Hi! Welcome to my life and the mess that I have fun creating everyday. I am an Australian, mother of three and nurse to many. Passion resides in the creative arts and finding joy in the daily colour of life I would love to hear from you! With respect if you list or print content from my pages please link back to me
Thursday, 28 February 2013
The month that was February
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Hand Printed Fabric Swap - Lotus Flower
Ive been working on my hand printed fabric swap today . I decided that I wanted a cleaner line for the seed head inside the flower and carved it directly in the flower stamp. This will eliminate the possibility of utilizing another colour when printing but makes for much cleaner lines.
This is the original flower , below,with the separate centre cut out and stamped in afterwards and above with the flower with the seed head already in the flower.
I have also carved a seed head and a vine of leaves (not related to the lotus flower but more aesthetically pleasing to me) I can use this leaf in a running pattern
Carving the leaf stamp block
and seed head
Random placement just to get a feel for the stamps.
On a side thought, I went today to TYPO and picked up rolls of second paper for 20 cents a roll, bargain
I think I need to pick a new stamp pad though because the ink on my pad is getting really hard to get even coverage with - but you get the idea of the print don't you?
Really like a rose background and black ink stamping.
Would look good in bright blue stamp on hemp / taupe coloured fabric...no?
The Health Rant
I love my work don't get me wrong but today it generated pure frustration in me. Sometimes I feel so over extended and pulled in so many directions that I just want to burst.
A hospital has big wheels and the cogs keep on turning no matter what you do. People line up at the front door and demand to get in. A back log of patients extends the staff to their physical and mental limits and the overflow generates the propensity to push ward staff to discharge their patients efficiently and in a timely manner.
I've always said to the new interns that arrive on the ward. It 's easy to admit a patient , its a lot harder to discharge them."
In this day and age we have things called pre admission clinics. They act in a two fold manner. To prepare the patient for their impending surgery and give adequate work up and planning for their operation. But it is also designed to start the patient to think and plan about going home. Get out of bed early. Mobilize. Deep Breathe Cough and Who is going to be home to support you on discharge, how will you get home.??
And yet people are surprised when we tell them that their care is complete...blank face... I don't have any body home to help me... they are away ...at work. Sorry its off to the discharge lounge until someone is available to pick you up. Don't get me wrong people are supported in their discharge and the appropriate follow up is made (most of the time) but please we are not a hotel.
I frequently apologise to people when we have to move them from one room to another. But unless they want to share in a mixed sex room or someone whom has multi resistant germs then moving them is necessary. Remember people are queued up at the front door waiting to get in.
I am an expert removalist and when I am sick of helping people I will be opening up my own furniture removalist company, except that my body will be so old and tired from the lifting and assisting old frail bodies up the bed.
You get the feeling that there is al lot of pushing and pulling!! Whatever happened to simple old nursing care. Now a days every action has to have a piece of paper to support it. Falls documents to be completed within the hour of admission. Falls document part B for every patient meeting one criteria out of twenty or so listed - every patient that is pushed through the door!! To Be completed every shift. Nutrition assessment, skin assessment, wound care charts, mobility assessment, bowel chart, fluid balance chart etc etc Hello! where is my patient...did you want me to actually talk to you???
To all you bureaucrats stop justifying your lot in life, get down to grass roots and stop pushing paper...under my nose. Yes we have document everything to state that it was done, where do I get the time to do it. To have enough time to do these things you have to complete something called excelcare..the most archaic system in the universe.. you allocate units of care to a patient and it will give you a timing according to that unit. This adds up to hours of nursing time...I don't have the time to sit at the computer to project for the staff required for the next shift and half the time it doesn't list what you do for the patient, so you physically have to write your own unit of care and allocate timings.......More time wasted...Then you don't get the staffing even when you're flat out busy because there are not enough staff and the government has cut the funding to the hospitals and the first to be skimmed off the monetary tree are nurses.
Now a days you complete your three year course and you might be lucky to get a years graduate nurse program but don't expect to be employed afterwards. You will be employed in the casual pool.. No stability of jobs, you won't be able to get a loan to buy a house. But the hospital will employ you when they are flat out busy. Hurt your back and wok cover will only cover you so far, no responsibility to help you find suitable employment light duties because you are not permanently employed by the hospital, contract only. Tough.
