Yay! New home!

We have upped sticks(and knitting needles and crochet hooks of course) and moved again, this time to the lovely ol' seaside suburb of Brighton.

I am LOVING it.

The night sky seems so chock full of stars out here without the city lights over powering them, last night we stood outside and gazed and smiled. After tremendous efforts and heart wrenching stressful attempts to re-create a sense of 'home' in other houses and places this just feels natural and settled. I am so fortunate that home for me can now mean calm, light and comforting, sigh.

xKate

friends and real estate agents...

These are my latest little friends.

They have been having a coffee or two down at the Blackstar cafe, and have been guarding these.

You won't find them there now though-I have temporarilly removed all my things from Blackstar. But keep your eye out as I am working busilly with some beautiful materials. I have been really delighting in making up my latest pieces and feel full of enthusiasm. Inspired. Inspiration is available in moments of awareness, when I let go of my cares and really feel awake to the experience I am having...being caught in a sun shower and running across a bridge feeling young and alive. A beautiful grey gecko dashing up a red painted wall. Yummy spinach quiche and zucchini pizza for lunch. Afternoon tea and kingston biscuits. How could I not be feeling inspired?

I have been looking for a new house to rent closer to my kids school and to the bay, which I miss so much. I enjoyed being in Chelmer, the wide river and huge trees near were enough to keep my spirit alive. I grew up in Victorian rural towns, camped most holidays in the bush or stayed at Philip Island so being surrounded by nature is essential and familiar to me. Kangaroo point is near the river, but it's not the same. It is all hemmed in by roads, city scapes...so urbanised. I long for the expansive untouched view of natural space-the sea, mountains, deserts...so I am deeply happy about this shift.

Unfortunately I had to put one application in via a horrible agency in Sandgate. They are called "the professionals" in what I can only imagine is a witty display of irony, much as someone might employ when labelling John Howard "honest John." I could go on but the less said the better...much better to put my energy into these...

Hmm, I am feeling good really. Especially now I have vented! It is in fact a gorgeously sunny day, I have some workshops to go to and have been really loving making my latest crocheted brooches, developing many new styles and patterns. Using recycled sari thread in particular gives some amazing edgey-ness with gorgeous colours and sheen really jazzing up simple designs.

xKate

peace right now

I am thankful for each and every comment people make about my creations, they have always been so kind and the market night was yet another lovely night, with generous support and encouragement. It rained so it wasn't how I had expected it to be, but it was a good evening. I sat with sound people and had lovely conversations and my sons had a good night playing and enjoying being out.

Life is just what it is, never what you expect it to be, but the less I struggle against it and the more I focus on what is at hand, the calmer and happier I become. It doesn't have to be perfect things don't have to be going the way I wanted them to, or as this lovely song states it

'and I like the feeling of just knowing things are rolling,

even if I don’t know better or worse where we’re going.' Domino by Tara Simmons

The above message is one I take to heart. I think it is a sign that was placed around the streets of London during the 2nd world war(?) but I think it could go up on every wall of my house and on every cities walls, don't we all need some calmness, some peace and action combined?

have a lovely easter all,

xKate

new designs...

I am much happier with these...its all in the placement and colour of the type, indeed it is. Thanks for the tips.

Apart from making last minute posters I am in the midst of applying brooch backs, plushy faces and doing those fiddly, finishing off bits and am enjoying it all immensly. It is amazing how many un-finished projects I have around me! They are rapidly becoming lovely little finished projects and it is a joyful feeling to see the little bits and pieces all adding up to create little stacks of cuteness.
And speaking of cuteness this sweet book came home with me yesterday. I was walking home via the city and had just bought myself a hot chocolate to cheer myself up (relationships can be such fun, no?) Anyway, I promptly spilt half of it down my t-shirt. Not so happy. But there I was outside a bookstore-what's a girl to do? It was too hard to resist, I mean look at it, isnt it the sweetest thing...
'making is one of lifes great joys. The sweet simplicity of making something with your own hands...you don't need lots of experience, you don't need to be an artist, you don't need to be standing in the line that says good with hands...navigate the choppy-yet-pretty seas of crafty knowhow and you'll realise that sometimes things work just beautifully.'
pg7, Meet me at Mikes.
I hope art and life combine and things work just beautifully,
xdash