pre-holiday garland, diy pack + print sale!

i'm having a sale!
garlands + diy packs are marked down + prints are 25% off {for prints, use the code: 'happyhols25' at checkout}.
. . .  i can't believe {but i know u know i'm super glad!!} that it's nearly the end of the year :)

my creative space shop sorting: spoonflower + society6

hello!

after thinking and thinking, i decided to moved my fabric collection from my etsy shop to my new spoonflower shop. i thought i'd try this option for ease, time management issues and cost ~ it's way more affordable now! will see how it goes.

i got really inspired by the email from society6 this morning about making new throw cushions and thought of having this design in hot pink! was wishing for neon pink and orange, but don't know if that can be done. i have a new design almost done too ~ just need more time.

also, society6 have free shipping until monday .  .  .

happy creative space day!

tweed river gallery market

my lovely sister and dad and carol will be having a table of my work at the tweed river art gallery market on sat nov 24. {click on the flier for a bigger image for details}. the market is organised by ellie of hey maker and petaplum/red seed.

i love this art gallery which is just up the road from where dad and carol live and not far from where i went to primary school! it's a beautifully designed space with lots of windows and excellent shows. this painting is based on the view from one of the gallery windows.

the market will be great, i only wish i could get there too!

iphone cases ~ designformankind + $5 off promo!

thanks to the lovely erin for the featuring my i-phone cases on design for mankind on friday! the bookmark it collection is always inspiring.

also, there is a $5 off everything in my society6 shop running until november 11. could be good for christmas shopping if you're getting organised already!

the F blanket

 

i promise he was much happier about having his new F blanket finished than he actually looks ~ those poor tired arms just couldn't hold it up for more than a couple of seconds! i finished it just in time for the warmer weather {lucky it's cotton} :)

we are in the middle of birthday season ~ my baby turned 5 yesterday!! my big one is turning 8 in a couple of days! lots of fun things happening . . .

my creative space . i-phone cases!

 my first creative space post in such a long time!
{thanks so much for the comments on yesterday's post}.

i jumped in and uploaded some work to society6 to make some i-phone cases. actually i need a new one and what better way to justify a seemingly frivolous purchase than 'business expense'!

you can find them here ~ and there is free shipping until the end of sunday.

off to see what you've been up to :)

a personal but still work-related post ~ avert your eyes if you like!

i had a day to work on the weekend and though i was aching to get into it, i was circling around things on my desk, still at the difficult beginning stage.

there's a bit of a battle going on with this at the moment ~ bound to be the case i guess as there has been so much change in my life this year {stuff you probably already know from reading}: my health situation/future is promising but ultimately and unavoidably uncertain {something i can live with day to day, but it still hangs there}, my 'husband' removed himself, the kids and i have moved house, there is no clear routine set up yet, i have processed a change of school for the kids for next year {for the better!} . . .  when i lay it all out like this it sounds like one of those stories that happens to people who are somebody a friend of a friend knows, the stuff that sells gossip magazines! or maybe it just feels that way once all the details are there {i won't bore you!}.

but, i can feel the mixed heaviness and excitement/promise of more change and the financial pressure {financial support while i work away on my thing isn't there anymore} conflicting with reality and both holding up and forcing the change at the same time! a strange cycle! the reality: i'm still averaging 3 appointments a week until mid january and recovering from the year so far; my youngest isn't at school until next year; there is far less mental energy available for working and creativity as a single parent; my business is kind of on hold/hasn't yet flowed to a point of being able to look like an income . . . .

the positive change which feels on the verge but somehow blocked includes changing my name, changing my business name {which is tied up with a very romantic version of the x} and also changing my work practice in a few ways. the block with the first two is my lack of imagination and the realisation that i'm not at a point where i can choose something suitably uplifting and fitting just yet ~ i can't know what the future will hold til it starts! the block with my work is to do with lack of time and the almost-year of not working taking its toll on my confidence and momentum. i remind myself that this will have a chance to get better next year when my youngest starts school and my appointments slow right down to checkups.

