Wonderful

My twin sister called me yesterday morning to tell me that it was going to be a wonderful day. I scoffed, given the previous week of illness, frustration and exhaustion. But she persisted with the belief that it would be a good day. And she was right. I think I need her to call me every morning and kick start my brain in to positive mode. My day really was wonderful! The children and I fell in to a beautiful rhythm, there was no rush, no frustration. We were early for school. We came home and drew pictures, made pom pom flowers, picked Mulberries, got all the chores done and then baked biscuits. I worked while the baby slept, taking my laptop out to the back deck while Emerson washed up her play kitchen plates and cutlery. The sun shone. The laundry flapped in the breeze. And the cats rolled from side to side on the sun dappled grass. 

So, let me say, today is going to be wonderful. It really is. xx

Around Here

Spring has brought with it the magic of the season, as fruit and flowers flourish in my garden.

The Mulberry tree is covered in berries. While I wait for them to ripen I am dreaming about filling baskets with goodness to eat, freeze and cook with. Jam. Pie. Cakes. Overnight oats...

Our strawberry harvest will be less than anticipated this year, thanks to a certain blue eyed, blonde haired two year old, who keeps picking and discarding the green fruit. No amount of logic will dissuade her.

A blue tongue lizard has taken up residence behind our shed, and can occasionally be glimpsed basking in the sun. He rather surprised me the first time I stumbled upon him. But I am quite pleased that he has found a home between the shed and the fence.

The BrisStyle Indie market I attended was lovely. Crafters sure know how to rock a market, and make new comers feel welcomed and supported. I had such positive feed back about my stall, my designs and my skill. I chatted with many sweet folks and enjoyed packing up each piece that went home with it's new owner.

I really admire Lisa Congdon for her art and skill, as well as her honesty about her issues with anxiety. I also love listening to podcasts while I work. Thus my excitement when I discovered double the Lisa Congdon goodness with two recent podcasts - Design Sponge and Raise Your Hand. Say Yes. Well worth checking out!

Sometimes you have to say no to something in order to say yes to something else. This was particularly true last week when I was offered a market table in the second round for the November Brisbane Finders Keepers. I thought hard about it, but turned it down, something I can't even have imagined doing twelve months ago. However, my darling husband surprised me by booking a weekend away for my twin sister and my children at a farm stay the same weekend, as a birthday gift. Fiona is flying up from Canberra, and while she would be only too happy to help me at the market, I was reminded about the importance of finding work - life balance. Instead we shall be drinking tea, collecting eggs, exploring and watching as the cows are milked.

So much has been happening in the workshop, which you may have seen over on Instagram. There's a whole lot more on the go, between custom jobs and new stock. Sign up to my newsletter, or follow me on Instagram, for more behind the scenes peeks and information.

Here's to a creative week!

8 Good Things

1. A napping toddler - with a bed full of cushions, dolls, trains and Octonauts.

2. Home sweet home.

3. Flowers, always flowers, on the dining table.

4. Our rat catcher.

5. My flower covered Camillia, still busting with pink petals.

6. A messy work bench is a busy work bench.

7. The Mulberry tree I got for my 30th birthday was but a stick with a leaf. It is now bigger than our shed and covered in green fruit.

8. Three month old's, who fall asleep like this.

I picked up my camera and walked around the house yesterday, looking at my little world through it's lens, training my eye on the everyday beauty. There was so much to feel grateful for, so much to appreciate. I find I can always do with the reminder.

As my business grows and I become busier and busier making stock for markets and the shop, working on custom pieces, new designs, quotes etc, I have less and less time for other creative pursuits like blogging and knitting. And as my husband and three children occupy the rest of my time, I find there are less moments for relaxing pursuits, like reading and gardening.

What I have come to understand is that I can do everything - just not all at once.

Lately

Reading: The fascinating Snowflower and the secret fan Lisa See

Celebrating: A fifth birthday! With Lego, Octonauts and friends and cake at the park.

Admiring: Parsley flowers from the veggie patch.

Making: New pieces for the upcoming French Market.

Noticing: How quickly the days are being counted off our advent.

Treasuring: Our handmade Christmas decorations - who can help but feel a little sentimental at this time of year?

Sharing: In the children's amazement at the baby and Mama birds

Grateful: Everyday for my beautiful family - and loving this darling portrait Cohen drew of us

Growing: My first ever hydrangea blooms! After loosing two hydrangea plants and watching this little shrub not flower for two years, I had all but given up hope.

Excited: By the flutters and somersaults I've been feeling in quiet moment this past week, as the little one reaches 16 weeks.

I'm of a mind to potter lately. Be it the warm weather, the second trimester, or the time of the year. I am content to spend my days at home with small forays into the outside world. Making and pottering, making and pottering. I'm determined to go slow and not get caught up in the hectic pace this season offers. So far, so good.

Are things winding down or gearing up for you?

Lately

Loving: Striped roses. They are a welcome distraction from the dirty floor boards and the piles of dishes that go hand in hand with Doctors orders to rest, as this pregnancy has been classified 'high risk.'

Napping: Every single day! Thank goodness for children who nap at the same time... and when they don't, thank goodness for the movie 'Cars,' which keeps Cohen occupied while Mama and Emmy nap. (Sometimes one must do these things!)

