::Giveaway::

Exciting news! I am having a ::giveaway:: on Facebook! The 100th liker of my page will receive a FREE button bracelet made by me, similar to one of these....

There will be more giveaways to come in the near future, so stay tuned by liking my page on Facebook!

Friday Finds #3

It's Friday, which means it's time for another round of Friday Finds!

Climate Council

The Climate Council is a non-profit independent organisation which aims to provide clear, independent advice to the Australian community. Some of you may have heard that with the recent change in Government in Australia we have been left without a science Minister for the first time in 80 years, and we also no longer have a Government funded Climate Commission. Information is the currency of democracy, and we are now being denied this information in more ways than one. However, the good news is that all the former climate commissioners are supporting the Climate Council with or without government funding, and donations from the public have been flooding in which means they have covered their running costs for the next year.

"Information is the currency of democracy, and Australians deserve to have independent information on the state of our climate. Similarly, emergency services, health professionals, local government and journalists need accurate information about a changing climate" Climate Council, 2013.

I couldn't agree more. If you would like to support this organisation, you can donate here.

Market

The Finders Keepers Market kicks off today in Melbourne, and if you're not busily writing a thesis today or working tomorrow (like I am) then you should totally go! It's being held at the Royal Exhibition Building today 6pm-10pm and tomorrow 10am-5pm. So many amazing designers will be flaunting their creations and wears.

Fashion

Speaking of amazing designers, Fleur Wood has launched her Spring/Summer 2013 range and it is absolutely to die for! The Spring/Summer range is soft, feminine, dreamy and whimsical. The fabrics include soft printed silks, vintage-inspired laces, pretty tulles and comfy cottons. If I had the money to spare I'd buy the whole range. It's gorgeous.

Have a lovely weekend! xx

2014 diaries: A review.

It's hard to believe that it's already October! It's come up to that point in the year when I have to start making one of the toughest decisions I ever have to make: picking a diary/planner for the year to follow. It's so exciting to envision all the possibilities for 2014. There's so much potential for amazing things to come.

This year I was undertaking clinical placements and needed a "professional" looking diary, so I went for a plain black A4 kikki-K diary, like this one. However, it proved to be the wrong choice for me. It was big and clunky and difficult to carry around. I ended up leaving it at home most of the time and entering important dates into my iPhone calendar, transferring them into my diary later. Talk about annoying! So this year, I'm taking the decision a little bit more seriously.

I've short listed my favourite 2014 diaries and my reasoning behind picking each one.

1. kikki-K 2014 A6 Weekly Leather Diary in Mint

Pros: First of all, it's MINT, literally. I love mint. It's one of my favourite colours. I love kikki-K diaries because they are all about simple and modern design. Aside from the colour, the diary itself is lightweight and small enough to carry in my handbag, and there's enough space to record the stuff I need to remember. 

Cons: It's possibly too small and too cute for a "professional" to be whipping out of her bag to pencil in "important" appointments. 

2. Frankie daily journal 2014

Pros: It was designed by the people behind my favourite magazine, Frankie. The hand-drawn illustrations inside by illustrator Sara Hingle are hands down the prettiest out of all the diaries I've seen so far. The cloth cover looks like it would feel amazingly soft to the touch. 

Cons: I previously used the Frankie diary two years in a row and found that although it was the right size to carry in a handbag, it was rather heavy, and it ended up being left at home a lot of the time.

3. Moleskine daily planner

Pros: Violet is one of my favourite colours. The diary itself shows each day on its own page, which means there's plenty of room to record appointments and anything else that needs to be recorded (doodles, drawings, thoughts, etc). Moleskines have been used by artists and thinkers over the past two centuries: among them Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway.

Cons: Though Moleskines are legendary, they can also be a tad too simplistic and boring for someone who likes to stand out from the crowd.

4. Philosophy A5 Busy Woman Diary

Pros: I saw these cute diaries in Officeworks last week. They're super small and lightweight, and the tooled cover designs are really pretty. I'd probably go for the purple one if I had to choose between the two colours.

Cons: I actually found it difficult to think of any cons for this style, which is a good sign!

