All I want for Christmas....

It's OK guys, 2016 is almost over!! Not long now! YOU CAN DO IT!

2017 may be a bit of a toughy too, but at least we'll see it coming, and so make sure you and your loved ones have these ultimate survival items....

CAST SOME SPELLS!
Witchcraft may be the only thing that saves us, so decorate your spell book with these  Tiny Hexes stickers by super awesome illustrator/comic book artist Jack Fallows. They also do commission portraits too so you know!


TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!
Help out in your local community, give a hand to those in need, but also take care of your self. A helpful reminder is this risograph Stay Cosy art print from talented megababe Kathleen.
Sometimes you gotta Stay Cosy.



LEARN A SKILL!
Give yourself distraction and learn something new. Learn to knit and then you can definitely stay cosy.

Our kandy got herself a swish new studio and is now doing knitting machine workshops from there. Book in!

PREPARE FOR IDIOTS!
Racism is rife, but it's probably gonna get rifer. This year I made a piece that was a series of patches on a sash and I called it Brownies, The Chufty Badge Pack. The patches featured all of the silly stuff white people say to me. I got it made into an A3 art print. Get one, hang it on your walls, or cut it out and wear it to repel racist idiots and their stupid questions.



SUPPORT WOMEN WRITERS!
Yes, support women writers with The Chapess zine collection book, Gut Flora. 200 pages of written, illustrated and photographs by women. Synchronise Witches Press who made the book also do badges and totes that say 'Support Women Writers' on them.


GET ABDUCTED BY ALIENS!
Just wait for ET to come back for his supply of Reeses Pieces and get him to take you back home with him. Get this 'I Want To Leave' T-shirts by Danny Brito to let the aliens know you wanna leave.


PREPARE FOR IDIOTS PART 2!
Idiots aren't just racist, they're sexist, transphobic and homophobic too. Make sure you repel them extra with this T-shirt by Rudy Lowe.


SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!
The world is full of people who want to stand up for you and tell your story incorrectly, especially if your working class. Let it be known your's proud of your class and can speak for yourself with these badges and patch.


FIND A GANG!
Survival is pretty much guaranteed easier in a pack, so seek out your gang to help you get through it. These Anxious Punks pins from Emma Thacker will not only make you look cool but help you connect with other anxious punks.


PREPARE FOR THE APOCOLYPSE!
Who knows about an apocalypse better than Buffy? No one! So get your slayer in training mode on with this EP by queer Buffy concept band The Potentials! (also artwork by Tiny hexes sticker maker Jack Fallows)

Sugar Paper #17 OUT NOW!

The unicorn and rainbow issue!

with vegan ice cream and unicorn bread recipes, friendship bracelets, furry pencil case, scrunchies and crochet yin yang.
With a centre fold comic by Kellie Huskisson.
comes with free stickers.

get your copy HERE!

Sick Sad World Tour

So the reason the new Sugar Paper isn't out yet (despite summer being almost over) is because we have been busy being a Clueless concept band called Whatevers and going on tour with our besties!
We're still recovering (by recovering I mean adjusting to real life and not being a van with a bunch of the best people)

Last year you might remember us going on tour as Yiiikes! for the We Are The Weirdos Mister, tour and this year we headed out on the road again.

I'm not going to write a full post on the tour, you can go and Read Holly Casio's blog for that, but a few highlights and some pictures of what was one of the best weeks....

All being in the same van- having a new fave band in FOMO - Van driver Kathleens' adventures in crafting -Being put up and fed by some right lovely people- getting neck ache dancing to The Potentials Moloch- tour pets- playing for my work fam - Ice Shack in Withington- disco dancing- the Fungalow- making scrunchies cool - van sing alongs- Jack's accents- hash browns- party ring trifle- The Angel of the North- Crumbs- Seeing friends along the way- saladxcore- sunshine- birthdays- photobooths-fun times.....



 

Totally Buggin

Yes that Clueless concept band Kandy and I are in have made a tape!

The EP is called Totally Buggin and features songs about friendship, crushes, being badass, shitty boys, hair and class!!!!

Check us out!

Also we're on tour next week!!!!! Playing all over, details HERE

WHATEVERS TOUR!!!

