Check out my new weapon, weapon of choice.

Hello!

It's been a wonderful couple of months for me in regards to developing my creative skills, particularly in crochet and sewing. I am no longer filled with self doubt but a little less scepticism that I may actually be capable of making such pretty things that people would like to buy them. I feel excited.


Weapon of choice.

I was lucky enough to marry into a family of great creative minds. My father-in-laws side is quite the collection of seamstresses and crafters; not to mention my amazing mother in law; and during the last visit they spent with us, I was given a mighty fine stack of vintage magazines such as women's weekly and new idea dating back from the 1950's. Aside from this and adding to the massive collection of buttons I now have, I inherited over 1000 spools of embroidery thread and cross stitch patterns and pieces that our late Aunty Helen used to have. They know me well... I am in heaven!


Vintage magazines dating back from 1958

I stopped off at the second hand store near my work the other day and was delighted to find a bunch of beautiful ruffle laces' perfect for a few upcoming projects that I have been piecing together in my mind over the last few weeks. However I desperately want to make it clear that the reason I thrift shop is not because of money. Infact, it may not always be cheaper to buy second hand. I browse, shop, buy, plan and consider thrifting first hand due to ethical reasons of waste. It's simply a bonus that you can find such amazing one off pieces of inspiration and wonder.


Never under-estimate the eye of the thrift shopper...

It is my goal to make beautiful clothes and accessories from scratch, promoting hand made goods and upcycling, recycling, repurposing, reusing and any other name you can think of, wherever possible. It's really not as scary as some people think it might be.


An upcycled product in the making.

Where's your inner peace, dude?

I work hard every day to know that if something ever happened to me, I wouldn’t regret not telling someone I loved them or not doing something that I’d wanted to do. And it got me thinking. Generally, I am so happy with my life and the progress that I’m making through it and time and space that I wondered why this is so for me when I am aware of so many people that aren’t in the same position, or even close to being happy with their lives. So here are the reasons I’ve come up with for me, and maybe you can have a crack at seeing what might work for you:

1. No matter how difficult it is, tell people you love them when you have the chance to. You hear many stories of people who missed the chance for reconciliation with people in their lives (or not in their lives for that matter) and you don’t want to be one of those people wishing you’d said something. Tell them through being thoughtful; remember special days, what’s important to them why they’re special in your life. It’s more then words, it’s presence. It’s care. It’s saying you love them with your entire heart and soul. So, tell people. Tell everyone. Over-tell them. Make them sick of hearing how much you love them, but make sure you tell them because they’ll know.

2. Don’t rely on others to make you happy. It’s a difficult point at first, however after taking an in-depth journey into Miguel Ruiz’s “The Mastery of Love” you discover an inner peace that when you know the love you give for yourself and others comes from within your being and your happiness, you give people the opportunity to give love back or share their love in the same way, but it doesn’t affect you in a way that if they do not respond. You do not loose the love you gave, because it’s inside you. It does not compromise the happiness you have, because it comes from inside you. Without the stress and reliance on others you have control of your life and where you choose to lead it. I like to describe it like I am happy, and it’s the kind of heart-warming happiness that I wake up to a new day and I’m just happy that it’s there and I’m there too. I give out my love to the day as I go along… and when someone responds in a negative way, it doesn’t suppress the love that I have given out; it’s still there for people to accept as they will. However when someone responds back with love they share with me, it warms my heart even more. It enlightens my entire body and allows me more love to share. It’s a good read.

3. Give with your soul. There isn’t much more explanation to this. When someone needs help, offer your help. Or better still, offer your help before someone is in such a need as to ask. Give without expectation, because giving to people is the best thing that you can do with your happiness and love.

4. Life isn’t about things. But I must admit I have a few things of my own. And they are very special to me, and I appreciate them so much because they are my own. I look after my things, I share my things when others need things, and I am happy to take responsibility for my things. I think my love for the things I have really helps, and knowing that they are just ‘things’ ensures me there is more then things to life, even though I have a few things of my own. Love your things.

Life is about people and it’s the peoples’ needs that make life special. Tell those people you love them. It’s also that not just people have life, but everything that you can see, touch, feel – has a story and a journey themselves. Make yourself happy on the inside and share that happiness with the world.

Give with your soul.
Love your things.
Live purely.

