25 March 2009

A jar of mayo and two cups of coffee.....


This is one of my photos for the exhibition.


I want to tell you a story. I think it`s one of those stories that are wandering around Blogland…but today when my life felt extra hectic with work and preparations for my exhibition it sort of stuck…… and reading it made me put my work aside for awhile and making waffles with my daughter instead.
I read it in Swedish and have translated it for you… here goes...

When things in your life have become almost too much to handle and 24 hours doesn’t feel like enough time remember the jar of mayo and two cups of coffee: A professor stood before his class of philosophy students with a few objects on a table before him. When the class started he silently lifted a very big and empty glass jar of mayo and started to fill it up with golf balls. He then asked his students if the jar was full. The students said that yes it was. Then the professor takes a box of little pebbles and pour them into the jar too. He shook it and the pebbles filled up the small spaces in between the golf balls. Again he asked the students if the jar was full and the students said yes it was. Then the professor took a box filled with sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the rest of the empty space between the golf balls and the pebbles and once again he asked if the jar was full. The students answered with an unanimous YES! Then the professor placed two cups of coffee on the table and silently poured them into the jar and they efficiently filled the last space left between the grains of sand. The students laughed.

Now, the professor said when the room was silent again I want you to imagine that the jar represents your life. The golf balls is all the important things, family, children, your health and other things your are passionate about. Things – that if everything else was lost and only these things remained your life would still be good and fulfilled. The pebbles represents other things that are important to you, a home, a job and a car maybe. The sand represents everything else – the little things! If you put the sand in the jar first then you have no space left for the golf balls or the pebbles. It`s the same thing with life. If you put all your time and energy on the little things then there is no space left for the really important things. So be attentive on whats important for your happiness and fulfillment. Spend time with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Do things that you are passionate about. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that are really important to you. There is always another day for cleaning the house. Restore what is important in your life – the rest is just sand. One of the students asked “ What does the coffee represent?” The professor smiled and said I am glad you asked. The coffe is there because I wanted to show you that however hectic and crammed your life might feel there is always time for a cup of coffee with a friend!

Take care
Jeanette

08 March 2009

What on earth is she doing?




Well I will keep you on tenterhooks a while more! My exhibition is coming up in three short weeks and absolutely nothing is finished. I am running fast towards disaster here I can feel it in my bones and my bones are never wrong……Okey, okey so I work best under pressure but now I have reach the point where you just can’t keep it off anymore. You know the feeling right? It’s time to focus! Big time!

So the blog will have to be neglected for a while. But be patient I will be back…in three weeks time and then I will show you what on earth I was doing. Until then why not have a little give away? Leave a comment with a guess on what I am doing and I will pick a winner when the exhibition is up and running.

So stay tuned folks
…..and please, please, please keep your fingers crossed that I will make it in time!

Take care
Jeanette

24 February 2009

Close encounter with Mrs Helylle

Tadaaa.... Yes! The wonderful Mrs Helylle do exsist ( I know you would want photo proof) and tonight we finally met. And she taught me how to spin….




.....Or she tried at least. And as the very nice person she is she even lent me the “gizmo” alias “the spinning thing” so that I can practice at home.



Thank you dear Anna ! It was fun!


Take care
Jeanette

23 February 2009

A day off….


Today I had a day off to catch up on some creative stuff. My little exhibition is drawing closer and since I am supposed to show photos, wet & needle feltings and mixed media I better get going…. I have a few ideas but nothing really substantial yet. My photos will probably mostly be close ups of flowers and insects. About 12-14 of them I think, measuring 21 X 29,5 cm. My wet & needle feltings ? Well, that is the not so substantial part. And the mixed media? you ask. The answer to that one is that they are non existent so far……HELP!


This is a few ideas that I am currently working with.






Close up.
Come to think of it, this could be a mixed media piece.
I did add fabric, a photo and I even painted on it....


And this is was I started on today.
What do you think it is? I’ll give you a clue. One of my favorite flowers…..




While I was waiting for the wool to dry, which is about as fun as watching wet paint dry ....I made this guy in wire netting.





I got the inspiration in a shop in Stockholm but I can’t really say that mine got quite that lizard look that I was going for. The body is a bit too long and the tail a bit too short I think. The one in the shop was made of wire netting with a lot smaller “holes” in it so maybe that’s what made mine strange looking. I will just have to keep on trying I guess.


Now the wool is dry so,

Take care
Jeanettte

21 February 2009

What’s with the chili?

I am fascinated by hotels. Well not the hotels as such but the interior design….What makes the designer chose a certain theme for instance? Two days ago I stayed overnight in Gothenburg. My daughters where going to visit the Gothenburg Horse show and me and the hubby where thinking more in terms of long leisurely lunches and some art galleries. We stayed at the Radisson and our rooms got me thinking….

