Lucky Dip

I spy...Autumn Treasures

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Mon, 06 May 2013 02:56:00 +0000

Beautiful yes?

Take walk with me....

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:33:00 +0000

Back to my favorite place to be...McLaren's Falls.

These toad stills were everywhere. They're so beautiful and charming that I think they deserve a post of there own...I certainly took enough photos for it! :)

Happy Autumn/Fall/Spring to you all!

In search of peace

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 06:12:00 +0000

My youngest bought us the bone covering for our recent wedding anniversary, 17 years...yay us!

My son has a gift for finding fallen bird egg shells. He's also found 4 of the 6 small nests I have (above and below.)

Who knew tobacco flowers were so pretty?

My eldest girl painted me the birds for Christmas.

The God's Eye is from Mardi Gras.

I find myself creating little scenes like these ones, my life is turbulent and I need peace.

Is it an oxymoron that in this time of darkness that I find myself making happy spots?

Self-medicating.

The black dog yaps, still, it never goes but so far I have it on it's leash.

My daughters surgery was due to be this coming Tuesday but it got postponed, leaving me in free fall.

At least I've realized now that I don't have to keep falling.

YES, My home IS my nest and so I create these areas that I love and that bring the calm and peace I search for.

This one greets me and all our visitors at the front door....

Be well, be blessed.

Lisa

Autumn-ish

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:23:00 +0000

Autumn is still teasing us here in NZ. Characteristic cold, crisp mornings, clear sunny skies during the day and starry, starry nights but not a lot of wind-fall seeds and leaves yet!

I want to have an 'autumn love' table this year...way to go pinterest!...so I thought I would collect acorns from the local pond. What a bonus to come home with a thrush nest and red fruits too!

(The two other nests and the vintage cloths sit with it but it's not quite a table display yet!)

Happy Autumn/Fall or Spring to you all!

2 nests...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:33:00 +0000

Happy Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:21:00 +0000

Happy Easter my friends!

Here's a peak at my Easter Table. Next year I would love to do and EASTER TREE. As I've only just heard of them this year I will make do with a few scraps gathered and tied with beads, beautiful threads and a scrabble tile....

...and some cute little money tree seedling planted in egg shells.

There's calmness in the simplicity that I am enjoying and all the nests and birds help too of course!

Have a beautiful and blessed Easter!

Lisa

Where my creativitiy went!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:59:00 +0000

This is where it went! School science projects on the respiratory system and goblet cells and ice cream themed birthday party...

Hope you are still firmly in touch with your creative self regardless of what road you are on:)

Enjoying a moment...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 07:33:00 +0000

Bread baking in the oven with the frittata, and baked custard pudding.

Time for a moment with my camera...

Dissapearing...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:52:00 +0000

Usually when I dissapear from my blog it's for one of two reasons...family commitments or depression issues.
Thankfully this time is the first reason. Life has been busy with school and adapting to a tighter budget. I even make dog food from scratch these days. Lucky for me I enjoy a challenge to do something better, find another way and up my game. Espcecially when it comes to doing things for my family.
We are back at school now, my eldest is doing NCEA and my son first year of college. Both taught by me at home as I am sure I have mentioned before. I posted today's learning 'ta-dah' moment on my other blog if you're interested in taking a look!

Be well my friends and may your nest be blessed!

Gnome Love!

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:38:00 +0000

Before ...

After....

These awesome gnomes are my Mothers. Before her they were my Grandmothers.

3 are original Walt Disney figures, concrete and technically dwarfs and 2 are modern ceramic.

For Christmas this year Mum asked us to repaint the Gnomes (we did them 5 years ago and they needed refreshing) so repainted Gnomes is what she got. I actually quite like them and it's nice to keep them in the family.

Love em or hate em these Gnomes are here to stay!

Share the JOY Thursday...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 05:11:00 +0000

It's a little ironic that I am joining a meme called 'Share the Joy Thursday' isn't it? In the spirit of new years and new beginnings I am. Life is not all rain and no rainbows after all!

My daughter, Pearl taking a closer look at the lit up waterfall.

When the black dog was yapping recently she wrote me a card. In it she said "being happy doesn't mean life is perfect, it just means that your the type who looks beyond the imperfections...'

Sweet and wise at 11...that's my girl!

Recently we went to the Pukekura lights show in New Plymouth (NZ.) It was beautiful walking through this park again, it was at least 10 years ago when I went last! Photographically speaking it was a challenge. I didn't have my tripod so I did the best I could and tried not to breathe while clicking! These are a few of my favorite's. I hope you will enJOY them!