Things about me.

1. I didn't get to kiss my husband on our wedding day, because I was sick.

2. I believe that bad grammar and over use of symbols, even on facebook, is absolutely rude. Intentional bad use is a different story, however not anyone can just do this and I can tell the difference.

3. I cannot stand how everyone thinks they are all random.

4. I don't expect people to try and debate my beliefs when I do get up the courage to share them.

5. I like the radio ads for McDonalds and a little ashamed to admit that I like Katy Perry.

6. In 2004 I was awarded the Perry Irwin Leadership Memorial award and it means the world to me.

7. I have a new found love in the art of crochet.

8. My life goal, would be to live without money.

9. I have a birth mark on my right leg.

10. I have had my nose pierced three times in the same place.

11. I heaps miss my cat.

12. I am very impulsive.

13. I was most certainly born in the wrong year.

14. I have around 20 penpals; both hand written snail mail and email.

15. I am a little bit obsessed about how mess should be organised.

16. The best ever Christmas movie, is Scrooge.

17. Benarkin SS was the best school.

18. Numbers I like are 1 and 21.

19. I hate pet stores.

20. I love bows, ruffles and all the little wonders you can find in thrift stores.

Making changes, going green(er).

Lately I've been having more and more of a desire to do something greater then I already am; to make an even more (or less) impact to the environment in my life. It's a difficult and overly complicated thing, though, and I feel that not enough people understand the choices that me and my husband make.

So, to start I have taken the pledge to buy hand made. It feels good, and for a while I was quite afraid that I wouldn't be able to make it; after all, I did purchase three pairs of summer shorts from Big W just this week. However, if I am in the mindset of doubt, then how will I ever know if I can make it? I can make myself make it.



Perhaps there isn't enough care in the world for environmental impact. Perhaps the idea of modern lifestyles and things that are so easily accessible through packets and chain shops is more important to families nowa-days, but I'm not convinced and I'm not going to stop. Here's the next step in my life:

I, Siobhan-Marie, hereby pledge to the following commencing Friday 8th October, 2010:

1). I will not conform to social expectations of looks, consumption, values or beliefs.

2). I will not choose fashion over morals.

3). Everyday I will endeavour to reduce the output of waste from my home and anything I am involved in.

4). I will avoid unnecessary consumption including for wants. There is a reason they are not listed under necessity.

5). I will never stop caring.

For now, I am off to eat some roast pumpkin soup and craft away with recycled craft materials while tuning into a bit of Kavisha Mazzella. This afternoon should be lovely.

Peace,
SM

Love monkey and Rumi.

While waiting for an appointment in lovely Southbank the other day, mum and I decided to explore a little part of the lovely area, where we soon found an amazing book shop and cafe. Reading tales of love monkey and rumi, mum and I enjoyed a cup of tea and the laid back environment.




Our day was filled with little snippets in time, particularly the awkward moment when a young man goes to enter the mens toilet that you are occupying because the ladies is taken while your mum is guarding the door because the lock doesn't work... needless to say we couldn't go back to use those toilets for the rest of that day.


Sitting in the book shop cafe with rain clouds looming in the afternoon sky, I listened to Lisa Loeb and The Avett brothers while indulging in a lemon meringue and soy milk chai latte and I patiently waited for my mum to finish her acupuncture session (to which I later discovered she fell asleep and left me waiting for and hour longer then I had expected). Thinking to myself that I always need to remember to bring a notepad with me so I don't need to scribble down my life's most beautiful moments on a pad of sticky notes I found in the bottom of my bag.

All in a days work, and a beautiful day at that.

People think I collect tea pots.

That's right. I have a lovely little collection developing of unique and wacky tea pots that people have given me, so I guess now, I'm collecting tea pots.

Life lately has been quiet and busy at the same time. There have been days filled with oh-so-wonderful cleaning chores with sprinkles of crafty goodness in between. I have opened my online shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SiobhanMarie

and I'd love some views from all you lovely people out there. Definitely keep an eye out in the coming weeks for new items including upcycled beauties, upcoming summer fashions and festive pieces of joy. I hope to see you there!

We also have some new additions to our family... Please meet Geralt, our axolotl:



And our two gold fish Vesemir and Eskel:



They are lovely. This means our family is at a total of six including our lovely cat, Chubs...




