Auction Winner!

We have a winner for the Qld. Flood Appeal Auctions. Peter is now the proud owner of both paintings. Thank you to all who supported the auction, and congratulations to Peter.

Where Would I Be Without My Mates?

Day one of moving into the studio went without a hitch. My dear friends Glen and Stephanie turned up with a trailer.

The three of us worked like a well oiled machine, loading up their trailer, their car and my teeny weeney, but surprisingly roomy Hyundai.

Bruce and Rob met us at the studio, and we all tramped up and down the stairs...............so many stairs....................

It turns out there was a slight hitch. When we picked up the keys and found out that the elevator wont be in until April. And we are on the second floor of a very large old warehouse. But we were so excited about our new studio that we didn't want to dampen our spirits. So we went to Plan B. Leave the two industrial sewing machines. We'll move them in April, along with a few other heavy bits of furniture.

Pic. 1. the studio at the end of day one.

Pic. 2. the boys going up the stairs. As you can see they did a sterling job, they really did move mountains. Girl-power was also in full force. Steph and I were hot on their heels. Between us all, we did a pretty impressive days work.

Pic. 3. and 4. were not taken today but two weeks ago. I had to mention my brother Des, who came along on his day-off to help me to collect some key pieces of furniture from our sister Nikki, who was also moving studios. That was also a huge job, that involved four flights of stairs.

Amongst my best mates, I am proud to say that many of them are family members. Particularly the two just mentioned.

A huge thank you to all you guys. I am blessed to have so many wonderful friends.

Studio At Last!

It has finally happened! It felt like the time would never come. But here it is! Pictured here is my new studio, and my friend and now studio buddy, Dagmara, of Wild Wildgoose Books. Do we look excited?

We got the keys yesterday.

That's me in the red, sporting my brand new lime green Homy Peds, that I found at the op shop yesterday. Sometimes life just gets better and better.

Typo.

Apologies for my blog post before. Monica had actually bid $90, not $80 for #1 Marissa.

A New Leader!

Peter is now in the lead, he's offered $200 for both paintings. Thanks Peter.

Only Three Sleeps to Go!

Only three sleeps to go until the auction is finished.

The bidding so far is at;

#1 Marissa $90, with Monica in front.

#2 Pheobe $55, with Nikki in the lead.

Click on the pink umbrella at the side to read about the auction. There are all sorts of amazing items up for grabs.

Today's auction report.

Keep those bids coming in.

#1 Marissa is up to $80 now, with Jayne out in front.

#2 Phoebe is sitting on $55, with Nikki in the lead.

Only five days left to go in the Qld Flood Appeal Auctions. 100% of the profits go to The Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal.

There have been loads of new items added. Check them out here on the Qld Flood Appeal Auctions master list.

The Auction So Far.

Only six days left to go in the Qld Flood Appeal Auctions. 100% of the profits go to The Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal. There have been loads of new items added. Check them out here on the Qld Flood Appeal Auctions master list.

The bids on my two paintings so far are;

#1 Marissa $60 with Monica in the lead.

#2 Phoebe $55 with Nikki in front.

You can still bid here, or you can bid on some of the other fabulous items at Qld Flood Appeal Auctions.

Raffle.

Here's a raffle not to be missed! For just a $5 donation, you could win this fabulous, original Nicole Mallalieu laptop bag.

For more pic of all the amazing pockets and bits and bobs inside, click on the link.

Simply make a $5 donation to the Qld Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal and leave your donation reciept number here.

Item #2 for Qld Flood Appeal Auction.

Here is the second item up for the Qld Flood Appeal Auctions. Also one of the last two in the series, and my favourite. This one is called Pheobe.


It is an oil on canvas stretched over a wooden frame. 40x40cm.

The bidding for this one also starts at the crazy low price of $50.

For details of the Auction, please read the previous article. Or click on the umbrella on the side.


This is a fabulous program, please support if. The Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal recieves 100% of the profits, and I will also personally cover the cost of postage. If you would like to own one of these original paintings, all you have to do is bid. If you know someone who may be interested, please forward these articles to them.

There are many other fabulous articles up for auction. Why not click on the umbrella and have a look at the master list. All of these have been donated by the wonderfully creative online art and craft communities. The Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal recieves 100% of the profits for all of these items.

And remeber, all auctions finish on Monday 24 January. So be quick and Good Luck!

