The Diva's Weekly Zentangle Challenge #250

This week's challenge from the Diva is to bring it back to the old school. This means using a white 3.5" tile, using a black pen, creating a string and then using a few tangles. The idea is to not think about the composition too much and to really enjoy the process. I found it quite a challenge as I'm so used to thinking about what tangles would look good in a particular spot and paying quite a lot of attention to the composition. I chose tangles I know by heart and did go to some of the earliest ones I learnt. Knightsbridge is a favourite one although I don't use it that much. What I really enjoyed about this challenge was using the new pen and paper that I picked up at the art store today. Where, once again, I took much longer to decide than my daughter wanted. It never seems to be a quick pop in, pop out visit despite my best intentions!

Here's my tile -

First time painting a stobie pole

This week was a particularly creative one for me. I finally made it to join a group of people who are painting stobie poles around my suburb. They are doing a fabulous job and gradually more and more are appearing and looking great! Here are a few examples - 

I have been meaning to go along and paint as well but until yesterday haven't been able to make it. I was glad that I had the morning free and was able to paint my first stobie pole. 

It was a little scary at first putting the paint on the pole but I soon found myself enjoying it. The inspiration for my design is a picture book - 'Windblown' by Edouard Manceau. This gorgeous picture book is about 7 pieces of paper that are blown around by the wind and then transform into animals. At the end the reader is challenged to think of what they can make from the shapes. I made the little bird which I painted on the pole. 

Here's a few of the pictures in the book - 

I have read this book to a number of classes and then the students have made their own designs from the seven pieces of paper. The variety of ideas and the creativity has been amazing each time. It's certainly one of my favourite picture books. 

This is a Six Word Saturday post. To see how other people describe their week or part thereof go to www.showmyface.com. 

Enjoyable, challenging end to the week

I hoped for some teaching this week. After having the flu at the end of last term and two weeks of school holidays I was particularly happy (and a little nervous) to get two days of teaching at the end of the week. What a lot of variety there can be in my day. From reading picture books (this week it was one of my favourites, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt), to singing and dancing, a game of kickball (with bases like softball but batters kick the ball), maths, art and more. I taught a year one class on Thursday and a year three and four class on Friday. On Thursday the year ones did some crayon art. I hadn't planned it exactly but it was a good tie in with the crayon book. What a great job they did!

 

 

This activity was suggested by the regular class teacher. It's one I'll definitely be keeping in mind for future relief days. It's really good for talking about working together, as a team and how everyone's contribution is important. Afterwards I was thinking too that it would go well with reading The Dot by Peter Reynolds. We got some maths in too, talking about quarters.

 

This is a Six Word Saturday post. See how other people describe their week or part of at www.showmyface.com. 

The colouring fun has now begun!

It was my birthday last Saturday. Happy Birthday to me! I planned a fairly low key day as I knew I would be tired following three days of challenging work and Brianna returning early from a week-long camp at Canberra. A yummy cheesecake for afternoon tea was a great addition to the day!

One of my presents was a beautiful colouring book from my sisters. I'm a little late in joining the current craze but really appreciate receiving this book as a present. Wonderful to look at, even if you never plan to colour any of the pictures!

I also got a smaller colouring book from Alysha.

On Monday, in a continuation of birthday celebrations, I went to an art shop with my to-be sister in law to treat myself to some coloured pencils or pens. I couldn't decide and hey, it was my birthday so I now have both.

I haven't had a lot of time to colour this week but have made a start. I love the vibrant colour of the pens.

 

The colouring fun has now begun!

 

This is a six word Saturday post. To see how others describe their week or part thereof in six words go to www.showmyface.com. 

5 poems in 5 days - Day 4

I was excited and honoured to win first prize in the poetry section of the Positive Words Short Story and Poetry competition 2014 for my poem, Mosaic opportunity. 

Mosaic opportunity 

I chose 

from dusty shelves saucers without cups 

a lone salt shaker 

teapots missing lids 

wobbly stacks of plates 

each piece unique 

leftovers 

My heart, my mind 

I search through the rubble 

Smooth and shiny 

or dull and dappled 

beetroot reds and sunshine yellows 

the sparkle of a golden rim 

I imagine 

the breaking of the old 

to form something new 

The chosen will soon hold 

just a trace of its former purpose 

I watch as she wraps 

newspaper around my purchase 

layer after layer 

I almost tell her not to do her job 

that the breakage she aims to prevent 

is no concern 

I am not buying a plate 

or a saucer 

or a teapot missing a lid 

but the possibility of what could be

Lots of journals on the go...

