Typepad just ate my post :(
What I was saying was .... what a fantastic summer we have had .. sandy beaches, fish and chips, jumping in the surf and now ... now we are ready for a fun filled term of painting in the studio... it's amazing what a bit of salt water and fresh sea breaze can do (other than make your hair very crusty & curly!)
If you are in Stepney on Saturday.. do pop in! I will be sharing the paints and pretty watercolour paper all around (make sure you say hi, don't be shy!)
Lily and I have been chatting about Christmas in Australia ... we chatted about what we could make that would better represent the sunshine and colour here ... rather than a white Christmas with snowflakes...
So Lily painted some paper in lots of pretty colours ... then cut them to make this awesome star for our tree. I am blown away.. I think this perfectly represents all the fun of an Australian Christmas.
We found this pattern here but modified it slightly (if you fold the triangle in half once again you can simply cut 4 or 5 lines into the unfolded edge, running parallel to the bottom edge of the triangle, leaving a centermetre uncut near the folded edge... got it???
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (2011, Walker Books) is my new number one top book for 2011. I know.. big call but I AM going to call it.. an instant classic. Yes, that kind of hype gets bandied around quite a lot these days but I think we will look back on this in 20 years and say yes, she was right it is a brilliant book.
I first picked this book up for its cover. Yes I do that too... pick books up purely for their cover and yes I judge them! I Want My Hat Back happened to tick many boxes .. simple yet thoughtful is the key ... delicate yet bold, beautiful texture, very sweet detailing, sophisticated colours and the expression of the characters are perfect every time .. subtle and perfect (even though the Bear doesn't actually change through out the entire book).. I was impressed. Now for the next challenge .. is the story any good?
Good? I Want My Hat Back had me chuckling in the book isle ... a smirk on my face, thinking "I DISCOVERED A WINNER! yep me, not you obviously cos it's still on the bookshelf dimwits, it's mine I'm going to buy it right now."
Then I wondered if it was just me and my crazy sense of humour and over the top love of children's picture books...
So I have been reading this book to every dang person to come my way... and they all give me that look on the last page .. The look that says "No, did he? Oh yes he did! ha I have to read that to my kids." We have read it at least 10 times in 48 hours at our house.. go find one and read it!
So I got home from work last night (after teaching a very awesome bunch of teenage girls) to find these very catch your eye kind of tap tap pictures on our back table... and I thought wow aren't my girls clever..
I went on my merry way to the kitchen to eat some delicious hot bean and spinach soup (that chris had just made for me..Yum! so good), sat with my clever girls to chat about their day before it's off to bed for a storybook... WHEN half way through our lovely little chat it dawned on me ... "HEY! how come the tap tap cork mat is broken? I only just lent it to the girls from the studio this afternoon???!"
Lily was very quick to set the record straight.. "It was Olive, she snapped it in half in the car on the way home from school.."
Olive loves to discover how things are made... basically this is just a nice way of saying.. she pulls EVERYTHING apart. Now that she is a big 3 year old it's time for her to start taking more responsibility for this constant destruction.. I was thinking... So I started with my disappointed "Oh Olive!.. we.." when I was interrupted by her rolling eye balls and "oh Mummy! I needed to share it with Lily."
Mmphf. Whats a mum to do? Sharing the one cork mat (my bad.. should of sent home 2!) with your sister is hardly something deserving of a scolding.. so I of course took photos and blogged about it instead.
Following up from my previous post... I managed to take a photo of the DIY tin can cookie cutter today.
You can see quite clearly that I don't care much for perfection in straight lines and crisp corners...(the top of the tin can cookie cutter is rather a different shape from the bottom) nope the perfection comes from giving your idea a go, doing it yourself and enjoying the wonky line, proving that a human must have made it.
Sorry for the iphone at night photography but I was too chuffed not to share straight away... no time for natural light and styled up photos (I did enough of that at work this week)
These are custom made tulip cookies.. yep the girls and I finally figured out how to make our very own cookie cutters at home.. All of the tutorials I found online suggest cutting the strip of metal and then you have to glue the shape closed.. and I thought surely there is a better way.
First we tried a drink can.. but it snapped every time I bent the tin? far too thin. So then Tali suggested a Milo tin but we didn't have one so we used (but washed thoroughly in hot soapy water) a large tuna tin. I think you could experiment with all sorts of tins for different sized cookie cutters.
The great thing about using a tin is you don't have to glue it closed as it is already a whole shape!
