show me the light

it had been five months since any outing (with the exception of a couple of medical appointments i only just made it to).  and i could feel my soul withering with every extra day that passed.  i felt that if i didn't escape the house something inside me was going to die...and so i escaped.  and payed for it - bigtime.  but at least i got to see this magical sight, the amazing light thrown by approaching dark stormy skies on a river still as glass.  

'when you perceive that an act done to another is done to yourself, you have understood the great truth.'

— lao tzu

kia kaha christchurch - one year on

wooden ornament in the shape of the iconic stained glass 'rose window' of the cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

 

the real 'rose window' of christchurch cathedral - before the quake

ceramic dish from mudbird's 'emerge' range (with some pieces from my favourite christchurch jeweler, darrell of jakana jewellry)

today marks the one year anniversary of the deadly and devastating christchurch february 22nd earthquake.  my heart is still so much with the people of this beautiful city who continue to endure constant aftershocks (10 000 and counting, i believe) as well as all the layers of uncertainty, grief and trauma.  i have been spending time this morning remembering all that was lost, but also celebrating what remains - including the wonderful creative spirit that has always been so evident.  above are a couple of my favourite handmade things that have come from the dust (literally, in one case - mudbird's 'emerge' range contains liquefaction silt.  ingenious.)

thankyou, thankyou, thankyou to 'that vintage'

a package full of handmade gorgeousness turned up in my mailbox today - a prize won by my friend marzi and very generously donated to lucky moi.  

the giveaway was from a lovely lady named sophie hill, the talented tasmanian behind  'that vintage'.  i'd long admired her work, especially the whimsical and delicate designs.  however i knew the lighter versions wouldn't work with my colouring ... and so i resisted temptation.  then i saw a photo on her facebook page which not only had a  darker pair of earrings with a pattern named 'monarch' (which reminds me of damask) but also a fantastic fabric-wrapped bangle.  the caption:  'you want?'  my answer:  'yes, yes, yes!'

i so wish that i could find a way to share the scent i am breathing in right now as well as the wonderful packaging and presentation.    the fragrance is absolutely divine - as soon as i opened the packets it hit me.   (after a little investigation i think it's actually the huon pine in the middle of the bangle rather than the tasmanian myrtle of the earrings as i had assumed).  a very unexpected added pleasure.

so, a huge thankyou to both sophie and marzi for sharing the love and brightening my day - these beautiful pieces of jewelry will always be extra special because of the way in which they came to be mine.  

things can only get better!

this is the first crafty adventure i have had in a long long time - and i figure that things really can only get better!  let's just call it 'organic', shall we?

i'm quite a fan of these tree pendants (well, anything tree-ish for that matter), and had some jewelry-making supplies lurking in a cupboard that hadn't been put to use properly yet.  it seemed a good project to try and ease me back into the creative realm...something that looked a little forgiving, not too complicated and that i could do sitting in bed.  the best tutorial i found was by camille sharon -  she's an engaging, fun and natural teacher.  

i decided to start out with torched copper wire - the torching gives a 'rainbow' sort of effect - simply because it is much cheaper than silver alternatives.  (put it this way:  i anticipated some failures.)   the amethyst chips used came from a bracelet a friend gave me which fell apart a few years ago now.   i'm going send her the reincarnated version - figuring it will at least give her a laugh.  

please read

a post from my other blog about something very important...please take a few minutes to read.

http://onelifeintheshadows.blogspot.com/2011/12/desperately-in-need-of-christmas.html

belles fleurs - the abstract series

belles fleurs

one of the great pleasures in life:  unexpected floral deliveries from very special friends.  (another pleasure:  photographing the flowers to enjoy long after they have gone).

my favourite (eco-friendly) things

my quest to find natural products that actually work has been a long and winding road.  at times it seemed impossible to find things that matched both those criteria, and i wondered if anything even existed 'out there'.   having, eventually, discovered these (now) favourite products, they seem worth sharing - hopefully it might save someone else a bit of time and money along the way.

(clockwise from the back)

giovanni hair products - my favourites are the shampoo and leave-in conditioner from the 'smooth as silk' range.  in the past i've bought these from healthfood stores or biome, however i've recently discovered i can get them for a third of that price at the place i buy my supplements from in the US.  and that makes them incredibly affordable.  

hemp organics lipsticks and lip tints - also available from some healthfood stores, and i am sure online.  i can hardly remember the last time i wore lipstick but it's nice to have one there 'in case'.  the liptints are lovely textures and i have a couple of colours i particularly like.

sante eyeliner - again from biome, although i have had my sister act as personal courier and bring some me straight from germany when she comes home to visit.  (i have tried some of their other products too but was slightly put off when i realised they included ingredients that aren't regarded are truly 'natural')

honeybee gardens 'truly natural mascara' - granted, it's not waterproof, however it's the only natural one i've tried that doesn't clump and i will happily buy again and again.  you can purchase this through their australian online site although, again, it is far cheaper to buy via the US (well, as long as our dollar remains strong anyway).

