potfolio days

A project I was working on last year, just for fun. well actually it had me pulling out my hair. I usually use traditional methods of illustration, but this is me trying to get those digital skills.

Luke worked with a pyschologist to develop self help game for mid risk teens dealing with depression. I did the background illustration like this game map.

Some of the illustrations I did for the NZ liver transplant website.

Today I hooked up our external hard drive (extra computer storing space) to our new mac book and went through my old work. I looked through scores and scores of poorly organized files and made my selections. It is time to separate the wheat from the chaff because these are portfolio days. After hours of sorting through images my eyes are crossing and I need a break. But first I will show you some nearly forgotten relics that have been uncovered during my dig today.

Also a lovely person came over today and purchased an ipod cover. I was running late and had to rush this meeting which is a real shame. So if you are reading, I would have liked to get to know you but I had to go. (doesn't that sound like a song title for an indie band?)

happy mid week everyone. Luke is taking me out for dinner tonight, it's time we had a proper date.

-kimberlee

back part two

So I guess there has been lots more happening since we got back.
But first I wanted to show you some garage sale bargains I got while in the states.
First some care bears, yes I am a child of the 80s. I got these little bundles of cheer for FIVE bucks total! they're in great condition and I think I am saving them for my future children. my models below work their Fierce CAREBEAR stares.

In my opinion, NZ could really benefit from more garage sales. I suppose its great that everyone just donates to the local op shop, but there is a certain experience you lose when you skip the garage sale. Like the experience of getting to know your neighbors and their old weird stuff, of the grass roots low-fi shop venues where everyone basically moves their living room into the space that they normally park the car, and all the guess work is gone. When you go to an OP shop you pretty much know what you are getting into, but with garage and yard sales, you sometimes don't know if they are selling or just doing a massive tidy up. My brother made this mistake as a kid, "hey mister, how much for this baseball?" "WHAT are you doing in here kid!! get out!"
oh yes these retro and vintage tins put me out one dolla fiffy. I used them at the last craftwerk to hold my cards and I must say, they worked out swell.
Speaking of craftwerk, it was a week ago Thursday. I had no time to post about it before hand because I was busy trying to scrounge up a few things to sell. This is a bag I made for it. The fabric was compliments of Melissa aka tiny happy. TA!

Yoshi models the new t-shirt bought from a local designer at Craftwerk. I don't know his name but he does custom order screen prints and you really should keep an eye out for him... they are very affordable. The t-shirt actually looks better on me but The Yosh and I are sharing and he called dibs on Fridays. Them's the breaks.

okay I also made some pies today but I ran out of photo space.

No major updates in the life and times of a jobless, childless, housewife. I'll keep you posted when I have some sort of a career slapped together. Until then, I am dreaming of a day when I finally get my portfolio together (a daunting task for me right now), send it out, and start working. Until then, pie anyone?

-kimberlee

Oh I also wanted to officially thank Lies for keeping up the blog while I was gone. Beautiful things you have been working on. That photo of the new Lieveke coat doesn't do it justice! It is the most fabulous thing I have EVER seen for a baby/toddler. I love it much. And thanks my dear dear friend for being so good to me when I got back and was getting over my transitional funk. Its so good to talk with someone who really understands. xoxoxox

Back

Well folks, its good to be back in New Zealand. It always takes me a few weeks before I can say that and mean it because, as you can imagine, its hard going back and forth between home country and new home country. But I always come to the conclusions that I love my life here and wouldn't trade it in for the USA version. The only perfect solution would be for all my lovely friends and family who are stateside, to make a new life in the friendly south pacific. Any takers?


This is one of my favourite shots from the wedding I was a part of. My dear friend of over 10 years pledged herself to love on a very hot and sticky day in the North Woods of Wisconsin, well a church in the north woods anyway.

A wedding I missed but you can't be in two places at once. This is the traditional Indonesian wedding of Hana and Jake done in Sumatran style. Hana and Jake, you guys are beautiful!!!! My only comfort is that I was able to be there for their kiwi wedding.

Flash back to Wisconsin styles, this is a friend and I dancing in the loft of a barn that they had renovated for the reception. It had such a classy rustic charm, full of raw wood, twinkle lights and Chinese lanterns.

And back home. It was very crowded in our tiny apartment because as soon as we arrived home, two friends came to visit. You are looking at the lounge which was also converted into a guest bedroom (yes a multi functional feature!). you can see through to the end of the apartment and 10 paces behind the photographer in the door to the porch. Twas cozy :) but we'd do it again.

Now I have gotten rather behind on posting and want to show you more. Are you ready for part TWO? hang on folk here we go.

-kimberlee

Doing a bit of...

I've been doing a bit of...
-knitting : a wee shrug for Lieveke. Gals, sit tight : I USED A PATTERN (Debbie Bliss)! As always -which really means almost never- working with a pattern teaches me many usefull things. And it is REAL fun to know beforehand what your project will look like when finished, I usually stuff up while inventing as I go... The suggested yarn for this shrug wasn't available here in Auckland but i found a lovely merino/silk NZ alternative : naturally Merino et Soie. It's sssssssssoft and it makes my Lieveke look like a scrumptious little lump of butter!

