Art + words

 

Happy Sunday, dear friend. Are you a word-loving person like me? A proud book nerd? (A tad budget constrained?) Then I have just the pretty art to adorn your walls.

The 20x200 project is an affordable art program, bringing beautiful, limited-edition prints to the masses at fabulously low prices. There's something for every wall in every home, but today I've collected some of my favourite "word art" for your viewing (and reading) pleasure.

All images used here with permission. Click on any image you like to read the artist's statement or buy it (but be quick because they sell out fast).

ps. The free art machine and the Bigfoot-inspired charity art show

Hot November

Hot November days are for morning walks in floral air. For wearing hats and painting toenails, for water-fights and fizzy fruit-drinks. Hot November days are for going grocery shopping and discovering the first of the summer fruits in stock: peaches, nectarines, watermelon, and two perfect mangoes.

On hot November mornings, carnival folk like to sleep in. The Village Festival was supposed to open at midday. By the time we left at 2pm so Madeleine could have a sleep, most of the sideshow tents were just opening, some of the food tents had started cooking lunch but most weren't ready yet, and a couple of bands had started to play.

So we missed a lot of the shows, the wandering performers, the diverse food. But we did sit with friends in the shaded bar-tent sipping cold drinks and eating poffertjes and listening to folk music, and it was altogether pleasant.

Oh and a sweet scribe named Charlotte wrote a letter to Emily for us.

How was your Sunday?

Kissing cousins

Oh these guys. A trip to Bendigo is an all-in love-fest for Madeleine, the utterly adored littlest cousin of 12 (lucky Nanna). They fight over who gets to hold her, kiss her the most often, ride next to her in the car. All the way to our picnic in Rosalind Park, Livvy informed me of Madeleine's superiority over the rest of the world.

"Madeleine is the prettiest of all the cousins."

"Madeleine is prettier than that rose."

"Madeleine is prettier than you are. HA HA HA."

Also, I'm linking up with "Point & Shoot" on Sunny + Scout for the first time. It's about time I joined in the fun.

Surround yourself with creative people

"Surround yourself with Creative People." That's good advice. It's also no.11 in this video, which you should definitely watch if you need encouragement or galvanising (or both) in the creativity department.

Sometimes, surrounding yourself with creative people is easier said than done. For example if you stay at home and look after a baby every day. I'm willing to admit it, I don't get out much, not socially anyway. Once a week I do head off to mothers' group and these ladies are very nice, but to be honest I don't know them well enough yet to find out if they are "Creative People" or not. We generally spend our time talking about the frequency of poo in nappies, and how fast our babies' fingernails grow (REALLY fast).

So, for the time being, I will surround myself with Creative People via the Internet. And hopefully via some old-fashioned mail. How will I do it?

1. Earlier this week I posted this inspiring video and it made me feel a little better about my own inability to express or create things the way I want to.

2. I joined in Pip Lincoln's (free) blog school to try and refresh myself and my ideas. There are some AMAZING bloggers in this group. Slowly, I'm feeling more lively. Let me know if you're part of this too.

3. And then I saw the My Creative Space project (also from Pip), and it just seemed to complete the trio. Using the list at the top of this page, I am going to take one photo a day on Instagram (I'm @naomibulger if you want to follow me). The photo on this post is my first, for "a creative space." It's the inspiration board I keep behind my desk. I'll use the hashtags #amonthof and #mycreativespace to be part of the project community.

Do you want to join in? You don't have to use Instagram. You can tweet your daily inspiration. Or blog about it. And there is a Facebook group too. Just use the hashtags so everyone can see what you're doing.

Everything seems to get tired towards the end of the year, don't you think? Well, not this year! May November be the month of NEW CREATIVE ENERGY. Hooray!

(ps. The beginning of that video. Does the music remind you of the movie Amelie? I really want to watch it now)

Pumpernickel

This is a day for staying indoors. For cinnamon toast and tea. For snuggling under blankets and reading books and tickling plump baby-feet.

This morning I said, "Ok, just half an hour," to my already TV-loving couch potato baby. In case you were wondering, the Word of the Day on Sesame Street is Pumpernickel.

Later, we will read some more Dr Seuss. We will play raspberries. We will kiss. We will make each other laugh. Probably, we will both stay in our track pants all day.

Sandy, Halloween, life and links

Seems these days I am just about as busy as the bees in the jasmine flowers outside my study window. In the past coupla weeks, I have:

* Redesigned my website with the help of Brandi Bernoskie, and I absolutely love it. What do you think? I even designed a little logo!

* Pondered how, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, technology can keep us together.

* Collected my top ten Halloween-related links from the whole wide Interwebs.

* Helped Kidsafe Australia launch a blogging competition to promote child safety (you can see the top 10 entrants here, and vote for your favourite)

* Welcomed my parents for a visit, and felt altogether grateful to have them in my life.

* Watched the hands in a beautiful suite of photographs.

* Planned and executed a garden party for my friend, which also involved a veritable baking bonanza.

