astrid

Hello, hello, and happy Tuesday grumpy stars and pink galahs!

I have had a beautiful week with my latest Wallflower, 'Astrid'. I love the sound of this name; the soft hiss of the 'As', and the muted thud of the 'id'. I have a bit of a love-affair with the way certain names sound, I must confess; like a Robert Frost poem, there's something about the way that names are said that brings them to life and gives them three dimensions.

 

'S' sounds in particular give me little goosebumps. Just for a bit of fun, have a read of this poem. Then read it out loud (for best effect, try to maintain the iambic rhythm if you can!).

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

-Robert Frost, 1923

 

I think this is my favourite poem mostly because I feel like I've been somewhere else when I read it. It haunts me in a beautiful sort of way; long after I've finished reading I imagine echoes of snow falling and feel a sense of, I suppose, delicious loneliness. The little snowflakes around Astrid are a sort of tribute to this aural beauty, and in contrast to the daisies in her hair- because, this is a joyous and happy picture after all!

 

And, quite fittingly, her name means 'fair, beautiful goddess'- suits her very nicely, don't you think?

 

Speaking of all things divine, 'The Goddesses of Small Things' opens this Friday night at 6pm, DVAA, Woods Street, Darwin. This little flyer was designed by my fabulous and very clever friend Marita Albers, and you can come grab yourself one from my Mindil or Parap Market shops, or from Jacksons Art Supplies. This little gem of a show is all about miniatures: beautiful little things for you to love, and small enough to make your wallet smile too! Really looking forward to seeing you there.

 

Have a brilliant rest-of-the-week!

Mel x

promises and (a lack of) sleep

Hullo lovely readers! Indeed, I have not been hit by that stray satellite that Yahoo tells me will soon implode on as yet unknown destination, but am alive and will probably remain so for some time yet. We are nearing the slow season market-wise, with only five weeks and about as many tourists floating about in the increasing heat. And yet, our little shop seems to be plodding along better and better every week. Dave ventured out a few weeks back, bit the bullet and bought a gazebo, and last week managed a 'system' whereby everything is crammed into our little Mazda within an inch of it's life, and my face is pressed pleasantly against the windscreen (I'm joking, that's not legal, advisable or comfortable, but is an exercise for the aspiring contortionist).

We've also got a whole heap of postcards- handy for all of those holiday postcards you've been putting off- they're so pretty you only need fill out your address and your loved ones will think all their Christmases have come at once! Also very handy for offloading any unwanted shrapnel you might have, you know, weighing down your pockets.

If it's groceries that's weighing you down, we've decided the best way to support local initiatives in banning plastic bags is to make our own- for $25 you can have your very own Nariko tote:

And coming later this week, another featuring the super-popular Cloud Princess:

In the way of prints over the past few weeks, I've sold out of: 'Crimson Cloaked and Hearted', 'Redjamjellysplat', 'Tea Time' and 'White Lace and Snow'. Originals are still available for all of these besides 'Tea Time' and 'Redjamjellysplat', and are available for sale after December. I'm selling fast out of 'The Cloud Princess', 'I  ♥ Bubble Tea', 'Alice Liddell's Pink Flamingo', 'Gnome Tea' and 'The Wondrous Cycling Piggy'. You are more than welcome to send me an email or swing by one of my market stalls to pop a deposit on one of these beauties before they sell out- they would make wonderful Christmas presents! 

And, because of the sheer number of lovely ladies asking after them, and because we hate disappointed faces in the pursuit of bling, Dave and I have been pulling a few all-nighters to put our sweet allsort necklaces back on the table:

Sorry folks, there's no custom-orders on these. Every mixed necklace is treated as an individual piece of wearable art, and is, like the fox in 'The Little Prince', 'unique in all the world'. I am considering doing multiples of the watermelons however, but you might just have to hold your wee horses on this one- these are a labour of love and when all's said and done, each necklace can take up to a day to make.

And, last but not the least of my 3am bedtime efforts this week, a new painting, 'Promises and Sleep':

All of this contributes to a very pretty-looking little set-up, if I do say so myself!

All nice things for a wonderful weekend,
Mel x