And my husband and myself:







I love my family.

Learning to Upcycle.

I have had a recent lesson from my father in law about how to not constantly break the needles on my sewing machine, and thus, having the ability to successfully sew little pieces of love. The time has come to move on from crocheting the edges of all winter clothing to upcycling lovely summer fashions with scrap pieces of material, beads and buttons. I cannot wait!

I love words.

Haiku poem.

Warm embrace shines now
Through crisp and fresh howling winds
Winter sun delight.

Sonnet.

Arrival of the minds' mystery stage,
the bewilderment of the trip allure
a new adventure begins, turn the page,
embrace the word illusions, more and more

Knowledge, learning, reality escape:
enriching the soul, embody the mind
endless derivatives sought, seeking shape,
searching souls thirst for pleasure, pure divine

Emotional ties and paper cuts braved,
indulge in the rapture, bask in the grit:
worlds of wonderment await to be paved
forget the risks and take the plunge right in

Explore words alike, many worlds apart,
draw it up high, breath in the dust, and start.

The Isaac.


The land was red, the air was bountiful, the sea was surrounding. Australia was the new England. A place for prosperity and future that Netties' family had followed across the seas. It was their new life, and oh the house. The house was precious. Beyond precious, it was a gift. It was a house of many rooms, an embracing wrap around verandah shaded from the heat and had a delicious feeling of wondering enchantment running through the halls. It was bliss. Accompanying the delicious slice of heaven was an adorning eucalyptus, standing tall and strong on the far reaches of the property edges. A sight of marvel and beauty for the Emmett family. On their first day under the southern cross, the Emmetts' has been told of the sacred land on which their beautiful house was built. Natives spoke of particular importance of the century old eucalyptus tree that stood tall and strong at the far back of their property. “Tree connect spirit to mother earth”, elders would say, and although the family held the highest respect for the Indigenous elders, they thought nothing of this tale. It was just a tree.

Nettie was a young girl to many, but in her heart she knew she was years beyond the numerical age that seemed to defined her. Coming into the age of 14 in the sweltering summers of the Australia. Well, technically, she was 14, but in her heart she going on 25. She was ready for life. She enjoyed reading her poems and watching the grass grow. She was a dreamer and very proud of it. The need for bigger houses, bigger cars, bigger lifestyles baffled her. She wanted to be immersed in the purity of nature.

While her parents and servants were unpacking she decided it was a chance for her to see what nature the outback of her new Australian home had to offer her. She set off down through the mystical hall ways of their new house clutching the diary she always had by her side. It was time for some exploration. “Why is this tree so important?”, she thought, “why this tree, of all the trees in the world”. As she drew closer, she could sense the raw beauty the tree omitted. The house was a beautiful place to live but this tree, it was miraculous. It stood 1000 feet tall and swayed proudly high up in the blue sky. When she looked up, she was mesmerised by the leaves dancing to the tune of the summer breeze. She felt in her heart and she knew, it was the Isaac.

For an entire week Nettie spent her time pondering the changes this tree would have seen. The floods, the droughts, the storms, she wondered. Geography was one of her favourite subjects and she yearned for the beginning of the Australian school year to soak up more native knowledge.

She had begun to bond with the land, whether it be because of the purity of soul she so willingly shared with the world or the time she simply took to try and understand; she felt a connection stronger then any other she'd felt before. The more time that Nettie would spend daydreaming about the spirit’s stories of the past and writing poems in her diary under the shade of Isaac, the more she felt connected to the land. Nettie was in absolute awe of mother earth's truly magical creation. Nettie understood that it was the lifeblood of the area, but it seemed like she was the only one who truly appreciated it's presence beyond shade and comfort. She knew there was more to it.

