Table of contents for Issue 13 in Project Calm

Our hands really do say so much about ourselves. How we use them to gesticulate, whether we nibble our nails or how we decorate them all speaks volumes. Looking down at my own hands, I see short nails, accompanied by an art deco engagement ring and a simple gold wedding band, bought second-hand; an ethical choice, and each with their own history. What does that say about me? I'm a down-to-earth, curious woman who loves a story and likes to get stuck in? Not far off! But, on a deeper level, our hands say so much more about ourselves. Throughout history, they hold significance in cultures around the world for ceremonies and celebrations. They can also hold the future, as you'll see in our palmistry feature. Whether you believe it…

1 CONVERSATIONS FOR EVERYONE Podcasts have really come into their own, with many of us choosing them over traditional radio. The platform crosses most genres and gives a voice to people once unheard. Raw and honest are just some of the ways we’d describe Kate O’Sullivan’s recently released podcast, Conversations From Our Days. Following on from her successful podcast series A Playful Day, Kate recognised a need for more diverse podcasts. Kate tells us, “I didn’t see myself among my peers. I was a queer creator and single mum on benefits from a working-class background.” With esteemed guests sharing their own stories, these podcasts make explicit the experiences of others, in hope of a better understanding of ourselves. bit.ly/calm13kateosullivan 2 INDULGE IN NATURE’S BEAUTY As we all know, we can…

Chances are you have already seen Stacie’s art – her designs have adorned wallpaper, Moda fabric and children’s décor for Crate and Kids. And then there’s her own stationery, and of course, Instagram. Her balance of delicate-yet-striking designs offer a strength in subtlety. “I love expressing a specific idea or creating a minimal icon that can communicate concisely,” she says. “Playing with colour and texture is my favourite part of illustrating. If I’m feeling a little short on inspiration, I go for a walk near our local lake or visit Crystal Bridges Art Museum.” Projects for Stacie are varied and often feature reassuring messages such as ‘Nobody’s got it all together’, ‘We need each other’ and ‘Kindness counts’ alongside whimsical woodland animals. “I decided to create this sort of work…

This is a simple but intensively nourishing recipe that contains shea butter, which contains nourishing and protective vitamin E and fatty acids, and avocado oil, which is able to penetrate skin while also being rich in vitamins and antioxidants. All of this works to smooth, soften and promote youthful-looking skin. Lastly, beeswax soothes skin, while forming a protective barrier against the elements. You will need: 2 tablespoons shea butter1 tablespoon beeswax4 tablespoons avocado oiloptional: up to 10 dropsessential oil – lavender, sandalwood or frankincense are healing without being overpowering, so work well here. Makes enough to fill 1 x 60ml (2¼fl oz) ointment jar. To make: 1. Melt the shea butter and beeswax in a bain-marie over a gentle heat, then stir in the avocado oil. 2. Leave for at…

There are four types of hands: air – thinking, square palm and long fingers; earth – practical, square palm and short fingers; fire – intuitive, long palm and short fingers and water – feeling; long palm and long fingers. Take a minute to look at the lines on your dominant hand, finger width, the way that you hold your hand. Every detail holds meaning, a truth, destiny. There are three major lines; the life line, wisdom line and love line. LIFE LINE From between your thumb and forefinger, this line runs down to the bottom of your hand. This indicates health and can apparently grow longer and change shape depending on your approach to your health. The line’s depth will tell you how you will go through life, upward branches…

Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.…

C0LOURFUL TEXTILES Eloise is an artist, designer and illustrator living and working in Nottingham, UK. Her work is based around her love of strong shapes, textural markmaking, dynamic colour combinations and clean, crisp lines. Eloise’s background is in printed textiles; this is reflected in the pattern, repetition and texture that feature prominently in her pieces. Largely abstract, they reflect a diverse range of influences from fashion, interiors, textiles, architecture, landscapes, sculpture, ceramics and graphic art. eloiserenouf.com | @eloiserenouf “I’m inspired by textiles of all different sorts, particularly the textures and surfaces found in weave and embroidery.” MAKING PATTERNS 1 IN THE BEGINNING “I love working with my hands – painting, drawing, collaging and sewing – and this is the basis for everything I produce. Every piece of work I create…

