tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15609938151429292752024-03-14T02:29:39.324+09:30mel macklin: words and art to warm the cockles of your heartmel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-61999995259492333932014-06-03T09:13:00.001+09:302014-06-03T09:13:42.174+09:30A Thousand Thank-Yous Giveaway<span class="userContent"><img src="http://scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xpa1/t51.2885-15/10358267_724318674286383_320118352_n.jpg" /> </span><br />
<span class="userContent">I genuinely believe that changing the world
all starts with being grateful, and our ability to say two very simple
words: 'THANK-YOU'. It shows our humility, our ability to reflect on
what we have and to realise we actively want and value o<span class="text_exposed_show">ur
set of circumstances, however imperfect the sum of them might be; on
their own, some things about our lives and who we share it with are
pretty wonderful. Positivity, focusing on the things that empower and
drive us is a thousand times more powerful and fulfilling than armchair
activism. </span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> If you fancy me sending you this here something nice
that I've made, all you need to do is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melmacklinart/photos/a.219751711370465.65251.217059108306392/801948569817440/?type=1&theater" target="_blank">click this link</a> to the original
post and tell me about someone who deserves a thousand thank-yous. I'm
choosing a winner on Friday, 6th June and absolutely anyone in the
universe can enter, so long as they're a current follower of my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melmacklinart" target="_blank">Mel Macklin</a> Facebook page at the time of commenting. <br />
In advance, a thousand thank-yous for sharing your stories of love and
compassion. The fact that you are grateful already shows that you make a
positive difference in the world </span></span><span class="st">♥</span><br />
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<span class="st"> </span><br />
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-50732698227227129972014-05-05T21:51:00.000+09:302014-05-23T11:56:44.840+09:30to market, to market<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's super-important to me as an artist that I be as present as I can to talk about my artwork to all the wonderful people who provide such loving homes for it. I have been so lucky to be accepted into a whole bunch of really awesome markets, design fairs and boutique events in Melbourne in the short time I've been here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's a list of some confirmed dates I have over the next couple months if you'd love to come say hi to me in person! For regular updates about where to find me, or any changes to this list in the case of bad weather, you can also follow my adventures on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melmacklinart" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-YXfM6hsBCIikIgCozkaEa2QXDYpdzcw0iKOrDnXkxDlXQJXIl-jp_0ZcdyRmrnEDuTzjl7EveLZMdbxacIR6nOb7v3F28BoNzLmwMu_HdJhqHQTDOc5JyiUuCHtTV_Jl_cgFAZi_Go/s1600/mel+macklin+stall+setup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-YXfM6hsBCIikIgCozkaEa2QXDYpdzcw0iKOrDnXkxDlXQJXIl-jp_0ZcdyRmrnEDuTzjl7EveLZMdbxacIR6nOb7v3F28BoNzLmwMu_HdJhqHQTDOc5JyiUuCHtTV_Jl_cgFAZi_Go/s1600/mel+macklin+stall+setup.jpg" height="465" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">MAY</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Saturday 10th ~ <a href="http://www.rosestmarket.com.au/" target="_blank">Rose Street Artists' Market</a>, Rose St, Fitzroy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sunday 11th ~ <a href="http://www.craftmarkets.com.au/markets/mornington.aspx" target="_blank">Mornington Racecourse Market</a>, Mornington</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Saturday 17th ~ <a href="http://www.rosestmarket.com.au/" target="_blank">Rose Street Artists' Market</a>, Rose St, Fitzroy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sunday 18th ~ <a href="http://www.take2markets.com.au/" target="_blank">Take2Market, </a><span class="style26403951">Geelong West Town Hall</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="style26403951">Saturday 24th ~ </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="style26403951"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.rosestmarket.com.au/" target="_blank">Rose Street Artists' Market</a>, Rose St, Fitzroy</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sunday 25th ~ <a href="http://www.craftmarkets.com.au/markets/flemington.aspx" target="_blank">Flemington Racecourse Market</a>, Flemington </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Saturday 31st ~ </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="style26403951"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.rosestmarket.com.au/" target="_blank">Rose Street Artists' Market</a>, Rose St, Fitzroy</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="style26403951"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">JUNE</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="style26403951"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sunday 1st ~<a href="http://thedesignexchange.com.au/" target="_blank"> The Design Exchange</a>, Ballarat </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="style26403951"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Saturday 7th </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="style26403951"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.rosestmarket.com.au/" target="_blank">Rose Street Artists' Market</a>, Rose St, Fitzroy</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="style26403951"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sunday 8th ~ </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.craftmarkets.com.au/markets/mornington.aspx" target="_blank">Mornington Racecourse Market</a>, Mornington</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sunday 15th ~ <a href="http://www.mathildasmarket.com.au/" target="_blank">Mathilda's Market</a>, Malvern </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Saturday 21st ~ <a href="http://nannacoolmarkets.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Nanna Cool Markets</a>, Frankston </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Sunday 22nd ~ </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.craftmarkets.com.au/markets/flemington.aspx" target="_blank">Flemington Racecourse Market</a>, Flemington </span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">JULY </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Saturday 5th ~ Sunday 6th ~ <a href="http://www.ozcomiccon.com/default.aspx" target="_blank">Oz Comic-Con Melbourne</a>, Royal Exhibition Building</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Friday 25th ~ Saturday 26th ~ <a href="http://www.thefinderskeepers.com/melbourne-markets.php" target="_blank">Finders Keepers</a>, Royal Exhibition Building </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> . . . And, last but not least, if you're not local to Melbourne, my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/melmacklin" target="_blank">Etsy</a> shop is always open, and you can find all of the pretties on my market shop right there for your clicking pleasure!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Have a great day you good things x </span><br />
<br />mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-73458735157246958862014-04-15T15:25:00.000+09:302014-04-15T16:28:12.507+09:30digital inspirations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, here's a super-massive post for ya, peeps!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you follow my adventures on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melmacklinart" target="_blank">Facebook</a> (and I certainly recommend you do; what with the hours in the day being so limited, I do end up posting on there much more than I can here!) you might already know I've been experimenting a lot with digital illustration techniques these past few months. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like all of my color pencil illos, I start these off in just the same way: with a fully-realised black and white preparatory sketch, which is either photographed or scanned in at super-high resolution, like 600 dpi (I like the option of making them bigger if I can, without compromising the quality of my mark-making). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then I add a series of layers and transperencies in Photoshop, which effectively creates a sort of digital collage, which I blend, manipulate, mask, warp and tint to create an entirely new artwork. Using a texture~ let's say it's something really simple like some paper for instance~ I think for my work, is a million miles more convincing and interesting than colour-blocking with flat digital colour, which can look, well, overly digital. