I had the idea to recycle these ‘things’ I didn’t want to throw away into something fun. I had this nice stick and some bottles left over from the larger wall hanging I made a couple of weeks ago so, while I was on a creative streak, I began working on this.
First I painted my ‘things’ white on the outside and a vibrant blue on the inside. Can you tell what they are? Go on. Its easy.
Then I edged them using a gold marker. Have you guessed?
Then I painted shapes inside them using a white paint marker. Have you got it yet?
I poked holes in the bottom, added a white pearl onto a piece of wire and attached them by wrapping the wire around the stick.
If you haven’t guessed yet, they’re cut up egg cartons!
I randomly wrapped the ‘flowers’ onto my stick, added bottles with sea glass, dried grasses and sticks in them, a couple of old chandelier crystals to refract light and almost done.
To finish, I wrapped the entire stick with hemp string to hide the wires.
I think it looks pretty flash and I’m really happy with it.
This is what the corner of my living room looks like right now. I’m constantly having to rearrange what I have on my walls. Not enough space for everything… Must sell some stuff to make room… Time to get back to listing stuff on Etsy and Ebay…
I’m not sure I mentioned before, but my mom has been sick. She got COVID and as a result got pneumonia. We thought she had a cold, but she passed out one morning while having breakfast and fell off her chair. At the health center on Paros they checked for broken bones and found pneumonia. So off to Syros we went, to the hospital.
I have bad memories of that place…
Anyway, mom was in isolation there of course, so although I stayed on Syros for days, I was only able to see her from the doorway of the COVID ward now and then for a few minutes. So, in the end I returned to Paros and my grooming work, and my brother and his girlfriend (on holidays from Australia) went to Syros to be close by.
The good news is that mom is coming home today! She still needs oxygen and pills, but she’s finally out of hospital. She’ll stay with me till she’s on her feet.
Meanwhile, I was so frustrated and bored on Syros. Without company and having to hang around close to the hospital, I barely did anything but watch Netflix in the air-conditioned room and walk around town when it wasn’t too hot.
I was yearning to do something when I got back and so I’ve been doing a few odds and ends. First, I’ll share these little fridge magnet experiments.
I bought these wooden objects off Temu and wanted to try different treatments so see what I liked. I tried decoupage of some napkins I had.
I like these, they’re not as shiny now they are totally dry, so they look more vintagey. The blue fish, not so much…
These half round knobby things are kinda cute, but I don’t like the way the napkin didn’t fold well on the sides. Not sure what I’ll do with those. I think these would make great sea urchin magnets.
One thing I was dying to try was this wood burning marker I saw on Temu that I wanted to try.
Of course, I also had to buy this little heat gun, but now I have a small heat gun for other projects.
What you do is draw on the wood with the pen and then apply heat to it and the pen marks will burn the wood.
Eh. It works fine but it’s definitely not for such fine work… the markers are thin but not thin enough for what I had in mind. I could only do basic shapes…
To be honest I’m not sure what I’ll do with most of these little things. I have added super strong neodymium magnets to the back so they will hold just about anything on the fridge. I bought those on Temu too. I might re-work them, paint them… I’m better at painting for sure.
I still much prefer the magnets I made last year – I made the magnets out of air-dry clay, painted them with acrylic paint and sealed them with gloss varnish. Much cuter.
My Temu buying days will be coming to an end soon as I hear that the EU has voted to place high tariffs on things coming from China. It means we’ll still be getting Chinese made things, but at a higher price cause we’ll be buying them from European based businesses who import from China. Bummer.
In a way its good – I’ve become addicted to the site. But it’s so handy for buying craft items, dog items and all kinds of stuff. Of course, there are so many gadgets you can easily fall into that trap (I have…) but if I stick to the art, craft, office and dog stuff (and some tools) that I will actually use, I feel I’m getting good value and will find it hard to give up. Especially for things like the blank timber pieces and other bits and pieces I can use to make other things.
