Making Mondays: Leaf Print Lions

On the weekend I prepared a little activity for Senol to do with Yashar so they could have a little more 'Baba and Yashar time'- I helped too ...and loved it!

It was from the Turkish version of the book 365 things to make and do  - which I assume is virtually the same as the English version.  Love this book! - So many great simple and easy to make ideas.

It uses leaf prints to make different animals - we did the lion - but there was also a very cute giraffe and hedgehog.  This is how we did it:

1.  First we collected a few different leaves.  Then Yashar and Senol painted the leaves and made prints on brown paper.

2. While they were doing that I drew the lions heads and bodies on brown paper and cut them out.

3.  While the leaf prints dried a little Yashar and Senol drew the grass background for them on a sheet of paper.

4.  Then Senol started cutting out the leaf prints while Yashar and I stuck down the lion bodies with a glue stick.

5.  Then Yashar and I stuck down the cut out leaf prints - big ones for the Baba lion and small ones for the cub.  (and by the way - we stuck everything down together...

6.  Last of all we stuck on the lion faces.

I LOVE how it turned out and Yashar was so proud!

A super sweet nursery

Late last year Katie ordered a Cool Forest print while pregnant with her son.  I was so thrilled when she contacted me recently to share this adorable family portrait in her baby's nursery with the print in the background!  The print looks so at home there with the beautiful pale walls, white floorboards and of course the gorgeous family!    Katie and her family live in the mountains and she hoped that it would help to inspire him to appreciate the wilderness around them. 



Katie has put some more photos of the forest themed nursery up on her blog if you want to have a peek!  I particularly loved these beautiful birds and the large painted tree with the Animal Portraits from Berkley Illustration perched around it.  So cool.



And the cutest thing in the room - little Eliot of course! 

 

Thank you Katie!  Seeing this makes me ridiculously happy :)

Making Mondays: Think and Draw Creative Pages

Wow! I have been meaning to do this for so long...and finally I have started! This is a free printable page for creative drawing and colouring. Feel free to print and use as many as you like! This is the first time I'm doing this so please let me know if you have any troubles - you should be able to just click on the image and then print.

The plan is to do one of these each week...let's see how that goes!

Copyright Verity Heysen Kizek 2011. Must not be altered or resold.

Mr Sleepy Fox

You might have noticed that I'm in the midst of changing things here at the blog ...about time.!..those snowy trees that were in my header before weren't quite suiting the middle of Summer!    And it gives me a chance to introduce my little sleepy fox here...  he's one of the things I have been busy working on lately!

I created him as part of the designs I am doing for my collaboration with Secda  - to be screen printed on fabric and then sewn up in to all sorts of goodies.  I am actually working on a second version of him now - a little bolder and less finely detailed as I think that might be better for a screen print.

I also had an amazingly wonderful customer recently that I designed some baby shower invitations for.  It really makes me love what I do even more when I come across such lovely, encouraging and supportive people.    I also made this matching notebook for her and I made a few extra for the shop - which you can find here if you would like one.

I feel like I am showing you about 10% of what I have been up to lately...so many projects in the pipeline!  I'm looking forward to sharing it all with you!    Thank you so much to all of you that come here to look and read, for all your support along the way.  Thank you to everyone that leaves comments...I love reading them - and replying whenever I have a moment!  And if you have never left a comment before please don't hesitate - I would love to hear from you - what are you making at the moment?  what is inspiring you?    :)

I hope you all have a gorgeous weekend!

v

Making Inspiration: Ohdeedoh, A New Creative blog and a Crafty Gathering

Well I have been very busy, including working on some new designs that will be printed on tea towels - so fun!  Yikes I'm ridiculously excited about it!  So I haven't been able to get up to my usual Making Monday goodness this week.  But  don't worry I still have plenty of making inspiration for you!

First up, Ohdeedoh shared my sunprints project I made with Yashar in a post 'Get Inspired by Sunprints' yesterday.  Thank you Ohdeedoh!  And if you haven't made sunprints before I definitely suggest checking out the post I did about them and giving it a go - we had so much fun with it - easy and creative for any age!

For more creative inspiration I suggest getting in early on the blog recently started by Alara Hindle (my lovely friend and owner of LOLA children's art studio)  Alara has such a wealth of fantastic ideas for creative things to do with children. She is posting activities once a week - there is already a great art deco one and some fun beach theme ideas.  Don't miss it!

And finally...here's another (all very summer party inspired) instalment of 'Crafty Gatherings'....where the best things to make, gather, stand around looking cool and sip on mojitos  ;)   links below and all photos via the respective websites.

Zoku Pops - this is the pineapple and coconut recipe - yum!
- (found via Design Mom)


Lemon and Fetta Dip -  from Sweet Paul (and the Sweet Paul online mag has just come out...can't wait until I have time to have a look!)