Happy bidding.

Qld Flood Appeal Auctions.

In support of the Qld Flood Appeal Auctions, I am running two Auctions. They are the last two remaining in a series of paintings of burlesque dancers, called Lead Light Dancers. The others in the series are now in the hands of private collectors. (Ironically, these are my two favourite from the series. Maybe I was less keen to sell them).

The first is called Marissa. It is an oil on canvas, 45x48cm, stretched on a wooden frame.

The bidding starts at the absolute, rock bottom price of $50. Do I hear 50?

So how does it work?

option a) You can bid here on my blog. Just click on the comments button below. Anyone can leave a message, but if you are not a blogger, it will come through as annonymous, so be sure to leave me some contact details.

option b) Email me at leoniekervin@gmail.com

The winner donates the amount they would pay to the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal. You then email me the recipt number of your donation, and I will post you the painting. I will personally cover the cost of postage.

Please support this worthy appeal. I would also urge you to click on the pink umbrella that you see on the side. There is the master list of all the fabulous items up for auction.

And be quick, the auctions all end on Monday 24 January.

Good Luck!

Mystery Solved! It's a Comprosma Hawk Moth.

That was quick! There is always someone out there who knows exactly what you were wondering.

Rachel, of four wise monkeys

had and answer for me. It's a Comprosma Hawk Moth.

Rachel is a blogging buddy of Nicole Mallalieu, at You Sew Girl.

Thanks Rachel, I've been enjoying your blog and am following it now. And thanks to Nikki for taking the question to a wider audience.

Is That a Moth or a Mouse?

After all the bitey insects that have been invading our house lately, this one is almost warm and fuzzy.

This handsome feller turned up in my daughter's bedroom. At first she though that there was a helicopter flying around in her room.

She caught him with a glass and a Christmas card. He sat still just long enough for me to get these two shots. Then his wings started to vibrate.

We put the glass back over him and took him outside. You'll be pleased to know that he flew off happily into the night. In fact I'm almost sure he turned back and waved.

Do we have any insectologists out there in blogland who can ID our little friend. Have we discovered a rare sub-species? a flying mammal? A winged numbat? or is he just a common house moth?

In any case it is lovely to know that even though the kids are big, synical teenagers now, they still take delight in something so small.

Oh and I managed to fix it so that anyone can leave a message now, not just fellow bloggers. So if you know anything about the microverse, please leave a message or email me. I'm dying to know what he is.

Defeated Again!

While I was bragging at work about my super-sized sunflowers, my boss mentioned that his partner had grown a bumper crop too. He had to nick back to fix a runnaway downpipe, and measured them while he was there. Three metres tall! I had to go and see them for myself. And here they are.

These are not even the Giant variety. They are the multi-headed ones, that don't usually grow very big at all. And they haven't flowered yet!

My tallest measured in at 214cm, (just over 7ft). Ok, so I grew the third biggest sunnies in the world.
Here are some shots with Sandra and Richard. I was also blown away by the echinaceas. Not sure if you can see how big they are, but they're just gorgeous.

Australia Day

We are one, but we are many and from all the lands on Earth we come. We share a dream, and speak with one voice. I am, You are. WE ARE AUSTRALIAN. To all my fellow AUSTRALIANS, may I suggest, that, the Australia Day Celebrations, fireworks etc..... be just converted into money. and just give it to Queensland , will still BBQ with friends and family. Please copy and paste to as many people you can. .xx

Starting This Saturday.

We're back again on Saturday. Time to dust of the art supplies and get drawing. Hope to see you at the hall.

Look What I Dug Up For Dinner.

 And picked some greens on the side.

The proof of the pudding was when I left the room for a minute before serving dinner. Came back to find teenage daughter shovelling mashed potatoes out of the saucepan into her mouth. 'Oh My God, Mum, these potatoes are amazing! These are the best you've ever made!'
I did manage to pry the saucepan out of her hands and salvage a small portion each for the rest of the family.

New studio!

Here is my New Studio! As of next Monday, I will be working from the River Studios, Footscray/West Melbourne. Sharing my space with Dagmara of Wildgoose Books.  We will be on the third floor, as shown in the first picture. The place is now partitioned off into work areas, and they aim to accomodate seventy-five artists. It is a very exciting new project by the City of Melbourne.

