Illustration Friday - Satellite

This weeks theme is ‘Satellite’. The moon is a satellite that  moves around the earth.
I am remotely blogging at the moment so I don’t have access to a scanner and have had to photograph my illustration this week in pretty dodgy fashion! Colours are not quite the same as the illustration but never to mind you get the drift.

Holidays

When your on holidays you have the chance to see the play of light and shadow on a wall...

you can get out the jigsaw puzzles and stay in your pajamas all day and not do your hair at all…

 

you can watch the rain out the window and snuggle on the couch with a good book…I love holidays.

Of stones and Trees…

It is very early on a Sunday morning and I am about to pack my car with bags and kids, (but not my husband unfortunately), and head off on a four our trip to my mums in Bendigo.
I have packed painting and drawing things, crochet and knitting things, some books and my camera woo hoo! I will be visiting  friends, going to galleries and generally having a blast.

Thomas Kinkade

But before I go I was thinking about one of my favourite quotes to remind me to just take some time to listen!

Stones and trees speak slowly
and may take a week
to get out a single sentence,
and there are few men,
unfortunately, with the
patience to wait for
an oak to finish a thought.

~Garrison Keillor

I really need more than anything  time to just ‘be’ after all we were created human beings not human doings.

Living Grateful…

Sometimes it takes a while for a truth to be deeply assimilated into your life. Sometimes it takes hearing this truth a few times before the full impact can be appreciated and it become part of  your consciousness.

Here

A new truth has been born into my life and it has really been a bit of a turning point. I have struggled for a small while now with the ‘if only’s’ and the ‘what if’s’, I’m not sure if it might be a mid life thing but it has had me a little dissatisfied and uneasy with where I am at the moment. However through a series of conversations I have had with a friend recently  something she has said has really ‘come home’ to me.

Here

Basically it’s the concept that just because certain circumstances/decisions etc have shaped the direction of our lives is not to say a different set of circumstances or decisions would have made our lives either better or worse!  I finally get it!!!
Regret is a pointless exercise in making ourselves extremely unhappy, and to combat this and further cement the new truth I have embarked on a gratitude journey.

How important it is to be grateful, but how often do we consciously take time to give thanks for the myriad of little pleasures that come our way each day, even on the blackest of days?

Here

I am trying to take steps towards becoming more mindful of the pleasures of life that sweeten and gladden the heart, and to help me I am keeping a gratitude journal. This is nothing new I know but I thought perhaps every now and then I would post some of the things that I have taken time to notice and be grateful for in my week.

 

Here

I’m not so savvy as to have worked out how to get a McLinky to work so if you want to join me in gratitude then perhaps just make a comment and I will visit to see what makes you glad.

Here

  So, some of the things that I have consciously given thought to recently are…

…giggling with my best friend like we were twelve again…

Here 

…my 93 year old grandma hugging me and telling me she loves me…

…the colour blue…

 

Here

…playing battleship with my 9 year old son and shaking hands with him at the end and calling it a draw (I was winning)…

…being able to appreciate the wonky, quirky, rustic, not quite finished, broken, dusty, old, unusual things of life…

…a beautiful halo moon on a rainy night.

Just a few things. What are you grateful for?

My Creative Space

I had a request from the wee girly for some mittens.(As you can see she has taken to wearing them everywhere including bed) Isn’t this pretty wool?  A variegated mulberry and pink. 
I have to admit when it comes to crocheting and knitting I am pattern challenged, it takes me as long to read the pattern as it does to make the item. Anyway no pattern for these, just crocheting in the round single crochet fitting as we go and making room for the thumb hole…I call it intuitive crochet, can be a little hit and miss.

I am planning however to have a go at this over at Do you mind if I Knit I think it would brighten any grey old winter day don’t you think?

On My Soap Box

Ok, I’m not sure what’s gotten into me but I’m going to vent. Actually it was something that was posted onto my Facebook page, a ‘funny’ skit that poked fun at the fat people. Usually I would kind of go whatever and move on or have a ‘laugh’ at myself but not today, no not today.

I have a confession, I am fat! Yes I am a size 22, and now all the world knows, how about that. I have been fat most of my life and I have tried just about every diet there is and some that I've made up myself all to no avail. So here I am at forty, not feeling very good or good about myself, sick of wearing ‘special clothes’ and considering lap band surgery, actually surgically reducing my stomach so that I can’t eat too much. Am I desperate, you betcha.

