Joyful Journey

The story of a Mothers quiet encouragement &  an Afghan that has been 3 years in the making.

Back in 2012, not long after arriving here in Australia, I saw a ball of wool that I fell in love with ( nothing new there!) - a nice long run colour changing yarn that would be perfect for the centre piece of some squares I had seen called Noro Circles Afghan. Of course I bought it, well two balls of it - just to have a play with & keep my hands busy in the evenings. I thought perhaps I'd make a cushion out of the squares.

A couple of weeks later it went on sale & I bought a couple more balls in a different colourway & crocheted away until I ran out again.....which was about the time that Mum came over from New Zealand to stay with us. She saw what I was doing & fell in love with it, encouraging me to make the afghan, despite the fact that I said I didn't know if it would ever get cold enough here to use it.
On one of our trips out & about we were in the store that sold the wool looking at craft supplies & she bought me a few balls of it. I guessed that it was on it's way to becoming an afghan rather than a pillow!

I well recall teasing her when she said "I'd absolutely love something like that to snuggle up in" - replying with a comment about the bright colours screaming at her decor. Knowing Mum as I did, I knew her comment wasn't intended as a hint that she'd like me to give her the one I was making, she would have asked outright, it was simply her way of encouraging me.
But the seed of an idea was planted & I figured later I would make her one in some of the more muted colourways available in the range.

So it went on, after Mum went home - when I had a bit of money to spare & the store would have a discount, promotion or sale I'd buy a couple more balls. Slowly the pile of squares grew. Over time the wool had become harder to get & I'd had to search around other stores to get it.

The store chain eventually discontinued the yarn & all of a sudden in mid 2013 I was finished, whether I liked it or not! I started laying it out on the spare bed trying to figure how I wanted to put over 100 different squares in numerous different colourways of the wool together....and there was nothing I could come up with that felt "right"...mainly because I was over thinking it before I even started. After an incident involving a cat, her hair & the disturbance of a semi likeable layout I packed the squares away as Summer approached... & forgot all about it.

Then, in March 2014, I got the call from Mum that she was pretty darn ill. As I made arrangements to go to visit her while she was still "reasonably well" my mind went to the squares sitting there & I knew what I wanted to do with them, but also that I wouldn't have time to sew all the ends in & assemble them before leaving for New Zealand. Believing that she had another 5 months I thought that I'd do it when I got back & send it to her.

It wasn't to be. When I arrived back after her funeral & right up until October this year I haven't been able to face them. It was actually the Jacarandas that reminded me of the squares, & I determined to somehow celebrate Mum's life & mark her journey through it. I assembled the squares into an afghan during the days that were the anniversary of her time here with me.

In the end it was easy - take a leaf out of her book. Because despite every stinking illness, & every emergency surgery & hospital stay - Mum stayed optimistic. She took great joy in life & in those she loved or cared about. She always looked on the bright side & was a beacon of light to friends or family going through anything. She always had time to support & encourage others, no matter what she was going through.

So the layout became easy - push the darker squares into the opposite corners & let the joy & light shine through.

It would have been Mum's 78th Birthday today - I hadn't given her a hand crafted Birthday present of any significance since I made her a porcelain doll "Joey" back in 1993.
I can honour her memory by celebrating her life this way though -

Caroles Joyful Journey

Birthday

Miss 14 turned 15 today. I'm just blown away by wondering where the last 15 years have gone.
It seems that it was only days ago that the wee girl arrived ahead of time & in such a hurry. I suspect that was a precursor to letting me know just how fast the years were going to fly by.

Of course 15 is far too 'cool' to actually want to do anything much - so it was just a quiet family day. Well, it was quiet for us, because Michaela slept in for half of the day!

An Official day - A week Late

It had been my intention to declare a certain day in late June official "World - Orange Day".

Why?

Quite simply because I think each colour should have an official day dedicated to it & in the case of orange it should be every day!
Actually, it was really because celebrating orange seemed so much more fun tham celebrating a birthday.

It was also inspired by the fabulous birthday gift that my dear friend Mallory sent me the week before the dreaded day.

Mallory went shopping for something orange or something tribal at the Bead & Button show. The clever lady managed to come up with both in this fabulous Bernadette Fuentes "Ancient Nomad" bead. Aren't I just spoiled rotten?
I think I may have squealed when I opened it, Mallory will remember as we were chatting on Skype at the time. I'd told her that her parcel had arrived & I wanted to wait until we were chatting top open it. How is that for restraint?


Of course it goes without saying that she teased me mercilessly about whether what she had bough was going to be orange enough or tribal enough. She will keep.

I wanted to have this wee dude all strung & ready to wear on my birthday, but looking at my supplies I didn't really have the findings I needed to create what I envisioned, so I decided to wait & do it properly a little later.

And Then It Was July!

Wow I can't believe that my last blog entry was June 26th!
Time is flying by with supersonic speed these days & I don't like it at all.
I don't like it especially when I realise that another annual increase in age event is about to happen. Hence my silence over the last week.

