... something for kate

some new artwork...

doing snippets when i've had the chance. these all take so long but finally i have some to share.

some commission work, some for shop...

kate

xo

creative edge...

a few weekends ago i taught at creative edge to a room full of lovely ladies.  the totally fabulous day was organised by janine koczwara. in my class we decorated & scrapbooked a prima canvas 8x8" album.  medium, napkins, paint, papers, fabrics & more.... messy shabby fun.

the other two classes were beautiful scrapbook layouts by janine and steph.  amazing!

so here's a few pics...  the rest of the album can be found here in my "classes" photo album.

kate

xo

BIG babushka news!!

Happy Heart Babushka prints going on sale soon to raise very much needed funds for HEARTKIDS.

Read more about it here!

Thanks! 

Kate

xo

Have you heard?

Kim Archer's organising the very first @Home|Away Weekend Scrapbooking Retreat.

WHEN: 6-8 November 2009

WHERE: Sunsets At The Bay, Salamander Bay, NSW

WHAT: innovative workshops, market stall, fresh and fun make and takes, giveaways, challenges, luxury accommodation, delicious meals and loads of exciting special touches!

WHO: Hopefully you, plus Kim and the @Home girls - Janelle Wind, Mardi Winen, Yvette Adams and Mel Nunn PLUS lots of girls from all over Australia who have already booked their place.

kate

xo

free shipping worldwide...

i have lots of projects on the go and need some extra space in my, now tiny, art room.  

there are 5 little ORIGINAL babushka canvases available in the shop that need to go so i'm offering: 

***FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE for AUGUST ONLY***

check them out here!

Kate

xo

a bunch of new babushkas...

loaded into my etsy shop.  thanks for stopping by!

   

kate

xo

working away...

on my creative edge workshop, several commissions and more little babushka ladies & girls for my etsy shop.  here's a few things I can share.

this little lady flew to the UK a couple of weeks back.  the hairstyle was a special request and i love it.  i have more dolls coming soon with little bob cuts.  also some too with spanish style loopy pigtails.  i think my fave so far.  hope to show very soon.

 

here's a commission i painted:

i have several pieces i am working on that include babushka family portraits [dads & sons included!], also another canvas with a pregnant babushka!  i want to do all sorts of family combinations and then make them available as prints. eventually!  in the meantime, these little ladies were made for family gifts:

and here are some pendants i have had sitting around for a couple of months waiting to be finished.  

i will eventually get them ready for my etsy store [with more recent dolls] but they are a bit on the back burner.  i am enjoying my collage & painting so much.  i have plans to make prints and postcards of my canvas work too but again, all in good time.  

in other news, my dear ol' dad just returned from overseas with the most fantastic gift ever!  i have been researching water soluble pastels for a long time and have been lusting after caran d'ache made in switzerland.  i had priced them to be shipped from a few countries and was hoping to save up & have them shipped to me later in the year.  wellllllllll, guess what i am the new proud owner of?

beautiful beautiful crayons indeed.  i feel very lucky!!!!!!

what else....

well on the home front, i took this pic of my 3 'still @ home' kiddies a couple of weeks back.  its now school holidays of course so georgia is home every day at the moment but when she isn't, its these 3 little musketeers that i hang with during pre-school hours.  charlotte wanted to dress the twins up and all wear head bands. so that we did.  do you think i could get a nice smiling shot from them all at the same though?  no!

that's all for today.  

oh, and like the rest of the world, i am now on twitter [see top right of my blog page under my photo].  i'll use it mainly to notify when i have stuff available in the etsy shop.  a quick and easy solution i think. am i the last person on earth to join i wonder?

kate

xo

sneak...

been creating a little something for janines Creative Edge workshop day [September].  my workshop will be using the donna downey prima canvas album which is adorable.

so here above, is my snippet!

REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!  be quick, I know Janine has already had a good response!  Click here!

kate

xo

ok so i'm ready to start selling...

a few of these little ladies:

Edited to add:  WOWeeeeeee!!!!!! -  ALL SOLD in less than 17 hours!!   Pinching myself!  

Hopefully I'll finish some more for later in the week.  Thanks so much for the interest everyone.  So glad these are going to lovely homes.

