BLOG BREAK

 Bulawayo Baskets. See more at Design Afrika here

Hi everyone, 
I'm taking a blog break. 
Hope to see you here in a few weeks time.
xoxo

Read about these deliciously organic baskets at Remodelista here

CATS AND YOU AND ME

 I love Susan Halls quirky animals. She manages to capture the essence of the animal in her ceramic pieces. See Susan's website here  and Youtube video here

CATS AND YOU AND ME by Charles Bukowski 

about
our argument tonight
whatever it was
about
and no matter
how unhappy
it made us
feel
remember that
there is a 
cat
somewhere
adjusting to the
space of itself
with a delightful
grace

in other words
magic persists
without us
no matter what
we may try to do
to spoil it.

Read the whole poem, Cats and you and me by Charles Bukowski here

By Valerie Davide. See more here

By Valerie Davide. See more of Valerie's delightful animal sketches here.

Ceramic cat by Leza McVey. See more here

 Cat by Leza McVey

 "I know. I know.
they are limited, have different
needs and 
concerns.

but I watch and learn from them.
I like the little they know,
which is so
much."   
 -  Charles Bukowski (Read whole poem here)

 I couldn't resist this typical cat moment by HISSKISS. 

For more cat magic have a look at Mo's enchanting Illuminated Book of Cats, here.

GATHERING STILLNESS

Gathering Stillness by Robyn Gordon. 

My word for 2013 is stillness.

A dear friend of mine suggested that we check  in with each other every week or two via email, to refocus on our chosen words. Sometimes I forget to check in but ever since we decided to do this little exercise I have found that I am able to maintain my focus, unlike other years when I've forgotten my word within days. Doing this with a friend has made all the difference. Even when it seems that all is chaos around me I am able to find moments of calm in my day. I am gathering stillness and it is affecting my art.

Gathering Stillness by Robyn Gordon 

"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully."  -  The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

Angel by Omar Galliani. See more here.

Linda Vachon. See more on Linda's Flickr photo stream here.

Road Trip by Carole Leslie. See Carole's blog here  and website here

From Stillness by Heidi Hass Gable. See  more images here

 Center by Intao. See more of Intao's work here.

 Brian Ferry. See Brian's work here.

 River of Grass by Matthew Hillier. See website here

Resting by kerrdelune on Flickr. See more here.

paulus.iosephus on Flickr. Click here.

"In the midst of movement and chaos,
keep stillness inside of you". 
- Deepak Chopra