Paint With Me | Art Practice - Gift Card

"Without the rain, there would be no rainbow "

A little reminder today that it's ok to give yourself grace when you are struggling and to remember that today's rain will be tomorrow's rainbow!

In the meantime, pull up a chair Friend and let's create some art together. I am so happy you're here!

K xo \

Create With Me | Air Dry Clay Tags - Botanicals

Are you a Maker, a Baker, a Creative, a Bride to Be? Does your packaging need levelling up? Are you wanting to personalise your table settings for your big day? Gift something special to the ones you love?

These darling tags have all the rustic beauty and charm you are looking for and on the kindest budget! The options are endless and they are limited only by your imagination.

K xo

Plan With Me | February 2024 - Camping Life Watercolour

Is there anything better than the great outdoors to replenish the body and soul!? Thanks to a wonderful week spent camping with friends for my Birthday, I am feeling sparkly and new and ready for the year to come.
Come sit with me a while and refill your cup dear Friends!
Blessings, K xo

Paint With Me | Palette Knife Art - Acrylic Trees

More trees! This time with a palette knife and acrylic paints. Seriously so easy and budget friendly. My only advice on this one is don't overthink it! Trees come in every shape and size. Revel in the texture and tools and enjoy the process.

K xo

The Sydney Royal Easter Show | Design & Installation of the 2016 South-East Qld District Exhibit

One of the most exciting and challenging roles I’ve embraced as a Designer, is the South-East Queensland District Agricultural Exhibit for the Sydney Royal Easter Show. These exhibits are exceedingly high profile, there are 5 in total, all nestled together under the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome, and are the largest of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Together they are a significant draw-card to The Sydney Royal Easter Show and must include all agricultural elements that are presented for judging, from wool to homemade preserves. The Exhibits themselves are professionally judged on everything from artistic merit to colour and lighting and a People’s Choice Award is also up for grabs. Competition is hot year in and year out - 1 x Qld Exhibit v’s 4 x NSW Exhibits. The job ahead of me was not for the faint-hearted . . . 200 square metres of exhibit, constructed on a 20 degree slope, within the framework of a non-negotiable list of rules, laying homage to 100+ years of tradition, with a meagre team of 3 volunteers and only 10 days to complete the build or be disqualified!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Early October, 2016 - It all began with an informal chat with the President and VP of the South-East Queensland District Exhibit (SEQDE) Committee. Unbeknown to me, they had been on the look out for a new Designer for more than 18 months. Stumbling upon their Seek listing, I had immediately raised my hand, keen to assist the Lead Designer on such an exciting project. To cut a long story short, an hour later I had been offered the role of Lead Designer and had humbly accepted. To be completely honest with you reader . . . I had no idea of the magnitude of the job ahead, however I knew that it absolutely set my soul on fire and appeared to be just the right kind of impossible that I love.

Conceptual Design - SketchUp

Late October, 2016 - Design approval was received and with on-site construction at The Sydney Royal to begin in March, there was much to do. The 13 x 3 metre storyboard had to be designed, printed and created. The fruit box that was to be the focal point of our design had to built and automation refined. Seeds, paint samples and construction materials had to be sourced and tested before prefabrication could begin and Christmas was looming which would equal business closures and time delays. Add to this, a family holiday to New York was booked and paid for and would see me overseas for the best part of a month.

5th January, 2017 - I arrived home to the worse possible news. The printer we had engaged in December did not reopen until late January and their newly quoted pricing was way out of our league. Thankfully a new printer was found quickly and had the graphics ready for pick up within a week - thank heavens for small mercies!

Seeding Process - Grapes

February, 2017 - Now came the hard part. Each image had to be hand cut from the core flute panelling, layered onto an MDF background, seeded, sealed and wrapped ready for transportation to Sydney in March. I had just 6 weeks to cut, glue and seed 17 pieces of fruit and more than 45 letters. Most of the seeds required tinting prior to use to ensure a lovely depth and artistic finish for the storyboard and I had absolutely no experience doing any of this. In fact, I had never heard of ‘seeding’ as an art form prior to taking on this role.