So, the next issue of Sugar Paper is taking it's time as Kandy and I are busy being the Whatevers (see previous post about our Clueless themed concept band).
We've been making songs, getting merch (all the merch) and planning stuff and now we can't wait to go on tour with mega babes The Potentials and FOMO!

Coming to a town near you, check out this awesome poster by Polly Richards....

And Saffa who did the cover for Sugar Paper #15 did this poster for our Manchester gig, swoon...

We were super lucky too as Ben Cooney drew up this super sweet logo for us YES!

See you in August, we hope not sporadically!

International zine month

It's July tomorrow, which means International zine month.
As with every year, I will try to follow it and realise I haven't done anything the day before it turns August!

I do have a few zine things I might try and complete during July....

Sugar Paper:
I think issue 17 is over halfway done and should definitely appear before July is over. It's full of sparkly things, unicorns, sweet things and bffs, and should be sponsored by food colouring!

Poor Lass:
We're still taking contributions for issue 7 of the zine I co-edit with top lass Em about being working class. This issue is about race and I have yet to write my piece for it.
for more information about the zine or contributing to issue 7 GO HERE!

Crisp zine:
After a few years of saying I am going to make a zine about crisps, I am FINALLY making a zine about crisps!
I've started some pieces I want to feature and already had a few submissions, it turns out lots of people love crisps!
If you do too and want to write a piece, a list, a love letter, a poem, draw a picture about your love of crisps, then email me: seleenalavernedaye@gmail.com

Brown Girls:
Been thinking about making Brown Girl 3 for a while, but not wanting to ask for any submissions whilst asking for submissions for Poor Lass and my crisps zine. Hoping to have a new one by Autumn, so for now I might start on a few pieces I have I want to put in myself. Think I'm going to write a lot about dancing in this issue!

Sick Sad World Tour:
I get to go on tour with a bunch of my faves again this year!! And I think we're going to do a split tour zine to take with us in August!

I'm also gonna try and get through my pile of to read zines I've picked up at zine fairs this year!

Whatevers

So Kandy and I formed a band, for one summer only whilst Yiiikes! have a mini break. We wanted to go on tour with our bffs again, we toyed around with forming a craft punx band, but instead decided we need to embrace our inner Cher and Dionne, so formed....

Making songs about being bffs, total betties and stuff!

We have some songs you can listen to....




and and Instagram for visual goodness @whatversuk

and we're going on tour with concept punx and mega babes The Potentials and FOMO in August!!
more info HERE

Twenty Years

Whilst we reach the halfway point of the new issue of Sugar paper (its a colourful sparkly affair!) I'm taking a time out to talk about ME! This blog is the things we make and do, and we haven't made much of late, I've got a week off, so let's write some stuff.

Twenty years, no we haven't been making Sugar Paper that long (it has been ten years this year though, that needs its own blog and party and line of merch!) but twenty years ago last week two things happened that I remember well/affected me greatly.

Twenty years ago, I had not long since turned 12, I was coming to the end of my first year in secondary school and was soaking up most 90s pop culture...

Saturday 15th June, I was sat in the door hole* of my back door on a bean bag soaking up the sun, possibly wearing stripy leggings when I earned a huge bang. At first I thought my wardrobe had fallen over, but it hadn't, then I thought someone had been shooting in the park on my street, but they hadn't.
Turns out Manchester had just been bombed.
We watched Granada tonight looking at the damage, amazed that no one got hurt (I remember one guy saying he saw a pregnant lady fly through the air!) And that the post box was still standing.
I don't know how long it was til I went into town after the bomb, I remember silly stuff like Topshop get rehoused in Debenhams basement and I used to g there with my sister so she could buy her vintage Adidas track tops and that a few years later M&S was rebuilt, this time the size of a football pitch and with bomb proof glass.

I'm not from Manchester. I was born in Bradford, but moved here when I was like 2, so Manchester is all I've known, I've never moved away and it would take a lot for me to.
Here are 20 things I like about Manchester....

1. Location- I obviously love living in the north, but I also love the fact Manchester is so close to other great cities. an our either side I'm in Liverpool or Leeds, another half an hour Sheffield, the north east. I even like how there's a super fast train to visit the BIG city from time to time.

2. Location part 2-  It's also not too far away from beautiful places, the peak district, the lake district and North Wales. And we have close coast, although I spent all my summer holidays on the East coast (which is better shush!)