One day, as usual, Nettie was writing in her diary while basking under the morning sun through the leaves of Isaac when all of a sudden, she felt a tremor and the ground began to move underneath her feet . Amongst her world of dreams and imagination, she couldn't tell if it was real, but either way Isaac left her breathless. It was as if the tree was calling her, and she obeyed. Isaac was so beautiful up close and Nettie felt a wave of desire come over her, a devine beauty that she couldn't resist. He was calling to her, not through words, but she knew he was calling her. In the very distances she started to hear a sound, but it was muffled. She focussed harder and harder until finally... “Nettie!” Her mother's call woke her dream. Nettie was indulging in another of her fantasies before she had realised that the rains were coming in. She jumped up from her picnic-like arrangement she had prepared under Isaac, and quickly began to pack up her things before the spitting got too hard, but the rains came in fast. She wrapped her books up in the blanket with her diary safely on top, said her goodbyes to Isaac and slowly wandered back to the house, enjoying the spits of rain landing on her tongue. Nettie wondered what her family had been up to over the day, as she had been outside for most of the daylight, which was the same as every other day. Isaac has become her special place. No one else saw Isaac the way Nettie did. As you'd expect, Isaac was the tree. “The tree?!” she imagined they'd scoff while choking down scones and tea. No one would be able to understand but that wouldn't stop her from defending what she thought to be true. Her parents were modest people working hard to achieve a good future for Nettie. She was their only child and they had high expectations for a young girl of such distinction. She had the world of success right at her doorstep, so to speak. To them it was a shame that at the foot of Nettie's door was a world of disenchantment to their ways.

Nettie saw her future being days filled with flower picking and painting on the hills. Child's play, they called it, and had pure intentions of weaning her out of her petty state of mind. She begged to differ. No matter what it took, she would always strive for her interpretation of a blissfully enjoyable life; perfect for it's imperfections. Nettie was getting closer to the house when she could smell their supper was almost ready. Pot roast tonight, her favourite. Isaac had left her mind for the time being.

The clouds rolled darker and darker as the evening went on, the storm had worsened. Thunder shook the air and the bolts of lightening lit up the sky. It was an incredible display of power. The rains continued into the early hours of the morning with the Emmetts' slept quiet in their beds. The summer night was hot, despite the storm at present. Nettie laid with the covers off listening to the music of the storm, dozing in and out of slumber. A mighty roar of thunder cracked over the house that startled Nettie wide awake. She picked up her diary and creeped out of her room to see her parents sleeping soundly, they had not been disturbed by the storm at all. Nettie looked outside, Issac was bright in the early morning sky. He was lonely, she had to go to him. The rain had begun to ease up and smallest water droplets fell on her bare skin as she walked closer and closer to Isaac. Her heart began beating harder and harder. Her arms felt weak and her head began to spin, but Isaac needed her. She wouldn't leave him. The sound of indistinguishable chatter rung through her ears as she approached her special place, Isaac was calling her. She crouched underneath his branches, wrapped her nightie over knees and squeezed the rain out of her hair. After then, she didn't remember much. A heart beat, there was no sound. A breath inhaled, it would be her last. In the blink of an eye Isaac has come crashed down upon her, struck silently by lightening. Nettie was thrusted into the soft, wet soil. She was crushed.

The sunshine of the breaking dawn rose over the horizon and shone over Nettie's still body and the broken tree. The rains had stopped. The crisp steps of Nettie's father echoed through the ground as he desperately ran towards her. Her face was pale, her hair was matted and her nightie torn. He had come too late. He stroked the dew from her brow and kissed her for a final time. Over his shoulder he could see her diary. She always had it, he thought. “You could have been joined at the hip” he recalled saying to her.

The Emmett family were devastated. How could this happen to their child? They didn't understand and they wouldn't accept it. Nettie's passing left a hole of confusion in the hearts of her parents. They couldn't understand her infatuation with the tree, Isaac had not been real enough to them, but he was to her. She was taken by the great spirit of the land; indulged in the life of love and begun her pathway to the everlasting devine place of her soul. In honour of their child, they left the burnt tree stump standing strong in the backyard and beside it, they buried the diary that she wore on her hip. Perhaps it would grow her thoughts and dreams? A thought far from possibility, but it didn't matter. Nettie would have wanted that.

The land would never be the same again, and neither would Nettie's family. Lost in the world, they had recklessly been torn apart. Unfathomable damage had been caused to the land, to the spirit and yet, Nettie felt that it was only her that could see and feel the change. The change in the winds and the irregular heart beat of the land; an injustice had been done.

Native Elders spoke of this as punishment from the higher spirit. “Bad things happen for bad actions”, they said. These words lingered in the minds of Nettie's parents. They would never know what their bad action had been, or if it was even theirs' to start with, but nature unappreciated was never thought of that way by them again.


