the butterfly collector

Come over for Afternoon Tea!!!

2008-05-13T23:07:00.003+10:00

You're invited to Afternoon Tea!!! Come visit me at my new blog at typepad!
www.thebutterflycollector.typepad.com
Get out your best tea cup and saucer , I'll be waiting with cookies!
I hope you can drop by and see my new artworks and adventures!

At the Stroke of Midnight and a Secret!!!

2006-12-13T17:25:00.000+11:00

There's a couple of things about to change in the world of The Butterfly Collector!!!

I have been working hard on some new paintings, the newest is above, a pretty Cinderella and her glass Slipper complete with green and lilac sparkles, collaged vintage wallpaper and beautiful printed tissue paper. I have decided to stick to this paint, collage, fashion illustration style on anvas and paper for a while and see where it takes me! Cinderella will be for sale soon in the Gallery Section of Madame Butterfly!

And I've been keeping a little secret ... the Grand Announcement .... I'm moving my blog!!!

I have decided to upgrade my blog and have been working on it for weeks! It's great, it has photo galleries, great list making ideas and is so much more fun and easy to use! Its also going to be an archive for my Madame Butterfly Gallery, storing all her fabulous recipes, projects and interviews!

So farewell Blogger at nearly 150 posts ( I'm glad it will still be here to come back and read! ) and hello Typepad!!! I hope all my wonderful regular visitors will come with me! I'd love to have you all come visit and re-link me up at my new address ... www.thebutterflycollector.typepad.com

I am taking all my links with me plus adding some new and fabulous ones too!

Can't wait to see you over there and thanks for all your visits and comments over the past year too , Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, love Shae xxx ooo

2006-12-11T09:38:00.000+11:00

Today I wanted to show off someone's work I have admired for a very long time! Helen Mary Stewart is a Mosaic Artist originally from New Zealand who makes the most wonderful Mosaics I have ever seen! Her signiture Shoes which she makes from old wooden shoe lasts and then adds heels are just divine. Her work is so intricate and delicate and she often adds beauiful embellishments and real gold plating and gold leaf! She also creates bowls, mirrors and has mosaiced entire bathrooms!!! Her website is a fabulous visual feast for those who love this artform or just want to be inspired... Visit her HERE!

Above the Clouds!

2006-12-09T14:50:00.000+11:00

Its so hot here today and the smoke from the huge bushfires that are hours away is smothering the atmosphere too! My husband's Uncle and Aunt have a house near Mansfield , only a few kilometres from the fire front! They are very well prepared, but we are still scared for them. I keep imagining how horrible the air must be there if we can smell the fire so strongly here! It would be nice to be in this little hot air balloon I started to paint for Drew's room and high above the clouds today!

2006-12-08T16:18:00.000+11:00

Today i wanted to show off what my mum made for Drew for his birthday last week!

She made him a ZOO! He loves it and I thought I would share it for all of those of you who would like to make one for your kids or with your kids!!!

First she took a storage box and covered the ouside of it in animal fabric! Then she lined the inside in a plain fabric and cut out fabric and felt pieces to create trees, roads, entrances, ponds and walkways!

She went shopping in Toy shops and 2 dollar shops and found some mini trees and fabulous animals!

She also bought some mesh and glossy cardboard gift boxes and turned them into an aquarium, a shop and enclosures and pools for the animals!

Andrew thinks its great and I know a secret too!, Mum is making him a farm too for Christmas!

Be a Goddess!!!

2006-12-07T09:41:00.000+11:00

I featured this wonderful book in Madame Butterfly this week! I love it so much that I thought I would share it here too! The Goddess Guide is by Irish girl, illustrator and journalist Gisele Scanlon! It is her collection of fabulous things from all different countries, great shops, fantastic interviews with designers, beauty tips, interior tips, and every page layout is just wonderful! It's a big fat book of wonderfulness with her quirky collages and fashion illustrations! Get ye to a bookshop to check this one out! It comes very highly recommended from me. I was lucky enough to recieve this as a present, maybe you could put it on your wishlist for chrissy. Read more about it here!!! Oh and the cover is flocked velvet! Beautiful!

Madame B's Vintage Christmas

2006-12-05T10:29:00.000+11:00

In this week's Madame Butterfly Gallery things have gotten very pretty indeed and very Christmassy too! The countdown has began! We are featuring the fabulous Lilia Meredith who I discovered in Flickr posting beautiful photos under her alias FLEA MARKET STUDIO, everything she creates is just beautiful and take a look at her very inspired Shabby Chic Christmas Decor! some of her pretty little things are pictured above!

In the Creative Cabinet I've creted a fun project this week to make your own Studio Door Decoration and we are doing White Christmas as our Afternoon Tea Recipe.

We are also showing off some fabulous books we love and there will be more Vintage Wallpaper Packs going into the Gallery during the week too!

Last of all, there is only 4 weeks to go until Santa comes and we have some beautiful gift ideas in the Boutique . Don't forget our gift service too ... we can wrap and mail it for you!!!

See you there!

Party Time!

2006-12-04T13:24:00.000+11:00

TA DA !!! Here is our Birthday Cake extravaganza for this year!!! We had to top last years one and I had done a hot air balloon illustration for his party invitations, so the balloon cake was born! He loved it and so did everyone else! We had so much fun decorating it too! Now I have to think up something for next year!

Andrew's Birthday party was so much fun, he had a ball and got so many new things to play with that I think we really need a new and bigger house to fit them all in! We had our friend Dave, who is a photographer take some black and white photos of Drew and us to frame. They turned out really great and I especially love this one above! Even if he has got Birthday cake all over him! What a cutie pie!

We put up our Christmas tree on Friday and Andrew was so excited. It has more baubles and lights and decorations and stuff on it than actual tree! But we all loved putting it together and it is the one I had when I was little. Mum even gave me the decorations from when I was little to hang on it!

And this is the fun little project I made for this week's Creative Cabinet in Madame Butterfly!

I used lots of fun collage bits and pieces like glitter, tissue and crepe papers and buttons and some more embossed and textured Vintage wallpapers to make up this fun medallion to hang up on my studio door! Make one for your own in your favourite colours, it only took me about half an hour to whip up! I will post it to the Madame B sometime today ! See you at the next post with hopefully some more creativity to share!!!

He's TWO!!!

2006-12-01T21:28:00.000+11:00

It's been a quiet time in blogland for me the last few days! But I'm back with a personal post!

My little Drew turned two on Thursday! I can't believe he s two already! We had a fabulous day! We took him to the pool where he had a ball, gave him the swing and slide set pictured above! He also got lots of beautiful new books and an Elmo dvd too! And we still have the big birthday party on Sunday coming up!

We have officially already run out of room in the house for toys and I'm not sure what we will do after Christmas comes! There is talk of moving to a bigger house!??? Maybe I need to have a clean out and give some to charity! I've told him he is a very lucky duckie and know he is walking around saying that too! He also says "Of Course" to everything we ask him too! Funny Ha! Have a great weekend and I'll be back with some new things I'm making soon!

Sparkly,Pretty things

2006-11-28T22:57:00.000+11:00

I've been busy beading!!! My new found skill has come in handy to make my Mum and others some Christmas Pressies!!! I've started this pretty sparkling mobile for her and haven't quite finished but thought I' d show it off anyway! It's got beautiful smoky diamond and clear vintage style beads and some fabulous keys I found and painted up to make them a bit old, worn and rustic! I hope she likes it !!! I do anyway and now want to make myself one too! I've also started one for a friend with chunky old buttons, buckles and beads, it's a bit more industrial looking with found objects!

And here's some of my gorgeous Vintage Haul from the weekend! I went op shopping with my brother and Drew and we found a few wonderful surprises hidden in a couple of stores! This gorgeous Butterfly tray which I fell in love with instantly! Also found lots of wonderful buttons and jewellery bits and pieces to make things from! My Mum also gave me some fabulous things that had been hiding in her garage too! Some great fabric and wallpaper froms days of old and some more of my Nan's wonderful button collection! I lso found some very cute Beatrix Potter Books for my sister, she

wants to collect them for her little girl and I found this pretty little beaded wire box which I'm not sure what will live in their just yet! But it will make something a special home I'm sure!

Now I'm off to visit some of my blog friends, I seem to not be able to keep up with everyone these days and must find out what you all have been up too, see you tomorrow!!!

Madame B's wonderfulness this week!!!

2006-11-27T09:08:00.000+11:00

They're finally here, the gorgeous Paper Fantasia Vintage Wallpaper packs we've created for the Madame Butterfly Gallery have been placed carefully in the boutique, all wrapped up in shiny cellophane and looking for their new homes!!!! There are five sheets in each pack and it's all beautiful! Some are textured, some are satin finished, some have fabulous patterns! Just imagine all the wonderful things you could make a do with these! I've been using them as backgrounds in Collages, wrapping paper and for backgrounds in my scrapbooks! All the pieces have been cut to A4 size and the packs are $12 each! We will have more in the next week in more different patterns and textures too !!!!Our Recipe for Afternoon Tea this week is DELICIOUS Double Choc Chip Muffins! YUMMMM!

And our Project was made from some of the Vintage Wallpaper!!! Cookie Cutter Gift Cards! They are really easy and fun to make and will look fabulous on your Christmas Presents!

Getting these out made me want to make Gingerbread Men!!! So I think they may feature as a recipe for the Afternoon Tea page sometime in the next couple of weeks!

And for an extra surprise this week we are featuring two CREATIVE TYPE Interviews!!! The first one is in the Creative Cabinet Section with one of my favorite Artists and Crafters that I discovered in Flickr! Kathleen writes the Liquid Sky Arts Blog and her site is just the most inspiring and beautiful place to visit and see her amazing jewellery, paper arts and products and gorgeous photographs! One o her creations is just beloW!!!

And we've also interviewed Jewellery Artist Alyssa Beeby in the Dressing Table Section whose beautiful necklaces we've been featuring in the last week! So click over and enjoy and have a fabulous last week of November!

2006-11-24T08:45:00.000+11:00

I've just found out about a fabulous market being held this weekend in Malvern! The Magnolia Square Christmas Market is filled with stalls from new and up and coming labels, crafters and artists! From the pictures on their site it looks like it's going to be great! If your in Melbourne and love arty, crafty markets then this could be for you!!! Check out this link for all the details !!!! WWW.MAGNOLIASQUARE.COM.AU Have a great weekend!!!!

2006-11-23T23:06:00.000+11:00

Ahhhhhggggrrrrhhh!!! I've just had one of those days where you just want to run away by yourself for ten minutes ( more if possible) with a cup of tea and a good book or some magazines and take a break away from your world! I think I actually need a whole day to do this! Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Today my beautiful little Drew decided to be a little rascal! He has just discovered he can climb up to our kitchen bench and then reach up on top of the microwave for an assortment of goodies! Today I had the whole sugar bowl spilled everywhere, he decided to eat handfuls of it's contents while I was out of the room for a moment! He also emptied half of our Cinnamon container and broke one of my favourite bowls! But the worst thing is he broke the shutter on my camera and put sugary hands all over it! I spend so much time keeping things out of his reach and keeping him safe and looks what happens when you turn your back for a moment! The terrible two's are really here now, tantrums and all! But he is just SOOOoooo adorable and is already forgiven!

The Joys of Motherhood!!!!

A Vintage World!

