{just because}

It's been forever and a day since I've had a giveaway.  And it seemed to me that it was about time I rectified the situation.

Two Parts Hope

Just like 'The Ways We Travel', Two Parts Hope and Three Parts Faith are also pretty indicative of my philosophy on life.  They certainly make good traveling companions on the journey.

Three Parts Faith

If you'd like to be in the running to win a set of these limited edition prints just leave a comment anytime between now and next Monday.  I'll draw a winner around Monday lunchtime.  Happy to post anywhere in the world. 

Have an awesome weekend peeps!

{wednesday already?}

So yesterday was Tuesday but I thought it was Monday.  I woke up today thinking it was Tuesday but around lunchtime I realised it was actually Wednesday.  And it's February no less.  Wow, is this year off to a flying start.  

The winner of the Lights Hunters giveaway is 74 Lime Lane.  Congrats Kellie.  I hope you enjoy it.  Huge thanks to Vivienne for the giveaway too.

Ok, back to the painting for me and the studio assistant.

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{sunday snippets, the self-portrait addition*}

{sunday snippets}: a collection of photos from your week.  No need for words.  Let the pictures tell your story.  Pop your link in below if you're joining in.

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*Vivienne McMaster has a new session of You Are Your Own Muse starting in February.  I've been having so much fun playing with self-portraiture ever since I took the course.  I've always loved taking self-portraits but Vivienne's class takes it to a whole new level.

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I'm leaving the giveaway open for a couple more days.  Feel free to pop over and enter.

{we're off, and a giveaway}

Ms L and I are off to the house of retro goodness for a week. A week of no plans.  A week of seeing where the wind blows us.  Sure, there's books to read and dreaming to be done, vision boards to be played with, thoughts of swimming and walking and maybe a glass of vino.  But we'll see where the breeze takes us.  My favourite kind of holiday.

I thought I'd leave you with a little giveaway, to tide you over till I get back.  If you recall back during Blogtoberfest, the good folk over at zip-zip gave me some very excellent USBs to giveaway just because I asked nicely.  Well, those guys happen to have some really groovy friends over at Blockshop and they've given me some fun giveaways too.

If you haven't come across Nanoblocks they're the coolest things ever.  Miniature blocks to build cute things with.  Go and check them out.

I have 3 sets to giveaway.  Leave a comment telling me your favourite kind of holiday and I'll draw winners when I get back.

Have a lovely week peeps.

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Registration for Your Awesome Year closes on Thursday.  We've still got a couple of places left if you're interested.  All the details are here or you can register right here.

{i want you, i need you}

Betsy Mark II, please be mine!

Did you know you can win one of these beauties and copies of all of Pip's books over at Meet Me at Mikes.  What a seriously awesome giveaway huh?  Or check out Jelly Bean Bikes and build your own ride!

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I'm going to leave my giveaway open for one more day too.  If you haven't left a comment to win a copy of Make Hey by Pip Lincolne and a fat quarter of fabulous Go Granny by CurlyPops hop-skip to this post here.

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And just in case you missed my HUGE news Finki and I launched something ENORMOUSLY EXCITING on Tuesday.  You can read all about it right here. 

Thanks so much to everyone for the amazing support and interest already.  It's been so gratifying and totally affirms a major life decision I made last week {more on that very soon}.

{the awesomeness that is CurlyPops and Meet Me at Mikes}

Wow, what a time it's been!  So much goodness happening over here and I'm bursting at the seams to share.  Alas, the time is not quite here.  Yet.  You'll have to wait just a little longer for all my news, including a major leap, the big reveal on my super-secret squirrel business and the launch of another very exciting collaboration coming next year.  I am running as fast as I can and I still can't keep up.

For now I am truly excited to finally announce the kick-ass giveaway that I've been banging on about for weeks, and that CurlyPops alluded to in her sneaky post last week.

The lovely and generous Pip of Meet Me at Mikes has kindly given me a copy of her newest book Make Hey to giveaway to one lucky visitor.  Most of you probably already know Pip and Meet Me at Mikes, but if you don't, hop-skip-quick and check out her blog and crafty goodness.  I could go on and on about Pip and what she has done for the creative community and how much I admire what she has achieved as a creative business woman.  I could also wax lyrical about how awesome this new book is and how it makes even me want to sew {and anyone who spends any time with me knows I don't like to sew}. 

I could also tell you how I sometimes feel green with envy when I see her doing her thing.  It's a hard thing to say out in the open but it's true.  We all feel it.  We all make assumptions and judgements about others, their lives, their achievements.  We're all prone to attacks from the green eyed monster {mostly out of fear I think}.  This year as you know I'm challenging myself to be different.  Instead of being envious I'm celebrating the success of awesome creative people.  Instead of harbouring a secret fear that there's only so much success to go around I'm remembering that there's room for all of us in this creative world and that seeing others being successful is a great reminder that it's possible for me too.  I'm also being honest, saying it and owning it, instead of pretending.

