Day 24 - Blogtoberfest - Ball

I had a fairly productive day.

I knitted up the third pair of white bootees and

sewed all of their seams.

I have one more pair of white bootees to knit 

and then, a pink pair.

After that, I can get back to 

weaving in the ends of the ripple blanket 

I made for my new Granddaughter. 

My sketch for today was quite 

a challenge.

A quarter of the way in, 

I was like, "Girl, what were you thinking??!!!". 

It had me going all googly-eyed but 

I stayed the course and 

it seemed to work out okay in the end.

#24 of 75 pen/ink sketches

A ball of bamboo-style twine

Pencil-free sketch in A6 pocket Moleskine sketchbook 
using ZIG Millennium and Micron pens.

It was a fairly cool, pleasant day which was so nice
after the hot, humid days we had previously.
What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

~ Love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - Self Portrait

This week our theme was based on a self-portrait.  

Last year I set myself a personal challenge to post a self portrait photo weekly.......I got as far as number 21 which, I guess, wasn't too bad considering I hate having my photo taken.

This morning, I snapped the pic below just before I left to go with Michelle for her first antenatal appointment. All is going really well on that score and Michelle is now officially 15 weeks preggers! Note my little furry companion lying at my feet....he is never far from my side.

I took the two pics below yesterday and had a little play with some effects in my graphics program.

I liked how the Buddha made a subtle appearance in the background,
bathed in light

I'm looking forward to seeing the self-portraits from our other photo group members.

~ Love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - Father

As it was Father's Day in the States last weekend, Judi chose 'Father' for our photo theme.  We don't celebrate Father's Day until September here in Australia but that's okay because I love my Dad and he's special to me all year round anyways.  We popped over to visit Mum and Dad on Monday and I snapped a few pics of Dad while I was there.

Here he sits in his workspace

What is Dad making?

Flies for fly-fishing

My Dad has been interested in fly-fishing for over fifteen years now.  Unfortunately for Dad, we don't live in a state that is suitable for fly-fishing and, while Dad used to travel down to New South Wales to fly-fish, he doesn't feel  comfortable travelling long distances on his own any more. So instead, he continues to enjoy all the other aspects of the sport such as reading books and watching DVDs on the topic plus, making flies of all different types and sizes.......and he's pretty darned good at it too.

Dad's fly-fishing supplies are well stocked and he even owns more scissors that I do.

I wonder why he needs so many?

Here is part of Dad's workspace/fishing room

A closer view

Dad is thrilled that he is going to be a Great-Grandfather for a second time in December when Michelle's baby is due.

I am so proud of my Dad and it makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy to know that he and Mum have always been there for me and my kids.

I LOVE YOU, DAD! XO

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On another topic, yesterday I experienced my first ever vertigo attack and,  as my luck goes, it was a severe one.  As soon as I got out of bed in the morning, I was immediately hit with the strongest feeling that the room was spinning  back and forth which had me feeling extremely disorientated....this was accompanied by an overwhelming sensation of nausea which soon led to vomiting......not pretty! :( It was a horrible experience that I wouldn't like to go through again.  The disorientation hung around for most of the day and, this morning, I woke up with a migraine as fallout from yesterday's events.  I went to the doctor today and he gave me a script for Stemzine to help with future attacks....cross fingers, there won't be any. 

Anywhoo, I hope you are all having a great week!

~ love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - Black & White

What an interesting theme this was....black and white photographs can be so dramatic and effective.  It was fun experimenting with what subjects would best capture the topic, however, I found myself fighting the urge to splash some colour into them.   Funny because, once I was on a roll with the black and white photos, I had to force myself to stop. lol

Those of you who have been following my blog for some time now will know that I love Tibetan/Indian style Buddhas and that I have a few of them around my home.  This particular Buddha resides in my lounge-room.

my Balinese fish (metal) sculpture

Below is a part of my potted large-leafed jade (Crassula_ovata) plant commonly referred to as a money plant. According to Feng Shui, it attracts good luck and fortune to have money plants in and around your home, particularly at the front entrance. 

a gardenia from my garden

i guess you could say my kitchen accents are based on a Mexican/chilli theme and, some years ago, i  just couldn't resist buying this ceramic bull (below) when i spotted him in a cheap dollar store.  i think he fits in quite nicely with my kitchen theme, especially with a bottle of tequila parked beside him.....which may  also explain the glazed over look in his eyes.    no....wait a minute....it was Beau who had the glazed over look in his eyes after downing the tequila at his sister's 21st birthday party some years back.  this particular bottle does not bring back pleasant memories for him and i still remember picking him up from said party and the need for a bucket and a few pit stops on the way home.  i also vaguely recall him muttering the words, "i'm never drinking tequila again, mum".  Yeah, right.....LOL

i thought it would be fitting to throw in something that IS actually black and white

~ love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - Heirloom

HEIRLOOM

n.

