This weekend I had the urge to paint…so I picked up some supplies from the art shop and came back home like a kid with a new toy.

I’ve forgotten what a calming experience painting can bring. I also feel like I have to be more focused than I normally am, because mistakes are hard to hide! But the beauty of painting, it’s so organic and real that even mistakes can add a touch of originality to it.

Lately I’ve been contemplating on doing some original paintings of Little Mo and her friends and sell them as they are. Uniquely one off paintings. Let me know your thoughts…and if it’s something you’d like to see more of?

Currently painting and listening to Paper Moon

So our Montage Pop-Up Shop is open for business!

I took a few snaps while I was working at the shop today.

Our stationery section filled with wood journals from lorgie&me, denim hand stitched journals from iheartcharlie, animal notebooks from Tall Rabbit and Little Mo writing sets and recycled notebooks.

In the kiddy corner (one my favourite corners in the shop), Little Mo art prints and a cradle full of crochet toys from Anna Hadwin. I often hear people go, “ooh…ahh” when they dig through that cradle!

Vintage inspired canvas art from Riley and Fynn Designs and a shelf full of divine smelling soaps from Empire of Delight. I love that the soaps make our shop smell nice 24/7!

A little bit of stamping action and a sketching session with Niina from eeva margita.

If you’re up in the city, come by and check out our shop:)

Montage Pop-Up Shop
140william cnr Wellington St and William St
Open till 23rd October
7 days a week

Two of my favourite things.

I’m so glad my colleague friend took me to Abhi’s Bakery in Fremantle. The shop is filled with the most delicious aroma of homemade bread and pastries!

I had a bit of trouble deciding on what to buy so I bought a loaf of Wholemeal Five Seed; which is packed with sunflower seed, kibbled rye, linseed, crushed soy and crushed wheat. I also bought an orange poppy seed gluten-free cake and a polenta and sultana loaf (which did not survive the trip home for photo taking).

Later on in the day, I wrapped up some orders for my lovely customers.

These orders are extra special because all proceeds from the sale will be donated to my friend Julie-Ann Twigg who was involved in a horrific plane crash. Julie-Ann is currently in intensive care and sadly her daughter Jacinda and the pilot did not survive.

I’m acquainted with Julie-Ann through Etsy and blogging, and she has always been very supportive of my art and business. When I first heard the news, it affected me deeply and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Luckily I am comforted by those who know Julie-Ann and everyone has rallied on in support by organising a treasury sale.

You can also donate to the Twigg Family Appeal at any National Australia Bank branch or see the Hindmarsh Shire website for direct deposit details.

Please support generously and keep Julie’s family and the pilot’s family in your thoughts and prayers. Love and blessings to you all. xoxo

Two months ago..or actually on the day that I was flying out for my trip, the postie arrived with a present. A copy of the Homespun Blue Issue magazine. I had a quick flick through it and saw my art print in the magazine. I remembered doing a little dance in the living room because it was such a nice surprise!

I finally got around to reading the magazine today and I adore the blue theme. If you like sewing, quilting and knitting, then this magazine is a must-have on your shelf. It’s filled with crafty projects for all ages.

Here is my Little Mo and Twigs art print, featured alongside an array of pretty bluebird goodies.

Thank you Homespun for featuring my art and sending me a copy of your awesome magazine! xoxo

This weekend I finished up a crate of Little Mo goodies, ready to be delivered to the Montage Pop-Up Shop. I’m so excited, 3 more days to go!

I also spent a few hours cutting up price tags from old card stock for my Little Mo jewellery…only to realise that I could have bought ready made tags at Officeworks!

I think I’m satisfied with my overall packaging, it looks minimal and natural like how I want it to be. But maybe you can let me know your feedback, do you think it works with my art?

I find that it can be a challenge trying to run my business as environmentally friendly as possible. Whilst I’m passionate about the cause, I’m also limited to the choice of materials that I can use for my stationery and gift range. Usually I have to think twice before introducing a new product in my shop. I have to find the right materials to use, preferably sustainable and recycled. When it comes to packaging, I also have to avoid fancy packaging, plastics and extra paper materials.

