tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106681392024-03-08T15:01:00.180+13:00Inspire CreateA starting point for getting started.....
A collection of stories and web sites to inspire creative people to meet their potential.....Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-51712480077930841152008-02-08T22:05:00.000+13:002008-02-08T22:58:20.469+13:00News and goodbyesOk, so what is the news I eluded to in my post of 26 Jan?<br /><br />Well, I have finally set up my business to sell my handmade accessories with plans to add other products in the future.<br /><br />So what, you say - that's no biggy. Oh, but it is!! For me anyway. Since high school I have dreamed of making a living from my creative endeavours. The form of these creative endeavours has changed over the years (cloth dolls, mohair teddy bears, revamped tshirts, etc), but always in the back of my mind I've wondered "what would it be like to take my hobby and make it my profession?". For a long time I didn't think it was possible, but then I started reading books, web sites and blogs of people doing just that - making a comfortable living from selling what they love to make.<br /><br />For a long time it just wasn't practical for me to even try - I had financial commitments, people relying on me, not enough time (for a few years I was working 2 jobs and doing university by correspondence). Then I got married and I felt it wasn't fair to expect my husband to carry all the financial load while I chased a dream, especially one that I didn't really believe I could achieve myself.<br /><br />Then, over the past 2 years things have happened in my life that brought me to a place where I thought that maybe, just maybe I might be able to give this a try. But still I hesitated. When I started trying to work out why I was resisting doing this I realised it was due to a number of factors - my fear of failure, my desire to do everything "perfectly" the first time so not even starting incase it wasn't perfect and my worry about spending money establishing the business.<br /><br />Finally, after some prodding from my wonderful hubby, I started working through these issues. I'm far from having everything sorted out and still regularly have moments of anxiety about it all. But, I have started! Things are far from perfect - I'm just starting to work with a graphic designer so I don't even have a logo yet, my web site looks very average, I'm not keen on the template I'm using for my blog, I'm still working out how to take good photos of my products, and so on. But, on the flipside - I have made contact with a graphic designer, at least I have my domain name registered and hosting set up, I've started posting to my blog, my photography is improving (you should have seen my first attempts!). I've made a start! I've put my creations and therefore myself out there for the world to judge.<br /><br />I'm proud of myself because I finally pushed myself to do something I have wanted to do, inspite of my fears. I'm letting it not be perfect, but always working towards making it perfect (well, my definition of perfect anyway!). I'm working hard to do this in a professional manner, not just thinking of it as some little hobby I do in my spare time, but treating it as my job, allocating time to it, focusing on quality.<br /><br />Ok, so enough talk!!<br /><br />You can see what I'm up to here:<br /><a href="http://completefragments.etsy.com" target="_blank">Complete Fragments Etsy Store</a><br /><a href="http://www.completefragments.com" target="_blank">Web Site</a><br /><a href="http://www.completefragments.com/blog/" target="_blank">Blog</a><br /><br />Please don't judge me too harshly yet. I so wanted to keep this a secret until it was perfect! But where's the fun in that??!! So, it's out there, in all it's glory. But just watch out, it's going to blossom into something beautiful - I promise you!<br /><br />Ok, so now the goodbye part of this post. I'm going say goodbye to Inspire Create, at least for a while anyway. I just know I won't be able to do everything - make products, post to my other blog, manage my etsy store, look after my family, sleep and post here. So poor old Inspire Create is going on a vacation. Thank you for reading. I will still share cool stuff I find on the Complete Fragments blog, so please visit there regularly - even better, subscribe to the feed and then you will know when I have posted something new.<br /><br />Phew - there is nothing more liberating than just putting it out there! Wish me luck.<br /><br />PS - keep an eye on the Complete Fragments blog - once I have the web site and my logo, etc sorted I have big plans to really get my business moving - including giveaways!!<br /><br /><a href="" target="_blank"></a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-31607466571996139372008-01-31T12:06:00.000+13:002008-01-31T12:07:11.274+13:00Group Artist Blog<a href="http://www.artpubstudios.com/" target="_blank">Art Pub Studios</a> is a network established for the career-minded individual, comprised of professional mixed-media artists. Their primary goal is to provide a supportive environment in which to explore new ideas and promote their members' work in the art industry. <br /><br />What I love about this site is that most members have a blog where they share pictures of their work, tutorials and giveaways. They are full of eye candy - plus you can win stuff!! How good is that!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-26273093577963454192008-01-29T22:04:00.000+13:002008-01-29T22:23:28.311+13:00Etsy LovingOh, I love <a href="http://www.etsy.com" target="_blank">Etsy.</a> If you haven't heard about Etsy, it's a marketplace for handmade goods and it is just busting at the seams with gorgeousness! If you can think it, you can probably buy a beautiful handmade version of it here.<br /><br />To get even more out of your Etsy experience, try <a href="http://etsywiki.com/" target="_blank">Etsy Wiki</a> to help you find great stuff to spend your hard-earned on. It has great info including <a href="http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Top_Sellers" target="_blank">Top Sellers</a>, how to guides, lists of Street Teams (groups of like-minded sellers) and <a href="http://etsywiki.com/index.php?title=Etsystory" target="_blank">stories</a> by established sellers.<br /><br />If you are a creative person, Etsy is a great place to sell. It's easy to set up your own "store" with your own URL (mystore.etsy.com). It charges a listing fee and then a commission on all completed sales, but these charges seem reasonable.<br /><br />There are a number of other webstores focusing on handmade items, but I don't have any experience with them including <a href="http://www.yessy.com/" target="_blank"> Yessy</a>, <a href="http://www.rubylane.com/" target="_blank">Ruby Lane</a>.