sasha + max studio

A trio of very different styles - sums up my head space this weekend. On a a small hiatus for a few days (after the post holiday soul searching), I've finished a design role last week with one firm (sad to say goodbye to a very nice and talented group), and will be starting a really fabulous new one with old colleagues in a great senior position on Wednesday  - tres exciting! Less beading time ahead though, so I've been a beading maniac this weekend ....think it's going to be a big week.

There's a show at a friends place in a couple of weeks, so I've been a one woman beading machine - I really enjoy making earrings as you can take colour risks, and it's quick creative gratification.And hey, if it doesn't work you pull it apart and start again. The lovely beads and pieces are from my hoarded bead stash from Blue Seraphim, Bleu Verre,  Outwest, Round Rabbit, Chinook, Humblebeads and some of Miss Ficklemedia's copper rosette hooks.

New  Bird house necklace the name is inspired by the song by They Might Be Giants, "Birdhouse in your Soul" which strangely I can't get out of my head.... My thoughts this weekend have been around a sense of place. My husband and I had lunch with his parents yesterday. They are Chinese Malaysian born, and have been in Australia since 1975. His parents yesterday started sharing some amazing stories regarding their lives in Malayasia during and after the WW2 Japanese occupation, their own parents and how they managed their lives during these time, how they met, why they left Malaysia during difficult political unrest to go to Singapore, and eventually Australia where they built their own home and created new lives yet again. I have been reminded how important it is to retain these stories that form our heritage, that provide us with a sense of who we are, a sense of home and a place to be. We need to remember to take the ask our elders to share their stories. It was a...