The Think Project at Waiheke Ostend Market

17/01/2022

Thank you to my wonderful friends, engaging visitors, and fellow stall-holders at the Ostend Market.

It's been great to have a reason to get out and be actively part of the community, (albeit for me, that has been extremely intermittent over the past 2+ years due - to the pandemic and other factors). The market is a terrific place to meet fellow Waihekeans and other folk.

It's been a very challenging two years for all of us. During it, I've been admitted to hospital 7 times as an emergency (God bless the ambulance and rescue helicopter staff. They are awesome); and another time for heart surgery. I am now on immunosuppressive drugs (and so many other pills that I must jingle when I walk). They, and excellent medical care on Waiheke and in Auckland have kept me out of hospital the past few months. We are blessed in New Zealand. But I'm physically not up to setting up (or even to stand up for long) at the market; and must reduce the risk of getting an infection.

So, I won't be back until things settle pandemic wise.

I will put links to my designs on my Facebook "TheThinkProject2018" page.
If you are looking for a card or T-shirt or print or mobile or laptop phone cover etc - you can order them custom made at the relevant links which I will share at the address below. (Note - I don't make or sell these items. They pay a small commission when something with one of my designs on it sells.) 👇

https://www.facebook.com/TheThinkProject2018

I have started a Facebook news group about Waiheke, and things of interest to Waihekeans called the Waiheke Times - to keep the grey cells ticking over. You can search for Facebook and Waiheke Times if you are interested.

The Ostend Market is a fun place to visit on a Saturday morning on Waiheke. It has a wide array of food, art, crafts, books, recycled treasures (and more), and great people. Its definitely worth a visit.

Wishing all of you good health, and much happiness (and praying covid will do the decent thing - and stop making our lives difficult, and disappear)!

Debbie ( DE Sheridan )
TheThinkProject2018

TheThinkProject2018 is my Graphic Art Design Project - graphic art compositions that illustrate inspirational and motivational thoughts and words.

01/09/2021

Good day family and friends. I hope you are keeping happy and well.

Sorry I haven’t been at the market much this year. It’s been great to see you when the stars have been in alignment and we were in L1 and I was able to go. Between Covid lockdowns and health issues, it’s been a bit of a roller-coater 1 1/2 years

Right now Auckland is still in L4, so going out for a visit with friends, let alone having a fun day out at Ostend market is once again, not an option.

In the meantime - if you are looking for something to cheer you up, check out my page

https://m.facebook.com/HeWhoLaughsLasts/

Its a collection of humorous cartoons, jokes and funny sayings I’ve collected from various sites when cruising the internet; or they have been sent to me by friends. (I periodically have look at them myself for a chuckle to un-stress.)

Stay well. This too will pass.
We’ll eventually be able to look back and say - remember when we sat at home and watched every movie ever made - and shrek hair and pajamas were the most popular fashion looks - and innovative cooking became the new “in” thing.

Debbie

Sharing laughs found roaming on the internet - to help make you feel good, and brighten your day.

01/01/2021

01/01/2021

The first weekend of 2021 looks like it will unfortunately present us with ‘orrible weather in Auckland.

If you are holidaying on for the weekend, don’t bury your head under the covers and feel sad - pop inside the hall at the Ostend Market (the building attached to the RSA) and have a cup of coffee or other treat from the café; and meet up with family and friends and visit with the stall holders.

The market is officially open between 8am - 1pm on Saturdays outside and inside the hall (which is located beside the Waiheke RSA in Ostend, very close to the bus stop).

The Red Shed Art Gallery in Palm Beach (which us the red shed, beside the Palm Beach Hall and across the road from the bus stop) will be open (rain or shine), as will Waiheke’s cafés, other art galleries, the library, and wineries around the island. For the hardy types who don’t mind the weather, there’s also swimming at the beaches, bicycling and Ecozip)

Of course if you thought ahead, you can wear a poncho and make up some sandwiches to share with fellow travellers at bus stops (many of which have some covering) and have a gab fest with the locals or fellow visitors.

No one knows what lies ahead in 2021.
Maybe we shouldn’t stay home when we don’t have to.

06/11/2020

Saturday 7 November, already. The Waiheke Island Ostend market will be up and running throughout the morning.

I’ll be with the other marketeers - INSIDE the Ostend Memorial hall (which is right next to the RSA, in the market grounds.

I had a cataract done this week - and everything already looks brighter. I had no idea they could cause a yellowy grey cast. Thank God my artwork colours look OK - just brighter. (But I didn’t know cataract surgery causes wrinkles 😉)

Its Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of the remembrance poppy) - on Wednesday, 11 November.

Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty.

I was in the Canadian military. I’m pro-peace, not imperialistic wars - but realistic enough to know every country needs a military; both for defense, and, especially important in this day and age - for logistical support during national emergencies, such as extreme weather events.

I’ll be wearing my Remembrance Day T-shirt, and will have out my pro-Peace, Remembrance Day designs, Christmas, Birthday and Thank You cards etc, and artwork.

I/we look forward to seeing you there.

27/10/2020

I've added to my Orwellian themed designs, (which can to custom printed on a variety of merchandise) to my Red Bubble store.

"Let's make 1984 Fiction Again" (shown below) is the third version of that design theme.

