happy christmas

we hope it is fun and safe and full of
beautiful memories . . .

from all of us at paper boat press
we want to thank you for your
kind words and ongoing support through twenty ten

life can be random . . .

this year i've looked up a lot . . .
at ceilings
at the sky

here are two of my favourite ceilings . . .
in the most different of places . . .

above, a room in the rodin museum in paris
worth the visit just to see the camille claudel collection

and below the historic and facsinating hotel corones
in charelville where we stopped for a whiskey (or two)
on the way home from my grandmother's funeral . . .

it does pay to not just look at your feet
and where you think you are going . . .

it makes the picture bigger,
the journey wider,
the sadness briefly scatter . . .

where does the time go ?

i don't quite know

all i know, right now
it is time to
down tools for the year

phew . . .

i have to say i am looking forward
to a break
it has been a mighty big year
here at paper boat HQ

today was scrub the studio floor day
( luckily with the help of my brother )
and last, last minute shop top up
order sent . . .

a few more things to share before the year ends
in the mean time this is a shot of some of my studio tools
taken earlier this year
by talented photographer russell shakespeare

the shot is so beautiful that despite my tiredness
it almost makes me want to pick one up and use

pages . . .

my new journal range,
both in my online store and in the stores that stock them
seems to be a big hit !

it seems people are filling the pages
with the breathings of their hearts . . .

above is a beautiful shot sent to me
by my friend lou, a fellow collector of words and whimsy
from looseleaf.paper

fill those pages people . . .
send me photos of the pages you fill if you like

write

wander

wonder

c e l e b r a t e . . .

the other night i took all my studio peeps
out for dinner . . . all in all a bakers dozen !

they really are the best !

we have had such a big year
and the number of helpers has grown to cope
with the growth of this little business

the best thing of all is the friendship though . . .
the kinship
the place we have created
in each others hearts
( it sounds sappy but it is true . . . )
we help each other through the tough parts of
our day to day
creating a space of refuge and solidarity
where it is ok to come to work
and cry . . .

but don't get me wrong
there is a lot of fun too, a lot of laughter and
( especially the 'wednesday girls' )
a lot of chocolate

and as each year ends
i feel grateful personally and professionally to have this
circle in my life . . .
this team who work so very hard for me and paper boat press
but who have formed friendships within that space too

this friendship i know
just makes the work we do
full of even more love

it is amazing what can happen when your
heart is in the right place

thank you to my 11 gals and 2 boys
who make my work
not seem like work !
who make each day easier to get through
and make the creative life i live continue to flourish. . .

merry merry !

recently . . .

i've been in sydney for a couple of days
i visited one of my favourite stockists . . .
high tea with mrs woo
and had a great dinner
with the fabulous gals ( 3 sisters )
behind it all !
we've all felt like friends for so long ( via email )
as i've stocked both their stores for a few years now . . .
it was so nice to share the kindred journeys we've been on
the similarities ( despite the medium )
the hard work
the vision
and ethos of things we do . . .

walking into their store on oxford street
felt like home
full of beautiful touches . . .
a wall of their designs mixed with collections of
old frames . . .
and behind the counter a blackboard with their signature
quote . . . ( see top photo ) ,
one which i have made into a tag for them this year
( exclusively for them )

i purchased a very special
sculptured-pencil-thing
while there
which i'll share at a later date
it is just too beautiful not to share
and not to use !

i also had a long overdue visit to the
donna hay store
( did you see they have a brand new online store now )
the bricks and mortar store
is in a beautiful old sandstone building
and again lovely to meet karen, donna's sister
who has been my email work friend for the last few years
since i've started stocking the store

below are a few photos, one of the display at the counter
with this years ornaments . . .

it is always so great to see all our hard work
sit in a store . . .
in it's second home
before it heads to the next . . .

and finally amongst other outings
i was lucky enough to have lunch with some very dear friends
at this amazing bondi restaurant . . .

with star spotting to boot . . .
he arrived to have lunch just as we were all
sharing dessert . . . and with his arrival
i don't know if we really paid attention
to the sweetness we were eating . . .
it was a pretty swell few days all round really
which was just what i needed in this crazy time of year !

ok enough rambling . . . back to the clay now . . .

samples . . .

sample one :

from anthropologie
seeing the samples in the flesh
was surreal and wonderful . . .
this is the small dish,
i will reveal more when i get the ok too . . .
and they are released . . .
but it all feels very real now . . .
i can't wait to share what poems we used,
and what the vessels as a whole look like !

sample two :

pamela from pamela's pantry
made lots of these shortbread biscuits
as a swap for the biscuit press's
i made for her . . .

the biscuts were on our refreshments table on the weekend
with all the money raised
going to the orphanage in thailand we support . . .
so it all goes around really . . .

that, and the shortbread tasted great . . .
and of course proof that the biscuit press's work too !!!

