Last September I spent a lot of my holiday sitting outside in our patio, reading and drinking cups of tea.  It was so lovely and peaceful, that I often stopped reading and just sat and took in the scenery of my little garden.  In one of our trees, a baby bird was learning to fly.  It was amazing to just quietly sit and watch as he (or she?) spread his wings for the first time.

When I saw this week’s topic from Illustration Friday was “brave”, that little baby bird was the first thing I thought of, and was the inspiration for this painting:

I’ll be posting in a few days about how I created this painting step-by-step, so stay tuned!

Tweet This Post

I still love the simple beauty of Queen Anne’s Lace, and last weekend was inspired by the memory to create this painting:

I had a browse around Etsy for Queen Anne’s Lace themed items, and was amazed at how many beautiful things I saw!  It was really difficult to narrow it down to a few items for this week’s Saturday Selections.  Here’s what I came up with:

First up is this gorgeous Teal Green Queen Anne’s Lace Jersey Scarf by Papavier.  It looks so soft and cuddly and I love the asymmetrical design.

What better to pair such a gorgeous scarf with than this Ecofriendly Hemp Bag featuring Queen Anne’s Lace by Uzura?  The colour matches beautifully, and I love the contrast of the dark Queen Anne’s Lace on this bag compared to the light design on the scarf.  It’s eco-friendly and big enough to fit all your bits and pieces in, and maybe a bit of shopping too – perfect for taking to a handmade market!

I knew I wanted to include a pendant in this post, and there were so many beautiful ones to pick from on Etsy that I agonized over my choice for a while.  In the end, I was won over by this amazing Engraved Queen Anne’s Lace locket by Star Creations.  The detail is just incredible and I love the little bird’s nest.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane   Try doing a search for “Queen Anne’s Lace” on Etsy – there really are hundreds of beautiful things to find – and don’t forget to check out the stores of the lovely people I’ve featured today.  Have a great weekend!

Tweet This Post

Yesterday I presented a talk and tutorial to the lovely ladies of the Springfield Lakes Art Group.  I demonstrated some of my watercolour techniques to them, and talked a little about my keepsake boxes and promoting art with Etsy.  I was really nervous but had a great time.

This is the painting I did as part of my demonstration:

Today I  finished and delivered the commissioned piece I was working on for a dear friend of mine.  It was very satisfying to see it finally hanging on the wall:

As one door closes, another opens they say – well, as I completed this commission, I received a new one – a customer wants a personalised painting similar to a painting I sold titled “When it is Dark Enough”.  I look forward to the challenge of creating a piece she’ll enjoy!

I finished two other watercolours this weekend too, titled Poppy Field and Winter’s End.  I also started work on two acrylic paintings which I hope to include in the upcoming Abundance exhibition.

I got a print done of my Sunset Storm painting for a customer in the US, and at the same time did some 4″ x 6″ prints of various paintings to make into cards.  I also put in an order for some new business cards from Moo.

As you can see, I got a LOT done this weekend – I didn’t get any housework at all done besides cooking dinner tonight, so I owe it all to my wonderful husband that I got so much arty stuff done

Tweet This Post

I’ve always been a summer kind of girl.  I love the feeling in the air as things start to get warmer.  I love that I can wear lots of different clothes and not have to cover them all up with a jacket.  I love being able to do things like go swimming.

Of course there’s a few things I don’t love about summer – the temperature my classroom reaches on a really hot day.  The nights spent awake because it’s too hot to sleep.  But over all, I’m a summer girl and it’s with a twinge of sadness I say goodbye to our Australian summer for another year.

So this Saturday Selections is featuring my favourite summer products from fellow Aussie Etsyians!

Now I know a scarf is not the first thing you think of when you think of summer – but this one by Rainbow Revolution is so lightweight and floaty, it would be perfect for draping around your shoulders on a sunny day by the pool.  When the weather turns cooler, you could wear it as a scarf and add a little summer sun to a winter day!

What better to pair such a bright and beautiful scarf with than these gorgeous “Summer Sun” earrings by Pardalote?  The beautiful silver, burnt orange and amber hues will chase away the clouds on the coldest of winter days.

This gorgeous necklace by beadsme is called “The Sunshine Coast”, and I could certainly see myself wearing it at the coast.  The silver swirls remind me of the water and the stones are like the warm sun in the morning.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my tribute to the last days of summer!

This afternoon I’m off to do a talk for the Springfield Lakes Art group so I hope to have a blog post up about that very soon.

Tweet This Post

Basically what happens is that any team member who’s interested adds their name to a list.  Everyone is paired up with someone else, who you contact, have a chat with about their likes and dislikes, and send them an item or two from your shop.

I was thrilled to be paired up with Michelle from Pardalote – and boy did she spoil me!

I love her French Wire Beaded earrings, and so when I opened my package to see these I was very excited:

They’re the perfect colour to match a new dress I bought last month that I haven’t had a chance to wear yet.  Maybe I’ll wear it to the Abundance exhibition’s opening night?

