Just a minute... in August

Making... soft boxes (well just one actually) from All Buttoned Up, I love her blog. Let's just say I drew inspiration from the tutorial rather than followed it... and it would have worked out much better if I had followed it. You can't really call it a success when your final assessment is 'it will be in a drawer so you won't really see it'. But it's true!

Enjoying... all the new growth in the garden, I'm keeping an eye on my native mint, I'm expecting a flush of purple flowers any day now. I mistakenly pruned most of it back a while ago just as it was starting to bud (wasn't paying attention) so it will be less spectacular than in previous years unfortunately.

Raising... seeds: the basil, leek and parsley seedlings have emerged - yay!

Reading... Jung (still) but very slowly, usually only 15 minutes
at the end of the day, not the easiest way to read this sort of
material even if it is a biography.

Thrifting... my all-time best find ever, a Husqvarna 2000 6010 from a local op shop for $30!

Listening... to my youngest make my eldest laugh hysterically - music to my ears.

Losing... the heel of my boot on Friday night out in the city and therefore...

Needing... a trip to the shoe repair place.

Looking forward to... a weekend down the beach with friends in a couple of weeks time, can't wait! Really hoping for nice weather!

Blogging... more often since I started joining in with Kirsty's, Cindy's and Jenaveve's memes, it's been fun playing along and I was chuffed that Cindy invited me to come up with the next Eye Spy theme.

Thanks Jenaveve at August Street for hosting Just a Minute...

Eye Spy... something soothing

image from here

I'm sure I won't be the only one to say a cup of tea is what I find most soothing.

Also: clean spaces, a view to nature, quietness, a hot bath, and the rest that is earned after hard work (especially in the garden).

More soothing thoughts and images over at Cindy's. Thanks Aussie Waffler for this week's theme, it felt soothing just to think about it!

Cindy kindly asked me to come up with next week's theme and having spent some time in the garden this weekend noticing the new growth and buds on everything I'd like to spy what is blossoming in your world (not just in the garden of course); so it's Eye Spy... something blossoming.

My Creative Space

I am so excited about the latest addition to my creative space: a Husqvarna 2000 (6010) that I picked up at a local op shop yesterday for $30.


I've mentioned my fondness for the Husqvarna 6020 before, my Mum has my Grandmother's machine that was bought new in the 60s. Well this one is almost identical and is almost complete. It even has the original Husqvarna guarantee and the Myer guarantee from when it was sold to Mr Symes in 1968.


Next I'll have to take it to Barry for a service, can't wait to take it for a spin!

I'm also excited to have finally hung my little shelf of threads away from prying hands. I capitalised on my Dad's visit at the weekend and got some gardening tips and this shelf hung, thanks Dad! It's not as gorgeous as Kirsty's creation which made me seriously consider ditching this one and joining her HAC workshop.


Notice the new Husky getting comfy already? I love my modern machine too and will probably continue using it for most sewing, but it just feels right to return to my sewing roots.

Thanks Kirsty for hosting My Creative Space, there are tons of great spaces to see every week.

Wild weather

There were official warnings of extreme weather forecast for this afternoon/evening here in Melbourne. The Age reported the SES was urging city workers to head home early (3.30pm for train commuters) and Tavis's workplace complied, sending everyone home at 3.30pm.

photo credit

I work further out from the city and reasonably close to home so I wasn't concerned. The boys were being picked up by their Gran and I thought of canceling that and heading home early to pick them up myself but no-one at my work seemed too worried and the weather seemed fine, even on my drive home at 5.00pm.

Tavis was home when I got there and I suggested I call his mum and offer to pick up the boys and spare her the drive given the forecast but to be honest I wasn't in the slightest bit worried. She reluctantly agreed (trooper that she is) and I set off on what became the scariest drive of my life - everything turned out fine and no-one was harmed at all so I don't want to sound melodramatic but the way the light poles and traffic lights were swaying in the wind, the proximity of the lightning and the sudden slowing of the traffic due to poor visibility or driving through tree debris across the road, and then the sudden loss of power to all the street lights made it pretty scary, not to mention the anticipation of someone doing something really stupid at any moment.

