Getaway

Gareth and I spent a couple of days in Daylesford this week for his birthday and I don't think I've been away on a trip for so long I almost forgot what you are meant to do. It was going to be a bit of a surprise but I kind of blabbed about it and spoilt it a little. We stayed in a lovely little place called Pendower House and the woman who ran it, Renee, was fantastic. It is right in the city center, so walking distance to everything. The room was great, not too pricey and we had a lovely home cooked breakfast in the morning as well.

We went to the Lake House the night before for an ooh la la dinner, and it was pretty darn good. We have both been watching Top Chef for a few years now, and it was nice to have the type of stuff they cook on that show. My favourite dish was the dessert plate, which surprised me because dessert isn't normally favourite. It had a different selection of citrus stuff, like mousse, jelly and other things, so you got to try a bit of everything. However after three courses and a couple of bottles of French wine I was feeling a little bit over it all.

We also stopped off at Breakfast and Beer on the way to dinner for a drink on Kitty's recommendation and it was another great place. The bar lady was really friendly and we had a good chat to her about different beers. The picture above is of Trentham Falls, we stopped off on the way home for a bit of sightseeing. We also went to one of the spa mineral water spots, but the water tastes horrid. I had fond memories of grade six camp and drinking the fizzy water, but this wasn't so nice at all.

This weekend I am on the double market blitz, with Rose Street on Saturday and the Spiegeltent on Sunday. Maybe all of you who are out and about at the Design Market can pop over. I know I will be going over to say hello to Ink and Spindle!

Survey + Prizes

Gareth and I need you help with our new Valentine's Day Cards. We have created a survey to find out what you think of the cards. The survey should take between 5-10 minutes to finish and will help Gareth and I develop Able and Game. To view more of the cards please visit our blog, Able and Game


If you do the survey before Thursday 20th of November you can go into the running to win:
- a felt lady badge
- An original drawing for one of the cards
- A screenprinted pouch


To go in the running you need to fill in your email at the end of the survey. The email wont be used for promotional purposes, it will just be used to find a winner then destroyed.


To start the survey click here.

Exhibitions

I went and checked out the NMIT Jewellery Exhibition at Northcote Town Hall yesterday and it is well worth a look. I wasn't sure what to expect because it was a student show, but the quality and workmanship was of a very high standard. Because I have no idea how any of it is made it always seems extra special. I remember looking in Dan's jewellery studio earlier in the year and it was full of all these odd contraptions that looked like they were from a '60s sci-fi film. I'm not sure if they are standard for jewellers but it certainly added to the mistique. The show is on till the 20th of November and is open till 6pm, for more info you can check the myspace page.

I also had a look at Bridget's exhibition at Australian Print Workshop. This one is on till December, so you have plenty of time to go and it is also well worth it and I feel a bit of a connection to the work because we drew the birds together at the Museum. Bridget is having a giveaway on her blog for one of her beautiful felt bird brooches. I have one and think it is perfect and they are great for gifts for Christmas as well so one to keep in mind.


The next week is jam packed full of markets. On Saturday I will be at Rose Street and on Sunday I will be at the Spiegeltent Market and the Makers' Market at the Abbotsford Convent. Well I wont technically be at both, but my stuff will be. Next Wednesday I'm doing the Sandringham Village Twilight Craft Market and I'm looking forward to this one because it is near the water and also near my house. If you're nearby come by and say hello.

Oh and remember to check out the Able and Game blog for your daily dose of romance!

Markets, Men and Manicures

I did the first Spiegeltent Bizarre Bazaar on Sunday, a new market that will be running each Sunday for the next six weeks. The market doesn't run for long, from 9.30am - 1pm so compared to Rose Street so it seemed to go very fast. It gets pretty hot inside the tent so I'm thinking this might be a good thing when it actually warms up. I shared the stall with Shonah, who is also at Rose Street. She makes really beautiful resin, wood and fabric jewellery shown below and you can purchase directly from her website if you can't come to Rose Street or the Bizarre Bazaar.

During the market they had massages and manicures from the ladies at Makeovers, Manicures and Martinis. I've never had a professional touch my nails in my life, much to the surprise of everyone around me and I always find polish chips off my nails, or I smudge it while waiting for the stuff to dry. It was nice to have someone do something with them and while they looked good for a day they have chipped a bit and I need to hunt the house for polish remover.


If you're looking for a daily dose of romance, the new Able and Game blog is looking a lot more healthy in the post departments as all I've been doing the last week is drawing men (and a few ladies) declaring their love. Thanks to everyone who has visited and left comment. I've posted the picture at the top because I think it is a current favourite.

All your romantic needs in one place

It has been a while coming, something I've only spoken about with a few people, but finally I have something to show, although at the moment is isn't really much. All the Valentine's Cards are now over and my new blog, Able and Game. It is a little project Gareth and I are working on together and the name comes from our own names, I'm the able and he is the game. At the moment I'm focusing on Valentine's Day cards, which seems a long way off now but I need to get them all ready to go. I'm hoping to update the blog each day with new images for a little dose of romance that won't make you puke.


This weekend is a big one, with Rose Street tomorrow and Bizarre Bizaar at Spiegeltent, if you're in Melbourne on either days come by and say hello. I'll be the tired one wishing I was at home drawing dorky boys and girls.

Pumping It

I spent yesterday drawing lots of dorky men for the new range of cards I want to have ready for Valentine's Day. I realised that the H pencil is one of my favourites, as long as you have a decent sharpener and I have currently misplaced my favourite one. I also would like a pack of skin coloured pencils. This little guy has been pumping the iron at the gym, working it hard for the ladies around town. I'm off to a Melbourne Cup BBQ and it will be nice to have a day off from working. I ended up doing two markets on the weekend which was hard work, especially with a night out on Saturday in between the two of them. I better get used to it with all the weekends up to Christmas booked with markets and a few midweek ones as well.