Amelia Rose.

It's pretty obvious that I love photos :) Have you seen the amazing photo prints over at Amelia Rose? The ever talented Carly Webber is the photographer behind this gorgeous line of prints and I am in love with her collection of colourful photographs.

I've cut & pasted this from Amelia Rose's website: "Finding beauty in the details, much of my work revolves around close up and macro images. Capturing creative, bold lines and gorgeous colours, images are filled with beauty, happiness, inspiration and sometimes moments of reflection and remembrance.
These vibrant images are then beautifully produced and presented with love - perfectly suited for wall art for your home, or as a gift for someone you love."

I think this one is my favourite....but really, they're all so unique & beautiful in their own way: 

You can see the Amelia Rose website & buy online here.

Follow her on Facebook here.

Amelia Rose is also on Madeit & ETSY!

Which one is your favourite from the Amelia Rose collection?

Wordless Wednesday......{Dancing In The Rain}

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain!"

If you love that quote that I've featured above {it's one of my favourites!}, you can buy it as a large wall print here....in any colour!

I'm playing along with WORDLESS WEDNESDAY over here!

I hope you have a 'dancing in the rain' kind of day :)

Love this.

{image from here}

I love this quote / saying!

Something to ponder this Friday :)

And.....just a reminder that there's 20% off any purchases from my ETSY store until Valentine's Day {Feb 14th} just use LOVEFEB11 at checkout to get the discount :)

A good chance to buy my new print:

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

Spotlight on a Sponsor.....{Kasiabear Designs}

So I {and you} can get to know my sponsors a little better, I've decided to do a 'feature interview' with each of the business/blog owners!! Today's SPOTLIGHT is on.....the lovely Kasia from Kasiabear Designs!

Tell us a little about your business/job:

Kasiabear Designs is still in its infancy and I am continually working on building the brand and stock. It is where my love of  photography, design, art, paint and kids intersect.  Kasiabear Designs is an eclectic mixture of screen printed t-shirts, design, art prints and handcrafted one of a kind clothing. 

What/Who inspires you?

The very few times I now drive in peak-hour traffic and see peoples sour faces as they head into work, or watch mothers drop their kids off to childcare and leave while they are still sad, upset and screaming, rather than staying those extra couple of minutes. Being able to do my grocery shopping during the day when the shops are almost empty is what drives me to build my business and work for myself. 

When I look at small businesses like Lil Blue Boo, Paint the Moon or artist Stephanie Corfee, and receive my little emails from Tara Gentile or Seth Godin, I get seriously inspired. These people do what they want, love what they do and are so ridiculously good at it.

So with examples like this around me, I strive to do what makes me smile both in my work and family life.  

What do you love most about what you do?

Its all the little things combined that make me love my little business. 

I am my own boss which I love.. I'm a pretty full on boss, but a boss that allows for the needs of family to come first. 

~ I love the flexibility

~ I love creating a new design while sitting on the couch chatting to my hubby

~ I love shopping for fabric with my little girl so she can pick out out what fabric she wants her next outfit made of.. 
~ I love being able to make a screen print to match a fabric she has picked out
~ I love making personalised tees

What has been the highlight so far since starting your business?

Two highlights really stand out.. first being featured in "handmade living - a designer collective" and second, getting my first order from someone I've never met in America.

Explain a 'normal' day in your life:

oh dear.. here goes.. 

my day starts between 5am-6am each day..

~ wake up.. usually with the help from my little man..

~ put the kettle on

~ make breakfast for everyone

~ make lunch for my hubby

~ dress the kids

~ jump in the shower

mumma's taxi sign.. engage..

~ drop kids off if they are at childcare or drop ella off to kindy then zaccy off at cc

~ pilates

~ grocery store.. for top up

~ bank

~ post office box

~ quick tidy of house

~ put on a load of washing

~ check email

~ hang out washing

~ work on orders

~ list new items on etsy

~ take down washing

~ pick ella up from kinder

~ make dinner

~ pick zac up

~ have dinner with kiddos

~ bath kiddos

~ hang out with kiddos while they have their milk

~ read kiddos bedtime stories

~ clean up after dinner

~ put away laundry

~ sit down and work on new designs

~ blog 

~ hang out with hubby

~ sleep part 1

~ 2am feed

~ sleep part 2

On the kiddos are home, the work part gets scrapped and replaced with gardening.. doctors appointments..playground visits.. mums group.. and I try to get in an hour in the evenings to check emails and blog.. 

Your Favourite Quote/Motto:

do what you love ~ love what you do

What are your goals for 'Kasiabear Designs' where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Wow!! I've been thinking a lot about this recently.. 

The kids will both be at school at this stage so I will have a regular pocket of time to spend working. 

I aim to have my website set up which includes an online shop and blog.

The areas I want to focus on and establish are:

~ Photo Art Prints

~ Custom invitations, birth announcement cards, greeting cards and name prints

~ Screen printed tees

~ Eclectic OOAK clothing pieces which include a lot of recycled fabric and are made from my own patterns which I am currently working on.

~ Free printables and downloads section for designs that didn't quite make the kasiabear store but others might love.. cyber recycling type concept..  

Do you blog? If so, why do you blog & What do you blog about?

Yes.. I'm somewhat addicted.. 

My blog started in august 2009 when I was going through PND as a place to write and focus on what I loved about motherhood.. It started off being called 'the love of motherhood'. 

