Welcome 2016 and the influence of the #KonMari Method

I feel more settled than this time last year.

In 2014, we moved into our new house four days before Christmas and we have spent most of the last year unpacking. Twenty years married, two kids and eight house moves (the new house being our ninth) and we had gathered lots of mementoes of our life together. To the naked eye, these mementoes might look like junk.

The last move was a temporary six month stop before we moved into our new house, so lots of belongings remained packed up in boxes readily waiting for the last move.

But as my crepe myrtle blooms, now I feel settled.

I am loving my new green room and have been a savvy shopper in buying almost every plant (except my Vulcan Magnolia) in a marked down and partially dying state. I don't necessarily have a green thumb, I just understand that good food and water makes for happy plants and most of the markdown stock that the larger chain hardware warehouses sell are just lacking a bit of love and attention.

We finally got our new letter box operational, a bit bold for our neck of the woods, but it certainly communicates our personality. Our front garden is slowly taking form given that we started with a blank slate except for the established trees along the west boundary.

The cats are rather glad that they are not squeezed into a small 3 bedroom anymore. The large windows out the back act as an excellent cat entertainment system for when we are at work and the local blackbirds, wattlebirds and magpies are happy to perform. 2016 brings the promise of a proper cat run and outdoor alfresco area for the furry children.

One read that has shifted my thinking in the last six months is the cultish book by Marie Kondo, dubbed the KonMari Method. On the surface, a philosophy towards de-cluttering, but at the heart of the book is a statement about modern economic theory and the value of heirloom design and happiness.

Through cleaned glasses, all the family has been looking at what they have, whether it "sparks joy" and how our environment, rituals and purchases can influence happiness. The actions described in her book are similar to weeding the garden so that you can enjoy the flowers and the ritual are the seasonal cut backs and mulching that you regularly need to perform to have a healthy garden.

Marie Kondo encourages simple rituals of asking yourself if something "makes you happy" as a method of justifying it's existence in your life.  She touches on lost habits of having seasonal clothing and/or decor and the idea that having one good object, that you can appreciate and use, is better than having five similar items that don't quite make the grade.

However, I have yet to "KonMari" my fabric stash. There are many others in blogland who have attempted it. Looking through it sparks joy in so many unimaginable ways, and I am happy to OpShop those pieces of fabric that don't make the grade, but I don't see myself thinning my craft stash down to minimalistic proportions! I am however, getting all the stuff together in one room and I will go through it, iron it, sort it, stack it and make sure that I am appreciative of it's existence.

So if I am missing from blogland, I am probably somewhere in my house sorting out a cupboard so that it "sparks joy" when I open it. In the meantime, I tend to instagram my adventures frequently and I am also a facebook-crack addict.

What about you? Have you hopped on the Konmari train?

Puffing Billy Work Christmas Party

I can't believe it is the end of the teaching year already, the year has gone so fast, as is evident by my lack of posts. However, I have been doing a bit of sewing lately, mostly work wear.

I got the opportunity the other day to take my DSLR on Puffing Billy. Work had a Christmas function organised where we caught the locomotive to Gembrook and then we had lunch at The Independent restaurant (argentinian cuisine).

Nicholas doesn't really allow me the luxury of taking pictures anymore (oh! How I miss attending camera club). So if I get the opportunity to whip out the camera and take a few snaps, I will take it!

I got to Puffing Billy nice and early to allow time to explore and take a few candid snaps of the engineers doing their stuff.

The trip to Gembrook took ages. But given that the train generally doesn't go any faster than 15 kms, it did well. Along the line there are signs telling the engines to slow down to 10/15 kms when turning corners. Another teacher had their iPad with them that tracked the speed of the engine as we went up to Gembrook.

Given we were all teachers or support people, I think that everyone re-lived a bit of their childhood that day. Hanging their legs out of the carriages,  carriage hopping at each station and having a grand 'ol time!

Lunch at the Independent was just divine. Not overly excessive as some Christmas Lunches had been in the past and I was impressed at how they handled the group of us that was "Nut Free".

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Free Worldwide Shipping and 20% off

You might need to be quick on this one, Society6 have got Free Worldwide Shipping and 20% OFF until Midnight PT!

 

 

 

 

I am thrilled to bits at how my products are produced by Society6. 

The Tote bags, cups and mobile covers have endured the rough handling that I have given them.

Lovely kitchen prints

I wish I had more wall space to hang some of these lovelies.

Tea Time by Bridbird

I love the water colour type prints of multiple objects.

I love your egg beaters by Dazeychic

This vegetable print is gorgeous as well, giving us a visual representation of what should be in season. I think that this one will be lovely in my laundry space.

Veggie Seasonality Print by Cactus Club

Cathedral Window Quilt

At last a tutorial which makes quilting "cathedral windows" easy!

I'm loving the Missouri Star Quilt Co youtube video's. Instruction is clear and I like the fact that she uses a larger size of blocks to show you how it works rather than using 2.5 inch blocks.

I love both the complexity and simplicity of the Cathedral block.

[source]

[source]

Similar but different was the OhFransson Clementine Quilt using appliquéd quenelles to create a faux Cathedral look. The posts are no longer on her blog, but this picture from Pinterest gives you an idea of the loveliness of her design. She would either rule up the squares or sew squares together, then cover the seams with her quenelles. This charm pack from Missouri Quilt Company would be ideal for this design.

[source]

 [source]

Have you tried to make a cathedral windows quilt?

More Links:

• Making Ends Meet: Cathedral Window Tutorial
  http://april-makingendsmeet.blogspot.com.au/2008/07/cathedral-window-tutorial.html
• Cathedral Window Paper Quilt -  Colouring in paper to experiment with design
  http://www.freekidscrafts.com/cathedral-window-paper-quilt/

Patchwork inspiration at the British Library

There is patchwork inspiration everywhere!

