tsk tsk

what to do...

so it is 12.50pm.

I could start dinner.

I could start some work.

I could answer some emails.

I could organise my life.

Instead I'll just quickly design something before the end of school day. I 've called this pattern 'checks and tears'.

thank you for your kind words re last post it seems there are many of you who understand the frustrations of it all. Milena is due to get her tonsils out next month so here's hoping that both she and I will be on the road to happiness very soon.

The usual dilemmas....

I'm on the hunt for a well priced printer, hopefully one that is local, if not somewhere in Australia. I have so many ideas in my head and when I find the time to actually execute some of them, I seem to hit a wall.

And the cycle of life and work balance starts all over again. The ideas I had in my head are replaced by new ones.....and then I hit that wall again. Nothing eventuates. I find it really difficult to turn these ideas into something that is tangible. Something a bit more than my greeting cards. I guess I'm thinking in terms of surface design and product design.

I have managed to have some of my work develop further. Next year, Galison stationery will be releasing some notepads and sticky notes with some illustrations of mine. And I recently sold a design to LeSportsac, albeit I have yet to see anything from them. Mmmmmmm????
Of course, I can't show you yet, hush hush and all.

So back to finding a printer in Australia that doesn't cost a fortune. I'd like to start maybe with some notebooks, like these mockups I made. But then, if I found someone, and had a heap made up, I'd then have to sell them. This would mean I'd somehow have to find the time to actually leave my surroundings and market myself at the trade shows.

But then who would look after the kids? You see, there's that wall again.....If I could just lock myself away for a week, without any interruptions from anyone in my house, I might get somewhere!
HA, like that is going to happen.

8 days a week

do you have artwork in your laundry? I do. but I'm a little tired of it. I try to spend as little time as possible in the laundry, but it just so happens to be the brightest and often warmest place in winter. Maybe if there was more in the laundry to entice me to stay.  A masseur perhaps!

Well, lately I've been feeling very domestic and have been working on some early spring cleaning. (mostly I'm buying new stuff to clutter my house and I'm moving furniture again)
So I decided that my laundry needed something new and fresh on the walls. Hence this new print. Or should I say, prints. I can't decide which colourway I prefer.
The print is called '8 days a week' and it will be available in my shop within the next few days. It is an A3 limited giclee print in either blues or earthy tones.

And my sale will be finishing sometime Friday night, (Australian EST) so get in quick if you are still thinking about it. Thank you to all who have bought something. You certainly have kept me on my toes and in my local post office. :)

time out

I'll be back in a few days.

playing with colour

my last post was not the happiest. Things are looking up in this household now and thank you for your kind words. Instead of my dull, odd socks staring you in the face,  I thought a brighter image was needed.
I designed these last year for a textile agent. Nothing came of it and I re-discovered the files the other day. I've changed the original colours. Not really sure what one I like the best. Not really sure if I like them at all. I could never wear anything like this, and I certainly wouldn't have anything this bright in my house.

But I love playing with colour.

 

inspired

I'm feeling really ready to move forward with some ideas that have been buzzing around in my head.

At the moment I'm loving shape and colour.

mustard
grey
teal
black
rust
olive
triangles
circles
rocks
pebbles
leaves
agate slices

I cleaned my desk, (OK I just moved some piles onto the other table) and pinned up some new images on my board ... I am ready to begin.

stop designing and start making

yesterday a friend and I spent the day screen printing. We attended a workshop with Thea Samios.
For me it was a way of making myself think more seriously about printing some of my designs onto fabric.
 Do I really want to go down this path?
What I produced at the end of the day wasn't anything surprising, but I feel like now I have more confidence to start making a few items.
I'll have more physical time this year with the kids starting school so I hope to put some of my designs to use....well that's the plan.
I have 100's of sketches and doodles in my sketch books and on my computer that need to see the light of day.

One

One very excited boy who finally has a 'wobb-a-ly toof'.
One grumpy boy who has the new tooth cutting through.
One takeaway coffee to get me through the day. I only need one.
One new design that will become some new greeting cards soon.
One very humid day.

desktop stones

Thought that I should offer a new wallpaper seeing that the festive season is officially over. Something summery and something neutral. See left hand column for links.

yay for husbands and Australian textile designers

In order to get some work finished this week, I had to ship the kids to my parents' house. We drove up for the weekend and handed them over. Their week will be full of swimming and other adventures no doubt.

Except there was almost a disaster! After driving back yesterday (it is about a 2 hour trip each way) I realised that someone....I'm not mentioning any names here....forgot to pack my laptop in the car.Everything else was packed, except the computer which was left on a chair on the verandah.

No computer, no work, not much point in having the kids away!!!!!

After a few tears of distress, Mr N got straight back in the car to collect it. After all these years, (17 to be precise) I think he must still love me. What a man.

 

On the weekend however, I picked up a page of the Australian Financial Review that my husband can't get his head out of every weekend. They had a section on design and I was so pleased to see an article on Australian textile designers by Helen Hawkes.

It really made me think more about what I want to do in the next few years with the direction and type of work I want to persue. I still don't have the answer, but reading this inspired me to make a decision and try to focus on textiles for awhile. Of course none of this will happen until about Feb 09 when I have both the munchkins at school.

"A new wave of textile talent is emerging as 'want-now, buy-now
 consumers drive demand"

The article mentions a diverse range of designers, from Julie Paterson of Cloth, Rachel Bending of Bird Textiles, Stewart Russell of Spacecraft, and even Lara Cameron and Shannon Lamden get a great mention.

Okay, I've procrastinated enough for this morning and really must let the work begin.