Dare 1: dare you to do something fun every day

 

Sometimes I’m completely devoid of inspiration for blog posts; so I put them off and off. Well I picked up a fun book at the library by Natasha Kogan titled ‘The Daring Female’s Guide to Ecstatic Living’ and thought ‘if I’m enjoying these ‘dares’, maybe blog readers will too’. Today’s post starts a series of these dares. Let me know what you think and whether or not you’ve taken any of them up.  Of course they don’t only apply to females…there’s no reason why guys wouldn’t find them useful as well.

 

The first dare -

Dare 1: Dare to find what makes you ecstatic, and do it for at least ten minutes a day

It doesn’t matter what you choose to do with your ecstatic moments, as long as it’s something you absolutely love and enjoy.  Here are some of Kogan’s suggestions (am sure you can add plenty to the list).

• Read your favourite book
• Sing along to your favourite music
• Take a bubble bath
• Sip a perfect latte
• Watch part of your all-time favourite movie.
• Play silly with your children/grandchildren/friends children
• Cook your favourite recipe
• Meditate
• Spend time with someone you love
• Call your best friend
• Stand on your head
• Practice your piano/guitar/violin
• Dance around your house

She adds plenty of other ideas but you get the drift. It’s so personal isn’t it. Reading this chapter reinforces for me how lucky I am – I confess that I do a number of nice things most days. I even have an 'emergency list' of things to do if I'm feeling low. These include sitting out in the garden, just sitting and observing, listing; ringing particular friends; going to the library; doing arty stuff; meditating. How about you?

Apparently the Pantone Color of the Year is Emerald so I've gathered a few interestingitems in this color (or close) for you to check out above. Go visit the stores for more inspiration 1. bowling ball fountain from Bee Jay Kay 2. RW2 Gallery (it's a shower curtain!) 3.  Merle Pace Arts photomontage 4.mask ceramic wall hanging by  Double Fox Studio

 

 

Happy Holidays!

Like my new earrings darlings? Obviously I was very good this year; how good have you been?

And of course that's hail outside the window not snow; after all it's the middle of summer here and storm season!

My wish for you for Christmas is that you enjoy this time as a child does - with wonder and an open heart.

Thank you for making my year lovelier through your support.

It's a wrap!

Hah! There’s no way I’d be able to do this! Maybe it’s the undergarments that help, or Mr Drapo's huge hands! I can’t even master a sari - purchased one recently and there was no way I could 1. get it to look right, and 2. feel confident that it wasn’t going to fall off at an inopportune time! Stapling could help...or maybe sewing myself into it. The closest garment I can find that seems like it would work, is the 'infinity' dress. This is a simple dress that can worn a multitude of ways. Etsy has a number of sellers selling this type of garment - see a few below. And the red, black and white dress was found on the Instructables website with really clear instructions to make your own. Safer than a sari I'd say.

Top: animated gif from photographer Jamie Beck and visual designer Kevin Burg. Red Dress by Orchidea, Peach Dress from mMiNiArt, Red Black and White Dress Instructions here, Blue Dress from Minetik,  

Beloved! You! Yes You!

Top to bottom- Glass Lamp from Albedo Mosaics, Fractal Crystal Bismuth Hanging or Necklace fromElement 83, Glass Goddess Necklace and Stand from Bead Smart, Carved Crystal from J B Mamay

Russian Blue Roses

1. Silk dress from Mrs Pomeranz 2. Rabbit plate from Dayanum Factory 3. Animated gif from Szomorú Vasárnap at Imgfav 4. Photograph of Saint Petersburgh by Rivulet Photography 5. Throw from Yaga 6.Custom made shoes from Anton Nizhnick 7. Music Clip from Chinawoman 8. Felt bag from Krukru Studio 9. Nautilus Pastel from PastelAnna

Regrets and old tin photos

Yes, it is a strange combo - a post about the regrets of the dying married with contemporary tintypes but for some reason I feel they go well together.  Maybe it's the nostalgia that old tin photos evoke. There's more information towards the end of the post about the art project that's producing contemporary tin art works. The list of 'regrets' comes from the book 'The Top 5 regrets of the Dying' by palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware.

