Spring Markets

So we are starting to build up to the Christmas season and already applications are being taken for markets all over the place. Here is a list of some of the markets we are confirmed to be attending . . .

  Do stay tuned for an updated list :)
 

This coming weekend Crafternoon Tea celebrates their 3rd Birthday. Come and join the celebrations!

and the winners are . . .

It was such a tough decision, I had to get my flatmate and my mum to help me to decide on our winners. Thank you so much to everyone who entered, it was just wonderful reciving such fabulous pictures daily in my inbox.



please get someone to email me through your choice of A5 animal print :)


 

The Junior Section really was a knockout! So many talented young folk out there who are obviously inspired by animals too.

Some of my favourite are works were

'Birdies Outside Our House' by Ruby aged 4

'Oscar' by Josh aged 7 3/4

'Kea' by Tasmyn aged 7

Enough of my rambling, the winners are . . .

 

 

 

'Sparkle Tiger in the Feather Jungle' by Luca Gribble aged 3 3/4

'Cuttlefish' by Caleb aged 12



'Panda' by Toni Liberona

Two of our winners were in the same family, how awesome is that? Again thanks so much to everyone who entered. It was so much fun and I think I we will have to do it again sometime. Enjoy the rest of your school holidays :)

To Celebrate . . .

 

the fact that there are now over 400 of you fabulous folk who take an interest in ellaquaint. It really helps to inspire and motivate me so thank you :) Also it is the school holidays! That is another wonderful reason to celebrate, though for some of you it might be a mixed blessing ;D


Please read the competition guidelines below . . .

 

There are 3 catagories . . . so 3 prizes up for grabs!

 

If it goes really well I might add another prize too :)

 

an ellaquaint giclee print

RRP $50.00 each

 

for the winner of each catagory

 

which are . . .

 

Junior 0 - 12
Teen 12 - 18
Adult 18 - infinity

Junior Artists

To draw or paint your favourite animal, it might be real or imaginary.

Please make sure you have provided your
Name
Age
A description of what the animal is
Which print you would like to win

Teen Artists

To draw or paint or enter a photograph that you have taken of your favourite endangered species.

Please make sure you have provided your
Name
Age
What the animal is
If it is a photograph, the date and place it was taken
Which print you would like to win

 

 Adult Artists

To draw or paint or enter a photograph that you have taken of your favourite endangered species.

Please make sure you have provided your
Name
Age (only kidding)
Media
If it is a photograph, the date and place it was taken
What the animal is
Which print you would like to win

To enter

Have a look at our ellaquaint Felt store to decide on what print you would like to win.
Please email your entries to ellaquaint@gmail.com and include all of the appropriate information.
I will then post the pictures to my facebook pg. Please tag or share the images so that I know they are connected with you :)
Also if you would like to be added to a mailing list please let me know, otherwise don't worry I won't add you to it.

Conditions

You must be closely connected to a 'liker' to the ellaquaintnz facebook pg or a 'follower' to the ellaquaint blog.

One liker or follower = one entry per entrant

of course there can be more than one entrant per family :)

 

One liker and follower = two entries per entrant

of course there can be more than one entrant per family :)

The images must be done by the entrant and without assistance.

The competition closes Wednesday 10th October at 7 pm and winners will be announced on Thursday 11th October at 7pm on the ellaquaint facebook page.

By entering you allow ellaquaint the right to post the images and to post them on both the ellaquaint facebook page and the ellaquaint blog.

No bribes will be taken, no matter how yummy the baking or cute the puppy is.

 

 

Summer Beasties

Ummm yes it has been a wee while, I do apologise.

So I am sure many of you have been enjoying viewing the 'Spy' series that is currently on TV 1 on Tuesdays evenings. This latest one has just been delightful, such amazing footage derived from some very ingenious cameras designs. 'Tiger - Spy in the Jungle' reminded me of when I was fortunate to capture a glimpse of a trio of tiger cubs in Ranthambhore National Park, while I was on holiday in India. It was one of the most fabulous experiences in my life so far.

One of my better photos of the tigers.

As you can see, it is fortunate that I quickly realized my ambition to be a National Geographic wildlife photographer was not a feasible one. Yes my images are a far cry from the excellent footage that we get to see via elephant cams and rock cams and the like. The tigers themselves were so similar to what we saw this evening, as cubs they are quite hilarious creatures. One minute they were in plain sight  play fighting and as soon as you got the camera focused they would duck down to be camouflaged by the undergrowth. It was as if they were trying to foil our attempts to document them.

Seriously, there were the best two shots.

So I had been wanting to do a series based on large cats for a while and this latest wildlife documentary helped to inspire me to complete the sketches I had started. Unfortunately the lion had a mishap and ended up being like the Essex Lion, basically a thing of myth. It is unfortunate when a painting gets stuffed up. When compared with oils or acrylics; with watercolours if you make a mistake, there is not much you can do to hide it. Watercolours are a very honest media. I will have to do another lion as they are such stunning and majestic animals.

