The Fun of Collage

I wanted to share a little activity I did this week: a personal collage. The idea was to find images and quotes in magazines that reflect who you are, and put them all together. Pretty straightforward, or so I thought!

It turned out, the things that spoke to me in the magazines weren't so much the pictures, but the colours. It wasn't until I was cutting around a photo of a woman doing yoga on the beach to get a good chunk of the lovely striped beach towel next to her that I realised perhaps this was a bit strange! Didn't I want to see myself in the woman: calm, active, in a beautiful place? No, not really. What about the couple on another page, having champagne on the patio, who I cut around to get to their green bushes, didn't I want to see myself there? Again, not particularly.

What seemed important, instead, was trying to get reflect who I am at normal times. There weren't any photos in the magazines of women eating grapes in their pajamas in front of a movie. There weren't any photos of women hauling a kitchen chair out into the garden to sit and write outside. And so, instead, I tried to capture the colours that I want to define me: sunny colours, bright colours, for the moments of creativity; calm colours for the restfulness.

Anyway, what hadn't seemed to me to be such an inspiring project when I began became something which really made me think. I wonder what photos you could find that you see yourself reflected in?

Good Things Come to Those Who Clean

I've gone a little bit mad with cleaning this weekend. And tidying. And making sure things like remote controls and shampoo bottles are lined up perfectly straight and parallel to each other.

And, as if having a clean and bright house isn't reward enough, I'll share with you some useful things I found while emptying out shoe boxes and old purses, (because who doesn't love to sneak a peek inside other people's stuff!):

• Three nice lipbalms
• Twenty nice pens that actually work (as opposed to all of the ones on my desk)
• A lot of Danish, English, and American coins all mixed together
• 5000 bobby pins
• Two bags of Welch's fruit snacks (yum!)
• A nice summery pair of underwear
• A spare key to our house
• My stealing-ideas-from-books-in-Barnes-and-Nobles-without-buying-them notebook
• My watch
• And, the icing on the cake, a $100 gift voucher to Pottery Barn that we got as a wedding gift... two years ago! Of course, there isn't a Pottery Barn within about 200 miles of here, but next time we're in a big city, it's fancy-cushion-shopping-spree time!

Of course, there were also shrivelled oranges, dead batteries, receipts and shopping lists from who knows when, and about a million mints that no longer looked very appetising! But, it felt very good to throw all that away. The thought of it all moving house with us, and of Matilda finding it all when she's five, are good incentives to chuck it out!

And, as if all that wasn't reward enough, I got myself some lovely sweet grapes,

and a Cadbury's Creme Egg!

Hope your weekend was wonderful, too, whether it was productive or restful! xx

Bench Cushion

It's been a lovely morning of sewing, with Blunty and Norah on the CD player, and banana smoothies for refreshment. I do spoil myself!

The bench that Justin built for our entryway last autumn finally has a cushion! This cushion serves two purposes: firstly, comfort; and secondly, covering up where the screws misbehaved and didn't quite go in right!

And, you won't believe this, but I found both these fabrics on Walmart's bargain fabric rack... both were $1.50 a yard! But unfortunately, because I didn't have any specific project in mind when I bought it, I only got half a yard of each! Luckily, it was enough... just!

And I'm planning to continue the relaxation on into this evening: a little scrapbooking, another Coco Chanel film (I just saw "Coco Before Chanel" and loved it!) and a nice cold glass of Cranberry-and-fizzy-water!

The Red Leaf Heart

Today was one of those beautiful, find-any-reason-to-be-outside kinds of days. I didn't feel like reading, I didn't feel like writing, and Bella wanted to sit in the bushes and chew on her own leg instead of playing fetch. But I still wanted to be outside.

What happened was the great de-leafing of the funny bush in our garden that grows mostly green leaves, but with a few bright bright red leaves as well.

I made a little collection of the reddest leaves, and managed to happily amuse myself for quite a long time, arranging them into a little heart.

Of course, once she spotted the camera, Bella trotted over, and decided that she needed to be the centre of attention!

