Most Beautiful Monday: Starzyia Autumn 2012 smilebox
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| A free scrapbook by Smilebox |
I will post my next smilebox showing how I have been living and creating in Winter.
Most Beautiful Monday: early morning in the garden
chrysanthemum, insect and dew
An early morning visitor to my garden, tucking into some pollen even though dew has pooled over the centre of the flower.
Goodbye to Roman, my cat and companion for 19 years
Roman
I am sad to announce that on the night before his 19th birthday, my beautiful boy Roman was put to rest. I’d like to reflect on his life, as we prepare a place for him in our family’s Pet Hall of Fame where all pets live in glory and infamy in proportion to their merits.
Roman came into my life in 1993 after the death of my beloved Oscar (who was very nearly the fattest cat I’ve ever seen)
Roman may seem a very unusual name for a Siamese cat, but Roman is a very popular Russian name and the pedigree name the breeder gave him was Mluso Caesar, so we thought it was very apt. It turned out to be a little too apt, as this little dictator with the piercing and insistent Siamese voice was not shy about bossing us around. Roman, or the Romonster, as I used to call him was the most dictatorial animal I have ever known.
Roman could be heard, but never seen by our friends and family…. in fact the kitten that I had selected with a grand dream of showing him successfully turned out to be the most pathetically frightened and neurotic creature I have known. I quickly realised that as a kindness to this beautiful boy I was supposed to love and protect that I would have to give up my dreams of showing him or risk losing him to a fit of terror. No exaggeration, he did have a fit of terror when we had the carpets professionally cleaned, he was found under the bed foaming at the mouth.
In his early years Roman was a terror, he played with and destroyed anything that was not a toy. He has never played with toys. Sure kitchen sponges could be torn to shreds and the flourescent coloured crumbs left as a trail all through the house. Christmas tree ornaments were fair game. Mats were shredded beyond recognition. He once ran off with my keys in his mouth only to emerge from under the bed without them. Tissues were shredded relentlessly. Furniture was tortured and remodelled according to his taste. But he never once played with a cat toy. Not even the catmint or catnip filled treasures that cats are supposed to go mad for.
My great big bossy scaredy cat was afraid of birds. Truly. He never once went for a bird in our garden, and we have many different kinds coming in all through the day to use the feeder and bird bath. Once our next door neighbour’s chicken got over our fence and we all ran around chasing it to try and catch it and put it back over the fence… in all the commotion where was my boy? Hiding under the bed of course!
He was curious about many things though, and once jumped into the bird bath… well I guess he hadn’t figured it was wet in there, and he got the shock of his life but true to cat form he had to act all dignified, like it was his intention all along to get wet, as he slunk off out of sight to the tune of us laughing hysterically.
My mother used to have trust issues with me and would not put my christmas gifts under the tree until I had gone to bed on Christmas eve. So Roman’s first Christmas with us, he is sitting on her bed, and she takes down the plastic bag that had all my gifts in it, she took them out and put them unde the tree and then there was the most wicked commotion. Well, Mr Curious had gotten into the plastic bag, head first, and then gotten scared, and ran all around the house inside the plastic bag with mum chasing him and the noise of the bag terrifying him. I swear for years after that the sound of plastic bags rustling had him bolting for shelter under the bed.
So we have covered bossy, scared, funny, but what about awkward? Oh yes there has to come a time when a pet does a few things that make you blush with shame. Like the time when my neighbour and I returned from a shared outing to come up her driveway and see my Roman spraying on her toddler’s car seat, which she had left under the carport. Strangely when you want it to, the Earth does not just swallow you up. You have to um and ah and sweat, and blush, and almost cry and then run home and yell your bloody head off.
