Picnic by the river

We mosied down to the river, not far from home, and took advantage of the happily (for us) under-used park. This park has no swings, just lots of trees for climbing, and calm river for gazing.
The home-made salami, tomato and cheese scrolls were gobbled up before I could even take a photo, which reminded me that sometimes it's nice to keep things basic. (Although I am inspired to put on a grand picnic now...)
Cam and I shared a beer and watched the kids run around like nuts, then he read Little Red Riding Hood to them while I watched the clouds sail overhead.
These truly are the days!
Are you enjoying the school holidays and making the most of this gorgeous winter weather?

Verabel + Fox and a cool A to Z

As with most things, I’m a little late jumping on the geometric design bandwagon. Apparently it’s big? Well, if there was such a thing as an actual geometric bandwagon, it would be fun, you could ride it, and it would be prettied up by Alyson Fox. How gorgeous is this colour study, called ‘Pattern 6’?

I first found Alyson’s work in the Etsy shop Verabel + Fox, where the colour studies and patterns can be seen as embellishment on vintage-style lockets. Alyson works with textile design too, as you can see in A Small Collection. Definitely worth a look!

It may be too late to enter the giveaway, but you can still read this cool A to Z from ReRead. The author is a fellow BrisStyler, but I do not know her name!



What a mother!

Kirsty and I, around 1980

My filthy little darlings

My mum, Susan, climbing in Nepal

It's that time of year... all the soft lens images of adoring, clean-faced children bringing Mum exactly what she wanted for Mother's Day...Hmmm.
I took my kids out for breakfast this morning, then to run a few errands. Mister Minit had my resoled shoes all ready, and chatted with a big smile on his face, and it was only when I felt something fall into my cleavage that I realised that somehow my pendant had been covered in mocha cheesecake and I was wearing it all down my front. Tres embarrassing.
As for my Mum, she has worn her share of cake, vegemite and texta. But she's a free spirit who wears it with a smile!
A real mum is crazy, imperfect and will totally wear those floral slippers/macaroni necklaces. A real mum thinks your artwork should hang in the Louvre. A real mum agrees you could win 'So You Think You Can Dance'. A real mum will eat those cupcakes, even if they are a little heavy on the salt.

All the awesome mothers out there, and mothers-to-be, keep it real!

Secret hideaways and a little bit of peace.

Treehouse in Kenya, Gypset Style

Dedon Nestrest hanging loungers

Sometimes, all I want is a quiet place to sit. Know what I mean?

When everything starts to feel a little hectic, I think it's important to acknowledge a basic need: peace.

I think peace is like chocolate. You only need a little bit, and it goes a long way. Just like a square of 85% cocoa Lindt! I love to nest in my bedroom, the calmest room of the house, with sunlight filtered through pale green curtains, a huge stack of mismatched cushions, a good book or fresh magazine and the latest crochet attempt. Add a little glass of red wine and it's heaven. But even if I don't have the time to luxuriate like Cleopatra, just five minutes in a quiet garden seems to help.

I think I'd be quite calm in a hanging lounger. What do you do when you need a little peace?

No rest for the wicked, artwork by Kirra Jamison and my interview debut!

Resting Place by Kirra Jamison

Ok, it's been a madhouse around here. Does anyone else feel like they need a holiday to recover from their holiday?
My first writing assignment (or Ass 1, as someone in the writer's group called it) received a credit, and lots of critical notes to work with. I discovered I do not handle criticism well. But, after an initial sookyface wah-wah, and a few phonecalls to my sister (who writes for a living!) I realise if I can get past my ego, it will help me be a better writer. That's why I'm doing it! Duh!

The artwork above is from Kirra Jamison, from the 'Spirit is a bone' collection. I'm drawn to her use of colour - controlled explosions with masterly rhythm to them, using pen, paint and vinyl. If you're in the Valley, you could even see some of Kirra's work in person at Jan Murphy Gallery.

Finally, to tootle my own horn, I have to mention the interview I did for Chrissy Foreman C. It was super-fun, yet just a touch confronting to write about myself that much, but I think for a first attempt it's not too shabby! It helped that Chrissy, as well as being an accomplished artist, is a generous supporter of other artists, always ready with an encouraging word. Basically, she's a doll. Thanks Chrissy!