3. TV- I love watching TV and I'll watch anything that's set in Manchester (except Cold Feet, I some reason never watched that) I'm not a religious watcher of Corrie, but it pretty much invented the soap and it has lolz (Kylie used to come to my tap class) I loved the Royale Family when it aired and was OBSESSED with Queer as Folk (I used to take a dance class with Donna) and Scott and Bailey is pure class.

4. The worker bee- I said I wanted a bee tattoo a few years back and it is THE hip tattoo to get round here, but I love that the Manchester emblem is the bee. The worker bee, representing hard work dates back to the Industrial revolution.

5. Cottonopolis- this is also the new hip thing, I saw a bar called this the other day and it wasn't even themed, no bar made out of a weaving loom or owt, pfft. But yeah as someone who makes tetxtile art it feels good to live in a city that during the industrial revolution was at the forefront of textile production.

6. Music- ok so I dislike nearly all Manchester bands, Oasis, Stone roses, The Smiths, The Fall, M people, Take Shat, Simply Red, Happy Mondays you get the idea, I don't mind the odd buzzcocks song, but on a whole, nah. I DO however like the fact that most of these bands are made up of unlikely stars (ok mostly men but...) mostly a bunch of working class mates who probably got told at school they wouldn't make owt of themselves. and for that I appreciate it!

7. Architecture- I love old mills, even after a boy in my class at school died in one from falling through the floor. and there's a lot in Manchester. Not too fussed about all the new shiny shit, but apparently we have a great skyline now!

8. Greenery- along with the MANY buildings there are there's some great parks, there's a park on the end of my street and I live just down the road from Heaton Park.

9. Canals- there's canals too. I used to walk down the canal to get to Children's world and to get to Newton Heath to buy trolls, they were always filled with shit, but I like canals!

10. Museums/galleries- we have a good selection of free museums and galleries, my favourite is The museum of science and industry, this was always my favourite trip at school, the weaving looms, the trains, the flight simulator, the sewer with fake shit and that weird baby funeral.

11. Weather- I actually hate rain, and much like the Northwest of America, we've adopted the name the rainy city. It rains here a lot BUT I think that makes me seem hard, plus it means if I go anywhere else it's a nice surprise when it doesn't rain.

12. Vimto-  I like vimto, its my favourite cordial. It comes from Manchester.

13. Afflecks Palace- I may scoff now like an old alt at Afflecks, but I spent many years here, first as a shopping teen, where I made friends, then working in the bead shop for 3 1/2 years where I met some of my best mates, then another year and a half owning my own shop, where again I made more great friends.

14. Size- Manchester is actually quite small compared to other major cities over the world and I like (well 90%) of the time, that I can go to the city centre and see someone I know. It's a manageable size without being too small.

15. Accents- there are a great range of accents in the Greater Manchester borough, I'm big on regional accents.

16. Manchester tart- it tastes nice!

17. Sense of Humour- ok so I probably can't generalise that All Mancunians are funny (we've produced a lot of famous funny folk though) but I feel like on a whole we don't mind having a laugh at ourselves.

18. Granada studio tour- ok so this no longer exists as its all media city now, but I loved it here, walking down the coronation street cobbles!

19. Life changing figures- like Emmeline Pankhurst and Alan Turing.

20. Tough- the fact people think cuz I'm from Manchester I'm dead hard!

Here is a video that young people from the youth centre I volunteer at made about the Manchester bombing....

still with me... OK

Monday 17th June, I was probably in school eating my packed lunch by first lesson. It's also the day Placebo released their debut album.
Anyone that knows me, or knew me through my entire teen years, will know I was a Placebo OBSESSIVE!
I like being a fan of stuff, I like to be passionate like stuff and if I like something I really LOVE it.
My Placebo obsession took up a huge part of my life. I don't mid though, being a fan is one of my favourite hobbies. But twenty years ago I maybe didn't know what was to come!
I didn't know they would open the floodgates for me being an obsessive fan of things!
So for the first time ever I'm compiling my top 20 favourite Placebo songs!
(in a sort of order!)

