Hints of spring!

My wine gum bush buds fragrant at the very end of winter. When the August winds rush in to whip up sickness + hurry it on - a cleansing for spring!
I know the scent is rich + strong because it breaks through my congestion as I pass by, with a sweet lolly-like aroma.
Somehow this scent, and the August wind it is carried upon, whisper to me of spring. And so, together with an always-inquisitive 3yr old, we go searching for signs...not many yet in these particularly dry warm days, but if you look carefully they are there....

With these hints of spring, at WEAVE+WONDER, we've begun planning for our holiday workshops! Springtime fun will be awash with colour + creativity and so look out for our newsletter in the coming week advertising what+where we will be running our holiday classes!

Also these holidays, we have received such a positive response to our term-time fashion design series for the older age group, we hope to run another over a few days in the holidays, for those who were unable to make the term time series. We will keep you posted about dates + details!

Oh, and I almost forgot, the Oxford st festival on Sunday was magic for the foodies & ekka enthusiasts among us! There wasn't much purchasing of handmade goodies going on and so I'll advertise a few remaining pieces that haven't already been claimed in orders on the Facebook page later in the week.

A few finger knitters came to rest sun-weary bodies in the quiet cool bookshop and chat about weave+wonder classes & general creativity in the afternoon, a relaxing way to end a busy day teaming with people out enjoying the delicious sunshine!

a little story of creativity...

Its been a frantically busy week around here for all sorts of reasons and so my regular posts have been waylayed - the upside being that the class release is the last post that is lingering, excitedly...!
Bookings have been racing in and I have just caught up with the issue of invoices - so wonderful to be back in the buzz of class preparation again!
I thought I'd tell you a little story of creativity today. I would love this space to continue to become more about the sharing of inspiration and ideas on how to live a creative life in your home!


:: 'the 10m bowl'...experimenting with crochet + rope became a small bowl for littlest one's treasures - all 10 metres of rope!

We were at our little playgroup this morning - I am continually inspired by these women! Today the conversation wove itself around the subject of creativity. 'I am not creative, I mean, I can't draw or paint' one mother shared. A wonderful artist-friend and I disagreed, especially as she went on to share other passions - singing, stitching, sharing her love of puzzles with her children....
Drawing or artistic talent is one form of creativity. We also challenged that like any other skill, we may not be gifted but we can always learn!
I loved listening to the banter, the sharing of ways that each mother engages their children in their creative passions or ways their own parents or grandparents passed on creative gifts to them.... a watercolour class with a grandmother at age 10 was my artist-friend's first spark in her wonderful creative career. Another precious friend shared quality time spent with her mother learning to knit...my own story began with tinkering in my father's woodworking workshop....even shopping with your girls and teaching them to put together an outfit is a creative persuit!
Creativity really begins with discovering your passions and living them out - your own self-expression, your mark on the world! And living a creative family life involves sharing that 'spark' with your children - spend time doing puzzles, knitting, drawing or painting. Make time to tinker in the workshop or go on nature walks and collect treasures! You might be surprised what you can offer of yourself to your children, just by taking them along on your own creative wanderings!
I was certainly inspired by the richness and diversity and great intensionality I learned of in my playgroup circle today!
Happy long weekend xx


:: sliced logs are stacked in abundance around here in preparation for a weekend woodland fairy birthday party and upcoming holiday classes!


:: athletic's consumed much of this week and I was such a proud mama - even if it mean't working till midnight to make up for quality time spent!


:: loving the last of Autumn's colours in my garden [here and above]

yellow

These days are Golden aren't they...
The only time of year that the sun warms + comforts...I love it!
This colour is vibrant, startling even, and it is playing out a winter-symphony against the olive greens, grey-brown bark and brilliant blue of the sky.
I am captivated by the...

:: cotton-wool ball wattle blossom

:: The magnificent jacaranda leaves singing their finale in golden yellow before falling softly bare

Are you noticing the 'yellow' around about you in these days?
I am inspired to bring a little inside - golden-yellow makes me happy!
In fact, I think a little yellow painted artwork with the children is calling...

a way of seeing the world

There are some days when I am keenly aware of the privilage of working creatively. The way it trains the eye to see the beauty in the everyday - the way light falls, the way colours catch my eye + blend harmoniously or jarringly as the case may be, compliment or contrast, the rich ever-changing beauty of nature is a gift for the eyes that really look to see.
At the moment I am noticing: the vibrant blue of the sky against a changing theatre of clouds; the warm-bright-light bouncing tranquilly off my white walls; the random glimpse of fushia as we pass a gum tree bursting blossom out of it's bulbous gumnuts; the golden orbes of orange on my neighbour's tree; the regal majesty of a deciduous tree ablaze in colour and gracefully letting down it's leaves.