Seeding Process - Watermelon

Embracing the challenge and all that it encompassed, not the least being that I lived in an apartment and all prefabrication work was to be completed from home, I set up a cutting mat on my coffee table, accumulated recycled cardboard boxes on my balcony for the intricate tinting process needed to colour the seeds and commissioned the dining table to seal each piece as completed. The rest was a learning curve borne of years spent creating, a passion for colour and an attention to detail that borders on the obsessive. With my wee Winnie beside me for company, I began the arduous, yet exhilarating process of watching the exhibit come to life beneath my finger tips. I spent 10-12 hours a day, arched over each piece of fruit, each letter, ensuring that each new layer of seed, each tint was as close to real as possible. The sheer scale of many of the pieces made them a mission in themselves. For example: the uncut pineapple measured 1200 x 2700 mm alone and required more than a dozen different types of seeds and colours.

Seeding Complete - Pineapple

22nd March 2017 - All pieces were complete, carefully wrapped and loaded into the truck bound for Sydney. We packed our bags and flew out of Brisbane 4 short days later. We met the rest of our team and the competition at dinner that evening and were soon enjoying an easy camaraderie. With only 10 days to complete the build, stage and light the exhibit, the work load would be heavy, the days long and tensions were sure to run high. This moment of light hearted banter was an all important one.

Fruit - Ready to Go!

27 March, 2017 - We arrived at Homebush (home to The Sydney Royal Easter Show) before 6:30am on Monday. After checking my beautiful fruit had made it safely to Sydney on the back of a truck, I quickly strode into the Woolworths Dome to view the blank canvas that was to be our exhibit. I was horrified to find the exhibits were still being erected. They would not be complete until midday. We had already lost 1/2 a day of the build. This was to be the first of many curve balls thrown my way.

Site check measure highlighted an error on the CAD drawings supplied by event organisers. The height of the backing boards was found to be 300 mm shorter than that noted on the working drawings. This error would mean that our seeded fruit would now sit 300mm lower than we had intended, hiding much of the carefully curated detail behind our automated box.

Once the exhibit beds were finally complete, we swung into action. Unfortunately, once installed we discovered that the black seeded backing boards that were to sit behind my vibrantly seeded fruit were found to be mouldy. These boards had been fabricated by an SEQDE volunteer back in February, however due to the excessive humidity we experience in Queensland, the glue had obviously not dried well and had sprouted. When the heavy overhead floodlights were switched on in the Fresh Food Dome late in the afternoon, the wide spread damage that had not been apparent under a standard globe was now evident for all to see. After close inspection, I had to make the agonising call that 10 of the 14 boards were unsalvageable. Additional paint and seed were now urgently required, not to mention the time to re-create these mammoth boards at the eleventh hour.

Day 1 - Build

28 March, 2017 - Bright and early in the morning, I set-to re-creating the 10 x 2400 x 1200 mm backing boards. I couldn’t lose the manpower required on the exhibit bed to build the box so this job was all mine. The heat was suffocating and dried the glue as fast as I brushed it on. We didn’t have enough black seed on hand so I now had to use canola seed (a lovely deep coffee brown colour), saving as much as I could from each sheet. That meant creating a make-shift support from 2 barrels positioned carefully on top of a huge tarp. That way any loose seed could be saved and scooped back up to be used again. It also meant that the 10 newly seeded backing boards did not match the 4 old ones. I did not have enough materials or time to seed another 4 so they would match as planned, so I pulled out Plan B and created a screen for each side of the exhibit out of the beautiful, polished sugar cane that I had been admiring back stage. Thankfully judging finalised early for sugar cane and the grower generously donated it to our cause.

In the midst of this all encompassing chaos, Cyclone Debbie swept along the east-coast of Australia, creating havoc with produce delivery for the Northern NSW and South-East Qld teams and more importantly, caused a great deal of concern and worry for our families back home.

Day 5 - Build

29 March, 2017 - The hardware for the actuator arms designed to lift the box lid couldn’t be found. After losing half a days work I had to make a judgement call to abort the automation or risk not delivering on time and being disqualified. This decision did not make me popular but a change had been made to the actuator arms without consultation with me and even if the hardware could be found, they now posed a risk to health and safety. The bed of the exhibit would likely not hold the weight of the lid when lifted to maximum height and due to the slope of the bed, if they failed they would put the public and SEQDE volunteers at risk. Plan B was pulled out once again and I quickly tweaked the design . . . we would now display an open fruit box instead.

