Kiti Q Mini Album

This is the mini album I made Kell to remember the journey up to and through the last three years of Kiti Q, now that she has moved on.

Newspaper and other stuff

This is the before and in-the-middle process (not exactly after, now the oven is here, but time for the tricky technical gas and electrickery etc). Doesn't the new oven look cool? It is, in fact, so nice looking that the rest of my kitchen is going to look rubbish in comparison, LOL.

Here is the snippet from one of the local newspapers about my exhibition - it is exciting to see it in print there :)

I just received my copies of the new Memory Makers magazine which features highlights from last year's Memory Makers Masters competition. Here is the layout of mine that is in there... it was the theme layout of the entry (you do 4 of your own choice and one on the assigned theme, which was 'I Wish').

Stay tuned... I did a mini album to remember the journey Kell has had with Kiti Q over the past three years, and forgot to photograph it before I gave it to her at the last Scrap N Chat. BUT I am going to steal it back to photograph, and will post it here soon ;)

Winter Sundays

Loving the look of Hambly this CHA - especially the photography-themed rub-ons, I can see them being useful on a lot of projects!


This layout is for the current NZ Dares - it's their 50th dare, and I was one of four guest designers (including the sweet Nic Howard!). Q Tea are also sponsoring the prize for the dare, I put together a big kit especially - check it all out here.

Had a bit of a drama in these parts a few days ago - Sienna had, unbeknownst to me, decided to 'bake' with some plastic tupperware cups, a doll's picnic blanket and a few bits of lace. Since I was unaware of what lay lurking at the back of my oven, I simply pre-heated it for dinner and threw in a quiche without paying much attention at all during the process. About half an hour later I was paying a lot of attention - wondering what that faintly toxic smell was, I investigated in the kitchen, opening the oven to clouds of black melted-plastic fumes. The tupperware containers now being faintly coloured plastic dripping down the back of the oven, over the element and down the sides.

I was not happy.

Though very grateful that we are getting a new oven. And even more grateful that this didn't happen in the new oven. Now I am really really hanging out for it to arrive, as I am not sure how long it will take to get it functional (gas and electrics connected) and we can't use this old oven anymore. Due to the whole melted-plastic thing.

And we had a nice meal out at a local cafe in the end - they do these scrummy arancini balls, which I just love. Add a glass of wine, some tasty turkish bread and dukkah, and a good hour for the house to air out, and we all returned to our freezing cold house in better spirits.

Today I have been designing a few journaling spots for future Q Tea kits, and making some art cards (featuring photos of my mixed media art, mainly) for a local cafe. I also have a new mini album project to fit in this week in between Kiti Q training and documentation, uploading and invoicing August Q Tea, and preparing to assemble said August kits. Oh, and kinder duty, babysitting, general stuff like that. I must say housework doesn't get much of a look in this month, but I'm not complaining ;)

I am just happy that I have scrapped again - I did a layout for SC the other night and already feel better. Just having the paint and paper sitting around the lounge room is good, having it within easy reach makes it seem like I can fit some sort of creating in without much fuss. I don't know if that makes sense, LOL, I am hungry and not thinking straight. Have a great week everyone :)

Be still my heart

Have you see the new Sass Lass coming out at CHA? Even more irresistible than the last release...

I can't even pick a favourite. Hmm probably Woodland Whimsy. Ooh I love that name too. And the rainbows, toadstools and snails in 'Happy Place'. I will definitely stock up on the little cardstock stickers from all of the ranges, I love using those.

The birdcage paper from Hambly is also setting my scrapbooking heart aflutter. The new overlays with typewriters and gramaphones are also way cool.