...from a beautiful day

some

snaps

from

saturday last . . .

we had a lovely day at our annual christmas show on saturday
meeting some new customers,
and catching up with some long time ones . . .
thank you to all who came along and supported this
special day in the calendar of paper boat press . . .

and an extra thanks to
lisa
and sarah (who took these photos)
tiffany
teresa
selene
and luke

all who made the day so effortless and calm
x

annual christmas show THIS SATURDAY

paper boat press

christmas show

saturday 27 november

10am – 2pm

st francis theological college – 233 milton road, milton

(entrance via baroona road)

this year i'll be having a little sale table
with lots of end of line designs
and bits and bobs

as well as a collection of
christmas ornaments
new journals
poetry vessels
cloud brooches
earrings
and much much more

i hope you can pop in for a cup of tea

and for those who are in far away places
i will be back later in the week with
a discount code for a 3-4 day sale in my online store

. . . and while i am here
i just wanted to say a big
thank you
to all those lovely souls
who took the time to email or call
to congratulate me on the
anthropologie deal....
i feel very lucky to be so supported

x

some big news . . .

i've been keeping some exciting news quiet for
nearly 18 months now . . .
but i think the adventure can be revealed today

mid last year anthropologie
contacted me, interested in working with me
on a range of my poetry vessels
and after much conversation and working through
ideas i agreed and have been working
with them through this year . . .

you may remember this post . . .
miss jen is holding one of the sample vessels
in prototype stage . . .

it is an interesting thing, being a maker
and letting the work be reproduced . . .

there has been some thoughts of
'should i' but the thought of having my words and work
sprinkled through peoples homes,
on vessels that they use day to day
made it an easy decision in the end . . .

but most of all
at every step of the way
the commitment and respect anthropologie have shown
both myself and my work
has made working with the team such a delight

there will be three vessels in the first range
with a point of difference to my one off pieces,
a colour way especially for anthropologie,
with the text in blue . . .

also in tribute to the blue and white tradition . . .
( and lets face it, i use the word blue in a lot of my poetry too )

there is a platter, a large bowl, and a small dish

anyway, we are nearly ready for production to
begin and the range of vessels will
hopefully be available in the new year . . .
in the mean time, and as an extra and
very exciting part to this story
and why i wanted to tell you all today . . .

anthropologie have also purchased, and are now selling
in their stores and online
both my poetry books

i will be keeping you up to date
when the release of when the ceramic range is in store . . .

it is being produced in italy, and all year
the studio gals and i muse about
how nice it would be to have a site visit . . .
maybe i'll end up in new york one of these days
just to walk into one of their amazing stores and see my work
on their shelves . . .

a few dear friends have known of this news
( and a big thank you also to my dear sister
and all those who have offered great advice )
but now it is so nice to share it with you all
and i have to say
seeing the books on the anthro sight today
really made my day

found . . .

sometimes you need a distraction . . .
especially when you are shoulder deep in work
( work that i love mind you )
but a distraction is a good thing . . .

when traveling to london early this year
i bought a little bag of hard candy
( really only because it was made of letters )

when sharing some with a friend the other day
i told the her the story about something an
old boyfriend of mine from my early twenties gave me

he had a part-time job packing shelves
at the local supermarket at nights . . .

one night when he came to visit after a long shift
he presented me with a little film canister ( remember them ? )
it was full of tiny dry alphabet spaghetti . . .

he had cut open a bag when slicing the box open
( i can still imagine the thousands of little letters
flying all down the isle of the deserted supermarket )
before he cleaned them up he went through them
and collected eight little letters for me . . .

when i rearranged the little pasta letters
it spelled . . . well, see above . . .

it is a really sweet and lovely memory

and goes to show
it doesn't have to be much,

really anything much at all,

to show
someone that you love them,
that you care

and you never know what you can make when a
seemingly messy situation presents itself

something simple

simply something . . .

