Friday, January 20, 2012

Happiness Flags


Between xmas and new year I dragged out my neglected sewing machine and made some 'prayer flags'. I'd been thinking about it for a while (I have 2 sets made by lovely Marita, in my lounge room and they make me happy!!) Then a friend have me an xmas present wrapped in a lovely yellow gold fabric, and I thought it would be funny to make something with the fabric that I could give back to her.

I used some of my old lino cuts that I've used before for card making. I gave a set to my friend and have a couple of sets for my stall at the next craft fair. I am still not really friends with my sewing machine, it takes a fair amount of swearing to do even the simple straight sewing involved in this project!

I've just been for a couple of days away with my family in Kakadu. It's still school hols here. In some ways it's not a great time to go to Kakadu as it's the wet season and large areas of the park are closed because the water is over the roads and crocodiles are roaming. But it's also a lovely time to go because everything is so green, accomodation is cheap and we practically had the whole place to ourselves!! I'm keeping up with a haiku (or something like it) most days, here are a couple from last week.

Native ginger blooms
in the shade of ancient rocks
wet season treasure

(this one about my daughter)

she lies on my bed
singing a song from the charts
milkshake round her chin.


Some People Catch Fish

People running
to catch the bright red sun
with their cameras.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Starting the year

I'm starting the year with just one resolution, to be positive. Especially when I'm feeling emotional or defeated to go and do something positive, some sewing or lino chiselling, something that keeps me going forward instead of getting bogged down!

Over on flickr I'm playing catch up, I didn't post any of my work in the second half of the year so I'm trying to get all those into my photostream over the next couple of weeks. My internet connection is so slow in the evenings that I'd practically given up, but I've discovered I can get a lot done in half an hour in the mornings...so here I am!!

The sketchbook challenge is on for a second year, so I'm going to have another go at it... this month's theme is doodling.

I have set myself a little writing challenge, to write a haiku a day, I've bought myself a cheapo diary that just has room for a poem and a note about what I'm reading... here are a couple from the first week.

Lightning in the night
circling the house again
rain wave on the roof.

Last weeks pumpkin soup
seeds pushed in the ground sprouted
stems with twin green leaves.

I wonder how your resolutions and challenges are going. Cathy Cullis has a lovely post about daily challenges with a philosophy that is very forgiving!!

Hopefully I'll be back next week with some artwork to show! Have a great weekend.