Kate  xo

these 4 are miniature canvases, ranging in size from 10x10cm up to 12.5x18cm.  these were some of the first ones i created and i now have over 30 so i am looking for new good homes for these ;o]   the 2 smaller ones [L] are $20 and the larger ones [R] are $30 [+ postage].  i'll start listing on my etsy [for the first time!] in a few days, unless sold before hand.  email me here if interested.

i will have more in the future, i can't stop painting them!  well really they are collaged.  i use all my fave techniques including napkin layers, pp scraps, some have fabric, lace, chipboard.  they are all on thick edged canvases and have black edges.

edited to add:  i should have written the words as these pics are so tiny.  here they are...

top L - on the little girls dress are the words, 'keep holding on' and left of the big girls dress, 'I'll be by your side'.  borrowed words from Avril Lavignes 'Keep Holding On' song.  very personal to me as these were the words in my mind and heart when our little Chelsea was going through her heart surgeries last year.  i figure they will have beautiful meaning for others too, maternal or friendship. its always nice to have a little reminder that we have someone there for us right? SOLD!

bottom L - borrowed words 'you've got a friend' from the classic james taylor song.  well everytime i look at this one, i just start singing along.  as I write this, i notice it has already been SOLD.  i hope your daughters love it  dear C. xo

top R - 'Teach us Delight in Simple Things,'  Rudyard Kipling.  well i try to remind myself this every day.  there's so much around us to appreciate and have gratitude for. SOLD!

bottom R -  'live with passion', my words and mantra for fulfilled living.  SOLD!

here's many others in progress.  and its s-l-o-w progress, let me tell you!  i only get a couple of hours per night, when i am not working my day/night job, to work creatively.  and each one takes ages.  lots of layers, lots of drying time.  each finished one, a little doll with her own personality and i am having some trouble parting with them.  and maybe a little scared too, that no one will love them like i do.

i'm working on my very first commission too at the moment which is coming along.  hope to share sometime soonish.  

also recently, i made these long overdue tiny pressies [patchworked bookmarks] for a couple of ladies in tasmania who bought my book.  [hi ladies!] and i have some more similar things in the pipeline for some other wonderful women i know too.

thanks for looking!

kate

xo

my georgia turns 4!

it seems like she's been in our lives forever yet the last 4 years has also gone so fast!  its about 4 years since i started blogging too so pretty much her whole life is recorded here.  amazing.  

i made her this canvas.  i know a few posts back i made another one which was intended for her but i liked this one better, so hers it is.  i'm really quite happy with it and she thinks its very 'bootiful' so i'm very happy about that!!  i'll make prints of this one available for sale soonish, as soon as i find a good commercial print shop.   

the quote is, "Dream your dreams with open eyes & make them come true" - TE Lawrence.

she loved opening her pressies this morning, with miss charlie by her side, desperately trying to open them too.

so my gorgeous little missy got a nintendo ds. she has wanted one ever since her big cousin shannon [10] got one for christmas and so we relented.  charlotte's birthday is next week and she'll have one also!  unbelievably lucky.  my parents, jeff & i all put in for it.  its surprising how the girls instinctively know how to use it for the most part.  neither of them can read but they can play with their little digital pets and navigate through all the workings of it.  i like how they can write their names, type their names and become more familiar with the date/ time etc.  any technology training has got to be beneficial surely?  

yes i guess we'll have to put limits on screen time though.  but that won't be a problem.  they are little kids who love to play, do dress ups, love artworking and adore messing around outside, on the trampoline etc.  a good mix of all, everything in moderation...

so what else?  some new clothes, a ballet story book [loves ballet & dancing], a little bear [we're talking 10cm high] complete with extensive wardrobe.  so so cute and very good for skilling up those fine motor skills.  she got this apron: 

and then enjoyed making licking the bowl following the making of her birthday cupcakes today.

she got some cute hair accessories from here, also some new sparkly beaded sneakers and a piece of art with zebras on it [she's in love with zebra's].

we had a quiet day at home, with some tidying up and baking on the morning, then a visit from some friends in the afternoon.  georgia then picked her favourite dinner for her birthday tea and shortly after they all went to bed completely exhausted!

she is such a beautiful little girl georgia, i mean on the inside. of course she's beautiful on the outside too, but she is developing this amazingly sweet feminine & fanciful personality.  loves to engage in imaginary play.  always dressing up in sweet girly things, dancing and softly prancing around.  sings in the bathroom [!], constantly plays the piano and frequently makes up songs and sings along whilst playing a made up tune.  i wonder what the future holds for her?  she's pretty shy, but at home where she's comfortable, we get to witness her little magic every day.  such a treat, a blessing and such a privilege to be her mother.

here she is sitting at 'my' art desk [the one that's normally blocked off from small people] playing with my things, pretending to do fairy face painting on herself.

and here are some recent little drawings of hers...

the first quite obviously a scarecrow in the field and the 2nd, a giraffe.  

love them. 

treasure them.

happy birthday our sweet sweet darling 4 year old!  

we love you so much.  you make us so proud.

kate [and for today, jeff too]

xo