<br /><br />If you know of any other great marketplaces, please leave a comment - my credit card will love you!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-76909419383476883452008-01-29T22:00:00.000+13:002008-01-29T22:04:06.266+13:00Giveaway CarnivalIf you love you some freebies then scoot over to <a href="http://www.bloggygiveaways.com" target="_blank">Bloggy Giveaways</a> - this week they are running their Giveaway Carnival - already they have listed 550 different giveaways. Most only require you to comment on a blog, however a lot will only post to US addresses :(<br /><br />Go nuts - get commenting! My fingers are crossed for you!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-15438694763807393182008-01-26T15:07:00.000+13:002008-01-26T15:11:53.555+13:00Lots of activity - announcement to come!!Lots of activity behind the scenes here at Inspire Create, because I am finally taking the plunge and doing something I have dreamed of doing for years! I am beside myself with worry and apprehension, but also very excited. I will dish all the details in about a weeks time, once everything is set up! <br /><br />I am also very proud of myself for finally signing up for a yoga class. This is also something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but always found excuses not to. But I just paid for the next 9 weeks' classes, so I'm committed - once I pay for something, I go!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="" target="_blank"></a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-6095791765815350932008-01-22T21:48:00.000+13:002008-01-22T22:54:41.310+13:00PodcastsLately I have been really enjoying listening to podcasts on all sorts of topics - crafting, art business, buddhist teachings. I don't get many opportunities to listen, but when my gorgeous little boy is at day care and I have time to spend creating, often I listen to a podcast or 2 while I work.<br /><br />If you are new to the whole podcasting thing and are going "pod-whatting???", then at the end I will give you some information on what it is and how to do it.<br /><br />But first, here is an eclectic selection of podcasts to get you started. Those marked with "#" are ones I listen to regularly and can recommend. All others have been recommended to me, but I haven't listened to them yet. Descriptions generally have been taken from the hosts' web site. <br /><br />* <a href="http://www.craftypod.com" target="_blank">Craftypod</a># - a bi-weekly podcast that’s all about "making stuff". Sometimes it’s about project tutorials. Sometimes it’s an interview with someone craftily fascinating. Sometimes it’s the history behind your favorite craft supplies. Always, it’s a big, crafty geekfest. Hosted by Sister Diane.<br /><br />* <a href="http://www.craftcast.com" target="_blank">Craftcast</a># - live interviews, reviews of the latest supplies and materials, as well as addressing listeners questions. Hosted by Alison Lee.<br /><br />* <a href="http://www.craftsanity.com" target="_blank">Craftsanity</a># - discussion about art, craft and all things creative. Hosted by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood.<br /><br />* <a href="http://amberstar.libsyn.com/" target="_blank">Zencast</a> - discussions on Buddhism covering topics like different methods of meditation, mindfullness.<br /><br />* <a href="http://www.creativemompodcast.com" target="_blank">Creative Mom Podcast</a> - The goal of the weekly show is to provide a creative talk show filled with good creative discussion and inspiring music for creative moms (and non-moms and artists and creatives of all types) to listen to for a feeling of community, understanding, and inspiration. The format for the show is fairly organic and changes often, but staples of the show include creative projects with kids, artist notes from the week in review, journaling ideas and suggestions, book reviews, blog mentions, weekly prompts, and, sometimes, creative non-fiction essays.<br /><br />* <a href="http://www.frenchpodclass.com/" target="_blank">FrenchPodClass</a> - learn French via podcast. Download as a guest, or become a member and get access to more information. <br /><br />* <a href="http://www.prosperousartists.com/" target="_blank">Prosperous Artists</a> - designed to support you in building the career, business and creative life you desire. The podcasts offer inverviews and forum participation as support for your goal of living a creative life doing what you love.<br /><br />* <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/services/podcasting/" target="_blank">ABC</a># - Australian radio station that makes many of it's segments available for download. Has regular segments on art, science, religion, spirituality, health, sport, etc. <br /><br />* <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/listen/podcast.htm" target="_blank">Triple J Radio</a> - another Aussie radio station, this time focused on indie music.<br /><br />* <a href="http://www.podcastdirectory.com/" target="_blank">Podcast Directory</a> - huge listing of podcasts, sorted by genre.<br /><br />* <a href="http://audio.search.yahoo.com/audio" target="_blank">Yahoo Podcast Directory</a> <br /><br />* <a href="http://www.podcastpickle.com/" target="_blank">Podcast Pickle</a> - another directory.<br /><br />Ok, now to the nuts and bolts - what is a podcast? From Wikipedia:<br /><br />A podcast is a collection of digital media files which is distributed over the Internet, often using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers. Though podcasters' web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital media formats by its ability to be syndicated, subscribed to, and downloaded automatically when new content is added, using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.<br /><br />How do I find them?<br /><br />You can just visit the web site and manually download the file, you can subscribe in a feed reader like <a href="http://www.bloglines.com" target="_blank">Bloglines</a> or check out the Wikipedia <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_feed_aggregators" target="_blank">list</a>, or you can subscribe through podcasting software such as <a href="http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">Juice Receiver</a> (an Open Source cross platform podcast receiver), Apple's <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/" target="_blank">iTunes</a> for Mac and Windows or similar <a href="http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Software.html" target="_blank">podcasting software</a>. <br /><br />How do I listen to them?<br /><br />You can listen straight from your computer, you can download them to your mp3 player, you can even burn them to CD and listen to them on an mp3 enabled player.<br /><br />I'd love to hear more recommendations - leave me a comment with your suggestions.<br /><br />Enjoy!