Did I mention my brother and his partner are visiting? They arrived today from Athens, they live in Canberra, Australia, so its been a long time getting here.
Anyway… while cleaning, tidying, organising and generally making space for visitors in my tiny home, I finished this project for one of my cousins. Its to hang over a bed in one of her studio apartments.
It was easy to make, I just had to find, scavenge, buy and put together the various elements, so it takes a little patience and imagination.
The branch I found while walking Vincent one morning. The little bottles I had to buy. Except one which I recycled. The wooden beads and raffia were from something I’d bought a while ago that I pulled apart. The string ‘vine’ I got online when thinking of making this. The hemp string I already had.
I always have different ropes and strings on hand.
Firstly I had to trim and clean the branch. And make sure there were no bugs on it or in it… Learned that the hard way…
I added some sea glass from my collection to a couple of the bottles (those with larger mouths), then randomly added a few dry bits and pieces collected on other walks.
I found some rusty wire in my collection and cut and twisted that to add a bit of whimsy. Plus I’m partial to rust…
I did have to buy some of those puffy grass things – no idea what they’re called, cause the ones I picked locally were pretty pathetic looking.
And a tiny bit of lavender and a small piece of driftwood, cause why not…
I especially love the way it looks when the sun begins to hit it in the afternoon.
I’m wondering whether I want to part with it now… I love it over my couch in the sun.
Miniature roses from one of my pots. They smell heavenly and I love the two different shades of pink of the two plants I bought. But there is some kind of disease affecting them. I’ve trimmed off the sickly leaves but don’t know what else to do… I’ve also moved the pots to the front of the house in case they like it better there, and I’m taking a twig to the nursery next week to see what they can recommend.
But back to the title… I got a cold last weekend, it started as a sore throat and I had two days where I couldn’t swallow. Then it went to my head, a drippy nose and sneezing all the time, with the added bonus of a dry cough. Eventually the drips turned into snot (lovely, I know, I love to share!), a blocked nose. I’m still headachy and have progressed to the joys of chesty coughs which come in bursts that hurt.
Oh happy happy days.
I’m told many people are sick on Paros with this cold/flu/not covid/virus thing. And I’m warned that it lingers. I’m not sure, but I did get some stuff from the chemist to ease the pain and lessen the cough… Let’s see how that goes.
My brother Peter and his girlfriend arrived in Athens yesterday (from Australia) and will be here next weekend and I don’t want this lingering then.
Meanwhile, since I was too sick to do much, I spent a lot of time watching makeover and declutter videos on YouTube.
I’m a regular declutterer with hoarding tendencies. I’m also an artist who likes to make things out of all kinds of other things, so I collect stuff to ‘make something with’.
Therefore, at least once a year I go through my cupboards, my craft and art supplies, my wardrobe and kitchen cupboards and get rid of anything that’s expired or I won’t use or wear.
But things are still too disorganised. Or maybe I should say that they become disorganised all too often, no matter how often I try to organise. Cause I’ve always got something ‘on the go’, or waiting for a spot to live, or to be moved on, or whatever.
Right now I can’t see my kitchen counter or the kitchen table yet, but I did go through and organise the bathroom and the living room bookcase.
So, since I’m more or less house bound while I get over this dastardly cold, and since I actually feel a little better today (when not racked with coughing fits) I decided to tackle the kitchen and get things organised in there…
And, like any creative with a shot of ADHD thrown in, I can’t clean, tidy and organise without leaving out ‘I will finish this’ or ‘I will get to this’ projects along the way, effectively never completely getting rid of the clutter.
However, I did a couple of tiny upcycles today to make my life FEEL a little more organised. Or at least ‘pretty’ organised. So here they are.
I was about to throw out these various plastic containers I had kept cause they’re handy for putting in leftover paint, bits of unfinished projects, etc. Instead I got out my trusty hot glue gun and some rope and started making them into better looking storage solutions.
This large ice cream tub was the first one I tackled, using thick cotton rope I had on hand.
