Gonk Lovin'

 

Gonk Lovin'

11 March 2024

Obsessive compulsive much?

 

So here’s the deal. When I do something, I. Am. All. In.

 

It is my superpower. But it can also be my kryptonite. It’s all about perspective. However, I’m a glass half full kinda gal, so I choose to see it as a positive. Cause why wouldn’t you, right?

 

My life is liberally sprinkled with many obsessive projects and interests throughout the years. And I’ve loved every single one. Or I would not be indulging in them in the first place. Makes sense.

 

So, what is my current flavour? Well, funny you should ask. You did ask, right?

 

Gonks!

 

Gonks, I tell you!

 

Gonks, and I absolutely LOVE them!

 

What, you don’t know what Gonks are? Can’t blame you. I didn’t know either.

 

However what I did know and have known for many years is that one of my obsessions is, was and will always be Xmas. The most magical time of the year. I can wax lyrical about Xmas decorations. It can become a problem, depending on how you look at things. My Grantie has a lot to say on the topic, especially when it comes to carting all of my Xmas decoration boxes out of their various hiding spaces at the end of the year, when I go into Xmas décor mode. As well as at the end of the festive season, when he is roped in once more to help take the boxes back again. In fact, all things Xmas makes my beating heart go a flutter with excitement!

 

Now when it comes to Xmas decorations, I love the old school type of thing. No bling or glitter. No big baubles and shiny tinsel either. Nothing wrong with it if that’s your thing. It just so happens to not be my thing. You do you and all of that.

 

And in my quest for old school decorations, I’ve always been besotted with the little Norwegian decorations. Kinda chunky gnome type Father Xmas characters with big beards, wooden bobble noses, round bellies and delightfully cheery hats sporting a bell. I’ve admired them often in shops and online, but they’re quite pricey. Which is a bummer. For the longest time, I’ve thought that I could probably try my hand at making them. And at the end of last year, I finally went for it. I even discovered what they’re actually called. Gonks. Even the name is cute!

 

Played around for a while with a basic “pattern” of sorts. Which basically meant cutting out paper beards and hat designs. Then tracing that onto scrap material and making a “prototype” (sounds so fancy). Thought it worked quite well. And from there it was easy. A little bit of felt, I had ample cotton, knew where to buy some bells and wooden bobbles as well as the few odds and ends I didn’t have. And I even had a bit of leftover teddybear stuffing from something I did a few years ago. Used my paper “molds” so to speak – then it’s trace, cut, sew by hand, stuff and there you go!

 

And thus, a new obsession is born. And I couldn’t be happier. Look, it’s cheaper than therapy. So there’s that.

 

I can concentrate for long periods of time and can focus. But I also dislike being idle on the one hand. Grant and I enjoy watching a series at night, but I can’t only do that. If I don’t do something else at the same time, I’m prone to resorting to fiddling with my phone. Alternatively, I do a big challenging puzzle over a period of time or play multiple rounds of double pack patience. My favourite has always been crafting. Cause here’s the thing. If I don’t do something with my hands and still mildly engage my mind, I will quite simply nod off. As in can’t keep my eyes open. Terribly dreary.

 

So, I’ve been making gonks by the gazillion. First I made a few for myself. Then I thought of gifts for family and friends, albeit that it would have to be for next Xmas, cause I clearly missed last Xmas. And then I simply didn’t want to stop. It’s such fun. And I would clearly run out of family and friends to gift them to, so I’d have to eventually find an offset point for them. If not, I’ll simply have to resort to gifting them. To everybody and anybody I can think of. Look, if Xmas is not really your thing, then that’s not my problem.

 

So ideally, I’d like to flog some towards the end of the year. I’m thinking Xmas markets and the like. Maybe a few shops that sell that kind of a thing. Or even selling them on my social media. Who can tell. Maybe nobody else likes them. What makes this wonderful world of ours so fabulous, is the fact that everyone is unique and has their own taste as well as personal likes and dislikes. For now, I’m simply loving the creative process. Finding it extremely rewarding and so fulfilling. Yes, I’m a thrill a minute. I know. You don’t have to tell me.

