2022 and start of 2023 Update

Hello! I know it's been a while, but don't worry, I never intended to abandon this blog. It's just that, well, life got in the way for a while. So if you'll indulge me, I'll do a little update on the arts, crafts, garden, hobbies, and all the other random stuff that this blog covers. Then hopefully I'll do some expanded posts on a few different topics soon.

2022 was a bit of a topsy-turvy year for me. "Strange" is the word I've heard most when people were describing their year, and I'd have to agree.

Me

I was diagnosed with several 'new' chronic illnesses. I was already pretty sure I had most of them for a while, so there weren't any big surprises, but it was nice to have the diagnosis confirmed. I was then able to start sorting out the best treatments, etc. This kept me busy with appointments, new doctors, new medications, etc. 

 

Videos

My style and sewing Youtube channel has been continuing. In the beginning I was hoping to make a video once a fortnight, but in 2022 it ended up being once a month, on average. I'm still very happy with that, because along the way I've learned many new video-making skills, and it's been a lot of fun. My channel is here if you haven't heard about it yet and you're interested. 

 

Arts

2022 was a topsy-turvy year with art, too. In the first half of the year, my Collective and I staged 3 exhibitions. (That's a lot!) Then we took a long break. I didn't do any art for a long time -- I guess I was burnt out. Around July I slowly started doing some art journalling and started a junk journal. I wanted to ease back into things by doing something very low-key and low-energy friendly. In December and early January we had 2 exhibitions scheduled, so towards the end of the year I started to ramp things up a bit and make sure I did everything I wanted to for those. Plus, I made a real-proper website for my real-proper artist stuff. It lists all my past/current/upcoming exhibitions, projects I'm working on, etc. It's not quite finished yet, but if you'd like to see it, here it is.

Crafts

Arguably, a lot of my real-proper art has some definite crafty elements to it, as you can see above. Unfortunately though, I didn't do much crafting just for myself in 2022. I did start a new tablet weaving, but the tension was wonky and it was a bit of a mess. Husband promised that he would make some improvements to the weaving loom he made last year. After some delays, that was done last week and I started a new weaving. (Yay!) It's going to be a bracelet, but I'll probably end up with 2 or 3 as the base threads have to be at least as long as the loom, so I may as well make as many bracelets as will fit on.

Garden

The Spring/Summer of 2022 here in Australia has been such a strange one. It rained a looooot more than normal in Spring, and some days were cold enough to still be Winter! Many of my plants were confused and didn't know whether to grow or not, so things got off to a slow start. I did buy quite a lot of new plants, but I'll introduce them in a separate post.

Note: this isn't at my house but a spot nearby.

 

Home

I did a huge project in June to tidy up my Hobby Room / Studio. It was for a studio tidying challenge online ... and I won the challenge! I put it mainly down to stubborn persistence, and remembering to take 'before' and 'after' photos. Perhaps the 'after' photos don't look that much different, but to me it's a huge change. I was never a minimalist ... I think I'm firmly in the pro-Cluttercore camp. :)

  Thanks for reading, happy 2023, and look forward to more posts soon! (Soon-ish?) :)

My July

I know this update is a bit late, but I thought I'd do it anyway, now that I feel like it. There isn't much to report again from last month. I still have some ongoing health issues and I'm still not able to work right now. I've been doing what I can. It's the middle of Winter in this part of the world, and there have been some cold, frosty nights. I like the cold weather, wearing scarves and hats and layers, but I haven't been able to get outside much to enjoy it so far.

