Some drawings ..as promised

With plenty of biros, marker pens and pencils at my disposal,and an ongoing supply of tea and Sunday afternoon movies, I managed to come up with some new ideas including treehouses that have expanded into a tree neighbourhood, and portraits of girls inspired by the stories of Metamorphoses. What do you think?

One can never have enough of bechamel

and cannelonni ..how many n's weren't i supposed to use in that word?
The list of things I can rustle up in the kitchen without setting fire to myself is quite a short one (though thankfully, when I mean setting fire to myself I mean the an unhappy finger or two and Mr T sporting his classic 'I told you so' look) I am proud to say that this is a new addition to my list. The filling was cauliflower and broccolli. Filled us up so much Mr T wouldnt have guessed it was...cough coughvegetarian. I have to say this word quietly around here because the Portuguese folk think it's practically a curse. Go to any restaurant and if you ask for a green salad, most waiters look at you like youre speaking Icelandic. Or they swing little objects in your face whilst chanting things from a book. But if you ask for the classic 'bitoque'(which is basically steak with a fried egg on top and french fries) they look at you oh so lovingly.
I love food. It's something I always take time to eat. My problem is to take time to do it. Mr T is a bit of cooking wizard. Thank God I married a wizard. Otherwise I'd be living on sandwiches with strange fillings for the rest of my life. He loves his food and he likes to invent interesting dishes himself because he has an intense dislike of recipe books. Well,in my book, I don't think theres anything wrong with enjoying comfort food and I don't just mean junk food here. Its the food that makes your kitchen smell lovely and your belly warm. Its the food you share with your friends, family, or on your own as you watch a good film. And the best thing about comfort food is the comfort of having your food cooked for you too. Yes darling I'm talking about you.
I will be back on drawing track soon. Promise. I will.

Doing nothing is my middle name

What have I been doing today? Sitting in front of my laptop with yarn all over the place, a missing crochet hook (I bet it fell into a sofa nook somewhere..) and a belly full of sour strawberry candies. And I'm already fantasising about some of that vanilla icecream with the fresh raspberries I got this morning at the local supermarket. I've had the telly on all day eventhough I'm not really watching it. Except when Oprah comes on. Tonights show is about compulsive hoarders. Suddenly the strawberry candy consumption, the piles of dirty dishes in the sink and the clothes that are waiting ever so patiently to be washed, are freaking me out. Everytime I watch Oprah I want to get up and organise myself.
I'm a major slob. But it doesn't really get to me too much because theres always something that distracts me from dwelling on it, like strawberry candies, crochet flowers,the sewing box that was handed down to Mr T from his mother and now its in my studio waiting to be introduced to my sewing machine, and laughing at Mr T whenever he says 'cinanon' instead of cinammon. I know I could be more organised and I know that some of the veg in our fridge are moments away from the veg cemetery, I know that I could have painted more but I did'nt because my mind is still full of things that don't quite fit together, I know that I could have finished off a couple of pieces that have been ignored for months and collecting dust as a result.
Instead I drank tea. I crocheted. I embraced my husband.I thought about the time when we tried to take a photograph of the two of us infront of a sunset. And I wrote this.
Makes me proud of my middle name.

Baby's got the blues....

Guess what I did this fine Sunday morning? I can't seem to stop crocheting! I think it's too cute for a batty old woman like me. At least the respectable shade of blue keeps the girliness in check.

It was a cold lonely night..

 

when all of a sudden, a purple blob landed on my head. I have since been prancing around the house with it like a flapper girl.And above this post (there it is!) is a picture of the aforementioned purple blob. But I like it. Messy hair (and impending conjunctivitus in right eye) included.

Heres how the experts do it.

My recent purple blob was inspired by the blog CreativeYarn Heres a picture of what it should look like:

A picture is worth a thousand words

and more if you can take ones as beautiful as these. My friend Vania took these as part of her work as a designer. The pictures of children were taken whilst working on a creative project with AMI in Mozambique, and the others were taken in the north of Portugal. Shes a great photographer as you can see and I was really moved by these images. Have a look at her blog here, for more and you can also get to see her design work for Amnesty International

Day at the beach

Hope you had a lovely weekend! I spent mine out of Lisbon, therefore very far away from my laptop too. So there hasn't been much blogging of late. I've been thinking about what my handmade Christmas gifts will be,who I'll give them to, and whether I can do them well (so far I have crocheted a hat that didnt fit Mr T's neice, and the body parts of a donkey.....don't ask) Next month I'm going to spend abit more time painting rather than crocheting scary lumpy matter. I may also do another giveaway too. yeahhh!