I wrapped, glued, wrapped and glued my way around it till I looked like this:
The lid wasn’t my best work, in hindsight I should have treated this way differently, but it is what it is… The cost of this project came to about 4e plus quite a few glue sticks I had on hand, and the tub of ice cream which I had thoroughly enjoyed eating a while back.
This will now hold some of my bathroom accessories, things which aren’t used to often, but can now be hidden away.
Next I tackled one of the yogurt containers. This is a different rope and it turned out way nicer. I especially love the little loop on top.
This is now holding my phone chargers and Australian plug adaptors which always sit on my kitchen counter and add to the mess.
I actually love this one so much I’m buying more of that rope to do another similar container…
I used up the rest of the rope on two smaller containers: this small container to hold my rubber bands. Nicer than having them in a glass jar I think.
I did these small projects with minimal damage to myself thanks to these handy little hot glue gun finger sleeves I got from Temu. SO handy. If, like me, you only have the scalding hot hot HOT type of glue gun, you need these. Next time I buy a glue gun I’m going with the less dangerous, low heat type. Although now I have these, its no longer a matter of life or death.
Of course, all this was overseen by Vincent who kept one eye on me the whole time.
I’m off to continue on the tidying and organising and working on some of the ‘I’ll get to this’ projects.
I really hope this is the beginning of a creative period. I need one to feel better about myself.
Its been a busy couple of weeks. First trying to get myself organised to go to Athens for the dog shows. Then the days in Athens at the dog shows, grooming etc. Then coming back home to the mess I’d left behind and working on bits of the house at a time so get sorted.
Imagine if I actually had a big house!!! It takes me days to clean/tidy/organise a single bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room in one…
I give up.
Well, actually, I don’t. I keep trying to make this space as practical as possible and to keep all my art supplies and projects accessible and neat with a place for everything and everything in its place.
Right now, the place for most things is on the kitchen benchtop, the kitchen table, the floor around the door and in front of the bookcase…
Anyway… thats regular life. Here are some photos of my little man at the dog shows. He went really well as always, showed his little heart out and got the certificates and excellent ratings as expected.
I love the hair, the brushing, the banding, the feel of it under my hand when I cuddle him. I adore the look.
But summer is coming and it will be hot. And I’d like to be able to take him with me to the beach sometimes and let him swim if he wants to.
Not to mention there are SO many fleas around these days. Every second dog I groom has fleas. Vincent caught fleas.
Lately I’d gotten Vectra top spot for him as I couldn’t find the Frontline TriAct I wanted locally. Before the Vectra top spot was due for a repeat, Vincent had fleas. Not impressed. So, before going to the shows I gave him a flea pill. Thats working so far. But I really want to go back to what I had for Lainee – the Seresto flea collar. Lainee never had fleas and that’s all she had.
Now we come to the problem – a poodle in a full show coat can’t wear a collar all day, every day. The hair will matt terribly around it. Its not like I can put a satin sleave on it to protect it from rubbing the coat as I do with his regular collar (which he only wears when we go out).
So, what to do? Cut him off? I’m not sure I’m ready to do that just yet, though I do think about it a lot. I just can’t bring myself to cut off that glorious coat. He has such a beautiful coat, its got body and stands up by itself even when its conditioned heavily.
I’ve decided that after this wash (today/tomorrow) he will be trimmed back a fair bit, to a much more tailored T-trim so I can keep the coat at least a little longer. See how that goes. I have another 2 weeks till he needs flea treatment again… maybe I’ll decide what to do by then. Maybe not. Who knows?
Basically, he’s in a Swedish T-trim now. I adore the Continental, but he’s really long legged and rather thin so I don’t think it would suit him.
Picture this with his hair in bands, cause that’s how poodles in show trim live their lives…
By the way, in case you’re wondering, I can only find photos of standards in some of these trims.
Another option is the historially correct continental (or in Vincent’s case it would be more of a non-shaved leg version), but I dislike it very much. I find it the most inelegant of all poodle trims.
