etsy success

Found  this on Penny's blog. Amazing isn't it? Makes me a bit proud to be part of it all.


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our tree. our gorgeously giant tree.

Today I found a feather from one of the three cute chubby tawny owls that have been hanging out in our gorgeously giant tree.

Last week Mr You discovered a nest cradling baby birds in our gorgeously giant tree.

Normally this would delight me. But right now it mortifies me. Why?

Because tomorrow we have to have our beloved gorgeous giant tree cut down. Sob.



One recent stormy night, a quarter of our tree tore off and fell to the ground. It completely crushed our fence, all but one of the other trees in our yard, and our brand new (built by a gardener only 3 days earlier) garden bed with lovely little stone wall, as it stretched across our yard and half way across the neighbours. Unlucky as this sounds, we were all very lucky that it fell where and when it did. A little this way or the other and it could have crushed our studio, or Millipede's bedroom, or had it been during the day it could have crushed the neighbours children.

We consulted lots of specialists, hoping desperately they would tell us all the tree needed was a little lop and it would be fine. But each and every one took one look at the tree and all said it is too dangerous to stay... at all.



This, the tree that (along with our studio) was the reason I fell in love with this house. The tree that everyone comments is beautiful. The tree that shades our yard in Summer, turns red in Autumn, becomes a sculpture in Winter, and feeds the bees in Spring. The tree that I had imagined we'd have Millipede's birthday parties underneath, hang his swing from, build a tree house in, and encourage him to climb.

The tree we buried Millipede's bellybutton stump under as a spiritual gesture on his 6 month birthday.



I have cried again and again that we have to lose our beautiful tree. That we are the ones who have to have to end it's long long life. That losing a tree isn't like when you lose a car, and are able to replace it with an even better one. That you can't put a tree out to pasture, letting it live out the rest of its days in a lovely field somewhere.

I really am in agony thinking about it. I don't think I can be here when it happens. I'm sure I will hear it moan and weep. How do you say goodbye to something so proud?

making australia happy

Happy indeed...

A little over an hour ago, whilst I was selecting a shopping trolley and assessing if Millipede had it in him to make it around the supermarket without losing it half way, I was given a bunch of flowers by a complete stranger!

A kind-faced woman approached me, and asked if she could give me the flowers she was holding.
I said yes.
She said, "Good, I would like you to have them."
I asked what the occasion was.

She told me she is doing a ten week course called Making Australia Happy, in which, among many other things, her homework is to give a gift to a complete stranger.

We chatted some more, I smiled and accepted the flowers, she complemented my baby, I gave her a hug.

Millipede smiled and did quiet little shrieks of joy throughout the whole time we shopped. Both of us swimming in the good vibes.

N i c e D a y.

mummy bloggers

Mummy bloggers?... Right now can hardly believe there is such a thing.

Anyone who has a baby and manages to find any spare moments to blog (let alone craft), is an absolute magician in my opinion!

HO-LY!

a bit behind the eight ball, but just as rewarding

One of the "advantages" of this new lifestyle is catching up on daytime TV (and midnight TV come to think of it) as I'm feeding baby Millipede.

A bonus last week was catching an episode of Oprah that featured none other than the amazing NieNie*. Actually I only caught the last 10 minutes, and have been searching online for it to see the rest, to no avail. (It actually aired in the US back in 2009, hence the title of this post).

There is THIS bit though...
SO great, especially for me right now; a fledgling mother.

- - - - -

* NieNie, for those of you who don't know, is Stephanie Nielson. A great blogger, plane crash survivor, and inspiring mother.

i have learnt

Image: I am fertile by Ana Ventura

I haven't really spoken much here about being pregnant. And with only a matter of weeks to go I thought it might be time for a catch-up post.

Things I've learnt:
- Considering how terrified I was about pregnancy, I count my blessings every day at what an easy, blissful one I've had. This has taught me to start being more positive (rather than shit-scared) about the next bits.

- I've learnt that I can no longer refer to myself as a girl. "Pregnant girl" sounds all sorts of wrong. I have learnt to refer to myself as a woman. Hehehe, still sounds funny though.

