Have you ever stopped to notice the patterns in the leaves? The array of colours that are displayed right before us? Or the intricate details of the bark on a tree? How often do you take time to just be still? Or is life just always on the go, full of worry and stress?

Today I took my run around Princes Park as I have been doing for a while now. Most days I crank the tunes, blocking out the world around me and go, but today I felt the need to just allow the sounds of busyness around me be the sound track I ran to.

As I begun my cool down walk, I noticed how many leaves where on the ground, the colours and the detail on each leaf through patterns and shapes. Normally the sound of the crunching beneath my feet is blocked out but today each step I took, I heard the crunching of the gravel and leaves.

As I walked I begun to get creatively inspired, I thought back to my Design course when we sat in the park and drew the textures of trees, the textures of the brick paving and the huge roots of the trees shading us from the blaring sun.  I remember at the time thinking not much of it, but just plodding through and completing the exercises to enable me to pass my course.

Today I found myself collecting pieces along the way so that I could revisit these artistic adventures, and to now have a new appreciation for the God who made this beauty that for so long I have ignored and taken for granted.

Life for me at times, okay most of the time, is extremely busy! Today as I took in the patterns, colours and sounds around me, I felt God saying to me to just slow down. I felt extremely encouraged to take time to enjoy His creation, to be inspired through the creativity around me and to allow Him to speak to me. 

Imagine if we all just took some time out from our busy days to notice the small things that we look past each day. What kind of inspiration we would gain, how God could speak to us through these things, if we just allowed ourselves to be still.

Matthew 10: 30  “and even the very hairs of your head are all numbered”.

It blows my mind that God knows me so intricately, even more so than the intricate leaves that I collected today. I am so thankful that today I slowed down and took in the small things around me, because I have been inspired, lifted and encouraged.

Stay tuned for some products of that creative inspiration…

items collected along my walk today

spring

your love letter has arrived

it brings you love on spring days

and encourages spring dreaming

it gives you butterflies

and gives hope

....all items available on madeit.com.au by clicking on links under each picture....

Captivated..

I'm such a sucker for Sunsets! I have soooo many pictures on my laptop of sunsets that I have taken over the years...and when I add more hubby always comments 'oh not another one!' Today driving home from work, I was captivated by another beautiful sunset.

Dark blue/purple clouds, with the sun creating a white light outline. Then the sun bursting out with rays, filling the sky, saluting the day that had been. The sky was still its usual pale blue, but with a hint of warm yellow from the rays being thrown into it.

Am I painting an ok picture? maybe yes, maybe no. Maybe this sunset was just for me to see, to be captured by its beauty.... I would of taken a picture to share, but couldn't really grab my phone and do it quickly without being caught, so for me its locked in my memory. For you I too hope you find beauty in the simplest things. Things God has created for us to enjoy. His creation. His signature.

What captivates you??

- just one of the many I have taken -

I've done it!

I've done it! I achieved more sales than I actually thought I would. Hubby always tells me I under estimate myself and this time I agree. I went to market with quite a bit of stock, I had worked so hard in the 2 weeks before to get things together. I came home with some stock left over, which is to be expected, I would of died of shock if I had of sold everything!! But I also came home with a few more dollars than I had before I did the market :) Now I am a women on a mission!! I've been saying for ages that I would get a madeit store up and running but have just been busy and thought it would take longer than I thought. But I have done it! I have a store :) you can view it here. I haven't uploaded any items yet, but they will be up by the weekend! I have set goals. For now if you want to check out my items, you can fan me on Facebook by going here. My goals now:

• upload items onto my madeit store
• sort out studio, as its a complete MESS!!
• keep producing items
• to stop underestimating myself!

Sunday...

Sunday..oohh Sunday...sun shining, warm weather, PJ's on and pottering in the craft room. Oh what a day you have been, you've made me smile, you've helped me feel less stressed out with all that is going on in life, and you've helped me take time for myself...which has been long overdue...this is what you helped me create today...thanks Sunday for being so generous with warmth, happiness and creativeness!!

and yes I am loving my new Iphone, to be able to carry my camera everywhere I go, to capture the moment...so here's one I snapped Easter weekend, and was so glad I was carrying my phone on me right at that moment... pretty huh??!! :) x.x.x

teaspoons

What do you do with a teaspoon?! ..Mix in sugar.. ..eat icecream so it lasts longer.. ..pick up tiny beads.. Thats all I can think of that I use them for, but what about the people who collect them! There are hundreds of teaspoons out there, different styles, different locations, different meanings...but really what do we do with them, even the people who collect them!? We get them into work a fair bit, each one having its own different story, a little piece of memorabilia. Memories of a town visited on a holiday, an event that took place, a person, business or just from a cutsy little dinner set. I don't collect them, cos I don't like dusting and I reckon they would gather a lot of dust, but I have a few strays, because I like the picture or pattern, so I am going to try think of some different ways to use them.....

