Mind the Gap!

"The gaps are the thing. The gaps are the spirit's one home, the altitudes and latitudes so dazzlingly spare and clean that the spirit can discover itself like a once-blind man unbound. The gaps are the clefts in the rock where you cower to see the back parts of God; they are the fissures between mountains and cells the wind lances through, the icy narrowing fords splitting the cliffs of mystery. Go up into the gaps. If you can find them; they shift and vanish too. Stalk the gaps. Squeak into a gap in the soil, turn, and unlock - more than a maple - a universe."

- Annie Dillard

(found at Whiskey River AGAIN ;-)

When Jamie Ridler asks us what we would like to pay attention to for Wishcasting Wednesday today, I would have to say...

The Gaps!

I look for them between the in and the out breath. The pause between each giggle. The moment just after the nib has come out of the ink, before it touches the object of my intention. Always, always chasing the gaps... seeking the silence ... knowing the secret is there. In each form there is a counter form. A perfect letter blossoms out of the gaps, the space, the counter form. Therein lies the secret. To so many things it would appear ...

Speaking of gaps. I was in another land last night, sometime just before midnight. A land of Dr Seuss and pants-pinching-plants in French Forests. That must be what distracted me terribly. So engrossed was I in being lucky, that I completely forgot to mind the gap. Unfortunately, while I wasn't paying attention, two wonderful and talented blogging friends ...slipped right through it.

First there was Lisa, from Art, Lettering and Life. Lisa is a calligrapher whose talent I covet immensely. If I can develop half of her technique in the coming years, I will become quite an accomplished calligrapher. Yet it was Lisa who awarded me some sunshine...Truly lucky am I!

Then there was Rue, at Rue & Hyssop, who speaks so expertly of moons and runes and rituals. Her journey of self discovery always leaves me with some thought-provoking insights. As she says... "Although Bacchanalia doesn't get it's day or two on the calendar, I think it's a wonderful option to celebrate in lieu of St. Patrick's Day. I just can't drink green beer. But wine and revelry - absolutely" 

Yes! A girl after my own heart ;-) Thanks Rue for tagging me!

Some of my most cherished finds have come from paying attention to those gaps. 

This antique wooden crucifix complete with 'benitier' (for holy water), was waiting, patient as a saint, in the shadow of the rich and almighty antiques of a distinguished brocanteur. 

His (for Crucifix is masculin in French) red velvet finery was long past its day. But I loved him none the less. Gently and reverently I removed his holey robes before restoring him with the white purity he deserves, and a few simple words worthy of a crucifix ...  

'Pour qui est bon, le monde est bon'

For the good, the world is good 

(Hindu expression)

Keep an eye on my Etsy shop 

He'll be filling in one of the gaps before the week is out!
True to word he went into the shop tonight, 
and promptly disappeared to fill a gap for someone else ...
Thank you Sister!

Did I ever tell you how lucky you are?

"When you think things are bad

when you feel sour and blue,

when you start to get mad...

Just do what I do!"

"Just tell yourself, Duckie, 

you're really quite lucky!

Some people are much more...

oh ever so much more...

oh muchly much -much more

unlucky than you!"

For suppose that you lived in that forest in France,

where the average young person just hasn't a chance

to escape from the perilous pants-eating-plants!

But your pants are safe! You're a fortunate guy.

And you ought to be shouting, 

"HOW LUCKY AM I?"

(Dr Seuss)

So that's what I'm doing, not just for the pants

(Against Aussies, French forests just don't stand a chance)

No, the reason I'm making a great song and dance

Is to thank these 3 women for making my day

And to give them back joy in my personal way

To Faerwillow at Serendipity, Thank you for the Kreativ Blogger award. Your own blog inspires me with positive, uplifting thoughts to guide each day. May you benefit from the brightest blessings that you so generously wish for others. So pleased I fell or stumbled upon you!