 

Hope

The things that make me wonder...

I wonder a lot. I wonder what makes us snap at each other for no apparent reason. I wonder what makes us cry and what makes us feel abandoned. I wonder why we go at great lengths to defend our own weaknesses.
I had a pretty tough week where I found myself questioning a part of myself that I had always thought was the essence of me, the part of me that speaks louder than my words. The childlike need to be liked has always stayed with me. Perhaps thats why my closest friends tell me i have a childlike quality. I take this as a compliment of course, I love to learn and discover, laugh and tease. But there is a side to it that I shouldnt be carrying around with me, nor should it be resonating through my everyday interaction with others. And that is the need to be liked. How have I discovered this? I simply saw it in another person. A wonderful person but in her I see a part of what I have been doing and have been unable to control. Ill give an example; when a person is rude to me, or unnecessarily abrupt, whether it be a person who barely knows me, or one of my closest friends who is merely having a bad day, or a person who believes they are 'doing nothing wrong', I never defend my feelings and instead defend theirs. I wonder what made them say that, rather than wondering why I should have to put up with that. I wonder what I did to make them say that rather than wondering what made them behave like that towards me. I go away with that awful question Why did I just let that happen to me? This week was a tough week because it was a great week. I stood up for myself, it was hard and I didnt like the feeling of speaking back, of not apologising, of not saying no. I didnt like the feeling of doing something that was not in my nature. Ive always held the notion that when you speak back youre just as bad as each other. But what I didnt know is that not wanting to make a fuss is a zillion times worse. It's heaven for procrastinators.But its hell for me because it means staring into space during conversations with Mr T (procrastinators do not know how to listen) and sleepless nights ( and they dont know how to switch off).

I have found a peace inside myself which lets me live in a foreign country without the fear of not making many friends here. I can spend lots of time working away on this blog, reading,painting, calling up my sister or my best friend to catch up on life in London, being with my husband and teaching students who appreciate what I do for them (when I'm not staring into space, that is). I used to hate being alone. Could never imagine living alone or being away from friends and family. But I have connected with them much more by not depending on their presence. I have finally mastered the art of liking myself. I realise who are important enough in my life to spend time with, protect and support but now it includes me. And besides, I havent got much time to work on being liked. Im too busy crocheting pink bows.

Every girl needs a pink bow

I could not have done this without the help of the lovely blog Creative Yarn I still took far longer than the average crocheting human being but with some rather hefty sewing, I managed to make it look like a neat little bow in the end. Just don't look at it too close. Please. I shall put a safety pin at the back and give it to Mr Ts little neice. Theres no fear of this not fitting this time like the bracelet.

A starry night

On Wednesday night I was three rows away from this mans magnetic performance with the Count Basie Orchestra. He is Carlos do Carmo, one of Portugals most loved and respected singers. He was possessed by Sinatra that night. A spine tingling performance. There were other Portuguese singers too, like the fantastic Manuela Azvedo and Maria João who both blew me away and the fado singer Camane who managed to overcome his nerves with a stellar performance too. Its not often that you see singers going out of their familiar musical style. It took courage but it also showed how tenacious they all were. And I loved the idea of merging styles. I felt so privelaged to be a breath away from wonderful voices and wonderful music.Mr T managed to pull off one of the best show to date. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am to be married to a man who takes risks, doesn't listen to the cynics, and just follows his passion which is good old fashioned music. He inspires me to no end. As soon as the weekend arrived he started playing My Funny Valentine over and over whilst I destroyed the lyrics by attempting to sing as he tinkered away. He told me to stick to my day job. Good advice.

Cathy Cullis

I am completely in love with this piece. This is a unique piece of jewelry made by the mixed media artist and poet Cathy Cullis. She has created an ingenious way of combining both writing and visual craft into a wearable form of artwork. Effortlessly clever, achingly beautiful..but instead of tiring you with my adverb abuse, I'll just let you have a look at it.