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-14584055075722814092008-01-19T20:46:00.000+13:002008-01-19T21:03:27.844+13:00Hug your childrenToday I am feeling quite distraught over a couple of news reports I have read on the internet about people killing the children in their care. It makes my blood turn to ice whenever I hear about this type of tragedy. I won't link to the reports because, well, they are pretty distressing.<br /><br />Please - if you have children, give them a hug, tell them you love them and remind yourself how blessed you are to have them.<br /><br />And if you are a carer of small children, but finding it too much and you are thinking abouting hurting them or yourself - PLEASE TALK TO SOMEONE, get help, and please get yourself away from the children or send them somewhere they will be safe. No child should have to endure any trauma because an adult is struggling with the difficulties of life.<br /><br />If you know anyone that you think might be on the edge, don't stand back thinking "it's not my place to get involved" - well, it bloody well is your place - protect the children and worry about any fallout later.<br /><br />Children are pure, love-filled gifts that should never, ever have to suffer at the hands of anyone.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-68426633184391598472008-01-17T22:15:00.000+13:002008-12-11T23:00:53.528+13:00ThreadlessHow come I've only just discovered <a href="http://www.threadless.com/" target="_blank">Threadless</a>??? What a cool concept!<br /><br />The Threadless site accepts contributions for tshirt designs from the public, which visitors to the site then vote on. If your design receives enough votes, you get paid and the Threadless team produce the tshirt which can then be purchased via the site. <br /><br />A very simple idea, which seems to be well executed. What has caught my attention though is the amazing designs people submit.<br /><br />Here are some examples:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaYYAwoBmhb_qTdyDOWdO78oAdReLXwDVzUj6cuQjTTcWpsPRCSJnKWEpjIgZjOJlbnmh4RSN4t0Mq1wdlCa1mxS7vSG9veAAiPuy19lWdx200Fx9_8X3-PvBy5-dIZ_sy4ZS/s1600-h/threadless.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaYYAwoBmhb_qTdyDOWdO78oAdReLXwDVzUj6cuQjTTcWpsPRCSJnKWEpjIgZjOJlbnmh4RSN4t0Mq1wdlCa1mxS7vSG9veAAiPuy19lWdx200Fx9_8X3-PvBy5-dIZ_sy4ZS/s400/threadless.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156353093756340978" /></a><br /><br />I've already started a list of all the people in my life who will be getting Threadless tshirts for their birthday, next Christmas, etc, etc!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-77462231538992229962008-01-11T16:04:00.000+13:002008-12-11T23:00:53.647+13:00it's the little thingsI have just discovered the blog of Lisa Leonard - <a href="http://lisaleonard.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">it's the little things</a> - and I am in awe of this inspiring mum, wife, jewellery designer, blogger.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kd-a9Oc0eFutNVZrGaLZZUj1RR8Pok7mibHqvBSo5U4KHvlUoVlDvXKLBooSJMGy0d8XGZ8N9UX4H36pDD_6aBbJrnCA_ofkJ1dlMlxjrzZwsHVFS3c-mJoaF3xPOAThtdS-/s1600-h/lisaleonard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Kd-a9Oc0eFutNVZrGaLZZUj1RR8Pok7mibHqvBSo5U4KHvlUoVlDvXKLBooSJMGy0d8XGZ8N9UX4H36pDD_6aBbJrnCA_ofkJ1dlMlxjrzZwsHVFS3c-mJoaF3xPOAThtdS-/s200/lisaleonard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154120093014510290" /></a><br /><br />Her jewellery is beautiful and her site is filled with gorgeous photos. She has 2 little boys, one with a disability, and her attitude to this is quite remarkable. You really have to read <a href="http://lisaleonard.blogspot.com/2008/01/healing.html" target="_blank">today's post</a> - it's a tearjerker, but also so positive and life-affirming. <br /><br />This site is filled with food for your eyes and soul. I'm sure you will leave her site feeling inspired, lucky, thankful and impressed.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-42497633282803511112008-01-06T21:56:00.000+13:002008-01-06T22:13:44.093+13:00Naughty EmbroideryI have been cruising the internerd today checking out some very cool indie craft designers' sites which I will share with you in coming posts. First one I'll tell you about is <a href="http://www.lochers.com/" target="_blank">Nicole Locher</a> who makes sweet, prim and proper tops and accessories, except that they all have a rather naughty phrase embroidered on them. Warning - if you are easily offended by 4-letter words, please don't visit this site!<br /><br />Nicole is a Swiss designer, based in Paris, who takes her inspiration from flea markets in Paris and London. Her tops and accessories, at first glance, look very prim and proper with traditional embroidery of flowers etc. But then she includes such statements as "Will f@#$ for shoes", "I don't play nice", "I like it rough".<br /><br />They all look beautifully made and I love the contrast of traditional embroidery with very modern, in-your-face phrases. She seems to be a designer pushing the limits a bit, and having fun doing it.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-21779763752730190732008-01-05T14:27:00.000+13:002008-01-05T14:32:01.173+13:00Craftster Best of 2007The wonderful site <a href="http://www.craftster.org" target="_blank">Craftster</a> has just listed their <a href="http://www.craftster.org/bestof2007/" target="_blank">best of 2007</a>. From the site:<br /><br /><em>"Craftster members posted tens of thousands of craft/DIY projects in 2007. All of which were brilliant in one way or another. The very notion of choosing "the best" projects from 2007 is absolutely insane! But alas, we thought it would be fun to try and programmatically determine “the best” projects. Here’s how we did it…<br /><br />For each craft category on Craftster we determined which 10 projects posted in 2007 got the most replies and views. Then we whittled each of those lists of 10 down to our 5 favorites. (An excruciating exercise to say the least!)<br /><br />And so here we are… “the best” projects of 2007… or perhaps a better way to describe them would be… “a bunch of totally kick-ass projects out of tens of thousands of kick-ass projects!” "</em><br /><br />It is a huge list of very cool, clever projects - with tutorials. Gotta love that!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-85235160258457419122008-01-05T14:26:00.000+13:002008-01-05T14:51:14.916+13:00Superhero Mondo BeyondoThe gorgeous Andrea of Superhero Designs starts each year with her "Mondo Beyondo" list (see <a href="http://www.superherodesigns.com/journal/archives/000452.html" target="_blank">here</a> for details). This year she has started by firstly cleaning the slate and saying a proper goodbye to 2007 - from her site:<br /><br /><em>"The surest way to start fresh and move forward is to be at peace with what came before. You might have had an incredible year, a dull year, or a truly difficult year. Whatever happened, your aim is to celebrate what there is to celebrate about it and grieve what there is to grieve..."