Within weeks, the Emmetts had moved back to England. They had chosen comfort and old ways back in their land rather then a lifetime of prosperity in a new land of hurt and broken spirits.

The months and years passed on as the generations grew and passed through with irrespective knowledge of the Isaac tree that once stood tall and strong. Slowly, the land withered away, loosing culture, meaning and connection to the once great spirit of the mother earth. However the broken tree stump in the land of red stood strong for many years to come. Through floods, droughts and storms, it was strong.

It was Nettie's place.

It's life.

Hello all!

Although I have not had a great deal of new posts lately, I have been working my creative mind like crazy. In the last few weeks I have learnt to knit a button hole, a baby booty and a hat, and have just opened my very own online shop. Please do visit:

It's been an exciting few days full of wonderful job prospects (of which I am eagerly awaiting replies hopefully asking to interview me and not for me to leave them alone), lovely baked goods including a great amount of cookies, both choc chip and smarty-filled, made my first Sheppard' pie and the excitement of this time of year when spring is starting to peek through the winter crisp and each day is inspiring for the simple fact that we are blessed enough to have such a wonderful country to be in.

Unfortunately it's just a quick stop in tonight, I am pumped with excitement of having a lovely online shop, and thus, I must go and make some pretties to put in it. Promise to stop by more often!

Sending love.

SM.

Free the refugees.

Today I woke up to a phone call from my mum, after I had just reset my alarm. She was asking whether I'd fancy a trip to South Bank to enjoy some tea and sunshine. Ever the go getter for sunshiney-tea-enjoyment, I accepted.

So we caught the bus and all of a sudden, found ourselves joined to a 'free the refugees' protest while we waited for the arrival of Mr. Tony Abbott to his launch. To be honest, I had no idea that this was happening today, and it was sheer coincidence that we ended up there. It all started with a blue elephant... the Australian Youth Climate Coalition were there, and naturally, we posed for photos with the big blue animal. From there, we hugged some trees, whistled at passing cyclists dressed in red speedos and big ears attached, then questioned by four policemen about our presence. That was nice. So, naturally we got involved. We joined the refugee rights team by Socialist Alternative on the other side and chanted away, making sure to raise our voices higher for the people with displaying disgusted looks.

A great day of mother-daughter adventures, I must say, and I want to finish today's blog with the following thought.

This is the beautiful planet, the home that we have. Why can we not protect and share the world we have? Why are people so defensive in sharing their beauties with just as beautiful people or even further then that, why can we not all be content only when every living being has the same basic rights as another?

Fraggle Friday.

So a recently play on words has lead to believe that 'why not, apricot' is a better title for my little blog then dear old 'oddly red'. I like it, I think I'll keep it.

A few of the other words that I have deemed cute beyond cuteness include: 'oopsies', 'finks', 'doody', 'wizzle' and 'squee'. This little exercise has helped me to rekindle a bit of love that I knew I had with words... and now it's back.

I've not had a terribly great day - having slept in many hours past the time I needed to get up and prepare myself for a wonderful opportunity to get into my writing career.

I trekked out to the local mall (by bus) wearing my summer sandals, which to my dismay have decided that since I have not worn them for the last 3 months that they would give me blisters. It wasn't nice.

While I was waiting it up at the bus stop a thought occurred to me that I'd had more then once...how much reckless drivers annoy me so much, that I often think about what it'd be like to jump out in front of their cars while their speeding or on their phones, just to scare the utter crap out of them. Is that an insane thought? Perhaps.

As I stumbled to the post office and sent off the second assignment for this study period, I actually felt good about where I was and what my thoughts on the future were. I hope I can keep it up.

So, to help me keep it up, I have decided to write my biography. It's something I imagine someone reading on Wikipedia one day, or maybe it will eventuate into a book. What I remember, the things I like and don't like and all the things in between. I guess sometimes you need convincing that you are a good person and this just might be the way for me to do that. I think it will help keep me grounded, perhaps even keep me on the borderline of sane.

A good feeling.

So, it's been quite a while since my last post and I am sincerely hoping to restructure my daily routine to include a section of writing time no matter how small. I've just finished watching 'Julie and Julia', have eaten an entire ceramic soup mug full of chocolate covered sultanas and finally gaining a little bit of motivation to get stuck into some groovy-writing-tunes.

