Happy New Year...

Ho ho ho...ting!

Found on the beach...

Back in Melbourne

I'm back in not so sunny Melbourne, after a lovely break in really sunny Qld. We did go to Lady Musgrave Island and I did get to snorkle on the most Southern tip of the reef and it was fabulous.
In other news my design for Avant cards (free postcards in cafes etc all over Australia) will be out next week so keep an eye out for it!

show invite...but I won't be there unfortunately...

because I'll hopefully be doing this next week...!

"My Humble Laundrette" show

I was recently invited to contribute to this show via Andrew May from the Inner Northerns Photography group on Red Bubble.
Circus Gallery Productions
and
The Moreland City Council
is proud to
Present
“My Humble Laundrette”
New Exhibition from the InnerNortherns Photography Group
Featuring image’s shot in Coin Laundrette’s / LaundroMats
from Melbourne and Overseas.
Exhibition to be opened by
Moreland City Council Mayor,
The Honorable Cr Joe Caputo JP,
Opening Friday Dec 5th 6-9pm
Drinks with the Artists
“FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY”
@
My Wash Coin Laundrette
220 Lygon St
East Brunswick.

I won't be in Melbourne for the show but am entering it anyway. I really enjoyed the challenge and actually found laundrettes to be surprisingly photogenic, especially the really dodgey ones...here's a few of my efforts.

St Kilda card

This is a card of my latest Holga experiments at St Kilda , this one is a triple exposure shot- check out my Red Bubble site to see more.

Hope...again

This paper banner is my contribution to an Etsy swap organised by the Victorian Etsy group, we make stuff and get sent a random person in the group to swap with. I decided it makes a nice print on Red Bubble too.

Lab Partners

Checked out the Lab Partners show at Outre Gallery today and was deeply tempted to buy several prints...but managed somehow to resist. They are a design team based in San Fransisco and I'm pretty sure they must have all the same "Modern Publicity" and "Graphis" annuals that we have dating from 1954 onwards. Very scrummy.

Woefoep collages

Love these collages by Woefoep...vintage and quirky, just my cup of tea.

Portia

Here is the most beautiful doll I have named Portia (she seems wise) made by my lovely friend Simone. Whilst photographing her, Lefty did get a little involved however she is TOTALLY unharmed...honest.

Hope

My latest tshirt design on Red Bubble. It says "espoir" which means hope..you've got to have it- hope, that is, not the tshirt..although maybe you have to have that too!

John Murphy

I am in love with these framed photographs by John Murphy I spotted on Dear Ada's blog. They are so whimsical and magical.

Leeloo

Check out my new seasonal doll collages at Leeloo a great Australian hand-made online shop- excellent spot for Chrissie pressies! You can buy the originals or quality prints of the dolls.

Pumpkin Necklace

Imagine my delight when I went out yesterday morning to check on my "babies" and found they all had beautiful necklaces of dew drops.
I've been unpleasantly busy lately, what with grant applications for water tanks for the community gardens, and sending off a bunch of new doll collages to Leeloo in Sydney (they should be up on Leeloo early next week)..but I think things are slowing down now so I can get back to my normal slow paced life...this is a good thing!
For those who asked, I didn't sell anything at the Brunswick St Gallery show, but was one of 40 out of 320 artists invited to have a solo show next year if I wanted to. Unfortunately I can't afford to do that at this stage, but it was rather nice to be invited I must say.
I'll post more on the Leeloo things next week...now I'm off to figure out what to wear to a Fairy Party tomorrow!

Kris's Colour Stripes calendar

Wonderful calendar of her sketches produced by Kris, one of my favourite bloggers.
Check it out here.

Was ich im Herzen hab, das sag ich mit dem Munde.
Wer mein gesicht betracht, schaudt meines Herzens grunde.

What I have in my heart, that say I with my mouth.
Who looks upon my face, sees the bottom of my heart.

From a book published in 1694 called'The Revised Compendium and Engraving Booklet [with] hundreds of spiritual and secular heart seals/mirrors for a particular illustration of the Virtues and Vices presented and explained with hundreds of poetic conceits by Fabian Athyrus, devout in the praiseworthy Intellectual Arts'.
Discovered via Bibliodyssy- one of my favourite blogs.

For those who say they don't like country music...

Just give this a listen... Gillian Welch

A calendar of my collages, just $27 for sale now!

Just click here here to check it out.

Exhausted

I've been kind of lost in the world of Grant Applications for the last few weeks, spending almost all my time trying to collect all the bureaucratic bumpf necessary to apply for a grant to buy a water tank for the Northcote Community Gardens. Oh my lordy wordy it's a rigmarole, but I handed it in personally yesterday, so now we wait and see. You wouldn't think a water tank for a community garden would be such a difficult thing to obtain, but the world of bureaucracy obviously disagrees.
But Spring has sprung, and I am delighted to report that almost ALL my tomato seeds have germinated, plus my fancy French potimarron pumpkins (see photo) and even a few habanero chillis...yay! Cross fingers we get some decent rain soon to set them up for the growing season.

There has been no announcement of winners yet for the BSG photographic show, because they had so many entries they decided to take their time deciding and announce the winners on the closing night. My shots are (unfortunately) placed in the stairwell, despite me having them in there quite early for hanging- I think there's some favouritism going on about placement. But hey, they are up and they look good...and if you're prepared to risk breaking your neck as you come down the stairs you can get a great eye level look at them.
Thanks lovely Simone and Louise for your good wishes!

Talented Weezie

Here's my friend Louise's secret present she's making for me- how gorgeous is this?

Brunswick St Gallery show

I've entered these two pieces into the Brunswick St Gallery "Picture This" show which opens tonight- wish me luck!

The bees and I are happy.

Descending Blue

Spring

NOTHING is so beautiful as spring --
When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;
Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush
Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring
The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;
The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush
The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush
With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.

What is all this juice and all this joy?
A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning
In Eden garden. -- Have, get, before it cloy,
Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,
Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,
Most, O maid's child, thy choice and worthy the winning.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

My latest tshirt designs on Red Bubble

Urubbu

Just loved these cards from Urubbu!(Found via Karin's blog)

Avant card

I've been knocked out by the flu for a while, but am slowly recovering and my latest bit of news is that Avant cards who make all those free cards you see in cafes etc have offered to do a card of this design of mine. It could be over 6 months till it comes out, and I don't get paid, but still, it's nation-wide exposure for me and I get 1000 cards for free so that's cool.
Freezing cold, raining and grey today....and for at least the past week here in Melbourne...Spring, where are you???
Excuse me, must now return to the warm room to defrost.

Felt weaving results..

Way back in April I posted about weaving some wool tops for felting, and this little purse is the result of one lot...only took me 5 months...

Spoonflower fabric

The Spoonflower fabric is great - I'm really happy with it, and now I am plotting the next design to spend money I don't have on!

Mel Robson

If you're in Brisbane check out his fabulous exhibition "Keep Calm and Carry On" at Jan Manton Art by the fabulous Mel Robson...it's fabulous.

Toy camera delight

Some shots from a plastic Holga (toy camera) that does weird and wonderful things all on its own.

Bibliodyssey

For anyone who loves amazing and unusual books- this blog is incredible!Here are some images lifted from Bibliodyssey;
(Discovered via the truly fabulous dear ada's blog)