 

I’m running out of containers to store them in, so might have to make a plan with that. It’s a lengthy labour intensive hobby and takes quite a while from start and finish. But I am so thoroughly enjoying it. Also, thought that I might make a few Gonks with dark green hats. And then maybe some neutral type grey ones too.

 

And there I go again. Mind spinning with new possibilities. Note to self – get more boxes to store them in.

 

Gonks. Completely and utterly adorable. At least to me!

 

 

I'm back!!!

I'm back!!!
21 November 2012

I’m back again!  Yeehaaa!!!  No more Internet-Interruptus for me!  After more than 24 hours in the black hole that is “no-internet-connectivity”, I am once again hooked up to my main line.  And like a junkie deprived of the good drugs, after a period of enforced abstinence, I am now gorging myself on the ready supply of bandwidth at my eager fingertips.  Blood is coursing through my veins and I am happily surfing the net again.  Checking a virtual plethora of e-mails and replying to them, as well as my Facebook and Blog pages.  How dependant one becomes.

Years ago, I would have not missed it at all and would have coped very well.  However, nowadays, not so much.  I suspect that I am not alone and that many of us feel the same.  I can kind of equate it to not having a car.  You know that feeling when your car is booked in for a service and you haven’t got your wheels.  And all of a sudden, you have a million little jobs and errands to run.  It reminds one yet again how isolated you can become without certain things we normally take for granted.  The same goes for the telephone and cell phone too.  They are lifelines to all of us.

But, of all the things I missed the most, my blog is first and foremost.  It felt a bit like I’d been cheated and robbed of my daily fix.  How rude!  Despite this, I filled my time very adequately with other obsessions.  It is market season at the moment.  No, not fruit and veg type of market.  Christmas market - those very same Christmas markets that seem to sprout up around just about every corner at this time of the year.  Most of them have a common thread – the Church, and in particular, the NG Church.  I think it is their biggest source of income and revenue and helps them to add substantial amounts to the church coffers every year.

But fun though the crafting is, it generally demands a huge amount of time.  Not to mention the effort.  I am not scared of either and thoroughly enjoy it.  Yet it is tiring and exhausting work.  I only slept a total of four hours last night and I’m feeling exceptionally sluggish today.  Kind of like I’m trapped under layers and layers of cotton wool and I just can’t seem to break free.  Sounds appear hollow and I know for a fact that I’m moving in slow motion.  Perhaps driving today was not such a good idea.  One night of little sleep, is not the end of the world, and in general I cope exceptionally well with it – not requiring a huge amount of sleep to function, and function well at that.  However, I’ve had many consecutive nights of little sleep and the effect seems to be exponential.  It is a feeling that transports me back to my student years, when cramming and pulling an all-nighter before an exam was the order of the day.  And I must say big-up to the Chinese or whoever invented it, because sleep deprivation is a killer.  As a form of torture it is surely unparalleled and probably makes waterboarding seem quite tame by comparison.  However truth be told, waterboarding doesn’t sound like a whole pile of fun either.  Perhaps we could call it a truce between the two and say that they’re even-stevens with regards to torture-ability, as I’m certainly not offering my services as a guinea pig to test my little theory.  I can also vouch for the fact that all three of my kids are masters at the art of enforcing sleep deprivation on me.  Perhaps it is a hidden and latent talent that starts forming in the womb, because from day one they were pro’s.  And as far as I know they never received any training in the field.  So it really is a more natural ability or maybe a gift, depending on your outlook.  Quite possibly it is just as well that they haven’t discovered waterboarding yet.  Chances are they’d be good at that too.