CERAMICS Elizabeth is a potter and author based in East London. She makes her ceramics, using a wheel and kiln, in a small studio at the bottom of her garden. Her debut novel, The Doll Factory, will be published in May. elizabethmacneal.com | @elizabethmacneal “I love how tactile ceramics are, that I can use and hold something which I have formed from a lump of earth. Nothing beats opening the kiln to a new glaze.” FLEXIBLE STYLE 1 PATTERNS IN THE POTTERY “I don’t have a favourite pattern or style. I end up with an enormous range of styles and shapes, largely because I find so much joy in trying new things. I also have a very flexible design process. My ideas tend to occur to me while I’m throwing…

SUCCULENT IN BOWL Green up your living space with this succulent plant complete with pink flower blooms and delicate pale blue hobnail bowl. CARMEN WITH FRUIT Create your own vibrant portrait of the Brazilian samba singer, dancer and actress Carmen Miranda in all her fruity glory. DEER WITH HUCKLEBERRIES Paint in the gorgeous huckleberry foliage around this young deer. To see the full range of Rachel’s kits, visit elle-cree.com…

FROST FLOWERS Thin layers of ice extruded from longstemmed plants form exquisite petal shapes. The flowers form when the sap inside freezes and expands. ADVECTION FROST Also known as wind frost, this is formed when cold wind blows over surfaces. Ice spikes form against the direction of the wind, at any time of day or night. NEEDLE ICE If the soil is above 0°C but the air temperature is below, flowing water underneath the soil comes to the surface, where it freezes in needle-like ice columns. ICE FERNS If a window is exposed to cold air on the outside and warm, moist air on the inside, a spectacular frost pattern can form on the glass. HOAR FROST A deposit of ice crystals on objects exposed to the air, including grass,…

1 SENSE THE WILDLIFE The key to capturing magnificent nature shots is patience and awareness. Be attuned to everything around you in the air and on the ground; listen for the scurry of little paws, or the chirp of birds above you – there’ll certainly be motion to follow. 2 MEDITATE ON NATURE If you’re shooting something immobile like a tree or flower, spend time studying it and think about capturing every angle. Try shooting it closeup and fill the frame with colour, then step back and place it within its environment. 3 INTO THE SHADOW & LIGHT The deeper skies of early morning and dusk often produce a higher intensity of colour, but if you’re out and about shooting in the middle of the day, try hunting out shadows…

KATE O’SULLIVAN Kate lives in a seaside home near Edinburgh with her girlfriend, daughter and two wayward cats. Kate hosts the Conversations From Our Days podcast and wrote our hands feature (page 14). kateosullivan.org SIAN MEADES Sian is a London-based lifestyle writer and editor, studying for an MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature. Be inspired by her book suggestions and start to change the world on page 44. domesticsluttery.com HELEN MARTIN Storytelling flair and curiosity led Helen to become a writer, and she also founded indie lifestyle magazine Lionheart. Read her feature on palmistry on page 30 and check out her travel tips on page 108. lionheart-mag.com LOTTIE STOREY Writer and blogger Lottie lives by the water in Bristol, UK, with countless kids and kittens. She features anything that tickles…

Have you always wanted to be an illustrator? I did a general foundation degree in art and design, but when I spent most of my 3D design course drawing people to show the scale for my buildings, my tutor suggested illustration. What other creative pursuits do you enjoy? When I want to relax away from screens I sometimes do cross stitch, it’s extremely soothing. The people you illustrate have a great sense of personality – how do you capture this? I prefer to think of faces and bodies as shapes and line. Conveying a sense of personality through just the positioning of an eye or the shape of a mouth is where it gets interesting to me. What do your hands say about you? I like my hands best when…