To Jeanne at Collage of Life,  Mille mercis for the Sunshine Award twice in 2010. I must be doing something right ;-) Jeanne, I have become accustomed to having your honest but gentle opinions and eye for truly beautiful things filling my world - to the extent that I can't imagine life without you... Warning to others - do not 'just pop over for a quick read' of Jeanne's blog when you have 'work' to do - all ideas of working fly straight out the window when faced with subjects such as beauty, joy and the odd spa retreat in Provence!

To Maurie at This Northwest Life, I am honoured to have been bestowed with the Happy 101 award from a fellow nature lover, hiker, brocanteuse and ecochick like you. If you wanted to know 10 amazingly interesting things about me ... you can get the puffed up long version here.

I know the goal is to pass these on to other bloggers who inspire and show particular signs of being globally head and shoulders above all the heads and shoulders. The problem is, I'm bedazzled, confuzzed and confounded by the sheer number of entertaining, informative, hilarious, touching, talented people there are in cyberspace sharing their lives with us. So much so that I am completely unable to reduce them to a mere 10 or 12. So in this post HERE, I suggested a treasure hunt. 

Rather than take my word for it ... I invite you to step out into the complete unknown and meet a few of those lovely (of course!) people who follow my blog. I dare you - choose 1 per day for the next 12 days and blog about who you found. I'll drop by and say hi when you do!

Phew, I'm feeling quite humble tonight

Thank you for the vote of confidence and happiness

I'm taking this as an indication that I'm doing something right ...

Now, a lucky girl like me should get some sleep.

And while I still have my wits, and my pants about me

I will bid you all adieu for ce soir

Bisous!

Hearts don't have wrinkles

A gorgeous sunny day to take out my quills and nibs...

This wooden heart has been winking at me 

from it's hiding place in my dining room ahem! studio
for a couple of months now

La Marquise de Sévigny was a wise woman
all the way back in the 1600s

I guess she meant a heart that loves...

Never grows old!

More about her and the heart when it is finished,

(needs an English translation on the back)

have some other goodies on their way too.

On ne diminue pas le bonheur...

... en le partageant

Buddha

En attendant la reprise de mes pinceaux adorés... 

DEMAIN!

je jette un coup d'oeil dehors

et je retrouve toute l'inspiration qu'il me faut ;-)

Cette semaine, un peu plus de calligraphie 

à partager avec vous...

Making history

(thank you Jackie for the wonderful photo)

Alors les filles???

This is exactly what I would like to teach my girls

Well, one day... once I've taught them how to 'eat proper' anyway ;-)

I'll lead by example then shall I?

What about you?

Change the world ... Where was I ?

If you read further down below you'll notice I started this post earlier on this morning. We were in the process of chatting about one of the things I love doing best: thrifting then upcycling 'stuff' into what I like to call 'Functional Art!'

Possums it's more than just decoration... 

Better than an addiction...

It's a lifestyle!

(vignette of my garage after a 'tidy up:' from 4 year's of 'thrifting')

For me, it all started when I was still living in Paris and Libellule was soon to be born. One more baby meant lots more storage space. The size of a baby being of course inversely proportional to the quantity of STUFF you need! I knew exactly what cupboards I wanted, but I just couldn't find them. When I did find exactly what I wanted - it was sooo far out of my budget that I decided I would just have to make it myself! Isn't that just the way? 

Necessity is definitely the mother of invention!

So I enlisted the help of my best friend Cécile (who I'm hoping will start a blog soon) who initiated me into the delights of thrifting and patine. Many a midnight hour we would meet up 'incognito' to comb the streets of Paris looking for any 'interesting' piece we could find that was 'dans son jus.' We would bribe the menfolk with golf and wine so we could spend every Sunday morning for 6 months getting up at 5am to be amongst the first at the Paris fleamarkets and vide greniers. We were even known to scavenge off the local streets in broad daylight: while I stood guard over our finds; she would race off quick smart to get her mini. You can only imagine the adventures we had trying to fit oversized wrought iron beds, armoires, enormous shutters from manor windows, chandeliers etc etc into her mini - or lug them kilometres home at midnight. Yet shove and lug we did. Every single one of those pieces has its own past life, a soul and a story to tell... right up to its rebirth into a different object like the ones below...   

