Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

 August  Instagram Photo Challenge - a photo a day challenge as a daily reminder to be well in Winter  #bewellinwinter.  left to right, top row to bottom row.  1. Stockpile - my stockpile of used tea bags, ready for art  projects.  2. Blankets - tidied up the spare bedroom - don't the blankets look great so neatly folded?  3. Animal - there's a bear in there!  4. Soup - my favourite soup recipes are from a very old recipe booklet  5. Social -  the Flying Free project is as much a social activity as a creative one.  6. Strength - my tai chi teacher demonstrating that there is nothing stronger than gentleness.  7. Refresh - the instructions said 'refresh your browser' .... so I did.  8. Flowers - woolly flowers on my friend's hat 9. To do list - "put the suitcase in the boot of the car" - only one thing on my husband's to do  list today - yes, it was done!  10. Fire - smoke alarms are ma...

Here is a blast from the past .... While cleaning up the spare bedroom, I found a photo of  some of the first dolls I made - cloth dolls  from 1980-1981. Dating them has been fairly easy  from the photo below.  I am sure the location is Bombala ( heavy blue curtains)  and my daughter, pictured below with the dolls  had lost her front teeth. ( Naomi was born in February, 1975) The doll on the left was from a Simplicity pattern, the next one is an attempt at a sock doll, and the other two were made from a Style pattern. In those days, Bombala was  a small, fairly isolated town (no sewing shops) and there was no internet  or online shopping, so the patterns were mail ordered, or perhaps I had brought them with me from Tenterfield where I would have ordered them from the local haberdashery shop. I do remember at least making a few of the large "Simplicity " doll while living in Tenterfield, and I am sure my niece, Melanie owned one of those. ...

indigo dyed khadi paper 

Day 26 : Grounding - a beautiful sunrise , Dungog NSW End of July already and the last day  this month of the "Be Well in Winter"  Photo a Day Challenge - an exercise in staying focussed on wellness. I enjoyed this so much I will also be participating in the August "Be Well in Winter "photo challenge ....  Day 21 - Work ( Newspaper story about my workshop in Hervey Bay; Day 22 - Winter ( my winter woolies)  Day 23 - Essential Oil ( Camellia oil)  Day 24-  Gratitude ( beautiful thank you gifts from a friend)  Day 25 - My treat ( staying with a friend in her beautiful home)  Day 26 - Grounding ( large photo above )  Day 27 - Breath ( a breath to blow out a candle)  Day 28 - Pamper ( bath pamper essentials)  Day 29 - Role Model ( my mum)  Day 30 - Sun ( another sunrise -large photo below)  Day 31 - Lesson ( lesson notes for a Drama class I taught in 1988!)  Day 30 - Sun ( another sunr...