Category Archives: Hobby

The best six books exploring how exercise helps the mind.

2022, Change, Eating, Exercise, Fitness, Food, General Knowledge, Goals, Hobby, Ideas, life stories, Lifestyle, meditation, New Release, Personal development, Self Care, Sport, Top Books, Wellbeing, , , , , , , ,

We all know that exercise is good for us both mentally and physically and has numerous health benefits. That said, there are still days where we really don’t feel like getting out of bed and heading into the cold for a run (hello Melbourne Winter’s we’re talking about you). Thankfully, there are a growing  number of indoor options for those days we can’ face the cold but want still to get moving. For those that need a little more convincing, we have found six great books that not only explain what we can do, but why we need to. 

Brace yourself, you’ll be lacing up your runners at the end of this blog and reaching for your drink bottle as we know these are going to inspire you to get moving. 

Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse by Anastacia Marx de Salcedo

There is no pill. There is no diet. Could it be that our underlying assumption, that what we’re eating is making us fat and sick, is just plain wrong? To address the nation’s bulging waistline and the disease states associated with it, scientists have conducted a whopping 500,000 studies of diet and 300,000 of obesity. Journalists have written 223,000,000 and 15,600,000 news articles respectively about the topics. Yet nothing seems to halt the epidemic. It’s clear a new approach is needed. Anastacia Marx de Salcedo’s Eat Like a Pig, Run Like a Horse, looks not just to data-driven science, but to animals and the natural world around us. What she finds will transform the national debate about the root causes of our most pervasive diseases and offer hope of dramatically reducing the number who suffer from these, no matter what we eat. She starts by chronicling her own medical miracle. She has multiple sclerosis, but discovered that daily exercise keeps it from progressing. And now, new research backs up her own experience. This revelation prompted her to ask what would happen if people with lifestyle illness put physical activity front and centre in their daily lives instead of diet? In a fascinating journey divided between personal profiles of patients, mad(ish) scientists, and beguiling animal stories (bats, who fly hundreds of miles weekly, are incredibly disease resistant, much like how aerobic exercise boosts our own immune system), Anastacia shows we need to move beyond our current diet-focused model to a new, dynamic concept of metabolism as regulated by exercise. Suddenly the answer to global good health is embarrassingly simple. Don’t worry about what you eat. Worry about how much you move.

Sweat: A History of Exercise by Bill Hayes

Exercise is our modern obsession, and we have the fancy workout gear and fads to prove it. Exercise, a form of physical activity distinct from sports, play, or athletics, was an ancient obsession, too, but as a chapter in human history, it’s been largely overlooked. In Sweat, Bill Hayes runs, jogs, swims, spins, walks, bikes, boxes, lifts, sweats, and downward-dogs his way through the origins of different forms of exercise, chronicling how they have evolved over time, and dissecting the dynamics of human movement. Hippocrates, Plato, Galen, Susan B. Anthony, Jack LaLanne, and Jane Fonda, among many others, make appearances in Sweat, but chief among the historical figures is Girolamo Mercuriale, a Renaissance-era Italian physician who aimed singlehandedly to revive the ancient Greek “art of exercising” through his 1569 book De arte gymnastica. In the pages of Sweat, Mercuriale and his illustrated treatise are vividly brought back to life. As Hayes ties his own personal experience to the cultural and scientific history of exercise, from ancient times to the present day, he gives us a new way to understand its place in our lives in the 21st century.

Yoga Happy: Simple Tools and Practices for Everyday Calm & Strength by Hannah Barrett

Yoga Happy is an essential companion to help you through life, whether you’re a complete yoga beginner or wanting to deepen your home practice. In this beautiful, full-colour book you will find everything you need to build your inner strength and resilience, enhance your yoga practice, and help you find calm, happiness and the resilience to navigate the modern world. Written by yoga and meditation teacher Hannah Barrett, who has helped hundreds of thousands of people both online and through her workshops and classes, Yoga Happy encourages you to incorporate key disciplines, thoughts and actions into your everyday life. No matter how little time or space you have, Hannah shows how you can find your energy, reduce stress at home or at work, get a good night’s sleep and learn to cope better with whatever life throws at you. This inspiring handbook will also guide you through short, illustrated yoga sequences adapted for all abilities, plus give you breathing techniques, meditations and other proven mindful practices that will help to nourish and support your mind and body.