in the meantime? i can agree to muck around with whatever comes along until the time is right, i guess! without stressing! i hope.

anyway, i know this post is personal {i've had it forming in my head in vague snippets for a while, along with a million other things and ignoring it seems to block other posts from forming} but i value the friendships i've made here, and honesty ~ although i still cling to protecting my privacy from people who no longer matter . . .  maybe by writing about this stuff, some of it can start flowing/come unstuck in a good way and even help with progress! acknowledgment is the first step isn't it?

:: the 2nd and 3rd sketch are random ideas that have popped up in the process of getting started! the first one feels like where i want to be heading and a bit familiar.

hope your week is good so far!

miranda skoczek on the design files

you've most likely already read this great interview with miranda skoczec on the design files by now ~ if not, it's a treat. so much of what she talked about resonated for me ~ so many familiar experiences and viewpoints! i remember reading miranda's artist statement in the past and thinking, yes!
i especially like her 'dedication to the pure aesthetics of painting' and share her rejection of graphic design as a lifestyle/career thing: 'as sitting at a desk and working on the creative briefs of others just wasn’t going to cut it'.
don't you love it when reading about someone you admire kind of backs you up on your own thing?
happy friday!

2 sketches

after 4 weeks of doing not much at all, other than recovering from the huge surgery {which went really well} i've started some sketching. these were inspired by a morning walk by the creek!

i have taken the first step with something super exciting for next year too ~ hopefully i can share the news soon. once 'life post separation' things are closer to being sorted out i can be more open here with plans {it has been a horrible/nasty experience so far}. so, yes, i'm very much looking forward to next year, the next thing and freedom from all that!

hope you are doing well xx

sketches . process

 

 

hello! 

there has been a lot of sorting in the new place and in my brain! a lot of picking up of what's crucial to my being/happiness and even more throwing away. some of the throwing away feels premature and like more of a wish to be in a free-er place than an actual way of being in a better place but i'm doing it anyway!

i've been trying to get a feel for where my work is at/can be at ~ it's been on the outer for a while and what i was doing before doesn't all seem relevant anymore. which is ok! the trick is to have a little time and somehow slip into a peaceful process rather than be overwhelmed by the panicky stuff of not knowing. you know the feeling? so, working on what felt comfortably familiar {camper at the bottom} and exploring new stuff in quick acrylic and pencil on paper sketches. 

a very good thing to come from the sorting/getting back into work so far: i realise now how much i had been ignoring my intuition, for however long ~ something i don't intend to let go of again! yah!

i hope your weekend has been a fun one!

inaluxe special mail

look what arrived in the mail today! the top one is an original acrylic painting by kristina sostarko and the bottom one is a print from the new inaluxe series. aren't they beautiful? the print is so aptly named 'new life'. i'm sorry that i was too impatient to take a pic of the parcel with inaluxe wrapping paper in tact! thanks so much kristina + jason, i love them xx
i can't wait to put them on the wall ~ i'm more determined than ever to get my art collection up and visible. will post some photos of the results!
check out the inaluxe shop + blog {if you are not already a big fan}.
happy friday!

it's been an insane year so far!

hello again, after an even lengthier break this time . . . life has been all consuming here. painting has been put aside while things have been gradually unravelling at home. some hard news: my husband has left. so i am looking for a new place to live and thinking about a new way to live with the kids. i'm still in shock and trying to process what's happened while trying to recover from treatment . . . and there has been the best news all year in amongst the worst: the results of the minor surgery from a few weeks ago are all clear. which in my mind means that everything that has happened treatment-wise has been working and well worth it!

i started this painting a few months ago when we were thinking about buying a house with some friends. looking around at the property market and the realities involved was a bit much. it was going to involve a lot of change and it started me thinking about the ideal home on a basic level. while those house plans are now completely out of the picture, new ones are slowly brewing.

