The Little Things

click to enlarge the purple jacaranda

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." Desmond Tutu

I liked this quote, it tumbled around for the last few days and seemed to fit well with the jacaranda's coming into flower. First you see the odd pop of purple but in no time at all the whole tree starts to burst out in spring colours.  Happy Sky Watch Friday my friends, click the link to see what 100s of bloggers from all over have found in their sky to share with us this week.

Whatevers is a new challenge site hosted by 3 creative friends Cat Scanlon, Vicki Chrisman, Nat Kalbach, to celebrate found photos and the stories that could be told.

Found photos are often for sale at jumble stalls and antique centres. Do you ever wonder, who are these people and what is their story?   Sadly their story is lost but the images are rich with details of fashion or landscapes that have changed and vintage automobiles.

The Whatever theme reminded me of Nick Bantock’s mail art books where the characters wrote to each other in decorated correspondence and inspired me to create a journal for Charles and Chelsea. With their families moving away the two young friends are documenting adventures in their journals and letters to each other......

Mirambeena from Melbourne, the city of trams

The journey to Australia is a long one my friend but what an adventure! I have spent some time in the remote communities to meet the local indigenous artists.  So many fascinating styles and stories and things to learn about this environment. Montsalvat is a new artist community that is being built outside of the city of Melbourne. Lots of fascinating people are pitching in to set aside a beautiful space for artists to learn in a beautiful setting with a real sense of community. ding,ding must run to catch the tram!

 

p.s. thank you to the lovely folks at Collections Elements for their kind sponsorship of chipoard and tissue papers.  

 

"Happiness is a state of mind, it's just according to the way you look at things” Walt Disney

Photography and Sky Watching has become a great exercise in focusing the view finder, finding interesting skys in random moments.  Happy Sky Watch Friday, click the link to see what hundreds of bloggers from all over have found in their sky to share this week.

"Memories are simply moments that refuse to be ordinary" Diane Keaton

click to enlarge a colourful morning sky





Life is full of moments but some stick in the memory banks.  One of the things I like about Sky Watch Friday is appreciating the little everyday moments that are sometimes quiet and simple  or when Mother Nature decides to toss the whole paint box across the sky for us to enjoy. Click the link to see what bloggers from all over have found in their view of the sky to share this week.

Really excited this week that Australian Simply Cards magazine featured my interview with Stacey Caron of Spellbinders. What a treat to talk with a female entrepreneur who enjoys what she is doing and creating a great life for herself.

Seeing the familiar in new ways

"Most of us lead far more meaningful lives than we know. Often finding meaning is not about doing things differently; it is about seeing familiar things in new ways." Rachel Naomi Remen

click to enlarge a quite morning at the beach

Love that idea of looking at things with new eyes.  Happy Sky Watch Friday my friends, click the link to see what bloggers from all over have found in their sky to share this week. 

Whatevers is a new challenge site hosted by 3 creative friends Cat Scanlon, Vicki Chrisman, Nat Kalbach, to celebrate found photos and the stories that could be told.

Found photos are often for sale at jumble stalls and antique centres. Sadly their story is lost but the images are rich with details of fashion or landscapes that have changed and vintage automobiles. Do you ever wonder, who are these people and what is their story?

The Whatever theme reminded me of Nick Bantock’s mail art books where the characters wrote to each other in decorated correspondence and inspired me to create a journal for Charles and Chelsea. With their families moving away the two young friends are documenting adventures in their journals and letters to each other......

Konnichiwa from Japan!

Did you recognise me in the pretty kimono?  We have been in Japan for a few weeks now, mother and father are fascinated with the culture and enrolled me in a local school to learn some of the fine arts. Their calligraphy is just as beautiful as their water colour paintings and I practice every day in my sketch journal. You know me and my love of the great outdoors, learning about the industrious silk worms that produce the fibres for the pretty kimonos are fascinating. Sadly it seems our modern world might kill them off with the invention of pesticides which have lots of great properties but some have negative effects on the environment. At school we are working on a petition to the powers that be to do something before it is too late. Oopps there goes another butterfly I want to try and capture the vibrant colours!

 

On the My Creative Classroom web site I teach a workshop on the theme of mail art, how to incoporate letters and postage stamps into decorated envelopes.

