Some treasure just won't make it to the shop...

Sometimes you are shopping and your heart actually stops, you can't breath and you get a pain inside you when you try to walk away from the amazing thing... well, that is what happens to me anyway.  I try to find things like that to sell in my shop, Clarence EST 2010 - flowers and fancy goods, Healesville.

But, lets be honest... some treasure just wont make it to the shop. Like this recent unbelievably AWESOME SCORE!!!! I have wanted a luggage trunk since my days travelling with the famous Spiegeltent but never have I seen one so beautiful. Check this out -

Bad photo but it happens to have a lot
of "B" stickers on it... My name is Bobilee...
Not that I need any more convincing!!

Just your standard looking op-shop trunk

Are you ready to take a peek inside??

Surprise! I am amazing!!

Complete with original coathangers and immaculate lining.

I am one happy lady

I did have to phone a friend to see if I was out of my mind on this purchase, it was not a cheap score but just a good one.  My friend Anton simply told me that if I ever did not want it then he would buy it off me.  I also google-imaged luggage trunks and couldn't find one as sweet as this!

I love vintage treasure and imagining the history of the piece.  The thing with this one is that it probably was a part of a set, with matching hat box, beauty case and smaller luggage cases. I wonder where it has travelled and who owned such a stunning thing... I am sooooo happy they looked after it and had such amazing taste!

My Red Dog!

You know when you wanna see a movie so bad but feel like you have to find a child to take with you as some kind of shield from people noticing that you are just a big baby?!? Well, Lucky for me, I had Indi, boy aged 4, the perfect scapegoat and afternoon date for me.

Yesterday we saw Red Dog. It was FANTASTIC! I highly recommend this flick.  Great Aussie humour, a story of love, loyalty, and, oh god! I can't pretend to be a movie critic or some kind of amazing writer... The film just really affected me and I cried like a baby... I would have completely broke down and howled if no-one else was there, but I just managed to hold it in so Indi wouldn't think I was a complete loser.

Anywhoo... It made me love my own dog even more (I didn't know it was possible, but it's true!). Her name is Kaya. This is a tribute to Kaya disguised as a movie review - 

Meet Kaya. How SWEET is she???

She is pretty much the cutest dog in the world. She has many nick-names including 'puppy-chulo' 'Miss Manaia' and 'Manaia Twain,' none of which she answers to.  She doesn't even answer to 'Kaya' only 'Kai' which happens to mean 'food' or 'a meal' in Maori.

 

Always snoozy... the ultimate chiller!

"MUM... it's 6am, Can we go for a walk now??"

Kaya at Clarence!

Yes, she was actually asleep like that! Close your legs Miss Manaia!

There is definitely a special bond between animals and humans.  Some humans I know like animals more than humans... they are just less-complicated I guess.

My legs are crossed and she has found a comfy spot to nestle in.

People think she is a he because she is very handsome!

Kaya with her dad Micka, after a ride in the boat in the dam.

This would be here facebook profile if she had one... I'm not that obsessed!

Hot summer night, Parents decide to sleep on the balcony in a swag.
Hot summer morning... Kaya thinks that is a great idea!

Here are some other dogs that look nothing like Red Dog but I'm sure they are just as devoted!

This is not Kaya, This is Remmie, I'm sure he is loved just as much!

Remmie and Sam. Just some more sweet dogs.

Good bye from us.  I'm going to take Kaya for a walk.  Do yourself a favour and go and see Red Dog... and take some tissues for the laughing and crying tears!

My best friend :)

Letterpress workshop with Girlprinter

I recently participated in a letterpress course taken by Carolyn Fraser, aka Girlprinter and Idlewild Press.  You can see some of Carolyn's work here http://www.girlprinter.com/blog/ 

In my life pre-Clarence printing in dirty factories was my favourite past time.  I studied Textile design at RMIT for one year before leaving to work in a screen printing studio in Melbourne, sampling for Akira Isogawa and getting experimental.  I made an outfit for Harry Angus from The Cat Empire and soon found myself designing and making their band merchandise.  This became quite a nifty little side business doing specialty merchandise for bands, business uniforms and carnival performers. 

After I opened Clarence, I was so busy running my business I hadn't made or printed a single thing so you can imagine my excitement getting let loose in Carolyn's studio.  We learnt the basics over a 2 day workshop and were given time to create our own project.  The anticipation of what to make can easily give you a creative block... just ask my friend Kitty.M.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/KITTYMStationeryDesign/204175442949050

I had been (and still am) toying with the idea "Who is Clarence?" So I got experimental with that in mind.  See my pics... 

Drawers of old font. I am literally in Heaven!

Letters set... design forming.

Maybe Clarence is this guy? 

Is Clarence a Monkey? 

Locked and loaded for the first print.

I love letterpress!  The precision and patience required is such an enjoyable process. I love being forced to SLOW DOWN and be fussy to the millimetre, or should I say.. copper.  I love that it has it has its own language, special tools and measurement... em, en, picar, pt.  I love the smell of it, I love the furniture and I love the result. It is like fabric and it makes me soooo happy! This is what I made with special thanks to Girlprinter.  So great to get my hands dirty and print again, this time in a very clean studio! :) 

Clarence Card

Clarence Art