Melbourne holiday and back to blogging

Has it really been May since I last blogged?  It seems so long ago, hard to know where to start now.  In the last four months we have been to Melbourne, I submitted my mid-year portfolio (and got great results), we both had a really bad flu, things got shaky and then good again at work and I've started the second semester for the year of my studies.

Everything seems to revolve around my studies at the moment, briefs at work and briefs for my course start blurring into one big workload where I sit at my desk all day and then come home to sit at my desk all night (but don't think I'm complaining because I love both!).  I have much blogging to catch up on and will just try to make time over the next few weeks or else it'll be December and I won't have posted anything!!  I have managed to fill my blogging needs with regular instagram (@lollyandbee) and by updating my loop and tumblr but it's not quite the same.

So for now, here at some pics from our recent (well June anyway), Melbourne holiday.  We had such a fantastic time and stayed with some great friends and family who it was so good to catch up with.  I always feel weird including other people in the photos I post so have only included Steve and I (should probably have ask Steve though :) ), it's just one of those blogger etiquette things I still don't quite have figured out yet.  Oh well, here's our holiday!

Carlton vs West Coast game (we lost :( ) but had a great day, it was my first live AFL game!  
Thanks Moshe and Helene!

Vienna Exhibition

Watching TV on the grass

Federation Square

BEST hot chocolate from Sonido

Giraffes that Steve's Grammy painted

Eating

More eating

and no dumping Stephen!! (or Stevan)

More Scrabble photo boards

So, now that Mother's Day and been and gone I can show you what I've been working on.  I did up a scrabble board/photo collage for both my and Steve's mums for Mother's Day.  It was heaps of fun working on it, looking through all the old family photos, and sneakily trying to scan some as well!  The presents definitely went over well :)



My Family:

Steve's Family

Drawing Assignment 2011

Valentines Day Card Assignment

This was a really fun and quick assignment to do - we had to complete it in 3 hours.  Also got to use one of my new favourite fonts - Skitch!





Front and Inside of landscape card

Weekly Web Round-up

Well, it's not really weekly but  I couldn't resist the alliteration.

Warning: This is quite an eclectic mix of things.

• First up are two kitten websites for those so inclined; Lola is Beauty and dreamcats.  The first does a wonderful series on bloggers and their cats which makes me more inclined to include my two on this blog.  I know I can get a little cat crazy so do try to keep the crazy in check when interacting with others.  Dreamcats is a tumblr site filled with many pictures of kitties.  If you do like cats I would also recommend the Catorialist which I have mentioned here before.

• Eddie Vedder Portrait
  Can't believe it has taken me so long to post about this one - the portrait has actually been done now.  Read here about the 85 day project to lobby Eddie Vedder to take his portrait.

• DIY Children's Book
  
  
  Check out this awesome book this couple created for their nephew for his first birthday.  It's given me inspiration to create something for twins for their 4th birthday this year - I love being an aunty! (at The Indigo Bunting)
  
• steedicons
  
  
  
  
  Steedicons is a pack of hand drawn icons for purchase for use on business cards and websites and the like.  The general design of the website makes me want to buy them and I really like the twitter/facebook icons.  Encourages me to do more of this kind of drawing. (via A Cup of Jo)
  
• Elephant - a book of opposites by Pittau & Gervais
  
  
  
  My lovely sister Katie showed me this site of a few stills from the book Elephant.  Not your typical kids book but it definitely made me laugh.  Thought is might be hard to find but you can get it on Amazon.com and it looks like there are a few other tittles as well such as 'That's Disgusting" and "That's Dangerous".
  
• Camera Lenses for your iPhone
  
  
  
  Photojojo sell Fisheye, Macro and Wide Angle lenses that magnetically attach to your iPhone (or other camera phone).  Don't know how well they work in person but I would love to try them!
  
  
• Pattern from Wikstenmade
  
  
  
  Haven't done any sewing this year but am eager to finish my quilt as it's getting colder here.  I love Wikstenmade and an easy tank pattern might be enough to get me in the mood for more sewing :)
  
• Wedding Quilt
  
  
  
  Speaking of sewing check out this beautiful quilt.  Thinking I might make it my next project (if I can ever finish the current ones). (at The Purl Bee)

• Colouring Book
  
  
  
  from Thirddrawdown
  
  
• Cloud Jewellry
  
  
  
  from sofiaclementine on etsy.com
  
  

• Art
  
  I've been thinking a lot recently about starting to invest in some art pieces and am checking out what's available locally as well as on the net.
  
  
  
  This is a piece called Sweetheart by tastesorangey.
  
  Also looking at other sites like Art Park and 20x200.

Well that's it for now. :)

Scrabble Board

So I saw this as an idea on another blog a couple of years ago and since then I lost track of where I saw it.  Wish I could provide a link back but I can't, if someone knows where the post is, please let me know.  Anyway, I'm putting this together for our anni in May, it'll be 10 years since our first date.  Still working out what to put on the board as a heading but here is the main part.  Tried to keep a good mix of our our live together - my family, his family, our friends, our kittens and lots of us.  Must say I'm pretty happy with it. (Please click on the image to enlarge it).