'Summer Beasties' in progress

Cheetahs have amazed me since a kid, the fact that they can reach speeds of up to 70kms an hour is astounding, even if it is just for a short span of time.

'Cheetah' 2012

As for the tigers, they really are my favourite big cat. The contrast of the orange against the black stripes and white under belly is just gorgeous. 

'Tiger' 2012

Soon I will get a new lion completed. Watch out for listings of the original watercolours and gilcee prints on my Felt and Etsy stores. Enjoy watching next weeks episode and I am so hoping that there is a happy ending after tonight's episode.

It's still my favourite cap :)

Auckland Art and Craft Fair

Along with a whole plethora of other fabulous vendors, guess where we will be tomorrow?

If you would like a sneek peek as to what you might expect from our stall, have a nosy at the interview posted on the official site here ellaquaint interview or you could look at some of the pictures that have been and will be posted on our facebook page here ellaquaint on facebook.

Matariki!

We have just had our 50th sale on Felt over the weekend so to celebrate . . .

If you love surprises now is the perfect time to pop on over and have a nosey at our store on Felt.

Pink Ribbon Breakfast

Yesterday in little ol' Kingsland we had a fabulous time at Crafternoon Tea, partially due to the delightful company and wonderful browsers and customers. I think that the scrummy baking that lovlies like Emma from The Little Card Factory, Alice from Absolutely Alice and Kylie from Broken Bits (whose excellent idea it was), might have had something to do with it too.

Yes we had cake for breakfast!

Well I can bake, however not consistently. It is not a skill I aim to develop as I seem to end up eating it all which does not do fabulous things for the figure. Instead I decided to do what I am good at, and paint a pink animal. The first thing that sprung to mind was a pig, which are cute, but not necessarily what people would like to have on their walls. The next idea was of course, a flamingo. They have such a lovely retro feel to them, combined with their stunning colour, I decided they would be the beastie to paint.

Their gorgeous hue is derived from the krill they eat.

Here is the final illustration here, which I framed using a pink ribbon and reference old copperplate flourishes. 

It is painted on 300gsm water-colour paper and available on Felt

From this water-colour I did a limited edition series of 25. There are still 15 at this stage left which I would love to move quickly so as I can get the funds to the NZBCF. There are available to purchase too, just follow this link to ellaquaint on Felt

Little A5 digital prints on 185 gsm watercolour paper.

This poor blog has been so neglected this year, in part due to the number of markets I have been doing and I fear that it will stay a little quiet due to the fact that I am back in the class room again too. Hopefully I won't neglect it entirely but my apologies if it gets even quieter.

OnceIt

If you have not been introduced to the fantastic sales that appear on Onceit, you might like to join up as some cute and quaint things are about to emerge on there.

They specialize in designer brands and fabulous artisans whose wares include jewellery, fashion, accessories, home wares and more

I only have a limited number of invites so . . .

Invitation to Onceit

 . . . and I hear there might be some manu on there too.

Road Trip!

Yay! So excited! ellaQuaint will be venturing outside of Auckland and joining the handmade, crafty fabulousness that is The Little Big Markets. 

That will keep me busy over the next week or so, trying to come up with some fresh visual treats to bring with me as well as some of the old favourites. I will try and keep you posted on new items as they are completed.

For more info on The Little Big Markets click on the name to follow the link to their facebook page :)

Latest Hi-Jinx

It has been a wee while but finally life has settled down again and I am able to get caught up on things. ellaQuaint has been busy creating new designs for handmade cards. The 'Warm Fuzzy' range has expanded to include robins and cats.  They seem to resurge when the weather cools, something about the association of warmth that felt brings with it I think.

Some of these have been sent off already :)

Some fresh colours have been added to the ellaQuaint palette which has worked wonderfully with some old favourites. There is something rather meditative about the process of hand embroidering things and the contrast of the matt card against the lustre of embroidery silk is very effective.

Chevron Hearts in fresh hues.

Part of the reason I have been focusing so much upon cards lately, as well as the advent of Mother's Day is because I intend to put together a catalogue of some of my favourite designs and go and attempt to sell them to stores.

I love masking tape. 

Sometimes you have to fix or even remake old templates. Today I got to make some new ones which was exciting also. The perfect activity for the shocker of a day we have had in Auckland.

I really love masking tape.

The old maps that I use can be problematic to cut so lining them on the back with tape allows for a cleaner edge and makes them less likely to disintegrate.

A fresh design and one that I think is pretty special.

