Blogging Fusion

Today was a long but productive day on Planet Baby. Drew, Planet Baby's carpenter extraordinaire, helped Mr PB build some shelves for the playroom cupboard. We are so delighted with the result - far more organisation for all the board games, play dough, felt sets, plasticine, colouring-in books, pencils, textas, paper, craft supplies and assorted paraphernalia we have. Bring on the drawers now - then we'll be ultra organised ?.

Today's post is short and sweet about something I suspect some of you might be interested in. After being alerted to it by gorgeous Claire at Heartmade UK, on Wednesday, I hopped aboard the 'A Month of Letters 2012' challenge at Mary's blog. Click on the button in my sidebar to be taken to the blog. 

The idea is that for every day of February, you mail at least one item through the post every day. It could be a postcard, a letter, a photo, a newspaper cutting or even just a fabric swatch. 

The whole idea is to bring back the joy created by sending people something tangible to remind them of you, not just an ephemeral email which can be deleted. It's not too late to join and it's free. I know Claire is doing it, too - are any of you interested?

Click here to sign up. 

Mary has kindly whipped up a calendar for you to record to whom you've sent your mail for the month. Here's mine - I hope I'm not spoiling surprises here!

She's also added a sheet of participant stickers which look like stamps. Cute, don't you think? You can either cut them out and glue them onto your envelopes or print them out on adhesive paper to create your special stamps. Don't you think it sounds like fun?

I am such a Luddite - I posted about it here. I adore writing letters and cards and much prefer them to fleeting emails, tweets or Facebook messages. 

Letters can be read, re-read and re-read again. They can be cherished, carried around to allow you to feel close to the sender and even passed down through the generations. They may be tear-stained, coffee-stained or SWALK ('sealed with a loving kiss').

Not only are they fascinating recordings of the minutiae of daily life, I think the author's handwriting allows you to peek into their soul and understand more of their essence. 

Handwriting *enchants* me. I love it in all its varied forms, although the prettier the better, I must admit!

Back in Grade 4 in 1980, we were taught 'cord cursive'. This had recently replaced the exquisite 'copperplate as the school standard form. I thought that a travesty as copperplate was just so much more elegant. But I had to comply with the school rules and learn the new style. It grew on me. My handwriting now is essentially the same as the style I learnt in 1980. 

But when I was introduced to fountain pens when attending school in West Germany as a Rotary Exchange Student in 1989, my handwriting altered slightly. The sublime ink flowed so magically over the page, allowing my writing to develop more flourishes.

So, in the spirit of sharing and spreading my love of letter writing, I've handwritten you all a short letter today. I used my beloved silver Lamy Safari fountain pen and crisp white Croxley 'Basildon Bond' watermarked paper.

I'd be interested in your comments. Is it how you'd imagined my writing would look like? Or not at all?

I used to chide myself, thinking it looked too infantile and neat. Now I've finally accepted that it truly represents who I am.

Do any of you share my passion for handwritten letters? When I posted about the love letters Mr PB exchanged with me whilst he was abroad for a year in the mid-1990s, a number of you lamented that you had nothing similar to look at as so much of your communication occurred via email, texts and tweets.

I guess that's partly behind why a lot of us blog - to record moments in our life, our moods, events and discoveries we've made that would otherwise go unrecorded. 

However, I am mindful that I really want to ensure my blog doesn't disappear into the ether by accident. Wouldn't that be just horrid? I think I'll investigate the whole blog-to-book idea. What a treat it would be to hold in my hand and leaf through! I've heard good things about Blurb - have any of you tried it? Or do you have any other recommendations? Do share - imagine the thrill of opening that parcel!

Ooh, where did January go? I guess it's been a flurry of activity here on Planet Baby since the bombshell dropped. People to see, meetings to attend, paperwork to receive, request and even ransack the house for (hmm, The Great Unpack is *still* underway), companies to notify, interviews to attend, file-notes to keep - yes, I can see where January went. 

In the midst of this chaos and uncertainty, I am so grateful to have had the distraction of organising *my room of my own*. I have relished playing *stylist* (not a word I would ever have associated with me in my wildest dreams before I started this bloggy caper ?). But hey, if you can't *style* your own room, then you're missing out on a lot of fun, don't you think? My 3 moodboards are nearly complete and are waiting to be hung. Here's a sneak peek just to hint at the joy they're already bringing me.

