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Hi everyone,

JANUARY 2011 UPDATE: Keep an eye out - there are a few changes taking place!

I'm feeling bad, I feel like I have let this alphabet down. I'm so sorry that I haven't been around this way for a while.. The image below pretty much sums up my time at the moment... it's full! Just as one project finished, another needed some attention... which is all good in the grand scheme of things, but not so good for this alphabet of ours!!

So, will you be patient (some more!) with me?? I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I'll let you know as soon as I am.

In the meantime, take care my friends. I'll see you again soon...

xxoo

(image from Craig A Rodway)

see you soon!

Melissa Dixson + Danielle Thompson

Hello, welcome to D!

let's jump right in!

Melissa Dixson

I thought I'd showcase something a little different today...

I have a special person in my life who is turning 6 in February - She LOVES animals, wants to be a vet when she grows up and is the only person I know who can sit at the rock pools for hours on end trying to catch one of those impossible-to-catch teeny tiny fish (patiently using a zip-lock sandwich bag no less!). She has no qualms about life or death, is pretty straight up about putting animals to sleep when she's a vet, and even though I know she would do her best to save a wee critter and to prolong it's life, I know she would love, love, love the work of Melissa Dixson.

"I am beginning to explore the possibilities of taxidermy as the "ultimate" trophy, whether it be the spoils of the hunter, or the spoils of merely having reached a certain level of power or accomplishment. Art, in itself, is a trophy. In the context of my work, nature becomes art, and therefore, trophy."

I did actually look for a taxidermied gift for my friend, but this type of art is a bit beyond the six year old birthday budget...

have a look, I think they're beautiful!

(images and quote from Melissa Dixson)

NOTES:
visit Melissa's website
visit Melissa's store

**Please note that just like The Design Alphabet, Melissa is an avid animal lover. She only uses animals harvested as nuisances due to overpopulation, (which prevents disease and starvation), stillborn animals that never had a chance at life, and animals harvested for meat by hunters who have donated the hides. For full details please visit Melissa's website.


Danielle Thompson

Did you see these these gorgeous images on Design*Sponge on Christmas Eve? As soon as I saw them I went on a hunt to find out more about photographer Danielle Thompson. Oh My! Where do I begin?

Well firstly, Danielle is a talented photographer... Her flickr site is brimming with beautiful images (I've selected a few to share with you here). She's also a super talented crafter, she writes an amazing blog, runs two fun stores (TinyBazaar and Kitschy Digitals Goods) that sell her own fantastic products. She has a blog that also sells 'KitschyDigitals' (you should check it out, there are some gorgeous vintage photo surrounds), and then there's her other store 'I play with Dolls' where she sells her own printed t-shirts. Oh, and she lists her occupation as 'Part time Graphic Designer'.

I have no idea when this lady finds time to eat!!

(images from Danielle Thompson)

NOTES:
visit Danielle's Thompson Family blog
visit Danielle's flickr site
visit Danielle's TinyBazaar store
visit Danielle's Kitschy Digitals Goods store
visit Danielle's KitschyDigitals blog
visit Danielle's I play with Dolls store

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We've got a pretty full day planned today...I'm looking forward to it!

Have a great day! xxoo

The Quiet

Quiet. Can you hear it? Do you savour it's presence?

When I arrive home from dropping the kids at school and preschool I quite often sit in the car for a moment. Engine off. Radio off. Silent. I take in this moment of peace and silence as a type of meditation, savouring each second as I know it wont last long.

When you have children, the quiet is something that only comes with sleep. Very rarely do my children remain quiet for more than a minute or two as they banter between each other and enjoy the world. As much as I love their camaraderie and their noise, it wasn't until I had children that I realised the preciousness of quiet.

I have spent the last wee while gazing through flickr. Finding images to sum up this silence that comes few and far between. I hope you too can take a moment to savour these images and reflect on the goodness that comes from solitude and the quietness that solitude can bring...

images by: (from top, left to right)

Planet Coco, SouleMama, Nellie Vin, Pink Sherbert Photography, Beth Retro, Beth Retro, Beth Retro, Beth Retro, Yousef Al-Asfour, Nokiet, Typhanie, Empirik, Amnesiak 1978, What Is Name, Slight Clutter, Lepiaf.Geo, Amy Higgins, Mollie 1978,Jessica Paige, Terri.Flickr.Chic, Jimbo Downie, Quiet Place, Beth Retro, Flumpsicle, Stange, Crouching Cat Hidden Dog, Maze and Molliwog, A.N, Unbendable Might, PBO 31.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

See you tomorrow for R! xxoo