What I've been reading ...
I participated in the July 24 in 48 Readathon. I was busy on the actual weekend of the readathon -- the only time I've been busy for ages! -- so I decided to go easy on myself and let my personal readathon run for a week ... then a couple of weeks ... I kept track of my reading in my Hobonichi diary. As you can see, I still didn't quite reach my goal. I find reading is harder in the age of casual games within arm's reach. Each circle represents half an hour of reading:

What I've been working on ...
I've been doing some research for a new art project. There aren't many details yet, at least not that I'm willing to reveal. Sorry about that, but here's a sneaky behind-the-scenes pic. I again decided to use my Hobonichi to keep my notes in, as it has so many spare pages and I wanted to use them somehow:

What I've been drinking ...
In this cold weather, I've been drinking lots and lots of tea! I re-started my planned series of tea review blog posts. Hopefully there'll be another one soon. I also made progress on setting up my hutch with my collection of teapots and tea storage tins. Thanks to a recent donation from Mum, I now have a collection of Delftsware (Dutch blue and white ware) too, though unfortunately I doubt most of it is real. (I'm not showing the bottom shelf because it's not done yet.):

Selections from Instagram
I only posted one photo on Instagram last month. I just haven't been in the mood for sharing, not feeling like I have anything to share. Nevertheless, here is my photo of the foodie outing I went on a couple of weeks ago (photo is pre-pouring on of the delicious and generous serve of curry sauce!):

My Tips for KonMari De-Cluttering, Part 2

Here is Part 2 of my Tips for KonMari De-Cluttering series. See here for Part 1!


＊ do I want a better version of this?
I love books. In fact, I'd categorise myself as a book collector. When I was younger, I bought many of the classics in cheap editions just so I could tick them off the 'read' list. I kept most of them out of habit, thinking I would read them again one day. Over time, I began to realise that these books, the stories that were special to me, deserved better. Now, once I've finished reading a cheap edition, I donate it, and if I want to re-read it and keep it forever, then I buy a hardback edition. Perhaps even one with illustrations or gold lettering. As much as I love books and want to have ALL the books, in this age of digital replications and ease of access, sometimes it's about quality, not quantity.

＊ would I buy this?
I've found this question useful in many situations when I was agonising about whether to keep something or not. Ask yourself: if I was standing in a shop right now and I saw this item for sale, would I buy it? I found this especially useful for gifts that people have given me. It gave me a sense of clarity. Instead of thinking about the person who gave it to me and being distracted by guilt, it helps me to think about my own personal tastes and how I feel towards the item itself.

＊ I just don't like it!
Many of the things we own are there for practical reasons -- things we have to live with whether we like it or not. Cleaning products, tools, and financial papers fall under this category. If these things don't spark joy, but we can't discard them, then how can we move forward with the KonMari process? Marie Kondo addressed this question in a talk a couple of years ago. She said that if something doesn't spark joy initially, think about what it does for you or what it will lead to for you. For example, cleaning products make your house cleaner and more pleasant to live in. The student who asked this question during the talk hated her textbooks, but Marie reminded her to think about what her studies will lead to in the future.

＊ alternatives to keeping it
In some cases, you can discard things if there's an alternative way of accessing it. This is especially relevant to books, papers and information. I asked myself: "Can I access my archived electricity bills online?" "If I ever want to re-read this book, is it on Open Library?" "Do I just want the pictures from this magazine?" "Will I ever have time to read this newspaper or can I access the same articles on their website?"


＊ it's joyful but not useful!
I found that I had many items I loved, but I didn't have any use for them. I didn't want to part with them just because of that, so I tried to find ways to re-purpose, re-use or re-make them. I used a vase for growing sweet potatoes. I glued ephemera such as ticket stubs and brochures into my art diary. I used a leaky mug as a pencil cup. A biscuit tin I was given for Christmas now holds knitting supplies. I'm sure there are endless ways of re-purposing items.

＊ it's not actually minimalism
This is more clearing up a misconception than an actual tip. The KonMari method is not minimalist! I think many people have this idea because the 'after' photos of homes tend to have a lot less stuff in them than the 'before' photos. (Well, a lot less visible stuff, anyway!) But nowhere does the method say you should throw away X amount of items or keep X amount. Marie merely says that you should keep all of the items that spark joy -- no matter how many or how few. This differs from person to person, and she acknowledges that. So if you were worried that the method involves throwing away things you really want to keep, it doesn't! It's all about what makes you happy, not how many/few things you have.

