Beautiful and inspiring words about trusting, respecting and valuing our children as individuals.
You Can't Be That
I told them
When I grow up
I'm not going to be a scientist
Or someone who reads the news on TV
No, a million birds will fly through me.
I AM GOING TO BE A TREE!
They said,
You can't be that. No, you can't be that.
I told them
When I grow up
I'm not going to be an airline pilot,
A dancer, a lawyer or an MC.
No, huge whales will swim in me.
I AM GOING TO BE AN OCEAN!
They said,
You can't be that. No, you can't be that.
I told them:
I am not going to be a DJ,
A computer programmer, a musician or a beautician.
No, streams will flow through me, I'll be the home of the eagles;
I'll be full of nooks, crannies, valleys and fountains.
I AM GOING TO BE A RANGE OF MOUNTAINS!
They said,
You can't be that. No, you can't be that.
I asked them:
Just what do you think I am?
Just a child, they said,
And children always become
At least one of the things
We want them to be.
They do not understand me.
I'll be a stable if I want, smelling of fresh hay,
I'll be a lost glade in which unicorns still play.
They do not realise I can fulfil any ambition.
They do not realise that among them
walks a magician.
by Brian Patten
You Can't Be That
Blog Labels
A question for all you bloggers. What do you do when you want to create new labels that would apply to lots of old posts? I was thinking when I wrote my last post that I should have "etsy" as one of my labels because I often post about etsy finds. Do I just apply the label to relevant posts from now on, or should I go back through all my previous posts and add the label? That sounds like such a chore and a bore! What do you do?
OK, so I'm just about to post this and realise that I don't have an appropriate label! Maybe "help me" might be a good one...
Suhweeeet!
Roxy was given this sweet print for her birthday recently. It's so divine and looks perfect in her room in a white frame. She says it's a picture of her (the smallest one) and her friends Lili and Maddie.
It was bought from etsy seller Studio Mela. When I took a look at her shop I found these other lovely things. The spoons print is called "I love your spoons". And I do.
Inspiration: Sharyn Cairns
I'm a bit slow off the mark with blogging today... it was my daughter's first day at 'big school'. I'm way behind after spending a while at school then going off with some other parents for brunch.
So I'm taking the easy way out by sharing some absolutely gorgeous photos, with minimal input from me. The stunning images below are the work of Australian photographer Sharyn Cairns. Aren't they just so beautifully lit, styled and shot? I recognise most of them from Inside Out, one of my fave interiors magazines.
Monday BlogDay
Monday again already?! I hope you had a great weekend.
I'm very excited to share one of my fave blogs this morning: Print & Pattern... although it's so popular you probably are already a fan yourself. If you don't know it read on, you're sure to love it too.
Print & Pattern is a must on my daily blog rounds. It is a celebration of surface design - as applied to everything from cards and wrapping paper to fabrics, wallpaper, homewares, and anything else you can think of. The enigmatic blog author Bowie Style creates numerous long image-heavy posts each day, so there's lots of fabulous eye candy. Bowie Style's profile page has had nearly 53,000 views(!) - a testament to the popularity of her blog, and also perhaps to the intrigue around her name.
Here are just a few images that show the diversity of work that's showcased on Print & Pattern.
All images via Print & PatternI *Heart* Fridays: I *Heart* Irene Suchoki's Photography
Irene creates little poems for the eyes through her explorations of the etheral, the surreal, the whimsical, the mysterious, and the beautiful. (Text from Irene's website)
Above you can see the two large botanical photos by Irene on top of my office bookshelf. I blogged about my office storage here. The Bird in The Hand photo is from Radel Shanks (another etsy purchase). The underwater photo is by Paola Talbot, and there's no mistaking Elizabeth Soule's Deer and Cupcake.
When Irene offered a discount for decor8 readers last year I just had to buy these two lovelies:
All the prints I have are on this amazing metallic photographic paper. It really gives the images an extra something and I never tire of gazing at them.
Below is a new image from Irene. I really *heart* the bold colours which are seemingly out of character... but they still work so well with Irene's style. Love it!
