Spotlight ho!

Fabric shopping - *wheee*!  I’ve been hanging out to start my sewing project; I sorted out what pattern I want to use and I was only needing to buy the fabric and trim.  Of course that required an expedition to the largest {?} fabric/craft supplies store just outside of Canberra.    So when I say expedition, it really was!  My awesome and lovely sister~in~law kindly consented to be my sewing guru, and guide me in the mysterious ways of all things sewing.

We arrived at Spotlight just after 2:oopm, and didn’t leave until 5:3opm ~ when the store shut! So {or sew… Haha, lame pun intended.} my haul ended up being rather large to say the least.  I won’t list everything ~ but I got photos! 

     

The material ~ I bought 10 meters {yes, 10 meters!} of the ivory jacquard because it was $2.00 a meter!  That’s insanely cheap for a nice heavy cotton.  I plan to make a dress, jacket and skirt out of the stuff if I have enough. {The jacquard’s the roll at the back.}  The grey wool was the most expensive at $29.99 a meter {Ouch!!} but I wanted a nice warm skirt for winter, and with my guru guiding me through the sewing process I am hoping it will turn out nicely {even though this is my first project!!  *meep*} and then it will be worth it.

The floral sateen was another sale yardage ~ $2.00 a meter, so I bought three meters.  I plan to make a fully reversible knee-length dirndl skirt out of that one.  The nautical print muslin was a bit of a surprise to me.  One, it’s the middle of winter in Australia so buying muslin is more than a bit silly, I’m not going to be able to sew it  for a while either, so it won’t be ready for summer…  Two, it’s a nautical print.  I must confess I have long professed a dislike to the ‘sailor’ style.  It looks great on some people, and I’ve often thought that a sailor romper is pretty darn cute.  But it’s just not my style.  I never wear much blue, and I dislike pretty much ALL of the modern RTW nautical styled stuff you find in the shops.   It’s yuck.

So when I spotted this I was all, “Oh, this is cute, but I’d never use it.”  Then, the fabric spoke to me.  O.O   Oh yes it did.  It went ~ “You know that I’d make the cutest shirt dress for wearing to the beach and around the house in summer right?  A little something casual and fun to slip on!”  and I went ~ “Ah!  So true!!  Must. Have. Cute. Octopi. Dress!!!!”  And that was it.  I was done like dinner.  ><   So now I have a totally awesome muslin print to make up. I even have the pattern for it!  I bought it off Etsy last night {much to DH’s dismay as I rake up more damage on the card…  : S }.

Lastly, the panda print is a flannel, and as I never wear pyjama's to bed {just to clarify I usually wear an old t-shirt}, but love to lounge around the house in pjs I’m going to make a pair of pants from this so I can stop stealing DH’s camo. pants.

   

I also bought some fantastic vintage styled buttons for the peter~pan type collars I want to crochet.  I’ve been on the look out for really-truly vintage buttons, but haven’t found any so far.  *sad face*  : (   But these are lovely, and I think that they will look great.

The other fabric is for waist band and collar details on distant dresses that I have ideas for {another pattern coming for that one too ~ what? You think that I could restrain myself and only buy one pattern on Etsy when the store was having a 15% discount?}

The mushroom print however, will line the pockets of my grey wool skirt.  Because I am like that.  I like my clothes to look chic and elegant {for the most part ~ I do have some cutesy jewellery and things} but the idea of having fun prints to line my pockets is too much to resist.  It’s going to be awesome!

    

I’m doing up a variation on view 2 ~ which is the view to the far right, and my modifications will probably make it look so far removed from the original, as you can probably see from the sketch.  I’ve taken elements from each pattern variation and combined it into one.  It’s going to be knee length as well.  I already have one wrap skirt that is mid-calf length, so I don’t need another. :3  This is going to be soooo much fun!  I will keep you posted.

xox,

b.

Let them eat cake ~

Mmmm….   Cake.  It all started yesterday afternoon.  I was cleaning up and decided instead of stripping the chicken carcass for the dog I would make stock with it and cook soup for dinner.  {Because that is sooo much easier than pulling bits of chicken off the bone.  I wonder how my mind can be so illogical sometimes…..}

Ooh!  I forgot!  I haven’t introduced my family yet!  DH and I have a mini family consisting of two children ~

an 8-almost-9-year old Siberian husky, Amabelle,

and a 10 year old Standard bred gelding, Copper.

  

Anyway, back to the story!  I’d gone for a ride on Copper ~ a quick warm up in the arena and then a lovely trail ride with my Dad on Rusty {our other horse} and Amabelle.  When I came back I somehow managed to get all ambitious.  Not only was I going to make my own soup {without a recipe no less} I was going to bake a cake.   Now, for all the accomplished cooks out there that doesn’t sound like such a big deal.  But this is me in the kitchen ~

Yes, that is a plate of burnt food….    My poor husband hasn’t starved yet, but we have had more ready-made meals {such as pizza, pies and chips!} than I’d care to admit.   I’m just not the greatest at culinary stuff.  So when I say that dinner and a cake is ambitious for me, I mean it. Things started off reasonably well, I tried a Walnut cake, but the thing is I made it with coconut flour.  It was a bit of an experiment to say the least.  Cake mixed, tinned and ovened; it was all good so far.  Now it was vegetable time.

