Note Cards!

Just finished (and listed) a note card & envelope set.. looking all special in its packet! :) More sets to come, temporarily out of envelopes!

Like to give this birdie a name?

Hello.. I hope you had a great weekend! I spent a lot of the weekend doing things I'd been putting off for a long time - working on a complete redesign of all of my banners, and business cards. I also upgraded my Artfire account, so will be starting to give that a little more attention. As well as Artfire, I have also created a shop on http://www.madeit.com.au/, I will be starting to list items there soon too. I was excited to receive some supplies today.. card, envelopes, cello bags - so I will be listing card sets on Etsy soon. I have some cute designs I haven't shared yet! I am waiting for an order of felt to arrive before I start making cushions in large amounts! I can't wait! Today as I looked at my new banners I just felt that I would like to bring my birdie to life - it took a lot of attempts at getting the pattern right, and I still think that I can improve on it - but here he is. He's about 12 inches tall - bad quality photo, I know.. it was a dark rainy day today. I really think 'he' needs a name - any suggestions?

Big Plans

I have some big plans, lots of ideas. Today has been a day of experimenting with one of them - I've been putting it off for quite a while because sewing is well, lets say quite a challenge for me.. I would much rather be found with a paintbrush in my hand. Anyway, here is a peek at what has been happening, It took a whole day and trying a lot of different fabrics, stitches and ideas to reach this point.. I think there is potential and a trip to the fabric shop may just be in order tonight!

Get Real!

I don't often post anything too personal, or much of my process work.. but I was moved my this blog post by Jess Gonacha at Treasuring a few days ago. I feel I can't even summarise it in many less words than her post, so you might just have to read it! It was about comparing ourselves to other artists/bloggers and creative people in general - feeling as though everyone else has it together and than beating ourselves up for not being perfect, because we assume everyone else is. As Jess said " It is easy to forget that it's just real people behind these internet facades, with real lives and real imperfections, just like me".

Jess went on to post a picture of herself in the morning, just how she was - no flattering light, no photoshop or anything.. Sometimes in blogland things just don't seem real - almost too perfect. We always post our best pieces, photos.. everything is so nice - but often not real. So here is me sharing a little of my reality today.

I decided to follow Jess's lead, and take a photo just how I was - this was me today, in my messy studio - if you look closely there is an ironing board still set up in the background, with a mountain of ironing on the floor. My desk is such mess I hardly have room for my painting. I didn't wash my hair - I don't think I even brushed it - and I definitely wasn't in a smiley mood. So there you have the reality of it - me.

Here is a little more reality for you - a painting at about hmmm... maybe the halfway mark. I would never normally post this, it is so much less than perfect right now - but I'm not perfect, and thats how it is sitting in my studio at the moment. I don't even know how it is going to turn out. I didn't even clean my palette or water for you, that's how I work - surrounded by an arty mess! So there you go.. while I like things to be perfect (I am a perfectionist by nature) and sometimes get frustrated when they're not - one of the things I value most in life and in people is honesty, and authenticity - so without waking myself up to take a photo of me still in bed at 10am - this is about as honest as it gets!

I heart Belle & Boo

I feel like I am the last one to discover Belle & Boo, I don't know how these gorgeous illustrations have slipped under my etsy radar? I love, love LOVE them!

You may have heard of the Feed Your Soul Project?

Feed Your Soul is a free art project. Each month artists are invited to participate and to contribute a print which is totally free and available for download.
This project is coordinated by Jen Wallace of Indie Fixx to help art lovers feed their souls with art in these recessionary times and to help artists promote their work.

Today's featured download is a beautiful print from Belle & Boo, 'Shall We sit a While'. You can download it here.

Its spring in another place!

