This Week I'm Grateful For.....

:: Outdoor play, outdoor play, and outdoor play.

:: Two hours this morning all to myself!  I was able to browse the farmer's market at leisure, poke around op shops and pick out an enormous stack of magazines at the library.

:: I've just finished an order of 12 newborn kimonos for My Baby and Me -- just the heat-setting left to do.  Feeling happy with the results  I'll post a few pics of new designs before sending them off.

:: Our first ocean swim of the season.

:: And I set an all-time personal record -- all of my Christmas gifts were sent to family back home this week.  I managed to hand make nearly everything (a few items were handmade by others) which was another new record.  I felt a bit sad as I sent them through the window at the post office; I'll certainly miss being with my family this year.  Time now to think about how we'll celebrate in our own way and begin to create a few new traditions (camping, perhaps?)

Hope you've had a good week with many things to be grateful for as well...... xx

ps I'm happy to be playing along with the gorgeous Maxabella Loves...this week -- check out her blog for more gratitude and much lovely inspiration.

My First Advertisment

Huzzah!

It's pretty exciting to see the "Birds on Wire" photo I submitted through Felt featured the back spread of Extra-Curricular.  Extra Curricular is such a gorgeous little magazine; visually and intellectually stimulating, it's an incredibly satisfying read.  Worth every penny!  Find it here.

At My House....

Yesterday, we enjoyed watching the creation of this giant outdoor art installation....

I loved seeing the single-minded focus with which S worked.  No space was off limits, and in a manner that reminded me of "Harold and the Purple Crayon," Solomon narrated the cities and scenes he was creating.

The rain last night washed away most of the chalk  -- clearing some space for more today....

This Saturday I'm Grateful For.....

 :: Freshly baked bread and freshly cut flowers....these two simple things make me feel so nourished and happy.

:: My new camera!  Over the past few moths my trusty old Cannon slowly withered away until it really and truly completely died.  Seeing this possibility looming in the future, I've been saving up my points in a reward-card system we use and was able to order a new camera (A Fuji Finepix) at absolutely no cost.  It arrived today and it has been so much fun figuring it out.  A lot has changed in the five years since I bought my first digital camera.

:: Eating outdoors.  Pasta primavera, do your worst - - we just hose down the table (and the kids) afterward.

:: An amazing garden-boosting concoction that was recommended by our good friends in Denmark (hi Ben and Jane!)  Simply fill a bucket with grass clippings, then submerge in water.  Leave for a minimum of two weeks (N.B. Unless you want you or your loved ones smelling like the Bog of Eternal Stench, you'll definitely want to use gloves when handling this and keep away from curious pets or children.)  Remove grass clippings and pour liquid into a plastic jug (a used milk container works well.)  Dilute with water 15:1 and spray on the soil around your plants as a natural super-fertilizer.  My husband swears our vegetables grew overnight!

I'm happy to be joining in with the gorgeous Maxabella Loves....  Hope you have much to be grateful for this weekend as well.  xx

My Creative Space

Hello!  It's good to be back.  I think a bit of a break was vital, but I'm feeling fresh, recharged, and ready to enjoy this space again....

While I was away from the blog we've done quite a lot:

:: We've begun our landscaping and gardening business -- nearly two weeks in, and all going well.
:: I've done my first craft market, which was a wonderful experience.  I loved meeting people and the other vendors couldn't have been nicer.  My stall-mate Amelia and I will be doing another Nelson market on November the 20th, and every Saturday through December.  Please stop by and say hello if you happen to come down!
:: We've finished putting in our spring gardens - - we have fruits and veggies tucked into every possible corner.  I think this year's crop will be amazing.  I'm so excited for summer's bounty of fresh organic produce.  (Full credit to my husband -- this is very much his domain.)
:: I've churned out a few new designs -- I'm most excited about this one....

The print has been hand-cut and will be used just once.  I've hand-detailed a few of the vehicles as well.  Though this design won't be repeated I see a lot of potential in the idea and am excited to see where it goes.

I've also been doing a few summery prints on blankets....

I think I'll need to put prints aside over the next week to complete a few Christmas projects to get ready to send before the deadlines.  (FYI Dec 6 for Australia and November 29th for all other international if you send via airmail.)

Happy to once again be joining in with Kootoyoo!  Find many more creatives and their spaces here.

My Creative Space

Oh, I am loving my time out in the studio these days.  When I finally get out there, it's usually after 8 -- but lo and behold, there's still a hint of daylight in the sky.  The air smells fresh, and all is peaceful and quiet.  A few friendly hedgehogs poke around on the borders of the yard.    I've been on a bit of a podcast blitz as well.  I've been listening to episode after episode of This American Life.  Have you heard of it?  It's classified as a radio journal and the premise is that every week a theme is chosen and stories that are variants on that theme are explored.  Quite simply, it's brilliant.  I often stay out in the studio after I'm done working just so that I can finish listening to an episode.  I'm sure all of you mamas out there (stay-at-home or otherwise) appreciate what I mean when I say that I crave social and cultural stimulation.  TAL (among a few other podcasts, like Radio Lab) help provide that for me.  If you haven't yet had the pleasure of listening, find This American Life here, and Radio Lab here.  You can stream all of the programs directly from the sites.  Working in the studio + listening to a podcast is for me, multitasking in the best way.

Anyway.  Here's what I've been up to:  Lots of prints, including some very satisfying new mosaics (each of which is one-of-a-kind.)  Still building up stock though unfortunately, I won't be at the Nelson Market this Saturday.  My stall-mate has had something important come up, so we're aiming for next Saturday, November 6th instead.

I have the pleasure of playing along with Kootoyoo today.  If you have the time, check out many other creatives and their spaces here.

Checking in.....

Okay, I admit it: I've totally fallen off the wagon with Blogtoberfest.  On the plus side, my work in the studio has been prolific and I'm feeling fantastic about the output.  This is what it comes down to: something's got to give.  I have two little sleepless wonders  -- one of whom, thanks to daylight savings, prefers to get up at dawn with the birds, and isn't in bed for the night until about 8pm, and the other who wakes several times in between.  When I have so little time and energy to work, the studio wins over the computer hands down.   Also, it's beautiful outside and I've been preferring to spend any other leisure time I can muster going for walks or playing outdoors.

I doubt that the point of Blogtoberfest was to turn me against blogging, but the pressure to sit down every day and post has made it a chore.  So, in the interest of my sanity, and to preserve my good feelings about blogging, I hereby discharge myself from Blogtoberfest.  Like someone who jumps into a marathon without training or foresight, I've totally hit a wall.  I feel a bit guilty for letting go of my commitment, but I'm telling myself that it's fine -- it's my blog and I get to decide what's best. 

 

To keep things from being too gloomy and boring, here's a picture of a rainbow (refracted by a glass of water in my window) in the dishwashing bubbles.  Totally mundane, but pretty all the same. 

Congratulations again to Beck, winner of the giveaway!   I'll probably be posting again sooner than I expect.....once the pressure is off, I'm sure I'll be teeming with ideas and enthusiasm for this space.  Until then..... xx