I am still here:) So much to tell you!

The last time you heard from me was when I had sent off my Babushka Mo fabric for a test print. Well, that came back ages ago and in the time I’ve been away…I’ve been cutting and sewing little Babushka Mo dolls for Christmas markets and my online shop!

Niina helped me with the project, we had a long sewing session at her place. Panko the cat kept us company too, making it a pleasant crafternoon with the gentle whirring of her sewing machine.

I debuted my dolls at Made On The Left and at my pop-up shop. I remembered feeling so happy and touched when I made my first doll sale to a very sweet girl! I think it was a build up of emotions from all the time and work I had spent on this project. And to finally see my work going off to happy homes….well there’s nothing more a designer could ask for:)

If you’re interested in purchasing my Babushka Mo dolls, they are available in my online shop. These dolls are limited edition items and are only available for sale until they are sold out. They are hand drawn by me and printed onto organic fabric. Very cute and charming if you’d like to collect my art as a fabric piece. Enjoy!

Yaay! Spring is here and I am really looking forward to the blooms and sunshine.

The September Spring issue of Peppermint Magazine is out. And it features my rabbit hugger bookplates in the kids section!

Thank you Peppermint Magazine for featuring my art!

I am working on a new series called Babushka Mo. This project is inspired by a few of my favourite things: Matryoshka nesting dolls, sweet vintage dress patterns and grandmothers in adorable headscarves (also known as Babushka in Russian).

I’ve always wanted to create a collection of Little Mo dolls so I’m hoping to turn my Babushka Mos into little softies and other cute things. Here are some pictures of my works in progress.

The first lines of my Babushka Mo. As you know, I do all of my line drawings on my sketchbooks and scan the artwork in.

I’m not sure if there are artists out there who are particular about having clean lines in their artwork? I’m one of those people and it drives me batty sometimes. It’s also a bit ironic because I love the look of hand drawn lines, a rough and organic look that can’t be replicate by vector drawings. But the perfectionist in me wants to make sure that my artwork is not overly sketchy and dirty which is why I spend a bit of time on the computer cleaning up the edges and rubber marks.

Now the more enjoyable process begins! This is where I add in colours, shades and all the extra details. For this Babushka Mo, I’ve given her a classic polka dot patterned headscarf.

For my second Babushka Mo doll, I decided to give her a pet duck! This doll has a tangerine coloured dress with daisy patterns on them.

And because of the lovely spring weather we’ve been having lately, I was inspired to draw a garden themed Babushka Mo. I think she is most happy being outdoors watering her plants.

A bit of cut and test action happening on the dolls…

I think it’s looking good so far. I’m sending the dolls for a fabric test print this week, wish me luck! Stay tuned for more works in progress pictures:)

Have you visited our latest pop-up shop in the city?

My friends and I opened up our 5th Montage Collective shop in Northbridge earlier this month.

We’ve teamed up with some new and talented local designers to bring a bigger and diverse range of products to our shop! We open for 7 days till 2nd September, so hurry in for some handmade shopping before we close our doors.

If you have trouble deciding what to buy, let me help you with your shopping list…hehe:

Crochet toys for all ages! I just want to take everything home with me! These cuties are lovingly knitted by Anna Hadwin

Very funky coasters and home decor by Jimmy Lee House. A great conversation starter at parties!

Natural handmade soaps by Empire of Delight. Gentle on skin and free of preservatives.

Kitty zines for the cat lovers by Eeva Margita

Or if you’re a bunny and fox lover, these felt brooches would look lovely pinned onto your cardigan:)

I adore these beautiful letterpress stationery by Fluid Ink. I think I know where my money will be spent before this shop closes! Eeek!

And isn’t her stationery stall just divine? I’d love to take a peek in her studio and see her letterpress machine in action!

Adorable animal memo pads and bookmarks by Tall Rabbit

And aren’t these animal picture holders, just the cutest thing ever?

My stationery and art corner at Montage

Lots of animal bookplates to choose from! Perfect for book lovers:)

And a few of my hand drawn glass necklaces and brooches at the shop

So have I whet your appetite? I hope to see you at our pop-up shop sometime soon! Be quick!

Montage pop-up shop
Open 7 days till Sunday 2nd September
224a William St, Northbridge

Some pictures of my stall at the recent Made On The Left Winter Market.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a proper market, I took a break from doing any major markets in 2011…just so I could work on some new art and maybe streamline my range.

Before the market, I was feeling a little out of touch with things…and just a lack of confidence with myself and my art. It didn’t help that I left some art prints and about half of my stock at home! I wanted to kick myself after selling out on products within the first hour! Arrgh! So a word of advise: do not be lazy, do not underestimate your talent. Make and bring more stock than you need. You just never know!

Still, I had a really good time at the market. It was nice meeting old and new stall vendors again. It was also lovely interacting with my customers and observing which products were popular on that day. When you sell online, you don’t really get to observe customer shopping patterns or hear their feedback and comments, these were the things that I missed while being away from markets.

I think more importantly, being in a market environment, filled with so much creative energy and talent, gave me back some confidence and encouragement about my art making. I only hope that my art inspired others to feel the same.

For pictures of the whole market and other stall photos, check out Eeva Margita’s blog post and the Made On The Left Facebook album. Some awesome shots there (and much nicer than my old camera!)

Hello! I have a few new and “small” things to share with you!