Friday I'm in love - A shape, a clutch, a fox

Dodecahedrons from Spinthread

Super Stylin' clutch from Sybella Boutique

Tesla as a fox from Captain Cat

Favourites for the week, from the wonderful world of Etsy. I especially love the idea of Nikola Tesla, a great inventor of the 19th and 20th centuries, as a wily fox. I can't help but wonder where his excellent moustache is!

Have a lovely weekend, won't you? I'm working on a short story, some interview questions from the talented Chrissy Foreman C, and learning some new skills in my dear friends' cafe. Eek.

The time has come! The giveaway winner is...

From throwing poorly crafted paper planes with the names of the entrants from my verandah ...

...to letting physics decide the winner!

Congratulations Christine from Little Chrissy on winning the package of summertime booty!

Christine wrote in her entry: "Summer for me is picnics in the park, gin and tonics on the deck and dunks in the salty ocean. Do you hear that, rain?? We've had enough! Begone so that we may picnic and laze at the beach!"

Confession: I know I said the goal was 150 likers on Facebook, but I just couldn't wait any longer! I kept checking the number of likers and wondering why I wasn't drumming up a bit more interest, and generally feeling a bit 'wah, poor me', but then I realised I was undervaluing each person who had taken the time to visit my page, and missing the point of the exercise - to make new connections!

Every single person who comments or even clicks that 'like' button is showing me a bit of support, and each new 'friend' has the potential for genuine connection. Not just for jewellery, or giveaways, or hearting some new cute thing, but for honest sharing, education and growth as a human being. Just look at the support rallied for those hardest hit by the floods, or raising funds for the Red Cross in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami, all through social networking.

I'm all about people, not numbers, and I'm really very happy to be making all these wonderful new connections!

A lounge, a yurt, a studio

So, I'm at home today, playing nurse for my poor mister, who was hit by a car on Tuesday. He was just riding his bike home from work, and a silly car wasn't paying attention. He's a bit banged up, with a nasty gash on his face, but I can't stop myself from saying to him again and again "I'm so glad you're ok!", because I know it could've been SO much worse. You've got to count your luck, don't you?

These photos are from a slowly expanding collection of places to envy, to covet, to admire... how about the lounge with the vines on the wall and the gorgeous sunlight streaming in? The yurt from Goulburn Yurtworks is so rustic and classy, and the studio workspace is courtesy of Sweet William, the dreamy result of what two awesome sisters can do. You should definitely check out their Etsy store too, for prints of original artworks but Paula Mills.

Stay safe - you are very important!

A picture, a poem

Sylvia Plath: Treasure

by Bett Norris

 These are the imagined treasures of Sylvia Plath, tragic American poet and novelist, hand drawn by Bett Norris. If you aren't familiar with the work of Sylvia Plath, I would say read her, but I would add a caveat: her poetry can be dark, and 'The Bell Jar', Plath's most well-known novel, even more so. The author battled with depression throughout her life, and lost in the end, and this quiet authority of knowledge soaks through her writings.

This artwork is one of the reasons I love Etsy in particular (and the internet in general) so much. With a little searching, you can find the most wonderful things. You can find things that are so carefully thought of, so lovingly made, so bang on the money that it's as though they were made for you. 

This week I've jumped into my new studies with gusto. This is my opportunity to see if I really have an uncut gem of skill inside me, or just a big lump of rock. I'm keen, I tell ya!


Ooops! Silly me, forgot the title of this post! There is a picture, but no poem! The poem I wished to use is 'Ennui', a big old shoulder shrug of a poem. What do you think?

Friday I'm in love

Greenhouse At Night by Jeremy Miranda

I have to own this print. Amazing.

When I finally picked up the overdue library book that sat in accusatory silence on my bedside table, I was hooked from the first page. Not so surprising, since I've never read a Margaret Atwood novel that wasn't captivating, but the title 'The Year of the Flood' had seriously put me off. No points for guessing why...

If you aren't yet aquainted with the work of Margaret Atwood, get thee to the library. She spins an incredible story that pulls you in, straps you down and takes you for a ride. From 'The Handmaid's Tale', to 'Oryx and Crake', there is a world re-created, our world but warped and tweaked, where science, politics and the cruel beauty of humanity travel down the garden path and become dangerously lost. 

