Nathalie Lete Love - in miniature

Check out this terrific dolls house featuring Nathalie Lete (my art crush) paintings!

 ... hand tufted rugs and Japanese silk bed linen.

The whole story is here at Jenni's.

Makes ours look in dire need of a makeover - Nathalie style!

And here's another fantastic idea that encourages imaginative play without destroying the beds every day -

It's from Curbside Style and makes me think we may need a square edged table around here ...

Inspired to take Turkish Tea

I went to Brisbane yesterday, working on the redesign of my website (very exciting, really, it is!) with my very helpful brother, and his girlfriend, Erin, had this most lovely collection of colourful teacups that I had to photograph...

and so, fuelled by 'Mother' for the 1.5 hour drive home at 10.30pm, I arrived after midnight, still quite wired and unable to sleep. So I painted them. And it felt good.

I have been working on making things with my floral hearts and am so happy with the direction they're going, and now these teacups... it'll be good to have something very new on the new website!  Stay tuned for the big reveal.

I was VERY tempted to join in with Blogtoberfest this year, but have decided, that since this week is the beginning of ONE DAY OF DAYCARE/GRANMA CARE for my little ones (!!!!) that I'd best use that time to actually do work, instead of blogging, which is always the direction my procrastination seems to take these days.

So it'll be lovely to have plenty to read this month, but on the sideline I will be.

Giveaway wise, remember that I'll be drawing a winner for black or white poppies painting this Monday - so leave a comment here if you'd like to be in it! Good luck!

My name is Anna, and I'm a groupie

A Nathalie Lete groupie!!!!

On Monday I drove two hours to see the wonderful Parisian artist, Nathalie Lete (seen here wearing one of her limited edition Blue Illusion cardis), paint in the window of the Blue Illusion store at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast. It was worth every kilometre!

I blogged about Nathalie painting a window in Japan back in March, and then Pip blogged that she was coming to Australia, then Cintia at  mypoppet mentioned that she'd seen her (and her window photos are actually much clearer than mine), and then I discovered that she was coming to Queensland, so I coerced my mother and sister to look after my kids and off I went.

I arrived at about 1pm, thinking I was late, but Nathalie had been delayed at the airport. So I browsed with the proferred macaron and French champagne until she arrived (it's a bit dangerous to shop with a glass or two of champers under your belt, and the clothes were VERY nice, I'm just saying) and got straight to work.

 She was dressed in black and navy, with stockings and sweet heels, a purple apron and with a quirky, aqua pendant hanging on a long necklace. She mixed up her own paint (from powder) and started with the Eiffel Tower - which she was obviously incredibly familiar with.

By the end she had decorated the pane with butterflies, birds (including one complete with feathered top hat), flowers, a rabbit, and ladybugs. She then very generously signed Blue Illusion catalogues (which she has also illustrated), chatted and posed for photographs.

Her artwork will also be on the next Blue Illusion Catalogue, and the painting will stay on the window until Christmas goes up in November.

I'm so inspired by her style of painting and her whole body of work. It's quirky, colourful and decorative - is there such a thing as 'mature naiive' painting? And as a person she simply oozes French-ness.

A lady in the crowd recommended this book to me -

so because I was in some kind of French frenzy I even managed to find a copy of it at a bookshop at Pacific Fair and am about 4 chapters in already. It's great. I'd love to take my daughters to Paris when they're old enough.

For the record I did not buy any Krispy Kremes while I was there. And that's significant.

 Because I was at the Gold Coast and love the beach, I had to put my toes in the ocean before heading home (via Ikea!).

A fabulous day. And the inspiration is dripping off me. Can't wait to put a brush to canvas.

I've been interviewed by Thea, here!

 
It's wierd, seeing my words on someone else's blog (and realising that it didn't even cross my mind that I wasn't wearing shoes when she took that photo of me! Probably too busy trying to position the child in my arms to make me look slimmer...) but the lovely Thea from Thea & Sami has interviewed me for her "Friday Follower" feature today.

I did a screenprinting day with Thea a couple of years ago and we have kept in touch. Do check out her lovely, eco-friendly fabrics and homewares while you're there. She has a fretwork design that I've loved for ages. And her new soap range smells amazing.

Think I'll go put some shoes on now.

Totally Armless

For my birthday earlier this year, a lovely and talented friend Annie made me this totally original and handsewn totem - "Armless Anna". It features current Prints Charming and 'vintage' Art Park fabric, and she even made the felt balls on the pockets as she knows my violent aversion to buttons.

The thought behind it is that the only way I could have a true relax, is if I could take my arms off and just stop.

Annie didn't know that having 'removable arms' has been an appealing thought to me for as long as I can remember. To be able to take your arm off and lie on your side, without having to figure out how to stick it under the pillow, or under your head... just imagine the possibilities... It does get confusing though, because if you took both arms off, how could you put them back on again? A serious conundrum. (I didn't set out to sound like such a wierdo when I started writing this post...)

This is where 'Armless Anna' lives at the moment. Above my super desk in the living room. Where I spend most of my creative time these days. She was in my office near the paints, but I was missing her. So here she is now.

Reminding me to stop occasionally - so I think I'll do that now! Have a lovely weekend. I'm off to Byron Bay for the first time in about 12 years. Can't wait!

No creative space today - just inspiration

Things have been too busy around here to do much of anything well. And I have a very special visitor from Perth arriving tomorrow, so hopefully she'll ignore the mess and enjoy my company, so I'd best get to bed so I'm feeling perky...

I did want to have a creative space today, but that's simply not going to happen (although there were banana bread, lemon cake and vegemite cheesy twists baked, no photos were taken), so here's what someone else's creative mind dreamed up instead...

From the world of wonderful ideas, check out these fabulous USB sticks from OOOMS (clever dutch design).

They are also the brains behind the glassbulb light and the solar birdhouse:

Very clever. Hope you're feeling a little inspired now.

For a little bit more inspiration, visit the new Pictory showcase here.

Paper Cuts

This is wonderful to watch. And something I'd really like to try one day.



I also love this papercut work by Rob Ryan (as seen on 3 sheets lovely blog). Definitely inspiring me right now.

Do you know any other fabulous papercutters that you'd like to share?

Borrowed vision for today

Love this video made by Amy Krause Rosenthal, a very talented writer on a mission to make the world a lovelier place.

Check out her "Loose Change the World" project here.

As the new owner of a terrific little flip camera, I'm looking forward to making a vid for this space sometime soon (after the notebook cover tute - I promise it's coming! My husband is sitting his FINAL EXAM on Monday morning - after studying (and working full time) in various forms for over 10 years - and then things will free up a little around here. Can't wait!)