i am heading off for a couple of weeks !

my sister, who works in the book industry
is heading to the london book fair
and convinced me ( without much trouble )
to come along with her . . .

so london, paris, and amsterdam
are on the itinerary with a little bit of
work for me along the way also . . .

i will be back here from time to time
with the odd photo and adventure,
as well as other bits of news
about exciting things that are coming up
to do with my work

and while i am away my wonderful studio
gals are holding down the fort,
and the online shop will stay open also . . .

i hope you have a happy and safe easter
and i'll see you in london !

australian poetry festival

the australian poetry festival this year is
being held in goolwa, south of adelaide
on the anzac day long weekend

i am going along as both a panelist and
spectator, it should be a wonderful weekend
with an eclectic and interesting mix of events,
readings, and panels . . .
but most of all a celebration of poetry

more info HERE

hearts . . .

between the name of my new book
and many requests over the past year or two
to bring back some hearts into my range . . .
i have created these in a similar style to the vintage button stars
i make for christmas . . .

and with mothers day around the corner,
hearts just screaming out to me when i
went and saw the fabulous alice in wonderland
a few weeks back, and as mentioned above
the word in the title of my new book . . .
it was only fitting that they emerge into my body of work again

they are now available online in my store . . .
for a special introductory price of $9.95 each
and i'll be keeping them instore as part of the christmas
ornaments this year also

oh, and they are made with an extra dash of love
x

everything is better when . . .

it is created with love . . .

my mum's garden has been flourishing lately
with not only flowers (which i sometimes feature)
but with herbs and veggies and all sorts of surprises . . .

she has been making yummy pesto with
the basil that is plentiful . . .
i thought i would make her some special labels to
go on jars of this autumn delight she hands out to
friends and family . . .
and us girls in the studio are lucky enough
to have this lovingly made pesto feature in our lunches
for the week . . .

my book launch

it's over a week ago now
but i thought i would share some photos of my book launch
taken by my dear friend lincoln . . .
it was a truly magical night, and i am
still coming out of the haze little by little.
the launch was moved to a room overlooking brisbane city
on the 3rd floor of GoMA
the beautiful speech that my publisher kay delivered
made me cry, and by the time it was my turn
to speak i was a quite overwhelmed, that coupled with the
amazing turnout, i was lost for words and fumbled through
my speech . . .
i am so thankful to each and every person that came along
and those that support me from afar
i am still getting through emails and promise i'll get through
all of them as soon as i can . . .

thank you so much for all your support
and thank you also to the gallery store and murdoch books
for hosting one of the most special nights of my life

there is a lot happening . . .

in paper boat press HQ
we are working on something rather exciting
i have been holding in the news for a long time now
and soon, maybe soon, i will reveal it . . .
there is still a few steps to go

the above photo was taken last thursday
of miss jen (one of my studio girls)
holding a clue to the mystery

my home

my home is full of flowers and little gifts . . .
i am still a little overwhelmed from the
amazement of friday night
i will be back soon with a full report
and photos of the launch

in the mean time . . .
thank you
x

sale in store

i'm doing everything but getting ready (it's the nerves)
for my book launch tonight

so thought i'd pop here and let you know i have a sale instore
from now until march 21
just write the code word
COURAGEOUS
in the discount code section in the checkout
and then press return
to obtain 15% off items storewide
(excluding postage)

ok, got to head off now and have and have a calming
cup of green tea

above: the back cover and title poem of a once courageous heart

cloud bowls . . .

finally my cloud bowl experiment is out of the kiln
and i've got more on the way !!!
now i know how they look fired, how the clay moves and works
with little cloud windows cut out of its surface. . .

this is hopefully the first of many . . .
i'll be sure to get some in to the store in the next couple of
weeks . . . months . . . as many of you have emailed
patiently awaiting their arrival

speaking of the online store
i am having a sale instore starting friday
i'll be back tomorrow with news of the code word
to be used to get 15% off storewide
it is to celebrate the launch of my new book
which is already in some shops around the country,
and will be officially launched friday at GoMA

some people

some people walk in the rain
others just get wet
- roger miller

it's a bit ( ok, a lot ) rainy here at the moment . . .

working with clay is a battle with the elements
of weather most of the time
wind...breeze...heat...dry...wet,
not to mention winter when it is cold and
your hands have to touch and be covered in
wet muddy clay for hours

but we persist, us potters,
because we love it
because it is our passion, our joy,
our work, our lively-hood

i walk in the rain of the process, even when frustration sets in,
and marvel at the fact that i work with the earth
( i sometimes forget that )
it is nice to be reminded of the elements . . .

and the whole circle of it all
( photo from my studio this arfternoon )