a certain sort of style

all of these images, designs, pictures, drawings and prints speak to me.
they have a certain sort of style.
a nostalgic feel.
the colours.
the shapes.
do you know what I mean? I think you might.
they sort of pull at my heart
make it lift
and happy
but not soppy
just so
in a perfect sort of way.
yeah - they're cute.
and i'm not normally
into cute.
but - these somehow
seem a little
different.

and yes

more
pears 
an
apple
or two.

 

*Used with thanks to Ruth Green, Pat Hutchins' Rosies Walk. (please excuse the poor image quality of Rosie's Walk - photographed at night, under dull lighting conditions - and there's a *band* practicing in my loungeroom. They have sparkly show hats on, two guitars and one recorder).

true

things here have been random
and haphazard
i have just spent three days trying to tidy the house.
having a rest every afternoon;
well, trying to convince the kids to leave me alone so i can have a rest, or they can rest with me
reading them stories
enticing them to sleep.
we got the books moved and tidied
and the shelf looks pretty pretty in my room; new bedside table
when before there were suitcases.
which were pretty too.
but change it good.
we did not get any of the mountain of clothes put away.
perhaps i'll look at it all again tomorrow and think about it.
perhaps i'll start folding some clothes
and then they'll be pulled apart again
mainly by a girl who wants to wear five outfits a day
or none.
or by a boy who wants to jump up and down on them.
perhaps i'll throw all their clothes out.
and we can only have a small selection each,
with no choice of what to wear each day.
my little creating room is not tidy.
i have a pile of pins stuck into a doll.
kids wanting to make dolls clothes, being creative and all that.

i have a mountain of paperwork
that i just cannot fathom the
motivation
to tackle
or think about.
and the time
without someone moaning at me
is very limited
at the moment.

i want to change our routine
so that we have fun and happy times
combined with times when the kids
will give me space
and quiet
and leave me for just two moments to get something done.
something more than starting a job
or thinking about starting it.
or blogging
and thinking that's working.

perhaps we'll go out in the mornings.
i'm thinking swimming will tire them out.
and a mid-day nap may mean some quiet time.
yesterday the girl slept, falling asleep whining in my lap.
she slept for many hours on my bed.
the boy and i did some stuff together.
chatted and smiled and talked jokes.
then i tried to do some work.
he lay on the floor and moaned.
and then quiet.
and i looked at him
he was asleep.
then, would you guess it,
she woke up
not more than one teeny tiny moment in between.
true.

still life :: night

moving pieces of furniture
in an effort to
keep things cleaner
tidier
less mess.
the kids room being slowly rearranged
pieces moved into our room
books shifted
onto new shelves
to be touched
and read.
means new moments and spots and still life
new vignettes
tiny places for my eyes to rest
and be happy
or content
or inspired.

*lamp is one of our prototypes with our fern. all ceramics are op-shop finds - little pieces that i loved the moment i laid my eyes on them.

wild things

I just only this moment found this blog, via Running Amok, that was a total luck-find as well*.

We Love You So (WLYS) is basically a random assortment of things. The blog description says it's showing the small influences that built up to create the mammoth project "Where the Wild Things Are", the movie (which is due out in December).

I most particularly love the blog header. Is that not the best blog header ever ever ever.

And also the cute little bits down the bottom. Those things just get me. Strings and loose strands, and stuff that doesn't look quite perfect.

 

And have a look at the gallery of Where the Wild Things Are. Oh, the movie looks quite beautifully accurate to the book.

*you know where you type some random words in your search engine and add 'blog' at the end, and find all sorts of new-to-you and amazing blogs. I love doing that. Go and do it now - think of any strange word, or something you're interested in and type it into your search bar with 'blog' at the end. Come back and tell me what you found - I'm wanting some new blog finds.

Anna - love you

I totally love this blog. Have for many many many ages. Her pops of colour, her fantastic sense of style. The photographs - some so beautiful, some so real. The realness and the truth. And the peeks into some else's home and life.
Go and visit the helylle-fotrata styling experience.

This post is just perfect:
"Some days just don't lift. They stay at ankle height and just work their way down. Today was like that to me. No clementines left, one week to pay day, dog hair everywhere, dishes and brain killing drama for teenagers on TV. But do I complain? Yes. Bring me some glamour. Quick."

Thanks Anna, for your inspiration, your colour and your words.
Now, I'm back to work - more printing to be done.

that dress

I made a party dress for Mishi, the night before Ari's party (of course the night before, would any of you expect anything different!).

She choose the fabric, which was a ginormous dress I bought from a vintage fair a while back, with the intention of turning it into something else. I was quite surprised that choose it; not pink, not flowery.

