31.3.13

help! me! Please!!

Hi lovely, wonderful, sweet, good looking, clever, creative blogging friends!!

Feeling special!!?? good. You are!!


I am being extra lovely and sucking up a little bit......because I am having a big technophobe freak out and am I need of some TLC and advice.

I keep reading all of your posts about the "reading list" on Blogger disappearing real soon. Augh. I have only just figured that out, and thought it was the best thing ever, so am feeling pretty sad about that, and confused about what to do next.



How are you dealing with this change? How are you going to invite Followers to join your blog now? I've seen a few people mention Bloglovin, but I haven't quite got my head around it and am not sure what it is and how to go about adding it.

Sorry for the shout out, but if you are in any position to reply with some ideas/info/love that would be awesome!


Thanks friends! I love the way this crafty diy blogging community help each other.

Mezz x

29.3.13

Our Simple Easter Traditions...


I love this time of year. The weather is changing (cooling down here in Australia) the school term is over, and there's a certain level of peace here in our home. Easter is a fairly significant celebration for me and my family, I though I'd share with you the simple ways in which our family celebrates each year......


-A community meal during the week with our neighbours. A chance to catch up, reflect and eat good food together.

-Home made Hot Cross Buns (this was the first year I made these, I'll be doing it again!)

-Simple handmade decorations around our home. I crocheted some Easter Eggs using this pattern, and the kids brought home a few handmade creations from kinder and school. I also cut some beautiful Easter pics from the my new favourite British mag Pretty Nostalgic and popped them up on our front door to welcome visitors...

-Fresh flowers in the home (a nod to our northern hemisphere ancestors who celebrated Easter in Spring)

-Fish and chips on Good Friday

-We keep the chocolate thing pretty simple. This is for a few reasons. Firstly, because my kids go mental when they eat a lot of chocolate, secondly because I'm not quite convinced that mass production of chocolates is what Easter is all about, and thirdly because we are committed as a family to only buying fair-trade chocolate, which cuts out most Easter eggs! Tomorrow, we will melt up a block or two of fair trade chocolate and use Easter egg moulds (which I found a few years ago at the Op shop, of course!) to make a few little chocolate Eggs for Sunday morning. Yum. And totally enough!!

-And we will have a nice breakfast of real eggs on toast on Easter morning.


Apart from the general friend family and community catch ups and time off from school and work, that's about it for us! Whether Easter is a time to have a break, celebrate the change of seasons, or has a some spiritual significance for you, I hope it's a happy one!

How do you like to celebrate? What "traditions" do you and your loved ones have?

Mezz

PS- One tradition that makes me smile is my sister in law Ash, who gets the kids new winter  PJ's every Easter!!





 

24.3.13

Community Crafting...


(the back of my head and the lovely Mayra and Maria...Ash is off to the side!!)

I love my community. I've blogged about it before, so feel free to skip this bit, but for those of you who don't know... me and my family live in a Community House run by the Salvation Army in Footscray, Australia. In this house we currently provide housing to a mother and son who are Asylum seekers (Refugees) from East Timor. Many people from the neighbourhood also participate in activities held here during the week including backyard soccer, community meals, kids clubs and community gardening. (We live here as House Managers, but I'm not superwoman, other people involved in the community organise most of these activites-not me!)

In a very culturally and economically diverse community such as Footscray, I guess this space and the things we do here are about creating a sense of family for those who may not have much family, equality for those who don't often feel equal to those around them, and for all of us a place of safety, warmth and love. It's pretty special, and I'm so passionate about seeing my kids grow up in a world where diversity is NORMAL!! (I grew up in a very white middle class suburb, and so have experienced a lot of this much later in life then my kids.)

Anyway, a few months ago I discovered that my housemate, Maria, crochets. Oh, what joy! She was taught by her grandmother in East Timor, and her style is very different to what I know, but we both discovered that it's just lovely to sit down side by side and do a bit of craft together, and its often in those times together that we have great chats about life, and learn more about each other’s stories. This year we have been inviting other women (nieghbours) to come round once a month in the evening for a bit of crafting with us. There are no rules, no set projects (yet!) or expectations. We just hang out and craft for an hour or two while chatting, learning more about each other, sharing our skills...and drinking tea -of course!!



If you're at all like me, I'm sure you'd like crafting with people in your community too! Why don't you find out if there are any Craft groups in your local area you could join? Or, start one!! Women all over the world a making small (or is that big!?) differences in their communities one Crafternoon at a time!

Mezz xx

PS- I’d love to hear of any experiences of craft groups/community crafting etc. Feel free to share!!

21.3.13

a lovely week...and some VERY lovely parcels!!!

I have had another really lovely week. I'm feeling pretty lucky, or perhaps blessed is a better word. I’m learning as I get older that you can't ignore the beautiful things in your life that bring you happiness, joy, or peace, because you never know what's round the corner! My friend Beth, always says "it's good until it's not!" I like that, and apply that attitude to my own life. Life has its “not good” moments, there’s not much we can do to change that. And when thinks suck, they suck. But let’s not ignore all the good, lets enjoy those moments wholeheartedly, rather then taking them for granted and perhaps waiting around for things to get difficult again. I'm the first to admit freely that life often takes turns I don't expect or appreciate at times, but it’s interesting that I'm also becoming more and more aware of the amount of good things there are in life. And now I believe that nothing is too small or insignificant to be thankful for and celebrate.