In saying that, this has led me to hoarding a nice collection of stamps! They’ve proven to be my best friends for all my eco packaging needs, particularly my Little Mo shop orders. Some of these stamps were bought at flea markets, holidays trips or given to me by lovely friends from snail mail packages. I love each and every stamp!

So part II of our travelogue:) Our next stop was Berlin and boy were we overwhelmed with this metropolis! Even though I’ve traveled to some of the bigger capital cities of the world like Tokyo and Seoul, there is something about Berlin and the way the city is laid out that makes it so vast and spacious. The buildings were huge, the statues were ginormous and the roads stretched so wide (probably for the benefit of the tanks and marching troops in the old days).

Walking around Berlin is like walking through a kaleidoscope of time periods. It’s steeped with old history and yet it bustles with modern art. A normal day in this cosmopolitan city involves stumbling upon monuments or forgotten walls from the world war era and then coming across an indie shop or a graffiti wall brimming with youth art and vibrant colours. I feel like there is always an interesting sight waiting to reveal itself just around the corner!

Come and join us on one of our Berlin walks:)

Next stop France, in my next post. Expect to see a lot of pictures of macarons and pastries:)

It’s always good to start the week with a POP of colour! I’m currently loving…

My spray Carnations.

My mini Eiffel tower print scarf.

My Little Mo Glass Brooches!

Today I have been busy making glass brooches for the Montage shop. Only 6 days till we open our doors to the public!

These glass brooches are my favourite things to make because I love the shape of the glass domes, it reminds me of a mini snow globe. Once I took Rich to Snow World in Malaysia, it’s a giant cool room with lots of ice and fake snowflakes blowing. It was kind of like being in a snow globe and we even did some tube sledding! But it was exhausting carrying the heavy tubes up the icy slope so I made Rich carry mine:) Oh fun times.

I thought I might sketch out a few display ideas, which helps me visualise how I’m going to display my products and also helps me remember the things I need to bring for our Pop-Up shop.

I’m also sharing a window display with Tall Rabbit, Anna Hadwin and inukdesigns and I think all of our products match very well together.

I was inspired by Nicole’s animal cushions and Anna’s crochet critters to draw a garden theme for our window display. Perhaps we could hang Little Mo Garden Postcards across the window and stick cut-out grass and flowers from coloured paper? It would be like school all over again…cutting and sticking things up:)

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas so that I can share with the girls!

So here’s that project I’ve been working on…

I’ve joined a fabulous team of WA designers who call themselves Montage Collective and…we’re opening a Pop-Up Shop in the city!

I’m really excited to be part of this creative project, so thanks for having me girls!

You may have read about their adventures when they opened two successful Pop-Up shops earlier this year. And now with their third Pop-Up shop opening soon, it’s just great to see the wonderful support they’ve had from the local community and the netizens.

During the weekend, we tented up the ceiling with some muslin fabric sewn by one of the girls! Then the team dusted and cleaned the shop before all the furniture arrived. As you can see, it’s going to be a hectic and crazy week till the shop opens its doors on 18th August!

If you’re in town, do pop in to say hello!! I’ll definitely be there playing shop girl. And you’ll get to see the Little Mo goodies that I’ve been working on!

I will post some shop pics and my works in progress soon but in the mean time, SAVE THE DATE:

Montage Pop-Up Shop
140william cnr Wellington St and William St
Opens 18th August – 23rd October
7 days a week

Wow, we’ve had a week of stormy weather! I think rainy days like these are definitely the best days to stay indoors and craft. I’ve definitely been busy creating, what about you?

I’ve also been working on my Little Mo stock and there’s a reason to why I’m stocking up like a mad woman. I’m working on an exciting project with some talented Western Australia designers! I promise to update with more details when things are finalised!

Another exciting news that I know I can share:)

While ironing my Little Mo bags, I suddenly realised that I only have 7 bags left from the 200 bags that I got printed a year ago! Wow, I can’t believe I’ve nearly sold them all at the markets and at my shop! I know it’s not a large number of sales but I’m ecstatic to know that there’s nearly 200 customers wearing a Little Mo bag around the world!

Thought I might share two of my favourite photos of my customers wearing a Little Mo bag. Are you one of them? Send me a picture too! Or grab one of the last remaining 7 bags in my shop as I won’t be printing any more runs once they sell out. Thanks for your support! xoxo