I am eagerly awaiting the return of my husband from work to help set up and activate the shiny new printer that we had delivered early this morning (as I ran out to greet the delivery man in my bright orange and pink spotted pyjamas).

I have just finished an assignment and feeling good about the world, despite this wonderfully pounding headache that has decided to bless me with it's presence. So I shall bid good evening and look forward to the adventures tomorrow morning brings.

x

A new beginning...

So, I wanted to share with you all my newest adventure, the adventure of marriage. Last Saturday, 12th June, my partner and I celebrated not only our 5 year anniversary, but the certified union of our relationship. Hooray, I am married! It's a very exciting prospect, and I look forward to the adventures that I am going to have with my husband, who also happens to be my best friend in the wide world.

Big meany.

I have a sneaking suspicion that perhaps, that I might actually be an intolerant, mean, selfish person, instead of the caring and peace-seeking soul that I've claimed to be in the past 21 years. Yes, it's unusual but growing truer by the minute, but it seems that I am a big meany.

Life so far, has been a bundle of crazy adventures. Some good, some bad, some easy, some difficult, but I've managed to get through them all with a funny story to tell and a little more experience to add to my worldly wisdom collection, however of late I am finding myself in quite a pickle, and a rude one at that.

I find myself judging people by their ignorant actions far beyond my usual attempt to understand what's going on in their lives to make them act in the ways that they have. There are comments circling through my brain of suggestions and favours that I am being asked that I wouldn't dare ask of others and my patience level seems to be lessening each day. I have no sympathy for people having a bad day and decide they're more important in the shopping line then me, and I certainly do not care to humour people for their petty jokes and tasteless remarks.

It's hard for me to say where this is exactly going to, seeing as each day something more comes up and I gradually shift further away from the tolerant existence that I once hoped we'd have, but it doesn't seem pleasant. However, I do believe that I can at least find a few reasons for my diminished care factor. Let's explore a little further...

I believe we live in a western society that is by majority, prides itself of the Eurocentric values consisting of superiority of the masses and little care for equal rights of people that may not hold the same immediate beliefs as them. There is no consideration for social differences and as it appears, no care for them either. I find no pride in that title, nor the fact that we as a nation continue to fuel the typical stereotypes of caring more about sporting achievements of which wages are unfairly distributed based on gender, then people suffering from basic human rights infringements in our own backyard, let alone in other countries that call out for international aid and care.

Something else particularly niggling at me in recently weeks is the inequities of the education system. Is it fair that some children are compensated for unacceptable treatment in care and poor literacy and numeracy skills with yearly theme park tickets and first dibs on entertainment in the local area, while others are not? Is it fair that the children that are not compensated in this manner will still have and continue to have challenges in school and learning environments that will not be improved but rather replaced with easier options? Not good enough.

Irresponsible and senseless consumerism, waste and litter surrounds me in this civilisation inhabited by western cultures of greed and power. This world, is seeming less and less deserving of the innocent souls that suffer at the feet of inequities and personally, I no longer feel the need to fight against it. I'm feeling more and more that this isn't a world I can pour my caring heart into,

I am a big meany. I am becoming intolerant of people who don't know any different. I feeling very mean with my horrible thoughts about why people don't think like me and why people can't just get along and see something from another's perspective, and lastly I must be selfish considering the fact that I've given up hope for the world that we live in. I guess I'll just take me and my big meany self and curl up in the corner for a while in the hope that I'll regain some sense of citizenship that I'll be proud to put my name to.

State of Origin bore...

I know I'm not the only one, however I feel a strong vibe in the air that I am outstandingly outnumbered in the amount of people who actually care about the state of origin rivalry between Queensland and New South Wales. I simply do not care.

I went out with my mum today and as we sat for a cuppa and people watched (as we often do) I noticed many people casting their social preference votes for who they backed in the game. It breaks my heart to see so many people proudly display their support for a ball game, and yet not half as many publically show their support for, say, Human Rights Day. I strongly feel that there are many more worthy topics that deserve not only the social support, but the media coverage and funds to go with it.

So tonight, I spend my time nibbling away at a bar of fair trade chocolate and rekindling my love for words of power while I listen to some calming tunes. Newton Faulkner or The Avett Brothers, perhaps.