The Truth of Yoga: A Comprehensive Guide to Yoga’s History, Texts, Philosophy, and Practices by Daniel Simpson

A succinct, approachable guide to the origins, development, key texts, concepts, and practices of yoga. Yoga is practiced by many millions of people worldwide and is celebrated for its mental, physical, and spiritual benefits. And yet, as Daniel Simpson reveals in The Truth of Yoga , much of what is said about yoga is misleading. For example, the word “yoga” does not always mean union. In fact, in perhaps the discipline’s most famous text, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, its aim is described as separation: isolating consciousness from everything else. And yoga is not five thousand years old, as is commonly claimed; the earliest evidence of practice dates back about twenty-five hundred years. (Yoga may well be older, but no one can prove it.) The Truth of Yoga is a clear, concise, and accessible handbook for the lay reader that draws upon abundant recent scholarship. It outlines these new findings with practitioners in mind, highlighting ways to keep traditions alive in the twenty-first century.

Caged Lion: Joseph Pilates and His Legacy by John Howard Steel

Caged Kion is the surprising story of Pilates, the man and the method.

Part biography, part history, and part memoir, Caged Lion untangles for the first time Joseph Pilates’s opaque life story and the perilous journey of his exercise program known the world over as Pilates.

This is the story of Joseph Pilates, a gifted man who immigrated to the United States at forty-three with no assets or credentials. He not only invented an exercise regimen which today is practiced by more than ten million people, but in the process, reinvented himself.

John Howard Steel brings Joseph Pilates and his eponymous exercise regime to life from his unique perspective as a student, friend, and confidant. Joe’s influence profoundly changed Steel’s life; in turn, Steel was crucial for the survival of the Pilates Method and Joe’s legacy. Steel’s vivid account traces the expansion of Pilates from a small cadre of dedicated adherents, through two periods of near extinction, to the global sensation it is today. Steel describes Joseph Pilates’s years as a prisoner during World War I, Joe’s motivation to discover his system of exercises, his inspirational teaching technique, and the unique attraction of the Pilates Method. It’s quite a story.

Just Breathe by Dan Brule

Hailed by Tony Robbins as the “definitive breathwork handbook,” Just Breathe will teach you how to harness your breath to reduce stress, increase productivity, balance your health, and find the path to spiritual awakening. Big meeting jitters? Anxiety over a test or taxes? Hard time focusing? What if you could control your outcomes and change results simply by regulating your breath? In this simple and revolutionary guide, world-renowned pioneer of breathwork Dan Brul shares the Breath Mastery technique that has helped people in more than fifty countries reduce anxiety, improve their health, and tap infinite stores of energy. Just Breathe reveals the truth that elite athletes, champion martial artists, Navy SEAL warriors, first responders, and spiritual yogis have always known; when you regulate your breathing, you can moderate your state of well-being. So if you want to clear and calm your mind and spark peak performance, the secret is just a breath away. Breathwork gives you the tools to achieve benefits in a wide range of issues including: managing acute/chronic pain; helping with insomnia, weight loss, attention deficit, anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief; improving intuition, creativity, mindfulness, self-esteem, and leadership; and much more. Just Breathe will help you utilise your breath to benefit your body, mind, and spirit.

Enjoy!

So you want to be a potter – 6 books to help you on your way 

2022, Art, Craft, Hobby, Learning, ,

Cool, dense, pliable – there’s something very primal about the appeal of wet clay. There has been huge, renewed interest in pottery, spurred on by social media and pandemic lockdowns. While some people enjoy it as a creative outlet, others see it as mindful and therapeutic; and with increasing attention on hand-made, artisanal and unique homewares, pottery can even become a career or business opportunity. If you are ready to start experimenting with clay, here are some great sources of advice, techniques and project suggestions: 

Pottery for Beginners

Pottery for Beginners: Projects for Beautiful Ceramic Bowls, Mugs, Vases and More by Kara Leigh Ford

Pottery for Beginners is, in essence, a pottery course-in-a-book. It starts with primers on equipment, technique, clay types and setting up a workspace; then moves onto 10 progressive projects, each focussing on a key skill. While each project is standalone, together they present the full range of fundamental pottery skills. You will learn to hand-form as well as how to use the wheel to form bowls, plates and other easy kitchenware. Additional tutorials on glazing and decorative techniques will help you personalise the finish of your pieces. Having previously shared her skills in workshops, podcasts, magazine articles as well as in her thriving online community for potters, Kara Leigh Ford is ready to help and inspire her readers to start their own journeys in pottery.

