I recently came back from a week long Melbourne trip. It was filled with so much art and creativeness that I think I might have to share more than one post about my trip.

Today’s post is going to be just about my screen printing workshop with the Harvest girls. One word: INSPIRING….

Or make that three words:

HAPPINESS!!

FUN!!

MAGICAL!!!!

If you are considering a workshop at Harvest Workroom, or have an interest in screen printing, I hope my post will encourage you to take up a class! I chose Design and screen print your own fabric. It’s a two day workshop, run by the lovely Jess Wright.

I should confess that flying to Melbourne to attend a workshop seemed exciting at first but closer to the time of my travels, I started to feel very nervous and was even regretting my enrollment. I had no experience with screen printing so I felt out of my depths. I tried a few things to prepare myself for class:

1. Read up on screen printing, particularly fabric printing (I’d recommend Lena Corwin’s Printing by Hand)

2. Brainstorm pattern ideas and draw daily

3. Practice stencil cutting

Of course you don’t have to do all of this, in fact you might like to turn up and learn as you go! But the preparation gave me a basic understanding of the screen printing process and also encouraged me to play around with patterns.

The first day of the workshop was like a test run. We spent some time stencil cutting our patterns before applying it to our screen and adding fabric ink.

I realised quickly that screen printing requires good discipline and organisation skills because the whole process gets messy quickly: dirty screens, spilled ink, upside down images…and then back to more tedious stencil cutting!

By the end of the class, I was feeling a little frazzled because there was so much information to process and this whole world of screen printing suddenly seemed so overwhelming! I wasn’t sure if others felt the same but Jess was so patient and she told us to go home, have a rest and regroup for tomorrow!

On the second day of the workshop we learned about repeat printing on fabric. Using the swiss repeat technique, I made a confetti stencil pattern and picked colours that reminded me of candy floss and strawberry sorbet.

After my very messy day on day one, day two seemed easier as I became more comfortable in using the squeegee. There is an art to it and over time I even learned to pick up the happy sounds that a good squeegee print makes!

I love my confetti fabric!

Next I worked on my posie pattern. I wanted a two colour screen print so I mixed up some bright orange and ocean blue. As you know I’m very partial to these colours because they are my wedding colours!

Posie printing in action…

The final result!

And with all the excitement and fun going on…before I knew it the day had flown by so quickly!

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my workshop. It has certainly inspired me to do more screen printing projects at home. I’m going to shop around for some supplies and experiment with colours and different fabrics. At the mean time, I’m going to see what I can make with my fabric prints from Harvest. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them! Tea towels? Pillow cases? Let me know!

Well prepare yourself for a very Christmas themed post. Mostly for my mum’s reading pleasure!

I brought out my white tree branch and filled it up with bits and pieces. You’ll remember the tree from my DIY Christmas tree post. If you notice it looking skinnier…it’s because it has lost a few twigs from post-market stress, not to mention surviving a crazy Perth storm!

Then in perfect timing, a box of Christmas treats arrived from my parents in Germany! Inside are Christmas spiced cookies which we totally love and a few cute gifts…like this set of Christmas cookie cutters!

So in good Christmas spirit, we made some Ginger spiced biscuits. Well, Big mo did most of the work while I took pictures and sampled them straight from the oven! Very delicious!

Amongst all the gingery goodness…my parents also gifted us this cute gingerbread candle train, otherwise known as an incense smoker. You put a little incense cone inside the carriage and actual incense smoke comes out from its chute!

Traditionally, smokers are lit during Christmas time in Germany. But these days there are a variety of wooden smokers carved in different figurines and objects that you can light them up on non Christmas days too.

We have the train sitting on our dining table and we’ve been using it at night for our candlelit dinners. Hehe!

And finally, this Christmas time I sent off a Little Mo package all the way to Fairbanks, Northern Alaska. That’s as close as you can get to the North Pole! (Twenty minutes by car according to Google) How exciting! So if you read this lovely D, I hope you enjoy wearing your bunny pendant! xoxo

Well that’s as far as I got with my Christmas preparations here. Hope all of you are having a fun one with your own Christmas prep!

I am still here:) So much to tell you!

The last time you heard from me was when I had sent off my Babushka Mo fabric for a test print. Well, that came back ages ago and in the time I’ve been away…I’ve been cutting and sewing little Babushka Mo dolls for Christmas markets and my online shop!

Niina helped me with the project, we had a long sewing session at her place. Panko the cat kept us company too, making it a pleasant crafternoon with the gentle whirring of her sewing machine.

I debuted my dolls at Made On The Left and at my pop-up shop. I remembered feeling so happy and touched when I made my first doll sale to a very sweet girl! I think it was a build up of emotions from all the time and work I had spent on this project. And to finally see my work going off to happy homes….well there’s nothing more a designer could ask for:)

If you’re interested in purchasing my Babushka Mo dolls, they are available in my online shop. These dolls are limited edition items and are only available for sale until they are sold out. They are hand drawn by me and printed onto organic fabric. Very cute and charming if you’d like to collect my art as a fabric piece. Enjoy!

Yaay! Spring is here and I am really looking forward to the blooms and sunshine.

The September Spring issue of Peppermint Magazine is out. And it features my rabbit hugger bookplates in the kids section!

Thank you Peppermint Magazine for featuring my art!

The thing about shooting with film, it’s a longer process as compared to taking instant shots on a digital camera. I usually make my roll of film last longer by shooting a couple of pictures and then saving it for another special occasion. I don’t get to see the photos until it’s developed many months later!