I have been working on some card sets today.. actually yesterday now - eeep where does time go, its 1am? Anyway here is a little preview, I think this set has been somewhat inspired by the bloggers that I follow who live in the Northern Hemisphere.. looking at their first posts and their pictures of the first little signs of spring emerging from that blanket of snow that has covered them for so long. I get excited as I love spring, its my favourite season, and while we are starting to get little reminders that our winter is just around the corner, I feel lucky to be able to share in the anticipation that many people on the other side of the world are welcoming the sunshine and flowers with!

Enjoying the Ride

Have you ever felt over-inspired? Sometimes I spend so much time absorbed in the blogs and websites of all the talented and gifted creative people out there that it somehow becomes very overwhelming. I end up with so many ideas and know so much about everyone else that I just end up will a mass of confusion and it all leads to feelings of inadequacy. It is something that has really been strangling my own creativity lately - comparing my work, and my stage in this journey with others - wondering will I ever be like they are?


To a point, it is so helpful exploring the creative worlds of other artists, to see what is possible - it can be encouraging to see that others have done this, so I can too! But I think it needs to be left at that - I find when I start comparing myself, and my work with other artists I get such an overwhelming feeling of anxiety, my stomach churns all day, and suddenly I put so much pressure on myself to create. I feel that I should have done so much more already, that I am so far behind everybody else - but the more pressure I feel under, the less I seem to create, and the worse I feel.


I want to enjoy the journey, to stop reaching for something that I may never get. We are always reaching out at something, wanting more - and too often forget about the wonderful journey we are on. Today I went into my studio with nothing in my mind other than the phrase 'Enjoy the Ride'.. Here is the result..

A little preview

I am at a real stage of experimentation at the moment, I can't settle on a style.. or a subject - or even a medium. This is my first experiment with acrylics on wood - I can't decide whether I like it or hate it. It passed the 'husband critique' so that has to mean something. I have a little more work to do on it, but I figured there is enough done for a preview.

I heart Carambatack!

Look at these sweet girls.. They are by Annette of Carambatack Designs. Check out her Flickr Photstream too. I admire people who can draw faces and people, it's something I am working on at the moment.. but it isn't coming easily! I went to an art class last week which resulted in an attempt at a self portrait - it is currently in no state to share, but maybe if I keep working on it.. one day you might see it!

I heart BluePumpkinJuice!

Have you seen the adorable work of Jessica from BluePumpkinJuice? I was lucky enough to be browsing through the art listings on Etsy, on the very day that Jessica started listing on BluePumpkinJuice.. I think I was one of the very first people that hearted her, and I'm a huge admirer of her work as she continues to add to her shop.

“In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

How often do we associate play with children? I have been realising more lately, that part of being a happy adult is playing, and perhaps for some, even learning to play all over again. We can watch children playing, and be amazed at how creative a child can be. As children we learnt about the world around us by playing, but as we grew older that instinctive play occurred less and less as we learnt to think, to reason.. and somewhere our intellect took over!

I have found over and over that thinking about something I'm going to create, trying to produce an artwork from my mind just leads me to frustration. For me, the best artworks always come about as a direct result of playing, experimenting - its often when I'm not even thinking about what I am doing, when my brain is in a semi meditative state that something amazing just evolves!

The ability to play is essential to being an artist, so lets remember to have fun, to do something we enjoy - to maintain a playful, creative spirit that doesn't put any restrictions on our imagination - to play!

“It is essential to our well-being, and to our lives, that we play and enjoy life. Every single day do something that makes your heart sing.”

Marcia Wieder

The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.--Carl Jung

Polar Bear Love ♥

Here's my very own polar bear creation.. soon to be in my shop! I was hoping to have prints ready tonight, but I'm having trouble with my printer at the moment.. can't seem to get the right shade of purple. Frustrating.. and wasting a lot of art paper! Hopefully I will sort it out soon!

I heart Polar Bears!

Besides birds, rabbits, and balloons.. I also have a little thing for polar bears. Especially baby ones, they are so cute and look very cuddly. There are so many cute bear artworks on etsy - many already from my favourites, but I was excited to discover a couple more as well. I am sharing my favourites with you before I show you one of my very first polar bear paintings.