- I've learnt other women with young children are out-of-their-minds excited about babies, and can barely stop themselves talking about birth, spew, poo, sleepless nights, household mess, etc etc, for hours on end, all with some type of mysterious glee in their eyes.

- I've also learnt that as soon as you mention you're pregnant, these same women can't wait until the baby arrives to talk about these topics of conversation. They jump in right away. What they don't remember / don't realise, is that I will have the rest of my life to talk about all that stuff. Right now I only have a few weeks of normal life left to talk about normal things. I just want to make the most of that.

- I have learnt that everyone wants to come and visit in these last few weeks. I'm happy to see everyone, but am absolutely exhausted by the constant stream of visitors. And am getting further and further behind in my work (that I had been hoping to have all finish by now). I'm actually considering escaping by leaving my own house for a few days, just to get a rest from all the visits.

- However, I have also learnt that everyone is SO excited for us, and have been unbelievably generous towards us. This has been amazing!

- I have learnt that pushing a full shopping trolley is one of the hardest things for an already overloaded pregnant body.

- I have learnt that being short, people can't see your giant belly behind the trolley, and very few people get out of your way or offer to help you push it up the carpark ramp.

- However, when there isn't a trolley and the belly is obvious, other women in the general public will give you the nicest smiles.

- Despite Mr You regularly referring to the baby-bump as "you big karate poo", I watched him absolutely melt when we visited the neonatal-nursery (with teeeeny weeeny babies in there) during a recent tour of the hospitals' birth centre.
While we are both very scared about how we are going to cope as parents, and how we will manage getting used to such a different lifestyle, it is clear to me he is going to love every minute of it more than anything in the world. I have learnt that this is the single most reassuring thing for me.

- Recently during a yoga class, while meditating and being prompted to try to listen to our heart beating, I realised I currently have two hearts. ♥♥

- Mr You then realised I may also have a penis. Many jokes followed.

my stall

More pics of my stall...












All of my fabric products; whale stuffies, library bags, pillowcases, and brand new lavender bags all sold out faster than I could have predicted. I'm now up to my armpits sewing the other 85 pillowcases I took orders for. Yes, 85!!!!

But the absolute highlight of the market for me was this little ditty...

On the first night, a lady called over the top of the crowd to me, asking if I had any pillowcases left. I had one left, and she grabbed it, telling me she'd seen it online and came to the market specifically to get it! She got the last one.

So that was pretty cool in itself... right?

Well, the next day a kind-faced gent waited patiently to get through the crowd to the front of my stall, and told me the woman from the night before was his wife.

He told me how when she got the pillowcase home she put it on her daughters bed (who is just 3). Their daughter took one look at it and ran off down the hall. She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth, put on her pyjamas, and rushed straight into bed. Then as she lay the side of her head on the pillow, she kept stretching her eyes down to see the picture. The next morning when she woke up she ran into their bedroom hugging her pillow, excited to show them.


It could be all these extra hormones, but I still get teary telling that story.

Honestly, it's moments like that (people taking the time to tell you those stories) that really makes it, you know?

*beam*

grafftastic

I've spoken of my secret desire to be a graffiti artist before, but as I've also mentioned, I'm too much of a goody-two-shoes to actually do it.

Well here I sit, typing away, with beautifully paint spattered finger-tips, happy as a clam. For today I did my very first "piece". Word-up YO! (cough cough, heee).

It's okay, no need to dash outside to check your fences. It's all above board. You see I've been invited to take part in a group show at a great gallery, which is predominantly graffiti based. Street art and those styles that are akin to it. So, I got to paint the afore-mentioned "piece" YO, as a backing scene on the wall to hang my works on-top of.

Okay, so I was slow, and I needed ALOT of help, and there's flowers and pink in it... but it's a start homies. It's a start.

The show opens on Friday at Open Studio.

I'll go and take some pics later in the week to give you a looksee.

Peace Out Braa.

cheer week: moss

SUNDAY:

Wrapping up this week of cheer with...

- Making new friends
- Watching our kitty nod her whole head to watch her ball bounce, rather than just her eyes. Actually dogs do this too and it's just all kinds of good.
- Being sent this incredible sand art performance.

