KittyBaroque

Making room for some new energy....

I'm creating room for some new energy in my house and this is stage one. Here are some giveaways to send to new loving homes who will appreciate them more than I.

• Frankies (2 issues have a page torn out I REALLY needed, but otherwise all complete):

• Bust Issues, the BEST mag if you haven't seen it, there's also a really cool culture/environmental magazine 'Sublime' and some other crafty mags (paperarts):

 

• Orphans from the Bookshelf including a really cool address book with a postage stamp theme and postage stamps in a pocket in the back - 2nd row, 3rd from the left in the below:

These will otherwise make their way to Ebay or the local charity store so snap them up, recipient pays actual postage.

Blessings
KittyB

Shots from Home....

Aaaaahhhh, just the day for a few messy shots from home, just a few mind you :-)

Here is the Eiffel Tower. I tried to dangle things from it but for the Kitties it was all a little too tempting and things got crazy. So, in short, the Eiffel Tower is STILL naked :-(

Here is ONE of the bookshelves, as you can see above, I do need more of them ;-) A LOT more....

Wanna see a close up of my Loobylu Rabbit and AK Doll?
Just LOOOOOOOVEEEEEEE them <3 <3

And random fabulosity can be found here, yyyuuuuummmmmmmm

Hope to post tomorrow some Brown Owl's magic, I ACTUALLY finished something!!

Blessings All
KB X

I'm using a lot of......

Yes, Ladies & Gentlemen I have fallen foul of the dreaded 'coming of Winter' scourge.
It strikes when you least expect it.

OK, so, granted I have been surrounded with people sniffling and sneezing at work for the last few weeks but I NEVER expected to be living it myself. Then, on Wednesday I started to get a sore throat. Thursday was a little husky but hey, this was the worst it could get. Friday, same as Thursday, then I had a spicy curried lunch and  the voice went extra husky (think Kathleen Turner but you know it is the downward slide) but by Friday night the eyes were watering and I knew I was in trouble.

So, you get to Saturday and you think (defiantly) that you just HAVE to go out as it is, well, the weekend and there is really NO WAY you can stay in. Some Dr. Hauschka Mascara, a new Eye make up brush & a new Giovanni's conditioner (the best natural solution) you are at home exhausted, sore, coughing, nose dripping and you have even resorted to buying a strong fortifying Chinese Herbal Remedy.
You go to bed early, tomorrow is another today.

Fast forward to today, Sunday. The WHOLE day in bed. In fact, I only got out because I couldn't bear the thought of being there all night AND day. I REALLY should have been there sleeping but couldn't resist reading and at least feeling slightly productive. So, I read the first chapter of Gorgeously Green (the BEST book for Glam Chicks who want to save the planet), more of Eat, Love, Pray (also well worth reading, especially if you feel you are in transition or post crisis) and lay there like some pathetic shadow of myself along with two very sleepy Kitties teaching me how to do it properly, ie:

So, what does tomorrow hold? Think my 'high powered PA' role might be running on empty and I have STACKS to do. Think we might need a bit more of the above*

Blessings, KB

Where have I been?......

Seriously, where HAVE I been?????
Well, y'all know I am a sporadic blogger but over a year!!! yeah, its a long time..... I am furiously interested in other peeps blogs but for some reason think that there could be no reason for anyone to be interested in my little life: I don't have littlies (only cutie kitties), my week consists of the office bound 9-5 and while I have this amazing camcorder that I could be posting all sorts of stuff from, I never seem to get my butt together and photograph stuff so there is lots of ranting and sometimes not much else.
Then, today, after being to a bloggers meet with Nikkishell and Justine and a heap of other super crafty Chicks on Saturday (and feeling a total poseur since I haven't blogged in over a year) I thought, ya know what, no one else's blog contains that much more interesting stuff than mine and its important to get your unique POV out there so thought I would give it a go (again) plus I LOOOOOVVVEEEE Typepad and Blogspot  etc.. doesn't do it for me and I had all this stuff up here already and blah, blah, blah..... sooooooo HERE I AM!

SO, can I at least post something pretty for you to look at today? Ooohhhh, yes, now this is a bit out of date but hasn't been posted before.

I'm going to make the "All Day Tote" from Lotta's "Simple Sewing" - here is a link to other people's creations on Flickr.