The local paper had a news snippet on my exhibition today, very exciting to see it in print - I'll photograph it for posterity at some point. Though I am starting to think I might keep the massive travel/Hamburg painting and hang it in my lounge, above the fireplace, instead of the mirror that is there at the moment. It's the only place it would fit anyhow ;)

My head has been full of accounting - my own and the kinder's - instructions for Kiti Q and kit planning. This is a busy week. Scrapping this weekend, I think so. Hanging out for that. Maybe sewing. And I have the urge to redecorate my kitchen, as I am getting this new baby delivered very soon... a reward for my hard work on Outback Pride and I am so excited that I will finally have a kick-ass stove. Awesome-a power. Cupcakes won't stand a chance against this thing.

Wonder

And the other day... I want to thank everyone for their sweet and thoughtful comments. It always surprises me that people should care or have an opinion, but I don't know why that is, LOL.

I do think I should apologise for a few of my sentences were just bitchy whinging really, having a bit of a rant. It sounded like my clients have been horrors, which is totally not true - I guess it's one of those things where the negatives stay in your mind easily, despite hearing many more positive things. I don't really think it is a permanent state but I am happy about putting professional photography aside for the rest of the year at the very least.

If I do start photography properly again, I want to organise my proper website before I do - it is always a 'I should really finish that' thing in the back of my head (I have had a few versions in development but never finished them off). So if I want to start again, that will be my first project. Taking control and doing things deliberately, instead of just floating into situations. In any case, Q Tea Kits keeps me plenty busy, among other things! I have one successful business that I don't get all emotional over, so I have nothing to complain about.

And I get to scrap for fun - yay! And I do find it so fun. Even if it is commissioned or whatever, I still really enjoy it and I'm thankful for that. So, here is a share from the latest Scrapbook Creations - from Lusi's first Top Ten feature - Dramatic Doodling, with a piccie of my sister Hayley and my nephew Caden. There's a thumbnail of it on the front cover as well. The magazine pages are printed really darkly / saturated again (just compare Helen's cover layout to the exact same layout in the Quick Grabs gallery - totally different colour lightness), so the photo on the layout is a bit lighter in real life. Oh, congrats Helen on the cover, if you're out there, it is really cool :)

We are all miserable and sick here, though we did have an indoor picnic for lunch, a la Charlie and Lola, which was fun. Sausage-y rolls and mini cupcakes :) Hope everyone has a great weekend :)

Little Lacey

080621Johnstone22, originally uploaded by DanielleQ.

This one is my final favourite from the photo shoot with Lacey and family. Love the colour and the spacing of it. And she is as cute as a pixie :)

Do I

need to apologise? I feel like I need to apologise. For being all emotional and stuff. My regular internal landscape, but not the sharing of it with everyone else.

So here is something else to look at... I've decided I love this song. Need to listen to it properly so don't hate me if the lyrics are weird, LOL, but I like having it on in the background when doing stuff on the 'puter.

Being real.

I have read on a few people's blogs how they thought their blogging was getting to be a surface thing, just sharing pretty pictures and not as much that is real to them, the good, bad and ugly of real emotions and real life. And I've kind of agreed. Though I know it is for various reasons, I try not to get into much on here. Try not to freak people out, like my family who read this. But I do think it's a good thing to share what is real, and for me that is being an emotional person. Among other things. So, being real. I'll start with this...

I'm quitting portrait photography

officially

well, not entirely across the board, but photo shoots

i hate the emotional rollercoaster

how i can't not take it personally

even tho i don't always understand why that is

i hate being so happy with a photo, because i think it is a great photo, but it is of someone else or someone else's kid or belly or baby. But those people don't necessarily APPRECIATE that. Or the fact that other photographers would charge hundreds more dollars just for the photo shoot, let-alone the photos themselves. And I hate that criticism, implied or explicit, and dissatisfaction, questioning the value I place on my work, I hate that it all hits me. And hurts me.

EVEN THOUGH I still believe the work is good. It makes me doubt that I as a person am any good. And I KNOW that is my problem but it is also MY decision. That is the way I respond - emotionally, not logically - and I have to learn to take that into account. in as much as it is in my power to reasonably remove the source of the angst, I should take that action to preserve myself, my emotional wellbeing, my innate need to tie the work I produce with my own creative value.