2006-11-22T21:41:00.000+11:00

I've been in a bit of a creative slump lately with my paintings! I keep creating patterend backgrounds and then not doing anything with them !!! But this week I think I've had a breakthrough with the direction I'm heading! I've just bought myself some new beautiful books with lots of Vintage Style things to inspire me and pulled out my vintage wallpaper collection too! I'm going to make some beautiful collages for my Son's room, in a transport theme! He loves cars, buses and trains! And I'm going to use some of this fabulous wallpaper to inspire me! In fact I have so much, we've decided to make up some wonderful packs of it for sale at Madame Butterfly!!! Here's a sneak Peak! They'll be in there very soon! I'll let you know when so you can snap some up for your own fabulous creations!!!

This week in Madame B's Gallery

2006-11-20T21:14:00.000+11:00

So what's new in this week's issue of Madame Butterfly???? Well we've got very delicious Chocolate Truffles to make in the Afternoon Tea section. We've got a great little article on Beading and Jewellery making in the Creative Cabinet, with lots of inspiring ideas! Also in the Cabinet is a

new project for this week by a Guest writer ... the fabulous Maize Hutton on how to create a Freezer Paper Stencil. In the Dressing Table are some fabulous ideas on making over your wardrobe space and clearing the clutter and those clothes we've been keeping forever and know subconciously that we'll never wear again!

And our Creative Type Interview this week is with Australian Jeweller, Artist and Object maker Simone Walsh! Click over and step into her beautiful world!!! Her Sterling Silver Butterfy Wing is below! www.madamebutterflygallery.com.au

Sunday School

2006-11-19T22:56:00.000+11:00

Today I've taken a lovely ride in the car into the country all the way to the tiny town of Dean's Marsh. It's about a 15 minute drive up through the rainforest from Lorne on the Great Ocean Road! If you are a Victorian Aussie you'll know that Lorne is is a posh seaside town ith fabulous hotels and bed and breakfast's and lots of nice shops and restaurants! Anyway, Dean's Marsh is a hippie little town with a general store, a cafe and pub and the centre piece of the whole town ... the Sacred Moon Gallery!

It's a great old weatherboard church revamped into a cafe and gallery by an artist called Cinnamon. She is incredibly talented and makes sculptures, door handles, screens, window decorations, furniture and mosaics from steel, wire, old farm machinery bits, glass and loads of other bits and pieces. The place is fabulous with all handmade art and crafts from artists in the area and it also has a plant nusery and a bookshop too!

Anyway today I did a three hour silver clay workshop there with a silversmith. It was fun but fiddly to work with ( just like working with clay) and I made a pure silver butterfly wing pendant to bring home, finish polishing and add some beads and a chain to! I will show photos when I'm done, I promise!

So in it's place I've decided to show off this necklace I made on Friday night whilst watching Being John Malcovich on Teev! ( great movie, five stars from me!!!). This is only my second attempt at making jewellery and I'm learning a lot along the way already! I think this one is going to a girlfriend of mine for Christmas. She's a bit of a hippie chick and it's turned out very summery too!

And my apologies to any of you trying to access Madame Butterfly tonight. We are having a little bit of work done on it and it may not display until tomorrow if you click over there. Hopefully will all be done in the morning and I can set about posting this week's great things on the site!

in love with MUCHA !!!

2006-11-18T20:14:00.000+11:00

Today I went to my local little gorgeous gift shop. It's called Goose and every time I walk in it's with wonder and awe in my expression of the most beautiful things they have displayed in there! Well, today I bought cards!!!! I really should be making my own, but they were just beautiful and I couldn't resist. And I rediscovered this wonderful artist whose work is pictured here and bought some cards with his work on them. This is Art Nouveau Artist Alphonse Mucha. His work is very famous, you have probably seen it elsewhere. His Moet and Chandon prints are kind of everywhere!

Check out more of his beautiful work here and if you love greeting cards as much as I do then visit Flame tree Publishing for MUCHA and more!!!! Tomorrow I am doing a Silver Clay jewellery short course and this Art Nouveau find might be a great inspiration for whatever i end up making! Will show you when I bring it home! Have a fabulous weekend!

some favourite things

2006-11-17T00:03:00.000+11:00

Last night I made this mosaic on Flickr of some of my favorite photos that I'd been in love with for a long time! Some of them are by some of my fave artists and crafters in there too! If you click over to my favorites flickr pages you can click on each one and more AND visit the person who created that photo!!!! Believe me when I say they are some very talented people and it's worth the adventure! I love all the colours in these and find them so inspirational to look back over and add to! Some other things that are happening around here ... Sold today ... a lucky soul who bought the Nikkishell created Vintage Girl Craft Roll ( I will miss her, that one was my favorite!) There's lots of things to take to the post office tomorrow and I have a playgroup combined birthday party to help plan! And I stupidly said I would make the plum pudding this year for Christmas!!! I must get started with my fruit and brandy this weekend! ( very scared, never made this before, it must be good, people expect it to taste like Nana's,oh no, HELP, what in the world have I got my self into???)

Bejewelled!!!

2006-11-15T15:39:00.000+11:00

Today I thought I would show off my friend Alyssa's amazing necklaces. We are stocking some in the Madame Butterfly Gallery at the moment and I've made up some photo mosaics so we could show off some of the intricate details of them. I'm just so in love with the paua shell one below! Their are five in the Jewellery section of the Gallery if you want to see them all!

I also made mosaic's up of Nikkishell's fabulous craft rolls. They have 39 sewn in compartments so you can store all your craft tools like knitting needles, crochet hooks, paintbrushes and pencils. Roll them up and carry them safely wherever you go! I thought these would be a great idea for Christmas Presents. Very tempting when you own lots of crafty stuff like me!

I especially love the one below, such gorgeous fabric! I love the girls, their dresses and that bird is divine!

And last night I recieved an invite to visit the new Iggy and Lou Lou website which is amazing. The new collection s totally wonderful. The scenery is amazing, the music will make you think you've stepped in to the foest, a pirate ship or you are a damsel in distress. A lot of fun to be had over there, you must visit or I will throw you overboard! Ha HA, me hearties . One of their beautiful butterfly platter's is pictured below!

Oh yeah and I visited Emily this morning and she has been painting her walls now, have a look they are just wonderful. If I did this I think the landlord might kill us or screech with delight????

a hard week!

2006-11-14T15:30:00.000+11:00

This week has started as a bit of a struggle. We have had a close family friend die, which has been hard. I just can't seem to think straight or get organised for anything. When that happens and suddenly too, it really makes you think about the fact that we are not here forever and think about what you realy want to do with your life!

I accidently missed Andrew's two year old health check up at our maternal health centre and now have to wait until January. I am cleaning like mad as we have a house inspection this week and I want it to be spotless, they will probably not even notice, but you know! And I can't seem to make it to playgroup because Drew is always asleep when it is on. I miss all the girls and the kids too!

On good notes though, I had my first weigh in and measure at the Gym and have seen results already after three weeks which is great! The house inspection has made me think about having a serious spring clean ... maybe it's time to get rid of my hoards of paper and magazines. I also started a mini garage sale on ebay too! And I found this gorgeous picture above in a recent mag. It's a rack that's been especially built to show of gorgeous books! I aspire to own one of these one day! I'd love one for Drew too!

Christmas Stockings and Apple Crumble !

2006-11-13T14:19:00.000+11:00

apple crumble

nikkishell's craft roll

embellished mini canvas project!

nikkishell's christmas stockings

I've just about got this week's Madame Butterfly Gallery issue in order! There's lots of great stuff in there including a Creative Type Interview with NIKKISHELL and I get to show off the wonderful things she made for our Boutique. The most gorgeous one of a kind Christmas Stockings and some great Craft Storage Rolls! They are going in just in time for Christmas! I've written a cute little project on how to make a little Embellished canvas like the one above and we have a guest writer too, who has written a short story for the Dressing Table Section!!! We've also put in a delicious recipe for afternoon tea... Apple Crumble ... YUM!!!

Click over to see! ...

SNOWFLAKE Tutorial!

2006-11-12T23:49:00.000+11:00

Hi from here on Sunday night!!! I thought I would post the Snowflake tutorial from last week's Madame B here, in case anyone missed it and wants to make some for Chrissy! Have Fun!

MADAME BUTTERFLY'S CREATIVE CABINET

This week’s PROJECT ... CREATE A SNOWFLAKE!

Here's a fun and simple project to make for Christmas !!!Its approaching fast and these Snowflakes are quick and simple to make! You can add them to your own tree, give them as presents, tie them on to the top of presents or even get your kids to make their own special one to hangup too! Lets Get Started ...

YOU WILL NEED ...Lots of Coloured Sparkly BeadsA Roll of thin Bendable WIRE Small Pointy Nose Pilers ( or jewellers pilers)Small Wire Cutters ( or jewellers cutters)A length of Ribbon All of the above should be available at your local craft store!

TO CREATE IT ...1. Cut five pieces of wire from the roll. They should each be approx 20cm long.

2. Line them up next to each other and thread all of them through a bead. Place the bead in the middle and then twist the wires tightly at either side of the bead and splay them out like a star! The bead should now not be able to move.

3.One at a time, start threading beads of different colours and sizes onto each piece of wire. Push each one down tightly. Leave a gap of about one centimetre at the end. If it is longer, just take your pilers and cut it to size.

4. Take your pointy nose pilers and bend this end into a loop, place the end back into the last bead to make it neat.

5.When you have completed each beaded arm and loop, splay all the wire arms out to form a Sparkly and beautiful Snowflake.

6. Use a length of ribbon threaded through one of the loops to hang your masterpiece!

fabulous new jewels

2006-11-10T14:30:00.000+11:00

I've just recieved some fabulous new things for the Madame Butterfly Gallery's Boutique that I'm really excited about! My business partner and I have decided recently that we would love to buy a lot more handmade and hand crafted things and art for the site. So here's a sneak peek at what will be arriving in the gallery this week!

We're showcasing some fabulous handmade neckpieces by up and coming Jewellery Artist Alyssa Bailey, a few close up shot of her original work are above! She hand weaves wire and beautiful beads and pendant together to make wonderful jewels!

I'm also really excited about stocking some of Nikki-Shell's handcrafted and sewn Christmas Stockings and and craft rolls to store and carry your knitting needles, crochet hooks and other sewing and crafting essentials! She has used the most delicious fabrics and trims too! I secretly want to keep them all for myself! I am going to spend the rest of the day taking fabulous photos of them all and will place them in their spots in the shop early next week! We are also doing interviews with both girls so you can get to know more about them and their crafting!

In other news , I've been creating my littl Drew's birthday invites, I can't believe he's nearly two already, I been up to Melbourne to visit my sister and Mum. We had a fun day in the city, walked the arcades, had a nice afternoon tea and saw some very scary looking dresses on women heading out to Oaks Day Horse Racing. I stood at the window of Douglas and Hope and wished for everything ( can you believe they still don't have a website!) and I finally made my first visit to the Buttonmania store in Flinders Lane. It was gorgeous, but a lot smaller than I thought. There were some beautiful Porcelain buttons in there though and I'm going back for there big sale soon! Until Tomorrow ...

How much is your blog worth?