So, my week has been full of beautiful things, including receiving 2 beautiful parcels in the post this week (one was quite unexpected too!)...

Here is the first parcel I received. It was a total surprise, and reminded me of one of the main reasons I love blogging- becoming part of this really lovely and thoughtful community of readers, encouragers and supporters! Raylee, who reads my blog (and who writes the blog ess-arr) has obviously been taking notice when I write of my love of the Beatles and second hand stuff! She sent me this book she found, full of pics and quotes of and about John Lennon, many of them I had not come across before. This simple, beautiful gesture once again made me stop and realise all the goodness there is to be noticed in this world.



As part of the #PostCircle put together by Miss Beatrix I have been put into a group of 6 women who will send lovely little things in the post to each other. Pretty much like pen pals I guess! I received this little parcel of wonderment from Theresa in the UK.

A long handwritten letter (when was the last time you received one of these!!?) It was so nice reading it, and I can't wait to reply!

this gorgeous little card marking the journey Theresa's little parcel has taken..

And some very pretty (and very British) ribbon!

I also sent a little parcel last week as part of the #Post Circle that I thought I'd share with you, as it's probably arrived by now!

A hand made card (it says G'day, I had to acknowledge my Aussie-ness in some way.)

Some beautiful vintage cards of Australian Native Birds

a wooden owl sticker I found in an Op Shop (my recipient, Claire, loves owls.)

This cute little card

and the envelope it all came in I made using a page that had fallen out of my childhood book "The Diggingest Dog."

I have sent this to Claire who writes the blog the owl in the teacup. You should check it out!

Some other beautiful things from my week have been...

Meeting inspiring people last weekend.
Playing my new music to an audience who seemed to enjoy it.
Being able to play music with my brother and hubby, how many people get to do that!?
Wearing my favourite tights because the weather is cool enough!
Catching up with beloved family who are here (very briefly) in Melbourne.
Hanging out with my wonderful community on Wednesday night for a batch of spaghetti bolognaise.
Working with my other brother in our community garden and getting something done for once!
Quality time with my housemate.
Crafting with the lovely ladies in my community.
Crocheting.
Forgetting my phone when I went to work and spending the whole day phone call, text and internet free!
Reading a great book
Mr. Coleman going hard and tidying up our whole house yesterday for when I came home from work..aww, nice.
A new song.
My talented singing students.
Reading so many people's lovely blogs.
Bed time stories with our kiddies

So, that’s some of the loveliness from my week. I'd love to know about whatever happiness has been coming your way! Feel free to share!!

Mezz xoxo

16.3.13

More op shopping, more music, more fun!

I've had a lovely week. The cool change has finally come...it is autumn! Hooray! This week we welcomed Mr. Coleman's folks back to Melbourne after they've been living overseas for the past 5 years, I recieved some lovely news from beloved family members who live on the other side of the world,  did a lot of Op Shopping, a lot of crocheting.... and even got to perform a whole bunch of my new songs to a lovely and appreciative audience.

I hope you've had a good week too?!


Anyway, here are my latest goods, all found at local Op shops. All very cheap too!

Someone has crocheted this cushion cover..I just need to decide which side I like best...the pink or the cream...thoughts?
Big. Red. Plastic.Buttons.
Sweet pot holder to add to my growing collection.
This old hard case to carry all my cords and leads for the keyboard and eukele to gigs.
Anyone else a Nikki Gemmell fan?
Dresses! Yes, I probably don't need this many new dresses. I did recently "spring clean" and get rid of a whole bunch of old clothes though, so not feeling too guilty!!
Some pretty scarfs to hide my bad hair days (which occur quite often)
Another handmade cushion cover. Mr. Coleman bought this one. For 20c.
A metal ice tray...I've been hoping to buy one for a while!
And here is my new favourite dress. Vintage.  $8. yes!


I popped this dress on yesterday and headed up to the hills to play a set of my newest songs for some lovely people who were attending a conference called Surrender, which is run by my friends. My brother Pete joined me (he is the hubby, by the way, of Taz who writes the sweet blog Butter and Buntings) and I think it went well.



If you are keen to hear my songs, my album from 2010 "Parts of You, Parts of Me" is available to download (and you name the price!!!) at www.mezzcoleman.bandcamp.com . Please go and have a listen, I don't even mind if you download for free, I just want people to enjoy the music! And if you like what you hear, please feel free to spread the word. Similarly to the handmade and craft world (which I've fallen head over heels in love with this past year by the way) unsigned indie artists such as myself rely on the good support, love and word of mouth of our listeners to get our stuff out there!

I have started recording new music too, and will be sharing during the year.Hooruh!

Love to all. Have a fabulous and creative week!

Mezz xx