I’ve been introduced to the Australian National Library’s online archives, Trove. In the website’s own words – Trove takes users straight to the source – not just to a list of websites – and allows them to search across pictures, unpublished manuscripts, books, oral histories, music, videos, research papers, diaries, letters, maps, archived websites and Australian newspapers from 1803 to 1954. It’s fantastic, and highly addictive. I got lost in searching for snippets of my family past.
Read more…
All posts in a little INSPIRING
poet’s corner
another wine barrel exhibition
Remember the wine barrel exhibition from last year? About a dozen creative folk were given the end of a wine barrel to do something artistic. I got to do it again this year, and I had the same dilemma of ‘what do I do?’ – an open brief can be quite a challenge. Read more…
the fairy garden in Hulbert Street
Hulbert Street Sustainability fiesta was on again. I could post about many of the wonderful organisations and ideas on show. Vertical aquaculture gardens, raw chocolate recipes, the open studios … but instead I will share with you, again, the magic of the fairy garden.
Read more…
bus shelter art
The bus shelters in East Freo have had a makeover. What a marvelous job they have done, to take something as mundane as a concrete bus shelter and turn it into an inspiring space, where one could sit and ponder.
Read more…
where I belong
“Everyone has something to offer. Everyone. Own your strengths and talents. Ask yourself the hard, uncomfortable questions. When you find yourself in a situation where you are content and present – pay attention. This is where you belong”
– McCabe Russell.
Designing and making lovely things feeds my soul. Everyday I want to make something and be ‘creative’. Though I don’t really like describing it that way. Creative feels like an exclusive word, like, either you’re creative or you’re not. I don’t think creativity is the sole domain of artists and designers. Lots of people say to me, oh I wish I was creative like you. Which is awfully sweet but I then I ask them – why do you think you’re not creative? Oh because I can’t paint and I can’t draw, they say. Well to be honest, I’m not to great with the painting and drawing either.
There are so may other areas where creativity comes into play. If you spend hours in the kitchen mixing spices and adapting recipes you’re being creative. If you love to plant seeds and get your hands dirty, that’s creating. Perhaps you get a thrill from rearranging all your furniture until it looks better than before, I’d consider that a creative conquest of sorts.
Even if you’re really not creative, who cares? What’s more important is that you find where you belong. Can you think of a time when you are completely absorbed in what you’re doing. It comes naturally and though it may not be easy, it’s exciting and you enjoy being in that space. All the distractions around you fade into the background and time disappears. Maybe it’s gardening or planning your family budget, or restoring old furniture, or being outside riding your bike, helping people resolve their relationship problems. It could be anything, if you know what it is for you and it feeds your soul, nourish it and nurture it and feel good about it.
The quote at the beginning of this post is from a book I was given for my birthday called Desire to Inspire, I haven’t had chance to really read it yet, but I’m loving what I have seen so far.
beau est mien open studio visit
I took a little time out from parenting duties today and went to a fabulous open studio. The beautiful and extremely talented French illustrator Magali Dincher creates limited edition colograph and screenprinted artworks using an old fashioned print press. Her studio is aptly named beau est mien.
I first saw Magali’s work a couple of years ago at the Fremantle Art Centre Bazaar and being a bit of a francophile I fell in love immediately. I have been dreaming of owning one of her prints ever since. This year I decided I should treat myself – as it’s my 30th birthday year and all – and I bought a romantic picture of terraced houses lining the streets of Paris.
Magali offers printing workshops in her studio where you can learn first-hand the techniques of colograph, screenprinting and linocut. Something I’m going to put on my things-I-really-want-to-do list.
taking the plunge – into blogging
Taking the plunge to start your own blog is exciting and a little daunting. I remember when I first created my blog and I thought, I’ll just start it for friends and family to keep up to date with the kids. Then I got my first comment from someone I didn’t know and I was so thrilled. Wow, someone cared enough to read and then comment on my blog!