1. Bionic
2. 36 Degrees
3. You Don't Care about Us
4. Hang on to your IQ
5. Teenage Angst
6. Allergic (to thoughts of mother earth)
7. Miss Moneypenny
8. Scared of Girls
9. Slackerbitch
10. Kitsch Object
11. Come Home
12. Ask for Answers
13. Brick Shithouse
14. Days before you came
15. Second Sight
16. Bruise Pristine
17. Drowning by Numbers
18. Narcoleptic
19. Drag
20. Special Needs

Here's a song they made about twenty years!
(lol at Molkos mullet!)

North West Zine Fest

That's right North West zine fest is back!

SATURDAY 18th JUNE

This year it's being held in Salford, but pretty much Manchester and I'm always super excited when there's a zine fest on my doorstop.

The new Sugar Paper won't be ready (in fact wont have any new zines) but will have a bunch of Sugar Paper's, Poor Lass, Brown Girl and other treats like stickers, pin badges, post cards, stickers and totes!

Be great to see you all down there.

More info HERE.


poster by Saffa K who did the cover for Sugar Paper #15!

ZINE TALK!

We love zines!
We love making them, we love reading them we also love talking about them....

This was the time I was talking about making zines, the zine community and more for Emily Steele's mini documentary (along with a bunch of other rad babes)



The start of this month my friend Em, who I make Poor Lass with, got to do readings from issues of Poor Lass for the zine 'stage' at Sounds From The Other city, curated by Salford Zine Library

Speaking of Salford Zine Library, here is 1/4 of SZL and top banana, Steve talking about zines on Radio 6 Music

Imitation of Life /// What, Is She Black Now?

I've been off work all week to put the final touches to my solo exhibition I am having this week, so I thought I would treat myself to some out of studio time and head to another exhibition, Imitation of Life: Melodrama and Race in the 21st Century a Home Manchester.

The exhibition has a range of works commenting on the representations of people of colour in the US and Europe within the last 15 years.
Film, digital art, installations, sculptures, paintings, it's all here.

From Jasyon Musson's ART THOUGHTZ: How to be a successful Black Artist video, to Lauren Halsey's colourful and striking wall of weaves (We The Ones(blackngold))

Two of my other favourite pieces were Larry Achiampong's collages, Glyth

And Martine Syms installation S1 : E1 about the representation of blackness in American sitcoms which featured a film that is really worth watch.

I left feeling really good and excited to get my exhibition out into the world.
A lot of the pieces are to do with representation of POC in popular culture, so was great to see something with similar themes.
 

 
 Imitation of Life runs until 3rd July.

My exhibition, What, Is She Black Now? runs until Saturday 21st May.

Bank Holiday zine weekender...

Last Bank holiday weekend it was my birthday, it was also a weekend of fun, hangtimes and zining!!

It kicked off at Sheffield zine fest on the Saturday.
Sheffield Zine Fests is one of my favourites, it always has a nice atmosphere and I get to see a load of my favourite people at once!

It was also the debut of the My Mad Fat Zine (a zine about My Mad Fat Diary) that I made with my long time zine pal Holly, it's the first zine we've made together since 2001!!!

Sharoon Rooney approved!!!

It was a sell out!
(some copies still left here though!)

Then back to Manchester for birthday pizza and 90s dancing.

The zine theme continued on Sunday.

As part of Sounds From The Other City, Salford Zine Library took over the Deli Lama café for some zine readings. Steve from SZL started the day off with a reading from his Lil Rem Stadt zine (which was so good).

Em and myself read pieces we contributed to Poor Lass zine and Holly read from her Bruce and my Dad zine.
Then we hot footed it to a church to watch Tacocat followed by a run over the road to see Martha in a warehouse!

A quick band practice then topped off with a late night roast dinner down Toby Carvery.

An awesome birthday weekend!

Springtime zine time

Zine season is upon us and to get things started we are tabling at one of our favourite zine fairs,
Sheffield Zine Fest.


This one is on Saturday 30th April 11-4pm  (and is the day before my birthday)

It's a bit of a double trouble zine weekend as on my actual birthday, I am doing a reading as part of Poor Lass for Salford Zine Library's 'stage' at Sounds From The Other City, on Sunday 1st May.

Get to dance to Tacocat and Martha too, best birthday ever.

I am likely to be accepting payments of cake* for zines in Sheffield! 

*I like a nice lemon drizzle or sticky ginger cake, fruits, nuts and flowers welcome (hello pistachio and rose!!!)
just not chocolate.