I've been journaling quite a lot lately. I have always written quite a lot but since beginning to do zentangles I'm doing a lot more visual journaling too. Then there's also the online things like this blog and my other one, www.pausingforsmallstones.blogspot.com. I'm a regular rather than a daily journaller. Some days I write or draw more than once a day, other times it might be days (or longer) between journaling. I began thinking about how I journal this morning as I have signed up for an online course (Lisa Sonora's FLOW: 30 day journal project). I printed out the first three days of prompts this morning. What wonderful and inspiring ideas! I will be dipping in and out of these wonderful ideas and choosing some to explore deeper. I would love to do it all but life is rather busy at the moment and it's not feasible. That doesn't mean I have to miss out altogether though!

I've been journaling (on and off) for quite a long time. At the moment I have 4 journals that I am using regularly (almost daily). I was thinking about all this as well as what my six words would be for Six Word Saturday and came up with

 

Lots of journals on the go...

 

 

 

 

Some of my writing/drawing is for my eyes only and this is really valuable. The green spiral book and the visual journal are more public and I do show others what I have done in them. I use the green one for drawing ideas and practising tangles while I am learning them. The visual diary is mostly zentangle 'tiles'. Here are a couple of my latest ones -

 

 

For Adele Bruno's It's a String Thing #99

 

This was going to be part of a bigger piece but after drawing this I wanted to stop.



 The brown book is mainly used for writing poetry. It's where I scribble down ideas and work on poems. There's lots of repetition and lots of crossing out, rearranging. I feel like I need an A4 size book for this. I bought a smaller one recently as this one is nearly full but gave it away as it felt too small. I also really want it to have the elastic closing. The butterfly book was given to me by my daughter late last year when I needed a new journal. It's my main writing journal and also contains ideas for poems as well as various other things - lines I love in books, things I've done, feelings, etc. It has blank brown pages. I like to change what type of journal I write in. Sometimes lined (although often I don't keep to the lines) and other times blank like this one. I tend to doodle more in the blank ones.

I'm looking forward to receiving the next email prompts for the journaling course and continuing to enjoy all the creativity.

 





A to Z challenge 2012: I is for Ish

My theme for this year is "sharing books with children". This involves lots of reflecting on my favourite children's books, how I have enjoyed sharing books in the past and how I will continue to share books in the future. I have been learning a lot along the way, remembering lots of my favourite books and exploring new ideas for sharing books. I hope these posts will be interactive ones. Feel free to share your comments and ideas!

 I is for Ish. 

Do you know a child (or adult) who is reluctant to do things because of a fear that they can't do them just right? The inspiring picture book Ish by Peter Reynolds may be just the book for them. 

"Ramon loves to draw especially when he learns that he doesn't have to worry about getting it "just right"."

The Stellar Cafe is the blog of Peter Reynolds, the author of Ish and other great picture books. He doesn't update this blog very regularly but having a look through past posts is something I highly recommend! There is a great post about one students response to the book, Ish. 

My own favourite line in the book is "He wasn't sure if he was writing poems, but he knew they were poem-ish." How many people feel that way about writing poetry? 

Time to rest - writing can wait

Time to rest - writing can wait 

Unexpectedly, I find myself alone on this Saturday night. Yay! Both of my daughters are at sleepovers. When I found out I would get some time to myself my first thoughts were along the lines of 'I can get stuck into all the writing I plan to do'. I have quite a few plans swirling around in my head at the moment. "The week of inward looking" had some fantastic prompts which I have written quite a lot in response to and would love to polish up and post here. There's a creative non-fiction competition I discovered recently and would love to enter. I also discovered "A year with myself" this week and there are fantastic prompts there too. So many plans! I do grab time to write quite often but thought a solid block without interruption would be great. But then I got home and I'm really tired. It's been a long time since I have been alone in the house. So I changed my plans and am going to relax and get a good nights sleep. Maybe I will find some time to write in the morning? Just not tonight. (Except maybe a few scribbled words in my journal...) 

