in my paintbox

As previously mentioned, I organise a local boutique market called the Designers Emporium. It's a hard job, and long hours, and we (Leasl and I) do it voluntarily, so at times it's hard to juggle it to fit in with family life. But this month is extra busy with the Christmas market, on Sunday Dec 7th from 9am til 3pm - and the long hard slog of contacting print and radio stations to see if they are interested in promoting our charity event. Some times you feel like you are being too in your face - but I guess they get it all the time. I hate it though, I would much rather email someone, then ring them up, or god forbid have them return my call and have some major child-drama going on in the background. I love when they hear kids screaming in the background and you are trying hard to keep them quite (mine don't understand the concept of 'mummy is on the phone') and they ask "is this a bad time? what is a good time to call you?" ERRR....my children are unpredictable, and could be potentially having a tantrum anytime you ring, so maybe I'll call you! It's sad at the time and you feel like an idiot... but I can laugh about it! This month, I made my television debut at our Melbourne Cup market - when Channel Nine's Extra came along to do a story on Christmas Markets. camera shy Leasl wasn't going to budge on being filmed, so my big scone will be on the tele! Hopefully I don't come across as too much of a noodle - it was hot that day, and I had done the layout for the marquee where we traded and was hot and sweaty after pulling 20 trestle and round 10 seaters tables form one end of the marquee to the other. The camera crew arrived and I almost died, my face powder wasn't taking the pink edge of my flustered look. They took some film of my stall, then asked a heap of questions that I knew the answers too, but just couldn't get them to roll off my tongue. Anyway, you live and learn!

Time to get back to work for me, and lots of things to do. I have managed to fit in over the last few weeks a market night for 2 local schools, and a mini market for a Melbourne cup luncheon and got some orders finally finished and sent off. I also had to complete some paintings for our upcoming Christmas markets at the Designers Emporium. The market is raising funds for the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation and I am going to donate some paintings to the raffle - I think I will do two of them, the little girls one is above, and I will do a boys one too (when I find a spare second). Its been frantic trying to organise these markets, they are our biggest for the year and Leasl and I catching up tomorrow to finalise the last few things. This year we have so many retailers interested we are spreading our market into another area of the venue - so it should be fantastic!

It's been a sad few weeks for me and not a chance to steal five minutes to give some attention to my blog. My Grandma passed away a few weeks ago and she will be dearly missed. A strong determined woman, a mother of 5, grandmother of 13 and great grandmother of 4. She ruled the roost, and the world seems a strange place without her here. I have organised a friend, Taryn Newland who is an amazing photographer and fellow retailer from our markets to come over this week and take some pictures for me in memory of my grandmother. Pictures of things that remind us of her - a teacup, her Madonna - mother and child picture that hung in her room, a table cloth that she embroidered before she got married, her rosary beads and her wedding photo (pictured) and more. I am planning a special Christmas present for my mum the photos that she takes, and although the day will be full of tears, I know that it will be full of laughs too. Rest in peace, Grandma.

I still have a few paintings to finish before I head off on holidays - one of which is a sports themed AFL painting, with Adelaide Crows and Port Power. I've done a few of these now, after living in SA for a few years, I had to get my head around the game. Being a QLD'er, a painted mainly Rugby League and Union paintings, but I enjoy doing the AFL ones just as much.
Here is a few picks of the painting as it has progressed along. First the background colours were laid down on the canvas, the field, the stadium and the crowd.
Then layers were added to give the painting more depth - additional faces in the crowd, graduated colours of the grass on the field, off course, the players and the beginnings of the team colours in the crowds and on the field, as well as more depth in colour on the grandstands and stadium lights.Then I added more colour using pom poms (not sure what the technical term is...but to me they just look like big pom poms). Highlights and definition lines to the stands, faces, and players.
The posts, and filed lines were added as well as streamers and the stadium sign which will be named after the family this painting has been commissioned by.
Finally the score will be added and then a few more miner bits and pieces and the all finished.

after several months of having my husband away for work more than home with us, the kids and I have decided to go on a little holiday to visit daddy, who's been working in WA. We are off to Perth - somewhere I have never ventured before for a lazy 2 week family Holiday. I'm not sure I am going to enjoy the 5 1/2 hour plane flight with master 4 and miss almost 7, but I'm sure once we get there all will be fine. I'm hoping to come home revived and refreshed!

On Sunday just past, we held our regular monthly Designer's Markets, and we had several fabulous new retailers join us. One in particular that caught my eye was a gorgeous children's sleepwear label called Queenie. Created by Julie McConnell, her product range currently comprises of two styles of nightgowns in various fabrics, colours and trims, along with two styles of pyjamas, also in various fabrics, colours and trims. So pretty and delicate, I just had to buy a nightie for Miss 6, and I picked up a gorgeous little rosette button brooch for me. The nightie, a beautiful cornflour blue with sprays on rosettes, and a ribbon and rickrack trim. She loves it and put in that night for bed - even though it's still freezing at night - we even painted her toes a pretty blush red to match the little flowers on her new nightie.

My new button rosette is just divine - a fabulous layered brooch, it is rich with all the colours I love and I have already begun thinking of all the outfits it will go with!
So excited!