My 300th (and final!) post!!

It is with a little bit of sadness (but mostly just excitement about new beginnings!) that I write my 300th and final post here on Mezz Makes Stuff. It's a total coincidence that this post is number 300, but it feels nice to finish on such a nice, final, rounded number, don't you think?

There is no big reason for finishing this blog other then that over time I have found I have been blogging less and less. It has been a slow and natural change of season, and that's ok. When I didn't post here much last year, I decided to give myself a few goals for 2015 in order to update this space more regularly... but it wasn't long before all of that kind of fizzled, and I knew it was probably time to admit that I was just not able to blog here the way I once was a few years back.

I have loved this space. It has meant so much to me. Through this blog, I discovered a passion for writing and connecting, creativity, crafternoons, sharing ideas and trying new things. My little world expanded simply by writing here! I had a place to escape to when I needed, and a platform to share my voice.

This blog has been a light and uplifting place for me during some less then light and uplifting periods of my life. It has been so very special, so to all of you who have being loyally reading along, or popped by from time to time I thankyou from the bottom of my heart for your generosity, support, kind feedback and love. It's been wonderful.

Mezz Makes Stuff will remain online as a preserved archive of what I have done here the past few years. In the meantime I am still making my crafty handmade zine Hundreds and Thousands Mag with fellow blogger Taz, which has been a pretty huge project that stemmed from the ideas and connections I have made through this blog. I also document many aspects of my life, including all the thrifting, making, baking, and music making I get up to over on instagram (@mezzcoleman) and finally (drum roll please!) I now have a pretty great website over at www.mezzcoleman.com which will be devoted mostly to my music and zine, but I do plan to blog there (sporadically) about other bits and pieces as well when the inspiration arises!

Throughout this post are some of my favourite pics I have posted here over the years. Once again thanks so much for being part of the journey. It has been a real life giver and game changer for me, and has led me onto so many other creative adventures, so I will be forever grateful for you all!

Please pop on over to www.mezzcoleman.com and check it out!

Mezz
xoxox

8/52 Simple Beauty

7/52 Simple Beauty

Simple Beauty 7/52- A four year old meeting a 2 week old. Such precious girls sharing this little moment together.

6/52 Simple Beauty

6/52 Simple Beauty- taking a moment to breathe deep, sit under a tree and read a book during my lunch break at work this week. 

January...

January was......

Slow, quiet, late nights, sleep ins, a new pet, getting lost in the world of Harry Potter, setting goals, dreaming dreams, BBQ's, road trips, watching old episodes of Sherlock, trying new recipes, school holidays, blogging, lots of tea, mild weather, an few unexpected trips to the Dr, learning about the lunar cycle, discovering change is ok, catching up with family, quality time with my kids, creating, and picking flowers.

 

How was your January?

 

Mezz x

5/52 Simple Beauty

5/52 Simple Beauty- Love Never Fails. I made this simple collage using vintage wallpaper for my husband last year as a tenth wedding anniversary present. I've always loved the beauty, simplicity and truth of this quote. 

Taking Stock (joining in with Pip)

Joining in with Pip over at Meet Me at Mikes.