It's become a way of life for me, creating and designing my own lighting, furniture and storage. It was initially a way of being able to work, contribute to the finances of the household (if only by saving money on pieces of furniture we had to replace after the fire), and still be at home to look after the kids when they were little so they didn't have to do those looooooong French school days of 9-5 without being able to come home for lunch, or having to stay at afterschool care till 6.30pm. 2hr lunchbreaks sure do cut your day in half but it always seemed better than having them coming home shattered after the equivalent of an adult working day... But I digress :)

I've gone off the traditional and beautifully feminine patine a little recently, opting for the more 'industrial' look. All those years of painting pearl grey, anthracite, cream and white have invested me with a need for colour and streamlined! Hence the blue and orange lamps that were once linen and cream ...

(old school benches bought for 1Euro each painted in l'Ile d'Yeu colours, 

wonky old deck chair picked up off the footpath and brightened up with some new fabric

... and lots of snow on Monday after spending Sunday eating lunch outside in the sun...)

Seeing it's Change the World Wednesday, I have a challenge for you. Before you make your next purchase, be it lighting, storage or furniture, ask yourself again if you couldn't make it out of a couple of things you already have, or take a trip to your local thrift shop, flea market, or antique store to rummage around for some cheap bits and bobs that, with a bit of love and care, could become your own masterpieces. If you're not a DIY expert (like the resident Beaker for example), maybe you have a next door neighbour or friend who is. Offer to exchange your excellent baking skills for a couple of lamp bases. It's worked for me a couple of times ;-)

Or, if you have a bit of spare time, try and find a course that can teach you the basics of wiring or patine. All chandeliers/candlesticks/cast iron or brass beds etc can be painted with acrylic paint then 'distressed' and waxed to give you that great finish we all love so well. Alternatively, you can boost them with a bit of colour - still acrylic. In fact, you'd be surprised what you can't paint with a water based acrylic paint. I'll be giving some Patine courses with Leeann from Fabulously French this April at her gorgeous little village in the Dordogne if any of you are dropping by this way. 

(light made by Cécile from 'thingy' found in junk pile)

And seeing it's Wishcasting Wednesday also, where Jamie Ridler asks us the question, "What do you wish to say no to?" 

I have another tiny thing to ask of you. 

'What?' you may ask...'Why how can I be of service?'

I knew you'd all help ;-)

Spring is nearly upon us - the time for private home sales across France. A time when many of my old clients ask, "Are you sure you couldn't just paint my bookcase for me?"
"Couldn't you do just one more 'decoration' sale?"
"Théophile needs a new commode..."

"NO!" I must say, "NO!" 

Give me the strength to say NO and stick to my calligraphy. I have set out on my new path and You can all help me here. Because I am both terrible at saying NO, and still lured by the attraction of lost and forlorn objects. Go and buy those poor, lost things from the fleamarkets that were so part of my past life, and fix them up yourselves for your homes!! I still get pangs when I see old chairs/tables/armoires/buffets/drawers etc that need nothing more than a bit of a tender, loving spruce up to take on new life! It doesn't have to be me...

You can be that life giver!! It's fun! Rewarding! And keeps you away from the television!! 

Phew ... now after that marathon effort, it's nearly time for homework and dinner. You won't hear from me for a couple of days. It's time to catch up on my painting so I can finally update my Etsy shop!

Bisous till then...

Change the world ... change your decoration!

Hello Possums! This is going to be one of the fastest posts ever written. My fingers are going for the sprint record at the typing olympics and it's shaking the whole house.

