hummingpea

...a few things I've been working on lately...

2009-11-21T15:31:00.013+10:30

I've so been enjoying wandering through art books, finding peoples faces and making them 'mini'.

I'm also (still!) enjoying buttons..and the fact I have figured out how to make these necklaces reversible, so each side brings a new picture - two in one!

An old pillowcase...

And I've been experimenting with earrings...

All of these (except for the beautiful green lady who has already been sold) are available for purchase through my Etsy Store (see link on the right). Alternatively, you can contact me directly to order something custom..or pay in Aussie dollars..

The risk I don't have to take

2009-11-10T10:08:00.004+10:30

My new beginning, has begun! I have finished work and now entered the realm of 'motherhood'. Exciting, and scary, and altogether very new! I find the impending change to be quite a surreal feeling, so much expectation, hope, anticipation. We met our good friends brand new baby boy yesterday, he is so beautiful. Tiny and fragile, and full of life! It made me excited to meet the little life in me. It's so hard to comprehend that this little fish that I feel trying to escape from my tummy, comes into the world as such an amazing little human being..it's just the indescribable miracle of life..amazing!

I am very grateful for the care I have available to me during this time. I don't take forgranted the fact that I have almost full confidence that both baby and I will be totally safe, whatever happens from now on in, help is right there for me, and we will be okay. I think everyday about women overseas who die from the simplest of complications. Babies who die. Families going through such horrific trauma, caused often only by a lack of resources and knowledge. Creating life is risky for them, I have no idea what that feels like..

New Life...

2009-10-10T20:06:00.009+10:30

Yes, it's true..I have a baby growing inside me! It's quite big already and is approximately 26 weeks old..well, I am 26 weeks pregnant. But either way, it seems to be happy in there and is becoming quite good at gymnastics. It's such a strange sensation, a little fellow grooving around in my belly, it's really great, and sometimes startling enough to give me a little fright.

It's quite exciting, and also hard work, growing a person. I have been incredibly tired, and also nauseous a lot of the time. I am used to being tired, but this is like nothing before - it's like my body takes over, does what it wants and I can't argue. If I do, I pay for it for weeks...I sleep a lot, and I lie in bed trying to sleep a lot too. I am also rather emotional, especially when I'm tired, I get down, and feel I've failed...but friends remind me of the wonder of what is happening inside me, and it does encourage me.

The creation of human life is incomprehensible. It blows me away. An actual person is being 'built' inside of me. I can provide it with nutrients and energy, a place to rest and grow, but apart from that, I do nothing, and it is so intricately, delicately, uniquely formed. The wonder of conception, and formation - who can fathom it?! It really does make me see every life as such a miracle. When I stop and think about all this, I am more than amazed, in awe, of what is happening inside of me.

I am ultra good at being harsh on myself, expecting that I will be everything to everyone, and do everything I dream to do, all at once. I have been on a journey for as long as I can remember, trying to learn how to be realistic, and satisfied with what I can and cannot do. And this new life that has come, and is still coming, into our family, has been another huge part of my learning in this way. I can only be who, physically and emotionally I can be. I feel like my head, and my heart, explodes with many people I want to be a friend to, things I want to create, even chores that I want to do, and I constantly feel let down by myself for not being able to achieve all these things. And especially now, when I have half as much energy, and therefore capabilities as before, I am forced to realise more than ever, that I can only be what I am. I guess I am searching for satisfaction in this. I mean, I like who I am, I like what I stand for, and dream of, the kind of person I am and aspire to be. But I am not satisfied with the things that I achieve in a day, or seemingly lack to achieve I guess. I would love to believe I am doing the best I can do, and be happy with that.

It is a good journey, and I love to learn and grow, I'm grateful for every second, and excited for the day when my heart can find sweet peace in the truth of what I know in my head. It's good for me to be physically forced to ponder these things, and implement change in my thinking habits about myself.

Here's our little munchkin, still on the inside, but growing stronger (and bigger!) every day...xx

Happy Birthday Hannah!

2009-09-13T18:09:00.007+09:30

It's just gone my little nieces 2nd birthday, and what a ball of cuteness she is. Grandma and Grandpa gave her a wizz bang art board thingo, so followed an 'arty' theme to others gifts giving. I made her a smock and had a lot of fun doing it. I didn't quite get the size right, but the plan is that she'll grow into it...right?

One side has two pockets, for handy storage of useful things...

The other has her name...

And here she is, having a little dance...

wheat bag!

2009-05-09T18:57:00.009+09:30

so it's mother's day tomorrow and it has brought on a little creative project from me. i made my mum a wheatbag. i made myself one a while back and am absolutely lost without it now. i was surprised with how simple the concept is, and with a sewing machine, how relatively easy to make - for something that brings so much warmth and fuzzy feeling! i use whole flax seeds (or linseed) because then the bag doubles as a cool pack as well. microwave it for heat or stick it in the freezer if you want to use it as a cold pack. whoever first invented the wheatbag concept is a genius!

here's the one i made my mum

i machine embroided a few of the flowers for a bit of extra contrast

i hope that all of you mothers out there enjoy a lovely day with your families, and that you continue to be blessed and appreciated on everyday throughout the year as well!