Making : The next Issue of Hundreds and Thousands magazine!
Cooking : From scratch. It hit me recently how often I wasn't doing that, so I'm trying to take my cooking back to basics.
Drinking : Tea. Proper tea! I've ditched the tea bags and am brewing lovely pots of tea again. So much nicer and I'm enjoying the whole ritual of making tea.
Reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Wanting: Routine! These school holidays have been great, but I'm ready for some structure again in my life!
Looking: At the night sky a lot these days as I try to learn more about the moon and the lunar cycle.
Playing: With our new bunny, Snowy. He is too cute, and helping me overcome some pretty serious animal fears!
Deciding: How I'm going to timetable my work this year to fit with my hubby's job and family stuff.
Wishing: I could go on a super long holiday. Super long.
Enjoying: The very mild weather in Melbourne this week. It's summer, but only in the low 20's.
Waiting: For work to start back! I work in a school so get holidays (yay) but I am a casual so they are unpaid (not yay)
Liking: Joni Mitchell's album "Blue"
Wondering: How I can best do housework without it getting on top of me.
Loving: JK Rowling. I think she's a genius!
Pondering: What the next ten years or so might look like.
Considering: A new tattoo.
Watching: A Room with a View, Man Down, Sherlock, Midsomer Murders. All the good ones.
Hoping: That I manage my stress in a healthy way this year.
Marvelling: At the human body. My daughter's cracked collarbone is healing so quickly all by itself.
Needing: Rhythm, routine, balance.
Smelling: Hay. It's for the bunny. It's a new smell in the house I'm not used to yet!
Wearing: PJ's. Its the last day of school holidays so why not?!
Following: Creative and clever people over on Instagram.
Noticing: That I wake up every morning very dehydrated.
Knowing: I've got songs and stories and ideas I want to share with the world.
Thinking: About finding a beginners yoga class.
Admiring: The people in my life who live with mental illness, and live well.
Sorting: Through all the food and drinks my husband brought back from dumpster diving the other day. Have you heard about Dumpster Diving before?
Buying: Food.
Getting: Excited about releasing my EP of new songs soon!
Bookmarking: This,
Disliking: The constancy of housework. It literally doesn't end.
Opening: Windows and letting the breeze into the house. "Airing" out the house each morning has become a favourite little ritual of mine.
Giggling: At myself and my Harry Potter obsession. It's hit me later in life as a 30 year old, but it's hit me quite hard I must say! I get what all the hype was about now.
Feeling: Aware of all the things I need to do this year, but not overwhelmed, which is generally my default position. Hooray for not feeling overwhelmed!
Snacking: Home baked goodies.
Coveting: High waisted vintage style sailor pants. I really want some but they are expensive and hard to find.
Wishing: I was a more motivated and productive person. I've always been very creative but turning my ideas into real things requires a certain work ethic and discipline which is not in my nature.
Helping: My kids and myself.
Hearing: Cars and trucks. I live on a busy road!

simple crafting

I have quite a few cute nephews! My son who is 8 is the oldest boy of the cousin brood on both sides of the family, and I just love the younger little fellas in our family. Perhaps it's because each of them in some way remind me of my own Mr 8, while all are completely and utterly unique too.

I have amazing, beautiful, clever and talented nieces too! I'm super lucky.

Over this recent gift giving period, a few of my nephews have recived these personalised shirts made with a whole lot of love from Aunty Mezz. I have loved the simplicity of these handmade gifts.

To make your own personalised shirt for a cool little guy in your life all you need is a plain-ish thrifted t-shirt, some felt and a sewing machine. Cut the letters of your little one's name with felt and sew onto the shirt with your machine. Done!!

Simple Beauty 4/52

Simply Beauty 4/52- Our Little Miss picking some flowers on a sun filled morning walk. 

This past week....little adventures

This past week, I....

...went on a little road trip with my family...

....caught up on some mending....

...tried a new recipe....

...began early morning walks/runs again after about 6 weeks of not bothering too much....

...and discovered some treasures in country town opshops! (country town opshops are my fav!)

Our other "little adventure" this week involves our little miss breaking her collarbone. poor darling. 

Simple Beauty 3/52

Simple Beauty 3/52- capturing the sun at dusk down on the Great Ocean Road. 

This Past Week....making new things.

This past week I....

....made my own exfoliating scrub. This one is equal parts brown sugar, bi carb soda and olive oil....

...created a summer inspired "mood board"....

....added some flowers and plants that were growing in our garden to my homemade Christmas wreath. Now it's a "summer wreath"....

....and began working with Taz on our next issue of our little mag, Hundreds and Thousands. We have also reduced the prices on what's left of our stock so we can clear out and start afresh!! Feel free to have a little look see at our online store.

 

How has your week been?

 

Mezz x



Simple Beauty 2/52

Simple Beauty- watching our little zucchni seedlings suddenly appear...

Mezz x

This past week....growing and making.

This past week....

I picked flowers and apples in my mum's gorgeous backyard...

 ...breathed a sigh of relief along with the rest of Melbourne when the cool change arrived after 2 days of 40+ degree heat...

....culled and reorganised my craft stash (upcycled milk crates make the best shelves by the way!)..

...upcycled a vintage children's doona cover into a new-for-me dress..

...and enjoyed picking teeny tiny tomatoes from our teeny tiny urban garden!

What did you get up to? We have had a slow, sun filled, creative and restful start to the new year, and I certainly hope you have as well! (or snowy and cosy, if you are in the Northern part of the world!)  Mezz x

Simple Beauty (my new 52 week project)

Simple Beauty Week 1/52- Our new lavender plant growing, flowering and smelling divine on this sunny summer's day.