Roman was notorious for making a mess. He has spewed in my mother’s slippers. He has spewed in my mother’s bed. And oh yes, he has done poo in the bed too. That thing they tell you, about cat’s not going to the toilet where they sleep? Roman did not subscribe to it. He was perfectly prepared to poo where he slept, which was a problem since it is where we sleep too. He was so posh he would come inside to use the litter tray, but not so posh he won’t poo in his bed. He was toilet trained of course, but the past year or so he has not been able to go to the toilet regularly unassisted, he needs medication to be able to poo and even then he would have plenty of trouble. The poor boy would run around on ‘poo’ days trying to go and giving up and then trying to go again…. he would just try and try and try, no matter where he was, with us cleaning up in his wake.
Still, he is at peace now, and we sigh a little sigh of relief as we also mourn him. I know we gave an animal the best home possible and I know I have enough love and wisdom to do the same again for another animal.
Starzyia Studio Music: my top 10 Female Artists
Lana Del Rey, Katie Herzig, Julia Stone (With Angus), Gin Wigmore
Some of my enduring favourites, music is a very large part of my creative process, both for my writing and as I work in my Starzyia studio and office. I can be heard singing all the live long day, luckily I work alone so no one can complain (unless my cat learns how to talk).
Liz Durrett
I lost my heart to Liz Durrett when I first heard one of the most bewitching, enchanting songs (and musical compositions) I have ever heard, it certainly has a lot of power over me, The Sea A Dream. My other top 5 songs by Liz include: We Build Bridges; In The Eaves; Lull; Not Running.
My favourite album by Liz is Outside Our Gates
My favourite lyric from Liz is “I live alone, at night, its all I can do, I dream alone right next to you” (You Live Alone)
Luluc
I found Luluc through itunes ping (one of those occasions where it actually recommended something similar to music in my collection) and then I enjoyed her video for Little Suitcase. My other top 5 songs by Luluc are: I Found You; One Day Soon: Abigail & The Whale; A Whisper.
My favourite album by Luluc is Dear Hamlyn
My favourite lyric is “If I were to travel to some new place, could I walk away from feelings I can’t face?” (Little Suitcase)
Julia Stone
I started to listen to Julia Stone after enjoying Angus & Julia Stone’s cover of Big Jet Plane, she has a lovely quirky playfulness, but also maudlin and sinister undertones that I find compelling, especially in Winter On The Weekend. I also rate these songs in my top five: My Baby; Lights Inside The Dream; Where Does The Love Go; Big Jet Plane.
My favourite album is The Memory Machine.
Best lyric: “He’s a dog, but he’s dressed up like a sheep, got bones all through the backyard but he likes to drink tea” (Winter on The Weekend)
Lanie Lane
Although I heard and loved Bang Bang, I didn’t explore the world of Lanie Lane until I, quite providentially, heard What Trouble Is, in one of those charming but essential life moments. Of course it remains my favourite, but here are my other top 5 songs: What Do I Do; Bang Bang; Hearbeat; Oh Well That’s What You Get Falling In Love With a Cowboy.
My favourite album is To The Horses.
My favourite lyric is “I’d like to say I treated him well, but I broke my heart by nearly breaking his” (What Trouble Is)
Washington, aka Megan Washington
I love the album I Believe You Liar, but its very difficult to nail down my top five Washington songs… since it changes daily, sometimes hourly. My top 5 (I think): I Believe You Liar; Skeleton Key; The Belly of The Whale; Lover/Soldier; Public Pool.
Best album is as mentioned above.
Best lyric “And I will be your wishing bone, your wishing bone for you to break, if you let me be the one, be the one wish you make” (Skeleton Key)
Cat Power
Cat Power came into my life at least 3 years ago, when I found The Greatest on the ilike site. Since then I have fully enjoyed her individual artistry and she is one person who has gotten me to embrace covers with her skilful ‘covers’ of traditional folk songs and rock ballads including David Bowie’s ‘Wild is the Wind’ (I never thought I’d like anyone but Bowie doing that!). My top 5 songs (I’d love to break my format and list more): Where Is My Love; Sea of Love; I Found A Reason; The Greatest; Wild is The Wind.
