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Into the mountains we went today to breathe in the crisp air, throw snowballs, build snowmen, slide down mountainsides on little bits of plastic and then head home again with wide grins and satisfied but sleepy bodies.
The mountains really do soothe this soul of mine. With their beauty, wisdom, deep roots and presence they ground and recharge me in ways that I am yet to understand.
Happy Wednesday
Cxo
A Eucalyptus polyanthemos leaf cut that I finished off a few days ago and a few watercolour paper notecards for the library envelopes I printed up. I'm having a lot of fun with these.
Happy Tuesday
Cxo
We are slowly carving out more of our own family traditions as the the seasons pass and this winter Solstice was no exception. We had a lovely Solstice day building and decorating a sacred cave (inspired by this book) with rocks we found from around our garden and pine needles from last years Summer Solstice /Christmas tree. Zahra added some beeswax figures, a mother and child, a fire to keep them warm, a beeswax tealight and some special gems. I think the fairies might be visiting this little place soon! We baked, filling the house with the delicious smell of roasting pumpkin, baking bread, cocoa and the wintery scent of Solstice pine. There was a lot of waiting and a pair of helping hands from a very excited girl who loves these traditions as much as I do. And when the light faded just a fraction later than it had the day before we lit our lanterns, new and old, enjoyed warm company, filled our bellies and sat by the firelight.
Cxo
With sleeep still heavy in our eyes and the scent of last nights fire still heavy in our hair, we donned our woollies and headed up the hill behind our home.
Up there was a world bedecked with liquid jewels, swirling in white cloud.
Cold noses and rosy cheeks, frosty leaves and flecks of golden, everlasting colour.
We stayed a while in this magical place then headed back towards home with thoughts of hot chocolate and toast with jam fresh on our minds.
Have a lovely, warm weekend
Cxo
Lanterns are at the ready, bread is rising, pumpkin is roasting, rain is falling gently and the sun is trying hard to shine down on this day, the first day that is just a wee bit longer than the dark night. There is soup to be made, bread to bake, sacred caves to be built, candles to be lit, letting go and bringing in to be put out there to the Earth.
Blessings for you on this Solstice day.
Cxo
Today I found myself in the studio again. The Crape Myrtle outside my window is bare except for its dangling seed pod jewellery. The river fairy wrens come to visit, sprucing themselves right outside my window. Becoming lost in the view is easy in this space. It feels like I finally have a nice little rhythm going after the lull of Summer. The cooler seasons always seem to get the creative juices flowing.
Inspired by the Ginkgo tree in our local botanical gardens, with its fan shaped leaves and intricate vein patterns, I tried out a new, extra fine, lino cutting nib. The Ginkgo is such an extraordinary tree, donning a beautiful golden coat in Autumn which slowly transforms into a full circle skirt for Winter.
I bought some of those old library style envelopes, the sort that held the card on the inside cover of a book that the librarian would take out and mark the date with their roller stamp and ink pad. I have a friend studying to be a librarian, how lovely to be surrounded by books and quiet all day. I imagine I'd get quite distracted in amongst all those books when reshelving the returns.
The envelopes I bought were for last Summer's seed saving. You see I have grand plans of doing a small print for each plant and then labeling the envelopes with the prints. So far I've finished sage, the rest of the seeds are still in brown paper bags in a corner of our dining room. I'm wondering if they might get planted before even making it to the envelopes. After all Solstice is well, now, and a spring garden is just around the corner.
I used one of the envelopes to do a test print and before I knew it I had a tidy pile of printed envelopes.
The Gardens
The hill behind our home
Seaside
I think they'd make lovely little gifts in packs with some watercolour or cotton rag paper notes inside.
Happy Solstice, whether it be Winter or Summer wherever you are
Cxo
And a big thankyou to the lovely Mama who generously gave me this time today.
I finally finished my craft swap treasure pouch. It's been waiting patiently for some french knots for a few weeks now. It will be on it's way to Louise in New Zealand just as soon as I make my way to the post office. Check out Louise's beautiful blog Bibliographica and all her lovely, lovely handmade treasures.
Yesterday we headed South out of town and a sidetrip landed us at an op shop. There were a few finds including a pack of old zippers for $1, perfect for this zipper novice. I've been putting it off for too long... it's time! There was also a simple knitting pattern to be had for 80 cents, a poncho for Zah and a copy of Alexandre Dumas' version of The Nutcracker. Zahra has been asking for this book since last Christmas. But the best find of all was this...
...a lovely little ceramic vase for 99 cents, with a splash of blue and purple that reminds me of pansies and winter violets. When I unwrapped this treasure this morning Zahra quietly disappeared into the garden to find a sweet something for it to hold.
My girl loves her little arrangements just as much as I love my botanical collections. I'd been looking for something earthy to hold our nature collections, when, digging in the garden a few weeks ago, I came upon this piece of granite (I think). Fits the job perfectly.
