{happy new year peeps}

work in progress

36 x 48 inches

may 2012 be filled with that which you love most.

as always, thank you for taking this journey with me. i am forever grateful.

{making plans}

I absolutely love new year.  I love reflecting on the year that's been and dreaming and planning for the year ahead.   I have to admit I'm excited for this year to be over too.  It's been a tough one.  It feels like that's really shifting though and I'll be glad to put this year to rest and leap into the new one.

I've seen some good resources around if you want to dive deep into the process of reflection and planning.  

Susannah Conway has a free 16 page downloadable workbook to help "unravel your year ahead and say farewell to the year behind".  It looks fantastic.  Grab it here. 

The ever inspiring Andrea Scher also has a free worksheet for you to download over here.  This is her original Mondo Beyondo end of year ritual and I love it.

I've been reading through my archives as part of my process and found a couple of posts on how I think about writing new year's lists.  You can find them here and here.

I've been thinking about my word for the year too.  Another ritual that I love.  I was reading this post last night about how I found my word for 2011.   And Liz Lamaroux has a great post over at Roots of She about embracing a word for the year.

All this stuff gets me so excited and energised.  I am a dreamer and soul searcher at heart.

Did I tell you that Louise Gale and I have been working on some super-secret-squirrel business that is going to rock your new year?  Stay tuned for a big announcement on January 3rd.

{from ours to yours}

Wishing you and yours the merriest of merry days.  

We're off to Mumsy's to eat, drink and be merry.

{dear santa}

We're all ready for you over here.  Feel free to stop by.

{oh christmas chair, oh christmas chair}

We didn't get around to getting a Christmas tree this year {the luxury of living in an all adult house hey?}.  Ms L sorted us out though with a beautiful Christmas chair and some other bits of cheer around the house.  She's a good one that Ms L.

My very favourite Christmas ornaments.  Handed down from my Mum.  We've had these for as long as I can remember.

Hope your festive season preparations are coming along nicely!

{my wish for you}

Holmes St, East Brunswick, Melbourne

It's been go, go, go at the house of {tinniegirl} and I've hit the metaphorical wall.  It's time to rest this weary soul.

I'll see you in a few days or so.

PS.  Sincere apologies for the lack of {sunday snippets} yesterday.  They'll be back in 2012.

{flight of the ducks}

I'm off to Gleaners Inc this evening for the opening of 'Flight of the Ducks'.  

Here's a sneak peak of my work for the show.

 

Maybe I'll see you there.  If not, have a great weekend peeps!

{open studio, before and after}

I never seem to remember to take photos during an event, but here's a glimpse before and after the event.  It was a gorgeous sunny Melbourne day, the bubbles flowed, people shopped and chatted and mingled, we ate lots of yummy homemade goodness and generally had a fabulous time.  

Thanks so much Ms L, Finki and CurlyPops for all your help.  And to everyone who stopped by.

Until the next one ....

{hey look, I'm over here}

Gee it's late, but I wanted to tell you that I'm guest posting {or guest prompting really} over at Kat's blog today.  Kat is hosting her own Reverb 2011, which you can read all about in the post and join in with anytime you like.

It's interesting to reflect on my prompt {what I might consider my greatest creative accomplishment for this year}.  I can list off a good handful of literally creative things I've done {hold an exhibition, re-open my shop, complete a couple of commissions, etc}.  At this very moment though I'm feeling like leaving work is my greatest creative accomplishment for 2011.  Creating time and space to do what I most love feels like the best accomplishment of them all.

Anyway, pop over and visit Kat.  Maybe you could leave your response to the prompt in her comments.

I'm off to bed.  It's been a big day of prep for the open studio and I'll be up bright and early tomorrow to bake bread, decorate a pavlova, spruce up the house and more.

Hope to see you tomorrow.

{busy, busy, busy}

I truly don't know how I ever found time to work.  Well I do, but I also know why I decided to leave my full time job.  There simply wasn't time for creative dreams.  I've got a week chock full of creative goodness this week, and you'd be welcome to join me for any of it.

Wednesday I'll be here at home for my annual open studio.  Join me for bubbles, good food, great company and some Christmas shopping.  All the details are here.

Friday I'll be popping over to Gleaners Inc for the opening of the "Flight of the Ducks" exhibition.  I've got a couple of pieces in the show and I'm looking forward to seeing all the other ducky goodness.

On Sunday I'm having a stall at the Bend and Snap twilight market at 1000 Pound Bend, 361 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne.  It runs from 3 - 8pm.  I'll have finkigirl jewellery and prints and cards {including some lovely new designs} for sale.

See what I mean?  Absolutely no time for a full time job in there.  And it feels so deliciously freeing not to have to try and fit one in.

Have a fabulous week peeps!  Hope to see you somewhere in my travels.

