Wouldn't it be nice if, when you were in a nice cool cafe and were feeling a little sleepy, then you could just grab a little cushion and have a snooze? 
A couple of weekends ago, it was such a nice surprise to find a beautiful beach so close by. It only took us half an hour to get to the beach just near Demircekoy (which translates as 'blacksmith/iron worker village' - I love some of the place names here!).
And we managed to have some perfect timing too (not that we planned it that way). The 'season' was starting a week later which would mean 30 turkish lira (about AUS$25 or US$20) per person to go to the beach. I know in the grand scheme of things it is not a huge amount, and maybe I'm just used to the Australian beaches that are free, but I think it is such a shame that these beautiful natural places around Istanbul cost more than a lot of people can afford. Everyone should be able to enjoy them I think. How does it work where ever you are? I do kind of like the lounge chair, umbrella and waiter service you get with paying the fee though!
Anyway, we had some great timing and I plan to visit after Summer too because Yashar loves hanging out and playing in the sand! We had a gorgeous and relaxing day.
Yashar and I have a little ritual going where we water them together each day -Yashar is in charge of carrying the cup of water outside and then pouring - and then we smell the herbs together, which Yashar always thinks is very funny! This is actually often my method for cheering him up when he is grumpy.
I digress...the basil was getting crowded so we made a little balcony herb garden. I got one of the wooden crates that the fruit and vegetable sellers use at our local market and lined it with bubble wrap (because that is what we had lying around). I cut some holes in the bubble wrap for drainage and then filled it with potting mix.
Then early one morning, while Yashar and I were letting Senol have a well deserved sleep in, we put our rosemary and the sage and basil we grew in. Yay - we now have a herb garden!
And to now and then see glimpses of me. Like when I took this photo. He is definitely a dreamer.
So, as a tribute to cake...
I have just put this print in the shop. In between looking after Yashar and running outside to deal with a car that had been left parked without the handbrake on, that managed to go down the hill, turn the corner, hit a car and then hit our car, I managed to do some quick experimentation with taking photos of the print in its natural habitat. 
I like how they turned out (although they definitely aren't up to the standard I would like just yet - especially when combined with a computer that has fallen out of love with me and is making the photos look grainy, among many other things!) I will try taking some more when I have time. What do you think? Or do you prefer just the plain images? Or maybe you have a great idea for how to photograph them??
If you have been visiting here for a while, then you might remember this watercolour and pencil artwork I did, way back when I had just started posting about my work.
I always loved doing those sorts of frames when I was helping my Dad out with his framing work.
Yashar and I spent some time down by the water's edge collecting the gorgeous, slightly translucent pebbles. Then once we got home, we filled a plain little glass tea light holder we already had about a third of the way up with the pebbles. Then we plopped in the tea light and put some of the smaller pebbles around it. I wish we had collected more pebbles now!
Here are a few things I love!
This is something new I have just put in the shop. You might recognise the elephant from my banner -well now I have finally finished the full print! It's called 'My Own Elephant' and it can be customized with the little boy or girl's name that will be getting it - or any other word for that matter. Yashar loves it when we read his name on his door or when we say things like 'Who's elephant is it? Yashar's!' I think it would make a cute present for a boy or girl that loves animals or for a new baby. I hope you like it!
I really like this little elephant and am thinking of making some party invitations with him (or one of his brothers!) on them. What do you think?
Things have been exciting around here - I have made some sales - through Etsy and to people here in Istanbul. Yay! So I have been packing up parcels and wrapping some of the prints for some lovely people that bought them to give to loved ones.
The weather over the weekend was bright and sunny -perfect for getting out the Sunprint Kit my Mum had sent us recently. Sunprints use a special paper that goes through a chemical change when you expose it to light. I think she got it from a bookstore. I found a lot of them online here
and we used this one.
1. We went on a little walk and collected some different plants to experiment with. I think the plants with the finer details, lots of small leaves etc turned out to be the most interesting. And of course this was Yashar's favourite part of the project!
2. We then set up in a dim room (so that the Sunprint paper wasn't exposed to too much light while we were arranging the collected objects on the paper). First we put down a small piece of cardboard (this didn't come with the kit), then a piece of the Sunprint paper -blue side up. We arranged the collected objects on top of the Sunprint paper and then put the acrylic sheet that comes with the kit on top.
4. Then make sure your 18 month old son throws a little cup of water on it -oops! Just kidding - but the print still worked -yay!
We experimented with all sorts of things including lace, crochet and some of Yashar's toys. At the end I picked one out and put it in a simple white Ikea frame. I think the vibrant blue and white are perfect for Summer!
As predicted, we have been going back to this peaceful little park as often as possible. It's so nice for Yashar to just be able to wonder around -without the need for 'don't touch this', 'come back here' etc. Here he is free to chase the birds and explore!
Speaking of watermelons, the trucks with them loaded up at the back are starting to appear all over the place here - Summer is coming!
I was so happy to make this little discovery. Up in the backstreets, a few minutes drive from our apartment is an area rented from the Government by Yeniköy Doğa ve Çevre Koruma Derneği (Yenikoy Nature and Environment Conservation Association)
The park is carpeted in wild grasses with little flowers dotted all over the place and there are lots of shady trees – perfect for Yashar to roam around in. Otherwise there is only a simple wooden swing set and a few benches and tables –which I think suits the feel of the place well. I think we will be spending a lot of time here this Summer.
It was my birthday last week and Yashar gave me a beautiful necklace made by Riki Inukai from RikiCraft on Etsy. 
Riki has a workshop in her home in Takarazuka, Japan and made this using a real apple geranium leaf. She explains that she painted the leaf with PMC, a fine clay that becomes 99.9% silver when fired. The process sounds so interesting and I love the necklace!