C U tomorrow peeples.....
Blessings KittyB

Out in the Cold with no PC...

Just when, oh WHEN will the Sun shine? My PC crapped out a few days ago and I have snuck on to my DH's PC for a sec just to say a 'Hi'. To top that, I started feeling sickly a couple of days ago and have spent the WHOLE weekend in bed (take your minds out of the gutter people) sniffling and sneezing.
Is THIS what being FABULOUSLY FORTY is all about?
I will do a MUCH more positive post Birthday post later in the week when my little PC is better, In the meantime, you should all know that my Cupcake Tea Party at Miss Nic's Place went really well. I want to say a HUGE thanks to all for coming along to help me celebrate, I trust you all had a FABULOUS time*
I feel MUCH less stress now about being 40 as I realised that Brad Pitt is 42 so that makes me MORE likely to have a lot in common next time we meet (yeah, I know, I know, dream on..) - Angelina watch out, you ain't got NOTHING on me baby, woooooohhhhoooooooo!!
Hope to catch up sometime Monday or Tuesday when I hope to have some pics and a new happy & healthy PC. For now, best give DH this PC back before I stuff it up as well*
Blessings
KB

Tempt Fate....

Do y'all know that when you talk about something you tempt fate?
You know how I was talking about my nice part time job the other day and really having to get my stuff together and find a PERMANENT solution? Well, the next day I was told I was losing 6 hours work a week (equivalent to 12 hours as you get paid almost double) leaving a paltry 6 hours a week!!!??? Now just HOW many pairs of shoes can I buy on THAT salary?? mmmmmmmm........
So, earlier than I had anticipated I have to SORT OUT MY LIFE and just before my 40th birthday! Could I ASK for a bigger universal message for change? Any suggestions anyone?
I also thought it could have something to do with a pendant my Husband has bought me from http://www.shankari.com which has gems/stones with significant meanings. The pendant has Amethyst for Spirituality and Strength, Rainbow Moonstone for Letting Go of Past Hurts/Pain and, the BIGGEST stone is Sugilite meaning New Beginnings. Since it is a TALISMAN (a healing tool for personal transformation) and not just a piece of jewellery I think this may well be a hint from the universe to MOVE ON with my life!! Sugiilite is also for creativity and that is SERIOUSLY something I have been desperate to increase in my life so fingers crossed. I feel very blessed to own this small Shankari piece and *know* it is playing a role in transforming my life - I just wish it had been a smoother transition :-)) Then again, I should know that this 'Universal' stuff doesn't work in convenient ways.....
Blessings
KB

Forty Things Before Fifty - Part One

Here as promised are a few of the 40 things I want to do/achieve before age 50....

1) Meet Bono
2) Be interviewed by Oprah for my amazing contribution to the world (whatever this creative success will be??).
3) Meet the Dalai Lama
4) Own a house in Tuscany
5) Have appeared on stage in a play
6) Have sung a song solo on stage
7) Feel fufilled and happy in my own skin
8) To be earning a living using my creative talents and happy in my work.
9) To own my own home in a capital city (London, New York, Melbourne or Florence).
10) To continue to have a fantastic relationship with my wonderful Husband*
11) To win the Archibald prize.
12) To paint a portrait of Sting from life.
13) To have discovered my true purpose and to be living from my Authentic Self.
14) To have resolved my health issues and to be taking care of myself nutritionally, spiritually and physically.
15) To be meditating daily, practising Yoga daily and to have a regular Buddhist practise.
16) To have crocheted a Skirt.
17) To be a less angry, frustrated, bitter and twisted Woman.

I tried to make it a round number for the day but this is all I can manage (I started to get frivolous thoughts about all kinds of flippant wishes so thought it was time to stop before I REALLY went crazy). Lets see what tomorrow holds........

Blessings, KB

Betcha wondered where I had gone?

