The Creative Mind...

“Every day is an opportunity to be creative – the canvas is your mind, the brushes and colours are your thoughts and feelings, the panorama is your story, the complete picture is a work of art called, ‘my life’. Be careful what you put on the canvas of your mind today – it matters.”  Innerspace

I have many very talented friends and during this week I had an idea - how about featuring the work for sale of some of these friends in a 'gallery' on my blog.  We have so many talented people around us and I am constantly amazed by the creativity that emerges from these individuals.  The artists profiled today are in the Wellington/Wairarapa areas, however most of these pieces can be couriered/posted, so if you are interested in purchasing any of the following, please contact me: avesangle@gmail.com and I will put you in touch with the appropriate person.  Alternatively, I have added links to their facebook pages at the end of this blog entry :) 

"The Bodice 2" by Kalayana, Collective Concepts NZ$250.00

 61 x 45.5cm

"Beauty all around" by Mel, Collective Concepts (mixed media), NZ$120.00

Size 45cm x 35cm



'Peaceful Night'  by Katie Marshall (acrylic), NZ$120.00

Assorted booties by "Lolabugs" NZ$15.00 a pair

'Our Favourite Gummies' by Mel Marshall, Collective Concepts (acrylic on canvas), NZ$320.00

76cm x 38cm

Red white and black on chain with large red foil bead front and centre by Shelley Steer, NZ$45.00

"Growth and New Life" by Kalayana, Collective Concepts, NZ$600.00

70 x 90cm

'New Beginning' by Katie Marshall (acrylic) NZ$200.00 

Necklace by Shelley Steer

"Good Luck Tiki" by Melanie Marshall, Collective Concepts (mixed media) NZ$120.00

22.5 x 30.5cm

 

Tea Cosys by "Lolabugs"

Olive Green with deep purples & swarovski crystals on chain by Shelley Steer, NZ$35.00

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lolabugs/131321193549425

Click on image above to go to "Collective Concepts" facebook page

"Click on image above to go to "Shelley Steer's Bead House" facebook page

“An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press into the unknown rather than the known. This makes life lovely and lively.” — Julia Cameron

New Horizons...

"The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all" Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, leader of Burma's democracy movement.

For this week's positive action I have been able to combine three of my big passions in life - social networking, supporting worthwhile initatives and clothes shopping.  It was obviously meant to be!!

The New Horizons for Women Trust provides educational opportunities for women, innovations and research that benefit women.  The vision of the Trust is to raise women to levels beyond their expectations.  In order for the trust to help as many women as possible they are reliant on fundraising efforts from as many sources as possible. 

For the seventh year running the Preloved Womens Fashion Sale has been organised by some very dedicated supporters with help from great businesses Wellington wide.  Last year $12,000 was raised for the Trust and the aim for this year is to make it the most successful sale yet!  The focus at the present time is on the donation of  high quality preloved fashion items which will then be sold on Saturday 12 March at the Wesley Church Hall, Taranaki Street, Wellington.

I recently spotted that the organisers of the Preloved Womens Fashion Sale were in need of a volunteer to set up facebook and twitter accounts to promote this worthwhile event and I immediately thought of how much I would love to do that.  I have to admit setting up and coordinating the social networking side of the sale is far more appealing to me than sorting out other aspects.  So, after a brief interview and bouncing some ideas around, I am now the social networking coordinator for the sale! 

I'm really looking forward to being involved and for the first year will be attending the sale looking out for some great bargains.  I'm a big believer in recycling and reviving clothing and there are many, many generous women who donate great quality clothing every year - including high profile Wellingtonians so it is definitely the place to go for updating your wardrobe.

I have started creating the facebook and twitter accounts which will provide regular updates regarding the sale, and we will be encouraging those who attend the sale to provide feedback and ideas after the sale is over.  You can search for the facebook page which has been called "Preloved Womens Fashion Sale".  Look out for the green logo as in the flyer below.

Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui.  Be strong, have confidence and determination.  Life is what you make it. Taken from the New Horizons for Women Trust website.

Deliciously Different

I love design, creativity and uniqueness - and I'm always on the look out for items with 'that point of difference'.  I often stumble across bits and bobs that I want to share with others, so I thought I would add into my blog from time to time some "deliciously different" items I've found. 

"Keep the Faith" Bottle Top Pendant

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63062691/keep-the-faith-necklace-recycled

I am always on the look out for vintage, retro and recycled pieces and fell in love with this - partly because I loved the message as well.  I'm a firm believer in recycling, revamping and renewing, and this little darling is US$15 plus $4 postage and handling.  I think it's well worth every cent.