Being at the mercy of Telkom whilst I was unconnected was also rather peculiar.  Firstly it is a major achievement if you actually get to speak to a real person.  A call to them necessitates a whole bunch of computer-voice prompted responses and pushing of buttons.  You know how annoying those can be.  “If the telephone you are calling from, relates to your query, please press 0.  If you wish to report a fault, press 1.  For problems with your ADSL line, press 2.  For online technical support, press 3.”  TEDIOUS!!!  It took about 3 minutes just to speak to a real person, not a computer.  It probably would have been sooner, had it not been for the fact that they kept on repeating the mantra “Please note that for security purposes, your call might be recorded” – over and over and over again.  I mean, seriously!  I am but merely logging a fault and trying to ascertain some technical support.  It is not as if I will be disclosing the location of WMA’s in Iraq. 

Alas, the bottom line is, that I am good to go again.  Thanx Telkom, you have restored my faith.

And on a lighter note, my comment about Internet-Interruptus, reminds me of the time, my Dad suspended chemo for a few weeks, as he had to go up to the Grahams Town Festival to perform with the Blues Broers.  He made a decision to take a brief reprieve from treatment in order to have a bit of fun.  I think he probably knew by then that the end was inevitable, not avoidable.  Perhaps he was looking forward to his Grahams Town swansong so to speak.  There was much banter by all of us as well as the Hospice nurses about Chemo-Interruptus.  A sort of tongue in cheek reference to an ancient form of birth control, called Coitus-Interruptus.  Which for those of you not in the know, is basically the rhythm method of birth control.

Which brings me to my brother-in-law Robin.  I’ve heard him say this little nugget of truth a few times:

What do you call people who practice the rhythm method of birth control?

Parents!  Ha-ha-ha!!!  Too true.

 

 

Harty Farty

Harty Farty
24 September 2012

Oh my friggin hat!  What have I gotten myself into???

I absolutely LOVE making stuff.  I’ve always got a project I’m busy working on.  So this year, after being urged by a few friends and my family, I decided to take the plunge and take the crafting to the next level.  How?  I had the “bright” idea, that I would attempt to do some of the Xmas markets and try and sell my wares.  And thus “Harty Farty” was born – I have a positive thing for hearts.  No, I couldn’t do a normal, conventional name.  It had to be quirky and unusual, otherwise I would have been bored stiff instantly.  My special friend, Gill, designed a logo for me.  I had a little bird charm on a necklace, and wanted to use that, and Gillie made it happen for me.  She’s a really clever gal!

I “developed” nine goodies in “my range”.  All very diverse.  I got most of my ideas by stealing with my eyes and doing a fair bit of copying of other ideas and then tweaking them to the way that I like.  I am extremely unoriginal and am simply not clever enough to have my own unique idea after all.  I also got some awesome ideas off Pinterest (worst website in the entire world – it is just way too addictive).  And truth be told, lots of the stuff I had been doing in any rate, giving them to friends and family for birthdays and Christmas.  It all made perfect sense.

So, I applied for a few markets and much to my delight, I got into two of them.  I had really hoped to get into “Kamers vol geskenke”, but it was not to be.  And in hindsight, I’m just sooo grateful.  I believe those ladies run a very tight ship and are extremely demanding and fastidious.  I suspect they would have crushed my fragile ego.

I have been burning the midnight oil like mad.  And between my normal running around, kids, my home, family, crafting and the blog, I’ve been stretched quite thin for quite a while.  Days are busy, hectically so, so at night time, when my family are sleeping, I craft.  It can be rather solitary though, and I do like a bit of company.  So while I craft in my lounge, I listen to either old Grey’s Anatomy DVD’s or old Brothers and Sister’s DVD’s.  I don’t watch, but as I’ve seen all of these before, the listening along thing is mighty fine.  I know all the best bits in any rate.  I go to bed at about 1h00 in the morning, and the new day starts again at about 6h00.  I’ve always been a night owl and can go with very little sleep.  This does not mean that I don’t enjoy sleep, because I do.  Very much so.  Now I’m not having a pity party here, I’m merely setting the scene.  It’s been busy.