Cxo
A little weekend sewing for a dear friend, inspired by Kelly Doust's elegant Clutch from the Crafty Minx, was the perfect remedy for a wintry weekend. I love this fabric, a beautiful, botanical, op-shopped sheet that I've been stashing for just the right project. Paired with some green linen this earthy mix was perfect for a crafty Mama's birthday this week. Happy Birthday Kate! I added a wrist strap and a happy accident resulted in a little feature of the inside fabric on the front flap. I loved the colour combo of the green and mustard so much I made myself a little messenger bag. It fits my wallet, keys, phone and a few other odds and ends comfortably without being bulky or getting in the way. I did discover one significant design fault today... three more inches and there would have been enough room for a pair of needles and a ball of wool.
And there was some excitement here yesterday when a pair of King parrots found and made a sizeable dent in our homemade birdfeeder. Such a splash of colour against those bare trees. The chooks had a great time cleaning up the debris underneath....they eat with gusto these beautiful visitors.
Cxo
Every morning Zahra and I lie in bed and chat about the day ahead. What we need to do and what we hope to do. While snuggling this morning Zahra came out with some of that six year old wisdom..."let's not plan anything, let's just see what the day brings". And so that's just what we did.
In amongst the baking, laundry, stories, drawing, visitors, music and phone calls I printed, sewed and pressed. A plant press to be more precise, for all the botanical treasures that always seem to find their way into our home from the garden and our walks.
My love of books means that not only have I progressed to a first name basis relationship with our regular postie van driver but that we also have a steady supply of cardboard. Cardborad that is perfect for my plant press plans. While I've been able to ignore the growing pile of book envelopes for the past four months the time came yesterday to make a dent in the stash.
With a makeshift press set up on the dining table this afternoon I found myself opening a fresh pot of relief ink and printing a plate I cut a few months back onto a piece of marine ply.
Then sewing some webbing to snap locks
To make a press for my little collections.
Cxo
Yesterday we made a little winter treat for our local birds. Birdwatching is a regular activity in our home, especially in winter when we can stay cosied up inside and watch the birds through the window.
And now we sit back and wait for our feathered friends
Cxo
We've been getting crafty this week, making and creating for a little Halloween gathering this weekend. A few people have asked with interest why we are doing it at this time of year. For us it just make sense. The days are still getting darker, pumpkins are being harvested, it is an indoorsy, crafty time of year and the season is right. There's been fabric, tape, egg cartons and paint, pipe cleaners, scissors, glue and felt flying all over the place. It's our first Halloween and there's been much anticipation and planning. We're excited.
Happy Halloween
Cxo
Our authenticity is found hidden in the small details of our daily round. We think that it is the big moments that define our lives. But really these big moments of happiness are just the punctuation marks. The narrative is written every day in the small and simple
Sarah Ban Breathnach
watercolours
stashed fabric
skeleton leaves and flowering grasses
sparkling dewdrops
silken threads catching the sun
being in the bush
her rock collecting and style
liquid ambers dressed with spiky ornaments
and long afternoon shadows
Cxo
Today was one of those days where we spent a lot of time catching up, well Mama did anyway,...there were last weeks emails, unfinished to do lists, filing, laundry, classes, furniture rearranging, Halloween organising ( yes, that's right, Halloween... just doesn't feel right in Spring when the days are lengthening). In amongst all this housekeeping we found a moment to visit Paris, thanks to a dear friend who sent us this little link.
Joel very generously offers his templates as free downloads. Simply print, cut, fold and voila! You're in Paris. We're planning a trip to Sydney next.
It was just what we needed to escape for a short while.
Thank you Joel
Cxo
Last Spring while we were down on the farm we met Edith and Edna, two orphaned lambs who were busy spending their days hanging out in the orchard with the chickens, waiting for their next bottle. We were asked if we'd like to take them home. With the wet Summer we'd had last year the idea of having a couple of lawnmowers to help out was appealing but not very practical for an urban situation. So we left Edith and Edna at the farm while we could figure something out.
Almost one year later, Edith, a Southdown cross, and Edna, a merino cross, arrived safely one evening on our doorstep (thanks Bill). We'd managed to find a home for them on a friends property. Here they will enjoy the next five months grazing and growing that wool of theirs. While we eat our own eggs and grow some of our own food taking on Edith and Edna is another small step toward connecting with the food we put on our table. Their wool will keep us warm and they will feed not just us but two other families and friends. I love the idea and process behind this small scale collaborative farming, easing us further along on our journey toward a patch of earth we can call our own. I'm not sure what to expect or how I will feel when Edith and Edna's five months are up. I know for sure that I'm on a steep learning curve and in the meantime have lots of reading, asking questions, watching and listening to do.
But for now these two girls are getting settled in their new digs with the other sheep, ducks, geese, goats and chickens.