Happy days everyone, live the moment!

PS: I am endeavoring to reply to all comments in the comments section, please check back on them later.

PPS: I have started a new blog to post things that don't quite fit here. My first post is art related (an informal tutorial on making nest themed page keepers) but it won't always be like that. Visit me at http://olmotherhubbard.blogspot.co.nz

Looking forward to seeing you!

Loud 'n' Proud

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:24:00 +0000

Like a lady in bright red heels and a beehive hairdo there's nothing shy and bashful about this flower that's for sure!

Entered in Photo Friday Meme "Pattern" as well as "Orange you glad it's Friday" Meme.

If you are kind enough to leave me a comment please check back again if you would like to see the response:)

Take a walk with me...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:23:00 +0000

These photos were take late last year on a rare day out with my husband.

I've been feeling down today, battling the black dog again but despite that I've been keeping with my resolution to LIVE a moment of each day.

Have you ever noticed how free you can feel simply by standing in the wind with your arms outstretched and your face to the sky?

Have you watched the stars with total awe, really, really looked at them ...and suddenly noticed a constellation you've never noticed before?

These are two moments I have lived.

Using my very basic astronomy skills I think I spotted Cetus, not far from the Big Dipper (the pot.) Cetus is quite a big constellation and there's mor too it than what I noticed. I was/am still pretty pleased with my find!

Happy days everyone, live the moment.

You can't have rainbows... without the rain.

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 09:34:00 +0000

Happy New Year! I hope you can look back on 2012 without regret and forward to 2013 with hope.

The past 2 years have left me feeling a little bruised and battered but I have learnt that I am stronger than I ever knew. I can dig deeper than I ever thought and even on dark days there is beauty and miracles waiting to be found. There's a quote I read once that said 'You can't have rainbows...without the rain.' I don't know who said this, but how true it is!

I only have one resolution this year and that is to live a moment of each day. By that I mean to really live it. To smell the bark on the eucalyptus tree, to notice the starry night, to hear the noises of nature and to see the beauty in small but amazing things. I am not going to aim for a photo a day or to set my self a goal of trying new art techniques. I won't resolve to doodle or draw or paint. I simply want to take a moment to breath and live a moment of each day.

First treescape of 2013.

I am sure I will never tire of looking up at trees, in particular this eucalyptus tree. My moment today was the moment I noticed the sap. Jewel red, glistening in the sun and so small on this huge tree. Just for moment I could see and hear nothing else. How sweet that was.

Best wishes to you all my blogger friends, thank you for your comments and support. I look forward to spending 2013 with you.

Buon Natale!

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:28:00 +0000

Time and tide wait for no man! This quote has certainly proven to be true. The end of the year ALREADY?? I am actually looking forward to Christmas this year. Last year was...terrible... but this year feels different. I am different. Even if the happiness and optimism turns out to be fleeting I am choosing to embrace it and live in it for 'the now.' I am learning that the little black dog has this sneaky way of pouncing just when I feel I've turned a corner. When I start to think it's no longer a problem it reminds me it is. I am also learning to live in the now and as I type this I realize that maybe it's me on the chain and not the dog. Something to ponder...

Back to Christmas! It's that time of year when things wind up for school. 7 whole weeks of no school and that means no teaching for me. We've been making Eco friendly Christmas crackers, blessing others with random acts of kindness and we even did this....

A guerrilla Christmas Tree!! We loved decorating the tree with paper chains, bells and bows. Hopefully it bought some Christmas joy to others who passed it after we left. It also means that I have done my last New Year's 'treesolution' from 2011. Better late than never!

A tutti-fruity Christmas picnic under 'our' tree seemed to be the perfect way to end the school term and year.

It seems Magoo's dog Honey enjoyed it too :)

I chose the tutti-fruity theme in keeping with our summer Christmas, mother nature contributed the 'White Christmas' in the form of blossoms everywhere.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Christmas, regardless of your reasons for celebrating.

Buon Natale!!

One year ago today

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 01:55:00 +0000

Today marks the day. An anniversary of sorts. No one died, but only part of me survived. My heart still beats although it feels the brokenness and I still ask the unanswerable questions...why? Why me? Why my heart?

At a cross road I chose my path, perhaps the hardest of them all. I hope what ever waits for me at the other end will be worth the long walk it takes to get there. Psalms 23.4 says that I shall walk through the valley of the shadow of death not stumble and fall in it, so I keep on walking and hoping and searching. In the darkened quiet my mind writes verses...

