Life With You

In honour of Cathy Nichol's Found Art Friday, this is my small contribution. Her theme this month is Gratitude which is something I really struggled to imagine how I could present visually. And so in thinking about all the things I am grateful for I wanted to especially express my gratitude for my husband and the life we share together with our children. I think this one truly needs to be made in colour - I hope I will get there next year. Thank you Cathy again for the inspiration - check out her amazing piece here.

Bloom where you are planted!

I can't believe September snuck away from me so quickly and it is the 1st of October already. I managed to finish just one little drawing last month and although it wasn't what I had originally intended to submit for Cathy Nichol's Found Art Friday, it kind of related to her theme of "change" with the changing seasons upon us so I sent it anyway.

In actual fact this drawing is inspired by my friend Jacqui who is super-mum to two gorgeous boys and has an Etsy shop, selling very cute messenger bags, called Mee a Bee. The title of her blog is "Blooming in Japan" and so this is how I imagine Jacqui to be a beautiful blossoming tree by the sea in Osaka where she lives. I have never actually met Jacqui in person but since I follow her blog regularly and we have emailed eachother from time to time I feel as though I know her well and imagine that we will one day sit down over a cup of coffee and have quite a chat as though we have known eachother for years! I am always inspired by how much she achieves in a day; she is always busy with her boys but then will produce these fabulous bags at the end of the day when I am doing nothing more than flopping into bed or at best sitting down with a cup of tea and reading her blog.

So this is to remind us all to bloom where we are planted - and keep blooming so beautifully in Nihon Jacqui.

To the Sea

It is hard to believe that another month has almost slipped by and it is time for Cathy Nichols Found Art Friday once again. The theme for this month is "To the Sea". When I think of the sea it reminds me of one of my happiest memories - snorkeling on The Great Barrier Reef during my honeymoon. We went on a snorkeling tour which took us to the edge of the reef where we were able to swim amongst the most beautiful fish and coral. The guide told us it was a 6 day swim to the coast of Australia or a 6 month swim to the coast of South America!It felt like such a privilege to be amongst this amazing underwater world. Some people we met up in Cairns told us that 10 years earlier it had been even more beautiful. Perhaps we should never have been there at all but I am very grateful for the experience and will never forget it.

So for my contribution to FAF this week I began doodling all the things I could think of associated with the sea such as waves, fish, shells, seaweed etc and lined them up in rows. This then led to me drawing a grid pattern on the page and simplified my initial doodles down to just the waves and fish to see what repetitious shapes and patterns I could make. It was definitely a big step away from my usual obsession with leaves and plants but also lots of fun and I am looking forward to seeing Cathy's post at the end of this week.

Found!

Slowly, ever so slowly I have been putting pen to paper in my evenings when the little ones are sound alseep. I am neither happy or satisfied with any of the results yet but I think importantly it is a start! Without a beginning there can be no ending and so I hope with continued effort that something will grow from this.

Cathy Nichols has inspired a couple of my recent efforts with her themes for her Found Art Friday. I never seem to finish mine in time to participate but I thank her for giving me encouragement to pick up my pencils when I might otherwise happily opt for much needed sleep.

The top one is "found" which was inspired by our recent search to find a home for our little family to live in earlier this year.

The second is called (Extra)ordinary. The theme for this one was "ordinary" and so I thought about the flowers and small plants we walk past every time we go to the supermarket. They are I think very ordinary and yet extraordinary at the same time.

I'm looking forward to finding out what this months theme will be.

Beauty in the Backyard

Aah, it has been a while since I stopped by my blog to add anything. I will offer no excuses. But I took a couple of snaps a while back that I intended to post of something I found in the backyard. I was hanging out the washing one day when I looked down and saw a single bougainvillea flower on the ground. It had blown in from somehwere and completely captivated my attention. How beautiful this little thing is I thought to myself and scooped it up to photograph and sit on the window sill in the kitchen. I am always happy to find such things which highlight so perfectly the beauty of nature.

Everything Blooming

I am a big fan of Cathy Nichols art. I guess I am attracted to her wonderful use of colour and inspired by the fact that she manages to produce new pieces weekly even though she also has two young children of her own to take care of. Anyway, I also follow her blog and on the last Friday of the month she encourages readers of her blog to participate in her 'Found Art Friday'. The idea behind this is to create an artwork around a theme that is created freely without too much planning. It is not a way I usually like to work as I am one to sketch and doodle away making small changes to a design before I begin on the final piece. But having so little time these days for such luxury I decided to participate in last month's theme, 'everything blooming' and the results you can see above. Okay it is hardly Klee or Picasso but I think the important thing is that it was a start. Hopefully I can keep the scissors and paper out and find the time and energy to participate in next months found art friday too and improve upon this one!

The Family Treehouse

I spent Sunday morning reliving my childhood memories with my 2 year old as we played with the Family Treehouse. It was probably one of my favourite toys as a child and my mum has lovingly stored it for me over the years just waiting for a time when it might be enjoyed again.

Essentially it is a doll's house in the shape of a tree but the features would have to be the wind up and down lift, the outdoor swing and the car that holds the whole family and even the dog in the centre if you squash it inbetween.

I think I am having just as much fun as my little one as we arrange the furniture and put the little people up and down the elevator. I am loving the Miffy-like interior but am not sure about the mum dressed in an apron and the dad in a business suit - it is a toy of the 1970's so definitely a reference to that era.

It is nice to be able to take the time to play and go back to a time in my life where imagination was everything and to see the wonder and enjoyment of my own child at play.