Maps are so evocative of travel and that sense of freedom and adventure that comes with it, which is why I have been so selective with the imagery that I have chosen to collage on the cards. Many folks think that it is bordering on madness to hand-cut such intricate designs but when you end up with a result that you are happy with and that people might treasure for sometime to come, then in my belief, it is worth it.

Two old trusty designs one of which has had a bit of a make over.

Some of these are already listed on ellaquaint on felt or ellaCute on etsy should you be interested in seeing the designs in better detail.

Oceans

This Friday at Silo Night Markets and Cinema, the stunning eco-documentary Oceans is playing.

I had a quick peek at the shorts for it and I just can't wait. Should you want to have a nosy click here Oceans

Just wild, a sea of jelly-fish

I think that after all of this oceanic inspiration I will definitely have to paint some more creatures of the deep.

A pod of dolphins

Rug up, bring a blanket, come on down while the weather is still lovely and enjoy the fabulous food and beverages on offer, peruse the talented stall holders and catch a sublime movie on the big silo. It screens at 8

ellaCute sale!

Sale now on at our etsy store ellaCute. Just add the code 'surprise' when purchasing your visual treats and receive 10% off until Friday the 13th.

Also for those of you within NZ there also a free shipping code too 'shipfree' which is valid until the end of April. I am not sure if you can use both at the same time, it would be interesting to find out though :)

Only 55 Left

of the world's smallest dolphin. Our rarest sea mammals are in the very real danger of becoming extinct. Hector's and Maui's dolphins are also known by many other names including Tutumairekurai, Aihi, Papakanua, Upokohue, Tukuperu, Tupoupou and Hopuhopu. Both the Maui's who number just 55 and their relatives the Hector's dolphins are rapidly declining in numbers. Additional facts on both dolphins can be found at the Forest and Bird site.

Image from Kaitiaki Our Dolphins

You can have your say and help encourage the government to put through legislation that would give them larger areas to inhabit that are free of gill nets, allowing them a better opportunity to replenish their numbers. Submissions can be made here, on the Forest and Bird submission node.

Image from Liz Slooten's article on Scoop

Please support this worthy cause by addition to submissions that will be presented to the government. Remember forever is forever, future generations will want to be able experience these treasures too. Submissions close on the 11th April.

Image from The Winter Dolphin Chronicles

More Wee Beasties

I so enjoyed painting the first lot of Timorous Beasties that I decided to paint some more.

Standing Fawn

Standing Fawn had the cutest pose so I just had to paint him. I think that I might have to have paint some more deer as their coats layer up so nicely with watery washes then textured brush marks layered up over the top.

Little Lop

Little Lop, well lop bunnies are pretty delightful but this guy took the cake.

Sparrow

Sparrows are one of my favourite introduced birds. This guy looked so sweet all fluffed up into his feathers. Should you be interested in purchasing any of these cuties, you can find them on our ellaCute store on etsy. Ooo there is a sale happening there also!

Timorous Beasties

'Fawn' closeup

It has been a little while since I last did some water-colour painting. After a bit of encouragement from Alice I finally painted these wee guys just in time for Easter :)

'Fawn' framed

The image of 'Fawn' was wonderful to work off as it really showed the detailed patterns that occur on it's little face and around it's eyes.

'Sparrow' unframed

'Sparrow' was so much fun to paint. I think that I might need to paint her a few little friends to hang out with the gang.

'Rabbit' with a real daisy

'Rabbit' has a cheeky little grin as he snacks on a daisy. As you can see they are very cute by themselves or they also look fabulous hanging out together.

'Timorous Beasties'

Better photos will come as the weather clears up and you can view them in detail on Felt or Etsy. Larger Glicee prints are arriving shortly!

You can also check them out this weekend at the Silo Night Market and Cinema, Amelie is playing. Also we will be at Kraftbomb this Sunday from 11 - 2 pm

Catching Up

Well I have been so busy marketeering and making for said markets that I have completely neglected the ellaquaint blog. Enough of posters advertising fabulous movies and fun events, pictures of pretty, kooky and inspiring things are much more fun to peruse.

'cross my heart'

Cross-stitched cards have been something that I have had a lot of fun experimenting with and making. Initially I loved the idea of cards crafted from cross-stitch for Valentine's Day, creating cards essentially made from kisses.

'chevron heart'

I came across this design by accident and just loved it. Basically it was inspired by the backs of my earlier designs and . . . well my shonky cross-stitching skills. Don't worry, I line them all so my crazy backs aren't visible on the inside. Since then my technique has improved too.

'St Patrick's Day Shamrock'

St Patrick's Day is just around the corner, so that has instigated a new range of ideas . . . some a little more low-brow than others.

I miss Father Ted

A sentiment that is much nicer.

 There are some gorgeous Easter cards in the making too, some text based others a mixture of collage and cross-stitched elements. I will post some soon.

Happy Sunday!