Silent tears fall

like silver dominoes

The black dog

Numbness follows

like the tide

The black dog

Many patched pieces
but no peace

The black dog

Before I finally fall asleep.

Be well everyone, when the walk gets tough the tough keep walking!

On a brighter note...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:17:00 +0000

While out with the kids today my son pointed out this wee thrush fledgling and for a change I had my camera with me!

In a nutshell...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 07:25:00 +0000

I'm still trying to figure out how to make lemonade as I sit here and type this. In a nutshell the last 24 hours have been an emotional roller coaster. I took my eldest, who I will refer to as Magoo here on my blog, to star ship hospital yesterday to see the orthopedic surgeon and the chronic and complex pain team. I knew that yesterday was going to bring hard news but knowing it in advance simply takes the shock factor away. It certainly doesn't make it any easier to hear. Magoo has to have major surgery to correct a major lumbar deformity (scoliosis of the spine.) Major is the operative word. In mid to late summer (in my half of the globe) she'll under go 6 hours of surgery to insert a metal rod down each side of her spine and then screws into every vertebrae on one side and every second on the other. The rods themselves are screwed into her pelvis to stabilize them. The metal will weigh between 5 and 10kgs and in addition to the new metal Magoo will have bone grafted between each vertebrae. Some of the bone will be harvested from elsewhere in her body, other bits are donor bone.

This is news my mother's heart finds hard to hear...why is it my creative spark deserts me right when I need it to help me escape? To light the darkness and help chase away the numbing effect of the black dog?

I created the artwork above over a year ago, probably closer to 2 yrs ago.I did it for the 'share a secret' call out for Seth Apter's book and it says "There's only so much a Mother's love can do...Love alone is not enough" these are the times I was referring too. Times when you wish with all your heart that you could kiss and make it better. Times when you feel helpless because all you have left to give is love and no matter how strong that love is it's simply not enough...

I lost my way...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:23:00 +0000

This blog has been calling me for a few months now. Like an old friend waiting to catch up with me. Finally I visited my own blog and spent some time trawling through the archives and remembering the moments of joy, satisfaction and peace that I felt at those particular times. Suddenly it occurred to me that the old friend waiting to catch up with me was actually me. I've lost my way this year. If you remember my 'society is a nest' theory then you know what I mean when I say that over the past year my nest has been threatening to crumble. Little fibres that once held so strong have been made weary and some have fallen. My nest is not what it was and it's been hard to adapt to the new one. Some parts of my nest have required so much energy that there's little time left for anything else. At times there's been so much pressure on me to keep it together and it's taken all I've got.

I've no art to share, no photos, nothing amazing. I totally disengaged from that creative side of me. I've even packed away my art supplies. When I packed it all away I did it out of necessity for the space. Doing so made me feel like I was saying goodbye to who I was. Was is the operative word. As much as I didn't want to pack it away the reality is that I wasn't using it either. What sort of artist doesn't create? What sort of photographer doesn't take photos except for the purpose of trade me? (like ebay.) It saddens me to admit out loud that this is what has happened to me. In part due to depression and in part due to a whole lot of other factors. I used to think that when life throws you lemons you make lemonade. What I've learnt is that lemons are sour, acidic and hard to swallow... sometimes you can't make lemonade. Although it may sound like I am feeling sorry for myself I'm not. I think I've finally started to stop grieving for the loss of the nest that was and am starting to move on. I am adapting to my new nest and that has to be a good thing. I'm bent not broken and for all that was lost I've had the strength to get this far. It's true when they say, that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

I've contemplated all sorts of things lately. A photo a day blog, just to keep my toes wet and the window to the blogging world open...who am I kidding? 0 photos to 1 photo seems like a easy enough choice to make but it's not where my passion lies. A Simple Living blog...well that's close. I may not be simple but my passion to live more like that is alive and kicking. If not more so as the rest of my world turns to chaos more often than I'd like. A home education blog. Nah...I do it all day, do I really want to write about it at night? Why a blog at all?? That's a good question. Why do any of us blog? There are so many answers to that. Not having an active blog has inevitably led to not keeping active in the blogging world. I read some but don't comment. Usually I only read when looking for information or motivation. I come and I go with no commitment and no emotion because that's all I've been able to handle. I've 'liked' the work of a few of you on FB but mostly I've become the visitor that was. Was here. I miss the connection, the different opinions and experiences. The warmth shown to me and the acceptance. I guess those are the things that motivate me to want to write again , so here I am, saying hi. Are you still here with me??

