light and dark

Dear diary
Bit of a strange day. Earlier I watched a chick crack open its egg for the first time with G. Have you ever seen this? Ok it doesnt sound that exciting but actually the way the chick was working so hard to get out of its shell and how it would struggle and then stop for a rest and then battle again-it was touching. Also you never think of a chicken as breathing but when it is upside down and featherless its little chest breathing up and down in the bright light of its incubator well it looked so vulnerable and well....human....

At the other end of my day was me, in my car, in a back alley, in the dark, with a four year old asleep in the back her head against the cold window; I'm thinking what the hell do I do? my phone is two seconds from out of battery I dont know where the hell I am there are no lights on this street... I have been redirected down side streets by the police to avoid a bad accident and my car dashboard is reading H for HEAT.

I heard some bizarre males-walking-by conversations (whilst trying desperately to be invisible slouched in the dark) they were talking in graphic detail about 'jobs' and I don't mean employment ..... So I'm thinking melodramatic thoughts like which house would I potentially run into if someone attacks me? what if the person who answers the door is some psycho-skin-stealing murderer in human uggboots. Where is everyone are they in bed already or just conserving energy with the lights off? And why is it in this scenario one sees things as if they are being reinacted on a missing persons tv programme third person perspective?

So that was the light beginning and dark ending of my day. I managed to get home with G and the car ok but long uneventful story- thankyou my darling S x

- I promise to water the car more often, poor car, I have a real problem with car-things like adding water, oil and er on the odd occasion petrol. God I love the RAA!

interview Modish/Scoutie Girl

Modish and Scoutie Girl are collaborating in a run of interviews about artists/designers who collaborate!

We (Carly & I- Umbrella Prints) were excited to be contacted by these cool ladies to discuss our Tandem collaboration with Ceeb Wassermann.

It was great to sit down and think about what it means to collaborate and why we started our Tandem projects.

Our interview can be found here then there is a link to Ceeb's interview and photos!

Susan's stamps

Dear Susan, G and I have your stamp book nice and safe and we enjoying looking at them all the time they are such pretty colours and designs.

good mornin Nimbus

Introducing Nimbus, the cloud lion, our second soft toy creation for Umbrella Prints (first being Flip Dolls). Carly and I worked on this design together it was so much fun. Nimbus is made of our Umbrella Prints fabric and comes in a kit to sew. He is easy to make and gorgeous for boys too :-) . Available now here.

cute

I know I can do cute I just know I can! if I try really hard my animal drawings wont look subversive or adult or randy.

latest studio pictures

Bird in Paradise printed in olive on organic hemp/cotton
i think we are getting better at these studio shots and found a sweet spot where the light seems to work a lot better

shape colour texture love

Richard Nicholl Spring/Summer 2009

Umbrella Prints new website

Carly is on a serious roll over at our new website I am really excited. Some of the links aren't up yet but for the first time we will have a proper website thats not a blog in disguise and will be able to credit our friends and collaborators properly (Tandems).

The new photos are capturing our momo peach colour a little better - like starfruit it is really hard to capture. Having lots of fun at the moment :-)

sweet Bird

Andrew Bird- impossible crush! And I have new eyes for my poor neglected violin.

big 3

Every weekend we vow not to end up at one of the big three- the big three being the three franchise mega business's synonymous with suburban family life-Bunnings, Officeworks and Subway (alternate Ikea). But we always run out of something- printing paper, staples, soil or food; and are drawn back to at least one of them like moths to a flame....along with everyone else it seems.

I have spent so much time wandering around Bunnings lately I think I could pass as a worker there. It's just there is a part of me that likes it; so many gadgety things I never knew existed that I can make something with- white blue-tack I love it! I like the paint isle also, all those colours! I can never find the perfect red but who cares when there are colour swatches like pistachio icecream.

The reason I've been hangin at Bunnings is because S decided to dig out the entire front garden to make it flat and we live on a slope, which creates retaining problems and suddenly we need a fence because there is a cliff someone might fall off. After an hour at Bunnings measuring stuff I ache with boredom and with G wingeing for a sausage I can hear myself start sighing and huffing and starting to get snappy- poor S the front garden really does look way better.

I recently discovered I can use my camera to alleviate some of the boredom. The above pictures are my impromptu and vain attempt to replicate Rosalie Gascoigne's amazing assemblages of found and industrial objects (!)

window in a heartbeat

Our Hearts fabric (by Carly for Umbrella Prints) is available now in kimono red and in full width meterage. Pre-orders have all been sent (thankyou to those early birds).

All this fabric action inspired a new window based on red- colour of passion and a bit of an obsession for me can you tell. Minifashionista (sharing with Nest Studio and Umbrella Prints) has loads of beautiful red items to choose from which made my job even more fun/fast.

Up close gorgeous plump curvy hearts.... from afar modern stripes.... yum.

mum day

One beautiful fuschia flower wrapped like a present in a crumpled napkin in G's sweaty open fist :-)


One delicious fresh walk in the hills around Hawthorndene with mum, sister, daughter.... breathing in the fresh air. Wild quince trees, rosehips, olive trees, blackberries, bmx tracks, walnut trees; a forest just like the Enchanted Forest would have been.

Things so clear and lucid and abundant- cue flock of birds flies past; cue perfect tiny nest in a tree with gold lichen; cue pure white horse galloping in slow motion- what? ......S and I both thinking someone must have spiked the scones.

and print

(Lily) Flip Doll in pink moon and sea glass

(Grace) Flip Doll in sea glass and kimono red

and print and print and print; and pack and post; and print and print and print; and pack and post; and print and print and print; and pack and post; and print and print and print; and quit your job; and pack and post and sleep repeat