And I am searching to find: lavender beginning to bloom; bare branches standing sculptural against the sky.
This training of the eye is a choice that brings much joy + fulfillment to the beholder and I find that children have this gift innately, not distracted by abstract worries of the adult world, they are fully alive + present to wonder, all around them, each.and.every.day. Our job as parents is to catch some of that and encourage it for all it is worth - art is a way of seeing the world - we need only to practice taking the time to see it!

weekend wonder

I find that in the noticing of the details, there is a richnes to our everyday that is comforting...the slow-moving work, the stitching together of a life, this weekend I am noticing:

:: 'pebbles' ...one in a stitching series almost complete

:: '5 treble, skip 2, 1 treble, skip 2, 5 treble...' this slow crochet rhythm almost complete

:: 'peeping-glory' the first camelia's to crown the bush

:: unique beauty unfurling

:: a regular stop along the hall

:: ahhhh, complete...a warm satisfaction

stamp making series - BOOK NOW!

I am just finalising the lesson plans for the after school stamping series - really excited!
Not only will the children learn a new skill, how to design + carve their own basic stamps, they will take home some lovely journals, gift tags + stationery made with their very own stamp design!
We will explore some wonderful inspiration both in nature + in the work of other artists to create our designs.
If you are considering enrolling in some of our classes, I would recommend this short course - the process consolidated and learned over three weeks will be one that your child will reuse again and again!
YOU'LL NEED TO HURRY - CLASSES BEGIN NEXT THURSDAY 9TH JUNE 2011 - DON'T MISS OUT!!

:: sourcing beautiful materials!

:: for those who are curious...my 9yrold carved the leaf stamp (seen in the top image), in fact many leaf stamps and gives them as gifts!!

SCHOOL HOLIDAY WSHOP D: monoprint mania!

The last to plan, and such an exciting, open ended workshop! We will explore the art of basic MONO PRINTING. Looking to nature as our inspiration and extrapolating shapes to further layer in our design we will stamp with 'bubble wrap + muffin tins' as a background for our designs, paint on acrylic sheets and then take a print of our work - the sky's the limit with what they might stamp and paint and if they don't like their 'practice work' they clean off the sheet and paint the design over - such a fun creative process!! Gum leaves + seeds were the inspiration for my children + I as we experiemented with this exciting medium...

SCHOOL HOLIDAY WSHOP C: Birds in flight!

Inspired by bird migration in winter...children will learn how to form + bind + feather beautiful soft, light-as-the-air birds in a species of their choice. We will use materials gathered from nature and learn how to finger knit and twist twine in order to hang our birds in just the perfect 'flight of fancy'.... Children will learn SCULPTURAL TECHNIQUE + TRADITIONAL HANDCRAFTS in this workshop to complete a beautiful mobile for the home.

You may recognise our signature image for this workshop, these photos were taken in a trial class for 3-5 year olds a few months back. The little ones needed a fair bit of help with this project, however the 5-10 year olds will execute it beautifully I think! Thanks again to some very tallented mama's at this class for the beautiful photography!

weekend wonder

in the chill air
I wandered among tall tree's ablaze with colour
shared time enveloped in the wisdom of years
hung new treasures from long ago
hard-worn with weaving-work

settled a gift into its new home and laid it with treasures

quietly formed clay into a seasonal memory

watched little hands arrange and re-arrange perfect pebbles
my memory is triggered each time my eyes rest here
...thoughts of a cozy-relational weekend
and I smile
I hope remembering your weekend brings a smile too xx

texture

These textures are inspiring me very much as the days get a little shorter and cooler. My girls can't get enough of fingerknitting, making anyone who show's interrest (a mama-inspired) necklace or two! This beautiful black one has just been completed by my 7yr old!
Last year it was knitting, this year it is crochet! Resisting 'digs' from family and friends who think I am 'just getting old!' I am contentedly carting my growing scarf-roll to every event!
I just can't resist the feel and beauty of natural wool between my fingers and the slow, comforting work with my hands.
These sweet garlands hang elegantly from a willow branch in my home - inspiration for the recent Easter Art Workshops. Their beautiful balance of colour and texture please me.

power

the floodgates opened
and in their wake, a roaring torrent ripped through small meandering creekbeds
carving a river of distruction 100 times their width
stealing hundred-year-old gums and limitless tree debris and casting them off downstream never to be seen again
the rockbed that remained astounded me
its width
that all these rocks were there, just under the surface, uncovered when the water carried the silt bottom away
this is the evidence of the power of nature
and I wonder again just how this fury affected those in its path
there is no happy ending
just the reality of living in the world
sometimes in harmony, sometimes not
with the raw, powerful beauty all around us

We visited the Lockyer valley this weekend and saw first hand what was left in the wake of Qld worst floods. Our children struggled to grasp the enormity, prefering to celebrate natures playground and all that our wonderful bushland has to offer.
Nature is Art in an ever changing forum.
I was struck by its power this weekend.