</em><br /><br />To do this she has invited her readers to join in by answering 3 questions. Below are the questions and my responses:<br /><br /><strong>1. What do you want to acknowledge yourself for in regard to 2007? (What did you create? What challenges did you face with courage and strength? What promises did you keep to yourself? What brave choices did you make? What are you proud of?)</strong><br /><br />I helped my gorgeous little boy continue to develop into a healthy, funny, clever, cheeky toddler. I started creating regularly. I got over the shock of the big move to a new country and having a baby and started getting out and making friends (this has saved me, I'm sure. The loneliness I felt in 2006 was crushing). I have made our home a haven. I found the strength to keep smiling and to find fun anywhere I can.<br /><br /><strong>2. What is there to grieve about 2007? (What was disappointing? What was scary? What was hard? What can you forgive yourself for?)</strong><br /><br />My Mum's ongoing battle with breast cancer (god, just writing that made my heart stop). I live in denial of the possible negative outcome, and constantly remind myself to be positive because she is doing really well at the moment. <br /><br />I grieve because I live so far from my family which means my parents aren't a part of my son's everyday life. This makes me so sad.<br /><br /><strong>3. What else do you need to say about the year to declare it complete?</strong><br /><br />Thanks 2007 for the lessons you taught me about being a mother and wife. Not always easy lessons, but I'm starting to see the benefits and understand the changes I need to make. Thank you for being much easier than 2006 (otherwise I'm sure I'd be in a straight-jacket by now!). Thank you for letting me finally start to unravel the creativity I always knew was locked up inside me. Even for all that, I'm still glad to see the end of you! I heard the word "cancer" too many times, I still had times of terrible loneliness and sometimes I struggled with the person I am compared to who I would like to be.<br />Then, we declare the year complete:<br /><br />I DECLARE 2007 COMPLETE! May only the good things about you remain in my memory, may the lessons I learnt make me stronger and may 2008 be better, bigger, easier.<br /><br />If this feels like something you would like to do too, go read <a href="http://www.superherodesigns.com/journal/archives/001214.html" target="_blank">this post</a> on Andrea's site and take part. What have you got to lose?Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-15888020089439236532007-12-17T22:29:00.000+13:002007-12-17T22:41:09.753+13:00Handmade 2.0There is an interesting article about the DIY/indie craft movement on the NY Times web site titled <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/magazine/16Crafts-t.html?ex=1355374800&en=e46262f1f045faa3&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink" target="_blank">Handmade 2.0</a> by Rob Walker. It is an interesting review of the movement, mainly focussing on <a href="http://www.etsy.com" target="_blank">Etsy</a>, but also referencing other sites including <a href="http://www.craftster.org" target="_blank">Craftster</a> and <a href="http://buyhandmade.org" target="_blank">buyhandmade.org</a>. <br /><br />I found it inspiring as I love reading about people being successful from their creative ventures, plus it gave me some ideas for the future when I hope to sell some of my creations online.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-2534424508701224382007-12-09T21:43:00.000+13:002007-12-09T21:51:54.778+13:00Andrea the SuperheroI'm sure I've blogged about Andrea of <a href="http://www.superherodesigns.com/" target="_blank">Superhero Designs</a> before, but her site is so wonderful I just had to mention it again!<br /><br />I think I enjoy it even more now that we are both new mums. Her writing on motherhood is so insightful and often so close to my own feelings and experiences that it is almost spooky. But it makes me feel good to know I'm not the only one going through changes, difficulties and joys getting used to being a mum.<br /><br />Andrea is a very inspiring artist - she is so honest, thoughtful and fun. She shares wonderful stories of her life as a creative woman, wife, mother - all the joys, tears, triumphs and trials. Please check out Andrea's journal - I promise you that you will be thanking me!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-89477538426488945142007-12-05T22:36:00.000+13:002008-12-11T23:00:54.206+13:00ColourI am deeply affected by colour, especially the colours of the countryside I’m in. Moving to New Zealand was quite a shock for me as the colours are so different to Australia. Below are photos showing the stark differences between where I live now (bright greens and flowers) to where I lived in Australia for 5 years (dusty browns and washed out greens). <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5MNSBGJUzykU3ViiFVazS96K09P2To5ubdRJCFEsqUOdcvID9W0vKonswNlEbnjChDXe9OImPyHkZUY8oS3SXuVt5Q7oy_edifohghbFj8Y91coo-G_sXjAol16WPdv8DP3B/s1600-h/ColoursofNZ.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5MNSBGJUzykU3ViiFVazS96K09P2To5ubdRJCFEsqUOdcvID9W0vKonswNlEbnjChDXe9OImPyHkZUY8oS3SXuVt5Q7oy_edifohghbFj8Y91coo-G_sXjAol16WPdv8DP3B/s320/ColoursofNZ.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140421205139172594" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGF3r5imP8nTkyOvrGlWbcqRgbERkbXvQFmkh-3L5M_yV_iq0VGtkHERxjYikVY2j9jKbvDndBL1-UEybYHaNzJAQhh_mQWx1XfgfO-23OuIgQOz62g2JjtZvzvk3y8-1-KnUL/s1600-h/ColoursofAust.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGF3r5imP8nTkyOvrGlWbcqRgbERkbXvQFmkh-3L5M_yV_iq0VGtkHERxjYikVY2j9jKbvDndBL1-UEybYHaNzJAQhh_mQWx1XfgfO-23OuIgQOz62g2JjtZvzvk3y8-1-KnUL/s320/ColoursofAust.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140421205139172610" /></a><br /><br />Such different colour palettes! But I love both of them - the richness of my new home...the stark harshness of my home country...just wonderful, inspiring, beautiful...<br /><br /><br />Following are some resources available on the Internet directly related to colour:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pantone.com/">Pantone</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://www.pantone.com/spring2008">Pantone Fashion Report Spring 2008</a> - an analysis of the colours predominately used by designers at New York Fashion Week, September 5–12, 2007 <br /><br /><a href="http://www.colormatters.com">Color Matters</a> – lots of interesting stuff on colour theory.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.colr.org">Colr.org</a> – a very cool site that lets you select and save colour schemes and tag colours with names that are meaningful to you. You can also view and rate other people’s colour schemes. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.worqx.com/color/index.htm">Worqx.com</a> has a very good overview of colour theory.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_wheel">Colour wheel</a> <br /><br />Colour therapy, also known as chromotherapy, is often facilitated in the healing rooms of alternative health practitioners. It can be used to balance energy in the areas of our bodies that are lacking vibrance, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental. Try <a href="http://www.colourtherapyhealing.com/">Colour Therapy Healing</a> or <a href="http://healing.about.com/cs/colortherapy/a/aa_colortherapy.htm">About.com Color Therapy</a><br /><br /><a href="http://poynterextra.org/cp/colorproject/color.html">The Power of Color</a> -<br />One of the best tutorials on the web. Excellent design, easy to understand basic concepts (from The Poynter Institute)<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_colors">Web Safe Colours</a> for those designing web sites.<br /><br /><br />Some things to think about, and hopefully spark your creativity:<br />• How do you use colour in your art/craft<br />• How does the colour of the countryside around your home influence your work? How do you think that would change if you moved somewhere with a very different palette?<br />• What is your favourite colour to wear? Does this colour appear more in your work than other colours? Is this intentional or does it occur unconsciously?<br />• What is more important to you – colour, texture, light, technique?Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-49583177035185370192007-11-16T22:29:00.000+13:002007-11-16T22:46:05.934+13:00Where Have I Been and Where am I Going?I just wrote that title and now looking at it realise that it is a huge statement and beyond my abilities to answer at this moment!! But I'm going to stick with the title and just see what happens!<br /><br />First - the easy one - where have I been? Everywhere man!!! I have spent the past 6 weeks circling the globe with my wonderful husband N and my gorgeous, resilient, adaptable 19 month old son D. We made our annual pilgrimage to the northern hemisphere for N's work and to visit family in Glasgow, plus we added on a few other countries along the way. The plan was to keep each travel leg to a manageable length to avoid the dramas we had with D last year (30hrs straight on planes with a sick, screaming baby was hell on earth). So we ended up with an itinerary that looked like this: starting in New Zealand, 1 week in Perth, 2 days in Hong Kong, 2 weeks in France, 1 week in Glasgow, 2 days in New York, 1 week in Chile, home... phew! It was wonderful, eye-opening, exhausting. And I'm so glad to be home!!!<br /><br />Where am I going? God, I wish I knew!!! Going straight to insanity maybe? (do not pass Go, do not collect $200) I have all these ideas of what I want to do, but the reality is so far removed from what I dream about that I get so disheartened and then don't even start. I am so lucky - so blessed with love, good fortune and good health - but I still sometimes feel hollow and lost. I feel like I need to talk to someone who isn't family or a friend, who I can be completely open and honest with and not worry about hurting their feelings or having them worry about me. Someone who can talk straight to me. Maybe someone who can help me with my lack of motivation and will-power, who can support and advise me. I have even considered seeing a hypnotist to get me back on track, to reboot my brain and get it working properly again. Then maybe I could work out where I am going, and actually start moving towards that place.<br /><br />Hmmm, enough downloading of thoughts for now...time for sleep. Thanks for listening.<br /><br /><a href="" target="_blank"></a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-26722235049052885252007-09-11T22:29:00.000+12:002008-12-11T23:00:55.140+13:00Latest Projects #3Busy, busy, busy! I've been busy working, being a mum, entertaining visiting family, and all the usual "life" stuff. In amongst all that I have managed to complete the following crafty projects.<br /><br />Two amber glass and brass necklaces. The first is the planned one, the second was made from the leftovers.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK3DK-j9kMNuHU8iBQiE5eg6aRJSsZtqN9vSVfRmL6fJmN3PzjbHPFrUm3_taE2DnF438tb4FL2_9FzAeFXxdJqPjBJPQ197sE_ek8zALlk1vTpDU-opikik4IcfJDQi66_pL/s1600-h/Amber+necklace+1+2007_08_21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaK3DK-j9kMNuHU8iBQiE5eg6aRJSsZtqN9vSVfRmL6fJmN3PzjbHPFrUm3_taE2DnF438tb4FL2_9FzAeFXxdJqPjBJPQ197sE_ek8zALlk1vTpDU-opikik4IcfJDQi66_pL/s320/Amber+necklace+1+2007_08_21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108893737018470194" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-xumabow8AAUMo7xvDwjY1ROhWm_dOCLylM7afFTpmOo_Ybd44duq_tDQ5kSz4Tgmor4q0REcHqGOkhhUbfXKnoWMP2eCB8fCfBAZmS55GMWvE0dedDtrmv7TkbEn_4mSnPG/s1600-h/Amber+necklace+2+2007_08_21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-xumabow8AAUMo7xvDwjY1ROhWm_dOCLylM7afFTpmOo_Ybd44duq_tDQ5kSz4Tgmor4q0REcHqGOkhhUbfXKnoWMP2eCB8fCfBAZmS55GMWvE0dedDtrmv7TkbEn_4mSnPG/s320/Amber+necklace+2+2007_08_21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108893741313437506" /></a><br /><br />A stack of ATCs ready for swapping on <a href="http://www.atcards.com" target="_blank">ATCards.</a> I have been developing a style of portraits that I'm really enjoying doing. I wanted to work out a way to draw slightly quirky people with only a bare minimum of lines and colour. I'm happy with how this series is progressing. I'm also continuing to do more Picasso inspired portraits. I'm pleased and surprised at how these are evolving.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tY_y1YGCQMWl7mTQkPrmL4A-GQiew36NYMKy2vw-zCZ_wa_q4XsVPNC-SJpkwjtVr_-3nmS1PwFne93A69Y-U53OWUtA_eHo60oqFxG6aiOj2_bigBHeIZWKVX37_FpSbLfL/s1600-h/ATC+pg1+2007_08_21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tY_y1YGCQMWl7mTQkPrmL4A-GQiew36NYMKy2vw-zCZ_wa_q4XsVPNC-SJpkwjtVr_-3nmS1PwFne93A69Y-U53OWUtA_eHo60oqFxG6aiOj2_bigBHeIZWKVX37_FpSbLfL/s320/ATC+pg1+2007_08_21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108893741313437522" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEUtSeOpWueutxhwMy-I5m7QqyAb291xtq-ES0Owt1E2MJnxg4RtMFRHIf4GeqUDXeWESx4Yo8fSx72aUDyVjA0RV0vDxQyXAdX6vfaCQcqpCodnLfeSGVqr2iPgASNT00yhU/s1600-h/ATC+pg2+2007_08_21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEUtSeOpWueutxhwMy-I5m7QqyAb291xtq-ES0Owt1E2MJnxg4RtMFRHIf4GeqUDXeWESx4Yo8fSx72aUDyVjA0RV0vDxQyXAdX6vfaCQcqpCodnLfeSGVqr2iPgASNT00yhU/s320/ATC+pg2+2007_08_21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108893745608404834" /></a><br /><br />And altered bottlecap charms for a swap on ATCards. These contain all sorts of found objects sealed with epoxy resin. These were fun to make and I can't wait to get back my swaps. I plan to make a charm necklace from them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoahFGwhX0trqB2AO2pj43rRYQUN0Qq6eMAQdEJjTtYZkyLFUmTL4Kx3W0awnT_GPXdvpoHg2vGIHAaZqHgUvnVJxNOWLW4m69JZJ9XkVyBjAFEiCKWVXstFFLoEkA2MRjxsO/s1600-h/Charm+Swap+2007_08_21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoahFGwhX0trqB2AO2pj43rRYQUN0Qq6eMAQdEJjTtYZkyLFUmTL4Kx3W0awnT_GPXdvpoHg2vGIHAaZqHgUvnVJxNOWLW4m69JZJ9XkVyBjAFEiCKWVXstFFLoEkA2MRjxsO/s320/Charm+Swap+2007_08_21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108893745608404850" /></a><br /><br />A sterling silver, blue lace agate and chalcedony charm bracelet I hope to sell.