A Quote Of Inspiration

Do you have a quote that inspires you?

Well mine is the one above, quoted by the amazing woman herself, Estee Lauder. This quote is printed and sits on the top left hand side of my computer in perfect eye view. It's been there forever, so long actually you can see the round stains from the blue tack underneath.

I think it's important to have something to drive you towards your goal, keeping you focused and motivated. It can be anything, a book, an interview, a song, a photo, your family or friends, it doesn't matter, as long as it pushes you a little closer to getting what you're dreaming of.

Every time I read this it reminds me to keep striving for my goal, and to not get lazy.

I think its very self explanatory, that's why it resonates so well with me.

Basically don't things will happen for you by sitting there day dreaming, get of your butt & make it happen. Don't get me wrong, I get lazy & I complain about why this isn't working & that isn't, but that's when I think of this quote, & try & work out how I can make it work.

What pushes & motivates you?

Mathilda's Market tomorrow

I am busily preparing for Mathilda's market tomorrow in Hawthorne Melbourne.

Today I am double checking my stock, making sure I have plenty. I have also decided to make a few changes to my stall as well. Not a complete make over but a shuffle around of props and product, a layout change is a better choice of words. The last couple of markets I haven't been 100% happy with everything. I guess nothing is perfect and that's how we keep getting better at things in life, change, shuffle, redo. That's my thought anyway.

Mathilda's is such a busy and frantic experience and I absolutely love it. It's a great chance to speak with customers, saying hi to people you only know from facebook and blogs. Best of there is no one more honest than the public. By the end of the day I always walk away with a good idea of winning design, and what I call the dogs! Harsh but true. With the amount of people that walk through those doors I feel it's very justifiable.

If you're in the are please come and say hello, I am at stall number 35 in the largest hall of the 3.

See you there.

My Etsy Buy

I had been eyeing off this tee for a while now.

I can't actually remember where I saw it on Etsy, I think these guys had a feature story on their business, Dark Cycle Clothing. Anyway I hearted their business so I wouldn't forget them & could go back & buy this gorgeous tee shirt. It's just so cute, I love the story Alice in Wonderland so I thought the tee fits, haha.

I bought this one for hubby, he has a thing for all things tigers, because that's his Chinese New Year sign.

Please check out their shop if you're looking for something quite unique, I love their animals they design riding bicycles, very cool. There are also some for the kiddies.

Now I just have to sit & wait for the parcel.

Kids Interior Inspiration - Lots of Colour

I am always looking for interior inspiration and came across this really colourful and fun bedroom. I love it because it has a summery palette, making it really bright and cheerful.

It also has colours I am drawn too, aqua, pink, and apple green.

Although there is lots of colour, I think it has a really good balance. The white furniture and white wall is really making all the colour pop nicely, and stops it feeling overwhelming.

A great solution really for decorating as it definitely has that anything goes feeling.

kids bedroom image from-sergi_2

Celebrity Crush

I was reading one of my favourite blogs today honey and fizz and it was titled,

Do you have a celebrity crush?

Mind you I didn't have to think twice about it.

Ahhh Mark Wahlberg, it started with Marky Mark and the Funky bunch, and has kind of continued from there. I have always watched him & liked him, and watched his movies, some of my savouries The departed, and the awesome Boogie Nights. My crush reignited with one of my favourite movies, the remake of "The Italian Job", and I have crushed him again ever since, he is also pretty amazing in The Fighter as well.

Need I say more....21 Jump Street, Edward Scissorhands, Cry baby, Don Juan DeMarco, Chocolat, Pirates, Sweeny Todd, Alice in Wonderland. the list goes on. He is just getting better with age sigh....

Oh Hugh, handsome, genuine, married, family man, sense of humour, and the most important Australian. A role model for any man, what's not to love, he melted most girls hearts after nearly eye gauging himself on the Oprah show, he just got up and brushed it off. A strong man.

On a buying trip many moons in NYC I saw Hugh turn up to work when he was doing Boy From OZ. It was a side street off Broadway and women were everywhere screaming his name. It was hard to not get caught up in the frenzy, just to see his face. I managed to get some great shots of him which I am going to share one day. Back then I had a regular camera so they are in an album, somewhere.

So who is your crush?

New Product - Door Stops

I have been working on these new products for my shop for a few weeks now.

Door Stops.

The idea struck me months ago, as with summer upon us, my evaporative cooling was working overtime. To use the cooling system properly all doors and windows must be open, which in turn causes lots of doors slamming. Not good when you have little kids, and secondly not good for the heart, as it scares the hell out of you. For ages I had been wedging thongs under the doors, and thought how terrible it looked.

That's when I had that 'light bulb moment'.

I though if I can make cushions, surely I can create a doorstop??

A good looking one at least??

So the trial and error began.

This can be a very frustrating yet rewarding process. It took me several turns to create the right shape. I did lots animal shapes but the rice didn't push the points out perfectly. I wanted them to be a generous size, but to fill them would cost too much to post. They all weigh around the 1.8kg mark when full. So I decided to sell them empty and close them with velcro, no good rice fell out, and velcro eventually doesn't stick. So I had to perfect putting in the zip at the bottom.

