still here ::
I'm still here, sort of.
Actually, mostly I'm over here (though in real, not online). The in real is taking up a lot of time, energy, emotion, thought, sleep, creative space. A lot of everything. But it's all for good.
Our Hey Maker! Workroom + Retail Shop opened up this week. I can't believe how excited I am about it. And how happy it makes me feel being in the space. It's such a beautiful shop, and we've been lucky to gather some amazing handcrafted pieces from people we know and people we've just met. It's just so good.
These images are from some plant dyeing I've been doing. Mulberry makes the most delicious stain on fabric, and I'm keeping it there.
I'll have photos of our Hey Maker! shop soon. The new iphone update ate ALL.MY.PHOTOS. currently I sort of kind of lots hate apple for that. I've spent the past week trying to get the photos on my computer, with error messages coming up, so I figured it meant I should really update. Well. I'm not sure what I did wrong. But all my 4000+ photos are gone, some are saved in my computer. And I'm so thankful for Instagram, as I have some there too. But some are simply now.
A lesson in impermanence. I'll try to remember that this week.
It's raining. Off to bed now. I love going to sleep with rain falling on our tin roof.
How are you my friends? I'm missing you. What have you been up to?
stitching blue
I am still enjoying working and playing with blues.
Blue on white.
Blue on black hemp - oh the texture still gets me, love it so.
I'm about to start on some natural linen and see where that takes me.
Wouldn't it be lovely to turn those dried shriveled pansies into a dye colour. Alas I think it wouldn't keep or stay too long on fabric. Wonderful for looking at and enjoying as is.
I'm also working with my blue/purple plant dyed yarn. So much of it still left; though I have more to dye in the coming weeks. {I am considering having it available at my upcoming market stalls, what do you think about that?}.
When I shared this white piece on Instagram (are on over there? I'm @petalplum if you want to follow), I was thinking about the braille pieces on Lisa Solomon's musings page. Oh I do love the way she leaves her thread tails hanging; good for an artwork, not so practical for the end uses I plan for these stitched pieces. I'll cut them off eventually, but am enjoying looking and playing with them for now.
*please excuse the wonky look of the blog. I am trying to find spare moments to update and change it, along with working on the Hey Maker! blog and new Big Cartel page.
walls tumbling
As I write this:
the sound of the shower washing the day from Sam's body
the mosquito's buzzing in my head
a sweet little ground thrush skipping across the yard outside my window
the peace of a house with no children for a few days
a whip bird calling it's afternoon song to it's mate
a million things are running and screaming through my head, my mind, my thoughts
the walls are tumbling down.
literally. tumbling down.
we (my dad, Sam and me) have spent the day making a ferro concrete wall for our house. it's just a small section of a whole wall. it was meant to be an easy job.
it wasnt an easy job.
life doesn't always go to plan, does it.
sometimes i wonder if life ever goes to plan.
the walls didn't work. the concrete is tumbling down. as i write. the concrete is slipping from the framework and falling in a pile on the ground below.
i'm feeling other things tumbling as well. trying to hold on. to keep the support beams sturdy and the roof on strong.
what a happy post for a monday afternoon....
what did you do today?
did you go for a walk through the forest to pump water, to fill your tanks? we did
did you drink endless cups of tea, hoping it would get you to the end of the day? i did
did you stop and take find the moments of peace and gratitude in your life? i will
*images are from more peaceful times this past week (the few that i found).
{Sunday moments} tablescapes
It's sunday afternoon. We had a tiring sort of weekend, after a tiring week, with another busy week to come. Within all this rushing I've been trying to calm myself and find moments to quiet my eyes and my mind. Even just for a moment.
My little tablescapes are snippets of this quietening. I've been gathering my tablescapes on instagram for a while now, and I really enjoy taking this shots. I do wish that I could dedicate more time to styling and photographing them. But for now this is good.
kites for Spring
On the first day of Spring we met our friends at the beach and flew kites. The weather was glorious and the wind was perfect - the kites almost flew themselves. How wonderful.
Mishi, running along pulling a kite, with the biggest smile on her face, said "this is so enjoyable".
The sky really was that perfectly blue. And the sweet little hill of Fingal sat there looking lovely beside the waves. We didn't walk to the lighthouse this time, but enjoyed the beach and the sand and collecting rocks and shells. And flying kites - feeling the power and the imagining the freedom of flying.
What better way to spend the first day of Spring.
