Memories & Mayhem in Gulargambone, New South Wales | Arts and crafts shop

Memories & Mayhem

Locality: Gulargambone, New South Wales

Phone: +61 418 827 656

Address: 19 Bourbah St 2828 Gulargambone, NSW, Australia

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• Shopping & retail
• Arts and crafts shop

24.01.2022 Had a rude experience at 4am this morning as I was happily shopping in Spotlight for elastic and Marvel and poplin .. I loaded up my cart with elastic then headed for a ball or two of Marvel and a spot of delightful printed poplin (caravans, horses, koalas and FLAMINGOES ).. and bugger me dead I got back to my cart and ALL MY ELASTIC WAS GONE ..... can't even trust virtual staff these days

23.01.2022 It's time to meet Missy .... she fell victim to the temptations of my little treasure trove last winter when she was lured into the mysterious and obsessive world of LOOMING ... not a knitter or a crotcheter she said as she stepped innocently into this netherworld of wool and fluff and acrylic and hooks and needles .... many come in but few seldom leave .... well few seldom leave empty handed that is .... Her senses were bombarded at every turn by colours and t...Continue reading

23.01.2022 A selection of gorgeous little critters all looking for their forever home during the Corona crisis!!! Priced from $25 to $35 from Memories and Mayhem 0418827656 Gulargambone (paypal accepted with $8.50 postage) or direct purchase from Gulargambone Caravan Park on 68251666 .... don't you just LOOOVE them

20.01.2022 Joyce Newton raced in this morning with this little horse and said "quick!! Take a photo before he gets picked up in few seconds!" .... it was all so fast I thought she was holding the Highland Cow from last week but nooooo it was the Horse magically made in a day or two ....... To be accurate it actually WAS the highland cow pattern now repeated but with a horsey head and a long mane ... joyce had beavered away like a demon after Monday's big discussion group ...and produced this little gem with a totally free hand head ... and as i struggled with my phone camera to get a shot Joyce kept moving and spinning around with the horse while trying to dodge the customer that I didn't realise had chased her up the street and into the shop at high speed with great expectations for this delightful little handmade miracle ..... and if you ever watched us crocheting while yakking and eating and slurping coffee and laughingly serving customers and trying to offer and hear the latest gossip you would realise that actually FINISHING something recognisable really is a bloody miracle ..... Unfortunately for me Joycey has raised the bar to a shocking height this week and I don't know if my Giraffe will survive the competition ..... and Yes... it's still in pieces on the bed beside me waiting patiently to pull himself together for his new owner ..... but at least the stuffing and eyes made it home with me! ..... Amidst all the confusion today the Giraffe's expectant Nana reminded me to pull my finger out and get on with it..... the caravan park owner arrived with TWO gorgeous crotchet turtles for me to put up next and a message from a distant traveller that she is working on a red fox somebody asked me to source and don't even ask about my lost half made Meerkat languishing in one of a dozen project bags on my couch but now Betty Gundry is mid Meerkat herself and challenging me to a duel with crotchet hooks at 20 paces See more

18.01.2022 It's taken all night and all day to finish off these two EMERGENCY procedures before the Grandies head home tomorrow ...... I tried to fake a Creeper in light green but got shot down in flames cause Creeper doesn't have arms AND has FOUR damn block feet . But Lilly pounced on it and claimed it as a cactus! Then drew me an accurate picture of a Creeper to make for Issac ... then she decided the cactus was a monster so she picked out red eyes spaced too wide so i had to... open up his head again to put the eyes in ... Don't ask how long it takes for a six year old to pick out the PERFECT eyes from a big bag of mixed colours THEN how many eyes to use and where to put them . But we survived I am suffering from a serious lack of coffee, an overabundance of Tick Tock biscuits, RSI from crotcheting non stop since 2am ... and my legs are completely dead from sitting so long. But, in the long run, the munchkins are happy and that's all that matters on this cold wet rainy day when we are all locked up inside. See more

18.01.2022 Gorgeous pocket shawl that is the current craze at the Gulargambone Caravan Park .. the girls are pumping them out at a frightening pace and we were so pleased today to get to see one for real . They really are quite lovely to look at. Made apparently from three 200gm USA Spotsaver balls (a soft and delicious 10 ply) and probably on a 5.5mm hook. She deserves to be as pleased as she was with the results .