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That said, I love that digital allows me to be so much braver and bolder with my mark-marking: good art and photography, I have learned, is almost all about good lighting. I am trying to learn how to be braver in the way I light my characters; that was one of my personal goals for moving forward this year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm really after a handmade look to my pictures, so I love textures with imperfections, with a 'tooth' or grain. I make a lot of the textures you see in my work myself (the one below, for example, is about 50 layers worth of my scribbles, splatters, doodlings and colourings, which culminates in a lot of weird and sometimes grubby looking scrap-papers floating around my studio!) I use alllll sorts of strange and wonderful things to create the colour and patterns you see in my pictures, and have been collecting them for years! One of the textures in my texture bank was a rubbing I took from the fireplace of a house we lived in in Tooting, London! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Below each picture you'll find some helpful links and websites where all sorts of wonderful people go about researching, collecting and photographing all sorts of things that fall into the realm of Creative Commons. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Copyright is always something I consider very, very seriously~ as should all artists, especially those of us who collage! ~ and there are a range of really good resources out there, written in plain English which I recommend you familiarise yourself with if you create stuff too. The laws are very different depending on where you live and create in the world, and also where and what time the stuff you're using was made. If you're in Oz, the <a href="http://www.copyright.org.au/" target="_blank">Australian Copyright Council</a> is an excellent place to start learning about Copyright. </span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoGz-BRPTXhAyJu68wLENOlIm1k2jbj7SzAGH_XfzAyQQ1fhQ8ajPBdMDJQHsWpRPMF3hcC9BuVjBvnMdIJKWTD6Zntm53h59eqYzZs-1NjKTA9R1Bj23IAF2LjAzLsxhmwdhF-JDQXs/s1600/vanilla+meow+and+the+cardamom+foxlet+mel+macklin.jpg" height="480" width="640" /> </div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">'vanilla meow and the cardamom foxlet'</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Very special thanks and acknowledgements to the following people for so generously making such wonderful resources for artists like me to use: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.cgtextures.com/" target="_blank">CG Textures </a>for
their glorious photographs of antique patterned wallpapers, fabrics, stained and
coloured papers and a whole range of other awesome stuff;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://lostandtaken.com/" target="_blank">Lost and Taken</a> for their gorgeous damask fabric textures and stained papers; </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.obsidiandawn.com/" target="_blank">Obsidian Dawn</a> for their incredible Photoshop eyelash brushes (hehe, really great to help make my charaacter's eyes pop!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.photos-public-domain.com/" target="_blank">Photos Public Domain</a> for their excellent array of colour paper textures (much more convincing than just colour-blocking with Photoshop flat colour; these ones especially have a really nice 'tooth'); </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://rainbowd00dles.deviantart.com/art/skin-texture-337813921" target="_blank">rainbowd00dles</a> for creating a stellar freckle texture (oh, but I do love me some good freckles!);</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ Jen Furlotte at <a href="http://www.pixelsandicecream.com/" target="_blank">Pixels and Ice Cream</a> for her gorgeous damask pattern.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5RkjchycJ4sDn-AE9ownanfvxAT97DYktPHcTz8mZergg5VI6ejMDtLXHGTaBQCscAcS3hrXrVlYwW468_Xeam1ssHP8y5OZUUJ7IINGbjHTYpdxjVkwcY-fWPO739NFjB66Oblf3No/s1600/freyja+1+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5RkjchycJ4sDn-AE9ownanfvxAT97DYktPHcTz8mZergg5VI6ejMDtLXHGTaBQCscAcS3hrXrVlYwW468_Xeam1ssHP8y5OZUUJ7IINGbjHTYpdxjVkwcY-fWPO739NFjB66Oblf3No/s1600/freyja+1+mel+macklin.jpg" height="640" width="556" /> </a></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">'freyja'</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Very kindest thanks to: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> ~ <a href="http://thegraphicsfairy.com/" target="_blank">The Graphics Fairy</a> for the beautiful antique floral engravings and decorative frames and labels;<br />~ <a href="http://www.cgtextures.com/" target="_blank">CG Textures </a>for
their glorious photographs of antique patterned wallpapers, fabrics, stained and
coloured papers and a whole range of other awesome stuff.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB67yEbVrMLg05e65xyeXQtpSBOhSBm6ZkSjxjqzMtbaAvUQrpN32ZWzqn-nl7UWQSha-2EjTQuE1SQbrbcU20ArUB7eOL5EJ_b0mTdNWF-91V130e1YHZOkgeNB16omOTOXQVR4h1pz4/s1600/freyja+2+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB67yEbVrMLg05e65xyeXQtpSBOhSBm6ZkSjxjqzMtbaAvUQrpN32ZWzqn-nl7UWQSha-2EjTQuE1SQbrbcU20ArUB7eOL5EJ_b0mTdNWF-91V130e1YHZOkgeNB16omOTOXQVR4h1pz4/s1600/freyja+2+mel+macklin.jpg" height="640" width="608" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPPHhvLC8aJLhJfZ5-Wpy1GegcmzbyuZ3JzQ02-4VUpxEeXW0clZVZbHBiPX1OA1YUqeJwwR6c7pMuf-5iu2PmluoMnY6QZBkjTj4F1FQi4oaZU5csKGDHp32W3XEDI4AI8pWvm0WLe4/s1600/poppy+1+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPPHhvLC8aJLhJfZ5-Wpy1GegcmzbyuZ3JzQ02-4VUpxEeXW0clZVZbHBiPX1OA1YUqeJwwR6c7pMuf-5iu2PmluoMnY6QZBkjTj4F1FQi4oaZU5csKGDHp32W3XEDI4AI8pWvm0WLe4/s1600/poppy+1+mel+macklin.jpg" height="640" width="584" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">'poppy'</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Best thanks to: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> ~ <a href="http://thegraphicsfairy.com/" target="_blank">The Graphics Fairy</a> for the beautiful antique engravings and scientific illustrations she collects;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.cgtextures.com/" target="_blank">CG Textures </a>for
their glorious photographs of vintage fabrics, and stained papers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaTKdFz2ZF5TG6NQkF_jsBnrtdnIODUMjPwso0LkqPRpg9UU_zEy8YVE6V1DHtNXMmKFVi-qUD19mJkKL9a050-aq9XmHhdISFGyg4MWgRTnAbp7d-EXWIJZVMKoz2ytwIvvULh3WSw8/s1600/poppy+2+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaTKdFz2ZF5TG6NQkF_jsBnrtdnIODUMjPwso0LkqPRpg9UU_zEy8YVE6V1DHtNXMmKFVi-qUD19mJkKL9a050-aq9XmHhdISFGyg4MWgRTnAbp7d-EXWIJZVMKoz2ytwIvvULh3WSw8/s1600/poppy+2+mel+macklin.jpg" height="640" width="604" /> </a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifc2dJ2gAMDbtphGISJowpUrIHaHb00J_aVH2kzDwr_1dHnSXDQExc0JGKHZHK0gxKp0RxRDnQ7zizp0BcfE1z3YDdl8q5GyZt3svb9kq_-WO8t15XbvnpXklJJcnjJUhKY-iDSICPRz4/s1600/beatrice+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifc2dJ2gAMDbtphGISJowpUrIHaHb00J_aVH2kzDwr_1dHnSXDQExc0JGKHZHK0gxKp0RxRDnQ7zizp0BcfE1z3YDdl8q5GyZt3svb9kq_-WO8t15XbvnpXklJJcnjJUhKY-iDSICPRz4/s1600/beatrice+mel+macklin.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">'beatrice'</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My very nicest thanks to:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.cgtextures.com/" target="_blank">CG Textures </a>for their glorious photographs of antique patterned wallpapers, lace trims, and stained papers;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.obsidiandawn.com/" target="_blank">Obsidian Dawn</a> for their uber-awesome eyelash brushes;</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://rainbowd00dles.deviantart.com/art/skin-texture-337813921" target="_blank">rainbowd00dles</a> for her awesome freckle overlay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyCNMi4Q1ehsf86AkryWrVu2z-K4848rCUDdvBoHKTTqPNaw1uFBDWdMuEIrX4u7g2DH5WDENVfa0VmVQcb2a_snqp42zkY9U2Wcq3JIwg4CNqpCys5RstZCbPs5OdVBqTCQ-iB0O6TU/s1600/the+future%27s+so+bright+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizyCNMi4Q1ehsf86AkryWrVu2z-K4848rCUDdvBoHKTTqPNaw1uFBDWdMuEIrX4u7g2DH5WDENVfa0VmVQcb2a_snqp42zkY9U2Wcq3JIwg4CNqpCys5RstZCbPs5OdVBqTCQ-iB0O6TU/s1600/the+future's+so+bright+mel+macklin.jpg" height="640" width="556" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">'the future's so bright, i gotta wear shades'</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">My goodest acknowledgements to: </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">~ </span></span></span><span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Timbuk3 for creating such a cool song with such sassy lyrics!; </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.cgtextures.com/" target="_blank">CG Textures </a>for