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.
 

.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends and family

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends and family members until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

Well I’m used to seeing old tintypes but I had no idea that some photographers were resurrecting the technique. I came across the work of Meghann Mary Gilligan of the Tin Gypsy Project on Etsy. Meghann rescued and rehabilitated the a 1961 vintage travel trailer and retrofitted the ‘Tin Gypsy’ as a mobile darkroom, specially designed for the practice of antique photographic techniques. Meghann says, I am most interested in the salt printing and wet-plate collodion processes. I make my own photographic emulsions from scratch and all of my prints and tintype creations are handmade and one of a kind.
 

I find my inspiration from the historical origins of photography and its earliest practitioners, who were equal parts mad scientist, adventurer and artist. Working with large- format cameras that are 60-90 years old and using antiquarian photographic processes is an incredibly enjoyable way to make images. I love moving the knobs and bellows on the camera to focus, pouring the emulsion on the aluminium plates, putting salt prints out in the sunshine to develop and, most especially, finding new creations to craft from salt prints and tintypes. Visit the Tin Gypsy Project Store to purchase one of these unique works of art and follow the adventures, travels, and creative experiments of the Tin Gypsy Project on a blog here and on Facebook here.

Swings n roundabouts

1.Photograph by Allan Lieberman via Art Print Magic 2. Swing animated gif by Made By ABVH 3. Photograph by Luis Beltran 4. Photomontage print from Artdecadence 5. Illuminated swing via BCXSY 6. Swing table via Inhabitat

Back to where we came from...

1. The Life and Times Photograph by Jamie Bollenbacher of JKB Fine Photography 2. Sea of Bedclothes Photograph from Ooh Pretty Shiny 3. Draped in Red Painting by ArtBG 4. Sculpture from Theatron Italian Art 5. Gold Dawn Oil Painting from Art of Eric Chapman 6. Rainy Day Painting by Larisa Berezova of Art From Russia Store 7. The Two Brothers, Timekeeper Series Assemblage/sculptures by Sandi McAslan Fairies 8. Mixed Media Photograph from Violet Dart

Artdecadence

Head over heels....

I was drawn to the pictures above not just because of the beautiful headpieces, but by the exquisite photography skills of these artists. Go check out their stores for more inspiration - top to bottom, 1. Honey Pie Love 2. The Prancing Fox 3. Myrakim 4. The House of Kat Swank

 

And now for the heels section of the post... Have you noticed those beautiful old wooden shoe lasts for sale? Just do an etsy search and you'll find plenty, all reasonable priced. Below are some ideas for displaying them at your place.

 

1. Bookend from Budget Vintage 2. Hat n Coat Hanger via Mamie Janes 3. Planter from Airy Obsessions 4. Shoe Display Tree via Forever Decorating

Who knows?

by Robie Kulokivi of weretco

from The Olive Bird 

Such a deep silence surrounds me, that I think I hear

 moonbeams striking on the windows.

In my chest,

a strange voice is awakened

 and a song plays inside me

a longing that is not mine.

They say that ancestors, dead before their time,

 with young blood still in their veins,

 with great passion in their blood,

 with the sun still burning in their blood

 come,

 come to continue to live

 within us

 their unfinished lives.

Such a deep silence surrounds me, that I think I hear

 moonbeams striking on the windows.

O, who knows, soul of mine, in which chest you will sing

 you also, after centuries,

 in soft ropes of silence,

 on harps of obscurity - the drowned longing

and the pleasure of living torn? Who knows?

Who knows?

‘Silence’ by Lucian Blaga

Lucian Blaga (May 9, 1895 - May 6, 1961) The ninth son of a parish priest, Blaga grew to become one of Romania's foremost poets and philosophers. Born in Transylvania, his father died in 1908 leaving the family destitute and forcing Blaga to leave secondary school. Until the age of four he purportedly never uttered a word; a period of his childhood that he later described as, ‘under the sign of the incredible absence of word’ and ‘mute as a swan’.

by Charles Barnes of clbphoto

from Weibler Wire Sculpture