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 This is: my best op shop find.Apart from my recent finds; yellow skirt and citrus blanket, I have heaps of op shops finds in my house. I'd say 80% of my trinkets have been discovered at op shops or junk markets. My most treasured one mind you would have to be this amazing mirror. I've had it for years now. I don't know what it is about it that captures me so much, but I adore it. Keeping it short and sweet this week because I'm late, and I have SOOO much money-earning-work to do this week... I've procrastinated enough. Thanks to Lino Forest for a great 'this is' theme. 
 Here's another tiny peep at a work I also finished for the exhibition this week. A totally different style, but I find each person I draw seems to dictate their own look. As though with each pencil stroke a face forms, but so too does the personality behind the face. Thank-you so much for all of your encouragement on the previous sneak peak. I'm absorbing it all and using it to project me into the next work... which I'm about to start right now. Up up and awaaaaaay...
 I haven't done Illustration Friday for a few weeks because I've been trying to concentrate on ideas for the exhibition, but that leaves this little space looking a little too un-illustrated for my liking. So here's my antidote... A sneak-peek! This is a tiny bit of a painting I'm in the process of making. Not a great photo, but you get the gist... It's kind of my version of the "What's on my desk Wednesday" meme : "What I'm making this week, holding it up under a lamp to get enough light, Wednesday". Hmmm, I wonder if that'll catch on? heee.
This is: my most favourite outfit that expresses my individual style.This week's "this is" theme by " kitty, frightened me. A lot! Which is why I'm late...  Deep breath. Let's see... Well the fact of the matter is that even though I've always loved clothes, the truth is that if you were to pop-in unannounced for a cup of tea, you'd most likely find me like this... In my pyjamas, or hiding under the bed trying NOT to be caught wearing this! (I work at home - which by my rules means no more alarm clocks or getting dressed until the afternoon). I must admit, that's one of the benefits of having moved a long way away from anyone we know; the danger of pop-ins whilst I'm wearing my PJ's at 2pm has decreased significantly. Alright I'm not like this aaallll day, mostly I do manage to pull on some jeans. But if you were to give me a bit more notice and invite me out for coffee or lunch or something, at the moment I'd probably turn up looking like this...  Right now it's Winter and I'm loving: - my new pleated yellow skirt I got for $7 at the Op Shop recently (it still had it's original store tags on it from Japan), and it fits me perfectly, - my blue and white pin-striped jacket, - & white tights.
After being invited earlier in the year, this week I got confirmation from Susan to be part of another exhibition at artstream this Sept-Oct. I’m ecstatic about it! Now begins the “switch myself into art mode” stage, after battling with my computer ALL week long on a complicated print job for a client. I’m really looking forward to getting away from the screen for a while. Last night I set up a little table in the lounge room so I can work at night in the heated room, in front of the TV. I sat there with a sketchbook and pencil, sat there, and sat there, pencil poised, waiting for the “art mode” to kick in, "c'mon art mode!". I’m hoping that now I’ve sent my “job” off, and enjoyed an afternoon walk along the beach and over the headland to flush the work out of me, I’ll be clear and refreshed to get stuck in tonight. The funny thing is I had a spontaneous art day on Sunday. I hadn’t planned it, I didn’t do any preliminary sketches, I had no ideas, and I didn’t plan a colour scheme, I just sat and painted, and drew and painted some more. It all came flowing out freely, as only unplanned work can. And I liked the results. When I do an illustration I put so much time into thinking about a concept that means something, sketching compositions and details, and planning colours, that the whole thing takes days, sometimes weeks. So this spontaneous art day got me thinking… which ironically has taken me back to square one; thinking. I just want to try and feel it, and let it appear before me. I guess the urge to plan and think it all through comes from a compulsion to want the work to be good. To keep control of it, keep a consistency, so it all turns out the way it’s supposed to. Somewhere in me the idea of planning means proper, worthy work… not planning means frivolous playing. But what’s so wrong with that? Perhaps then my first challenge isn’t limited to sitting in a heated room… maybe it’s beating the art-school out of me... just having a bit of faith and letting go.
 Check out my new blanket!!!! It only cost me $2 from a yard sale on Saturday! I was sooo excited to find it, and then even more so when I found out it was only $2. There were two others there too, in retrospect I should have gotten all of them, but this one was bright and fresh, and left the other bland-coloured ones for dead. That citrus orange edge makes me very happy! I've been having some really good thrifting luck lately. I mean no absolutely "would kill for" finds, but great all the same. I have a small pile of things accumulating for my Pay it Forward people, (I hope they like them). Actually, if you're on my Pay It Forward list, and you notice me stalking you in your stats, it's only because I'm trying to find clues as to what kind of things and styles you like. Let me say a couple of you don't make it easy. So if you're stuck for blog post ideas, why not do an entire post on a few of your favourite things about the house... or share a photo of your lounge room... wink wink.
