Size: 750 pieces
Dimensions: 61cm x 46cm
Producer: Ceaco, Nene Thomas, series 2, 2012, 2993-6, No. 083013-21081-A
Artist: Nene Thomas
Painting: original
Puzzle: Not a trivial puzzle to do, as almost all of it is grey scale or near enough. The best guides are clear borders between black and white, and the regions of black dress and harness, black dragon, white mane, snow, and …
Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 48.10cm x 67.95cm
Producer: Mega Brands, Vibrant series, 2013, No. 51420ABN, A28103LP
Photographer: Elizabeth Carmel
Photo: original
Puzzle: A bit on a challenging side, this puzzle benefits from having good lighting and patience. As with most reflection puzzles, it benefits from having the line of the horizon as a horizontal guide, splitting the image into two distinct regions. This line, as well as the borders …
Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 35.56cm x 45.72cm
Producer: Ceaco?, Meiklejohn Graphics, Glows in the Dark! series
Artist: Meiklejohn Graphics
Puzzle: A fun and not too complicated puzzle to do. A good place to start would be the blue segments of the wings, the waves at the bottom, and the red and orange background behind the dragon’s back. The dragon’s armour and tail are relatively easy areas to complete as well. Darker background …
If you have to perform menial or repetitive tasks, find a way to make them fun.
It has been 50 days now, since I have planted seedlings into my permaculture towers. I have planted more seeds all over the garden on July 4. Here is another update with photos of the towers on day 1, day 14, day 24, day 38, and day 51. We now live under the sign of Tomato.
Menstrual cycle discussions have long been a taboo in the Western society. So much so, that girls entering puberty have little idea what it entails, as even their mothers are hesitant to speak about menstruation. As a result, women struggle to understand their cycle, have trouble coping with period irregularities and pain, and often treat their moon time as a nuisance. We need to reclaim this lost knowledge: it can help us take charge of our fertility, learn to live in harmony with our cycle, and welcome our daughters into womanhood. Whether your goal is to conceive, to avoid pregnancy, or to get in touch with your cycle, these necklaces and bracelets are a stylish personal way to keep track of your cycle and your fertile days. Take a minute each day to move the charm and focus on where your body is right now in its natural rhythm.
Pregnancy is a magical time. The day you find out you are pregnant, your world changes. Suddenly, your body is more than that: it is a vessel for another human being. The following weeks will be filled with discoveries about the strength of your body and the depth of your love, anticipation of feeling the baby move and hearing their heartbeat, and counting the months and days before you get to meet your baby. Take a minute each week on the same day to move the charm on your pregnancy tracking necklace and focus on where your body is right now in your pregnancy journey.
If you have a pregnant mama in your life that needs love and support of other women, Blessingway is a wonderful ceremony to honour her and celebrate her pregnancy. Here are some tips on how to organize a Blessingway.
Blessingway stems from a Navajo tradition that marks rites of passage in a woman’s life: her first moon time, her wedding, birth of her children. In the Western society, Mother’s Blessing (or Blessingway, or Blessing Way) refers to honouring a pregnant mama. Whereas a baby shower focuses on the baby and on giving gifts to the baby, the Blessingway is held to shower the mother with love and understanding from other women.
One of the ways to get in touch with your cycle, is to keep track of where you are in it. Certain times of the month call for rest, others for undertaking complex projects, yet others for socializing. There are various charts and calendars a woman can use to follow her cycle. I wanted to create something that could be beautiful, deeply personal, yet not necessarily known to an external eye, – a piece of jewelry to wear with a movable charm to indicate where you are in your cycle.
This morning, before the +40°C weather hit, I put out some more egg shells into the garden to discourage snails from chewing through the leaves, and sprayed the plants with the jalapeño infused water, to deter squirrels. Not five minutes after I have sprayed, a neighbour of the squirrel persuasion came to visit. It circled the garden perimeter on the fence, sniffing suspiciously, and decided the garden did not hold any bounty of interest. I’ll take it as a good sign.
Before spraying, I have poked at a few more radishes on top of Tower 4, and pulled out those …
Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 67.95 cm x 48.1 cm
Producer: Mega Puzzles, Vibrant series, 2013, No. 51420AAN, A 29073 LP
Artist: Adrian Klein
Original: Golden Light
Puzzle: Not a trivial puzzle, but a calming one to do, listening to some zen music or a good narrative. I would say a good region to get started is the horizon line separating the snow from the water. This …
Wednesday morning, I have spent some time in the garden placing crushed egg shells around the plants in the permaculture towers that showed signs of snails partaking in the leaves. Egg shells also provide minerals to the soil as they break down, so I figured I would annoy the snails and feed the garden in one go.
While in the garden, I have seen a few Easter Egg radishes poking out of the ground ready for picking, so I took the opportunity to pluck those out. Seeing how some of the greens had juicy-looking leaves, I …
Being mindful and fully present throughout our day, we can honour the water, the air, the meal. The ceremony is a mindset. Any ceremony can be as simple or as complicated as one wishes: whatever feels right and comes from the heart will make a fulfilling ceremony.
It has been almost a month, since I have planted seedlings into my permaculture towers, following the garden preparations and the building of the towers. Each day I marvel at the strong green plants sprouting out of the towers. Some are already blooming, a few small green tomatoes have formed, and with each rain things get greener and wilder. Here is a progress update on the plants, with photos on May 27th (day 1), June 10th (day 14), and June 20th (day 24). You can click on the thumbnails to see more detailed, larger photos.
A beautiful puzzle, a pleasure to do. Might be a little challenging for a beginner, due to the large areas of orange rock. The sky is only 4 pieces deep, with a clearly defined bottom boundary with the rock, the sea area is well-defined with two arc shapes of foam dividing it into easily-managed gradient-coloured regions. The trees at the bottom right and the top of the orange rock are darker than almost anything else in the puzzle. All these regions are good places to start.
Pick a shelf, a drawer, a cupboard, or a desk top. Sort through it, throw out what you do not need, group things in a logical manner. Step back, survey the fruits of your labour and take a deep breath. Now there is one less obstacle in your everyday life. Pick another one tomorrow.
A beautiful painting bringing to forefront the issues of ecology, consumerism, and the police state. The artist explores the two sides of the coin: how we see the idyllic society and what it costs in the environmental damage and lack of freedoms.
A beautiful painting, this puzzle would be very pleasant if the makers had left out the “magic effects” of the shiny pieces that change hue based on the viewing angle, and had focused instead on the cut of the pieces. Not only does the shine make it hard to assemble this puzzle in anything but perfect bright daylight, it is not completely clear when the two pieces fit together, introducing a chance of error, especially in the uniformly-coloured regions such as the sky and the sea.
The last few days have been rainy, so I haven’t been able to do much in the garden except watch things grow. I have been interviewed for the Shop of the Month section on the Keepers of Enchantment blog, have created many a treasury on Etsy to celebrate the summer, and have made some new amethyst belly beads in a children’s size.
As I stepped into the fresh wet outside world this afternoon, right after the rain, took a deep breath …