My fave album is Covers
My fave lyric “once I wanted to be the greatest, no wind or waterfall could stop me” (The Greatest)
let music plant the seeds of inspiration
Mindy Gledhill
Mindy represents my softer, lighter side, my love for quirky but beautiful songs – nothing morbid, maudlin, or macabre here, just pure sunshine and positivity. My top 5 songs are: Anchor; All About Your Heart; Love One Another; Hourglass; Little Soldier.
My favourite album is of course, Anchor.
Best lyric “there are those who think that I’m strange, they would box me up and tell me to change but you hold me close and softly say that you wouldn’t have me any other way” (Anchor)
Katie Herzig
I am completely, utterly, additcted to the song Forevermore as performed by Katie Herzig. From there I explored the complete library of gorgeous music by Katie, and my top 5 songs are: Forevermore; How The West Was Won; I Hurt Too; Wish You Well; Hey Na Na.
My favourite album is Apple Tree
My favourite lyric “I don’t know how happiness gets hidden in the wilderness” (How The West Was Won)
Gin Wigmore
I really am not sure how I crossed musical paths with Gin but it did start with the song Time Will Tell/Chains and from there the love blossomed. The rest of my top 5 songs: Dying Day; Over The Rainbow; Hallelujah; Under My Skin.
Best album is Holy Smoke
My favourite lyric “I need my father to be a part of who you are” (Time Will Tell/Chains)
Lana Del Rey
Plain and simple, Lana is in my top ten based simply on the power of Video Games… it is one of my all time most obsessed with songs. My other favourites by Lana: Summertime Sadness; Born To Die; Carmen; Lucky Ones.
My favourite album is Born To Die
My favourite lyric is “swinging in the backyard, pull up in your fast car, whistling my name” (Video Games)
If you stuck with me through that list, thanks, and I’d love to know your fave artists and songs
Most Beautiful Monday: Autumn!
haunted walk
I have had a little fun locally with my camera as we finally begin to experience a little autumn weather, though it was still quite warm over Easter.
I edited these images on pic monkey (so much fun if you haven’t tried it, especially if you don’t have your own editing software or apps) and used sepia and textured ‘smudge’ effects to transform my original photograph which had too much bright white and sunlight coming in from the left hand side.
epic journey
I thought I’d see if I could have a little fun with my pencil sharpener (yes it is a pencil sharpener!) it didn’t look like much of a photograph with the original colours, but running it through dusk, sepia, intrepid, and texture settings gave it a gritty vintage feel.
I still have a lot to look forward to, since we only have a very few coloured leaves as yet, not enough to create an impressive display.
a single tallow leaf
So for now, my autumn begins with a single Chinese Tallow leaf on my mulched garden. Hoping to see a carpet of colourful leaves as soon as possible please Mother Nature!
Starzyia on Etsy, My Anniversary!
a selection of handmade jewelry from my etsy store across time
A special tribute to the people who have helped me along the way….
The first person I have to thank is Jace Yong, a beautiful and generous online friend I met via blog. Jace was the first person I ‘knew’ who had their own etsy store, and when I started I decided the most useful question I could ask, as the first few days passed without a sale, was how long she waited before she got her first sale. I thought I needed to put my expectations into perspective and learn what might be regarded as normal. Not only did I get an answer that helped relax my anxieties, but it turned out that before long had passed Jace became my first customer, buying two sets of gift tags (in those days I did offer a lot of cards, gift boxes, and tags). Jace also told me how useful being part of the Malaysian based etsy team had been for her and gave me the direct link to apply to become a member of DUST the Down Under Street Team, the very strong and wonderful Australian etsy team that has been an incredible source of support, information, and inspiration as well as friendship.