And finally, discovering my newest obsession, moss graffiti. You see I've secretly always ALWAYS wanted to be a graf artist, but deep down I'm such a goodie-two-shoes I could just never bring myself to be that daring. But this may be the perfect solution!

Mosstika (aka Edina Tokodi) seems to be the queen when it comes to moss graf. I bow down to her; bow down on my soft-moss supported knees.






And check out Abe's (aka Anna Garforth's) amazing work too. She works with Eleanor Stevens, and what they do is stunning, poetic and, well, mossy. She also does wondiferous things with leaves.




There are recipes online of how to make up your moss paint too. You make up this concoction, then paint it on a wall, water it now and then to keep it moist and wait for it to grow. If we ever buy our own home I am gonna moss that place up BIG TIME!

So so so good! Big big big smile! Much much cheer!

cheer week: and friends

SATURDAY:

Lots of laughing with some dear old friends who visited on their way through to a holiday further north.

Dolphins at the beach again.

Making fresh mango smoothies for dessert.

cheer week: a hand from nature

FRIDAY:

When we got to the beach for our swim today there was a big pod of dolphins in the water.

That's pretty lovely. :)

cheer week: in the moment

THURSDAY:

Today, forgetting about the stuff that isn't happening in broader life, and concentrate on being in the present moment, on the stuff that IS happening, I can say I've had a really lovely day.

All week I have spent my days in the garage painting a mural, sitting in the garden to take a break now and then, and swimming at the beach to cool off in the afternoon. It's Summer, warm and sunny, and I have new tunes on my iPod. All perfect ingredients to cook up some cheerfulness.

I mean, really.... life is pretty damn good... in the here and now.

a week of cheerful

I've been having a poo-stinky time over the past month or 2. I wrote a big venting post about it all, but didn't post it. WHY? Because I'm sick of feeling shitty, and the last thing I need is a reminder. I just want to feel happy.


So I hereby declare the rest of this week "CHEERFUL WEEK!".

For the rest of the week I'm challenging myself to post something everyday that makes me feel happy, cheerful or inspired.


MONDAY: Over the weekend I watched Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk. Have you seen these? I highly recommend at the end of the day when you're winding down, and there's nothing but crap on TV, to watch one of these 20 min talks.

In her speech, Elizabeth Gilbert spoke about the nature of creativity, how we can become tortured by it, and ways people have learned to think of it differently, freeing themselves of the pressures associated with it.

It was so inspiring I LOVED IT!

Check it out : Elizabeth Gilbert, TED talk.


TUESDAY:
Today I found just the thing!

The prefect medicine by none other than the amazing Kerri Smith.

She has an Artists Survival Kit free to download. The intro paragraph had me crying out "YES", and the exercises had me intrigued and chuckling.




So if you're up for it, grab the button and join with me in this week of cheerful. :)
Let me know if you do and I'll link to you. Make a little cheery group of happy-happy-joy-joy.

turn of tides

Thank-you for enduring my grumpy post yesterday. It seems just by getting it out, I have cleared the way for all things fresh and new. I'm feeling so much better today. Pheeew.

Spending time out of the house with friends, brainstorming with someone who is really excited about a new venture, and a sudden flood of requests for commissions, has me all bubbly again.

One of the commission requests in the pipeline is for a wall mural inside a new boutique bakery. EEEEEEEEEEk! SO EXCITING!

Not since year 10 work experience have I done a full mural! (I work-experienced at a place I thought was a film editing company... Turned out to be a one-man video editor for Bikey Strip Video's... A bit too freaked out to stay in the edit suite, I spent my week painting a mural on the outside of his studio/shed instead.)

Anyway, this opportunity is way more sophisticated, and I've got my fingers crossed really tight that it actually eventuates.


Remembering the joy, today I am grateful for:
- Staying in close contact with dear old friends
- Finding such great new friends with so many things in common
- The beautiful weather
- The flood of new creative opportunities
- A generous thank-you gift from a friend I did a family photoshoot for
- Having cute flirty Skype chats with my absent hus... with Mr You



And because Mr You has been away working this week, this pic is for him. Just one of the girls at home missing his hugs.

