This painting is available for purchase via my Etsy store. Prints and products are available via Redbubble.
Moonlit Tree – Original watercolour painting of a black swirly tree silhouette against a blue starry moonlit sky
Tag: handmade
Plumage – Intuitive abstract watercolour painting of feathers and leaves in purple and turquoise
“Plumage” – another in my series of intuitive paintings. I didn’t intend for this to look like feathers from the outset, but that’s what it ended up looking like to me! That’s one of the things I love about this painting style. I love just exploring the paint and seeing where it takes me. It’s especially fun in watercolours, because they really have a mind of their own sometimes.
This original painting is in A4 size, which makes it easy to purchase frames for. It is available for purchase from my Etsy store. Prints and products like the ones featured below are available from Redbubble.
Contemplation – Intuitive abstract watercolour painting on paper in turquoise, coral and yellow by Kirsten Bailey
I called this painting ‘contemplation’ because this style of painting is very meditative to me. I never know what the finished painting is going to be like when I begin – I just go with the flow, and see where the paint takes me. I love this combination of colours!
You can purchase this original painting in my Etsy store. Prints and other products like the ones featured below are available on Redbubble.
Fire and Ice – Two intuitive abstract watercolour paintings on paper in red and blue by Kirsten Bailey
You can purchase these original paintings from my Etsy store. You can find prints and other products like the ones below on Redbubble.
A forest of coral and turquoise
This original watercolour painting was created on high-quality 8″ x 10″ watercolour paper. You can purchase a copy in my Etsy store.
Saturday Selections – Two Happy Stampers Colour Challenge #8
Looks like I’ve missed a few of the Two Happy Stampers colour challenges. I’m determined to create a painting based on September’s colours though.
In the meantime, here are some beautiful items from around Etsy which fit into the colour scheme:
1. I’m happy to say that we’re moving out of scarf weather here in Queensland, and into beautiful spring! But for those of you in places which are still a bit frosty (or moving into the colder weather), this gorgeous scarf would be perfect! I’m tempted to get one for myself and stash it away for next winter. Very feminine and pretty, it was hand crocheted by Ayca in gorgeous pear-coloured mohair blend yarn.
2. I made the mistake of searching for “vintage” in my quest to find a really great chocolate brown item for this post. I don’t know why I do it to myself! I invariably find gorgeous shoes that DON’T FIT ME. I swear I found about 6 pairs of shoes I absolutely loved but none of them were in my size! My favourites of all were these vintage chocolate brown suede heels from Folie A DeuxVintage. Trust me I would be buying them intead of posting about them if they were in my size! Incidentally, Folie a Deax means “a madness shared by two” – although I think more than two of us share a madness for vintage!
3. I love butterflies, so I couldn’t go past these beautiful Burgandy Victorian Butterfly earrings by Tigerfli. They’re quite large earrings but would still be very light to wear. Big and bold yet still dainty and feminine. They look fantastic on, check out the pictures in the listing.
4. These South Sea Shell Pearl earrings by Realisation Creations are most definitely pretty in pink! Elegant and pretty, they would make a beautiful accent to any outfit. I love the little extra touches in these handmade earrings like the pretty gold swirls on the earwires.
Many thanks to Heidi and Adriel from Two Happy Stampers for providing the inspiration for this post! Stay tuned for a painting using this colour combination… I’m thinking about combining it with this week’s Illustration Friday topic, “Dessert”. Hmmm…
Saturday Selections – THS July Colour Challenge
I’m looking forward to creating an artwork for the Two Happy Stampers July colour challenge soon. In the meantime, I thought this beautiful selection of colours would be a great inspiration for my Saturday Selections this week:
1. In “Concord Crush”, this beautiful Handknit Scarf by Crickets Creations. I just love the different textures and shades of purple in this gorgeous handmade scarf – the title says “fit for royalty” and it certainly looks it!
2. For “Poppy Parade”, I’ve chosen these vibrant Red Chiffon Flower Hair Pins by Nomsa. I love their simple elegance – what a wonderful finishing touch to your outfit!
3. In “Very Vanilla”, we have this gorgeous looking Paradisi Body Butter by fellow Queenslander Rhasdala. This creamy moisturiser is perfect for soothing dry skin, and features a blend of soft vanilla and refreshing grapefruit scent. The Paradisi scent is one of Rasdala’s most popular, and is also available in soaps, bath salts, lip balms and many other body and beauty products.
4. I love the warm, dark colour of “Early Espresso” – I think these Smoky Brown Quartz Wire Wrapped Earrings byAngelene (anothe QLDer!) capture the colour perfectly. These two high-quality smoky quartz briolettes in a rich coffee colour have been spun with sterling silver wire to create this beautiful pair of earrings.
5. This Pear Canvas All-Purpose Pleated Bag by Tippy Thai matches the “Pear Pizzazz” colour perfectly! It is made from high quality canvas, and features an adjustable strap as well as plenty of compartments for all your essentials.
I hope you liked this week’s Saturday Selections. Which is your favourite of the five colours above? I can’t decide between “Concord Crush” and “Early Espresso”.
Let it Snow!
We’ve had a few very chilly nights here in sunny Qld lately – certainly no snow though! But, as I’m heading off to the Snowy Mountains for a skiing holiday soon I’ve got snow on the brain. Especially as they haven’t had much snow yet this season. Let’s hope these snowy handmade beauties from Etsy will send the right message out into the universe – let it SNOW!
