22 sentiments shared

Simple.

I know, I’m always going on about being too busy and wanting simple but that’s because it’s always on my mind. But it’s not just me. We all strive for it, don’t we? In a World where a bigger house, better car and finer jewels are well dangled carrots, fundamentally, we all just really yearn for simple happiness.

As we’re getting ready to leave for a family vacation to California in two weeks, I’m thinking about just what it is I’m most looking forward to.  Of course there’s all the usual suspects that make us love our time in the US but truth be told, I’m really happy to just feel excited about going.   I’m embarrassed to admit there have been other vacations planned where the stress of abandoning the ‘to do’ list has had me declaring to the family that they should leave without me. With all seriousness, I believed it best for the rest of the Rosemeyers to take care of this family holiday business while I be left at home to get on with clearly more important things.  In my manic state of  mayhem, that seemed perfectly reasonable.  Luckily, my darling hauled my protesting, illogical butt onto that thirteen hour flight and I soon forgot the stupid list.  And you know, it wasn’t because of trips to shiny shopping malls or the endless varieties of ice cream.. It was the laying awake at night, all of us together in one room, sharing what we loved best about that day. It was the simple that made me love that holiday so very much and makes me so looking forward to going back.

While I’m grateful to just be feeling pre-vacation anticipation,  what I want, what I’m really striving for right now, is to create that simple contentment in the every day.   For a long while after losing Ava, it was impossible not to see the simple beauty in everything.  Everywhere. I didn’t have to try, it sat before all else and mattered most but it takes work to hold on to that.   It’s not realistic to completely forget about the list when there’s a business (or three) to run and chores to get done but  with or without grief in control, I never want to forget that these days, these very busy days, are also what my children will recall as their childhood.  When they sit with their partners, and their children, I want them to describe great holidays in California, but wonderful days back home too..filled with simple nothings.

So, this weekend.  We made blue playdoh with green glitter.  We cooked flour-less chocolate cake.  And salmon quiche.  We cut bunnies out of paper and stuck them on walls.  We took off our shoes and we jumped in puddles and we picked wild flowers for our hair.    All the while, we made mess and we didn’t rush and we laughed.      The most simple of days full of nothing and full of everything.   I figure I probably can’t get rid of the list but I can keep that at the top of it, right?

Beautiful weekend to you.

Sheye x

Tucked Away Under // Family, Simple Nothings

13 sentiments shared

Lea. Byron Bay.

In February, my long time friend Lea came to stay with me.  From Sydney, she arrived without her suitcase (lost in transit) and with her kindness (found in friendship).  Yes, she is kind.  And sweet and gentle and warm and genuine.  Gorgeous and funny and humble too.

We went road-tripping, interstate..eventually finding ourselves in Byron Bay.  Great sushi, gorgeous beaches, cute shops.  Annnnd,  nowhere to stay.  It was Valentines weekend and it turns out that young lovers in love took all the rooms before we got there.  So, we formed a new plan that really just said..’when all else fails, pop on a nightie and stand in a field.  Wait for some falling light and pull out a camera’.  Well, really what more do you need? (Other than a return road trip back home in the dark.)

Thank you, gorgeous girl.  You make my World brighter.  (So much so that I’ll overlook the fact that you look like that in my nightie, three children later).

xx

Tucked Away Under // Family

49 sentiments shared

Tah Dah!

It’s true, we are live.

And I’m just a little bit excited. After having spent the past..well lets not even talk about how long this has all taken..lets just say that this has been a while in the making. A long while since I began collecting pretty pictures and favorite fonts and an ocean of ideas to create a new site…all based in wanting something sweet and unique and meaningful to me. A custom website is a big project at the best of times but wanting to incorporate a beautiful place for Ava’s memories alongside my business and personal website needs was never going to be a quick thing.

While my inspiration folder (and sense of confusion) grew, it was ultimately a gift from my beautiful friend Fran, in the form of a Kristal Melson illustration, that formed the beginnings of the finished site you see here. I instantly fell in love with Kristal’s quirky style (read: knee high socks) and before long, I was sending her all sorts of snippets and imagery.

Not much later, she sent back my gorgeous enchanted garden, filled with memories and whimsy and pretty, pretty things. The child is my sweet Ivy, inspired from this image. Every element in this illustration is a reminder of something dear to my heart and the chimes you hear are recorded from a vintage music box, owned by Crayton’s Mum, Vivienne. The tune is Some Enchanted Evening. While I know most of you come directly to the blog, I wanted to give the full illustration it’s own special place and it now serves as a home page to navigate around from.

