Flickr saves the day xox

My love affair with Instagram has come to a rather abrupt end. After downloading the latest update I've experienced nothing but trouble....continual crashing! I can open the app and peep at everyone's photos but as soon as I try to take a photo myself the app instantly crashes. If I comment it crashes. I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app to no avail.... crash.
It seems quite timely that Instagram have delivered the latest version and it's oh, so wrong! No doubt you've come across the uproar Instagram insighted earlier this week when it stated in the terms and conditions that they would be able to use peoples content without approval.
It has the stench of Facebook and leaves a soar taste..... The LF sent this article today which helped clear things up but did little to fix my app in real time.

Meanwhile, I've reverted to an old faithful, Flickr. Their iPhone camera app within Flickr is definitely worth a look and their ethos is a whole sweeter than IG..... xox

Lino it

Learning new tricks takes a lot of time when you're a complete novice, like me. I've been playing around with Lino tonight. It's a sticky and photo sharing site I was advised about through my course..... I'm not sure I'm a complete convert as it is a little tedious and has it's limitations. You can't alter the board size when you import it into blogger (well I couldn't work out how to do it anyway). Alas, I also learnt some new tricks for screen printing on a Mac. I'll be interested to see how 'Lino it' works in a classroom situation.

If you create a board of your own please let me know how you find it. I'm curious.... and now very tired. Night night.

xx

Crazy good

We spent a gorgeous morning sheltering from the scorching sun under an elm tree at Ripponlea Estate yesterday.  The story time program they run is fun.  Fairy Adele definitely has a way with little people...... even little lads who are not very much into 'fairies!.... Blaahhh'.

I've been 'practicing' the law of least effort around here this Christmas.  It's amazing how engrained my frenetic propensity is at Christmas time.   Every now and then I feel things speed up, my adrenaline kicks in and I'm off on a tangent making lists and thinking of odd jobs I must do before Christmas...... when.... really?........  Breathing and holding firm to this would be a lot smarter.

I hope you're able to cruise through Christmas this year, doing less and accomplishing more.  It really is crazy good, rather than crazy nuts!

xoxox

PS. Instead of hitting the stores Jonah & the Girl have 25% of and free express delivery between 13-24th. Using promo code 'HAPPYCHRISTMAS' now there's least effort, maximum results right there.  Yippee.

Exploring new frontiers.

I signed up for a an online course through Coursera a couple of months back.  Coursera is a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. 

The course is on 'e-learning and Digital Cultures'.  It doesn't start until late January but already the Facebook page is a hive of activity.  It's hard to keep up...... already!  In fact, I'll confess,  it's a little intimidating. 
I'm already learning about digital communities and platforms that I'd never even heard of.  I feel like I have a completely new world to explore and I'm wondering just how big my world will become once the course actually starts (and also wondering if my head will explode in the process). 

The power of creating a strong community online is alive and well over at the 'EDCMOOC' Facebook page.  BTW, 'EDCMOOC' stands for 'E-learning & Digital Cultures Massive Open Online Course'.  Just quietly, it took me a little while....... and a little google-ing to work that one out.

The more the merrier.  Join me if you dare.  I'll meet you in the study room.

xx

Friendship Love x

Recently, I 'met' a blog friend for the very first time.  I was rather nervous, a little like it was a first date.  We've known one another here in blog land for over a year, reading one another's posts, commenting and next we moved onto the occasional email.  Finally, however we went live and Skyped.  What a hoot.
This little link is for her.  Maybe a cup of tea here in Jan 2014?

xxx

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well.  I'm feeling relatively organised this year.  Our screen printing in done (photos to come I don't want to spoil the surprise), lip balm made and all are wrapped under our tree or weaving their way to homes across the seas right now.

xxx

There have been some unexpected challenges this Christmas but I am managing to hold onto my mantra...... as best I can...... & make time for doing absolutely 'nothing'.  I hope you have too.

x

Through the chaos

"Somewhere along the way the answer to the chaos became a quiet holy mantra...be still...be still...be still...be still."