Day 8 - Build

Through all this we overcame. The team stepped up, pulled together and worked like no other. We were first in every morning and last to leave every night. I barely took a break to keep on top of the seeding and preparation required so as not to inhibit the boys working on deck.  Our team of 4 (including me) worked alongside the NSW teams of 30-40 volunteers. Each piece of fruit, each vegetable had to be individually placed. Saw dust laid to prevent slipping, sugar cane supports wired to keep the prize winning grammas and melons in place. Macadamia and peanut husks were laid down to create a soft, decorative bed for the produce and hundreds of sorghum stems formed a small forest of scarlet colour, each stem threaded through individually drilled holes. Vibrant jars of honey, homemade preserves and olive oil needed individual steps to do their beauty justice and a field of wheat, soft woollen fleece, fragrant herbs and an assortment of nuts needed their own custom made crates. The list of minute details on this vast 200 sqm exhibit were endless and each task was meticulously ticked off as the days flew by.

Staging & Styling - Every piece placed by hand

05 April, 2017 - When we finally downed tools at close to 7pm, I can honestly say that there is not a single thing I would change. Not a corner that I cut and prouder of my team, even my little girl who helped out tirelessly behind the scenes, could I be. The SEQ Exhibit Design and Build was more than a role. It was an experience and one that I will cherish forever. I accomplished something that many said I couldn't and as with most projects that I undertake, I learned a lot. Although we didn't win the prize for best exhibit (we received no score lower than 95%), it was a closely fought battle and I am delighted to report that we were an integral part of something so much bigger. South-East Qld District won the shield overall for the first time since this all began 113 years ago!

Day 10 - Complete! It’s all in the Details

For those of you that enjoy these exhibits every year, and those of you who have now added them to your bucket list, I hope you have a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes and the crazy determination, tireless effort and tenacity of the teams that do such a wonderful job year after year.

Blessings, K xo

Create With Me | DIY Paper Clips - Make Your Own Pretty Stationery

Are you a lover of pretty stationery? A creative heart and devotee of thrifting and vintage finds? A fellow Educator or Student who loves to personalise her classroom & stationery? Then you have absolutely found the video for you!
I picked up these sweet wooden pegs while thrifting a few months back (so easy to find in craft stores too). Some acrylic paint, a palette knife and a little imagination is all it took to repurpose these little darlings into the prettiest paper clips you ever did see!

Plan With Me | January 2024 - Moon, Stars & Botanicals

Plan With Me | 2024 Journal Set-Up

It's that time again my Friends. Time to embrace a New Year, a new adventure, a new you!

My theme this year will centre on self care, renewal, soul searching, spirituality and reconnection with mother earth. My pages will be brimming with quotes, lyrics, botanicals, sketches, watercolour, ink, pencil and inspiration wrung out of every moment, every second of my days. If your soul is in need of nurturing, pull up a chair and get comfortable. You've found your tribe.

Blessings, K xo

Create With Me | 2024 Handmade Journal on a Budget

How to create a beautiful Journal with items you have at home.

✓ Quote Pocket
✓ File Folder
✓ Iron-on Transfer
✓ Fabric Cover
✓ Hand-embroidery
✓ Ephemera

Put the kettle on and pull up a chair Friends, we are going to get our journal on!
Blessings, K xo

Plan With Me | December 2023 - Handmade Journal Pages - Forest Friends

‘Tis beginning to look a lot like Christmas my 'deer' Friends. Don't you love this time of the year!? We are celebrating with BuJo pages brimming with our favourite forest friends from our Near & Deer Christmas Range.

Grab a cuppa and pull up a chair for 35 mins of fun & whimsy xo

Paint With Me | A Rose Gold Christmas - Watercolour & Embroidery - Gift Card Series

Welcome to PART II of our Seasonal Gift Card Series.

A Rose Gold Christmas is something a little special. We've moved away from the traditional red & green colour palette for this video and have embraced a softer, more feminine style with a touch of glamour.