 This is: the space in which I create.Although it's rather pokey, I'm so happy to say that in this house I do have a creative space. In our last house I did what most of us do; commandeer the dining table. But in this house I have a whole room of my own. Like I said it's pretty small, so it's by no means grand or even ideal, but it's a start, and it really really helps to be able to have a space you can leave piles of organised chaos and not feel guilty. Some days I call it my office, some days I call it my studio, and the rest of the time it's called the front room... it all depends what's going on in there at the time. My huge antique wardrobe houses mountains of fabric, craft and art supplies, and all my completed artworks. It's fantastic for it to be so big, hold so much stuff, and keep everything out of the way in the one place. The rest of the room is taken up with a big table in front of the window... somewhere under the piles of "in progress" projects. And I do my computer work in my office part of the room, aka inside the cupboard! Seriously! I made a desk to fit inside the built-in cupboard, decorated, strung up some fairy lights, and now I have an office space that I can close away when I am sick of the computer, or just need to block away the distraction of the internet. It may seem a bit strange, but it means I can easily convert the room from work mode to art mode. It works quite well really. So it's all squeezed into one small room. The photo's make it look bigger, but it's not. I still appreciate having it though. (p.s. yes, that's me lurking in the shadows in that photo. Bet you thought you'd never see the day when I posted a pic of myself on this blog eh?)
Over a nice dinner together last night, Mr You and I were talking about the dawning days of the internet (yes, clearly we're old geeks. Terribly interesting ones though). He was musing about how in the very early days it seemed that 97% of it was inhabited by males, and on the rare occasion that a female would appear in a forum or chatroom, she would be instantly swarmed by the lads. So I was amused today when thinking to myself about the percentage of females to males in the blogging community (at least the one I find myself in). When I find a male has left a comment I experience a bit of the "swarm" myself. Not that I'm going to launch myself "annual-bridal-gown-sale" style at them, or even sidle up with a "do you come here often" type line or anything, no, no, it's all safe. But it's just so rare that I can't help but get a bit of a thrill. So at the risk of scaring this rarest of species away... ladies roll up your sleeves, get your barging elbows out... hello Steve, thanks for leaving some comments :) Also, if you haven't met Willie, please go check out his unique world, it's pretty amazing. Oh, and Patrick! Go meet Patrick too! His art is mind blowing.
 This is: my favourite travel memory.I couldn't possible narrow it down to one single memory, I'm not sure I could even narrow it down to a city or country, I've loved so many of my travels, but for the purpose of Hila's "this is" theme this week I've chosen to share Portugal! While other travel memories I have are moments, feelings, people, culture, ambience, etc, Portugal still holds thick in my visual memory. It's literally coated in pattern, everywhere your eyes come to rest; from the patterned footpaths, to the colourfully tiled houses, and painted tile murals. It's like no other place I've ever been. Whether it be ornate decoration, or decaying paint or stonework, there's pattern to be found at all ends of the spectrum. The beauty does not favour the rich over the poor, it spreads itself equally and generously among all. Whether it be new and carefully laid out, or ancient and haphazard, the colours still shine bright.  Of course I still hold many unique moments from our time there fondly... - Coming across a small pet market. No not a small market of pet things, a largish market selling only small pets. - Old women sitting on every corner every Thursday selling small posies of wilted handpicked wildflowers, wrapped in a bit a tin foil. - And the day I stood looking closely at the mountain of Christian souvenir paraphernalia in this stall for a good minute before I realised there was a live woman tucked in amongst it. All I can say is no wonder there is such beautiful art and craft coming from the bloggers of Portugal!
 My Illustration Friday attempt for baby. Where do babies come from?... Why sperm whales of course. (only just made it in time this week, phew)
 I had some of my illustrations made into postcards! They look so great, all glossy and professional. I'm really happy with them. I've put them in my etsy store so they're now available to buy. It's a much cheaper way of getting art on your walls, or unique cards for your friends. There are single postcards, but I've also put some in sets, including Looking for Love and Sometime Soon ...as requested ;) Others include my electricity illo from a couple of weeks back, the extreme illo that's in Curvy, and string theory, which is one I really like. So there you have it. Small bits of art you can buy with small change. :) Click on the images above to be transported to my etsy store.
I miss it every year, but yesterday was this little blogs 3rd birthday. Gosh they grow up so fast, don't they? sniff sniff... Actually it was my birthday the week before last too. Both event's passed by without too much fuss or grandeur, which is fine... mind you there was no cake for either birthday... which, come to think of it, is not so fine, it's no good at all. I must rectify that. Girls and blogs need cake! Mr You shocked me with his gift... a violin!!!! Shit! I know I'd been banging on about wanting to play fiddle for ages, but the reality of actually having a real one terrified me. I guess he has some faith that I'll be able to learn it, either that or he got sick of me air-fiddling... a move I'm sure he's partly regretting now he has to listen to the pained screeches of this fine instrument as I practice each evening. My fear and apprehension has turned to nervous fits of hysteric laughter when I try to play. It sounds terrible. It's so bad it's hilarious. I need lessons. And a violin mute has been ordered and is on it's way :)
 This is: my pet. (relaxing on a warm Summers afternoon) ....beam! It's been just over a year since we rescued Tilli from the shelter. She was about 5 months old when we got her, and in the past year she has grown at least twice the size. When she sits with all her feet tucked up underneath her she looks like a roosting hen, so we used to call her "Chook-Chook" (one of her bazillion nicknames), but now she's so big we've had to abandoned that in favour of "Goosey". She's super playful, everything is a game, everything is a toy, and every moment is an opportunity to play. She's so much fun. I've never had a cat before, but I'm a convert; I freakin' adore her... so much that sometimes it hurts. Thanks to Kyla from Two Peas in a Pod for this week's "This Is" theme.
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