Dear (Visual) Diary,

This diary entry about a painting I saw at Qld Art Gallery...inspired this costume party outfit......which then evolved into this 60's shift!Keeping a journal is a lovely record to have. 

Keeping a visual diary is like that but in mostly pictures instead of just words...  

We're required to keep a visual diary for our drawing class and it's been really fun. 

First there's the discipline of daily entries...

For the past month, I've made myself put aside time every day to draw. 

It's a real luxury to do that, putting aside housework  or other things you're obliged to do. 

But it's really rewarding - give it a go!

Who's obsessed with Masterchef?

Hmmm.... chillis for a logo? or maybe two lamb chops?Lots of friends are ardent Masterchef addicts, picking favourites already!  (Not so much me, I'm still mourning the end of SYTYCD - go Robbieee!)  But it does make it easy to hand-craft birthday presents for foodie friends.  I found instructions for this chef's hat here, but frankly, they're really hard to follow.  I gleaned that the pattern is a circle and a rectangle, and from there I just made it up in much the same way as I'd sew a pleated skirt!

Not for the faint-hearted, but if you do give it a go, personalise your hat with different fabrics or an embroidered on felt logo...

What Katie Did...

Katie GannonTo find out more about the fashion industry, I interviewed designer Katie Gannon for a college project.  Her eco-friendly label "Mother Maria" is dedicated to her late Polish grandmother, Maria.

Katie started sewing as a teenager, remodeling her own garments from retro pieces she picked up at local op shops.

She's still inspired by vintage  magazines and retro patterns. Many of her unique garments use vintage fabrics collected over the past 15 years.

I love the way that Katie's label and cool blog have a strong social conscience.

Click to read more ...

Happy Eater Bunny!

Hope you're having a lovely Easter break! 

Thank you Anna, for organising a crafter-night (as opposed to a crafter-noon) where we made these cute bunnies.  My Grandma's doggie pincushion

I made mine into a pin-cushion, as I feel too cruel sticking pins into my other pincushion, a lovely little dog I inherited when my grandma passed away. 

Awww... Here's a funny bunny cartoon to cheer us up!

So you think you can...draw!

I'm loving College.  Especially since I've found a way of including TV watching in my study curriculum!

For our sketching class, we had to draw a dress from five different angles.  Unable to find anyone willing to stand still long enough five times, I resorted to freeze-framing people on So You Think You Can Dance.  Here's Ivy from that fabulous Paso Doble routine a few weeks back!

Getting lots of help from Nancy Reigelman's book Colors for Modern Fashion -

a great book with lots of tips and techniques for using coloured markers in particular. 

Full of fabulous examples too...

Here's one I copied earlier ...