Good luck with the exhibition opening tonight Mr.

Too bad you're going to miss your new favourite TV show. I'm sure P.M.M. will fill you in ;)

teeeeeeee heee heee heee heee hee hee he he he he

compassion

You know how you read those books (for me it's The Artists Way and The Alchemist), or come across those things that you think I need to read/see/listen to this every year as a reminder. Those things that inspire you to the best human you can be?

Well here's one of those things The Charter for Compassion.
(via Equipoise):(It's worth the visit)

It reminds me of many good things, at a time when I feel like I'm in need of the reminder.

At a time when I'm feeling ripped-off by someone I trusted.
At a time when I'm feeling my generosity is being taken advantage of.
At a time when I'm feeling like I can't quite find my feet.
At a time when certain aspects of my future have me terrified.
And when feeling all these things leaves me feeling angry, ungracious and petty with myself.

It reminds me that I strongly believe in being above pettiness. In hearing peoples situation over the top of their words. In trusting that people generally do the best they can with what they know. In trusting that there are ups as well as downs, and there are rewards in being patient. I strongly believe that life feels better when you concentrate on being a more generous, giving, loving, understanding, compassionate, motivated person. No matter what's going on around you.

(Watching the clip also reminds me how much I adore faces. I LOVE faces. I love them all.)

Of course the reason I'm banging on about this so hard is that I'm struggling with it right now...

Plus, living next to a "smart" man who decided to breed dogs for cash, bred them too young (just 8 months old), and now has 13 dogs that he can't sell (apparently it's against the law because the mother was too young), can't afford to worm or vaccinate any of them. Has no dog training ability (his last dog wasn't even house trained), and now we live next to a barking stinky-poo-pit.

I find it inconsiderate in so many aspects, and to so many creatures.

So with that, and other inconsiderate things going on right now, I need the reminder.
Compassion, understanding, rise above pettiness....
Compassion, understanding, rise above pettiness....

Now excuse me while I go close the doors and draw the curtains... It's usually when I'm in one of these "it's not fair" moods that the Jahova's Witness ladies come knocking on my door, ask for me by name, and inquire if I'm happy with my life. ;)

dancing on golden lilies

I've just started reading a book this week (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See), set in China in the mid 1800's, the story of a girl growing up basically. I'm not very far in so I can't comment too much myself yet, but there are reviews here and here.

Anyway, I've just gotten past the part about foot binding. It's grotesque but also fascinating. Not knowing too much about the topic, I had assumed the feet were bound tight as a child to prevent them growing any larger. But in the instance spoken about in this book, it's far more involved; a process of remodelling the entire shape of the foot, so that it starts from the heel, arcs straight up through the arch, and straight back down again into a point at the front. To create the point at the front, the big tow is left out, while the other four toes are bound under, pulled in tight along the side of the foot, until the toes eventually break and reset creating a cone shape down the front of the foot. (I won't go into any more detail here, but there's a great blog post overview with pictures here.)

Like I said grotesque but also fascinating.

The process was carried out on all girls in order to make them marry-able.

Lucky for me this no longer applies. However, it strikes me that the shape of these feet are very much replicated in the shape of our everyday high-heels. I hardly ever wear high heels, in fact I've been doing special ankle-aerobics (hehehe, well, sort of) just to get myself strong enough to be able to wear them all day at our wedding. So I'm curious now, wondering... while I'm glad I never had to break my feet to mary my man, I have fallen into reshaping them for the day.
(Having said that... By God my shoes are great! I am dying to wear them!)

I could have worn flats (and I might still pack some for later on in the night anyway), but Mr You is more than a foot taller than me. If I have any chance of getting in a photo with him, I'm going to need all the height I can get! ;)

nie climbs a mountain

Tonight I have spent a few hours catching up on the the past year of the life of Nie.



Some of you might recall, this time last year, fellow blogger, Stephanie and her husband were in a terrible plane crash. They both survived, though their friend did not, but were both left badly injured and burned, and in coma's. The blogging community banded together and put together fund raising events, and maintained her blog by re-posting their favourite posts of hers from the past.