2006-11-08T09:19:00.000+11:00

My blog is worth $10,161.72.
How'>http://www.business-opportunities.biz/projects/how-much-is-your-blog-worth/">How much is your blog worth?

click on the link below if the one above doesn't work!
www.business-opportunities.biz/projects/how-much-is-your-blog-worth/
How hilarious is this little piece of interesting information?
I was reading the MirrorMirror blog this morning and she had posted this link to find out how much your blog is worth! Yes, someone really does have too much time on their hands to work this stuff out! I think it is worked out by how many visitors you have etc .... I've since discovered that a few of my fave blogs are worth over a million! Wow! What is really interesting is if they were actually sold, what would happen to them? I feel that the soul of them would be lost! Most of the wonderful blogs I read would be nothing without the personality and creative minds that are behind them! TRUE? Anyway a fun and silly exercise for today, my lovlies!

morrocan bird

2006-11-07T19:15:00.000+11:00

I found this wonderful necklace over the weekend and fell in love instantly! It was destined to be mine ...it was on sale, it was gorgeous and it had Aqua on it too! I Love the bird and it reminds me of pictures of Morroco for some reason!

I actually ended up in a bead shop after that where I spent a small fortune as I've just completed a jewellery making course. ( I've also discovered that they're are lots of internet stores where you can buy the same things at a quarter of the price and quadruple the quantity!!!) But yet another hobby to add to my collection! The plan is to now make lots of gorgeous Chrismas presents for all the girls in my life! I've made two already, but they are sworn to secrecy until Dec 25th. I'll show you then!

Snowflakes, Tea Cups and Pretty Presents

2006-11-06T20:36:00.000+11:00

These delicious looking cookies are a creation I've been working on for a while. They are Madame B's Muesli Cookies, they are yum and have lots of healthy stuff in them and I've published their recipe on the Afternoon Tea page this week! In fact there is lots of fabulous stuff in this week's Madame Butterfly Gallery!!!

I've written some fun projects and ideas for Gift Wrapping, Christmas Present Ideas, starting a Collection ( like for instance, TEA CUPS!!!) and showing off some of the things in our Boutique!

I've also done a great interview with self taught Assemblage and Mixed Media Artist, Chrysti, one of her gorgeous birds is below!!! She creates the most fabulous artwork and seems to produce so much! I'm jealous of her never ending energy to create and spend so much time on her work! It's eye candy with so many small, delicate and interesting pieces on each collage!

And in the Creative Cabinet this week I've written a project on how to make Ornamental Snowflakes for Christmas! my favorite on is below. I used lots of pearls and crystal beads! They are surprisingly easy and fun to make! I'm going to wrap mine as decorations around chrissy pressies for my family and friends. What will you do with yours???

owls, deer, squirrels and such!

2006-11-03T14:41:00.000+11:00

I wanted to share these lovely little critters I found whilst a clicking about in the Anthropologie website ( yes, I went to visit again, everything is just so beautiful) and I'm looking for delicious chrissy pressies too! That's my excuse anyway! They are terribly adorable though, don't you think? We are also about to start trying very soon to coax our little Drew in to his own bed. So to make it fun for him, we are on the lookout for some fun things to hang from a big mosqiuto net we've bought and make it like a big tent! If you have any suggestions or advice on this one? They would be greatly appreciated!

And today I was reading an english magazine and came across this wonderful artist and her site! Petra Boase designs and creates gorgeous baby clothes and stationary, greeting cards and kitchen ware. I actually think I have seen some of them before in the Douglas and Hope store on Brunswick Street in Melbourne! I Loved clicking on everything in her site! It's all so very cute and tempting! It's a must visit to see her beautiful Owls, Deer and Such!

stationary feats and pink galore!!!

2006-11-02T09:07:00.000+11:00

I've been a busy bee ( or maybe that should be a busy butterfly?) making so many gift tags for Madame Butterfly in the last few days, they run out so quickly! I should probably get some printed but I like to make them and it's nice to have something handmade to send in the mail!

And these are the other project I've been busily working on. Party Favors to go in showbags for a cocktail party promoting a hairdressing salon! It is great to be able to add a little promo for the website to all the bags and I hope all their clients love them! Some have bracelets, others have necklaces and more still have earrings! I have over a hundred to finish and have been madly wrapping them while my little one is asleep. And see the little pink baskets they are sitting in, I love them! I bought quite a few of them for my desk from an office supply store and they have been very handy for sorting little things. This whole room is being taken over by PINK! and a bit of orange too!

circus, colour, cards!

2006-10-31T09:26:00.000+11:00

So, here's what I've been up to the last few days! Madly off to the gym every day, I am determined to get fit and I just found this fabulous women's gym near my house where you go for 30 minutes every day and train on a circuit with strength training machines! It's fabulous, is over before you know it and I am really enjoying it! Which is great because I have never been one to love exercising at all and I hate participating in team sports. I can already see a difference in my arms after 8 sessions! Really must keep this up and eat better too!
The gorgeous little geshia girl above is by artist Stephen Mackey, who I just love and I have put him in the creative cabinet of Madame Butterfly today, click over to see more of his beautiful work!

And I made this card over the weekend to go with the present I made below for my beautiful friend Ange who is about to have her first baby! It's a memory board for the nursery in "Circus" theme! It's quite a bit lilac and purple, her favorite colours! I used lots of vintage buttons, lot of gorgeous ribbon and made bunting flags from felt on the sewing machine! I hope she liked it and that it fits in with her nursery theme! Oh and lastly , I still have my heart in my mouth from last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy. I have been all teary so many times from this show lately, I can't wait for the next season. I feel like watching the whole thing over again, I missed a few episodes! The characters and actors are fabulous and besides who would'nt want to to tune in to just watch Mc Dreamy every week? I'm off to lunch with my sister and the kiddles today! Hope you have a great one too!

A Creative Week ...

2006-10-30T10:18:00.000+11:00

Hi hope you had a beautiful weekend! I've been a busy girl creating, finishing some projects and writing some fun things for Madame B! I also attented a Baby Shower for my good friend Ange in a restaurant on a country estate, it was a beautiful day out and gorgeous food!
Another fun and very creative week coming up in the Madame Butterfly Gallery too! I'd love you to come and visit! We made a delicious and rich caramel slice which you really must try, it's quite easy too! It's lovely with a cup of tea and a good book , I know I tried it, it comes highly recommended!!!

We also go on a shopping Adventure to Melbourne's GPO building in the heart of the city, which was lots of fun! And we got to listen to the songs of these lovely birds ( above )whilst there!

Madame B's project this week is to create a Mosaic, which is lots of fun if you've never tried it and is like doing a jigsaw puzzle in a way! So if you like puzzles, get ye to the olde Op Shoppe and get your hands on some beautiful plates and dishes to smash to smithereens!

And our Creative Type this week is the gorgeous and talented Sarah L Hanson. She tells us all about her creative pursuits from her home in Texas, her new line of original jewellery and her beautiful mural paintings! Plus of course there are new fairytales all week and today we feature Antoni Gaudi, the famous architect and his beautiful buildings in the Creative Cabinet! See you there!

2006-10-27T16:35:00.000+10:00

I came across this site the other day and it just took me to another world!!! I think Tim Burton might live there, it reminded me so much of his beautiful work! Miss Clara is an amazing French site and you just have to visit to see for yourself all the amazing creations over there! The paper bags and shoes, the characters, the fairytale like scenes with the gothic architecture thrown in, the music, the whole site is wonderful, unfortunatley I cannot read French ! I am speechless and must go back for another visit myself soon! AMAZING!

A Bird in the Hand or a Box ?

2006-10-26T09:54:00.000+10:00

I am just recovering from the excitement of a great window shopping experience on the web! I clicked and clicked until I could click no more, everything is gorgeous and inspiring and wonderful and I especially loved the wall Decor section where I found these gorgeous shadow box artworks! Anthropologie is a sight to see, thankyou Emily for sharing your fave store, unfortunatley they don't post overseas ( maybe that is actually a good thing for me?) I really must start a Christmas pressie hunt though, I've only bought one so far, a gorgeous piece of jewellery from here! I'm thinking about only buying gifts from Indie designers this year! Original and unique gifts will be a plenty from under our tree! Oh and I still have hardly any Tree Deco's, any suggestions????

a wandering!

2006-10-25T22:05:00.000+10:00

This week I wrote a little project in Madame Butterfly about going for a walk in your own Neighbourhood and finding something new and wonderful you've never noticed before!
I actually walk a lot around mine ( not having a car at the moment ) and I always try to walk down a street I've never visited before! I found these great berries on a tree recently and just fell in love with their colour! The photo doesn"t do them justice at all and I have no idea what they are! But they inspired me to go home and paint! And Drew is starting to explore and pick up interesting things too, so I am making up a little shadow box of the things he brings home for him to keep!
I've also been busy making up mini show bags for Madame B for guests at an upcoming cocktail party! They will all recieve a little something from the Gallery, lucky ducks!! Better get back to it, I have 100 to do!

A new week and a new Background!

2006-10-23T10:09:00.000+10:00

Lamington's are our recipe for the week on the Afternoon Tea page in the Madame Butterfly Gallery! I thought we should include this very Aussie and delicious treat that I have eaten since I was very small and they are not very hard to make either! We've also updated all the other sections for the week too ... A new fairytale and a trip to the Beauty Cabinet in the Dressing Table Section. There's a new "Creative Type" Interview with fabulous crafter Little Miss Meshell and new projects in the Creative Cabinet too! And new fun updates everyday! We are hoping to inspire you into Creative Action!!!! Check them out !

We had a busy weekend! But I did manage to get this background painted! I actually like it so much that I don't really want to paint on top of it now! I also ordered my first books from Amazon on jewellery making, something I've always wanted to try and can't wait until they turn up!
We also visited a cute little seaside town near here and had lunch at the bakery. They make beautiful food, so we keep going back even though they seem to get something wrong every time! This time they overcharged us by $10, last two times they burnt my husbands crossiont. Drew got to play at the great playground there too and climbed his first tree with help from his Dad! He is getting more adventurous every day and insists on wearing gumboots everywhere!
We also had our car broken into and the stereo and one speaker and about 20 of our favorite cd's are missing! My husband is now walking around complaining that the heart and soul of our car has been ripped out! I hate the thought of replacing all those cd's, bad karma to those who know where they are right now! I probably won't be really upset until I go to put one of them on and it's gone!

Queen for a Day!

2006-10-20T23:14:00.000+10:00

Oh my Goodness I miss painting and drawing! I have done nothing for over a week and I just can't seem to get a moment to think about what I'm doing!!! I've got some great ideas stuck up there in my head, if only there was more time! I think I need to MAKE time! I have too many unfinished canvas's and this little lady above is still not complete! I called her Queen for a Day! I need to be paintbrush queen for a day very soon!Maybe SUNDAY! Having lots of fun at Madame B though with some great new inspiring projects in there! And I came across this wonderful site and fell in love, please go visit, it will put you in a great frame of mind with it's gorgeous music, make you smile and make you want to dress up for a grand day out too! Have a fabulous weekend all!

I love Jezebel too!

2006-10-19T18:04:00.000+10:00

I just love these cards! They are so fairytale like and inspiring! They are Letterpress gift cards from I love Jezebel in New York! They make me think about Cinderella and story books of old! Click over there to see them all!

Showing Off Toys and Galleries!

