Meet Me In The Vale

Last month I was commissioned by Fleurieu Living Magazine to illustrate a map of Mclaren Vale for their 2013 Summer issue. Since having done a map of Stirling and also Hahndorf, I think we can conlude that if you need a map, I'm your girl ;). Prior to beginning the illustration I was taken on a day trip where I was introduced to each and every winery feautured in the illustration. The Fleurieu Peninsula is a very special place and I now have a great big list of incredible venues and locations I want to go back and visit in the Summer. You can find the map in the centre spread as a tear out,  but just incase you intend on using it as an actual map, can I recommend sticking to the trusty ol' GPS ;)

Happy Days - Solo Exhibition

Earlier this month was the opening night of my solo exhibition, Happy Days, held at Urban Cow Studio in Adelaide. Happy Days was a real joy to create and i had the most wonderful night sharing my work with such beautiful and supportive people. Thanks again to everyone who came along and who has been popping by over the past few weeks it really really means so much to me.

It runs until the 30th of November.

photography: Amelia O'connor Photograhy

The Lobster

8 weeks ago, Graham and I put an offer on a cute little beach house in Normanville, fast forward 8 weeks and we picked up the keys to what is now called 'The Lobster' this weekend!! Settlement actually occured on the date of our 5 year anniversary so it was definately meant to be ;)

We had plans of gradually neating the place up, but once we get our hands on that baby we couldn't help ourselves and ended up ripping out and destroying anything that wasnt a wall. Tearing up the carpets revealed beautifully polished floor boards and removing layers upon layers of curtains and blinds has left us with big open windows and light filled rooms.
There is still more to do, but after a lick of paint (and ermm, a new kitchen) The Lobster should be all ready to go. We aren't moving in, we love living in the city, so it will be rented out until we are ready to enjoy it as a beach house to fill with family and beautiful summer holiday memories. 

Oh, and the name comes from three things: Firstly, the roof is red; secondly, in Germany where my Grandma lives there is a cafe we passed each day on our morning walk called The Lobster, and thirdly, Lobsters improve with age, just as this house will :)
Thanks for following along looking forward to sharing more photos next weekend. x

Heysen Centenary Celebration Walk

A couple of weeks ago I was commissioned to illustrate a map for the Heysen Centenary Celebration Walk in Hahndorf, South Australia. When I read the brief I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. For starters, I love maps. Secondly, I grew up in the Adelaide Hills, so i've got a bit of a soft spot for this lovely little village. Lastly, if you're familiar with my work you would know that i love detail, colour and hand-drawn type, this project ticked all the boxes.

The self-guided walk highlights some of the magnificent, historic buildings depicted in Heysenʼs works. If you're up in the hills between the 5-13th October, grab a map and take a stroll. Have fun!

Happy Molly

Last weekend we sadly had to say goodbye to our family cat of 13 years, Felix. He was a good cat. Each day he would walk down to the chicken shed and bring us back a mouse, most of which he would leave under the dining room table. If you were reading the news paper or using the laptop, you could bet anything that he would come along and sit right in the middle of it. If Molly was in the garden, Felix would be out there too, stalking her like a jungle tiger. Molly and Felix were the best of friends. They would keep eachother company and cuddle up together on the couch at night. Molly was just as sad as us to see him go. Yesterday we took her to the beach,  it's been the first time since last weekend that she has been her normal self. She loves the beach, especially when there is a tennis ball involved.

We ate lunch at The Jetty Food Store then joined Mum and Dad in making a bon fire. When it got dark we cooked sausages on the tripod over the hot coals and ate timtams for dessert. What a weekend. Hope you all had a lovely couple days off too. x

 

A GIVE-AWAY!

A 'GIVE-AWAY' YAY!!!

Last week I had a stall at That Dapper Market. It was just sooo lovely meeting some of the brilliant people in person that help support my little business. I went home that night feeling extra positive and very excited about soon launching my new line of X-mas cards and also brooches. I also noticed that I have almost reached 400 likers on my facebook page so I thought i'd take this time to say THANKYOU to each and everyone of you for helping make this journey so fun. 

SO, to go in the draw to win my entire line of greeting cards, pop on over to facebook, share the image you see below and cross your fingers! Thanks again everyone, love Pip x

Almond Blossom

Last Friday was the opening night of the Annual Willunga Almond Blossom Festival Art Exibition! Bit of a mouthfull! 

It was a group exhibition which comprised of a gorgeous array of photography, paintings, prints and jewellery. I took my camera but forgot to take a photo...so here is my piece on the dining table before getting it framed!.

