store makeover and sale

Over the last year or so I’ve been juggling a couple of online stores for my art and I was finding it pretty tedious, not to mention scattered! After much deliberation, I’ve decided to streamline all my artworks and prints etc through my etsy store, My Nostalgic Feeling.

This may sound deep when I’m only talking about an online shop, but I really think both in life and in business, there comes a time when you have to prioritise your tasks and desires into what works best for you, rather than trying to be a jack-of-all-trades to accommodate everyone else. Running two stores and repeating the same tasks twice may have expanded my bases a little more, but it also meant that I was spreading myself thin and not really feeling the joy of channelling all my energy into one great product.

And with a littly on the way, I’m becoming increasingly aware of managing my time more effectively and putting some more healthy practices into my life in general.

Consequently, I’ve spent the last few days rolling everything over into the one store and although I’ve still got a few more listings to go and links back to my website, I’m almost there. And it feels good. Damn good actually!

You can now find all my arty goodies in my online shop here

My Nostalgic Feeling

To celebrate, I’m having a 20% off sale for THIS WEEKEND ONLY. Just quote the code YAYSALE20 at the checkout to take advantage of the discount. Ends midnight Sunday evening, Brisbane EST.

Chrissy x

can you help me decide?

I’m mocking up a couple of invite designs for my upcoming exhibition at Urban Grind and I can’t decide which of these two are more effective. I’m calling the exhibition ‘New Beginnings’. Which one do you like best - top or bottom?

 

 

Let me know xx

arty interview with MiuAndUmi

Last year I was ambling around the BrisStyle markets and I came across a totally quirky stall full of trinkets, treasures and a 50’s nostalgic ‘women-wearing-aprons’ kinda feel. Me being me, I just had to linger for a chat and I got to meeting the lovely Melanie Brady behind the counter. She turned out to be a super swell gal and I think you’ll agree, her work is pretty as a picture too. So, without further ado, here she is.

Who is the person behind ‘MiuAndUmi’?

 

Melanie Brady is a curious lady who is always asking questions, playing dress-ups, hiding away to write, painting or baking with her awesome kids, and pretending she’s a drummer in a band. She knows she’ll never be a rock star and she’s ok with that. Melanie says old-timey sayings like ‘I think you’re swell’ and ‘I’ll be jiggered’ and ‘peachy keen’ and reckons if her big handsome husband would take her swing dancing some time, she could die happy. She wanted to be Simone de Beauvoir for most of her twenties, has a collection of photos of abandoned shopping trolleys, and thinks you should read more poetry.

 

How would you sum up your work/style in a couple of sentences?

MiuAndUmi style is eclectic, brave and bold, girly and sweet, like the flippant gorgeousness of little girls playing dress-ups. It is for grown-up lassies who know it’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it!

I like to focus on colour stories – does that sound wanky? What I mean is I’m intrigued by the way a group of colours can conjure up an era, or a style or even a place. Like red and yellow stripes make you think of the circus, or khaki, tan and beige make you think of camouflage, or red, white and navy evoke a nautical theme.

 

How did your practice begin?

In ‘96 I was working from 6am til 2pm as a lab technician, and in the afternoons I would hang around West End looking for trouble. I found it in an amazing bead shop called Beads and Trimmings Craft Co. I made friends with Sandra, the owner, and spent a ridiculous amount of time and money on gorgeous beads from around the world. Initially it was just to make jewellery for myself and friends, things I couldn’t found in shops, until the ladies at work took interest and started ordering custom designs for weddings or just because. It’s always been a low-key, word-of-mouth business for me. Not big on monetary rewards, but lots of happy customers!

 

Have you faced any challenges in your work to date?

Time and money constraints have been frustrating, but I think in a way they force me to zero in on the most important things I want to achieve. Self-doubt has been an obstacle for me, as I think it is for most women. And the double-edged sword of the internet, which can bring you all the information and inspiration you could ever dream of, but can dilute your goals and make you feel very inadequate.

 

What do you love most about being an artist?

 

I love beginning a new project, all ambitious and full of promise. I’m not so good at finishing things, which is a problem. The thing I love most of all is the moment – that pure moment when you are creating something, and you lose yourself inside it. You are not you anymore, in the moment you become the process. Like those rare moments during meditation or exercise or just standing on a busy street, when you take a breath and become a part of something much bigger.

 

Who have you learnt from?