I’ve got to say that the SuperHeadz slim is one of the easiest film camera to use. The wide angled lens makes every photo look effortless and beautiful. The camera doesn’t do well in dark conditions but as a day camera, it’s perfect. The camera is so light weight and compact, it’s quite possibly my favourite camera at the moment!

Film stock used: Lomography 400ASA

I am working on a new series called Babushka Mo. This project is inspired by a few of my favourite things: Matryoshka nesting dolls, sweet vintage dress patterns and grandmothers in adorable headscarves (also known as Babushka in Russian).

I’ve always wanted to create a collection of Little Mo dolls so I’m hoping to turn my Babushka Mos into little softies and other cute things. Here are some pictures of my works in progress.

The first lines of my Babushka Mo. As you know, I do all of my line drawings on my sketchbooks and scan the artwork in.

I’m not sure if there are artists out there who are particular about having clean lines in their artwork? I’m one of those people and it drives me batty sometimes. It’s also a bit ironic because I love the look of hand drawn lines, a rough and organic look that can’t be replicate by vector drawings. But the perfectionist in me wants to make sure that my artwork is not overly sketchy and dirty which is why I spend a bit of time on the computer cleaning up the edges and rubber marks.

Now the more enjoyable process begins! This is where I add in colours, shades and all the extra details. For this Babushka Mo, I’ve given her a classic polka dot patterned headscarf.

For my second Babushka Mo doll, I decided to give her a pet duck! This doll has a tangerine coloured dress with daisy patterns on them.

And because of the lovely spring weather we’ve been having lately, I was inspired to draw a garden themed Babushka Mo. I think she is most happy being outdoors watering her plants.

A bit of cut and test action happening on the dolls…

I think it’s looking good so far. I’m sending the dolls for a fabric test print this week, wish me luck! Stay tuned for more works in progress pictures:)

My friends and I opened up our 5th Montage Collective shop in Northbridge earlier this month.

We’ve teamed up with some new and talented local designers to bring a bigger and diverse range of products to our shop! We open for 7 days till 2nd September, so hurry in for some handmade shopping before we close our doors.

If you have trouble deciding what to buy, let me help you with your shopping list…hehe:

Crochet toys for all ages! I just want to take everything home with me! These cuties are lovingly knitted by Anna Hadwin

Very funky coasters and home decor by Jimmy Lee House. A great conversation starter at parties!

Natural handmade soaps by Empire of Delight. Gentle on skin and free of preservatives.

Kitty zines for the cat lovers by Eeva Margita

Or if you’re a bunny and fox lover, these felt brooches would look lovely pinned onto your cardigan:)

I adore these beautiful letterpress stationery by Fluid Ink. I think I know where my money will be spent before this shop closes! Eeek!

And isn’t her stationery stall just divine? I’d love to take a peek in her studio and see her letterpress machine in action!

Adorable animal memo pads and bookmarks by Tall Rabbit

And aren’t these animal picture holders, just the cutest thing ever?

My stationery and art corner at Montage

Lots of animal bookplates to choose from! Perfect for book lovers:)

And a few of my hand drawn glass necklaces and brooches at the shop

So have I whet your appetite? I hope to see you at our pop-up shop sometime soon! Be quick!

Montage pop-up shop
Open 7 days till Sunday 2nd September
224a William St, Northbridge

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a proper market, I took a break from doing any major markets in 2011…just so I could work on some new art and maybe streamline my range.

Before the market, I was feeling a little out of touch with things…and just a lack of confidence with myself and my art. It didn’t help that I left some art prints and about half of my stock at home! I wanted to kick myself after selling out on products within the first hour! Arrgh! So a word of advise: do not be lazy, do not underestimate your talent. Make and bring more stock than you need. You just never know!

Still, I had a really good time at the market. It was nice meeting old and new stall vendors again. It was also lovely interacting with my customers and observing which products were popular on that day. When you sell online, you don’t really get to observe customer shopping patterns or hear their feedback and comments, these were the things that I missed while being away from markets.

I think more importantly, being in a market environment, filled with so much creative energy and talent, gave me back some confidence and encouragement about my art making. I only hope that my art inspired others to feel the same.

For pictures of the whole market and other stall photos, check out Eeva Margita’s blog post and the Made On The Left Facebook album. Some awesome shots there (and much nicer than my old camera!)

Hello! I have a few new and “small” things to share with you!

My 2013 Little Mo calendars are now available to purchase in my online shop. It features 12 original illustrations of Little Mo and her horoscope star signs. The pocket calendars are printed on thick recycled card stock which makes it really sturdy and there’s a total of 14 colour pages, including front and back cover.

It’s pocket size, and very compact and cute!

And after 3 years in business and only relying on word of mouth from you lovely people, I finally have proper Little Mo business cards!

I don’t even know why it took me so long to get them made! I think when you design business cards, magazines and other business collateral for clients (as part of your day job), the last thing you want to do is design your own business cards. It’s just never good enough! That’s how I feel anyway.

So I got these cards printed at Moo because I liked the idea of having 100 different artworks on each card, and surprisingly it was an easy and quick process. I also love that they are mini in size. If you know me well, I adore anything labeled “little, small, mini or pocket size”. Personally I think anything labeled with that description means twice the charm, fun and cuteness!

So yes, I’ve got proper business cards now…and I feel so professional..hehe

Eeek! I’m so excited and happy! Looks like I’ll be spending the rest of the day packaging up my calendars:)