To the best of my knowledge, there is only one problem with loving so many international blogs.  It’s the out-of-season temptations that are constantly dangled in front of you.

These beautiful owl fingerless gloves jumped off my screen when Dooce mentioned them a couple of weeks ago, and I snapped them up immediately even though we’re only halfway through Summer.  They arrived yesterday (in record time!) and I couldn’t wait to try them on.

I’m in love.  They’re soft too – made from a blend of wool, alapaca and acrylic.  And hello, they’re owls!

Feel free to start whenever you like, Winter – I’m ready now.

Now that I’ve finished tinkering with my list of 101 Things to do in 1001 Days, I’m excited to start ticking some of those things off!  I Have a number of art related tasks on my list this time around and I wanted to make sure that I started early and enjoyed the process.  And besides, my art classes start up again next week and I was slightly concerned that I had forgotten everything from last year!

The still life scene above was painted on a fairly large piece of canvas board with acrylic paint.  There’s a lot to like about this painting, but I can’t help but stare at the obvious problems with my initial drawing.  I think that’s what always lets me down – I’m so excited to break out the paint that I don’t spend enough time on my sketch.

In any case 1/25 still life scenes complete.

This tree was really just an exercise in playing with a bunch of my art supplies – watercolours, acrylic paint, sumi ink and gesso.  I’m trying to fill an altered book with drawings and being a little more experimental on those pages.  It’s a really fun way to discover which mediums work well together.

24 trees to go!

I’ve also set myself a challenge to take 101 photos with my cute little Fujifilm Instax Mini 25.  This camera is the little brother of Polaroid, and prints out cute credit card sized instant photos.  I’ve had the camera for about a year and for most of that time it was pretty badly neglected.  I’m glad we’re finally spending some quality time together.

I thought that it would take me a long time to churn out 101 photos, but to my surprise I’m almost halfway through in my first month!  Once you get the hang of this camera it’s pretty addictive.  You can see more of my Instax Mini 25 photos here.

I’m really looking forward to beginning another one of my tasks next week when a big box of Ilford black & white film arrives.  I’ve been tracking its progress across the ocean for about a week now and it’s actually in my city now!

I wish I’d been able to purchase the film locally, but to do so would have cost $14 per roll, instead of $3.50 per roll from the US.  Even with 5-day shipping it worked out much cheaper for me to buy it online.  Why do Australian consumers always get the blame for the shift to online shopping when it’s the retailers who won’t compete?

About a hundred years ago I lived in a beautiful city in regional QLD called Toowoomba.  It was a pretty fantastic place to grow up when I was a kid, and I have a lot of awesome memories from those years.  One of the things I remember about it was the strong folk art and handmade culture that flourished there.

I came across Toowoomba artist Anna Bartlett by chance last month and had lots of fun poking around her shop, Shiny Happy Art.  I was immediately drawn to this sweet little robin fabric panel, and quickly added it to my cart despite having no idea what I was going to do with it!

It arrived after just a couple of days, beautifully packaged with a cute hand-drawn picture drawn on the envelope.  Adorable.  In fact, I had to convince the receptionist at work to part with it so that I could see what was inside!

There’s something extra special about receiving a package directly from the artist, especially when it’s personalised in this way!  Anna also  included a note with my order, suggesting that I might like to stitch around the robin to bring out his little feet.

A month later I still haven’t decided what my little birdy will become, but someday he’s probably going to be a cute little cushion or a bag.  For now I’m just admiring him from afar until inspiration strikes.

Did I mention that this little guy is only $12?

There’s plenty of other beautiful things to see at Shiny Happy Art.  These are my top picks.

Original art: Mid Century I and Antique I, $146

Robin Red Breast and Blue Wren hankies, $14

Robin Red Breast teatowel, $24

Blue Wren and Robin Red Breast parlour cushions, $35
(These are my favourites!)

I know sometimes it isn’t easy to be sure, so I thought I should mention that I wasn’t asked to write this post.

I’m just all about sharing the pretties with you guys!

Amanda Fuller, of Calico & Co. fame, has drawn upon her legions of crafty creatives to compile this excellent gift guide, just in time for Christmas. It’s been great to see a new category (or more) appear in my RSS feeder each day, so I thought I’d share these carefully curated collections here!

I think there’s more to come, so make sure you check out Amanda’s blog in the coming days. She has a great eye for good design so you’re bound to find something you love.

The challenge will be giving some away for Christmas!

For baby under $20
For baby under $50
For baby under $100

Girls under $20
Girls under $50
Girls under $100

Teen girls under $20
Teen girls under $50
Teen girls under $100

Boys under $20
Boys under $50
Boys under $100

Teen boys under $20
Teen boys under $50
Teen boys under $100

For him under $20
For him under $50
For him under $100

For her under $20
For her under $50
For her under $100

Thanks for doing all the hard work for us, Amanda!

Beautiful earrings by Etsy artist potpourri4

Sweet little hearts by a favourite of mine, Australian designer Epheriell

Pretty hand-hammered stackable rings by Emily Wiser

Friday!

