Silverlining : Colour me happy

There's a beautiful quote by author and artist Kahlil Gibran... Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Like most peeps, I don't like being around anything to do with pain, it's so so hard to experience it or see it in a friend.

When I was retrenched in April, I didn't see the silver lining for a little while. But now I'm living the dream... exceptionally happy writing from home. I can shop on eBay, write my blog, walk my dog, make a smoothie any time I want. So long as I meet my deadlines, I'm free to make my own schedule and that's just the way I like it. Pain is temporary, knowledge is forever.

Now here's a happy artist with a great story to tell... meet Melissa Moss...


The story...
I used to take the slow lane into work. I didn’t care if I was inhaling the fumes of a semi if it meant I would get to work later. Each day my soul seemed a little heavier.

In 2002, my amazing husband helped me realize that not only was I miserable at work, I was miserable just thinking about going back. So after a few freak outs, I left the publishing world to study color psychology and during my course work, discovered my true passion…painting.

Color is my primary artistic element. I’ve studied the meanings and associations of colors and their subtle shades and tones and use this knowledge to convey the mood of each painting.


Who inspires you?
I'm inspired by so many artists and by nature but mostly I'm inspired by my 2 year old son. He just makes it easy (most of the time) to get up in the morning.

How do you indulge?
I love to go to movies by myself. So when I'm feeling like escaping that's what I do. But I've also been reading the Twilight books. Definitely a guilty pleasure.


Favourite blogs?
I usually just look at my friends blogs...Cathy Nichols, Marisa Haedike (Creative Thursday) and Outi Harma. That's about all I have time for.

More more more: melissamoss.etsy.com
Pics from top down: too happy, nice to me, the arrival & baby mine.

Snapshot : Beautiful decay

You know a movie is something special when it sits with you for a while. Last night we saw such a movie: Beautiful Kate, directed by Rachel Ward, and it was amazing. Shot in Adelaide and the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, starring Ben Mendelsohn, Bryan Brown and Rachel Griffiths, as well as a few newcomers that will light up the screen again and again, it was quietly romantic, unusual and simply stunning. Ben blew me away, as did newbie Sophie Lowe, and the breathtaking mountainous surrounds, wildlife soundtrack and languid pace.


These amazing pics by Carrie Becker remind me of the set of the film. Cracked, old, weary, mysterious and full of stories. Here's Carrie...

What inspires you?
It's the natural, subtle colour palettes that I see everyday that inspires me.


When did you start playing with cameras?
I began photography as a freshman in college in 1996.

What's your favourite subject to photograph?
I really enjoy documenting "beautiful decay", and/or desolate, isolated spaces.


More: carriembecker.etsy.com
Pics from top down: Two Chairs in Blue Room, Drawer Fronts with Crackled Paint, Haven Modern Motel - Living Room and Storage Shed Interior.

Fryup : Compulsive behaviour

Let's start this new week with a big high five for me. I've made it a month without alcohol or coffee! I've also eliminated sugar in most of its guises (save for wee nibbles of dark chocolate, occasional scoop of gelato or a touch of maple syrup on my porridge) and a whole bunch of other processed garbage.

And don't I feel good. I've been waking early and jogging most morning with the dog. Energy levels are awesome, thanks for asking. Jeans aren't so snug. Eyes are clear. I can skip past a pub at 5 on a Friday and not cry, order a chai latte at a cafe without eyeballing the coffee beans and I can even get to 3:30 on a Monday without thinking about a block and a half of milk chocolate. It's a little virtuous and a whole lotta fab. Let's see if I can make it to three months.

Now if I had come across Canadian dude Neil, aka Beepart, and his bacon bits a few weeks ago, I would not have looked on his work so favourably. But now I'm able to withstand the sight and smell of bacon without turning into a craving, dribbling mess, I love it. All of it. I love the reclaimed wood, rounded edges and randomness of it all. Go Neil.


Have you always been creative?
I think I started drawing as soon as I could pick up a crayon, it's something I've always done. It's a type of compulsive behaviour. I've always been drawn to the aesthetics of things and wanted to recreate stuff I saw on paper.

What are you most proud of?
What I'm most proud of professionally would be just being able to make a living as a freelance illustrator...when I first started out I wasn't sure it was going to be possible. I'm sure my family wondered too...


What makes you laugh?
Witty, intelligent humour... and South Park too.