Colouring Outside The Lines #7

It's fairly well documented on this blog that Colouring outside the Lines is my favourite zine (and editor Melanie one of my favourite people)
So you can imagine my excitement when issue 7 landed on my door mat. But can you imagine my excitement when I got interviewed for it!!!!!!

This issue is slightly different to previous ones, it still features in depth interviews with all different types of female artist, but these artists all happen to be people Melanie knows on a personal level, basically she interviewed her mates, I'm one of them as are two of my besties Kandy Diamond and Alison Erika Forde.

I urge anyone who is interested in art, an artist themselves or is just really nosey and likes to hear about peoples lives, to get yourselves a copy.

GET IT HERE!

International Women's Day.... Political crafting!

 

We love crafting (D'uh) we love to find other rad ladies that craft too. And we definitely love crafting that crosses boundaries whether that me into the art world, to build communities or make a political statement.

In celebration of International Women's Day here are a few of our favourites... 

The Yarn Mission

The Yarn Mission was created in October, 2014 as activism in the St. Louis area expanded showing breadth and longevity. While the community reacted to police murders of disproportionately young Black men and women (an issue that existed before the Summer of 2014), organizations that existed expanded their audience-base and new organizations emerged. The Yarn Mission was created to support and promote anti-racism/anti-sexism/anti-oppression activism.

I think I stumbled upon The Yarn Mission sometime last year in an article somewhere and I loved the whole idea.
They have four aims:
skill sharing: I am an active believer in skills sharing and something I aim to do throughout my life, The Yarn Mission hopes to share skills for economic means and promote self care.
Community engagement, bringing others who may not be aware of activism, to a place where activism is encouraged via a craft.
Also Service and fundraising, giving back to the local community.

 I love the idea of an activity that is primarily seen as something white people do, being done by POC whilst simultaneously bringing a community together.

Olek

OLEK’s art explores sexuality, feminist ideals and the evolution of
communication through colors, conceptual exploration and meticulous
detail. OLEK consistently pushes the boundaries between fashion, art, craft and public art, fluidly combining the sculptural and the fanciful. With the old fashion technique of crocheting, she has taken the ephemeral medium of yarn to express everyday occurrences, inspirations and hopes to create a metaphor for the complexity and interconnectedness of our body and
psychological processes.

Polish born artist, Olek crocheting master, using looped yarn to create large scale pieces of art often commenting on political and cultural affairs. Creating brightly coloured installations, smaller scale pieces and taking up public spaces with a very traditional form of yarn craft.


Lisa Anne Auerbach

 

Lisa Anne Auerbach started using knitting as a means to ‘write’ bumper sticker style slogans directly onto woollen jumpers to create both an artwork and a wearable, topical statement. Through the process of knitting, her words form an integral part of the final structure rather than being painted or printed on to an existing support, (be it a canvas or a t-shirt), allowing the art and the words to be interwoven as one and the same.

Lisa Anne Auerbach is an artist that creates a range of work, but it's her knits that we love.

Particularly her knitted jumper series'. Creating technically skilled pieces of work, that look like traditional knitted jumpers but with political statements within them. Looking like the 'Christmas Jumper from yr nan' but bearing slogans such as 'Keep Abortion Legal'.
Her work provides an amazing display of craft whilst simultaneously a social commentary.


Craftivist Collective

Craftivist Collective was founded in 2009 when after years of marches, signing protests and working on campaigns for large charities, experienced activist Sarah Corbett had begun to doubt the effects of some conventional activism and sadly didn’t feel that she fitted in to many activist groups. The time felt right too add a slower and less aggressive approach to the activism toolkit
 
An urge to get back to making things with her hands at the same time of feeling like a burnt out activist led her on the journey of becoming a craftivist

I first heard about Craftivist Collective few years ago and Sarah did a feature in one of our early issues of Sugar Paper.
Back then they sent out mini banner kits, where you cross stitched something you felt strongly about and made it into a mini banner, using the cable ties provided you put it in a public place for all to see, with the intention of sparking of questioning and thinking over something.

They know do much more, from the mini banners to solidarity bunting, protest post its and alternative love letters. It's a project that has grown and grown, helping people to learn new craft skills whilst fighting and speaking out about the world's injustices! 
 