When kasiabear started and PND subsided it shifted to a place where I write about all aspects of my life including motherhood, art, craft, my reno projects, photography.. everything I love really. My blog is now called 'kasiabear.. A little bit of me' and it truly is a collection of little snippets of my life. 

I love the blogging community and I'm here to stay.. 

3 Things you are:
Self Motivated.. if only I didn't need to sleep... if only.. 

Impatient.. one thing I really need to work on.. 

Caring.. when someone needs me.. most things get shoved to the side.. 

3 Things you aren't:

Negative.. I'm a bit of an optimist and I cant stand negative people around me.. 

Athlete.. in fact far from it.. but this year i'm trying to move a little bit more.. 

A pilot.. I always wanted to be a pilot when I grew up.. maybe in the next life.. 

Anything else you'd like to share with my readers:

Thanks so much for this interview Claire.. it was fun!! And thanks to everyone for reading through it.. 

And some of Kasia's GORGEOUS tee designs:

Thank you Kasia for supporting my business & blog!

You can support KasiaBear by heading to her BLOG, Facebook or ETSY store.

4 New Print Designs to kick off 2011.....{@SPR}

As promised, I have some new PRINT designs to kick off 2011. I have added 4 of them already to my webstore & my MADEIT store. The rest.....will be released gradually :)

The 4 I have launched today, are smaller than my usual 30x40cm size, but bigger than my mini 13x18cm prints. Today's new designs are a beautiful but effective size of 20cmx25cm {which is a standard 8x10inch frame size}. Sourcing this sized frame is super easy as it's a universal frame size :) I grabbed a heap of this size frame at Kmart, Target, The Reject Shop & IKEA in the January sales for our family photo wall & our main bedroom make-over :)

So...here they are:

{i love you}

8x10 inch size. Available only in this colour at this stage. Only $13 {plus $2.50 postage}. Printed on silk-finished print paper.

Simple & powerful! Perfect for your bedroom, living area or office. Or as an upcoming VALENTINES GIFT!!!

{Eat Drink & Be Merry}

8x10 inch size. Available only in this colour at this stage. Only $13 {plus $2.50 postage}. Printed on silk-finished print paper.

Simple, modern & fun! Perfect for your kitchen, dining area, living area or outdoor eating area. I have this one hanging under our wall clock in our kitchen/dining room :)

{All you need is LOVE}

8x10 inch size. Available in ANY background colour. Only $13 {plus $2.50 postage}. Printed on silk-finished print paper.

Simple, modern, elegant & fun! Perfect for your bedroom, photo wall, lounge room, office or as a gift. I also thought these would look gorgeous on a table setting / dessert table at a wedding or event :) I have this one {with a black background} in our main bedroom....love it!

{Rainbow ABC Name}

8x10 inch size. Available only in this colour scheme. Only $14 {plus $2.50 postage}. Printed on silk-finished print paper. Personalised with any name you request :)

Bright, modern, eye-catching & fun! Perfect for a child's room. This would be a perfect gift for a new baby, Christening or a Child's Birthday. I am using this one on Ella's Rainbow Party dessert table :) It's one of my new faves :)

 What do you think? Which one is your favourite?

You can buy them here or here :)

A gorgeous find.....{the perfect gift}

I have this dear friend! She knows me so well. She knows exactly what kind of Mother I am, and she knows Ella so well. But, do you know the crazy thing?! We've never met....in person! Tara & I 'met' online over 3 years ago, on a pregnancy forum, when we were both pregnant with our first borns :) We clicked straight away {as best you can in an online way}, but it wasn't until our daughters were born {within a week of each other} that we really got 'chatting' and formed this amazing, online friendship! Why haven't we met in person then, you may be thinking?! Because.......she lives in Canada....and me in Australia!! But one day....ONE DAY....we will meet & hug & sip coffees & watch our kids play together & hang out like all good friends do.....and that day.....will be so, SO sweet!!

Oh, how I could keep writing about Tara & the amazing friendship we've developed.....but that will have to wait for another post :)

A couple of months ago, Tara posted a link on my Facebook page! As I said...she knows me well...and she knows so much about Ella! The link was to this fabulous product on ETSY:

I fell in love with it instantly....and of course bought it then & there! It arrived from the USA a few weeks later....and it's put away safely for a present for Ella's 3rd birthday next month!!!

Just like Tara's daughter, Aurora....Ella is fairy obsessed! Tinkerbell dress-ups, stories, movies, iPad games & songs are a regular ritual in our house! She truly, whole-heartedly gets involved with the magic, the moments and the wonder of fairies! So, this fairy house locket necklace truly is the PERFECT GIFT for my little girl! And I've made a little scroll to keep inside with a tiny little message on it from Mummy & Daddy! So when she wears her magic fairy house charm, she knows she's safe & loved & has us with her all the time!!!

This gorgeous neckalce is from EMYLYNE on Etsy! Please, if you have to buy for a special friend, or little girl, or even yourself....I recommend you head over to Emylyne to see her amazing range of gorgeousness! I could spend a fortune in her store....everything is so pretty!

And I love that Ella & Aurora will have matching necklaces, sitting close to their hearts :)

Happy Friday my friends!

I'm off to Night 1 of my dance concert....wish me luck!! Break a leg, isn't it?!