*e*

face that i love

a quiet moment on the couch this afternoon (i love having grandpa around!) and the discovery of this photo.

my love :)

i have learned, that even when he is being really, really annoying - the answer is not to punch him in the whatzit but to simply serve him. (and no, i do not mean in a 1950's-fetch-your-slippers-and-pipe-with-a-fake-smile-on-my-face-way, but in an unconditional love kind of way). i think that the more kindness you show to someone, the more your grow to love them. 

we got to go on a date the other night (again, i love having grandpa around!), a very rare and much much appreciated few hours of alone time. time to talk and listen and snuggle without anyone there to interrupt! so so important. 

fogive the love-fest but when i saw this photo i wanted to shout how much i adore him. when i think of everything we have been through together and everything we have planned for the future i am amazed at us - amazed at HIM. because he is the one :)

just a face to most people. but to me it is everything. 

short skirts are back

are they?

you know, you used to look great in a mini...

did i...?

...(please someone tell me they remember that classic 'special K' ad?!!! we love to quote it!)

my lovely and newly pregnant (yeee!) friend ali has cranked out another book on something she is brilliant at (amongst other things) = that being ye olde mini-book. i too am a lover of the book of smallish and-therefore-actually-possible-to-complete-variety and was happy to be a contributor in this book. can't wait to see it! preorder is available here. 

and may i introduce you to the latest member of our family...

 

what began as an innocent trip to a farmyard to see some animals resulted in a love-connection between bunny and girl (although it may still be one sided and extremely intense from that one side), a mumma caving on the spot, and a daddy who spent the weekend constructing a hutch! yindi is becoming too heavy for ivy to carry - and this little girl loves to mother! she is in heaven with a new 'baby' to brush hair, push around in the doll stroller, cuddle, and rock to sleep! ah, the sweetness of being a child - i love it :)

we are happy!

because my dad has come for a visit!!!!!

we picked him up from the airport on friday and have been busy hanging out at the beach, bike riding, going down waterslides, eating mexican food, and jumping off rocks in front of fancy hotels!!! (this is the pretty pretty hotel del coronado that we walked past drooling yesterday). we weren't sure if he was actually coming until a few days ago so it was a nice surprise for ivy! yindi is happy too...

there is nothing better than having family come to stay :)

mosaic me and mosaic him

no new netflix? nothing to read? whatever is the modern day couple to do at night? why - make a matching flickr mosaic! i saw this on denise's blog (did i mention i love her?) and it looked like fun. you answer questions about yourself, and type the answer into flickr to find an image from the 1st page of results. deets on her blog. mick and i had a cozy time on the couch typing in our answers and finding pretty pictures. did i mention i love mosaics? (and denise?) and jack bauer?

1. Emily Carr Would Love HDR, 2. Water waits, 3. Santa Helena, 4. Rainbow through Gum tree, 5. Jack Bauer Spared Your Life T-Shirt, 6. Ultimate Big Breakfast Smoothie, 7. How hard is life for some...., 8. Cranberry and Vanilla Pavlova, 9. All-Star Women Team @ Tuxpan de Bolaños, Jalisco, 10. dVan, 11. Tour De Mouches, 12. his yarn ascending embers

1. 4 d man, 2. Crepe Myrtle, 3. Snake River Morning, 4. I s o l a t e d, 5. sploosh, 6. Diente De León Flotando En Agua, 7. Jewish Quarter - Jerusalem, Old City - 360°, 8. Mobile Cobbler at Gujarkhan, Pakistan, 9. Two People Walking Through The Orchard Where I Would Go with My Grandad to Gather Cherries, 10. I can see you!, 11. Ceremony of Nature, 12. Not Applicable to Cycles #2

questions, and answers (me in pink, he in green)

1. What is your first name? emily, & mick

2. What is your favorite food? indian, & crepes

3. What high school did you attend? helena college & swan view high

4. What is your favorite color? turquoise, & green

5. Who is your celebrity crush? jack bauer, and leonardo dicaprio (i know, i know!)

6. Favorite drink? smoothies & water

7. Dream vacation? nepal, & jerusalem

8. Favorite dessert? pavlova, & peach cobbler

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? happy, & a grandad

10.What do you love most in life? my family, & my girls

11. One word to describe you. alive, & gentle

12. Your Flickr name. embers, & n/a!

sleeping in the forest (a poem and a picture)

I thought the earth remembered me, she
took me back so tenderly, arranging
her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds. I slept
as never before, a stone
on the riverbed, nothing
between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated
light as moths among the branches
of the perfect trees. All night
I heard the small kingdoms breathing
around me, the insects, and the birds
who do their work in the darkness. All night
I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling
with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.