Inspiring Sugar Paper #17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weirdo Zine Fest

We're still only in the first month of 2016 and we are tabling our first zine fest!!

In that there big London town this Sunday (30th January) is Weirdo Zine Fest

It's gonna be filled with the best zines and the best weirdos!
You'd be a fool to miss it!

More info HERE.

My year in lists: Seleena!

I was determined to get my end of year list out within the first week of January, and I just made it.
2015 seem to disappear quicker than 2014 did.
I mot definitely think less procrastinating is in order for 2016.

Anyway, here it is, some of my 2015 highlights....

- GIGS! lot's of fun gigs happened in 2015, Girlpool, Gerard Way, Ex Hex, Sleater-Kinney, Babes in Toyland, Frank Iero, The Julie Ruin, Babes in Toyland, L7, Queer Fest, Martha, The Potentials, Jack Off Jill and loads more. It was of course the year of the reunion gigs!

-Zinefests. I tabled four times last year. A return to my favourite one in Sheffield, Leeds in an old church, the debut of North West zine fest in Manchester and at Ladyfest Manchester. I love doing zine fests because I get to sit behind a table eating snacks and selling things and buying things and seeing a bunch of great stuff but mostly hanging out with people I don't see often enough!

-Sleater-Kinney!!! Yes Sleater-Kinney returned and I didn't think I was gonna be that arsed about it, but it turns out I was! Saw them in Manchester and one of my favourite places to visit, Glasgow. They were amazing and spending a couple of days with a bunch of my favourites was even better.

-Amsterdam. I said it in last years end of year post, but the best thing about getting older and turning the big numbers I that it means your friends do too, so May saw me celebrate Alison's 30th birthday in Amsterdam. How I had never managed to get to Amsterdam before I don't know, but I shall be returning!

-Babes in Toyland. Another reunion gig that blew me away, going to London and Manchester meant I got t see a whole load of faces (it's nice to have events that pull older people out of the house!) also meant I got to see faces I only knew of online, it's great finally meeting people you've only spoken to in the virtual/postal world (hey Rachel!)

-SUMMER TOUR! this was probably the highlight of my year. August is always a fun month as three of my bests have their birthdays then, but this year was a dream. Yiiikes! decided we needed to play a gig, so what better way to force ourselves to do this than go on a week long tour of 6 gigs with two bands, that just so happen to be yr mates!
Got to hang out with my bffs and new bffs for a whole week whilst travelling up and down the country and playing songs! From the southern seaside to finally getting to the north east, this was like the best free holiday ever!

-Yiiikes! It's been a great year for Yiiikes! we didn't get any art out, but we made a bunch of great songs, toured, played a few gigs after the tour, had matching stage outfits and ace merch and most of all had fun doing it! SLIME POP FOR LIFE I.D.S.T.

-Zines. I didn't make anywhere near enough zines what I wanted to make, my infamous crisp zine still hasn't seen the light of day (watch out 2016) and I think I spent most of the year talking about what zines I was going to make. Did manage to put out the annual tradition of two issues of Sugar Paper, two issues of Poor Lass and a second issue of Brown Girl.

-Jack Off Jill. The end of a year of great reunion gigs came in the form of JOJ, a band I never thought I would get to see, a band who blew me away. Seeing them in Manchester and London, witnessing Jessicka perform and probably being one of the greatest front people I've ever seen. <3 font="">

-Slayerfest. Halloween is always one of my favourite times of year and in 2014 when we were trying to egg ourselves on to play a gig we made a pact to play on Halloween 2015. Our dreams came true when we got to play Slayerfest '98 (2015)!!!
Our great mates (and my new fave band) The Potentials, organised a night off great bands and disco dancing and Yiiikes! got to play, I also got to do a tap dance to the Buffy theme whilst dressed as a yellow crayon. Good times!

Other highlights include....
attending the indiepop wedding of the year where Bearsuit played, indie pop royalty attended, and had a great dance. Probably going to Karaoke more times then I ever have and adding more staples to my Karaoke repertoire aside from Lisa Loeb's Stay. Sorting my 'studio' space and making it more organised and inviting. Meeting Patrick Ness who was a total sweetheart. Remembering how much I love to make things and just staying home!

Photo of the year is this one with all my favourite weirdos....