Mosaic Magic...

1. Frangipani 2, 2. Wall Painting, 3. Lily, 4. Pencils, 5. CuriousCow, 6. Beach, 7. JewelleryBox, 8. More Note Books, 9. View

Thanks to the lovely from Melanie from Kimono Reincarnate and from Leni & Rose who helped me with the technological challenge of adding links to my mosaics. It worked! What wonderful people you all are with your comments and assistance. Thank you!

Melanie has also been so good as to add instructions to her blog so you too can see how it's done. Go check it out.

Thanks everyone - have a lovely day!

Beautiful pics...

While I have been playing around on FLICKR, Mal has been loading his latest images into Redbubble.

Here's one of his latest images, and my current favourite. You can see more of his images at his redbubble site.

A little Flickr magic...

I use BigHugeLabs, mosaic maker to create the image above, and I love the layout.

BUT.

I really want to know how to add the tags/links/descriptions to each pic, but for the life of me, I can't work it out. Is there another program that is better?

Any hints or advice? Please? Any help would be welcome!

This is something I got, but (until recently) still hadn't used...

OK - call me a cheat. But this is the story, of the crepe maker. The item that I got and (until recently) still hadn't used. It's a story worth telling and like all good tales, it talks of rejection and heartache, loss and betrayal, an ultimate reunion and finally a happy ending...

Until recently this item sat hidden away in the kitchen cupboard. It was a Christmas gift in 1997. I quietly sighed at the time, wondering when I would ever use it, and where I could fit it in my limited kitchen storage. I occasionally spied it, but it stayed in it's box until less than a month ago, when I grabbed it out of the said hiding place, and decided it was headed for Ebay. I offered it to visitors, but no-one wanted it.

And then there was a turn of events that would rescue it from EBAY oblivion. We had guests for dinner and no dessert. With the thai curry finished, I had to confess, there was nothing sweet to follow.

"Hmmm," I said... "I do have a crepe maker. We could give it a go if you want to - I'm sure I have flour somewhere!" (OK - so I don't bake very often). The response was enthusiastic. Within half an hour, the crepe maker was released, the instructions read, the recipe followed and the first crepe was being served. Except for the somewhat stale flour (hmmm - not good) it was a great success. We all ate as we created, and entertained ourselves with methods and some mixed results.

Needless to say, it has been returned to the cupboard for future use. Once I buy some new flour.

The subject for this weeks "This is..." was bought to you by Flossy-p.
The "This is..." meme was started by the very creative Angela of Three Buttons fame.

Dear Lucky Dave...

My Dad is a believer in luck. He reads the stars, believes in the swing of a pendulum, follows bio-rhythms and has any number of superstitious habits before an important game of golf.

He believes that with a good portion of luck (and lot of hard work) good things do happen.

It is a belief that has been put into practice across the years and has been tried and tested in many ways, no more so than in the case of Australia's longest running lottery, Tattslotto. He has seen the occasional promise of bigger things with small wins after some hard working investment. I have to admire his persistence and determination.

Last week-end, my Dad was telling me he had recently had a couple of small wins and was building up for 'the big one'. I agreed and suggested a bigger windfall was indeed just around the corner. We were right.

On Saturday night, he won again.

It was not the biggie, and I can assure you, there is no point considering kidnapping his only daughter for a healthy ransom. It was a win however, that has renewed his faith in the power of positive thinking and the alignment of the stars.

He has big dreams for when he does win 'the big one' and I plan to be there right beside him in case he needs any assistance! In the meantime, the occasion of a small windfall still requires some consideration... and a few suggestions to assist in the decision making process.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dear Lucky Dave

Another win! You are indeed a fortunate man!

But then, aren't we all? And not because we hope to share your bounty, but rather because we are all living healthy, happy, active and busy lives. It's all pretty good really.
So what you buy with your lucky dollars? It may well be the question of the moment.
What does one add to the shopping list of a man with such good fortune?

A coffee, shared with rellies in Rockhampton?

A small digital camera to carry around in your golf bag to capture those magic views and lucky moments!

A gallery road-trip to Canberra?

Or (and here's an exiting proposition) perhaps you could invest in the future and sponsor an emerging artist?

Ahhhh the options are endless. And whilst money isn't everything, life is for living and the possibilities are just a little broader with a pocket full of coins!

Whatever you do - ENJOY! You know where to find me if you need any help!

Flashback Friday...