But back to Pip.  It was in part thanks to Pip {and Kelly Rae Roberts} that I started blogging.  I can't even remember anymore how it all came to be but I know that they were the blogs I was reading for a while before I decided to dive in and start my own.  From there it's been a journey of self discovery, becoming an artist, finding a community and so much more.  And then of course there's CurlyPops.  No Pip = No Blog = No Crafty Community = No CurlyPops!  And that's just unfathomable.

There's a story about me and CurlyPops and how our friendship was meant to be over here if you want to read it.  My crafty-partner-in-crime and so very much more.  She's incredibly talented, enormously brave and one of the most generous friends I've ever known.  I've loved sharing our creative journeys over the past few years and I'm blown away by what she has achieved.

So what better combination than a copy of Make Hey teamed up with a fat quarter of Go Granny - the awesome new fabric designed by CurlyPops and printed right here in Melbourne.  Just think of the gorgeousness you'll be able to make!

If you would like to win your very own copy of Make Hey and a fat quarter of gorgeous Go Granny fabric just leave a comment.  Make sure I'm able to contact you via your comment if you're the super duper lucky winner.  I'll draw a winner sometime in the next week.

{thanks Pip and Cam for your huge generosity - for the giveaway and generally}

Happy weekend peeps!

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Thanks for the fantastic response to my call out to build a Blogtoberfest team.  I'll be in touch with everyone who put their hand up as soon as I can.  Just letting you know it might be a few weeks.

{psssst: a super sneaky post - blogtoberfest day XXIX}

Well hello there Dear Blogtoberfesters.... it's me CurlyPops

I'm taking over to write a little super sneaky blog post, because poor {tinniegirl} is internet-less. It seems that the gremlins that interrupted my supply on Thursday, have now travelled North.

I really want to tell you about a super fabulous giveway that is happening right here in this space, to celebrate the grand finale of Blogtoberfest for this year.

Amongst the prizes is a fat-quarter of my Go Granny Fabric.

There's lots more to come..... stay tuned peeps!

{zip-a-dee-doo-dah - a giveaway, and a temporary farewell - blogtoberfest day XIX}

This is one of those great stories of ask and thou shalt receive.  I was sitting in my studio a few Sundays back thinking that I wanted a new USB stick and I remembered the really fab one I bought Ms L a few years back.

Image courtesy of zip-zip

I was at the Design Market at Fed Square when I first came across Zip-Zip.  The coolest USB stick on the block.  As I was browsing their website thinking about buying myself one I had a different thought.

Image courtesy of zip-zip

So I wrote to the company and told them about a little thing called Blogtoberfest and asked them if they might consider donating one for a giveaway.  It can't hurt to ask I thought.  I got an email in response saying they'd love to help out with four Zip-Zips for me to giveaway.  How fantastic is that?

Image courtesy of zip-zip

If you would like to win your very own fabulous Zip-Zip USB stick in either red, yellow, blue or green all you need to do is leave a comment.

I'll draw winners on Saturday.  Go....

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In other news I'm very sorry to say that I'm going to have to take a couple of days off Blogtoberfest.  I have been trying with all my heart to continue blogging through a very nasty bout of bronchitis.  The truth is I'm not feeling particularly festive at all.  I'm actually exhausted and I need to rest body, mind and soul.  I don't even have the energy to organise some guest posts or to manage a daily photo.  So I will bid you farewell until Saturday and will see how things are then.  Keep the campfire burning for me won't you?

About That Waiting

I thought I was cruising along. I thought I was happily waiting, and then someone shifted the goal posts, and it all unraveled. I was not prepared for that.

With the unraveling has come the realisation that the last couple of weeks have been really difficult. My reentry to reality after 3 weeks of freedom, adventure, creativity and amazing connections has been exhausting. I have been trying to pretend that I'm not exhausted, and full of questions and uncertainty about where I'm going.

The funny thing is that now that I've had the opportunity to really think about it I've realised I actually don't want the thing I'm waiting for. I don't want it at all. I just thought that I was supposed to want it. I thought I was trusting the universe and listening to its messages but I wasn't listening properly, and I certainly wasn't listening to myself as well.

This is why I always say I'm 'practicing' this art of trusting the universe. It's full of twists and turns, subtle intricacies, challenges, opportunities and learning.

So now it's time to start moving again. To stretch my legs and set off. I'm not quite sure where those legs are supposed to take me but I'm sure I'll find my way.


