Gifts!

Another day of bed building, this time going to a timber merchants for the right size piece.. we had tried avoiding it.. but sometimes it seems ya gotta buy stuff! And it works! And it solid! And comfy! With NO LUMPS! It’s a dream come true, no more blogging about building the bloody east wing we promise!!!

The whole site was busy yesterday with people working, fixing up wagons, working on vehicles and sorting through their belongings to sell at a local flea market that’s on once a month. It’s super cheap and apparently huge. We will probably miss it as we are running our Photo Booth Saturday night at a huge party  at a massive Squat.. ah well plenty of flea markets it seems!

And so to gift giving. After the 100 eggs from R, came a bag of STUFF from Mancunian Z, we sorted through it, and amongst the delights was a seriously BLING gold and ‘diamond’ key chain with a wind mill on it, tasteful! Next came Mr ‘er yes I can fix ziz’ with a box of STUFF, we sorted through it, this time numerous sunglasses were to be found! Later on UK J arrived with a bag of beautiful feathers (Cat can use them on her earrings), and people have been really great helping us get Honey Bunch fixed up, lending us their car, and giving us top local tips on markets  etc.

 But the REAL highlight was in the middle of a gathering around our al fresco dining area, complete with polka dot table cloth and candles, the arrival of a 7ft Egyptian Mummy.. called Terry.. he had been sitting in the loads, we have admired him from a far, and now he was being presented to us as a gift.. well, you can say no.. can you??!!!

HELL NO!!!!!

Jana &  Cat xxx

we were feeling lazy..

Woke up feeling lazy, stayed in beds as long as our bladders would allow us, then borrowed some milk and set about making chai coffees, and our own version of scurly..and very yummy it was too!

Feeling fortified we headed out the local markt.. that is not on on Mondays. Not a worry, quick shop in super mart for basics for dinner, of course buying cheese...

Back to site and final build stage of the East wing bed, this involved sawing, sanding, fitting, fixing..  Whilst still in middle of ‘flood’ chaos.

Mid bed fitting we decide to investigate the ‘flood’ further.. There is STILL a mystery leak, ‘how can this be?!’ we cry. Make a decision to remove HUGE  water tank and thus the flood reappears in epic style..wood is unscrwed, carpet shifted, hoses cut, water tank removed, all with minimal swearing and in super quick time!

The final dregs of water poured out of the now hated water heater..10 big bowls later and the drips have slowed, in fact we have downgraded to a small bowl, victory is ours!

So while the floor dries, and dry well it must as its wood and we don’t want to fall through the bloody thing due to rot! We put on laundry, finished the bed, build a fire in the burner of the canteen to dry our laundry, gave Mr ‘Er yes I can fix Ziz’ a bottle of wine.. with a pink bow on it (he was thrilled!), removed loads of stuff from the vehicle.. and then put it all back again.. very reminisant of living in our American van (check out: ‘2 girls 1 van nuf stuff’ on our youtube channel)

Tired but feeling like we have final got to the bottom of what would have continued to be huge problem, and with beds ready to be fallen into we begin to make dinner.. the carpets are still up, no seating exists, stuff is shoved here there and everywhere, but a bottle of wine and a huge pasta, pesto, veg and CHEESE dinner is planned and so we are happy!

Night night jana & Cat

The flood..

After a day of stamping business cards (using recycled paper - starting with the crap Jake Gyllenhaal calendar), cutting out skirts and collars to be sewn, and the text for a cook book being written, the floor started to squelch...just before bed time..

So once again we dismantled EVERYTHING causing genral chaos, but being very nessesary chaos!
And today, as seems to be our want, we worked whilst still in PJs, getting up more carpet and figuring out the cause, it seems that plugging into mains started a water pump hidden beneath the seating area, and that had a leak, and that leak soaked our floor.

So once again sewing has been delayed, and on a gorgeous sunny day we left Honey bunch with all windows open, carpets airing, and STUFF EVERYWHERE and rode to the little ferry port to a cafe in a big industrial building (all very tastefully done of course!) to use internet and eat a sandwich and watch ferrys go by. Almost like 'sitting on the dock of the bay..' but not quite as romantic!

