These are my new ‘peace/rainbow bracelets’:

Although we probably agree that ‘Stuff’ Will Not Make You Happy, and in general we seem to have rather too much ‘stuff’, I postulate that sometimes a talisman can remind you of a non-physical goal or idea. When I go about my day wearing these ‘peace bracelets’ and see or feel the beads and cotton, it’s a little reminder to prioritise being centred – the outer things seem to go much more smoothly then anyway!

I decided to test drive the mandala tshirts I had been happily uploading to my red bubble / Facebook pages. Remember this?

Click on image to check it out and/or buy at red bubble site

I ordered two to wear to yoga and on other comfy/bright days. What do you think? Does it work?

Red shirt. Red camera.

They look pretty much like the preview, which is good, and is also typical of red bubble. I might increase the size of the web address on the design slightly in the future, to improve legibility. Right now it sits in neatly where it is.

If you would like behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at “The Making of …” this mandala design and other things, as well as early bird notice of new bold art + a fun email on your birthday, please join the bold soul eNewsletter mailing list – remember to “update your subscription preferences” and make sure you enter your birthday – music, dancing and cake shall ensue!

Here are some tshirts by a couple of other artists that I ordered at the same time – buying 4 tshirts at once gives free postage! It’s always nice when you find someone whose art you like, isn’t it? Here they are, with Stripey Cat doing an inspection.

The tshirts are Heart Centred Mandala (by me) there are 7 different colours, this links to the blue print, Bell by MrLone, and Wait by Greg Orfanos (looks good on the red too, doesn’t it?). I notice that both the other shirts have stripey legs/socks, maybe that’s what Stripey Cat is checking out? Haha! Maybe that’s part of why I like them, too :D

Here are my peace earrings (are you sensing a theme here?)

These funky, sunny earrings are from My Soul Can Dance. Isn’t that a good shop name? I get that vibe from everything she makes! Love it! Do you also appreciate the assertion on the postcard?

I have other things to show you but now I’m embarrassed that I ordered so many things somehow in a seemingly short time! So I’ll pretend I didn’t, and show you another time; meanwhile trying to embrace the reality that these little items have really been lovely reminders to be happy and thus enhanced my quality of life, and supported independent artisans, which is always good.

Please allow me to apologise in advance for potential breaks in transmission over the next week. Technical things will be happening: I am changing over my webhosting. Never fear, the site address will be tangerinemeg.com still once the move has happened; RSS feeds, discount codes and eNewsletters will work as per usual.

My lovelies, hope you’ve had a good January. How’s your Word for the Year thing coming? Let me know in the comments section if you’ve got one, and what it means to you. I’m thinking of having a Song of the Year, as a word just wasn’t gelling. Let you know soon, once I find a nice version on YouTube.

Much love,
Meg x o

Today, a picture post, a record of Summers abundance and wonder…

Good use of the kitchen sink, don’t you think? Can you imagine the strawberries dancing around, quiet and red, in the cool water?

I’m both puzzled and amazed! How does nature make the red on these beans look like watercolour, yet not get muddied up with the green? Isn’t nature wonderful?

I wanted to share these moments with you, and give you a glimpse of Summer if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere!

Did you see the mandala tshirts I made over Summer? I’ve ordered one and it’s on the way! Click on the picture to go have a look, it’s fun to try out the previews on different coloured shirts.

By the way, if you’re on my mailing list make sure you ‘manage your preferences’ and enter your birthdate! I am making a super happy birthday email to send out to all subscribed Friends of Tangerine Meg on their anniversaries of birth! If you’re not subscribed, it’s easy! Sign up for my eNewsletter (and birthday email) at top right!

I am currently spending some time tinkering with the inner workings of my site to make it even better, and learning a lot along the way. You’ll soon see the fruits of my tinkering.
Hope you are having a lovely time be it Summer or Winter, and I wish you good holidays / back to work / school, and hope you’re feeling a good resonance in your start to 2012 :)

Plenty of fun is coming in 2012 – and I haven’t yet settled on a 2012 Word! How are you going with that?

Lots of love,
Meg x o

I hope this finds you appreciating the gifts of 2011, and feeling refreshed and ready for this bold new year!

Welcome to my mini wrap up of 2011! Last year I learned much via the intensive educational process we call life!

Me in wonder at my thriving vegie garden. Also showing off my new hair cut!