“Dance in the fields of infinite possibility" Marianne Williamson

 

click to enlarge a gorgeous morning sky

Early morning walks are a great time of day to appreciate the lighting, gentle breezes and consider possibilities. Not many fields about here but lots of sand to dance in. Check the link to Sky Watch Friday to see what bloggers from all over the world have found in their sky to share this week.

A new mail art creation as featured in my on line workshops at My Creative Classroom.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall

click to enlarge a happy dairy cow with one of the best views on the coast

Back in Australia, where it feels like there are endless blue sky days. Bit tricky for good photos this week. Thought you would enjoy the peek through the trees from a dairy farm. Those cows must be happy with their million dollar views of the coast.  True to form, nature was putting on a bit of show with a local wallaby.

 

 

Click the link to Sky Watch Friday to see what hundreds of bloggers from all over the world have found in their sky to share with us this week.

Working on some fun new creative projects for my upcoming workshop on Mail Art.

Living your life

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste, experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences."Eleanor Roosevelt

click to enlarge

Photos out the plane window can be tricky but oh so much fun with the sights that you might see. Boston harbour turned on a lovely view of a 'tall ship' cruising out into the bay.  Click the link for Sky Watch Friday to see what 100s of bloggers from all over are sharing this week.

 

Whatevers is a new challenge site hosted by 3 creative friends Cat Scanlon, Vicki Chrisman, Nat Kalbach,  to celebrate found photos and the stories that could be told.

Found photos  are often for sale at jumble stalls and antique centres.  Sadly their story is lost but the images are rich with details of fashion or landscapes that have changed and vintage automobiles.  Do you ever wonder, who are these people and what is their story? 
 
The Whatever theme reminded me of Nick Bantock’s mail art books where the characters wrote to each other in decorated correspondence and inspired me to create a journal for Charles and Chelsea.  With their families moving away the two young friends are documenting adventures in their journals and letters to each other......

Dearest Charles

Sailing into the spice island of Grenada is a beautiful experience, greeted by all kinds of bright squawking birds, the water is sparking blue and a little breeze to keep the humidity from becoming too stifling.  Mother and father are busy setting up house in a pretty bungalow on the shore.  I have been out exploring, collecting specimens from the beach and gardens that I thought you would like.

 Parts of the region are very French, we have cafe’ au lait for breakfast and croissants but afternoon tea is distinctly British with tiny tea sandwiches.  Tomorrow I am expected to start school with the other expats and mother took this photo of us all together to celebrate.  So for now.... au revior my friend can’t wait to share more news from the other end of the world.

That is my start with the Whatever’s and a reminder on why we scrapbook or journal the stories behind the photos.  Click the links ~ join the fun ~ and remember to tell your story.

Good Morning

click to enlarge a beautiful morning on cape cod

"Life is an opportunity, seize it" Mother Teresa

A walk on the beach can be an adventure, and as they say in Australia, you never know if you never go!  Never know what is around the corner or over the horizon, hopefully all good news for a change. Click the link Sky Watch Friday to see what bloggers from all over have found on their horizon to share with us.

Nothing says 'good morning' like happy mail, a sneak peek into my new workshop at My Creative Classroom on Mail Art, creatively recycling mail that is sure to brighten up any one's mail box.

Pursuit of Happiness

click to enlarge a busy sunset sky

"Some pursue happiness - others create it." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pretty much sums up this sunset that got really busy, there were paragliders and birds all competing for the last breezes of the day.  For me any day on the beach is a happy day.
Click the link to Sky Watch Friday to see what other bloggers how found in their view of the sky to share this week.

 

Congratulations to Susan Brown on her 5 year blog anniversary, we are celebrating with a altered spoon project. 

This was a fun project, had the most amazing discovery after starting the golden honey with metallic ink and topcoating with Tattered Angels Rockin on Sunshine Glam, the paint lifted the metallic in the ink and it was a pool of glittering goodness swirling about.

Click the link to Susan's linky party for lots more fun spoon creations. I'd appreciate your votes :)

Think that bee theme inspired me for the weekend, sneak peek at our projects for the upcoming Mail Art workshop on My Creative Classroom.

Following the Sun

click to enlarge the view from the lighthouse

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you." Maori Proverb

A fitting quote for the view from inside the lighthouse, with all those reflective mirrors it is very bright in there.   Click the link to Sky Watch Friday to see what 110s of bloggers from all over have found in their sky to share this week.

Working on a new project................mail art and travel and journals = all my favs.