XXX

NOWHERE

We also got a response for Nowhere festival –a festival in north Spain that lasts a week, based on the same ideas as ‘Burning man’, promoting radical self-reliance and art -  we are in!!!! 

http://www.goingnowhere.org/

Again, running our portrait studio, trying to photograph as many people at the festival as possible, and exhibiting the images in our temporary gallery. We have been sponsored by the Nowhere arts fund so feeling super excited!!!! 

So we will be in Spain in July for sure, planning to fit in Berlin for at least a month in the interim.. no plans seems to work well!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's Saturday!

Woke up resfreshed with a knocking on the door from our neighbours ‘loves young dream’ offering to cook us breakfast, it was time for ‘Sandy’s Scary Scurly’.. in PJs we sat in our cozy wagon making chai coffees and chowing down on fried oats and eggs on toast (100 eggs were rescued by the gorgeous R from a skip, and tested for freshness by being dunked in water, all sank, an feast was planned!), Breakfast was splendid!

They took off to sell their boat.. and we got hooked up to mains!!!!! ‘Mr er yes I can fix ziz’ was on the case swapping cables and making sure we were ready to, all it took was 2 fried eggs and the promise of a bottle of plonk.. ah the joys of site life!

We are thrilled, Jana now has no excuse not to sew, the table even fits, and after a rummage through a flea markt in main Amsterdam yesterday, plenty of recycled clothes to play with. It also means Cat has no excuse not to sort out their image filing system on her computer.. however, they are currently reading in bed, and writing a blog.. well, it is Saturday and raining!

Other exciting News it that we have got a gig running our portrait studio at a huge squat party Next weekend, the theme is Moustaches and Bimbos.. with our dressing up box and variety of moustaches we feel it’s going to go well! Going to meet everyone and join in their big vegan dinner Sunday and check out the space. We will be able to print up the images as we take them and sell those for donation at the party, we can also drive ‘Honey bunch’ there and park on their terrain, ‘home is where you park it’!

xxx

Life on site

10 days in and all is well!

The sun has been shining for 4 days, we have moved honey bunch to a new spot (2 feet over but parked the other way around, giving us more sunshine and boosts our solar panels).

Yesterday saw us building the mezzanine suit for the second bedroom! It was very exciting, we used big electric saws and felt like proper carpenters..until things that were carefully measured seemed not to fit.. but we made them fit - hurrah!

Then 'new bedroom' celebrations engulfed everyone on site and fine wines (god bless albert hein and his Cheap organic plonko!)

dinner around a fire and talks of working with lion cubs in circuses and strange things that happen in japan were hot topics.

We invited ourselves in 2 trailers, much to the joy of the male occupants, it seems we are hot property being the new chicas on site!

Interior shots of 'honey bunch' being done today for those of you who have asked, studio space being sorted, visits to a market to see about selling there, hip hop beats being created..but first breakfast 'sandy's scary sculley' (oats, fried in butter with onion, on toast, with a fired egg on top..yummy!

This photo is yesterday Lunch..hard life! Check flickr.com/photos/wanderlustingartisans for more

Love Cat and Jana XX

wanderlusting artisans on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/WanderlustingArtisan

Yep its all go!

Welcome to the blog!!!!

Having been here a week we feel we are doing rather well!

After setting up the bloody mary bar things begun to roll, back at site people have finally heard of us/met us/ partied with us!

And so the collaborating begins! Making beats with music chica on site, and a tattoo/clothes design swap has gone down.
New earrings have been designed, studios for clothes making are being set up and paper has been aquired to begin making collages on..hurrah the wanderlusters are flying!

Big love Cat & Jana xx

Hallo from Amsterdam!

update 3: March 18th 2011

after fab ferry ride, and then a 4 hour drive mission to find where we were staying (combination of crap google maps and 'good' local hand written maps) we finally arrived at the Squat. Great views, wicked people, all good!

Got the guided tour, and then set about 'organising Honey Bunch'..and what a terrific home she is!!!