One of my greatest joys last year was searching for and finding beauty wherever I went, often capturing photos along the way. It's so easy to find beauty once you begin opening your eyes to it, don't you think? Whether it's in a sunset, a handshake, a flower or conversation, beauty is all around, and its so important to acknowledge these little moments. So each Friday this year I intend to post a photo capturing a moment of Simple Beauty from my week.

I invite you to join me as well.  Label your blog post "Simple Beauty" marking whatever week we are up to (such as 1/52) and share a pic. Feel free to link back to my blog, but don't feel you have to. How easy and fun is that!!?

Mezz xx

30 goals for 2015!

 

Hi gang! Happy New Year!

Once again I am writing a list of 30 personal goals for the year, inspired by the lovely Sophie (aka Her Library Adventures.) I have spent the last few months ditching a lot of the lists that seemed to be taking over my life (you can read more about that here) but I have decided this list is a little different. Sitting down to reflect on the things I want to do, and more importantly who I want to be is such an invigorating way to begin a new year. I look forward not so much to "ticking things off" this list, but letting it guide me through my year. Some of my goals are simple while others are pretty huge, so I'm choosing to be relaxed about it and just enjoy the incredible journey that I hope 2015 to be.

My 30 Goals for 2015...

 

1.  Go fruit picking with the kids.

2.  Decorate and clean our home guided by the seasons.

3.  Blog regularly

4.  Listen well, and think before I speak.

5.  Do small amounts of housework, often.

6.  Do a beginners Yoga class.

7.  Ride my bike locally whenever possible.

8.  Grow my hair.

9.  Get my new tattoo.

10. Wear a touch of vintage style each day.

11. Make my own homemade skin and beauty products.

12. Release and launch my EP.

13. Play some fun gigs.

14. Record a lovely Christmas album.

15. Embrace early mornings.

16. Discover more about the Luna cycle.

17. Reduce my screen time.

18. Finish reading the Harry Potter series.

19. Read a Jane Austin novel.

20. Cull and reorganise my craft stash and space.

21. Get a piano, and teach vocal students from home.

22. Try a new recipe each month.

23. Be frugal and organised with our finances.

24. Drink lots of water each day.

25. See some live comedy.

26. Make clothes for myself and my family.

27. Give up something significant during Lent.

28. Practice mindfulness daily.

29. Go for picnics, discover the outdoors, sit under trees.

30. Live a life of creativity, simplicity, handmade, thriftiness and love.

 

I am really looking forward to blogging more regularly again this year, and sharing how I'm going with my goals every now and then. If you're interested, you can see my 2014 goals in the post below. And most importantly, feel free to join in and come up with a list of your own 30 goals and dreams for this year! Please visit Sophie's blog and let her know if you join in!!

 

Here's to a wonderful New Year!!

Mezz xoxo

Looking back at my 2014 goals!!

This time last year I wrote a blog post inspired by Sophie aka Her Library Adventures with a list of goals that I wanted to achieve for 2014. Before I think of some new goals for 2015, I thought I'd revisit this year's and have a look at how I went with a few of the goals I had written. 

 

Keep our home less cluttered- This will always be a tricky one for us. The 4 of us seem to enjoy having little bits and pieces and treasures. We did a huge clean out while moving house a few months ago, and I feel that as a family we are moving in the right direction as far as our possessions go. Nearly everything we own is thrifted or handmade, so I'm not concerned about the ethics of our "stuff." It's more that the clutter and mess get to me! We will never be minimalists, but I think we are all learning that "less is more" and I have found our house move a wonderful restart in simplifying and decluttering the home. 

Record and release a 5 Track EP- I have finished half of this goal, and I'm ok with that. I have completed recording my EP which has been a lovely process, and we are currently mastering it and figuring out the best way to release and launch it. One of the things I've discovered about myself with music is that the inspiration comes and goes, and sometimes things take longer then I expect. I'm learning to be less hard on myself. To accept that my life is full to brimming with many wonderful creative adventures, and that sometimes my music sits on the sidelines for a while. When I don't put pressure on myself or compare what I'm doing to others, I am very happy with what I get up to musically, so I need to remember to keep doing that! 