The whole process has brought me some much-needed clarity. I've realised that to be truly happy, I need to do something creative. Every day. 

For some of you, that might be as obvious as needing to breathe to live. 

But not for me. For the longest time, I just haven't had the quietness, that solitude my heart yearns for, to realise it. But now I have.

I've started reading Julia Cameron's 'The Artist's Way', a book I've coveted for years. Are any of you familiar with it? I'm only a chapter in but already I feel like she's talking to my soul. Truly. She is so incredibly insightful and inspirational. I can't wait to read more. 

Reading it prompted me to get out my watercolours for the first time in about a year. I can't believe they've lain dormant in my desk for so long. But I guess last year was such a hard year as Dad's health declined that I didn't really have the heart to paint much.

But taking them out was like finding dear old friends. I loved opening up my wooden box to see them all displayed there.

I revelled in reading their names - the colours 'cerulean' and 'Prussian' always excite me!

And then I set to, fixing my paper to my desk with masking tape, choosing my brushes, fetching my water and preparing my palette.

I washed the paper with water and a hint of blue paint, letting it almost dry.

I then started with swirls of blue, white and green (quelle surprise!), letting them mingle with one another and create their little eddies of colour, pooling in spots as the paper started to crinkle under the paint's weight.
Here's more blue.
And some green.

And then I sat back and smiled. I felt alive. I had created something.  

I left them to dry. Then I can pull back the masking tape to reveal beautifully straight, crisp white borders!

I don't have any formal training - only what I learnt when in the Mother Baby Unit back in 2009 under the guidance of wise Suzanne, the art therapist who helped me rediscover my creative side. I can never thank her enough for giving me that gift.

I started an online watercolour course with Alisa Burke shortly before Dad died. I haven't had time to look at the lessons - they'll wait for another day. 

But for the moment, I'm content with just dabbling. It fills my heart, seeping into the gaping hole left behind by recent sad times.

It's but one of many creative outlets which appeal to me. Here are some of them:

So, there you have it. Give this girl a little time to collect her thoughts and look at the enthusiasm which bubbles up! Hmm, now to find the time to fit all this crafting in...Tell me, how do you all make the time to create? Is it in fits and starts with lots of UFOs in your cupboards? Or are you a finisher? I'm intrigued - and all tips will be gratefully received! 

Hello Lovelies! I'm so tickled that so many of enjoyed another peek at *my room of my own* - thanks for all your encouraging comments. I've just about collated my moodboards - hopefully Mr 3M and Mr PB can reach a little understanding tomorrow and hang them up for me! 

Just a quickie tonight. I absolutely adore the positivity and encouragement I find over at The Brave Girls Club. Remember I mentioned them here? They never fail to inspire me and pick up my spirits when they're flagging. Click here if you'd like to receive their 'Daily Truth' emails. This one has such resonance for me now with all life's uncertainty swirling around us on Planet Baby. See what you think.

Hello gorgeous Planetarians! Today has been sublimely sunny here in Hobart with just a gentle breeze off the River Derwent. Mr PB treated me by taking the pixies off on a day-trip down to the Tasman Peninsula. Whilst they had a ball, frolicking in the crystal clear waters and collecting sea shells, I finally had some solitude. 

Splendid, superb solitude. I cherished it. 

Freed of the pixies' incessant chatter and requests, I could do what I pleased. My, it felt almost surreal! I spent the first hour in a flap, racing around like a madwoman, cleaning the house from top to bottom. As the hours unfolded, I gradually realised how much I needed that time alone, after all life's recent turmoil. Just some space to breathe. And just be.

Thoughts were rushing around my head, colliding into each other in their haste to make themselves heard by my consciousness. There are so many pressing needs, arrangements to be made, paperwork to be hunted down, Mr PB to be supported and encouraged as he looks for work and possible employment options for me to be considered. And all the while, Planet Baby's usual affairs of state need to be attended to.  

And then I slowed down. Calmed down, as well. 

I started writing some 'to do' lists. Life has been so frantic here for so long that I haven't even had time to write a single list. That's *so* unlike me. But I've learnt to just 'let it go' and stop beating myself up over it. We've managed pretty well in the absence of my infamous lists, I must admit. Life has carried on regardless. As it does. 

