Leaving. Moving. Growing.

Hi all,

What crazy days we have ahead of us!!!

Starzia and I are moving to the beautiful South West in a weeks time!!!!!!

Our little flat is empty, except for a bed!!!! And life moves forward.

I have a strange, mixed feeling about leaving.

Excitement and sadness all rolled into one.

There are so many beautiful and magical people here, that have become very precious to me and it will be sad to say goodbye.

I am getting more and more commissions....which is so exciting and complimentary at the same time. It just seems like I am leaving a lovely town where life is just started to take shape.

But the wheels are already in motion and there are lots of reasons to go too!!

I love it down south and the universe has conspired to help me in so many ways to make this move possible. It's actually incredible.

Who knows what the future holds???

We just have to take our life in both hands, make the choices that seem to make sense, ride the wave and wish for the best!!!!

Skye:)

Winter Festival

Hi all,

Starzia and I spent last Saturday out at the Steiner Winter Festival Camp.

What a lovely and magical day!!!!!

We went for a gorgeous walk down by the river and my little fairy imp was running through the sour grass, jumping over puddles and laughing with her friends. She had not a care in the world and seemed like such a free spirit. I was such a delighted and smilie mom:)

Then we returned to "camp" and I painted faces, with a gorgeous friend, for about 4 hours!!! The line never ended!!!!!

While I was doing this my gorgeous, independent Starzia was making damper on a stick, playing with giant bubbles and running with her friends.

(All photo's courtesy of Ali!)

Then my most favourite part of the day was our lantern walk.

(Plus the beautiful puppet show. The adults as well as the kids were completely spellbound!!)

This was the story of the Princess who promised a frog that he could eat off her plate, drink from her glass and sleep in her bed. Her father, the King, said that if she made the frog a promise she had to keep her word and do as she said.

Here are some photo's of Starzia and I.

I think that these days spent with friends, out in nature, are precious!! I will remember this day for a long time to come and I think that it will be a precious memory for my gorgeous girl too. What a gift to give to your children ..... a life full of gorgeous memories like this. I hope to give her many many more!!!!

Skye:) and Starz*

Commissions - love them!

Hi all,

I have recently been bombarded by requests for artwork, or commissions!! It is such a thrill thinking that people love your work so much that they are requesting a piece from you. Very cool!!

I love doing them as they provide a whole new set of challenges that push you as an artist and creative being. Plus there is always a time frame attached which makes a busy life, very interesting.

It's wonderful when people tell you what they would like the painting to be about and the colours they would like used. The only tricky thing is that hopefully the image you produce way exceeds the expectations that they have in their minds eye.

These are a few images from my most recent request. I thoroughly loved doing this piece...even though it took me a little while to figure out how I was going to get it to work.

This was the final piece. It was 80"x 24". Sorry it is so small, I tried for ages to make it bigger but just couldn't get it to work!!

This is a close up showing some of the detail, texture and overlapping. Even these little segments would make a wonderful artwork in itself.

Have I told you just how much I love love texture!!!!!!

I love how the material really gives the impression of moving, rippling water.

And these 4 fish in a row!!!!! Gorgeous! I love the spray paint on their gills!

Part of my love for texture is achieved by using mixed media in my work. This piece has material, paper, copper foil, spray paint, acrylic paint, water colour and doilies.

This is a lovely angle seeing the fish swim off into the distance.

Then a great friend of mine had a little play with her iphone and histomatic application and these are the resulting images. I am not too sure about the green images, but it is definitely nice to have a play and see the different effects.

This is me working on the painting.......

I am very pleased that the painting is now hanging on the wall of the owner and I hope that they enjoy it each and every time that they see it and find something new, different and interesting on each viewing!!

I keep thinking that this piece would look stunning with resin poured all over it.

Even turning it into a table top!!!

So many ideas......................................

Skye:) and Starz*

Feeling a little bit famous?!

Hi all,

I have been putting my art work into a local gallery called Latitude Gallery. It has been very exciting seeing my work, especially my lighthouses, walking out the door and hearing people talking about how they love the texture in my paintings!! It is a lovely feeling people liking what I absolutely love doing!!

I recently saw that 2 of my art works were in both of the front windows of the gallery showing 2 strong landmarks of Geraldton....the lighthouse and the leaning Greenough tree.

So I just had to take a photo because I felt a little bit famous!!!!!!

This is my feeling "a little bit famous" outside the gallery.

This is my latest lighthouse picture, titled "Sea light"

This is the amazing leaning Greenough tree that I have called "Greenough Bend"

Starzia just saw me writing my post and saw the photo's that I was uploading and she said, "You are just amazing mom and I think you look lovely with your paintings!"

I think I am feeling just a little bit famous all over again!!!!

Enjoy the day and feel special because you are.

Skye:) and Starz*

My little fashionista!

Hi all,

My little fashionista, Starzia, modelling some of our gorgeous creations.

From baby, modelling a fashionable beanie...... to gorgeous young girl, modelling pants, dresses and skirt!!

I think that she is an absolute natural in front of a camera.

Don't you just love the attitude!!!!