Plan the most perfect 30th Birthday Party- Turning 30 was a big deal for me this year, and celebrating it with my friends and family was the best. I hired a cute little hall, decked it out with lots of bunting, flowers and fairy lights, we danced to wonderful music, drank mulled wine and had a fab time.

Fill my home with fresh flowers- This has been one of my simplest joys this year. Wherever I go I pick flowers and pop them in old jars and vases. Occasionally I buy myself a bunch of flowers too. It is the easiest way to inject colour and beauty into my home and day.

Continue to care for asylum Seekers in our community- I will always care about Asylum seekers in our community and the way this country treats them. My family were privilege to live with and support asylum seekers in a community house for the past 5 years. The people we met, the stories we shared, the food we ate together and, at times, the burdens we carried were life changing. A few months ago we recognised that it was time to move out of that community house and find a place for just the 4 of us to live. In some ways it was a difficult decision because we were leaving behind incredible people. But in another way the decision was very easy because we had a strong sense that after 5 years it was time to just be together as a family and focus on the needs of our children. We moved up the road and continue to visit our old housemates often. I will have to find new ways in the coming years to express my concern and care for asylum seekers in this country.  

Keep working with my sis in law Taz on Hundreds and Thousands Magazine- Yes! it's been great! This little zine has grown into something quite special and we are super excited about our plans for 2015!!!!



And here is the rest of my list. As you can see, I didn't do everything on my list, and in fact I actually changed my mind about some of my goals during the year, but the journey has been great. I'm quite proud to see more than half of these goals ticked off!

 

-Record and release a 5 track acoustic EP (We have started recording already)

-Start an all female band!!

-Keep our home less cluttered
-Say positive things
-Don't put off the things that just need to be done

-Spend more "fun" time with my kids

-Sew a couple of dresses for myself

-Go get the new new tattoos on my wish list

-Lose the fear of sharing my music with the world and just totally GO FOR IT!

-Craft with friends regularly

-Plan the most perfect party for my 30th!

-Spend lots of time with my wonderful friends

-Start planning a trip back to the UK

-Journal
-Do something special with Mr Coleman to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary!!

-Make my bed everyday

-Fill my home with fresh flowers

-Continue to care for Asylum Seekers in our community and voice my concerns about the way they are treated in this country. 

-Keep working with my inspiring and lovely sister in law Taz on our handmade crafty zine "Hundreds and Thousands."

Nice Things #12 (my last 'nice things' post!)

Hi lovelies!

Hope you are having a most wonderful Christmas and New Years break. Ours has been perfect, we are so grateful for wonderful family and a bit of time to do not much at all!

I've been thinking a lot about my blog, and how I can continue to use this space well and more regularly to share my creative life with you all. I have a few ideas up my sleeve, so this will be my last "Nice Things" post for the time being, as I try a few new things next year.

Stay tuned!

Some nice things from my week....

Lying in the sun with not a care in the world after a spectacular Christmas lunch.

Listening to opshopped Christmas records!

Capturing the gorgeous late afternoon light through our simple handmade vintage sheet curtains.

Recieving some inspiring gifts!!

Gifting handmade bits and pieces to loved ones.

love mezz xx

The Season of Advent: Love

I have been trying to share a blog post on each Sunday of Advent so this is seriously late, sorry!! The truth is, as many people around the world gathered and lit the 4th candle of Advent last Sunday, the candle of Love, I was totally overwhelmed by what a horrible week humanity had just experienced both globally, and locally in Australia. So many stories of extreme violence and loss and fear. I was struggling to feel the love, and couldn't find much to write about.

But when the world is full of so much despair, what else is their left to do but LOVE?

One of my favourite quotes is "There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear." When there is sadness, when there is anger, when there is a lack of peace, I feel that all we can do is fight back with love. Small acts of love, huge acts of love. And so this Christmas, I hope you have experienced the giving and receiving power of love. Whether that was by simply giving special gifts and spending time with the wonderful people in your life, or donating/volunteering for organisations helping those in need, or checking in on your lonely neighbour, or a courageous act of activism, I hope your Christmas was one ruled by love!!

Mezz xo

The Season of Advent: Joy

"Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow." (Helen Keller)

What keeps your purpose warm and your intellegence aglow? I'd love to know!

Mezz xx

ps- I made that wreath with an old coat hanger and rosemary, and attached the cute 'joy' bunting that I made a few years ago. Cute huh?