I got the piles of veggies chopped {DH likes his soup to be chewy.  >  >} and all was going relatively well until I went to ice the cake.  It had come out the oven, cooled for fifteen minutes or so, but when I put it on the rack, it broke in half.  And I was all ~ “Uh-oh, this doesn’t look good at all…”   Then I tried a crumb of the cake and it was GROSS!!  As in, “Eww ~ what is that?!??” gross.  I chucked it in the bin.  And panicked.  I promised cake!! {Ok, more like bribed cake in return for DH doing the dishes.  Well, the dishes were done and there was no cake to be seen…}

I flipped through the DH’s family recipes we’d been given as a wedding present but all of them took too long ~  I had twenty minutes until DH came home for tea and I wanted the cake in the oven before that.  Plus, I wasn’t sure we had all the ingredients.  Okay, back to cake book with the failed walnut recipe.  The only thing that looked reasonably easy was the sponge cake.  Although I had heard that they could be difficult… 

I gave it a wack anyway and to my surprise, it was a success!!  I’ve never been able to cook well under pressure, so I was amazed when it turned out so well.  So happy!!!  Now for the photos to show off my purty cake.

    

       

    

Yes, it tastes great!!!  One cake, two people:  yummmm……

I will never be a master chef, but one day I hope I can cook a proper meal {at least two courses} without getting flustered or burning the food, or having to throw  mistakes out.  One of these days!

xox,

b.

Alice ~ Outfit Three

  Sorry about the horrid indoor shots ~ unfortunately I got this cute outfit together for a night with my girls. 

It was too dark outside, hence the bad indoor lighting. 

Once again my awesome sister Jay took the photos and helped direct me into the best poses. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my “Alice” outfit (duh factor as that’s the blog title, but anywho!) I call it that because although it’s not the original blue and white deal, I still have a lot of the major elements from an Alice in Wonderland look.  The bow headband, stripy socks, and checks.  Other than that, the major variation would be the fact that I’m wearing a skirt, top and vest rather than a dress and no apron.  Eh.  Maybe more loosely Alice than what I thought….  Ohwell.  That’s my inspiration so I’m sticking to it.

                                

 

Accessories  ~  Hair bow, Bracelet & Earrings   {Diva}             Skirt  ~  Tightrope

Scarf  ~  A  two dollar junk shop                                                          Lacy Tights  ~  Kmart 

Top ~ Tightrope                                                                                         Socks  ~  My sister’s and *sad face* she wants them back….  :’(

Ankle Boots  ~  Parklea Markets {Sydney} vendor.  Best bargain ever at $30.00!  I snapped them up straight away.

Vest  ~  Cotton On {more than a couple of seasons ago ~ I’ve had that vest for years!}  

 

I love the monochrome look – most of my wardrobe is in shades of black ~ black through grey to white.  I do have a few bright colour pieces; mostly purple if it’s a solid colour.  I’ll also do checks/tartan or florals.  But I always mix it up with something black.  I guess you can definitely say black is my signature colour.  I love it because it’s so versatile, and it makes even the most girly of styles {think lace, ruffles and bows…  Lots of bows}   look chic, I would even go as far as to say elegant and sophisticated.  Black is just the timeless classic in my opinion. 

I also feel that you just can’t go wrong with black – no matter the era or style the garment comes from.  If  it is cut right for your shape, if it is still in good condition and if it is black ~ you can wear it anywhere, anytime, anyplace.  Oh, although I suppose weddings are the exception.  As much as I adore the colour, I still know that it isn’t really appropriate for a wedding.

I know that a lot of modern stylists may say otherwise, but I just think it’s a bit tasteless to turn up in black at a wedding.  Small doses – think trim or a bit of black in a print is okay to me, but that’s as far as I’d ever go. 

xoxo,

b.

P.s.  ~  I know you can’t tell, but my nails were a totally gorgeous pastel shade of pink.  I don’t really wear pink as a clothes colour but I will wear it on my nails!

~ Wrapt ~ Inspiration

I love this blog – the clothes, the quirk, the beautiful backgrounds… One day (as my DH witnessed) I announced that  I want to go to Alaska, rent a boat and spend a week on one of their beautiful glacial lakes in the middle of a mellow Alaskan summer (ooo!  Doesn’t that phase just sound delightful?  “Alaskan summer”…)  and you can blame Elizabeth from Delightfully Tacky.   Oh yeah, and I’m really beginning to like Winnebagoes thanks to her as well!

Recently she did a post that featured not only the cutest boots, but a fake tattoo she drew on her arm .  You might ask what that has got to do with anything around here, but I was inspired.  I took two of the elements from her tattoo and drew a picture around them. 
I called it Wrapt ~






If you want to know what  the original looked like, here it is:
      
      

Even better, check out Delightfully Tacky’s blog and see for yourself!  You won’t be disappointed I promise.
In passing, I think that I will continue this trend of not just posting the ‘inspiration’ like I know a lot of bloggers do, or just the finished results (there will be enough of that in my studio galleries once it is up and running) but do both together.  I always like to know the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff, so maybe you will too.
Another project I’m totally keen to start as soon as I get myself some wool is this super cute collar ~



I want to make it in white, black, red and purple (if it turns out well).  And once I’ve done those, I might even try felting it.  Although that will shrink it, so I’ve got to figure out how to make it bigger so that it won’t choke me once I’ve shrunk it in the washing machine.  (It’s a felting technique I learnt off The Crimson Owl, another great blog to check out)   I think it’ll be fantastic to trim boring tops with.  I want to figure out a way to clip it on so I can change the collars around as I please.  I’m a big fan of be able to style a piece of clothing with different accessories rather than making the changes permanent.  That way you can have a much bigger wardrobe just by switching the accessories and creating a completely different look for the garment each time. 
Finally; to finish off another uber long post – sorry people,  I just want to announce some seriously exciting news……   (Wait for it) ……………..