Step 1 Open your can of food using a can opener that leaves the rounded edge at the top of the tin intact, this is the side of your cutter that you press your hand onto.
Step 2 Using tin snips cut into the base of the tin so that you can angle the tin snips to start cutting the base off. This cutting all the way round to create an even edge is a little tricky and dangerous... be very careful not to cut yourself as you cut your way around the tin... slowly slowly wins the race!
Step 3 Using a pair of plyers bend your round cookie cutter into any shape you want... don't attempt it with just your bare fingers as you may cut yourself, use the plyers like a bending tool to create angles. My girls chose a flower so it wasn't too hard to do free hand. You could draw a picture onto paper and use it like a template to guide where you need to bend the tin.
Step 4 Make your cookie dough, we still love Marthas Ginger bread recipe from a million years ago, we make sure we add lots of spice, wholemeal flour and half the sugar.
step 5 While your cookies are in the oven you will have about 10 minutes to make the fondant style icing. I found this recipe on Pinterest and think it is as close as you will get to pure genius.
Melt a bag of marshmallows in the microwave for 20 seconds (obviously with out the bag) and fold in icing sugar until it forms a rollable dough. You can add normal food coloring too!
Step 6 Roll the marshmallow dough out and cut out (using your brilliantly clever bespoke cookie cutter) shapes to stick onto the cookies while they are cooling on a rack. YUM!!
I would like to say I can photograph these cookies again in the morning sun to show off how pretty they are but we ate them all...
I will just have to make some more... Lily has asked if we could please make an Oscar (Schnauzer) cookie cutter next... ahem? I will take a pic of the tulip cookie cutter though so you can see how easy it is to make.
I am super excited to share with you today the first look at a new book coming out in April 2012 (already on pre-order !!) Jenny asked me if I would like to be a part of her new project... taking a little look into the creative lives of mums. She also aked me to share a new project that would be perfect for kids to do with their mum... and of course that kind of thing is right up my alley so I jumped at the chance.
I think the cover looks really warm and inviting, happy and friendly .. I love it.. I am itching to see what's inside... April seems so far away...
I did a post over at Umbrella Prints today too about the book, and was reminded of all the books our fabric is featuring in at the moment ... I don't remember there being that many? it seems surreal.. but most of them were started over a year ago and the nature of publishing means you kind of forget that you wrote something or shared a project or even just sent in some fabric .. I feel really lucky that editors, publishers or authors like our fabric enough to pop them in books.. it's nice.
I have been out pounding the pavement for a couple of months now, doing my best to get fit again.... and yesturday I found this little heart on my warm up walk.. a sign?
Well it is definately that time of year again.. when my Judas Tree is blooming .. more little love hearts are unfolding every time I look. I think September is my favourite month.. the ground is fresh and clean from the spring rain, colourful new life is all around and the promise of hot summer days is in the air.
The OzAsia Moon Lantern Festival was a great start to the season... We all headed down to the river in the late afternoon to watch performances and soak up the atmosphere before the full moon poked out briefly to start the lantern parade.
September also feels like a good time to start making again.. with all of the spring baby birthdays coming up and the big C will be coming sooner than I would like ... AND new Umbrella Prints fabrics in the making too .. AND Pinterest to inspire or confuse more than anything... too much gorgeousness. I wouldn't mind making this, this, this or this... and this would be cute too.
I'm almost lost for words.. my little baby is three. And so sure of what she would like to do, she would like a barbie cake (who didn't/doesn't), have chips at the Gallery and get a big girl scooter teamed with a Buzz & Woody doll. She has also grandly stated she would like her little girl bed made bigger ... she has one of those IKEA extendable ones, so that I can do... well I think all of her wishes came true...
Now for my wish.... don't get any older. Stay put for a minute and let me enjoy your smiles in the sunshine, your random kisses and wild imagination! Selfish I know but to freeze time would be lovely, three is the perfect age don't you think (next to being a baby bundle of cuddles).. six is good too..I am not so keen on Lily about to turn eight.. no I don't like that one bit.
I remember when I was pregnant with Olive, wondering who she might be.. not being able to imagine for a minute anyone other than Lily? I knew she would be different of course but just couldn't fathem how... I think that is one of the most exciting parts of being a parent.. getting to meet this new person and getting all that time to discover who they are. Olive is sunshine, as friendly as a daisy and an expert cuddler....