Top Left: hellooo there (a polar bear family) - Creative Thursday Top Right: Bear - Gorjuss Middle Left: Somersaults Under Marshmallow Tree - Krisblues Middle Right: Twins - LullaLoo Bottom Left: Sweet Dreams in Red Pajamas - Gumball Grenade Bottom Right: Winter Bear - Gumball Grenade

Giraffe Love in Deep Poppy Red & Beige

My last artwork for the week! (I'm going to try and have some time out on the weekend anyway).. I'm not really sure how this piece came about, I was playing around with the phrase "I love my life" in red and white, drawing a little garden of hearts.. when I started putting other things in the garden - rabbits, birds.. looking at images of silhouettes.. I think I saw a giraffe and it all just came together. I will keep working on my garden of hearts another day!

Printable Birdie Grocery List

I never seem to have anything handy to write groceries on when I realise we're getting low on something, and as a result we often run out of essentials, like washing powder.. So, today I created this little birdie grocery list that I think I will enjoy using. It feaures a little bird marching some worms home from the birdie markets. Thought I would share them in my etsy shop.. printable versions available now!

Who Said I Can't

In the past couple of weeks, I have experienced what you could describe as 'artists block'.. It seems that every time I take a brand new canvas out of the packet, I sit there staring at it - and when I eventually do put paint on it, things don't really turn out like I imagined they would. There have been paintings that I am just too embarrassed to show you! I look around at all the amazing art out there, I desperately wish that my art was being as successful as some of the other Etsians - I know it takes time, and I think all of this looking over the fence is more unsettling than inspiring at the moment. I can't seem to settle with one style, one medium - one day I might paint, the next I sit drawing on the computer, today I made a sculpture.. I often look at my sewing machine wishing I was sewing.So I have been trying to pinpoint the cause of this creative block, and I think it comes down to one thing - fear. How often does the fear of failing hold us back? I know it often holds me back from reaching my highest potential, and I'd like to overcome that. Sometimes the path isn't always clear, in my case I feel that there isn't one. It is a lot of trial and error, painstakinly carving a pathway, teaching myself and trying to figure out what will work best for me. I like that saying - "If you can't find a way, make one". Thats exactly what this ostrich did!


Who said I can't? The new print is available on Etsy!

Another Treasury

Look! My little card set included in a great treasury! I'm in love with the skirt featured as well.. hmmmm.

More rabbits!

Have you ever seen rabbits in the wild playing? We were out walking a while ago in a large recreational park - we rounded a corner and saw an amazing sight. Little rabbits playing tag - they didn't hear us and we stood and watched for a while, I've never seen anything quite like it! They were chasing each other around in circles so fast they were creating dust, jumping so high and absorbed in their little game - completely oblivious to our presence. I tried painting what I saw from memory, but felt it didn't capture what I saw very well, so I traced the painting in Illustrator and worked with it a bit. The end result was much more playful, I am so happy with how they turned out! I will be listing them in Etsy soon.. I think I'm going to try printing on some very fancy art paper, I was saving it for reproductions of my paintings.. but I'm curious to see how these rabbits look on it!

I heart TummyMountain, especially this rabbit!

You know that feeling when you see something and fall in love with it instantly? Well that happened to me today when I stumbled across this big rabbit from TummyMountain. I have a thing for rabbits at the moment, I've painted some today, and just finished a print I will be posting soon. Last week, I even travelled about an hour to my husbands workmate's house, spent the afternoon watching them play tennis.. just so I could have a cuddle with some pet rabbits he has at his house. They were so cute. Click on the pics to visit TummyMountain.. you will love it there!

Images of Abundance

Make sure you have a look at this blog of abundance, it will lift your mood! http://pecannoot.blogspot.com/ Jess Gonacha has created an amazing blog to share images with the theme of abundance.. last week my little birds were posted there, I've only just had time to check out the post now. Thanks Jess!