2006-10-18T00:12:00.000+10:00

Ok, everyone must skip over to check out the Creative cabinet in Madame Butterfly!!! Yesterday I posted a fabulous interview with Kate from 2 Little Banshee's all about her beautiful handcrafted Toy's!!!! The giraffe's are just gorgeous!!! And Today I'm showing off an Artist I've recently met's country Gallery set in an Old Beautiful Church! I'm inspired and we are off to the country again tomorrow ...Ballarat!, will post about the great things I find there too!!!!! Have a great Wednesday!!!

Hedgehogs, Collage and the Festival

2006-10-16T09:02:00.000+10:00

This is my little Drew at the Birregurra Festival ( a little Town in the hills up behind the coastal town of Lorne on the Great Ocean Rd )where we had a bit of fun Yesterday! We found this kids Rocking Chair at a trash and treasure stall which my sister is now the proud owner of! He had a great time on it and she is going to recover the cushions for her little girl! We saw vintage cars, line dancing, jack russell racing, homemade everything and some of it was quite scary and hilarious!!!
The Town was overflowing with people, there were loads of Market Stalls, with some great Vintage books and wares and lots of yummy food too! My sister also bought a few kids books and I was very tempted but restrained myself from buying more jewellery! Drew got to meet lots of cute Animals in the Petting Zoo too, his favourite... a TURTLE!
I've created a little Project in the Madame Butterfly Gallery for this week in the Creative Cabinet on making Gorgeous Collage Greeting Cards. I'd love to see what others come up with if you make some! They are quite easy and fun to make and I'd love to see you ideas too!

And Madame Butterfly is also featuring her favourite homemade Chocolate hedgehog slice as her Recipe for the week in the Afternoon Tea section of the site! Quick click over and get some ingredients today, it's quick and easy and you won't be dissapointed!!! Hope you have a fabulous day, I'm off to the Post Office and back to being a busy bee with too many projects going on at once again!

Weird, wonderful, WOW

2006-10-16T08:47:00.000+10:00

Here's an artist that I have admired for a long time ( I always seem to run into his work as prints stuck somewhere obscurely in someone's home or studio) and I recently found his gallery online and spent ages staring at his beautiful works. Mark Ryden has exhibited all over the world in Museum's and Galleries. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles with his famiy where he says he paints slowly and happily amidst his countless collections of trinkets, statues, skeletons, books, paintings and antique toys. Go and visit, you'll be Amazed!!!!

Look what came in the mail!

2006-10-12T11:30:00.000+10:00

Marianne sent me these totally gorgeous handmade postcards in the mail featuring some of her favorite recipes and they all sound so yummy I can't wait to make something over the weekend! And they came wrapped up so cute too!!!!
I also wanted to say thanks for yesterday's comments on my CONFUSION post! I seem to go through this at least once a year! It's frustrating but a good thing to think about where things are headed! Thanks for the positive advice and I think I am making some progress! Does anyone else have these strange periods in their Art or Craftiness?

confusion sets in!

2006-10-11T14:58:00.000+10:00

Look at this cute little palette I bought from my local art store for $4 dollars, it has a lid too! I can't wait to use it! Only one problem! I am having a bit of a crisis! It seems I am going through one of those periods where I don't know what direction to take with my work! I have three themes going on at the moment ... my fashion illustration type line drawings and painting which I love doing, my cute cartoon like girls and every now again I'm off on another track painting birds and flowers! What to do! I'm going crazy over it, it's consuming my thoughts! Help!
I have also been talking to a few Gallery owners over the last few weeks and asking their opinions and some arty friends too and I've realised I need to concentrate on creating a style now which is distinctly mine. I am so easily distracted and want to try something new all the time! Ideas are whirling around my head, AAAhhhhhh!
Has anyone got any suggestions or advice?

New Shoes!

2006-10-10T22:16:00.000+10:00

Today was a beautiful sunny day and we did lots of walking, a trip to the park and I bought myself some new shoes for Summer! They are just so cute and comfortable too! And I didn't by BLACK!
I am well known in my circle of friends for buying black everything, it's the staple of my wardrobe! A true Melbourne Girl at heart! I have decided to have a colourful season! with lots of Aqua, colbalt blue and red! What will you be wearing?

This week in the Gallery

2006-10-09T09:14:00.000+10:00

I've just updated Madame Butterfly for the week and wanted to show off some fabulous people that we have featured this week! Above is an Illiustration by UK Artist extrordinaire Jenny Llloyd, whose work I love and we have Interviewed her about her work and her influences in the Creative cabinet!
Also featured in the Dressing table is San Francisco Jeweller Designer Kimberly Quon and her beautiful Pearls! Audrey Hepburn is our Style Icon, there is a Inspiration File on Vintage Crafting, a new recipe and Afternoon Tea is all about TEA this week ( visit this page to win a prize!).
I am really enjoying doing these little interviews! It's really inspiring to read about other Artists and Crafters lives, how they work and their influences and I get to show off their beautiful work too!
I'd love you to come visit and hope everyone had a great weekend too!

a little house on the hill!

2006-10-06T22:52:00.000+10:00

Just a quick one tonight! I am exhausted! A big day out and not much sleep last night! Drew decided he didn't want to go back to sleep from about midnight till two am!
Here's a sneak peek at the corner of my new painting. A sweet little house on the hill, soon you will find out who lives there, I promise! Have a fabulous weekend my blog friends , I hope you all get to leave your homes' on a little adventure!

my little headline!

2006-10-05T16:41:00.000+10:00

Today I made myself a cute little banner collage with buttons, pretty paper,feathers,stamps,embroidery thread, beads etc ... to post on my new ETSY shop! Yes I've joined in on the fun and added some art prints in my own little Shop there too! I was very excited when I saw some of them come up on the most recently listed page! I am also going to use this as my Blog Header too! Still working out how to do that though! I have no idea what size it should be to post up there! Can a lovely reader out there in Blogland please let me know!

Pencil Prettiness and my day off!

2006-10-04T14:33:00.000+10:00

Last Saturday was AFL Grand Final Day here in Aussie Land! There were many excitable people about! But I wasn't excited about the Football, Oh No, I was excited because I decided it was about time I had the Day off!!!! My husband took care of Drew all day ( they had a Boys day!) and I got to go shopping!
I started out at my favorite Art store and had a great time browsing the giant wall of paper and couldn't resist buying even more watercolour pencils, I just love all the colours and their names too! I also bought this beautiful Anna Chandler Greeting card ( above).
I then wandered around in Our local Tea shop and bought some Red Green Vanilla Tea which has no caffeine and tastes delicious. I bought myself a Raspberry and Chocolate yoghurt and tried clothes on for the rest of the day and bought some great new summer tops, including this fab one above! It felt great to have a break by myself and I was extra excited to see the Boys when I got home! Every Mum deserves a day off sometimes!

YUM!

2006-10-03T20:24:00.000+10:00

We've been busy Bee's baking around here!The latest Creations are pictured above and are the most Yummiest Cookies! They are really simple to make and the Recipe is in the Creative Cabinet of the Madame Butterfly Gallery until Sunday! They are Orange and Passionfruit Yo YO's If you make some let me know what you think! I bet you will think they are divine!

Madame B's Glamour Pack!

2006-10-02T15:17:00.000+10:00

Very Excited! I finally posted my prints I had made in the Gallery today! They are on some very lovely Satin Matte Heavy Paper! I think they turned out quite great and I'm thinking of posting some in ETSY too, just to get some more art exposure in the big wide world! Has anyone any advice for the girl with the newest etsy shop on the block???

And Today I got to inform our lucky winner of the prize pack she has won for sending us the best comment on Madame Butterfly's Afternoon Tea! She commented on my crazy magazine addiction and told us a few of her own ... like knitting needles and golden books! People are really addicted to some great things you just wouldn't even imagine! I took a few pics before we wrapped it as you can see above! Lucky Whizzme won a Chinese silk bag, a pretty lilac and gold perfume bottle and a Necklace and Earring Set too! I am really looking forward to sending it and there is a new competition in it's place right now for this week! I'd love you to enter, go and take a peek!

a Gypsy Caravan !

2006-10-01T23:36:00.000+10:00

I found this beautiful photo whilst a wandering in Flickr! It's from a french magazine and was posted by Eclectic Gispyland and there are so many other fabulous photos in this set of the interior and exterior of this fabulous Gipsy Caravan! They are a must see! I am just in love! They all make me want to paint! And I'd love to go and live in it for a while too!
Oh and we've made some changes in the Madame Butterfly Gallery too! It will now be updated Weekly, and we've made it more reader friendly too! There's just the right amount to read now and we've had lots of fabulous and constructive feedback too! And we'd still love to hear more, so come over for Afternoon Tea and Visit!
This week we have Great new people to meet, Wonderful new things to be inspired by, a new Recipe and new Horoscopes for October! See you all in there!

one hundred!

2006-09-28T23:16:00.000+10:00

Well , this is my 100th Post! I can't believe I made it here already! It crept up so quickly I didn't really get to think about doing something special for it! We've been on a whirlwind trip through Melbourne today. I visited three beautiful stores ( unfortunately 2 without websites) Harem ( wondrous clothing and gorgeous trinkets and the colours just make you swoon!)and Douglas and Hope ( modern quilt, design and clothing heaven) and Zetta Florence ( stationary heaven!) on Brunswick st, Fitzroy! I took Drew to the Museum for a while and we did all the fun Kid stuff! He especially loved the sea creatures section and I found this beautiful site owned by Jewellery Designer Jade who also works in my town. Her pieces are beautiful, all hand done and all incorporating Vintage pieces, epecially buttons! One is above! This piece would be perfect for a Mermaid ... Swim over and pay her a visit! And we have just acquired some beautiful handstamped silver wrist cuffs ( some are floral, some have fish!) for Madame Butterfly too! Will put them in the Boutique very soon!
So that was my very watery and aqua green 100th! Thankyou to everyone who is visiting , reading and commenting! I am really enjoying your company and love visiting you all too!

Puppets, Arch Angels and Theatrical Sets!

2006-09-26T09:40:00.000+10:00

Today I found something so inspirationally WOW that I just had to share it with all my lovely blog friends! KAT TILLEY, fashion designer extrordinaire, is from Belgium and I came across her site through Ullabenulla's fabulous Blog ( she's over there on my blogroll list, the newest edition!)!!! You must visit, there are beautifully designed sets, illustrations, her latest range ( pictured!), models poses in the most wonderful fairytale creations as Arch Angels! I need to go back and have a longer look! Wow, Kat Tilley, you've blown me away!

make sure you ...

2006-09-25T09:15:00.000+10:00

LOOK BOTH WAYS ! This was the fantastic movie we watched last night after Drew finally went to sleep at about 10pm. If you haven't seen it, it's full of beautiful animations and paintings (one is above)and makes you think about the fact that we need to make the most of our lives now because we may not be here tomorrow! It also stars the most gorgeous William McInnes as photographer Nick and our favorite girl , Justine Clarke as artist Meryl. A must see Aussie Film!!!

Trees and things and flowers ...

2006-09-24T20:22:00.000+10:00

A busy little weekend for us! Had Madame Butterfly things to do all day yesterday! We are busily getting ready all the wonderful things going into the October Issue and have acquired some beautiful new silver bracelets for the Boutique! I've started a new painting in Neapolitan Icecream Colours ( will show you soon! ). I've started another mini painting of a Tree and it's inhabitants for my friend Jen for her birthday! SSSShhh don't tell! She has been a fantastic support to me, encouraging me to get my Art out in to the big wide world! We've cooked Bolognaise and Drew helped to make a pita bread pizza for lunch, which was messy and fun! I also discovered these gorgeous stamp sets on the net, they are from Zakkaya in Melbourne!

