Inkodye joy!

I hinted a little while ago that I would have further sun print experiments to show, and today with the cooperation of the sun I was able to play with my lovely light sensitive dye from Inkodye- a product I first spotted on How About Orange. I am delighted with the results even though I was a bit messy with the dye in my enthusiasm! I covered a stretched canvas that still had it's plastic wrap on with some kitchen paper then taped a cotton napkin to it, stretching it out as much as possible. Then I applied the Inkodye (Blue) with a large brush. The company recommends you use a foam brush and I was sure I had one but couldn't find it, so I just used a large bristle brush instead and I think a foam brush would have given a more even result.

Anyway, being a nature girl I then snipped some of my favourite daisies and placed them on top and popped it all out in the sun for 5 minutes. I could watch the whole process happening and was terribly excited to bring it back inside and wash out the dye in hot soapy water. I was grinning and rushed off to photograph it while it was still wet! I love the result with it's cyanotype feeling and am now bursting with ideas. It was so easy to use and so effective!

The lovely Inkodye people are based in America but are hoping to get their product into Deans Art stores here in Melbourne. I think I may be addicted to it!

More Cecilia

Herbario from Cecilia A.E. on Vimeo.

Once again don't know what's being said on this little video from Cecilia at Una Flor de Papel but it's all lovely anyway...

Abstract art

This is the piece of wood Ben uses as a substitute neck when he is re-finishing vintage electric guitars. Doesn't it have the most beautiful landscape of layers of paint on it?

Mysterious paper sculptures

Loved this story spotted at All Things Paper about an anonymous artist leaving his/her sculptures around Edinburgh as a homage to literature and books.

September pin board

Sunprints

Recently we had some SUN and I finally got around to experimenting with this Sunprint paper I bought from the Melbourne Museum shop ages ago. I've always loved the look of cyanotypes and this was my first attempt to get something that looks a bit like them. I picked a few dandelions popped them on the paper and covered it in a piece of glass in the sun. The effect is not quite as clear as I'd hoped but they are still pretty.
I'm awfully excited about a light sensitive dye I bought online from America the other day, and am hoping I'll be able to do something similar to this on fabric with the dye...watch this spot.

Amy Rice and Spring

Loved this poster for Amy Rice's new show- it feels very Spring-like to me. Despite being struck down again with a nasty cold/flu thing (I'm usually not such a sickie) I have had a nice day with the sun shining and a super early birthday pressie from my Mum because she couldn't wait. (It's a schmicko potato masher so I can make gnocchi-yay!)
Sorry I can't make the links work properly to Amy's blog (the blogger people insist on changing things that worked perfectly fine before and now they don't) but her blog is listed on my "blogs/sites I love" to the right.

summer in a dress

Ashamed to say I can't remember where I snitched this image from...but it just looks like the ideal Summer frock to me. Spring is valiantly attempting to arrive, and the blossoms are out but it's still cold and cloudy...just longing to be hot now!

August Pin Board

A mixture of mine and others' photos and bits and bobs that I've been looking at a lot this month.Thought it might be nice to change the pin board each month and record it here as a sort of ongoing collage.

Gingko tags

These are some gift tags I made from my gingko stamp I carved- I was craving green!

Musings

What on earth is it about Facebook? It's completely indecipherable to me- I have many beloved friends (in real life) who are avid facebookers and although I check up on them every now and then I really don't get the whole facebook experience. Why not just have a blog? Or send an email? I'm happy to just have my little blog that I can make look pretty and share certain things on, but I don't want a gazillion "friends" and I really don't think that every little thing I do or think is all that interesting to everyone I know! In fact most of the people who follow my blog are people I don't know but who are just like-minded souls who've happened upon something I've put up that they like. A bit of editing is always a good idea, and what's wrong with a bit of privacy as well?
Hmm- it's got me stumped.
C'est la vie.

Nolan illustrations ...Twinkle

I spotted a story on Designsponge about Nolan's illustrations and then to my delight found this portrait of "Twinkle" on their web-site and she looks just like my Lefty. Can't help it if I'm a crazy cat lady.

Blue Mountains

Just got back from a week spent here with my family in the Blue Mountains (2 hours from Sydney)- this view was literally a 10 minute walk from where we stayed. It was so divine to have sky and air again, and I had a lot of fun taking photos- this is a ttv shot that I really like. The weather was ridiculously good (a bit of scary global warming involved maybe) and I think my family, who all come from warmer climates, thought I was lying when I warned them it would be cold...it wasn't.
We managed to get a bush walk in amongst the eating and drinking and I was delighted to get to both The Carrington Hotel built in 1880 and the Paragon Cafe- a super duper deco landmark in Katoomba.

Edible buttons and ferns

Spotted these amazing creations at Andie's Specialty Sweets on Etsy...just adore the buttons.

Vienna exhibition

(If you live in Melbourne and haven't seen this yet- look away now!) Ben took me to see this amazing, lovely and delicious exhibition at the NGV yesterday and it made me very happy...very!
I've had a thing for Klimt (particularly his square landscapes)for a long time- and I have a very expensive book on the Wiener Werkstatte textile movement that has a regular place on my coffee table, so I was prepared to be delighted ...and I was.
It was much bigger than some of the international blockbuster shows are, and I was thrilled to little tiny bits by the reproduction of Klimt's frieze in the fabulous Secession building. Sigh.
The only problem is that now I need another very expensive book on the Weiner Werkstatte postcards...