their excellent flower photographs;</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://rainbowd00dles.deviantart.com/art/skin-texture-337813921" target="_blank">rainbowd00dles</a> for her fabulous freckle texture;</span> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> ~ <a href="http://thegraphicsfairy.com/" target="_blank">The Graphics Fairy</a> for the beautiful antique floral engravings;</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://mediamilitia.com/" target="_blank">Media Militia</a> for some excellent watercolour splatters; </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.dafont.com/christopher-hansen.d643" target="_blank">Christopher Hansen</a> for his wonderfully distressed font, Beyond Wonderland. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivu7oskKwp9uEvj7n0_T_8C3ukelqE_0tSSyxBRtLSPPni9qkYRr-yM4yPkUsRv3hSTMEEzn2WQMqJt5csecTPBsDmRgoKqgtP0Eum2TXGWCiBFpNrsHSOVKleG28MEPCaE2qtqR-r-vk/s1600/monsieur+toof+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivu7oskKwp9uEvj7n0_T_8C3ukelqE_0tSSyxBRtLSPPni9qkYRr-yM4yPkUsRv3hSTMEEzn2WQMqJt5csecTPBsDmRgoKqgtP0Eum2TXGWCiBFpNrsHSOVKleG28MEPCaE2qtqR-r-vk/s1600/monsieur+toof+mel+macklin.jpg" height="640" width="524" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">'monsieur toof' </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And lastly, thanks a bunch to:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"></span></span>~ <a href="http://thegraphicsfairy.com/" target="_blank">The Graphics Fairy</a> for the beautiful antique cards and labels on her lovely site;</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.cgtextures.com/" target="_blank">CG Textures </a>for their glorious photographs of antique patterned wallpapers and stained papers;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~ <a href="http://www.dafont.com/johan-holmdahl.d314" target="_blank">John Holmdahl</a> for his fabulous font, 1942 Report. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Phew! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You can find all of these beauties very shortly in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/melmacklin" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a>, or from little 'ol me in the flesh, on the loose at a market near you! Check out my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melmacklinart" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page if you'd like to catch me in Melbourne; I'm travelling all over and post regular updates about where you can find me out and about on the weekends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Have an awesome rest-of-the-week you sweet peeps!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="st">♥ </span>Mel x </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-63205690184909666392014-03-20T14:09:00.001+09:302014-03-20T14:09:25.627+09:30I'm a Finalist! ~ The Reginald Portrait Prize for Softies<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">I've been keeping a secret, and now I can
finally share it with you! </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">You may or may not know that I love Dolly
Parton, and that I also share a birthday with her. This is my tribute to
her, which I very quietly entered into the <span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CAEMelbourne" target="_blank">Centre for Adult Education (CAE)</a>
Reginald Softie Portrait Prize, and, which I found out last week,
earned me a place in the finals! Hardest week of my life, keeping this
incredible honour a secret! </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> You can make a huge difference to one
of the amazing finalist entries, by voting for your very favourite in
the People's Choice Award right here: <a href="http://reginald.com.au/vote-for-peoples-prize/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://reginald.com.au/vote-for-peoples-prize/ </a></span></span></span><a href="http://reginald.com.au/vote-for-peoples-prize/" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><br /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Scroll right
down til you see a grey button marked 'Start Survey'. You will be asked
for your name, email address and your favourite softie portrait. It
takes less than a minute to enter. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Thank-you in advance for supporting the fine art of softie-making! </span></span></span><span class="st">♥</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="st"><img alt="dolly parton mel macklin 1.jpg" class="alignnone wp-image-604" height="1065" src="http://reginaldprize.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dolly-parton-mel-macklin-11.jpg?w=584&h=1065" style="border: 0 none;" width="584" /> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="st"><img alt="dolly combined" class="alignnone wp-image-605" height="294" src="http://reginaldprize.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dolly-combined.jpg?w=584&h=294" style="border: 0 none;" width="584" /> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="st"><img alt="http://reginaldprize.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dolly-parton-mel-macklin-51.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://reginaldprize.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dolly-parton-mel-macklin-51.jpg" /> </span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-74105636507333489222013-10-08T19:54:00.004+09:302013-10-08T19:59:01.291+09:30good-bye darwin<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIo4UftDwby_7FpqFiTjzemWpGVoVypjyyouAjbqDRUXNf9Z6awN01EJCgihAljLuU8izmslqmOcEzUZnkks4NZ0BBhQLAZnJB6G8yL0lGpd1gKAkoZNMM6inxSQpxAFyBHN9RRuvWzU0/s1600/mel's+moving+sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="574" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIo4UftDwby_7FpqFiTjzemWpGVoVypjyyouAjbqDRUXNf9Z6awN01EJCgihAljLuU8izmslqmOcEzUZnkks4NZ0BBhQLAZnJB6G8yL0lGpd1gKAkoZNMM6inxSQpxAFyBHN9RRuvWzU0/s640/mel's+moving+sale.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">It is
very nearly almost official: I am leaving Darwin and heading for the big-smoke
in Melbourne!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br />
<span class="usercontent">To celebrate new beginnings, I'm having an exclusive
studio sale on Saturday, 19th October. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">If you're local to Darwin and keen to snavel something from
me in person, this will very likely be my last weekend of business. For an
invite and further details, all you have to do is send me an email!</span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br />
<br />
<span class="usercontent">Sorry to all my lovelies interstate and across the oceans,
it's only an in-person kinda thing, and won't exten</span><span class="textexposedshow">d to my online shops (postage would be ridonkulous for
most of the beauties on offer, unfortunately). </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">I am going to Mindil as much as I can, but at this stage I
don't anticipate being able to see the season out: I'll be packing up all my
treasures the week after the 19th, and if I manage to get to Mindil after this
weekend, it'll be a bit of a bonus. Also, the weather approaching the wet
season and becoming increasingly volatile- well, I don't really like to go when
it's raining, being a shop that sells paper goods!</span></span><span class="textexposedshow"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="usercontent"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">My
online shop is still open for biz, and I'll be merrily shipping pretties
worldwide til around the 18th October. If you were hoping to get a little
somethin' spesh for yourself or someone you love this Christmas, now's your
last chance!</span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Unfortunately it looks like I'll have to shut down
my online shops for an extended period (maybe 1-3 months) when I move to
Melbourne. All my artsy detritus is set to spend at least a little while in storage,
so I won't be able to take orders until I'm settled in a new place. Unfortunate
and annoying, I know! I will of course, keep you all posted when that
changes. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Speaking
of staying up-to-date, I may not have a whole lot of computer access in the transition
period either, so I most likely will post any updates via my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melmacklinart" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> (as
enterprising as it is, it's still much easier to update than the blogger
app!). </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> Thank-you,
as always, to each and every one of you who support what I do. Looking forward
to sharing a new chapter with you very soon x </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-75450078609904682982013-08-23T01:17:00.000+09:302013-08-23T01:26:10.228+09:30Pencilled Pretties, Pastel Pilgrims and Peculiar Pets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BjtN6TlYXSM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Most. Exciting. Update. Ever! (And, also, a little bit cringe-worthy, too!) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I made an itty-bitty film! If you have twelve minutes to spare you can watch it- that is, you can laugh at me making a giant tit out of myself and also, talking a little bit about my work. Oh, and there's some super-cute footage of my puppies the day after we bought them home! What's not to love about that, hey?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A huge, squishy thanks to my gorgeous fella Dave, who, as well as filming the whole thing, has spent weeks worth of evenings staying up until the wee hours putting this all together for me. I think he's done an awesome job- hope you do too! ♥</span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-84967546486157942822013-08-20T12:48:00.000+09:302013-08-20T12:48:05.768+09:30mindil site for sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img alt="Photo: Guys! If you know of anyone who would love an awesome permanent site at the famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, I'd love if you could pass this on!
Price includes:
★ prime spots on both Thursday and Sunday evenings; ★ product list including tote bags and wearable art (handmade jewellery);
★ 3m x 3m gazebo, with matching waterproof detachable walls x 4 and shade awnings x 2; all great condition and waterproof;
★ Fully tested and tagged electrical equipment and leads;
★ 7 x assorted tables and 2 x chairs.
(Doesn't include my artwork, but I'd be delighted to chat to you if you about prices if you wanted to continue selling it through the stall!)