So the only real option is the moderne trim. Here are the variations on that. Clipped tail and ears:
Scissored ears but the rest more of less the same.
Long ears and boofy tail.
Personally, I like the scissored ears and trimmed tail best. I think the fluffy ears and tail are more a lamb trim than a moderne trim.
But I still can’t bring myself to cut off his coat…
Stay tuned… One day Vincent will appear without all the hair and bands. And no one will recognise him!
I am lucky to live on an island full of creative people. One of those people, who’s work I’d seen around before but only recently met, is Dimitra Skandali. Dimitra is a gorgeous, inspirational woman who grew up on Paros and who creates the most fantastic works of art.
I visited her studio last week and she allowed me to take some photos of this wonderful space while we had a coffee and chatted.
Like all artists, her space is full of stuff… stuff in the process of being created, finished stuff, bits of stuff, stuff to make things with, stuff which might come in handy one day, collected stuff, found stuff, wonderful stuff, fun stuff, pretty stuff, old stuff, broken stuff, small stuff, big stuff… just STUFF in all its forms.
I could have spent happy hours exploring her studio!
Her workbench in the middle of the space has tools and materials laid out in preparation for her current projects, laid out neatly, everything within reach…
Crates and bags of dried organic matter, flowers, thread, the ubiquitous stuff she finds which might work in this or an upcoming project.
I just love these hanging baskets dotted with dried flowers. I can’t wait to have my own studio full of things like that… and the space to leave things out and not have to pack one project away to begin another, have visitors or cook…
A weaving project she’s working on laid out over an antique chair. Made from old fishing nets, seaweed and other materials she’s weaved together. Beautiful, haunting and oh so intricately worked.
One day I’ll have a mannequin set up with my tea bag dress in the corner of my studio and pretty stuff everywhere!
Look at all those gorgeous hanging bits and woven art on the walls!
One of the first pieces of Dimitra’s work I’d ever seen was a collection of framed work she’d made using seaweed, like this below.
The little office nook. How cute is that!
I could really relate to her studio – like many artists, myself included! – there are surprises everywhere you look. Part of an old lamp is now the home of a large rusty moth… and it just works!
Dimitra runs the Cycladic Arts Center, a place that has artists in residence from around the world through the year, has shows on a regular basis and hosts events.
I encourage you to visit her website to see her work and explore the Cycladic Arts Centre site.
I came home inspired… then looked at the mess I call a home/studio and despaired. I am nowhere near her league of professionalism.
It’s time to start working again! It’s been too long.
These pics were sent to me by the engineer last week. I’d been too busy to go past there to see for myself till yesterday. But I finally made it and took some of my own pics.
Obviously, he had a drone up the day they poured concrete. Great pics!
The foundation is really high up the end where my studio will be… I sure could have used that extra height to create a loft…
But you can almost see the building now we have an actual ‘floor’.
Here is the concrete slab for the container.
And there is the poor container, still sitting at a drunken angle, waiting to be located in its final position.
The diggy-diggy man actually sifted the pile of stones and separated the dirt… I now have clean(ish) soil for my future garden!
For now, they’ve just pushed rocks up against the slab and in places around the house foundation… I plan to sort it eventually, into rock gardens and garden borders.
I can’t wait to start creating a garden, working on the container and generally making this land home.
Of course, can’t create a garden till I have water and can’t work on the container till I have power (or cordless tools…).
I managed to visit the building site again today and get some updated photos. It was a case of using an anchor and dodging the dust storm cause of the high winds, but I succeeded.
The foundations are finished, and they have almost finished moving the earth and doing some backfilling. Don’t ask me. I’m just the one who pays the bills. Well, along with my brother.
On the way back I stopped to take a photo of something that should never have been allowed to happen, but hey… this is Greece and things ‘happen’…
To explain: there is, on all our documents and contracts, an access road which runs along two sides of our property. This is considered a ‘country/farm road’ or something in Greece. I will call it a country road…
So… this is the start of the country road today:
If you wore full protective gear, rock climbing boots and wielded a very sharp machete, you might be able to get through there. But forget car access, not even a donkey cart can get through with the huge walls the property owners built on either side.