I just brought my new camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   *big squee*  It’s a Cannon 55oD Digital SLR.  I originally wanted the 50D, but for twice the price and the only difference being the 6.8 fps and the alloy body – both of which I can live without, so I decided it’s not worth it.  Especially when JB Hi-Fi were having a fantastic sale on the 55oD.  I got the camera body and twin lenses (one is 18mm to 55mm and the other 55mm to 200mm – both with a manual zoom and anti-shake features) as well as a Polaroid filter, a 16GB memory card (wish it was bigger, because I’ll capturing with RAW files, but that’ll have to do) and a two year extended warranty for cheaper than the 50D camera body alone!!  How sweet is that?!?

So now I finally have my own camera again.   I did have a point and shoot Olympus MJU for few years.  It was a good camera, but it broke and this is better by far!  The only downside is that I have got to wait at least a week for the camera to come, but once it does – expect an onslaught of photographs, because I am going to have sooo much fun with this bad boy. 

Bye for now, not forever ~
b.

Feature ~ Words of Wisdom

some days…

[ click for a larger view. ]

… it’s just nice to pull out my colored pencils and outlining markers. Go through all the images on my computer and just sketch.

Creativity is a funny creature. Sometimes it likes to play nice and give you oh-so-many lovely ideas and motivations. Other times it goes to hibernate and hangs a big ol’ “do not disturb” sign on it’s door. This year has been a huge growing period for me in understanding how my creativity works, that it sometimes goes into remission and that it’s okay to give it a rest to recharge. For long periods of time I’ve been uninspired by my ideas. I’m grateful to my sister especially (who is another creative soul) for encouraging me to keep doing things, even though I felt the ideas were sub-par. Not to let it go completely, but to gently cultivate it even though there wasn’t much to cultivate.

It actually wasn’t until quite recently that things started to feel less forced and more like the way I remember them. I finally finished the sketchbook I started in January (I usually go through 2-3 big sketchbooks a year). I had been picking out sewing projects that inspired me and also were useful to fill gaps in my wardrobe. I gave myself “permission” to just create something if it caught my eye (and I had the time to do so). Even seemingly mundane, daily tasks like doing my hair or makeup I tried to view through the lens of being creative in a small way. Infusing that sense of wonder and excitement back into the littlest things was important.

[ click for a larger view. ]

I know many others go through dry periods too (whether or not you are “creative” in the art sense, or your talents lie in another area!). We all hit bumps in life that throw us a bit harder than we expected and sometimes it isn’t as easy as getting back up right away and dusting ourselves off. Sometimes you just need to lie still and heal a bit. I’ve come to realize that that’s okay and not to censure myself for feeling any less than 100% creative. But to enjoy and be thankful for it when it’s there.

Have you ever been through a “creative dry spell”?

~ Hooo boy, have I ever!  The reason I’m re-posting this post I found on Casey’s Elegant Musings is because I do find that I go through long creative ‘dry’ spells and it frustrates the heck out of me.  I hate it when you sit down with a pencil and paper and find that the ideas just won’t come…   You prod, you probe and you try desperately to seek out that elusive being known as “Inspiration” ~ but alas, if you push too hard it flies away faster than you can chase it and your left sitting in the dirt otherwise known as writer’s block (or artist’s blank). 

I have heard the theory that if you refuse to succumb to the dreaded block (in whatever form it may appear – sewers know it as ‘losing the sewing mojo’) and keep on pressing on, eventually you’ll get into the habit of just working through it and then it won’t bother you any more.  I’ve also heard that changing projects is a good idea as well.  This is the first time I’ve ever heard of someone saying “Just let it be.” 

To be sure, Casey isn’t saying to drop it altogether, but rather to gently work on what you can, and if you can’t do much, not to see it as the end of the world.  I really like this point of view.   ~ I’ve come to realize that that’s okay and not to censure myself for feeling any less than 100% creative. But to enjoy and be thankful for it when it’s there. ~  The main reason I like it so much is that I’m always beating myself up for not being 1oo% creative all the time!!  But just like I’m slowly accepting the fact that I am never going to be able to focus on just one particular medium to express my artistic creativity through, I guess I can learn to accept the fact that neither am I going to be able to burn the flame of inspiration all the time.

And this is why it is important to be connected into a community of like-minded people.  They can help you realize things that may take you years to learn on your own.

I can be a Michelangelo-type artist, but more importantly, I don’t have to be producing stuff all the time.  I can let the creative juices simmer away.  Maybe if I learn to let them rest I can create better end results with my projects!  In the mean time, I can not be afraid of producing mediocre works.  Somewhere along the line I have gotten the idea that each piece should be a master piece or it’s not worth it.  Rather, I think I want to start thinking of the average pieces as practising the lessons.   The results may not be the best, and I may never show them to anyone, I may even just screw them up and throw them out.  But at least it’s practise!

Thank you Casey for helping me work another knotty problem out.

xox,

b.

Bloglovin’ – your friendly blog management service

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1835011/depict-this?claim=x9q4bjc3j7r">Follow my blog with bloglovin</a>
Yeh, boring post, but I need it for the widget.
b.

It’s a Tartan Treat – Outfit 2

Sooo.  Blog spamming.  I’m sorry to all those out there (if anyone cares) but like all things new and shiny (for me anyway) I have a compulsive urge to play with it…   Hence the two-in-a-day posting.  My deepest apologies.  Although, to be frank, I am not altogether that sorry because I am still doing it anyway!

I was going to try and save some of the photos I’ve taken for a ‘rainy’ day, but I figure if I use them all up that will only encourage me to style more outfits (or to be more precise, take more photos of the outfits I’ve styled!).

Therefore, without further ado, etc, etc, I present to you Tartan Treats. 

            

                                         

 

                                     

 

 

 

 

 

                                                      

       

 

                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

Accessories ~ Red hair bow {Best&Less}                 Skirt ~ Thrifted 

                              Pocket watch {Hong Kong}             Stockings ~ Valley Girl         

Top ~ Purchased in Scotland                                        Shoes ~ New Look (UK)                           

Vest ~ SES                                     

                                                                                                 

Photos were taken by my darling sister again!