The perfect blend of amber, Palm Beach pink and bling, this video has everything . . . Watercolour, Hand-Embroidery, Glitter & Stamps!

Pull up a chair and your fav. supplies for card making with a difference! Blessings, K xo

Paint With Me | A Traditional Christmas - Watercolour & Embroidery - Gift Card Series

It's the most wonderful time of the year my Friends. Time to be thinking of long held family traditions, long newsy letters to those we adore and plenty of Christmas crafting. I love that the post is full of beautiful cards, messages of love and parcels instead of bills. It just adds to the magic and joy of the season.

I have 2 handmade cards to share with you today - 'Under the Mistletoe and Merry & Bright in a pretty layering of watercolour and hand embroidery. Don't worry, they are beginner friendly, I promise!

Plan With Me | November 2023 - Handmade Journal Pages

Celebrating November with a fresh, fun, holiday feel as we head into Summer here in Oz. The days are getting longer, the days hotter and Christmas is just around the corner. I love these days spent with my loves, BBQ'ing, laughing and swimming in the ocean.

I've created a fun Cactus Study & Shelfie this month as we play with a Mexican hacienda, vacay vibe. Who could ask for more? Grab your fav. supplies friends and let's get started xo 

Plan With Me | October 2023 - Handmade Journal Pages

"When life gives you pumpkins, make pie !"

This month is all about the Pumpkins - big or small, vibrantly orange or in soft shades of ochre and sage. Whether you are a huge fan of Halloween or more focused on Autumn, Thanks Giving or Fall, you are sure to love the pages for October.

Plan With Me | September 2023- Handmade Journal Pages & BONUS Printable

I've dedicated my pages to Spring and renewal as we say goodbye to Winter here in the Southern Hemisphere. I have loose white flowers in terracotta pots, a wee shelfie, a meadow of wildflowers and a scenic view to share with you this month. 

Spring has me reminding myself to be patient and kind as I live my best life and if it is all getting to be a little much, to dive into my creativity to replenish my heart and mind.

Pull up a chair . . . I'm so happy you're here! 

Paint With Me | Loose White Flowers - Watercolour Gift Cards

Playing with blooms, watercolour and gift cards today . . . the perfect recipe for happiness no matter what time of year it is. Loose flowers are the perfect jumping off point for all skill levels (get as real or as abstract as you like) and we will be talking, sketching style, colour mixing and organic shapes too.

Grab a chair Friends and join me for a moment as we focus on practice not perfection xo

Plan With Me | August 2023 - Handmade Journal Pages & BONUS Printable

I've been bitten by the travel bug this month as I sit down with you to create a glorious hour long video of mixed media journal pages.

Snippets of vintage ephemera, stamps, watercolour paint & pencils, gel pens and pigment liners, quotes and pretty typography.

Grab a chair my Friends and let's get started! xo

Make Your Own | Fabric Storage Box

Celebrating the release of our new DIY KITS, this instructional video will have you making the prettiest Fabric Storage Boxes you ever did see. Whether you choose to create with one of our Kits, or with all the beautiful fabrics you already have stashed away at home, all the details you need are right here!

How to Create Your Own Notepads

As an Artist + Designer who is always sketching or jotting down ideas, I always feel more inspired when I begin my musings on pretty stationery. Obviously I’m not alone in my love affair with stationery . . . ahem . . . introducing Kikki K, Typo, Daiso, to name but a few. If you are hoping to support local small businesses with a strong sustainable message, then options for your stationery can become rather hard to find and super expensive too. Here’s where you come in. Are you a doodler, a painter, a creative type? Do you make your own paper? Would you like to make a notepad or book with quality artists paper to enjoy a little plein-air (outdoor) painting? Or would you like to get the kids to help you make a special notepad for someone they love? Then you are in the right place my friend because this is exactly how I began my notepad journey and I’m looking forward to sharing all my tips and tricks with you!

First of all, just choose the paper, card-stock or artwork that you would like to use in your notepads. You won’t need expensive binding machines but you will need Padding Compound - the ‘magic’ glue and must have ingredient when binding books and notepads. This is the important ingredient that turns a simple stack of paper into a solid pad from which it is possible to tear out just one page at a time without destroying your whole book. And, before you ask . . . NO! standard PVA glue just won't do.