And it annoys me that I spend hours getting the best out of these photos for other people, when photos of my own children go unseen, un-edited or printed or looked at. Because I am busy with photos of other people FOR other people who don't necessarily understand what I see. So I want to save what I see and what I do for the person who understands it - myself. And my true friends and family.

It annoys me the way I call myself an artist (at least, sometimes) but the truth is I've sold a lot more photos than art in my life. But being called a photographer places these weird expectations like you are a business now and not a person, therefore it's not personal. To me, if I've made it or done it or written it or taken it, it is always personal.

It might be just perception, it might be my problem, but it is my life and my head and my heart so that is just and true. And my decision is

no more photography. Not for other people. Not right now.

My plan now is to work through my backlog of photos for friends and family. That stuff is for me as well as for them, so it's ok with me. Once that is up to date, I will just go with the flow and do what I want to do with it. Take photos of these kidlets I have around me every day. Find joy in it. Share joy. Relax.

And Marissa, of course I will still photograph your wedding, if you still want me. You're family :)

OK now back to our regular programming...

Chagall-ian

How cool is this?

Someone found my layout on flickr 'dance with me' as inspired by Marc Chagall and asked if it could be included on this article about the artist...

See, it was the anniversary of his birthday or something yesterday (which is today still in some time zones) and google changed their logo for the day to this Chagall-inspired version...

Here is my layout again:


Footnote: I was not selected to be on the Cosmo Cricket DT in the end, but Julie is very sweetly sending me the papers and some other bits and pieces that will be released at CHA next week - yay!

Mr Ash, Bratsky Extraordinaire

I did this layout for the current Aussie Dares challenge - both Viv and I guest designed for the dare, which was to use aluminium foil. Check out the Aussie Dares blog for detail shots of my layout, in which I simply folded strips of aluminium foil with the reverse side visible and used them as a disjointed frame on the page.

Ash is so funny - these photos of him (on the layout) crack me up. He does like to put on fairy wings, though not normally without pants on LOL. He is a real little tough guy in general, but can be super affectionate - even though the affection borders on aggression at times. Just a week or so ago his speech suddenly became more clear, and his trademark "awww tuddles" became "awww cuddles". "Kewy" became "Kelly" and he is just saying a lot more words than he did before. It's kind of sad, as his munchkin speak was the only real bit of baby-ness hanging around - unlike Sienna he is physically advanced - and now his language is growing up too. Mind you, he is 3 in a month so it had to happen.

He has also just become interested in trains, and I bought him one of the Thomas wooden engines to go on a track he has. All the kids were having fun with it, attaching the engine to the ikea train set we already had. I've been trying to emphasise wooden toys rather than plastic and electronic ones, and they are pretty into that. It helps that a lot of them are still brightly coloured, and they have all these little instruments as well, which is great (if a bit noisy!).

I think Sienna is going to have a growth spurt as she has been super hungry this past week or so. Which is probably a good thing as she has always been a bit small for her age, hopefully she will strengthen up as well - she has gotten into dancing lately, especially since we watched Step Up and she loved dancing along to all the r&b / hip hop stuff in it. It's very funny. But it's good to see her being really physically active. She is a funny mix of personalities - creative and imaginative like me in some ways, but really unselfconscious and social, which is unlike either Ben or I. It's a good trait, I hope she can keep that love of people that she has.

Again with the Cosmo Cricket

You see, as part of the top 12 in the design team selection process thingy majig, we were all asked to answer a bunch of questions. Cosmo Cricket were also sending product to the shortlisted people to see what projects they came up with, except for the internationals (including me), as it would take too long. So I decided to make some new stuff with Cosmo Cricket stuff anyway. At the Scrap 'n' Chat, though I didn't finish the last one until yesterday afternoon - thanks Mish for the Hello Sunshine papers :)