collecting

Paper plain

How neat are these paper chains made by Tae from Low Commitment Projects?! This is going to sound crazy, but I was never any good at making these as a kid. Limbs were always cut off in the process of creations (on accident I swear!). I would definitely love to try again though, especially as my current work space hasn't quite reached my preferred level of decoration yet.

There are some rather fun ideas on the Low Commitment Projects site, which is all about 'making stuff happen with little time and energy' and is brought to you by two former art school friends, Tae and Brittany. A few favourite projects of mine include golden lining, house paint and sandwich artist.

dotty lady

Some dotty flowers on my nails to keep me feeling cheery (until it all chips away as I am always making things, or washing dishes!). In other more exciting news, I attended my first Brisbane Institute of Art jewellery making course last night and boy was it fun! It focuses on using everyday/household objects to make wearable jewellery, which is my favourite! I can't wait to play with the drills and hammers and files again. When I move to Tasmania I plan to set up a good studio space as soon as possible. Eep!

I also can't wait for tomorrow morning, as I will be attending my first lesson in a silversmithing course too! Short courses seem to be a better option for me, as you can cover all the beginner basics in just 9 lessons, and if it turns out that a certain subject isn't really working for you, it's no biggie! It's also great because I'm a keen dabbler in all mediums and am already planning to book into ceramics and crochet classes before the end of the year (assuming I don't miss out!).

Have you ever attended any short courses or workshops that you really enjoyed? Is there anything you would love to learn but haven't yet attempted?

Pencil me in

Goodness! Look how silly (read: flipping awesome) this collar is! It's a pencil shaving! So darn clever. I would definitely wear this.

Collar by Green Accordian

Veselka from Green Accordian makes other super neat things too, like these Antique Camera Felt Necklaces and the sweetest Heart Piano brooches to pin on your person. Still can't get over that collar though...

Temporary workspace / Joyful things

Last Friday I moved house! (Yet again, I seem to relocate my living quarters every 6 months or so!) The whole moving-house-yet-again thing actually wasn't too bad this time around. I had my little workspace set up in only a couple of hours! The photo above is how I wish it looked all the time, nice and pristine...but a pristine workspace tells me two things about myself:

1. I haven't been very productive.
2. I REALLY need to start making a creative mess very soon indeed!

At the moment there are a bunch of earrings in various stages of assembly and lots of paintbrushes laying about. This week has been rather busy so far, but it's always nice to snuggle up to this little lump and eat ice cream!

Treating yourself to a new brooch doesn't hurt either. The clay mountain brooch is by Melbourne based label And O Design, isn't it the loveliest?!

Yumi is so clever, I wish I could buy all of her pieces. I especially love these and these.

Oh, and before I forget, my social media profile is up on The Weekend Edition's 'connect' page, so you can follow along through whichever website or application you please.

How has your week been so far? Any crazy indulgences lately?

The Waiting Game

Hmm. What does one do when everything you own is packed up in big cardboard boxes and you have a 5 hour wait for the removalist? 

Here is what I have come up with so far: make some tea, spend lots of time on the internet and write this blog post with the company of my guinea pigs (their cage is a bit wet from the rain so we are chilling on the couch and I am making blanket tunnels for them), draw and work on some new Pannikin design drafts and maybe watch a movie while doing so. Sounds good to me! I'm just not looking forward to all the heavy lifting later...

Before I go tick off that list-o-fun, I'd like to share the interview I did with the girls behind the Boys With Banjos blog for their Studio Crush segment, complete with photos of my little workspace. They also wrote about me here back in February!

Outfitted: Out for coffee!

This morning I'm heading off to have a coffee with my good friend Amanda, and since it is about 20 degrees C I can justify wearing layers. Let's just hope it doesn't get any warmer, I don't do very well in the heat!

Last night I was playing with Hama beads for a top secret collaborative project, here is a sneaky peek of one of the pieces...

Did you ever play with these plastic beads as a kid? I only had one chance while I was at after school care with a friend and have been dying to mess around with them again until now. They are super fun and come in so many different colours.

Kaleidoscopes are fun

Playing with my kaleidoscope this morning instead of getting ready for work. Oops. It's one of my favourite birthday presents ever received. I mean, it simply goes to prove how well a person knows you when they buy you one of these babies!

You can see more of my kaleidoscope pictures (and other creative daily life things) via Instagram. Simply search ‘hollyleonardson’. Easy!

Pip and Poppy

Meet Pip (5 weeks, above) and Poppy (5 months, below). These are my two guinea pigs (well, my boyfriend and I have joint custody over them, however they both currently live at my house. Pip is 'his' and Poppy is 'mine'). The mister bought them for me on my birthday in March from the Gold Coast Guinea Pig Rescue. I couldn't have received a more awesome gift!

There is nothing I love more than feeding them veggies, fruit and grass, and watching them run around and make funny noises. The best thing ever is seeing Pip 'popcorning' when she is excited, which means she runs and jumps around shaking her head like she is having a little happy fit.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share them with you as they make me super dooper keen to get up out of bed and go say good morning to them.

DIY Polkadot Wrapping

After I finished painting my hoop earrings last night I decided to use up my left over paint by making polkadot wrapping paper. Inside this little box is a Pannikin brooch for my favourite blogger, but shhh! It's a surprise!

I can't wait to make more wrapping paper. Do you like to make your own? Bakers twine and thick embroidery thread (shown above) are my favourite ways to finish off a wrapped gift. Oh, and don't forget the obligatory MT tape!

Happy Chocolate Indulgence Day!

I sure hope you are enjoying the long weekend! Are you sick of chocolate yet? I hate to admit it, but I am a teeny bit bored of chocolate now and am totally craving some super fresh raw vegies.

Yesterdays garage sale was a super success so I thank all of those who came along and bought themselves some pre-loved treats!There are still some fantastic little goodies that didn't find new homes, so I will be bringing them along to the Suitcase Rummage in May.

After giving my guinea pigs some 'grass time' and cleaning out their cage this morning (which they were stoked about) I made a cup of tea and added a coat of clear varnish to my hoop earrings. I love seeing them all scattered around on my desk, the bright colours are just so darn cheery!

I can't wait until the shops open again, I really need to pick up some fun silver cord for my Super-Kinder hoop necklaces that I am itching to make.

What have you been up to over the long weekend?

Planning: A New Studio Workspace!

(Above: My desk/workspace)

The past few days has seen myself (and a few lovely handy helpers!) sort and price approximately 15 packing boxes worth of stuff for my huge garage sale that I have organised for this coming Saturday. (You can head over here to the facebook event for more info!)

Why the huge garage sale? Well in the near future I have super-fun plans to move from Brisbane, where I have lived my whole life, to Tasmania, where it will be so nice and cold and small and affordable! I am also planning to study visual art and major in jewellery and object design. I hope to do lots and lots of creative type learning down there, and have so many ideas I can't even write them down fast enough.

One of the ideas is of course to have a very nice and user friendly studio workspace. Never before have I been able to plan such a room (or any room) from scratch!

Here are some studios and work areas I have been admiring lately:

(Above: the workspace of Uptightso)

I love the use of what I assume to be brightly coloured crates as both shelving and as a support to the desk. I remember my parents using crates like this back when I was teeny tiny!

(Above: Jake and Gen - Melbourne based Artist and Architect)

(Above: Candy Stripe Cloud)

I would rattle off a list of what I like about the above space but I simply love everything! Just look at those funny apples and cute owls and just TRY not to smile! What is your ideal workspace like?