i'm going on holiday

unfortunately i'm not going anywhere as exotic as this - i'll just be visiting adelaide. these antiquated images are from vintage postcards i collected in rural philippines. and yes, people there really are this merry.

thanks

thanks so so much for all the lovely comments about the logo- you made my day.
the animation is finished now (except for the sound). if you'd like, you can take a peek over here

::edit:: i just came across this amazing announcement card here by jayme mcgowan of roadside projects. wow!!



if you're ever walking down johnston street, stop and say 'hi' to this friendly guy. he lives in the window of the collingwood packpackers hostel.

my creative space...

wow, its thurday again already.
this week i'm working on a very exciting project that i can't resist sharing...
our niece ruby, drew us a portrait and i loved it so much i've used it as the bases for our wedding invitation design. i've almost finished turning it into an animation for the website- sooo much fun!

more creative spaces over at kootoyoo

introducing...

the latest addition to my product range are "little shelves" which are reminiscent of 1950's shadow boxes and perfect for housing precious little collections. i construct them from discarded packing crates.

i'll have some at my stall at rose street artists' market tomorrow.



i built this larger shelf a while ago to brighten up our drab rented house. can you guess what vintage our kitchen is from the tiles...?

tiny worlds

i can't get enough of boston artist mimi kirchner's sublime work. visit her blog, doll to meet more of her stunning felt characters.

photo credit: mimi kirchner

the (almost) in-laws visit

heng's parents and their 4 year old grandson (heng's nephew) iain, came to visit us from malaysia. unfortunately their trip coincided with the climax of the flu hysteria (melbourne, world swine flu capital) which impaired our ability to fully enjoy the time together. everytime iain sneezed we felt anxious.

they did make it home to malaysia with their health intact, however they feel a bit like lepers as iain's kindergarten requires that he is quarantined at home for a week and his dad is being forced to take a week off work, unpaid.


cooped up inside, the kids entertain themselves.

my creative space...

this week in my creative space, it's time to replenish the dwindling Blankie population.

new hottie covers

if you brave the cold tomorrow, perhaps you will drop by rose street artists' market and say 'hi'. you might even like to pick up one of these snuggly hottie covers made from re purposed wool blankets.

my creative space....

finished: package for family friend, mia



underway: patchwork pillow covers and for rose st market this saturday

mundane observations...

at home today and easily distracted.

my creative space...

playing along with kirsty's "my creative space" heart finding challenge, i spotted this neat light trick amongst all the debris...

great big squiddy fun- a baterz tribute

years ago on a visit to adelaide i was driving around listening to three d radio when to my extreme delight "spidermother", my favourite batters song came on- an offbeat ballad about a mother's unfortunate arachnid condition. i happily reminisced about the days when batters was a regular at the exeter hotel, until the track was back announced with the announcer mentioning what a tragedy it is that batters is.... dead. after i overcame my shock, i consulted google to glean more information about this tragedy but found nothing.

it remained a mystery until today when i heard of the release of "great big squiddy fun- a baterz tribute". It features 33 tracks covered by musicians who knew baterz (including tex perkins) and comes with an extra lp "baterz for beginners".

furthermore, i learned how to correctly spell "baterz" enabling me to finally google him.
here i discovered that sadly he died in 2002 at age 33,
i enjoyed watching footage of his gigs here on u tube
as well as some baterz covers here
and listened to baterz tracks here on his myspace page.
ahh now i know where to go for my baterz fix now.

You upset me

I mail friends for help
I want to know you better
I found her on Net
Mad at me?
Cry for help
Contact him today
Holy cow, is that you
Having a luxurious look might be addictive
Any girl can look like a model
Troubles with processing
Your test results
Online diplomas here
Cures fast and effective
No pain and yet you'll lose weight
She will not need a magnifying glass anymore to find your instrument
Your male strength and stamina will be restored again
Awake her with a surprise
Pleasure her
Inject into her


no, not a post modern poem
die spammers die!!

kid again

the best thing about being in the company of kids is you get to be a kid again too.
amelie and jules visited and we talked yo gabba gabba over fluoro pink drinks and didn't eat our beans then ran around in our socks in the sand.

DIY business cards

why is designing your own business card so unfathomably hard? i find myself sweating over inconsequential details and can't settle on a design. what if i get it 1000's printed and find i tire of it... or i change my details...?

luckily i've found a solution: short runs of handmade cards. you can change the design as often as your mood and each one is a mini, ephemeral artwork.
you'd think it would be quite tedious but actually the process is really enjoyable and liberating.

i find it helps to work within limitations otherwise the possibilities can be oh so overwhelming.
i give myself the following criteria:
- choose the materials first
- make use of discarded materials (see, that's why you shouldn't throw anything out, you might need it later)
- must be quick to assemble
- keep it simple
go for it!


for this latest batch of cards i used my favourite materials: unbleached paper and recycled envelopes. i've had a really long love affair with the nonchalant patterns found inside envelopes.