Photo challenge winner

Sim @simmykins who started @snap_ish on IG has a love of books and the vintage and has kindly stood in to judge this month's adi & bert photo challenge - #thepastelpaletteseries. Sim not only selected a winner from the hundreds of entries, but also has a special mention for four others that caught her eye. 

This challenge was in support of @manekbeads, a new small business just starting out, and that creates bead necklaces. 

But first - the winner. 

@susangaryphotography - Sim says, "this winning image is absolutely stunning, with the softest layering of pinks & greens. But what really captivated me is the bird in mid-nectar drinking, wings fluttering, and the painterly quality of the whole image."

Special mentions to the creators of these artistic entries: 

@lynn_palazzo "the soft lilac colour & the gracefulness of the image caught my eye"

@margiebeevintage "this homely image of pink pastels and the contrasting pears has such charm"

@24cherrys "the casual arrangement of the different shades of green and the books has a relaxed and peaceful air about it"

@suchwildgrace "love the stark simplicity of this image that calls to mind the Zen beauty of Japanese compositions"

Thank you all for your thoughtful, creative entries and for supporting @manekbeads. Flowers were a strong theme this time round, but there were a few other takes on the pastel theme, which were refreshing too. Special thanks to @manekbeads for sponsoring and @simmykins for judging. 

Till next time - Claudia x

Printing and the 'hum'

Recently I saw a TED talk by Shonda Rhimes, prolific writer of programmes like Grey's anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. She eloquently talks about how when she is at her best, she gets into the rhythm of the 'hum'. 

This is probably why I love being creative as it makes me feel at one with the world as my 'hum' kicks in. (No I haven't written any screenplays or produced ground breaking work, but its all about the feeling - the 'hum' or which some creatives, call the 'flow'!). So how could I resist the screen printing workshop run by Hayley Pearce from The Art Room Ltd. 

I nearly never made it to the venue, as there were two car accidents along the way which I had to detour passed (this makes Auckland drivers sound terrible, but two, seriously(!), within 3 kms of each other too!). 

But I am so glad I did make it.

The workshop was hosted by Collected at  Bloc in Mt Eden, which is such an inspiring space for a creative workshop.

Hayley and two charming Collected staff greeted the eight participants who were from all walks of life and ages - from school girl to granny. We all had one purpose - to learn how to print. Every single design from nature to fashion theme, turned out successfully. Hayley made the process so easy. There were also some delicious snacks - petite chicken, basil and lemon sandwiches with a dash of the vine which added a welcoming touch. 

We cut out stencils from our own designs. Hayley guided us on how to include connectors so we didn't cut parts of the design away completely or have too many floppy bits. 

The screens were set up and inks ready to use and in no time we each had 15 cards printed. No messy clean ups for participants, as the Collected team efficiently whisked screens away to be washed and prepared for the next batch of printing. 

Hayley clearly explained and demonstrated the how's of the process each step along the way and quietly gave us confidence about our progress.

My experience of printing at home is definitely not as organised and tidy and I would heartily recommend this short workshop to anyone who is curious about screen printing, but doesn't know where to start. What with all the great company, creative energy, snacks and also a little goodie bag with gifts to take away, what a lovely way to spend an evening. 

Follow Hayley through @the_art_room_ltd on Instagram for notice of new workshops. 

Until next time, Claudia - in full 'hum' x

Beads and funky shapes

This month's featured collab is a small business on a new venture making beaded jewellery. And I'm talking big beads with funky and modern shapes. 

Manekbeads is a small home business run by an artist based in Malaysia, who does mainly floral painting on objects like stools, chairs, cheese boards, mirrors, candles and glass. Turning her skills to beads and jewellery is a new development for her. 

You can find Manekbeads on FB at Facebook.com/manekbeads and on IG @manekbeads

Join in to be in to win this little beauty of a necklance by sharing your still life photography skills. The theme is "pastel palette" so rummage around for anything pastel and shoot it artfully tagging it to #thepastelpaletteseries as per the below instructions.

To help you along, look out for some blog posts over the next few weeks on taking pics for IG, using your phone. 

(Photo reproduced courtesy of @manekbeads)

Rules of the comp:

1. Follow @manekbeads & @adiandbert 

2. Tag a friend & Post a NEW pic featuring anything pale and pastel to #thepastelpaletteseries

Comp is open world-wide and closes on  20 April 2016. Judging will be by @simmykins who is the @snap_ish founder and who features pictures on vintage and book themes.

Thanks to both @manekbeads for providing the prize and to @simmykins for judging the winner.

Hope you'll join us!

- Claudia x