Big ol Oak Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 02:25:00 +0000

Busy, busy here! I've been doing Pythagoras Theorem, rounding decimals to 2d.p, integers and learning about Matariki (the Maori New Year.) Ahh, the joys of home teaching! It's been productive but it's not the first time I've wondered where my own brain vacated too when I was at college.

Our minds were in need of fresh air so we planned a trip to The Elms a historic homestead in our area. Not a bad place at all to complete science and inference work! These photos are my not-too-flash attempt at stitching together this big ol oak tree. It originally came to NZ from England as an acorn in the pocket of the Reverend Brown. The Rev was a christian minister who befriended and worked with both Maori and British soldiers who battled each other during one of NZ bloodiest land wars.

Sounds familiar? This story was featured in the spread I did in Kim Palmer's altered book.

Happy days y'all! I hope to see you soon.

Photo Friday- Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:21:00 +0000

This post is inspired by the Photo Friday prompt 'walk.'

I can't wait to go on another walk like this one again soon,

this is my happy place!

Speak No Evil

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Fri, 11 May 2012 00:15:00 +0000

I've been playing around with new ideas in my visual diary. While part of my just loves this work, part of me is not sure that I like it! I definately enjoyed the exploration. I wanted my finished work to be more like graffiti (short of actually being graffiti) and I wanted it to express something, inline with the true essence of graffiti.I met my objectives and I love the way the grey avacado dyed paper imitates a concrete surface. I like the incorporated bits of my 'heart nest' lino cut, street maps and random paper...I am just not bonding with the finished work. I'll keep working on the idea until it all falls into place for me.

Crazy Frog is finished!! I am so pleased that I actually finished this and I am really pleased with the end result. It's become a bit of a joke around here that when something happens that shouldn't we just blame the frog.... Mr Nobody will have to take ownership again as the frog is off to his own pond tonight.

I'm not a morning person...but I could be tempted to become one if the sunrise on the hill and moody sky looked like this every day!

Best wishes from me and the frog.

Take a walk with me...

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Fri, 04 May 2012 07:28:00 +0000

Beautiful Autumn-ness! Every corner a different view, every path a differnt tree.

A bridge over still waters leading to even more.

Bliss!

Thank you to those of you who've taken the time to comment/email me about my exhibition. It means a lot to me!

Virtual Tart Graffiti Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:16:00 +0000

I’ve long been fascinated by Graffiti. For me, good (real) graffiti is equal parts art, soul and rebellion. It speaks to the viewer.Unlike art kept under covers and behind frames with signs that say ‘please don’t touch’ it has a life cycle. It interacts with both man and nature.

My original graffiti pages. These were cut up to become the graffiti boards being exhibited on the Virtual Tart website this month.

Sometimes it’s face is changed by social intervention and the process of life and death are quick. On others mother nature adds her touches, changes colours, washes pieces away, continuous evolution causing the piece to change in relationship to time and climate. Like all good stories there is a start and an end.

I invite you to be part of that.

A collage of images from my exhibition. Visit the Virtual Tart site to see each image in closer detail. All works are for sale. Email me for more information. To view another series of collages completed by me click here!

CAUTION: WET PAINT

noreply@blogger.com (Lucky Dip Lisa) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:18:00 +0000

Yes, it's CRAZY FROG!

It's been a long, long time since I painted. Several years in fact so it's pretty exciting to have paint on my hands again. I don't know why I've had such a long dry spell, I just lost my flow. Doing this crazy frog, aka the annoying thing has been a lot of fun and hopefully it's going to help me climb out of my painting rut. I didn't draw the frog, this is a joint picture between my husband and I. He's the drawer and I am the painter. Works well for us! The frog will find his way to a friends house bus when he's finished so I won't go and get too attached! lol.

Below is the last successful painting I did...back in 2008. Just a slight change in subject matter :)

Tuscany, 2008

***Lucky Dip***

I spy...Autumn Treasures

Take walk with me....

In search of peace

Autumn-ish

2 nests...

Happy Easter

Where my creativitiy went!!

Enjoying a moment...

Dissapearing...

Gnome Love!

Share the JOY Thursday...

Loud 'n' Proud

Take a walk with me...

You can't have rainbows... without the rain.

Buon Natale!

One year ago today

On a brighter note...

In a nutshell...

I lost my way...

Big ol Oak Tree

Photo Friday- Walk

Speak No Evil

Take a walk with me...

Virtual Tart Graffiti Exhibition

CAUTION: WET PAINT

Lucky Dip