Eye Spy - Favourite Childrens Party Game

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Although it may seem that I have fallen off the planet and in many ways I feel I have, I have found my way back on and found the world is still spinning. Some of you will know that I recently returned to my home town in New Zealand and while I was there catching up with all my family and friends I also shared a wee exhibition of my creations with two friends. I will tell you more about that and the rest of my time away soon, but first I thought I should catch up with my Eye Spys. Especially since Cindy asked me to come up with last weeks topic and I choose, "A favourite childhood game/ party game".

I LOVE children's partys. I had great joy in organising them for the children in my life when I was a teenager until I could plan my own children's parties. They are teenagers now so don't want to play pass the parcel, but I still do. Like Cindy and Christina I love pin the tail on the donkey but since I favour themed parties we have pinned the tail on the dragon, given the fairy a wand and put the hat on the gnome. I can't for the life on me find any pictures of these occasions, maybe we were having too much fun. I also love the children to get involved and we have decorated cupcakes and made pizza and ice-cream sundaes. Sometimes the simplest games are the most fun, like when we had a sand castle competition (everyone wins a prize) ............Or feeding the animals like we did last week at niece beansie's party. That's her cousins feeding the highland calves and the pig at Grans farm.

But I think if I had to choose one, please note I can't even follow my own rules and choose just one, I would have to come back to pass the parcel, I love the anticipation and who doesn't like opening a present. Everyone gets a prize in my version and in the middle a prize for all to share. Oh but I just remembered treasure hunts......

Exhibitions: visiting one and working towards one

If you haven't made plans for this afternoon yet, consider popping down to Malvern (if ya live in Melbourne) to the TAG Fabricate exhibition. It is the last day today so I finally got my a* into gear and got there. The exhibition organised by the TAG branch of the embroiderers guild features the work of 6 textile artists. My favourites were the felt works by Karoliina Arvilommi and the dolls by Jennifer Gould. It was inspiring and I also had a lovely chat to Bernadette and Dinnie. They will even offer you a cuppa tea if you have had to travel across the city. So inspiration and a cuppa. It was a great way to start my Sunday. Plan on using the inspiration I have gathered from yesterdays trip and this mornings visit in my play space for the rest of the day as I get into the final run towards my exhibition in Christchurch in July. argh I have been pretending it is ages away till now but can no longer deny that time just keeps on rolling along.

BTW the guild have a talk on tomorrow night $5 for a talk by Vicki Mason a NZ jeweller now based in Melbourne. I will also be having a browse thru the guild library, it is pretty comprehensive. Wanna meet me there?

Confessions

Imagine if you will a picture here of lovely autumn fruit, apples, pear, figs and lemons. I did take a photo to share with you all but the first born took the camera to a friends and it slipped her adolescent mind to bring it back home again. Damn she has been telling me we need another camera, "need?" I reply "I do not think that word means what you think it means." However now I want to use it and I am thinking maybe it is a need after all.

But back to the point of this story. I have a confession. I have lived in this fair city for just over a year now and yesterday I finally made it to my local St Kilda farmers market. I didn't mean to leave it so long it just, you know, happened. But yesterday I snuck out of the house before the house stirred. Oh joy, I found bounds of lovely fruit and veg. I found sausages sizzling and music playing. I visited some new friends selling cake for the local Steiner playgroup/preschool. They have been playing with me recently at Little Sparrow making lovely wee rabbits. One confessed she is now making more, it makes me happy to be a part of someone giving a new craft a go and wanting to carry on.

So I headed home happy with a trolley and a heart full and I promise not to leave it so long again. :)

In the afternoon Husband and I headed to the city on the train, to visit the Craft Victoria Craft Hatch a little market held in the city library. I loved to see what people are making and to have a chat with a couple of the artists too. Then we went to the NGV to see the Top Arts VCE 2008 It is an inspiring show of some of the works completed by high school students studying art and studio art in Victoria last year. I will be taking my girls back to see it at least once before mid June when it closes. I am inspired by their amazing work and commitment to see their vision thru. I have to work hard to talk nice to myself while I look around as it is tempting to think 'why bother'. Self talk is something that I often have to work hard with. Years of training make it easy for me to tell I myself, I am not talented, to be ready for others to find out the truth about me, that I am a big fake, that the stories I tell are silly, I am not skilled enough, smart enough, pretty enough...... I know you know the stories that we tell ourselves because I know that I am not the only one. These days mostly I talk nice to myself and am gathering evidence that prove those thoughts wrong, but you know sometimes I slip, especially when it is that time of the month, or when I see someones work I admire, or when I put my heart on the table and overhear a negative comment. But mostly I remember that I have something unique to offer and that I have a place in this creative world.

Goodness I didn't know I was going to go there... but there you go confessions on a Sunday afternoon....

I hope you all had or are having a lovely weekend and remember to talk nice to yourself. :)