What can I say... I'm a tree hugger from way back.
Have a lovely week-end everyone.

Quote of the Day...

Only two things are infinite,
the universe and human stupidity,
and I'm not sure about the former.

Albert Einstein

So I'm on the train this morning...

It was cold this morning. 4 degrees. The coldest May morning in 9 years. I figured public transport would be running badly. Usually, a little bit of cold, of heat, of the stars not being aligned, and they run to the beat of their own timetable. This morning I was pleasantly surprised.

As I got to the station, the City Loop train pulled out (this is fine as it's not my preferred train) and then within a minute, the Flinders St train arrived. My train. A spare seat all to myself and no-one standing on my toes. Fantastic start to the day.

So, I take my seat and have a quick glance around the carriage. The train was sparsely populated, though there were the usual commuters. Business men and women, grey faced and newspapers stretched, a few kids on their way to school smelling of recently extinguished cigarettes and hair gel, many with ipods jammed into their ears.

A woman sat opposite me, her toddler standing on the seat beside her, both of them looking out the window. Cute kid. I liked his hat. They were a happy looking pair.

They were on the other side of the carriage, but their empty pram was propped inside the door, just beside my seat. I was quite surprised to notice the woman's handbag was sitting on the top of the pram.

It was open, and her purse was sitting right in the top in full view. It was JUST ASKING for trouble. A couple of other passengers had also glanced at it and I'm sure they thought the same as me. But everyone else stayed silent. Of course I had to say something. Couldn't help myself really.

I leaned over to her and said "I think you should be careful of your bag, it's in easy reach, and you never know what people will do." It was no refection on any of the other travelers, I just thought the temptation may well have been too much for anyone getting on or off the train. I figured it was worth a mention. No mother with child was going to catch any purse snatcher, and I am a slow slow runner so I wouldn't have been much help!

She looked surprised anyone had spoken to her and I felt as if I had intruded a little on her morning trip. She said she wasn't too worried because there weren't many people on the train and then said "thanks though." At this point I was feeling (just a little) embarrassed I had said anything.

When the train pulled into the next stop, she got up, put her child in the pusher, zipped her bag and but it in the tray below the seat and got off the train.

You know, I hope she was right (that would be preferable of course) but you never know, and you never can be too sure. Sad but true. It may not have been necessary this morning, but maybe it will make her more aware of it on another occasion.

I would prefer a little embarrassment to feeling regret later. It would have been a shame to ruin a perfect start to the day.

Amazonian surprises...

Amazon is a treasure trove. An evil evil treasure trove. And I love it. I especially love it now the Australian dollar is at a 24 year high exchange rate. YIPPEE! I have wasted many hours browsing and dreaming and calculating and adding things to an ever increasing wish list. Writing, art, magazines, home, design, craft, health - the range is extraordinary. Endless in fact. As is my wish list. Dreams dreams dreams...

Did you know that at amazon.com you can browse books and add them to a wish list?

I did.

Did you know that next time you log into Amazon, you can go back to that wish list and the books will still be there?

I did.

Did you know that other people could enter your name and check out your wish list and buy you a gift from your choices - knowing that it will be a perfect gift because it was something you wished for?

I didn't - but Mal did.

Totally out of the blue it arrived.
A perfect surprise.



And what amazing insight!
He knew just what I wanted.
Incredible!

This is what reminds me of my Mum...

One week late I'm afraid - but here it is...

Chocolate freckles remind me of my Mum.

When I was in highschool, Mum used to make me my sandwiches for lunch. At that stage it was a standard peanut butter, which she hated by the way - couldn't stand the smell! In any case, on this particular day, I bit into my sandwich to find an exotic combination of peanut butter AND chocolate freckles.

It was a great surprise, an absolute treat and it totally made my day.

My friends all thought my Mum was cool, if a little strange! She was a bit of a legend after that.

Peanut butter and chocolate freckles.
Go on, try it, you know you want to.

The "This is..." meme started by the very creative Angela of Three Buttons fame.

Love and grieving...

I cried 2 weeks ago when my mother phoned to tell me a good family friend was dying.

He was in hospital and had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was being treated for a bronchial infection with no improvement. Tests finally revealed an aggressive lung cancer that had spread and was untreatable. It was only a matter of time.

I hadn't seen Greg for probably close to 20 years, but I cried, when 5 days later, my mother called to tell me he had died that morning. He was 65 years old and had left behind two loving sons, their wives and one grandson ... and many many friends.