And, as a little update, I'm very proud to say I'm now in my third trimester! New cravings include: tortilla chips and salsa that's rather spicier than I usually like, strawberries, raspberry and yoghurt homemade smoothies, and banana splits. So, I've got a feeling Tilly's going to like fruit!

Sending Out Happy Thoughts

I've had better days.

The funny thing is, when I'm by myself, I feel like I can handle Justin being away. I really do try to look on the positive side, and think about all the new experiences he'll have, and all the time I have to devote to creative things while he's away. I treat myself a bit... yes, two banana splits at 4 o'clock might have been a bit too much of a treat, but I also forgive myself! I write, I play music, I give Bella lots of attention. We're doing okay.

The hard part, it seems, is being around others. I don't really understand how that works. I was so looking forward to dinner with friends tonight, but I came out of the evening feeling so much more isolated. The whole time, I wanted to excuse myself and shake off the negativity that was settling in, but I didn't; I stayed and ate and talked, thinking that's what people are supposed to do when their spouse is away, that's what's supposed to cheer people up.

Well, apparently, it's not what cheers me up, and so I'm spending a bit of time this evening reconnecting with the positive energy I've got all by myself.

I'm writing a few little cards to send to friends, family and a few new Unraveller friends who I think might appreciate a bit of happiness in their post boxes. There's nothing like sending some happy thoughts out into the Universe to make me feel a bit better about a could-have-been-better day.

Hope your Monday's been a bit easier! xx

My Own Co-Pilot

This weekend, as Justin's going to be out of town for a while, I drove down to San Antonio to keep myself busy. It was rather a whirlwind weekend of baby shops, lunch with friends, and going through my in-laws' closets of their saved childhood lovelies!

It was also my first real road trip solo, which I'm rather proud of. Yes, last summer, when we made the eighteen-or-so hour drive from Arizona to Texas, I drove all the way in one of the cars. But all I really did was follow. I turned when Justin turned. I never had to think about routes or exits or what to do if you end up in a different city accidentally.

This trip, I was in charge of all of that!

And yes, that includes ending up in a different city! On these messy Texas highways, roads turn into other roads and then turn back again, so one missed sign meant that I drove into Austin...

Eek. Austin is not a fun place to drive. But, the man in the petrol station was very helpful, and got me back on track!

On the way home again, I was (understandably!) a little nervous about my sign-spotting ability, so I wrote myself a little note on my hand to keep me going... and it worked.

Having a happy evening relaxing before the second half of the semester of work starts up again tomorrow! Enjoy yours, too :)

Here Comes the Circus

For a while now, friends and family have been asking me over and over again, "What theme are you going to have for your nursery?" And for a long time, I had no answer.

I mean, I love colour. People had suggested I just pick a colour, and make that my theme. But how to pick? I love red, of course, but don't think that has quite the calming vibe a nursery needs as the only colour. I love yellow, I love pink, I love orange, I love turquoise. I love them alone, I love them all together!

Plus, I want to have lots of animals around. Where does that fit in to a colour theme? I was really actually starting to hate the word 'theme', and beginning to empathise with all the students working on literature essays I see, who ask, "What even is a theme?"

But then it hit me. A way to tie it all together. The circus!

Circuses have colour. Lots of colour! All the colours I like, with none of the pastelly sage-greens and lavenders that give me the creeps a bit. Circuses have bunting. Circuses have animals by the dozen!

So, I think I've got it figured out. All the design websites tell expectant mothers to have one item that really captures what they want in the room, and proceed to match everyone else to that. I feel like for me, that item is this Alexander Henry fabric (above), spotted on etsy.

Tilly will be a Tiger, after all!

Photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Weekend Away

What a fun weekend! We took a little mini-trip up to Dallas, and had the best time relaxing in the sun, playing a little golf, and eating the most amazing barbeque creations.

Greg and Justin have been friends for almost fifteen years, and still get on so well. And as an added bonus, Greg and his wife, Cari, have just found out they're pregnant, too! Their favourite name for a girl is Lilly... how sweet! We're sure Lilly and Tilly will be great friends!

