As I am dusting off the cobwebs, shaking out the nerves and raising a glass to new beginnings, I thought this was a good time to do the ‘Taking Stock’ exercise found on the wonderful webpage, Meet Me at Mikes.

Making: Lists, lots of lists – which includes lists of things to make! On my list might be some paper flower making. I found an incredible book at Savers called ‘Paper to Petal’ (photo bottom row left). It’s really a gorgeous book just to drool over, but maybe I will actually make something. A possible way to combine my love of paper with love of nature.

Cooking: Comfort food – which may or may not include Ghirradeli Chocolate Brownies

Drinking: Peppermint tea (trying to cut my coffee intake which was out of control insane last week)

Reading: Daring Greatly – Brene Brown 

Wanting: More bookshelves. (Or more rooms for bookshelves!!)

Looking: Outside the kitchen window. Each morning while making coffee I’ve been checking to see if the Tawny Frogmouth family are in the tree. They seem to have a two day in, one day elsewhere cycle going on at the moment. They are the most awesome characters! (photo top row middle)

Playing: Grant Lee Phillips on high rotation after catching him live at The Yarraville Club last week. Such an immense and wonderful back catalogue and he delves into it all plucking out musical treasures. I was still a wee bit starstruck. (photo top row left)

Deciding: I am actually very much over making decisions this week…

Enjoying: Discovering new to me stories from the past. I read in ‘Agatha Christie: The Grand Tour’ (another amazing opshop find from last week) that back in 1922, she visited places like Warburton, Ringwood, MacRobertson’s Confectionary Factory and The Jenolan Caves! Unfortunately, when in Melbourne she stayed at The Menzies and it was demolished in 1969, but it would be kindof cool would it be to stay in the same hotel where she stayed! The trip apparently inspired many stories. Curiouser and curiouser… (photo bottom row left)

Waiting: For the next season of ‘Younger’. Which is a bit of fluff that I am not ashamed to say I am enjoying! Having worked in the publishing industry it’s pretty funny to compare fiction to reality. Oh the stories I could tell! But as far as the book publishing process….yeah that’s fiction sorry haha!!!!

Liking: My hair! I’ve been roughly following the CG (Curly Girl) method for over 12 months now. I visited Neel Loves Curls for a curly cut and consult in November. It is paying off. Day 3 hair today – winning! This has become the norm not the anomaly! Hoorah!

Wondering: If the bright dot I saw going across the daytime sky at 3.15pm last Monday was some sort of satellite as it was too high to be an aeroplane.

Loving: The cold! I know I will be saying the opposite soon enough but for today I am soaking up the cosy – warm drinks, granny blankets, slippers, cats sleeping on laps, magical frosty foggy mornings winter woollies and the rest. As long as the sunshine doesn’t disappear completely!

Pondering: If voodoo dolls work.

Hoping: Shhhhhh it’s a secret…don’t want to jinx myself by saying it out loud.

Marvelling: At clever crafty people who knit and crochet. I don’t really do any of those things and every year when the cold weather sinks in I wish I could!

Needing: A fossick along the beach. I am missing the ocean.

Smelling: ‘Relax’ by Perfect Potion.  (lavender, sweet orange, geranium, ylang ylang)

Wearing: a scarf with gallah’s on it!

Following: the most ridiculous conversation on Facebook and successfully holding my tongue. I am sure it will be deleted in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … It’s gone haha!!

Noticing: How much vintage imagery and design is on wine labels at the moment! Even a trip to the bottle shop is full of creative goodness with every second bottle holding some nod to the past. Paintings, etchings, illustrations and photos. De Bortoli’s La Bohème series by Denomination Design are my hands down favourite at the moment.  A display of empty bottles in my lounge would prob not be a good look but they are oh so pretty! (photo bottom row right)

Knowing: That I can trust my gut. With pinpoint accuracy. I didn’t realise what a superpower I had.

Admiring: My friend Clair’s beautiful artwork on the latest issue of Breathe magazine! She’s so clever. I have also admired how her journey as an artist has evolved.

Sorting: All the goodies I found at the Ephemera Fair on Sunday. Slotting the latest additions into my makeshift filing ‘system’ and finding a few little bundles of postcards I’d forgotten to sort! (photo bottom row middle)

Buying: Tea. In the mail (damn T2 click frenzy impulse buys while I was freezing my bum off sitting in the car waiting for E to finish skate training)

Bookmarking: Collating ideas and daydreaming of new career/development possibilities. Nothing concrete. What can I do that combines creativity, social history, collecting and old stuff? Ideas welcome!

Disliking: The massive bruise on my leg from tripping up the stairs (yes UP the stairs!!). And a double dislike, I smashed a bowl in the process.

Opening: A pretty package from NaomiLoves containing untold possibilities for the future inside and a whole lot of joy! (photo top row right)

Giggling: Listening to my husband and youngest daughter play ‘My Little Pony’ Yahtzee. We’ve been having a little bit more ‘enforced’ technology free time.

Snacking: Trying not to….but I did just have a mini mini mini really tiny Bounty with my afternoon cuppa.

Coveting: Rob Ryan’s “I Thought About It in My Head and I Felt It in My Heart but I Made It with My Hands“ which is released next month.

Helping: My eldest daughter get her head around a giant animation project. She’s hit the ‘can’t believe I made that’ phase which is a delight to see but she has SO much to get finished by Friday. That’s my girl ha!

Hearing: The boy cat snoring in his basket by the window.