Trial and error is a great teacher. I’m always stuffing things up, but mistakes are part of the process. Most of the jewellery-making techniques I’ve picked up through silver-smithing classes, observation and books. I taught myself to crochet by watching video tutorials on the internets.

My folks have always been creative. Dad used to be a traditional French polisher, and I learned a little patience from watching his measured and very particular methods, all done by hand and with the utmost care. Mum taught me to knit and sew. My husband is a trained painter. My siblings write, paint and play guitar (in order of age). I’ve always been surrounded by painters and sculptors, photographers, dancers and musicians, and I shamelessly soak up their influence and ask for more.

I tend to think art is one thing you can binge on without guilt!

 

Can you finish these sentences:

The first thing I do every morning is ……. Coffee. Or else.

In another life I would love to ……. Be a singer or a dancer. I’d like to experience being the medium. I had a small taste of life on stage when I was younger, and I loved creating through acting, but when a skilled dancer tells me something without using words, or a singer brings a lump to my throat with their nuance and tone, it’s almost transcendent.

My motto is ……. It’s not a motto as such, but I say ‘Thank you’ to the universe every day. There’s always something to be grateful for.

 

Mel! You make me wanna fix myself a malted milkshake and put rollers in my hair – oh and go shopping! Where can we find you?

http://www.etsy.com/shop/miuandumi

http://www.miuandumi.blogspot.com/

facebook

 

Finally, do you have any advice you’d like to share?

If I could recommend one thing to everyone, it’s to give blood. Just do it! It’s not as scary as you think, you’ll glow with satisfaction at being a life-saver, and you get chocolate when it’s over! My beautiful sister was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis just before Christmas last year, and thanks to all the amazing people who donate blood for some of the treatments, she’s doing awesomely well.

***

Thanks Mel xox

heartfelt musings – dreams for my home, life and career

When it comes to ambition, I’ve never been short on energy. The problem for me has always been balancing my dreams with the commitment and strength to see them come to fruition … Well that, along with having to sift through the gazillion ‘Yes, that’s what I wanna do!’ ideas that run through my head in moments of inspiration, much like a sugared-up kid at a theme park.

Yet, I’ve realised that over my whole 31 years of unfolding wisdom (*cough cough*), there seems to be a few recurring creative desires that keep popping up which seem more than just an impulsive ‘wouldn’t it be nice if …’.

When this happens, I’m learning that these are actually the yearnings of my real-self; the gentle part of me that lovingly sits in the background, whispering to me and encouraging me in moments of silence to live the life I really want to live. And if there’s one thing I am good at (I’m sure there’s more too), it’s using my imagination. So, I’m bringing those dreams into focus today and making them more real. I’m sharing them here on my blog, making me more accountable, and open to, and understanding of the direction I’m ready to consciously steer my life in. So, here goes – I’m stepping into my future and imagining myself in it now …

My home

The home I now live in is wooden and beautiful. It has creamy wooden slatted walls and hardwood floors inside that probably would look lovely with a new lick of paint, but I just love the look and feel of the old, worn ones, so I keep them as is. There are colourful rugs, pillows, blankets and artworks sprinkled generously around the place, set-up to look both homely and bohemian, but also to blend in with the occasional mess left around the house by hubby, myself and the kids.

There’s plenty of light and air flow, with a balance of large, open areas along with small nooks and crannies, perfect for making a cubby-house or housing a book shelf.

Leading outside, there’s a long, thin deck with a permanent hammock, comfy chairs and five or six stairs leading down to the back garden, where a luscious veggie patch grows, along with plenty of shade and soft green grass. I live here with my husband, our two or three beautiful children, and occasional visitors who love to come over and have a good yarn, pat our cats and dog and help us collect eggs from the chooks running free in the yard.

My art

Because I’ve got kids I enjoy spending lots of time with them, so I’ve learnt new ways to get more creative with my time and artistic practice. Although I’m not making a gazillion new artworks a month like I used to, I’m now using my most favourite and popular designs in new ways. I love seeing my art made into notebook covers, greeting cards, inspirational card decks, organic fabrics and other homely items that people can use and love in their own lives and homes.

I’m no longer afraid or ashamed of letting my real self shine through in my work, and I love the feeling of knowing that I’m showing my customers and children that there’s strength in vulnerability and sharing ourselves openly in this way.

I’m proud that even though it would have been much easier to outsource my designs to the cheaper companies around town, that I’ve stuck to my commitment to only create a range of beautiful, ethical products that are kind to people and the environment. I love that the companies and customers I collaborate with on my work share the same values, and are willing to support both quality and conscience. I love that I feel fulfilled in a way that gives to myself and others in meaningful ways.