have you ever had a year like this? i kind of want this one over with!
xx

*** update ***

thanks so much for your supportive and lovely comments xx
i got the place i applied for {a first! i've never got the first house/job/thing i've applied for before!} which has a great feel about it. the kids love it too. we are moving on monday so i imagine i will be without internet, other than my phone, for an unknown amount of time. . .  hoping to catch up with everyone as soon as i can.

giveaway over on christina's blog!

hello!
i've been wanting to do a giveaway for ages but have been so busy with treatment etc* that it's remained on my list of things to do when i get back in the swing. thanks to christina for stepping in with the offer of doing one on her blog, and her beautifully written description.

click on over to enter. good luck!!

* thankfully the chemo is finished! i'm still recovering energy~wise and attempting to get ready for the next steps . . . thanks for all the comments and emails along the way, they really help xx

new work!

:: grasses . acrylic on wood
:: hex garden . acrylic on wood
:: birds . acrylic on wood

1 recently finished painting and 2 new ones.

yesterday was the 4th out of 6 chemo treatments and for the last two i've been needing to wait an extra week for blood counts to come back to safe levels to go again ~ kind of frustrating and scary but it does give me a bit of good painting time. generally once the nausea part is over, the inspiration is still there. so baby steps!
these will be in the shop soon. i've also been slowly adding diy garland packs and garlands to the shop . . .

hope you are all doing ok and planning something fun for the weekend :)

jibby and juna earrings

have been meaning to show you these gorgeous earrings ~ a present from genevieve of jibby and juna! thanks so much genevieve xx

happy friday!

instagram

i jumped on with instagram! perfect for quickness and keeping up with the flow. thanks for the tip and as always , thanks for the comments and support :)

i had a weeks delay between treatments this round, waiting for blood levels to come up, and took the chace to start some painting. also bought this amazing silk/cashmere/merino lace yarn - it was fun even to make a ball from the skein - so bright and luminous. what to make!!

ps the photos are not showing up it seems and i will pop back when I figure out how to share the links! . . . . ok, got the pics here by downloading through facebook!! am sure there must be a more direct way?? my user name is gretchenmist or maybe belinda kemp ;)

hello! it has been a little while . . . . i thought i'd pop in and share some photos i took with my new iphone {yes, i've joined the 21c!! how good is it?!}

i'm in an ok place this week with the treatment. the first round was extreme: 2 good days then 9 days of hideous followed by 6 days in hospital. a couple of things have been adjusted and it seems {i hope} that it will be pretty rough in the first week then ok for the next 2 so long as i'm super careful to rest a lot and stay away from sick people {tricky with kids}. i'm really missing my work time, especially painting, but am busy making sketches and notes and taking photos for later.

hope you are having a fun week xx

spoonful magazine

my copy of spoonful magazine arrived a few days ago and i've been meaning to share some pics. i contributed the hummingbird drawing/painting on the right in the top image. so lovely to see it in print. it's a very sweet publication.
you can buy a copy here. the website is pretty too.
{thanks anthea}

*****

in other news . . . my first day of chemo starts tomorrow. i've been trying to catch up with friends and do fun things with the family in the lead up and in a way i'll be glad to get it going, even though i have no idea how sick it will make me. i'm planning to keep the shop open and keep in touch here when i can ~ i'm hoping this can be a 'normalising' thing for me to do!
catch you soon :)

creative courage e-course + interview

firstly, thank you all so much for the wonderful comments on my last post ~ it's such a boost to read all these and i'm sure i'll pop back and re-read :)

i thought i'd post a link here to stephanie levy's excellent e-course about opening up your creative confidence. i've done an interview for the course, which is exciting! so great {and flattering} to be involved. {thanks stephanie!}. there's an introduction to the women involved on stephanie's blog.

enjoy!