and his name is Ringo.
Ringo is on his way to Tara at sew gorgeous - when I emailed Tara, to ask if there was anything particular that she might wish to see with Ringo, the reply came back, "teapot".
Actually, I had already drawn Ringo with that very thing - I was just curious.
Obviously it was meant to be.
Just when it seemed that I was going to be left with one rather expensive purple box of compost, green shoots began to emerge.
My lawn seems to be making up for lost time-I'm sure it has grown since I took this photo at noon.
I missed my 24 hour deadline due to just not managing to get back to my computer in time. To make it fair to everyone who left a comment in the first 24 hours, I did one draw just for them and then another including everyone. I figure if I'm going to do a giveaway then I best do it right.
So Gilbert will be on his way to Shireen. Which makes me most happy since Anne of Green Gables is one of my all time favourite series. I still have the whole set of books packed away in Australia ready for the girls to read. Second name up was Ringo, so Tara, there is another deer almost finished for you. Thank you for all the suggestions - there are a few more deer yet to come so they will come certainly provide me with some inspiration.
Off to water my grass. And draw more deer.
posts that is.
As I have missed the last two blogaversaries or whatever they are called, I thought that this was as good a reason as any other I could dream up, for a giveaway.
I haven't done the giveaway thing for quite a while so here is a small one to start with.
"Potted Chrysanthemum" is the first of a series of small drawings currently in the works. It is an original drawing in pigment pen with a touch of watercolour, on a postcard sized Fabriano heavy textured card.
He (because once again I am convinced he is a he despite his questionable choice of outfits) needs a name - so leave me a comment letting me know what you would call him. I'll use the old fashioned draw out of a hat or one of those random number generators to decide just who will get to name him. And then he will be on his way to that person, new name and all.
Easy. And it's going to be a quick one so hopefully there won't be too many bits of paper in that hat.
You have 24 hours from now.
Fred, anyone?
and a simple give away...
Charlotte and Rose both love getting mail.
Rose is quite big and has friends that can write.
Charlotte is quite small and has friends that haven't quite mastered the art of letter writing.
And she's a little sad that Rose keeps getting mail from her friends back home and there is hardly ever anything addressed to her.
Now, I drew this clock a little while ago and in honour of my print Gocco finally being unpacked after its long journey, I decided to make a print of it. There are a few birthdays coming up and I think that this clock print might make a good present. After I had finished the print run on the special paper, I used up the remaining ink to print up a bunch of plain postcards that I picked up last time I was waiting in the post office queue.
I haven't had a giveaway in a long, long time- and my third blog anniversary is coming up or perhaps been and gone( must check that one!)
So if you would like a Gocco printed cuckoo clock postcard and have two spare postage stamps then just leave a comment by the 24th of March.
I will randomly pick 12 names and send you two postcards.
Here are the rules: you must use one of your stamps to send the spare postcard to a friend, family or perhaps someone who has dropped by your blog if you have one. Anyone you might think will enjoy getting a bit of old fashion mail from you.
Please use the other stamp to send Charlotte a postcard addressed just to her.
It will bring a great big smile to her face and a great big smile to mine.
I am hoping that the cuckoo clock card might bring a bit of mail happiness to a few people out there as well.
Sure beats getting a bill....
The first issue of cloth. paper .scissors for 2008 is on sale....and look! the smallpeople made the cover!
It was so thrilling to receive my copy in the mail- actually the generous people at Interweave Press sent me a few copies,so I have one to give away. Let me know if you are interested via the comments and I'll do the random draw thing mid next week.
I am busy cutting and pasting as I work on my new idea for a series of collages ...oh, and I finished my 'block' for the Paper quilt. Just need to let it dry before I can scan and post it.
Off to see 'Hi-5 circus' with the girls today...a belated Christmas gift for them!
My two girls backstage at their ballet concert yesterday....one sailor and a little green caterpillar.All of a sudden Charlie seems all grown up.....
Just to let those of you who commented on this post 'just add sunlight' know- the stamps packs are going into the mail tomorrow. For some reason a whole lot of emails bounced back so if you did comment and didn't hear from me please email me your address...I have an envelope with your name on it! ( Melissa ( tiny happy) and Julie no need as I have your addresses already).
Oh and yesterday's cryptic post...just add it to the title of today's post. Perhaps that will make it clearer. I actually thought I was being quite obvious, myself......
I was so taken with Miss Marzie's beautiful pink meringues that I decided to whip up a batch myself.....after all the recipe said that they were easy to make...and I love a no fail recipe.
Yes, well.....
Instead of a plate of heavenly pink piles of goodness,I ended up with a plate of cute pink buttons.
I don't think it helped that I was cooking dinner for the girls while talking on the phone and mixing the meringues.
And I don't think that the fact that I forgot to add the 4 tablespoons of boiling water until halfway through whipping them up ,helped either.
Oh, and I was a little impatient with the whipping up bit and decided it look stiff and glossy enough. When I heaped the little mounds on the tray and then watched them flatten into pink puddles , I decided to scrape it all back into the bowl and keep on beating the mixture. Probably didn't help much either.It did in fact get stiffer and glossier but still refused to sit in little mounds.
I baked them anyway and really, they tasted great!
Next time, I need to concentrate!
At least Miss Marzie can feel safe about her Queen of the Meringues title.