Skipping Sunday {she wore red}
She likes dressing up, and clothes, this girl of mine. This morning she presented herself to me dressed in this pretty outfit. Then she requested photos be taken, in many locations. Then she wanted to make the photos look pretty with labels and borders and different filters. Then she wanted me to show them to you (via instagram and here).
Such a girl of the modern age!
about now
I feel like I'm living life in moments. I think this is good. I feel I am being ever present in each moment (though always I need to practice this more and more).
Today:
While I was driving to a friends house, I noticed a man leant over a rail with his horse beside him. I imagined him having a most wonderful conversation with his dear and loved horse, and the horse just nibbling on grass and not paying too much attention to the ramblings of a human - or perhaps loving his man spending just time hanging over the railing talking to him.
I saw the sun shining through the blossoms of a peach tree that was in full glorious bloom. The pink blossoms were glowing.
The moon as a slip in the sky. The kids say its the Cheshire cats's smile. We watch her slinking down behind the trees.
The taste of salty buttery popcorn for afternoon tea. And the bitter last sip of my green tea, gone cold with neglect.
Sam asleep as the kitchen table, his head in his hand. His elbow resting on the table. The table that I love so much. That we recused from the mud underneath our old house in Brisbane and took the linoleum top off to discover beautiful golden timber underneath. A perfect kitchen table.
The quietness of a cat cleaning itself, and sharing the space with us.
The stillness of the kids asleep in their bunk beds - mere metres away from where I sit
The strong intense wind blowing through the trees up on the hill.
The scent of jasmine in a vase on my table. Taken from my friends fence today - a scentual reminder of our wedding day; where our flower girl wore jasmine in her glowing red hair and was so happy to be a flower girl. 8 years ago before my babies were born.
Walking with my dad through the forest track, measuring the distance for the electricity to be laid. Talking at the dinner table tonight, that in one week we will have electricity connected - after more than 20 months living with no electricity at all. What a funny thought - will it change life that much for us.
These are some of the moments that I lived today.
What about you - what were your moments today?
Did you watch a bird in your garden, or the moon in the sky?
Did it rain or did the sun skins on a glorious day?
one simple moment
A cup of tea
A new notebook - I found these yesterday while in the city (Brisbane). They are the same as one I found while on my overseas adventure when I was in my early 20s ( a long time ago). Lovely for a simple notebook to bring back that memory.
The last of the afternoon sun.
Only a few moments before the kids are home from the school bus and things slip into the next moment ...... Afternoon tea, dinner, stories, bed.
I hope you've had a lovely Monday.
And they are in the door - the sweetest little 5 yr old voice saying "hello mama".
{Saturday moments} tending
This is a little gathering of plants that Sam tends to. He pots them up, chooses some moss (the wet damp edges of our yard always have moss), and cares for them.
All of these green leafy plants came from within our garden and the forest, except for the echiveria (is that at all anything what it's called?). Sacred bamboo and a teeny hoop pine - a baby from the giant one that lives beside our home, as well as some other alum type plants (I really do need to learn plant names, don't I? But then, does it matter to love something and not know what it's called. .....).
Here's to a happy Saturday to you. We are heading off to a sweet little party. The invite said to wear something that makes us happy - Mishi is putting on tutus, and Ari is wearing his mummy (Egyptian mummy) shirt. There'll be photos after the party, and I'm sure sangthebird and I will instagram during the party too (oh yes, you can be sure of that!).
the little ones
this blog started originally, I think, as a place to talk about and share and mostly remember the things
about my little ones. I am not good at regular journal keeping - and here now it seems I am not so good at blog journal keeping. I keep forgetting to write updates and birthday posts about those little creatures of mine.
today they are finalising the writing of speeches for school. The words they will say, and timing it to fit within the two or one minute they are allowed. And writing it down on palm cards so they can present it in class.
They both learn and experience words so differently. Both of them love reading, writing and story telling. Yet for Mishi spelling and writing words seems to come easier than for Ari. Sometimes I wonder if this is because of the difference in their start to schooling (Ari in Queensland prep system where reading and writing was much slower to be taught, compared to Mishi who was taught in pre-school and now in NSW kindergarten has learnt the whole alphabet and can read and spell and write and sound words out so dramatically differently. Perhaps it's also the being a second sibling, and learning so much from the older brother. That makes a big difference, I know.)
Anyway, Mishi has happily written her whole speech almost on her own. It's about kookaburras and is wonderful. She's actually worked out what she wants to say, and written it down on paper and now has transferred it to palm cards. We have timed her as she talks, and ends with her wonderful kookaburra laugh. I must remember to record her.