1. A valued possession passed down in a family through succeeding generations.

2. An article of personal property included in an inherited estate.

This week's theme - Heirloom - was chosen by Judi and, at first, I didn't think I had anything that fitted with the theme until I remembered this faux pearl necklace that belonged to my Grandmother. 

After my Grandmother passed away,  my Mum said I could choose a piece of Granny's jewellery to remember her by so it's very sentimental to me.  I keep the necklace in one of the papier-mâché boxes shown in the pic.  I painted and decorated this set of boxes quite a few years ago when I was in my shabby chic decorating phase.  I think they compliment the necklace quite well, don't you?

I love the weight and feel of the necklace with it's chunky faux pearls and I've worn it a few times myself over the years.  It has special meaning to me and brings back fond memories.

My Granny was such a lovely and caring lady who always liked to look nice.  She was quite a character and  had a very broad Scottish accent that my siblings and I loved to listen to. 

 I miss her and I like to think that she still looks out for us from afar.

~ Love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - Thing with wings

I know, it's actually Wednesday here but I've been busy with turf contractors and have had Aaron home with a visual migraine for the past two days.  Even today, a medical  issue has arisen with Bradley which means a trip to the doctor in another hour or so.  There always seems to be something cropping up of late.

Anywhoo, when I was in the backyard the other day, I noticed this common butterfly land on Beau's potted avocado tree so I raced inside for the camera.  I thought for sure she would fly away as I got close to snap a pic but she was very gracious and waited until I finished snapping pics  She was up quite high so I had to hold the camera above my head and hope for the best......to my surprise, the photo turned out quite well and is worth clicking on for a larger and more detailed view.

Common Australian Crow Butterfly (Euploea core corinna)

We had some rain overnight and, this morning, I saw this family of ducks waddling past the house and down to the creek which lies just beyond those wooden log posts in the background of the photo.  It was lovely to see them out and about.

When Aaron let his budgerigar out of her cage for her usual fly-around the other day, she kept flying over to my painting in the studio. I realised that one photo would cover, not one, but three different  'things with wings'  in one hit....Bella (budgerigar), butterflies and the winged angel/fairy.  Sorry it's a little blurry.

Budgerigars belong to the parrot family and are native to Australia.  They have become one of the most popular pet birds kept throughout the world.

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE

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I've had great support and some good suggestions from readers re. my flawed daisy painting from the previous post.  Thank you all so much! 

~ love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - Signs

For this week's photo theme, I had big plans to check out some signs around the suburbs in search of one that was perhaps humorous or odd but, unfortunately, that wasn't to be because I was still too sick to put  any real effort into it.   However, as luck would have it, not far from here I did spot a SIGN OF AUTUMN!!!   I was quite chuffed because signs of autumn are quite rare in this neck of the woods.  There is the odd deciduous tree here and there but evergreens definitely seem to rule the roost.  The early signs of winter creeping in this past week worked its magic and, lo and behold.....a glorious feast of autumn colour presented itself to me.  YAY!  Thankfully, my camera is always at the ready in my bag so I pulled up in the car and snapped a pic while Aaron picked up a couple of the leaves for me to sketch and photograph. 

Click on any image to enlarge for closer detail

I think it's a Japanese Maple tree
...notice the bird on the wire?

Thanks for all the well wishes on my bout with asthma.   I'm keeping those hot teas coming....thanks for the tip, Julie.  I actually love my hot drinks all year round and they certainly do help to keep me happy especially when I'm not well. I've been staying indoors as much as possible and keeping nice and warm.  Yes, winter officially starts here on June 1st!  

I hope you're enjoying nice weather wherever you are.

~ Love, light and Peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - My workspace

The photo theme for this week - MY WORKSPACE

Back in November of last year, I made the decision to move my art studio out of the garage. At that time, the garage was in total chaos anyways because we were being treated for our first termite infestation and, after some discussion with Michelle one day, we decided that we could turn my art workspace into a much needed bedroom for Reece. There is a ten year gap in age between Aaron and Reece and them sharing was no longer a workable option so, with Michelle's help, over the next couple of months I did A LOT of clearing out and freecycling of things I had stored in the garage. It wasn't easy saying goodbye to a lot of art magazines and wood pieces I had collected over the years but it had to be done and Michelle encouraged me to sever the ties.....although I did hang on to some of my favourites.  Surprisingly, I haven't even missed any of the stuff I parted with.