Bird Noises!

2006-09-23T23:02:00.000+10:00

I've been away for a few days, so that explains the sounds of silence here! But I had fun, I've been to Melbourne to visit my sister and my new niece! Yesterday we had a ball in the city and visited lots of toys and kids book departments to keep Drew amused ( he got to bring a cuddly cookie monster home and a mini travel etch a sketch for car trips! ). We also had a wonderful walk through the revamped GPO building on Bourke! I know it has been finished for a long time, but I just hadn't had the chance to visit! It looks beautiful, it's full of beautiful designer stores, that we actually felt a little under dressed visiting and with prams, but any hoo! We ooohhh and aaahhhed over the Leona Edminston little girls dresses, had a peek in the fabulous Belinda store complete with an antler chandelier, loved the big buttons on the Mimco bags and especially loved exploring the Spacecraft store full of handmade screenprinted quilts and baby things ( sadly can't find a link to this one, but if you get the chance go!). The best part though was all the white bird cages hanging from the roof filled with canary's on display! Lovely bird noises to shop to!

Orange Galore!!!

2006-09-19T17:11:00.000+10:00

Today I picked up my Madame Butterfly Flyers from the printers. They look great, are bright orange ( attention grabbing !) and I have so many of them!!! Now we just need to get them out and about everywhere! We've been thinking about doing all the major shopping strips in Melbourne to start off with and plonking piles of them in cafe's for curious people to pick up! We are also trying to think of places with notice boards and friendly places that might let us leave some with them! Has anyone got any suggestions on Flyer distribution???
I also printed my latest illustration onto bright orange paper ( above!) It's way too loud though and I need to find something a bit more subtle and autumn-ish!
And last night I came across Simone's blog by happy accident and fell in love with her Japanese Etching Pendants at her ETSY shop, have a squizz they are great!

Look what came in the mail!

2006-09-18T22:20:00.000+10:00

Ashley G sent me this gorgeous print of one of her illustrations and it just arrived in the mail! It's called Party for One and it's printed on to canvas and I love it!!! It's my most favorite of her artworks! Sh is about to embark on a great adventure to the Renegade craft fair and I'm looking forward to her blog tales of her time there when she comes back! I wrote a feature on her in Madame Butterfly in the Creative Cabinet section and she sent me this as a thankyou! It will be framed and hung on my studio wall! I can look at it when I have my afternoon tea, my own little party for one!

I love these shoes!!!

2006-09-17T09:50:00.000+10:00

Oh my God, how shiny, gorgeous and sexy are these shoes!!! They are described as "Old school glam a la Jessica Rabbit" I am in Love! And you all know how much I love Patent shoes! Only problem is they are incredibly high for someone who has hardly worn high heels since she had her son! And I haven't quite figured out how to order them from overseas yet! I can admire from here though and maybe choose something a bit more wearable like their fabulous Mary Jane's! Oh , they are from Fluevogs in the USA and called AUDREY Patents in Wine!

Madame Butterfly ... We Want YOU!

2006-09-17T09:11:00.000+10:00

Happy Sunday Morning to All!
Just thought I'd let everyone know I'm having a competition at Madame Butterfly on the Afternoon Tea Page to win a MB Glamour Pack which will include some gorgeous goodies from the Boutique! We are looking for some interesting entries, so enter those crazy addictions now
before the end of the month!
I'm also putting the call out for Submissions for the site! We are looking for arty/crafty people to write us some fun and simple Tutorials for the Creative Cabinet. Have a peek at the one that is in the Sept Issue right now ... Project Paper Blossom ( pictured above)! We need a simple , clearly written, fun project ...it could be paper, sewing, arty, or any kind of craft with some great photos to show off of it being made and the finished product!
And we are looking for some budding writers to put pen to paper and write some interesting articles that wll appeal to women ( for Afternoon Tea!) or write a Review on something current you've seen, done or been to! For example a movie, music, a book, fashion show, a festival, an art or craft show ....????
Your Reward .... if we love it it will be published in the gallery and a little blurb about you will be included as well as links to your blog, shop,site !!!
Madame Butterfly is all about promoting Talented Real People and their wonderful works and ideas!
I'm looking forward to hearing from You ! Contact me at info@madamebutterflygallery.com.au

Toy Delicious!!!!

2006-09-16T20:25:00.001+10:00

So excited to see Carly's Blog lately! She is showing sneek peaks of all the Toys arriving for the Morphe II exhibition! I wish I could go to Adelaide to see it! There are some wonderful artists and crafters making toys for this one and they are from all over the world!!!
I love this postcard she has created to promote it too! Soooo Cute! Take a peek over at Nest Studio for more!

A little bit of Stationary never hurt anyone !!!

2006-09-15T17:46:00.000+10:00

If you love stationary and gorgeous illustrations, then you'll love this site as much as I do!, Julianna's Illustrations and stationary are just divine! And her website is so much fun to explore too! Parlez- Vous is the place to click too!
And today I've rediscovered the site that I discovered my first Blog on ( which was Loobylu! )It's a site showcasing creative women who are making a living from their creative business and they are from all over the world. They're are some fabulous personalities in there, skip over to Another Girl at Play!!!
INSPIRE ME CREATIVE TIP OF TODAY... It's Pretty Pastels DAY! Inspired by Parlez Vous. So get out those pencils and paints and draw something whimsical and yummy or make a favorite person a gorgeous card to say Thanks or Happy Birthday or just because it's nice to send cards!
Here are some ideas ... lolliepops, a new party dress, some shoes, a handbag, a cup of tea or maybe a cake complete with candles!!!

Colour Your Life!

2006-09-14T00:23:00.000+10:00

It amazes me how many people are still scared to bring some Colour into their homes! I walk into some many bland and beige living areas! And you don't have to paint! Just add some fabulous accessories! And there is so much out there to choose from at the moment! It's Decor Heaven! For me a splash of Colour brightens up my day, makes me feel happy and I'm always noticing beautiful intense colour wherever I go! It must be the artist in me. I love covering a canvas or board in a rich colour and I love to pick out paint colours for the next creation!
I wanted to share this fantastic site today! They have so many great ideas and homewares!
Colourique is a design team making wonderful creations, check out their site for more inspiration!
And there is a great little feature on adding a Colourful Collection to your home in the Creative Cabinet on Madame Butterfly! We've done a beachy/nature looking aqua theme based on the things in my house! I Love Aqua!!! What Colour do you love and collect or wear!

The Funkiest of Finds!!!

2006-09-13T15:48:00.000+10:00

Today, the wonderful Jessica from FUNKY FINDS wrote a fabulous blurb about the Madame Butterfly Gallery! We're very grateful and we love her Blog and I thought I would show her off here to all my excellent blog friends! She wrote about our Cute Bunny Radio and Our Desperate Housewives Collection of Wire Corset Jewellery Holders! Pictured Above and For Sale in the Boutique right now!
Jessica showcases a couple of new Designers, Crafters, Artists, Online Stores or Shops everyday on her Blog and I always find something fabulous and unique to see there! Pay her a visit today!

Birds of Paradise !!!

2006-09-12T21:47:00.000+10:00

I came across this Divine photo in Sunday's newspaper of Hillary Swank with the most Wonderful hair! I just love it! It makes me want to draw more glamorous girls, with Big hair! She's signed a multi million dollar contract with Guerlain to be the face of their new Perfume called Insolence ! Strange name, but I'm intrigued to find out what it smells like!
Also had fun listening to another Divine being, Tori Amos while I created this new Collage... Bird Of Paradise for one of my visual diarys! It's quite a dark one for me, black background and all! It includes little embroidered flowers, threads, feathers,painted paper, tissue, lots of wonderful ripped paper of all kinds ... I love to use ripped paper and a fabulous Peacock print! I have been creating these diary's for quite a long time! They include favorite pictures I couldn't be parted with from magazines, cards and letters sent to me, stamps, movie and theatre tickets, beautiful wrappers and tags from products, ideas for paintings and projects, brochures and postcards from great places we've visited! I guess it's kind of Arty scrapbooking! It's my way of relaxing and making something fun to keep while watching the Teev! These diary's have become a record of my life and there are too many of them, but I love making them!
INSPIRE ME CREATIVE TIP OF TODAY ... Collect some things over the next few weeks from your everyday life...ie ... tickets, postcards, magazine pictures you love,gift cards, threads, buttons, a picture your child drew, feathers , paper, lolly wrappers ,a drawing you've made. And create a wonderful Collage Page or Book to celebrate Your September!

My new delicious whirlwind with paint!

2006-09-11T14:41:00.000+10:00

I present to You.... Madame Butterfly! My latest Painting! And a very girly pretty one at that! I had a great time creating her! Originally she was just a black and white illustration ( and the logo for my business), but I decided she needed a splash of colour to bring her to life! So here she is, she will be available as a print soon in the Gallery too!
I've been thinking about the feature article I did on Ashley G in the Creative Cabinet in Madame Butterfly. She says she believes that what You are most happiest doing during Your childhood is what You will be most happiest doing for the rest of Your life! I think that statement has come true for me in many ways! When I was little I loved to draw and paint! I loved sending things in the mail! I loved creating my own magazines! I loved creating beautiful rooms on paper by cutting and pasting things and furniture from magazines and catalogues ( my mum would draw me a big empty room to fill!) I loved to read and make things!I loved to make my own greeting cards! I loved to play in my Nan's sewing room and sew and sort all her buttons! I loved to visit art galleries and look at what others had created!
Amazingly I am still doing all of these things right now, in my life and business in some way! And I am Happy!
INSPIRE ME ... CREATIVE TIP FOR TODAY!
Revisit your childhood! What were you most happy doing? What are you doing now? Does it compare? Ask your parents what you loved to do when you were five! Do you need to make a few changes? Are you Happy? Write down or draw what you loved to do as a little one and discover if you still love doing it!

Madame Butterfly Gallery Magazine

2006-09-10T23:04:00.000+10:00

Madame Butterfly Gallery Magazine
Originally uploaded by the butterfly collector.

oh my God, Girl!!! Stop playing with the toys at Flickr and go and do some real work! I actually had a lot of fun making this! I now have an official cover for Madame Butterfly's Launch Issue, September 2006!!!

Mahlie Mouse !

2006-09-10T22:22:00.000+10:00

Mahlie
Originally uploaded by acoustitch.

Here's a very personal post for Sunday! Last week I became Aunty Shae! This was very exciting and I waited for my sister to do the Honours and post her Bub photos first ! And she has, So now I can show off my gorgeous niece Mahlie. It's so amazing how much she has changed in a week! I have already bought her a dress, I can finally buy girly clothes! Andrew is a little shy around her, but I am looking forward to the day when they can run around and play together! She already has a nickname too ... Mahlie Mouse!!!

Madame Butterfly Gallery Mosaic

2006-09-10T16:53:00.000+10:00

Madame Butterfly Gallery
Originally uploaded by the butterfly collector.

Yes, I made another Mosaic! These Flickr toys are very addictive! These are some of the wonderful things fluttering around in the Madame Butterfly Gallery at the moment!