OpenCulture put up an article on the images that the British Library have released into the public domain and I found this one in the "Flickr highlights" link.

Image taken from page 189 of 'The Chromatographic Chronicle of English History, illustrated by ... coloured charts, etc' 1864 [source]

I can see how this could translate quite nicely into an interesting quilt. Can you?

Vale Maggie Iaquinto @VK3CFI

When a close friend passes away it is hard to know what to say or do. Maggie passed away on this day in 2014, and I guess that it has taken me this long to be able to write about her without bursting into tears. It has been a tough year without her friendship.

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I met Maggie through my association with the Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association.

Maggie was a sharp shooter. She didn't suffer fools and she loved teaching students. Her love for the job extended to helping teachers and so our two world collided. We worked on the Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association together and she was a great friend to be able to "run an idea past".

She was more than a Colac housewife, she was amazing.

As Information Technology permeated through secondary schools, Information Technology teachers who knew how to actually program became scarce. She wasn't afraid of teaching her students the hard stuff and never dumbed anything down for them.

Maggie is probably the first person that I know of, who has passed away leaving a trail of digital breadcrumbs. Twitter, Facebook, Livejournal; they all tell the tale of a remarkable woman and I am truly blessed to have named her as a friend. I miss her counsel and her amazing optimism and energy. Right up until the very end she was working on the VCAA Computing and Infomatics Study Design.

A friend wrote a blog post in 2009 called A Tale of Three Margaret's which summarised Maggie's accomplishments in IT Education.  But it wasn't until she passed away that I realised how much more there was to her life and I got to meet her two gorgeous son's. Ben and Josh, your mother is looking down upon you and so proud of what you have achieved.

Maggie you are missed.

Plummeting towards her eighth birthday

My husband reminded me this morning that it was three months until my daughters 8th birthday.

Where does the time go?

I took these pictures on our last school holiday family trip to central Australia.

I am constantly amazed at how fast she is growing up and how her mind is developing. She has amazing ideas about how the world operates and she isn't afraid to ask the questions.

She has recently discovered Doctor Who and is devouring the complexity of the episodes and back stories to the Doctor and the aliens that he comes across.

The pursuit of a clear ice cube

My fascination with how to create clear ice cubes at home began a few months back when I had a chance to visit Palmer and Co in Sydney. A 1920's bar in Abercrombie Lane in Sydney, the ice that they use is called Artisanal Ice.

My father is a refrigeration mechanic, so we have spent lots of time talking about how the clear ice blocks are made and how you could make it in your home freezer. The fancy ice making process fascinates me and I am sure that it will be the next evolution of domestic refrigeration ice makers.

But does it make your drinks nicer? I must admit that for a special occasion, a clear cube does make a difference to the ambiance! So I was very excited to see this Kickstarter project, the "Polar Ice Tray". I love design items, I hope that this Kickstarter is successful.

Until then ... enjoy a bit of ice!

#BigRockTrip - Traveling with Nicholas

I'm not sure if we are crazy, but we agreed to accompany a group of close friends on a trip from Melbourne to Uluru during the Easter Holiday break. 

For those people with no concept of the size of Australia, it is like driving from one side of Europe to the other. But in harsher conditions, sometimes with days of no petrol stations or internet services.

Image courtesy of Google

Knowing that Nicholas is special needs meant that packing "lightly" was a bit more of a challenge than usual. I guess his disability isn't as very visual when you only see him every once in a while within a controlled environment. Often people comment that he doesn't look like he has a disability. At social events we can set him up in the corner with his iPad and his cars and he will generally be no problems. There is another four year old on this trip with us. When you put them side by side, you can see the differences quite clearly.

But in the outback, Nicholas can run and continue running. He doesn't respond to "stop", but will respond if we start to sing a Justine Clarke song. That has been the greatest challenge so far on this trip, his ability to go from stand-still to full on running in 5 seconds. Which is manageable if there is an adult looking out for him, but if you turn his back all of a sudden he is half way to Adelaide in the wrong direction. When he gets exhausted he falls to the ground and is a dead weight to pick up. He then re-energises and he is off again.

So we needed to bring a pusher with us. Which took up lots of room in the back of the car and sometimes the pusher was completely impractical in the outback (it is falling to bits and it is not a rough terrain pusher), but the ability to strap Nicholas into a safe space has been so important for his safety and our backs! At 20 kilo's we are pushing the limitations of the stroller a bit. 

He is too heavy to go into a camping back pack and when we do horsey rides on our backs he doesn't have the understanding to clasp his hands around our necks. We looked at the piggy back rider, but when he is exhausted he is a dead weight.

Today has been the first time since starting this adventure that I have had a change to read the online newspapers and although I was initially shocked to read the article of the Canberra Primary school that build a "cage like structure" in their classroom. I can totally relate to having a safe space where you can place a high-needs child. 

I'd be asking questions like, why does the child need a withdrawal space. For the safety of the child or the rest of the children? What disability does he have. Some autistic children are physically violent and bite. The article leaves out so many details and places all the blame on the school without allowing the reader to understand how the school came to the decision. I am sure that the decision wasn't made in haste and was made to try and ensure a conducive teaching and learning environment for all involved.

In the outback it is harder to allow Nicholas to roam free and do what he wants, he has loved the opportunities to run and feel the soil and use all his senses in this new environment. But his safety has to be paramount.

We have spent the night in Cooper Pedy in a hotel, and for me as a parent it has just been bliss. A confined and safe space with internet access. Tomorrow night we are back to camping and back to the carefully choreography that we go through to enable him and us to enjoy the outback safely.