Sometimes I just can't cope, I am a wimp in my life. I've recently started work in a part time job which is at least SOME pennies but, it is NOT a permanent solution.
I know, I know, I am also WAY off being a reliable blogger but half the time I don't think I have anything to say that is worth listening to, that's mainly why I don't write. Heck, half the time I have no idea what I am doing here (on earth) so why would anyone want to listen to my ramblings on my daily insecurities and Brit whinging? There is PLENTY of interesting stuff on other blogs - y'all keep me readig about your fascinating lives, thoughts and projects for hours - but I always find myself brooding instead of DOING.
For the last few weeks I have been getting used to my new work routine and struggling with the lead up to becoming 40, yes, FORTY, F-O-R-T-Y, people and I am FREAKING out!! Heck, well, it is out there... So, while I almost always come across as this confident person I am secretly (heh heh, well, not so secret now ;-) fed up with the direction of my life and dreading hitting that next decade, thinking of all the things I have not achieved. So, to counter that 'stressing' I am hosting a small soiree to celebrate this new phase in my life and trying to clear up heaps of paperwork a& stuff I have been meaning to do before the weekend. All this in the heaps that I can move onward and upward to a life of glamour and fabulousness. Inspired by this blog you will find below a list of forty things you might not know about me along with forty (if I can make a list of forty but this might end up being spread over a few days) things tomorrow I want to achieve before 50!

Forty things you might not know about me....
1) I have only been truly drunk three times in my life and the last (an incident with Melon Vodka) put me off excessive alcohol for good.
2) I have won heaps of disco dancing medals, I was a REAL 'Disco Diva' in the 70's-80's.
3) I have a passion for Chocolate Raisins (Poppets in the UK).
4) I've had dinner with Sting, the Musician (well, I am OBSESSED with this guy so it HAD to go on the list.
5) I HATE Horror or Gore movies and think the world is a yuck enough place without putting that rubbish into my psyche.
6) I haven't worn make up for 20 years (until I had to recently find a brand to wear for work that didn't bring me out in rashes).
7) I ran the 'Feed the World' Marathon in London in the 80's, the famous Bob Geldolf one.
8) continued from above...I had done NOOOOO training or exercise BEFORE running the marathon and only decided to do it the day before cuz Sting was running it.
9) I love Shirley Bassey.
10) I won an Art Scholarship to go study Painting in Italy.
11) I worked as a Waitress in London in the 80's at a Celebrity club opening meeting George Michael, Elton John and Bananarama along with heaps of other 80's celebs.
12) I've also met Paul Weller from the Jam (my first ever BF LOVED the Jam).
13) I have REALLY bad taste in 80's music.
14) I cannot resist dancing if I hear Michael Jackson's 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough'.
15) I LOVE Brit standards like Trifle and Eggy Bread.
16) I weight trained obsessively almost every day for a solid 7 years.
17) I met my wonderful Husband in Italy (even though he is a Maori NZ-er living in Oz).
18) I am passionate about early Renaissance painting.
19) I truly want to make a postive difference to the World somehow.. (still figuring this one out).
20) I am a HUGE Oprah fan and often ask myself 'WWOD?' (what would Oprah do?).
21) I didn't study any sciences for my senior exams - did Needlework, Nutrition and Art instead.
22) I studied to be an Aerobics Teacher and bust my ankle the week before the practical exam so never qualified.
23) It takes me weeks to make a relatively simple decision and yet I can make a HUGE decision in a second (I moved to Australia from London on a whim).
24) I am a Gemini Fire Horse (they killed female Fire Horses in China years ago - we are TROUBLE).
25) I believe in the existence of Aliens.
26) I also believe in past lives and reincarnation and, although I do not LOOK like a 'Hippy' am really a 'New Age' kinda Girl (as long as there are some Manolo's and a glam dress along the way).
27) I told a Catholic Preist I was Buddhist when I am 13, WAY before I had a love of the Dalai Lama at age 24.
28) My nicknames when I was younger were 'Miss Piggy' (yes, I am a stroppy diva character) and Zippy (from a Brit show called 'Rainbow', a character with a zip for a mouth that people would use when they wanted him to shut up, mmmm, did I talk a lot?).
29) My favourite TV shows when I was younger were Mr Ben, The Clangers, Noddy, Rainbow, Sesame St and when I was a bit older Fame.
30) I had a crush on David Cassidy and didn't speak to my poor Dad for ages after he tore down my David Cassidy poster when he was redecorating my room.
31) I also had a crush on Donny Osmond and the Bay City Rollers (I warned you about my tacky music taste above).
32) I wasn't allowed to wear heels when I was young and only got to wear platforms when I was a Bridesmaid at my Sister's wedding.
33) I have a taste for trashy UK series - LOVE Footballers Wives - and just HAVE to get my fix of Eastenders every day (even though we are a couple of years behind the UK).
34) I had the Fame album in the UK and have been watching bits of the marathon this weekend on Digital - I LOVE the Mannequin song by Leroy, even THOUGH it is lame.
35) I really want to start taking Dance and Singing classes again.
36) I've been in a couple of TV adverts and an episode of Blue Heelers in Australia.
37) I attended the famous Police concert on Tooting Bec Common in a Marquee (famous for it's disaster but I thought it was AWESOME).
38) I love learning languages and can speak almost fluent Italian and basic French.
39) I become this HUGELY patriotic Football fan once the World Cup is on and am suddenly a HUGE expert on Football when really I am a HUGE David Beckham fan and those Italians...........
40) I proposed to my Husband in front on a David painting in the Louvre (BTW, I already knew he would say Yes so it wasn't such a HUGE deal).

