Life Lately

Just some snapshots of what i've been up to lately (fomerly known as Weekly Wanderings)

• Making homely Xmas presents this year, money tight and Ive been forced to come up with other options, its been nice.
• Hanging out with my baby girl who is growing so fast and has just started to crawl 
• Going for walks around our neighbourhood
• An exciting new opportunity to teach a Pajaki workshop in the New Year (more on that soon!)
• A very very sad goodbye to my best friend of 8 years, my bunny boy Isaac. He was so unwell toward the end and we were forced to help him over the rainbow bridge, by far the hardest decision of my life
• An exciting day out, Tinkering with Textiles at an Alfalky workshop (I will update on my experience very soon)

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Room for a Modern Little Miss

Ive been thinking about updating my daughters nursery lately, actually the whole apartment really. Now that shes showing signs of being mobile my expertly placed clutter and decorative items all seem dangerous and with all the baby stuff everywhere the place is starting to feel chaotic.

I will be starting with our bedroom and Kirras nursery, moving furniture around and clearing out things we really dont need. In the meantime I've been dreaming about my ultimate nursery............my style has changed since becoming a mother and I'm feeling a need for a more clean modern minimal look although I could never give up colour!
I started by choosing a focal piece, I found a whole bunch of beautiful pieces on the Invaluable website


I searched and searched their extensive list of paintings (Find them here  http://www.invaluable.com/paintings/cc-AF14022FJQ/) and finally settled on this beautiful abstract which made me think of my daughter.

The palette for this room was lead by the painting with its rich pinks and  blue tones and pops of yellow.
I focused on bringing out the blues with a mix of natural and white furnishings and a little touch of the pinks and yellows in the bedding. The heroes of this room are without doubt the beautiful Gillian Ayres artwork, the incredibly cool cot from Incy and the gorgeous rug by Armadillo & Co

• Artwork - Kush (1930) by Gillian Ayres
• Lightshade from Citta Design
• Heart Mobile from My Handmade Heart
• Cushions from Down that Little Lane
• Quilt cover from Incy Interiors
• Pillow Case from Cotton On Kids
• Bunny Mirror from The Land of Nod
• Cot from Incy Interiors
• Ice Cream Lamp from Incy Interiors
• Narwhal toy from Down that Little Lane
• Stool from Down that Little Lane
• Rug from Incy Interiors
• Basket from The Little Kidz Closet
• Kids chair from Ikea

Alfalky Workshop

I'm very very excited at the moment because I'm going to an all day make and create workshop next weekend led by the talented Alex Falkiner. I was lucky enough to win an Instagram giveaway to attend and to say I'm really looking forward to it would be an understatement! 

First of all this will be my first full day away from my daughter and I'm looking forward to being able to focus my attention on something completely for a whole day, I manage to get bits and pieces done at home but I'm never completely focused, a full interrupted day of art is such a luxury right now! Also I'm interested to see how hubby goes looking after Kirra for a full day, I'm sure he'll be fine but I'm glad he will be getting a taste of my current life (if only he could do the night feeds too!) 

Most of all I'm just busting to create, it's been nine long months without much time for my favourite hobbies and with summer coming on and the change of season in the if the timing feels so right to start making again in earnest.

I can already feel my creativity returning in anticipation, just this week I have already made my daughter 2 dresses and 4 headbands, put up the Christmas tree and done some Christmas chalk art on our front door! 

Here's is some of Alex's work..........I love her use of colour and form to create whimsical  and surprising pieces. 

Weekly Wanderings

 Ive kept my promise to myself, to start capturing every day beauty, in a more meaningful and considered way. Ive been taking photos with an open mind and a keen eye and im really pleased with the results so far. Im still taking happy snaps but amongst the happy snaps and fails are some little gems of beauty.
I cant wait to get a real camera and keep on improving, I had forgotten how photography challenges you to look at things in a different light.

Below are my most recent efforts........I think each one tells a story or captures a moment in what is, on paper, a mundane and average life................I feel as though im making life a little more beautiful for myself and my daughter by taking the time to capture these moments and appreciating the small things.

Capturing Everyday Beauty

I'm a dabbler, I like to do a bit of this and a bit of that when it comes to my craft.
I find always doing something new and coming and going from projects from day to day gives me more creative freedom and means I come back to each project with fresh eyes.........It also means I have allot of unfinished projects that tend to get forgotten!

I also get caught up in things..........like Crochet! I was hugely into crocheting a few years ago and made many many blankets for friends and family, then one day I just stopped and haven't really crocheted anything in earnest for some time.