Oh, Friday. I want to kiss you RIGHT on the mouth.

How cute are these made-to-order iPhone/iPod cases? They’re made by Etsy shop owner EvelynX, who seems to have a thing for owls like I do.

This little guy is my favourite…

EvelynX also makes cute little owl plushies, and screenprinted moleskine journal covers. Find more at her Etsy shop.

(Come on, payday – I have cute things in my etsy cart!)

I just saw this beautiful little mobile over at Tipsy Society, and wanted to share it with the rest of the world. Isn’t it the sweetest?

Handmade bird mobile, by aet2002

Nobody freak out, I’m not in baby mode. My plan is still to adopt 16-year-olds (so that they’re old enough to clean the pool) and then buy them a tent when they’re 19.

I know, I know. I’m going to be such an excellent parent some day! At least their rooms will be full of awesome etsy finds…

I’ve just discovered these beautiful handmade books by Natalie Stopka, and didn’t think it was fair to keep them to myself. I love all the work that goes into this style of binding, and wish I had the skill and patience to do it myself!

Natalie is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, and makes beautiful sketchbooks and journals using vintage handkerchiefs, fabric and embroidery stitching. No two books are ever the same, and she also welcomes custom orders on her Etsy shop Natalie As Is. I was surprised to find that her prices are very reasonable.

Photographs of her works-in-progress can also be found at her flickr site.

And, as further proof that the Universe distributes talent unequitably, she just happens to be a beautiful portrait artist as well.

I would love to own one of her beautiful books, and be able to fill it with sketches like these!

You can see more of Natalie’s work at her portfolio site, www.nataliestopka.com.

Thanks to Paper Crave for this discovery!

Leona Edmiston – Photo by Josh Evans

I spent a fantastic morning in the city today, dress shopping with a good friend. Our workmate had told us – in fairly evangelical terms – about the great sale that Leona Edmiston was having this weekend, and how amazed we would be with her dresses. So much so that she insisted that I try on the three dresses she had with her at work that day, just so that I could see for myself!

She wasn’t kidding. There’s something about the cut of these dresses that just works. Forgiving in all the right ways, yet completely unapologetic for flaunting curves and boobs. And even better? Leona Edmiston has her own sizing, which doesn’t correspond directly to traditional clothes sizes. It takes your mind off the size tag and forces you to concentrate on the fit of the dress instead.

I hadn’t really expected to spend a great deal more money after last week’s purchases, but I quickly discovered that this was an opportunity too good to pass up! It’s been such a long time since I’ve walked into a dress shop and been presented with so many options that just fit. With the sale ending tomorrow, I knew I had to pick up a few things while I could.

So here’s what I chose:

Shona Shirtdress

Perfect prim and proper in this retro-inspired cotton Shirt dress. This dress features 50′s inspired detailing such as self covered buttons, cuffed sleeves and a nipped in waist that creates a subtle vintage silhouette.

Bridgette Button

I’ll be the first to admit that this dress doesn’t look all that special in the picture, but of the three dresses I bought, this one really stands out!

This Leona jersey dress is a bold daywear piece with plenty of cool-girl sass. This dress has short sleeves with button cuff, scoop neckline and button waistline making this a perfect piece to introduce to your summer wardrobe.

Joan

I bought this dress in “petrol”, which is the colour that Leona wears in the top picture.

This effortlessly stylish dress will become your fail safe choice for any work day or occasion. With a flattering A line skirt, ¾ sleeves and super flattering cut this dress will instantly update your dress collection.

And this next dress came very close to joining the others!

You will create Perfect Park Avenue chic in this Leona dress. The sweetheart neckline and nipped-in waist with self tie are super-flattering. This dress also features an A line skirt, capped sleeves and a concealed back zip for easy wear.

Anyone who knows me well will probably be surprised at some of my choices, because I tend to choose “safer” colours and styles. I’m really excited to have bought some pieces that are bright, girly and summery – my Melbourne black-staple wardrobe was starting to look a bit emo!

The Leona Edmiston sale continues online until tomorrow, so get in quick to get 30% off. However, I strongly recommend heading into one of their stores, or to David Jones, to try on their gear if you haven’t worn it before.

Today taught me the importance of a perfectly fitted dress!

Dear Santa,

I thought I’d start putting together my list early this year, since I didn’t get that pony I asked for last Christmas.

Love,
Elizabeth

Imagine a Rubik’s Cube that actually makes you smarter; an Erector Set that never stops erecting; a Hula Hoop you don’t look ridiculous playing with; Silly Putty that isn’t silly; cram it all in a jar, turn the fun up to 11, and you’ve got BuckyBalls!

Each set contains 216 powerful rare earth magnets that can be shaped, molded, torn apart and snapped together in UNLIMITED WAYS. Make sculptures, puzzles, patterns, shapes, stick stuff to the fridge, invent a new game—trying to find something more useful is useless.

Something tells me that these would be awesome to keep on my desk at work, especially during those long phonecalls to the IT helpdesk!