Photo from The Age Newspaper

As I drove my senses were heightened as though I was under attack and in survival mode, it was quite surreal. I was constantly assessing the situation and whether I would stay with the boys when I got there and wait for the weather to calm down or head off immediately. When the power went out I thought it better to keep going so that I could see the road in the fading light, and the wind did seem to have calmed slightly, but I was second guessing myself the whole time, questioning whether I was being foolish to go back out there.

As it turned out the drive home was fine, just a bit of quite normal rain. Did I put the boys and myself at risk unnecessarily? Was I ever at risk in the first place or just a scaredy cat who rarely drives in less than ideal conditions? When I occasionally drive at night I notice that it is different to what I am used to and tonight I was certainly appreciating the safety aspects of our subaru for the conditions.

When I got home Tavis said he'd tried to ring me on the mobile but heard it ringing in my bag on the bench: I had left without phone or wallet - now that was foolish. And very me. Much to Tavis's well disguised despair at times.

photo credit

Needless to say I was very happy to be home, safe and dry with my precious boys at the end of the day today, I certainly wasn't expecting such drama when I set out to work this morning on a seemingly normal day.

Photographer of the week... Alfred Stieglitz

This may or may not become a thing but I suddenly had the urge to pay homage to a photography great: Alfred Stieglitz.

This nude of his wife, Georgia O'Keefe (famous artist in her own right), moved me as a student photographer many years ago.

Who can say why an image speaks to one person and not another? Some may see this image as clinical or impersonal (for example) but I immediately saw the intimacy, the adoration, the openess, and was emboldened and inspired.

image from here

The intimacy where Georgia is concerned can be seen in many of his other images and she is absolutely intriguing...

image from here

...and beguiling!

image from here

Kick-ass photographer, kick-ass woman!

Eye Spy... something I want to try

What I'm really itching to try is what I've always thought of as 'real sewing' - that is dressmaking. Properly. With a paper pattern, a dressmaker's model, even a calico muslin... what the hell is that called again? A toile!

photo credit

One day I will have the guts and the inspiration to gather the tools I need to actually make (or at least attempt to make) an item of clothing for myself from a commercial pattern, be it vintage or modern (but probably vintage).

In the mean time here is some flickr lovliness to illustrate what I mean, because (of course) it's the process as much as the end result that I am so looking forward to.

1. Body Double 2, 2. Intro to Sewing Supplies!,
3. vintage wooden cotton reels, 4. my machine,
5. At the dressmaker's, 6. Ladies, start your clocks

More aspirations over at Cindy's. Thanks Melanie at Kimino Reincarnate for this week's theme.

My Creative Space

This week I've turned a little creativity towards the boys' rooms with the help of my lovely cousin Ruth who gave us a 'no longer needed' bookshelf. The 'new to us' bookshelf went into Rohan's room and looks MUCH better than the lilac one that had been there before (really didn't go with the deep red walls).


We have quite a lot of kids books really so a big bookshelf is great, but I really love having a couple of shelves for toys and the third shelf down is the perfect height for Rohan to tuck a few things away that he doesn't want his little brother to reach.


Rohan's old bookshelf went to live in Angus's room which is perfect because it matches the chest of drawers in there and the colours used in the room. I didn't want too many books because he just pulls everything off the shelves at every opportunity so less is more (or at least more easy for me). It will evolve over time but what I am loving right now is that both their rooms seem less cluttered now that they each have more shelving - hallelujah for that!

More creative spaces over at Kirsty's place!

Sunshine

What a glorious day! The sun is shining, the breeze is blowing and we just had a yummy picnic lunch outside in the backyard. The boys ate about three times as much as when we eat inside - they always do when we have our own little picnic.

Planting seeds

I finally got around to planting some seeds on the weekend: Basil, parsley and leek.


No action yet (though believe me I'm checking every day), but I hope they'll eventually look more like this...

1. Growing Basil, 2. Parsley, 3. leeks

Yum!

Eye Spy... something red!

Something red?


Oh yeah, it's red alright!


I've spent a lot of time staring at this little red dot all weekend as I tear out the seams from my refashioned skirt: 90% finished I said? Ha! It was all wrong, it had to come apart. And the icing on the cake? I set about ripping out the wrong seam!!!

More red somethings can be spied at Cindy's! Thanks Ellieboo for this week's theme!