It's also time to announce the winner of the giveaway. Yesterday when I thought about drawing the giveaway the number 17 came to me. Just like that. When I realised earlier that it was the 17th today I decided to go with it. So the 17th commenter is One Little Acorn. Get in touch with details so I can post a package of loveliness to you.

I wish I had a copy of MixTape to give everyone but you can purchase your own copy right over here.

It's Friday, And You Know What That Means

Card Generator

In celebration of the weekend, which I am very much looking forward to after a big week getting back to work routine and life in general, I thought I'd have a giveaway.

Would you like to win a copy of the most fabulous MixTape Zine. I happen to have a spare copy to share. It's full of crafty goodness, including an article by yours truly. I also thought I'd make a Mix CD to go with it, and maybe throw in a surprise or two.

To enter leave a comment on this post telling me what you're up to on the weekend. I'll draw a winner... well you know me... when it happens, it happens... some time after the weekend. Happy to send internationally or locally.

Happy weekend peeps.

What Are You Hungry For?

Hunt - Acrylics, CurlyPops crazy stitching, paper, vintage doilies and embroidery on canvas

Me? Today?
Certainty
Confidence
Courage
Guidance
A sign
A chance
To be seen

Some days I'm the keeper of wishes and dreams
and other days I'm full of fear and self-doubt.
I feel so incredibly human.

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Ms L randomly picked a winner for the collage giveaway. The "wish" collage is going to It's The Things That Make You Go Mmmm. I think somewhere deep inside her subconscious she knew it was meant for her. First she left a comment without a wish, then she came back and left a wish, and then she even went so far as to do her own blog post about it. Isn't that magic? Get in touch Susan.

And Finki Was Her Name

The winner is Finki. Get in touch with your address Jay and I'll pop your new birdie in the post to you.

I'm definitely planning on making some more of these for the market and the Etsy shop. Stay tuned.

Oh, and don't forget to get yourself a Tinnie or a Woollie before the 23rd August when they'll cease to exist.

Serendipity and 7 Days of Loot, Glorious Loot

Don't you love it? I won the monthly giveaway at Sophism Press and today I got Ms L to pick a winner for my affirmation giveaway and guess who won. Yep, Sophism Press. How cool is that?

Chrisy's affirmation is "I am valued". I'll show you the collage when I get it made. It's in brewing stage at the moment.

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I spent the day at the Made n' Thornbury Market yesterday which was lots of fun. I hung out, chatted to lots of friendly faces, crocheted and generally enjoyed a lovely day out. CurlyPops has the wrap on the day so pop over there if you want all the goss. Of course no day out at a market would be complete without shopping. I have lots to show.

In fact I have a bunch of stuff from swaps, Etsy and the market to play show and tell with. So I've decided to spend the week doing just that. I'll be back tomorrow to start 7 days of Loot, Glorious Loot where I'll show you all the crafty goodness that's come into my life.

I thought you might like to join me. If you haven't been swapping or purchasing, perhaps you've been making. Or perhaps you've got loads of things in your Etsy favourites like I do that you'd like to show off.

I've been hanging out to test out Mister Linky's Widgets so I'm popping one in here and if you'd like to play along you can sign up.

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I've been feeling like my blogging mojo had up and went, but I think it might be on its way back. Good news indeed.

Do You Hear It?

The noise. That incessant noise. Questioning. Doubting. Dismissing.

You know what I'm talking about don't you? The "little voice" inside your head? The one that tells you that you're not enough, won't ever be?

I decided at the start of the year that the "little voice" had to go. I decided it was time for a new mix tape. So I painted what I was thinking. I took all the negative messages that I wanted to get rid of and I let them explode out of my head. Then I thought of all the new messages about myself that I wanted to internalise, and I did exactly that. I put them in my body.

I really love this painting. For lots of reasons.

• I love the symbolism of it.
• I love the size of it. It's so much fun to work on big canvases.
• I love the adventure of it. It's the first time I've ever attempted to paint a face. I'm actually not happy with the way the face looks at all but I'm so pleased with myself for taking a step and giving it a go.
• I love that I hung it in the spare bedroom. I didn't hide it away in my studio where only I can see it. I put it out there in the house for the whole world to see. Since I put it up I've started hanging lots of my creations around the house. It feels so nice to have a house filled with art, including my own. I feel like I've taken another step forward in putting my intention out there.

I just have to remember to read it more often. To really internalise the words. To allow them to become the new soundtrack to my life.

Why don't you leave me a comment with an affirmation that you like for yourself. I'll pick someone out next Friday and make you a collage with your affirmation. What do you think?