I cried because, despite the fact I hadn't seen him for so long, he featured strongly in many of my childhood memories.

I cried because my parents lost a long time friend who they loved.

I cried because his sons will be devastated by his absence and he will not get to see his grandson grow into a man.

I cried because whilst he has lived a full and active life, 65 is just too damned young to die.

I cried because it seemed so quick, so brutal.

I cried because I was relieved he didn't suffer a long drawn out illness.

I cried because he is younger than my parents and that frightened me.

I cried because the world was a brighter place with him in it and now he was gone.

Yesterday we went to his funeral, to say our final good-bye's.

I listened to the eulogies given by his oldest son, friends and colleagues and I laughed at their stories... and I cried just a little too.


This was read at his funeral...

That man is a success,
who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much,
who has gained the respect of intelligent men,
and the love of children,
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task,
who leaves the world a better place than he found it,
who never lacked appreciation of earths beauty
or failed to express it,
who looked for the best in others
and gave the best he had.

I love chocolate brownies...

Another email of the 'forward to all your buddies within 3 seconds and all your wishes will come true' variety, landed in my in-box today. I thought this one was a bit of fun, and thought you might too...

If all of the desserts listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose (sorry, you can only pick one!).

Now don't cheat on this one, go with the first dessert you choose!!! Trust me... this is very accurate. Pick your dessert, and then look to see what psychiatrists think about you.

Here are your choices:

1. Angel Food Cake
2. Brownies
3. Lemon Meringue Pie
4. Vanilla Cake With Chocolate Icing
5. Strawberry Short Cake
6. Chocolate on Chocolate
7. Ice Cream
8. Carrot Cake

No!!!!! you can't change your mind once you scroll down, so think carefully what your choice will be...

OK - Now that you've made your choice, scroll down to see what the research says about you.



1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE - Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.

2. BROWNIES - You are adventurous, love new ideas, and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up you whip out your sabre. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humour and direction. You tend to be very loyal.

3. LEMON MERINGUE - Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, but you have many friends.

4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING - Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Other's should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.

5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE - Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect the same in return. Intuitively keen. Can be very emotional.

6. CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE - Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.

7. ICE CREAM - You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.

8. CARROT CAKE - You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends.

Not sure about this as a true psychiatric test, but for a bit of fun, it's not too bad! How did you go? What was your favourite?

Forgetting Mother's Day...

Yes, it's true. I did. I forgot...

I know, I know, you don't have to say anything, I feel guilty enough already!

A few weeks ago as my brother, his girlfriend, Mal and I, arranged a week-end away, we all totally forgot about Mother's Day. By the time we remembered, it was too late to change the booking.

As regular readers know, I love my Mum and I think she is amazing, and normally, I would celebrate Mother's day in her fine company. BUT given my poor memory, the celebrations have been delayed.

Today I called and gave her a big hug over the phone. Tomorrow night she is coming to stay and I will definitely make up for it. In the meantime, Happy Mother's Day, Mum! xxx

What will they think of next?

Cup of tea love? Would you like toast with that?

Ever wonder if you are doing the wrong job?

This is the last of my 'wrong job' images to share.
To the team that created it, thanks. It is a great campaign.

Agency: Scholz & Friends, Berlin
Creative Director: Matthias Spaetgens, Jan Leube
Copywriter: Axel Tischer
Art Director: David Fischer
Photographer: Hans Starck
Illustrator: Graphic Artist: Inga Schulze, Sara Dos Santos Vieira

Quote of the Day...

Imagination is more important than knowledge...
ALBERT EINSTEIN

I've been tagged ... About blogging!

I have been tagged by Flossy-p about my blogging and after some lengthy pondering, here is my response...

1. Why did you start your blog?


I love to write and often sent out epic emails to friends and family about what was going on in my life. I had friends trying to convince me for ages about the joys of blogging and to set one up. One particular friend had a blog (Three Buttons) and once I got into checking on her daily posts and all her links, well I couldn't resist.

I think it is the perfect forum for creativity and self expression.

2. How did you come up with your blog name?
One Little Acorn came from the saying "from little things big things grow". It seemed like a good start for a new creative outlet. The name was an important decision and had to be relevant. The planting of one little acorn was symbolic of growing a more creative lifestyle. I haven't looked back.

