Hi there,
just dropping in to say that I'll be back on Friday with a complete round up for the last few days - we have had a small family crisis that has required all my attention. It is all getting sorted now, so we should be back in the swing of things at the end of the week. Thanks so much for your patience.

See you soon!
Jo
xxoo

+ Madeleine Stamer

Hello!

It is proving to be hectic day here in alphabet-land... how is your day going? I hope all is calm at your place : )

I've been waiting and waiting to share our next guest with you, so no chit chat today, let's just emerge ourselves in some illustrative goodness...

Madeleine Stamer

Way back in February whilst visiting The Design Files I was reminded of the work of Australian lovely Madeleine Stamer. Lucy had posted a great set of photographs from Madeleine's home. Madeleine's home is a whole other story so when you've finished here jump over to The Design Files to see Lucy's post. In the meantime, let me fill you in...

"Madeleine and her brood live close by but at a safe distance from the sunny sands of St Kilda beach, Melbourne. Madeleine is a land lover who has a respectful admiration and slight fear of the ocean.

She is a proud mother of Wilhelmina and baby Ada and loyal wife to Karl. She is a daydreamer and an avid bird watcher or ‘twitcher’ as some like to say and she is inspired by life’s simple daily pleasures. You will often find her staring at birds from her window or attempting to draw them..."

I absolutely adore Madeline's work. With influences like kaleidoscope patterns and folk traditions like Mexico's Day of the Dead, Madeleine's work is intricate and beautiful. And my fave? Oh it is hard to choose! For now, I'm going with the first one below, but I'm sure I'll change my mind as I browse even further into Madeleine's portfolio - enjoy!

(quote from Madeleine Stamer, images from Madeleine Stamer and The Design Files)

NOTES:
visit Madeleine's website
visit Madeleine's store
read Madeleine's blog

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Have a wonderful Wednesday!

See you tomorrow! xxoo

+ Lightly

Hello Tuesday!

So, my lovelies, how is your week shaping up? It is only Tuesday, but my week is looking pretty good so far - lots of dreaming and scheming which always keeps me motivated!

I was tossing up between two different creative wonders today, but I've settled on some Australian goodness - ready?

Lightly

This is probably nothing new to many of you because when I looked at the press list on Cindy-Lee Davies' Lightly website it showed no less than 69 magazine features - all the big guns too - Vogue Living, Belle Decoration, Inside Out, Elle Decor (and more!). And, as you can imagine, Lightly has been a hit in the blog rounds too.

The great thing about this Alphabet is that I try not to be phased by how popular something is, I post about things because I like them - plain and simple really. And you never know, maybe you haven't seen Cindy-Lee's work before... and even if you have, there's no harm in being reminded, right?

Cindy-Lee launched Lightly in 2005. Inspired by her grandmother Rosemary Estelle Lightly, Cindy-Lee pays homage to her through designs that "carry the delicacy of lace and the dignity of nobility at their core".

This collection I'm sharing here today is called 'Chrysalis' and is "inspired by the beautiful life cycle of a butterfly and the process of metamorphosis. Inspired to reflect a natural cycle of life with a recycled saucer."

Beautiful, don't you think? enjoy!

(images and quote from Lightly)

NOTES:
visit Cindy-Lee's website
visit Cindy-Lee's store

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Have a wonderful day!

see you tomorrow! xxoo

+ Clothkits

Hi!

Wow, it has been a busy few days! On Friday I ended up staying at school all day(!) They really do know how to entice a mama who is interested in art!

I went on a school trip with my youngest to the local City Gallery to learn about the art of Milan Mrkusich; "one of New Zealand’s leading artists investigating languages of abstraction" -(Source: City Art Gallery). The children (all aged 5 and 6) got to explore colours and shapes, and how to find freedom in the arrangements of both.

During the afternoon I helped in the classroom while the children created a visual 'mihimihi' which is a visual representation of themselves, their ancestry and the things they hold dear.

- it was fun!

Have you had a chance to catch up on I and J? If not, you'll find them below. Are you ready for K?

Clothkits

I thought Clothkits would be a fun way to 'officially' start the week. You have probably seen these Kiss and Hug Tapestry Kits that have been starring in blogland recently - they are a part of the are Clothkits collection. Have you had a chance to view the rest of the collection yet? - you must!

"The heritage of Clothkits spans 40 years, having been originally founded in 1968 by Anne Kennedy around the kitchen table. And on it grew to enormous proportions, and by the late 1980s Clothkits employed over 400 staff from the Lewes headquarters. Eventually bought out by catalogue giant Freemans, the identity of the Clothkits company was swallowed up by this new owner and made dormant.

After a period of 17 years in hibernation our Sussex based firm relaunched in 2008 with a fresh new collection of gorgeous outfits for you to cut and sew at home. Very much a family concern, Kay Mawer breathed new life into the company after graduating from Art School, with much help from daughters Grace and Tilly (where would we be without family members as willing models!?). "

I spent ages over at the Clothkits site, browsing around and oohing and ahhing...If you are a fan of Rob Ryan aka Mister Rob, like I am, you will no doubt find plenty to love! You really should take a peek!

(images and quote from Clothkits)

NOTES:
visit the Clothkits website

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Have a wonderful Monday!

See you tomorrow for L! xxoo

+ Jennifer Mercede

Hello!