Dont forget that the population is getting older. Only a few years ago our hospital went on a desperate hunt to England , Scotland and Africa to recruit over seas nurses. Now whole speciality units are being chipped away and broken down in the name of a budget. Whole skill sets are being lost. The capacity to educate new specialist nurses and doctors in differing areas is reduced. You think you have to wait for care now, just wait ten years and you will be absolutely be disgusted.
We already have corridor nursing - no call bell, no specific nurse allocated to care, not counted in the staff numbers allocated to your care... no where to view the patient and condition on doctors rounds, no where to utilize a toilet.........
Protest to your local member of parliament
Use your voice
Vote with your health and your children's health in mind! Read the South Australian Health site plan for the future.....already failing because their is not enough money to complete the job/ new hospital..... Wasted money once again.
I am just one nurse in the mechanics of a big machine, but we all have a voice together... What is happening here in South Australia is happening throughout the country
Do you think I've ranted enough... Phew...
This started out as just a bad day, but I think it relays the frustration I feel regularly at not being able to give the care I want to give.
A hospital has big wheels and the cogs keep on turning no matter what you do. People line up at the front door and demand to get in. A back log of patients extends the staff to their physical and mental limits and the overflow generates the propensity to push ward staff to discharge their patients efficiently and in a timely manner.
I've always said to the new interns that arrive on the ward. It 's easy to admit a patient , its a lot harder to discharge them."
In this day and age we have things called pre admission clinics. They act in a two fold manner. To prepare the patient for their impending surgery and give adequate work up and planning for their operation. But it is also designed to start the patient to think and plan about going home. Get out of bed early. Mobilize. Deep Breathe Cough and Who is going to be home to support you on discharge, how will you get home.??
And yet people are surprised when we tell them that their care is complete...blank face... I don't have any body home to help me... they are away ...at work. Sorry its off to the discharge lounge until someone is available to pick you up. Don't get me wrong people are supported in their discharge and the appropriate follow up is made (most of the time) but please we are not a hotel.
I frequently apologise to people when we have to move them from one room to another. But unless they want to share in a mixed sex room or someone whom has multi resistant germs then moving them is necessary. Remember people are queued up at the front door waiting to get in.
I am an expert removalist and when I am sick of helping people I will be opening up my own furniture removalist company, except that my body will be so old and tired from the lifting and assisting old frail bodies up the bed.
You get the feeling that there is al lot of pushing and pulling!! Whatever happened to simple old nursing care. Now a days every action has to have a piece of paper to support it. Falls documents to be completed within the hour of admission. Falls document part B for every patient meeting one criteria out of twenty or so listed - every patient that is pushed through the door!! To Be completed every shift. Nutrition assessment, skin assessment, wound care charts, mobility assessment, bowel chart, fluid balance chart etc etc Hello! where is my patient...did you want me to actually talk to you???
To all you bureaucrats stop justifying your lot in life, get down to grass roots and stop pushing paper...under my nose. Yes we have document everything to state that it was done, where do I get the time to do it. To have enough time to do these things you have to complete something called excelcare..the most archaic system in the universe.. you allocate units of care to a patient and it will give you a timing according to that unit. This adds up to hours of nursing time...I don't have the time to sit at the computer to project for the staff required for the next shift and half the time it doesn't list what you do for the patient, so you physically have to write your own unit of care and allocate timings.......More time wasted...Then you don't get the staffing even when you're flat out busy because there are not enough staff and the government has cut the funding to the hospitals and the first to be skimmed off the monetary tree are nurses.
Now a days you complete your three year course and you might be lucky to get a years graduate nurse program but don't expect to be employed afterwards. You will be employed in the casual pool.. No stability of jobs, you won't be able to get a loan to buy a house. But the hospital will employ you when they are flat out busy. Hurt your back and wok cover will only cover you so far, no responsibility to help you find suitable employment light duties because you are not permanently employed by the hospital, contract only. Tough.
Dont forget that the population is getting older. Only a few years ago our hospital went on a desperate hunt to England , Scotland and Africa to recruit over seas nurses. Now whole speciality units are being chipped away and broken down in the name of a budget. Whole skill sets are being lost. The capacity to educate new specialist nurses and doctors in differing areas is reduced. You think you have to wait for care now, just wait ten years and you will be absolutely be disgusted.
We already have corridor nursing - no call bell, no specific nurse allocated to care, not counted in the staff numbers allocated to your care... no where to view the patient and condition on doctors rounds, no where to utilize a toilet.........
