The Red Pot in Sylvia's Garden AND Making a new Christmas Tree Tradition. Part 1. Australia. Original Photography.

Creativity takes courage. ~J'Qui.

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🌟
🌿2018🌿
🌿Christmas🌿
🌿So close. Memories🌿
🌿Childhood Christmas Trees🌿
🌿Dawning of the seeing: My mother and Santa🌿
🌱Are.🌱
🌱One.🌱
🌱~Ally.🌱
🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

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The Red Pot in Sylvia's Garden:

Presented for today's Color Challenge: Monday Red, initiated by @kalemandra

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Some day
You will be old enough
To start reading fairy tales again. ~C.S. Lewis.

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Making a new Christmas Tree Tradition. Part 1.

It was to be a very simple article so that I could come up for a breather from a major de-cluttering of my studio and living area, in preparation for new artwork inspired by @sunscapes reading cards, as well as creating a few more sagas for @tattoodjay's #WednesdayWalk.

But then reading @jaynie's Making & Breaking Xmas Tree Traditions touched something very deep within me that until now I had not been aware of.

Jaynie's son, Jude wanted to spend Christmas in his own space and so Jaynie and her mother decided to create their own original Christmas Tree and then decorate it with their growing collection of beautiful crystal and glass ornaments.

From little things ~ Big things grow.

Jaynie and her mother have been collecting just one ornament each, as well as one for Jude, every Christmas for the last nine years. This year their Christmas Tree was made from cut peppercorn branches, placed into a wine vase. It's so elegantly decorated and the tradition of having a tree at Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning for all of them.

Red Christmas Bush in my Sand Garden:

Playing in the sand with natural elements: Lichens and twigs with a sprinkle of flowers can be a wonderful way to connect with your inner Child.

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The body heals with play:
The mind heals with laughter:
The spirit heals with joy. ~Unknown.

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Asking Why?

Something in me connected to Jaynie's story, and actually made me a little teary. Rather than dismiss my response as 'sentiment' ~ I just asked myself why?

I saw that I've never had the inclination to be involved in the Christmas Tree tradition. And yet some beautiful memories are still there of the excitement my sister and I experienced as children, anticipating Christmas and the presents that would miraculously appear under our Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve.

My sister and I shared the same bedroom and at night we used to sing ourselves to sleep: Taking turns to sing our solos. I can remember the Christmas Eve when we were both supposed to be sound asleep and we could still hear the stop/start sound of the Singer sewing machine, for what seemed like hours. And somehow it gradually dawned on both of us that all the doll's clothes on all the dolls we had ever loved so much had actually been made by Mum.

I realize now that I MUST create my own Christmas Tree and decorate it for THIS Christmas.

Decorating my first Christmas Tree.

Even decorating my text Christmas Tree with symbols of fruit and flowers, angels and birds, crystals, lollypops and clothes has been a playful way to connect with my artist within.

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🌟
*🌿20🌷18🌿
🌿Christmas🌿
🌿So 🍒 close 🌼 Memories🌿
🌿Childhood ❄️ Christmas 🍭 Trees🌿
🌿Dawning of the seeing 👗 My mother and Santa🌿
🌿Angels 😇 and 🦉feathers🌿
🌱Are 🌱
🌱One 🌱
🌱~Ally 🌱
🌷🌱🌱🌱🌷🌱🌱🌱🌷🌱🌱🌱🌷🌱🌱🌱🌷

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Just living is not enough.
One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower.
~Hans Christian Andersen.
And a little Christmas Tree. ~Ally.

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The making of my Christmas Tree.

Looking back on the previous day, it became clear that the idea of making my own Christmas Tree had actually started to take shape in my mind while I was at the Organic Farmers' Market in Frenchs Forest.

I'd gone to the market mainly with two things in mind: To buy my week's supply of 'produce' and to continue photographing some of the stall holders and their stalls for @dswigle's #MarketFriday.

