Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Happy New Year  - I am sure you haven't missed the beginning of the  Lunar Year  - 2017 , the Year of the Rooster , in fact the Fire Rooster. I have in the past written many articles about celebrating the Chinese or Lunar New Year  in this blog - Year of the Monkey , Year of the Sheep/Goat , Year of the Snake , Year of the Dragon , Year of the Tiger .  I have often discussed lucky foods, family activities, the Do's and Don'ts of New Year celebrations and traditions. However, this year, how about some numbers?  THE LITTLE NUMBERS  3  The  official number of  public holidays for the New year Festival  although many workers have 7 days leave.  8   is considered to be a lucky Chinese number. Besides all of the other delicious foods created for the New Year celebration, it is customary to offer friends who visit during the two week period, a 'tray of togetherness' - a  snack platter. This platter has 8 separate divisions with 8 sweet and savoury snack foods chose

Today is Australia Day. I chose a photo of some Lilly Pilly berries as a celebratory image for this national day. Lilly Pilly is  a common name for a plant, Syzygium smithii which grows mostly in Eastern Australia, from the northern  rain forests of Queensland, throughout NSW to the southern Wilson's Promontory in Victoria. In New Zealand it is called "monkey apple, but other names used in Australia, besides lilly pilly, are Eungella Gum and Coast Satinash. The largest Lilly Pilly recorded was found in Dingo Creek Flora Reserve, near Tenterfield where I once lived.  The tree now growing in my garden was once a small seedling which I was gifted when I left Woolgoolga, a small coastal town in northern NSW. Its name  is said to come from the Aboriginal word 'weelgoolga' describing the lilly pilly which grows in profusion there. It is probably no surprise that the lilly pilly berries are edible as bush tucker, and make a beautiful jam or jelly. I have even seen reci

NATIONAL CLEAN OFF YOUR DESK DAY The second Monday of January each year recognizes National Clean Off Your Desk Day.This day is an opportunity to begin your new year with a clean and organized workspace. Whether your desk is in a private or shared office, cubicle, home or a make-shift desk on the counter, having your workspace uncluttered, organized, refreshed and clean will help you work more efficiently and give you a sense of serenity. from www.nationaldaycalendar.com This is not easy when you have projects continually half finished on your desk - I am referring to myself. The photo above shows my "Winter" book still there on my desk, when today - we are in the middle of summer with soaring temperatures. Then, I haven't shown the other parts of my desk(s) with half finished dolls, tags in progress for Tag Tuesday, clothes waiting to be mended, half assembled kits for a workshop on Friday.and  that's the top layer! But my 2017 approach is to look for the pos

Entomological Elements hung in Timeless Textiles Gallery.  My latest big piece of work is "Entomological Elements" - let's call it EE ... It is a mixed media sculpture in response to the theme "Elements" for a current exhibition by the Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists. If you a regular reader of this blog or and Empress Wu Designs Facebook follower, you probably know that my thing is "stick dolls".... dolls made with sticks. EE is just an extension of those , with a piece of local driftwood as its base. EE is also   a celebration of the natural elements depicted by insects from different parts of the world.   EARTH - Common Black Ground Beetle ( Pterostichus melanarius ) - Europe/Eurasia AIR - Blue Ulysses Butterfly ( Papilio Ulysses ) - Australia WATER - Golden winged skimmer dragonfly ( Libellula auripennis ) - Central/North America FIRE - Scarlet Fire Beetle ( Pyrochroa coccinea )- Europe Common Black

The last time I wrote about New Year resolutions was in 2014 - in this post   . I still think that the five simple guidelines for happy living  is a wonderful way to reflect on behaviours for the year, and to continue every day of every year... I hope, this year, we will all try to be kinder to one another, expect the positive and judge less.  I am not so serious about  resolutions  and how to achieve them. I am aiming for doing the best I can each day.... There are so many websites which discuss the behaviourist theories behind successful  New Year resolutions. According to these experts, my approach is far too vague and should be more specific  and realistic  so if I were to translate this into action - a random act of kindness at least once a week, wake up each morning thinking of one positive thing which could occur in my day, hold my tongue when a quick judgement looms - this sounds ok for me. However,  I think it's so reassuring that when really high fliers, the