Sing it loud!!!!!

2006-09-09T20:50:00.000+10:00

Here's my silly Saturday Night Post! I was just over at Emily's Blog and she had made a funky cassette tape for her readers, so I decided to be a copycat and pass it on to all of You too! You can make your own here at the Cassette Generator Factory!!! It reminds me of the mid nineties, driving to uni in my Yellow Datsun 180b ( called Ernie!, I had an Ernie from Sesame St glued on the dashboard), singing at the top of my voice to tapes, blaring music out the window, the car full of art stuff and window dressing props and mannequin body parts on all the seats and in the boot! Oh what a sight that would have been to see! Ernie went to heaven after a crash unfortunately, he was a great car, I have very fond memories of him! My husband and I still have boxes of tapes in our shed, I must go treasure hunting out their tomorrow and see what rock n' roll wonderfulness I can find! I seem to recall an eclectic mix ...Pearl Jam, Crowded House, Nirvana, Soundgarden , Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, U2, the Cure and many more from that era of my life! What were you listening to?

My Art Works Mosaic

2006-09-08T00:29:00.000+10:00

My Art Works Mosaic
Originally uploaded by the butterfly collector.

Just made this at Flickr!!! Decided to send it over to my Blog, because it turned out so bright and colourful! It's a collection of some of my recent artworks and collages! Some are illustrations for the Madame Butterfly Gallery, some will be available as prints in there too! Some are on Canvas, some are on Wood and some on paper! If you want to read any more about them individually,just go to flickr and click on the one you like!
It's now really late here and I need to say goodnight! See you all tomorrow, Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite ( yuck bugs!) and have a great Friday!

Papayalicious!

2006-09-08T00:07:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I promised an amazing site to see!!!! And here it is! I book marked this site a few weeks ago beacuse was so in love with it! Papaya ... Creative Abandon is the Papery, stationary and book works 0f artist Anahata Katkin who started making collage journals and made it into her full time work!!! It's bright, bold and beautiful! It's Bollywood, meet's Art Deco and Beyond! If you love colour and decoration then this one's for you! I could get lost in all those swirls, alphabets, designs and collages! There's Postcard sets, albums, journals, art prints and amazing Collage books for Artists called Spare Parts with gorgeous things to cut out and stick down! I must get one of those and I must spend some more time in her site too, there's so much to see!
INSPIRE ME TIP OF TODAY! ... What can you make Bright, Bold and Beautiful? Stop, take a quick look around you! Is there something drab, beige and boring in your house right now? Here's your weekend project ... Paint it, Collage it, Sew a cover for it! Make it stand out and be proud!!!

I'm so addicted! Help!

2006-09-07T15:54:00.000+10:00

I've just been up to the local Post Office, a grand escape on my own for 15 minutes ( left my son and husband at home!) and sent some more lovely packages off to new homes that were just ordered from the shop! Unfortnately the Post Office just happens to be in between the Newsagent, a Bakery and a children's bookstore! Well that's just way to tempting for me, so of course I visited all three and came out of the Newsagent with yet another Magazine to add to the collection! .... The new issue of Vogue Living, it's jam packed with Spring gorgeousness! SSSSShhhhhhhhh ....Please don't tell my husband I've bought another one! You'll see how addicted I really am if you read the Afternoon Tea Page on my new website which is virtually a mini magazine in itself ! P.S. Stay Tuned, I've found something excellent for my next post for all those crafty paper and collage lovers out there!

first package in the mail box!!!!

2006-09-06T15:18:00.000+10:00

I have just sent my first Madame Butterfly Gallery package, very exciting! I hope there will be many more to come! I took a photo of it and everything, what a dork I am! But it will be nice to remember the first one! I really wanted to post a picture of my new cute baby niece too, but I must let my Sis do the honours first on her blog, so I'll just have to hold my horses!
Oh and I just clicked over to this, thought it was kind of intriging, being the paper freak I am. It was actually a google ad on my blog! ( i have seriously been thinking about taking adsense off my page, but every now and then something interesting show's up!) and this site PAPER SOURCE, has a really great gallery and some interesting things in their shop!

The Amazing Bubble Chair !!!

2006-09-06T10:51:00.000+10:00

I just keep on finding them!, these amazing Artists and Crafters that emerge from their wonderful studios and show off their works to the world! Some time ago I found Jenny Lloyd! And I just keep going back to her flickr album to see more of her beautiful work and her website is so wonderful too!! The one pictured above is called Bubble Chair, my personal favorite! Love the lanterns, cherry blossoms and paper boat! She lives and works in London, has a very large Portfolio and is a must to visit if you are an Artlover! Oh and another must see, I've been visiting my lovely link list today to see what all my blog friends are up to and found some gorgeousness over at Blossoms Special Orange, Marianne has made new Resin Jewellery !!!! Visit her and her Strawberry patch too!

So Many Visitors!

2006-09-05T20:05:00.000+10:00

well, what a great day I've had today! So many visitors to Madame Butterfly on her first day and so many lovely compliments and nice comments already! Isn't it nice when you've worked so hard on something to see some encouragement and feedback straight away! I've already gift wrapped some gorgeous goodies that we've sold today and was so busy that I only got to celebrate with a cup of tea and a hedgehog slice, yum!. Thanks to everyone!
What you'll find in the SEPTEMBER Issue ...
An interview with designers Gracia and Louise, some fabulous spring fashions and beauty tips to get you into party mode! Open your fortune cookie and make some delicious cookies! There's a great paper project and some fabulous decorating ideas too! There's some beautiful treats and gifts in the Boutique, I'm especially in love with the MY Secret Castle Earrings pictured above!
And We wrote a feature articles on Ashley G in the Creative Cabinet , jewellery designers Iggy and Lou Lou and also on Robert from Mahar Drygoods.
If you haven't come to visit yet, please do and make sure you become a Gallery Member ( on the contact page!) so we can update you with sales in the boutique and what's coming up in the October issue too! Thanks again everyone!
( Oh and I seem to be having an embarassing problem with my side bar, I'm sure everyone has noticed! Sometimes when I add another lovely link, Blogger decides that I really need another little pink diamond with nothing next to it to create an unslightly gap! Not sure what's going on there!)

Madame Butterfly Launch Day!!!!!

2006-09-04T22:24:00.000+10:00

Well, finally after many months of hard work I have the exciting news that the Madame Butterfly Gallery is ready to Launch!!!! I'd love you all to come and visit and let me know what you think of my new website! The painting above I've just finished too and is the Logo of the website, it's called Butterfly Dreaming and will be available soon in the Gallery as a Print!
And also wonderful news, at 5.01 this morning my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Mahlie, so I'm officially an Aunty for the first time! It's all very exciting in our house at the moment! Here's part of Our Press Release and a bit more about what you'll find over at Madame Butterfly's ....

Madame Butterfly Gallery
An Online Boutique
Art Jewellery Gifts Décor Treasures

Announcing the Grand Arrival of the
Madame Butterfly Gallery

Madame Butterfly Says…
“Add a touch of Glamour to your Day!”
An Invitation for You to come and visit Us in the
Madame Butterfly Gallery
www.madamebutterflygallery.com.au
An Online Boutique
A Glamorous Shopping Experience
in Your Nightgown Awaits…

Luxurious Treats and Beautiful Presents
Art, Jewellery, Gifts, Décor and gorgeous Treasures
Can all be found in the Boutique

Stay a while and indulge in some
Interesting Reading…
Make, Bake or Create something wonderful from Madame Butterfly’s Creative Cabinet
Meet some fabulous Artists, Designers and Identities
Find words of wisdom opening Madame’s Fortune Cookie
Essential fashion finds, retail therapy and beauty tips will spill from Madame Butterfly’s Dressing Table
Escape with Madame Butterfly’s Afternoon Tea
And find out exactly what fairytale character you are most like too!
All without leaving the comforts of home
Madame Butterfly is looking forward to meeting You!

Our Official Launch Day is the 5th of September, 2006
We hope you will join us in a Virtual Champagne
and visit us in the Gallery!

A Tribute to Tretchikoff.

2006-09-01T23:24:00.001+10:00

I have just found out that an amazing artist has passed into the next world and thought that I must pay tribute to him right here! Vladimir Tretchikoff was born in Siberia in Russia in 1913 and lived and painted his way all over the world.He died last week at the age of 92 in Cape Town. He was self taught and prints of his paintings became hugely popular in the 70's. His Painting 'the Chinese Girl' ( above) has the claim to fame of being the print that has sold the most copies around the world than any other ! His works can now be found in Collectables and Antique stores and I'm sure will fetch even larger sale prices now! I have one that I love,an african style woman, that was a birthday present from my sister, I don't know it's name but I am determined to find out! It came in the most horrid time worn frame that had drill holes in it as if it had been screwed into the wall of some Kitsch cafe or Pizza Palour somewhere. Vladimir may you rest in peace knowing you will be remembered as the King of Kitsch paintings everywhere! Visit the fabulous site dedicated to him, I'm sure you willl recognise quite a few images in the Gallery!

On my bedside table ... Island Beauty

2006-09-01T22:57:00.000+10:00

Last Christmas my husband gave me two beautiful books ... Island Life and Island Beauty by India Hicks! I throughly enjoyed my trip through Island life about her gorgeous home and life living in the Carribean, a beautiful and inspiratinal interiors book! I am ashamed to say though that the other book ended up on the bookshelf, flipped through but unread and I have recently been making some time to read at least a page a day! I've found out it's hard to read anything with a Toddler around and I watch too much TV too! Island Beauty is a simple to read bible about listening to your body and how to look after it, with beautiful ideas and recipes for the skin and hair from the Carribean. It makes so much sense and it feels cleansing just to read it. Now to just implement these ideas with my health kick, hhhmmmm. Easier said than done, but will give it a go!
Other tasks today have been to take a walk on the first lovely day of Sping to the park and make a White Rabbit costume for Drew for the Alice in Wonderland Party we are going to for our little friend Tia tomorrow! We've been all over our Town looking for Ears all week, and they are nowhere. So of course I made ears from paper and a head band (they don't look great and he's already not wanting to wear them!), a big white woolly pom pom for a tail, a bow tie and a cardboard pocket watch and found some face paint! I'm sure he'll have it on for five minutes for a photo and that will be it! Have a great weekend everyone!

Paper Flowers and Towers

2006-09-01T08:22:00.000+10:00

Yesterday my sister sent me a wonderful link to Peter Callesen's website showing a Gallery of his beautiful Paper Cut Creations. There are Castles, Towers, Skeletons and Beautiful delicate Flowers. The time and effort that has gone into these artworks is amazing! If you are a Paper Lover then this is a must see! It reminded me of a class I took called Paper Construction during my Fashion Design year, it was a lot of fun and each week we had to create something out of paper ... packaging for a particular product, collage, paper cut outs and a dress which had to be photographed - mine was tiny mirror shiny squares of paper sewn together and looked very 60's, it would not have looked out of place in Austin Powers!
Last night we watched a Documentary called The Falling Man, it was amazing, sad, compelling and I can't stop thinking about it Today! I wonder what I would do faced with an impossible situation like that and I hope these people are never forgotten!