My life

I look back on my life so far and feel absolutely no regrets. I’m proud of all the stumbles and meanderings I’ve taken along the way because it’s brought me to where I am today. These days, I still occasionally worry about the future, but I don’t spend much time there, because I’ve got so much love and joy and appreciation in my life that I much prefer to live there almost permanently.

I’m incredibly proud of how far myself and my husband have come and how much love we share on our path together; through nurturing our own, each other’s individual, and our shared Life Dreams and Goals. I love watching our children grow and blossom and discover the world with open eyes and hearts. I love working together as a family and remembering that even in hard times, we’ve got love and each other and that always makes us feel rich and grateful.

I love that each night before dinner, the kids take turns to pick a vegetable or fruit or herb from the garden to include in tonight’s meal, which we cook together. I love that occasionally too, we allow ourselves to feel lazy and eat fish and chips straight from the paper wrapping, without worrying about poor nutrition or forgetting to wash our hands before eating. I love that we’ve learnt to be flexible with our lives and work and parenting, and I’m so grateful that we’ve financially set ourselves up to comfortably live a simple, yet rich life with extra to spare for holidays, goals and incidental occasions.

Most of all, I love knowing that I’ve created all this in my life because I’ve allowed myself the indulgent, yet necessary luxury to dream and go after my goals. And this makes me generous and able to openly share what I have with others.

And I love that you’re here, witnessing the words and whispers and dreams of my heart, which feel louder to me now than ever before.

With deep love, Chrissy xx

solo exhibition booked in!

I’m really excited to say that after one whole year in passing since my Peacocks and Pinstripes exhibition, I’ve finally booked in another solo exhibition – this time at the Urban Grind in Paddington, Brisbane. The Urban Grind is owned by such a lovely couple who are committed to supporting the environment, community groups, artists and of course, serving seriously schmicko coffees.

It will be such a nice space to exhibit my work.

I’m feeling really great about this exhibition – over the last few months I’ve created a whole new body of works on paper and  I’m looking forward to sharing them, rather than keeping them all in a plastic folder on my shelf! I’m actually really proud of the direction my work has taken recently, particularly because it feels, more than any other body of work I’ve created in the past; more honest and giving and open and real.

My exhibition is booked in from 26th June – 9th July.

C xx

new artwork – ‘because i love you this much’

Since finding out on Friday that I’ll be having a baby boy, I wanted to put my feelings into creating an artwork especially for him.

I’ve titled this one ‘Because I Love You This Much’.

Metallic pen, watercolour, watercolour pencil, crayon, marker and paint pen on hammer textured art paper. 2011

As I’ve said before, making art is such a wonderful way for me to process my feelings, ideas and emotions at any given time. In this piece, I really wanted to find a way to document my feelings towards my first child so that one day after he’s born, he can look at it and hopefully be able to see my love infused inside :)

Although this is a very personal artwork for me, I’ve decided to make it available as a print so that other people wishing to express their love for another might find a way to do so through my work. You can find it available here

***

p.s. on a little side note – I do apologise that my blog has been infiltrated with so much baby/pregnancy related stuff lately. I’ve never wanted to be obsessed about nothing but my kids and bore y’all to death, but it’s such a huge part of my life right now and it brings me such joy. I guess as an artist who works from the heart and my intuition, it’s inevitable that at any stage in my life, what I’m going through will filter into my art as well. Above all, being honest and loving through my work are the most important things to me, and I hope that shines through and connects with others regardless of their current lifestyles.

I really do appreciate feeling your support here on my journey as my life changes :)

C xx

giveaway celebration - our baby is a ….

This morning hubby and I went along to our 19 week scan.  We saw that all our growing baby’s bits and pieces were the right size and in the right places (YAY! Healthy Baby!) and we found out something else we’d been hoping for … bubby’s gender!

Without doc’s help I wouldn’t have known how to tell, but there it was, dangling away, with Doc ‘betting his house’ on the fact that we’re having …. A BOY! Holy wowzers, I was sure I was having a girl! So much for mothers intuition, lucky I love surprises :) Now Hubby and I can look forward to playing with lego and mud pies again!