5. Pastel geometric triangles 2014 diary

Pros: Possibly the cutest cover design I've ever seen. This diary is handmade and on trend with a geometric design. What I absolutely love about it is that it is re-usable. You can replace it with a new notebook or journal once this one ends! How great is that?! It is also customisable. You can choose between day to a page or week in view.

Cons: The pastel colour triangles are probably not very professional or grown up, but who cares anyway?

The verdict: The jury is still out on which diary I will pick for 2014. Help me decide, and tell me about your diary shortlist for 2014.

Happy choosing!

Friday Finds #2

It's Friday! Yay!

Creative

This week I have been absolutely obsessed with Nail Art...

This obsession commenced after buying a Konad's Nail Art stamping kit. So much fun! 

Website

This week, my favourite blogger, Gala Darling wrote an article on how to get rid of the blues. It's a good one to bookmark for those bad days.

Charity

The UNHCR help millions of vulnerable people around the world. 

"UNHCR's primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. To this end, we strive to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country, and to return home voluntarily. By helping refugees go back home or to settle in another country, UNHCR also seeks lasting solutions to their plight."

I cannot think of a more worthy cause to donate to, in the current global climate.

Have a lovely weekend! xx

Paintings and puddings

I took a break from my thesis today to do some fun things for myself. I went to my Zumba class this morning and then I did a bit of painting....

This is a watercolour and fine liner picture of purple flowers...

Inspired by the flowers in my mum's garden....

...and some baking! I made some 45 second chocolate puddings with salted caramel (in the microwave!)

I found the recipe via the Frankie magazine blog. The full recipe can be found on the Drizzle and Dip blog.

Part 1: Before microwave

Part 2: After 45 secs in the microwave. Yum! Serve with cream or ice cream.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend! xx

Friday Finds #1

I'm starting a new series on my blog called 'Friday Finds'. This is where I will talk about cool things that I've found including new music, charities, cafes, restaurants, films, websites or blogs, handmade and/or eco friendly products, fashion etc. Basically, anything I think is cool.

So, here are today's Friday Finds!

Music



For Kodaline, music isn’t just music. “It’s therapy,” says singer Steve Garrigan. Kodaline are a Dublin-based Irish alternative rock quartet. Anyway, I saw them perform on last week's X-Factor and thought they were a really cool band. Have a listen.

Website

http://www.daniellelaporte.com

Danielle LaPorte is a an incredible woman. She has conversations about consciousness, philosophises about the creative force of 'desire', and is curious about how to create lives that are worth living. I quite like reading about the things she talks about, you might too.

Charity 

United Against Malaria

All donations to UAM go to the United Nations Foundation’s fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria to support malaria prevention projects in Africa through the Global Fund. This includes providing invaluable tools to prevent infection, access to medications, and supporting further research on vaccines.

That's all for today! Have a lovely weekend.

Just try.

Life can be really hard sometimes. Really hard. Sometimes you might feel like giving up. But don't give up. Just try to keep going. Things will get better eventually.

Make magic!

Magic is all around us. From the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep, magic is happening. Take some time to embrace the magic that is around you, in whatever way you find meaningful and purposeful for you xo

Mountain Meditation

Picture in your mind’s eye, as best you can, the most beautiful mountain you know or have seen, or can imagine, just holding the image and feeling of this mountain in your mind’s eye, letting it gradually come into greater focus… 

Observing its overall shape, lofty peak high in the sky, the large base rooted in the rock of the earth’s crust, it’s steep or gently sloping sides… 

Noticing how massive it is, how solid, how unmoving, how beautiful, both from afar and up close… 

Perhaps your mountain has snow at the top and trees on the lower slopes. Perhaps it has one prominent peak, perhaps a series of peaks, or a high plateau… 

Observing it, noting its qualities and when you feel ready to, seeing if you can bring the mountain into your own body so that your body sitting here and the mountain in your mind’s eye become one so that as you sit here, you share in the massiveness and the stillness and majesty of the mountain, you become the mountain.

Rooted in the sitting posture, your head becomes the lofty peak, supported by the rest of the body and affording a panoramic vista. Your shoulders and arms the sides of the mountain. Your buttocks and legs the solid base, rooted to your cushion or your chair, experiencing in your body a sense of uplift from deep within your pelvis and spine. 