More gorgeous picts showing our new and exciting range of clothing to come.

Skye:) and beautiful model, Starz*

Life, love and other catastrophes!

Hi all,

Oh my gosh...where has the time gone???????

Is it now nearly May already!!!!!!????

LIFE

Well, for a quick update Starzia and I have been galavanting around the countryside again. We spent Easter in Margaret River and fell in love with the place and the amazing people down there. I have never felt so welcomed and included and supported and loved. Amazing!!!!

Starzia actually said "Mom I don't want to live in Geraldton anymore....I want to live here for ever and ever!!"

LOVE

As for love....what a complicated business!!! Or is it???

I think that life and love are meant to be simple. Should be simple.

If you come from the heart and speak with truth, respect, compassion and without fear of judgement, how can you go wrong?

I don't think you can. It doesn't mean that everyone is going to fall madly in love with you but it's a good way to be.

I think that fear, hurt, cautiousness, reluctance, hesitation, neediness, playing games and lying to yourself all create the world of "complication." Some people choose to live like that because the are too fearful of ????? whatever it may be. Sad but true.

I think that if we are true to ourselves and speak "truthfully" we radiate and glow with the warmth of being secure in who we are and what we want, no matter what our history. And I think that our warmth radiates and attracts like minded people. It's all good!!

I also think that we need to remember never to "settle" but strive for all that we dream of and want in our lives, whether it be in love, life or business.

Or all of the above!

I think that if we feel fearful of being honest and open and truthful but do it anyway, bearing our souls, self and our hearts to the world....taking risks....no matter what the outcome...... I think it is amazing and brave and how we should all live our lives.

And what a way to live!!!!!!

Then there are no regrets and no bad feelings because you did everything you could and you wouldn't change a thing because you were just being you.

You can't make anyone do anything or be anything for you. You can only be you and work out how you want to be and how you want to live.

I choose living with happiness. Living with truth and honesty with myself and with others.

I choose taking risks and making the most of right now!

(I think that it has only taken me 24 years to actually GET all that!!)

OTHER CATASTROPHES

Well where do I start!!!!????

I have a mountain of material, beautiful ribbons and embellishments, piled up on my chair just waiting to be used!!!!

The possibilities....

The designs.....

The creations......

The everything!!!!!!!!!

But I am struggling to find the time. I know it is an age old problem and one I always seem to write about.....but I am going to restructure my life to make this all work. Because my precious little business encapsulates everything that I love to do and it is an important part of my life. The one part that actually needs to take priority, after Starzia of course! And it should not be at the bottom of my list.... "If I have time I am going to cut out that dress!!!"

So I am going to leave you with this deep, and hopefully meaningful post, and go and cut out that dress!!!!!

So to leave you with a quotations to think about...............

"Feel the fear and do it anyway!"

"Just do it!"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained!"

"Seize the day!"

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do!"

Exciting and new

Hi all,

Life is becoming so exciting, busy and interesting lately!!!

I have ordered some absolutely stunning fabric from Funky Fabrics and some gorgeous flowers from Milky Designs.

I just have to show a little patience now while I wait for my orders to arrive!!!! Not very easy because I am not the world's most patient person.

I feel like I am juggling so many different elements in my life and I need 5 of me, to get everything that I want to do, done!!!!!

Starzia and I had a little play the other day with blending Art and Fashion. (Something I definitely want to keep exploring!!!)

In my paintings I absolutely love texture. It's my favourite thing!!!! So I want to keep exploring merging the two things I love doing and making them into one.

What a wonderful idea to have shirts with interesting texture for children to wear.

Walking art work.

And this is what we came up with......

This is Starzia's "mermaide with goldfish" shirt design. Bare in mind that she was only 3 when she did this amazing art work!!!!!! My clever cookie!

And this was my effort at trying to do a "kite surfer" baby jump suit!!!!!

I dabbled in kite surfing at one stage of my life (before Starzia) and the young man I did lessons with had a 4 year old son who he was starting to teach as well.

Can you imagine starting a sport like that, at that age!!!!!! How absolutely fantastic! I wish my parents had done that with me. Hence Starzia has a foamie, roller skates, skate board, guitar...............hmmmm!!!!!! Maybe too much.

I think I would like to, one day, continue with kite surfing. I think it is good to push your boundaries and do something that scares you or challenges you in some form or another. It ensures that you keep growing and living life to it's fullest. Always a good thing.

Anyway....back to business.....my 2 goals for the next 2 weeks are...........

1. My lovely friend is having another open house in Geraldton, with a group of talented ladies showing off their wares on the 10th April, me included. So I am madly trying to get some amazing creations made for that event.

2. Then I am going to be busy trying to take some more photo's of my gorgeous partner in crime, Starzia, in some of our new designs so that I can load them up onto my gallery and etsy shop.

I know that I am side tracking here...but..... I took this photo of Starzia the other day and check out those eyes!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!! Her eyes are blue and golden in colour and I always call them ocean eyes. I think you could drown in them!!

I hope you are all inspired this week to do something new and challenging. Step out of your comfort zone and enjoy!!! It will add spice to your life.

Skye:) and Starz*