my creative space...

P1150464, originally uploaded by owletmama.

Finished and ready to send for Cammo's birthday on the weekend. I had hoped for strategic placement with the signs, so I'm rather thrilled with a stop sign on each cheek! I must say I'm enjoying making gifts for people so much of late. It makes from a lovely break from all the market stuff.

Pop over to Kirsty's for some brilliant creative spaces.

community radio

When Huz and I lived in Melbourne, before there were owlets in our lives, we'd drive to work each day with our radio tuned into community radio. Usually it was 3RRR*. Our little lifeline to our favourite music and all things good happening around us. I listened at work all day. It became like a little community for me. A reminder that there was a world out there and other things happening... It was one of the things on the list of things we'd miss when we moved to Tassie. A little while later, my sister returned from overseas looking for something to do, when I spied the ad. A month later she was receptionist at RRR and now she is a part of the furniture there. It has become her community. She spins some tunes every now and then too and we listen in for a while. A little bittersweet reminder of what we left behind, perhaps...

In Tassie, our community radio of choice is Edge Radio. We listen when we can and they are a huge supporter of local music. Huz will be playing there tomorrow morning if you feel like a listen. Its radiothon time there at the moment. Their first. I've donated a prize too if you want to subscribe to the Wednesday Lunchbox program. You could win the cape, crown and apron kit pictured!

*If you listen to RRR, April Amnesty is on and you can subscribe to your fave program or whatever you like. Get involved peeps!!

unschool monday :: me time

I must be mad... or brave, or just really love hanging out with my kids... That's what people often tell me anyhow... The truth is yes, no, no more than the next person. I used to think I could never home educate. What about when they are five and they go to school and you suddenly get your life back again? You have earned it, right? Oh what could I do with all that free time? Maybe start sewing children's clothes to sell at markets, or study, or choose a new career... Home education would be way too hard. They'd be with me all day. There'd be no me time.


When I pictured home education, it was always school at home. Me at the kitchen table with the owlets, teaching them. Maybe we would go on an excursion once a week. From 9am - 3pm each day, we'd be learning. It sounded exhausting, repetitive, not fun. I'd have no time to myself at all. Well, maybe in the evenings when Huz came home. I'm so glad I found unschooling.


Our days are long, yes. We do loads of stuff together. But there's a certain amount of floating and moving through the day independently which comes with being comfortable with each other and knowing that there is no plan. Each day offers something completely new and is whatever we make it. This also allows for each of us to achieve the things we need. There are pockets of time where I'm suddenly doing my own thing. Enjoying a quiet moment, reading a magazine, having some me time. Then there are the times when Huz is here, or the evenings, or the afternoon where the owlets are spending time with their grandmother. Those are the really quiet times and are completely my own. I make children's clothes to sell at markets, occasionally study and think about if I really want to have another career... Really there can be so much me time. There are times when I need more and the important thing is to communicate that. Ask for help. Change things around a bit. Acknowledge that things can change and not everything is set in stone for the next 18yrs of my life. Perhaps someday Huz will decide that he doesn't love his job after all and we'll swap for a bit. Its just family life and its fluid and often messy and sometimes you want to tear your hair out, but every family experiences that. I must admit to the odd jealous pang when I spy a neighbour wandering home from school alone, heading for her studio for the day and the peace and quiet and creative space... But really, we have the best of both worlds, I think. a perfect balance, with just the right amount of flexibility to change things if we need.


These photos were taken while I enjoyed some me time on the weekend. It was my birthday on Sunday and we treated ourselves to a weekend away. A new environment for owlets to explore and a bunch of lovely places to sit and knit, or read, or snooze. Lovely.

my creative space...

I thought I'd do something novel this week and post something I actually finished!! Yay! My pincushion is finished and ready to mail today! One of the best bits of easter for me is all that time to finish things off. Orders complete, tweed pants in the mail and a pincushion! This one was really fun to make. I used familiar old bits of tweed and shirting and recycled kimono fabric for the back and attached one of my felt lovebirds.


Later today I'll be tackling some PJ's for Seeeorwardah (code name for my Sis's partner in crime, long story). I hope he loves them. I've heard stories of bottomless PJs... that he still wears!! I'm hoping to whip up something suitable using these vintage sheets. Don't old sheets just make the best PJs? They are always soft and lived in from the start.

See where, what and how others are creating over at Kirsty's.

unschool monday :: ritual

I've written before about how rhythm is important to our daily lives, but ritual is also important for helping us fit it all together. As unschoolers, it provides a framework of sorts. The little things we do and how we do them as a family help to shape our year. Rituals appear each night, week and season, but most importantly at birthdays and celebrations. As most of our craft and activities are spontaneous, its nice sometimes to know that things are coming. Its really important for our owlets too, so they get an understanding of time... how many sleeps and all that. It provides a certain comfort too as we mark points in the year. We live pretty fortunate lives. We have loads to celebrate. So we do. We celebrate cultures and customs, not necessarily from our own backgrounds. It helps all of us gain a better understanding of our place in the world and the community around us. We talk about the history and the symbolism of various celebrations and explore it through craft, dancing, food, storytelling and music.

This Easter we built on some of the little rituals we have begun in recent years. We decorate an easter tree (old lichen covered branch from the walnut tree) and collect autumnal things to place underneath it. We read the story of Eostre and talk about the Christian meaning of Easter too. We learn about Easter in other contries, other hemispheres. We talk about Easter celebrations when we were growing up. The owlets make a nest each using long, dried grass from the garden and feathers and fleece, while I sit close by nibbling hot cross buns and warm milk.

This year we made felt eggs...


and used them in our annual egg hunt.


Little eggs filled with trinkets and toys, symbols of autumn and the hope of spring.


Later we make chocolates, plant bulbs and harvest pumpkins in the garden. Its a mish-mash of rituals really, but its our mish-mash and we love it. Not really different to any other family, but important for providing opportunities to pause, appreciate, focus and learn a little along the way.

For Maree

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We picked up this beautiful Tara Badcock brooch for Mum at the last Market. Isn't it lovely?

Hope your Easter holiday is gorgeous so far. x

my creative space...

Its been all about kicking goals today... This lot is packed and ready to take into the Wilderness Society Shop next week. Now back to work! I think we'll be having a crafty Easter...

See other creative spaces at Kirsty's.