And also... cuddled and cared for the world's cutest baby. Took the family with me to see Mumford & Sons and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. Popped along to the Finders Keepers markets. Remembered to vote. Got a little bit obsessed with all the spring blossoms around town. Applied fake tan to my lily-white legs and did a terrible job. Met a couple of work deadlines by the skin of my teeth. Instagrammed like crazy (I'm @naomibulger if you want to join in).

What have you been doing lately, dear friend?

(Vintage Halloween postcard from here)

A word of advice for artists

Have you ever found yourself trying to create something beautiful, but your execution just doesn't match your vision? This happens to me all the time. I know what I want to do and I know it could be amazing... in someone else's hands. I just don't seem to have the skills to make it happen. I can't tell you how many half-written stories I have lying around. How many drawings that are scrunched up in the bin. And how many projects I have never finished. When I was a teenager I wanted to learn the violin, but I gave up after just one term because I couldn't stand the sound of myself practising.

Good news: it's ok! This process is NORMAL. And according to writer and producer Ira Glass, EVERYONE goes through it. Plus, he has a solution (but you'll have to work for it). Watch this little video if you ever feel like your creative output doesn't stand up to your taste.

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

Do you feel better now? Me too. Now back to work.

Garden party

The flowers were in bloom and the breeze was light, so we headed out to Edinburgh Gardens bright and early on Saturday morning to claim our own little picnic place inside a pretty ring of old trees. I was hosting a birthday party for my good friend Tonia. There wasn't enough room in our home, so I thought a spring garden party would be just the thing instead.

And it would have been, if only the late October weather hadn't gone all contrary on me and dipped its toes into positively Antarctic temperatures. Good Lord it was freezing out there! By nightfall we were chilled to the bone. When I got home, I stood under the shower until the water ran cold, just to try and thaw out.

But even these dismal conditions didn't stop Tonia's friends from joining us in the park to celebrate her birth. And let's face it: good company, flowing champagne in vintage saucers, plentiful cupcakes and other sweet things, plus a good dose of bubbles and party poppers, can turn even the coldest of afternoons into a fun afternoon.

I have to say a special, warm and bottom-of-my-heart grateful thanks to my parents, who happened to be visiting this week and ran themselves ragged helping to make Tonia's party a success. Please come back and visit soon, Mum and Dad, I promise that next time, I will look after you!

Some details:

* Giant, round balloons from Lark (weighed down by adorable old garden gnomes, and decorated with homemade garlands inspired by this tutorial) * Bunting painstakingly cut out from old clothes and put together (with staples because I didn't have needle and thread in my house) by my Mum * Teacups mine and Mr B's (we are old ladies) * Beautiful beverage dispensers hired from Leo & Bella (they are also for sale) * Vintage typewriter for the sign, mine (it was my grandmother's) * Vintage camera, my Dad's (it was his first camera, as a little boy) * Assorted cake stands, plates, champagne buckets etc, mine and my parents' * Sublime strawberry-ricotta layered birthday cake, decorated with wildflowers, from Sweet Source * On the menu, home-made: lemonade, pomegranate iced tea, two types of chocolate cupcakes, two types of vanilla cupcakes, iced vanilla biscuits in hearts and bluebirds, almond peach pie, chocolate-coated strawberries * On the menu, from the shops: champagne (lots of it!), spinach and fetta quiche, sun-dried tomato and goat's cheese quiche, Turkish Delight, marshmallows, macarons, melting moments, fresh strawberries

Extra ideas I didn't get around to carrying out:

* Hanging sweet jars of flowers above the tables * Digging out an old gramophone for music * Finding a second vintage typewriter, so people could type birthday messages for Tonia (that was Em's idea. Neat huh?) * Putting out little stands of parasols for shade, or extra blankets for warmth, or both * Remembering to put the fresh mint leaves in the lemonade

Happy birthday Tonia. I love you my dear, crazy friend!

After the party

Happy Sunday night! This evening is brought to you by this intriguing little teaser video. It looks like the aftermath to quite the party, don't you think? We are recovering in the aftermath of a rather lovely party of our own chez Bulger today, and I'll tell you all about it shortly. Also, my parents have been visiting this week, which is why you haven't heard from me lately, and it was just wonderful. They left to head back home this afternoon and I feel rather bereft. I can't tell you how much I miss them, all the time, but especially now that I am a mum myself.

Meanwhile, I am still on a bit of a high from seeing two of my favourite bands, Mumford & Sons and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, in concert, on the one night. It was one of those "submerged in the music" evenings that make me just so grateful to live in this world. My joy was only slightly marred by the fact that both acts started late and I had to leave before they finished to get home in time to feed Madeleine. Ah, the rock 'n roll life of a new mother.

How was your weekend, friend?

(UPDATE: photos and details of the garden party are now available here)

The happiest 5k on earth

I have registered for this fun run and I can't wait! Of course "run" in my case is a euphemism for "stroll unless you are passing someone you know, in which case jog until out of their line of vision," which is pretty much how I managed the cross country for every year of high school. But still I can't wait. I want to drown in the colour! Anyone know how to cornflour-proof a camera?

Have you ever done a Color Run in your city? Any tips I should take with me?

All images from The Color Run website.