Life – Purple Salt #2

Taking Stock…December 2017

December 1, 2017 Robyn Wood

As the year draws to a close, my focus is often on the year that was and the year to come. I love to do this in December so I start the new year organised & focused.
It’s been a long time since I last did a ‘Taking Stock’ post so here it is for December 2017…

Making: my next art journal page
Cooking: dinner for tomorrow night
Drinking: tea, so many cups of tea
Reading: ‘Mrs Lincoln’s Rival’ by Jennifer Chiaverini
Wanting: Summer to be over already
Looking: through the lens of my new camera

Playing: with new art supplies, as always!
Deciding: which uni subject to tackle next semester
Enjoying: Monday mornings at the dog park with Josh & my babies

Waiting: for this evening when I see my photography buddies
Liking: lots of posts on Instagram
Wondering: what my word for 2018 will be
Loving: my family
Pondering: holiday plans for 2018
Considering: how much work I got done over a weekend with Tonja Sell at Jane’s

Watching: NCIS LA
Marvelling: at the idea that my son is going back to France to sing for his country on Anzac Day 2018
Needing: nothing at all
Smelling: warm Summer air
Following: the FMS photo a day challenges

Noticing: the odd way my whippets are lazing around in the heat

Knowing: the satisfaction that comes from successfully completing two uni photographic subjects this year
Thinking: about the month that was. Lots of fantastic
Feeling: excited for a quiet week with lots of arting
Admiring: the sheer tenacity for survival and excellence of Li Cunxin, Mao’s Last Dancer

Sorting: my art room
Buying: Christmas presents
Getting: my study organised and ready for a weekend of art making
Bookmarking: encaustic tutorials
Disliking: the heat, is Summer over already?
Opening: our first Christmas card for 2017 – thank you Kaylene!
Feeling: tired from the gym this morning
Snacking: dieting!
Hearing: dinner bubble on the stove

As always, a huge thanks to Pip Lincoln for this ace list!

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Hello 2017!

January 11, 2017 Robyn Wood

The first week of January has come and gone and Brisbane is about to be engulfed in a record heat wave. Not quite as bad as parts of Queensland that are expecting temps over 45degC, but still horrid! I’ll be the one hiding in the air conditioning 🙂

January is usually a time for looking back and making plans. I tend to use time over Christmas for looking back on the year, January should be a time for new beginnings and excitement for the future. I found it interesting to look at the most popular posts from my Instagram feed, my #bestnine – so many of my favourite moments were captured. Hard to believe how busy 2016 was for me, I travelled to Sydney twice & also to France and Italy for holidays and art retreats. In-between, I was keeping busy by joining a bunch of photographic meet ups and I began teaching cardmaking and art journaling again.

I even got to run away to the circus while Cirque du Soliel’s Kooza was in town. Boy that was fun!

I’m not one for making resolutions or setting a bunch of goals, I’ve learnt that working to a list gets old after a while and limits what you can achieve. Perhaps it is because I achieved many of my life goals before I was 30, so had to find a way to keep interested in new challenges. Instead, over the past few years I’ve chosen a word for the year. Last year was adventure, the year before inspire and the one before that was create.

This year I’ve chosen NOURISH. I think I’m going to enjoy exploring what that might mean and making positive changes to the balance of activity in my days. Some weeks just got too busy last year and that is crazy making. But on the flip side – I never get bored!

Circle girl – she is still a work in progress

Creating art has become one of the biggest joys in my life over the past few years and I hope to talk more about that in the coming months. I recently applied for a new design team and it made me realise the variety of projects and things I’ve been involved with over the years. I didn’t make that team but that’s ok – it’s good to know I can still inspire people all over the world via this blog and my images on social media. Make sure you follow along with me via Instagram, I post almost daily there and often more regularly. It’s my go-to happy place.

How are you starting your year? Do you choose a word or make intentions/resolutions/goals? I’d love to hear from you.

Life, Mixed media, Taking Stock

Taking Stock – November 2016

November 1, 2016 Robyn Wood

I follow a pretty clever cookie online by the name of Pip Lincoln. Her blog, Meet Me at Mikes is one I love to read, it’s kinda like catching up with an old friend. I know a lot about Pip from reading her books and her blog and it seems like we are friends, if only the virtual kind! Although, I did get to meet her ages ago when she popped up to Brisbane to speak at a BrisStyle event, which was very cool!

Anyway, Pip has this fabulous way of stopping and checking in about where she is at in life, so I thought I’d take a cue from her and take stock at the beginning of November 2016. The last few months have been crazy busy, the kind of busy where you don’t quite get to catch your breath but I wouldn’t change a minute of them! But I don’t think I’ll plan two big, European holidays in the space of four months again.

Just in case you are interested, Pip has a fabulously awesome online blogging course and at the moment you can get two courses bundled at a super cheap discount – she is diving into writing a new book soon so these classes will be retired so this is the last chance to join in if you are so inclined. Her courses come with a wonderfully supportive Facebook group as well.

So, let’s take stock for November –

A girl from the art journal started in Italy

Making : finishing pages in my Italy retreat journal

Drinking : endless cups of Madura tea

Reading : A new one by my favourite author – Nora Roberts. Stars of Fortune is the first novel in her new Guardians trilogy.

