Oh, my pretties! :)

Here are some new artists I've discovered lately - their work is simply amazing!

Tanja Szekessy





Lina Boden





David Despau





David Bray





Ana Bagayan





Amy Sol

I had a coffee today!

Now to most of you, that might be a daily occurence. And without your morning coffee, I might even wager $1 that your day just won't be the same. However, for me, I had to give up coffee about two years ago due to a condition called, Interstitial Cystitis (IC). It's a very painful disease and coffee (or anything acidic) only aggravates the symptoms. It was tough, but I've managed without my daily coffee well enough. But now, a fellow IC friend of mine was kind enough to send me a sample of Tylers Coffee which uses a computerized "Z-Roasting" System that optimizes roasting time, assuring the coffee is Acid Free - perfect for someone with my condition or anyone who suffers after eating acidic foods. I bought myself a cute little plunger (see below for a picature) this morning and had my first cup - wow! It tasted insane! I think I'm buzzing already!

Etsy Sale!

Until the end of May, I am offering an Etsy SALE!

BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE!

Purchase any print or photograph and feel free to choose any other print or photograph for free! For example, you can have one print and one photograph or two of the same! It's up to you! Just Add A Note when you purchase and let me know which FREE one you are after! This SALE ends on the 31st of May! Enjoy!

Here are some examples of what you will find in my store!

Sleeping Beauty



Ray Of Sunshine



Searching For Answers

Etsy Threadkiller! Be Quick!

Over at Etsy, I have started my first ever Threadkiller! The prize?
Anything from my shop, your choice! It includes free shipping! So come along and have a hand at killing this ol' thread:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6520664

But be quick! It ends very soon! :)

>>>> NOTE: This Threadkiller has now ended! Congratulations to the winner! :)

To A Child ...

Wow, it has been a while since I posted here! I've been quite pre-occupied of late, with work and the like! I thought I would pop in here a share a little poem that has been on my mind. It is by Christopher Morley, entitled, "To A Child". It will take you back to the world that as we get older, we so quickly forget ...



Source (Photo): Wordpress

THE greatest poem ever known
Is one all poets have outgrown:
The poetry, innate, untold,
Of being only four years old.

Still young enough to be a part
Of Nature's great impulsive heart,
Born comrade of bird, beast, and tree
And unselfconscious as the bee--

And yet with lovely reason skilled
Each day new paradise to build;
Elate explorer of each sense,
Without dismay, without pretense!

In your unstained transparent eyes
There is no conscience, no surprise:
Life's queer conundrums you accept,
Your strange divinity still kept.

Being, that now absorbs you, all
Harmonious, unit, integral,
Will shred into perplexing bits,--
Oh, contradictions of the wits!

And Life, that sets all things in rhyme,
may make you poet, too, in time--
But there were days, O tender elf,
When you were Poetry itself!

Alice In Wonderland!

I am so excited about the upcoming movie (March is just around the corner) that I've been searching the internet for little pieces of this wonderful story! I hired the book from the library so I can read it again (it's a delightful new copy with illustrations by Robert Ingpen). I've been looking everywhere for inspiration for my upcoming new drawing which will be inspired by Alice and her wonderful adventures! I'll be working on it over the next few weeks and will hopefully have some progress pictures up soon! I'll leave you with some of the images I've found that I just had to share - the first three are from Brandon Christopher Warren who I found on Flickr. I love these photos!






Source: Brandon Christopher Warren






Source: Mugglespace

Earthlust Water Bottles!

I'm finally getting around to ordering myself one of these today! Earthlust create BPA-free, stainless steel drinking bottles, complete with designs to suit all tastes! I've been looking around for a while trying to source a BPA-free bottle, but most companies have stocked plain, boring bottles - nothing that makes drinking water more exciting. That was, until, I found Earthlust! These bottles are simply stunning - the hardest desicion was choosing a design from their lovely selection! Check the Earthlust range out, here.





Here is a little information I sourced as to why it's a good idea to be drinking from BPA-free bottles:

"What is BPA?

Bisphenol A (or BPA for short) is a compound used in the manufacturing of many plastics. There have been many reports in main stream media about the dangers of BPA leaching in to the drinking water or food of containers made with BPA.

BPA is an endocrine disruptor and can mimic the body's own hormones which may lead to negative health effects in high doses. Regulatory bodies have determined safety levels for humans, but those safety levels are currently being questioned as a result of new scientific studies.

There is BPA in pretty much all plastic made. A plastic product that's BPA free will have BPA in them, but the quality of the manufacturing process is so high that the plastic does not break down to leach BPA in to the food or water it's storing. All products listed for sale on this website (and all plastic products, including the Lock & Lock water bottles & plastic containers) are BPA free.

What harm can BPA do to my health?

The studies on the effects of BPA in the human system are very much in their infancy.The Endocrine Society have expressed concern over current human exposure to BPA, reporting that BPA appears to be pouring in to the human body from a variety of unknown sources.

Studies done in 2009 on mice have shown:-

* BPA exposure caused long term adverse reproductive problems during prenatal critical periods
* Neonatal exposure to BPA disrupted ovarian development
* ... plus many others

While there is much debate about their effects, do you really want to keep drinking out of unsafe plastic water bottles while we're waiting for the results?

Environmental concerns with plastic bottled water

Here's some fast facts about the bottled water industry. Even if you ignore the hype about BPA, these environmental concerns are enough to warrante everyone switching from buying bottled water ot carrying your own around in a BPA free water bottle.

* It takes 10 litres of water to make a 1 litre disposable plastic water bottle
* 200ml of oil goes in to the production of a 600ml disposable plastic water bottle
* In America, 1,500 disposable water bottles end up as rubbish EVERY SECOND ..."

Source: http://www.bpafreewaterbottles.com.au/why-bpa-free-drink-bottles.htm