I’ve been perfecting rings, framing prints, folding cards, and trying to figure out how I’m going to pack all this effectively into my checked baggage.  Kim’s been hard at work on her ceramics as well as our exclusive collaboration, and of course the dreaded packing.

I am confident we, and all our handmade goodness, will make it to Sydney just fine. It’s bound to be a great time!  Hope to see you in Sydney on Friday 31 May – Saturday 1 June.

When I first began developing the story, being shortlisted for an award was the last thing on my mind.  (To be perfectly honest, not embarrassing myself was probably the very first thing on my mind and getting published was definitely closer to the last..) 

There are so many gorgeously illustrated books being published in Australia, and I am humbled and honoured to be considered amongst the five other beautifully illustrated books on the shortlist.

The range includes plates, cups, and several different sized bowls decorated with little nests, footprints, feathers and, of course, the little bird.

She’s still working out the details and fine tuning the transfers and ceramics, but we expect to launch the entire collection soon.  Visit us at Finders Keepers Sydney in May to see some of this exciting new work!

Gorgeous ceramics by the talented Kim Wallace of Udessi.

Kim and I will have our new collaborative brooches available and I will be unveiling two just out of the studio Tea Cozy illustrations.  (Sneak preview below.)  Both originals and prints will be available at the market.

Sneak Preview of my newest pieces: Tea Cozy Laughing Kookaburra and Tea Cozy Boobook Owl

Stop by and say hi if you are at the market!

22 (Slightly Imperfect) Little Bilby Angels Available

No one but me (and you) will probably ever guess these are ‘seconds.’   They just a tad bit imperfect because they either have a little ripple on the surface or came out just a shade darker than my standard ornaments.  I can’t bring myself to recycle them because they are still lovely and useful (and my tree is already laden with a lovely collection of seconds).
They are all half price and you can check them out on my Etsy site.  Only a limited number are available.

I printed a batch of brooches and necklaces with a cyan ink that is not waterproof.  So, when exposed to even a tiny bit of moisture, the cyan runs.

Normally you can run these puppies through the washing machine and nothing happens (ok, that’s not entirely true, the plastic really doesn’t like a lot of water, but the inks hold tight).

So, you may have a bad brooch or necklace if you purchased it at the 2012 Finders Keepers in Melbourne (October) or Brisbane (November). 

It’s easy to test, just put a little dab of water on your brooch or necklace and wait a few minutes.  If the blue ink runs, then you need to send it back to me and I’ll replace it.

If you have a piece of affected jewellery, just email me at Renee.Treml[REMOVE]@gmail.com and I will send you my postal address.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you!

The site is password protected and I am in the process of creating accounts for my current stockists.  Please drop me a line if you have not gotten yours yet.

If you haven’t seen this before, it is brilliant.  It’s the free downloadable Owl Lover 2013 Calendar.  You can select artwork for each month or download the pre-made calendar.

I contributed one of my favorite owls this year — Tea Cozy Great Horned Owl.

My Owl Barn is one of my favorites as it is (obviously) all about owls and Shivani has a new post almost everyday featuring owls in art and design.

I hope you take advantage of this gorgeous calendar and have as much fun as I do selecting your owl artwork!

Kim Wallace and I have been scheming our illustration-ceramics collaboration for over a year now and are finally introducing our first pieces.

Nested Little Owl Brooches

In Brisbane, Kim hand cuts each piece and rolls the vintage lace into the wet clay, leaving the delicate texture and pattern.  In Melbourne, I carefully paint an owl on each piece, making each brooch an original piece of art.

I would love to know what you think about the pieces — feel free to drop me a line!

A limited number of these little guys will be available for the first time ever at the Udessi stall at Finders Keepers Brisbane this weekend.  Stop by the Udessi stall in Room #3 at the Old Museum in Brisbane this weekend and say hello to Kim.

In the meantime, we are working on a much bigger collaboration that we hope will be ready for introduction in December… more on that later.

At the bottom of the post are details about how to win a copy for yourself or school library.  All you need to do is a leave a comment on the WestWords website about what keeps you up at night!