Did anyone pick up the hidden random fact about myself in yesterdays 'tagged" post? I have a pack of postcards for the first person who can work it out. I will give you the answer tomorrow if nobody beats me to it!
well that was quick...2 minutes after this post to be exact!
How about that,Bianca must be a U2 fan as well...a pack of postcards is on its way to you!
and it's mine!
When I saw this gorgeous pear over at the scent of water, I fell in love with it. Lucky for me then that Megan decided to open her Etsy shop and there it was! Not for long though....
And if like me you love the scent of rosemary go and take a look at what Megan's up to in her bathroom (no nudity,I promise!).
On our walk to school , we pass an old overgrown garden with a large rosemary bush spilling across the path. It gives off the most heady scent as it is crushed by passing feet. We often pick a sprig to tuck into Rose's schoolbag as she likes to smell it during the day. On our way home, Charlie and I break off another few stems and add them to some lavender for a lovely fragrant , if somewhat spiky posy. Lavender is another of my favourite flowers .My wedding bouquet was simply an enormous bunch of lavender surrounded by double jonquils- pale mauve and soft yellow with a heavenly perfume.
If you're in the mood for a little competition head over to see Tash at poppyseeds and throw your hat into the ring- I love that tin and as soon as I can think up something witty and clever to say I'll be in the running for that very covetable tin....
I am so making myself one of these for winter...
....and best of all the pattern in free! Go take a look at Fitzpatterns here...
Now, I'm dreaming of a red cape but do you think it's a bit too Little Red Riding hood?
Whatever fabric I choose, it will have to have a satin lining!
A little doodle I've been working on lately for the ATC doodle swap. Once you've got your finished doodle, you cut it up into ATC sized pieces and send it off. How easy is that!
Note: an ATC is an Artist trading card - the dimensions are 2.5"x3.5", or 64x89mm.Click here to access a page that gives you a run down on exactly what an ATC is. If anyone wants to give the ATC format a try, let me know and we'll organise a swap. Its a great format size to work with - and easy on the postage. I love it when one of these little cards turns up in my mail!
For a bit of beauty in your day, go visit the scent of water....photos and poetry, what a combination!
first up winners! Sorry , its taken me a little while to get back to you but I had a small encounter with a roof rafter... so without further ado
"just because # 2" goes to Bianca over at sadieandlance
and
"just because # 3 is on its way to Robyn at Knit me something good
Thanks again to everyone who left comments and songs...it was fun reading them and now I have a whole new world of music to explore.
Crash and burn indeed......I have been running around for the past few months on high speed, simply because I have given up work and therefore, need to compensate by achieving, achieving ,achieving in other areas. I have become the "can do " girl and it was only a matter of time.
Well,on Sunday, I climbed into the roof storage to get some wool down from my stash (yes, it has overflowed from my office into the roof!) and because I was in such a rush ( no good reason ) I turned suddenly and a rafter jumped straight out of nowhere - I swear it wasn't there before, officer - and hit me in the head. Luckily not quite hard enough to knock me out and consequently down the steps, but hard enough to bring on those lovely little stars.....
Did the first aid thing with pressure and ice pack but still had a lovely egg and a killer headache for two days as a reminder to slow down NOW.
So I have returned to knitting - knitting is my equivalent of creative yoga. Possibly because I am a tortoise knitter - slow and steady - but I find it more challenging and it requires ( for me) a greater level of concentration and calm than does sewing or crocheting. I am quite speedy at the other two and sometimes, it is more about the outcome than the actual process. I find knitting to be more about the "journey" - how's that for zen?
I have also decided to make this week another "finish it off week" - with all of this frenzy to create, create, I tend to lose steam towards the tail end of some projects. Every now and then, I really need to just go back and tie up the loose ends , so to speak! Here are a few of those loose ends....
This is Ginger- she need pants! I'm really happy with how she is coming along - I wanted to see if I could do a sketch and then make a doll that looked like it. I am just way too lazy tonight to scan the sketch but she's a pretty close match!
This is Maggie, named after my one-of -a -kind-( in the best way of course) mother in law !
Maggie saw the bird, as it was being made and suggested that it might look lovely on her spare bed! After all, some of those ties came from her cupboard (along with a truckload of other crafting goodies)!
I can feel more of these tie and suit coat birds coming on! A whole flock of them perhaps ( but not this week).
This is "blue" . I haven't decided whare to go with him yet but I want to keep it really simple and minimal. Perhaps just eyes and hair and the suggestion on arms. Lovely just to hug and sqeeze without to much stuff to get in the way.
And just one more little request, this time to all of those in Melbourne ( or anyone who has a good shopping knowledge of Melbourne). I am headed down to Melbourne, this Friday morning until Sunday afternoon all by myself - how indulgent is that ( and how lovely of Damian and Georgie, our girl wonder to allow me by helping out with the girls). I can't wait - I'm just going to wander and explore at my own pace and stop when I want to stop and go when I want to go. And I will not be carrying the equivalent of three days emergency rations just in case ( really, I do overdo it sometimes!)
So where should I go?
I need suggestions for..
a wool shop
vintage/retro shops
cool funky happening shops ( because i am sooo cool and funky)
a good Japanese restaurant
Is Chapel st still worth the visit?
Is Charmaine's ice creamery still on Brunswick St ? Do they still have chilli- chocolate icecream on the menu?
Do I really need a woolly hat?
Really any suggestions welcome...I'm just a bit looking forward to it, just a little bit.....
But I can't knit on the plane........