Miraculously, they are both back now, and have just marked the anniversary of the accident by hiking up a mountain.

Catching up on her blog tonight, I have just been reading of their ordeals; the daily pain and new regimes, constant surgeries, her heartbreak for their children, having to leave their beloved home, and her battles to feel right in the world again. Yet, they both remain optimistic, humorous, and incredibly in love. I've been dabbing at tears as I read their stories, but it was this one that left me in a blubbering heap...

Chickie

If you have a couple of boxes of tissues handy, and a spare few hours, I highly recommend re-acquainting yourself with NieNie.
I feel grounded, incredibly grateful, and truly inspired by their story.
It's a damn good reminder to hug everyone you love.



Much love, and healing to you Nie! .xx.

(Photo's by Wendy Whitacre)

out of the blue

See that dog with his paw on his overwhelmed heart? That's exactly how I feel.

Out of the blue yesterday a very sweet card arrived from Renee along with a packet of wild-flower seeds. (I have no idea how they wrangled their way past the quarantine beagles! But they look gorgeous.) Completely out of the blue! How nice is that?

Then, next thing I know, the delivery man arrived with a package for me. This one was a complete surprise too.

A new village store tin for my collection!!!!
All the way from Tinniegirl in Melbourne, with a sweet card saying she found this while cleaning out her studio and thought I may like it. Huh! :)



(Here's a pic so she can see where all of her donations are going):



What a week. I won't deny the putrid mood I've been in. Foul is all I'll say. I wrote a big "Wedding Wednesday" post, but didn't publish it... I might do a heavy edit, cheer it up a bit... okay, a LOT... and post it later.

All week I was tugging at wanting to post something reassuring, but I'd get near then do a complete about turn, unable to deal with it. I wanted to thank-you all so much for all of your AMAZING comments for me over my last two posts, but just couldn't bear my own blog.

Then out of the blue these gifts arrive, and I'm given a happy-slap in the face; a big reminder why blogging is so important to me. It's not me writing, or sharing, documenting, marketing, or anything like that. The thing I love most about blogging is the overwhelming feeling of good. The friends I've made, the community I feel part of, and that our little world is absolutely engorged with creativity, sharing, generosity, support and friendship. Where else can you find all that in one place?

I mean I don't know anyone, not really, but that doesn't stop me laughing along, shedding a tear at the sweet posts about your babies and pets, feeling hell shiver through me when one of you is going through a big personal issue, squealing in delight at happy news, and almost... almost buying a plane ticket to fly one of you out from America to photograph our wedding (almost, I didn't do it in time though and missed my chance. But we were serious about the idea). I even report your news to Mr You, like I've been chatting with you on the phone. And he does the same to me when he's beat me to it.

The point is I feel a great, great sense of friendship. And that's why my blog has morphed over the years. That's why I've continued to blog. And realising that I feel SO much better. SO much.

One of the reasons I've have had trouble blogging is that my head is so full of wedding crap, that's practically all I can think about right now. But I'm afraid of my blog turning into a wedding only thing, and that any extra wedding related opinions will snap me. I feel like I'm failing by not illustrating and keeping up with my creative endeavors. I feel like my blog is becoming banal. But you guys are WAY more understanding about it all than some others. So why am I holding back? I should just share, right? Like friends do, without concern of judgement.

I mean it's the internet, what could go wrong? Heh heh.

Anyway, my point is THANK-YOU! Both to Renee and Cathy, and everyone who commented, and even those who didn't but read my posts all the same. I think this reminder will really help me get myself out of this blue.

weddingy wednesday 10

Renamed:

It turns out I have a big decision to make. Should I change my name?

For years I thought I wouldn't, but recently I have warmed to like the idea. However, Mr You hates the concept of me taking his name, not that he doesn't want to share it, it's just that he said he doesn't want flossy-p to disappear off the face of the planet. He thinks it's really sad that the person he fell in love with won't exist anymore.

What if I double up? Have both names, no hyphen, just two names?
What if I wait and see how I feel once we have children?

flossy-p.... flossy-You.... flossy-p You....

I honestly can't decide. I'm in a pickle.