With each breath, as you continue sitting, becoming a little more a breathing mountain, unwavering in your stillness, completely what you are, beyond words and thought, a centered, unmoving, rooted presence… 

As you sit here, becoming aware of the fact that as the sun travels across the sky, the light and shadows and colors are changing virtually moment by moment in the mountain’s granite stillness. 

Night follows day and day follows night. The canopy of stars, the moon, then the sun. Through it all, the mountain just sits, experiencing change in each moment, constantly changing, yet always just being itself. It remains still as the seasons flow into one another and as the weather changes moment by moment and day by day, calmness abiding all change… 

In summer, there is no snow on the mountain except perhaps for the very peaks or in crags shielded from direct sunlight. 

In the fall, the mountain may wear a coat of brilliant fire colors. 

In winter, a blanket of snow and ice.

In any season, it may find itself at times enshrouded in clouds or fog or pelted by freezing rain. 

People may come to see the mountain and comment on how beautiful it is or how it’s not a good day to see the mountain, that it’s too cloudy or rainy or foggy or dark. None of this matters to the mountain, which remains at all times its essential self. Clouds may come and clouds may go, tourists may like it or not. The mountain’s magnificence and beauty are not changed one bit by whether people see it or not, seen or unseen, in sun or clouds, broiling or frigid, day or night. 

It just sits, being itself. 

At times visited by violent storms, buffeted by snow and rain and winds of unspeakable magnitude. 

Through it all, the mountain sits. 

Spring comes, the birds sing in the trees once again. Leaves return, flowers boom in the high meadows and on the slopes. Streams overflow with the waters of melting snow. Through it all, the mountain continues to sit, unmoved by the weather, what happens on the surface, by the world of appearances… 

In the same way, as we sit in meditation, we can learn to experience the mountain, we can embody the same unwavering stillness and rootedness in the face of everything that changes in our own lives, over seconds, over hours, over years. 

In our lives and in our meditation practice, we experience constantly the changing nature of mind and body and of the outer world, we have our own periods of light and darkness, our moments of color and our moments of drabness. 

Certainly, we experience storms of varying intensity and violence in the outer world and in our own minds and bodies, buffeted by high winds, by cold and rain, we endure periods of darkness and pain, as well as the moments of joy and uplift, even our appearance changes constantly, experiencing a weather of it’s own… 

By becoming the mountain in our meditation practice, we can link up with its strength and stability and adopt them for our own. We can use its energies to support our energy to encounter each moment with mindfulness and equanimity and clarity. 

It may help us to see that our thoughts and feelings, our preoccupations, our emotional storms and cries, even the things that happen to us are very much like the weather on the mountain, we tend to take it all personally, but its strongest characteristic is impersonal. 

The weather of our own lives is not be ignored or denied, it is to be encountered, honored, felt, known for what it is, and held in awareness… 

And in holding it in this way, we come to know a deeper silence and stillness and wisdom. 

The Hole

On the first day a man walks down a street...
Suddenly the world goes dark. He thinks he is lost.
Then he realises he is in a deep hole. He tries to find his way out, and it takes a very long time. Once he is out the day is gone so he walks back home.

On the second day the man walks down the same street.
The world goes dark again. He is in the hole again.
He takes a while to recognise where he is.
Eventually he finds his way out and so again he walks back home.

On the third day the man again walks down the street.
He knows the hole is there and pretends not to see the hole and closes his eyes. Once again he falls into the hole, and climbs out and walks back home, the day lost once again.

On the fourth day the man walks cautiously down the street.
He sees the hole and this time walks around it. He is pleased.
But the world goes dark again. He has fallen into another hole.
He climbs out of the second hole, walks home and alas falls into the first hole. He gets out of the first hole and walks back home to think.

On the fifth day the man walks confidently down the street.
He sees the first hole and recognises it.
He walks around it but forgets the second hole, which he walks directly into.
He gets out immediately and walks straight back home - to weep and hope.

On the sixth day the man walks nervously down the street...
The hole is there and he thinks "I won't fall into the hole again" and walks around the hole. He sees the second hole, avoids the second hole but as he passes, he loses his balance and falls in. Climbing out he walks back home taking the time to carefully avoid all the holes.

On the seventh day the same man goes for a walk....

... and chooses to walk down a different street.