Oh, and one more thing before I go and sit on the couch for a while. I attended the online launch for Patti Digh's new website 37days yesterday. A fabulous way to spend 75 minutes! I'll tell you more about it later! In the meantime, I highly recommend taking a look at the website! www.37days.com 

...and when I've finished resting I'll tell you about how I have decided to participate in The Sketchbook Challenge and how it's going. 

Happy Six Word Saturday everyone! 

Six Word Saturday - November 19th, 2011

Looking forward to the January River! 

• pausing a little each day to really notice something
• playing with words
• writing at least a little every day
• sharing your writing with others 
• reading other people's observations of their own small moments
• being more aware of and feeling more connected to your own world

Do these things sound good to you? If so, you may be interested in joining the January River of Stones, hosted by Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita.  

"A small stone is a very short piece of writing that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment." - Fiona Robyn 

This year in January many people paused to notice small moments and write 'small stones'. I found out about the project in December last year and decided to give it a try. I made a commitment to myself to write a 'small stone' each day in January. I ended up doing that and then decided to continue. I have written a short observation about a moment in my day every day this year (well, except 2). Mostly it's been lots of fun. Many times I have formulated a 'small stone' in my head when I've seen something and then gone to the computer to post it. There have been days when I haven't been able to think of anything to write and have opened up a new post and sat staring at the blank space for a while. Some days I have really enjoyed playing with words to capture my small moment and express it just how I want to. Some of my small stones have provided inspiration for longer pieces of writing. I really recommend joining in. I will be. Click on the badge below for further information. 

Shadow Shot Sunday - October 30th, 2011

Shadow Shot Sunday is hosted by Hey Harriet. Head over to her blog to see many more great shadow shots.

Despite the need to be in a strange crouched position and crawling around near spiders and piles of dead leaves, getting these shadow shots was lots of fun.

  

Six Word Saturday - October 22nd, 2011

Have rediscovered my love of photography

I have loved the process of photography for a long time. Especially looking for and deciding on the subject and then finding out if the finished product is as I imagined or perhaps better. The actual technicalities of that process has changed a lot, particularly in terms of time. As a young child I loved using my homemade pinhole camera, choosing what to photograph and counting for 60 seconds with the 'lens' was open and then developing my photo in the darkroom. Watching the image appear was so exciting. Things have changed a lot since then. Now the results are a lot quicker. The past few weeks I have discovered that I can take great photographs using my iphone. The results are instant. Thanks to instagram, people around the world can see a photograph I have taken within seconds. Now, I didn't imagine that when I was in primary school writing those essays about what the future will be like. This rediscovery of how much I love photography has been greatly due to my participation in Bindu Wiles' The Photo Essay Project. I didn't realise how much I could do with my iphone before this course. This week is Hipstamatic week with a theme of lost and found. I have loved discovering Hipstamatic and experimenting with all the different lens, film and flash combinations. Here's a few of my photos from this week. 

You can read more about these and see some more at www.kylie-joy.tumblr.com or see you on instagram - kyliedin. 

Six Word Saturday - October 8th, 2011

Poetry, comedy, photography - I'm having fun!

Earlier today I went to a poetry group which meets once a month. I read one of my poems and it was then workshopped and I received lots of great suggestions. Each person has the chance to do the same. It can be very challenging to receive feedback on my poetry but I usually leave feeling very inspired and motivated. Today was no exception. I now have lots to think about and rewriting to do! I am very grateful for this group and feel my poetry has improved a lot since I have joined this group. I am looking forward to next months meeting already. 

Another thing I am looking forward to is a comedy show tonight. My eldest daughter and I are going to see "Lawrence Leung wants a jetpack". I recommend taking a look at his website - very funny! I am sure it's going to be an evening of laughing. Afterwards I think we'll have some late night pancakes at the Pancake Kitchen. Another funny website! I loved that place when I was fifteen. It is great to be able to share some of what I used to do as a fifteen year old with my daughter now. 


Lately I am also enjoying experimenting with images. I am participating in Bindu Wiles' The Photo Essay Project. The internet really has opened up a lot of opportunities for a lot of people! The Photo Essay Project is all about taking photos using an iphone and combining them with words to tell whatever story it is that you wish to well. I'm still working on exactly what that story is but in the meantime am having a lot of fun playing with different applications on my phone. I've set up a tumblr blog for my experimentations. You're very welcome to take a look and follow me. 
The address - www.kylie-joy.tumblr.com. Here's a sneak preview of what you will find there: 

Happy Six Word Saturday everyone! 