-sewing : a winterwarm hooded jacket for Lieveke (shall we call her the lucky lumpett?). Now this I did make more or less without pattern. 'T is to say : I adjusted my very own kimono-pattern and did a little bit of sneeky spying on a hoodie attached to one bought (bad! bad!) jumper of the lumpett. I used one of my favorite fabrics : it's almost like a felted wool and has a relief which makes the tiny yellow pebble shaped ehm shapes (duh? whatyacallthemanyway?) come out crisply against the deepbrown background.


-gazing at the pretty game the light and the brightly coloured stainedglass apples play in the staircase of the house :

-'sponsoring' a fellow craftster : at the Craftwerk-fair last thursday I fell in love with a most original beauty. Meet my new very big pillow with very individual craaaazzzzyyyy pillow-case. 't Is made by the kind girl that goes by the name of Caran (I think? Arghh please forgive bad memory-lobes). Her theme is the Caravan (clever, clever!). She had a whole lotta very original stuff (oh the pretty cards, shoulda gotten some) depicting caravans! Look at the pillow-case : it features cute-as piglet buttons, (vintage?) pink tartan wooly blanky and 60's-flower fabrics, and no less than 3 caravans : a huge embroidered one with a lace 'halo' round it, a tiny one (just underneath, very funny, could be like a subtitle or a translation, or.. sorry getting too arty) and my fave, on the other side of the case, the third caravan, printed on some sort of oilcloth. There has been a lot of thought, work and dedication put into this pillow-piece. Respect!


Oh! Btw :
*Anonymous I got the pretty-bird-fabric on www.reprodepot.com (a wicked fabric-site, check it out!), but it's sold out I think. Where to get those great fabrics eh? Read up on it on a beautiful blog called 'Paper String Cloth' : this must be the best 'tute' on fabrics ever!
*there is a nice collection of snippets on crafty-blogs in NZ on http:// whip-up.net. Thank you Whip (or Up?) for including us.
Catchyalata (hmm beginning to sound like a Kiwi)
-L

Craftwerking

Snapshots of some of the baby clothes I've been sewing for tomorrow's Craftwerk-fair at St. Kevins Arcade, K.Road in Auckland, 6-9 pm.
-skirts for toddlers

-pinnies for newborns

-kimono's from 4 months


You are all very very welcome X -L.

Sexy toddy-dress

It must be the clear sunny days we just had (oh yowser), and of course the new fabrics, 'cause I was on a happy sewing roll!!! I've learned to sew at nights now (beats TV!), as mornings are reserved for the little daughter L and afternoons for my work at the gallery. I'm experimenting with a new dress for little toddlers from 1,5 to 2 years old. Lieveke, as always, is the test-driver. It's looking good, but I've still much to adjust. I've learned heaps designing the pattern for it and fitting it together with my machine : sewing in sleeves, curved collars, centred bust. Prototype 1 is made with a black and white toile de jouy and really vibrant fushia for the neck-line. Prototype 2 (not yet finished, exactly the same as 1 but I'm trying to avoid all the mistakes now hee hee) with a black and rose Japanese cherry-blossom and a cheeky satin orange. And -piece the resistance : I'm sewing button holes on these dresses. I've always had a wee fobia about sewing them and stuck to snap-buttons, but I just couldn't get away with it on this little dress, I want it to look rather sophisticated and not so much apron or bib-like.



Another few happy ones :
-this great dress used to be my mums, it's the real vintage glamour 60 frock eh? A bit unreal, how we have the same bodies at the same age... But what about the tights, the tights! A gift from my good friend Tess. Crazy sweet.

-little Ganesh (for luck) and my bangles, snoozing in the sun...

I'm so excited, we have another Craftwerk-fair (welcome yous!!!) this week thursday. I've been wizzing up fun stuff this weekend, but I'll show you later
-L.

Oh happy rain

Phew it's been rainy and sticky and swampy and cc-cc-cold down here in wintery Auckland! Every ray of brave sunlight that makes it through is greeted by a sweetest 'oooh' from Lieveke. We have other reasons to be cheerful though! New pretty frabrics dwindled down into the mailbox today. Since I've started working I've just a few extra dollars (hmmm) and for the very first time I ordered some fabric via the net in the States. I am more than delighted with the (swift and fast!) delivery. It is YUMYUM!!!
-tweet tweet

-cosy cuties

-happy fruits and dainty dots

-oooh lah lah abstract!








-Lieveke samples the material with expert testing skills.


Aaah what to make? What to make? I will let you know soon X
-L.

oh say can you see

This is the beautiful baby kimono Lies made for my niece Ella. I just wanted to show the perfect fit and colouring. Thank you so much my dear friend!

This child does a lot of window gazing, which enables you to see the back of the kimono. I wish I also had a picture of the view she is enjoying, the rocky mountains.

One of Colorado's native animals. (okay we were at the zoo)

So its been: lounging around my parents house (7 people, 2 dogs, and a fish that only lasted until Monday, RIP) talking and reliving family memories, fierce Italian lawn bowl competitions, hikes through (easy) mountain trails, garage sale shopping, driving in through suburban sprawl in the family mini van, seeing prairie dogs, chipmunks, foxes, squirrels, and crows.

tomorrow we are saying goodbye to my brother and niece, I hate this part.

love from USA,
Kimberlee