The dress itself is a made up pattern, a morph of pictures spotted (by Mishi) in Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. The adults kimono dress and the baby kimono top, as well as a little kimono-style jacket of Mishi's mainly used for sizing. I'm not much for using patterns, hate cutting them out and trying to make them the right size (am I an 8, 10 or 12?). So this pattern just happened, with rough drawings as a guide and a distinct 'jump-in-and-do-it already' attitude. (I mean, at 9.30pm, you really have to start making the dress don't you! The cakes were in the oven and the kids finally asleep).

You know the best part - she loves it. No tears or big bottoms lips, upon waking up and seeing it. She put it on straight away. And has worn it every day since Saturday. Easy to put on, and take off (for the impromptu dress-up shows we have around here), and easy to wear. Soft and flowy, comfy, yet covering her shoulders and her bottom (some of her other dresses have recently turned into tops, with those legs continuing to grow!).

I'll be making some more of these dresses for sure - a whole Summer wardrobe.

*and, ooohhh, okay - I haven't got the hem of the sleeve finished yet, but it'll keep for a few days longer.

* Ari got a camera for his birthday - a proper one, not a kids one. He took this photo of Mishi, and I'm sure we'll see more here.

* I think my sister won best dressed prize at the party (though being one of "those mums" there was no prize - sorry Sylve!).

more voluptuous-ness

something new to pick, borrowed from here.

I love this blog - so many things to love here. Do visit.
And, of course, the pear thing continues.......

the remains of the day

today is ari's birthday.
5.
big boy. my baby boy.
we were talking about the day he was born. how we almost didn't make it to the hospital (which was only 3 minutes down the road from our house), because i didn't recognise the 'pushing' sensation. we did get there, with 45minutes to spare, though fully dilated. just enough time for sam to park the car and get back to the birthing room!
for parents, you know that feeling as if you've known your children for your whole life, they are so ingrained your every day and essence. you can barely remember time before them. yet you can also not quite believe that they are now old enough to..... make jokes, back chat, get themselves dressed, feed themselves... any number of every day activities.
we had a party yesterday.
so lovely. family and friends in the backyard. a Japanese theme dress-up party - so fun to see everyone pull out their kimonos. and the 'party activity' was sushi rolling - seemed most kids quite enjoyed it, and also meant i wasn't in the kitchen for hours on end rolling sushi (was in the kitchen for hours on end doing other stuff!).
and today, a quiet day. with brother + nephew and my sister + nephew.
and this afternoon. the end of a long weekend. two sleeping kids (sam at work). a quiet house. with the breeze outside bringing snippets of kids playing and birds calling and cars driving.
and me tired too. but many things heavy in my mind, things needing to be done. work to be ready for next weekend.
yet one small quiet moment to stop and observe and remember.

creatively peared :: paired

Lately I've been doing a little drawing, more than usual (I go through long phases of not liking my drawing style, so don't do any). This one has been happening alternately with these pears.

A few weeks ago, while out at Mt Cootha, we discovered there was a library there - a regular one, that we had library cards for! But, not so regular, in that it specialises in botanical and astronomical (there's an observatory out there, too) books. WOW. I so love those old botanical drawings and paintings. So, we borrowed up a very small selection. The first one to inspire me is "Fruit :: An illustrated history". Ours has a passionfruit on the cover.

So, pears and figs and also some strawberries. All sort of voluptuous looking - don't you love fruit that looks like a woman's bottom? With sketchy lines and shapes, all free flowing and movement. And just let the pencil do it's thing without thinking too much.

And, then I visit Gina today and find she's been pear-inspired too, in a different way. Isn't that fabulous - we're peared :: paired. Perhaps something will come out of it, a pairing of pears. Or something. Don't we just love the word play anyway!

My creative space was filled with my family, too. Sam with his music, having a much needed thinking and resting time. Ari with his strawberries. Mishi with her fairies or princesses.

*green sketch sewn pears are from Gina. The colourful fruit + images are from the Fruit book. All other images from me.

Visit more creative peeps over at Kootoyoo.

just had to...

I just received an email from a family person, in response to an email I sent him.

I just had to pass on these words, which he wrote (you don't mind, do you Roo?). Check out this post for reference to what Roo is talking about. 

"Nice to see the photo of the little table loom. Your mother was a weaver, too, you know. She had a couple of looms like that and also an Inkle loom (I made it, I think) which is a frame with dowels sticking out that the wool goes round and round.

The building search is interesting. Love the Moreton Rubber Works. Nice photos.

Didn't realise skateboards were laminated in colours like that. Clever idea to make jewellery out of them - there is a use for skateboards after all!"

I have a little photo of my mother, at her potting wheel, when she was much much younger (before I was born). Given to me by Roo, after my mum died.

Every time I think of who I am; why I craft and make and do and draw and create and stitch and crochet and cook and dream and arrange and feed and think and feel and care. Every time I think of my mother. That's why I am. {Dad, I'm why I am because of you too}