I'll leave you with a couple of photos of my shed. We're slowly re-organising it to become the storage hub of our dreams. Perhaps I'll write a shed makeover post one day!

My Tips for KonMari De-Cluttering, Part 1

Now that the world has gone crazy again for Marie Kondo's KonMari tidying method, thanks to her recent Netflix TV series, I thought I'd share some insights from my own KonMari 'journey'. To be fair, I'm only about three-quarters of the way through my KonMari process, but I've done all the major categories and have discovered some things that have definitely helped me along the way. Perhaps they'll help you, too. I actually had so many tips that I've decided to split this post into two parts. You might also like to have a look at my other posts: 8 Reasons Why I like the KonMari Method and more tips in Re-Starting My KonMari Quest.


＊ allow plenty of time
Laying out everything you own and sorting it takes a lot of time. I consistently found that sorting and discarding took a lot longer than I thought it would. Sorting my beauty and bath products alone took me a whole afternoon! With the more emotionally-charged items, I find I have to stop and take a break during the discarding process to avoid feeling overwhelmed. I found that I really hated leaving a category undone at the end of a day. Not only is it messy, but there was a huge sense of something unfinished looming over my head.

Don't forget, you will also need to store the items that you've decided to keep. Finding the best way to store your items (finding a place in the house, obtaining boxes or baskets to keep them in) takes time as well. The next point should help with this!

＊ divide into smaller categories
The categories that Marie specifies are extremely broad. In fact, there are only five: clothes, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous) and sentimental items. Break them down into subcategories. And then break them down again if you need to! At first I divided my clothes into tops, pants, skirts, etc. Then I found that I had over 100 tops alone and nearly had a mental breakdown! So I divided the tops into long sleeve, short sleeve and tank tops. I find that I tend to wear them in different circumstances, e.g. long sleeve tops only in Winter, tank tops only under overshirts, etc. Thinking about each of these types of tops separately was a huge help in deciding which ones I liked the most. Remember, you don't have to work on or finish all of these sub-categories in one day.

* customise your categories
Depending on what you have, you may need to create your own categories, too. As an artist and crafter, I had a whole set of categories devoted to those supplies: paint, brushes, yarns, knitting needles, crochet hooks, etc. Some other categories I have that other people might not need are: bonsai pots, fridge magnets, washi tapes and tea tins.


＊ don't double-handle
When I first began tidying, I created a 'donation' pile and a 'keep' pile (and sometimes a 'bin' pile depending on the category). After I finished sorting, I would then put the items into bags. However, I found that touching the items again made me second-guess my decisions and hesitate. To avoid this, I started setting up bags for each pile before I began. I put any discarded items in the bag straight away. I didn't have to see or touch the items again before taking them to the donation bin, and it make the whole process faster and less emotionally taxing.

＊ do-overs!
Don't be afraid to go through a category more than once. In fact, you may find that you'll have to, as more of that item will keep cropping up. The very first thing that I KonMari'ed was my socks. As I kept going through the rest of my stuff though, I kept finding more socks! Husband and I had used clothes and socks as packing material when we moved house. So as I unpacked boxes, more and more socks kept turning up. I ended up KonMari'ing my socks three times, and re-doing their storage twice. It's worth the effort to make sure your home is exactly the way you want it.

My February

February was a month of contrasts for me. I got a job halfway through the month, so I left behind much of the time I had for doing arts and crafts. Weather-wise, it's been much hotter than normal for this time of year. Usually there are only a few days above 35oC (95oF) by the time we get to February, but this year there have been many. I'm looking forward to Autumn more than ever this year!