What did you choose to do? How did you decide? Are you happy with your decision?

hey diddle diddle

A friend of mine, who had been a vegetarian as long as I've known her, (past tense is because she's no longer a vego, but still a friend), once burst out during a quiet moment "We bought a leather lounge!" followed quickly by "There I said it!"

We chuckled because this admission had clearly been weighing her with guilt. Funny that such a banal thing should seem like such a big deal (not that I'm saying the lounge was banal, just that compared to other confessions this was pretty domestic... Something like "I was once a man!" would have suited her level of embarrassment more). Anyway I really didn't think anything of it, other than feeling sorry for her that she felt she needed to confess this fact to everyone she knew.

Shine the interrogation spotlight in this direction, and hear to me squeel:

"I'll be wearing a white wedding dress!" ... I take a sharp intake of breath and hold it for the response.

I know, I know, most of you out there will be thinking, "Um Der, Yeah". So why do I feel as though I need to confess this fact to everyone?

It's because alot of people I've told this to so far have looked at me as if I've just told them I'll be wearing this:



It's true, I never thought I would ever wear a white wedding dress myself, and this is probably adding to my troubles and other peoples surprise. But the shocked double takes are starting to make me feel a little insecure. And that's just when I tell them the colour, what's going to happen when I'm actually wearing it?

I didn't pay alot for it, and it didn't come from a wedding dress shop, but essentially my dress is going to look "the part".

I was nervous when I bought it, but I thought it was just the fact that I looked so bridey in it, which I wasn't expecting, but that I'd get used to it. I'm discovering now that there seems to be such a stigma about it that I didn't expect. As I'm trying to work all this out I think perhaps many people assume that women that choose to wear white dresses:
A) Have one of those creepy 600 page wedding scrapbooks they've been keeping since they were 5 years old, and have just been on the hunt for a real man to act it all out with
B) Thinks undeniably that wedding day is all about her, and how she looks
C) The choice of dress will be tacky
D) And the wedding will be all ice sculptures, smoke machines, cheesy wedding singers with bad comb-overs, and Mariah Carey music.

Since when did the word "bride" become such an unfashionable term inducing shivers in all who use it? And when did wearing white become such a taboo? I'm blaming these vixens...



On the weekend we went to a Wedding Expo (more gasps)... It was a very small regional one, so we weren't too daunted about going, and Mr You was the one who convinced me to go, saying when else are we going to get a chance to go to one of those things? So we went and I made him promise not to let me laugh at anything inappropriate ('cause let's face it, yes I'll be wearing a white dress, and that's one thing, but there's a whole world of other stuff in this realm that's down-right funny).

The first time I had to stifle a laugh was seeing the teddy bears in dresses and suits strapped to the front of all the wedding cars. Every wedding car display featured some sort of stuffed toy or beanie-bear dressed to the nines and strapped to the front!!!! C'mon, that's funny!

There were a couple of god-awful table displays, and there was a lady sitting next to a square of astro-turf (who knows what that was about?), but the rest was kind of what you'd expect. Highlights were all the cake samples we got to "taste-test", and the fashion show where all the models were attempting to make it to the end of the catwalk and back in way-too-big-for-them-stilettos.

But the one thing that has impressed us the most.... the photographer who was championing this style:



Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon,
the little dog laughed to see such fun, and the groom ran away with the spoon!

WTF!!!???


Anyway, as you can see I'm trying my darnedest to put all this in perspective. YES, I'll be wearing a white dress at our wedding, but NO we will not have stuffed toys strapped to the front of any forms of transportation, my relatives will have no need to blush at the amount of boob that'll be on display, I will not be wearing a veil so tall and poofy it touches the tree's or so long it nets and captures small children, and we will not be dancing a boxy waltz to Whitney's "I Will Always Love You".

Yes, I'm still a bit nervous about looking like a bride (and the word "bride" does make we quiver a little), but relax people, it's just a dress and just one tiny part of a very full day. Right?

So all that said and done my dress is ready. My Mum and Sister Sparkle are going to pick it up for me this weekend.
There's no turning back now. Anyway, why would I want to? It's pretty.