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zQpywTn_R6Xgo7J1B59Fil0CXdh6rWROLJ-6x9TUrHwO7y4LDseNrEcaFVYLD_6qphDr5kGmPnhq0vfudLCe1TPt5nPiIngbyYFGVq7rQiRDrGqOiK9lWfKMofKbvktf9DxE/s1600-h/Silver+blue+bracelet+2007_08_21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zQpywTn_R6Xgo7J1B59Fil0CXdh6rWROLJ-6x9TUrHwO7y4LDseNrEcaFVYLD_6qphDr5kGmPnhq0vfudLCe1TPt5nPiIngbyYFGVq7rQiRDrGqOiK9lWfKMofKbvktf9DxE/s320/Silver+blue+bracelet+2007_08_21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108895704113491858" /></a><br /><br />I also reorganised my craft supplies cupboard. Previously, everything was stored in plastic tubs, and of course anytime I wanted something it was always in the bottom tub. It was driving me nuts! So I spent a bit of money buying some stackable drawers and now I can easily get to whatever I want. I am soooo loving this! I'm still using some plastic tubs, but they are Ok as they are on shelves and easy to access.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-526lrGgiFvZz4wmcWAm_ycI4gn0WAyH56h7Vouudajunqt4K142e1yuQH92N1TAEuJCoEy4-3gPDEAjY0UV2k7ejUc4ug0C94_9dr3MBUw6buhylhMAkDD6nSmpOtaeG5ie/s1600-h/Craft+cupboard+2007_08_21.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-526lrGgiFvZz4wmcWAm_ycI4gn0WAyH56h7Vouudajunqt4K142e1yuQH92N1TAEuJCoEy4-3gPDEAjY0UV2k7ejUc4ug0C94_9dr3MBUw6buhylhMAkDD6nSmpOtaeG5ie/s320/Craft+cupboard+2007_08_21.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108895704113491842" /></a><br /><br />So, relatively productive. Some weeks I feel like all I've achieved is about a dozen loads of washing and lots of running around after my son. But then I sit down and put it all together and it don't look half bad!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-3311831159093167842007-07-07T08:08:00.000+12:002008-12-11T23:00:55.952+13:00Create Weekly #2Perhaps I should title this "Create Fortnightly"! I've been busy creating, socialising, getting ready for visitors, and doing a jewellery course - so lots to share:<br /><br />A handbag I made from a vintage scarf. I've been buying scarves from op shops for ages as I had an idea for a handbag and I finally got around to making one. I'm really pleased with the result - a few kinks to iron out, but a great looking bag I think!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vE07hLEReOxuhr7X9yROKPC9oNJ0Mr9FHb9vYGQkJJ5yzzBo31rEouRvc3JYU_8Ts7z_0swkjaPE9Swu3Rq39Bj_HAY3JEJI4xQDBSZUUoYLXKqjrpN0pwQT-PAhnRHDJnPe/s1600-h/Red+and+Blue+Scarf+handbag.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vE07hLEReOxuhr7X9yROKPC9oNJ0Mr9FHb9vYGQkJJ5yzzBo31rEouRvc3JYU_8Ts7z_0swkjaPE9Swu3Rq39Bj_HAY3JEJI4xQDBSZUUoYLXKqjrpN0pwQT-PAhnRHDJnPe/s320/Red+and+Blue+Scarf+handbag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084179616223205698" /></a><br /><br />An Ugly Plushie! I'm so pleased with this guy. He's made from polar fleece, felt, ribbon and buttons and was so quick and easy to make. My 21 month old nephew is coming to visit next week and I wanted to make him a toy, then I saw this pattern in the book "Plush-o-rama" by Linda Kopp and I knew he'd love it. (He looks a funny shape as I haven't sewn up the opening left in the side for stuffing!)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf40ff4mG8uUl-YI5R4WU6uv7yoPr44Nt_V36biXbOuT2yPzyMQqi_KOAkulOjwVAtBRODDmuLZ53IFsl_AizqNdbwPP-2Ru80uyX1ZgLmv1yCUFxcgN6VZ6A9n3RJIuii-5GT/s1600-h/Ugly+Plushie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf40ff4mG8uUl-YI5R4WU6uv7yoPr44Nt_V36biXbOuT2yPzyMQqi_KOAkulOjwVAtBRODDmuLZ53IFsl_AizqNdbwPP-2Ru80uyX1ZgLmv1yCUFxcgN6VZ6A9n3RJIuii-5GT/s320/Ugly+Plushie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084179620518173010" /></a><br /><br />I did a half day course on Art Clay Silver which was just wonderful. We made a ring, leaf pendant and I had some clay left over so I made some earrings. It's the first time in ages I have taken some quality time for myself and done something I love, plus I got to meet a group of lovely, friendly, like-minded people. I walked out of the course feeling full of possibilities and inspiration - what a wonderful feeling....<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8o9tT2v0XFQGpaOk-doNrPENFp5SLQIAM3seE9s-H5mQMkR4XDqZazzAZ7dIHIsTBLs_ND-X8n-EdwIRobWLRWXkGDS5IZGtxGNKMVBWI5te09a_F7-tkh5yopb0q-EeK6aS/s1600-h/Art+Clay+Silver.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8o9tT2v0XFQGpaOk-doNrPENFp5SLQIAM3seE9s-H5mQMkR4XDqZazzAZ7dIHIsTBLs_ND-X8n-EdwIRobWLRWXkGDS5IZGtxGNKMVBWI5te09a_F7-tkh5yopb0q-EeK6aS/s320/Art+Clay+Silver.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084179624813140322" /></a><br /><br />I am starting to get a lovely collection of ATCs from my swaps on www.atcards.com and I wanted to display them so that I could enjoy them. So I just bought an A3 size photo frame and some large photo corners from the bargain shop and put this together in about half an hour. It's perfect as I can easily change the display and the cards don't have to be marked in any way to display them.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgBfamaoGnrY_vL4ACbHCjsUcjmIGfYYjKmxq5HJeN00FBcAX3atkLrycPbG5yaYF6hzSFdh1B_q5OB2dXWWCJlyiDKGMqJxP_BYak2_3lm5bwgFVPkcj5kG1qc4Ah1ReXcBI/s1600-h/ATC+Display.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgBfamaoGnrY_vL4ACbHCjsUcjmIGfYYjKmxq5HJeN00FBcAX3atkLrycPbG5yaYF6hzSFdh1B_q5OB2dXWWCJlyiDKGMqJxP_BYak2_3lm5bwgFVPkcj5kG1qc4Ah1ReXcBI/s320/ATC+Display.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084179624813140338" /></a><br /><br />And of course... lots more ATCs! I have been furiously trading this past week - I've sent out so many cards and I'm now waiting on 20 returns. I actually look forward to getting the mail everyday in anticipation of new artwork arriving.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYrkv4fZHYk9WoB99VLFMShe0vtsMIpRGCayObY1uk_cPNxDNrY4weuIZ4YQ5cRbV1zuEsUve68XTJNKIVAjuKpMtJONUsRQMhslQbVMdKO1S8ATQQAEp7lqo1MHqrZUumdR9/s1600-h/ATCs+060707.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlYrkv4fZHYk9WoB99VLFMShe0vtsMIpRGCayObY1uk_cPNxDNrY4weuIZ4YQ5cRbV1zuEsUve68XTJNKIVAjuKpMtJONUsRQMhslQbVMdKO1S8ATQQAEp7lqo1MHqrZUumdR9/s320/ATCs+060707.