Window Fashions of the World

2006-08-30T12:11:00.000+10:00

Being trained as a Window Dresser and Visual Merchandiser many moons ago, I get very excited when I see a fabulous display in a store or a really great stand out window! Some Stores know how to get it just right and some obviously don't care! What a lot of these store owners that don't care or don't know is that their window is what gives their potential customer the first impression of their store! If its dusty, messy or dirty or haphazardly thrown together, then that's the impression the customer has of the whole Store before they even walk in! To me it's like placing an unreadable, messy ad in a newspaper or magazine. I am constantly standing outside of shop windows and re-dressing them in my head! And I love the really imaginative ones, using quirky props and ideas! A really good one will have you stepping into that store immediately for a peek at what's inside! And I really appreciate all the hard work, ideas and planning that goes into them! I've found a fellow window admirer in Elena, who lives near Seattle and has a whole Flickr set devoted to wonderful windows! She also loves to take photos of her beautiful shoes and purses and arty fashion shots too! Some of her photos are above and from a gorgeous boutique in Seattle and take a look at her Flickr site too!!

Exploring the world from the comfort of home!

2006-08-29T09:41:00.000+10:00

Nothing beats going on an adventure and exploring somewhere you've never been before, but isn't it great that we can go on little expeditions to nearly anywhere on Earth just by typing somewhere into our computer keyboard! I love that I can go on a Virtual visit to the most amazing places on the other side of the world and learn so much about them and even shop in some of them! My most favorite place to visit recently is somewhere I wish I had visited on my UK trip ... Portmerion in Wales. For now I will have to settle for a web surf there, but I just love the whole idea of this fantastical place. A magical town dreamed up by one man who made it come to life!
When I was little I loved to dream and draw houses, towns, maps and gardens with every little detail thrown in and fantasize about them being real!!! Well Clough Williams- Ellis made his quirky beautiful dream town come true! Set in the north of Wales in Snowdonia, up on high with the sea as a backdrop, Portmerion is a mish mash of all architectural styles, wonderful gardens, gorgeous shops, including the original Portmerion China Store started by his daughter! It is now a Grand tourist attraction, is the backdrop for many weddings an was once the set for a TV show!It was opened in 1926 and celebrated its 80th birthday this year! My favorite story about it's founder is the fact that he collected over many years ,architectural fittings for the town and imported GIANT Roman columns to use in construction! When it was time to install them, he had forgotten where he had put them in storage! Go there for a visit today!

Inside a Treasure Box... What secrets would you hide?

2006-08-27T20:07:00.000+10:00

In my wanderings through the land of Flickr, I often find the most fabulous art and crafty people and their works! I have been peeking at HARU DESIGNS wonderful treasure boxes for quite some time and everytime a new one is displayed it's just as gorgeous as the one before! She uses a Decoupage technique using vibrant, beautiful and vintage papers and works to a Theme. Each box is named and the Treasure keepers are available at her ETSY STORE! unfortunately I think I may have to change her mind about only shipping within the USA, because I really want one of my very own!
INSPIRE ME TIP OF TODAY ... Do you have a lovely old box or something wooden that could be covered in lovely, wonderful paper finds! You could even cover the fronts of Drawers, the top of a table or chest of drawers or make a work of art to hang on the wall !The basic idea is to cut and paste paper, glue it down flat onto an object and then do numerous coats of varnish over the top to preserve your artwork and make it smooth and flat! For more ideas on how to DECOUPAGE click here! And for even more inspiration I'm also in love with RINGO LO's fabulous fridge magnets ( see her collage section) and her great blog too!

I've got myself some Guru's!!!!

2006-08-26T19:16:00.000+10:00

I've decided to get myself some Guru's!!! I've been on a bit of a health kick lately and have been drinking tons of water!!! My goodness, Who knew it could make you feel so Good! I've also been taking more notice of what I've been eating and finding healthier recipes! I've also realised I'm not 25 anymore and I've had a baby and I want to get fit again! So I've enlisted the help of my new guru's, the very scary Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser, she has her own website and I've bought her DVD's. I think she is going to kill me, but if I keep it up maybe the results will show and I've just discovered Teresa Cutter who is a nutristionist and healthy cookbook author, the new one is above and she has some really yummy recipes on her site! Now all I need is my husband to take part, he does most of the cooking around here! I've been to the supermarket and stocked up on some yummy ingredients to make a museli slice too, hoping I will eat this instead of cookies and that little Drew will like it too!!!

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!

2006-08-25T19:41:00.000+10:00

I've always loved Lewis Carrol's Alice In Wonderland and any reference to it always captures my attention! When I was younger my Dad took me to an exhibition in Melbourne called Alice 100 that I've never forgotten. It was an art showcase filled with artists interpretations of Alice and Through the Looking Glass and edtions and illustrations from the books celebrating the book's 100th birthday! It was set up as a feast for the eyes, twisting and turning hallways, like walking through a maze and even different sized doorways to walk or crawl through! So much fun! Today my Peter Alexander catalogue came and I was surprised, inspired and enthralled by the fabulous shots on every page. They've used Alice as their theme for Spring and I can't wait to buy my warm weather pj's. In fact I've already got my eyes on the floral bottoms above!
Peter Alexander, for those who've never heard of him is quite a success story here in Australia! He made his designer mail order PJ'S into a million dollar company, sold it for a few million or so more and is still a designer and face of the company! It's quirky, fun and unique and now there are stores too! Go and have a peek at Alice!
INSPIRE ME TIP OF TODAY ... Before you get too sleepy or follow a strange white rabbit down his hole, sit down, relax, make a warm cup of something delicious and imagine your ultimate pair of pajama's. Draw them , sketch them ,colour them in! What kind of materials, fabric and embellishments would you use? If you can sew maybe you could even make them!

from my creative cabinet ... Collage

2006-08-24T17:09:00.000+10:00

the Garden, a collage by Shae, the butterfly collector ( unfinished)
...I've been working on this collage mosaic piece for a while and am quite please with how they've turned out. I used all kinds of layers of paper and tissue from my collection, embroiderey threads,buttons, glass pebbles, rub on letters, stamps, feathers and something I love to rip off all the mail I get ... Stamps, little mini masterpieces themselves!
I have laid them all out ready to be mounted, I think I'll mount them into a shadow box frame, must go get some more of those, they are great to make mini worlds in! I'm dissapointed in my photos today, it's dark and rainy and I have no light to work with, oh well!
I've also found another artist whose collages I love who does wonderful things with cut paper, visit the Curious Bird!!!!
INSPIRE ME TIP OF TODAY! ... Keep a look out around your home and your world for wonderful things you can use to make interesting collages! They can be everyday items like candy wrappers, tea bag tags, stamps, pegs and buttons or you can venture out into the big wide world for some more inspiration and look for leaves,feathers, shells, stones, and flowers. You could even collect sentimental things and make a keepsake collage to frame, use cards, postcards, a flower somene special gave you, one of your kids drawings, or that fabulous shell you found on your favorite holiday!You never know what you might find on your daily travels! Group them in glass jars so you can see all your treasures and find what your looking for when that next project idea pops into your imagination!

I'm in love with George!

2006-08-23T08:44:00.000+10:00

A little while ago I became a bit obsessed with fashion illustrations from the early 19oo's, bought some wonderful books depicting Harpers Bazaar and Vogue magazine covers and discovered Rhiannon's beautful collection of illustrations on flickr! Then one day I found GEORGE BARBIER and fell in love with his amazingly beautiful illustrations and paintings of beautiful women and interiors! He also designed wonderful costumes for Opera's and Interiors and made a living from designing covers for catalogues, magazines and books. I was so entralled in this little world that I created drawings for each page from my new site, Madame Buttterfly ( an online boutique and mini magazine!) , that had been influenced by this style with my own modern twist, can't wait to show you!!! . We are aiming for a grand opening in the first week of Spring, not very far away now! And We have managed to get some great interviews and mini feature articles on some great designers, crafters and artists and have put together lots of fun things for you to make and do too! It's been so much hard work , with too many late nights and not enough sleep, but I can't wait for everyone to see the final result! In the meantime go and visit George and imagine yourself swanning around in one of those dresses!!!!

Adventures Abroad .... Where were you ten years ago?

2006-08-22T09:04:00.000+10:00

...I visited crafter extrodinaire Miss Jo's blog yesterday who was posting about celebrating her 10 year wedding anniversary and she posed the question, "Where were you ten years ago? So it got me thinking, where was I ? Ten years ago I set off on a great adventure with my husband, who was then my boyfriend! We were both 21 and decided to go on a great backpacking expedition! We were gone for six months and traveled through Canada, the USA and the UK! We both learnt a lot on that trip, about ourselves, each other, living in someone else's pocket and relying on each other too! It was a great test for our relationship and it's lasted ten years beyond! We saw some amazing things and met some fabulous people on that trip and we did it all on a tiny amount of cash! I look back now and wonder how we survived ( we had a few helpful bank account injections from our parents!)! Some highlights were Halloween in Boston, discovering the streets and sights of London town, the ruins of Stonehenge, the crazy 24 hour thrill ride of New York City, Christmas and the Castles and Countryside of Wales, New Years, Snow and too much Guinness in Dublin and Galway, the spectacles of Niagara Falls and Las Vegas, the amazing time we had in Disneyworld (and the fantastic cites of Seattle and Philadelphia ( photo above from a city square in philly with monopoly pieces!) Wow, we had a great time and we've vowed to go back and have a huge adventure through Europe one day too, but with some money this time, no more backpacker hostels for me! Where were you a decade ago?

from my painting table... japanese blossoms

2006-08-21T15:56:00.000+10:00

Over the past weekend I have completed a giant canvas, commissioned by my friend Louise who had a giant stark wall in her home an wanted to fill it wtih something quickly! Her and her husband are trying to sell their house and wanted it to look just right! So together we picked this blossom design from a clip art book and I set to work on this huge canvas creating my own interpretation! I wish I had more time to work on the flowers, but the background turned out to look like charcoal velvet, which you can't really see here, but that turned out great! The picture above is only half of the canvas and she gave me some beautiful flowers too to say thanks, also above!
INSPIRE ME CREATIVE TIP OF TODAY ... What are your favorite flowers ? Buy some special ones just for yourself or go and visit a your local public gardens for some inspiration! Even a walk around your neighbourhood might produce the perfect specimin to scribble out in pencil! Have a go at drawing, sketching or painting one! Study it's texture, petals, leaves, colour, stem! Try an abstract or childlike version for fun or be very serious and pretend you are documenting the only one of a kind in it's species bloom that will be kept in a museum for all of future mankind to see!

from the mailman ... Mod Record Girl

2006-08-20T19:18:00.000+10:00

...just wanted to share on this Sunday night this fabulous print I recieved in the POST! It came all the way from New York and our lovely mailman brought it to the door for me so it wouldn't bend in our lettrbox! It's called MOD RECORD GIRL and it's by the fabulous Miss Emily Martin and I purchased it from her ETSY SHOP! I just love it and plan to have this little girl framed and hanging in my studio soon! I can't wait for the day when my son asks " Mummy, what are those round things in the picture?" I used to love buying records, learning all the lyrics and studying the covers! The first album I ever bought was Michael Jackson's Thriller! What was yours?

I think that Spring Has Sprung!!!!