My 2013 Little Mo calendars are now available to purchase in my online shop. It features 12 original illustrations of Little Mo and her horoscope star signs. The pocket calendars are printed on thick recycled card stock which makes it really sturdy and there’s a total of 14 colour pages, including front and back cover.

It’s pocket size, and very compact and cute!

And after 3 years in business and only relying on word of mouth from you lovely people, I finally have proper Little Mo business cards!

I don’t even know why it took me so long to get them made! I think when you design business cards, magazines and other business collateral for clients (as part of your day job), the last thing you want to do is design your own business cards. It’s just never good enough! That’s how I feel anyway.

So I got these cards printed at Moo because I liked the idea of having 100 different artworks on each card, and surprisingly it was an easy and quick process. I also love that they are mini in size. If you know me well, I adore anything labeled “little, small, mini or pocket size”. Personally I think anything labeled with that description means twice the charm, fun and cuteness!

So yes, I’ve got proper business cards now…and I feel so professional..hehe

Look what I just picked up from the printers!

Eeek! I’m so excited and happy! Looks like I’ll be spending the rest of the day packaging up my calendars:)

Heya! We’re back from holidays and I have so much to tell (with pictures and all). While on my travels, I missed drawing so much. It’s hard to sketch while mountain climbing and snorkeling…so I’m just glad to be back and making art again!

First up on the agenda in Little Mo HQ, is preparing for market season and getting my 2013 calendars ready. Here’s a sneak peek of some of the pages I worked on, before sending them off to the printers. I’ll be making a monthly horoscope calendar featuring 12 illustrations of Little Mo and her star signs.

Keep a lookout for my calendars in my online shop! A birdy tells me that I may have them in the shop by next week:)

And if you’re in Perth with nothing to do on a Sunday wintry morning, come down on 29th July (Sunday) to Made On The Left Winter Market. It’s one of my favourite handmade markets in Perth, not just because I’m in it…but seriously it has lots of cool products handmade locally in WA! Pop by my stall and say hi! And pick up a Little Mo calendar too:)

Made On The Left Winter Market
Sunday 29th July
10am – 4pm
State Theatre Centre (cnr William St & Roe St, Northbridge)

Taken in Germany:

Film stock used: Lomography 400ASA & Fujicolour Superia 200

I’m packing for my holiday and I haven’t decided which of our film cameras will join us on the trip. I have a feeling we’ll be bringing more than one. I guess you could say Big Mo and I are really enthusiastic about photography. Even though we have digital cameras, we still love the analogue culture. There’s always an element of intrigue and surprise when you shoot on film.

I like nature shots and I like playing with patterns of light and shadow. Big mo on the other hand is more technical and experienced. He likes taking architecture and panorama. He also likes experimenting with long exposures. Sometimes when I think I’ve found the perfect object or a great spot to photograph, I see him sneaking up behind me to take the same shot. He likes to tease me that this is the “backup” shot in case I haven’t captured it correctly!

I’ve been meaning to blog about my camera collection for awhile and today seems like a good day to bring out all my toys!

Diana F+
This is the Diana F+ which I won in a Lomography photo competition last year. I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t gotten around to playing with her yet. The great thing about the Diana F+ is that she’s very versatile. You can attach her with various lenses to capture different perspectives (wide-angle, fisheye, telephoto, super wide to name a few). The Diana F+ uses 120mm film but if you’d like to shoot on 35mm film or on instant film, you can purchase different backs like the 35mm back and instant back. If you have the Deluxe Kit which is what I have, it comes with a full range of lenses and accessories for you to experiment with.

Diana Mini En Rose
When I first got into Lomography, the Diana Mini was the first camera that I purchased from the Lomo family. She takes dreamy, multiple exposures like her big sister the Diana F+.

One of her main features is that you can switch between:

square format

and half-frame.

The Diana Mini shoots on 35mm film and unfortunately her lens and her back is fixed and not detachable. I took this camera with us to Europe and it didn’t let me down one bit! I loved that it was so tiny and light weight to carry around.

The downside I had with this camera was when switching between square frame and half-frame, I kept getting confused and would forget to plan my shots properly or wind the counter correctly. I had a lot of shots that overlapped between the frames. Some looked pretty but some looked like a mess.

I’d recommend dedicating one roll of film in half-frame and shooting another roll in square frame just for ease of mind.

Sprocket Rocket
I bought Rich the Sprocket Rocket for his birthday. Not only does it take the most glorious panoramas, but it has a nifty reverse gear that allows you to rewind and remix your photos. This offers endless possibilities for overlays!

Superheads White Slim Angel
This is the SuperHeadz wide and slim. Anna from Much Love shoots most of her beautiful photos on the SuperHeadz. I’m a huge fan of her work so I decided to give this camera a try. It’s very easy to use, you basically just point and shoot and wind the counter to advance to the next frame. The beauty of this camera is the 22mm wide angle lens, fitted inside its slim and ultra-weight body! Fits easily in the pocket of my handbag!

Unlike the Lomo cameras, you can’t actually take multiple exposures on the same frame with a SuperHeadz. I know that if i rewind and shoot the entire roll the second time, I would be able to achieve this. If you know of a better way, you can tell me!

Smena 8m
And this is the Smena 8m, the latest addition to our analogue collection. A vintage 35mm camera manufactured in the Soviet Union. First of all, I love the minimalist look of this camera. I’ve read that it takes a mean black and white photo which I’m looking forward to testing out!

Stay tuned for more photos:)