But I met my first big deadline, which was a biggie for me.  This afternoon, I went and dropped off all of my goodies for my first market, called the CY Market in Durbanville.  They accepted three of my items, and so I’ve been making Peg Fridge Magnets, Gr8 Jewellery Stands as well as Mosaic Stones (they’re doorstops).  It was quite an undertaking, and I have an extreme case of OCD, so everything had to be just so and absolutely perfect.  I cannot describe the huge feeling of accomplishment though.  Just feeling so chuffed and happy with what I’ve achieved.  Even in just completing the task I set out for myself .  And I have told Grant sternly that I’m going to lay off the crafting for at least a week now, until I start tackling things again for my next market.  But I lied – I’ve already done a wee bit of sewing today.  If I have to say so myself, I make the MOST gorgeous brooches.  Well, I think they’re gorgeous.  Which is rather important, because I would simply hate doing something that I wasn’t absolutely in love with myself.  In fact, it just wouldn’t work for me.

So what have I got to show for myself up to this point?  Well, I have boxes and boxes of little things that I am using for all of my various projects.  Every single variety of glue on the market, spray paints, graters, magnets, loads and loads and loads of pretty ribbons, mosaic stones, grouting, old cutlery, broken bits of crockery, pieces of wood, paint swatches, old medicine bottles, cotton thread in every colour imaginable, my very own little guillotine (best buy ever!), paint, felt, buttons, clasps, packaging baggies in various sizes, needles, double sided tape, old banged up books, old keys, sheets and sheets and sheets of coloured paper and board, numerous pairs of scissors, Harty Farty logo stickers, wooden washing pegs, punches, hooks, screws, string, fishing line, etc., etc., etc.  And so the list goes on.  As well as nicks and scrapes on my hands.  A sore back from hunching over.  And excessive sense of achievement, which is worth more than money alone.  Why?  Because I did it.  I don’t think I’ll be extremely successful financially, which is not really the point.  There is just so many beautiful things out there and creative people putting them together.  So I don’t think I’ll make much money, which would have been lovely.  But I’ll have loads and loads of fun in the process. 

And just to give you an idea - to spice things up a bit and keep me on my toes, I also have a huge, enormous, cavernous, Kimberley-sized hole in my head.  Because every year, I hand make about 100 Christmas cards.  I know – what an absolute idiot!!!  Grant just mumbles a lot and shakes his head.  He doesn’t get it at all.  And who can blame him.  I’m not entirely sure that I get it either.  It’s expensive and time consuming, yet I love it and every year I do it again.  Sorry, let me rephrase that - I’m a stupid, blithering, idiotic idiot!

So stand by folks, for a few pics of my goodies for the CY Market.  Do have a squiz and should the urge grab you, head off to the Market and be sure to look out for Harty Farty.  And perhaps, just perhaps, if I’m very, very, very lucky, in about three week’s time, I’ll get a little deposit into my banking account.  Which will be just as well, as I’ll have to settle the outstanding costs on my first market, not accounting for what I need to buy for the next one.

And do you know what?  Just guess who got into the “Kamers vol geskenke” market?  Would you believe it, but my bloody brother!  You know, the boy in my family, who doesn’t even appreciate it!  Or care for that matter.  Well, I suppose he will appreciate the money they pay into his account for performing for them, but still.  Ain’t that just typical!!!  I keep on having a giggle when I think about it.  My brother, at “Kamers vol geskenke”!  Too funny for words.  I’m hoping I can perhaps be his “plus one” when he goes and performs at the opening.  That way I’ll be able to have a sneak peak at the competition, so that I can plan what crafts to do next…

 

Some of my doorstop stones

 

 

All of the stones are from Kleinbaai

I needed to make 60 in total for the first market - a mammoth task

 

 

Gr8 Jewellery Stands - to hook your earrings on

 

 

My little table at the market with my Peg Fridge Magnets and Mosaic Stones - spot some of my bunting made from paint swatches - clever, hey!

 

 

A bit more up close. I absolutely love the stand I made from an old kitchen cupboard shutter style door.

 

 

Gr8 Jewellery Stands and some more pegs