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084179629108107650" /></a><br /><br />So, all in all, a very productive couple of weeks! I have family coming to visit for the next 2 weeks so I don't expect to get much time to create, so I may not post again until the end of the month. See you soon!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-86133596078178912702007-06-15T23:16:00.000+12:002008-12-11T23:00:56.841+13:00Created this week #1I am very proud of myself this week as I have achieved alot! It's amazing how now that I'm a mum, some days can go by and I feel like I've achieved nothing.. because I'm a stay-at-home-mum I have a sense of obligation that I should be creating something/generating an output/contributing in some way... But this is just silly talk because I am achieving huge amounts - we have a happy, healthy, fun little boy. Anyway.. I want to share with you what I have done this week (of course besides vacuum, dust, wash, shop, clean, cook, run errands, attend swimming lessons, etc, etc, etc!!)<br /><br /><em>Tomato Relish</em><br /><br />We eat tomato relish like there is no tomorrow and I am sick of paying $6 for a tiny jar, so I have started making my own. I just love this shot - the juicy, succulent tomatoes all ready to be transformed into jars and jars of yumminess!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPsEK8zMOKhVvTGqLmJ5k8Dj-ivKmXMVMkeKPr4H7DkqcvMlqthvNpCZeBFOoknxHFL5YhKGWQej75NlwYCxsCqtJEvitZJOykV9x8aspOQTQLaCGmVwEbr3vj7MRG4KffrG9/s1600-h/Tomato+Relish.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076252197950424418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPsEK8zMOKhVvTGqLmJ5k8Dj-ivKmXMVMkeKPr4H7DkqcvMlqthvNpCZeBFOoknxHFL5YhKGWQej75NlwYCxsCqtJEvitZJOykV9x8aspOQTQLaCGmVwEbr3vj7MRG4KffrG9/s320/Tomato+Relish.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><em>Picasso Inspired Portrait ATCs</em><br /><br />Now, if you don't know what an Artist Trading Card (ATC) is it's high time you found out - visit <a href="http://www.atcards.com">ATCards.com</a> for all the info. Beware though...they are highly addictive and could quite possibly take over your life. I am showing great will power at the moment and only taking part in one swap at a time. Here are my practice and final cards for the "Picasso Inpsired Portrait" swap.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6JqoCrN39VZnjTlI48vptzMRk5u4CWNPLBVxTJsv4MX__d9jcdd6Y60Qm2Si4XnS5bS29Ur6Gy4_OPiuqtxAIU-HWqQhjD_ivxpgUU241KVf8ULgl1ycJn8LexSH37Gql_LH/s1600-h/Picasso+ATC.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076252438468593010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6JqoCrN39VZnjTlI48vptzMRk5u4CWNPLBVxTJsv4MX__d9jcdd6Y60Qm2Si4XnS5bS29Ur6Gy4_OPiuqtxAIU-HWqQhjD_ivxpgUU241KVf8ULgl1ycJn8LexSH37Gql_LH/s320/Picasso+ATC.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em>Chibi ATCs</em><br /><br />Yep..more ATCs, this time the theme is "chibi" which is a Japanese term for "super deformed". They are cartoon like characters that I think are super cute! Do a Google search for more info.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUr_bClRVs4IoJq5lPmI78KpmDXp8YK1WjFfdW9mSo7F1gkqgBIVNbqL3xZZKvSPac7-VVjf5erXlFaL43qP1ytf-cVbOG-lbsS927htIgBCK7jQ7asFl7KvRkEXJKQg7x0Eu-/s1600-h/Chibi+ATC.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076252782065976706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUr_bClRVs4IoJq5lPmI78KpmDXp8YK1WjFfdW9mSo7F1gkqgBIVNbqL3xZZKvSPac7-VVjf5erXlFaL43qP1ytf-cVbOG-lbsS927htIgBCK7jQ7asFl7KvRkEXJKQg7x0Eu-/s320/Chibi+ATC.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><em>Butterfly ATC</em><br /><br />This one is for an ongoing swap I have with my Mum - hope she likes it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguT_iPuTm4B-oqpSfRK7eTDh4_4WbNFA6044ntj81g7hB-syFBVoJVDoxhZd6l8cOnYAQNx37EqJ6vB3HhWQ5phXCWB0S3VqHf6ul10zeZnzETSRqBX-SW3kOrRAi6lk26sL6q/s1600-h/Butterfly+ATC.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076252936684799378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguT_iPuTm4B-oqpSfRK7eTDh4_4WbNFA6044ntj81g7hB-syFBVoJVDoxhZd6l8cOnYAQNx37EqJ6vB3HhWQ5phXCWB0S3VqHf6ul10zeZnzETSRqBX-SW3kOrRAi6lk26sL6q/s320/Butterfly+ATC.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><em>Jewellery</em><br /><br />Some works in progress.. a rose quartz necklace and a pearl bracelet.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJjYYp-E0-BngynR0cPX707jIKYpDC8CkMkyPPT-zbfU5uaDwfd24RmPljBSa0ZJirxk6yt6v8n3Pz9RZnrDEyIP8HES-5_4Sa5IE5NtdQUXKxuNnlVRSGNU9KLtj1LFgSZDJ/s1600-h/2007_06_15+Beading.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076253134253295010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJjYYp-E0-BngynR0cPX707jIKYpDC8CkMkyPPT-zbfU5uaDwfd24RmPljBSa0ZJirxk6yt6v8n3Pz9RZnrDEyIP8HES-5_4Sa5IE5NtdQUXKxuNnlVRSGNU9KLtj1LFgSZDJ/s320/2007_06_15+Beading.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />What do you think?? Not a bad effort for one week!!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-1170409907522394552007-02-02T22:31:00.000+13:002008-12-11T23:00:56.987+13:00New FormatWhile I blow away the dust and sweep up the cobwebs here in Inspire Create world, please let me apologise for the lack of posts. This motherhood job is a very time-consuming one. I truly believe I spent the first 6 months after little D was born in a state of shock - the move to a new country, new baby, no sleep, and having no family or friends close by all resulted in me feeling shut-down and exhausted.<br /><br />But, thankfully, that is passing and each day gets better. I am finally starting to get more than 2 hours sleep at a time, D is more fun each day, and I am starting to make friends in our new community.<br /><br />Inspire Create has been on my mind for a while now - potential posts, news to share, etc - and I finally feel ready to move back in! I've been thinking about how to improve Inspire Create and have decided that I will try and post once a week. I will focus on a topic each week, and share my thoughts, links to inspiring web sites and sometimes pose a challenge/question that I hope you will respond to. But as with everything in life, we will see how that goes - I'm sure there will be tweaking along the way.<br /><br /><br />Also, to try and keep myself motivated I hope to post a summary of what I have been creating each week.<br /><br />And well, just because I can - here is a recent photo of D.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVS9R5uSborPnPXsybcdM3e5y8xTEsQW3MHVu11uKwpACu-fa98qCFDrTemNDZ_G910KZzaMVPNlj0jExiHQMozjROcYuRDr2mzY2ZFRl_4i-X0de8cvKIAvhZS7j_Lfm2KQyz/s1600-h/Declan+1st+day+care.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076247821378749778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVS9R5uSborPnPXsybcdM3e5y8xTEsQW3MHVu11uKwpACu-fa98qCFDrTemNDZ_G910KZzaMVPNlj0jExiHQMozjROcYuRDr2mzY2ZFRl_4i-X0de8cvKIAvhZS7j_Lfm2KQyz/s320/Declan+1st+day+care.jpg" border="0" /></a>Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-1166080868356337822006-12-14T20:15:00.000+13:002006-12-14T20:21:08.366+13:00My InspirationI know, I know - I've been a very slack little blogger.