Willingness to change

I had an experience this weekend which has caused me to reflect. My struggle with depression began when I was a little girl. I remember being mostly sad, burying myself in books to escape and spending hours and hours reading every night, not sleeping enough. Parent's separation, access visits, divorce, teen angst, my father's suicide, struggling with year 12, trying to please everyone else, I probably could have done with some counseling. It is not really surprising that when having kids without much extended family support, the walls crumbled.

In studying psychology, the biggest lesson one must learn while dealing with other people is a recognition that no one can help someone unwilling to help themselves. When rebuilding resilience after ceasing medication, I think it is important to remember that not everyone is willing to help themselves.

When our mental resilience is fragile, removing ourselves from conflict in order to build extra structures to support our resilience is a retreat of self care and strength. There is little virtue in denying recognition of the choices made regarding our mental health. Ultimately, everything is a choice, including the choice to help ourselves. And to help ourselves we must choose to surround ourselves with people who will help, not hinder, our progression through to mental stability.

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New Autumn mini catalogue

Playing with some new toys from the 2012 Autumn Mini catalogue from Stampin' Up! I've created this card using the clearmount set "Rue Des Fleurs", rather appropriately whilst watching Dr Who "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon"... Love the pun.

Stepped up version of the same card. I think I used Pink Pirouette and Pretty in Pink to do the shading of the parasol. Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede were also involved. I quite like the result, but the intimacy of the message means it will only be given to a very close person or people.

I do love the pun involved in this one too, as well as loving the corset. Its a great idea, possibly, for recycling some of my corsets as vases too, although they'd require a massive bouquet to fill them. Working on fitting into them once more. With the amount of computer time I've been spending, I'd be grateful of the support too!

Lastly, colours inspired by the new paper available in the mini catalogue called Twitterpated. Twitterpated fabric brightly combines Pear Pizzazz, Island Indigo, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, which is what I've used on this card. See ryn.stampinup.net to download your copy of the mini catalogue.

I'm enjoying this catalogue so much! And even though I'm in Canberra until June 30, I can still place orders for you and have them delivered right to your door.

My birthday celebration

This morning I arose far too early and went to muster with many other bleary eyed bodies in the Foyer of Questacon. Dawn Drifters and Balloons Aloft set out from the building at about 6.15 to find a field large enough to blow up hot air balloons. My 40th birthday present.

Picture from inside the basket looking up inside the balloon.



One of the many balloons flying for the Canberra Festival celebrating Canberra's 99th birthday.



Side of the balloon basket with another balloon below me, and homes around Yarralumla below that.



It was the most awesome experience and I am so glad I chose this as my present.

While I was up there, I was taken back to when we lived in Miller Street, O'Connor and I'd wake early on Sunday mornings to the sound of conversations right above my bedroom. It took me far too long to work out it was balloonists above our house. I also remembered the week Ryan was born. I was in Calvary Hospital with ruptured membranes waiting for his arrival. I woke very early, around 6am, and opened my curtains wide. Each morning, balloons would rise behind Black Mountain and I wondered what it would be like to be one of the passengers.

Many photos which may actually result in some scrapbooking, especially as Stampin' Up! has a stamp set called Up, Up and Away I the current catalogue.

It was a fun birthday experience and my wonderful husband also allowed my a nap between ballooning and my birthday brunch at Pork Barrel Cafe. Lovely day spent with family. Not sure when or if a birthday party will eventuate... Time is becoming slightly precious at the moment. Long personal post finished! Enjoy the photos!

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Only fifteen weeks to go

Before I headed to Canberra to take up my role in the ACT public service advising on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, we took a trip out to see the Picasso Exhibition at the NSW Art Gallery. This was a photo from my phone taken eating our packed food on the gallery steps. Exhibition was pretty good too!




Made it through my first week at full time work. 3.30-itis has happened each day and has exacerbated my tinnitus to an amazing degree. Meetings have highlighted issues hearing but I found an app for my iPad which will help... I'm delighted that the image depicting the app is an ear trumpet. And it works in the background so I can also take notes. Brilliant!

Miss the kids, miss Darren... Kinda love to be working in a field where the abundance in my very full brain can spill appropriately. I am a Web Accessibility and Usability Officer. 'Expert' and adviser on WCAG 2.0. Trying to think of a W word to go in front of my initials to replace the acronym... Suggestions?

15 weeks to go...

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Cased card and News

So at our last StampInkPaper team meeting, I was making a bunch of birthday cards.  Kay, one of my sister team members showed me a card by Ruth Clarke and mentioned a friend would love this for her birthday.  I had loads of bits of the Spice Cake paper chopped up so I went to work.  Tea-bag fold on 8 circles which are then placed together to form a flower.  Brad in the middle and voilà!

Supplies are Spice Cake DSP, Antique brad, Bring On the Cake stamp set, Early Espresso card body, Pool Party layer, Very Vanilla layer.  Coloured "Birthday" with Pool Party marker and stamped sentiment in Early Espresso ink.

News is that I've accepted a position with the ACT Public Service in Canberra until the end of June.  I'll be travelling down on Sundays and returning home on Fridays.  Will be busy, but worth it for both mental and financial health.  Also hoping it will lead to other opportunities at higher levels in the future and allow the family to move in July.  But nothing is ever set in stone, so we'll see how it goes.  At the least it will give me very recent experience in work I very much enjoy (stuff I do voluntarily - being paid to do it is a bonus).