3. Do your friends and family know about your blog? What do they think about it?

I couldn't help myself. I told family and friends about it from the very beginning. I try to be open and honest, however I do tend to edit some of what I write so as not to offend or shock (too much). I have considered setting up another blog that no-one I know would visit, but I barely manage to post regularly here as it is and besides, I love all my regular visitors and I would hate to lose them. I have regular readers, (some friends and family check in daily) many of whom are new friends I have met through blogging.

I often have people discuss posts with me away from 'blog-land' and I am happy to say the comments and feedback have always been positive, so I consider myself to be very lucky.

4. How do you write posts?

Usually it starts with something that is going on in my life. I try not to get too serious... I see something funny, inspirational, annoying, or downright ridiculous and it may trigger a post. I love to share new things and so I often find myself thinking "That would make a great post".

I get inspiration from other bloggers too. If I use their idea I always refer back to the original source.

At the moment I have 28 drafts on the back burner ready to be edited, completed and posted.

5. Have you ever had a troll or had to delete unkind comments?

I have never had a troll or deleted any unkind comments. Thankfully I haven't had the need to.

6. Do you check your stats? Do you care how many people read your blog? If you do care, how to you increase traffic?
I love to get comments from newcomers and people I know, and hear their responses. I use clustermaps to track how many people check in on my blog and love to see new dots appear on the map. You know I have a reader in Iceland? That's about as far from Australia as possible. How incredible is that? I also have regular readers from Europe, Canada, America, Japan and Australia. This internet thingy makes the world seem just a little bit smaller and I love it!

I would love to say the traffic doesn't matter, that it is the act of blogging that is important, but I would be lying. I love the feedback from all my readers and I love that they return to say hi.

For me, the best way to increase traffic, is to post regularly and visit lots of other blogs and leave comments. I always try to visit everyone who leaves a comment and say hi and I also love to read about other bloggers.

7. What kind of blogs/posts interest you?

I love all kinds of posts. The ones written from personal experience and opinion are the best. Funny, creative, witty, sensitive... they are all great. The blogger that opens their heart and writes freely is an inspiration. I also love the artists out there busily creating and sharing their art. The creativity is incredible.

8. What do you like and dislike about blogging?
I do love to blog. I really like feeling like I am connected to other people. I love seeing the creative possibilities and reading about inspirational people. I love that it motivates me to write and create and share ideas and continue to commit to a creative life. There is great work out there from writers, artists and crafters alike. If I let it, I could get overwhelmed and never post again, but I figure I will learn more and grow more if I get involved and work at it. I love bloggers who share ideas and inspire.

For me, lack of time is the worst thing about blogging. I never seem to have enough time to post on a daily basis. I envy those people who manage to post every day. There are SO many inspirational and creative bloggers and I just never have enough time to visit them all regularly. Also the fact that I type so slowly gives me no end of frustration and I wish I was more tech savvy so I could do all the little extras... if I had time that is!

I tag:
Just Run Just Live Just Be
Alyndabear
Ames at Smile and the World...

If only I could refrain from talking completely...

I believe if people are genuinely sick, they should take a day or two off work to recover. If they make their sniffling way into the office, they are doing no-one any favours. They should stay at home and NOT spread their germs across shared work surfaces, where their colleagues pick up the baton and join the relay. Their 'working like a trooper' attitude does nothing to alleviate the issue. The spread of disease continues through coughs filled with airborne germs and the smearing of germs around shared kitchens, bathrooms, telephones and keyboards. For a couple of weeks now, work has been suffering the effects of one such 'situation'.

Normally I watch, as one by one, others around me fall victim to the latest illness. Many disappear for a few days of recovery before retuning to the fold refreshed and well slept. Others stick around to "push on". Usually I avoid the passing of bugs from one work colleague to the next, politely declining generous offers to share their ills. Usually.

This time however, somewhere along the way, my body, without my permission I might add, took up the offer and joined the party. It started with a tickle in my throat, which turned to a slow warm singe and then a full burn within a day. A cold was soon added to the mix, and, exacerbated by breathing constantly through my nose, a dry persistent cough. Before I knew it, I was suffering the effects of "The Dreaded Lurgy".

I found avoiding talking was my best medicine. At home alone (with Mal at work) the conversation was limited and generally went unanswered, and I was mostly ok. If only I could refrain from talking completely. At work, where talking was unavoidable, my coughing was impossible to contain. And so the last two days I have been at home resting.

Yes resting. Me.
And I am feeling so much better for it.
I'm ready to face the world once more... and start talking again!