Feeling: Optimistic about everything, despite the hurdles at the moment.

Growing: Crazy numbers of sweet capsicums. I never knew one plant could be so prolific. It is thriving on neglect. Any recipe suggestions? The tomatoes, sweet potatoes and herbs are also thriving, thanks to the many storms we have had of late. But I'm keeping my expectations low for the onions, which look rather unhappy with their plot in life. I've never had any luck with growing onions.

Inspired: To start some Christmas crafts. I have been ordering a few craft supplies online for some quiet crafty afternoons with my little ones. I am trying to wait until the first of December to get started...

Watching: The birds nesting in our front tree. There are now five nests. Soon, I hope to be Aunty to a tree full of baby birds.

Working: On custom orders. I love creating something meaningful, like a gift for a midwife, or a keepsake from a holiday. I'm going gently at the bench though. Usually I prepare all my metal myself, melting it down and rolling it our and drawing down the wire. These are quite physical processes though. So, instead I have ordered pre-prepared plate, bezel wire and round wire, to make things easier.

Reading: 'Country Style' magazine and 'The Yarn Whisperer'. My mind has just not been able to focus properly on books lately.

Looking forward to: Doing my next market - The French Christmas Market in West End on the 21st of December. If you are around, do come and say hello! I will have some French themed pieces especially for the event - I'm thinking mustache earrings and red, white and blue beads.

Excited: (Very, very excited!) About the Handmade Christmas Giveaway planned for Monday, which includes such lovely makers as Each to Own, Zillpa and Bravo Juliet Designs...

Instagram Snippets

1. On one of the worst days I have had recently, where nothing would go right and I could not seem to get myself out of the terrible mood I'd fallen in to, yellow roses, children's naps and cups of tea did the trick.

2. Making beads for the market - so fun and relaxing too.

3. A canvas painted for me by my dear boy. Self portrait, while walking a dog on a path next to grass, with sky, clouds and sun. Heart melts.

4. Blocks of colour and possibility.

5. Tea pot pendants and brooches in progress.

6. Hokey Pokey biscuits with honey instead of golden syrup - because we had run out. Both children approved, as did I.

7. Dinner from the garden - a simple veggie stir fry - quick, delicious and healthy.

8. Wise words from the Brisbane Writers Festival - If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.

9. Strawberries from the garden - we are averaging a punnet every day or two. Sometimes they only make it as far as the outside tap, where little hands rinse them and eat them. The rest of the time they find their way on to our breakfast.

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PS. Don't forget to enter the beautiful crochet heart bunting giveaway here. You have until Friday to enter. :)

8 Little Things

1. A row here and a row there - a new cardigan by next Winter?

2. New in the shop, Everyday Adventurer Rings in silver or two tone with 9ct gold

3. Watching the sun set from our front deck feels like a little holiday

4. Pickings from my flower bed

5. My dear old cat Seth, who must be about 14 now, and spends most of his day relaxing in above mentioned flower bed. He comes inside smelling of lavender.

6. Roses and lavender, also making my dining room smell amazing

7. A custom ordered One For The Pot as a pendant - now also available in the shop

8. This little mantis came in with the laundry and fascinated Cohen for hours before being released again.

8 Little Things

 

1. New additions - a thrifted boy wearing clogs and holding a duck (who could resist?) for $1, and a 10 pound ball from Freedom

2. 'Great Expectations' - my latest book club read. I love an excuse to read classics.

3. My first piece of Anthropologie - a gorgeous paisley cowl I won in a giveaway on Mother Down Under - thanks Caitlin!

4. Chocolate Cake Beard!

5. Brooch friends - One for the Pot and Erin's window

6. Broccoli in bloom - so pretty

7. A new thrifted cushion for $2 - a little bit of early Spring

8. Phase two partially complete on the Doll House - first coat done

 

What lovely things have you been making, growing or doing lately?

Sisters, Naps and Somersaults

 

I've been at a loose end these past few days. I can't shake the feeling that I should be doing 'something', but I'm unable to pin point exactly what that might be. Despite the ever present to-do list, I have lost my motivation, which leads to feelings of guilt. I've also been feeling the need to slow down, listen to my body and not do much of anything. I think it's a mixture of Winter blues, broken sleep and extra night feeds with Emerson - who is teething, as well as the challenges of raising a four year old. Oh, how beautiful and frustrating four year old boys can be! I have been trying to ignore the guilt and give myself permission to rest. We have been staying home, pottering, cleaning, playing, drawing and knitting.

 

And while it has been just what I needed, after a few days the guilt crept in about keeping the children at home with me, and not taking them out to do 'something'. So yesterday, I bundled us off to my sisters house for the day. A beautiful, sunny day. While my guilt was allayed, my tiredness was not. Darling sister that she is, she let me sneak off for a nap while she amused the children. That afternoon all four of us were doing somersaults on a Yoga mat on the lounge room floor. The children's eyes lit up and the house filled with laughter. Have you ever seen a four year old and a sixteen month old trying to do somersaults?! It's the most precious and amusing thing.

 

Thank goodness for sisters, naps and somersaults.

Happy weekend dear readers.