What I've been working on ...
Work has been continuing apace on my art project, a crocheted blanket. I put off measuring it for a long time because I was worried it wasn't as big as I'd like it to be at this stage. I finally did measure it though: it's 180cm wide and 130cm long. At the moment it's a bit of an odd shape. Ideally I'd like it to be at least 180-200cm long, but that depends on how much time and energy I have to work on it before the due date. I was in too much of a hurry to get proper photos of the whole blanket, sorry about that. It's hard to take photos of something so big without a ladder!

What I've been sorting ...
Like nearly everyone else (it seems!), I've been influenced by Marie Kondo's Netflix TV series and have renewed my KonMari de-cluttering journey. I decided to KonMari my fridge magnets. Husband and I have quite a large collection, most of which were stuffed into a bag when we moved house and never unpacked. We always buy at least one magnet when we travel and sometimes to art exhibitions, and a few friends have given some to us, too. It brought back some lovely memories. I'd forgotten I had so many pretty magnets.

What I've been blending ...
I made my first spiritual oil this month. I'm leaving it to blend for a month, so I won't know how it went for another few weeks. See this post on my other blog for more about it.

What I've been cooking ...
I made a stir fry earlier in the month and realised that it was perfect for Lunar New Year. Pork for the Year of the Pig, long noodles for longevity, plus the noodles are golden for prosperity. The photo wasn't pretty enough for Instagram, so I've put it here. Though now I come to think of it, I was the one who first started the #allfoodisinstaworthyfood hashtag, so perhaps that's a little hypocritical of me!

What my cat has been doing ...
For some reason Sharick has decided to make the towels shelf in the bathroom his new hidey hole. It's very cute, but all the towels will need to be re-washed at some point.

Selections from Instagram

Actually I never posted this flower to my Instagram, so enjoy the blog-exclusive, hehe

EarthFriendly #3 : How I Re-Use Glass Jars

As part of my endeavours in the last few years to be more eco-aware, I've started re-using glass jars much more, and more mindfully. Here are some of the ways I use them.

1. Holding Food and Tea
All sizes of jar are perfect for holding dry foodstuffs and tea. The glass allows you to see what's inside. I especially love the giant jars that pickled cucumbers come in. If I can't remember how the food is cooked (or even what it is with some of the more exotic ones!), then I cut the instructions out of the packaging and stick them to the lid of the jar with some blutac or doubled-over sticky tape. Just a word of warning -- if the jar originally contained strong-smelling contents such as chilli or garlic, it might be difficult to get rid of the original smell. Do not use these jars for storing food or the smell may contaminate it.

2. Growing Cuttings
My favourite way of using glass jars! I've found I need to change the water once every couple of days for the cuttings to thrive. Maybe I'll do a full blog post on it soon.

3. Storing Craft Supplies
Any kind of jar that still has its lid is great for storing craft supplies. They can also serve an aesthetic purpose by allowing you to see your pretty beads, buttons, etc as well.

4. Making Spiritual Oils
I've recently become interested in making oil blends, and small jars are perfect for this. I can experiment with making small batches, and the glass is a good conductor for warming the oils.

5. Candle Holders
Certain shapes of jars are great for candle holders. You can even wedge a taper candle into the top of a wine bottle if you want to go full 1970s. If you want a holder with some wind protection, use a tall jar with a votive candle in it. Just make sure you have matches long enough to reach down into the jar to light the candle.

6. BONUS! Vases
Vases are just one of those things that I've never felt a need for in my home. Both Husband and I are allergic to fresh flowers, and we don't like artificial ones. Occasionally though, I might want to display some flowers, herbs etc that I've dried for a while before I use them. Here are some rose canes that I collected last time I was pruning and dried out in the sun. I've popped them in a pasta sauce jar that's lost its lid until I decide what to do with them.

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My January & February

I skipped over my January post as I was too busy with preparations for the Zine Fair, hence this bumper, two-month update. January seems like a world away now, and I can't possibly imagine that I had three whole weeks off work. I did do a few crafty things during this time, though.