I'm asking for $2,000, which is a bit of a super-bargain! The only reason I'm selling up is obvi, it'll all be a bit tricky for me to run from Melbourne! Get in touch via PM if you're mustard-keen! <3" class="scaledImageFitWidth img" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/p480x480/536954_651796064832692_1972430565_n.jpg" /> </div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">Guys! If you know of anyone who would love an
awesome permanent site at the famous Mindil Beach Sunset Markets, I'd
love if you could pass this on! <br /> <br /> Price includes:<br /> ★ prime spots on both Thursday and Sunday evenings; </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent">★ product list includi<span class="text_exposed_show">ng tote bags and wearable art (handmade jewellery); <br /> ★ 3m x 3m gazebo, with matching waterproof detachable walls x 4 and shade awnings x 2; all great condition and waterproof;<br /> ★ Fully tested and tagged electrical equipment and leads; <br /> ★ 7 x assorted tables and 2 x chairs. <br />
<i> </i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><i>(This price doesn't include my artwork, but I'd be delighted to chat to you if you
about prices if you wanted to continue selling it through the stall!) </i><br /> <br />
I'm asking for $2,000, which is a bit of a super-bargain! The only
reason I'm selling up is obvi, it'll all be a bit tricky for me to run
from Melbourne! Get in touch via email if you're mustard-keen! </span></span></span><span class="st">♥</span></div>
<br />
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-65975225683223458202013-08-15T10:23:00.002+09:302013-08-15T10:25:14.979+09:30your thoughts wanted<span id="goog_1438207517"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1438207518"></span><br />
<img class="photo-mode-liste photo-flux loaded" data-original="http://distilleryimage10.s3.amazonaws.com/30d97458053f11e397b922000a1fa527_7.jpg" src="http://distilleryimage10.s3.amazonaws.com/30d97458053f11e397b922000a1fa527_7.jpg" style="display: inline;" /><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am SO excited to be doing a filmed interview with the gorgeous girls from The Skin Deep Project next week, and I'd love to hear from you!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Oh, and right after you leave me a question or ten, you can check out
the amazing work the Skin Deep Project does at <a href="http://skindeepproject.com/" target="_blank">http://skindeepproject.com/</a> <span class="st"> ♥</span></span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-76451494719183914462013-08-10T22:04:00.002+09:302013-08-10T22:04:56.509+09:30beauty in sadness<img alt="" class="spotlight" height="640" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1009490_647021095310189_1812288426_o.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">One
of the greatest misconceptions about art, I think, is that sad subject
matter cannot equal a happy picture. There is beauty in sadness, too </span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">♥</span></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-33156379105300392852013-08-08T21:53:00.000+09:302013-08-10T21:59:26.505+09:30Operation leaving Darwin<br />
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Darwin darlings, soon I will be leaving town forever, never
to return. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These are just a few of my original drawings still
available, much larger than my reproduction prints, and all sumptuously
custom-framed by the delightful Don Whyte.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do drop me a line if you'd love to pop round and adopt one
of these beauties for yourself. Every adoption comes with an awesome coffee
made by me, complimentary puppy kisses, and a few little extra trinkets just
for you <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">♥</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We had quite the whirlwind weekend, with the very grand
opening of our show, 'Mad Hatter's Tea-Party: A Curious Art Exhibition with
Marita Albers, Kate Bussey, Andrea McKey and Mel Macklin'. Let me take you on a
little tour of our mad morning!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>By 10.30, the gallery was crammed full of people! </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Gargantuan ceramic flowers beautifully made by Kate Bussey.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Gorgeous mixed-media sculptures by Kate Bussey. </span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Me in one of Andrea McKey's mad mirrors. </span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Andrea
McKey's gorgeous neck-candy. Andrea has been a huge influence on my own
artwork over the past ten years, and it was she that taught me how to
make fimo beads, many moons ago! She is as fantastic and dear a friend
as she is an incredible artist. </span></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"> </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>You can see more of Andrea's gorgeous work on her website: <a href="http://www.artbyandreamckey.com/" target="_blank">http://www.artbyandreamckey.com/</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Gorgeous mixed-media sculpture by Kate Bussey; 'The Lady's Mad Hair' by Marita Albers. </span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>'Lionel Rich Tea' and 'Much More Curious' by the marvellous Marita Albers. I can't help but smile whenever I see Lionel, he's such a sweetie! That pink sweater just melts my heart!</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> </i></span><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Beaut babushkas by the marvellous Marita Albers. </i></span></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Fabulous felt finches made by me, and just a snip of some of Marita Albers' gorgeous paintings. I always think of her canvases like glittering
little jewels, with all sorts of secrets hidden in them. Every day I
look at them, I see some new, wonderful thing. </span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">A
little tableau of my art dolls, and a very fancy garland made up of
watercolour miniatures by one of my all-time fave art heroes and very
dear friend, Marita Albers. </span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">My pastel pilgrim art dolls, inspired, amongst other things, </span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">by Wednesday Addams and gelati.</span></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Lucie Diamonds, my star art doll.</span></span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZtZ13cigsxwNCNcisohyphenhyphenqEsTvzaLS7EmdTPIngNeOal5zO_gx7oJcDxNyf0PslgrMNK9H3r_swsTnD38J0GjDbD7iCnJxrcI7xM51RsUvA-GGkCfa8YBMbu5uWCIU3j14MW1sHOnVJA/s1600/mad+hatter%2527s+tea-party+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZtZ13cigsxwNCNcisohyphenhyphenqEsTvzaLS7EmdTPIngNeOal5zO_gx7oJcDxNyf0PslgrMNK9H3r_swsTnD38J0GjDbD7iCnJxrcI7xM51RsUvA-GGkCfa8YBMbu5uWCIU3j14MW1sHOnVJA/s640/mad+hatter%2527s+tea-party+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our exhibition was opened by former Chief Minister for the Northern Territory, and TactileARTS patron, the lovely Clare Martin. Just over ten years ago, Clare made a speech at my own high-school graduation, and I have always remembered how warmly and fondly she spoke. We are so lucky to have Clare such an active part of our arts community, and I was absolutely delighted when she accepted our invitation to open our show. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">My very dear friend, and an absolutely incredible illustrator, Sandra Kendell. Sandra has been a huge source of support and encouragement for me in my own dreams to illustrate picture books, and hers are some of the most unique, detailed and downright beautiful I have ever seen. You can see some of her work right here: <a href="http://www.sandrakendell.net/" target="_blank">/ </a></span></span><a href="http://www.sandrakendell.net/" target="_blank">http://www.sandrakendell.net/</a></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-c2cQwxW84EbfMOikouz5QyKSlF9FNqrO02GIgF4XsqESo76lPkXw8206FY6jI1OQqf6fKeIOlcjcEfuLW34_szNJkDJxBii_EH8uh5lw6RfCuqxI5LTPZMRfUND2zIGr_E4862ZX8KE/s1600/mad+hatter%2527s+tea-party+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-c2cQwxW84EbfMOikouz5QyKSlF9FNqrO02GIgF4XsqESo76lPkXw8206FY6jI1OQqf6fKeIOlcjcEfuLW34_szNJkDJxBii_EH8uh5lw6RfCuqxI5LTPZMRfUND2zIGr_E4862ZX8KE/s640/mad+hatter%2527s+tea-party+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">Just a small sample of some of the mad hats that frocked up to our art show! Kate's styro hearts made a curious 'doinking' noise every time they wobbled around in the breeze! </span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> Our gorgeous Kate. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">My friend Sonia made
my absolute year with her fabulous princess outfit! She looked so
gorgeous I got an extra artist prize together just for her. Alice would