18.01.2022 Finished my Mondial Wool Blend Beanie but the furry pom pom is still at the shop

17.01.2022 Great news . Finally managed to get flowers in again after so many years without them and they are soooooo beautiful . 45cm high and seven heads on each bunch and all blossoms are in full bloom! Only $4.50 each

15.01.2022 It's interesting to hear how people keep their spirits up in this Covid 19 nightmare ... I'm lucky to operate a craft/gift shop with a constant access to delightful stock (the weird/wonderful/crazy/strange/pretty/essential or just buy it because it takes my fancy ) as well as basic haberdashery and cafe supplies. Of course the best shopping occurs online at 3am when my resistance is down and my head fills with crazy ideas for ridiculous projects ... attempts to co...nfiscate my internet access have failed so the boxes just keep on coming . But its like Christmas every day as we open "surprise" boxes and I search for supporting reasons when asked "Why?" Or the more common "WTF!!" ... My Covid world is a complete mystery to me but it all made sense at 3am...... but the real entertainment is experiencing the customers as they venture into my world of madness .. the looks and the questions and the memories and the stories that are a natural part of each meeting can't help but make us smile no matter how grim the TV news and restrictions are. So yesterday I heard of a young family man in Lightning Ridge who decided to put up his Christmas Tree already and take his girls Christmas shopping. The tree surrounded by presents took away much of the doom and gloom surrounding us all as this Covid shit drags on endlessly . Apparently a present is received weekly too to brighten the darkness ... A most wonderful idea I reckon See more

15.01.2022 First little mate now has legs on and is looking rather dashing I think... still needs a few dots made and sewn on.... but maybe I will and maybe I wont

15.01.2022 Look at the Goblin Betty Gundry made today from a book donated by Sharon Roff

15.01.2022 Been thinking about Missy this week . She bounced in the other day like a bucket of bubbles to tell Pam the Postie that she had just up-ended a bag of plants and cuttings in the back of her truck parked out front.. Pam was in mid discussion about the relevent merits of the various Crotchet toys she was ordering/waiting on/drooling over and still wavering over which giraffe she was in love with ... but now her head was full of plants and she giggled (most unusual for Pa...Continue reading

12.01.2022 Another innocent lured to the darkside... Betty Gundry stepped in as substitute "slave" today (Joyce Newton abandoned her post and went touring without me ) and displayed a remarkable talent for luring the yarn newbie down the rabbit hole ... a simple question about how to knit a scarf for her lovely little boys and Betty was there like a shot out of a gun ... I was up to my armpits in cellophane and sticky tape wrapping a giraffe and meerkat and "Dog in Blue Cardi" ...so no use to anyone but Betty was brilliant ... Together they found perfect acrylic sweet rolls for softness and rolling colours then short bamboo needles but the true gold showed when she discovered the plan was to Google "how to knit" after we mentioned random steps like "rib" and "pearl" and "plain" and a look of panic passed over the customer's face . But we are here to serve and serve we do and in a moment she was comfortably seated at the table with Betty getting a lesson in How to Knit a Scarf .... so, after we had our usual disagreement over the CORRECT method to cast on (which the lady enjoyed immensly!) The lesson began with copious videos on the customer's phone. Her next viewing of the saved videos will be hilarious as they include Betty cheering as she realised she has now made her FIRST YOUTUBE!! And me yapping in the background as I introduce my cousin to my son and grandkids because, as always, everything happens at once in here and no one experiences any form of privacy once you step into this haven of craziness... so with the wrapping finished and the lesson finished the customer bundles up her treasures and heads to the counter but she gets waylaid by a casually relaxing "sample" of a vandyke or chevron crotchet rug (last year's fashion which started with a row of granny squares!) made from wool blend Caron cakes . So across the counter she learns Quick smart the textural difference between acrylic and wool blend and how to venture into crotchet on youtube once the scarves are done . Today I bade a tearful farewell to my chevron rug sample .... now I am FORCED to select another yummy "cake" or three and make another sample See more

10.01.2022 Two more babies off to their forever home

08.01.2022 My latest babies ... most heading off to new homes already .... I'm experiencing some separation anxiety unfortunately ... the baby in blue jumper is a meerkat made by my mate Betty Gundry (she won the Meerkat race ).. but popular opinion is that its a DOG ... so Joyce Newton renamed it a MERE DOG but don't tell Betty! . It joins the famous ranks of the elephant/bear/ rabbit and the cow/horse by Joyce and my early efforts with the tail-less bear/mouse .... we have learned that each toy will definitely dictate its final identity regardless of our efforts or opinions