However at the same time I have to admit that somewhere inside of me I just wonder about what has brought me to this place. Yes I have always been overweight but it’s only been  over the past 7 or so years that it’s really gotten out of hand. I look back on photos of myself and remember how bad I felt about myself at the time and yet I actually wasn’t that big, but it’s the self loathing that drives the demons inside to reach for the fridge. And that’s the thing…it’s the self loathing often fuelled by society and media expectation.

I mean really I hate to admit it but even I who am obese quite often notice someone's weight at first glance, I hate it. How dare I judge anyone based upon their physical size, what shallow and short sighted way of seeing people. But in so many ways subtle and non subtle it’s constantly reinforced, you should feel bad for being fat, you take up too much space, your unacceptable, you don’t fit in, you should be ashamed, it’s all your fault. And you know what I feel all of that at more most days, it’s so hard. And don’t get me started on the number of times people tell me ‘all you have to do is…’ well dah! I probably know more about diet that anyone, I could probably get a degree in dietetics, but if it was just a matter of knowledge I really don’t think there would be that many fat people around, it is so much more complex. In fact I kind of think there’s something kinda broken in me.

I know everyone will have an opinion about it but I do think in general the way women are expected to conform to a carbon copy shape is insane. I kind of think it indicates a sickness in society that values the shell and not the soul.

I really don’t know what I’m going to do, some days I think it’s doable and other days I envisage myself getting fatter and fatter till I end up in a nursing home not being able to move, if I make it to a nursing home. It’s really the one thing in my life that I feel I have absolutely no control over. In all other areas of my life I am extremely focused, capable and successful but this has been my Goliath, all my life, and I haven't been able to find the right weapons yet.

But I still have hope that maybe one day soon I will. Maybe it will take surgery, and if you read what you have to go through I’m telling you it’s not an easy option. But if you had a broken leg you would plaster it or if you had a mental illness you would use medication to control it, I don’t think surgery is a cop out and certainly isn’t done lightly, in fact I have been considering this for over a two years now. It’s going to take me a while to save for it anyway so there will be time to think a lot more about it.

I guess that’s it for now I’ve vented…time to put away the soapbox.

IF - Paisley

This weeks Illustration Friday theme word is Paisley!

Paisley would have to be my all time favourite pattern, love, love love it!!!!!!  When I doodle it often comes out as paisley its just so intricate and pretty.

There is an interesting story attached to paisley  in the context of Hindu religion it goes;

The Monkey god Hanuman was hungry and looked up into the trees for fruit. He ate one which was a wonderful flavour, much better than all of the others. It was a mango. To make sure that all of his friends could find the same good fruit he went along and squeezed them all into this distinctive shape.

Ink and pen on pescia paper

My Creative Space

Since finishing Uni for the semester my creative space is going off! I must admit too that it’s nice to have a couple of weeks off while the kids are still at school, getting a little me time.

I’m not going to list all the things I have been doing, if your interested just have a browse back through my last couple of posts. But I have done another ‘What I Wore Today’ illustration. Just a bit of fun, and yes I am that short.

What I wore today!

I have joined this group on Flickr

This is what it’s about!

gemma correll (a group admin) says:
 
Some of us don't like posting photos of ourselves on Flickr.
But we do like drawing, oh yes we do!
So, this is the place to upload your *drawn* "What I wore today" pics.
If I get enough good'uns I might make a zine or even a book!
Since so many people have joined and sent in lovely drawings, I've decided to make a blog where I'll post my favourites...
it's whatiworedrawings.blogspot.com

Go and check it out there is some brilliant drawings and fashion!

LOOK!!!! Present for me.

This arrived in my mail this morning, a Julie Pott Illustration. She is an awesome gal, yes she is. You should check out her etsy site, yes you should.

I have put it on my kitchen bench at the moment so I can just look at it. Isn’t it sweet?  The fox and the badger wearing mittens with mitten strings and the knitting needles and cute knitted jumpers it just has such an ‘Awww’ factor.

The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap

 

http://aspecialjourneyofmyown.blogspot.com/

This is my first swap, and though I haven’t yet received my partners name yet I have finished my postcard. Eager beaver much?

Create a lovely postcard using anything you want including a bit of sewing or hand stitching, with the theme 'TIME'.  Use images, words, any kind of media.  Go crazy!  You have three weeks to do this from the sign-up deadline, so by Wednesday June 23.

Time is something that always seems to be in short supply these days. Sometimes I so wish to go back to a time when life revolved around the natural rhythms of nature. There was going to bed with the sun and getting up with the sun, the gentle progression of season into season it all seems so much more sensible.