Patchwork II by Umbrella Prints
In the past week we have been showcasing some of the 36 new patterns (in 6 colours.. thats 216 options people!!!) that feature with in our PATCHWORK II fabric. It's a little overwhelming actually, Amy and I tried to choose a few designs to sew up some cushions today and the options were endless i tell you ..ENDLESS! it is exciting really.
In the end I used the Bakelite Blue for a cheaters quilted cushion .. the great thing being it can be whipped up in 15 minutes! and then I picked my fave Shimmy Rock Dots in their two sizes and 5 colours to make a real patchwork cushion. So much fun.
The other fabulous thing is that we now need to choose a couple designs to make into full meterage... I am voting for Clover in Static.. but maybe Shimmy Rock Dots or Big Clouds? What do you think?
It will most likely take us the rest of the year to share all 36 designs .. The new colours are Bakelite Blue, Terracotta, Lady Grey & the other three colours are Smokey Black, Momo & Flamingo.
These artworks were all inspired by books & illustrators that the children love... The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, Hubert Horatio by Lauren Child & The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson. I love to teach with excellent picture books because the art in them is fabulous .. yes?
These are some patterns I found in the studio last week ... all from practicing to draw with pen after listening to Aranea by Jenny Wagner and looking at Ron Brooks' beautiful illustrations.
I wonder what I will find next time I wizz around the studio with my camera...
How's a girl meant to get any work done with these fabrics lying around..
While I am designing our new collection of quilters weight cotton fabric, I need to have these cute little squares out to choose colours from our palette ... but then I get side tracked making them into tiny mini quilts....
And then if I take a photo it is almost as if I actually made something. ... but with out the sewing part... quite satisfying really. The most fun part of quilting for me is choosing the fabrics and laying them out .. then I do love the sewing don't get me wrong, and I do love the finished piece of course .. but right here with all the pieces layed out I can stare for far too long at all the pretty colours. joy. Yep I am a Pro at procrastinating.
It's very dangerous having this out on my kitchen bench... but I just had to try it after watching Willie's tv show.. there is something terribly moreish about this chocolate... once you've sampled a little morsel there is no going back. Even the girls love it, all 82% cacao of it.. I didn't like dark chocolate when I was young ... I don't know if they are desperate or sophisticated... I think I must be both now.
We are spoilt for choice here in Adelaide .. what with Steven ter Horst & Haighs ... now Jones The Grocer is stocking the highly addictive Willie's Cacao ... what is girl to do... bake a Cloud Forest Chocolate Cake, that's what (recipe's on the label). Another chocolate that I recently discovered (via Amy's Sisters Husband.. and then again at The Organic Market in Stirling) is Loving Earth chocolate from Melbourne. Yum.
Collage by Simone
Collage by James (I love how his collages goes over the page and is 3D)
What a gorgeous start to term 3! Still life collage would have to be one of my favourite classes that the children do here at the studio. We use left over paints from term 1&2 to create Carlesque papers ...instead of washing paint down the sink .. I love this kind of upcycling! especially in art making .. we really like to keep our waste to a minimum at the studio. I did a blog post about this years ago.. see it here. (wow! 2006.. that brings back memories)
Speaking of Eric Carle .. story teller and collage artist extrordinaire.. this post about his book "Do you want to be my friend?" is so very sweet.
During Lily's science class at her (wonderful new) school, whilst playing and experimenting with gases, she learned how to make sherbert! Fun. I bought some citric acid weeks ago and thought how clever I was to stash that away for a rainy day.. well today was almost rainy.. super cold at least.. and we had no car.. we had all cleaned up our rooms, put away our clothes and I was determined NOT to get distracted and do 'work' work.... so it was a great time to say "hey kids lets make sherbert!" like super mums do, you know the mums .. who have all the ingredients at hand for such fun. Well that was me today.
I then also produced two (= two happy girls not having to share just this once) lollypops for dipping.... made from organic cane juice and natural flavours from things like organic lemon, carrot & pumpkins.. (sounds heavenly but I am sure they have just as much sugar..especially when you go and dip em in sherbert!) And again I thought gee you really are a super mum today, you surely will be rewarded .. rewarded with two little angels that play like soft fluffy kittens all afternoon... mmm well maybe just 5 minutes PLEASE.
Sherbert recipe
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1 teaspoon flavoured jelly crystals
1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/4 teaspoon citric acid
Another school holiday treat .. going to the cinema on a Monday night as a family and not worrying about getting up in the morning.