Pottery (Conscious Crafts)

Pottery (Conscious Crafts): 20 Mindful Makes to Reconnect Head, Heart and Hands by Lucy Davidson

Creating clay objects is a slow, tactile, focussed activity that in many ways seem the complete opposite to the fast-paced, online and constantly connected lives that we normally lead.  The process of firing the pieces can challenge our need for control by introducing an (often delightful) unpredictability, encouraging us to “go with the flow”.  No wonder more and more people are seeing a mindful, meditative or therapeutic quality to pottery.  Lucy Davidson celebrates the wellbeing benefits of pottery in this book of small projects that do not require a kiln or a wheel: be surprised and delighted by ideas including miniature bunting, coasters and terrazzo-style bracelets. 

Carve Your Clay

Carve Your Clay: Techniques to Bring the Pottery Surface to Life by Hilda Carr

Bring visual interest and a sculptural quality to your pottery pieces by learning to carve clay surfaces.  In 16 easy to follow projects, London-based potter Hilda Carr demonstrates a range of decorative carving techniques synonymous with her style – including incising, combing, inlaying to sgraffito, faceting and fettling. With clear, detailed instructions as well as 

guides on how to create form as well as information on glazing and firing, Carve Your Clay is a great technical sourcebook for all skill levels.

The Handbuilt Potter

The Handbuilt Potter: Master Timeless Techniques by Melissa Weiss

This book stands out in two ways: firstly, it focusses solely on handbuilding techniques including coil, slab and moulds – no pottery wheel required. Secondly, Melissa Weiss provides valuable hard-to-find advice on how to use “wild clay”, that is, dig up local clay soils and process it into clay suitable for pottery. She also shares her own recipes for unusual glazes incorporating ash, salt and other dry materials – tips that will help you include a hyper-personal, hyper-local element to your creativity.

Pottery You Can Use

Pottery You Can Use: An Essential Guide to Making Plates, Pots, Cups and Jugs by Jacqui Atkin

There is something very satisfying about making objects you can use everyday, that are not only beautiful, but functional as well.  Pottery You Can Use is a detailed guidebook that will show you how to create pieces that work best for you – pieces that stack well, are nice to hold, with lids that fit and handles that stay on.  From plates, cups, and saucers to casserole dishes, pitchers, and tureens, Jacqui Atkin offers detailed advice from design and calculations, to choosing the best materials, techniques and glazes for your pieces. The combination of clear, beautiful photos and succinct but informative text makes Making Pottery You Can Use a valuable reference for beginners through to professional ceramicists.

Easy Homemade Pottery

Easy Homemade Pottery: Make Your Own Stylish Decor Using Polymer and Air-Dry Clay by Francesca Stone

If you are curious about pottery but worried about the mess and the specialised equipment, then air-dry clay and polymer clay may be a good starting point.  These lightweight clays are readily available at craft stores and can be air-dried or baked in a domestic oven.  In this, her first book, craft blogger Francesca Stone has channeled her talents for creating easy, on-trend projects into a range of decorative homewares, including coasters, planters, candle holders and bookends – that achieve the organic, handmade ceramic look using air-dry or polymer clays.  The projects require only a few basic tools and show you fundamental techniques that will help you realise your own pottery ideas!

So you want to be a painter? Six books to help you on your way.

2022, Craft, Hobby, How to Guide, Ideas, Illustration, Inspiring, Learning, leisure time, new skill, something new, spare time, Top Tips

Painting is something we all started off in life adoring and thinking we were amazing at. Then somewhere along the way we started doubting our skills. The wonderful Ken Done in his book A Life Coloured In (psst you can also read his newest book Art, Design, Life here) rightly pointed out that it’s around the time we start injecting rational thought into our work that the belief in our creativity starts to wane. While this is such a shame, it is heartening to see that so many adults are picking the paint brush up once again in an effort to spark painting’s original joy. 


If you happen to be one of those creative individuals, then you are in luck! We have scoured the internet and have found six books to help you on your way. 

Drawing and Painting Beautiful Flowers by Kyehyun Park

Learn how to draw beautiful flowers and add breathtaking watercolour with the easy step-by-step instructions in Drawing and Painting Beautiful Flowers. Drawing and painting realistic flowers is achievable! Create a wide variety of blooms and greenery using an easy step-by-step method, then add watercolour for gorgeous effects. In Drawing and Painting Beautiful Flowers, discover how to draw flowers such as roses, cosmos, daffodils, tulips, hydrangeas, lilies, daisies, and more from various angles, and learn about perspective and shading. Once you have the skills to draw a single flower, learn how to draw groupings, bouquets, and wreaths. Mix in grasses and wildflowers to create a variety of looks and dynamic scenes. Then, learn simple techniques to add luscious watercolour, using shading, blending, and gradient techniques for eye-catching results. Popular Instagram artist Kate Kyehyun Park shares her secrets for capturing realistic flower, leaf, and plant shapes. Artists of all levels love drawing and painting nature, and with these techniques they’ll confidently render lifelike botanicals in an array of lovely palettes.