While the time theme is addressed with the quote “the bird of time has not far to fly, and the bird is on the wing’.
I also wanted to visit the idea of Milagros, or ‘little wishes’ I want to give the one who receives my postcard.

I have included;
Flowers - for renewal, growth and promise
A key and key hole – for unlocking potential
Birds – for exploration and then home coming
Angels – for guidance and protection
A star - for enlightenment

The quote on time then reminds us to use our time wisely and that today is what matters, many ‘todays’ are what makes a lifetime.

It’s a process…the Kitty Brooch evolves!

I have been making these little brooch critters lately (tutorial here) and I’m finding that every generation that I do is evolving and refining.
I guess that’s the creative process really. Trial, error, redoing, adding, subtracting, thinking, giving up ,trying again.
Its fun though, and I think I might keep going and see how many variations I can find. So far we have the Kitty, the Owl and now I have started on the Foxy you see below. I am enjoying adding the little faces too, though again I think this will be refined as I keep working it out.
What I love is that it’s such a super easy basic pattern and really can be applied to all sorts of creatures just with shaping and feature addition. I think too as I’m not a terrific knitter this is just enough knitting to give me pleasure and not an aneurism, very important.

Glamour Kitty is a little present for my dear friend who asked if I could make her one. She mentioned she’s wearing a lot of grey and apricot/pink at the moment so I thought I would coordinate their outfits. You can’t quite see in the picture but Kitty is also sporting some bling on her scarf, I hope my friend likes it!

I’m finding these are really good little presents to have on hand if there is an unexpected birthday, little people really love them.

I think I have just about used all my brooch clasps up now I may just have to go get some more, I may even think about key rings!

Thinking

Isn’t it strange how there are some weeks when everything converges around a particular thing. Over and over again the same theme comes up and your left wondering what does this mean?

There has been a bit of a focus in the media this week on homelessness in Australia and how hard it is becoming to either own your own home or to find rental, the brunt of this seems to, typically, fall on single women with children. It came a little closer to home this week as I heard of a heartbreaking situation where emergency accommodation has become so desperate that tents are being given out as there is nothing else available. Not only is this shocking but as an added stab of the knife children are being put into foster care if their parents can’t get housing. Can you imagine what that would be like?

I guess we in Australia have been a lucky for a long time because this seems very new to me. I have been always very proud of the system we have in place to take care of those who are struggling, but I know that those working in the system are under enormous stress to adequately care for the ever increasing ‘less fortunate’.

As I sit in my adequately heated house with food in the cupboard and enough money to get my kids to the doctor if needed and provide all the essentials I can’t help but wonder, there are not so many degrees of separation between me and these terrible circumstances if the ‘right’ events were to occur in my life.

I am left with the question, what can I do? The distressing thing is I really don’t know, but I do believe in the power of prayer and I saw it’s  power displayed this week. The above situation I described had me on my knees and I am so happy to report the next day I heard a home was found and a family is still intact.

All I can say is Praise God!

Things that make you *sigh*

 

Jogging around my blogging block I thought I would share some of my favourite images.

 

Found here

Love Wallsticker - Magda Piwowar

http://www.baileyshomeandgarden.com/art-cafe/gallery.php

http://www.etsy.com/shop/tiddlywinks

http://www.etsy.com/listing/48985101/mittens-5-x-7-print

This is my very first Etsy purchase and I expect it in the mail very soon….very exciting!

Make a brooch or have a sing… your choice!

 

by Edward Lear

I
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

II
Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

III
'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?'Said the Piggy,'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

Ya kind of have to laugh really, I’m not sure how our favourite old children’s poems would stand up in today’s society, but they are so sweet!

Tutorial

(By the way step 2 is knit not knot)

IF - Ripple

It begins with a water colour.

Then a bit of digital.

This week Illustration Friday is all about doing some good for our world. Why not join in!

Hi there creative geniuses!

Today we have a very special topic to announce. The topic is "Ripple", suggested by Kelly Light. Kelly is making an effort to help with the Gulf oil spill. Please read below for the details on how you can contribute:

"It's hard to make ripples in oil soaked water. But throw enough stones and you will!

It's not about the politics or the corporation. It's about the animals. It's about not feeling helpless in the face of an overwhelming disaster. We're illustrators. We don't lose touch with that kid inside who marvels at the creatures who swim below and fly above the sea. We draw them. We are inspired by them. We need to help them.

