Link with Love

Recently, I told you about my delighted discovery of Brene Brown (she who is responsible for me working on "Honouring the Ordinary"). Today, Brene linked to a blog which has made it it's business to address one of the Internets thorny problems - I think the direct quote from Kal Barteski of Link with Love explains it better than I ever could:

"Welcome to LINKwithlove.org.
It is our goal to inspire positive change in the way art, photography, design, words, music, film and ideas are shared on the Internet. We believe that intellectual property needs to be handled with love and respect. We believe in the goodness of people. We believe in the power of the Internet. We believe that Maya Angelou was absolutely right when she said "when you know better you do better."
We need your help. We need your support. Learn more. Spread the word. Post our badge on your sites to show that you LINK with love.
This is just the beginning.. "

As it happens, I have just today returned from the Textile Art Festival in Brisbane (from which I have much to share with you...), where I was once again reminded of the endless talent in the world, and sadly, also the ever present problem of artists hard work, so generously shared, being 'borrowed' and not credited - especially on the Internet. (Where I have written 'borrowed', you may be more accurate in substituting a stronger, less well intentioned sounding word!)

So, from today, my blog has a Link with Love button; because I believe that every artist should always be credited wherever their work is shown or shared - lovingly, respectfully and correctly...and if I ever overlook that here - please let me know.

And, do yourself a favour and check out Kal's blog - her work is beautiful!

Also, if I can tear myself away from the glorious bundles of goodies I have brought home from my trip - I'll share some photos and info here with you  soon.

The Next Collaboration



The studio has seen a frenzy of paint, paper, packing tape transfers and walnut ink as I've been working on the pages for the Whispers Collaboration.

The reason that today's photo really shows you nothing much is important! This collaboration - with many of the artists from our last collaboration, plus a few more - is based on the game we all played as kids - Chinese Whispers. Instead of whispering the words to the artist beside us, we are whispering a theme, a visual interpretation of our intention, which only the artist alongside us gets to see, interpret, and then send their work to the the next artist. So, I can't in fact show you my page here...it is top secret! Instead, I'm sharing with you what's been left on the studio bench after I took the book pages away.

Just to tease.

Any guesses as to what my theme might be? I'm struggling with not being able to share this yet...not in my nature at all. And I wrote a kick-butt statement about it this morning!

As there are twelve of us, and we each have every book for a month, it will be such a long time before I can tell you much about it at all. Which will frustrate me, because I love to show you what I've been working away on. Creating can be a solitary pursuit, and I have come to look forward to sharing the fruits of that solitude with you here. I guess I'll just have to create more of the things I can share, to ease my angst!

There are some awesome artists in this collaboration...check out the Whispers Blog to learn a little more about them!

Avoiding Drudgery with Photoshop Elements

Because I should be doing a hundred things I'd rather not do today...I've been playing in Photoshop Elements (does anyone else out there practice work avoidance like this? Or am I truly an undisciplined, unmotivated sloth? - On second thoughts, don't answer that, I think I already know!)

I discovered some free Photoshop elements actions from Ree Drummond over on The Pioneer Woman Blog - I've been a reader of PW's for some time now...Ree is married to a cattle rancher in Oklahoma, and our lives share some parallels...endless laundry, mud and manure stained men and children and lots of food - difference is, she's a great cook, and seems to enjoy it! Plus, she cracks me up...

I used her Lovely and Soft action, followed by her Vintage action to pretty up the scenery from around our workshop shed...

I'm not sure how much 'serious' use I will have for these tricks...but it's been fun to spend a little while playing... and I love to share my fun - and my earth shatteringly wonderful discoveries - with you!



Sharing Something Special

Today's post is to share with you just one of the blogs I especially enjoy. My thinking is, that if I enjoy it, there's a big chance you will too! Jonas Peterson is a wedding photographer based in Brisbane. The photos you see here aren't his! His are much more awesome! I like all my posts to have something nice for you to look at - so I've included these photos from the wedding of the daughter of special friends of ours.









And, while I was happy enough with them, They are not a patch on Jonas's brilliant images . He has the ability to capture not only beautiful images, but powerful emotions as well. I couldn't tell you how many times I've looked at his work with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye.



So, if you have a minute (actually, I'd reckon you might need an hour...once you begin, it's a little hard not to look at 'just one more') swing on over to Jonas Peterson's blog, and be inspired.


You can find him by clicking on the links in this post, he's also only a click away in my blog links on the right hand side of the page here, along with a number of other bloggers whose efforts inspire, amuse and entertain me. I hope you find some enjoyment amongst that list. I'm planning to add to it over the next few months...I hope you'll get a kick out of checking some of them out!