I wore this outfit to the movies when my DH and I went to see Prince of Persia; The Sands of Time at the cinema.   I was pleasantly surprised by this film – I wasn’t sure if it would be a fail.  I always get  bit scared picking the movie because I feel that if it sucks than I’m the one to blame because of my poor taste!  It doesn’t help that my taste in movies is at best, eclectic, and at worse, childish.

But this one was a success in my mind – we both enjoyed it, plus it was a pretty good flick on the whole.  A decent plotline, not too predictable, too full of  plot holes, or lazy (ie: tons of CG scenes.  Clash of the Titans much?) script writing.  

I won’t ruin it for those that haven’t seen it, but if you like a bit of a trill, feel good action movie with a touch of drama tossed in, I’d recommend this one.  For all the being based on a PC game stigma,  it was still good.  I’m going to add it to my collection when it comes out.

Adieu,

b.                                                                                                                       

First Fashion Outfit – Librarian Blues

Ok, I must admit that I quite nervous about posting this.  One, because if any of my friends and family see this, I will die of mortification.  Just die I tell you!

Two, because I’ve never done this before and let’s face it, like all mortals on this earth I’m afraid of looking silly.  There.  I said it.   I’m afraid of your opinion peoples!  So please be kind… And if not kind, at least constructive.   >.> 

*deep breath*  Here goes.  My first foray into the world of fashion blogging.  VINTAGE fashion blogging!

           

  

     

            

Accessories ~ Hair bow  { Target}    

                             Bracelet     {Diva}          

Top ~ Thrifted    

Skirt ~ Thrifted                                         

Shoes ~ Payless

Vest ~ Brought it in Scotland, at Debenhams (I think!)       

  Suspenders ~ JayJays (an Australian retailer)

 

 

 

 

 

 

And photos courtesy of my gorgeous little sister.  Love you Jay!

 

So I hope you like.   Don’t kill me if you don’t please!  

And for the record – yes, it is winter in Australia, and yes, it was cold outside when we took the photos.  

 

Bye for now,

b.

Hello to the Blogsphere! (And we start anew)

Okay, so I must admit I am a fairly old hand at this game.  I have had a blog since the 9th of March, 2005 (although the archives may lie; I still don’t know how I managed to repeat the same post three times or get it posted in 1990!  O.O  The web is apparently not infallible.)

But here’s the thing.  It’s time for a renovation.  It would appear that my lingering attraction for all things vintage and classic has blossomed into a full blown love affair.   My tendre  is inescapable.  So I have bowed to the inevitable.  (Don’t tell the DH* – he’ll get jealous.  ; P)

Please be patient, I will explain what this has got to do with my blog.  I promise. 
It all started with a little website called MLIA.  Don’t ask me how I started reading it, for I’m sure I cannot recollect.  The point is that I did.  Then, I saw this lovely (not flashy, over bright, or hideously intrusive), tasteful advertisement (I know, that phrase seems like an oxymoron, but it tisn’t apparently.  Yes, I am aware that I use parentheses too often.   I will try to cure myself of this habit.) for a online shop called ‘Addiction’ or, How-to-spend-all-of-your-wages-in-one-hit.   Otherwise known as Modcloth.  

Once I had perused and sighed over all the gorgeous items for sale, made my wish list, and filled up my shopping cart, I clicked on the blog link wondering what I might find.   Then of course, after back-reading all of the posts (I am obsessive to the point of compulsive when it comes to back-reading) , I found, after wading through quite a lot of stuff that wasn’t to taste (my taste naturally – probably it’s quite to yours!) an awesome and inspiring blog  - The Clothes Horse.

And that’s it.  I was hooked. Vintage!  But even better – vintage you can wear and other people out in the wide world web can appreciate!!   I love clothes, (And shoes.  And hats.   And handbags.  And gloves.  And well, you get the picture!) and I love creating exciting and different ensembles with whatever random articles happen to be in my wardrobe at the time.  To me it’s just another way of expressing my creativity and letting loose that artistic touch that bubbles over and affects everything that I do – a touch that sometimes it runs rampant: probably more often than I would care to admit! 

Naturally, one thing leads to another and before you know it I’ve succumbed to the lure of ‘fashion blogging’ or more precisely, ‘vintage fashion blogging’.  And now I want to embark on creating (or recreating) my blog as a hybrid studio-vintage blog – please note I do not say fashion blog.  There is a reason for this.  One, I don’t just want to limit myself to blogging about my outfits.  As much as I respect other bloggers for sticking to the one topic, I never really have been one for following the convention of having one and only one passion (see previous post – Sickness…) .  Let’s face it, I’d get far to bored!

Two, there’s something else ah cookin’ in the b. realm.  And that would be the seismic activity related to the latest launch of another series of ongoing projects in an entirely new genre.  (oh yes, DH, I do blame you!)  Sewing.  And not just any type of sewing.  VINTAGE sewing.  Yes.  The capitals are entirely necessary. 
All those cute dresses on Modcloth? I am now endeavouring to replicate their gorgeous garments and acquire the near-forgotten art of home haute couture.  There will be tears, tearing, and topstitching.   To say the least. 

But now before I bore you all to death, I just want to wrap this epically long post up.
So, Insanity has been renamed, reURLed, and revamped.  It only exists in the form of all the back posts I am leaving***.  Which is fine with me.  I want my preloved blog to turn into a reloved blog (just like a preloved dress gets reloved).  One, because I couldn’t even dream of deleting all that data (It’d be like burning a book and anyone who knows me would know that I would have be so close to dead before I’d do that; and if I had to I would cry.  Even over those random statistic books libraries always have.)**.  And two, because I will still continue to post posts along a similar vein as the previous posts, only now there will be even more topics to choose from and hopefully less boring “I’m bored/sick/stressed” posts.  

