What paper do I use?

Thanks Carmen for your question asking what paper I use.
If I am creating work that I will scan and not sell as an original, I use a variety of papers.
scrap booking companies sell pads of paper coloured in the most beautiful shades.
I also use plain white paper (never card, it's too hard to cut) which I then paint with acrylics.
It's important that it is reasonable good quality so it doesn't pill when I paint it.
I press the paper over night to flatten it.
I use these papers when I am making art to sell as originals as these don't fade.
Occasionally I'll experiment with scanned fabric that I print on my inkjet printer or even magazine cut outs.

Exhibition paper cuts

I must say, after 3 weeks not handling my scalpel it feels wonderful getting back into it,
these little pieces are for a couple of Christmas exhibitions at the Kina and Solander Galleries.
I can't believe it's almost that time again!!

Wall decals

You may remember my posts from a little while ago following my progress as I created art work for wall decals to feature on a newly renovated after school room,
I was thrilled to receive these shots a few days ago showing them up on the wall,
it's always nice to see the end result!

Home again!

After a wonderful 2 weeks away in Hawaii we have returned!
What an adventure!
What a perfect holiday destination!
Our Hotel the "Shoreline" was so cool, it has a retro vibe, you can see from the art work in our room!
I loved the beautiful, lush juicy flowers, the graphic flora, gorgeously vibrant birds and fish.
Because it is so well organized it is so stress free and relaxing.

Unfortunately our stress free and relaxation would come to an abrupt end!
We left for New Zealand on Friday expecting a bearable 9 hour direct flight instead we endured an almost unbelievable 3 days of one disastrous event after another.

1 Our plane was supposed to leave at 6pm, it was delayed because of a mechanical fault till 3 in the morning, exhausted, we ended up trying to sleep on the airport concrete floor (Honolulu is lovely, the airport aint!)
2 We finally got on the plane at 3.30pm only to be told that the new plane also had a fault and we had to get back off again.
3 We spent 2.5 hours waiting in a line outside the airport while a mini bus with a 10 person capacity ferried 200 people to a hotel, the kids ended up sleeping on the filthy foot path.
4 After spending the day in the hotel room trying to catch up on sleep we where told that we would fly again at 6pm that evening only to be then told that the Air plane staff refused to fly as they hadn't slept so we spent another night in the hotel.
5 We got up a early and very tired at 4 in the morning to finally fly home.
6 Once we had arrived in Auckland, we caught a connecting flight to Wellington, we had heard that it had been very windy, in fact the Airport had been closed the previous day. When we started to land in Wellington the wind gusts threw the plane aggressively from side to side, suddenly the plane dropped violently, had we not had our seat belts on we surely would have hit the ceiling!!
the plane was literately meters from the ground when it took off again, back to Auckland!!
another night in a Airport hotel,
7 Finally at 1pm the next day we where booked to fly. We where waiting at the airport when we received a text informing us that a cat had somehow managed to get into our house, friends had seen it meowing pitifully at the upstairs window, they had even taken a photo to prove they weren't playing a joke on us! We don't own a cat! My immediate thought was we must have been robbed and the cat had entered a broken window, as it turns out thankfully this was not the case, we have a cat door in our kitchen that it must have pushed through, it couldn't get back out and spent a week locked in! Friends saw the poster asking people if they had seen a lost cat, they managed to prise the cat door open and let it out, only after it had spent a week pooing and weeing on our bed and all through our wardrobe full of shoes.
I have decided cat urine is the most disgusting thing ever!
Yes it was an adventure, the last 3 days did not ruin our trip at all!
I'm back into creating my art again, I must say I have missed it!

 

I'm taking a break!

We are off to Hawaii till the 29th of October!

We chose this as our destination as it encompasses all our passions, my oldest son loves all things Americana, my youngest loves all things water, my husband loves the idea of reliving his surfing days and I'll explore the fabulous natural wonders (and possibly a few retail outlets!)

till my return....xxxxx

Christmas decor printables

I know we have a wee way to go before Christmas is here again, every year I tell myself I will start working on Christmas crafts earlier so this year I have started with this set of baubbles, I have ideas for lots more shapes and styles, because they would be printables you could make as many as you wish!
what do you think?

"Sydney's child" magazine cover

I have just spotted this cover that I recently illustrated for Australia's " Sydney's child" magazine!

The Red Thread feature

I was chuffed to bits recently to be asked by lovely Lisa at  THE RED THREAD
if I would like to answer a few questions about my self, along with some images of my work and studio, it appeared on her wonderful blog last week, check it out, you'll love her designs too!

Spring photos

The sun is shining and spring flowers are popping up in gardens all around Eastbourne.

my weekend finds

1950's marbles bag

another delightful Golden Book, I love the farmer!

 What a happy little world!

they may be kitsch, but I really like these ceramic swans!

new prints

I'm finding myself dreaming of warm summer days, perhaps that's what inspired me!
I will have them listed in my shop by the end of the week!

DJECO matching game

It's always nice to receive an unexpected parcel in the mail, especially when they are the finished products of projects I have been working on. Djeco, a company based in Paris are leaders when it comes to stylish children's games, their packaging is really lovely too. This cute little game is for kids between 5-10, it involves matching either the hats, cheeks or the jumpers of cats, it's actually more challenging than it looks! (the eyes are just a red herring!)

Groovy, retro scales

I am very busy right now working on some hush hush projects, I can't wait to tell you about them!
Till then, you probably know by now, one of my fave past times is scouring my local second hand shops for mid century treasures. These scales leaped out at me today, this is why I love this era so much, not content with producing this practical (and often reviled) product, someone thought to them selves, why not "groovy" it up with a big green and blue butterfly! I have never really wanted to own scales but these are too good. (my husband chooses to disagree!)
Oh yes and this is my cushion all made up, its got a spring vibe, something we here in New Zealand are very much looking forward to!