Here is Irene's website, her online shop and her etsy shop. Oh, and her blog too.
Happy Friday!
Am I totally Mad?!
OK, so I think I may have finally lost it. I actually saved this piece of paper towel I used to drain some washed strawberries on. I just really loved the shapes, texture and watercolour effect. I know I always go on about seeing beauty in the little things, the everyday things... but am I mad? Am I the only one who does things like this?
Shadows
If you're a regular reader of my blog you'll know that I am more than slightly obsessed with shadows.
These are the beautiful shadows that are created when the westerly afternoon sun shines in Roxy's bedroom window.
When I took that photo yesterday it reminded me of the amazing work of artist Mary Temple. I came across Mary's work somewhere recently and I can't remember the source to credit it. Incredibly the shadows are all painted on the walls and floors. What a great concept! I love the idea that something as fleeting as a shadow becomes a permanent artwork.
Image Source: Mary Templea nice little surprise
I bought the new issue of real living magazine yesterday and was very pleasantly surprised to see my Wood You Believe! artwork featured.
If you click on the image it will be enlarged enough to read the text.Read more...
Inspiration: Helen Musselwhite
These beautiful multi-layered fairytale images are made from handcut, scored and folded paper. See more of Helen's work on her website.
100 Craft Tutorials
Image Source: The Long ThreadThe Long Thread has assembled a list of the Top 100 Craft Tutorials of 2008. It's a fantastic resource if you're looking for a project. Read more...
Come in!
This photo is taken from our front door. I have just updated the hallway with some recent market finds. The circular wall shelf is in immaculate original condition and a bargain at $40. The 1940's cupboard is meant to be a bedside table I think, but it fits perfectly in this little space. It was also $40. They go well together don't you think? Sitting on the cupboard are my 2 vintage white and egg yolk yellow vases from ebay and a Betsy Walton 'Two Teas' limited edition print which I love. On the second shelf is part of my vintage egg cup collection.
I'm still mucking around with exactly what I want to put on the wall shelves. But for now the pieces include a vintage log vase from an op shop, a vintage deer wall vase from ebay and a ceramic vessel by Beth Meulla. The leaf shaped plate and little bowl are from Japan, as are the stunning aqua and olive bowls. The two larger bowls are from Meister, a fab interiors shop in Tokyo. I love their shape, the colours and simple linework designs.
Read more...
It's a bit late for Christmas cards
The Year of The Ox image on my cards is illustrated in thestyle of the ancient art of Chinese papercuts.
I just didn't get around to making Christmas cards last year, so I am sending out Chinese New Year cards instead. That bought me an extra month of time and life has slowed down to return to it's normal hectic pace, giving me the time and energy to do something about it.
I recently bought a brand new Gooco on ebay for a fantastic price. My purchase included the B6 Gocco, and a Gocoo for stamping onto cloth, as well as lots of inks, screens and bulbs, and a whole heap on non-Gocco related art supplies. I had been looking around for a while so I'm thrilled to have got this great deal. Unfortunately due to discontinuation of Gocco and increased demand the price of Gocco supplies seems to be increasing.
I used my new Gocco to print my CNY cards yesterday and I LOVE it! The result I got wasn't a solid colour, but I like the effect and think it suits the image. I can't wait to go Gocco-ing again. Do you have any Gocco tips, or Gocco related links to share? Leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you.
Lanterns in the city trees.
Happy Australia Day
We're off to a BBQ now... what better thing to do on our national day of celebration?
Monday BlogDay
First up for blog love today is emma's designblogg Design and Style From a Scandinavian Perspective. Fabulous eye candy: design, interiors, stylists, photographers and more. Just gorgeous.
And another favourite of mine is my folk lover - the blog of Australian artist/illustrator Catherine Campbell. Catherine blogs about her own work as well as the work of artists she admires. Her beautiful illustrations are high on my ever-growing etsy wish list. See Catherine's etsy shop here. I'll definitely be framing the illustration she contributed to the frankie calendar.