{sunday snippets}

I'm finally getting organised with my {sunday snippets}.  From here on in I'll have the linky list up by lunchtime on Sunday so that you can leave your link.  Oh, and that promised button for your blog is on it's way too.

I've been thinking too.  It doesn't have to be just some photos from your weekend.  Perhaps you'd like to take a few snaps throughout the week and share them on sundays as a reflection of your week.  That's what I've done this week.

So, are you joining in?

{things i'm diggin}

Works in progress

• Feeling like the universe has totally got my back at the minute.
• Posting originals off to new homes.
• Reading wise words here.
• Getting my hair coloured and chopped of.
• A spontaneous pedicure and orange toenails.
• Having so much more time and space to do the things that matter to me.  Like blogging!
• Planning some really exciting and major projects for next year.
• Preparing for the open studio next week.

And you?  Anything you're diggin'?

{raring to go}

Rainmaker

Acrylics on canvas

14 x 14 inch

All the originals are loaded into my shop and ready to go.  I'm really excited to release 13 new paintings out into the world.  It seems like a fortuitous number to me.  And a celebration of the decisions I've made recently.

The sale will go live at 6pm tonight Australian Eastern Standard Time.

If you're a local and you'd like to save on postage I'm happy to arrange pick up or delivery.  Just purchase the piece you want and I'll refund the postage via paypal, and we'll make arrangements.  Otherwise all items will ship tomorrow morning.

I'm finally starting to settle into a rhythm of not being at work for someone else all day every day.  It feels absolutely fantastic.  I spent the morning working outside in the garden.  What a treat on this glorious Melbourne day.

As well as a gazillion of my own creative projects and dreams,  I'm working on a very exciting project with the gorgeous Louise Gale.  Can't wait to spill the beans next week.

I hope you're having a gorgeous day in your neck of the woods.

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PS.  If you'd like a sneak peak of tonight's sale you can see all the artworks over on my facebook page

{the ways we travel}

With Hope In My Heart
Acrylics, spray paint, collage and india ink on canvas

10 x 10 inch

A Dream In My Pocket
Acrylics, spray paint, collage and india ink on canvas

10 x 10 inch

Bursts Of Flight
Acrylics, spray paint, collage and india ink on canvas

10 x 10 inch

How about you? How do you like to travel?

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I started these paintings a long while back when I took Juliette Crane's How To Paint An Owl e-course.  I absolutely loved playing with Juliette's gorgeous background techniques.  I've always been totally inspired by the depth and layers she creates.

These will also be going into the shop this Thursday night at 6pm.

{free fall}

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Acrylic on canvas

10 x 12 inch

A rising sense of panic started to set in over the weekend.  I felt the weight of my decision to leave work resting heavily on my shoulders.

And I doubted myself.

By this morning I was almost immobilised by fear.  I sat out the back in my favourite resting spot and I wondered what on earth to do with myself.

And I thought of my dear friend Jane who passed away and how she used to always say to me "just start.  That's what you have to do".

So I banished my inner critic and I stopped thinking of all the reasons why I can't, shouldn't, won't be able to achieve the things I want to do.

And I got to work.

I finished 5 paintings that have been in progress for quite a while, I cleaned the house from top to bottom, I danced and sang, and laughed and cried.  I drank lots of coffee and I thought lots about all the things I'm planning for next year.

"All you need to do is trust" were the words that came to me throughout the day.

Today was a great day.

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I'm planning a sale of original artworks in the shop this week.  Thursday night at 6pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.  If you're interested in purchasing an original {tinniegirl}, including the piece above, be sure to stop by.  

All sold work will ship on Friday to get to you before Christmas.

{sunday snippets}

How was your weekend? Pop your link below if you're joining in.

{on leaping}

There are times when you know that you are standing on the edge of something magical.  I've been in this place before.  I've taken bold leaps towards my dreams and I've scurried back to the safety of what I've always known.  It's how it goes hey?  Back and forth, back and forth.  Forwards and backwards in my creative journey.  

But each time I'm somehow stronger for the leaps and wiser for the falls.  I wouldn't take life any other way.  Well, perhaps I'd take the easier path some of the time!

Today I'm finishing up in my full time job.  I truly tried hard to make it work, to find a way to give it my all.  But in the end there was nothing left for art.  At the end of the long days and weeks I came home depleted and exhausted and I couldn't paint.  And a life without painting is no life for a painter.

And so I've leaped.  Just like I did early last year.  But I think this time around I'm a little wiser, perhaps a little more certain and a whole lot more determined.  Time will tell I guess.

Where to next is the big question.  Don't worry though.  Not surprisingly I've got a million ideas and a whole lotta plans.

The future is beckoning.

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If you're local and looking for something fun to do this evening drop in to Made n Thornbury's twilight maket and say Hi.