Sometimes I don't read for months at a time, apart from blogs and a few select magazines (Frankie, Peppermint and New Scientist), and if I'm not reading, then I'm not writing. I can't have one without the other, which is frustrating. I'll be focused on writing for the next few months while I study creative and professional writing through Griffith Uni.

Confession: I'm a touch nervous about study after so long, but really very excited to be doing rather than just saying.

Spaces

It comes as no surprise that the new 'mook' - magazine/book from the creators of Frankie mag is completely gorgeous. The large format Spaces is filled with the places 'where creative people live, work and play', and regular readers of Frankie might even recognise a few of the photos from previous issues. 

Spaces is hefty. It's a relaxed coffee table book. It invites you in and asks you to take your time. I love how it catches the feeling of each dwelling and workspace. (The Etsy lab? Seriously, I'd be their in-house baker and coffee/tea lady in a heartbeat.)

In a strange way, even though there are so many divine designer items and unique features that I'll never call my own, I'm comforted by the realness of most of the spaces: they aren't glossy and perfect, there's some really wacky shit that folks live with every day. Franklie, these people are my people.

Red by three

I'm a little low on energy due to a lovely little headcold, and the best colour for giving energy is red!

Red is hot, red is strong. The cultural signifigance varies across the globe, but you can be guaranteed the meaning or emotion attributed to red is always a powerful one. Love, hate, passion and pain can all be conveyed with this feisty primary colour.

When I wear my favourite red scarf I feel more confident, and sometimes simply putting on red lipstick is all I need to do for a boost.

Red is considered a healing colour too. I'm hoping these little dashes of red will get me out of my slump!

My Tangled Hair

My tangled hair

I shall not cut:

Your hand, my dearest,

Touched it as a pillow.

ANONYMOUS Translated from the Japanese by G Bownes and A Thwaite

Have a heart, my love

Rome 2010

So, St Valentine's Day. Whether you love it or hate it, think it's a chance to be super-romantic or another way for Hallmark to take your money, Valentine's Day is kinda hard to ignore. If you work with other people in any kind of situation, there will be the squeals of glory and delight from the recipients of enormous bouquets, and there will be the grumbles and razzafrazzes of those not so lucky. I've been on both sides, but I'm an old married lady now, and I get to stamp my feet if I'm not gifted with something shiny or sweet smelling. (I'm mostly kidding!)

loveheart cookie mcwashere glogster

Personally, I like Valentine's Day as an idea. A day simply to express your true feelings of love and devotion, to make known your affections, to revel in the overuse of love hearts and eat a little chocolate? How can that be bad?

The issue that I take is the cookie-cutter feel of a dozen red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. As with almost everything in my life, I want it different. I count myself lucky beyond measure to be married to my best friend, and to share with him many of the same tastes and opinions. (Except maybe when it comes to 80's music and sarsparilla) This means that I can be certain he'll never rely on the tried-and-tested Valentines favourites. One year it was a trip to a day spa (heaven!), once a voucher for a deep relaxation massage. There's usually a drawing or a painting, or a terribly mis-spelled and daggy poem. (He has a degree in fine arts, so his art should be better than his poetry)

I'm not bragging, I promise!

We can own our gift-giving, even on such clearly prescribed celebratory days as this, especially if the gift is a shared experience. I say no more red roses! Unless of course that's the one thing that your sweetie will swoon for.

These sound dreamy to me...

• A row on a lake with Django Reinhardt playing, and a nice bottle of red
• Make a bed picnic with a big tub of cookies and cream icecream
• Sit on your favourite beach and watch the sun come up
• Go out dancing together until your head is whirling

I'd love you to share your ideal St Valentine's day....

Summer giveaway

Have you entered my very first giveaway yet? All you have to do is tell me in the comments what summer means to you. Easy! And of course for all the folks on the other side of the world surrounded by snow and ice, it's a chance to really conjure up a little warmth.
So far there are some lovely entries, and I can't wait to read yours.

BrisStyle Valentine's Day Gift Guide

If you're a little stuck for gift ideas for your sweetheart, I recommend having a peek at the BrisStyle gift guide. There's lots of cute, romantic or anatomically correct ideas. I especially like the mixed metal 'Love Pendant' from Forever Inspired Jewellery by Liv, because we have an ongoing competition in our house to describe how much we love each other. "I love you to the moon and back" is a pretty good start!