The 'How to' is actually so very simple . . .

1. Take your stack of loose pages that have been neatly trimmed to ensure they are all the same size. They can be coloured, white, lined, thick, thin or blank - whatever your heart desires

2. Tap the edges firmly on a table or counter top to ensure pages line up evenly - especially at the top edge where you will be applying the Padding Compound

3. Grab a handful of bull dog clips to hold your pages tightly together at the top where you will be applying the glue (most people will have them on hand at home, however they can be purchased very cheaply from any newsagent, stationery store, even your local supermarket. Mum and Dad may even have lots on hand at work that you could use and return once you are finished with them. Just make sure it is ok with the boss first).

   TIP: Add a thick piece of cardboard to the top and bottom of your stack (sandwiching your paper between). This will give your pages more substance - keeping everything secure and protected until the compound has dried. The cardboard will be removed once everything is dry at the end so don’t worry if it is recycled packaging you had on hand as it will be discarded at the end. Plus you can give yourself a little extra pat on the back for being kind to the Earth by doing something useful with excess packaging before it heads off to become landfill. In fact, I don’t throw my cardboard pieces away at all. I pop them in a craft drawer to use again next time.
   TRICK: If you don’t have any bull dog clips, carefully stack your pages and then place several heavy books on top of your notepads to compress the pages as much as possible ready for gluing. The books will need to stay in place until the Padding Compound has completely dried.

4. Take a small brush and your pot of Padding Compound and apply the glue in a light, even layer to the top edge or spine of your notepad | book - you will repeat this step several times to build up a nice even layer so don’t worry about being too heavy handed at first. The compound will be touch dry in around an hour, depending on the weather, and ready for a 2nd and 3rd coat. I then like to leave my notepads to sit overnight to dry. An expensive brush is not required so please don't go to the expense. Any small brush will do - something you can work with easily. I recommend you wash the brush well with warm, soapy water when you are finished - the compound is non-toxic but it is strong so the bristles will be hard as rock if you don’t ;)
   TIP: This is a terrific craft project to do with children as the glue is water based for an easy clean up AND can also be tinted with a drop or 2 of food colouring (did someone say rainbow?). Do take care to add only a drop or two of colouring to a pot of Padding Compound to ensure it doesn’t compromise the product. The pot too is refillable. Simply bring it back for a discount on your top up or repurpose in your craft room to hold beads, glitter etc.

5. If creating with children, the next step will need to be done by a responsible adult. Take a sharp blade - I use a craft knife with a curved blade. Once again, a specialised knife really isn't needed. Most people would have a flat edged kitchen knife that would do the job equally as well. Remove the heavy book weights or bulldog clips from the notepads and set aside. If you have used cardboard to stabilise the pages, place the stack back down on a hard surface and carefully slide the knife between the cardboard | packaging and the first page of your book. Taking care to cut away from you, slice the notepads apart. Tear the top page off (it may already be loose) and voila! Gorgeous, bespoke notepads made in your home and to your own specifications.
   TIP: Leave a chick piece of cardboard on the back of your notepad. Not only will it protect the last page, but it will create a solid surface on which to write.

I hope you have enjoyed this easy ‘How to’ Tutorial. The Notepads shown in the photos are my own and are available to purchase in store if you are interested. Having struggled to find pretty stationery with a sustainable, small business focus, I began to research how to create my own and this tutorial was born. For more projects like this one, connect with me on Instagram or subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I look forward to seeing you there!

Growth Planner - Notepads

Plan With Me | July 2023 - Handmade Journal Pages & BONUS Printable

Handmade journal pages that are guaranteed to make you smile. Let's talk self care, good mental health and kindness as we plan our July journal together.

Inspired by the whimsical quote from Beau Taplin . . .

"Rise and shine.
I've always held such fondness for that sweet old phrase.
As thought we are all little suns.
As though we are all someone's day"

We all have the ability to be bring a little sunshine into someone's day. I hope that I have brightened yours and if so, won't you please pass it on xo