07.01.2022 Spent the arvo researching mask patterns and being a pattern obsessive I had to draft up a grid and draw the patterns for the shaped masks ... thank Christ I buy template plastic in bulk because I LOVE the damn stuff ... so the templates are cut for men, women/youth, kids and infants ... plus two styles for the flat pleated masks. Patterns are all two layers but Vic Health recommends three layers so its easy to cut and sew an extra layer. Vic Health also recommend...s a polyester or sports fabric for a water resistant outside layer and suggests old green shopping bags Ewwww! But I did eyeball my nylon folding eco bags on the shelf so might butcher some for the centre layer and use pretty quilting cotton inside and outside . I remember seeing a pink nylon parachute tracksuit from 1980 hanging in my wardrobe .... now THAT would line a shitload of masks ... my backup plan if I fail at mask making is to cut up and sell the bloody templates and all the bits to go home and make your own .. I have already ordered good size elastic AND the bendable nose strips and I am up to my armpits in material and nylon eco bags..... and one giant pink parachute tracksuit See more

06.01.2022 New stock for summer sewing all cut and packed at last I finally found CANVAS for making bags and hats and cushions and stuff for summer activities . The patterns and colours were just too pretty to pick from but I bought a pretty good sample I reckon .. its all cut in quarter metre pieces 52cm x 150cm for $9.50 plus a couple cut in large fat quarters 52cm x 75cm for $5.50. Need to find a hat and bag pattern now for the gorgeous blue with birds

06.01.2022 Just letting GULARGAMBONE and friends know that I have polyurethane ear savers in stock at Memories and Mayhem . After seeing customers struggling to rescue their super expensive hearing aids when they take ANY ear elastic mask off I was horrified at the risk of dropping or losing these aids or worse still losing their balance and taking a tumble . I've also had comments that the elastic is annoying with glasses too . So I was super delighted to discover a "local" eng...ineering firm in this region making these little beauties and more than happy to whip up a boxful and scoot them out to me in a matter of days!! . My pilot order of 25 literally arrived in 3 days and I was fascinated with these little beauties but still only thinking of nurses and health care workers wearing masks all day until a mate of mine tossed her new mask on to show me and then tried to take it off and not one but TWO hearing aids popped off hooked in the elastic and just dangled from her ears . Then she wobbled to keep her balance as she tried to untangle the elastic just by "feel" without damaging or dropping her precious hearing aids . It made me realise just how hard the "simple" things can be for those of us that that need physical aids or are not too steady on our pins . So I contacted this local Aussie Engineering firm on Buy from the Bush and they are more than happy to toss their gear my way because no one else is rushing to help us out here in nowhere land. We are definitely the "Invisible Australians" and as a whole are being left to our own devices to get us safely through this Covid 19 crisis!!.... Ps... I "stole" their photos for here because they are much nicer than anything I will take . Besides it's 4am and I'm still tucked up in bed without a mask or "ear saver" to bless myself but my mind is just running rampant on it's own.... as usual... See more

06.01.2022 I think I missed sharing a pic of this lovely pram rug done by Joyce Newton for a new baby . Its acrylic 8ply and I THINK its shell pattern or lotus pattern .. the light spoils the colours which are soft plain and patterned blues

05.01.2022 Finally finished my Meerkat ... looking a bit on the loopy side but done at last

05.01.2022 Had the best day today since lockdown isolation... Joyce Newton and Betty Gundry spent the whole day with me just like pre Covid 19 days . Even old Nance took up her regular seat to watch the shenanigans and check out all our projects. It was a chilly day but not deadly freezing so we banged about quite happily slurping on frequent hot coffees and the odd hot scollop or two. Betty was showing off her latest Goblin and joyce was posing with her gorgeous highland cow as t...Continue reading

05.01.2022 My Soft Ear Elastic finally arrived ... it's already packed in 100 metre packs so I can offer these for sale for $25 per pack free post (that's only 25c metre for bulk purchase AND postage )... and short measures are $1 per metre plus post or $18.50 for 50 metres free post . I loooove this soft round elastic ... I have been cutting 18cm lengths for my masks but the patterns all suggest 20cm.

02.01.2022 Our recent new demon of big fat crotchet circles has expanded to big fat crotchet BEANIES