The Ripple blog was started on the 45th day of the Deepwater Horizon Catastrophe. The oil spill in the Gulf is now over 50 days old with no sign of stopping. We may be too small as individuals to do some grand gesture- but together our small gestures can be grand.

This week's Illustration Friday topic is "Ripple"  and I ask you to consider creating your work this week as a small 2.5"  x  3.5" sketchcard. The subject should pertain somehow to the Gulf - the oil spill - the oceans and the creatures that live in it and around it. The cards can be submitted to ripplesketches@verizon.net as a jpeg along with your links and a few sentences about you (ie: where you live, etc).

These will be made available for a small donation of $10.00 to either The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (http://www.imms.org/) or The International Bird Rescue Research Center (http://www.ibrrc.org/). I have no affiliation with them. Every penny will go. When the cards sell, We ask for a donation confirmation and you will be asked to sign the back with a thank you. Then mail them to the address you are sent. If we all do small acts together- we can cause a ripple- and it can grow. We can DO SOMETHING.  Thank you, thank you for checking this out and thinking about it." ~ Kelly Light

Any questions or need clarification? Please send inquiries to Kelly at ripplesketches@verizon.net.

Happy drawing for a cause!

My Creative space

 

 

image   http://www.wackyarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/stones_balance_02.jpg

My creative space this week is all about bringing order and balance back into my life.

I don’t know if it’s about turning forty soon, the end of my Uni course or Winter  but I find myself doing a lot of introspection and taking stock of where I’ve been and where I’m heading in life. Looking back on the last twenty years of adulthood  what I have achieved and what I have discovered about life in general and myself in particular. I completed my Diploma of General Nursing, a Diploma of Graphic Design and almost completed a Degree in Graphic Design, I married a wonderful man and we built  a wonderful family, I have built lasting friendships and helped with community projects.
However, my greatest achievement has been the wonderful children I have been blessed with and seeing them grow into the individual little persons they are with all their quirks and individuality. Being a full time stay at home  mum has been a rewarding, heartbreaking, frustrating, unmissable experience  that has grown me in a myriad of ways.

Now after a very busy four years of following my dream of having a career in art and design I must admit that life has become a little unbalanced. So many things have been let slide in the madness of lectures and assignments and I feel that as patient and understanding my family has been that I need to get back to a balanced life for their sakes as well as my own.

Trying to actually achieve this balance sometimes looks as impossible as the image of the rocks above. How do you grow a career, look after your families needs, keep the house from falling into ruin and still find time for friends, an exercise routine and eating healthily let alone my hobbies, I can honestly say I have been failing miserably on about 3/4 of this list since I started at Uni!

But now is the time. I am having to do some serious readjustments and start to bring order back to my life because I know that this also affects my creative life as well.
So…I guess I just need to begin.

The Groovy Giveaway…..

Brenda from http://miranarnie.blogspot.com/

Congratulations on winning these lovely vintage knitting patterns.

There is a little something extra as well but it’s a surprise!

Thanks for playing everyone.

IF - Trail

This weeks word for Illustration Friday is ‘Trail’.

“It was never known if he was aware of the TRAIL of broken hearts he left behind”

I don’t know about you but I’ve met a few of these guys in my life, you know the ones that seem to glide through life oblivious of the destruction that is left in their wake.

TAG your it

  

I was slumping around this morning in my PJ’s not really wanting to go anywhere or do anything and a little thought started to buzz in my head. You know the ones, little buzzy thoughts, that wont go away and seem to get peskier the more you ignore them.

The thought went something like this…
’Lets do something randomly nice!’
I say ‘ humph, what for?’
The thought goes ‘Well ‘cause its nice dummy!’
I say ‘Well what did you have in mind? It better not be too hard or you can forget it!’
The thought get’s excited and starts to talk about a game of ‘grown up’ tag, I’m kind of interested now and ask for some more details.
’Well,’ the thought says, ‘How about we make some super cute tags with some nice quotes on them and just give them away?’
’OK, that doesn’t sound too hard.’ I say
’But that’s not all’ says the thought, ‘No, that’s not all. We will see if anyone else wants to play and invite whoever gets the tags to make their own and pass them along to others or leave them randomly somewhere. What do you think?’
’Well I think it sounds like a bit of fun. Secretly, (or not) spreading some happy thoughts for not much effort…let’s do it!’

So. what do you think? You can join in too.

If you do I would love to know and perhaps we can share photo’s of our tags where ever we drop them off and post about them!

Flea Market Finds

Bendigo Pottery Vase

Pot for my Pencils                      A Lovely Pinny.