So to celebrate, I’ll be hosting an arty giveaway. (It was going to involve a game of guessing baby’s gender, but obviously I’ve already blown that idea out of the water with my inability to contain my excitement and good news!) So without further ado, here’s what’s up for grabs …

…

Arty Giveaway Celebration

- 1st prize -

  Your choice of any Open Edition Art Print from my Art Prints Store, valued at $25

 

(there are loads to choose from, not just these 3!)

…

- 2nd prize -

A 25% off voucher to use in my etsy store (valid for one year) PLUS one of my new original art sticker sets (you’ll receive a pack of 30!)

…

- 3rd prize -

The newly released, beautiful EP by Brisbane’s own Preston Pierce, complete with an original cover artwork by me! It looks like a vinyl record – but it’s actually a CD! (‘The Healer’ is my favourite song on the album … so beautiful it makes me cry! You can listen to snippets here)

…

So, to enter, just leave a comment below to let me know you’d like to be in the draw. For an extra entry, share my giveaway or facebook page with your friends – the more the merrier! Just let me know if you’ve shared as well so I can pop in your second entry.

- Oh, and if you can think of any cool boys names, let me know!! :D

Entries close on the 30th of April, 2011.

Love C xx

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED. Thanks for your entries! Winners announced here

arty interview with dash robin

Who is the person behind ‘dash robin’?

The person behind dash robin is me, Kate Allan. I am a human being, female, tall and very tired as I am typing this. I have 2 kids, a cat and currently work as the Northey Street City Farm ‘Village Life’ markets coordinator, where I’m also studying permaculture (as well as creating all the dash robin pieces.)

 

How would you sum up your work/style in a couple of sentences?

My work style is nature inspired creativity. I tend to be very philosophical and serious; agonising over things and re working details when I am painting or drawing.  I am more relaxed, playful and experimenting when I sew, photograph and crochet...but a common thing across whatever I am doing is the thought of the earth, of the piece’s life cycle. The origin of the pre-loved materials I use in my work particularly inspires me.

 

How did your practice begin?

My love for observing nature and arts and crafts was just always there. Its my earliest memories, I think its just inherent in everyone. I guess as soon as I could I was making marks in on one form or another and I have never wanted to stop creating art.

 

Have you faced any challenges in your work to date?

Challenges are often more the bits and pieces of life: issues cropping up, relationships, mundane stuff like money and work and study and raising children, etc, rather than the arts/crafts, which are like the antidotes.

 

Who have you learnt from?

Too many to list, however one of the greatest teachers for me has been Sogyal Rinpoche... One of the teachings he shared was to approach things and people with a beginners mind, as if there is always something, someone to learn from. And there’s no shame in not knowing things and going at your own pace.

 

What do you love most about being an artist?

I love the head space I am in when the creative juices are flowing. It’s a very hard-to-explain mixture of comfort, challenge and stimulation. I also love imagining and reflecting about where my 2nd hand items have come from, and I find special comfort using things I know the story of.

One example is my dads old jumper, which even had a name, ‘big green’. It was a hand spun and dyed knitted jumper created by my auntie with wool from her own sheep. It was much loved by my dad, and was worn for so long it eventually began to unravel, so he gave it to me to use. So I frogged it (knitters term for ripping a knitted item apart-rip it, rip it-sounds like ribbit, ribbit, which sounds like a frogs call!) and used it in my own crochet. This is the kind of thing I treasure; family, memory, nostalgia and history all in a ball of yarn … and using my imagination to make something.

 

Can you finish these sentences …

In another life I would like to … have been a gyspy, travelling the country side in hand painted caravans, singing around the fireplace with a large extended family, maybe as a circus performer, trained from an early age.

If I had all the power in the world … I think I'd try and seed the worlds’ minds with more empathy ... I guess its easy to think of lots of interventions you could make, however mostly what I'd want is 'less suffering, more joy, for all' 

My motto is …'be gentle on yourself'

 

Do you have any events you’d like to share?

Upcoming events are village life weekly eco market at Northey street city farm, Windsor – on every Sunday morning from 8-12. I’ll be there with my dash robin goodies.

You can also find dash robin in these places online:

Blog

Etsy

Made it

Thanks so much for the wonderful and inspiring interview Kate!

C xx

exhibition pics – both fabric and baby belly!