Over time, the wonderful Katie Kolenberg refined ideas with me and designed a beautiful, simple hand-drawn logo to fit with my love of vintage inspired fonts. Then along came Josh Nash who made things fade and blink and fly. Finally, to pull it all together, the rather amazing Renee Swigert from Ribbons of Red performed her magic and created something far beyond my greatest expectations. Every one of these people did a fantastic job and I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Please have a look around, you’ll see a beautiful new layout for Ava’s section that I’m particularly in love with, a new category called Pretty Pretty Things where I plan to share some lovely finds and lots of other little things that make me feel right at home.

I hope you love it here just as much as I do.

Sheye xx

Tucked Away Under // Ava, Eye Candy, Family, General, Photography

8 sentiments shared

Seasons Change.

Change.  I can feel it all around me.  Outside and in, there are things moving and shifting and with it comes a new found, and most wonderful,  peace.

The last year has been tough.  A different kind of tough to the one I knew previously..a somewhat self inflicted phase of difficulty, based in a large degree of over-commitment and a misguided belief that I was somehow super human.  Impervious.  Able to accomplish far more than the average mortal in less time and no hiccups.     I’ve come to recognize that I’m prone to filling the smallest gap with the biggest of tasks and that when you’re already trying to juggle lots of other tasks, that’s probably not a good thing.  It’s certainly not a sustainable thing.   Crayton says I just don’t have that normal human ability to know when enough is enough.  I can’t argue with him.  (Though Lord knows I tried some days).  BUT, I’m certain I’m not alone here.  As women, mothers, partners, friends, daughters, employees and self employed business owners, over-committed (sliding into over-whelmed) is a natural state of being a lot of the time but you do know when it’s no longer okay.   When something has to give, before your sanity does.  There are times when less really is so much more.

So, with all that confessed, I can also tell you I’ve come through the worst of it, I’ve once again learned to say no when I need to and wow,  it sure feels mighty fine.  Apart from the lingering guilt of neglecting people who didn’t deserve it  along the way (self included), right now my heart feels happy and light and right.   I’m so relieved and I’m so looking forward to the rest of this year..both personally and professionally.

Speaking of Eye Candy things, some of you may have seen on Facebook that we’re running a post processing workshop in May.  We’re just finalizing the details for that and should have updates out this coming week.  It’s something we plan to continue doing through the rest of this year so if you don’t get a place offer for this coming workshop, please don’t worry..there will be more.  (Along with other fun workshop things planned!)

In other verrrry exciting news, I am about to launch a new Eye Candy Actions  set.  It’s been months in the making but I’m so happy with it  and am just putting the last touches on a new website.  I will let you know as soon as it’s launched – hopefully just days away.

One last bit of news, and very much about change, is that this is my last entry on this blog.   Well, this blog with this layout and design that is.   I’ve had this pretty mix of pink and polkadots for two years now.. it’s time for something new.  The creating of something new has been a very long process (did I hear someone say indecisive perfectionist?) but we’re finally there.  In the next day or so we’ll shut shop while things are rearranged and prettied up, and in just a little bit we’ll open the doors to something new and beautiful.   I’m normally sentimental at this stage but not today.  Today I’m embracing the chance to do things differently and so very excited to see what lies ahead.   I can’t wait to share it with you.

Love Sheye xx

ps, Ivy and Baby, yesterday.  Five minutes in the sunlight before my temperamental model began visibly scowling and trying to feed Baby grass.   5d Mk2, 85mm 1.8.

Tucked Away Under // Eye Candy, General, Photography

54 sentiments shared

These days.

One morning in March and before the start of day,  I drove the quiet roads to the clinic.  There wasn’t much light and there wasn’t much hope and the car filled with music and melancholy.  (Nothing more perfect than this).

After the clinic and before the outcome I filled the hours with strange indifference for the big things and heart filled love for the small.  (Oh, how I adore doing her hair.)

I vowed to eat healthy things and see pretty things and accept whatever would be, would be.  (Don’t dare, don’t dream, don’t hope).

Sometimes we’d drive too far and think too long and the buildings would change while the light would look different and we’d end up in strange yet familiar, wishful places.   (We being my heart and I).

But you know how this goes.  The phone rang and the disappointment came and  we marked off Cycle No I Can’t Even Remember Anymore I’ve Lost Count.  (Whatever would be).

These days, it’s not like it was.  I still believe in believing, but I also believe in accepting.  I don’t want this to be the outcome and I don’t want this to have been three years for nothing and I wish it were different but it isn’t. Maybe it’s just not meant to be.  Maybe there is a time for change and maybe there is a different plan.  Maybe everything is exactly as it should be.

I’m not sure anymore but what I do know is that the want and the wish and the hope have been taken over by the hard and the sad and the hurt and sometimes, even when you want with all you have,  it’s the right thing to let go.   The light will keep changing and there will be new possibilities and I will know that I tried with my all.

x

Tucked Away Under // Family