( these candy letters are far more edible than the floor collected
broken packet of alphabet spaghetti, but not nearly
as meaningful . . .
but arranging them for this little
journal entry and telling this story hopefully has made them so )

some snap shots . . .

here are some snap shots of my stall
last weekend at finders keepers. . .
( including amazing backdrop of
an old falling apart piano )

it was such a lovely weekend
full of beautiful smiling faces stopping by to say hello

my new journals were a hit

as were our new biscuit press's . . .
a request many years ago from my mum,
and more recently from a local and much loved
store - pamela's pantry, in paddington . . .

i am still coming up for air from
the GoMA twilight markets on friday night
which were also amazing !
i will share more photos ( of that market ) soon

in the mean time
a big big BIG thank you to the amazing sarah, brooke and alischa
from finders keepers
for running such a seamless and classy show

. . . and to my fabulous shop girls
teresa and sarah
( sarah, who also took these photos for me )
couldn't have done it without you !

GoMA twilight markets . . .

last weekend was the always fabulous finders keepers market !
( will share photos soon )

and this friday night i am having a stall at the
gallery store
twilight christmas design market

it is always fun and always full of lovely stall holders
we have a few new faces this year
as well as some wonderful supportive regualrs

all together there is 21 designers selling their wares . . .

the market starts at 4pm and finishes at 8pm
it is held just outside the gallery store
at the gallery of modern art
in the forcourt, stanley street
south brisbane

there's a cash bar
and lots of christmas shopping on offer

x

we are . . .

we are busy preparing for this weekends finders keepers

and sending out our big boxes of christmas decorations
to our wonderful stores . . . .

there just doesn't seem to be enough hours
in the day at the moment

i spotted this ceramic beauty the other day
( from one of my favourite places in paris )
inspiring decoration on porcelain . . .
( couldn't link to direct post so scroll down through the last couple )

i can't wait to have some head space
to do some new work . . .
this time of year, it is production work at the forefront,
and only a moment here and there for new work . . .

for play

for experimenting

for letting the drawings in my journals
reach into the clay

those days will come . . .

ceramic crush . . .

every now and then you come across work
that takes your breath away

that shows a unique vision,
a story,
a style that stands out amongst the masses . . .

a few weeks ago i visited
the finders keepers market in melbourne
for a day away, some time with dear friends,
and generally to support the markets and have
a day of christmas shopping
( buy handmade !!! ) . . .

when planning our trip we knew there was one
stall that we didn't want to miss
and we were quite overwhelmed with
the beauty of the work, it is every bit as beautiful in
real life as it is in photos !

( and of course couldn't walk away
without buying some treasures )

the stall : golden ink
a collaborative between
abby seymour and katherine wheeler

abby, a printmaker and katherine a jeweller
together they create the most lovely work

i won't ramble on
because there's a great interview
HERE
( that lets you know a bit more about them )

just thought i'd share
this inspiring, beautiful, and thoughtful work

[ all photos golden ink ]

finders keepers brisbane

we will be having a stall at finders keepers
saturday and sunday
november 6th and 7th

looks like it will be a great market
with friends from all over oz having stalls . . .
and a great line up of local talent too

hope you can pop by and say hello

we'll have lots of new work for sale
including this years christmas ornament range,
new journals, and a few other surprises
( as well as old fav's ... of course )

info on the market, the how to get there
and when ( and great music line up )
is HERE

the days not bluring into one . . .

as mentioned in a previous post . . .
these are the jacaranda's
reminding me of the seasons,
and showering our studio view with purple . . .

beautiful sad days . . .

i have been out west

to say goodbye to my beloved oma (grandmother) . . .
to lay her to rest in the place where she was from,
where her wisdom and her stories came from . . .

we gathered, and cried, and celebrated her life . . .
there was sadness, but also beauty . . .

a friend wrote to me this week and said
" we learn so much from that generation,
they experienced so much hardship and sadness in their lifetime . . .
and mostly survived through
their sense of humour and stoicism,
and an ability to get through . . . "

no truer words could be spoken of my oma . . .
with her humour being paramount

these words from my friend reminded me of the post i did HERE

my recent trip out to the willows,
where she lived these past years
will be held dearer than it was yesterday . . .
she was in fine form when i saw her then,
drinking her lambrusco (cherry cheer as she called it) . . .
telling her wild stories . . .
smiling and winking . . .

this is how i will remember her,
true til the end . . .

oma was my friend, my hero, and my confidant . . .
she always encouraged me to love with all my heart

i will always miss her

( the church my grandfather, opa, built )

( wildflowers we picked for her coffin )

busy bees are we . . .

punching out hearts

breaking for lunch . . .

stacking stars and birds in the afternoon light

making new earrings. . .