This is to explain what caused me to create this design. I hope this design will trigger thought, discussion and ultimately, positive solutions.

"Lets make 1984 fiction again" is another visual story about our current, real, globally intrusive, manipulative, and oppressive Big Brother surveillance state.

We are spied on through various devices, by internet platforms and "security / spy" entities - linked to governments and corporations.

The intent is to harvest our data, contacts and habits and use this information to manipulate us and others. Free speech is under attack through the tool of "political correctness" and internet censorship, wielded by agenda driven, powerful online oligopoly internet platforms - reportedly linked to government agencies, that also sell the data they collect about us to big businesses and organizations.

Free thought is undermined by the manipulation of data we are allowed to see or read or discuss.

Orwell would not have dreamed how bad the Big Brother Surveillance State would become.

Its not just CCTV cameras and drones. Even our vehicles, our watches, TVs, and smart meters etc - collect data about us and feed it into the Big Brother panopticon data centers for data mining.

Human beings have become commodities.

Our behaviour is spied upon, and controlled in the interests of Big Brother and their political and corporate cronies. We need to be talking about this, and think of reasonable practical solutions - so privacy, free thought and liberty can exist in an increasingly oppressive, totalitarian, Orwellian world.

Let's make 1984 fiction again.

This design is available on multiple products in my store.
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60979398

It's also available on Saturdays at my stall inside the hall at the Ostend Market (on cards).

23/10/2020

Yay! The first weekend of (almost) summer 2020 has arrived; and the forecast looks good. (High of 20)

If you want to send Christmas cards or gifts overseas - this year, the sooner you do it, the better. The postal and logistics systems worldwide are still severely slowed down (and snowed under) due to Covid - and increased use of postal/courier services.

If you’re interested in Christmas cards or notecards or other items by a Waiheke designer, pop in and see me - inside the hall at the Ostend market - where you’ll also find lots of gift ideas, as well as art, books and photography by various Waiheke locals.

08/10/2020

Yeah! We’re now at Level 1.
The Waiheke Ostend Market will be open with its normal stalls and routines this Saturday (tomorrow)

I’ve got 10 new Christmas Card designs, along with other greeting cards and inspirational/motivational/grass roots messaging cards, magnets, mouse pads, posters and art work.

Hope to see you 👉🏼inside the Ostend Memorial Hall👈🏼 at the Ostend Market.

11/09/2020

The Ostend market will be open this Saturday (tomorrow). Please come inside the Ostend hall to chat with us insiders at the market.

The forecast is for a nice day. Covid precautions are still in place. So your favorite stall-holders may not be where they usually are, as the market managers have reorganised to enable physical distancing. Toilets are only accessible by entering from the back door, up the ramp.

The Red Shed Art Gallery in Palm Beach (beside the Palm Beach Hall, and across the street from the new bus stop - you can’t miss it - it’s red, and looks like a shed!) is also open this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Hours are 10am-4pm

Corona Mona (one of the designs, I created during the first lockdown) and I wish you a lovely weekend).

Corona Mona is available on a canvas at the Red Shed (and I still have a few cards which will be available at the market). We’ve come full circle. People are writing notes to family and friends along with conversing online.

2020 is certainly making us aware of how important our social connections are.

04/09/2020

The Waiheke Ostend Market is up and running this Saturday 5th September (which the weather people forecast will be a great day.)

Please come inside the Ostend Hall to visit the many additional stall holders there. That’s where I hang out.

Besides my artwork on various products - this week I will be selling washable masks in executive black - and really good quality disposable white masks (which my husband found very comfortable and less likely to fog up his glasses)

For those whose ears are suffering from masks that are too tight - I’ve got elastic. Why suffer?

You can get the whole family involved in making their own masks. There are all kinds of ideas online.
Tip: Elastic bands and pony tail elastics are the road to ear misery as mask components. Use dressmakers elastic (which is what I’ll be selling) for greater comfort.

If masks are what it takes to get out and about - we can do this.

If you are not interested in DIY, check out my designs, which can be ordered on line.

Examples below

https://www.redbubble.com/i/mask/Kia-Kaha-Stay-Strong-by-Think2018/39983211.9G0D8

https://www.redbubble.com/i/mask/Grow-through-what-you-go-through-by-Think2018/40206757.9G0D8

https://www.redbubble.com/i/mask/Privacy-and-Liberty-Eagle-by-Think2018/50019978.9G0D8

https://www.redbubble.com/i/mask/Pearl-Princess-by-Think2018/40069282.F8Y4C

You can have my designs custom printed on many different items

https://www.redbubble.com/people/Think2018/shop

https://www.zazzle.co.nz/s/thethinkproject2018

12/08/2020

There is no market on Saturday 16 August 2020 due to declaration of Lockdown 3 in Auckland - after a community outbreak of affecting 4 people of the same family.

The affected family appear to have had a lot of contacts. (And of course they must have gotten it from someone else.) So no one knows how extensive community transmission is. Consequently Lockdown seems reasonable, but it is an awful disappointment after being “free”.

We are being encouraged to wear masks, practice social distancing and hand hygiene - so I suspect this will last longer than the initial 3 days

My designs are available on amasks at RedBubble and Zazzle if you search under TheThinkProject2018 or DE Sheridan

Keep safe. Hopefully I’ll see you soon.