Left to right and top to bottom:
1. Snowflake etched stirling silver earrings by Jenna Appleton. These are the perfect winter accessory! I love the delicate snowlakes and the hexagon shaped stirling silver.
2. Snow Crystals Bridal Necklace by the Beautiful Garden Boutique. This necklace is so elegant and pretty! It’s advertised as bridal jewellery, but I think it would also be stunning worn with an evening gown and a pair of matching earrings. You could even use it to dress up more casual outfits – a very versatile piece!
3. Hoop Framed Wall Hanging – Snow in the Forest by Caitlin Sainio. Isn’t this pretty? It features three hand crocheted snowflakes mounted on a forest green background. And I love the title, “Snow in the Forest” – it conjures up all kinds of peaceful images of large flakes of snow falling on trees.
4. Snowy Queen Blue Icicle Mystic Quartz marquis CZ Earrings by Blue Tulip Designs. I love the way these elegant earrings have just the slightest tinge of blue to them. And they’re on sale at the moment, so how could you resist?
5. Snow Queen Tattoo Tights by Tattoo Socks and More. These are just the coolest thing ever! I love this idea. Make sure you check out the Tattoo Socks Etsy store, as there are lots of other cool designs like butterflies, swirls and peacock feathers.
6. Snowy Tree Notepad by Jennifer Boston. I fell in love with this stunningly pretty notepad featuring a tree being dusted by glittery snow before I even realised who had created it. I get most of my supplies for pendant making from Jennifer’s supplies store, The Crafty Dragonfly. So, I can personally vouch for the friendly, personal service, quick delivery and careful packaging which have made me keep visiting her store.
I hope these beautiful items have put you in a snowy kind of mood – even if you’re in a part of the world where it’s summer right now. I’ll post up a pic of me in the snow when I get back from my holiday, and who knows, maybe I’ll come up with some of my own snow inspired art too!
Seeing Stars
I’ve always been fascinated by the stars – I love looking up at the night sky, especially when I’m away from the city and the artificial light no longer dims the stars. One of my favourite childhood memories is that of looking through a neighbour’s telescope. So it’s not surprising that stars feature heavily in my artwork. Nor is it a surprise that some of my favourite Etsy items are star-themed as well. Here are a few of them:
From top to bottom, left to right:
1. Starry Night Cobalt Glass and Silver Charm Bracelet by Trash and Trinkets. This charm bracelet features the prettiest shade of blue, along with star and moon charms.
2. Stellar Stream – Indigo/Gray Freeform Crochet Necklace by Irregular expressions. I am in LOVE with this necklace! I love the title ‘Stellar Stream’, and it really does bring up memories of seeing the milky way clearly emblazoned across the sky. Best of all, it’s totally unique!
3. Starry Night Serving / Pasta Dish by Spinster Sisters Pottery. This dish is so pretty it almost seems a shame to put food on it! Glazed in midnight blue with white crystal stars, it would make a wonderful centerpiece to the table.
4. The Original Velvet Purple Candileria by Blue Room Pottery. How cool are these? I can just imagine how pretty a room would look lit by candlelight filtered through one of these beauties, stars playing against the walls.
5. Starry Night Necklace Lapis Lazuli, Pyrite, Sterling Silver by Red Chair. If you were to trap the night sky in a string of pearls, I think it would look something like this. This stunning necklace features lapis lazuli beads, blue as the night sky, offset by the shine of Pyrite.
6. Starry Night Embroidered Cloth Napkins by Monkey Beetle. These simple, elegant and beautiful napkins would add a little starlight to any dinner table. You can even get a glow-in-the-dark version!
Saturday Selections… MMM… Chocolate
It’s Easter time again already. Easter means three things to me – family, holidays and CHOCOLATE!
I am notorious for having pretty much no willpower when it comes to chocolate. But it’s not just the edible kind I love! I love warm and inviting chocolate brown as a colour, too.
Here are some of my favourite chocolate brown items from Etsy:
From left to right and top to bottom:
1. The chotto tote/messenger in chocolate brown by Christy studio. It’s practical, stylish and comfortable to carry, and the chocolate brown colour would go with so many outfits!
2. Small chocolate flower hair pin by Princess Allure. Add a little feminine style to your outfit with this pretty hair pin! Each petal has been handcrafted using chocolate coloured satin, and it features three Swarovski crystals in the centre.
3. Chocolate rose necklace by Heather Berry. Chocolate brown faux pearls have been hand linked together and decorated with a creamy rose and filigree medallion. This pretty feminine necklace would go beautifully with the cardigan I’ve featured!
4. Chocolate Jar by TC Art. This doesn’t quite fit in to the rest of my theme which are all wearable items, but it is so cute I couldn’t resist including it! I’m a sucker for little jars and knick-knacks. How cute would this be filled with a few little chocolates?
5. Upcycled Cardigan – Chocolate Cookie by Caroline Joy. I just love the idea of upcycled vintage – it’s great for the environment and means you will have a completely unique item for your wardrobe. This cardigan is a great example of that – its a modern look using a rescued sweater.
6. Walk Tall vintage chocolate brown high heeled boots by Planet Claire Vintage. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these boots! I would definitely have snapped them up myself already if I didn’t have the feet of a giantess (they’re a size 5).
I hope you’ve enjoyed my selection of chocolate goodness this weekend! Please let me know what you think of the new format, too (i.e. putting all the pictures at the top together instead of spacing them out).
Have a safe and happy Easter!