Old posts combined with new-old vintage, sewing and studio thoughts?

Ah, it is a whole new world…  

xox,

b.

*Dear Husband

**I will cure myself of parentheses.  One of these days!

*** Actually, as of the 01-11-2011 I've archived all those post as they are no longer even remotely relevant to Depict This!.

Obsession

It's not healthy. I know it's not, but I just can't help it!!

Like all arty-types (I'm sure I'm not alone in this) when I find something that particularly appeals to my imagination, I end up immersing myself in it to the point of obsession. As in I spend hours looking at it, reading it - googling it to find more... But this time - this one's going to be a lingering. I can just tell.

Ever had a moment when you've looked at something and realised that you like it so much that it is now going to be incorporated into your life? And even more, because of that something you are actually witnessing a life-style change?

Most of the time I think we don't really notice the changes in our life, our attitudes or mindset. Most of the time it's so subtle and I suppose that's why we look back on our lives and go "Gee, since when did I grow up?"

I find it interesting how we notice life moving on all around us, but seem to be completely oblivious to how much we are moving on too, even though we are always commenting on how time flies!

It's almost like everything in our world is constantly changing, yet we feel that we remain the constant. That is, until the moment when you wake up and wonder how it is you made it to the place you are at.

Monumental moments are the ones that you witness, but more than that, are aware of the changes those moments are instigating.

It is weird when they occur, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to experience such times. I guess it's all part of the catalyst of change.


b.

Appendix and Apples

Most of you are probably aware that three weeks ago I have had my 'angry' appendix chopped out (along with a boat-load of pain) and have spent the last while recovering. What has apples got to do with it? Nothing much. I just ate a lot of stewed apples as that was about all I could keep down.

Lovely eh?

b.

Sickness - so where's the health part???

Ugh. Another trip to the doctor's tomorrow. And that would make the third appointment this month alone. They keep giving me new pills to pop and stopping the old ones (but only 'coz I protested against continuing the medication which I am positive wasn't helping at all!) and generally being so helpful as to say "You can call for the results of your tests" only to for me to call them and find out that I've still got to got the doctor for the 'medical professional' to tell me that everything is negative! Grrrrrr......

Honestly, it's enough to make you sick! = p

In other news, my online studio, b.dot.depictions will be going live sometime soon I hope. I've designed my website, now I just have to get it on the web and working. Which, of course, is the hardest part of all! Making things look pretty is easy - I've been doing it all my life. It's the technical stuff that's got me stumped. I guess that's why God invented guys. So that they can do all the hard yards and leave the girls like me to make things beautiful. :3

The world of profession artists is apparently closer within my reach, yet still seems so far out of my grasp. For it almost seems impossible that someone like me should get paid to do something that I love. I mean, I know it happens. That's why there are even artists out there at all.

But somehow I can only imagine it happening to the 'suffering artist' who spends every waking moment on his art - who sweats and groans and labours over every detail....

Not me, who just goes - "OOOOOOOO! It's a shot!" *click* or spends less than a third of the year on her drawing because she has so many other interests..... I suppose by the time you add it all up, because I most definitely do do work on one of my projects each week, even if it's just a little bit - either writing, drawing or photography, (or even research through reading - which all writers are supposed to do; and I KNOW I've got that base well and truely covered!!) I do work all year round. Just not on one thing.

Which totally makes me feel like I'm not that dedicated or something, so therefore the hallowed halls of 'Professional' art is some how completely beyond me. But someone once told me that an artist can be a master of more than one medium - just look at Michelangelo - the great sculptor and artist - David and the Sistine Chapel anyone?

So I try to keep that in mind, and I try to keep up with my work. Because I do want to do it for more than just the title; I do it because I want to show a broken world that things can be healed, can be made whole - that life can be beautiful, but only through a relationship with the living God.

And somehow I think that art can express the beauty of a restored life. I hope to show that.

Maybe one day I will....

Until then,

b.

My life IS average after all!

Today my husband was working on his software that is due to launch in a week's time. He was really stressed out, so to help alleviate the pressure I decided to lay some bubble wrap down on the floor of the hallway leading to his office. My husband and my father-in-law both came out of the office laughing as they popped the bubbles beneath their feet. But I am sure they didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed hearing the bubble wrap burst as I worked in the other room. MLIA

My life isn't average.

My life isn't average. Not one bit. Not in the slightest; not even close.

And do you know what? ...................

I wish it was.

Why? You ask, and well that you may, because unless you have had the average privilege of perusing the website - www.mylifeisaverage.com/ you will not have the foggiest clue as to what on earth I might be going on about.

Not that mylifeisaverage is on earth - I reckon that all MLIAers (as they so call themselves) live on a whole other planet which I am not destined to see.

A planet where blanket forts are the primary choice of residence, where popping bubble wrap is not only an accepted form of entertainment, but besides light saber wars, nerf-gun wars and getting-kicked-out-of-Walmart, is also close to top of the list of things to do.

It is also a place where ninjas exist and unbeknown to the ninja themselves, they are a ninja. Also cool truck drivers who throw chocolate into your car, randoms send you free pizzas (where is mine for pete's squeaks??) and parents who don't go "Who?" when you talk about wanting to burn Miley Cyrus.... Mind you, that's never happened to me because I've never talked about wanting to do that, but it totally would if I did!

And as a random side track - it's not so much Miley Cyrus I want to burn, just stupid people who want to be like her. I mean duh; she may be talented, (more like they just want to be loaded anyways) but I hardly think that a young teenage girl is really the best person to be a role model. After all, she's just going to do all the things every other popular child star has ever done - try to appeal to an adult audience by pushing the boundaries and ruining her life to boot!