And last but not least, its my littlest man's birthday today.  Toby is 7 today!  I'd been in hospital for a few days with ruptured membranes (same thing happened with Ryan) and was anxiously awaiting induction for Toby.  This is an old scrapbook layout I did quite some time ago about how strong (read STUBBORN) he was at 2 weeks old.  Remember, this is one week before his due date: he was 3 and a half weeks early!  He was such a fighter from the very beginning, but I suppose that's how you might be against the world when you're evacuated from your nice warm place a bit early.

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's my valentine for my DH. Total CASE from a card appearing on the cover of Papercrafts magazine Jan/Feb 2012 edition.

 

Stampin' Up supplies used: Pool Party main card body, Cherry Cobbler for monster (copied from magazine), retired small oval punch for "window", 3" circle in whisper white cut with circle-scissor attached behind monster with brad through centre.  Notch in card-edge punched with retired small oval.  Twine is cherry cobbler from Summer Mini.  Markers used: sahara sand, cherry cobbler, basic black.

Card for my Mum's birthday below.  Again, update on iPad has caused gremlins.

Cherry cobbler card body, textured whisper white for card and punched lace border.  Used Mat Pack to align punched four-leaf flowers on left edge.  Stamp set is Elements of Style coloured with Pink Pirouette, Blush Blossom, Pear Pizzaz and Wild Wasabi.

Lastly, card for Aunty Kelli's birthday also within the last week.  Must admit I cheated and have the same card for my other sister-in-law, Emma, for the end of this month.

Card body is Lucky Limade, as is sentiment.  Flowers are Marina Mist with Not Quite Navy highlights.  Vase is a cropped Ornament Punch in Marina Mist.  Stamp set used is Charming from Summer Mini.

Pretty-ness

Fiddling about with this colour combo from Beau Chateau I made this card for a friend (which still hasn't found its way to her, I don't think!).  The hummingbird has a dazzling diamonds/clear embossing powder mix which I added after adding some lines with a versamark pen.  Love the effect and love the spots of pink amongst the blue.  Enjoy!

Not at all idle...

Apologies once again for the long gap between posts, but I have been busy! Firstly there's the advent tree - which I've had to wash and haven't yet sent to the winner of the bloghop because it was very sticky/tacky on the front.  I used always artichoke to make the background cloth.  I'm not sure what more I can do except iron the whole thing once again and cross fingers.

The next thing is a little bag I've been meaning to make for my nephew Terrence since Easter.  I made my kids and the Gibbs' cousins little bags for collecting their Easter eggs at an Easter hunt at our place.  I had promised to make a little bag for my brother's kids as well.  Terrence loves biplanes and I found a cartoon biplane online which I printed out and translated to fabric.

Lastly a bit of recycling (upcycling?)...  Many towels in my linen cupboard are developing holes for various reasons.  It seems a pity to just ditch them, especially as I do need bathmats.  It occurred to me today that there's no reason I can't chop them up with my lovely bigshot and make new from old.  This one is an old towel that has a velvety side and a loop side, so I've chopped it up into lots of squares with my scallop square and made a new mat.  If it frays I'm not too concerned as it will add character.  I'll do the same with other old bath-mats and make something slightly more colourful next time.  Considering I whipped this up in just under an hour, I'm slightly pleased with myself.  And now I know my bigshot dies will cut TOWELS!!!

More sewing

I finally finished the skirt I started at the Inklings team weekend away - strips of Flirtatious fabric sewn together (and overlocked and top-stitched - took FOREVER) and simply hemmed and a top hem with waistband-elastic. One happy little girl!
For these, I searched for a free pattern for pin-cushions. After discounting most of the animal patterns because I hate the idea of sticking pins into cute little defenceless pin-cushions, I found these fabulous Toadstool Cottage and Mushroom House by a Kiwi lass who publishes a great crafty blog called "The Little House by the Sea". She has a template/pattern for these mushies and although she uses felt and embroidery, I adapted them quite successfully for scraps of Flirtatious and Beau Château fabrics. And look, not a rooster in sight! For the stems, I used the inside of a wide-ribbon reel gently eased into the stem, stuffed toy-fill between the fabric and reel, put some barley inside of the reel and stitched it together. Well, actually, I stuffed the stems full of toy-fill first and they wouldn't stand up properly. Hubby suggested putting something firm in the bottom - the ribbon reel insides are perfect because they have a lip on one end which acts as a stopper for the stuffing, and makes it very stable on the bottom.

Hope you like!

A taste...

Very soon now Stampin' Up Australia launches its 2011/12 catalogue. One of the marvellous things that will be available in the new catalogue is FABRIC. The fabric patters coordinate with stamp sets and papers as well as using the delicious colour ranges only available with Stampin' Up products. Happily, I attended a team weekend retreat where everyone played with new products. The following picture features a bag I made based on card-bag pattern demonstrated by Joanna Wassens (not sure where Jo discovered the pattern). I am so glad I took my sewing machine along to the team weekend. I had loads of fun doing this bag - although some refinements are required. When I tackle the bag once again, I'll post instructions for how I made it.