As I mentioned in my last post, the Reincarnated Kimono Project Exhibition opened this week. I popped by on Friday morning to check it out and snap a few pics to share with you. Keep in mind every artwork in the exhibition was created by artists using one of two recycled kimono fabric designs …

 

Here’s my framed artwork called ‘Elements’ alongside a beautiful Maiocchi dress (above)

 

Exhibition curator and fabric jewellery extraordinaire Kimono Reincarnate’s fabric cranes (left) and dash robin’s fabric and embroidery canvasses with Jettas Nest Recycled skateboard mixed media artwork (right)

Plus a whole lot more amazing artworks including kimono fabric hand bags, purses, stuffies, jewellery, children’s wear, quilting and so much more! The whole exhibition ties together so beautifully because we’ve all used the same two fabrics. Plus Hanasho, where it’s held, is just gorgeous. Check out the exhibition until April 30th here.

** JUST ADDED :- ONLINE BLOG TOUR OF FULL EXHIBITION HERE **

***

In other exhibition news … here’s some recent pics of my growing baby bump! Baby is 18 weeks old and for the last three weeks, has been kicking up a storm in my belly! It’s such a beautiful and comforting feeling.

So far He/She seems to enjoy doing the fishbowl roll around my womb between 4:30 and 6:30 every evening, and having a boogie almost anytime I put on music; especially to the 80’s band, The Police! Tee hee!

I’ve been trying to catch Bub in action so that Hubby can have a feel of the kicks and fishbowl rolls, but as yet, all he can feel is my ever grumbling tummy, because Bubby plays ‘freeze’ every time he lays his hands on my belly!

Next Friday we go for our scan to hopefully show us whether we’re having a beautiful little boy or a girl. YAY!!! So exciting! Once I (hopefully) know what we’re having, I’ll be hosting a giveaway of some arty stuff to celebrate … but to win, you’ll have to be one of the people to guess Bubby’s gender correctly!

What a wonderful journey this is – I’m so happy :)

C xx

reincarnated kimono project – exhibition opens tonight

The Reincarnated Kimono Project Exhibition officially opens tonight at the very beautiful Hanasho in West End, Brisbane.

There’s mixed media artworks, fashion, accessories, jewellery, hand-made toys, quilts and so much more … all made from these two recycled kimonos - and 12 local artists.

If you want a generous sneak peek of my exhibition artwork, check it out here. I won’t post too much more until opening night is over; I don’t want to spoil the surprise!

All the best to the other artists involved for a wonderful opening night xx

yay – my own arty sticker sets!

I’ve been so excited about this new little venture. And I mean little.

Allow me to introduce my lovely new original arty sticker sets. Aren’t they just so cute?

I’m the first to admit that I have quite a healthy stationery fetish, so when I finally found a way to get my very own stickers printed using my artworks AND on thick quality papers sourced from sustainably grown forests – let me just say I gave a little ‘Squeeeee’ of delight!

… and a big YAAAAAAY!!!!

Now I can get busy sticking ‘em everywhere! So far this morning I’ve given some out to the little kids I work with, stuck some on some art print orders, on letters, on my computer monitor and even on my phone (which looks super cool if I do say so myself!)

I’ve just finished uploading sets of 30, and books of 90 stickers onto my etsy store – and of course, I’ve kept a booklet for myself to keep sticking on stuff!

new artwork - ‘winds of change’

Saturday morning I woke up early and feeling ‘blah’. With so much on my mind lately about all the changes happening in my life, I felt a familiar strong urge to create, which I often do when I’ve got something I need to process internally.

For me, making art isn’t just about creativity and enjoying myself – it’s about problem solving, dealing with challenges and organically piecing together new solutions in ways I haven’t before. In short, it helps me process things subconsciously, and I almost always come out on the other side feeling lighter - like the cards floating through the air have fallen in a more identifiable place for me – even if I can’t identify exactly what’s shifted.

 

‘Winds of Change’. Ink, watercolour and acrylic pen on pinstripe textured 270 GSM archival art paper.

The resulting ‘Winds of Change’ came together in one sitting – a couple of hours of just breathing and making one mark, shape and texture at a time. It’s like as I built up the artwork in layers, it became apparent to me what ‘needed’ to happen next – i.e. which colour to add, where something needed softening, where some space was required.

And when I think about it, it’s kind of like the decisions we make in life – change rarely happens all at once, it happens slowly, one decision at a time, while we’re feeling our way through and making small adjustments as we go along. There’s times of busyness and there’s times where space is needed. Making this piece has helped remind me not feel too overwhelmed with big changes, because I’ve got all the skills and techniques to make the right decisions right now, and that change really is a natural, flowing thing in life.

I’ve added this artwork to my online store and etsy shop

{A big thanks to my hubby for coming up with the beautiful title of this artwork}