2012-10-31

Hello Etsy Eindhoven 2012

It's been a while since I've posted anything, my apologies. The summer holiday and the kitchen renovation had my full creative attention.

This past weekend I went to Hello Etsy in Eindhoven.
The idea was to find some inspiration and inspiration I found.


They had an impressive line up of speakers, all with their own stories of trial, error and ultimately success. Unfortunately I was not able to stay the whole afternoon so I missed out on some good topics but I still felt that it was well worth the drive to Eindhoven. Plus I had the pleasure to be joined by Lisl and I also bumped into Corine and Ellen.

Here is an impression of the message brought by three of the speakers that day:

Janine VanGool from Uppercase Magazine:
- Be true to your vision;
- There is always room for quality;
- providing happiness to customers is a solid foundation for business.
She gave a lot of insight on her 12 year journey to reach this point and starting the magazine. Such a creative woman who followed her dreams and instincts!

Diana van Ewijk from MamaMarketing and Homemade Happiness (to name but a few):
- You are not a product, you are a brand;
- Find your niche market so you can focus on one group and be a big fish in a small pond;
- Find your voice, be personal and consistent, and then build a stage.
She is funny and busy and clearly loves what she does. She managed to (in her own words) "get out from under the kitchen table" to become a very successful business woman.

Satish Kumar from Resurgence Magazine:
A former monk and peace and environment activist who once walked from India to the USA, this man is charismatic and wise. An inspiration to everyone. He cares about people and he really cares about the environment. He had so much wisdom to share, more than I can capture in a few lines...
- Don't become a slave to economy;
- We are all artists and makers, not mere consumers;
- The greatest art is the art of living;
and then he quoted Ananda Coomaraswamy: "an artist is not a special kind of persion, but every person is a special kind of artist."

I left feeling very inspired and more than a little impressed by all the speakers.
Thank you Etsy!


2012-07-25

Kids Mosaic Workshop

Five little girls between the ages of 4,5 and 8.
A whole lot of butterflies, a fish and a photo frame.
Lots of mosaic tiles predominantly in shades of red, orange, purple and pink.
What a pleasure!





2012-07-11

Roman Mosaics

Less than a month ago I found myself in France with my family. 
Taking a holiday before the season starts, always a good idea.

We decided to take a trip to see some Roman mosaics. Well, lets be honest, I convinced my husband that we needed to see some Roman mosaics.

We drove all the way to a little town called Montcaret in the Dordogne.
There, hidden away, is a little museum and a little church and lots of ancient mosaics.
Some mosaics still have to be restored but as usual there is a funding to be obtained.

I love the simplicity of the design, the visual impact of the colours and most of all I love the fact that it is still there after thousands of years.




2012-06-17

The Last Illustration Assignment

Before my holiday I had to complete my last illustration assignment.
It was a tough one, reading an article and then interpreting it into an illustration...
The theme of the article was 'Troost' which translates into 'consolation / comfort'.

Here is my interpretation:


You can head over to my illustration teacher's website to see how my fellow classmates interpreted the assignment. I bet you will be surprised at the results!

2012-05-30

IWCU Cookbook Illustrations

I had the pleasure to do the illustrations for the IWCU Cookbook.
Let me tell you, it was quite a collaboration between a lot of talented and dedicated ladies.

Plus it is for a good cause and I look forward to seeing the printed book!


2012-05-28

Zelfgemaakte Markt!

It was a gloriously sunny day with a slight breeze under the trees.
Perfect for a market.

I had a great time and also sold a few pieces.

Thank you to everyone that dropped by :-)


The next step will be updating my etsy shop and of course planning a few workshops!


2012-05-25

Mosaic Cross

And so I completed the cross.
Made from a beautiful antique side plate on an MDF base.




Tomorrow I will be at the Zelfgemaakte Markt in Utrecht where it will be for sale.

Remember to come and say hello if you happen to be in Utrecht!




2012-05-13

A Cross in the Making

I'm making a few things to sell at the Zelfgemaakte Markt.
Hard to believe it is less than two weeks away!

This morning I started working on a cross.
I bought some old plates a while ago, and now I finally got the chance to smash one of them to pieces!

Hopefully the cross will be done in a day or two so that it can be grouted and finished next weekend.


2012-05-03

Illustrations!

I love my illustration class...

I'm going to have some postcards printed for the Zelfgemaakte Markt:







2012-04-27

26 May - Zelfgemaakte Markt!

I just received some good news!
I have been selected for the next Zelfgemaakte Markt in Utrecht on 26 May 2012.

Definitely a good way to start the weekend :-)

2012-03-25

Water Paint + Food = Illustrations

I love to paint and draw and my illustration class with Kim Welling is really helping me find my own style.

Since I have a 'slight' obsession with food I find myself drawn to illustrating food too.
(surprise, surprise)

Here are some illustrations I made with water paint, a medium which I simply ignored for the last 20 years. Silly me, since I really like the effect.

Broccoli florets
Bowl of pasta


Pear

Now all I need to do is make time to experiment and draw some more!

2012-02-12

IWCU Workshop Results!

On Saturday I held a beginners mosaic workshop for six ladies of the IWCU.

It turned out to be a lovely afternoon with six really creative women.
Two made beautiful picture frames, and four made house numbers.

The results were great - all different colours and designs.

Happiness!



Next I will grout their pieces and the work will be complete.
I will post the final results as soon as its ready.

2012-01-28

A Heart Plate for Valentines

Yes, who can resist a little love...
In honour of Valentines day I have a brand new item in my Etsy shop.
A lovely mosaic plate.
One can never have enough hearts!




2012-01-07

New Life for a Little Table

During my holiday in South Africa I had the opportunity to give an old table a new life by covering it with glass mosaics.

It turned out really well and I am quite proud :-)


2012-01-01

Lots of Little Mosaic Hearts

I had a commission for some of my lovely little mosaic hearts.
Seven mosaic hearts in total.

They are lots of fun to make and I think lots of fun to give too.
There is something about the glittering tiles and the symbolism of the heart shape that just makes it special.


Happy new year!