pure cosmetics mineral foundation - this was the product that caused me the most angst along the way.  all the mineral foundations i tried seemed to cake and look heavy and fake, as well as being incredibly expensive.  i happened upon this one on ebay in a last ditch effort one day.  as well as having what i consider to be the best finish also comes in the most amazing range of colours i've come across.  and - even better - it is an absolute bargain compared to most other mineral foundations.   there are usually samples available so that you can make sure you have the right colour and try before you buy.  refills are available at cheaper rates and they're always happy to put up a custom listing for you if you send them a message.  (the pure cosmetics store carries a huge range of eyeshadows, blushers etc too for those who might be interested)

little lost mushroom

determinedly pushing his way toward the sun from between pieces of timber pathway, catching the light as the day faded away.

press rewind (again) - january 2011

it's been so long since i've posted that blogging feels like a lost art.  i've known there were things that i'd photographed and planned to share, but just haven't had the energy or cognition required to actually assemble anything.  i'm taking a bit of time to myself at the moment though (away from a certain 'evil' social networking site) and hoping this will give me some space to finally catch up on things.

firstly to my cockatoo friends:  at the beginning of the year (just before the floods) - and then again a month or two ago - a couple of these pretty magnificent birds suddenly started visiting.  they are absolutely gorgeous to watch...slightly less gorgeous to watch eating the new railings on the verandah!   

(i wish that my photographs of taking flight did them justice, but can't resist including those to show the incredible wingspan and action - just amazing) 

sunshine on a cloudy day

this is the only vaguely crafty thing i've been up to doing for months now:  suncatchers for some of my family in christchurch.   

 they have had a horrendous six months since the february 22 earthquake which claimed 181 lives:  the CBD remains closed, there have been thousands of aftershocks to contend with, some people are still without functioning sewerage to their houses, so many are traumatised and living with constant anxiety.  roads remain damaged.  'liquefaction', has gone from a foreign word to one every child seems to know.   even though i follow what is happening in 'my' beloved city i find it hard to comprehend what the daily reality must be like.

i wanted to send something (anything) that might bring the tiniest bit of sunshine into their lives, and to let them know that they are never far from my thoughts.

kia kaha chirstchurch.  stay strong.  

art4xmrv

amberlin wu's 'night trees', matt claghorn's 'transparent' and amberlin wu's 'skating into the night'

daniela martins 'hope', and amanda watson-will's 'hope (diptych)'

(and a few of my contributions)

quite a while ago now i promised a little more information about an initiative my friend lee lee developed to raise money for the whittemore peterson institute and research into XMRV (a possible cause of ME/CFS).   above are just a few examples of the artwork which you can buy here.  i've placed a few orders for cards now, and been really impressed with both the quality of printing and the speed of service.  it's such a fantastic way to support research while enjoying the diverse range of talents in the patient community.

my heart belongs to christchurch

...and after the floods came the earthquakes that brought beautiful christchurch to her knees.  words never come close to describing the place this city holds in my soul, so here is a little tribute in photos instead.  

(much of iconic christchurch cathedral - the heart of the city in more than one sense - now lies in piles of rubble.  this is how i want to remember it.)

wise words

'your vision will only become clear when you look into your heart.

who looks outside, dreams.  who looks inside, awakens.'

-carl gustav jung

wise words

'usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. if it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. if it is not, we say it is incorrect. in either case, we learn nothing.'

- thich nhat hanh

a change of scenery

is a change really as good as a holiday? i can tell you i've been having my doubts about that one...fun to have a new view to play with though.

wise words

'people are like stained-glass windows. they sparkle and shine when the sun is out,

but when the
darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.'


-elisabeth kübler-ross

long time no blog

most of you know why it's been a while since i posted anything here, but for those of you who don't, a few weeks ago now we had a pretty terrifying flood here in brisbane...the flood that 'wasn't supposed to happen' due to our white knight of a dam - wivenhoe - built after the legendary flood of '74. in the weeks and days prior to january 13 a series of tragic weather events began unfolding over the state (and in the weeks since, around the country) which culminated in the brisbane river breaching her banks and many thousands of homes being damaged or destroyed.

the lead-up to the time of the predicted peak was at once full of anxiety and full of absolutely beautiful gestures of friendship and support from all directions. people arrived to help us move the contents of the bottom storey of the house up a level...wonderful wonderful people. others offered refuge if we needed to retreat to higher ground. the phone rang so constantly for days with offers of help and queries from concerned friends all around the world. that part of this whole saga was incredibly precious.

how thankful i felt on the morning of reckoning as i woke to find the water had not reached the peak expected (approaching the bottom of our house) and we were still safe and dry. it was a bittersweet feeling though, knowing that even a couple of doors away houses had been swamped by the floodwaters. and knowing that so many people around the city were waking (if they had slept at all) to a very very different life and an overwhelming sense of shock and loss.

these photos were taken at dawn shortly after the predicted peak time, looking in opposite directions from the threeway junction that our road forms with another at the closest corner. below the water in the first photo you would normally find a street leading down to some sports fields and a park...all under water, along with parts of a few houses and a car - literally water as far as the eye could see from about a quarter of the way down the road. and in the other direction less water, but also a car under and damage to some houses.
(the third photo is available for purchase as a card - and other similar things - as part of a project i'll tell you more about very soon. if you can't wait until then, it can be found here)

i've run out of steam (am still very much recovering from it all) but there's more i want to share when i can about some wonderful things that have been going on amidst all of this. a bit to catch up on...