The hand is one of the most frequently symbolized parts of the human body. It appears in art, rituals and ceremonies as well as forming an essential part of communication. Hands are highly unique and individual to each person. There’s a wealth of information to interpret whenever we see hands and it’s unsurprising that they’ve come to appear as signposts in many cultures. Hands and connecting to one another with them can be incredibly nourishing. From birth, we seek to hold hands and as we grow hand holding becomes a matter of safety and guidance as much as it does a gesture of love and connection. Children hold hands as they join in a circle to play and seek the reassuring warmth of a caregiver’s hand. As we grow, we…

Our hands are often neglected in our skincare routines, despite the fact they are exposed to chemicals and the elements on a daily basis, and are often one of the first parts of the body to show visible signs of ageing. Treating them with essential oils can nourish and protect them; the oils are highly concentrated natural plant constituents and are what gives a plant its particular aroma. You can use them just to fragrance your skincare products, but many also have antiseptic, antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties that offer a whole host of benefits for your skin, your body, your health and your mind. ItÕs important that you purchase essential oils from a reputable retailer, as the quality can vary enormously. How you choose to mix your oils is…

SOLIDARITY Cut around the hands in your exclusive pop-up card by Robin Coomber, leaving the edge of the little finger intact. Fold the hands in and hook the thumbs together. Send to someone with all the warmth, love and reassurance conveyed by the design of the two linked hands. PALM UP Our fascinating print by illustrator Stacie Bloomfield is filled with intriguing clues to the secrets held in your palm. Take a look at your hand and have some fun learning more about the history behind those little lines – and even what your future may hold……

1 HAND-PAINTED POTS OF JOY During the winter months, it helps to inject a little colour into the grey, darker days, both around the home and in the garden. Add a dash of panache with some Pow Pots, designed and hand-painted by Nathalie Gibbins. The pots themselves are handmade in Vietnam from fibre clay, then Nathalie paints them using water-based, low or non-VOC environmentally friendly paints. They are sturdy, but lightweight as well as frost-proof, and come in a range of sizes, designs and colours so you can mix and match. Prices start at £38, and international delivery can be arranged on request. powpots.co.uk 2 SAVE THE RAINFOREST IN STYLE If your walls are in need of a style update, then East End Prints may be able to help. The…

JACQUARD WEAVES Beatrice’s studio specialises in modern woven textiles, accessories and interior products. Not driven by seasonal trends, Beatrice’s distinctive, softened geometric fabrics have a timeless quality that are designed to be enjoyed and appreciated all year round. Her work is characterised by inky line drawing and broken geometrics, which are then woven in Lancashire on Jacquard looms using extra fine merino wool. beatricelarkin.com | @beatricelarkin “Starting with a strand of yarn, I work with structure, design, colour and material to create a balanced fabric with depth.” GRAPHIC DESIGN 1 IN THE BEGINNING “I start the design process with sketches, inspired by patterns. I’m drawn to graphic, geometric design with an emphasis on broken lines and grids. These come from traditional weave structures, West African textiles, the Bauhaus and Brutalist…

I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.…

1 BOTANICAL DINOSAURS Still searching for the perfect calendar? Feed your inner palaeontologist and escape the midwinter blues with the beautiful Botanical Dinosaurs calendar by artist Amy Harwood. Each month is illustrated with a tropical dinosaur print painted in her home studio, the ideal organiser for those drawn to forgotten worlds and lush, tropical places. We love the pink triceratops and forest print brachiosaurus, and her designs have also been printed onto postcards, bookmarks and stickers, all of which are available on her Etsy shop at amyharwoodshop.etsy.com. Plus, see her humorous and cute Hello, Mr Badger, Bunny Breeds and All of the Sloths prints for animal lovers. Botanical Dinosaurs calendar, £12, with worldwide shipping. 2 MIDWINTER SKINCARE Neal’s Yard has long been at the forefront of organic, cruelty free cosmetics,…