The rooms were a disaster waiting to happen you see ….as interior design goes. I think the designer went for a sort of best little whore house in Texas effect with a bit of jungle theme thrown in for the fun of it. The chili red roof and the gigantic mirror with the rococo glass frame gave you a feeling of “red light district” and the wall behind the bed with its leopard print and the drapes made of glass beads made you start listening for the jungle drums. But the chili, that’s where the designer completely lost it….


If you look closely in the mirror you can see the leopard print on the wall......

Beads, beads, beads

Why on earth would you put a gigantic wooden chili on the wall ?????


And at the hotel breakfast, that’s where I lost it.....
It happens every time. My head starts rotating like a propeller when I try to get a good look at all the goodies and decide where to start first and my husband says I am a danger to innocent bystanders when I almost knock them over in my rush for the buffet table. But I like buffet breakfast, so dah!

Apart from the interior design and the casualties at the breakfast table we had great fun. We went for a stroll about town, visited a few art galleries and had a very loooong lunch. All while the girls were having fun watching show jumping and dressage.




We were not the only ones taking a stroll.....



On Friday hubby and I visited a photo conference. And do you know what I did? I bought myself a new camera. Believe me it wasn’t planned! No sireee! It just sat there in an exhibition case crying out for me to buy it. So what could I do? The poor thing was lonely and wanted a new home. I had to buy it! You understand that don’t you? And I was SO happy I almost walked on air. And all the way home in the car (3 hours) I sat with the box in my lap giving it the occasional hug and a kiss or two.

When I got home I was seized with misgivings….mulling it over you could say ( I am understating it here…..) . How could I buy a new expensive camera just like that? Without due reflection? What was I thinking of? Well, the truth is I wasn’t really thinking was I? I was “craving”! So now I have two cameras… and I just have to take twice the amount of pictures….. Oh joy!

Please Welcome the newest member of the family: Miss EOS D40 !!
My Canon EOS 350 D now has a big sister.


When in doubt always eat chocolate so I might as well end this post with a really good recipe combining the two - chili and chocolate.


Chocolate truffle with chili
250 g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
seeds from one vanilla pod
100 ml thick ( double) cream
80 g honey
50 g unsalted butter
half a chili ( more if you like it hot), finely chopped
Pour the cream, honey and the vanilla seeds in a sausepan and give it a quick boil. Take it from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add 50 gram unsalted butter and stir until the butter is melted and it’s smooth again. Add the chopped chili and stir. Cover the pan and let it cool. When the chocolate is cool and set, make small balls and roll them in cocoa powder until completely covered.

Invite the one you love ( or the one you want to make fall madly in love with you) and serve the chocolate truffles with a glass of champagne. Or two…

Enjoy

Jeanette

15 February 2009

Challenge


I have been challenged! I don’t normally do them but since it was Anna at Helylle who asked …..Who can resist? Here goes:

List 5 fun / unexpected facts about yourself
I am a twin. Fun for me and unexpected for my mother since she didn’t know until giving birth at the maternity ward

I have a constant crush on men from northern Sweden. It’s something about their accent…it makes me want to saddle up my reindeer, hit the sleigh and take off north.

I fall very easily in love and I am a sucker for romance….books, films, music anything with a bit of romance in it and I am hooked. Usually accompanied with a piece of chocolate or two … ( most likely two)

I have a big model air plane hanging from the roof of my work room. It`s bright yellow and it makes me happy. My uncle built it and used to fly it before he put it away on an attic and forgot about it. I keep it in my work room to help me make my thoughts fly high and free.

I go on a diet every Monday morning and break it on Monday evening. On good days. On bad days I last until Monday come lunchtime…


List the 5 funniest or most unusual jobs you`re had :
Sorry nothing especially fun or unusual about most of my jobs. But all of them very interesting though. The most unusual one must have been when I worked as a physical therapist ant taught Lamaz breathing technique to non Swedish speaking pregnant Arabic women.


What are you`re 5 favourite flowers ?

Roses

Tulips

Peonies

Bluebells

Lavender
Last 5 films seen?
This is when it sounds so much better if you say the complete Ingmar Bergman collection or something suchlike. A bit of navel gazing and high brow! I have to admit that the last five films seen have all been Disney and all on video. ( yeah, not even on dvd!!! Stoneage....) But we have been down with the flu you know…. And that’s the only thing that really helps.
Robin Hood
Taran & the magic kettle
Aristocats
Bernard & Bianca
The jungle book

5 material things on my wish list ?

A blow torch (for enameling)

An Angora rabbit + cage (an Angora rabbit produces 10 times it’s own weight in wool. Okey, okey, I know they don’t weigh that much….but the wool. Aaaahhh so soft! And they are cute too! My cats would probably thank me for the caged lunch but a girl got to have dreams right? )

A macro lens for my camera

A robotic vacuum cleaner (they exist you know!!!!)

A sleigh (to take me up north….)


Yep, that`s it folks! Now I am supposed to challenge someone too but I think I just welcome anyone who wants to join in the fun.


Take care

Jeanette

14 February 2009

A Happy

Valentine`s


Day



To you all !