For more beauties like this, have a little stroll in her etsy shop and blog.

Did I mention my fascination for painting boxes?

Over the summer, I discovered a fantastic arts and craft shop where they sold plain wooden boxes in lots of enticing shapes and sizes. I bought this one with the intention of painting it. I subsequently stared at it most mornings as it collected dust, conjuring up intricate designs that I would have to sit down and do, WITHOUT distractions (youtube...you evil thing you..) So today was the day! No distractions. I painted the floral design using acrylics and I still need to decide what I'm going to do for the sides. The design was inspired by a greetings card from the fantastic blog Print and Pattern.

I finished something!

In case you were wondering, those are her wings so that she can fly off to wherever she pleases! I took the shot at a time of the day when my studio gets alot of sunlight. Thats why there are all those floating orbs in front of the picture. I must get curtains because it does start getting hot and I always have to take my laptop away from dreaded sunny spots.

Current distraction from blogging: myself and this rather dashing looking bloke

The man I am well and truly married to of course! Well, ever heard of a saying that goes 'we are our own enemies'?. I've been at it again you see: starting too many projects and not completing them, and I haven't stopped there either. I like to make things that little bit more complicated in true Khairun style, by hoarding on ideas from the dreaded weekend blogging splurge. I go from crochet to applique, applique to watercolours, writing poetry to crochet again. Was that applique I just mentioned? Yes my friends, applique so I'm also looking longingly at things that I have no clue in doing whatsoever. Creative overload.
In addition to all this madness thats currently residing within the deep recesses of my brain, Mr T is also on edge as he has a huge concert coming up; The Count Basie Orchestra no less. They're performing alongside some of the best Portuguese singers for an unforgettable show next week. With the two of us like this, we're just no good to each other. I'm at it like a madwoman with my crocheting and he's got two phones plastered to his ears and a laptop that may as well be a third arm. No relaxing weekend for him the poor thing.
I just thank the heavens above that he has limitless amounts of patience. That's just what a crazy woman like me needs.

a little black number

Heres another one in black, with a little pink rose. I'm starting to get the hang of it now. Mr T took this rather thoughtful shot of us hand in hand as we went for our Sunday walk downtown. We're the sort of couple that indulges too much in comforting things. This morning for instance,we watched four episodes of The Sopranoes back to back. We really need to go out abit more.

Hope you like it. I'm going to do a couple more for the friends who fully support my old fashioned tendencies.

 

 

The city of lace and tiles

 

This took me HOURS....

but it was after all, my first stab at crochet. Not only was it time consuming (I was following an instructional video on youtube) but with so much concentration going on I practically turned into a mute.Now all I keep hearing in my head is 'chainstitch 5, yarn over, double crochet....'
This dainty little prom style corsage did not fit the equally dainty wrist of my 5 year old neice! I have to find a 2 year old or even younger to see if it fits them instead. But if I don't want to scare little girls with my crochet induced mute madness, I could just make it longer and give it back to my neice.

 

and the winner is...

Monica! I am thrilled that my piece will start its new life in Alentejo, and with a crochet extraodinaire too. Just send me an email with your contact details at khairunsmoon@gmail.com and it will be heading your way!
With all the inspiration and positive energy that the last two weeks have given me, here's a sneak picture of what I'm working on at the moment.
I've also made a crochet bracelet! It turned out a little shorter than I expected so it's going to be for Mr Ts darling 5 year old neice. I just have to snatch her away from her busy schedule(ballet,swimming,cello!) to be my very first 'hand model'. I just hope it fits her! It took me ages! And I hope she doesn't expect me to pay her either!

 

A big thanks for all those who participated in my giveaway.
Knowing me, I'm sure it won't be the last!

Baguette anyone?

