Tag Archives: snow

Frozen Easter Eggs

If you can’t beat them, join them…

I guess that applies to the weather too. If you cannot beat the cold – play along.

So that is what I did for Easter. As I already mentioned in my previous Easter post, I am not really into the whole Easter thing and much to some people’s despair I only ever follow rituals or parts of them, which seem like real fun to me, when I am in the mood for it or if they make some other kind of sense to me (and that does not always need to be the rational kind of sense 😉 ) .

Since we were invited for an Easter dinner and I recently read something about freezing water in balloons, I decided to create some frozen Easter eggs, suitable as an ephemeral gift for the host’s garden and the icy cold weather.

The Process

I filled water into balloons and hung them in the freezer. After the water was frozen, I peeled off the balloon.

Now I boiled some beetroot peels (the rest of the root was turned into a yummy raw salad) to get a natural and environmentally friendly colour for the red egg. Only at this stage I remembered to take photographs of the process. I used commercial food colouring for the other two eggs as I ran out of time for being more creative in making my own colours.

Boiled beetroot peels create a lovely red colour…

…which I used to paint the frozen ice/egg

The eggs were stored in the freezer and then transported in a padded cool-box to our dinner hosts.

Easter eggs stored safely in the freezer

The Result:

Then the Easter bunny (i.e. me) could not decide, where to place the eggs, to get the best visibility – these eggs were not made for hiding after all. After trying the pretty white snow blanket of the back yard, I decided it is best to place them right in view of the front door, even if there was not an ‘all white’ dense snow covering as I had wished for.But they would be in plain view of everybody leaving or entering the house.

The Easter eggs in their full glory

Easter Eggs viewed from the top

Much to my joy, they were well received…. 🙂 And we were treated to a delicious meal and lovely evening.

The bunny left some frozen Easter eggs at the front door…

And if they have not melted, they might still be there today…

Wishing you a great remainder of the week!

Hello Summer

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Hello summer – where are you?

On Friday this was the view out of my studio:

View from my studio – it is snowing…

So I decided to cut a stencil to welcome the summer… (as you can see, I am still struggling with the weather here in Berlin…)

Stencil – Hallo Sommer ©ImkeRust

Just to make sure that the welcoming note will be understood in Germany, I have used proper German, even though I liked “Hello Summer” better. Guess I am still more comfortable thinking in English…

And Sunday my boyfriend and I have planned to get out of the city and drive to a tiny forest on a tiny hill which we have discovered some time ago, the Lindenberg. I love these outings, as I can always find something fun to do, to interrupt the long walks my boyfriend loves to take. As you can gather, I am not that fond of endless walks…

So here are some photos of what happened when we were not walking:

Hallo Sommer (Dark soil on snow) © Imke Rust

I took along the stencil and decided I wanted to use eco-friendly materials. Fortunately I found some really dark earth from mole heaps close by to make this.

Hallo Sommer (Dark soil on wood) © Imke Rust

Trying out the stencil on a dead tree, which was more difficult because of the round shape…

I brought some Curcuma powder along from home, just in case I would not find any other suitable materials to use, and because of the warm yellow colour. So I had to try that out too. I was not all that happy with the result. Unfortunately the wind had picked up a lot making it difficult to pour the powder without spilling over the edges. The sieve which I used to add the dark soil in the previous pictures also did not work for this one, as the powder was to fine… and so to much powder plopped down… Anyway, I still like the warm colour 🙂

Hallo Sommer (Curcuma on snow) © Imke Rust

Hallo Sommer -Close-up(Curcuma on snow) © Imke Rust

And finally, a picture of me taking pictures of another work, which I hope to share at another time. Hint: I am the one hiding beneath all those layers of clothes…

Me, packed warmly, taking photographs © Imke Rust

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Calling the Sun

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After a brief appearance in Berlin the sun and warmth have disappeared again, making way for cold winter temperatures and a thick layer of snow.

So this is my official call for the sun to return. And my goldfish once again helped me with the task, by reminding the universe of the shape, colour and fun the sun can bring.

And since my family and friends back in Namibia are still desperately waiting for the rain, I thought I just send over a some clouds which I have collected some time ago (knowing that they might be in demand soon 😉 ). And I have asked them to take along all the clouds from Berlin and other rainy friends which they encounter along their way. Common clouds – the party is happening down in Namibia, so get yourselves over there in a hurry!

Wishing you all a happy week! Filled with sun or rain – whatever you need! But mostly filled with gratitude and love for that what is…

Taking my goldfish for a swim in the snow

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I desperately needed to cheer myself up… The sunless grey days of German winter needed some warmth and the beautiful white landscapes some colour.

Fortunately I brought some really cute, really bright orange goldfish along from Namibia and decided to take them for a swim in unusual places.

Interventions like these are fun. And important. I slowly realize that these ‘small’ and playful things, which I am usually doing on the spur of the moment, are not that frivolous at all. I might just be following a hunch or a simple, but fascinating idea, at the time and only see the relevance to my life or the bigger picture later. And then I am surprised how these simple creative processes help me to make sense of my life and emotions.

Since I arrived in Berlin in the middle of February, I struggled to adjust to the cold and sunless weather here. Even though I have been regularly moving between the two continents and cultures for some time now, I am still not managing the change very well. I really enjoy Berlin and all that it has to offer, but I have to admit, as a born and bred Namibian I still feel like a fish out of water in Europe.

Taking my goldfish out into nature, letting them brighten up the day, wobble through the snow and glide up into the sky reminded me that I could choose to embrace the unease and stress I am experiencing because I am out of my comfort zone. To focus on the bright side and willingly submit to the growth-pains which are a necessary if we do not want to stay stuck in the same old rut. And to explore the advantages: more freedom to discover unusual and new things, having fun in simple ways and being able to see the world with a fresh and unconditioned mind.

And for a while the excitement of placing my cute goldfish all over the place and photographing them made me forget my unusually low tolerance to the cold and my gloomy mood. 🙂

Finding a trickle of flowing water ©Imke Rust

Taking my goldfish for a swim ©Imke Rust