Castle Bazaar Market

2009-04-25T16:20:00.007+09:30

A few weeks ago I shared a stall at this market with my friends Bec and Lynda. It's a new market that a few girls have just started. We've done it twice now, it was a little busier the second time round - hopefully it goes from small to big and then bigger! Its a really chilled atmosphere in the beer garden of the Ed Castle Hotel - great lunch deals, drinks, and friends all round - the perfect way to spend a Sunday arvo...

Bec makes amazing cupcakes - so delicious, and she sold out! Here's us..

I think the market is going to continue on the last Sunday of each month...but I'll try and keep you posted, if you're in Adelaide and keen to check it out!

new adventures

2009-02-23T18:25:00.015+10:30

well, it's been many a day too long since i last wrote on here. we're now back from london, settled down in the lovely home of two great friends and their two awesome little kids. we've got our little space in the room at the end of their place in which we sleep, create, and generally clutter our things..with pretty much each new day thats come to us, both my hubby and i have been getting more inspired to create and imagine and form things out of texture and line and colour. he's just started art school, and is loving it, which i love! it's so great to see him so excited as he comes home each night with new drawings and paintings and sculptures. new things he's learnt - and he's doing SO well! i am constantly impressed..of course..

as for me, i've had some time off of working everyday, which my creative spirits have welcomed with open arms. it's been nice to feel like i have some good time to just put in to exploring colours and patterns and well, just jibbing with my hands, and my newest friend, the sewing machine. he has been a stable friend, sometimes more involved in my life than others, but lately he has come back from a long break, and it's been fun! i've been enjoying fabric so much. here's a couple of pics of a couple of my latest adventures..fabric cuff bracelets..
and just as i was posting these photos i sold the blue cuff to a friend who just called! how cool! thought i'd still put it up so you could see it anyway..i like these little numbers. they are fun. i love the texture and patterns of fabric, especially old, preloved stuff - something special about it..a lot of the buttons i use are from my grandma's old collection too, i love the connections and intrigue of something loved by someone, so many years ago..and it comes around to be loved again, by someone new, but just as lovely..

i've also been really enjoying sewing mini-artworks onto fabric. i've made a couple of these into necklaces, and plan to do some more with them soon. as is obvious in my previous post, i was very re-inspired by the impressionists in london, so i've been doing mini-recreations of the faces in some of these works. especially tolouse-lautrec's. they fascinate me. here are a couple i've done so far..
i'll be back again, i promise sooner than last time, with some more thoughts, and hopefully new creations! hope you've had a good day

love. me xx

impressionism in london

2008-12-01T05:25:00.004+10:30

while we were in america we were presented with the offer to make an unexpected and spontaneous visit to London. we excepted, and nothing has been better for my inspirational juices and creative thoughts. this city is rich with art and I have learnt a lot, been opened wide!

luke and i have visited many galleries and been continually blown away by so much history and story in one city. our favourite so far has to be the National Gallery, where we have spent hours and hours studying everything there, but especially all the pieces in about 4 small rooms...Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Tolouse-Lautrec, Renoir, Seurat, Cezanne, Pissarro...all these amazing artists i have studied at school, coming truely alive for the first time. i have always loved the Impressionists the most i think, so to see them all together in one place is incredible, overwhelming, and very inspirational. nothing compares to seeing these works in real life. they suddenly have such depth and colour and intricate moments.

i realise their amazing textures, vibrant colours, fascinating techniques. i am very drawn to the technique of a painting. i love to stand up close and see just how the paint has been placed on the canvas, how the overall effect has been achieved. i love both the bold, strong techniques of many artists in this movement, as well as the gentle and clever perfection of others.

Cezanne, and his early development of cubism - where the surface of the painting is broken up into small areas of paint, just strokes of colour if you look at it closely, but so particulary placed that on the overall they form a brilliant portrait or landscape. this is 'Landscape with Poplars' (1885-7).

Van Gogh and his bold texture and use of bright chunks of colour - i love how it stands off the canvas. i was especially taken by this technique in his ‘Long Grass with Butterflies’ (1890). pictures obviously don’t do these pieces any justice...