Any surprises people???????? Blessings, KB

Herbs that Heal

Chinese Medicine, if you have never had it you are REALLY not missing out ;-) <winks>
I have been taking Chinese Herbs for some time - if it is not ear ringing it is tummy ache, headache, fedupness and all other stuff that herbs can help with - BUT the taste NEVER gets any better. Seriously, this is the only occasion I wouldn't mind a few fake flavours, but yet, these weird and icky tasting bits of stuff are the only thing that have given any relief from a stomach condition that western medicine just CANNOT fix. Here is a counter view of the FABULOUS AY Tea House in Chapel St where Dr. Grant gives out amazing remedies that can help where others fail (you can also buy yummy 'Happy Tea' here):



Man, I will be in TROUBLE if I mention AY and don't mention Tea Corporation. If you have a palate for Gourmet Teas, all Pure Estate (means they come from one field and are not blends that pervert the pure taste) then you MUST check them out. Next time you are shopping in the City stop by a David Jones Cafe's around Australia for a Tea break taster (they also ship internationally) However,  don't ask for Tea Bags as that may offend. This is Tea with STYLE* and we are ALL worth it*

Blessings
KB

A Little About Me...

In my promise to post SOMETHING every day and stolen from Nikkishell some things to help you get to know me:

1. Four jobs you have had in your life:
    Shiatsu Therapist
    Interior Decorator
    Oki-Do Yoga Teacher
    Art Gallery Security Guard

2. Four films you would watch over and over:
    Field of Dreams
    Moulin Rouge
    The Colour Purple
    Amelie

3. Four places you have lived:
    Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy
    London, England
    Normandy, France
    Melbourne, Australia

4. Four TV shows you love to watch:
    Desperate Housewives
    Eastenders
    Will & Grace
    Medium

5. Four places you have been on vacation:
    New York, New York, USA   
    Rossnakil, Donegal, Ireland
    Paris, France
    Amsterdam, Holland

6. Four websites I visit daily:
    http://www.loobylu.com
    http://nikkishell.typepad.com
    http://www.ebay.com 
     http://whipup.net
   
7. Four of my favourite foods:
    Chocolate Raisins (Poppets)
    Tiramisu
    Cheesecake
    Strawberries and Cream (Yoghurt if I am being healthier)
    aside: you SHOULD know that I am now dairy intolerant and
    can't really eat ANY of these things on a regular basis but I
    CAN fantasize.

8. Four places I would rather be right now:
    Walking around Florence, Italy near the Duomo
    about to go to the Uffizi   
    Hanging out with Sting (Musician) in Tuscany recording
    vocals for his upcoming CD
    In the Gyuto Monks of Tibet Monastery in India hanging out
    with my homies
    Wandering round Covent Garden, London, with my best
    friend Nathalie

As an extra to this mini roundup things I will be doing today from these categories:

Job of the Day: Lady of Leisure - still job hunting
Film of the Day: Snatch by Guy Ritchie OR Breakfast at Tiffanys with the fabulous Audrey
Location of the Day: Melbourne, Australia
TV Show of the Day: Oprah - OF COURSE!
Holiday of the Day: National Gallery of Victoria, British Art from the 60's, Melbourne
Website of the Day: http://www.etsy.com - to see if anyone has bought one of my goodies
Food of the Day: Blueberries and a Soy Chai Latte   
A Place I would rather be Today: Viewing my fave Rembrandt at the National Gallery, London

Wishing you all a FABULOUS Friday*
KB