Another of those things is Photography. I have always loved taking photos and studied it at high school and TAFE, my father is a wonderful photographer and worked in the photographic industry for many years.............we even had a dark room at home with professional enlargers and all the kit!

Since having my daughter Ive been taking more and more photos and as I flicked back through my phone one day it struck me how many beautiful moments I could have captured differently, all the photos were the same......."Happy Snaps" if you like.......perfectly fine but lacking in emotion or not quite capturing the moment in a meaningful way.

So I've made a conscious decision to start trying to capture the truly beautiful in our every day lives. The colour of children's toys, small details of my daughters face, new experiences and special private moments. I have asked for a real camera for Christmas and I really cant wait to start looking at the world through a new lens!

In the meantime I will practice on my iPhone and continue to share through Instagram........I think I can see an improvement in my images already............what do you think?

Weekly Wanderings

Just a little snippet of what I've been up to lately

 

A trip to the Art Gallery of NSW
A few sunny days in the park
Some oh so pretty ETSY treasury's featuring my products
Our first road trip down the south coast with bub
Juggling homelife with trying to work my admin job and keep creative......I'm managing somehow!

6 Months Old

My little love,

You are 6 months old now and how time is flying. You are such a serious little baby, taking in everything around you with endless fascination and curiosity. You take your time to decide what you like and dislike and never rule anything out on the first go. Everything everyone told me about motherhood has been true, all the cliches I shrugged off during pregnancy, how hard and how rewarding this would be, how you can get used to total sleep deprivation (I have thoroughly tested this theory on myself and can without doubt it is true) and how much love you can feel for one tiny little person. 

I can't imagine a life without you in it now!

We took you to the park and the beach last weekend and your reaction was bemused at best, you didn't really know what to make of the slide and daddy said you looked ever so serious as I held you on my lap in the swing.

The beach was much the same, you really tried hard to figure out what the yellow grainy stuff was (sand) digging your fists and toes into its warmth and seemed to almost quite like it but then I made the mistake of dipping your toes in the still cold wintry waves and you were a bit sad about that. Mamma's sorry.......I promise you will like the beach when it warmer!

You've been making progress with your rolling and turning, though we still need to work on that as you really don't seem to like the idea of ending up on your tummy. You have discovered hair pulling which is great fun and poor daddy has had to shave his beard off as a result, and you have cut your first teeth which was hard on us both and hurt a bit for you. You are 6 months old and I cant quite believe it, in another few months you will be moving about, sitting up by yourself and you wont need me so much anymore.................STOP growing so fast please!

You love - Sitting in your bumbo, playing under your play gym, going for walks in the pram, watching the birds on the balcony, listening to Peter and the Wolf, time with Daddy, watching us eat, putting everything in your mouth, pulling hair, Mamma's dressing gown, listening to Daddy play the guitar, Sophie the Giraffe, Mousy rattle and your bunny brother

You dislike - going for drives in the car,too many new people, tummy time, bedtime, getting changed, the vacuum and noisy places.

You are 6 months old and these last 6 months have been the best in my life.

P.S these photos are ones that we took for my mothers 60th birthday present. 

Cute poses by Kirra, photography & flower crown by me! 

Weekly Wanderings

This week //

Loving dressing up my daughter, baby clothes are so much fun

Discovering the joys of homemade baby food

Taking selfies

Taking pleasure in all the vintage hand knitted jumpers and cardigans that have been handed down to me

Enjoying time out for myself while the baby sleeps

Creativity

Since becoming a mum I haven't had much time to be creative. The first few months were a whirlwind of sleepless nights and feeding, snuggles and nap times. Now that we are older and wiser (and sleeping better) I find I have more time to myself which is wonderful but creativity isn't coming as naturally as I had hoped. 

I have made a few new mobiles which has been fun, and I have a new product in mind that I am busting to get started on but when the inspiration strikes often it's at an inconvenient time and getting my creativity to line up with nap times feels a bit forced. 

I am so full of ideas of things to make for my new daughter and for My Handmade Heart and I wish I had the time to do it all! I think the key to any future creative time I might have in my future is to be organised and have everything I need to create on hand at a moments notice.

Before we had bub I had a wonderful office studio in the spare room but that's now baby land and I've had to cram all my craft supplies into boxes in the garage which is a bit sad and makes it somewhat difficult to locate any particular item on a whim.

Whilst hanging out in "Baby Land" with my daughter I noticed a tiny space behind her door where we currently keep the ironing board and some of hubby's fishing rods, if the door is only part way open it creates a tiny triangle of space that I think I might be able to turn into a craft corner.........literally! 

Hopefully once I'm organised the creativity will flow! 

Untill then here are some pictures of what I have been making lately...........