On our way back to the car we tried our luck at Russels Pizza (go there! Incredible wood-fired pizza, you wont be disappointed) and we actually got a table! Normally booking weeks in advance is the way to go. Anyway, we sat by the fire, shared some wine and pizza and wound down after a working week.
After that we drove on to Carrickalinga where we spent the weekend with Grahams family. I went a little camera crazy when I saw some amazing almond trees in the flesh. Oh the buds and the blossoms were so beautiful. Hope you all had a lovely weekend too. X

Sunny Sunday

Two photos that sum up my Sunday :)

Knit knit knit

I've been a bit obsessed with knitting over the past few weeks. Perhaps it's the weather; most evenings I find myself curled up about 5cm away from the heater. I love the pattern and intricacy in the stitches, the texture of the wool and especially the challenge of illustrating knitting hands in action.

Sweeeeet Dreams

A few weeks ago, Kip & Co (a gorgeous Australian boutique bedding brand, check them out if you havn't already) ran a little facebook competition where they asked people to share a photo and someone lucky would be picked out at random to win two banana pillow cases. Well....its turns out that the stars aligned and I was one of those lucky winners!!! YAY!! I was so excited because I actually look at their website on a daily basis and drool over the colours and textiles. I'm so lucky and thankful. So today I spent my Sunday pottering around the house like i normally do, but also making the bed in the best way possible to try and do these pillow cases justice. And incase you were wondering, the brown-ish bananas are actually gold! I'm going to sleep so well tonight. Thanks Kip & Co!! xxxxxx

Lolly Jar Circus branding

 

I'm so excited to share with you some branding I completed a few weeks ago, I only picked up my samples from the printer yesterday and I couldn't be happier with the results. The beautiful heavy, matte stock shows the colours brilliantly. For those of you familiar with my work, you would know that I love working with colour, that's why developing this branding was just so much fun. Lolly Jar Circus is a circus school that welcomes kids of all shapes and sizes, including those with physical or mental disabilities.

Echidna

On Saturday morning we packed the car, drove to the beach and left all our worries behind. We skipped breakfast and saved ourselves for the Normanville Jetty Store Cafe instead, they do the best coffee down there in our opinion :) A last minute decision to take the 'scenic route' over the hills and via a dirt track was well worth the added time it took to manoeuvre the car around the hundreds of unexpected pot holes. We spotted a nice big happy echidna and turned around in an attempt to make friends. He was quite shy and curled up into a tight ball as soon as we got close, hopefully we didn’t mess with the delicate balance of nature too much as we each couldn’t resist giving him a little pat and a cuddle before heading back on our merry way. Hopefully see you next time Mr. Echidna!

Melbourne Weekend

It was Graham's Birthday last Sunday but we began celebrations early by taking the first flight over to Melbourne on Friday morning. We love Melbourne. It's just a short flight away from Adelaide and makes for a nice change of pace compared to daily life. We ate AMAZING mexican food at Mamasita on Friday night and shared an incredibly beautiful Japanese banquet on Saturday night. Inbetween, we slept in, explored, went shopping, drank lots of coffee and ate burgers. We also visited The Rose Street Artist Market in Fitzroy. The photo below is of our all time favourite stall; three little entrepreneurs selling hand-made bracelets made from wool and buttons. Cutest thing ever.

He Loves Me

Markit@FedSquare

I love markets. 
As an independent designer, I think they are the best way to engage with customers, potential stockists and other designers. It's also the best feeling ever when people appreciate all your hard work and can tell you this in person! One of my goals is to take part in one of the biiig design markets that Australia has to offer. Gleaners Inc, one of the lovely shops that stocks PipDesign made that dream come true when they took my Kitties on a little adventure to Markit@FedSquare in Melbourne. I love this photo. I can't stop smiling. A beautifully packed stall full of hand-made goodness and a lovely customer saying hello to one of my kitty brooches. Yay! 

Moonta

The perfect weekend: an old beach shack, beautiful blue skies, ice-cream by the sea and a cheese platter that lasted well into the night. A lovely three days spent with close friends.

Kitty living room

Hi! I'm back from my 8 week European adventure! Thanks for following along, its been great sharing some special times with you. 

A belated post, it's about a lovely exhibition I participated in a few months ago. In January, Gleaners Inc. (one of my gorgeous stockists) sent out a square of fabric to a group of artists who were asked to create an art piece inspired by the fabric. I illustrated a limited edition print of a 60's inspired living room featuring a fat ginger kitty. The exhibition opened in March and was part of the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.