+ I Heart Birds

Hello!

I hope your day is going well : )

All is good here in Alphabet-land... are you ready for the next installment?

I Heart Birds

A little while ago, when both my husband and I were home working, an extraordinary thing happened; a flock of seven Kereru (Native Wood Pigeons) had their lunch in our front yard. They feasted for a good twenty minutes on the berries that grow on the trees outside.

What makes this so extraordinary is when I was growing up, I would of been lucky to have seen 1 Kereru, 2 was unheard of, and well, SEVEN!! I spoke to my mother about it and she said she wouldn't of seen seven in her whole life!!

My children, who are privileged to have this sort of carry-on happening in their front yard were rather blasé and said "huh? they're only wood pigeons mum". Little do they know that the regeneration of this bird has taken probably longer than my lifetime, and, that they are so, so lucky to have had it happen.

This picture above (courtesy of my lovely husband) only shows three birds (they are about as big as a chicken). When I did a wee bit of research, they can apparantly grow up to 51cm from beak to tail tip. They are truly beautiful : )

"So, where is all this bird talk leading to" I hear you say... Well, it leads us here, to the work of Ryan O'Rourke and his absolutely gorgeous Bird Houses - not that a Kereru would fit in them mind you!

Ryan O'Rourke is a super talented illustrator who's portfolio and 'I Heart Birds' store are definitely worth a browse - and his bird houses? - oh me, oh my!!

(images from Ryan O'Rourke)

NOTES:
visit Ryan's website
visit Ryan's I Heart Birds store

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Have a wonderful day!
See you tomorrow!

xxoo

+ Athina Moisa

Hello!

A warm welcome to alphabet*eleven!

How have things been with you? I do hope all has been well.

We are all settled in to our new home. The view is outstanding and it is a joy to wake up to every morning : ) Our little house is great, is always full of children (and if not, it is quiet because our children are filling up a neighbours house!). In our old house, we pretty much just stuck to ourselves, and it has been great to move in to a neighbourhood full of kids and family's.

Speaking of neighbourhoods, I'm exited to be begin the alphabet with the following artist - are you ready?

Let's go!

Athina Moisa

When I had my little retail store I had the pleasure of meeting Wellington (NZ) artist Athina Moisa. We had discussed the possibility of selling Athina's knitted baby hats and during our chats she had told me she was an artist, that she loved wool and had been creating artwork for the last few years. At that time, I didn't take the opportunity to delve into Athina's work, but I am so glad I have now!

Recently when I was introduced to the Pablos website, and I came across Athina's bio, it was one of those "come and look at this!" moments. These works below were inspired by a trip to Greece, and are hand stitched using wool...

"Moisa was struck by how close together all the houses were. So close, in fact, that you could lean over and talk to your neighbour, encouraging a greater sense of connectedness and community."

I love it!

(images from Pablos and Objectspace, quote from Pablos)

NOTE:
see Athina's work on the Pablos website

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A wonderful way to not only start this alphabet, but also start the week!
See you tomorrow my friends - happy day!

xxoo

save the date!

Hello Alphabet friends : )

Alphabet*eleven is on it's way! Pop back next Monday (the17th) for our next 26 letter ride... are you ready?

In the meantime, check out these beautiful Carnival Ride photographs from Ginette Brosseau, the colours are magic!

See you Monday!

xxoo

+ Zara Carpenter

Hello!

Here we are at the end - again!! What an alphabet it has been! All this talent still blows me away, each and every time. I do hope you have found something that inspires you, something that brings a smile to your face, and something that warms your heart.

Shall we begin this Z?

Zara Carpenter

I am no where near brave enough to wear one of Zara Carpenter's creations, but oh how I love them!

Zara's bespoke hats are inspired by some of her favourite artists and writers Mark Ryden, Edward Gorey, Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll and Angela Carter. They are full of whimsy and perfection.

This first one pictured below is called "The Hula Girl Hat" and Zara describes it...

"Well I don't know about where you are but here its been a long hard winter and the spring has still not quite arrived...... how I ache for the sunshine on my face once more and the birds flitting through the blossom filled trees.Well at least you can wear a little sunshine on your head...... "

It's got to make you smile right??

(images and quote from Zara Carpenter)

NOTES:
visit Zara's store

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So what's next?

Well, we are heading into Easter break here, which means two weeks of school holidays for my lads - yay! I'm also working on a couple of exciting projects which keep me inspired (and working!). Oh, and we are moving house! A change is as good as a holiday they say, so we are making a move to a sweet little house on the top of the hill. The outcome of all those things will determine when alphabet*eleven will be launched, but I'll keep you posted!

Until next time, take care my friends.

Happy Easter!

Jo xxoo

+ Yu-I Chan

Are you ready??

Let's go!

Yu-I Chan

I stumbled into Yu-I Chan's store Yoo_ii when I was in the depths of someones (not sure who) Etsy Favourites list. I was instantly drawn to the delicate lines, subtle tones - and obvious talent!

I'm not going to say too much more because it really is worth a visit to Yu-I's website, blog and store - oh and the pictures of her studio - so inspiring!! The print-maker in me is now itching to get back into the studio!!

Take a peek:

(images from Yu-I Chan)

NOTES
visit Yu-I's website
visit Yu-I's store
read Yu-I's blog old and new

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Z should be passing by soon.. keep an eye out : )

xxoo

+ Wonder Thunder

Here's W!

Wonder Thunder

I am so envious of couples who work together. I have fantasies that one day my hubby and I will find a common 'thing' and work together to create something amazing. Even though we compliment each other wonderfully ;) he is such a boy, and I am such a girl! If only I had the patience and expertise to build houses - and if only he had a desire to write about tea towels - albeit beautiful tea towels!! I live in hope!

Meagan Claire Hall and Sasha Barr are one of those couples who have found their 'thing'. Together in their Seattle basement they create the Wonder Thunder collection - Sasha screen printing and Meagan sewing. Their collection is great too - reusable produce bags, fab prints... and tea towels - yes beautiful tea towels! Oh, and they are dedicated to using organic and environmentally friendly materials, as well as business practices - yay! - look!

(images from Wonder Thunder)

NOTES:
visit the Wonder Thunder website
visit the Wonder Thunder store

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have a great day!

see you soon! xxoo

+ Valeria Heine

Hello!

How are you doing? I hope all is well in your world : )

I have attempted compiling a U post about 10 times now and am completely unsatisfied with every attempt! - so, U will be a no-go in this alphabet... Anyway, V was looking so good that I couldn't wait any longer!... so here it is...V...

Valeria Heine

This alphabet has had some amazing photography in it - there are some seriously clever people out there!

Valeria Heine is definitely up there in the 'clever people' ranks. Her work is breath taking. I am head over heels with the undewater images pictured 2nd and last below - oh my!

According to Valeria's bio she has only been photographing for four (4!) years - can you imagine what her work will be like when she has some serious years under her belt?

"Frequently using minimal lighting, I tend to concentrate on the small details, such as the texture and shadows on fabric. I photograph mostly indoor environments and always use natural light. As a result, my photos, which are mostly digital, are often warm and intimate. They are usually unplanned and inspired by interesting light I may come across or by a mood I want to express."

enjoy!

(images and quote from Valerie Heine)

NOTES:
visit Valeria's website
visit Valeria's store

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Have a wonderful day!

See you soon for W! xxoo