This year, one of my goals is to find a 'permanent creative outlet'...to me that means sticking at something, really delving in to it, really exploring it's (and mine) possibilities. I spend so much time and energy dabbling here and there, that I really am ready to 'settle' into something - do you know what I mean?

Of course I am hindered by a whole heap of insecurities; like "what if someone sees it?"(!), and "what if no-one likes it?", and I really must get my head around the fact that it isn't about 'everyone else', it really is just about me.

Jennifer Mercede

I recently read an interview over at the Portal Zine Blog from the super creative and super talented Jennifer Mercede. I has very much inspired me to continue on my quest for my own creative outlet. The words that really stuck to me are:

Q. What do you dream?
A. Of being so confident I love everyone and am free from any one's opinion of me!

Yes! Me too!

I've selected a few fun pieces out of Jennifer's store to share with you here, jump on over to her website for more... enjoy!

(images from Jennifer Mercede, quote from Portal Zine)

NOTES:
visit Jennifer's website
visit Jennifer's store

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Do you have any dreams for this year?? I hope you are nudging them along and you are on your way to making them come true : )

Have a great day!

xxoo

+ ISO50

Hello!

We're jumping straight in.... ready?

Let's go!

ISO50

ISO50 originally started as Scott Hansen's answer to an online portfolio. It has since grown to encompass a shop, a clothing line and a blog.

I came across Scott's ISO50 site through a regular visit to Grain Edit, and really, Scott's work is the pinnacle of everything that Grain Edit aspires to; "classic design work from the 1950s-1970s and contemporary designers that draw inspiration from that time period."

Don't you think that the colours and style of Scott's work evoke a perfect sense of sunshine and freedom? -I love it!!

"Design, to me, is the search for efficiency. Efficiency in conveying a message, efficiency of form. In this way I see some of my own work falling into the category of design, while some of my other work falls under the umbrella of illustration.

With the more illustrative pieces my primary goal is to create something beautiful or striking in a visceral sense. These goals remain intact when I create a purely design-driven piece, but there is the added goal of minimalism and efficiency which constrains the process and limits the content. It is these constraints that force us as designers to reveal the core of the idea we are trying to express and to seek the most direct route to it.

In this way, all of the periphery and excess of illustration and fine art can be shed to expose the roots of visual communication and express them in a concise and instantly understandable form. When I see something that embodies these ideals it is always very moving, these are the things that drive me to create."

(images from Scott Hansen, quotes from Scott Hansen and Grain Edit)

NOTES:
visit Scott's website
visit Scott's store

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Enjoy!!

See you soon for J! xxoo

+ Sarah Hankinson

Hi dee hi!

Hows your day going? It is another beautiful day here. Yay!

I have a wee lad who wasn't up for school today - this full time school business is proving to be a bit tiring and because he's still recovering we don't want to over do it... so it is a day at home for the both of us, it looks like puzzles and Lego might be the order of the day : )

I'm excited about today's post - shall we take a peek?

Sarah Hankinson

I have a new obsession - Fashion Illustration, and oh my, the work of Sarah Hankinson is no exception. Sarah is based in Melbourne and "creates feminine yet striking works which play off broken lines and occasional splashes of colour."

As a 2004 graduate from a diploma in Illustration, Sarah's resume boasts an impressive client list - Kookai, Bonds and Impulse Body Spray, as well as recognition from print media - Cleo, Urbis, Curve etc, etc. You just have to look through her portfolio to know that her clients are definitely on to a good thing!

"Sarah’s illustration style is elegant, youthful, and strongly fashion orientated, many of her pieces focusing on the female form and made up from a variety of mediums including inks, charcoal, pencils, cut paper and fabrics. "

I was trying to choose a fave, and it's a toss-up for me between the one pictured 2nd below or the one pictured last - what about you? Check out Sarah's portfolio for more!

(images and quotes from Sarah Hankinson)

NOTES:
visit Sarah's website
visit Sarah's store

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So, it looks like today I'm destined to make the Millennium Falcon out of Lego! What about you? Do you have something challenging planned?

Have fun whatever it is that you are up to!

See you tomorrow! xxoo

+ Annabel Grey

Hello!

Happy mid-week to you! I am taking our cat to the vet this morning for his yearly check-up, and because I can't guarantee that I'll actually be able to find him when it is time to go, I'm going to get this 'G' underway so I have plenty of searching time up my sleeve!

Ready?

Annabel Grey

I managed to spend a bit of time in my garden yesterday. It's a vege garden, and it really was due for a bit of an overhaul. We have quite a large and very underdeveloped yard, in fact it is really rather bare. The veges were our first priority, as neither my hubby or I have the time to tend to flowers or shrubs at the moment - and we all enjoy reaping the rewards of our wee vege patch. Let's just say that our yard is a work in progress!

That's not to say that I don't adore flowers - I love them! I manage to find wee posies around our yard (and the neighbours!) that make their way into our home - they add such a fresh burst of life don't you think?

"Fresh Burst" would also be the perfect way to describe Annabel Grey's gorgeous printed fabrics. She really does have a knack of capturing the colour and vibrancy in her blooms...

Take a look!

(images from Annabel Grey)

NOTES:
visit Annabel's website here and here
visit Annabel's store

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I hope the first half of your week has gone well : )

Have a great day! xxoo