be so proud (and jealous!)</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"type":45}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Feeling so darn lucky to be exhibiting with such awesome friends and artists! Thank-you SO much to everyone who supported us- it is you, sayers of sweet things, fabulous friends, and adoring adopters of our work who keep us smiling and dreaming. </i></span></span></span></div>
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'Mad Hatter's Tea-Party' will be showing at TactileARTS til Sunday, August 4th, 2013. <br />
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<br />mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-85848889733436215232013-07-19T09:50:00.001+09:302013-07-19T09:55:19.984+09:30Mad Hatter's Tea-Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zlsUmF8ixlyK_0kpvhapkmuae12FzTTaHjMljFg83NAHod8ItwC40ujSSDMLcXOvySgdFNzEfBKHUIZSPoUAr5cYGMwHYNItg9ujggQdIEz0gXE8fLNkLsxjyF88Gw_u-KPNSK140uM/s1600/mad+hatter%2527s+tea-party+darwin+sun+july+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zlsUmF8ixlyK_0kpvhapkmuae12FzTTaHjMljFg83NAHod8ItwC40ujSSDMLcXOvySgdFNzEfBKHUIZSPoUAr5cYGMwHYNItg9ujggQdIEz0gXE8fLNkLsxjyF88Gw_u-KPNSK140uM/s1600/mad+hatter%2527s+tea-party+darwin+sun+july+2013.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This all kicks off tomorrow! Complimentary cakes to be nibbled, tea to be sipped, awesome artist prizes to be won and art to lust over. Hope you won't miss my last show in Darwin</span> <span class="st">♥</span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-66844210376180017812013-07-01T13:10:00.000+09:302013-07-19T17:15:36.493+09:30<div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is Olivia, a character from a story I've had rattling around in my head for awhile now. Originally I was going to illustrate it with my dolls, but the more time I spent making them, the more inspired I was to draw them, they became so real to me! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm really hoping to get my children's book dreams off the back-burner sometime later in 2013! </span></div>
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mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-20124714443536788552013-06-11T14:02:00.000+09:302013-07-19T14:04:51.579+09:30juicy sunshine and the purple parrot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ67DHQ0Ya-a0Oli8IsXWbxPFPzzqmrz6vVOoLSIKBQQgoVNmzPCXz3Wk4WnBAuP9ZjfP9iTzZHihVFfAggEK94kydhzN9pAyFw-EwdX9R7Zjz_cV5VbNU8ItLJjYc1oJAZrqV4F2DoZQ/s1600/juicy+sunshine+and+the+purple+parrot+mel+macklin+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ67DHQ0Ya-a0Oli8IsXWbxPFPzzqmrz6vVOoLSIKBQQgoVNmzPCXz3Wk4WnBAuP9ZjfP9iTzZHihVFfAggEK94kydhzN9pAyFw-EwdX9R7Zjz_cV5VbNU8ItLJjYc1oJAZrqV4F2DoZQ/s640/juicy+sunshine+and+the+purple+parrot+mel+macklin+2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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It seems I'm on a wee bit of a food theme, here!</div>
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This was originally going to be called<i> The Blood-Orange Breakfast</i>, as I had initially drawn the little orange-girl with vampire teeth . . . I know, genius. But they looked a bit funny, and the aesthete in me won over. </div>
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Instead, she's just a sweet little cannibal with a weakness for frilly petticoats and stripy straws. Her best friend, Pedro, is a very rare purple macaw, maybe even the last of his kind in the whole world. He understand what it's like to be a little bit different, and he loves Juicy Sunshine very much <span class="st">♥</span></div>
<br />mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-72795280332151357242013-06-08T20:54:00.002+09:302013-06-08T20:54:33.088+09:30<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">I like to think my blondes always have the best fun- Princess Lily makes macarons, the Cat-cher chases cheeky cardinals through the snow all day, and one is the</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; text-align: left;"> heavenly guardian of all things holey and doughnut-related . . . They each remind me of the boundless possibilities and potential for happiness that art can provide us ♥</span></span></div>
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mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-59342047396761794632013-06-04T13:12:00.000+09:302013-07-19T13:30:57.782+09:30cameo lover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsBKUPU7r8rXbJ0tqpA2egxQBZs8Xnk8eP_9fV1YBLUGC3CKxEj68oBEnaY-Wmx0YWX7NC5ZHvsbF2KXcaUGfRBKrKVqvz_wNwQP7YvrCQod5DwMUrUTpahS99BQG9RvBLE0S_BjRIL4/s1600/kimbra+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsBKUPU7r8rXbJ0tqpA2egxQBZs8Xnk8eP_9fV1YBLUGC3CKxEj68oBEnaY-Wmx0YWX7NC5ZHvsbF2KXcaUGfRBKrKVqvz_wNwQP7YvrCQod5DwMUrUTpahS99BQG9RvBLE0S_BjRIL4/s640/kimbra+mel+macklin.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's a wee tribute I just finished of the very gorgeous Kimbra. I so admire her adventurous outfits that always seem to come together so beautifully and eloquently with that mischievous, infectious smile, like a small child plotting to rob the cookie-jar! </span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-90109542546319634862013-05-29T13:44:00.000+09:302013-07-19T13:49:13.392+09:30ham-bunny<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftOzaRn-Em38EyJmpwHuc-CXkQlF_s-RALmEfBn-X0x4ciYD312EN0JDmRtwCwwa3HAEgNJSHxfgBfvO2R35NRDueWxg1qiAzceZC8VSgtE0jL7VChqo3BgupkNzi9bPbsLt063SbCOA/s1600/ham+bunny+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftOzaRn-Em38EyJmpwHuc-CXkQlF_s-RALmEfBn-X0x4ciYD312EN0JDmRtwCwwa3HAEgNJSHxfgBfvO2R35NRDueWxg1qiAzceZC8VSgtE0jL7VChqo3BgupkNzi9bPbsLt063SbCOA/s640/ham+bunny+mel+macklin.jpg" width="481" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This little bunny was inspired by a number of things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Firstly, the very great John Tenniel, who illustrated the very first editions of 'Alice in Wonderland'. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Also, hamburgers, because I love them, and recently discovered on a three-week stay in New York that I could, in fact, eat them every single day and never grow tired of eating them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And buck teefs, because actually, teefs are a lot of fun to draw. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You can catch my <i>ham-bunny</i> in an upcoming exhibition, <i>Mad Hatter's Tea-Party</i>, which opens at 10am, Saturday, July 20th, at TactileARTS in Darwin </span><span class="st">♥</span></div>
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mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-79429179679344682292013-05-25T21:54:00.000+09:302013-06-11T21:55:41.410+09:30parasols and paths cherry-scented<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW41-X-r5OIUvAQGWzKpUvxHZ998EmDlHJuYvG-j52GiPDOEyymkt0pRijjn4mqQIXcz-1vyFUQhf984j-kVD7HXcfxUPdYVYLHdvyAq7gyjZlsKC77sMi3j5OuNqMRH5jZPt92oj0oRc/s1600/geisha+etsy3+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW41-X-r5OIUvAQGWzKpUvxHZ998EmDlHJuYvG-j52GiPDOEyymkt0pRijjn4mqQIXcz-1vyFUQhf984j-kVD7HXcfxUPdYVYLHdvyAq7gyjZlsKC77sMi3j5OuNqMRH5jZPt92oj0oRc/s640/geisha+etsy3+mel+macklin.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJm50Abf25vEAsFxWkohz9asw4hjicml7t7EvJ5CMipoG031D4zfdJ1Yn1zWDHdDIE6GCEVPyM38F1abDWNxiA4Vi7G2MOZjgDuf7ErpeaFSDUht9XFdeGwJFeNiRGAvOt2Dn0ZuWRPg/s1600/geisha+etsy2+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKJm50Abf25vEAsFxWkohz9asw4hjicml7t7EvJ5CMipoG031D4zfdJ1Yn1zWDHdDIE6GCEVPyM38F1abDWNxiA4Vi7G2MOZjgDuf7ErpeaFSDUht9XFdeGwJFeNiRGAvOt2Dn0ZuWRPg/s640/geisha+etsy2+mel+macklin.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiaW4E1xDQQ6gk4LQAc132382PzfNbuX41SWlPYF5gMO-wIpqHqHuCGJsqODiVUSZomgD2OmXF-VZdLjZXUnwaSdwxD10o-aGYL_otuGwRGVpmyM5bc354HyEggniunvDtGK7_s4037o/s1600/geisha+etsy1+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiaW4E1xDQQ6gk4LQAc132382PzfNbuX41SWlPYF5gMO-wIpqHqHuCGJsqODiVUSZomgD2OmXF-VZdLjZXUnwaSdwxD10o-aGYL_otuGwRGVpmyM5bc354HyEggniunvDtGK7_s4037o/s640/geisha+etsy1+mel+macklin.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Of all the places in the world I have yet to visit on my bucket-list, Japan is right up there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This may have a whole lot to do with my many re-readings of Haruki Murakami novels, which are surely more of a surreal parallel to the Japan that exists in reality, but since I was a teenager, his is the country I imagine. And he loves cats, so he's clearly pretty awesome. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It could also have a lot to do with a lifelong love of Hello Kitty, and my not-so-secret dream to visit Sanrio Land. I also think it would be rather jolly to find me a Totoro and sit on a strawberry-shaped bus-stop. Probably my heart would explode with happiness and I'd need a hug from Keropi to calm me down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When I finally manage to save my pennies enough for a plane ticket, I would love, most of all, to see Japan in spring. In my mind, I cannot think of anything more beautiful than rows upon rows of cherry-blossom trees in full bloom. This little <i>geisha</i> seems to think the same, as she takes a leisurely promenade through the old city one spring morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There were a lot of things that inspired me stylistically with Sora, my little <i>geisha</i>. I am always fascinated to find those stylised, hand painted vintage postcards from Asia in the early 1900's. I know they were terribly unrealistic and manufactured mainly for tourists, but the <i>geisha</i> of yore are so compelling with their quiet, sweet faces and painted lips. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Like my other girls, Sora is super-stylin'. I was lucky enough one Christmas to get a pack of kimono fabric from my excellent Auntie and Uncle, and I discovered that even in the plainest of patterns, it is incredible: heavy, and lush and so elegant. You might also notice that her <i>okobo</i> are a little like Dutch clogs; I really enjoyed playing with very heavy, pear-shaped forms in this picture. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Traditionally, I know <i>geisha</i> spend many hours painstakingly styling their hair into impossible up-do's, but Sora is still quite young, and a little mischievous- the breeze is having a grand time ruffling her hair, and very soon, if it's keeps blowing about like that, I imagine her hair will soon be full of cherry-blossom petals!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Hope you enjoy my little Sora as much as I did creating her x</span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-24946829482384472042013-05-03T21:03:00.000+09:302013-05-24T21:03:44.615+09:30mimi crinoline and the wonderful wabbits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnLDiY3FrJQaYa2ohUgP9ZgPwLFAgEBBNv8A4FG8ZVhlkKwY0HY7E9m5uREYrz_b4zPWG5qOzyPZupPEIQJLF7mD21Ok5rIzkR7WyGH5xbx7ko2o8zma36VIjziRqzGx7L-r7Hs_6OXw/s1600/mimi+crinoline+mel+macklin+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnLDiY3FrJQaYa2ohUgP9ZgPwLFAgEBBNv8A4FG8ZVhlkKwY0HY7E9m5uREYrz_b4zPWG5qOzyPZupPEIQJLF7mD21Ok5rIzkR7WyGH5xbx7ko2o8zma36VIjziRqzGx7L-r7Hs_6OXw/s640/mimi+crinoline+mel+macklin+2.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7qWG7ETahs1TnXx60ZOsa_2sOfeMji_tFYTPWWKfWds8n5O1ZfxO2kAjUNlNKT0BPczS2nyipDTi7acPUYm3WeAsRufKzNkhIFB01X48hwpQch1VqDbhlbAbUo4G3HB1mXY5w1D4w4c/s1600/mimi+crinoline+mel+macklin+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7qWG7ETahs1TnXx60ZOsa_2sOfeMji_tFYTPWWKfWds8n5O1ZfxO2kAjUNlNKT0BPczS2nyipDTi7acPUYm3WeAsRufKzNkhIFB01X48hwpQch1VqDbhlbAbUo4G3HB1mXY5w1D4w4c/s640/mimi+crinoline+mel+macklin+3.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q-8N1H25ymye8oxxVuNJJUhK1ILxTAr1t89-ND2z6MbTsL1eu4P2qSxoY7Xlk8xiNDmP_RpIP7tMRdmt5t0uWe2YwYYhc8hyATheOlR-hGD0bl_yPnkBUQYY2t1aZXpDJVrb7Kse1i8/s1600/mimi+crinoline+mel+macklin+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q-8N1H25ymye8oxxVuNJJUhK1ILxTAr1t89-ND2z6MbTsL1eu4P2qSxoY7Xlk8xiNDmP_RpIP7tMRdmt5t0uWe2YwYYhc8hyATheOlR-hGD0bl_yPnkBUQYY2t1aZXpDJVrb7Kse1i8/s640/mimi+crinoline+mel+macklin+4.jpg" width="482" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVrEEMQZMn04sqx4J3QPIwPo2_Ljwquci-BZldSV6JRE82SOl0iQ5ACMk8T7d7VZQvyaXldkyrDyzMHHbWNYErcfuC2Xz5Ltd_Ahkqx6A389sZ3u8yRwIbNsMosDpiE_-AbqyzAvxEfU/s1600/mimi+crinoline+mel+macklin+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVrEEMQZMn04sqx4J3QPIwPo2_Ljwquci-BZldSV6JRE82SOl0iQ5ACMk8T7d7VZQvyaXldkyrDyzMHHbWNYErcfuC2Xz5Ltd_Ahkqx6A389sZ3u8yRwIbNsMosDpiE_-AbqyzAvxEfU/s640/mimi+crinoline+mel+macklin+1.jpg" width="432" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For a very long time, I have vehemently denied being a girly-girl. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Perhaps it was simply that it took me a long time to find the particular shade that suited me, but for most of my life I thought pink was revolting, frills were for babies and high heels were invented by Satan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I still think high-heels are the work of the devil (though by golly, those hidden platform jobs look absolutely lovely. I can however, only admire and appreciate and covet in a vicarious sort of way, since I would look like an insane drunk attempting to walk in them). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I LOVE clothes, and if it weren't for a bit of timely advice about the particular course on offer at my chosen university, I always planned to be a designer, not a fine artist. I do wonder how different my life might have been had I put my foot down and gone to fashion school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Naturally, all my characters have clothes I would want to wear myself. And in the world of art, where everything is possible, why not?! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mimi Crinoline was inspired by all the dainty little illustrations I loved as a child; lots of silky hair with a life of its' own, perpetually surrounded by butterflies (again, because I love them and I can), and wearing, not incidentally, very, very high heels . . . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It may be time to admit that really, there might be just a teeny-tiny part of me that LOVES being a girly-girl! </span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-92136271850688374442013-04-22T20:09:00.000+09:302013-05-24T20:10:23.877+09:30the hand-blown heart brigade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjnunccHVNJqcOcRq9EZe4KvEU23Vos-OHMIa3K5ChVgKCJI_2UV9yMhbj8nUKkXCEAUissN8uqpises3mHYk4NKzhB-JatZOlQ9UCg9R19NUZxUYmnXxDsIi-lWsQrlOWqMVaTcMyac/s1600/hand-blown+heart+brigade+2+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjnunccHVNJqcOcRq9EZe4KvEU23Vos-OHMIa3K5ChVgKCJI_2UV9yMhbj8nUKkXCEAUissN8uqpises3mHYk4NKzhB-JatZOlQ9UCg9R19NUZxUYmnXxDsIi-lWsQrlOWqMVaTcMyac/s640/hand-blown+heart+brigade+2+mel+macklin.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCshLCP0lKa_Smy6Y_NYydRnWFeDTgNv4ErLFqsOkRh5ino5fEelGmFsSRs51tJFJvKW1SC5cvGlIelg3ltJVvc7faHWG3K9Ik4wu6ysdtxrFipzhzRHf4byYdI4S2lQtEPcwIn4rLd0/s1600/hand-blown+heart+brigade+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCshLCP0lKa_Smy6Y_NYydRnWFeDTgNv4ErLFqsOkRh5ino5fEelGmFsSRs51tJFJvKW1SC5cvGlIelg3ltJVvc7faHWG3K9Ik4wu6ysdtxrFipzhzRHf4byYdI4S2lQtEPcwIn4rLd0/s640/hand-blown+heart+brigade+mel+macklin.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Meet Carmen, and her little dog Bruiser. Carmen saw an ad in the paper one day, about little puppy needing a forever home. She never really planned on getting a dog, but his lovely blue eyes seemed to be telling her, Carmen, that he needed a human to take care of. She didn't read the paper all that often, so she took it as a sign that they were meant to be the best of friends.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And from the first cuddle when she picked him up from the pound an hour later, they absolutely were. </span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-73375102925404367562013-04-16T15:24:00.002+09:302013-04-16T15:24:34.653+09:30The Cat-cher and the Cardinal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0Npemqucrp1G7Lt6qZFh7WOClEAvWpKX-SSvNRznkmAny0mJNmU2Lj33zr_4p-TcTU58ALx5ZWRyBz91T_dSzBFDnewzyGRa9HfN4AIsE-MJwClmaTXWGM6piQqKIl_X6MwKekJPZvk/s1600/cat-cher+and+the+cardinal+mel+macklin+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0Npemqucrp1G7Lt6qZFh7WOClEAvWpKX-SSvNRznkmAny0mJNmU2Lj33zr_4p-TcTU58ALx5ZWRyBz91T_dSzBFDnewzyGRa9HfN4AIsE-MJwClmaTXWGM6piQqKIl_X6MwKekJPZvk/s640/cat-cher+and+the+cardinal+mel+macklin+1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>"Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>True, and they have many
other fine qualities as well."</i> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">- Missy Dizick</span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-83846425236484927602013-03-21T15:14:00.000+09:302013-03-21T15:14:13.200+09:30and the rest is rust and stardust<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJ0k8ciuryoD2wtCfEfS2LxA2j4TU2tmbMwE4S6sGHtLB6ZYlIngG3hAM7Lai6km2v_yiLxXv8ACBh3l-5qcwl09-Zi7mS_OnKLcY8P4BMDciwszSeqaAbg8v8ESuJ4SlhkjWcgzBjwc/s1600/lolita+and+the+sticky+beach+treat+mel+macklin+etsy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJ0k8ciuryoD2wtCfEfS2LxA2j4TU2tmbMwE4S6sGHtLB6ZYlIngG3hAM7Lai6km2v_yiLxXv8ACBh3l-5qcwl09-Zi7mS_OnKLcY8P4BMDciwszSeqaAbg8v8ESuJ4SlhkjWcgzBjwc/s640/lolita+and+the+sticky+beach+treat+mel+macklin+etsy1.jpg" width="497" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<i><span>"Lolita, light of my life,
fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue
taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the
teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.</span></i></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<i><span>
She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one
sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores
on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita. </span></i></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<i><span>
Did she have a precursor? She did, indeed she did. In point of fact,
there might have been no Lolita at all had I not loved, one summer, a