The next day 'day 1' was Jana's birthday and we headed out on bikes after our soon to be customary chai coffees and bagels. Got the ferry over to Amsterdam Centrum, rode about, ate another epic breakfast of pancakes, stuffed canoloni and the thickest hot chocolate EVER! on sugar high we ride round more, accidentally riding down 'one man alley' in heart of red light district..

How does the traffic work?? we ponder..BIKES RULE!!!!!!!! great!

Stop off at a market - frites and mayo..yum! decide that we must make a rap music video ..in the planning..wrote rap lyrics whilst drinking mint tea on side of a canal!

Zig zag back across town to Dinner & movie at Lab 111 - great art space etc.

Ride home happy and tired to a warm (the heating worked after Cats skilled wiring) welcome home from honey bunch!

Next day saw us doing....NOTHING... gorgeous! Until the evening when we both perked up to get creative..at either ends of our huge vehicle!!!

Raining today - honey bunch is dry! hit up a market for veggies bread and CHEESE.. we promise you this cheese is AMAZING!!!!

After offering to take a group photo of everyone living here we got invited to the 'biggest squat party amsterdam has ever seen'. A huge squat outside the city center is closing..massive space.. everyone will be there..we are planning on wearing lots of leopard print and fur, and selling bloody mary's to all the party revellers in the morning..from honey bunch..wish us luck!

big love Cat & Jana 

XXX

Flickr photos!

Yo Yo Check it out our new photo stream from our epic travel adventures!!!

www.flickr.com/photos/wanderlustingartisans

Lots of Love Cat and Jana xxx

update 2!

Number two update coming at ya from our last day in Manchester UK!

It's been an amazing time, thanks to all our friends for helping us( BIG shout out goes to Tony, without you we wouldnt have eaten so many breakfasts! ma ha ha, and to Lilias for her AMAZING  bunting!), and being so bloody great and fabulous - the lot of ya!

Honey Bunch has been fixed up (leaky roof no longer CHECK!), gas sorted, electrics figured out, door flush, GORGEOUS STUFF put in her, and homes found for mini flamenco dancers, glittery eyed sheep skulls, sewing machines, printers, and fabrics, beads and feathers galore! Passports arrived, houses were rented and earring where made.

A early evening soiree in her last night was a hit, our battery powered LED system was a success, as was the heating (every vehicle has its own little foilbes!..).

Hitting the road today with full tummys, huge grins and enough tins of beans to last us a while..first sop is a long established squat in Amsterdam (and Carries mates who we think we might ++LOVE++).

Next update will come from the 'Dam!...watch this space!

Big love Cat & Jana XXX

Update 1!

Hello! (26th feb 2011)

 Demand for stories of our adventures has reached an all time peak and so we have created the 'WANDERLUSTERS  newsletter'. Coming into your email in box at weird and wonderful moments, full of funny acecdotes (hopefully,) good stories (definately), the odd photo or two (certainly!), and a general update of our European tour!

So lets begin,To date thus far we have:

Been planning the European tour, contacting festivals about our mobile portrait booth, making jewelery and bags to sell on the road, planning the documentary, visitng friends around the UK, seeings Jana's goddaughter Matilda, and having a blast being together again!

And 3 days into being together after Xmas, NYC and Scotland were being done and dusted, we bought a huge 22ft camper van in Wales, and named her HONEY BUNCH. She has been serviced rather well by some welsh mechanics (ho hum) and is now ready for the road. She is now up north with us and being pimped out a bit more for the big departure!

We have booked a ferry to Amsterdam from Hull for the 14th March 2011, making sure that we will be comfortably sipping something yummy on Jana's 30th Birthday on 16th March (also hoping for sunshine!).

Our route is not set in stone, thats the way we roll! but WOOFING (working on orgainc farms), festivals, markets, gorgeous views and the odd beach are all in the pipeline!

Looking forward to it all, and to keeping you all updated, and seeing some of you in Europe!

A quick but very heartfelt shout out goes to our mums and dads, Heidi & Kerry, and Jane & Jeff, THANKS SO MUCH for all your help and support, love ya loads Jana & Cat XXXXX