How To Make An Origami Crane

All that you need for this workshop is a square bit of paper! Origami Cranes come in all colours and sizes, so it doesn’t really matter what type of paper you use. They take a bit of time (and a lot of patience!!!), but are a great way to chill out for a while. Good luck!

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Step 4.

Step 5.

Step 6. Turn over and repeat steps 3 & 4.

Step 7.

Step 8.

 Step 9.

 Step 10.

Step 11.

Turn over & repeat steps 7-11

Step 12.

Step 13. Turn over and repeat step 12

(Also, not part of making origami, but I think I just drew a metapod???)

Step 14.

 Step 15.

 Step 16. Ta-dah!

 

 

 

 

 

Want more craft tutorials or to share your own projects? Sign up to join the Livewire community!

1. What you own is not who YOU are.

What you own is just a bunch of stuff you carry around with you, until you realise you don’t need it. Sure, some of it is pretty handy, but it bears no relationship to who you are as a person. We can live with much less than we think we need, and our relationships should be valued much more than our material possessions, even though we live in a consumer-driven society.

2. You will only ever live the life you create for yourself.

Is your life your own, or do others try to persuade you? Are you happy for others to create a path for your life or would you prefer your path to be aligned with your own intuition and desires? Don’t be afraid to start off in a new direction when it feels right to you. Patience is not about waiting, but about the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in.

3. Being busy does NOT mean being productive.

Busyness isn’t a virtue, nor is it something to respect.  Though we all have seasons of crazy schedules, very few of us have a legitimate need to be busy ALL the time.  We simply don’t know how to live within our means, prioritize properly, and say no when we should.

4. Some kind of failure always occurs before success.

Most mistakes are unavoidable.  Learn to forgive yourself.  It’s not a problem to make them.  It’s only a problem if you never learn from them.

5. Thinking and doing are two very different things.

You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.  Knowledge is basically useless without action.  Good things don’t come to those who wait; they come to those who work on meaningful goals.  Ask yourself what’s really important and then have the courage to build your life around your answer.

And remember, if you wait until you feel 100% ready to begin, you’ll likely be waiting the rest of your life.

6. You don’t have to wait for an apology to forgive.

Life gets much easier when you learn to accept all the apologies you never got.  The key is to be thankful for every experience – positive or negative.  It’s taking a step back and saying, “Thank you for the lesson.”  It’s realizing that grudges from the past are a perfect waste of today’s happiness, and that holding one is like letting unwanted company live rent free in your head.

Forgiveness is a promise – one you want to keep.  When you forgive someone you are making a promise not to hold the unchangeable past against your present self.  It has nothing to do with freeing a criminal of his or her crime, and everything to do with freeing yourself of the burden of being an eternal victim.

7. Some people are simply the wrong match for you.

You will only ever be as great as the people you surround yourself with, so be brave enough to let go of those who keep bringing you down.  You shouldn’t force connections with people who constantly make you feel less than amazing.

8. It’s not other people’s job to love you; it’s yours.

It’s important to be nice to others, but it’s even more important to be nice to yourself.  You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.  So make sure you don’t start seeing yourself through the eyes of those who don’t value you.  Know your worth, even if they don’t.

 

Were these tips useful to you? Did you have your own you want to share? Join the Livewire community to let us know!

Fashion isn’t everyone’s cuppa tea… but if we get down to the nitty gritty – we all wear clothes, which kinda means we all have an opportunity to make a change to the massive impact fashion (or clothes to put it simply) is having on our world!

Here’s one fact to get you thinking:

Did you know that textiles are the largest source of microplastics, accounting for 34.8% of global microplastic pollution? Every time you wash a synthetic garment, thousands of tiny microfibres are released into the water system, most of which end up in the sea. – Fashion Revolution

So what can you do?

As a lover of fashion myself, I’ve gotta say there are so many awesome things happening in the industry to ignite change and to embrace sustainable living. Fast fashion firstly is something to think about! If you wanna know more about that… head to a previous article here, also below is a simple chart to get your thinking on how small changes can make a whole lotta difference.

