GollyBard

GollyBard is a brand created by Holly Ward Bimba. She works on watercolours in her cottage in Virginia. The inspiration of her works are her natural surrounds. These include flora and fauna, life and death. Here are a few of my favourites from her Etsy.

I love the use of soft natural colours mixed with fine lines to create beautiful patterns within the works.

Sea Hawk by the Crystal Sea

This is a custom print and pendant for Sharon. We worked together on the ideas for this piece to make the perfect gift for Sharon's daughter who is said to have the spirit of a sea hawk. The sheet music chosen for this sketch was the antique 'By The Crystal Sea'. Published in 1886 I found it courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.

There is more joy in giving...

I thought I'd share with you a couple of presents my husband and I gifted each other for our anniversary last week.

These particular ones are from lovely Etsy buyers around the world.

I was lucky enough to receive a couple of gifts from my Etsy favourites list. Here is my now beloved Meghan ring by IndigoSilverStudio. The garnet in my ring is almost black but has a red tinge in the sun. It is stunning. I am wearing it stacked with two tiny gold hammered rings on either side.

Also received this over sized kaleidoscope locket from verabel which I had been eyeing off from months!

I couldn't resist purchasing a couple of things from Etsy for Sean too. A couple of moustache waxes from MansFaceStuff.

And this card from Sycamorestreetpress was perfect for Sean! He is a pirate, cowboy and lumberjack after all. To cater for all these persona's, I also purchased him a very fancy gaucho hat from Texas. Ole!

We had a great week celebrating our anniversary with friends, new and old, and of course family too. Here's to many more years of fun!

June 14th 2008

3 years ago Sean and I were married. It has been an adventure filled ride so far! I love him today exactly 3 times more than I loved him when we got married. And that's saying a lot. He is the most interesting, strangest, sweetest, most inventive person I'll ever met.

As part of our weekend long celebration of all things Behmah (our nickname) tonight we see the band below with some friends. Ole!

This Ilk

I stumbled upon this Haute Couture Sound of Music Lace and chain collar necklace in Etsy treasuries today. It is so pretty and captivating. I find it a refreshing design and really enjoy the different components of the piece! For other interesting and wonderfully designed accessories - visit the thisilk store.

frankie website loving

Thanks to my stockist little shop of... my bow kitty pendant is on the frankie website! There are two series of ads - so you may need to refresh your browser. For those of you who don't know frankie has only been the most awesome girly, fashion, artsy, kitschy, crafty magazine in Australia for the past 5 years :)

Have a great weekend!!

Woodland Wander

Check out this pretty Etsy treasury from SOMETHiNGMONUMENTAL. Woodland Wander - it is exactly what I'm feeling right now. Thank you Mandy!

Wednesday Wandering

It's a Wednesday... the first day of winter! Very chilly start to the morning wiping the ice from my windscreen, but now the sun is out! I've been checking out my new pieces - ready to go to Little Shop Of Handmade and some are coming to Camberwell market with me on June 19th.


In my wanderings today I updated myself with theanimalarium.blogspot.com and stumbled upon this glorious illustration by Joao Lauro Fonte. Entitled "The cat who mistook his wife, the kids, the furniture (and even his parrot) for his hat". Cats in late Victorian garb and a penny farthing, what more could one ask for? It has really made my day!
Now I'm off for a walk in the warm winter sun!

You make a lovely pear

Here is the gorgeous card I ordered for my friends Romalie & James who were married on the weekend. It was purchased from pupandpony on Etsy who have many vintage style cards and offer wonderful service :)

Congratulations to James & Rom. Your wedding day was beautiful and may the rest of your lives be equally filled with joy. I hope we will continue to be friends for many more years to come. xxx (middle photo credit: Taylor Canning)

Russian Faux Fur

Okay. So it's officially winter in 6 days! Last night I went shopping for bargains at the largest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere, Chadstone! They had a VIP night on which mean I saved plenty of money on my purchases! I mostly bought gifts for friends - bit did manage to justify myself one goodie, a hat! Faux fur from Forever New. As I continue to read Dr. Zhivago in the colder months it will no doubt keep my little head warm! And I'll really feel like I'm in Russia.

Happy May

Chilly cloudy days to enjoy :). I turn 24 this month, my husband turns 27 and my guinea pig Marmaduke and one of my mice, Yasha, turn two!
24 sounds like a nice age! I look forward to it.

Opp Shop Finds

$2.50 pair of vintage Taiwanese rabbits. Adorable!

No I didn't find this exact American Apparel skirt at the op shop, but the one I got is so close it's not funny. Black calf length with accordion pleats. Considering I was going to buy the real deal tonight, I'm so glad I went to the op shop at lunch. Saved myself $80! Yeah!

The Wind in the Willows

It would appear my Charming Mr. Frog brooch has been getting a bit of love already on Etsy treasuries. Here he is featured in a wonderful treasury inspired by 'The Wind in the Willows' by theVerdantGarage. I think this captures Wind in the Willows perfectly! Look at the little motorcar! I loved Wind in the Willows as a child, it brings back so many memories. If I watch the opening credits to the 1980's show on YouTube - I can't help but cry!There is also another frog based treasury taking isnpiration from a children's book by Arnold Lobel called 'Frog and Toad' by mkissel. Lots of froggy happiness. Enjoy!

Custom Order - Charming Mr. Frog

I received a custom order from a returning customer. She wanted a picture which usually features in my necklaces to be put in a brooch. It was for her mother in law for Mothers day.

I happened to make two - and now one is available on Etsy.

I'll have to fight the urge to keep it myself!

Little bits of Adelaide

What did you do on your long weekend? Our roadtrip went really well! Here are some pretty highlights from our fun filled trip! Enjoy.

Nic and I at the big balls in Rundle Mall - Adelaide city centre
Prominent Hay Jays

Roadside stop
Sean & I on seaweed mounds in Glenelg
Sean & I - Barossa Valley
A snapshot of my favourite town - Angaston

Pretty kangaroo at the zoo

Adelaide Road trip Treasury

click above to view full size

So.. on this 5 day weekend I am going on a road trip to Adelaide with some friends. I have never been before!
I have created this treasury to celebrate - with some Adelaide inspired pieces and sweet things from Adelaide based Etsy stores! It's what I envision the weekend will be like.
What do you have planned for your weekend?

Florentius The Gardener

Some illustrations and words worth taking a look at - from Kęstutis Kasparavicius, Lithuanian illustrator of children's books. Here are a couple of illustrations from one of his 48 books, Florentius the Gardener.

I think that a good book for children must also be a good book for adults. I try to write so that one would want to read the same book over and over again. Books should be such that one wouldn't want to throw them in the corner after opening the first page. Such that one could turn the pages for a long while, look at the drawings without reading the text, or, quite the opposite, read without paying attention to the illustrations. Such that one could start reading right from the middle or actually try reading from the end. Such that there would be points in them at which one wants to pause and think for a while and, certainly, not rush.

Courtesy of Lithuanian Children's Book Exhibition 'Illustrarium'. Click the link to find many more wonderful illustrators.

Rabbit Treasuries

Recently I have been lucky enough to be featured in a couple of rabbit themed treasuries on Etsy. My Tea Sipping Rabbit cameo brooch appeared in this April Tea Lovers Treasury - Lemon Bunnies by battic Also my dearest Samson necklace was featured in this Hippity Hoppity treasury by Tib44 Click the images to see these wonderful treasuries full size! I wish I had more time to make treasuries. It is so fun!