But yeh, rant over.

So I keep on trying to think of ways that mylifeisaverage, and I have come to the conclusion that it really isn't average, instead it is meh.

For there are no ninjas, or light sabers *tear*, crazy background music at appropriate times, random text messages that are fun/awkward, or even sing-a-longs were everyone knows the words to the Disney songs and joins in.

So what does a meh life look like? Busy. Busybusybusybusybusybusybusybusy! The only relief for such a meh life is reading (MLIA, and good books, but NOT Harry Potter, for that is the one thing on MLIA that I think sucks), writing cool stories, drawing pictures and basically living in your imagination coz that's the only anti-meh antidote that I've found so far!

Yayz for imaginationz!

Seriously, sometimes it is the only way to cope. More to the point, you can drift away on a winged-fae flight without loosing out on doing the chores (bleeech - but we all know that they've got to be done.) because your hands can work while your mind is dreaming. Great if your work is repetitive, mindless tasks like I do. And even more fantastic is that you can take it anywhere. Imagination draws so much out of you, but it's funny, because as it does it kind of draws you away from everything else too.

It's like a sweet scent beckoning on the breeze, elusive, distant and if you try too hard to find it, it vanishes.

Or you could liken it to a filmy mist shrouding visions of far remote horizons; visions of dusky velvet mountains dim, of golden sunlight softly falling, of brooding pines capped by threatening storm clouds - of glistening snow, drifting petals, or lustrous starlight.

If you just have the chance - just one chance to brush aside the mist like sweeping away a curtain of woven cobweb, you can gaze into fancy, the very depths of the well of your mind combined with something greater than the sum of us all.

That greater - the Master Creator, has touched us all with the ability to see things beyond our world, but I think some people kill it before it has a chance to grow, and sometimes it grows in ways that we don't recognize.

Anyways, that was a rather long post from me and it is definitely time for me to slip off to dream-land in a vassal of cotton-wool christened Bed.

'Night one and all - have a pleasant slumber.

b.

Vote: average - 6793 meh - 12,934,054,564

Adventures

A tingling sub-current of expectancy is running rife through my bones at the moment.... I think it's the Scottish gypsy ancestry; for as soon as I start thinking of the delightful "flashes" of treasures to be discovered by ways of scenery, old buildings, or atmospheres I positively itch to meander (not run, because you miss so much if you go too fast) down that tarred, twisting road to find adventure over the horizon.

'Explore' is such an interesting word - and my, how sweetly does it roll off the tongue! Lucky me gets to go off and explore over the Easter long weekend with my darling husband and awesome life-time friends.

We are road-tripping down to Bright, Victoria - it sounds like a fascinating place. At the moment I'm alternating between images of a paddock scattered with cows (lol, that sounds like they rained down from the sky and are stuck head-first in the ground! :p ) and beautiful deciduous trees losing their golden, fire-red, burnish orange and canary-yellow leaves over the tuft-y, lush green grass.

But as that image is actually part of a memory of when my whole family went camping in autumn, just over the boarder in Victoria, in yes, some random paddock - and as I know for a fact we are going to be in a very busy, very FULL camping ground; I am also imaging a Merry Beach type scene, with tents and facilities and people everywhere crossed with a 'Stump (Black Stump for those not in the know) scene which is wet tents, wellies (gumboots - sorry, Scots vernacular creeping in again) and rain, rain, rain!

Well, I am hoping for sunny days, but not necessarily warm nights, gorgeous greenery, (as having visited Victoria before the summer, I know it is a particularly lush state compared to NSW/ACT) and intriguing Scotland-like scenery that makes me completely homesick.

But over all, I think it's just going to be fun; things to see aside, I just enjoy road trips and good times, I mean, who doesn't? So 'well cool'-ness expectancy factor mounting... w00t!

Off gallivanting, b.

Milestone

Another milestone has come and gone - I've offically sold my first car.... Captain BoB J. Biggles is a dependable Ford Laser KA, (1981) one year off becoming a classic. He has been through thick and thin, rain and heat, late nights and early mornings. BoB has always had the heart of a V8; even if he never quite got there in terms of preformance stakes!!

So he'll be off to another happy home where he'll be equally loved and cursed by his new owner (more loved than cursed as it has been in the past too, I'm sure).

*sigh* I've had that car for six years - that's a long time! He's been with me close the entirety of university degree, but like all seasons in life, this too shall pass.

Adeiu Bob - you will always be the first!

b.

Crazy L-l-l-lifeeee

I'm munching on chocolate tiny teddies (the ONLY kind to eat - despite what others may say ;p ) and drinking ginger beer and just thinking that if life doesn't settle down soon I'm going to be grey before I'm thirty. Except that you wouldn't be able to tell because I color my hair - but I would feel it - FEEL IT I TELL YOU!!!

So why am I so eh atm? Methinks it be all the constant work - plus, no matter how hard I try I can't seem to get enough sleep at certain times so that makes it difficult too. Grr.... Stupid life - how did I ever complain of boredom? I have soooo much to do that I don't really want too, and even more to do that I do!

Right now I can think of at least two art projects demanding my attention: Gamenian and some photographs to crop, plus I have one horse that has two competitions coming up (eeeee!) - we are launching into our first rounds of competitive dressage and showjumping, starting at EA Preparatory 1 and 30cm max. height respectively. Which is absolutely nothing in horse competition terms, but as it is both our first time doing this, (that and the fact that the last time I took him out amongst other horses he thought he was back on the track and went psycho... As you do.) I think that it's more than enough for us to handle.

Which is all well a good, but I also have a lot of work just in general on top of that - plus BlueWren (my husband's program he is developing) is in final stages - only two months and like, a week approximately until the second launch to gather the client base, so that is HI-UGE and needs a lot of combined work.