---

---

Here’s some tips to get you helping the environment & igniting change within your own wardrobe.

1.Choose natural fibres where possible
This includes cottons (organic if possible), bamboo etc over polyesters.

Now sometimes choosing ONLY cotton or natural fibres can be tricky… Cotton at times is not as durable or tough as synthetic fibres, also you can’t really swim in cotton! The aim of the game here is to minimise where you can! Look out for recycled polyester where possible in clothing that just can’t be solely natural.

Small steps can ignite huge changes, so even just simply shopping with this in mind can help! If you end up with some un-natural fibres here and there, its ok – just be on the look out for where you can make changes and start from there 

 

2. Think before you buy!

When you’re heading into the shops and you see a 2 for 1 sale…or everything is 50% off…. stop and ask yourself ‘do you really need it!’. I know I’ve been guilty of over buying and then having those clothes just sit in my wardrobe without being worn (or only worn once or twice) and then tossed away.

Lets look at some details on why this is so important:

It is believed that the fashion industry unfortunately is now one of the biggest polluters in the world—second only to oil

YEP, second to oil!

Think before you buy, and think before you throw them away!

3. Head to the THRIFT store!

There is so much good fashion to go around and so many people give away some awesome pieces of fashion that you can grab at a steal! Yes they may be second hand, but can also be… oh …so ….good!

4. Set up a SWAP or BORROW!

Getting a group of mates together and having a huge swap or borrow market can be a fun thing to do! Swapping your clothes around can be like owning a massive wardrobe of awesomeness!

If you have a big event coming up and you don’t have the dollars or know if you buy something its only going to be worn once… than grab some mates and set up some borrowing or swapping!

---

Things to remember!

Depending on your circumstances it may not always be possible to shop in a way that is best for the planet. We can however try to make small changes. Our over-buying/throw-away culture is getting really outta hand… lets work together to make a change. Small steps… little by little 

Zentangling…

Something that most people (including myself) see as just Doodling. But I’m here to tell you a bit more about the art of Zentangle, why it is very different to just simple doodling and how useful it can be as a tool to relieve stress and anxiety.

The traditional practice of Zentangling uses 3 ½ inch square tiles made of special paper, but you can cut your own choice of paper into squares or completely “break the rules” and tangle on whatever type of paper you want to.  it can be easier to draw larger designs with bigger pens such as a fine point Sharpie or large felt pens.

Why would I be interested in Zentangle?

While the process may look intricate, it is a deceptively simple pathway to relaxation and inner focus. In fact, proponents of the practice note that it has multiple benefits including calming an anxious mind, increasing self-confidence, and cultivating moment-to-moment awareness in a similar way as mindfulness meditation.

They say that when you are feeling stressed or anxious it is really important to focus on minute things around you, the colours of the walls, the shapes on the floor, the grains in the wood. Zentangling allows you to do this in a more tangible way as it requires thought, pattern, and micro movement. as opposed to our old friend Doodling.

The classic definition of Doodling is a drawing done without full attention while the person is otherwise occupied. Sort of the exact opposite of Zentangling if you think about it hey?

It’s not to say that your amazing doodling creation isn’t a Zentangle, but instead that the art of Zentangle is more about the conscious process of creating a pattern.

So how does it help you relax?

it helps you slow down, concentrate, and move with what ever patterns come onto the paper eliminating the feeling of expectation.
If you accept this process as one with no expected outcome other than the enjoyment of putting the pen to paper and staying open to whatever emerges, then you might find the mind able to relax and be still.

What if I just want to colour in already made Zentangles, will this still be beneficial?

Absolutely! you still need to consciously colour in the lines and choose what colours go where, you also get the same satisfaction of watching something build as you put colour in each section. In fact, we have a colour-able zen tangle in this issue of the Livewire zine that you can download here, if you’d like to give it a go. You might have to join Livewire to see the zine.

Is there an easy way to draw zentangles without having to use a pen?