Justin really enjoyed getting to hit some balls again, and as he'd only brought cowboy boots with him, I agreed to putt for him whenever we got onto the green. (Golfers are very strict about no heels on the green). I got very very lucky on my first putt, and got the ball in from about fifteen feet away... and was so excited I jumped up and down! Unfortunately, golfers don't like that, either...

Luckily, the ranch was so beautiful, I kept myself occupied taking photos!

And, just because I rarely get Justin to take photos of my belly, here's a silly shot we took on the drive up to Dallas. (We're pretending to visit Loreal and Stephen, who live in Athens, Georgia. Athens, Texas is rather a lot smaller!)

Hope you all had a great weekend, too! I'll hopefully have lots of crafty stuff to show you this week, as the College is on Spring Break right now, and I've got plenty of free time to create!

Alphabet Places

This is just the most lovely little printed canvas. It's hanging in one of the children's rooms in our new home, and I hope to find out at some point where they found it.

I also hope to create my own version... an alphabet of places I've been, if possible. Or an alphabet of places I'd like to go!

New Home

We went and got our inspection done today on the new house.

Everything looks good! No electricity poles, though, so we're very happy about that!

We should be moving in mid-May, if everything goes according to plan, so we've still got plenty of time to get packing, and plan out our colours!

Feet

Yesterday, this season's Unravelling class started, and it is just the most inspiring thing.

I'm so lucky to be able to participate: my enrollment was a very special gift from my Mum-- a sort of 'pre-pregnancy' gift, while I still have some time on my hands!

I'm becoming a camera-holic, and yes, the crazy person who is standing in the middle of a parking lot taking photos of the ground!

Oh, and P.S., we got the house! Thanks for all your positive thoughts... we are very excited!

House Hunting

My mind is even more filled with houses at the moment than it usually is! Over the past week, we've been touring the local listings on offer, and have been shocked and delighted.

• Shocked, yesterday, by a house I thought we'd love, that currently has four girls and four dogs living in it. And boy, could you smell that. We only looked at the living room, and then had to run for the doors. I'm still cringing when I think about it now.

• Shocked, too, by a lovely modern house (all in white... so Scandinavian!), with this beauty sitting right outside the back door:

Eek.

• Delighted, yesterday, by lovely children's rooms, the smell of other people's laundry rooms, and a very funky house which had the master bedroom in a loft which overlooked the living room!

• Delighted by little colourful quirks that are so personal to each house.

We found one we love, yesterday, and are now just waiting to hear if we've been successful in our bid. We'd appreciate any positive thoughts from around the world, if you're so inclined!

xx

Your Soft Animal

Reading back over my bedside journal today, I found this little drawing I'd made, along with a few lines of Mary Oliver's poetry:

"You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves."

My soft animal loves red hearts, and the fact that it's now the weekend at last. My soft animal is slightly sad that it was outbid on the most interesting house around today, but it remembers red hearts, and feels better.

Fabrics for Tilly

Little Matilda finally has some clothes waiting for her! In the post the other day, I found two beautiful nighties and two baby cardigans, all of which my Mum made for me when I was first born. They are so lovely, and so special.

And here's a photo of me in the same nightie, a quarter of a century earlier: (click me!)

Mum also sent some photos of fabrics she's got lined up to make into more nighties, among other things, for Tilly. I can't wait to see what becomes of them!

Luckily, we seem to have just the same taste in fabrics: bright colours and bold patterns, but also sweet girly pinks and rose prints.

What a lucky baby! I'm off to the doctor today for my check-up, so hopefully we'll see that she's still doing well.

Street Colour, Part 2

After deciding to photograph all the bright, unexpected, colourful things I come across, I've been seeing colour everywhere!

This bath tub was in someone's back garden right behind the college.

I'd stopped initially to take a photo of the fifteen foot water slide in the same garden!

A little blue flag in the parking lot at work.

Three red signs, again in the parking lot.

Who'd have thought parking lots would be so full of brightness?

February 2010

February 2010
Originally uploaded by RedRedCompletelyRed

Well, the first month is over, and our Flickr photo-a-day project is going strong! Here are all my February photos, since Chinese New Year. What a lovely reminder of what we've been up to.

(Please click on the image to see it a little bigger, if you'd like!)