2006-08-19T19:31:00.000+10:00

Pink Spring Blossoms from the Butterfly Collector! Here's my quick Saturday post! Took these photos in my front garden and was very excited that we have Blossom and that Spring is coming! Yay! Warm Air and daylight savings are on their way! HHMMMMM ! That could cause problems getting little Drew to sleep though, and just when we got him in a good sleeping routine finally! Busy Week ahead working on the website and I've just finished a giant canvas for my friend Louise, will show you tomorrow! That's all for now, have a great Saturday night!

I created a Slide Show! Check it out!

2006-08-18T17:21:00.000+10:00

A Sneak Peak into the world of Madame Butterfly!!!!

2006-08-18T16:49:00.000+10:00

Today I have been having some fun on a site I have just discovered called Slide.com. You can post your photos to it and it makes you a fabulous slide show! So I decided to make one to give everyone a sneak peek into the world of the Madame Butterfly Gallery! We are just finishing up some final touches and hopefully will be online very soon! Of course we want to make sure it is perfect before we go LIVE and I'm looking forward to everyone's feedback! Above are some of the wonderful products we have chosen for the Boutique! What do you think?

Brillant Book Find ... COLOUR - RAMA

2006-08-17T12:59:00.000+10:00

I recently got my fabulous new issue of INSIDE OUT Magazine, which I look forward to and can't wait until it arrives in my letterbox. I've kept every copy since it started and love to look back over all the beautiful photos from each issue. It's always full of wonderful design, designers and incredible homes and it's Australian , so that's great too! This issue came with some beautiful postcards from a book which has just been published called Sense of Style: Colour by Stylist Shannon Frike. And I'm in love with it and I haven't even seen a real copy yet, it goes on sale next week and I can't wait for a trip to the bookstore to get a copy for myself!

All the Pics look fabulous and the cover says "Engage your Instincts - the World is your Mood Board!" Quite Intriging and Inspiring!!!

INSPIRE ME CREATIVE TIP TODAY... Start a Collection in your favorite Colour! And then make a Gorgeous display in your home of all your finds! It could be in your kitchen, on your dressing table, in your living or dining room! And it need not be expensive, just keep an eye out every time you are out shopping, in the thrift shop or start a collection from a special piece or heirloom you already have in your home!

from my painting desk... the Grand Tea Palace

2006-08-16T13:03:00.000+10:00

...she dreamed of a far away place, an escape from her chaotic world! She dreamed of Tea and scones, she dreamed of cake and cream and jam. She dreamed of a tray arriving with cookies and milk and sugar.She dreamed of warm sunshine and blue skies and fluffy clouds floating by. She dreamed it was pretty and she wished she did'nt have to wake up and start her day yet! But wait, today she would escape and sneak away, forget the world, sometime in the Afternoon and have a secret affair with Tea!...

Grand Tea Palace, a painting by Shae, the Butterfly Collector I know, it's another three part mini series, a panoramic painting, I really have to figure out how to take a decent photo of these!

This one came about whilst having tea and reading about the Taj Mahal! My ideas come from strange places sometimes! A whole series came from this idea and they were so much fun to paint, there is also Ice Cream Harbour ( a few posts back), lolliepop forest and champayne city!

So here's my INSPIRE ME CREATIVE TIP OF TODAY...think food, think delicious!!! What can you create from your favorite food, what inspires you about it. The colour, the taste, the shape, the smell, the place where you eat it??? Paint it, Sew it, Sketch it,Cook it !!! And for even more incentive go and check out Miss Heidi's Fabulous creations!

fabulous finds... in the antique store!

2006-08-15T20:11:00.000+10:00

... this past weekend was a lot of fun for me! I got to spend some time rummaging through a great old antique store which was situted in a fabulous old church in a seaside town near where I live!( and I got to go by myself too and take some ME time which is very rare!) Lots of great things inside, some beautiful old books and postcards and these fantastic old printers letters! There were three big wooden crates of them, all different sizes! It took me quite a while to find the letters I wanted, and I was on my knees going through them on a concrete floor and ended up with ink all over my hands too! Here's a picture of some of them above in rustic mode! I wish I could find a whole set of the alphabet! I think it would look great to paint a canvas and stamp each letter of the alphabet on it for Drew's room! Who knows I may get lucky on another thrifting or vintage adventure! The rest of Saturday was spent having coffee and eating an apple and cinnamon crepe in the pancake cafe, magazine reading, walking along the bay and then home for some cleaning and working on the website ( its so close now, just a few more things to do and hopefully no more delays!)

From the kitchen... YUM!!!! Chocolate Birthday Cake !!!

2006-08-14T14:36:00.000+10:00

... Yesterday I posted these pics on my flickr page and people got very excited about my husband's wonderful creation for our son's first birthday cake! His Birthday was actually last November ,but I'd forgotten to put his party on Flickr! My man loves to cook , so he searched far and wide for the perfect cake to make and we found this one whilst watching his favorite aussie chef ,Geoff Jansz on Fresh TV! The outer shell is made from mixing dark and milk chocolate together, there's lots of it and it's very thick! We then decorated with smarties and freckles and made a chocolate cake to go underneath! We brought my old little window dressing hammer and let him smash it open, which he thought was hilarious! It was a huge hit and we had a fantastic picnic in the park with all of our friends and family! We are now on the look out for the next fantastic cake for birthday Number two which might be at the Zoo! The recipe has been published in the latest edition of the Women's Weekly Kid's Birthday Cakes Book which has so many great cakes in it and you can get it here!

A gorgeous day... Spring cleaning!!!

2006-08-13T13:38:00.000+10:00

... It's a beautiful day and I'm at home with a very messy house and the boys are off playing in the sand at the beach!!! Having a big clean out, it's spring cleaning time! And nearly ready for lunch! Just thought I'd post a photo or two of one of my favorite sunny day spots!... This is the cafe at the Boatshed in Barwon Heads, a most gorgeous little town on the water and the beautiful little beach next to it! They have great food and coffee and cake! We aspire one day to buy a home here ( lots of saving and a lotto win would help!) It is about 20 minutes from our house and we spend lots of time there, especially in Summer! (It's also the home of Seachange the fabulousTV series, the boatshed was Diver Dan's house before the cafe was built and the cute little cottage above was Laura's house, its at the caravan park overlooking the sea!!)
P.s. hope it's a beautiful day where ever you are!

from an artists extravagant mind... ERTE

2006-08-11T15:02:00.000+10:00

ERTE the magnificent! Quite a few years ago I discovered the work of this wonderful artist and love to visit this website to view all of his glamourous women,magazine covers, theatre sets, fashion designs and magical artworks!He also inspired a love for all things art deco in me and I love to give the greeting cards of his art to my friends for special occaisions. I really wanted to share his beautiful work as it is so inspiring to me! I'm now off to enjoy Mary Poppins on Tv and dream of jumping into some chalk drawings and floating to the ceiling for a laugh! Have a wonderful weekend my lovely blog friends!( and a secret hello to those blog lurkers of mine that visit and never send me a comment,come and say hi, I'd love to visit your blog too!)
And just before I go, here's something fun to do on the weekend!!!....
INSPIRE ME CREATIVE TIP OF TODAY... get out those pencils, paints, collage and sewing supplies!!! What would you wear on stage? Design a wonderful costume! Does it have feathers or sparkles ? Does it have a headress? What shoes and fabulous jewels will you wear with it? Are you a show girl, a rock star, a circus performer, a famous actress? What era are you from? Well I'm inspired, will work on this over the weekend! If you design something fabulous make sure you send me a link so I can see your fabulous artwork!

A Flashback to Childhood...Fashon, Paper and Star Dolls

2006-08-10T09:16:00.000+10:00

...here's something fun today! I was reading the thriftcraft blog last week and posted there was a most loved and favorite toy from my childhood... fashion plates! I loved this toy and played with it constantly as a girl! You place the plastic plates in a frame with paper and rub over them with pencils to create a picture and then use the backs of the plates to create pattern all over your lovely outfit and model! I actually still have the whole set and sometimes still use it to make rubbings from the plates on papers for my collages. It seems a lot of others out there loved it too as the post I read got a huge response in the comments box. (There seems to be a few postings on ebay if you desperately want one after reading this! )
I also had a thing for paper doll kits and was searching around on the web to see if there was any about and found STARDOLL, a great toy for big and little girls alike! You can dress your favorite star ( boys and girls...I dressed Audrey Tatou and Johnny Depp), send a model down the catwalk in a designer outfit, make a ME doll, play games, make a doll album and meet friends and its free!

Things have changed in toy land since I was little, I'm shocked no one has reinvented fashion plates yet!!! We are looking for a most excellent present for Drew's birthday and Christmas at the moment, I wonder what toys he will fondly remember from his childhood?
And if your looking for an actual gorgeous paper doll kit, look no further it's here!!!!

from another world beyond... Goddess Paintings

2006-08-09T13:07:00.000+10:00

...today I really wanted to share the most fabulous artist's work that I found mucking around in myspace.( I've recently become addicted to this now too and have found some fabulous people, artists, designers, comedians and musicians to make friends with!) A few days ago I came across the magical Lori Earley . Her paintings are other worldly, unusual, magical, filled with emotion and feeling. She has a wonderful site with a gorgeous gallery and prints for sale too! Go and explore the gorgeous goddesses she has created, one of which is above!

INSPIRE ME CREATIVE TIP OF TODAY... I was posting about Barbara's Sher's books yesterday and remembered a great tip she had in one of them which I still use today! It's an idea to de-clutter your house! Clutter can become a nightmare when it piles up, but her idea is to once a week ( or day if you are a neat freak!) throw out ten things around you or send them to a charity shop! We all have paper, broken and unwanted things lying around and this is a quick way to keep your drawers and cupboards constantly clean. You can do this in your kitchen drawers, on your desk, in your art/craft supplies,in the fridge, in your bedroom, in the bathroom cabinet! Its a quick task and will help keep clutter to a minimum and your space clean!!!

from my painting table... Sea of Green

2006-08-08T10:25:00.000+10:00

Summer Balcony, a painting by Shae, the butterfly collector
... thought I'd share a painting today! Imagine staring out at this view everyday! .I'ts a long panoramic one, so sorry it's in three parts! I actually have a program on my computer to make panoramic images, but I've no idea how to use it. Maybe one day I'll make time to work it out! Had a busy day yesterday, I'm on the hunt for the right printer to create lovely art prints of my paintings, so I can offer them for sale to the gorgeous people who admire my work! It's been a hard trek to find the right one, rumbling throught the city jungle, carefully watching and waiting to get an idea of what each printer man or woman is about, can they do a good job and how good their customer service is! Well after four attempts I finally pounced on the right one, Stu. He was so helpful and listened and was patient and sent me a detailed quote. Don't you just love it when you find someone who cares out their in retail/service land!
I worked in retail for many years as an assistant and manager and always prided myself on giving the best service possible and being NICE! Now I look for others who can do the same! I am astounded at how many people I've met who hate their jobs in this industry and complain about them constantly, I say go and do something else, get a new job, step out of your comfort zone, I know it's scary, but sometimes it's good to take a risk!
And read these fabulous books, they changed my life ... "I could do anything, if only I knew what it was" and "Live the life you love, and stop just getting by", both by Barbara Sher.
She made me think about where my life was going, what I wanted to do and who I wanted to share it with. She also made me have a good hard look at my childhood, the negative voices in my head, helped me declutter my house and discover my true personality! I'm still on the journey and still learning, but Great Stuff !!! Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone!, we are off to playgroup now!