Jimmy Choo Studded Uggs

http://classifieds.lycos.com/sale-clothes-accessories/jimmy-choo-mandah-studded-ugg-boots-2374671726

I definitely don't encourage wearing ugg boots out in public (and yes I live in the Hutt Valley where doing this is considered completely normal!), however if you were to purchase these Jimmy Choos then I would forgive you.  They retail for US$800 (!!!) but if you want to grab a bargain this new pair is nearly half price.  For a mere US$495 you can be the proud owner of this gorgeous pair.  Lets hope knock offs are available in New Zealand soon - I am sure they will appeal to many a hutt chick!

Alexia Wine Range

http://alexia.co.nz/

I recently discovered this Wairarapa Sauvignon Blanc at a tasting in my local New World Supermarket.  To be honest I usually prefer my Sav from the Marlborough region, however I was quickly convinced to take home a bottle as it was on special and it has a lovely story behind the name!  It's a lovely drop so if you pop into your local supermarket this week you may pick up a bargain - the vintage I purchased is 2008 and it's full of body and at the perfect stage to enjoy.  Don't cellar, enjoy now!  Here's the story behind Alexia:

I launched my own wine label in 2000 in memory of Alexia, my maternal grandmother. I always remember her as very stylish and these wines have been made to capture her spirit – gracious and full of vitality, with a dash of indulgence. My lasting memories are of her beautiful clothes and accessories – hats, gloves, shoes, scarves. The Alexia label is a tribute to her and my lovely mother, who inherited a similar zest for life.

Our other family in Uganda

,I feel that if you are blessed, or lucky enough to be doing well, you should help others.  Laurell K Hamilton. 

I have had a sponsor child  for about 8 years now.  Her name is Mercy.  About twice a year a letter arrives from the Childfund office in Uganda with a condensed blurb about how Mercy is doing and their gratitude for our contribution to her and her family throughout the year.  Every time I receive such a letter I go through a series of emotions - excitement that we have information about her wellbeing and the initiatives our contribution is being put towards, gratitude for being able to help Mercy, her family and the wider village, thankfulness that we are not living in a third world country struggling on a daily basis to feed, clothe and house our family, and also guilt - as we have not actually written to Mercy once during the time she has been our sponsor child!  The good intentions are definitely there, and we ensure that Mercy receives a birthday and Christmas gift each year, however putting thought into action and actually communicating with her on a more personal level is another story. 

So, for my second positive action this year I asked my boys to do drawings and write a letter to send to Mercy to tell her about her 'other' family.  This week we have also put together a board of information which will be displayed proudly in our office with Mercy's most recent photo, information about her home country Uganda, the village Mercy lives in and other personal information, including letters from her family.  I want to ensure that going forward we keep Mercy and her family front of mind, and for my boys to count their blessings daily.  This has been a very personal geography lesson for my boys - we have googled Uganda and learnt about the country home to 32.4 million people, where the median age is just 15 years old.  I intend to impart more information about the country over a period of time as there is a lot to take in!

There have been times over the past eight years when we have had to seriously review our outgoings and re-organise our finances.  I have been adamant every time we have done so to keep going the contributions we make to our sponsor child and other children's charities in our own country, as I believe that no matter how hard times get for us, we as a family are so blessed.  My hope is that by Mercy having more of a presence in our home we will all appreciate our lifestyle and the beautiful country we live in much more.  My prayer is that all children in need throughout the world are put in touch with those able and willing to make positive contributions (in whatever form needed, not necessarily monetary) so they too can live healthy, happy and fulfilling lives.

The letter, card and photos we are sending Mercy.

The cork board with information regarding Mercy and her family, the village they live in and Uganda.

The first step...

"There are risks and costs to action.  But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction" John F Kennedy.

I've decided to make this year count.  At the beginning of every year I have great intentions for what I hope to achieve in the 365 days ahead, however inevitably "life" gets in the way and each week seems to fly by faster than the previous one with my "must achieve" list growing by the minute!

As each year passes and I add another year to my age, I look back with regret at the goals and dreams that didn't come to fruition.  So to make sure this year is one to remember for great reasons, I have decided to make a significant positive action every week for the next year. All going well - by the end of December 2011 I can look back at this blog and count at least 52 positive actions I consciously made. 

To hold myself accountable and ensure I don't lose motivation along the way (!) I am going to write about these actions and any flow on effects they have in this blog - including achievements, struggles and lessons learnt along the way.  This blog is my first positive action for 2011 and it is with a bit of nervousness mixed with a dash of excitement and courage that I have decided to commit to this. 

2011 is going to be a great year - I can feel it in the air and so can many of my friends and family.  Lets all embrace it and make every day count so that this New Year's eve we look back at the year that has passed and feel that we accomplished all we set out to do - a true cause for celebration as we enter into 2012.

My boys along Petone Foreshore as another year closes