This morning I went up to a beautiful Open Garden in Blakiston. I'll post a few photos of the garden tomorrow (ed: the photos really aren't worth sharing and do no justice to the garden itself), but right now all I can think about is this studio. The garden belongs to the very talented artist Cassie Thring, and since Adelaide is Adelaide and the Six Degrees Rule here actually translates to about two degrees of separation at it's worst, we of course had a couple of connections and she invited us to have a look inside her studio. Excuse the glare from the windows, I quickly snapped a few photos with my point and shoot because I was just so in love with the place.

Doesn't this space just ooze creativity? Give me some indoor plants and a lazy cat and I don't think I'd ever leave.

“Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations.”

― Henry David Thoreau, Walden

earth

Tom is using google earth for Uni, but I'm just looking for interesting views from above. All of these are within an hour or so from where I live. Madness.

all that glitters

I'm on a bit of a gold kick at the moment. My love for gold has grown and grown in recent years. I love the warmth that gold can bring to a space or an outfit. I've been thinking about how to incorporate more of it into our home decor, but with no job to speak of at the moment I find I have a little extra time to undertake diy projects but nothing to fund them with.

Here's a a few achievable gold-themed projects I've discovered through Pinterest. It's nice to remember that even though we don't all have infinite time and energy we can still undertake some great projects to improve our space or give more thoughtfully to others.

gold leaf terracotta pots

I love how the gold looks with the natural patina of the terracotta.

gold-dipped feathers

A simple way to make a statement. Display them in a bunch like in the photo or hang them as a garland. 

DIY metallic sack from A Daily Something

These are really just paper bags spray painted gold - but how great do they look? So simple and cheap, but such a big impact - these would be a great way to store those things that never find a proper home.


For more inspiration, check out my Make and Give pinterest boards.

a manifesto for mindful living

I'm tired of being so negative. The image I posted alongside my last outpour of despair was more telling than I even realised at the time. I destroy myself. No one and nothing is trying to destroy me. Life is just happening, and I am choosing to destroy myself with fear and anguish over setbacks and disappointments rather than to thrive in the face of these challenges. The grass is greener where you water it. 

So I wrote a list of things that I only ever find myself doing when the grass is looking a glorious green, things I want to remember to keep doing even when the impulse does not come quite so naturally. It turned into a manifesto for living mindfully, for living fully.

The world looks a whole lot brighter when I remind myself of the influence I have over the way I see things.