Six Word Saturday - August 6th, 2011

Thanks for the birthday present, Kaitlyn! 

My birthday week is coming to a close. It has been a fantastic week with lots of celebrating and reflecting with family and friends. Thanks everyone who helped me to celebrate!

One of the highlights was a gift I received from the daughter of one of my friends. Kaitlyn (aged 13) made this gorgeous picture in a frame. It is just so adorable. I love how the sheep is looking up at the sun. The pom-poms are such a great idea and she used a tiny piece of pipe cleaner for the sheep's tail. Thank you so much Kaitlyn. I love it! 

Six Word Saturday - July 23rd, 2011

The beach is fun in winter. 

(this week's six words brought to you by Bri, age 10) 

We (myself, Alysha, Bri and one of Bri's friends) have enjoyed two visits to the beach in the last two days. Today we made a large sandturtle together. I took lots of great photos and planned to post them but unfortunately can't find the cord to connect the camera to the computer. I was annoyed when I discovered the camera had no memory card in it but there was enough internal memory to take quite a few shots. Oh well, maybe I will be able to post those photos soon. In the meantime, here are a few snaps I took with my phone. We really are lucky to live so close to such a gorgeous beach!

Sunday Scribblings - June 12th, 2011

The prompt this week for Sunday Scribblings is 'The next step'. 


The last few years have featured a lot of change for me. There has been a return to University, a return to work, moving house and beginning blogging amongst other things. As a result of these many changes I have spent quite a lot of time thinking about that space just before starting something new. Here is a poem I wrote a couple of years ago about that time just before you take a next step and begin. 


The Start 


Starting right now 
It is time to begin 
Preparation time is over and now 
There is nothing left to do 
But to begin. To start. To go. 
Am I ready? Or not? 
No turning back now 
On your marks 
Get set and 
Go...
Leave safety and move forwards 
Leap and fly, soar towards 
Another safe landing 
Where the climb to the 
Next start begins 

Six Word Saturday - June 11th, 2011

I am learning all the time. 

and what a great thing that is! I enjoy the process of learning. I seem to be both experiencing it and observing it in others rather a lot at the moment. 

Today I attended the monthly poetry group I am a part of. I look forward to this group and although it is challenging to offer my work up for critique, I have found it to be very valuable. I am often re-motivated to write some poetry. I learn something new that I can apply to my writing every time I go to this group. 

I am also learning a lot about teaching. I qualified as a teacher about 16 years ago but due to various circumstances haven't done a lot of teaching. Last year I began to teach more. At the moment I am doing some relief teaching. Every day is filled with much variety - the ages of the children, subjects and much more. It is challenging. I certainly learn a lot each day I work. I didn't think I would ever do relief teaching. I do prefer to get to know the students and I do work better with a regular class. At the moment though it suits my lifestyle and I am enjoying all of the learning involved (for me as well as the students). 

I also look forward to more learning about writing when I start the World Changing Writing Workshop. My first participation in an online workshop! 

Last week was a week packed full of learning. I hope this coming one will be as well. 

Three Word Wednesday - June 8th, 2011

It's been a few weeks since I participated in Three Word Wednesday. I thought I would give it another go this week. The words this week: fond, tranquil, alter. 


Creative flow 


Opportunities abound 
To alter by colour, cut, paste 
Fond of chances to create 
To transform both paper and self 
Frantic begins to shift 
slowly eases into tranquil 

Penguin pocket for a phone

Three hours on a Sunday afternoon. 

Hmm, what to do? 

Housework or make a penguin phone pocket? 

Guess which I chose? 

Alysha has some gorgeous penguin earphones. I decided to make a matching cover for her phone. 

The back view

Six Word Saturday - May 21st, 2011

A frog made out of Fimo. 

Last week my sister bought some Fimo. Remember that stuff? I didn't use it as a child but my sister is 12 years younger than I am and used it quite a bit when she was young. She was surprised it was still around. 

This evening a few of us enjoyed creating with Fimo. I wasn't going to make anything but can't seem to resist having a go myself when others start creating! 

Here is my frog: 

and a few of our other creations: 

By Emily, age 9

By Teya, age 4 

By Alysha 

By Kate

By Brianna, age 10