                               - Mary Oliver

for my birthday, tara surprised me with a unique and beautiful gift - a friendship photo shoot with this talented soul. denise is a kindred spirit, a wonderfully gentle and uplifting person to be around, and the three of us spent a warm morning on the beach and in the forest laughing, sharing, changing clothes, enjoying. this photo was taken at the very end - we were laying in a shady spot tucked away in on a blanket with all the pillows from my living room and i drifted off into a little daydream, completely relaxed in a place that always makes my heart content - looking up at the blue sky peeking through the leaves, soaking in the quiet. with my sweet friend. a lovely reminder of what matters in life. a reminder to lay outside more, and to be with those who love you for you, and inspire you to love you :)

making stuff makes me happy

of course, it's always nice when i finish the thing i am making...i seem to have many projects on the go at the moment, babies who are growing faster than i can knit their newborn gifts for, photos piling up faster than i can do something with...backgrounds ready for something (anything!) to lay upon them. a messy studio space. but that is me - following in the footsteps of my mother - i'm still waiting for ivy's baby quilt (hint, hint), but enjoying my creative craziness anyway. i finished a few journal pages off and started some more this afternoon...

i also made this bag over the weekend which i am quite in love with! i listed it in my etsy shop just now, along with some destashed fun stuff and some old class kits going out cheap.

i've had so much fun lately making some new things to sell - i kind of feel like a little girl playing 'shop', it keeps things exciting. thankyou to all my lovely customers and blog readers for your support!

and a couple of pics from the very cool museum today...definitely a colourful and inspiring place for anyone - i loved it as much as the kids did :)

the random scroll-and-point-with-eyes-shut method gives the earrings to...

KATHRYN! (with a very lovely comment too! thankyou kathryn! email me your deets so april can send me your winnings!).

we're off to the children's museum, i'll be back later to share some journal pages i squeaked out on the weekend - happy monday!

those earrings are just too cute!!
love reading your blog it is always so creatively inspiring and your kiddos are too beautiful!! have a great weekend relaxing with your family.

Posted by:kathryn | July 25, 2008 at 03:40 PM

another friday lucky day!

do you just love fridays? i get so happy knowing that i can stay up late tonight with my love (more happy knowing i can sleep in tomorrow!) watching movies and knitting in bed, go to the beach, make pizza...just be together with my little family. maybe even squeeze in some creative time! yes, weekends are the best! to celebrate, i have another giveaway today! local and lovely jewellery-maker april is offering up these beautiful earrings...

check out her etsy shop for more pretty things! and speaking of etsy, here are a few shops i have bookmarked as favourites this week:

pony party (i bought the coolest plates from rach!)

woodmouse - really sweet wooden toys, i have my eye on the fairy and the toadstools!

colourbazaar - tye-dye heaven, and how cool is that tent?

bobilina studio - handmade shoes, i love!!

wishing you wonderful weekend wishes! and to be in the running for the earrings, don't forget to leave a comment. i'll draw a random winner monday :)

making messy books

i really think everything sounds better with 'messy' in front of it! so messy books are my favourite kind of book to make (do i say this too often?!!), with pages and fun stuff in all different sizes oozing out the yumminess! the girls really didn't need much direction here - we spray painted a few masks, and they went wild with all the stuff on the table to fill their books before i stitched them together on the sewing machine. they were very proud. and really liked rub-ons ;)

i have written instructions for making your own messy book can be found here at todaysmama.com.

very messy morning

art camp, day 2. preparations were underway for messy-book making tomorrow with some paper making. there will be no green smoothies for breakfast tomorrow as my blender started to smoke during the pulp-pulverisation process. while our very pink handmade paper was laying around in various spots in the fairy garden (looking oh so pretty), we dyed up some paper towels, envelopes and tags ready to use in our books. the girls LOVED this, especially the part where they 'accidentally' dyed their clothes pretty colours too...

if those purpley pink hands look like something your kids would be into, here's what we did:

PAPER MAKING

• rip little pieces of similar coloured paper and leave to soak in a bowl of warm water for at least 30 mins.
• pour into blender, pulverise (add various squeals and try not to add the smoke)
• spoon onto sheets of tulle/netting and press to squeeze out the water, create desired shape.
• pick various leaves and flowers from garden to press into the pulp. hope they stay in their place.
• leave to dry!

DYING FUN/FIASCO

• pour liquid inks (or food dye etc) and water into shallow pans.
• scrunch and dip paper towel - use different folds etc to get fun designs. gently open out and lay to dry.
• dip other fun bits too! (like hair, bits of your tshirt etc...)
• allow to dry and pretty up the garden!

oh what fun!!! see you tomorrow ;)