certain initial girl-child. In a princedom by the sea."</span></i></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: geneva, helvetica, arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">- Vladimir Nabokov, '</span><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Lolita</i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">'.</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: geneva, helvetica, arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: geneva, helvetica, arial;"> </span></div>
mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-48576912271258943902013-01-25T10:27:00.003+09:302013-01-25T10:27:54.877+09:30The Too-Crowded House<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">I wrote 'The Too-Crowded House' about two years ago. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The formal writing came after I had illustrated it, and for a long time I had a lot of strange characters saying silly things to each other in my head. The troll made me laugh most of all, and I still get a bit of a giggle when I think about him clutching stinking socks.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Mr Spottles remains the archetype for all of my cat characters, and I have popped heart markings on almost all of my animals since as a little tribute to him. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The stars were particularly special to me too; the first picture I ever put on my shop was 'The Grumpy Star' and she is, of course, what inspired me to name my shop Grumpy Star Studio. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For one reason or another, I never did manage to get it published (and no, I am not at all interested in self-publishing). All the same, it is a story that was very dear to me when I wrote it and I thought it time I shared it somewhere. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The pictures are just four of my favourites from the story, and you can find them on my Etsy and market shops. </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Enjoy x</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“The Too-Crowded House” by Mel Macklin</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It started as an ordinary morning. The moon, the stars, Mr Spottles and Camille were all sound asleep. Most mornings did start like this. Of course, this particular morning was Camille’s birthday. But for now, her bed was warm and snuggly and the perfect place to dream about the wonderful things she would do to celebrate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mr Spottles would have preferred to continue his catnap. Still, he thought Camille would want to know about the nasty burning smell coming from the kitchen.</span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Camille and Mr Spottles blinked their eyes. They did not often find witches in their kitchen. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“What are you doing?” asked Camille. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“We’re practicing our baking and potion-making,” said one witch, peering into a bowl she was holding over her head. “Our exams are tomorrow.” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“But it’s my kitchen,” said Camille. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Never said it wasn’t,” replied another witch as she stirred something in Camille’s best bowl. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“It’s burnt!” cried the smallest witch, pulling a batch of blackened cupcakes from the oven. “I can’t concentrate! I’ll never pass my exams! It’s too crowded in here!” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For several good reasons, Camille thought it was time to leave the kitchen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Camille padded to the bathroom to rinse her eyes. She was seeing odd things this morning and must not be well. Healthy people did not see witches in their kitchen. They especially did not see octopuses brushing their teeth in the bathroom sink. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Go away!” wailed the mermaid in the bathtub. “I have a horrible squishy spot and you’re crowding it!” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Worse than the mermaid’s spot was the smell coming from the laundry. The troll jumped when he sensed Camille standing in the doorway. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Um,” said the troll, looking very embarrassed. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Yes?” said Camille, looking quite annoyed. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“I’m washing my socks . . .” said the troll. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“And?” asked Camille. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“It’s feeling very crowded with you standing there wrinkling your nose.” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Humph!” said Camille as she stomped off, her nose in the air. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There was a glow in the sunroom, not just from the light streaming through the windows, but from the seven sleeping stars curled up in armchairs and snoring softly. They were very beautiful. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Camille stood in the doorway and stared until one of the stars woke up: </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“What are you looking at?” she asked in a voice like silver. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“We fell in a star-shower and need to recharge our solar batteries to get back home.” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Oh” said Camille, still dazzled. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Now, if you don’t mind,” continued the star with a pretty little frown, “I’d rather you didn’t crowd us so.” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Camille took a deep breath at the top of her garden stairs. None of her other birthdays had been quite this mad. She gave up hoping things might return to normal when she saw a giant snail looking up at her. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Hullo?” called a tinkly voice, belonging, Camille noticed, to a girl with very large goggles on her head. “Lots of snail stair-racing practice to do before the world final next week. Makes it a bit crowded with you just standing around gawping.” </span></div>
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<br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Camille hurried down the steps into what used to be her garden. Little gnomes here and there were painting and planting red mushrooms. Camille’s garden had become a miniature mushroom city. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Camille realised there was no room left for her anywhere. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“It’s too crowded here!” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Everything was very quiet. Tears trickled down Camille’s cheeks in the evening sunshine. She wished her birthday had been as wonderful as she had dreamed only that morning. At the very least, she wished she had someone to share a bit of cake with. But everyone had forgotten it was Camille’s birthday. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“It’s lonely here,” she sniffled very softly, so only Mr Spottles could hear. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“SURPRISE!” cried the stars. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“SURPRISE!” cheered the gnomes. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“SURPRISE!” laughed the witches. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“SURPRISE!” smiled the troll. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“SURPRISE!” burbled the octopus. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> “SURPRISE!” tootled the snail. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“SURPRISE!” tinkled his rider. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“SURPRISE!” neighed the unicorn. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“SURPRISE!” giggled the mermaid. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“Surprise Camille,” purred Mr Spottles. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">“I thought for a while you might have guessed what was going on. The problem was that I’d invited so many people and I’m afraid our little house did get a bit crowded!” </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Under the moon and the stars, her belly full of cake and tea, Camille fell asleep. </span><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And her heart, like her house, was crowded- with love.</span></div>
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mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-28562721927560137162013-01-15T10:10:00.003+09:302013-01-15T10:10:55.984+09:30Number 33 for Cloud Park Corner<div style="text-align: justify;">
It occurred to me the other day that I have been thinking about heaven a lot lately. </div>
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Don't worry; I'm not about to go all Natalie Portman and sprout wings and go all cray-cray at Mila Kunis. Nor, sadly, have I transformed into a statuesque blonde with the ability to intimidate loan-sharks a-la 'Angela'. I should also point out I remain staunchly agnostic about religious matters, and I am not questioning my mortality or seeking existential answers any more than usual. But still, there is this recurring fascination with a child-like interpretation of that fluffy place above us. </div>
