Backtrack : A new post series + some Sydney city gallivanting

New post series? Not really.. but kind of. Let me explain...

So on a trip to the city with some friends from my youth group we all started talking about our uni-student-on-holidays life. It just so happens that the four of us all had our own blogs (because we're all hip and blog and stuff).

And so began our little chat about our non-productiveness on the blog front. in terms of our blogs. We all have differing levels of disengagement with our blogs, from a week, to a few weeks to a few months (in my case - I've posted what, twice? in the last 6 months?)

Anyway.. someone suggested we need to make a pact to all post more and so our little blogging productive challenge was born! (I just made that name up just then) This challenge pretty much just requires us to post SOMETHING (anything?) onto one of our blogs by midnight on Monday-Tuesday. And I guess this post will count as mine. YAY! (I will link all their blog posts at the bottom so you people that read this can check it out.)

I know that I have a lot of worth while things sitting in my drafts and thought I really should post these on here. And my new "Backtrack" post series is born! HUZZAH! So for the next few weeks I will be posting some things that have been sitting in my drafts for months, years even! I can't guarantee that it will be done in chronological order but we'll see how we go. These are all events, though there are a few things that aren't, which I can get away with not being in this series (as they don't refer to some specific times/dates).

I will hopefully be posting the first Backtrack post next week some time. In the mean time here are some photos of what we did get up to in the city. Enjoy!

 We went to customs house.

And the State Library of NSW.

 

  My friend's dad shouted us lunch! We had Thai. It was yummy. 

(Yay for instagram!)

Then we strolled through Hyde Park,

jumped in front of St Mary's Cathedral

and wondered through the Royal Botanical gardens.

We took some photos on the way up to Mrs Macquaries Point.

Then watched the sun set over the harbour.

 Walking back to the station we found this sign. We accepted the invitation by walking on grass and hugging a nearby tree.

On the way back we bought some cake and other baked goods for the train ride back home. We had been talking about red velvet cake on the trip into the city and were craving some. So we managed to find some but alas! It was a very deceiving super sweet, pink, vanilla cake or sugar cake or something. There was NO CHOCOLATE. 

THE CAKE IS A LIE!! 

(Woo! References from games I don't even play)

All in all a pretty good day, despite this "red-velvet" cake. And and at the end of it a new post!

Also here are links to my friend's posts for our challenge!

Trip Tide

Brendon the Smiling Chef

A Piece of Shortcake

I am BACK (again)

Hello internet!

I am back! Semester is over and I can get back to blogging again. Apologies. Anyway, what have I been up to you ask?!

Since my last post I have been making things, traveling and studying and making and PROCRASTINATING (what's new?). But more specifically, my stall at the Parra Lanes festival went pretty well.

My jars were also stocked at the Prospector Store over Christmas and the past summer.

 

They were also featured in the Christmas window display at Sweet Street Bakery in Parramatta.

I have traveled to the Philippines to visit family plus a few side trips to Melbourne and the Gold Coast (theme parks, YEAH!). Also, did a massive research paper at uni among other cool projects and got a job at the 3D Printing Studio!

the least fun you'll ever have, all 135 pages of it

So that's a the last 6 months in a nutshell. I hopefully will be writing up a post about the Etsy Craft Party I attended on Friday and another on some plans for my winter break, which includes lots of crafting and making and experimental designing. Not to mention more The Jolly Cottage things!

I'm excited!

Till next time, stay cool.

- Julie

Setting up shop

So I don't know if you know but I've been crafting since forever and have always wanted to be able to make and sell my own stuff (and hey presto! I do a design course, go figure).

Anyway I've always made little things out of felt (images below) for friends and family back in high school half because it cost less to make birthday gifts and I could cram it the night before (like my assignments!). I've always been pretty pleased with what I've come up with. In saying that, I've never made anything more than once.

After seeing so many of my friends and people I know go into business for themselves selling their own things over the years I keep asking myself "Why aren't I doing that yet?". And to be honest I have no real excuse. I mean I am quite involved around and my non-uni project list is greater than my study workload (6 external projects vs. 4 uni assignments). Sometimes I wonder if I'm procrastinating this small business venture of my own  by doing all these other things?

I think it's because I've never had anyone actually hold me to account for getting it done. On the one hand its a big time commitment and I'm not even sure it will fall through so I guess I don't bother? All these other projects have immediate response sort of thing, generally because they are for other people. The most annoying thing is that I know I can do it and that I have the potential. People have been telling my that for YEARS but I haven't really lived up to it or at least to what I believe I am capable of. Maybe I should start planning to get back into it?

Anyway I leave you with some of my little felt creations.. If you think I could/should do something with it I would love to hear/see some support. I do have a small break in my semester coming up, might be a good time to start something!

The owls I actually have made twice but as you can see they turned out completely different. 

And then there's all the paper craft I do too! Geez, I wish I could only do one thing sometimes so that that would be all I do and I could just focus on those things.

Eugh, anyway I need to go back to working on this assignment for my Masters application..

Julie.

AWOL

Now I know I don't update very much but I am starting to think I really do need to update this blog more especially as I get closer and closer to the end of my degree. Had Shane from http://thedesigndivision.com.au/ as a guest speaker at my ID Directions lecture on Friday. He is a graduate from my course (BD in Industrial Design, UTS) from a couple years back and told us what he's been up to.

I thought it was quite a great talk. Really makes me want to go and peruse my own little design group with a friend that we've been planning mostly just for fun. But one of the things I got out of it that I could start doing now was to build my online presence.

And SO I have decided to come back to this blog! I Hope to post once a week to update on what is going on. What I am doing at uni and anywhere else I happen to be working, designing, creating. I am looking forward to a great year! Not to mention that I am GOING TO SWEDEN ON EXCHANGE! :)

And I will leave you with some of that I have been up to so far this year (not much). Mostly photography, not as much design/creative stuff as I would have liked but better than nothing right?

Tangled installation at Sydney Festival First Night '12

I GOT A NEW FLASH! (belated gift (Christmas) from my parents)

I restrung the fairly lights in my room again 'cos I  was bored.

Painted apples on my nails, also because I was bored.

Made some cookies because lets face it, who doesn't like cookies?

Screen printing some commissioned bunting for O-Day at UTS!

What 44m of handmade bunting looks like. :)

Then uni started again. Some drawing exercises from my illustration class.

Random photo of Sydney from the water on a cruise I crashed.. hehe

My first set of homework for uni (also for my illustration class)

Made some dinosaurs for the guys from Wong Fu Productions (at thier Sydney show!)

And to end with some home made tofu/tapioca thing I made earlier today. Otherwise known as TAHO! Also because I just like taking photos of food.

Hope you (whoever you are) enjoyed this photodump. There should be more to come. Might do a dump of my work from last year. At least the stuff that never made it onto here during the year.

Here's to a great 2012!

Julie.

just a little bit fancy..

Been practising hand lettering with the quill I got in Italy.

With my quill and ink. First wrote on some scrap paper. 

Rewrote it NOT on scrap paper and scanned, it bled a bit..

Don't know if I like the original or the rewritten on better..

YAY for procrastination! :)