Creativity. Love. Dreams. 2010!!

Happy New Year!! I don't know about you but I'm such a nanna it was very hard to stay up to the New Year....I had a little nanna nap at about 11pm, and then woke up to watch the fireworks on tv, before heading home and sleeping!! Although I was with great company I find the hype of staying up late so over rated! Personally Id rather go to sleep at a reasonable hour then wake up on Jan 1st bright eyed and bushy tailed looking forward to the year ahead! Anyway enough of that! I was reading Laurens blog - Osier and she has posed a challenge, a "once-a-month-sew-and-tell"...although I am really bad at commitment with things like this I have decided to play along..will you join us?! I'm actually excited about this, as I got a new sewing machine for Christmas and yet haven't played with it...so where will I start?! Stay tuned... I have made no new years resolutions this year - but my aim is Creativity. Love. Dreams. To fulfil all of them!! Happy 2010

Craft room accessable!

I'm warning you the image below may offend some, may disturb...

or may just purely relate to your craft room!!! Today I've tackled the craft room, to sort, dispose and tidy...and I'm just having a little break now to let you know it is looking much better than in this picture... so here's to 2010 being a more productive year in the creativity department with a craft room that can actually be used to work in, not just for storage.

Colour my wall

how beautiful does it look!!

I would LOVE this in my craft room.....I found out about it through reading frankie, and you can subscribe to get all these pencils at 500 pencils...oh how lovely it would be :)

Off to Market...

I have this friend her name is Dee, and she owns Winifred and Bance vintage boutique. Winifred and Bance are having a yard sale on the 5th December and I am going to be there selling some of my goods!! :) Along with my good friend Emma who makes beautiful things too!

For now I am busy making goods to take to Market...I have a bit of a selection, just trying to use up alot of stuff I have, so I can make room for more!

So come check it out!!!

Silk Piece

I have no words today, just pictures. I feeling a little tired. So I'll leave you with this piece I finished on the weekend. Now just waiting for somewhere to wear it....maybe an upcoming wedding :D

Puzzles..

Lately I've been working on a puzzle...for arts sake! I have never completed anything bigger than a childs puzzle, so when I got this idea to use puzzles for the next piece I'm working on for Church, I thought I was going to go mad! But actually I have been finding it quite relaxing.

Its given me time to think. With every piece I put in, it shows a little bit more of the bigger picture, by connecting the right pieces it reveals something more to be seen. As a Christian I believe that God has already planned out m life for me. He knows where I am headed. He has given me special talents, dreams, abilities etc. that will assist me in His purpose for my life. My life is like a puzzle that God is in control of, piecing each bit in, sometimes piece by piece, other times a few pieces at a time. One day the picture will be complete, but I believe that will only be once I leave this earth, because we are always growing, there is always something to learn, something to achieve. The picture to the right is my husbands tattoo. For me it symbolizes that Jesus is the missing piece. That with Jesus in our lives there is a purpose to live for. And without Him there would be a hole, a missing piece, something that we would be continually searching for.

and im back...again...this time to stay :)

Yesterday was my birthday....25 years I celebrated!! A little scary I must admit, but also exciting... So Im setting a goal that this year to come shall be the most creative year I have had, that I will look for ways to be creative in everything I can. That creativity isn't just sewing, art and decorating, but creativity is all around and I want to embrace that! So I am back, with inspiration after 2 weeks holidays, a time to refresh and renew, ready to tackle any challenge thrown at me, to change the things I struggle with, one step at a time. Sorry to have negelected you but life was crazy, I am now making time for me, time for others and evaluating life and its priorities. I am passionate, I have been inspired and we will achieve our dreams!!

Creations, Inspiration and Motivation

Well.....firstly a few creations for you lil eyes to look at....

A little Thankyou note I made for the people who so generoulsy made food for our Christmas in July feast :)

Buttons Earrings - Made from Vintage buttons, attached to silver studs.