Seurat’s technique, pointillism, also intrigues me. his painting ‘The Channel of Gravelines, Grand Fort Phillips’ (1890) is made up completely of tiny dots, painted on the canvas with such precision and perfect tone, that so much detail is present, even to the point of being able to see the faint pinky purple sunset forming in the blue sky.

i also love the soft gentleness of Monet, who also often used carefully placed pieces of colour to create intricate impressions of nature. when you look at it closely it is just solids of colour, but taking steps back it becomes a beautiful scene of intricate life. this is 'The Water-Lily Pond' (1899).

i also love this painting by Cezanne, ‘The Painter's Father, Louis-Auguste Cézanne’ (about 1865). he painted this directly onto a wall in his father’s house (it has since been lifted off and restored onto canvas). it is hard to see in the picture, but the texture on the face, in contrast to the body and then the background areas is so bold and chunky and well yeah, it’s a great effect and this is a great painting.

so, there is my small tour of the National Gallery for you...i have just so enjoyed discovering art again. i have loved relearning about these techniques and movements, and seeing this incredible talent right here in real life in front of me. i am inspired to try so many different things, to just give it a go, and get to expressing myself creatively.

i got given some material from a friend here, and i have been having such fun playing with it’s colours and textures. i have ideas for jewelry made using the lines of these artists and this material - i have been experimenting! stay tuned for more, and thanks for coming on my gallery journey with me ... xx

me in a new world

2008-09-10T20:50:00.006+09:30

we've been back in australia for a month now. that's crazy. life flies by so very fast. i miss thailand. the fresh, friendly landscape, friends, family, community. life here is vastly different. it is hard to have my heatr in two places. i feel very torn between two rather different lives, and am trying to figure out how i can be 'me' in both cultures. i am trying to be gentle on myself. when we first got back i was very harsh on me. it always interests me that it is so difficult to be ones self. to live what is real and important to us. why is it so hard? i am not going to let myself fall into the daily grind, the expectations of the western world and the tiredness that it all brings. in so many ways, tiredness. i want the things i value and care about to become the bulk of what i spend my time on. this is what i'm learning. this is what i'm trying to be. and do.

i am craving to create again. our 'stuff' has been messy but is slowly getting sorted now. when i find the foot of my sewing machine, i have big dreams for some material, button, necklace delights. one thing about australia that does excite me is op shops, i have already found some great bargains, and spent my time looking at (and purchasing!) buttons. i am a sucker for buttons. i am excited to sew. and go through my stash of goodies, some which i haven't seen in a long time. i want to learn to nurture my creative spirit, that creating can be what i go to first..in my heart it always is, but in my body it is easy to be distracted. it fascinates, confuses and frustrates me, how i distract myself from what i love the most. this is what i mean about learning to embrace me..to give myself a chance to come alive, and not squash the things that mean something to me.

i met a super friendly sudanese guy, godfrey, at the bus stop today. he made my day brighter. he had a lovely smile.

colour

2008-07-25T23:59:00.000+09:30

welcome friends, to what i hope to be, some little musings, stories, lessons, that i discover on my journey through this big wide world of life. i am on a creative adventure and it is fun! right now we are preparing to leave thailand in just less than two weeks time. my mind and heart are full, with so many incredible things i have seen and experienced. new friends, special relationships that i will dearly miss. i feel so much richer for having lived here the past year and a bit. there have been many personal experiences that have made this year harder than i thought life could be, but i feel new, and more real. more inspired. so much more inspired and ready to be me.

i am so grateful for the chance i’ve had to experience this beautiful land. this culture and these people. the fresh, relaxed, sometimes frustratingly slow, but mostly wonderful nature of life here. there are scenes that make my senses come alive. lush green fields of rice, farmers working tirelessly in the hot hot sun, to plant their crop and cultivate the muddy soil. a hazy mist, hovering over the never ending, towering and breath-taking mountain range. old ladies weaving cloth, starting with a single coloured thread. a tiny cart being pulled by a thin young man on a bicycle. cows, walking along side my travelling car. the smell of the market on a hot balmy night, and the freshness as it pours with rain, and the sound of crashing thunder. the smile of the cow soi lady, so happy as she heaps my plate with food. the beautiful faces and bountiful laughter of children who've been given a second chance. the overflowing hearts of our dear friends at companion. the best coffee i’ve ever tasted in my life, made with love, passion, and a desire for friendship, more than business.

there are many amazing, refreshing things about life here that i will greatly miss. but i am excited too, for the next chapter. excited to share the me that i have discovered, and try to share my heart, beliefs and passions with people whom i meet. i am more convinced than ever, that life starts when we meet our heart and don't deny it. when we find what it cares about, what it loves and craves, and become unafraid to let that drive us. it sounds simple, but it's really not. i think many hearts have been lost in a world of consumerism and well, just lost, for many reasons. it is a fight to get them back, a good fight, but still a fight. i am on my way, and i know i always will be...but as i go, i hope to find ever more friends to join me, and the ones who already have...

God made the world colourful, creative and designed to be individually united. i have seen it here. in the nature, and the people. the culture and traditions. somehow it is easier to see here. i don’t want to forget it. and i know i’ll be back. but i want to share it. expand it. find colour in the places where it’s not always so easy to see