11 things that happened in 2011 and what I learned from them :)

1. A person in my circle needed to be cared for in a psyche ward. Frack! I didn’t see that coming!
   I learned: to be appreciative of life, things, people and happy time (and to not take them for granted)
2. I bought all new bras when I realised I had been wearing the wrong size for years (plus they were fraying at the edges). I learned: boob health is important (check out bodywise for comfy non-underwire bras); having the confidence to actually wear tshirts/less-than-3-layers so the overflow doesn’t ‘ruin the line’? Priceless.
3. I acquired an electric bike. It’s fun, and good for journeys when you’re going to be grateful for a battery boost on the way home in the dark. I learned: being an early adopter means you are helping create a demand for a good thing. This is good to remember when you are pedalling one-bike-with-the-weight-of-two the last bit of the way home under your own steam ‘cos you didn’t recharge your battery or it didn’t last as long as you expected.
4. Made the mental switch to look at my art/site as a business, and registered my business name. I learned: I maybe could’ve done so earlier, but I am glad that I took baby steps until things had built up to a recognisable need for a registered name.
5. Made 12 new greeting card designs and 2 new calendars (cats and flowers) from existing as well as several new paintings. I learned: Keeping taking steps in the right direction, little by little. You might surprise yourself in about September when you take stock of what you’ve achieved.
6. Gave away 60 bookplate and 101 bookmark pdfs via downloads, and 138+ bookmarks in person at markets, and a customer told me that there’s no need to also give away pistachios! I learned: it is really fun to share my bright art with appreciative bold souls, and you don’t need to also share your snacks.
7. Had my first downheartening experience of Empty Nest syndrome, and then a shot of maple syrup upon a Christmas visit, delighted to discover the same sweet person, glowing with independence. I learned: What a smart, lovely, creative person. All those years of imperfect parenting have contributed to a good soul :D
8. Discovered that my thyroid gland was struggling and experienced a great deal of relief when I supported it. My brain fog cleared and my energy came back, amongst other symptoms abating. I learned: porcine thyroid is similar enough to human thyroid to rectify that problem. I give thanks every day when I take my blue pill (not in a symbolic Matrix sense – heck no!) for those piggies that give their thyroids if not lives for us, as the synthetic version is not for me. Now I feel like a cannibal when I eat bacon.
9. Now my energy has returned I can happily go back to circus training, and do jogs instead of walks. I learned: walking all those months was a gentle way to keep exercising; now my body is working better, the bigger exercise I add in will actually ‘work’.
10. Discovered that I need to follow a low FODMAPs diet and experienced another great wave of relief when those symptoms cleared up, and possibly the people around me did too. I learned: it’s good to cut out wheat, dairy and synthetic sweeteners, but sometimes I have to even be mindful of which fruit and vegies my gut can process well.
11. Painted 2 Magic Cats cat portraits, and was honoured by the feedback. I learned: I can make things that touch people’s hearts. Now I need to gather up enough confidence to put that right ‘out there’ in 2012. Baby steps, baby steps, see #5.

So that’s my wrap up! If you’ve blogged yours, link to it from a comment below so we can join in celebrating your year, too!

Good travelling, beautiful bold soul.
See you next time,
Love Meg x o

* And when I say Fish obviously I mean LIfe Education

Hope you’ve had happy holidays, dear bold soul, and a chance for a break – to pause and reflect, to breathe and be still.

As we ‘speak’ I have magazines, coloured paper, scissors, glue, folders, books and print outs spread out all over our big table. Much of the other furniture in the house is in awkward spots, between locations. A lot is in transition during this fabulous, productive, in-between week, when an almost faded 2011 year can be summarised and 2012 can be planned.

The looking-back-on-this-year-and-looking-forward-to-next-year is in progress, and not quite ready to be shared here yet. However, there were 2 lovely emails this week I’d love to share today…

The professional photographer at the Goodwood Christmas Market (right at the end of November) took this – remember I mentioned being ‘headhunted’ probably for my rainbow headband? – and it was sent to me by the organisers this week:

I like it! It’s a good, sunny shot, isn’t it? The lady next to me is maybe a physiotherapist from a local business? I love those painted faces :)

The other gorgeous news that arrived via email this week was about a secret I couldn’t tell you ’til now. The next official Magic Cats portrait is complete and has flown to its owner. TA DAa! Here, bold ladies and gentlemen, is Camille:

The ‘Surprisee’ emailed me, saying:

I just got the Magic Camille painting that Mike and Katrina ordered for me. It is so beautiful and so like my pesky Camille that I cried.
- Kate Rogers, Michigan, USA

I am so honoured to have been a part of that sneaky gorgeous giving! Some time soon, I’ll show you the starting photo, you’ll LOL :)

One of the projects that’s a definite for 2012 is making the Magic Cats (formerly known as Custom Cats) offer a clearly described reality open to all moggy art lovers, not only to friends! I’m bursting with excitement (sorry Naomi)!