I didn’t only get one pair of beautiful earrings, but TWO!  These light blue earrings are elegant and pretty, and just my style.  I’m no expert at photography, and I don’t think this photo really does them justice – they are just beautiful:

As well as two pairs of earrings, I also got a pretty bracelet (I told you I was spoilt)!

I love braclets but I usually get annoyed with them after not very long because it’s so hard to do anything when wearing one, and I can’t wear them to work because I’m always writing and they get in the way.
This beautiful bracelet is so dainty even I could wear it without being annoyed by it.  And it’s so pretty!

I had so much fun particpating in this swap – I’ll definitely be signing up for the next one!

Tweet This Post

I thought I’d share with you all a few upcoming events I’m involved in.

Firstly, I’m excited to announce that I’m going to be a part of an exhibition at the Art Factory gallery in Merivale St, South Brisbane.  The exhibition is called “Abundance”, and it will feature an abundance of different styles of art – 10 artists in total are featuring their work.

Many thanks to Michelle from Art Salon for all her hard work in organising this exhibition.

We’ll be having our opening night on Friday the 19th of March from 6pm till 9pm, and then offering morning tea on Sunday the 21st.

Last year I was happy to be able to support Variety by donating a painting to their Heart Art Show.  I’m delighted to be able to donate another painting this year – although I’m a bit disappointed the show is going to be on at the same time as our Abundance exhibition, so I won’t be able to go along.  I’m hoping my painting will make some money for charity though!

My third exciting upcoming event is a talk about my art and technique for the Springfield Lakes Art Group this Saturday.  Public speaking is not my forte so I’m slightly terrified, but I hope it will help me to grow as an artist and a person.  I’ll try to write a post afterwards and let you all know how it went!

Tweet This Post

We’ve had a bit of a rainy week this week (in fact it is raining as I write this!), so I thought I’d do a rain themed Saturday Selections of my favourite items from around Etsy.

First up is this awesome stainless steel raindrop necklace with brain contours titled ‘bRain‘ by Morphologica.  Perfect for a geek girl like me!

My next rainy-day favourite is this cute set of “Rainy Day, Time to Play” gift cards from Red Letter Studio.  They would make lovely gift cards for a rainy day, or someone who’s young (or young at heart!) and loves to play in the rain:

I just *love* this print by Kathy Panton entitled simply “Rain”.  I love the mix of colours and the way the paint seems to flow across the paper.  I sat and stared at this one for a while!  It’s easy to see why it made Etsy’s front page.

Finally, I’d like to include this print entitled “Kiss Under the Rain” by Afremov Art.  I’ve admired this artist for a while on Deviantart, and only just found him on Etsy.  The way he uses light and colour is so unique and beautiful!

Hope you all have a great week, and remember how good the rain is for the garden (and the farmers!), if not for getting the washing dry.

Prefer the sunshine to the rain?  Check out my latest post on Handmade Spark, Tropical Holiday.

Tweet This Post

My first item, found via Handmadespark.com, is this pretty Padparadscha Top Drilled Bracelet by Carrie Rachel Designs.  I love the way the pink beads look like little hearts – so pretty!

One of my favourite pastimes when I’m not painting is reading – I have been known to spend all day reading when a book is really good.  I do have an unfortunate habit of losing my bookmarks though.  I just love this Beaded Bookmark with red hearts by jskipcreations – I think if I had a bookmark like this I would make sure it didn’t get lost!  A great Valentine’s Day gift if your sweetheart is a bookworm like me.

I’ve mentioned Inner Earth Soaps on this blog before – I love to recommend them because I’ve used them myself, and know how beautiful they are first hand.  They come up in a silky, creamy lather, and actually make the whole bathroom smell nice!  These My Sweet Heart soaps would make an unique and beautiful Valentine.

Finally, these gorgeous Amber Heart earrings made by Fantasy Jewels are a gift that gives twice!  They are listed on Etsy at Hearts for Haiti - where all proceeds are being donated to Doctors Without Borders.

Have a happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Tweet This Post

Do you notice anything they have in common?

Tweet This Post

The site is designed for sellers and buyers to connect.  Through the blog sellers wil learn about marketing, blogging, how tos, and much more.  Buyers will find new shops and items through the handmade features posted by me and a group of writers.  Handmade Spark is also a directory where sellers can submit their links, like Twitter, Facebook , and blogs.

I’m really excited to be involved, and I hope I can bring a little something different to the website as I’m so far the only Aussie writer.

My first post is about ACEOs.  I was inspired by the fact that I made my own first batch of ACEOs this weekend.  I love the way they look on the little easel!  If you’d like to find out more about ACEOs, you can read my post on Handmade Spark.

In other news, my painting Two Hearts, One Love has been featured on a Valentine’s Day post at Calico & Co., the Indie & Handmade Blog.  There are lots of other pretty things there too!

Tweet This Post