Fave blogs?
I have to sheepishly admit that I'm not a big reader of blogs, but I do get email updates from Cupcakes Take the Cake so I can look at tasty cupcakes throughout the day.


FYI I still eat ham... the urges must be cared for somehow.

More: beepart.etsy.com
Pics from top down: bacon, yellow vespa, love sucks and yellow ham

Amateurhour : Frankie says snap

These roses have been sitting in a little square tealight candle holder all this week, opening slowly. Funny how one little branch with two perfectly imperfect flowers are just so incredible to watch. Ah, it's the little things, innit?




I heard that epsom salts absorb radiation from puter screens and phones. So I prettified some noodle boxes with floral paper, filled them with epsom salts and put one behind each puter in the house. They turn to powder when they've absorbed all they can so you know when to refill. Luckily I found 50kg for a bargain here. I also have a bath with 1kg of epsoms in it every week. And apparently a dip in the ocean is the best way to rid the radiation from your body. Hooray!



Last weekend we were hanging out with puppy (below) at a park. On the way back to the car I saw this diving board that wouldn't look out of place in a 60s motel in Florida. Love the colours. Spring away...




Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Successful people are not superhuman. Success does not require a super-intellect. Nor is there anything mystical about success. And success isn't based on luck. Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do. Never sell yourself short.
David J. Schwartz

Multitalent : Overwhelming joy

I haven't discussed my issues with Being a Gemini in a while, but today is the perfect day to do so. Why? you ask. What's wrong? you enquire. Well, let me tell you. It makes me eternally fidgety. Some peeps feel a bit restless here and there, but mine sits with me most of the time. Which means a bunch of good stuff, like I'm flexible, spontaneous, laugh a minute, all that. But it also means that every day has to be different. You'll rarely see me in the same outfit, eat the same meal (certain exceptions exist, namely roast chicken with leek and potato) or watch the same movie twice (alas, Pretty Woman, American Beauty, Pulp Fiction, you can light up my screen any day).

However, I'm right on the Cusp of Taurus. Stubborn, unchanging, persistent, self-indulgent little bulls. So although fleeting, when I find something I like, nay, something I LOVE, I stick to it. Like house-building glue. Until I change my mind of course, but that's another therapy session right there.

Which brings me today's illustration by Kai at KootiesCloset. It's called Modern Love and I'm so in love with it I had to feature it in all three colours. (And look, twin birds, such Gemini appeal). Kai has a treasure trove of an etsy shop, containing bespoke stationery, gift tags and cards, stickers, pocket mirrors and jewellery. So enough of me, here's Kai... (such a sweet name)...


What do you love about art?
The overwhelming joy that manifests in my solar plexus as a result of appreciating or producing it.

What makes you laugh?
The Mighty Boosh!!! Nighty Night, Bill Hicks, Ricky Gervais, Larry David, Russel Brand's Ponderland, anything Douglas Adams, Metalocalypse, Home Movies, David Sedaris, This American Life, Conchords, Zack Galifinakis, silly animal bloopers and 80s pop videos.


Any hidden talents?
Let's see...I can wiggle my ears, write with my toes, sniff out a lie... do these count?
(Absolutement!)

Fave Etsy Shops?
Well, I love my friends, of course - GypsyDreamcrafters and sickboyvintage, and my mom - Enzedr (she's from New Zealand). I also LOVE lakeillustration, matteart, PressaRussa, 12fifteen, FourcrowsArt and too many others to mention, so browse my favourites already!

More: kootiescloset.etsy.com

Inspired : Seeing new things

I'm a little excited about featuring these magical pics by Dave, aka ©Komatoes. I've started to imagine what I'd do with them if they were mine. I think I'd put Less than perfect, above, on a massive canvas on the wall in my study and Perrrple, below, in a black frame in the living room. Pyramidal Orchid (third) would look dreamy in a limewash/white frame above the bed and Blue grass (bottom) could go on an eco tote I'd take shopping. Deevine. Here's Dave on his talent... (and a couple of my fave quotes to kick off your week).

What do you love about photography?
I love photography because it makes me notice the world around me in a way that makes me appreciate it more. You start to see things that you just wouldn't have seen before.


If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a month, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.
Chinese Proverb


When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life.
Greg Anderson


Yes, I understand, you need more more more Komatoes. Here you go... flickr.com/photos/dsambells

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