I've managed to coax the printer back to life so prints are now available of my security envelope portrait via etsy

Finally we're making some progress with the kitchen reno. After a bit of hunting we found a builder who actually looked in the roof space to confirm one of the walls we wanted to remove wasn't structural. Everythings been ripped out and we're busy painting and puttying while the kitchen is being built.

Since I started working with envelope lining I've become a little obsessed with all things blue and white, like willow pattern china. I'm loving the work of Caroline Slotte who reassembles ceramic plates into artworks. Wow.

The Once Upon a Time exhibition has ended. Thanks to everyone who came along, made a purchase or donation to Make a Wish and a big thanks the gals from the Creative Activists for putting it all together. Here are a few pics from the opening taken by my very talented hubby.

You can still check out my work for the exhibit in creative monsoon's online gallery and a few smaller versions of the prints are still available.

Something I've been really keen to do for a while is portraits using the security envelope lining. I just finished this test piece today. What do you think?
If you would like to be immortalised in envelopes contact me about a commission!

Called into Manly this weekend and was really taken by the work of Debra Hood, a local artist who paints Brisbane cityscapes. You can find her work at the Manly Gallery, 11 Cambridge Parade, Manly, QLD.

The creative monsoon website is now back up and running, so if you can't make the exhibition in Brisbane be sure to check it out at www.creative-monsoon.com

A little look at a section of the latest piece Im working on for the Once Upon A Time Exhibition this month.

Once Upon a Time is a group exhibition held The Art & Design Precinct, 10 Bailey St, West End, Brisbane from the 16th to 26th August.

I've been very busy the last couple of months, renovating and designing and getting ready for an exhibition in August. Once Upon a Time is a group exhibition held The Art & Design Precinct, 10 Bailey St, West End, Brisbane from the 16th to 26th August.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the work I've been creating for it. I've been focusing on the enchanted forest as my theme:

My mood boards for i do it yourself have been so popular, we currently have nearly 12,000 pinterest followers, I thought I'd start doing some interior design ones. So to start with - a plan for the new kitchen:

• Industrial style lights
• An big island unit - clutter free
• Artwork - subway style for all the places we have lived
• Chalkboard for shopping list and message
• Antique buffet and hutch
• A farmhouse sink
• Floor to ceiling storage with a ladder
• Butlers pantry / appliance garage - shut the door to hide all the clutter
• White shaker style cabinets
• Espresso caesarstone top
• White subway brick tiles

Pic pinterest

Who knew there where so many choices for a sink. I've always wanted a ceramic sink and I call them farmhouse sinks. I thought there were different names for the same thing, but it looks like there is a difference between a farmhouse, butlers, apron, belfast and laboratory sink. I think I'm after a butlers sink. But to under mount or counter mount? The Kitchn has a great little article on under mounted sinks here. It's my preference but it does make the caesar stone $200 more.

Pic Glumber

No point in having a new kitchen without a plan, so here it is. We'll be knocking a wall out that runs down the middle to make one big room which will double the size of the kitchen. At the moment we have a big empty space we call the fridge room because thats all there is in it. And we're knocking out the wall at the front to create a big space opening out onto the dinning area.

The back wall will be the oven, range above, with open shelves either side. Two double gas burners rather than one four, spaced out so you can fit more than two pots on at a time. And farmhouse sink under the window. Then currently where we have a little old oven alcove, we'll put a sliding cupboard door in front. When you open it up, you can step inside to a butlers pantry and big bench for appliances. Shut the door and hide all the clutter.

A big island unit in the middle will hold the dishwasher and sliding bin draw. The industrial lights should hang above this. If the bench is two meters across, two lights should do. On the right hand side I'd like to run the cabinets right up to the ceiling.

A window seat in the corner with pull out or lift up storage for all the puppy things like food and toys. This might be a DIY project for later.

Poor old creative monsoons been a bit neglected of late. But I'll be getting back into it in a big way, I have loads of updates for my artwork that need to be done, and at the end of last year we bought a big old Queensland just crying out to be renovated.

So the first job is the kitchen. The current kitchen is the sort of thing real estate agents call 'authentic', 'original' and 'full of character' - basically really old and falling apart. It seems to be the original kitchen that was built with the house in the 1930s. It's going. And the first big project is going to be replacing it. I've got the design worked out in my head, now it't time to get things finalised.

We have a new family member this week. Bruce, a cute as a button, 8 week old Bull Mastiff. Getting along well with Cookie our Beagle.

The state bird of washington is the goldfinch and we've added this pretty little print to our etsy shop.

A new print added to the etsy shop today, just in time for Christmas. A London pigeon with a vintage map of the city. Available from the creative monsoon etsy shop.

When I think of recycled car tyres turned into planters I always shudder and remember those tacky swans - you know the ones, all the rage in the 80s. But on a trip on Melbourne last weekend I came across these very stylish pots which remind me of La Chamba cookware. They are available from UBeauty Pots and Plants.

I managed to pic up two big old atlases this weekend at a garage sale. Plenty of pages to play with so keep an eye out for some more artwork soon. Love this idea of covering one of those cardboard deer heads with maps. Unfortunately the link for this wasn't working so I'm not sure where it came from originally.

The new puppy mandala print - dancing dachshunds is now available in three new colours. So apart from the black you can choose, pink, aqua or grey :)
Let us know what dog you'd like us to do next

I've decided to go ahead and put the first of my puppy mandala prints into the etsy shop. This one is the dachshund or sausage dog.
It's something I've been playing around with for ages and hopefully other dog breeds will be added later. Let me know what you think and feel free to suggest which doggie design I should do next.

Still continuing to work on my Lake Tekapo project. I have a few works on the go at moment, but yesterday I finished this one.

I started this with another work in progress - a mountain range made of security envelopes then layers of tissue paper and lace with washes over the top for the water. I took a photo of that on my iphone with the hipstamatic ap. It desaturated the image quite a bit but gave it some nice added texture. I took that image into photoshop, adjusted the levels and added a damask pattern to the water and few more layers of texture. Flipped the mountain range so there is a subtle reflection in the water and boosted the colours back up. And voilà - as yet untitled Lake Tekapo digital mixed media collage.
You can purchase a print in our etsy shop. Feel free to suggest a nice title for it.

I thought I'd have some fun this afternoon and design myself a new iPhone case, I got a little carried anyway though and designed loads. I'll share them over the next few weeks but here's a fun one - a concrete iPhone. Very urban.
Available from the creative monsoon store on redbubble

I cant tell you how excited I get now when bills come in - I just want the security envelopes! I've added a new work to the etsy shop, a pretty paper crane design.

I woke up the other morning and I really wanted the make feathers from the security envelopes I've been collecting. Who knows why. But I think they turned out really well.