Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Sew Right!


Hello everyone! Look at what I did, I am sooo proud of myself for learning to make this bag and I enjoyed it so much. Look it has pockets too!
At first I must admit was a little apprehensive about sewing, even at school I never did well. But I love the whole idea of making things like bags, skirts and softies for myself and the kids. So now I feel with the limited knowledge I can go forth and learn more progress and have more crafty fun!
My next project in sewing might be a skirt!?
This bag is now my art bag, it has a charcoal, 2b, 4b, 6b, 8b pencils, water colours, brushes, sketch water colour pad and a journal. I take this to my art classes on Thursdays.
I am learning so much from Kim my teacher, she is fabulous and so energetic and inspiring, a real gem! So far we have been doing a lot of sketching and learning about value tone and colour, also a bit of dabling with water colours, next week we start with acrylics which I am excited about and then mixed media, can't wait!
Happy creating everyone, Angie :)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

The Joy Diet - Nothing

Wow second week of "The Joy Diet", I have felt kind of rushed this week, kids are on school holidays, and I suppose this is the purpose of the book to allow myself to see that I need time to let myself be, to reconnect with my authentic self.
The goal for this week was to take 15 mins everyday of stillness, let the body relax and the mind find quiet from the chatter
.
Before I began this challenge i had already been doing some meditation taught to me by my father, I was , and that is the operative word WAS, meditating for a while maybe 2-3 times a week, then as usual old habits creap in and one "forgets" to do it.
So I thought that to start again would be easy enough. But to be honest it took me much longer than 15mins, more like 30mins and I could only do this at night after the kiddies were asleep, to get to that place of quietness.
Once I got to that quiet place daily I felt better each day, calmer, fresher. Yet to get to the chair where I sit at night still feels like a struggle, I resist, and I ask myself why?
Has anyone else felt their body resisting?
I would rather be doing something else.....like my art!
That is my 'Amanpuri' my place of solitude, doing my art work in my artroom. When I am home alone and noone interupts me I feel so at peace and my mind is filled with silence.....But to get to this place has taken me a long time, to understand how important art is to me, even on those days when i don't feel like it, or don't feel good enough.
So I sit there and try to remember that feeling of creating, that familiar place, feels like coming home.

I did this journal page thinking about the book and what it meant to be doing "Nothing". It is like a sacred time, space, retreat from the rest of the world to reconnect with my soul. It was a fun page to put together, a first for me in collaging, will be doing more for sure.

Happy reading for next week and all the best in finding your one moment of truth! Angie oxox

It isn't too late to join this great group, link in the photo above to join in the fun!

Monday, September 21, 2009

"The Joy Diet"

I am so excited!
This week I started on a new venture, I joined Jamie Ridlers "Next Chapter" and the book being discussed is 'The Joy Diet' by Martha Beck.
I bought the book a few months ago but never got around to reading it. It feels almost serindipitous that the book being read is this one, and if you have read my last post I mentioned all these things that i have noticed happen, I am sure things like these happen all the time but I have been trying to look more, use my senses more, my awareness of my surroundings, feel more!
I have also started a gratitude journal to allow myself to see life more positive, even the small stuff, it all counts. I suppose to allow more joy in!
So this week we introduce the book and ourselves, then we start reading the first chapter about 'Nothing' and talk about how we can make more room for nothing in our lives and how this can positively effect us. And I must add with how I have been feeling these last few weeks, I can do with more joy in my life, a little boost of positive energy.
Heres' to new ventures in all our lives, let's step out of our confort zone and into something delicious and joyous!
Angie ox

Friday, September 18, 2009

Giddy Up!

So here I am back on the horse riding a slow trot towards the light.
Well apart from everyone been sick, one after the other this winter I feel totally exausted and needed the time to replenish...I really did feel like I had nothing to share and felt like my art had no where to go. After procrastinating and feeling sorry for my self, I realised how lucky I really am, I kind of had an Aha! moment.
Let me explain...My daughter who started kindy this year wasn't meant to get into kindy, the places were all filled up they told me when I desperately rang around, then a week later they rang back to say a spot was available. From kindy I met the teacher who's sister teaches art, and after some encouragement from my husband and friends, I am attending her art lessons once a week, and they are excellent! and I am very excited about the exibition where we all get to display our art work! (it makes it feel so reall)
Then other little things kept happening, like Jamie Ridler's next book, she is doing "The Joy Diet", and I had just bought this book recently through Amazon.(and I really need something like this at the moment, joy filled)
I met another mum through school who is organising an Art & Craft Fair and I put my hand up to help out maybe put up a stall?
So it all feels wonderful and positive, yet I still struggle with that gremlin at times and I feel myself shrinking back saying to myself, what have I got to give? Who am I?
But I am ignoring its voice for now and am trotting forward, onwards I go....

We have school holidays here for two weeks so it will give me more time to post and catch up with all you lovely people, I really have missed the interaction, blogging is such a positive and sharing environment....4 weeks seems like such a long time, how often do you post? Do you have particular days or randomly post when you feel the urge or inspiration?