 

I came across the above quote over at The Organic Sister.  It once again sang out to me.  Thankfully the LF and I had a rare night off and a slower start to Sunday resulting in some time to be still-er than usual.  Bliss.  
I hope you managed some stillness in your weekend!!  The Christmas frenzy is slowly creeping in.  The challenge now is on to hold this mantra till the 25th December.   xx

Hello there 'luminous stardust beings'

I do love Deepak and his diamonds.  There's something so serene and kind about the way he delivers information.  I really enjoyed this video on social media.  It's somewhat refreshing to see the choices we have in creating a more connected society.  With the crassness of so many sites these days it's sometimes hard to stop & see that the way we interact with these online spaces is a choice we make that's shaping our lives.  It's also nice to remind myself that I can resist sites that make me feel flat, deflated and totally disconnected from myself.

'The 4 things we humans want; hope, trust, stability & respect.  It's not rocket science.' 

Oh Deepak, I love you. 

Happy weekend. xx

Vodka & things.

I picked up a big bottle of vodka yesterday to start making another batch of this limoncello for Christmas presents after the success of last year.... my Dad has put in a special request.
I'm also liking the idea of making some of these as stocking fillers.
Saw this gorgeous film, The Intouchables, on the weekend. Such a beautiful feel good French movie.
Just finished reading this, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and was inspired by Cheryl's tenacity to finish what she started.  Hiking, alone for months on end on a rigorous track.... not sure I could do it?
Have started adding 1 heaped tblsp of coconut oil to my morning smoothies and  the texture and creaminess is sublime....if you add a little organic raw cocoa powder too it tastes like a Nestle Golden Rough!
Enjoying Modern Hepburn.
Adding this is to my reading list. I'm a big fan of Brene Brown. 

Enjoy your weekend (a short week for us Melburnians, yippee.) x

Hand printing on Fabric ::: revisited

1. Screenprinting, 2. Folk Birds - Tea Towel, 3. Dusk Lupine - Tea Towels, 4. pattern of the day-026, 5. Shipping Out I, 6. Untitled

I've decided (with a couple of friends) to hand print some tea towels for Christmas presents this year. Being complete novices we've been investigating the process, made trips to Melbourne Etching Supplies and Riot Art for supplies, watched youtube tutorials and consulted our copies of this Lena Corwin book and my beloved Lotta Prints book. I'm now hoping we'll be ready to roll next week.

We just need to come up with our artwork & choose whether to use the Drawing Fluid & Screen filler or stencil technique.

Here are a couple of tutorials I found which are handy if you'd too like to get crafty and print up some tea towels of you own.
Miss Daydream Believer's print studio
Anna Laura's screen printing using drawing fluid tutorial.
Craftgrrl's Cheap screen printing using an embroidery hoop.
Dakini Silk & Things tutorial.

I've also been pinning my favorites over here. If you have any inspiration.... or tips I'd love to hear. Please leave me the links below. xox

:::

I originally posted this (above) on the 9th November last year....  Christmas is fast approaching. We will be printing on the 18th Novemeber, so yet again the race is on to come up with a design. I thought I'd revisit some of my previous inspiration and share it here in case you are tempted to start your own tradition.

You can check out the results from last year here & here.

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I've printed.  I loved the whole process last year and my excitement is starting to build. xx

To the God's of creativity

A beautiful TEDx talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Love, Pray. xox

The 366 Project

Here's a link to some great smoothie inspiration, for those who have asked for ideas. I am still drinking one or two daily and loving them. The novelty has worn off for Z unfortunately and he now turns his lip up at the thought. Oh well, it was great while it lasted.
My gorgeous yoga teacher, Renee, has written an e-book on Awakening to Raw with over 50 raw plant based recipes which I'm looking forward to exploring next. I remember reading this book by Leslie Kenton when I was around 15 and trying to convince my mother we should eat raw......mmmm, needless to say she didn't embrace the concept and I wasn't keen on preparing my own meals. So it was swept under the carpet. Here's to a raw re-awakening. Do you have any Raw food favorites?

xx

Explosive material

Anger always comes from frustrated expectations.
Elliott Larson

I hate the feeling of being angry. It erodes the happiness I do have in my life. It distracts me from being here with the people I love. I don't hear what's going on under my nose or see what's happening in front of my eyes ...as I'm quite literally raging a war, hurtling a thousand accusations in my head towards this...seemingly... demonic aggressor.