Glow Cones - glowing snow cones.  Fun for a summer's night kids party or rave  ;)  - from Giverslog

Pinata Inspired Party Lanterns - Brenna for Design*Sponge

Artist Tim Craker

Now that the weather has finally warmed up, we have been enjoying eating outside - I love it!  Yesterday evening we were very happy to have Tim Craker over for a relaxed dinner on the balcony.  Tim is an Australian artist doing a residency here in Istanbul with a focus on researching patterns.

His work involves painting, installation work and sculpture. He does some very interesting work creating beautiful forms using everyday objects like this installation (directly above) that particularly stood out to me, made using take away food containers.    His work challenges notions of what art is and what is beautiful.
 

You can view more of his work at timcraker.com - I was particularly drawn to the subtle richness of his paintings - like those pictured top and directly above - in some ways the one directly above, latice x, reminds me of an antique Turkish carpet...so I think he might be in the right place for some inspiration!
All images are from timcraker.com.

Making Mondays: Fathers' Day Cards with Sand

It's about time I did another Making Monday around here don't you think?!  These are the father's day cards Yashar and I made for Senol this year.  A couple of father's days ago we made another card involving sand - which Yashar loved doing - and that Senol loved so much that it is still up on display here!  And not so long ago at LOLA we made some gorgeous pictures using coloured sand from a kit like this.  So I knew making another card using sand would make Yashar happy :)


For this one I got a couple of pieces of thick watercolour paper  and folded them in to little card shapes.  Then while Yashar was sleeping a I drew a simple outline for a boat and the word Baba (Dad) in faint pencil.

Then Yashar and I painted lots of craft glue inside the lines.  I then had a tray set up with a little bucket of sand on it that Yashar used to put the cards on and sprinkle the sand over.

Then Yashar decided he wanted a little flag on his boat and some water for it to float in - great idea Yashar!  Then we left them to dry- ready for the big day!

Still here! Some creative finds from London

Yep, I'm still here - just busy busy after my sister's visit and the little trip to London.  Does that always happen to you??  When ever I have a little holiday planned, all of sudden things get busy and there ends up being a huge rush in the lead up and after getting back!  But anyway, being busy makes me very very happy!

Just stopping in with a couple of great little finds from the Spitalfields market.  The very lovely Mandy from Belle and Boo recommended I visit this market on Sunday morning and I wasn't disappointed!  First stop was yummy breakfast and coffee and then a little browse around the lovely market.  I came home with a gorgeous screen printed illustrated bag from Brick Lane   -no website... yet  :(   Photo above - That's the illustrator on the left - what amazing work!  And a super cute long sleeve top from Rock a Bye Baby for Yashar - it's the white one with the red guitar on the right..and it comes in a record sleeve - so cool!

The market is also surrounded by some fantastic little vintage stores like elemental. Elemental has some great light fittings, a huge collection of letterpress letters, and lots of little interesting finds and mini collections.  I just had a quick look at their website and blog too - I know I'm going to be spending any spare moments there for the next few days!!

Above is another shop with many gorgeous baskets hanging outside that we passed on the way back to the hotel...  check out the guy on the right's sneakers - awesome!  More on the London trip and lots of other things soon!  But now back to work  :)

Things have been quiet on the blog here but busy behind the scenes!  I had my sister Emily visit for a few days - after not seeing her for 2 and a half years!  It was fantastic but too quick of course.  One of the afternoons we headed in to Tahtakale - a crowded wholesale area here in Istanbul and we were not disappointed! 

The photo above is one my sister took on her iphone - I love it.  These are the funny icecream sellers - you've been warned!  If you come on a trip to Istanbul expect them to play a few little tricks on you when you go to buy an icecream!   My husband likes to quietly tell them to really play it up for some of our guests - it's hilarious!    Tomorrow I'm off to London to meet up with my sister there - so I will hopefully be dropping in with a few photos while I'm there. 

Have a great weekend!

New Work: Alone with the Sea

Good morning!  I hope you all had a wonderful mother's day!

To start off the week I wanted to share a new illustration that I have been working on.  For a little while now I have been working on developing my illustrations - my technique etc.  I have been experimenting - there were these illustrations I posted here and here.  And also lots of sketching, thinking etc!  I wanted to bring more atmosphere and texture into my work.

Now I finally feel like I am starting to get to where I want to be with this - which is both exciting and a relief!   I would love to hear your thoughts on it...

I will also be making this available in the shop...finally a new print!!  

ps thank you to Alara for the lovely shout out in the LOLA newsletter and a very warm welcome to my new visitors!  Hope to see you in at LOLA :)