Ari has needed help every step of the ay with his speech, from thinking up a topic ("my grandma") to working out questions to ask, and then what to write. And then, he wants us to write his palm cards. Thankfully I think he will present it in class, and won't expect that of us as well....
Saying this - Ari is excellent with words and spelling and reading and writing. Especially for his age.
They both have a big love of words and language. And this makes me happier than happy!
*this was written a few weeks ago, and has sat unpublished as i didn't have an edited photo to put with it. it is increasingly harder to get the photos/blog thing happening. but steps are being made to get electricity on at home - that will surely change life in quite a dramatic way. or perhaps not at all.
a thing about books....
I don't buy clothes or shoes or even much fabric. It seems what I buy is books. Is that a bad thing? I personally think not!
It's the only thing (generally) that I'll buy the kids outside of normal present giving time - I feel a good book (new or second hand) is so much more than just some pages joined together. I grew up surrounded by books, enjoying family time together reading and sharing stories, going on armchair adventures. I love that my kids are the same - stories and reading and writing everyday.
I also love that nowadays its easy for someone to be published. Ok - this may not be an excellent thing (the are a fair few mediocre books printed every year), but it means that all those amazing talented makers and creators out there can do something pretty special with their work. I suppose perhaps it's similar to the dream of one day opening and running a shop - writing a book is a dream many people have.
These here are just a few of the books that have come home lately. I am wondering of anyone out there would be interested in me writing some reviews on these books - if you are sitting on the fence deciding if you should buy it or not. Withso many choices of books; we can't all buy all the books we want. I often wonder which is the best one to choose. And the fact that my local bookshop doesn't seem to get any books that are new to me, means I mostly buy online without having the chance to flip through the pages.
I'm writing on my iPad, so don't know how to do links; but this is the list of books in this one stack:
The Dirty Life by Kristen Kimball
Knot's Itoami Plants - crocheted accessories
So Pretty Crochet by Palanjian
Knot Thread Stitch by Lisa Solomon
The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes by Sasha Duerr
Harvesting Color by Rebecca Burgess
Coming Home by Kathy Armstrong (cooking and craft)
Crochet for Children by Claire Montgomerie
Prints Charming by Cath Derksema and Kirsten Junor
The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos by Heidi Adnum
Beautiful Chickens by Christie Aschwanden
Drawn to Stitch by Gwen Hedley
Shibori by Wada, Rice and Barton
Shibori Recreated
Three-Dimensional Embroidery by Janet Edmonds
Reinvention by Maya Donenfeld
a house tour
I thought I'd take you on a little house tour today - the building site house.
The sun is shining and I'm meant to be at the dentist, instead I'm at home with a sick boy. And talking with my dad about different possibilities for rooms and configurations of doors and windows. It's an evolving process, which I'm really loving. My dad and I stand and talk it all through. There are no drawn house plans - they exist in my dads head and my head. And I'm very thankful that we're on the same page..... well actually he's a few pages ahead of me.
Framework for the doors, walls, windows will go up over the next few weeks. Then Sam and I will start work on the walls - we will be using a process called ferro cement, which is a bit like a rendered or bagged wall. We're still deciding what color we'll put into it - possibly an earth ochre colour. All the wooden framing will be visible within the cement. And the windows and doors are all second hand timber; that we need to clean up and sand back.
Those big piles are our floorboards, stacked neatly waiting until after the walls are done. Beautiful blue gum red flooring - I can't wait too see it laid. Though in Winter it'll be covered in carpets and rugs {must get working on making some crochet rag rugs, and I have visions of weaving some sort of rug as well....}.
There are walkways running around most of the rooms, and it's an open pavilion style (I guess that's sort of what it's called). There'll be a lovely big verandah off the living room, which will have big doors that slide back - designed for Summer living.
And eventually, one day, there'll be a Japanese style courtyard garden in the middle of the three buildings (the kitchen/living space, the bedroom pavilion and the studio which form three sides of a square around the garden space).
But for now...... It's thinking and dreaming and imagining. I like to stand in the kitchen and pretend that it's all finished and what it will look like. Or in my bedroom, and feel happy that we will have those peach blossom trees as our view when we wake up. Oh, human life wouldn't last too long without imagination or visualisation would it.
just this - tuesday morning
I sat in the sun this morning, after dropping the kids at school, and rolled this yarn into a ball. I drank my tea (bancha), and listened to the birds calling and the bees buzzing. And I soaked up that warm morning late Winter sunshine.
And it felt good on my body and my soul.