'When you make someone else wrong, you hold the energy of needing to correct, convince, control ,or change someone else (the 4 C’s as I call them). Someone should “be or do” the way you expect. Blaming, complaining, or condemning becomes acceptable.' Tiny Buddha.

It makes me a little sad to let go of my expectations (yes, I'll confess I had a dream of how it should be and I was holding onto that vision pretty damn tight determined to make it RIGHT.... ) but I'm here now pledging to let it go or risk creating vast amounts of discomfort not only for myself but those around me. My resistance is huge.  My back has given way (damn, our bodies never lie).  As dear old Albert Einstein put it 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.' So bye bye cycle of expectation-disappointment-anger-expectaion-disappointment-anger-expectation-disappointment-anger-expectation....

Hello to my focus on what 'is'....  you are going to be needed to keep me on track for this one..... those voices of distraction can be oh so tempting at times and that old tale of woe is so familiar it feels like a comfy pair of PJ's to slip into.

Here's to ...... totally unexpected outcomes and zero expectations.  The thought makes me feel a little queasy but let's face it, the only way is up, baby.

'Challenge yourself to truly pursue happiness in the way that it makes sense to you, even if that means defying expectations....'  Sunday Quotes.

xox

getting in on the green smoothie

We've been participating in the Green Smoothie Challenge over the last week.  Making a large batch up each morning.  The LF is fructose intolerant, meaning we are restricted by what fruit we can add but some of the ingredients we have been experimenting with are maca powder, chai seeds, LSA, organic raw cocoa, acai, Sunwarrior protein powder, handfuls of spinach, banana, blue berries, kiwi, mango, maple  syrup, mint, cinnamon, dates and homemade nut milk.

It's such a great way to start the day for me because I get so bored chewing cereal every single day.  It's also a great feeling getting your greens in first thing...and even Z will indulge.  A definite win win in our household.
If you have any tasty smoothie recommendations I'd love to hear them. x x

Byron for me.

We recently spent 9 incredible days up in Byron Bay. It's been years since I last visited and was so pleased to reacquaint myself with the treasures of this town. I thought I'd share a few links to some of my favorite things (not to brag but to simply share the love). Most of the links here revolve around eating, which we did a lot of in Byron. When we weren't eating we were hanging around on the beaches soaking up the relaxed atmosphere and basking is the beauty that is Byron. If you're heading to the Byron Bay region any time soon here's a little hit list to keep in your back pocket.

Heaven breaking in on your world.

One of my lovely buddies from here told me about the Greek word 'kairos' last week.  It means 'a moment that makes you stand still and take in it's full meaning. Something that makes you catch your breath' or simply 'Heaven breaking in on your world.'

I hope you have many 'kairos' moments this week! Happy Monday  xx

Comparison.. the killer of all creativity

 You can bet your bottom dollar that when you're feeling defeated by something... there's a little voice inside your head comparing you to someone else, real or imagined.   Someone who appears to be doing it a whole lot easier and more impressively than you.

A voice that robs you of all self worth saying, ever so quietly... 'you're not good enough' or 'who are you to be writing/making/talking about....'

 

And to that voice I'm slowly learning to say 'Damn you.  I'll give it a shot'. Slowly I'm starting to catch myself.  