Protest to your local member of parliament
Use your voice
Vote with your health and your children's health in mind! Read the South Australian Health site plan for the future.....already failing because their is not enough money to complete the job/ new hospital..... Wasted money once again.
I am just one nurse in the mechanics of a big machine, but we all have a voice together... What is happening here in South Australia is happening throughout the country
Do you think I've ranted enough... Phew...
This started out as just a bad day, but I think it relays the frustration I feel regularly at not being able to give the care I want to give.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Lotus Flower
The beginnings of my handprinted fabric swap - Lotus Flower
My thought was to do the flower in two colours. The base colour would be the flower and the centre over printed on to the centre of the flower. I just did a quick trial run so see how things would print up. In this instance I masked the centre of the flower with paper but when printing on fabric would just over print.
I'm thinking this would be nice in blue or white might do both.
Still to carve out the seed head.
I've had a real crafty run today in-between driving the children to various sporting activities and friends. houses. I've basically been hiding from the heat under the air conditioner another sweltering hot day.. argghh!
Anyway this is it for the next couple of days as I'm off to work again.
Take Care!
Jules of Little Woolie has a wool giveaway and has opened up an on line shop. Visit her here and look at her gorgeous crochet
Dont forget to sign up for the handprinted fabric swap III.. tab in the sidebar
Wood Work To Necklace
The Golden Ash trees that the council trimmed off recently are gradually being utilized into necklaces. I have recycled beads that I picked up in the op shops and leather strapping bought from Spotlight and linked with clasps that I had from beading. An eclectic mix of natural and recycled goods
The idea of this necklace is to have it hanging off center. It is surprising how light it is. I like the exposure of the leather strapping.
I thought these seed pods beads that have been pyrographed, really captured the colouring of the clothe woven button embedded in the wood disc. The button and the natural colouring of the wood look a little like a flower to me. This one has thin leather stapping and can be tied in a bow to any length
This is an antique buckle and stud, the sewer in me really likes this.
And lastly the large periwinkle disc. I thought that it's size and strong lines didn't require any embellishment, so just some simple leather strapping
I've polished the wood with wax to give a lovely soft feel.
Dont forget to join the handmade fabric swap with Leslie from Maze and Vale.. Click on the button in the side bar for Handmade fabric swap III
Friday, 22 February 2013
Garden Vista and More
A little garden love to enjoy and brighten your day
And some quilt love, just because we can...
And because I have you drawn into a mosaic spell (unlike MOi) a little art display
Lead Astray
Don't you just love it when on a quest for something crafty that you get lead astray and find something completely different to get involved in ??
Yesterday when I in search of ezy carve rubber stamp blocks at the local craft store and not being able to find it , I decided to ask the assistance for help. Unfortunately they dont stock the rubber blocks and had only just got in store Lino for carving. Whilst standing in front of the lino and silk screening block printing inks etc. I complained about my failure in exposing my silk screen. The assistant informed me a group of like minded people were forming a group to meet and hear lectures about silk screening and provide an area where people could swap and exchange ideas. I almost kissed the girl I was that excited. I've given her a quick email last night and wait in anticipation of joining this group.
I know I could go to TAFE and learn techniques there but really the only thing I have problem with is my exposure of the screen because I haven't source the correct light bulb and TAFE costs a lot of money. Us cash strapped mothers have to be careful where we place our money bags and what we dedicate our expenditure too. Me I would much rather buy equipment and books, longevity being the key and read voraciously on the internet about what other people are doing
This most helpful assistant,Debbie, also informed if you join up for their store card and spent $30 you get $10 off your purchase. I already had almost that amount and went off and bought a few more items at no extra cost...win, win. Only failure about my trip is that I didn't get what I set out to get and will venture out today for a stamp block.
My latest thrifty find a silver plated English candle stick - really heavy and reasonably priced for silver at $20. And No I do not polish my silver but you are welcome around if you feel like it. I'll provide a nice cup of tea ...
Don't forget to join the hand printed fabric swap...click on the tab in the side bar.
Yesterday when I in search of ezy carve rubber stamp blocks at the local craft store and not being able to find it , I decided to ask the assistance for help. Unfortunately they dont stock the rubber blocks and had only just got in store Lino for carving. Whilst standing in front of the lino and silk screening block printing inks etc. I complained about my failure in exposing my silk screen. The assistant informed me a group of like minded people were forming a group to meet and hear lectures about silk screening and provide an area where people could swap and exchange ideas. I almost kissed the girl I was that excited. I've given her a quick email last night and wait in anticipation of joining this group.