I finished two crochet projects, both monsters, and both started in 2013. The first was Mixtro Monster by Stacey Trock. I was up to the stage of stuffing and sewing on the embellishments. His eyes are zanily quirky, though as the eyes come in pairs I have two single mismatched eyes in my stash now. I'm sure they'll come in handy for another zany monster.

The second was one of my own design. It was meant to be a test piece but I really like the way it turned out, particularly the mouth. I had so much fun making him. Choosing the eyes was especially satisfying. Husband and I named him Urgg.

I decided to glue some gems to my earphones so as to more easily tell left from right. I thought I may as well decoden a few other things while I was at it: some makeup brushes and the lid of my foundation pot.

I was also briefly inspired to do some watercolour painting in my Hobonichi. I posted this picture on Instagram, even though I wasn't entirely happy with it, and got quite a bit of encouragement, which was nice. (Parts of it are shiny because the paint was still wet.)

Over the holidays I had time to have fun with my food, too:

There was also work to do, though -- harvesting my fruit trees. There was a lot of everything this year: apricots, plums, then nectarines! We were caught a bit unawares this year, so decided not to make jam, but used the slow cooker to stew nearly everything. We ate the last box of nectarines fresh, and it was lovely!

Last week I got my nails done! For most people perhaps that's no big deal. For me it was a huge step in overcoming my anxiety. I went to Miss Jay's Nails and Beauty, who I highly recommend. What a sweetie! I celebrated by posting it on Instagram with lots of cute graphics:

More selections from Instagram:

EarthFriendly #2 : Ten Thrifty Things

Last year I started a very short-lived series called Enviro-Monthly. I keep meaning to re-start it, especially considering that it's on my list of 101 Things to Do in 1,001 days. (Not to mention the environment needs our help now more than ever!) After spending quite a lot on conventions and concert tickets last month, I had a sudden urge to be more thrifty too. In reading some thrifty blogs I found through Bunny Mummy, I noticed that almost all of the thrifty ideas are also environmentally friendly.
(The blogs were: Life After Money, Frugal Queen and Shoestring Cottage.)

It spurred me on to think about the series again. I thought about renaming it Enviro-Thrifty-Monthly or something similar, but it just didn't have the same ring to it. I don't want to be limited to posting about it once a month, so I decided to drop the 'Monthly' and just have a numbered series.

When reading the thrifty blogs I mentioned above, I realised there are already quite a few environmentally friendly and/or thrifty things I already do. Some of them I was taught as a kid, and others I invented myself as just sensible things to do. I thought I'd ease myself into things by listing some of them:

1. squish the last bit of the soap onto the new soap so it can all be used up.
2. collect plastic bags and food wrappers to put in the recycling bin at the supermarket (I wrote about this one last year).
3. bring lunch to work most days.
4. usually only buy food on sale.
5. re-use ziplock bags (as long as they're not dirty).
6. usually when Husband and I cook we make enough for at least 2 meals. We find creative ways to make the leftovers interesting. We NEVER throw food away.
7. use the slow cooker to make a week's worth of meals most weeks in Winter.
8. paid off my car loan 2 years early by transferring extra money to it each fortnight. I made sure to choose a car that cost much less than my upper limit so I was able to do this. Which was doubly a good thing really, because poor Tara only lived for another year after that, otherwise I would have had debt on a dead car. When we bought our replacement car, we had good credit from paying off the previous loan early.
9. work out the cheapest options for my daily public transport.
10. only put the heating or cooling on if I'm sweltering hot or freezing cold. (This is more of a preference than a conscious choice. I just don't notice heat and cold until it becomes extreme. When Husband is home it's a bit different: he's a lot more susceptible to temperature than I am due to his medical issues.)

Of course, we're not perfect and we could make a lot of improvements. I've identified many areas where I'd like to do better. Hopefully having a regular series will keep this in the front of my mind and motivate me to keep making changes.