So, my then studio space went from this -

to this - Reece's bedroom

It took a lot of moving and arranging but I finally squeezed the necessities from the art studio pictured above to a space directly beside our lounge-room. I still have some art supplies stored in cupboards in the garage but I only access them when I'm topping up the supplies in my new workspace. The newer workspace is smaller than the one I had set up in the garage but I actually like it much better. It encourages me to be more organised, I no longer feel isolated from the kids when I'm working, and it is a much better spot for natural lighting with the large window right beside my art table.  The kitchen is close at hand too so I have easier access to tea or coffee.....definitely a bonus!

So....here 'tis....my new painting area...

well new to me since December-

The shelves below hold paints, mediums, brushes, art books and sketchbooks.

Despite all the ones I freecycled, I still have more art magazines and books stored in the garage.

The second workspace desk, pictured below, is butted up against the couch and faces into the lounge-room.

I mostly sit at this desk when I'm working in my sketchbooks or journals.

Aaron often sits here and works in his sketchbooks too.

The desks are positioned back to back

I LOVE to spend time in this workspace.

Feel free to post a link to pictures of your own workspace.
I'm looking forward to seeing the workspaces of my fellow photo group members too.
 

~ Love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - Something Mum/Mother

Firstly, I would like to thank all my wonderful readers for the support they have given me over all the dramas we've been having with this rental property.  Negotiations are still continuing.......it's truly like trying to get blood out of stone.

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PHOTO MONDAY

As Mother's Day was on Sunday, I chose - Something Mum/Mother - for this week's photo theme.

First thing Sunday morning, I was treated to some hand-made gifties from Aaron.

Purples and turquoise was the colour scheme he went with - he knows me so well.

Bradley bought me Season 7 - Parts 1 & 2 of the Little House on the Prairie series. YAY!

(I forgot to take a pic, sorry Brad)

Beau, Reece and Sarina, Michelle and Alex chipped in to buy me a foot spa AND a hand-held massager. I've been dealing with painful feet over the past couple of months so the kids thought this would help. I've already tried out the foot spa and it was so nice and relaxing....just what my feet need, I'm sure.

Mum and Dad came for lunch on Sunday too so I snapped a pic of my Mum.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day and it was great to have my kids and parents here to celebrate with.

How was your Mother's Day?

~ Love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - What's on my bedside table

I get to choose the weekly themes for the month of May and, for this week, I chose the theme 

What's on my bedside table.

Click on any image to enlarge

Well, as you can see from the pic below, my bedside table is quite crowded and, sometimes, I will even squeeze in a mug of hot green tea.  Now, let me see, I have a white metal hold-all where I keep my Lucas Pawpaw Ointment (used as a lip balm), remote controls for TV, VCR & DVD, pens, thermometer, nail scissors and emery board.  I do have a small TV, VCR, & DVD player in my room but I rarely watch TV or movies in my room at night.....they are there.....just in case.  Also, my water bottle which I keep filled with tap water.  The second phone extension.  My mobile phone. My clock radio.  My reading glasses for the book of the moment and, of course, tissues.

I LOVE BOOKS!!

I love to read in bed at night

as you can probably tell by the overloaded shelves of my bedside table
and, quite often, I will have piles of books or sketchbooks and pencils on the floor just by my bed.

I thought I'd play with the Colour Accent option on my camera for the pic below

Care to post  a pic of what's on your bedside table?

~ Love, light and peace ~

PHOTO MONDAY - textures i like

this week Vee chose the theme - textures that i like.

 there are so many interesting textures that i like but i will share just a few here

 i often can't resist the urge to go up to a tree and feel the texture of its bark

i LOVE trees and i love the aura of strength and majesty that they emit.

 as i've been sick the past few days, i've been pretty much house-bound so the

 tree images below were taken at different stages last year

CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE

the rich, rough textural appeal is hard to ignore

i love, love, LOVE the textural look of paper-bark trees (below) with their many peeling layers

and then there's the almost smooth, dimply tree surfaces

i LOVE them all! 

i find trees to be visually and texturally beautiful and inspiring

another texture i love to get my hands on is PAINT!

wet, cool, creamy, luscious paint!

and i love snuggling into soft, fluffy cushions

as well as snuggling into this little bundle of fur

~ my dog CODY ~

what textures do you feel drawn to?

~ love, light and peace ~