Short stories

Click below for

A quirky short story about sunflowers, by the fabulous writer Jackie Kerin.

Sunflowers are taking over my life!

Its becoming an obsession! This morning I was dreaming that somebody pulled them all out during the night and I woke in a cold sweat. I ran around the back of the house to check. Phew, they were still there.
And speaking of my sunnies, they seem to have grown again. We'll catch up to Karin's Russian/Canadian sunflowers yet.

The six-foot lad is refusing to be photographed now, as he thinks I'm just using him for blog-fodder. Now what would make him think that?
However, he did agree to one faceless photo.

So you can see how far above his head the flowers are growing.

For a great short story on Sunflowers, click on the link below.

http://jackiekerinsstories.blogspot.com/2010/07/1-sunflower-and-other-tales.html

My Other Favourite.

My other favourite present was a card from my dear friend Rob. It contained a certificate for a new flyscreen.
So he and the young feller went off to Bunnings on a mesh, nails and wood buying mission.
After a lot of bashing hammering and balancing on chairs while doing said bashing etc....

A New Flyscreen!

And look at the neat corners! Apparently our next job is to fill the nail holes and splash on another coat of paint.

If you look at the very first picture on this blog, you will see the state of the old flyscreen on my kitchen window. What a luxury it is not to be eaten alive by mosquitoes every night.

Thanks Rob, you're a gem.

Survived Another Christmas.

When it comes to the festive season, I must confess to being a bit of a grump. Bah humbug and all that! And this was one that I really wasn't looking forward to. Surprisingly not only did I get through it, but actually enjoyed it.
And I got two standout presents that I just had to share with you. Here is the first one.
My daughter gave me this fabulous diary. Based on a favourite Little Golden Book that I actually had as a kid. She was so excited about her find that she gave it to me a week early.
Thanks honey, I love it!

Pssst......... Check This Out!

Just got word that Nicole Mallalieu is offering 25% discounts for her holiday workshops. Do hurry, as places are limited. Click on the link below and read all about it.

http://nicolemdesign.blogspot.com/2011/01/super-duper-holiday-workshop-special.html

Workshops for 2011.

A Big Happy New Year to all!!!
And 2011 promises to be a beauty, with loads of fabulous things in store.
Well I'm pretty excited about a lot of up-coming events, so watch this space. There's bound to be one for you. In fact I'm really excited, because Nicole Mallalieu has moved her business to an all new studio. It has an amazing work room, which of course means, more workshops!

If you are not familiar, please click on the link and look at Nicole's website, you'll be glad you did. Aclaimed both locally and internationally as a sewing expert, she has a lot to offer. Also an experienced teacher, her workshops are fun, informative and inspiring. From the absolute beginner to the experienced seamstress, there is a class for you.
If you are a beginner, you really must have a look at this. https://www.nicolemdesign.com.au/shop/workshops-and-classes/2437-absolute-beginners-intensive-sewing-course.html
It’s a huge jump-start for anyone wanting to learn how to sew. You will learn the basics of sewing in a fun and informal setting, and have something fabulous to take home, made by you!
'I can honestly say that I’ve seen extraordinary results from people who have done this course with me before' Nicole Mallalieu.
Whatever your level of competence, you will find an exciting class to suit. I'm pretty handy with the sewing machine myself, thanks to Nicole's guidance. There is also a wonderful range of products for sale on the website. A huge range of easy to follow patterns, her own designs. They all include helpful tips and instructions. Each pattern can be altered in many ways to create your own range of products.
But Wait......... There's More................... (gasp) Nicole is about to launch a book! Can't wait! Again, I say, watch this space. I'll post more details soon.
I've already test driven one of the patterns for that one, and made myself, my daughter and most of my girlfriends snazzy wrap around skirts. I'll put some pics in of those soon.
Do yourself a favour and check out the website, you're sure to find loads of things you'll love.

Sunflower Envy

Well I thought I'd grown the biggest sunflowers in the world, but I stand defeated. Karin, a Canadian friend of mine, who now lives in Melbourne, sent me this. These were Russian sunflowers, grown from a packet of seeds that she bought at the supermarket. They were living on a farm in Canada at the time. Needless to say, they made the newspapers.
Karin is a local artist with some fabulous work. She runs workshops and exhibits regularly. Follow the links and read all about her.