For it is a post that MUST be written. Only now, after teaching Pokemon's pre-school English class this morning (If you're happy and you know it, CLAP YOUR HANDS !!) and taking an hour to put a collage of 4 photos together I now have exactly 10 mts before racing back to school to pick those little messmonsters of mine up for lunch. 

Ready? SET. GOOOOOOO!

Last Wednesday (and Oh GOD ARE WE WEDNESDAY AGAIN ALREADY?) over at Reduce Footprints, my favourite Green blog with lots of fab ideas for reflecting on how we can actively reduce waste and improve this wonderful world we  live in, SF hit on a topic that was right up my alley. Take a trip to an antique store...BUY SECOND HAND!

(Lamp made from Henri II buffet pieces and small wood base, table made from repainted vintage table base missing it's marble slab, and slice of tree trunk. Took a while to cut the bark off it and sand it down, but I liked the effect)

You may remember that in one of my past  lives I used to paint furniture, rewire and paint old chandeliers, make lamps out of bedposts etc etc. Well, I still do! Only I rarely sell them anymore - I make them for the family. And I know there are a few others of you out there who do too! Hubby, Beaker used to grumble when I came home from yet another attic sale, flea market or second hand store with dusty, broken bits of wood and metal and hopelessly grubby sheets and fabric. 'What are you going to do with that? ' He'd say. Normally by the time I'd finished a piece he'd ask where we were going to put it in the house, not realising it was the same junk I'd bought months earlier, and then he would grumble because I'd sell it!! So, after he went nuts at me because I sold the coffee table I was working on (for him to put his evening tea on by the sofa - it's true, we did need one) to a girlfriend who dropped by for coffee as I was finishing it one day. I decided I would indeed make a few more things for the house, on the condition he didn't question what pieces of ephemera and rust I came home with. A deal was struck, and, seeing as we had no furniture left after the house fire, I thought it was time I set about finding a cheap way to get things back into order at home. GOONESS ME - my time's run out... 

That's ok - I'll be back to add some more after the kids are settled into their sports this afternoon...In the mean time, here are a few ideas ...

Wash up old monogrammed sheets and sew them into curtains (I have NO ability with a sewing machine so I KNOW anyone can do this...) Make sure you get to the flea markets EARLIER than the antique dealers so you get the goodies before they do - that's what keeps the prices down. You've heard the story about the early bird...

Alternatively, you can make them into bedspreads and duvet covers. I tried one, but had a friend sew the rest as it took me 13 hours to make a single duvet cover for my daughter's bed ...I told you I was no good at sewing!! All our beds have duvet covers made from vintage sheets that you can dye (I prefer them white... )

We needed light in our little rented place ...

(finally going to be REIMBURSED by the insurance 4 YEAR's LATER - but hey, better late than never!!!) So hop! Rewired an old sconce and fixed it to an old door I found lounging around at the tip. All the poor door needed was a bit of a scrub and some white paint...

This one plugs into a socket in the wall as there were no wall wires where we needed the extra light. Wiring is not difficult, but it does take a bit of time. Easy stuff to do while you're sipping a drink outside watching the kids in the pool, or sitting by the fireside of an evening.

Ok - time's run out... Can hear the messmonsters hollering for lunch from 15km away... Back to add some more later. 

The secret of success according to Bruce Mao

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS, a book of quotations celebrating human creativity. 

Bruce Mao Designs

1. Allow events to change you.
You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.

Still no time to paint... or calligraph

My quills and nibs are calling.

In a brief attempt at escape I stumbled upon Bruce's Incomplete Manifesto

Quite a bit of wisdom in there...

Enough to keep me satisfied until Thursday afternoon when I can pull my inks out again! 

If "the world belongs to the energetic..."

And ...

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

Then (if I am to believe Mr Ralph Waldo Emerson)

that must be why I'm still up burning the midnight oil on exciting projects...

Lucky I converted this old storm lantern into a lamp a while ago

Midnight oil's not easy to find in these parts ;-)

Back soon...