A little look at a section of the latest piece Im working on for the Once Upon A Time Exhibition this month.
Once Upon a Time is a group exhibition held The Art & Design Precinct, 10 Bailey St, West End, Brisbane from the 16th to 26th August.
Here's a sneak peek at some of the work I've been creating for it. I've been focusing on the enchanted forest as my theme:
My mood boards for i do it yourself have been so popular, we currently have nearly 12,000 pinterest followers, I thought I'd start doing some interior design ones. So to start with - a plan for the new kitchen:
- Industrial style lights
- An big island unit - clutter free
- Artwork - subway style for all the places we have lived
- Chalkboard for shopping list and message
- Antique buffet and hutch
- A farmhouse sink
- Floor to ceiling storage with a ladder
- Butlers pantry / appliance garage - shut the door to hide all the clutter
- White shaker style cabinets
- Espresso caesarstone top
- White subway brick tiles
Pics via pinterest
Pic pinterest |
Who knew there where so many choices for a sink. I've always wanted a ceramic sink and I call them farmhouse sinks. I thought there were different names for the same thing, but it looks like there is a difference between a farmhouse, butlers, apron, belfast and laboratory sink. I think I'm after a butlers sink. But to under mount or counter mount? The Kitchn has a great little article on under mounted sinks here. It's my preference but it does make the caesar stone $200 more.
Pic Glumber |
No point in having a new kitchen without a plan, so here it is. We'll be knocking a wall out that runs down the middle to make one big room which will double the size of the kitchen. At the moment we have a big empty space we call the fridge room because thats all there is in it. And we're knocking out the wall at the front to create a big space opening out onto the dinning area.
The back wall will be the oven, range above, with open shelves either side. Two double gas burners rather than one four, spaced out so you can fit more than two pots on at a time. And farmhouse sink under the window. Then currently where we have a little old oven alcove, we'll put a sliding cupboard door in front. When you open it up, you can step inside to a butlers pantry and big bench for appliances. Shut the door and hide all the clutter.
A big island unit in the middle will hold the dishwasher and sliding bin draw. The industrial lights should hang above this. If the bench is two meters across, two lights should do. On the right hand side I'd like to run the cabinets right up to the ceiling.
A window seat in the corner with pull out or lift up storage for all the puppy things like food and toys. This might be a DIY project for later.
Poor old creative monsoons been a bit neglected of late. But I'll be getting back into it in a big way, I have loads of updates for my artwork that need to be done, and at the end of last year we bought a big old Queensland just crying out to be renovated.
So the first job is the kitchen. The current kitchen is the sort of thing real estate agents call 'authentic', 'original' and 'full of character' - basically really old and falling apart. It seems to be the original kitchen that was built with the house in the 1930s. It's going. And the first big project is going to be replacing it. I've got the design worked out in my head, now it't time to get things finalised.
So the first job is the kitchen. The current kitchen is the sort of thing real estate agents call 'authentic', 'original' and 'full of character' - basically really old and falling apart. It seems to be the original kitchen that was built with the house in the 1930s. It's going. And the first big project is going to be replacing it. I've got the design worked out in my head, now it't time to get things finalised.
Over the last couple of months I've been very busy on pinterest collecting all the interior design pics that inspire me. The great thing about pinterest is that once you start collecting loads of images you start to see the same elements appearing, and it really helps to hone in on what it is you like.
Love the cabinet style, the white and the lights.
White, subway brick tiles, high cupboards
White with chocolate brown, farmhouse sink, industrial lights
Floor to ceiling storage
Those silver lights with the white again
Chalkboard paint and a library ladder to reach those high shelves
Industrial lights, white with chocolate brown, cabinet style, subway tiles... tick tick tick and tick
Pics via pinterest
We have a new family member this week. Bruce, a cute as a button, 8 week old Bull Mastiff. Getting along well with Cookie our Beagle.
The state bird of washington is the goldfinch and we've added this pretty little print to our etsy shop.
A new print added to the etsy shop today, just in time for Christmas. A London pigeon with a vintage map of the city. Available from the creative monsoon etsy shop.
When I think of recycled car tyres turned into planters I always shudder and remember those tacky swans - you know the ones, all the rage in the 80s. But on a trip on Melbourne last weekend I came across these very stylish pots which remind me of La Chamba cookware. They are available from UBeauty Pots and Plants.
I managed to pic up two big old atlases this weekend at a garage sale. Plenty of pages to play with so keep an eye out for some more artwork soon. Love this idea of covering one of those cardboard deer heads with maps. Unfortunately the link for this wasn't working so I'm not sure where it came from originally.
It's been such a hot weekend here, Ive spent most of the time swimming and creating a new puppy mandala. Probably the worlds most popular dog - the lab. Available from my etsy shop.
The new puppy mandala print - dancing dachshunds is now available in three new colours. So apart from the black you can choose, pink, aqua or grey :)
Let us know what dog you'd like us to do next
I've decided to go ahead and put the first of my puppy mandala prints into the etsy shop. This one is the dachshund or sausage dog.
It's something I've been playing around with for ages and hopefully other dog breeds will be added later. Let me know what you think and feel free to suggest which doggie design I should do next.
A new work added to the shop today, a beautiful American Eagle silhouette with a vintage map up the states. Available from the creative monsoon etsy shop
Still continuing to work on my Lake Tekapo project. I have a few works on the go at moment, but yesterday I finished this one.
I started this with another work in progress - a mountain range made of security envelopes then layers of tissue paper and lace with washes over the top for the water. I took a photo of that on my iphone with the hipstamatic ap. It desaturated the image quite a bit but gave it some nice added texture. I took that image into photoshop, adjusted the levels and added a damask pattern to the water and few more layers of texture. Flipped the mountain range so there is a subtle reflection in the water and boosted the colours back up. And voilà - as yet untitled Lake Tekapo digital mixed media collage.
You can purchase a print in our etsy shop. Feel free to suggest a nice title for it.
I thought I'd have some fun this afternoon and design myself a new iPhone case, I got a little carried anyway though and designed loads. I'll share them over the next few weeks but here's a fun one - a concrete iPhone. Very urban.
Available from the creative monsoon store on redbubble
I cant tell you how excited I get now when bills come in - I just want the security envelopes! I've added a new work to the etsy shop, a pretty paper crane design.
A mock up of the Lake Tekapo mixed media work I started a while back. The mountains are made from security envelope liner and are all done. Now Im just working out how to do the water.
I woke up the other morning and I really wanted the make feathers from the security envelopes I've been collecting. Who knows why. But I think they turned out really well.
How super pretty are these hot air balloons made from old light bulbs? Unfortunately the link doesn't work anymore so I don't know where they came from
While I was playing around with maps a few months back I came up with a really beautiful idea to put the vintage maps I've collected inside bird shiouettes. I thought I'd start with US states and match the state birds to the maps!
Here are the first few now available in my etsy shop.
I came across a beautiful etching in a little gallery in Darwin today by artist Jorg Schmeisser. I love the layers of drawing and the mix of notes and sketches, a bit like a travel diary. I think it would be a great starting point to remember each trip just making notes, drawings, studies of flowers and building etc all on one big sheet. Could also add in photos, prints and maps. His work reminds me a lot of Horst Jansseen and a little of Joshua Yeldham.
The picture just doesn't do it justice, a beautiful work by Joshua Yeldham, my favourite at the Archibald and Wynne Prize this year. Stunning blues, purples and pinks.
Love these photos by fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø, they remind me of a piece I did back in uni which I really must make again.