My contribution to the whole smoochy St Valentine's Day scene is the St Valentine Scarlet Heart Garland, with nine crochet love hearts hanging on a line. I have them hanging above my bedside table, and I have to say, I'm growing very attached to them. But, I'll happily sell them to someone with stars in their eyes!

A photo, a poem

Drunk as drunk

Translated from Spanish by Christopher Logue

Drunk as drunk on turpentine
from your open kisses,
your wet body wedged
between my wet body and the strake
of the boat that is made of flowers,
feasted, we guide it - our fingers
like tallows adorned with yellow metal -
over the sky's hot rim
the days last breath in our sails.

Pinned by the sun between solstice
and equinox, drowsy and tangled together
we drifted for months and woke
with the bitter taste of land on our lips,
eyelids all sticky, and we longed for lime
and the sound of a rope
lowering a bucket down its well. Then,
we came by night to the Fortunate Isles,
and lay like fish
under the net of our kisses.

Pablo Neruda

Shopping high

Meet my latest Esty purchase. Alice in Wonderland by Fee Harding of Burntfeather. I'm a bit fixated on this artwork, which I purchased as an ACEO. Alice, like a lot of Fee's work, is brooding and maybe a little melancholy, and a welcome departure from the sugary (yet often adorable) images I see around the nets.

When I first read 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll, I was about 11 years old, and even then I was struck by the delirious out-of-control-ness of the situation Alice found herself in, and the deep sense of being adrift in a strange world. I think Fee has captured some of this, and if you'd like to see more I recommend checking out Burntfeather.

Oh, and PS, don't forget to enter to win my sunshiney summer giveaway... we need all the sunshine we can get!

It's pink, punk.

  

                            

Once considered only a colour for boys, since it was close to the manly hue of red, pink is now firmly entrenched on the other side of the gender divide. I thought pink was horrid as a teenager (I'd give the former me an A for effort for wearing all that black in our hot and sweaty Queensland climate), but now I see there's a place for it, if it's done right.

Apparently in India, pink is like our navy blue. I'm not sure where I heard that, but according to my parents, who have travelled quite a bit in India, colour is big. Very big. Whether it's on your house or your sari, colour is the go.                                  
         

cupcake from deadmarch  

pink balloon legs from sweetvanillaavalanche 

eiffel balloons from nouveau soleil 

pink tree lane from clandestineprize

all found via happythings 



January giveaway...and a pinkie promise

Welcome to 2011 everybody! I hope you had a lovely Christmas, Hanukka, Festivus or whatever, and that your gifts were all thoughtful and handmade. I, frankly, had a shit time, and I'm really happy to be moving forward (as our glorious leader says) and getting on with the business of the new year.

Introducing my very first giveaway! I've had a blast putting this one together, with the idea of sunshine, relaxation and times when there is nothing at all on your mind but when your next Pina Colada will arrive.
So the lucky winner will receive...

• Size 12 (Miss) 'Style' Beach dress pattern from god-knows-when, it looks very 80's to me
• Sunshiney yellow button necklace with reclaimed hook closure (61cm or 24in)
• Pink crochet bowl, 3 gold buttons and a Japanese fabric gift bag
• Ombre palm tree brooch, made of plastic or lucite
• Vintage cotton fabric with old-timey beachside design (53cmx112cm or 21inx44in)
• Lolly pink cotton fabric (58cmx101cm or 23inx40in)



So here's the important bit. If you would like to win this parcel of summertime joy, complete with glitter, find me on Facebook, become a MiuAndUmi liker, and suggest to your best people that they like me too! Then just pop back here and tell me in the comments what summer is all about for you. Is it getting grass burns on the old slip-and-slide? Is it beers and silly hats around the barbie? Is it the hunt for the ultimate icypole flavour?

The lucky winner will be chosen at random when I reach 150 likers... so get clicking!

My wish is to drum up interest and energy, make lots of new friends in the online world and in the really real world too. With all the rain and the terrible flooding that has affected so much of our state, I feel it's only right to be pledging half of my sales from January to the flood relief appeal. Pinkie promise!