There is an amazing App that is called ‘Amaziograph’ you can download it onto your iPad and create patterns by making small lines and shapes with your finger or stylis within a small area of the graph which then mirrors itself onto the rest fo the graph tiles! confused? here is the link to the instructions of how to use it

http://www.amaziograph.com/manual/AmaziographUserManual.pdf

If you want to give Zentangling a go and would like some pattern ideas to start you off Join Livewire.org.au to find out more!

Happy Tangling guys! cant wait to see your creations 🙂 Liz LW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We firmly believe that giving is better than receiving. And in the spirit of Christmas we want you to give us the gift of art and in return you might receive a gift from Livewire!

So the deal is we want to see your Christmas inspired artwork. Each piece must be an original creation by you and be a representation of what Christmas and the holiday season means to you! And it can take the form of whatever medium you like!

You can paint…

Take a photograph….

Or a drawing…

Or creating something digitally!

All you need to do to enter is upload an image of your artwork to the Newsfeed as well as writing a couple of sentences about your work and your inspiration for the piece  You can submit as many entries as you like just get them in before Monday the 26th of November, for a chance to win some great Christmassy prizes!

GOOD LUCK!

This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill . . . . . . The first everLIVEWIRE TRIVIA NIGHTis here!

*cue the confetti cannons and the glitter bombs!*

What’s a Trivia Night?

 

 

 

A whole bunch of fun!  And pretty much a big game/competition where you will get to answer a whole bunch of questions, from a range of different topics (like music, movies, sport, and general knowledge)

When is it?

The Livewire trivia night will be run in a separate chat room on Wednesday nights from 7:30pm-8:30pm AEDT and will be hosted by me, HannahLW

These trivia nights will be run once a month, on the 3rd wednesday night of every month!

Can we work in pairs?

For this first one, we will trial it with everyone just entering individually. But we’re working on figuring out ways you might be able to work in pairs or teams for future games. So watch this space!

What do I need to do?

Just turn up and have fun!

If you’re not a member, join above and get in on the action!

 

 

 

Board games are old, but have you ever wondered how old? Allow me to introduce some of the world’s oldest board games, all of which are still played today!

Chess
Played since: 7th & 15th centuries

Chess in it’s current form was codified in 15th century Europe. However this modern form was a descendant of an earlier game called Chaturanga. Chaturanga originated in India, though some argue for China, sometime around 600CE. This version had the same checkered board, but used 4 divisions of pieces starting in the corners of the board. Throughout its life and in all of its iterations Chess has been a game of pure strategy, and remains world renowned for the complexity it offers.

Nine Men’s Morris
Played since: 1400 BCE (possibly)

The exact age of this game is undetermined, but it has been around since at least the Roman Empire. It has a lot of alternative names, including Nine Man Morris, Mills, The Mill Game, Merels and Cowboy Checkers. Based around forming three piece lines that allow the removal of opponent pieces, the game resembles a combination of noughts and crosses and checkers.

Go
Played since: 2000 BCE

Also known as Weiqi, this incredibly old game originates in ancient China. The game is compared to chess, although it is larger and based on adding pieces to create complicated spreading arrangements. It was one of the four arts considered essential for any cultured aristocrat to master, the others being painting, calligraphy, and playing the Guqin.

Backgammon
Played since: 3000 BCE

Dating back thousands of years to ancient Persia, backgammon is one of the oldest examples of a “race” game. Player’s roll dice to move their checkers round the board in opposite “horse shoe” loops, racing to complete their loop before their opponent can. Rules on legal moves and allowing players to knock out each other’s pieces allow for deeper strategy.

Checkers
Played since: 3000 BCE

A relatively simple game of hopping over your opponents pieces, checkers has had several forms over its long life. Credited by multiple sources as being Egyptian in origin, it is also known as Draughts. Checkers rules vary considerably by region, with over twenty local variants acknowledged.

Senet
Played since: 3500 BCE

Finally we come to the game that holds the title of oldest board game in the world, Senet. Originating in Ancient Egypt over 5000 years ago it is also known as Senat or Sen’t. No complete record of the rules of Senet exists today, though that doesn’t stop retailers selling modern sets. These modern Senet games use rules pieced together from fragments of text spanning a thousand years, and likely differ greatly from the original.