 

Source: twitter.com via melindamelou on Pinterest

The winter of my retreat

Winter has seen me take a step back from this space.  I was feeling a little overwhelmed.  A little uncertain about the direction, my conviction and what it was I was wanting to achieve.... not just here but everywhere.  Things were spinning by so quickly I was barley catching my breath before posting and as a result I felt I was blogging up and down in a sea of uncertainty.  Part of me cringing at writing personal reflections and another part of me totally compelled.  I felt torn and totally exposed.... FOMO had it's grasp on me.

With a little time on my side... and a clear desk, I see that I want this space to be as much about the people who come here as it is about me.  I want to inspire others to see the joyful in the everyday.  To seek out the relationships around that support and nourish and to invest in the things that make you happy.  All things I'm learning to implement in my own life.  Sometimes it's one step forward, two steps back but the important thing is to keep saying yes to the things that really matter and watching the world evolve to support these choices.

Unhappiness or happiness... which will I choose.

Something to contemplate while having your morning cuppa.  This list made me chuckle.  It's interesting to stop & think about the small ways I invite unhappiness into my day.  How about you?

x

Passion over Perfection.

I'm totally on board with Danille LaPorte's belief in Passion over Perfection. If it sings to you too, you'll enjoy this sweet post by Danielle.

xx

Oh, what a feeling.

We completed our Hike! 91.5km's of incredible coastline along the Great Ocean Road Walk, from Apollo Bay all the way to the 12 Apostles. Let me say we didn't hike the distance in one go. It's no mean feat organising 5 mums and a socially intrepid midwife to be in the same spot for 9 days of rigorous hiking.... if it were 9 days of primping and pampering on a deserted island, cocktail in hand then, yes, I'm guessing we may have managed it a little sooner.....it did, however, take 3 stints and over a year and a half to complete.

There's so much about this (combined) trip that I loved. The solidarity of friendship, the laughter, the space to be totally oneself, the open air and the challenge. The challenge of walking long undulating distances in sometimes less than ideal weather, carrying our packs laden with tents, clothing, food and cooking equipment, spending long freezing nights out in the bush, braving tiger snakes and scorpians. We did all of this, in good humor and totally in the moment. We all wanted to be there, walking, sharing the experience together.
It was an amazing feeling.

I am so grateful to my friends for helping to make this happen, for loving the journey as much as I did and for creating such a success of it.

If you're contemplating something like this, I'd like to say, 'Just do it!'
You'll be greatly rewarded. xx

Ahoy there me hearties.

A photo a day as part of this. here's the last week. xox

music. You can't beat the energy of a live gig. The shins, Festival Hall.

time spent with friends and the colour they add to our lives. The connections, generosity and humor of these friendships is so, so gratefully accepted.

the reminder that with doing something everyday, comes strength. Meditation, gratitude, exercise, ..... What's your prayer?

gifts and afternoons spent building Lego with my little man. My Dad returned from his trip to Vietnam with 'Pirate' Lego for z & a gorgeous bag and scarf for me. Love them, thank you.

beautiful fabric. I dressed in my brightest outfit to give me some oomph. Gastro! Blah.

playfulness. Our library has installed a self scanning check out and one of the the language options is 'Pirate speak'.... Shiver me timbers!

Z's determination. He carried this big stick all the way home. After strategising the fastest route, two rest stops and a lot of panting, he made it.

Just bust a move.... you want it..... you got it

Among the ever expanding list.... here's what made it to my Gratitude Project this week.

starting the day with a smile.

a soundly sleeping lad at the end of the day. So peaceful. My heart melts every single time.

a night out with the girls, in a beautiful building to support a great cause.

to be home after a long day. Late + tired = Bed is calling. Just waiting for the kettle to boil.

a slow morning. A walk to the cafe. A few friends. A stop at the sandpit, conservatory & pond. Then a slow amble home in time for kinder preparations. A perfect way to spend the morning. I cherish these mornings knowing they really wont last forever.

some time alone...one may even call it a date... with the LF and a little road trip to Red Hill.

a balmy 16 degree winters day by the bay with my boys.

What made your list this week?