The DUST community has been incredible, any time I need advice the team chat and forum has been my first port of call. Through DUST I have had advice on resizing my early product photographs, improving my photography, my first crash course in SEO (thanks Ny), and a miriad of other business and promotional related questions the answers to which have helped keep the roof over my head.
Orange Lake tensha bead earrings by Raintree Atelier
The next big thank you goes to Gwen from Raintree Atelier. I ‘met’ Gwen after featuring some of her beautifully handmade earrings on the blog I had at that time, I even said that she makes the kind of jewelry I wish I made. Back then, I was making whatever I possibly could using my very limited range of local suppliers… the jewelry that resulted from those efforts in no way resembled my own personal style, which is a lot more like Gwen’s beautiful and graceful creations. I was a little bit in awe… I wanted to transition from my very over the top, bold, and out of control designs to a more elegant and timeless look. I needed not only to alter my designs and learn additional skills, but I desperately needed to expand my list of suppliers and improve my photography so that I could present my jewelry as nicely as the wares on display in my favourite etsy stores. Gwen tried her very best to give me photo advice but it was not until I got my current camera that I was able to really utilise her tips, but I remembered everything she had recommended, and when the time was right, I think I achieved it. Cheers to a wonderful role model and friend!
button necklace by hundreds of buttons on etsy
My next thank you goes to a wonderful Australian etsian and DUST member Liz, from Hundreds of Buttons she probably does not remember this, but she was the first person to feature one of my creations in a treasury list. I was thrilled! That first year in business I think I sold 3 items (I was not producing the kind of jewelry I do now, and I was not working to promote the store or maximise my reach) so it was a very encouraging milestone to be included in my first treasury. Thank you Liz, you actually gave me hope in a bleak time and I have never forgotten!
my star button tshirt, the item Liz picked for treasury
Actually, as I said, I sold 3 items that first year, and this shirt is still available, haha! I think most people who liked it figured they’d just make one themselves! But if you’re interested…. let me know.
My anniversary thanks would not be complete without acknowledging my two greatest customers who between them have collected quite a few pieces of my work, Diane and Joanne, I love you two very much and I have always found your support and encouragement comes along right when I need it most. One of the most remarkable things to me is that you both bought jewelry from me in my early days when my pictures were blurry, washed out, or otherwise unprofessional, it warms my heart that you could see beyond the photograph to the merits of the jewelry itself and that you supported me when you could easily have shopped elsewhere. Now I am excited not only to create my jewelry but to arrange the photo shoots for all my products and to know that as I have grown, I have had my loyal friends and customers come along with me on my journey. Thank you!
On my 3 year journey, I have met so many people I cannot possibly thank all here by name, but I promise you that I remember the kind words, the encouragement, the generosity, the lovely customers, the people who have featured or promoted me (especially Samara from Maddabling; Jess from Full Spiral; and Zenobia Southcombe). I know who it is that buys my work, and I also know who supports me tirelessly by sharing my work and my page, clicking, liking, linking, commenting and inspiring me… everyone who is there when I need them, and who has helped me make it to April 13th 2012, my 3rd Etsy Anniversary, thank you. You mean the world to me.
By the way, I have a 20% off coupon code running in my etsy store until Sunday night, the coupon code is ANNIVERSARY
Found on Folksy, beautiful handmade finds
apple bookend or doorstop
I love this apple bookend, beautifully handmade by Bobbin&Bumble on folksy, creator notes it could also work as a doorstop.
teal heart shaped bag
Heart shaped shoulderbag for festival or market, handmade by heartybags on folksy
coffee table or kids play table
This is beautiful, it could work in your living room, child’s bedroom, or a playroom, I love it, and if you love it too, check it out in Emily Rose store on folksy.
floppy sun hat
Vintage 1970′s fabric, floppy sun hat by Moaning Minnie Designs on folksy
vintage newspaper hook & rail organiser
Versatile and attractive storage/organiser made using vintage newspaper by Tatty Betty on folksy
I hope you enjoyed my first folksy featurees!
