tsk tsk

this is the end

Way back on the 11^th of July, 2006 I started blogging. I started for many reasons, but little did I think that almost seven years later I would still be blogging.

I haven’t been so dedicated to it of late. Things have changed a great deal since then. There’s instagram, pinterest and facebook. There are digital cameras in our phones.

My work has changed. My direction and goals have changed. And now it is time for my blog to change.

 I’m moving.

I have me a brand new website. Yes I do. It’s full of almost everything. There’s a gallery of new work and old work and availability to buy directly from my site. I haven’t included all of my old work and I’m still umming and aghhing about including some of my commercial work. There’s a mailing list and of course a new blog. None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for Nick and Karen (whom I met through my blog years ago). They are the very talented duo from Piece x Peace and if you want a rocking website then go and check them out here.

So thank you to all those that have visited me in this space. 763 posts and 5115 comments that have been entirely encouraging and gratifying. Some of you have supported my crafting endeavours, listened to my parenting gripes when my two were very tiny, swapped wonderful hand made creations, met up with me in French suburbs, hand written me beautiful letters, given me opportunities that have moulded my work and confidence and there are some of you even bought my artwork.

From England, to Mexico, to Canada, to California, to Maylasia, to Byron Bay, to Adelaide to Kenmore…..Thank you.

 And for those whom I have met and befriended, close friends I will have for the rest of my life, thank you too. You keep me going. There are many bloggers I have established a connection with, and although I haven’t been the best visitor to your blog of late, I do still think about you from time to time.

 I hope you can visit me in my new space…. Below is a selection of some images from these years.

 

 

Little Flourishes Designs

Last year I created some illustrations for a new Australian product called Little Flourishes. Creator Olivia Meredith commissioned me to create a set of images based around Australian Flora and Fauna for baby wraps and blankets. They have just gone on sale throughout Australia and are available on various online shops.

So far the range includes The flannel flower, The Queensland fire wheel, The black necked stork and feathers.

The river rises

And so it goes.

From the extreme dry heat and smell of bushfires in the valley to sweltering days of continuous flooding.

Two years ago we went through a 100 year flood....this last weekend we fought off flying branches and 300mls of rain in two days to watch the river rise again. Literally from our house you can see it swelling and you know it is a living thing.

So Close. Plenty of damage to many parts of the state, but we have faired well. 

Can't complain about losing the frangipani tree when you know people have lost so much.

But hey, my garden is green. green. green. green. It's the first day back at school and I am ready to roll.

Lots of ideas to investigate.

 

silver greys that reflect ash instead of rain

Nature is a wonderful thing.

Here is a mosaic of some photos I have taken over the years from my flickr page.

Today this winged creature (moth? butterfly?) just landed on my driveway. It's the kind of creautre I'd expect to find in a museum. I had to rescue it from the hounds before it did.

I've started to notice how this long, hot summer has started to cause stress on the wildlife.

Magpies are sitting closer to the house looking exhausted | Feathers are more visible on the pathways |Atleast the Noisy Miners are have been thankfully quieter.

The light and colours of the day are strong and vibrant. Musks, lemons, tangerines mixed with burnt olives and silver greys that reflect ash instead of rain.

 

illustration for annual report

Last year I created some illustrations for The Children's Hospital at Westmead in NSW. I received a copy in the mail yesterday. It's always tricky producing illustrations for an informative text publication, especially when you can't attend any of the meetings.

But seeing it printed and bound was satisfying. And what a great organisation this is.

The brief was centrered around the theme of hope and growth, so I illustrated flora based imagery.

inspire me

Inspiring me this week.

After a short pinterest break, I am back being inspired. It is such a time waster. But here are a few images that really sing to me. 

All the individual images can be seen on my pin boards where they are linked to the original source.

Top Left: Emma Walker

Top Right: Rachael Lee

Middle: Sarah Amos

Bottom Left: Sophie Morille

Bottom Right: Judy Ross Textiles

clearing the decks

one week done.

I am really keen to start work. But school holidays are still in full swing. 24 days until it is over.

We've had a week at the beach. Lazy days slapping on sunscream, washing away sand and dining out. We saw the new year in sitting on the beach with 40,000 other people. And although it was fun, I really wanted just to be creating in silence. Infact I've been craving a milder climate and open fires.

To end the week, I flew to Melbourne to surprise a friend for her 40th. I was there for less than 24 hrs, not a good thing when you know how much that city has to offer. But worth every moment seeing her face light up.

I've pocketed some of my visual memories from this week and hopefully will find a few spare hours to start experimenting on paper.

In the meantime, i'm packing Christmas away under the stairwell, and unsubscribing to emails that I never open. The amount of rubbish emails I get from companies that I never buy from or link to is time wasting and mind numbing.

It feels good to clear the decks and prepare for what will hopefully be a fullfilling year.

 

Merry Christmas

Our Christmas started early. Today we celebrated with some of my relatives and with two birthdays in as many days we will continue to celebrate until next Tuesday.

Surrounded by so many flowers this year, and all the delicious food and laughter. There's been scooter racing, ping pong, card games and plenty of consuming.

Wishing you all a very joyful Christmas if you celebrate and happy holidays.