ΔΔΔ Giveaway!

Hello and good Monday everyone! How was your weekend? Good I hope! I had a long and tiring but fun weekend. Ironic I know. But it was cool. I got to hang out with Darren and we went to our favourite ( or rather, my favourite ) hang out place - Misty's Diner! I set myself on fire with their triple xxx spicy sauce and ended up gulping down 1/2 my cup of peanut milkshake to save myself from crying. Let me just say, peanut shakes and super hot sauce, together, they taste really funky. Haha. Anyway, that aside, I spent Sunday at Markit selling all my cups, plates and art. I caught up with So many of my ex students from my adult watercolour classes, friends and more friends! I also made a few new friends and met some blog crushes for the first time! It was so much fun! I took quite a few photos and I'll post them up soon! Anyway, to thank you all for your continuous support, for coming down to MARKit, and buying my stuff online, leaving me awesome comments and emails all the time, I'd like to do a little giveaway!

As we all know, I love my food. And I love cooking. And I always try to make my kitchen a little bit more colourful, by hanging pieces of art and having different colourful veggies displayed in a basket. I know! I'm lame that way. Haha. I recently even got a bright yellow ice cream maker for our kitchen! ( Seriously, it's one of the best things ever! ) So anyway, see those super cool colourful knives up there? They were given to me by the awesome team over at OZKitchenware! I know. Just look at those colours. I practically squeal in delight every time I use them! ( For now at least ! ) They make me happy. And guess what, apart from these cool knives, I was also gifted this bright red knife block. Okay. I can officially camp out in the kitchen forever. Good food + happy knives = happy me. Haha.

So, basically for those unaware, OZkitchenware is a new online store that sells lovable kitchenware brands like Chasseur, Global Knives, Scanpan, Cuisinart, Mundial, Joseph Joseph, Tamahagane, to name a few. They are a fun, young little office - all foodies who love cooking! And apart from their pretty competitive prices, they also do free shipping for all orders above $100. Cool!

Anyway, the point is, OZKitchenware has very generously offered 2x$50 gift vouchers as a special prize for 2 very lucky readers of mine! Each winner will win a $50 voucher for spending at OZkitchenware!

I know $50 might not seem that much, especially if you're thinking of getting a fancy Chasseur pot. But still, it's $50! I'd love it myself! So, how do you enter this giveaway? Really simple!

All you need to do, is head over to OZkitchenware's site, pick and choose one item in which you'll most likely purchase if you win and leave a comment below, saying which item you chose, and why. Oh and very importantly, leave your email address too! So I can contact you if you win!

Perhaps you might like an ice cream maker, so you can combat the coming warm summer months? Or maybe you'd like a fancy new crockpot for some Christmas cooking? Ooh. Now I'm hungry.

Unfortunately, because OZkitchenware only ships within Australia, this giveaway is sadly only open to all Australian residents. Sorry international readers. I promise another giveaway soon! But for all Aussie residents, this giveaway will end Wednesday midnight next week, and I'll pick 2 lucky readers at random!

Now good luck and here's wishing you lots of happy foodie thoughts! x
Thank you!

Market season!

Hi everyone, just a quick little update... I'm going to be at MARKit, Federation Square this coming Sunday. I'll be there, along with my trusty, loyal and ever supportive side-kick, read boyfriend/manfriend- Darren! Special shout out to him for always being so willing to help out, do lunch runs, man my stall while I shop, etc. He's awesome! Anyway, come on down, it's going to be fun and twice as big as before, with over a 100 stall holders. I'm going to be located at the Foyer level of the BMW Edge Theatre. Come say hi if you can! : )

And for all you Sydney readers, I'll be at Finders Keepers next week! Hooray! You can take a little look at my profile here! Oh and the awesome ladies from Finders Keepers recently did a feature on this little humble blog of mine, which you can read here. Thank you so much!

