tape E! News.  Low and behold there was my Twitter page on the big screen.

Oprah answered, and I’m paraphrasing, that there’s nothing her fame stops her from doing.  No surprise there really given that she’s the Queen of Self Empowerment and not handing control over to anyone else.

It amuses me greatly that this was the lead tweet on the screenshot of my Twitter account; guess my Protestant faith has gone global.  It’s also funny that my “Not happy Jan!” icon was still in place.  I’m just grateful that I wasn’t having a four way conversation with @AngryEliza, @Carly_B and @Alivicwil – who knows what kind of profanities could have turned up on the screen!

This is just another reason why I adore Twitter – it makes anything possible.