{and Sam took some photos of me, to email for print. And I felt self conscious and a bit old and tired. And decided that I need to tone up, and freshen up, and see the beauty in me in again}.
What did you do today?
How do you see the beauty in yourself? Do you look or do you ignore?
A week
Last week was long and tiring and pushed me further than I wanted to be pushed in terms of energy and stress and health. Just a little too much. In reality I think I must be the one who does the pushing of myself. But my body pushed back and said 'no'. Hence I've been feeling tired and sick and grumpy and haven't been able to relax. Sam has been feeling much the same. We've both had anxious tight feelings around our chest - something that keeps holding onto us.
I did not have any quiet moments of just being and not having to rush off somewhere else or other. Always something happening. On Friday I drove into town three times (each trip to town is a 40minute round trip). And yet, I still didn't get the grocery shopping done, so had to go in on Saturday afternoon, after a morning at a kids birthday party (which was thankfully sitting in the sun talking).
Ah well. I think I just need to keep learning that I feel best, more motivated and uplifted when I have some moments of quiet.
I feel the need to write myself an important list of things I need:
To drink a cup of tea in peace and quiet, and if there's a spot of sunshine that always helps.
To do some making of some sort - stitching, sewing, crochet, screen printing, drawing, painting.....
To stop and look around quietly.
To breathe deeply and soak up the good air around me.
To keep the house tidy, and the kitchen table clear - less clutter makes us all happier and able to breathe easier.
To do baking, cooking.
To do some writing; a letter to a friend, in my journal, or my gratitude diary, or perhaps even here.
To spend time with my man just talking and being truly together.
What are you doing this week?
Are you feeling stressed or relaxed?
Did you bake or sew or draw or make?
have a lovely week, my friends xx
{my creative space} Watercolour and drawing
Today is day two of quiet and totally inspired creativeness at my kitchen table (which is my current studio space).
I am listening to radio national, and catching up with all the world news and bush telegraph.
But mostly I am drawing. Small and quiet moments of still life. Pieces that are around me evolving from my pen.
I painted the Watercolour paper with marbling ink and sprayed water onto it to make seeped and weeping and splotched and splatter of colour. I cannot barely express to you how this seeping colour makes me feel.
I see rivers and streams and deltas and oceans evolving in blue and red on my paper.
I am drawing what I see in front me. The gathering of vases and cups and bottles that clutter the table top. With blossoms and growing beet root leaves and herbs. And also, I am drawing my crochet stones.
I have not made any new crochet stones for a short while (oh I'm missing that), but it's fun to draw them.
I don't know how to add links from this iPad. Can anyone help me out with this? Lots to learn about how it works best.
I must pack up soon and wash up and wonder about dinner making. But for now I have a new pot of tea brewing and some more drawing.......
More creative spaces are here -
http://blogs.kidspot.com.au/villagevoices/my-creative-space-for-those-who-make-create-and-share-10/
I am also loving crazily the colour and pieces that Alex Falkiner shares on her website, and mostly on her instagram feed (where I discovered her....). http://www.alexfalkiner.com/#!home/mainPage
this moment - things to make me smile
Some simple and beautiful snap shots from our Hey Maker morning tea yesterday a beautiful day for sure, with beautiful people and yummy home baked food.
Happiness is many things right now.
A tired body from working in the forest today, walking up and down the hill making a forest track
Talking about our home, and watching it evolve bit by bit.
The fact that Hey Maker made our pozible campaign funding - oh yah oh yah!
It's the weekend.
We are going to roller derby with our friends.
The kids' grandparents will come to visit.
The sun will shine.
The blossoms are blooming in our peach trees - oh so beautiful
What's making you happy right now?
What have you got planned for the weekend?
Hey Maker - a little dream gone big!
So, you may have seen me hopping all over the place as part of this wonderful collective. A group of 5 of us who like to make things and connect and gather. We like to share skills and learn new crafts and have fun while doing so.
We like to share with other creative people, and with people in our community. We've done pop up events over the past 6 months and so enjoyed it all (though it's been hectic and busy, but wonderful and inspiring).
We recently launched a fund raising campaign on Pozible. It's called crowd-sourcing. We think it's a good thing - asking for a little bit from a lot of people, rather than a lot from one person (or from a bank). Crowd funding (sourcing) has helped many bands launch themselves, as well as movies (this one is particularly interesting - I went to the launch a few years ago), and yarny goodness (who raised almost $40,000 on Pozible!!).