1 ABSTRACTING A practice of visually defining objects by simplifying your view of their shape. 2 MATCHING Looking out for objects or shapes that visually match others, but are functionally different. 3 COLOUR IDENTIFYING Identifying colours, particularly when at first glance you may not realize they are there. 4 PATTERN SPOTTING The practice of consciously noticing and actively looking for patterns, no matter how random or abstract. Taken from Conscious Creativity: Look, Connect, Create, by Philippa Stanton. Published by Leaping Hare Press, RRP £14.99. quartoknows.com…

From November to January, in the Norwegian island city of Tromsø, the sun barely rises. Located within the Arctic Circle, the polar night lasts for three whole months, ranging from pitch black to moments of deep cobalt blue, known as the ‘polar twilight’. From time to time, the sky is lit up with the magical displays of the Northern Lights. As someone who struggles with the cold, short days of a British winter, and spends the season swathed in jumpers and multiple pairs of socks, I didn’t envy my sister, Lisa – a doctor of geography – when she relocated to Tromsø to work for the Norwegian Polar Institute, studying climate patterns in sea ice. Yet, according the United Nations’ 2017 World Happiness Report, Norway is the happiest country in…

Here are some songs we treasure, kicking off with Jill Scott’s all-our-blessings anthem, Golden. We’re also enjoying odes to winter, as well as ditties that have us considering all the ways we can make a difference – seizing the day (Fast Car), being a teacher (Mr King), and recognising the power in all of us (Man in the Mirror). Enjoy! 1. Golden – Jill Scott 2. Grandma’s Hands – Bill Withers 3. Pattern – The Last Shadow Puppets 4. Clap Your Hands – Sia 5. On Ice – Nina Kinert 6. Cherish the Day – Sade 7. Stripes + Squares – Julietta 8. Fast Car – Tracy Chapman 9. Mr King – Nerina Pallot 10. The Ice is Getting Thinner – Death Cab for Cutie 11. Winter – Tori Amos…

It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.…

So what do our hands give away about our personality? Can we base our knowledge of a person based on conclusions we draw when inspecting the way their hands appear and are adorned? Our hands work much like a blueprint for the rest of our body and, indeed, our life, giving away glimpses of our lifestyle and social status. Here are some further insights into the way hands play a pivotal role in our day-to-day lives. FINGERPRINTS Fingerprints are the tiny ridges, whorls and valleys on the tip of each finger and are totally unique. Formed from pressure on a baby’s developing fingers in the womb, prints can be used to identify individuals. GROOMING Nowadays we tend to think of manicures in terms of salons that began to rise in…

As well as a hand cream, you can use the salve as a facial moisturiser, makeup remover, all-over body balm, lip balm and even a deep-conditioning hair treatment. Shea butter has been used by African women as a skin and hair treatment for centuries. It's packed with vitamins and is deeply moisturising and softening. Apricot oil contains vitamins A and E, which soothe the skin and help slow signs of ageing, and both apricot and shea are anti-inflammatories. Rose essential oil has emollient, antiseptic and astringent properties, and is well known for its healing ability. You will need: 2 tablespoons shea butter1 tablespoon beeswax4 tablespoons apricot oil3 drops rose essential oiloptional for extra nourishment:1 vitamin E capsule (available fromhealth-food retailers), broken open Makes enough to fill 1 x 60ml (2¼fl…

THE GOOD IMMIGRANT edited by Nikesh Shukla An inspiring collection of essays by black, Asian and minority ethnic voices in Britain. Contributors include actor Riz Ahmed and the poet Salena Godden. THE REVOLUTION HANDBOOK by Alice Skinner Angry? Frustrated? The artist and activist Alice Skinner takes a fun but focused dive into how to start your own revolution with plenty of space to get creative too. WHY I’M NO LONGER TALKING TO WHITE PEOPLE ABOUT RACE by Reni Eddo-Lodge Covering different topics from class to racial history, Eddo-Lodge’s bestseller is vital for anyone who wants to understand race relations in Britain today. WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie An internationally acclaimed essay taken from Adichie’s influential 2012 TEDx talk, which redefined feminism for the modern age. An…