Even in the morning sun, it was hot. I'd left home without my hat. Walking past the Hat Lady the first thing she said was: Where's your hat? I buy all my sunhats from her but wasn't quite ready to buy another just yet. But can you believe it? She produced the most beautiful raffia hat that her mother had given her to give to someone at the market ~ And with a huge smile, she gave it to me. A perfect fit. I was so grateful.

Over the years we have formed some wonderful relationships with so many of the stallholders at this market: People like the Hat Lady ~ And I'm looking forward to introducing you to a lot more of them very soon.

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Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit. ~E. E. Cummings.

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Qui Trees Collective.

I'd been photographing all morning. It was way past midday: Super hot and steamy. Without being able to leave my 'produce' with Gabriel at his Kombucha Stand: Amphore Living Foods AND my sunhat, I wouldn't have been able to continue photographing. And I'd just seen one of the most alluring and magical stands I think I've ever seen at the Frenchs Forest Organic Farmers' Market: The Qui Trees Collective.

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The pursuit of beauty and truth:
A sphere of activity in which we remain children all our lives.
~Albert Einstein.‬

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The products on the Qui Trees Collective stand.

The Frenchs Forest Organic Farmers' Market began as a small organic food market more than 20 years ago and gradually other stands for clothing and gifts have been introduced. Today, you can buy virtually everything you need from this market: Fruit and vegetables, bread and eggs, milk and honey, kombucha and kefir, mushrooms and sprouts, olives and cheeses, hemp seeds, clothing and linen, seedlings and plants, roses and herbs, crystals and jewelry. However, the market has only ever attracted a handful of artists and artisans ~ Usually just before Christmas.

Most of the stallholders I'd already photographed were 'familiar faces' and were quite delighted for me to photograph their stands, which really quietened all my initial apprehension. But I'd never met J'Qui or seen her work before. And as I was taking in all the amazing products she had made, I was hoping 'with all my being' that she would allow me to photograph her stall.

J'Qui takes solace in and is inspired by nature. She gathers about her natural elements that she collects from nature and then makes such a diverse range of products: From collaged butterflies to birdcages, dream catchers to mushroom pods, nests to notepads, smudges to trees.

I was transfixed with her beautiful use of twines and feathers, lichen covered branches and seeds, crystals and Spanish Moss.

Today, I am proud that all elements of Qui are still a reflection of myself and the connection I have to nature. It is my passion to create beautiful gifts that inspire change, using them as a transformational tool and to connect others to their Inner nature. ~Qui Trees Collective.

I was drawn to the tree, bound with twine and decorated with hanging gemstone pieces in shades of green ~ And particularly the four little birds made from green hessian, sparkling organza and different types of feathers.

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She decided to free herself.
Dance into the wind, create a new language.
And birds fluttered around her. Writing ‘yes’ in the sky.
~Monique Duval.

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My first Christmas Tree Ornament.

I couldn't resist buying the four little birds. At the time I was thinking: Gifts for other people. But now I know at least one of them is a 'gift' to myself as my VERY FIRST Christmas Tree ornament.

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Everything is ceremony
In the wild garden of childhood.
~Pablo Neruda.

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The Plan.

• After I introduce the Frenchs Forest Organic Farmers' Market stallholders to you, I'd like to share more of the Qui Trees Collective.
• Sometime between finishing my articles on the Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi exhibition: A walk around my own backyard and introducing you to our resident Brush Turkey: Decluttering my studio and living space: So that I can draw again: And Christmas ~ I'm going to make my own Christmas Tree.

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Photography: ©Alison Lee Cousland.
SONY Mark2 A7: 35 mm:

All photographs by Alison Lee Cousland in this article are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

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• This ShareAlike license will allow you to reproduce and/or manipulate this image even for your commercial purposes.
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Posted from Earth ♥︎ Sand ♥︎ Water ♥︎ Ice with SteemPress : http://www.allyinspirit.info/2018/12/18/the-red-pot-in-sylvias-garden-and-making-a-new-christmas-tree-tradition-part-1-australia-original-photography/

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