I was chatting to a friend this week who is just starting out with a blog and it got me thinking about when I first started and how I have learned a few things along the way. I don’t always follow my own rules, but if I was a better blogger I would always keep these things in mind…
Starting out…
I can only vouch for wordpress as I haven’t used any other blog system. I have no complaints, I love it. I chose it because I could build my own theme to get the exact look I wanted. Having said that wordpress is brilliant even if you don’t have the skills to create your own theme, there are so many great free themes out there you can use to make your blog look fantastic. An added bonus for me using wordpress was that I was lucky enough to be ‘freshly pressed’ that means I was selected as a featured blog on the home page and overnight I went from 30 hits to 3000. I don’t think you can plan for it, it was a lucky break that sent lots of people to my blog, but if I can get on there, I’m sure you can too.
If you don’t know how to design your blog, start with a simple and clean template and a nice header. If you aren’t sure about something then remember the rule – less is more!
On the content…
Have nice photographs. I’m a visual person and when I look at other blogs I am much more likely to stay and read if there are pretty pictures to look at too. Unless you are a writer and your blog is a writing outlet, then photos would be secondary to the text, but as I’m not much of a writer, pictures are my thing.
For that reason, carry your camera with you, everywhere you go. You never know where you’ll see inspiration. I keep my camera in my bag and if I don’t have that there is always instagram on the iPhone.
Write about what you love and it will come easily. My blog is about documenting my crafty activities and inspirations and it’s a personal journal of the time I have with my kids while they are small. Sometimes I sit in front of my laptop and think, it’s been a while, I really need to write something, but if I’m not feeling it, I put the laptop away and come back to it later. If your heart isn’t in it, spend your time doing something else.
Sometimes I have ten ideas for blog posts in a day and no time to write even a sentence and other times I am drawing blanks all week. So when I do have that golden opportunity of ideas plus time, I sit and write as may posts as I can and save them. Then later in the week when I haven’t got the time but I want to post, I can just press publish and the work is done.
To get more traffic…
Use good tags, these are keywords that describe what you are talking about in your post and this is how people will find you through a google search.
Connect your blog to facebook, when you write a new post it will appear in your newsfeed and let your friends and family that you have written something new.
Add your blog to your email signature.
Start a pinterest account and pin some of your favorite posts. Shameless self promotion is, well, a bit shameless, but if you have something like a tutorial or an idea that you think is worth sharing that other people will like, than go for it, pin away.
On being a good fellow blogger…
Read other blogs, and if you like what you’re reading, leave a nice comment! Even if your intention is to just write for yourself, it’s so nice to know that someone is reading and appreciating what you blog.
If someone has left a comment for you, go and check out their blog.
Always credit any images and content from the original source and put a link back to it. Ideally use your own original content.
Happy blogging!
wine barrel exhibition
I’m very excited to be part of an exhibition at the Swings & Roundabouts winery in Margaret River over Easter. Each participant was given a cut wine barrel and an open brief, basically to ‘do whatever you like!’
I haven’t seen any of the other barrels yet, I can’t wait to see all the finished pieces and the different techniques people used. It was an unusual project for me, because as a designer I always have a defined brief and certain parameters to work within, it’s actually quite challenging to work with no rules!
After deliberating for a few weeks on what to do I decided that I would expanded upon one of my paper-cut designs. I was going to cut it from paper and adhere it to the wood, then my brother suggested I have it cut from metal. He works at a local company called ATA steel that uses a plasma machine to cut all types of metal. It was quite an intricate design compared to what they usually cut but it turned out really well.
I’m actually kind of hoping it doesn’t sell because it would look really good in my garden!
colour love: Wray Ave
On my little wander down Wray Avenue for breakfast this morning I took these snaps. The cushions and the geometric triangles are at Wild Poppy café and the little mural is painted along the window beam at a shop two doors down. I have a bit of street envy for Wray Ave, it’s looks a very cheery little corner of Fremantle.
E is for Embrace
A good thing about having kids is that I have a really good excuse to buy super nice artwork that I wouldn’t normally be justified in purchasing. Like this incredible ABC book illustrated by Paul Thurlby. It’s just gone onto my birthday list for the boys.
Is it bad that I buy them things that I really like? Even though they’d probably prefer an all-singing all-dancing dvd of in the night garden or some other inane thing? Sorry kids, until you are old enough to complain about it, I’m decorating your room how I like it!