So - our dream? Well, I've spoken many times about my dream of opening a shop space, where creatives gather and collaborate, where artist-in-residence programs bring more interesting people to our community, where local creatives can sell their handcrafted wares intermingled with beautiful treasures from other places (here I'm thinking Japanese ceramics, washi tape, and fabric - oh yes fabric. Do you know there's no fabric shop in the town I live in!!!). It will be an inspiring space to hang out, to soak up some making and creating vibes, to twist some yarn into a scarf or print some fabric or sew a piece of something to wear, or talk and learn and share.
That's our dream. It's a pretty big dream. And will take a lot and a while to get it happening. It's a slow journey, a slow process. But slow and steady is good isn't it.
Now, I'm asking for your help. Yep, you! It doesn't matter if you live around the corner, or across the ocean. Our fundraising campaign is online, and you can make a donation to help us on our way. We have wonderful rewards as thanks for your donation - check them out on our Pozible site.
Our campaign works as an all or nothing fund raising. This mean that if we don't reach our goal, we don't any money at all (your money doesn't leave your account until we have reached our goal).
We are asking only $11,700 which isn't a lot to start out dream. With your (financial) support and our passion and hard working efforts we'll be able to launch our dream.
Part of our aim is to change the perception of art, handcrafted and artisans in our area. And to encourage more people to visit our small, but beautiful art-deco town. To revive a slow-economic town is a big goal - but we know we can do it with the support and assistance of our community (both online and in real).
Check out our Hey Maker blog if you want to read a bit more about what we've been doing, and watch our Facebook page too (we currently have a giveaway happening over there).
So, what do you think? I'd love to hear you thoughts on our little dream space.
E xxxxx
now
i want to fill the coming days with good things and exploring and enjoyment and sharing time together.
i want the days to be happy and content and good.
we are going to go to the beach with some friends. i know that will be so much fun. i know we'll run and jump and stand and watch and enjoy. we might sit by the water and eat hot chips and watch the clouds move and the birds fly and the children giggle. i know there will be a whole lot of giggling with those kids.
wouldn't it be nice to paint some sticks. or put some wool around some. i would like to do that next week. i'm sure the kids would love to do that too.
and maybe some fabric bundles will be rolled into jars of coloured water. i am loving this book, and wishing for more time to curl up and read it. (in fact, i have a "couple" of new books that i wish i had more time with; reviews might happen over the next few weeks, as they are all so delicious).
there's lots of projects brewing in my head. but for now i'm trying to stay right now and breathe and enjoy where i am.
yellow is good and happy right now. the sky has been sunshiney, with some rain. but cold and the sun seems fleeting - setting too quickly in the afternoon. i do like Winter, but i prefer Spring or Autumn more. we passed the middle and are swinging back towards to warm and long days.
Good things that I am liking::
:: i bought and received a scarf full of sunshine. you can find one for yourself in Cozy Memories. (i will photograph my scarf in the next couple of days and share with you, it is pure joy to see it sparkle).
:: i really am loving all the stories shared on longest acres. what a wonderful warm and honest blog. go visit.
:: Fig and Fauna - oh what a place of sunshine and delicious tastings....
:: while in Brisbane i did not go for cocktails, but i did buy a new dress. and i am loving wearing it. so easy to put on, and it feels so good, and i've been told it looks good.
:: i have been making pompoms for pledges. go visit Hey Maker. it's good things. {hey - we need your help, too!!!}
*yellow images all found here. pompoms are from my instagram feed.
a slight intermission
Still here.
Just nothing much to say.
Lots is happening. I can't seem to turn it into words.
Not much of photos either. I've been away from instagram for a few days. Wondering why I'm feeling this way.
An overwhelming of everything.
The girl styled herself with these flowers. Photo taken in low light with iPad camera.
Hope you are having a good week my friends xxx
tomorrow - come to the Gallery Artisan market
Can I tell you that I'm really excited to be setting up for this market. I'm headed in this afternoon to hang out at the gallery and organise all the tables so all the stallholders can come along and set out their lovely tomorrow early tomorrow morning.
Then you can come along, at the reasonable hour of 10am, and look at all their goodness and loveliness and amazingness. You can buy some too! Yep - bring along your pocket money and take home some handcrafted wares; all made by local artists, craftspeople, makers. {Cash only}.
I'm still frantically sewing and making, and stupidly planning new products (yep!!). I think this is the most dis-organised I've been personally, for a market. But that's ok - I'm good at making it look good and pretty on the day! Come along and hold me to that.
Enjoy your weekend my friends, here's to some sunshine. It's the other side of the Solstice now, so we're spinning back the other way.
*the image on the poster is by my good friend Jo Olive.