labokoff

i thought i'd post these pieces from labokoff, whose work i love, as a celebration of the end of a long rough week of extreme weather. they appeal to me no end and they also make me feel calm.
they are: 1. vagues normandes 1 2. pilat 3. soleil.

am looking forward to slightly more reasonable temperatures tonite {and maybe some sleep} - may have to wait a week for it to be actually coolish.

happy friday to you :)

erin's friendsfavs

erin from designformankind has chosen 16 favourite items from papernstitch in a new section called friendsfavs. it was a nice surprise this morning to hear that my sedan is one of them! {thanks erin}. a big surprise actually as there are so many amazing items on pns that it'd be tough to chose 16.

collages

have been collaging - there's a little deviation from my norm in the middle one!
hope you had a great australia day, and happy chinese new year for yesterday {and the rest of the lunar year}.
:)

new drawings

here are some newies that i've been working on in the last week or so. they are mixed media – a little acrylic and collage included.
1. we love the night life 2.log cabin 3. by the lake just near the hills 4. in the hills by the sea 5. arts and letters.
hope u like them :)

pieces of 8

even though this jewellery shop, which is more like a gallery, is just down the road from me, i'm still very happy to have found their blog! it's a great place to visit if you have kids-free time {a little rarity for me these days – when i am kid-free i am mostly working!}
here are some of my favourite peices:

*** by Sim Lutton

*** by Tabea Reulecke
all images sourced from the pieces of 8 blog
go see :)

papernstitch

am very happy to be continuing with papernstitch for january/febuary. the company is so great – go see the new shops. {thanku brittni :) } the hearts help each exhibitor go in the running for a spot in the following exhibition and a very encouraging prize.
i have some new work to add to my shop, i must get to it!

winner/award

winner:
thanku so much for the lovely/encouraging comments on my giveaway post – makes me want to do another one :) winner is anna cox.

award: thanks to mitsy who gave this to me :)
Proximidade is described as follows:
'This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes for self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!'

This blog award should be sent to your favorite eight bloggers and they, in turn should forward to eight of their favorites. You should include the text for Proximidade (above) in your announcement blog.
my 8: jess gonacha, beth, .girlferment. lauren, valerie, rebecca, soooound, , , {sorry, running slow, will get there!}

giveaway!

to celebrate post #100 i am giving away this mixed media piece. i really never thought i'd be a blogger, but here i am! i can't see myself without it :)
it motivates me to get work done and in a funny way helps me juggle life and work. my work time allowances have been pretty patchy and unpredictable so far. this year tho i will have a little more time during the week and will make the most of it!
the best thing about this blog is the connections that it makes for me. thanku so much for reading and commenting!

leave a little comment below and i'll contact the winner at the end of monday {melbourne time!}.
happy friday :)

new collages

these are the new ones. to me they represent the moment when an idea pops into my head, like a flash of light. i'll be adding them to the shop gradually.
this post is # 99, stay tuned for #100 which will be a giveaway :)

therapy

i sat at my desk today while the family was out and the heat outside was building making holes and 'positives' for some new collages and listening to bjork {volta}. initially i was thinking 'i should be painting' but for some reason i couldn't start with my new paints – probably too many ideas and expectations that i didn't quite know where to start!
the punching helped me ease into a creative mode, forcing me to focus and take it one step at a time :)
will post the results tomorrow.
{just wondering: do your images load into your blogger posts in the reverse order, or is it just me!?}

itching!

to start on these! i've been wanting to get back into painting for a while now, but haven't due to lack of time. and finally, after lots of family visits and family commitments, i may just dive in! well tomorrow or tuesday - just thought i'd share the joy of new art supplies!

brandi strickland/paper whistle

when i first started gretchenmist on etsy last march i was incredibly inspired by brandi strickland's collages and drawings. to me her work is fresh and unpretentious/raw. i completely get her collages – i feel satisfaction and post-production wonder {that i imagine to be the case for brandi} when i look at them! her mixedmedia paintings are great too.
1. cell wall 2. fox 3. you know 4. yellow 5. break your heart
images sourced from her website and blog, flickr, and etsy shop
: go see )

5 everyday loves

i've been tagged by .girlferment. to post 5 things i love everyday.


1. my little family {2nd pic is a little old but i like it!}
2. my lovely old lady {she's 11}
3. compulsory soy late - makes me loveable!

4. artwork by my 4yr old son and 1 yr old son :)


5. scenes from the bathroom! first one is post-bath water, 2nd one is light through the shower screen. i love how these everyday things provide inspiring/unexpected colours and forms.
i tag lauren, mitsy, beth, valerie, estasketch.

etsy gift guide

thanks to kellyvanhook i found my work featured in the etsy gift guide in the modern design section! to me this is a little bit exciting :)

thanks to brittni for including my ocean in this post. heaps of inspiring work to be found in this flickr group.
hope you are enjoying the first days of the year :)