Picture me wearing oversized sunglasses, heels and a black shift dress Hepburn style, with Mr T sporting a tortured artist beard (abit like Goerge Clooney but with a major career change) and a tattered book of Baudelaires poems in one hand, walking down the streets of Paris. That's where I am right now as I listen to this divine duet between Juliette Greco and Feist. I'm going through some major Parisian mind control so a song like this makes sense to me whilst Mr T has to shake my shoulders crying "Khairun don't listen to the voices! You are not French, do you hear me??"
Putting my insanity aside for a moment, Mr T does his best to bring musicians like these to Portugal. For the past four years he has introduced me to a whole gamut of sounds as lovely as these. Juliette Greco will be playing on October 14th at Casa de Musica OPorto and October 16th at CCB in Belêm. I wish Mr T the best of luck with this French catch (don't get any french ideas Mr T!)

Have a lovely weekend

but don't forget to stop by. You never know, it could be your lucky day! I think I have never had this much fun giving something away just for the hell of it. The comments have been a real boost to my confidence, and I'm sure this won't be the last of them!
Tomorrows the last day to post comments. Good luck!

 

On My Way

I discovered this on Sofia Barãos blog
Its such a comforting song. And it comes just in time for my seasonal depression (in other words not wanting to drag myself out of bed because my feet are cold) a loving balm for the soul. I like their cute french accents too.




Embarassing note: Did I say Monday the 12th for the final day of the giveaway?? I meant Sunday people. SUNDAY. And I will announce the winner on Monday.
Sorry about that. My mind works in mysterious ways.

Pink and Purple

Heres a little sketch I made this morning. I think Im going to give it to a friend of mine. A playful and pretty picture which I enjoyed doing. I got to make use of my felt tip pens too, something that takes me back to my school days.

Oh and my camera and I have made up. Woohooh!

 

Still no luck with my camera...

Mondays are my days off work. Its an odd day really, but given that I work on Saturdays, it gives me that chance to have full weekends. Mr T has to work though, as do the majority of the world which is why Mondays are synonymous with doom and gloom but for me it feels heaven sent. I have the absurd pleasure of getting up at ooh let's say nine or even tennish, cup of tea in one hand, I glance out my window to watch the bus get stuck around the corner for the umpteenth time because of some rather adventurous student parking manoeuvre, and the almost ritualistic honking of cars behind it. As the daily grind goes on around me, I get to read a whole array of blogs online most of whom are on my linklists, and treat myself to a film adaptation of Wuthering Heights courtesy of Youtube. The final scene was dubbed in Turkish which was a random shock to say the least. But nevertheless I got through it (living in a country where I can't speak the language has made me a very patient person as you can tell) Instead of the frustration of not understanding I just imagine what they could be saying. In other words I just imagined Heathcliff declaring his undying love for me in Turkish. For all I care Ralph Fiennes could have been saying 'pants' over and over. But it's Ralph Fiennes

Giveaway reminder: Thanks for all your comments so far. For any blogger newbies, just make sure you are going to comments and not the little envelope symbol. I have already had one friend of mine getting herself a little confused there (hello Sandra!)
Shelley: Thankyou for dedicating a post to me! It means alot to me that you would go out of your way to help out. Lets hope I get a better turn out now, but even if I don't, It was still well worth the experience.

Better be heading off to work now

Have a lovely Tuesday!

October

I would have liked to have posted more photos but for some mysterious reason that my poor little brain cannot seem to unravel, my camera is not on speaking terms with me. What did I do to you Mr Camera? Perhaps your memory is too full. I might have to wait for Mr T later today to have a chat with him. I know cameras don't talk(realllly I hear you say) but when you have a blog, cameras are your friend. And when they're not, it feels like they're saying 'I don't want to be your friend anymore..neh neh neneh neh!
Let's hope tonights intervention will swiftly restore things to my version of normality.In the meantime here are some photos I happen to already have in my files, ones that perfectly sum up Autumn.

Painting giveaway update: 6 lovely people so far (not including my husband, but thankyou for the moral support darling!) One more week left!

 

 

I love London

and I miss being there. Yesterday it was the last day of Ramadan and all my family were together including my gorgeous neice and nephew. I wish I had been there! I miss being around them, especially at times like these. As much as I love being here in Lisbon, having my wonderful husband by my side, I nevertheless wish I could see my family more often. Hopefully next year I'll go out to visit them.

 

Don't forget to comment if you want to be the proud owner of a Khairun original! You have until Oct 12th!