<br /><br />But, this is why:<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/7746/581/1600/176603/D%20Sept06.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/7746/581/320/546002/D%20Sept06.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I think he's a pretty gorgeous reason to be absent! We are all doing really well and having a great time.<br /><br />I have so many potential posts going round in my head that I hope to share with you soon. Until then though, I want to wish you a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of love and laughter.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-1145326803262249592006-04-18T14:15:00.000+12:002006-04-18T14:20:03.280+12:00It's a BOY!My gorgeous little boy, D, arrived on 18 March 2006 weighing 3.6kg (8lb). As you can imagine, we have been on a steep learning curve ever since! I'm just starting to feel like I'm getting a handle on things, so hopefully I will be able to start posting more regularly again soon. Until then Inspire Create will stay quiet - but I just wanted to let you know that I have had the baby and that we are both very well.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-1141786127042938112006-03-08T15:29:00.000+13:002006-03-08T15:48:47.086+13:00We made it!Phew - made it to New Zealand! It took nearly 2 weeks from when we left our house in Australia until we finally made it to our house in NZ. We wanted to attend a friend's wedding and then visit with friends and family on our way, which was lovely but made it such a long move.<br /><br />The past month has been exhausting and very emotional. Even though we had removalists taking care of most of our stuff, there was still so much we had to sort through and either give away, sell, throw out or pack. Then there was the cleaning after all the furniture was gone! Thank goodness for my dear hubby N - as he wasn't working he took care of most things and did all the cleaning. Also, I was still working 30hrs per week right up till we left - when work found out I was moving away they had a little panic attack and asked me to do as many hours as I could! The extra money has been handy, but I worked too much and got a bit too run down.<br /><br />All the goodbyes were such hard work - being 8 months pregnant made me emotional enough, then add having to say goodbye to all my family and friends - you can picture the mess I've been! 2 weeks of daily tears was exhausting. I agreed to the move and I know this is such a good thing for us, but the reality of saying goodbye was so much harder than I ever imagined (and believe me I expected it to be tough!).<br /><br />So now we are in a beautiful big house that came with the job - we are rattling around in it though as our furniture doesn't arrive for another 2 weeks. We have a table, 4 chairs, a lounge and a bed - and that's it! I can't wait to get all our stuff in as I think it is going to really suit the house and that we will be able to make it very homely.<br /><br />Anyway - just wanted to check in and let you know how I'm doing - I'll write more soon.Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-1138166919119326832006-01-25T17:56:00.000+13:002006-01-25T18:28:39.143+13:00Does life ever slow down??A silly question I know, because it only gets busier - but a girl can dream can't she?<br /><br />I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year filled with good company, good food and lots of laughs. I had a lovely time in NZ - hectic, but spent with family and friends in beautiful locations.<br /><br />As we flew home from NZ, my dear hubby N and I joked about how we hoped that would be the last flight we would be on for a long time. We travelled so much in 2005 that we would both be happy not to see the inside of an airport again for awhile. Guess what - 4 days later we were on a plane again! N had a job interview in Adelaide so we decided to make it a long weekend and visit friends who moved there a year ago. <br /><br />Then, a couple of days after our return from Adelaide N was offered a job in NZ - so guess what - we'll be flying again in the next month! It's all very overwhelming as we have to be there before the baby arrives which is only 8 weeks away. So in about the next 4 weeks we have to pack up our life in Australia and relocate to NZ. Just thinking about everything that has to be done makes my head hurt! But it is such a fantastic opportunity for us that we'd be mad not to do it. It's a really good job working for a successful, respected wine company in a beautiful part of the world. <br /><br />So things will be quiet around Inspire Create for a bit longer while I organise removalists, pack up the house, sell both our cars, organise to transport our 2 dogs to NZ (and deal with quarantine, etc), fly to NZ, set up a new house, find a midwife/hospital, have a baby (!!), and support N as he starts a challenging new job during the busiest time of year for winemakers! Phew - never a dull moment! I'll try to post status reports and share anything inspirational I come across, but please be patient with me. <br /><br />I think the next few months are going to be the most exciting and stressful of my life - wish me luck! Hopefully by the middle of the year I will look back and be amazed at what we achieved and be enjoying the fruits of all this hard work with a happy husband who is satisfied in his work and a beautiful baby to love. And I'll just go to the hairdresser to deal with the extra grey hairs I'm sure to acquire!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10668139.post-1135124677753234732005-12-21T13:24:00.000+13:002005-12-21T13:24:37.800+13:00Cute Overload!This is so <a href="http://www.cuteoverload.com/" target="-blank">cute!</a> Just to help you get your daily dose of aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhssssssss.
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<br />Well, I finish work tomorrow and after the shock of it all subsided, I'm actually really excited. I will be working 2 days a week Jan & Feb, and I can spend the rest of the time creating and getting ready for the arrival of our baby. Sounds lovely doesn't it?
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<br />After work tomorrow we hit the road to start visiting family for Christmas, so I expect things will be very quiet around Inspire Create until 12th Jan when we get home. I just want to wish all my visitors a Christmas filled with love, laughs, family and friends. And here's to hoping that 2006 will bring us all health, happiness and prosperity (in that order!).
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<br />Take care,
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<br />Love MMichellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08267110141775441476noreply@blogger.com1