Drawing This Love

Do you want to draw one frame in an upcoming filmclip?? Bright Knight's song 'This Love' is currently being turned into a film clip and if you want to, you can colour/draw/whatever one frame. Go to http://www.drawingthislove.com/ and sign up to download you're frame. There is also a clip of what's already been down and it looks pretty awesome. I signed up this afternoon and got frame 795 - wonder what I'm going to do?? Check out the promo clip below...



and the progress so far...

Etsy Round Up for February

Here are all the latest things I've been coveting on etsy...

Rachel's Studio - Watercolour paintings of animals (Read: kittens) with custom requests available

Get Bent Metal -  Check out this awesome Octopus Lamp!

Lenny Mud - Oversized Moustache Soup Mug - says it all really!

Sweet Perversion - Their 'Kill them with Kittens' poster (as opposed to kindness) is pretty cool (and disturbing) but I do love stationery so!

Tangentine - Cancer Constellation Pendant.  (Please note that while I LOVE astronomy I have no time for astrology but this uber-cute necklace ticks the first box for me :)

Handz - Pirate Love Poster (and what's not to love about this)

And that's all for now :)

Felty Goodness

It seems that felt is all the rage at the moment but it's a bit too hot outside to think about so I'll have to remember these ones for winter time.  From etsy.com.

Felt Cozy by Argyle St

Indie Rock Colouring Book

Now this news is a little old, I received my order in the mail 2 apartments ago but still would like to share it with all of you.  May I Present "The Indie Rock Colouring Book".  Featuring some of my favs like 'The National' and 'Broken Social Scene' and 'Bon Iver', why not bring Indie rock to the colouring in crowd?  Proceeds of sales go to the Yellow Bird Project and the charities and projects they support.  I really like the style of the illustrations and might have a go at something similar myself.

Jimbobart Hand Painted Plates

Check out these gorgeous painted ceramics from Jimbobart on etsy.  These animals have so much character!

Nailing Your Wife

And lastly, before a call it a night, here is a very funny clip called 'Nailing Your Wife' done by PG Porn, staring Nathan Fillion (of Firefly and Castle fame).  Now don't be alarmed by the title - it's essentially a porn script without any actual porn.  Enjoy.

Colour Pendant

A nerdy colour wheel pendant from Yellow Owl Workshop

New Blog Love - (never home)maker

So I just found a great new blog called (never home)maker which has lots and lots of yummy recipes (that are often of the vegetarian or vegan variety)  that are accompanied by lovely food shots.  As an example of the great baking it featured '12 Cookies of X-mas' for the 12 days of Christmas.  It also has a lot of fitness/running features, make sure you check out the video of the snow-shoe running which is quite a novelty for someone who lives in Brisbane, Queensland. via frankie

Drawing Sites

So again, my lovely sister has put me onto 2 great drawing sites.

The first one iSketch is basically an online version of pictionary, you choose a username (don't need to sign up or have a password), and then choose which 'room' (Easy English, Easy Animals etc) and then just type in guesses till it's your turn to draw.  It's incredibly fun and addictive so beware!

The second site is called Harmony and is a great way to draw electronically.  I found it responded really well to the pressure on my graphics tablet and also shaded really well.  You can change colours and type of drawing (sketchy, shaded, chrome, etc) and is really great for an internet program.

Twitter

So I'm just testing to see if my blog now links with my Twitter Account.  Find me @lillyborchardt

James Blake

Have discovered a new artist who I really like called James Blake via Black Eiffel.  Here is his cover of Feist's 'Limit To Your Love'.  Enjoy.

Floods and New Things

So, the floods in Brisbane over the past few week or so were pretty devastating but the community response was pretty amazing with so many volunteers helping each other out.  I took a few good photos but somehow it just seems disrespectful to say here look at these cool photos of other people's misery.  I might post a few of the lighter ones once they've been downloaded from my camera.  There's one of a cat crossing the road to check out the street flooding and another of a boat which ended up in the middle of a football field.  For now though, here's what I'm found this week:

-A great new (to me) blog from Angela Hardison.  Her photos are really lovely to look at, very white and clean and open.  After last year's stubble with my photography subject I am determined to spend more time working on composition and lighting and having fun so that when the next photography subject rolls around in term 2 of this I don't feel like I'm fighting the process.  Anyway, here is an example of her photos from her blog about a 50% raw food diet she is trying.



-A site called printeresting which is fairly self explanatory
-The Hungry  Workshop a letterpress printers (and blog) based in Brisbane (who thankfully survived the recent floods)
-And lastly,  looking at the upcoming events that DIA are hosting this year.  There are a few breakfasts and things on but honestly feeling a little nervous showing up by myself.  The downside of studying an online course in another state is that all my peers don't live anywhere nearby.  One of the points of these events is networking though so maybe I should just bite the bullet.

Weekly Wrap Up + Moving

So a few of these links aren't exactly new but I still wanted to share them with you.  I'm still catching up on all the things I've wanted to blog over the past few months!

Great Moments in Lego from the Gaurdian.  My favourite is the Lego business cards for Lego employees!

A Very Creative Proposal from Turn Olympus to Atlantis Blog.  I really love this!  Everything from the illustration to the folded design and print, definitely one of the most creative ways to propose I have ever seen.