If you are doing the releasing/recap/thank/plan/imagine/visionboard thing, I am with you! I wish you:

• inspiration,
• a bit of time to yourself to reflect,
• a clear path to it if you’re doing a ‘word of the year’,
• colourful stationery,
• sharp scissors and sticky glue, and
• plentiful magazines with appropriate photos :D

Have a great week.
Much love,
Meg x o

Hope your week has been civilised in the lead up to Christmas, and that the holidays hold much cheer, love and connection for you and not an exacerbation of any feelings of being ‘left out‘. I have experienced both at this time of year :|

A partridge who borrowed the tail of a peacock in a pear tree. That big pear tree needs re-potting.

We’re keeping it pretty low key here. I haven’t sent any Christmas cards (except to sister K, as last years gift in March was belated even by my standards) though I may make up for that with a round of New Year cards in a week or two. I’ve tried for carefully chosen, small gifts – the majority of those have been from the Oxfam shop and redbubble and are wrapped in cheap or recycled wrapping paper! *Support independent artisans :D *

Here’s a neat idea:
If you’re giving a book as a gift, you could download and print my free/gifty bookmarks – tuck one inside the cover as a finishing touch for use with the book!

For the first time this year I observed the Summer solstice, and did a releasing ritual something like this. Not with black linen though, we used a retired silk scarf :) I found it very grounding, and more profound that I had expected.

During the holiday break from my part-time job, I will be spending some time reflecting, noticing and thanking the learnings of 2011, and then reviewing the lovely options for 2012 and prioritising them. I’ll be using a hybrid blend of the tools that ‘speak to me’ from Goddess Leonie’s, The Headologist’s and Let’s Radiate’s 2012 Workbooks and Planners. Very affordable assistance from experts at soul searching and planning!

This year I have experienced for the first time the blessing of the flown bird (Son #1) returning for a short visit to the nest. This morning I even had a moment of delight noticing the extra set of towels hanging in the bathroom!

Our time together, though brief, will be spent hanging out, playing games and sharing some food. We were lucky enough to score 2 original Wii controllers for $22 each yesterday so myself, my husband, Son #1 and Son #2 can all play together! Son #1 has also introduced me to the perils and fun of “Plants Vs. Zombies” game. I choose to see it symbolically, as hope for the future of our planet: that we can indeed be strategic and plant what’s necessary to overcome the mindless advancing hordes of greedy corporate destruction. Do you think I’m over-thinking that?!! Haha!

Note to self (and you, if you’re on a specialised, atypical diet) if you start to feel as though you are ‘being anti-social’ over the next little while: You’re not! Remember, this is important! Your personalised eating = you giving yourself the gift of health. Stick with it as best you can when faced with foods which will harm you. Remember me, I’ll be in a similar situation! Let’s be kind to ourselves!

Well, lovely bold soul, I must away.
If I don’t ‘see’ you next week, I’ll ‘see’ you next year!!
Lots of love,
Meg x o

In this season that brings

• a tendency towards hyper-consumerism, and
• an inclination compare our situation with what it’s ‘supposed to be like’ and become depressed,

may I wax a little philosophical about Christmas marketing?

Flowers from the Farmers Market this morning

I’ve been pondering: why do I find it so difficult to let you know that my artwork is here and available, somehow specially when it’s nearly Christmas?

Most of my brain understands that you love to have my art in your world (that’s why you’re here and reading this, I’m guessing) and you also enjoy being able to support an independent artisan.

According to marketing information I have read (of the Do-What-You-Do-Best-and-Let-Others-Know-About-It school of thought) it would be timely to remind you that my art is here and that you could get some if you want it! However, I felt nauseous, imagining I’d be pushy and overdo it – somehow be all ‘sell’ and no joy – that until now I struggled and resisted even writing a blog post, despite the fact that it would be genuinely helpful to do this now while there’s still enough time to mail things out by Christmas!

To boil it down: I want us both to be happy and thrive! So, I’d like Bold Art for Bold Souls ‘Christmas marketing’ to be similar to the picture above. In other words: the bright joyful stuff is in the foreground and if there’s a bit of a Christmas flavour in the background adding colour, shine and joy, then that’s about the right balance. In other words, as usual here, it’s all about:

• colour and pattern,
• flowers and decoration,
• self awareness and care, and
• kindness to others, with
• Christmas sparkling benignly in the background.

That sounds about right.

Here’s my version of a reminder (that doesn’t trigger my retch reflex):

On Friday, a friend (Hello Sister R!) bought some greeting cards from me “…as presents for the people she isn’t getting presents for!”

Links to calendars, greeting cards, cat gifts, combo packs and wall art.
All orders between now and the end of the year will also receive a complimentary pack of 10 gift tags! Cos I adore you, and gift tags are handy!

You’re beautiful – remember that!
Love Meg x o