New painting...at long last!

As I get ready to fly out the door for what seems like the millionth time today, I thought I'd pop in and share my latest painting. After sending myself almost blind trying to get this finished last night, I realised that:

1. I cannot paint at night, unless I'm happy for coke-bottle goggles to be a part of my wardrobe in the not-too-distant future.
2. Rushing a painting like this means blobs of blue paint appear in places they shouldn't. Which leads me to...
3. Painting at night only ends in tears...see number two above.

**Edited to add: I think I should clarify that, after making a mess of my first attempt, I started from scratch with this one. Just in case you were thinking I was trying to pass off a patched-up, less than top notch painting!**

So after all that, here it is:

"Ginger Jar in Ming"

original watercolour on paper, 210mm x 297mm

At the moment, this one is on hold for a client, otherwise I'll list it on Etsy later today.

I'll try very hard to pop in to all your lovely blogs today as well, I'm having serious withdrawals! 

See you soon,

Kerri 

Let's Just Call A Spade A Snow Shovel

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

I was going to go to my first outdoor antique market today, but due to the snow (sniff sniff) I am home. Unexpected housebound days allow me to do a little catch-up with a cup of hot tea and my dog on my lap (he couldn't be happier).

You can see why the English talk about the weather a lot - there is a lot to talk about!

A 'London Fog' so famous a coat company made a name for itself. This is what the weather report means by 'white cloud'? I am not accustomed to fog, but it was like driving through a blizzard with dry roads :)

We were treated with 'sunny spells' after the fog. Leaves still continue to turn and cling to their branches. 

A wonderful surprise about autumn - I can better see the view through the trees! Where I thought a forest had a rise, it actually is atop a lovely valley. Lots of charming homes now peek through the forest to my delight. 

(I think I held my camera behind me to take this shot whilst driving, which would explain why it looks like I'm on the wrong side of the road. Or maybe I am) ('whilst', very English)

Look - it is wintry inside our home. See our foggy window panes? I thought this only occurred in fictional drawings.  Now I'm keeping my eye out for a partridge in a pear tree :) Seriously!

Next up, jack FROST brings crunchy white grass and icy car windshields.

And for the last day of November, SNOW! My kids could not be more excited to see the fluffy white reminder of our old home (or more hopeful for a school 'snow day' tomorrow). Light up the fire and crank the Christmas tunes!

Being an optimist (and lover of warm weather), I sold my snow shovel at our yard sale in the US before we moved. Now I know what to put on my Christmas list this year :) 

I keep telling my husband we got off the boat at the wrong port...

Can anyone tell me how to roast chestnuts not on an open fire? I'd really appreciate it ;)

Be warm,
XO Laura

Pool renovation - the saga continues

Why do I do it? Leave things until the last minute, that is. Life has been insanely busy this last year, but of course, trying to organise the refurb of our pool in the lead-up to Christmas is nothing short of crazy. That's just how we roll here I guess, but next time, please remind me to tackle something like this at a more sensible time...namely in the middle of winter perhaps?

First point of call over the weekend was a visit to choose our pool tiles. Now, one thing I've learned is that this is very different from choosing tiles for your bathroom or kitchen renovation. You see, there are lots of factors to take into account when choosing colours for a pool. The surrounding area, paving materials and colours, the shape and style of your pool, natural light......and the list goes on. Usually, I'm fairly decisive and once I choose which 'look' I'm going for, the rest falls into place. But this time, the process was agonising! Glass mosaic, travertine, mother-of-pearl...there are so many lovely options, it's so hard to decide on just one.

although our pool is freeform and not formal like this, the colour scheme is the one I've gone for - light interior with a dark charcoal border tile.

actually, this is nothing like ours, but I do like the whole indoor/outdoor feel

 glass panels will replace some of our existing fencing

...and we'll be adding a new deck to the area as well

I'll share some of the horrible before shots with you all later today (brace yourselves!) but for now that's a little update on the saga. I'm banking on it being all being done and dusted in the next week or so, now the weather is heating up (at long last) and we can't have an Aussie xmas without our pool. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Enjoy your day,

Kerri 

Friday Fun: What's Your Sign?

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

As a follow up to my post Sign Of The Times, I can't resist photographing signs that are interesting or overly graphic.

I wonder how well attended this church is...

How sweet...

 Friday Fun: What do you think this Belgian sign is indicating below?

Please place your guess (silly ones welcome) in the comment section.

Because it is more fun when everyone plays!

XO Laura

Pool party anyone?

And so it begins....the renovation of our pool, that is! Our pool has been looking more like a swamp than an oasis of late, and that's because it's way overdue for a complete overhaul. And after the recent floods we've had here, we had the added problem of dirt and debris washing in from the back yard. I will post some revolting before pics once it's all nice and pretty again, but as it's just too horrendous to show at the moment I'll spare you until it's all finished. Of course, I have a file full of inspiration photos, and here are a few of my faves.

This pool is very similar to ours actually, and I'm thinking a little pool house would be just the thing to finish it off 

via coastal living magazine

 Barry Dixon via Coastal Living Magazine

 Barry Dixon via Coastal Living Magazine

via velvet and linen

One thing I do have to decide is what colour waterline tiles to use. As we live in a bushland area, I won't use anything too bright or vibrant (so turquoise and aqua are out, unfortunately), as it just won't suit the surrounds. I've also been following the building of Shannon Fricke's new pool, and I know she'll come up with something fabulous to suit her country setting. I'll keep you up-to-date with all the goings on as the renovation progresses. 

Happy Friday everyone,

Bedroom makeover - an update (of sorts)

You might remember this post, when I shared some pics of my painted canvas floor rug? Well, I had a little play with it:

and popped it on the wall in my daughter's bedroom. I do apologise for the terrible photo - it's the only one I have at the moment, as my former design assistant Darcy...

hmm, butter wouldn't melt!