Eventually they have all come together.

I will be able to make these and let 'you', fill them, and it's a far more economic way to post.

Flat & cheap.

They aren't listed in my shop yet but will be available in the next day, I am just cleaning up all of the photo's, but was so excited about them I wanted to share my first pictures. Also I am finalising the packaging.

I have started with 4 designs which you can see, and hopefully I can expand.

I will be offering them this Sunday at Mathilda's market which I am very excited about.

I would love to know what you think.

A big feature

A lovely surprise today from one of my stockists, the gorgeous Marnie from BubbaBling, had contributed in the publishing of 2 wonderful features below of my cushions.

I love surprises like this as it makes me smile, and is very reassuring especially when on bad days you sometimes question your work.

The first feature was from an awesome site just for boys called Boy Germs, you can see the feature here.

The second is from the very well know website called Babyology, you can read the feature here.

Thank you Marnie I am so appreciative, it was so generous of you to think of my brand xx

Easter preview

Easter is around the corner, and my Easter products are lagging behind.

I have Mathildas market Sunday week and thought I better get my backside into gear & create these babies. So I stayed inside & drew, & drew & drew. It took me hours of deliberation, starting again, changing colours, adding new ideas. Generally when I draw I like to jot a few things down in my sketch pad before I dive on to the computer. Today I did the opposite, straight to the computer, & neglected the sketch pad.

I will be offering the 'non personalised' option also, as I know personalising isn't everyone's cup of tea. Both of these designs are going straight into cushions. I haven't started them, that's still to come, but boy what a relief to have completed something.

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake, MMMM can you remember how she smelt? Yum!

She was definitely a favourite character of mine while growing up.

Well you can imagine how delighted I was when my sister in-law was cleaning out her kids toys box, and amongst them were her figurines of Miss Strawberry herself.

Four different ones all sporting different poses. My sister in=law is 39 this year, so it will give you an idea of their originality.

How great are they?

These will be kept especially for Charlotte (and me).

Custom Order

I love custom orders.

I just finished one this evening for a lady who's very close friend recently got engaged.

She lives in Canada, & her friend lives in Australia and wanted to send something to celebrate their union.

She chose my "Love Heart" cushion and asked me to personalise it with the couples name on it.

I think it has worked out beautifully, and a great idea.

Yikes......When did I become intolerant to wine?

Last night I had a neighbour catch up. This was a first for me at doing anything as such. I live in a new estate in Melbourne, so obviously neighbour relationships are still very fresh. The few that I see I chat with, and wave to regularly, and they also do the same with each other. We decided to have a catch up together, I offered to have our first 'group' nibbles and wine night, mainly because I have kids and then I wouldn't have to worry about anything.

I was great being in a group, I was having a ball, chatting, drinking, eating, drinking, laughing, drinking, seeing a pattern???? It wasn't that I was drunk by any means, as I couldn't bear the consequences of doing that anymore. I think I had 4 glasses of wine within the span of 4-5 hrs.

Not a lot right?

Why is it wine goes straight to my head, actually, it flies to me head? Years ago, pre children I would be out with friends, and drink wine for hours and it never really bothered me. Since I have had kids it's a whole new story. I very rarely drink wine now, is that the problem? Have I become completely intolerant of it? It's just so lovely going down, especially when you find something you quite enjoy, especially in good company. Man...it is very frustrating.

Do I surrender and hang up the wine glass?

I just feel so shady today, it's such a bad feeling. I am fine, I am finishing cushion orders, doing some washing, and my general Sunday tidy up around the house, but I just don't feel right.

I am just wondering is it worth it anymore? Not the fun, the few enjoyable glasses of wine?

Is this just me?

The name behind my business

I thought I would tell you why I called my business name,

It's a name that is extremely close to my heart, and a name that I still hear frequently.

They are nicknames given to me, by both of my parents.

Tiges - A nickname from my dad.

A name that has been shortened from Tiger I assume, I guess dad got lazy and couldn't be bothered saying it. Dad has called me that for as long as I remember, I actually hear it a lot more than I hear Kylie.

Weince - A nickname from my mum.

Pronounced weence, I didn't like that spelling hence the Weince.

Mum has given me that name from when I was a baby. The name is derived from incy wincy, as in tiny. She honestly believed that when I was born I was weincy tiny, however I don't think 9 pounds is small at all.

I love how you are born with a Christian name, and then somehow whether it be your physicality, a cheeky grin, the colour of your hair, a sound you make, can give you a whole new name, completely unintentionally. I love how that name can stick for life, and feels so real, you answer to it naturally as if it was on your birth certificate. It's so personal too, in some cases only certain people are allowed to address you that way. Then there is the flip side, you could absolutely detest it, and no matter how you object it's stuck.

New wall art

I have been playing around with my existing designs, wanting to hang them in a special room in another way. My wall plates are now available in single designs.

