My art - new product

Santa Sacks!

I will be selling these at The Olive Tree markets on Saturday.

Just in time for Christmas, I have a VERY limited stock so get in early!

Markets

See you Saturday, yay!

www.theolivetreemarket.com.au

My Art

Framing, framing, framing today! Whew! 
Getting ready for The Olive Tree Christmas Markets on Saturday, can't wait x

Update

So I have been a bit quiet lately - even though I have lots of ideas and projects on the backburner, unfortunately I haven't been able to do too much lately, so I don't have any new illustrations to share - I had a little accident involving my guillotine and my thumb... Yeah, ouch! (And my drawing hand of course) 

However, I am now back in action and excited to get started on a couple of commissioned artworks I have waiting for me (big thanks to those who are so patiently waiting for me).

Just so you have something pretty to look at, I will leave you with a commissioned artwork that I did earlier in the year : )

Markets

I am looking forward to a very busy weekend! 

I will be a stallholder at my first Olive Tree Markets, Newcastle on Saturday, 

which I am SUPER excited about! 

Followed by my fav local market - Terrigal Handmade Craft Markets on Sunday.

 I hope you can come along to one or both, pick up some unique, handmade Christmas gifts and make sure to stop in and say hi : )

My art - New print

Ok, well it's not EXACTLY new, some of you may recognise this as my 'Ava' print, 

however it has changed slightly, hopefully you will agree for the better?! 

I have now added an adorable little pet turtle! 

I really loved the original and have it hanging in my 'office' (*computer nook) 

but just felt it needed something extra, I really think that the addition of the turtle 

completes it... what do you think?

I will still have the original print available, upon request, though the one with the turtle will be the one I will be selling in my shops from now on.

Shout out

Just thought I would give a little shout out to Minimoh's - They have just launched their website. Minimoh's is an online children's marketplace. It is a great place to find unique kidswear, accessories and gifts, as well as discover new local designers. Support handmade and bookmark their page today.

I have just started listing some of my products, and will be adding more soon.

Check it out here

Kids Craft Projects

Like most little girls my daughter just loves fairies and so we decided

 to make a little fairy garden! As you can tell by her face 

she had a ball and was so proud of the end result. 

It was easy and most of the things we used we already had lying around at home. 

Here's how we did it:

We made use of an old goldfish bowl we had already, though of course you could use any clear container/cannister. 

1. First we poured in a layer of white pebbles

2. Then a layer of sand and shells

3. Followed by a layer of potting mix

4. We then sprinkled on a whole lot of large glitter flakes for that extra special fairy sparkle. 

5. We planted a couple of small succulents for the fairies to enjoy. 

6. We were planning on making a little house out of clay, but we found a little wooden one at our local craft shop which was just perfect. Scarlet had a lot of fun painting it. 

7. We also made a couple of little 'Welcome Fairies' flags, simply by cutting out some love heart shapes from some pink glittery paper and gluing onto a wooden skewer.

Give it a try yourself : )

My art - New product, Notebooks

'Ava' notebook

'Ava' notebook - top detail

Back view of notebook, packaged

'Grubby Princess' notebook - bottom detail

'Grubby Princess' notebook - top detail

'Angus' notebook - bottom detail

'Angus' notebook - top detail

I am now offering notebooks!

Just a select few designs to start with (the ones above). Each one is lovingly handmade by me : ) I will be selling them at my next markets - What do you think?

My art - the process

Just thought I would give you a sneak peak into my sketchbook and share a couple of my original sketches with you today, as well as a little overview into my art making process...

My usual process is to illustrate using black pen (any ol' black ballpoint pen will do me) 

and I draw straight into one of my many Canson drawing pads I have floating around 

my home. I prefer to draw straight on using pen, rather than pencil, as I really enjoy the permanence of pen - I embrace and work with any little mistakes or flaws (I find they add to the quirky nature of my artworks). With a pencil I find I can start trying to be a bit too perfect and the essence of my usual illustrations is often lost as it all becomes a bit too rigid.

Wise Words

This is how I am feeling today : )

I have so many ideas and projects on the go right now, looking forward to 

seeing them all through. Stay posted for updates to come : )

My Art

Meet the Grubby Princess!

This is the Grubby Princess herself - a character originally inspired by daughter Scarlet, 

but I am sure we all know one or two of own little grubby princesses : )

You can purchase prints here

This week's Etsy Finds

I am all about promoting small business, especially creative business, so thought I would start to regularly share with you some of my latest handmade finds. Starting with this list in my favourite colours - Coral & Turquoise : )

All of these amazing creations can be found on Etsy

1. Earings by Bella Anela Jewelry

2. Cushion cover by Butterscotch Beesting

3. Cake bunting by Steph loves Ben

4. Clutch by Rachel Elise

5. Bracelet by Mosnos

6. Owl mobile by Love Felt Creations

Party!

Here are a couple of pics from my daughter's rainbow themed birthday party. 
It was a lot of fun and so easy to do. Lots of bright balloons and streamers... rainbow coloured fruits and lollies in separate little dishes... I also made rainbow jelly cups, which were a big hit and super yummy! (You just have to remember to plan ahead as you have to pour in each layer one at a time and then let it set before adding the next colour). I did the same layered effect with the birthday cake and stuck skittles all around the edge (which was quite time consuming but looked really effective). I made the invitations myself of course by starting with a hand-drawn rainbow and adding some colourful type. 
(I have since turned the same rainbow into one of my Grubby Princess prints: over the rainbow).

Wise Words

My blog starts today! Not that blogging is my dream, but all part of the big picture... working towards a successful illustration career. Currently I am a work-at-home-mum, working part time as a freelance graphic designer, which I do enjoy, however my true passion lies in illustration. I hope you will follow my journey as I share sketches, artwork, stories, inspiration, creative finds, kids arts and crafts projects etc.