Photography Joy

    I have exciting things in my life to share... I received 10/10 on my last two photography assignments. Woo-hoo! Plus [and this is a mighty big plus] I won a copy of Carla Coulson's Italian Joy. I can hardly wait to get my hands on her book of photography. Thank you, so very much, Carla! Merci beaucoup!

Copyright Carla Coulson "Italian Joy".

     Today I picked up a copy of British Vogue. I was drawn in by the amazing photo of Kristen Stewart. After seeing her play Bella for so long I had no idea her eyes were like a translucent blue green. The amazing photography was of course by Mario Testino.

British Vogue October 2012

    I also stopped off at the library and borrowed a copy of Paris Tango, another book by Carla Coulson. This book is beautifully bound - red ribbon bookmark, magnet clasp closing the book, thick textured printed paper.

Copyright Carla Coulson "Paris Tango

    So the plan tonight is I'm gonna sit down and flip through my magazine and Paris Tango, drool over some lovely photography and make some notes, collect my thoughts.

Oh Oh! It's Magic

Love the 80s.

Love The Cars.

Here's a little weekend 80s fix...

Three Trees Please

New shirt cover design by Melissa Gaggiano.

    I am on another tropic roll. I cannot seem to leave my beloved palm tree image alone. This cover shirt design is also available at Red Bubble.

Simply click here to visit my online Red Bubble portfolio. You might find something that is just soooooo... you!

Going Troppo?

Design by Melissa Gaggiano.

I have a new piece of shirt art available for sale at Red Bubble.

Simply click on this link to view.

Heart This Shirt

Shirt cover design by Melissa Gaggiano.

    I am most definitely on a roll. A new shirt art has now been added to my Tropic Party collection. Check it out at my Red Bubble shop...
www.redbubble.com/people/emjie/works/9619594-tropic-heart

And click here to visit my main Red Bubble portfolio:

www.redbubble.com/people/emjie

i Designs For u

    Feeling so very chuffed right now. Why is that, you might ask. Well... On Red Bubble I have just made available one of my designs as an i-phone and an i-pad case. Check out my work here:

• To see the i-phone case design
• To see the i-pad case design

i-phone cover design by Melissa Gaggiano.

i-pad cover design by Melissa Gaggiano.

A Little Champagne

... to start your weekend, yes?

Or how about a little Gigi? I love this film.

 

My Creative Space

    I have a couple of projects on the go - crochet, writing and the occasional sketch doodle. And today I finished making this here decorative hair clip. I think my eldest likes it. Half an hour later and it is still in her hair.

Photography by Melissa Gaggiano.

 


Photography by Melissa Gaggiano.



Click here to visit other creative spaces.

Playtime & Sewing

Photography by Melissa Gaggiano.

     Yesterday I sat on the floor with the girls and we played with playdough. Playdough is a great way to play no matter what age you are. Like doodling, playdough stimulates the brain. You fiddle with the dough and almost without thinking you have created something. So the next time the kids are bored or you're feeling creatively blocked pull out the playdough and roll away.


Playdough ornaments by Melissa Gaggiano.

     A piece of good news. I had my sewing machine repaired the other day. Luckily it was a simple issue. So last night I sat down with a piece of felt and continued on what I started a few weeks ago when the sewing machine stopped.
    One of my favourite craft bloggers, Jennie of A Little Vintage, makes classy plush dolls with a combination of mediums - sewing and painting. She inspired me with a tutorial on a freehand drawing/embroidery stitch while using a normal sewing machine.
    So that was what I was practicing last night. The stitches are crazy and all over the place but I love it for that. It has an organic feel to it [not too perfect]. It even reminds me of the writing style of the Gumnut Babies [anyone remember May Gibbs and her Australian creations?].

    Follow this link to see Jennie's [above mentioned] tutorial...

http://alittle-vintage.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/drawing-with-your-sewing-machine.html

Sewn flower by Melissa Gaggiano.

Have to Believe

Here's a little bit of Olivia Newton John to start your weekend. Hey! Anyone else remember the skate film Xanadu?

Brand New Blonde

Dodgy Webcam Photo by Melissa Gaggiano.

    Check it out! I have gone blonde. Well, almost. It needs a lot more toner to get it the way I imagined my hair going [at the moment it is a cross betwen Gwen Stefani and Sting]. But it is a pleasant start, particularly after my earlier attempt today to make it work. There is something to be said for persistence.

Perspective

Illustration by Melissa Gaggiano.

    A bit of perspective doesn't hurt. A couple of setbacks shouldn't equal a ruined day. So what if the sewing machine is broken, I'm struggling with an assignment and the hair dye didn't take... The rainbow at the end of the rain is that I'm having fish 'n' chips for dinner tonight - Hooray!

Button Surprise

Photography by Melissa Gaggiano.

    Today my eldest was surprised by a friend when she was shown a boxfull of old left over buttons from a shop. Gwen was handed a little paper bag and allowed to choose her favourite buttons. Such a wonderful treat. Kids love playing with buttons so I cannot imagine a better play thing.

    This week I am juggling. Well, no, not really, but I do have a couple of things on the boil.

• My writing [won't say much about this, keeping tight lipped, except to say that I am writing something].
• I have begun crocheting again. I am crocheting pizza as a Xmas gift. It had been a while since I last crocheted and I had never made a triangle so it took me many tried before I got the hang of the instructions. Did I say instructions? Indeed I did. I am following a pattern from a crochet food book called Tasty Crochet [written by Rose Langlitz].
• I have been procastinating on doing the grey card test for my photography course, but it must be done. Soooooooo... fingers crossed if the weather is good this weekend I'll be giving that a go. 

Bubble Play

Artwork by Melissa Gaggiano

    Sometimes it's nice to simply doodle without any particular objective to the activity. This is particularly true if the mind is stuck in transit.

Woman on Wheels

Sketch by Melissa Gaggiano.

Lovin' the 60s

    We should all dance when getting dressed for the day.
    I am lovin' the 60s more and more - the clothes, the music, the make-up. Yeah baby!

Type, Type, Typing



Source: color-crazed.tumblr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

    Today I am type, type, typing. On and off and on again I have been working on a story. Before the day is out I aim to have done a minimum of 500 words. Now if only my computer looked like this typewriter.

    And what are your plans for this fine [or not so fine, depending on where you live] day?

Finding My Feet

Photography by Melissa Gaggiano.

    It is Friday and the mental fog is clearing. I am having one of those moments when I think I can see the path before me with a little more clarity. That path is still dark but not as hazy as what it once was.

Where I Am At

    I am having a quiet moment so thought I'd share where things are at. Things have been on the quiet side and yet I am just a little bit busy. Though it doesn't feel like it for some strange reason. Maybe it is because I am taking small bites here and there from my individual projects. So this is where it is at...

1. Reading Out of Africa, by Karen Blixen.
2. Listening to audio recording of Twilight on those late warm nights when I cannot sleep.
3. Discovered this wonderful website filled with creative kids activities - www.learning4kids.net.
4. Mixed rice and food dye as a sensory play item for my eldest. She loves it, and is playing with the rice as I type.
5. I am about to embark on a crochet project - making pizza slices.
6. Writing a story, just small bits at a time.
7. Drawing doll concepts.
8. Helping my eldest make paper badges.
9. Doing a photography course [but taking a few days break from the annoying gray card stuff].

Layout by Melissa Gaggiano.

Sensory play using rice and food dye. I cam across this at www.learning4kids.net.

Doll concept sketching by Melissa Gaggiano.