Stay tuned they will be all loaded up in my shop over the next couple of days.

Colour palettes, what captures your eye?

One of my biggest passions is colour.

It's everywhere, it's what makes the world a beautiful place. It's also something that I always have in mind when I design. Don't get me wrong, I love classic black and white, but it's just comes alive when a dash of raspberry red or aqua blue, even pistachio green. Creating a colour palette is one of my biggest passions. I find nothing more soothing than playing around with my Pantone fan, experimenting with colour, seeing what colours look great together, and also discovering what's not so great. For those who may be unaware of Pantone, is a HUGE colour directory for everything, from fabric, to interiors, to paper.

A lot of people say to me, "But your so good with colour". I actually tend to disagree to a degree, yes I have had a lot of experience with colour, but what I love is not always eye capturing for someone else.

I wanted to show you all my favourite colours, as I said MY FAVOURITE colours. Some of you may look and say, no not for me, others may like my taste. I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like bright, airy, and fresh colours that don't feel suffocating.

The deep sea blue is a big colour in my house, a large feature wall in my living room. The nude represents the light timber furniture and vinyl wrap in the kitchen. The other colours are my highlights, colours I tend to gravitate to when decorating. Mind you my house is so far from being decorated to how I want it, it's like everyone's home a work in progress.

I am concentrating this year a lot on colour, and I would love to know what your colour passions are.

Have you considered bookmarks as wedding favours?

I had a recent email from a customer who loved my magnetic bookmarks.

She thought they would be a lovely idea as a wedding favour for her wedding, and asked would I design some for her. How could I say no?

She gave me the brief, deep green, with soft pinks and more soft green. She also wanted their names, wedding date, and lots of hugs, kisses and hearts.

This was the end result.

She was thrilled with the end result, which obviously was pleasing for me.

It was so lovely to create something so personal for somebody, especially on the biggest day of their lives. It also a great opportunity to create something that isn't for kids.

I love and encourage custom orders for all occasions.

Besides this wedding, I have created bookmarks several times as kids party favours, in theme colours, and also with each guests name on it.

All you need to do is have an idea, contact me so we can hash it out and create exactly what you're after.

Zoo Illustration

I know all creative types go through this.

BLOCK!

It's an awful feeling knowing that you want to get something on paper but just not sure what. I jot down many ideas, but when I create it's all about emotion. What excites me. What make me have that light bulb moment. What colours I love today & how I can incorporate them.

Not a very in depth system I know, but it's working so far, so why change it.

A while back I drew some Zoo animals. I love the Zoo, one of my favourite escapes.

I decided to give them new life in the form of a cushion, surprise!

Step 1 - A new colour palette of course.

Step 2 - What colour backing will this revived design have?

Step 3 - My animals. My favourites of course.

Giraffe.

Tiger.

Elephant.

Step 4 - The final design & creating the cushion.

Well I am not that far ahead yet, so you will just have to wait to see the final result.

What I am reading - February

Success....Tick....Completed....WooHoo

I finished reading my 1st book for 2011 called "Almost French", my chosen novel for January.

You can read about here, in 2011 my goal is at least one book per month.

My thoughts - The book was quite enjoyable and I really did like it. I have visited Paris before, and I adore the city, and to be honest with you always day dreamed about what it would be like to live there. The fashion, the glamour, the food, the language, oohlala. But to be completely honest with you, the book has kind of turned those day dreams upside down. My fairy tale has had a reality slap. Each chapter was a great journey of her new life in Paris with many ups, and probably more downs. I admire Sarah (who wrote the book & lived there), it was a cultural challenge for her to say the least. It wasn't easy to make a friend, to find a job, to communicate, and she felt genuinely uncomfortable. It was a real eye opener. It did get better as life went on there I promise, she just adapted and started to understand the French way. She must have loved Frederick to have stuck it out she was one tough cookie. A great read definitely if you have a passion for anything French.

February - this one is fabulous.

My mum bought this for me for Christmas. It was a surprise as generally really my mum would never be so bold as to buy me a book, as I am the first to admit I am a little picky. I am reading

It has 3 things my mum knows I love so she assumed it will be a winner,

Fashion

Vampires

New York City

Briefly, it is about Pandora English, an orphan with a special gift, who moves from a small town to live with her Great Aunt Celia in NYC. Pandora's dream is to work as a journalist for a fashion magazine. Her Great Aunt lives in a Gothic mansion, and used to be a fashion design to Hollywood's Golden Stars. Pandora understands her Aunt should be in her late 80's.

However things aren't as she expected...Her Aunt is unnaturally young & is always wearing a veil. Pandora lands a job at a fashion magazine, and her first job is an assignment on the newest A-list miracle cream called "Blood Of Youth". She finds something isn't right about the product as there seems to be a secret ingredient....Worth killing for.

I have only read the first 80 pages & I am captivated.

I think I will get through this one quickly, it sounds exciting. It's also the first Tara Moss novel I am reading. Has anyone else read anything else of hers? I would love to know more.