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My notion of the Hereafter is probably more like a sort of metropolis-come-funfair. I like the idea of angels with less-than angelic behaviours (not unlike Neil Gaiman's character Islington in 'Neverwhere', though perhaps not quite so malicious). Mine would have vices aplenty, and you'd find them doing all sorts of unseemly things, like scoffing whole bratwursts behind the moon, or relieving themselves as their cloud passed over Tom Cruise, or using their friends' halo as a basketball hoop. </div>
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Very probably, Heaven would be a bit like London. It wouldn't just be angels that lived there, but all sorts of other characters too (though of course, I would love to see a Cockney chimney-sweep angel, that would be fabulous). There'd be bridges made out of rainbows, and mice on the moon, and cows mooching about in the Milky Way. Mary Poppins would be up there too, a pleasantly dotty old biddy with no teeth, carrying on about cough-syrup and her diabetes. Everything would be edible too: the clouds would taste of marshmallow, and each colour of the rainbow would taste of something different (the orange would be marmalade, and you'd think the red would taste of strawberry, but, FYI, it's chilli). </div>
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I always imagined my character the Cloud Princess lived in Heaven, or somewhere very like it; maybe a few thousand feet below in Cloud Land, or Fluffy Town, or Fairyflosstopolis. I had a lot of fun creating her character and, though I am long sold out of the small edition of 20 prints I made of her two years ago, I am still asked about her all the time. And so, I thought it was high-time to revist her. <br /> </div>
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As some of you might know if you follow my adventures on Facebook and Instagram, I am a relatively new slave to two Beaglier puppies, Sandro and Lily. At 5 months old they are quite the handful, and of course, I couldn't imagine what life would be like without them, and their sweet droopy faces. I have affectionately named these characters Princess Lily and Sandro Spottydog in honour of them, and I hope that I have conveyed just a little of the love and warmth between these two friends. </div>
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The Cloud Princess, as I imagine her, loves to bake all sorts of cakes, but macarons are her absolute favourite (and not, incidentally, mine too!). She and Sandro have nipped up the shops for a few foodie supplies, and now are waiting for the Starbus to take them back home to Cloud Park Corner. The sun is just about to set, and Princess Lily always cooks her best macarons by the light of the moon! </div>
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I learned so many new things creating this piece, and I am particularly pleased with the slightly eighties, acid-wash look of the light on the clouds. All the best characters came out of the eighties for me: Lady Lovelylocks, Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, and these were just a few of the inspirations behind Princess Lily's look. As always too- piles and piles of hair. And why not? Heaven hath no need of hairspray!</div>
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I hope you like this heavenly duo as much as I did making them. <br />
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Have a gorgeous day,<br />
Mel xmel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1560993815142929275.post-1212057535257855672012-12-03T20:30:00.000+09:302012-12-18T10:30:31.391+09:30Miss Krystal's Kitty Whiskers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Until very recently, I was a dyed-in-the-wool crazy cat lady. </div>
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It's not my fault; as I say, my Mum is cat-mad, and her mother before her. Probably the women in my family have been mad feline fussers for centuries now. Probably we are actually part cat- God knows I shed hair like one, don't much care for being dirty, and have long fingernails the thickness of sheet metal that completely contradict zero interest on my part to look after them at all. As of yet, no whiskers, but I'm sure that will change in another 3 years or so when I hit 30.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BfEWTC6HNGd3_9IKBk-KwVKSqWsBu1OQKynVO0MmWwKSf4bo0RyDsCo4uYCJT1R9PPzLYdlvmG0OUhIQpJipgMgcRrbZ51Ru9TbzxQ5xLv6KTkKbyGzfaqSoNhPgqK_0kuMWHB5FyXM/s1600/daisy1+mel+macklin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BfEWTC6HNGd3_9IKBk-KwVKSqWsBu1OQKynVO0MmWwKSf4bo0RyDsCo4uYCJT1R9PPzLYdlvmG0OUhIQpJipgMgcRrbZ51Ru9TbzxQ5xLv6KTkKbyGzfaqSoNhPgqK_0kuMWHB5FyXM/s640/daisy1+mel+macklin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I can hardly remember any cat I've ever met that I didn't like. When I was very, very young, my Mum taught me how to approach a new cat: slowly, with hand outstretched, and at their eye-level. Only when they chose to come closer to me, and had been given a few minutes to have a good sniff, explained Mum, should I pat them. As I grew older I learned that there are a few things cats almost universally love: getting scratches on the spot where their spine meets the base of their tail, having their noses rubbed, and a very gentle tug on their tails as they slink past. </div>
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I love that a cat's respect must be earned. Which is totally fitting, since most of the time mine make me feel like a glorified handmaid whose sole purpose in life is to feed them when they're hungry, cuddle them should they be feeling particularly magnanimous, but otherwise, to just sod right off- especially if I've just vacated a pre-warmed seat for them to jump into. </div>
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I also love the way cats play with complete abandon. My normally very dignified and often quite pompous bobtail Willow was only twelve months ago an ungainly little ball of legs and tumbles, falling all over herself to chase her rattly ball. Or climbing the clothes-horse like a regular chimp, just because she could. </div>
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Cats are the most self-serving, narcissistic creatures we congratulate ourselves for 'domesticating'; just because they don't scratch our eyes out on a daily basis and occasionally plop themselves in our laps for a bit of a purr, doesn't make them any less calculating. I love the sheer audacity of cats: even when they are caught in the act of doing something naughty, they will still look at you like you are a complete halfwit. 'Do you mean to say I shouldn't have my face buried in your dishwater? Perhaps you shouldn't have made it so tasty by flavouring it with spaghetti sauce from the pan. I am merely cancelling out your wastefulness here.'</div>
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And not an hour later, when I am in bed and peacefully snoozing, I will feel a little paw on my nose; not unlike someone knocking on a front door. This is Daisy's code for: 'Mummy, be a good human and lift up the blanket so I can take advantage of the bed you have spent time warming for me. You may scratch my belly also, but put some effort in or else I'll just get sick of you and jump off and guilt you for not being properly devoted to me.' And what can I say- I fall for it every single time. </div>
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All said, R-Patz had it almost right: fluffy kitty bellies are like my very own brand of heroin, albeit a more health-conscious choice and a little hairier. So without further ado, here's a fun little tribute to everything I love best about my meowing machines, and the crazy cat-lady that lives inside me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgv0hlhOYCR3Rco7zpd2wJ5gE24BerRFO5u16Mmk76Pas93eUtV5H1jKovHtWNxercHrqK_xX8UaWFIHZDb1VKPicBaZz8KWPwBOM65eXV3JeFh-g-mDxX82_XWmKXjgjJJNdPxnyXnY/s1600/miss+krystal%27s+kitty+whiskers+mel+macklin+etsy+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgv0hlhOYCR3Rco7zpd2wJ5gE24BerRFO5u16Mmk76Pas93eUtV5H1jKovHtWNxercHrqK_xX8UaWFIHZDb1VKPicBaZz8KWPwBOM65eXV3JeFh-g-mDxX82_XWmKXjgjJJNdPxnyXnY/s640/miss+krystal%27s+kitty+whiskers+mel+macklin+etsy+1.jpg" width="496" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDiSi_Wt_V1Zz4bCGpP3Yu36EdLqjoK6nSFA9iG4sArKQfzOrJ3YWXsRDIHYFOdoG1SYXaqtJo0UeTy78Jk8gkF3UQe9vIQGH12XjCpxh4oyX3dx_ZbNmHahmlcNmo7qUcrbO9kFVrd8/s1600/miss+krystal%27s+kitty+whiskers+mel+macklin+etsy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDiSi_Wt_V1Zz4bCGpP3Yu36EdLqjoK6nSFA9iG4sArKQfzOrJ3YWXsRDIHYFOdoG1SYXaqtJo0UeTy78Jk8gkF3UQe9vIQGH12XjCpxh4oyX3dx_ZbNmHahmlcNmo7qUcrbO9kFVrd8/s640/miss+krystal%27s+kitty+whiskers+mel+macklin+etsy+2.jpg" width="497" /></a></div>
If you've got any stories about the cats in your life, I'd love to hear them! <br />
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Have a brilliant day poppets,<br />
Mel x mel_macklinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12356302073233805875noreply@blogger.com2