Master Oils : Painting Techniques Inspired by Influential Artists by Selwyn Leamy

Learn how to paint in one of the modern artist’s favourite medium: oil. Taking inspiration from iconic paintings in the London Tate Collection, discover the techniques of the masters and improve your own painting skills with 30 guided projects. Master brushwork and form with Cezanne; thin and blend with Turner and Whistler; and play with texture with Richter and Riley.

The Beginner’s Guide to Oil Painting by Craig Stephens

Craig Stephens has a simple motto for painting: With a brush, some paints and a willingness to learn, anyone can do it. With that mindset, Craig takes his most essential lessons, boils them down to their basics and teaches you everything you need to know to start oil painting, without any fuss or highbrow. Thanks to his experience teaching painting to high school students for over two decades, Craig is an expert at helping those with no experience pick up a brush and make beautiful art they are proud of. With his direction, you’ll create dynamic, vivid paintings and learn to capture your world in ways you never thought possible. Each project in this book is designed to highlight the important elements of using oil paints, helping you to practice new skills and get comfortable with the medium. And thanks to Craig’s helpful step-by-step directions that pair a picture with each stroke, you’ll get great results. Hone your colour-mixing eye as you blend the vibrant greens and subtle yellows in the Freshly Cut Avocado piece. Practice painting unique textures, like the small craters in the Simplified Strawberry or the glossy skin on the Smooth and Shiny Plum. Learn all the ways to capture natural light, like transparency in a glass of Refreshing Lemon Water or dazzling reflections on a Chrome Coffee Creamer. Oil painting is a timeless art form, and with Craig as your teacher, you’ll create 22 beautiful pieces for your walls and learn all the foundational skills you need to enjoy this hobby for years to come.

Modern Japanese Painting Techniques by Shinichi Fukui

This book makes it easy to create and admire wonderful Japanese-style paintings and portraits. Modern Japanese-style paintings are recognisable by their restrained use of three-dimensionality and perspective, reliance upon expressive lines, and the bold use of colour to direct the viewer’s eye. There are other ways that artists imbue their work with Japanese-inspired attributes, including through the skilful use of shape, texture, and facial expression. Author Shinichi Fukui introduces readers to 7 notable modern Japanese artists who specialise in shin hanga-style portraiture of Japanese women. He then presents instructions to create 21 different original paintings — from sketching models, preparing and mixing paints, blocking in colour, and rendering fine details. Using these techniques, and a bit of acrylic paint, readers will be able to create eye-catching works of art that express a timeless Japanese aesthetic.

Painting Happiness: Creativity with Watercolours by Terry Runyan

Painting Happiness offers playful, expressive watercolour painting techniques and projects that will help you find your calm. Combat stress and anxiety and release your own inner creative with this beautiful mindful watercolour book. In this simple and vibrant guide, hugely popular Instagram muse @TerryRunyan explores the art of watercolour through the lens of mindfulness, presenting activities and projects which you can paint along with as you allow your creative side to flourish. This watercolour guide is easy and accessible for beginners, as Runyan gently delves into the basics of the artform, starting with simple techniques which you can follow along with, as well as presenting some fun projects ideas for painters to explore. Alongside beautiful examples of the techniques and styles explored in the book, Runyan also encourages readers to practice mindfulness as they paint, and explores the ways in which art can be used to help improve mental health. Exploring the idea of perfectly imperfect watercolours, Runyan places emphasis on self-expression and allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Watercolour Painting at Home by Bley Hack

With Watercolour Painting at Home, artists can learn to find painting inspiration around their homes and gardens, and then paint beautiful, homey art. Easy-to-follow watercolour techniques and projects help you find inspiration at home and paint what you see around you, from seasonal decor to favourite recipes and the flowers in your garden. As we all spend more time at home, you may find yourself looking for a creative outlet that doesn’t require you to get out and about. That’s where Watercolour Painting at Home comes in, with ideas and inspiration for painting from your couch, front porch, backyard, and more. Painting your favourite things will make your home look more beautiful to you, and it will help you appreciate where you live and what you have. It’s easy to find inspiration at home; just look to your holiday decor, favourite recipes, plants, office, and more. Expertly written and illustrated by a professional artist, this beautiful book is filled with inviting and colourful large-scale art accompanied by instructions that are clear and easy to follow for any skill level.

Enjoy!