...decided it would be great fun to have a chew on my camera's memory card. Thankfully, I have most photos saved to my computer, but I've lost some that I've taken over the past week or so. Of course, how could I be angry with him - just look at that face. And he was having such a lovely time, throwing it in the air and chasing it all over the studio, I didn't have the heart to be upset with him. But needless to say, a new memory card is on my shopping list!

Oh, and on a completely different note, I thought I'd share a pic of a new painting. It's loosely based on paper cut artwork, and as a little experiment, I thought it might be fun to paint a watercolour version:

'Paperie in Turquoise'

I'm still deciding whether to add a series of similar works to my Etsy shop, so I'd love some honest feedback from you all. I think this design could be tweaked a little to make cute Christmas tree cards in different colours:

'Paperie in Magenta'

'Paperie in Indigo'

So, what do you think? Honest feedback please my lovelies, I trust your judgement. Think of yourselves as my official market research team - albeit ones who are seriously underpaid, but greatly appreciated!

all images by me, and designs copyright Kerri Shipp 2010

Ringing In The Holidays

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US. My kids do not have the day off for the holiday, but I will be in their classrooms to help celebrate this American tradition. 

A few Americans I know will go to the US for the holiday, but most will be enjoying it in their UK home over the weekend or going to the local restaurant that caters to the Americans for this annual meal.

Classroom Thanksgiving Turkey Craft with London Map for Wings

I feel one step closer to the Pilgrims without my pre-made pie crust and other conveniences. And we may be eating chicken instead of turkey due to the size of our teeny weeny oven. The Pilgrims were good at improvising, weren't they? Or was that the explorers?

Anyway, Thanksgiving is possibly my favorite holiday due to its simplicity. No strings attached - just food and family, no gifts or fanfare.

As I reflect on what I am thankful for, the traditional list comes up - good health and friends & family who we cherish near and far. Yet this morning, I surprised myself by being thankful for my massage therapy training ten years ago that quietly transformed my thinking (I was a massage therapist until I had my first kiddo.) 

No. 1: Positive Thinking

One's mind, no matter the message, always wants to prove itself right. No matter what. So if you say 'I'm fat', you will try to make that message correct. If you say 'I'm creative', your mind will try to make that message correct too. Keep self-talk positive, always.

No. 2: Forgive Yourself

So while it may have seemed foolish to have moved that last piece of furniture by myself, which caused my disc to herniate in January, I didn't beat myself up over it.  If I could look into the future, I wouldn't make any mistakes, but not having that superpower and not being perfect, I make mistakes every day. I don't allow guilt to eat at me.

...

The next holiday is, of course, Christmas. Such a magical time, especially with kids. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Christmas season comes almost a month earlier than I am accustomed to. In the US, the season starts after Thanksgiving (end of November) while in the UK, it is kicked off after Guy Fawkes Day (beginning of November). 

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about having a longer season, but it actually is quite nice to have Thanksgiving in the middle of the Christmas season. I also don't feel as rushed to buy Christmas gifts because I've gained 3 weeks to do so. 

Yesterday a friend and I went to the Cologne Christmas Market in London along the River Thames.

Cologne Market with Big Ben in the Distance

If you are needing some 'cheer' while you are there, you can grab a cup of Jagermeister with Red Bull (Jager-Bombe). It tasted like cough syrup, but we had to give it a try. (Being explorers, not Puritans)

My favorite stall sold handmade Lithuanian houses. Smoke comes out of the chimney from a lit candle inside. I wish I had bought a whole village of them, but I'll have to settle for a photo of one. So adorable, don't you think?

So here is our current 5 day forecast. I think it is so interesting that 'white cloud' is a possibility. I've always smiled at their expression of 'sunny spells' and 'sunny intervals'.

We haven't had any snow yet - I hear the whole city shuts down with even the smallest amount because they don't have the equipment to care for the roads and train tracks. Apparently many cars here do not do well on ice or snow either. Another week of adventure ahead of us, now in the weather department!

Wishing you a very Happy (warm and cozy) Thanksgiving!!! Sending you the love...

XO Laura

Frankie Magazine's 'Spaces'

While tearing through my local shopping centre yesterday, I popped in to Borders and managed to find this gorgeous book. 'Spaces' is frankie magazine's new project. According to frankie, "Spaces is a collection of eclectic interiors from around world. This large-format mag explores the homes, studios, shops and cafes of graphic designers, photographers, vintage collectors and shop owners. With a focus on carefully curated style, Spacescelebrates the unique vision and individuality of creative people living everywhere from Melbourne to Amsterdam." Enough said, let's take a look inside:

images courtesy frankie magazine

Although I've managed nothing more than a quick flick through so far, I love the premise of this book. Taking a peek inside any creative's home and work space is always so interesting, and I can't wait to have a good rummage through. Maybe if I study these images really hard, I'll manage something that's so far eluded me - that effortless, 'thrown-together-without-a-thought-but-hey-it-looks-fabulous' kind of work space I can only dream of, instead of my actual 'thrown-together-and-looks-like-a-bomb-site' studio. One thing's for sure - frankie and I have a date this weekend. Oh, and one more thing:

quote and image by Mary Randolph Carter, President of Advertising for Ralph Lauren 

Couldn't have said it better myself, and if it's good enough for Mary, who am I to argue?

Saturation point

I've had these images saved in my file for some time now, but I've only recently discovered that the creative genius behind the lens is photographer Chris Court. It stands to reason that his images are full of texture and infused with rich, saturated colour - he is, after all, the brother of uber-stylist Sibella Court. Bohemian with a twist - I like it.

I'm in love with this office - swoonworthy

Check out Chris's website for more stunning images.