Stilllife : Absolute heaven to me

It's been a random and mostly awesome weekend. I caught up with friends for a chai in the sun, saw Inglourious Basterds, trecked through the markets, discovered a most excellent crocodile-patterned old suitcase (for $15... will post pics soon), had a father's day picnic on the central coast and to finish it all off gave myself food poisoning. Brilliant!

Speaking of randomly awesome... I'm crazy about these here kitchy cool 70s style prints and iron-on transfers. They're by Mandy in Adelaide: she can be found at her withwallpaper madeit shop (check out the cool gift tags and calendars), etsy store, flickr stream and blog. Buseee! Here is the lovely lady with the inside info...


Has drawing always been a hobby?
A hobby, a compulsion and a vocation. I used to entertain the idea of other occupations, but when I finished high school the idea of just drawing and painting all day was absolute heaven to me. I went to art school and then studied graphic design at university, so I guess it was never going to be anything else.


In what other ways are you creative?
I like to have a nice environment around me at home and you definitely need to be creative on an artist's income. I also try to be creative in my cooking (with mixed results).


What are your fave blogs?
I look at lots of different blogs and websites on a regular basis like theselby & sfgirlbybay. I absolutely love ffffound for inspiration.

What else are you reading?
I like reading autobiographies more than anything else (real life is so much more interesting than fiction!), but lately I have been reading novels set in the 1930s by writers like Evelyn Waugh & Nancy Mitford -I think they are quite semi-biographical anyway.

More: withwallpaper.etsy.com

Curiosity : Meet me at Frankie's

Among the many gorgeous blogs I check daily, Meet Me At Mikes is a favourite crafty one. It's clever and nice and funny and everything I look for in a friend. The other day they had a post called Here's Where I'm Up To and they encouraged other bloggers to steal their idea (like only a good friend would). So I did. And here's what I'm up to...

Making : A silly card for hubby's birthday tomorrow... drawn with crayon
Cooking : A whole chook with preserved lemon and Herbie's Jamaican Jerk seasoning in the slow roaster
Drinking : Dandelion tea with manuka honey
Reading: Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Wanting: A roomy (massive), dreamy (old yet structurally perfect) three-story terrace on Bourke St to decorate
Looking: For new ways to decorate our current terrace home!
Playing: Little Voice by Sara Bareilles
Wasting: Less and less the older I get
Sewing: Not so much, really
Wishing: These early spring days would go on forever
Enjoying: The sun rising a little earlier each day
Waiting: For an excuse to wear my new Miss Selfridge maxi
Liking: Green & Black's organic dark chocolate with cherries (if by 'liking' you mean 'addicted to and cannot live a day without')
Wondering: What new words my niece is trying out this week
Loving: Stewed apple and rhubard with fresh ginger on my morning porridge
Hoping: I can find a good, local upholsterer for my bargain chairs that won't rip me off
Marvelling: At the nasty sting a paper cut can deliver
Needing: A bandaid
Smelling: The divine Sohum Apple Fig & Vanilla candle on my desk
Wearing: MNG peachy pink cardi, FCUK jeans & ugg boots
Following: The creative lives of angry chickens, pretty things, constant gatherers & funny cats
Noticing: How much happier I am with a kitchen full of organic whole foods
Knowing: Enough about pesticides and hormones... ewww... to stay well away
Thinking: About how much I'll enjoy devouring my new Mindfood mag tonight
Feeling: Good
Bookmarking: Etsy Etsy Etsy, Oi, Oi, Oi
Opening: The glossy black door to No. 9 this morning to meet a friend for brunch was the nicest surprise
Giggling: At the sigh of a sheep toy being tossed about by my staffie

Steal away! Write your own somewhere and let me know so I can check out whatcha doin' xxx
Pic above by me at Central Market, Kuala Lumpur

Pageturner : Shady ladies

I'm listening to The Pretenders, feeling a bit rock n rollish today. So I've gone for some fittingly sexy prints for my post du jour. These black and white prints are by John Clark... here's a bit about him:

What gets you in a creative mood?
Drawing is very relaxing for me, almost meditative. I get in the mood to draw when I want to chill out.



What makes you laugh?
There's a few TV shows I can watch again and again and laugh every time. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Little Britain, Flight of the Concords, The Office, etc.
My girlfriend is pretty hilarious too.




What other creative outlets do you have?
I've been on again off again working on a graphic novel since I was fifteen. It will be epic if I ever finish it.

Brilliant, thanks John.

johnclark.etsy.com

Prints, left to right, top to bottom: The Only Way, No Need for Gratitude, Without a Sound, That Divine Love, A Story of Your Own and A Thing So Simple.

Dreamweaver : Novel ideas

From a small town in Norway comes these stunning and fragile mini works of art. They're original mixed media illustrations using acrylic paint, ink and marker drawing on a vintage book pages from 1892, by the lovely Annette. Here's a bit about her:

How did you become an artist?
I've been drawing and painting all my life. I loved my colouring books when I was a little girl and I started my Art education when I was 16, I went to Art school for 7 years.
Art is my life really, it's like therapy . A way to get my feelings out . People that know me can tell from my work what kind of mood I am in.

When I was 18 I went to Tasmania, Australia for 6 months and took art classes and life drawing classes at Adult education, Hobart. At the age of 19 I was accepted into a private Art school for Fine Art, Sculpture and Photography in Stavanger, Norway. I graduated 2 years later and have been a freelance designer and illustrator since then. I've also worked in an Art gallery.
In 2007 I started to sell my art online at carambatack.etsy.com.

Whats been the highlight of your career?
All the positive and wonderful feedback from customers, bloggers, friends and others when I started to sell my art online. That gives me such joy and makes me want to create more art.

What are your favourite creative website?
Flickr.com - so much creativity and inspiration in one place....WOW. I love flickr and have been posting photos of my work and life since 2006. My flickr site: www.flickr.com/photos/carambatack

Pictured top (clockwise from top left): Fantasy tree, Girl on Swing, Red Bird, My red umbrella, Under my wing and Red dress. Below: Peacock in blue and red, inspired by Norwegian retro paper cut from the 70`s.