When it comes to zero waste, the best place to start is personal waste – after all, this is the area where we have the most control. But making personal changes can still be hard. It wouldn’t be fair or honest if I said adopting a low-waste lifestyle was easy and will happen within 30 days. I’m also not saying it’s too hard, but there will be some emotional speed humps you’ll encounter when, for example, you are trying to cut down on single-use plastics but no-one else around you is. The low-waste lifestyle is a circular lifestyle, but society is currently built on a linear system. I liken it to the round-peg-square-hole metaphor, except instead of putting the round peg into a square hole, it’s thrown into the square…

STAINED GLASS Flora produces contemporary and traditional stained glass from her studio in Bridport, Dorset. She takes on a wide variety of commissions – from small commemorative panels to full sets of window or door panels – as well as reproducing and restoring windows from the Victorian, Edwardian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras. Her contemporary stained-glass designs are inspired by a range of sources, including graphic design, the natural world, organic forms and geometric patterns. florajamieson.co.uk | @theroundwindow “I love the process of making a stained glass window – but the moment you hold it up to the light is so exciting.” THE PROCESS 1 COLLABORATION & SKETCHES “The first stage is design. As most of my work is to commission, this is usually a collaborative…

The quietude of midwinter is a message from the natural world, prompting us to slow down and restore our minds and bodies. Solitary bees rest in holes underground, dormice hibernate in leaf litter nests, blackbirds feed on the last hedgerow berries – and we snuggle up, drink tea and dream of spring. Just as we sleep, the world outside sleeps, and from that dormant landscape emerge dreams in a different form. The earth becomes a canvas for one of nature’s greatest phenomena, clinging to the soil and dancing across the grass in twists, ribbons and blossoms. For when the world sleeps, the winter frost awakens. Frost is formed when tiny ice crystals or frozen dew drops coat the ground and other surfaces, usually overnight. It appears on clear, cold nights,…

1 SPRING Spring is the best season to capture the beauty of flowers that are starting to bloom and it’s the perfect time to experiment with close-ups. Taking macro shots with a blurred background (bokeh or portrait mode on your iPhone) helps you find patterns. Catching dew drops or a buzzing bee can change the whole mood of your photo. Try taking photos with the sun behind the flowers for a less vivid but luminous effect. Apps such as Color Pop are great to use with macro flower shots (see photo). Create a floral flatlay with your favourite flowers. Take a few petals off and lay them with the flower on a surface, along with other objects of the same colour. Arrange so they overflow out of the frame to…

Every snow flake, unique as every number, tells us something about complexity.…

CANADA Every year the Fairmont Hotel at Lake Louise in Canada, creates an exquisite fairytale ice castle from huge blocks of ice in the middle of the spectacular ice rink. Surrounded by the majestic snow-frosted Canadian Rockies and huge Victoria Glacier it’s an awe-inspiring setting. fairmont.com/lake-louise CHINA The incredible Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in the northeast of China is a spectacle on a truly grand scale. Stretching across four parks, you’ll find sculptures taller than a 10-storey building and stunning ice lanterns lit with colourful lights. harbinice.com LONDON Discover the wondrous Magical Ice Kingdom each winter at Hyde Park with intricately carved ice fantasy worlds. From castles, dragons and knights, to a secret forest with magical and mythical creatures, what will 2019 bring? hydeparkwinterwonderland.com HELSINKI The Uunisaari…

The best thing about my recent house move wasn’t the glass roof in the kitchen, the extra room I use as an office or even the back garden. No, the best thing was the realisation that London’s greatest car boot sale (in my humble opinion) is practically on my doorstep. There’s nothing I love more than rooting around in other people’s unwanted trash to find treasure. On my last three visits I’ve found a side table, vintage paintings, Poole Pottery vases and a lamp. There are always dealers there but the best finds are from the people who just want to make space in their home. Part of the excitement of going to a car boot sale is not knowing what you’ll find. I take a few tote bags and…