life in this online journal has been a little slow of late
a lot of family sadness going on
a lot of work getting done
a lot of not sleeping
a lot of packing and sending orders

my studio gals are keeping me calm,
they really are wonderful

the jacarandas in bloom peeking in from
the big open window of my studio
remind me of the seasons . . .

trust nature to hold the key to tell me
that the days are separate,
and not blended into one . . .

personalised stars . . .

it's that time already . . .
where do the weeks . . . months . . . go ?
cut off for making personalised stars is nearly here . . .

a cut off date is needed
so i can make sure they are made and sent in time
to hang on your tree

closing date for twenty ten is
15 OCTOBER

find all the info and how to purchase . . .
HERE

a paper boat

these paper boats of mine
are meant to dance on the ripples of hours,
and not reach any destination

- tagore

beautiful little paper boat by my friend kristina

places for things . . .

my home ( which also houses my studio )

is full of furniture that has been
collected, given, bought new, bought old,
handed down, salvaged . . .

it all somehow goes together . . .
or maybe i just think it does . . .

recently as my parents changed some furniture
in their rock house out west
i was handed on this rickety old cupboard
which i love so much

with a fine little painting on the doors by my mum,
and lots of room inside,
it is now home to trays and trays
of work that are cushioned well ( no vessels in here ) . . .

every time i think i am close to clearing the shelves . . .
more trays of work appear,
i sometimes wonder where it would have lived
before this cupboard was here . . .

sometimes things are handed to us when it is needed,
even if we didn't know we needed it . . .

and sometimes i have to remember
that this is how life can work in other ways too . . .

oh, that . . .

oh, that i could
shrink the surface of the world,
so that suddenly i might find you
standing at my side . . .

- wang chien

two wedge-tailed eagles
last weekend along a familiar road out west . . .

pencil cases . . .

also in store this week . . .

to continue my love of making special things
to help with writing and drawing,
doodling and dreaming . . .

pencil cases

released at finders keepers in june
and finally in my online store now

these pencil cases
were embroidered in brisbane,
then lovingly sewn for me by my fabulous
studio girl selene . . .
from a beautiful cotton/linen
in chocolate brown and natural

with linings to contrast the case,
and to match the embroidery and zip . . .

2 designs in the 2 colour ways . . .

you can find them HERE

pencils not included, but we'll be sure to put one in the parcel
when purchased from our online store . . .

journals are now in store . . .

my new range of journals are now for sale
in my online store
they are beautifully hard covered books,
with a white ribbon marker
and 144 blank pages for you to write all your
words and wonder

the cover has a lovely textured paper . . .
and the label with the quote is de-bossed
creating a lovely point of difference . . .

and best of all they are only $19.95 each

a w a y . . .

i've been away for a few days

visiting a very special part of the world . . .

a family home
a place of memories
a quiet corner

it rained the whole time i was away
we played trivial pursuit ( two good long games )
to pass some of the time . . .
mind you it was from a set that was 25 years old,
and the genus version at that !

my dad won both games . . . he is a bit smart really
a journalist who has lived through a lot of the news history
that was asked, and who knows what river
flows where and on what continent
and a historical literary knowledge second to none i know. . .

we all had to remember though, to answer with the knowledge that
the pack of questions was so old that countries have changed
( yes there was an answer that mentioned west germany )

and so far back that caroline chisholm
was the only australian woman once
who appeared on an australian bank note . . .
( the old purple $5 )
i did answer this question correctly with
thanks to primary school knowledge and an old
song by the overnight jones ( aka warner brothers )
called brunswick st girl if i recall . . .
i can't find the lyrics so am not sure
but will have to see if i still have the seven" around somewhere

it's funny what rainy days
and crazy old board games bring out !

it rained for so long
that the sandstone floor verandah
became damp from underground . . .

but made the patterns all the more beautiful

the little collections of things my mum
has placed around the house bought great inspiration

she gave me that beautiful white raku vase
to bring home with me . . .
it was made by a previous willows resident
and fired in a drum in the back yard by mum and dad a
few years back . . .

my brother made fantastic sushi,
one night for a family birthday . . .

tempura and all . . .
on a little gas stove on the back verandah
. . . not bad for a rock house kitchen in the middle of the bush

i collected a couple of stones that i know i will one
day pass on to a friend who i collect such things for
" why look for sapphires "
he once said
" isn't every stone as beautiful as another in some ways "

i took many more photos
which i will share in the coming days
but for now

it is these moments
from those days
i wanted to share . . .