I know I could go to TAFE and learn techniques there but really the only thing I have problem with is my exposure of the screen because I haven't source the correct light bulb and TAFE costs a lot of money. Us cash strapped mothers have to be careful where we place our money bags and what we dedicate our expenditure too. Me I would much rather buy equipment and books, longevity being the key and read voraciously on the internet about what other people are doing
This most helpful assistant,Debbie, also informed if you join up for their store card and spent $30 you get $10 off your purchase. I already had almost that amount and went off and bought a few more items at no extra cost...win, win. Only failure about my trip is that I didn't get what I set out to get and will venture out today for a stamp block.
My latest thrifty find a silver plated English candle stick - really heavy and reasonably priced for silver at $20. And No I do not polish my silver but you are welcome around if you feel like it. I'll provide a nice cup of tea ...
Don't forget to join the hand printed fabric swap...click on the tab in the side bar.
Thursday, 21 February 2013
Hand Printed Fabric Swap
I'v e joined a lovely fabric swap with the very talented Maze and Vale. Its still open for participants and has some really inspirational work and tutorials to get you motivated.
To join click on the button in the side bar and it will a take you to Leslie Keatings site
On that note I've started drawing up possible patterns and am taken with the lotus flower and will carve a stamp block for printing in the next few days, accompanied by seed pod
I think the flower would look great in full block colour, even if it wasn't true colour for the lotus flower. Seed pods always wear well on mass and make interesting printing don't you think.
I think the flower would also make a lovely stitchery
Have to go but a block to carve so I can start mucking around with patterning.
SEE YOU OVER AT LESLIE'S......
To join click on the button in the side bar and it will a take you to Leslie Keatings site
On that note I've started drawing up possible patterns and am taken with the lotus flower and will carve a stamp block for printing in the next few days, accompanied by seed pod
I think the flower would look great in full block colour, even if it wasn't true colour for the lotus flower. Seed pods always wear well on mass and make interesting printing don't you think.
I think the flower would also make a lovely stitchery
SEE YOU OVER AT LESLIE'S......
Saturday, 16 February 2013
Sydney
Happy Birthday my darling love Jordana
Wonderstruck !
13
As you can see my girl is a big Taylor Swift Fan
Aren't they spectacular..Glass whales on Darling Harbour, Sydney. This is the second time I have visited them and they still hold a lot of charm to me.
Did the wander through the Strand (mall) and the Queen Victoria Building
Roof of the Queen Victoria Building
The Strand decked out for Valentines day
And the Queen Victoria Buildinng decorated for Chinese New Year
Visited Manly Beach
And Bondi Beach
Home of Bondi Surf Rescue Team . Jordy had to get a photo
Out and about on the Harbour, lot of cruising around on the ferries and David picking out his next toy to play with
Some of the photos were taken on my daughters ipod and are a bit grainy, sorry.
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Wood Works
About a month ago our council was chopping off branches to clear the trees from the power lines. A lot of the branches were way to big for me to pick up but I did stop and manage to scrounge a few smaller pieces to play with later.
I thought I would come back and collect a few more bits on my return from visiting my parents but unusually for the council they had already cleaned up the cuttings. Probably to valuable to leave lying around.
Dad has kindly sliced my branches into disks as requested. These are from a golden ash tree. Lovely white wood. He managed to dry the wood in the microwave of all places!
I now have a whole bucket of disks to play with and grabbed five yesterday when visiting.
Armed with my trusty and very old drill I had a little play with the wood and my collectable jar of odds and sods. I really do collect a lot of crap! One man's garbage another's treasure.
I've recessed a button in the wood and a little more waxing will bring up the wood a treat.
This huge periwinkle was found near West Dutton Bay in South Australia, its the only time I have ever come across these in such a large size. I have jars of little ones but just a handful of these little beauties. I'm yet to polish the wood
Recycling woven cloth buttons, kind of reminds me of a mini city if you look at it the way it would be hanging. I seem to have photographed it side on.
Undecided about this one yet. Collected glass from the beach. Flower???
Leather strapping to make a necklace, yet to fit some clasps.
Off to work, enjoy your weekend whilst I'm slaving away.
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