I mean, are you kidding me???
‘Let’s build huge walls that go to the very last millimeter of our land so no one can take ANYTHING from us. After all, we have a road – this part of the country road was opened up… who cares about others down the line? Let them eat cake.’
And beyond those walls (even the buttress of a wall which seems rather unnecessary unless its sole purpose is to close off access, which is most likely is), they’ve tossed rocks and rubble on the path so that nothing can get through. Ever.
I know. I tried walking it once. At great personal risk.
What used to be a country road, accessed by foot and donkey in my grandfather’s youth, the only road to get to the beach back then, is now rendered useless. So, we no longer have public road access to our property.
Till now we’re driving in through a neighbouring block, temporary access… for how long, who knows, I don’t know. I’ve applied to the municipality to open up/clear part of the road further down where someone has built a house and has cleared a section to his place. We need to go from there till our property, giving access to another 3 properties… not just us.
When I asked at the municipality about opening the old country road from the beginning and informed them that walls had been built, a very friendly woman informed that ‘Oh, they’ve built walls? We cant/wont open the road.’…
HUH? Is it a recognised road HISTORICALLY or is it not???
Yet, apparently, when my closest neighbour on that side asked about opening a road a long time ago (she is currently doing what we’re doing and using temporary access through her brother’s land) she was told she already had the country road therefore did not need another way in…
Sigh.
It’s Greece after all. What can I say? If you know the right people, are willing to cut corners and do a little creative fudging, you can do almost anything you want. Sure, things are changing, the government is trying to crack down on everything, especially every single cent you might make, but the cheating and slight of hand continues…
So… this is what’s been keeping me busy for the last month, and more flat-out the last 4 days.
My friend Athina and I decided that rather than just combine our skills, talents, experience and energy to do smaller creative workshops as we’ve done in the past, we would do a HUGE event/workshop combination to end all event/workshop combinations!
Ok, so, the idea began as a desire to meet other creatives on Paros, to inspire and share our skills and to raise funds for charity.
Rather than set up a lot of individual workshops we decided to combine a show/fair and mini workshops into 2 days over a weekend. All for FREE.
We invited creatives from different genres to join us and set up in a beautiful space owned by the municipality. The plan was simple – 6-7pm meet and greet the artists and check out their work. 7-9pm FREE mini workshops. Buy/donate money to charity.
We were lucky enough to obtain support from many small businesses on the island in order to arrange everything and the weekend was a huge success. Everyone had fun, people learned new things and we even raised money for our chosen charities.
Athina has been doing work with people with disabilities her whole life so her chosen charity was the Cycladic association for the blind, AROGI.
I chose to support PAWS, the Paros Animal Welfare Society, cause, you know… me and animals!
We had people who did collage, decoupage, soaps and lotions, jewelry, weaving, watercolour, mixed media, macrame, rock painting, fimo sculpture, mandalas and cookie decorating.
Here are some photos of the event!
We also had a demonstration of tap dancing and tango from people who teach on the island.
As always, Vincent was there to spread the joy…
The president of AROGI gave a short talk and shared what their association does for people with sight issues on the islands and brought in some items to give people a taste of what its like to not be able to see.
And of course we had information about PAWS and donation tins.
All in all, it was a fun weekend and a great success. We will be organising more stuff in the future, but of course, like life in any tourist destination… as summer approaches everyone becomes too busy to do anything other than work. So autumn is when we plan to start up again!
Till then I need to find a way to advertise and book my own sculpture and art workshops for visitors on the island – now that Air BnB is no longer supporting new ‘adventures’…
I will put out flyers in hotels and such, but that means people can only book on short notice (as they aren’t often here for long) and I’m often flat out grooming in summer. I need to have advance notice to organise workshops.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to get the word out and book small private workshops online, please let me know.
junk4joy 