Wanting : nothing at all! It’s almost Christmas & I’ve had two overseas holidays in the past few months so I think I’m sorted.

Playing : constant games of ball with Zed

Deciding : on a word for 2017.

Enjoying : lunch with my bestie for her birthday

Waiting : for Summer to be over already

Liking : my new short haircut!

Loving : my family

Robyn Wood Purple Salt www.purplesalt.net — Can’t wait to see Sydney Harbour again!

Pondering : a list of sights to see when Chris and I travel to Sydney at the end of November

Considering : my word for 2017. Adventure has worked pretty well for me this year

Watching : catch up episodes of the TV I missed while in Italy

Hoping : that Summer isn’t too hot

Marveling : at the changes Summer is bringing to our local area

Needing : a good sleep

Smelling : the changes of Spring to Summer

Feeling : sad. My father-in-law passed away last week

Thinking : of a life well lived. Noel lived life to the full, travelled the world with his family and pursued his passions of work, family and the church. Taken too soon but I don’t think he wasted a second of life.

Admiring : the beautiful horses in the Melbourne Cup

Pelican - Minnippi Parklands — Pelican – Minnippi Parklands

Sorting : the 512 photos I took at the Canon photo session at Minnippi Parklands. It was so good to have a camera in my hand while watching the world pass by for an afternoon. This gorgeous pelican had a particular charm as he sauntered around, hoping for food.

Buying : plane tickets to Sydney

Getting : organized for the next few months of classes and card kits

Disliking : the heat

Opening : the mail. Urgh…only bills this week!

Giggling : at the crazy ways a whippet can be comfortable

Snacking : on potato chips

Coveting : new craft supplies

Wishing : I get selected for the new design team with Jane Davenport – talk about dream come true!

Hearing : the new Passenger album

Mixed media, Out & About

Preparations and Ponderings

October 6, 2015 Robyn Wood

It is funny how a much longed for holiday can seem like years away, almost like an impossible goal, then suddenly it is just days away.

At the end of this week, my hubby and I will be travelling to France, to Paris, the City of Lights and the place of dreams. Our first week will be spent in Paris, exploring, eating, shopping and soaking up all that Paris has to offer. Then we go our separate ways for a week – Brian to do a few side tours and me to attend an art retreat. Our final week will be spent around the Loire Valley, exploring the region and enjoying the food and sights and I’m sure a château or three.

Can you imagine how impossible it might seem to attend an art retreat, in another country, with a bunch of strangers?? It was at first, especially as I wasn’t sure how my MS would behave on the long flight, but it is amazing what difference a will to try something can make. My art teacher will be the wonderful Jane Davenport, my art friend and mentor so I figured why not take the chance!

We have had a mile long list of things to organise and places to research. Thank goodness the internet makes the process very easy. A week-long art retreat means that I need a journal (or two, maybe three) and a bunch of art supplies. Deciding what to take and what to leave at home is a difficult task – I have way too many favourites. With a visit to the Paris Sennelier store, the oldest art store in Paris on the art retreat itinerary I think I’ll be covered if I forget something.

Now our dream holiday is upon us and we are set for a wonderful ride!

Photography

Studio Reveal–with The Altered Page

September 20, 2014 Robyn Wood

I have long been a follower of Seth Apter and his blog The Altered Page and was lucky to take a class with Seth when he visited Australia recently. Over the past few weeks Seth has been inviting his readers to take part in a celebration of the studio table – uncensored, unedited, uncut if you will. No prettying up for the camera, tidying beforehand or pushing that pile of UFO’s to the side!

I’d like to take you on a tour of my art room, it used to be our nursery when the boys were babies and years ago we extended our house to give hubby & I a lovely new bedroom. Each of our boys got double bedrooms and I got this room as a study/art room. Forward on a few years and it is still a nice space to work in, courtesy of air-con I can use it all year round. But I’ve run out of room – of course I have my eye on one of those lovely big double bedrooms but have to wait until one of our sons moves out!

Eagle eyes will spy two Ikea Raskog trolleys – one holds my Darkroom Door stamps and the other a variety of paint. I don’t think you can ever have enough paint? More boxes of paint/inks/sprays take up a bit of floor space.

On either side of my desk I have everything that I need – adhesives, inkpads, more stamps, Spellbinders dies, embossing folders, pens, pencils and all the stuff that goes into my projects.

The back of the room has two sets of Ikea drawers holding more stuff! Each drawer is mostly sorted but from the piles on the floor you can see they are overflowing. Think I need to destash a bit.

Of course I can’t share pics of my room without a shot of my constant companion, Zed. He is my art dog and loves hanging out with me. I have to be very careful what is left on the floor – he is rather partial to chewing things and loves to create beautiful paper art using carefully torn pieces of painty paper towel (actually he sneaks in to kill them dead and leaves the evidence all over the floor!)

Make sure you go and check out Seth’s post listing the links for everyone taking part, you will find it here.

	Mazz on Let’s get dotty …
	Robyn Wood on It’s Time to Dream Big
	Godelieve on Warm Wishes from Darkroom Door…
	Deb on It’s Time to Dream Big
	Robyn Wood on Warm Wishes from Darkroom Door…