For me each birthday is a time of very mixed feelings. It has nothing & everything to do with the numbers.
In many ways I wish I could go back to it being as it was when I was a child, when it was simply a birthday & a time to celebrate.

That aside, the last week has been busy & exciting.

My first 'Introduction to Lampwork Bead Making" student was on Tuesday. In a cunningly designed bit of planning on my part it happened to be the day after my birthday, therefore allowing me the joy of being rather too preoccupied about it & whether I was fully prepared & had everything ready for it, to focus too much on the fact that Monday was actually another birthday.
Clever of me eh?

The day went well - exceptionally well in fact. I had the most amazingly wonderful student in Mandy.
We started with a coffee & some sticky bun in a relaxed atmosphere, while I went through through the basics about glass & the safety issues associated with lampwork.
Next it was out to the studio where I gave her her class kit, then demonstrated few things about glass before moving on to stringers. Attentive, eager & having already displayed a great understanding of the process Mandy was ready to have a turn at the torch. She quickly picked up the process of pulling stringers, so after that it was time to demo the process of making an actual bead.


Apart from a quick lunch break & a couple of further mini demo's from me, Mandy was still at the torch 5 hours later! She was a fabulous student & produced some outstanding beads.
I just sat at my torch & pulled stringers, that way Mandy didn't feel as if I was watching over her shoulder, yet I could still see & was there in a split second if needed.

After not having taught an adult for over 20 years I was apprehensive about doing so. Now, of course I want to do this all the time.
It is such a thrill watching the amazement displayed when they produce their first bead or those 'aha' moments on another's face.

It has taken me all week to come back down to earth. I would love to have at least two days set aside for classes each week.

Of course then I would have to upgrade everything. One can only take so many hours of listening to the roar of a hot head....


And just so there is something to look at here .....

Another set of beads using the one of the GafferGirls frit blends & some of that stringer I pulled.



Who'd have thought that I'd ever make 'sets'.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy Ms M ~ Rosebud101

HaPpY BiRtHdAy Ms M
HaPpY BiRtHdAy Ms M
HaPpY BiRtHdAy dearrrr Malloryyyyyyy
HaPpY BiRtHdAy yo youuuu ;o)

Hey there Divine Ms M - I hope you have a great *mumblemumble'th* Birthday, fun filled & fabulous or relaxing & restful - whatever your heart desires.





Happy Birthday @ Comments101.com

Have a Heart

Heart of Gold

Today was an annual increase in age event! HaPpY BiRtHdAy Me!

If you’re curious about my age – it’s 29 + tax, postage, handling & insurance…..that’d make it around 47 ;o) Cool huh?

Gotta say this much – it’s a boat load better than being 27, in oh so many ways!
When we are young & hear parents or older friends & so on say “I wish I knew then, what I know now” – we think “yeah sure you do – you just want to feel good about being OLD!”. What we don’t realise is that they do feel good about being older. It’s not so much a case of knowledge, experience, wisdom gained – although all of those have been & do matter, but rather it’s a sense of self. It’s a difficult thing to define – but you know it when you get there….many (like myself) think they are ‘there’ in their late 20’s – little realising that they have yet another decade to go.

I did have a couple of things I would have liked to celebrate my birthday doing, small things really – lining my printers tray ready for my bead display, torching & making up a very special bead into a necklace. However typical weekend life got in the way …. Including the girls squabbling over who was going to use the computer – more than once. That will keep.

So how did I celebrate? I changed my earrings – ROFL!
I kid you not – this is a big thing for me. I have a pair or earrings that quite simply I live in, as they are so comfortable yet effective. They are a second favorite pair – I lost one of my original pair a week or so after we moved into this house. I was gutted (I cried like a baby when I realised!) – so I borrowed my daughter’s plainer version, but they’re just not the same. These earrings were a special gift - & without fail at least once a week someone would comment on them.

Mum arrived fully armed & equipped for dinner – bring the main contenders (in my book anyway) of stuffing for the chicken we were roasting & Chocolate Roulade & Mandarin Mousse for desert. Calling out & wondering where I was – I called down the stairs “I’m celebrating my birthday” – don’t know what she expected when I waltzed down – perhaps a dye job or a makeover – but she laughed when I told her I had changed my earrings!

All in all it’s been a very mellow day (apart from aforementioned daughters) – I’ve spent time chatting online with a dear friend, whom I’ve promised to send some stuffing & desert & an ex workmate called & wished me Happy Birthday & we had a bit of a catch up. A nice meal, a bit of TV (& teasing of a certain cats!)& then revisiting an early birthday present that the lovely Ms M sent me a wee while ago. Here I’m showing the lovely treasure woven bracelet– but there was more, all orange :o)
Every time I look at this bracelet – Divines “Cha Cha Heels” starts playing itself in my head…. I love it! Showing my age??? Well - good!
Someone knows that orange is my favorite colour!

Ms M – check your inbox, stuffing & desert await!
Allan – next time you mumble “so what do you want for your birthday” …the answer is in this blog post ;o) ….or a dog!

Treasure Woven Birthday Bracelet

Rosebud101