So you want to learn to knit: 6 books to help you on your way

Craft, Hobby, Homemade, Learning, New Release, new skill, something new,

If the cool days and even colder nights here in Melbourne haven’t inspired you to pick up some knitting needles to make yourself something cosy to wear, then perhaps these six books will. Knitting is not only practical but can also be a form of mindfulness and zen as many of these titles suggest.

For those of you that are are open to a little less zen when it comes to knitting, perhaps the Heavy Metal Knitting World Championships would be more up your street. Heavy Metal Knitting is about combining handicrafts and heavy metal in a super unique way. Unfortunately the championships were held last weekend in Finland, but if you get practising, there’s always next year!

52 Weeks of Scarves: Beautiful Patterns for Year-round Knitting by Laine

Who doesn’t love a scarf? 52 projects have been collated by leading knitwear designers from across the world and showcase an exceptionally wide range of yarns, techniques and difficulty levels. Nothing brings more comfort than a hand-knitted scarf – from a light wrap for cool shoulders on summer evenings or spring mornings, to a beautiful shawl as the centrepiece of autumnal outfits, or a cosy collar to be layered under winter coats. Whether you’re creating a shawl for yourself or a cowl for a loved one, there’s care in every stitch. Knitting is more than just knit, knit, purl. It is a feeling. This stunning book contains a beautiful scarf pattern for every week of the year.

Harry Potter Knitting Magic: More Patterns from Hogwarts and Beyond by Tanis Gray

Featuring over 28 projects pictured in gorgeous full-colour photography, Harry Potter: Knitting Magic, Volume 2 includes patterns for toys, apparel, and costume replicas pulled straight from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. Harry Potter: Knitting Magic, Volume 2 also includes fun facts, original costume sketches, film stills, and other behind-the-scenes treasures. It is the perfect gift for lovers of the original Knitting Magic and Harry Potter fans everywhere.

Knitting for Beginners: The Ultimate Craft Guide by Rachel McGregor

Sometimes you just need to start at the beginning. Are you looking for a complete beginners step by step guide to knitting, or do you want to get a knitting project going but are unable to work out on what you would like to do? then this is the best book for you. Start creating projects, with this complete book you won’t feel lost in between steps and end up getting tangled in a  knot. knitting For Beginners is a fab book for all knitting novices. 

Contemplative Knitting by Julie Cicora

Contemplative Knitting  shows how knitting creates connections and communities, and how the repetition of knitting can be calming. Julie Cicora discusses in Comemplative Knitting how the act of ‘pearl one knit one’ can take the stress of the everyday away and calm the mind. This book is for those knitters looking to connect themselves a little deeper to their craft.

The Power of Knitting: Stitching Together Our Lives in a Fractured World by Loretta Napoleoni

In a fractured world plagued by anxiety and loneliness, knitting is coming to the rescue of people from all walks of life. Economist and lifelong knitter Loretta Napoleoni unveils the hidden power of the purl and stitch mantra- an essential tool for the survival of our species, a means for women to influence history, a soothing activity to calm us, and a powerful metaphor of life. This book is a voyage through our history following the yarn of social, economic and political changes – from ancient Egypt and Peru to modern Mongolia, from the spinning bees of the American Revolution to the knitting spies of World War II, and from the hippies’ rejection of consumerism to yarn-bombing protests against climate change. For the author it is also a personal journey of discovery and salvation, drawing on the wisdom her grandmother passed along as they knit together. Revealing recent discoveries in neuroscience, The Power of Knitting offers proof of the healing powers of knitting on our bodies and minds. Breaking through societal barriers, even nursing broken hearts, and helping to advance cutting-edge science, knitting is still a valuable instrument for navigating our daily lives.

The Beginner’s Knitting Manual: The Ultimate Book of Tips and Techniques by Debbie Tomkies

Learning to knit can be frustrating when it takes too much time and effort to begin your first project. The Beginner’s Knitting Manual introduces an array of stylish projects that offer a quick start. Even if you’ve never tried to knit, you’ll find that it offers plenty of chances to make something interesting, satisfying, practical, and beautiful.

Step-by-step instructions, accompanied by full-colour photos and stitch patterns, are suitable for intermediate-level knitters as well as beginners.

Enjoy!

Ted Talk: How yarn bombing grew into a worldwide movement

Craft, Hobby, Homemade, Learning, TedTalks

Textile artist Magda Sayeg transforms urban landscapes into her own playground by decorating everyday objects with colorful knit and crochet works. These warm, fuzzy “yarn bombs” started small, with stop sign poles and fire hydrants in Sayeg’s hometown, but soon people found a connection to the craft and spread it across the world.