But once I started writing those lists, some clarity of thought appeared, something I have been craving for the longest time. I felt calmer. Organisation is my compulsion. 'A place for everything and everything in its place' has always been my mantra. But I have to be careful or I can veer into 'obsessive-compulsive' territory. 

I then started arranging my books into my new bookcase in *my room of my own*. My childhood bookcase has been filled with the pixies' books for the past 6 years and with all our moves, so many of my precious tomes have been in storage, waiting for me to rediscover them. Oh, the joy it evoked to be reunited with my long-lost friends! It was quite a fascinating exercise to lay them all on the floor and see how my reading tastes have evolved over the years. I then sorted them out into themes and revelled in finding them spaces in their fabulous new home. 

And then I set to, decorating. Yes, decorating! Such a pleasurable activity occurs rarely here on Planet Baby. One income and many busy, grasping little hands have put paid to that over the years ?. 

To finally have spaces to fill with my dearest possessions was a treat. Want to see what it looks like so far? I thought you might. Here are a few little peeks. Let's start with my decorating books. *Sigh*. Most of them are still unread, calling out my name as I pass them by - "Pick me".

Here's my treasured blue glass vase containing precious feathers from Iris and Felicity and adorned with Beth's butterfly.
Then we move onto my craft books. Cross-stitch, embroidery, sewing, papercraft, washi tape, painting - you name it, they're all covered here!
Here is my Nikki Gemmell collection. *Sigh*. I'm still getting over the thrill of meeting her.

I adore this tiny Dutch Delft ceramic house. I have plans to buy more from here!
And here are some of my tiny German books (I love the way they print their spine in the reverse way to us) and books from a dear friend, topped by my treasured ceramic ball.

It's still a work-in-progress. I'm sure we still have unopened boxes of books hiding somewhere under the house. I suspect The Great Unpack still has some time to run.

Then I had some fun rearranging my desk. Remember my *box in a box*? Here it is, filled with goodies you've kindly gifted me.
And here's a little cherub, proudly bearing some butterflies aloft.

Look - some more fluttery friends are about!

Next on my list is hanging all the gorgeous paintings and prints I've had framed. They're lying there on the floor, waiting patiently for me to rearrange them. Yet again! Kerry gave me some great hanging tips when she visited here the other day. I think there'll be some trial and error at first until I work out what pleases my eye. 

And then there are my moodboards to hang and decorate! I am *so* excited about them. For months, I had been vainly scouring antique shops looking for decorative old frames without luck. Then Typo came to my rescue.
I handed over one of these babies to the cashier, expecting to pay $50. When I found they were half price, I scooped up another two! Look at the pretty corner detail.
So now I have three of these magnetic, whiteboard beauties, just waiting to be filled with my treasures. Many of them are things that you sweet Planetarians have given me - cards, tags, doilies and all sorts of gorgeous ephemera. Bring on tomorrow! 

Tell me, have any of you been rearranging and sorting for the New Year? Do you share my urge to keep organised? I *suspect* some of you do so I'll write an organisation post soon, maybe using some of the pretty pins I've been collating on Pinterest. Are you up for it? Do tell!

Source

Hello sweet Planetarians, all 461 of you (hello to all the newbies - why don't you introduce yourselves? We'd love to meet you!). Fingers crossed CommentLuv is working again after my last post as I've followed the suggestion of their kind Help Desk man - let's see. Just a quickie tonight - an abridged version of a quotation of the American pastor, Dr Bob Moorehead. I've bolded the ideas which resonate with me the most. 

The paradox of our age is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more but have less; we buy more but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences yet less time.

We have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge but less judgement.

We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values.

We've learned how to make a living but not a life.

We've added years to life but not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour.

We've conquered outer space but not inner space.

We've done larger things but not better things.

We've conquered the atom but not our prejudice.

We write more but learn less.

We plan more but accomplish less.

We have more acquaintances but fewer friends. 

We've learned to rush but not to wait.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever but we communicate less and less.

Remember to spend some time with your loved ones because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. 

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember to say "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones but most of all, mean it.

A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, speak and share the precious thoughts in your mind.

I'd love to hear which ones you can relate to. Do you think this is a fair summation of our lives at the start of the 21st century or do you find it glib? Do jump in and comment - let's share our thoughts!