Usually when my mum & I go for coffee, it's to Our Kitchen Table in Malvern (just around the corner from the lovely Patchwork on Central Park!)
Delicious cookies & cakes, chai with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top, and super cute decor - hooray!
More experimenting with the ceramic pens! I'm really enjoying them, but my problem is that a- I need more colours, and b- the pens aren't that fine, so it's hard to draw how I usually do. So progress is slow! But there will be some for sale soon, promise.
And sewing... I've almost run out of my fabric labels, and left it a bit late to order more, so I've mainly been sewing zips into things lately. Important, yes, the purses would not be so useful without a zip. But not quite as rewarding when I can't see the finished product!
You know those awesome, vintage style bicycles that keep popping up in fashion editorials and design blogs?
Now you can buy your own pretty bike from a new Melbourne based group - Papillionaire. I would love my very own dusty blue bike, but will have to settle for the occasional test ride (one of my friends is co-owner of the biz, I'm sure he won't mind!)
I think I'd also need to get over my fear of driving anywhere near tram tracks - these are city bikes!
I always like to have cards to match my fabric designs... just because.
Mermaid cards, available in the shop.
Mermaids! Who doesn't love mermaids, right? I've wanted to do a mermaid design for a little while, I did some mermaid paintings awhile back (but don't look, they're ugly!) These ones are far cuter - there are three mer-girls and three mer-boys, and one of the mer-boys is playing a ukulele.
Partially completed - (don't copy it, you will get bad karma). I always do the illustration on paper, scan it in, colour it, then have it printed. This was way more complex, and induced more swearing, than usual - the image contains several layers as the tail is a different colour to the bodies, plus there's a lot more detail to be coloured in. Usually I will start by colouring the base colours - in this case the tails, outlines and skin, then fiddle with the colour of the clothes.
The mer-purses are available for sale:
Hello! This week I've been trying some new things. First - new purse design! Hooray! I'll list these in the shop tomorrow, and I'll be sending some little coupons to my mailing list, so if you want on it, send me your email here!
I've also been baking - delicious lemon cake! It's vegan, lovely and moist and very lemony... the recipe is here. I put in a bit less sugar to make it seem healthier.
And finally... I have learned my lesson after the little debacle a few months ago when I designed some fabric for mobiles, AND had it printed without actually doing a test pattern first (oops!)
Leek & zucchini soup at Ripe in the Dandenongs with friends. Cosy & warm, so good.
Hello! Something new: hand illustrated ceramics! These are three of my own pieces, little testers, but I've got some more ready to go, and the next little while I will be scouring the op-shops, markets & garage sales for pre-loved beauties to add a little touch of Pocket Carnival to.