There seems to be a lot going on lately in my little mind, its crazy cos I think sooo much, and it gets me wound up, sometimes upset, sometimes frustrated, vary rarely satisfied. But I've being trying to put all these thoughts into actions.

Mainly my thoughts are creative related, ideas to create, thoughts of quitting work and just creating all day long, ways to get my stuff out there, ways to have more time to do this.

But tonight I had a guest, and his name is Dan, he is one of the founders of ThankyouWater, and at just 20 he has such a passion for this. I sat for a couple of hours tonight over dinner listening to him speak of how it started, how they got it out there, how its going, how they had no money, but just stepped out in faith and God provided the money for it to develop, God made ways for them to get it out there. Dan said he had read a few business books and he remembers reading a phrase which said something like 'don't worry about the money, it will happen' ( i wish i remembered the exact wording cos it sounded so much better than that!) but in a nutshell, if you wait for money, you will never get your dream, just step out in faith and believe that you can do it. For me its believing that God has given me this passion, this dream, this creativity to use for Him. I don't exactly know what it looks like or where I will end up, but for now I will just keep creating, keep pursuing, keep listening and keep praying.

This may not makes sense, cos again I have all these thoughts going through my mind and they are all trying to rush out into this lil blog. I hope it does make some kinda sense?!

The bottom line - I wanna wake up every morning, knowing that I am going to do what I enjoy, and I will go to bed each night, knowing that I have lived that day doing what I love, that if I don't wake up in the morning I have tried my best to be who God wants me to be, I have used what He has given me, and I have reached out to others to be that smiling face, or friend to talk to. I don't want to live another day just plodding along, making money that means nothing. I want a purposed filled life!!

But I need your help!

If you are a friend, or even if your not will you keep me accountable?!

Will you challenge me to be the best person I can be?!

A lovely Sunday afternoon...

Well I just got back from a lovely sunday afternoon out in beautiful Perth. Hubby and I started at Made on the Left, how inspiring, there is so much WA talent out there!! Such a range of beautiful handmade goods!!! I brought some flowers from Wire and Paper, my aunty has just been diagnosed with Leukemia and is undergoing treatment, so she can't have beautiful fresh flowers, so these were just a perfect gift for her!! There was lots of other things I would of loved to have brought, but I really didn't have enough money, note to self save hard before going to the next MOTL.

Life has got me thinking lately, so much has happened, life is so fast, and life is SO precious!! We don't know what will happen tomorrow, but for me its living using my passions, skills and gifts that God has blessed me with and using them as much as I can. I don't know where my life is going, I can plan it, but I believe God is in control and things happen, so make the most of TODAY. Don't wait till tomorrow.

I made this!!!

meet me at mikes is have an awesome giveaway!! They are giving away their book which looks awesome and very inspiring!! So I made this Pip :) plus I'm coming to Melbourne in 4 weeks and hoping to have time to get to your store!!!

I put two cos I think they are both very cute and I made both in the last few weeks ;)

Success!!

I found this picture tonight when my sister was doing some scrapping! I read it and instantly fell in love with it and she even said she thought of me when she read it too.

I've been so busy lately, bit of an up and down week. Had some really upsetting family news, which has been a little hard to deal with, but Im getting through now. Ive also been sick and to top it, hubby and I have been organising an event for our new Ministry we are starting at our Church. '411' is for 18 -25 year olds and tomorrow night we have our first event being Christmas in July. So I've been busy making bon bons, cooking some food, organising others to help with bits and bobs. I am so excited!!!

But now its midnight and since I'm a nanna and normally in a deep sleep by now I must head off to bed.

I'll let you know how 411 went and also will post some pics of my decorating. And also post some pics of my creations from last week! Sorry to have kept you waiting so long, you have been so patient!!

Stitching

Recently I was inspired to start a blog for my creative thoughts, and also to start stitching infront of the tv (thanks to the beautiful Emma), instead of wasting the night away!

So tonight firstly i stitched infront of the tv, and now, you guessed it I started a blog and hopefully this will be the first of many postings...

so my stiching, i had this little dress, bright florals - pinks, yellows, purples with soft undertones of greens and browns - and after being inspired through a book to make some little brooches, this is what i did...so far I have half made 2, they look pretty cute and are heaps easy to make...

for the rest of the night i shall dream of inpiring things...creativity comes to us in every form, everything can be inspiring, its just how we look at it :)