Crossing another off the list

I have this mad ambitious plan: to make, do, experience and try out 212 things this year - some as a family, some on my own, most with the kids, and a few random and slightly adventurous ones thrown in for good measure.

You know how much I love lists; but I have to admit, it wasn’t my idea at all. Our young cousin started it all when he began an ambitious bucket list; then Kim decided to make a list of things she wanted to do this year; and what else could I do? As if I’d ever pass up an opportunity to jump on the make-a-list bandwagon!

I’ve loved creating and crossing things off slowly as the weeks tumble on by; and it’s given us an opportunity to be very organised, sometimes quite spontaneous, and definitely more motivated to get more out of the time we spend together.

They’re not all complicated or expensive experiences – some are actually things that we should or would like to do, like give blood, or cull our un-played-with toys, or to bake delicious things for our neighbours.

Examples?

#24: Read the Magic Pudding to Judah every night before bed

#29: Send postcards, drawings, and letters to the people we love

#58: Make a loaf of bread and eat it straight from the oven

#79: Host a dinner party

#91: Brew our own beer

#97: Make a time capsule and bury it in the garden

#107: Make a collection of things every day for a week, and display them somewhere in the house

Today, we crossed another one off the list – #41 - taking the kids to Yum Cha for lunch. We stuffed ourselves with delicious pork buns, dumplings, moreish rice, and warm custard-y tarts, and drove home lazy and full-bellied, smiling at how good it is to (sometimes) be so indulgent.

I do love this list; and I love that it’s making us slightly more adventurous as a family.

What new things have you tried so far this year?

Nat

The Queen of Tarts...

I’ve been putting off this post for a whole week now, just waiting until I’ve sewn enough to be able to show you. But alas, they’re taking a wee bit longer to finish off than expected; it’s all that figuring out and cutting real fruit to see exactly what’s on the inside, and drawing patterns, and trying things that look wonderful in my imagination, but not so wonderful once sewn and in my hands.

That, and the visiting of patisseries for inspiration (and treats – I really can’t help myself. It’s absolutely ridiculous).

So, launching this year, alongside our gorgeous petit fours, are fruit tarts – perfect for play and picnics and made from the softest, most gorgeous wool blend felt. Each one is hand and machine sewn, and based loosely on tarts found in my favourite local haunts – Banneton Bakery and the famous Samford Patisserie. I swear, if I could make up a bed in either of these places, I’d quite happily live there and eat tarts for every meal.

They’ll have their debut, along with a whole new Q&I market look, at our first booking for the year, Mathilda’s Market, on the 24^th of March. And they’ll be making their way to our Etsy store this week – delish!

My sewing nook is looking so wonderfully colourful with all this gorgeous new stock – it definitely inspires me to keep creating, to keep trying new things.

Oh! I almost forgot!

I have one tart shell left to fill – it’s made up of a pastry base and chocolate filling. Any ideas as to what could go on top?

Nat

Being Creative = Nurturing Creativity

Sometimes creativity needs a boost, you know? Something to help it along, to inspire; and adequate time for an idea to take root in your mind, and pester you until the mock, the very first one, is in your hands.

Since the hiatus over the summer, I’ve been feeling a bit out of practice, creatively speaking. I’ll often sit down to blank paper to brainstorm ideas, and sometimes can’t seem to pull what’s in my imagination out onto the page. But instead of getting discouraged and feeling wretched, I decided to fix it: by seeking out creative avenues and small simple projects that allow me to think in a more artistic way, and totally outside of all the handmade loveliest we produce for Quill & Ink.

It was during a trawl of artistic blogs on the internet that I first discovered Keri Smith, who has formulated the most wonderful creative prompt list – you can find it here.

It didn’t take me long to begin rummaging through boxes to find a blank journal, and to steal Lou’s coloured pencils and begin sketching; and it felt wonderfully good to be doing this simple creative thing that wasn’t for anyone else but me (and now you).

And best of all? It’s fun.

The challenge today: to draw all of the things in my bag. Paper is slightly scrunchy because the kids wanted a better look at what I was up to.

Sometimes there are a couple of weeks between entries, other times it’s a matter of hours. I’ve not bound myself to a strict deadline, which ends up freeing the experience even more. I just pick out a square at random, whenever I have the time, and think of a creative way to do what it says.

I have noticed though, that slowly, very slowly, a small creative spark seems to be elbowing its way back to the forefront of my imagination. And there have been some strange little ideas born over the last week that I’m all curious to try out. I guess that’s the best thing about having a creative break; you never know what direction your rested imagination will take once it’s put back in to action…

How do you ignite or restore creativity in your own life? Or, how do you deal with creative lulls?

Nat

On with the show!

    

Lovely Mille dons her hat, and gathers up a posie,

she’s draped in scarves and beads and brooches,

with sweet cheeks, oh so rosy.

It’s almost time - she checks the clock – a few more minutes to go;

noise is gathering, butterflies brewing -

it’s nearly time for the show.

She walks down the stairs, her entrance grand,

The crowd thunders in applause;

Marvellous Millie - delightful diva - the best in all the land.

Got an enthusiastic performer in your house?

Our gorgeous new doll, Marvellous Millie, is now available in our Etsy store!

(Take her home today for just $25 AU + postage)

Nat

Little Red...

There’s just something about Grimm's tale of Little Red Cap (or Little Red Riding Hood) that I love so much. It’s a dark story, darker than you probably remember; Red is naïve and wonderfully innocent, a good, obedient girl, whose only mistake is that she stops to gather armfuls of wildflowers, allowing the wolf plenty of time to sneak away to Red’s intended destination.

Our childhood memory tends to put a rosy hue on best-loved fairy tales – we remember that the fair princess is woken with true love’s first kiss, that happy couples are always reunited in the very last sentences, that good triumphs (in its own strange or magical way) over evil. There’s a certain comfort in the knowledge that everything will eventually be alright in the fairy tale world, no matter what obstacles are put in the path of our beloved protagonist.

But poor Red! After her trademark, ‘What big ears you have!’ speech, she’s eaten - somehow that crafty wolf manages to swallow her whole, and she’s nestled in his belly alongside her ailing grandmother. This proves to be a fortunate mistake; for at the right time, a hunter instinctively comes to the cottage, and using scissors, he cuts the belly of the snoring wolf, freeing the women inside.

And to decieve the still-sleeping wolf further, Red fills his empty belly with stones, which miraculously kill him the minute he tries to stand. The hunter takes the wolf’s skin as a souvenir, and Red and Grannie sit down to tea.

In the last week, I’ve started to rework my fairy tale papercuts, and the lovely Little Red Cap is the first to go under the knife. I have to admit, it’s a fine balance – between being true to the dark nature of the stories, and making a piece that you’d be happy to feature in a child’s bedroom. Sometimes I get it right; other times, it’s just that wee bit too scary or macabre.

This is the new Little Red Cap design:

 Little Red Cap in the forest, taking her own sweet time to get to her Grandmother’s….

What do you think?

Nat