*stresses*

Distractedly yours, b.

New Year *gasp*

So Christmas came and went, and with it the brand-spanking-new year (yay) but not before I *deep breath*

......had-uni-assignments-had-last-day-of-uni-had-holiday-got-a-new-job-got-engaged-went-to-coast-decided-to-get-married-planned-my-wedding-in-ten-days-got-married-in-Jervis-Bay-on-Hyams-Beach-flew-to-Western-Australia-for-the-honeymoon-drove-six-hours-to-Horrocks-from-Perth-got-really-sick-as-in-shaking-like-a-drug-addict-going-through-withdrawals-sick-with-a-fever-that-had-me-burning-hotter-than-the-Western-Australia-sun-drove-back-six-hours-from-Horrocks-flew-back-home-moved-in-with-the-in-laws-as-we-had-no-place-arranged-to-live-yet-started-back-at-work-graduated-YES-GRADUATED-had-Christmas-had-New-Year-got-sick-some-more-as-the-symptoms-kept-returning-was-insanely-tired-and-stressed-out..... AND THAT'S WHY I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN THIS BLOG FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS!!!

Don't you just love life???

Anyways, that's been me for that while. I'm currently enjoying married life ('tis ssoooo much fun!)-

and getting into photography. Please enjoy the sample from the trip to WA.

*waves* Byes for nows! b.

Where for art thou, o motivation??

Yeh, so I guess the title says it all, I'm really struggling to find the motivation to finish the last of my uni assignments. It doesn't help when your gorgeous sisters are sick and miserable, so they decide to pass the misery around because we all know that misery loves company!

It's some sort of fever/flue/bug thing and I 'ates it.... :P

In other news; it takes a lot more work to plan a wedding than I ever really thought about.... Yup, you'll never believe it but because Facebook says so - "It must be true!" (yuh-huh, sure...) someone who actually popped up in this blog at one point popped the question. And now that the FB status is finally changed (from 'single' to 'engaged' no less) I can finally blog about it. No, I'm not going to tell you who it is - if you really want to know you might be able to guess, but it'll take a bit of back-reading!

So anyways, joke of the century, but somehow I'm learning to be domestic! *gaspshockhorror* It's really quite laughable, but at least once I put my mind to it I don't seem to be doing all that badly(So far..... But there is one incident that has been struck from the record book and will never be mentioned on pain of death!!!).

Funnily enough, it's the after wedding stuff which is occupying my mind rather than the actual wedding plans. After all, it's not the day that makes the marriage, it's the years that follow. I'd rather just rock up and get married than do all the fuss, but you know I do have to make some decisions.

My Dad is already over the 'wedding chatter' as he dubs it - but I hate to tell you, it's going to be occurring for a lot longer yet(okay - five months, one week and a half - yes, I'm counting - have too to get everything done!)...

No wonder I can't concentrate on uni though!!

Social commentary time - (I get so bored writing about life, sometimes it's so much more amusing to ramble about the world instead).

It's strange to me how brides will spend thousands and thousands, hours and hours and hours on the wedding, yet never seem to have a thought in their head about what they are going to do with their life after the 'big event' (and I don't mean the honeymoon part either....!)

So much more is required than making the day perfect. It's one day. You have at least 18,250 days after that which are far more important to make perfect. Especially if you actually want to make it to your 50th wedding anniversary!

I suppose it's not like the brides don't think about all of that, but it seems to me that too much emphasis and way too much importance is put on the day rather than the rest of them. And, sure there are always exceptions, and I'm not saying that there aren't. I'm just talking generally here.

My little rant is over - I've officially had my say, and like usual, probably said too much! ; )

In other pointless news and ranting, isn't interesting how the weather has been crazy-phsyco (and apparently I can't spell phsyco.) lately? What is with that btw?? I mean seriously, it is totally annoying how we've been going from mid-winter and I'm back in four layers of winter clothing to 27 degrees of mid-summer in a week!! Well, if that's not global warming I don't know what is... We are all going to die peoples! Die I tell yoooouu!

But anywho.

b. out. It's dinner time.

Wowee...

Can your whole life change and spin in the space of a few weeks? Apparently!

Not only am I graduating in five weeks time - four if you count this week as almost over - but when unexpected surprises drop out of the sky a lot can happen!

I can't believe after five years of long hard slog the journey of the university degree is almost complete. Looking back it's really been a unremarkable trip by all accounts - I haven't had amazing grades, but nor have they been that bad. I've had some good laughs (and some good commiserations over assignments!) with class mates, but not that much to tell of. Most of the exciting stuff has happened outside of uni life really, like going overseas and meeting new people and all the fun times and good banter that happens with friends.

But I do think that asides from the obvious usefulness of the A4 square of paper and curly writing which proclaims me to have a BA Degree in Journalism, the way you learn to absorb and sort information; to classify and retain facts; to investigate and research the material in front of you is rather a life-long skill.

It's not so much the actual words from textbooks and lectures that stick in your head (as anyone who asks me about anything I learnt last semester and receives a blank stare will testify to!) but rather the impression of ideas and theories... Shadow memories that shape your world view and how you construct your own thoughts.

It's rather like the exercises of university (assignments, exams and tutorials included) create a conduit for you to pour ideas through, and like a sieve, then sifts out the ones that don't suit.

Not all ideas are helpful, nor are all ideas useful. I think half the problem with uni thinking is that if there is an idea that is widely supported it must be good, if not useful. I don't agree with this, and I think that a lot of the ideas floating around a campus are definitely not good!

University students are taught to question, to be sure, but there is also an attitude that you only question so far, because clearly your lecturers know what that it is right as they have already been through the 'sifting' process and you just take their words for it.

This is another attitude I'm not keen on, but as a general rule I think at least graduates can use their critical thinking. Too bad they don't apply that to everything rather than just the popular ideas that everyone loves to criticize. But woe to the person who dares to stand up and criticize the accepted view....

It's just another subtle version of group thinking. They pride themselves on being individuals and having their own minds, but I wonder if they really have any idea what it means to be different?

Anyways, that's just my little rant on uni life. I can hardly believe it, but truly enough it will soon be another world past to me.


............................ Awesome.


Saynara,

b.

ALMOST THERE

Okay - nine weeks, four assignments, three in class exams and I'm done. Done, dusted and so completely finished with uni. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

Um. Other then that, not much else. I'm trying to think of an interesting blog topic, but it's not really coming to me. Oh! Did you know that Clint Eastwood was allergic to horses? Go figure!

b.

b. answers more random questions.

O__O Yeh. I'm tired. w00t for because-I-can-randomness.

1. What is your favourite wooden object?
My paintbrushes.

2. What’s the topmost object in the garbage bin nearest to you?
A sushi take-away container. Lunch today - yummy!

3. What is your favourite coloured highlighter?
Black. As in permanent-marker-black. I don't do highlighters.

4. If you could, what name would you choose for the firstborn of the person who made your life hell in primary school?
Well, even if I could, I can't. Another advantage to being home schooled - no bullies! :D

5. What kind of boat would you like to be?
A clipper - one of the fastest ships to sail the wide, wide ocean blue. None of this modern, falling apart trash for me thank you very much.

6. What is your favourite fungus?
Oyster mushrooms - or button. Mmm. Mushrooms...

7. What colour would you paint your dream house?
Technically, I wouldn't paint it. I'd render it. And probably a nice earthy red or something. I want it to be oriental styled, so it'd have black trim everywhere.

8. What is your least favourite beverage?
Orange Fanta. Never did like orange flavoured anything really!

9. What’s the best way to eat chicken?
In an invisible noodle soup.

10. Name something you wouldn’t mind being trapped inside.
A library. I would spend the whole time reading! Or a hot, hot car. I'd spend the whole time driving. Sweeet.

11. What’s something you could teach another person?
Mmm, I think there are a lot of things I could show another person, but something I think I can teach is horse riding. And anything connected to horses.

12. What’s the best thing you’ve ever put on your head?
Wow, I really can't think of anything. Maybe my trilby because I get so many compliments (from random strangers too!) on it.

13. What life form would you eradicate from the earth, if you had the power?
The red tide. Toxic algae like that doesn't deserve to exist. And if you are going to argue over the definition of 'life form' - algae counts. A life form is any living system (such as animal, plant, fungus, or micro-organisim), therefore algae is a life form.

14. What’s the oldest thing you own?
My Great-grandmother's engagement ring.

15. What was your most recent reason for travelling more than 50km from your home?
Youth leadership planning meeting. YAY!

16. What was the last thing you cut?
A stamp out of an envelope.

17. Where did you like to play as a child?
Outside! Preferably up a really tall tree.

18. Do you have anything sentimental in your wallet?
Not really - a small snap of my besties. (EmJ and Hans, love ya lots. :D)

19. What’s the best thing with a battery?
A CAR!

20. What was the best thing you ever lost?
The best thing? My way. Because it is only through loosing your way and leaving self behind you that you can find true life.

Eh. Sorry - mini philosophical rant. But hey, the question asked for it! So; random much? Yes, but like always, great for distracting yourself from actually doing any work. Yay Facebook!

b. xXx

Murphette's Laws for the Ladies

I was just randomly walking along and "whoosh!" this gust of wind blows my hair and it gets stuck all over my lip gloss. World shattering? I think not. But it did get me thinking about all the things that are just bound to happen when you are a chick - whether you like it or not.

It's the female version of Murphy's laws I swear, and in all probability ever female on the planet has fallen victim to these laws at least once in her life... So these are the things that I think happen to every lady. Brandish those neatly manicured hands together ladies - we need to stick together against the fates.


1. Put on a fresh coat of lipstick or gloss and a gust of wind will blow your hair and it will get stuck to your lips. Or it'll be a fine coat of dust, or grit - anything that spoils the gloss.

2. The day you wear your cutest, hottest outfit you will NOT meet the guy of your dreams. Guaranteed the one day out of 365 days of the year that you wear your trackies/bag lady outfit he'll come along. And you'll kick yourself for days afterwards.

3. Speaking of guys, you will never have a deep and meaningful conversation with any guy when you look good - oh no. It'll be right after you've spent the day running around, or when you've been drenched in the rain (but not in the good way). You'll be really pleased with how everything went, and then you'll walk into the bathroom and freak.

4. If you don't buy that cute bag/dress/pair of shoes when you see them, they will sell out and you'll kick yourself.

5. After getting your hair styled and set you will never be able to create that exact cute look that your hairdresser assured you would be easy as; leaving your head looking like something the cat coughed up until the cut grows out.

6. The one time you desperately need a guy around to help you carry that heavy bag/tyre/bookcase there won't be one to be found.

7. The one time you sincerely wish all guys would disappear forever due to the fact that you are sick to death of them, they will be everywhere for the taking but you won't want them....

8. You will always ladder your new pair of nylons, but the ones with the massive holes in the them will remain annoyingly intact.

9. You will get ice/chocolate/crumbs down the front of your top at the most inconvenient times - ie, in front of the boy.

10. That embarrassing story/photo will come out when you least expect it...

11. You will spend ages on a manicure but you are guaranteed to either break a nail/chip your polish the very next day.

12. Bra straps break at the worst possible moment.

And finally 13. No matter where you are - us ladies always stick together against the greater enemy - Murphette's laws!

That's all I can think of at the moment, although I am sure there are more.

Ciao girls, b. x