Well, hopefully I'll see you at one of these coming markets!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Illustration I did two weeks ago, for The Big Issue. The issue came out this week. I've yet to see it in person. But I'm pretty sure it'll look nice paired with the beautiful thanksgiving story. ( Of which was inspiration for the drawings ) I think what The Big Issue does is really awesome, providing opportunities for homeless, marginalised and disadvantaged people to make positive changes in their lives. Authorised vendors buy the magazine for $2.50 from The Big Issue and sell it on the streets for $5, keeping the difference.

I think it's really nice to know your money's well spent and that it goes to someone in need.

As Christmas is fast approaching, a lot of us think about gifts, holidays, feasting. I myself do too. But perhaps this Christmas, we can all start by making a little change by donating or helping the less advantaged. There are so many people out there with no where to sleep, no home to go to, let alone even have a proper meal. There's lots which we can do. Oxfam for one, has some really cool Christmas gift ideas.

Perhaps this Thanksgiving and Christmas season might be a reminder for us to reflect on the good things we have in our life and how we can share it with others who might really benefit and appreciate it?

PS: In the spirit of sharing, I will be giving a free surprise print along with every order from my shop. This week only! I know it's totally somewhat different from donating. But I'm just big on the idea of buying something for yourself, and having something to share with someone else.

•••••

Something super exciting is in the works. I don't think I'm suppose to say anything yet. It's top secret for now! Haha. But yes, all I can say is... I worked with a full class of 25 kiddies today and we made lots of drawings together. Veggies and fruit galore! The kiddies were SO adorable. One even came up to me after class and said " I really like you Dawn Tan. I really think your art is really nice. I think you should take part in lots of art competitions so you can win them all. I wish you can be my mum! "

HAHA. Kids! Not so sure about the mum part!

Oh and I have some awesome news to share today. I just found out, I got into the teaching course I applied for at Uni next year! Ah. I am going back to school. Again! Though I'm totally dreading it! But you know what it means? It means, if I get through next year doing my one year diploma in Secondary education ( which I hear is really tough! ) I get to be a fully qualified teacher! Can you imagine me working in a school for real? I cannot believe it myself! AH! I loved every bit of my experience this year working in awesome schools, teaching art and painting to so many kids. The thought of being able to do it proper, full-time... imparting what I've learnt from my teachers and passing it onto the younger generation.. Ah. I am smiling just at the thought of it! Hooray! I get to be a REAL SCHOOL TEACHER! YAY! : )

Residential Kitchen

Darren and I discovered the joys of having brunch at Residential Kitchen over the weekend. We ordered the Linguine Marinara which came with lemon, chilli, olive oil and herbs, the Pancetta and broken broccoli taleggio pizza, Shoestring fries with homemade relish, and of course fresh summery juices. The food was so good and we were pleasantly surprised. We ate so much, it kept us full till dinner time. Mind you, Darren gets hungry every 2 hours! He likes to think he's still growing! ( But he never does. Still as skinny as ever! ) But yes, we'd definitely be going back there again!

I was watching this little video last night. I would really like to have some place out there, in the countryside, where I can be alone sometimes and just work on nothing but art. It's not that I don't like company. But sometimes, being away from the hustle and bustle of the city, people and life in general can be really rewarding. I often dream of living in a forest. With a little wooden hut as my studio. Wooden floorboards, just a simple table and chair with a throw for colder days. Floor to ceiling glass doors and windows. Lots of sunlight and green all around. Perfect. One day I will make it happen.

My Ultimate New York Burger and Fries!

Hooray! Guess what's finally here! Made in collaboration with Melbourne's Douglas and Hope, my limited edition melamine range is now available in my online shop! Along with all my other prints and stock! Christmas is coming! Hint hint! : ) I will be selling my plates and prints at a few craft markets in the coming weeks. Once they all sell out, that's it! No more re-prints, re-makes. I'm thinking new things for next year. So stay tuned!

Now hop on over to my shop and see if you fancy anything. Thank you!

PS: I understand shipping is a little expensive for these items. Sorry! But it really is, as with all my other stock. I always try to absorb as much shipping + packing costs as I can. But these, due to it's weight, odd shape, they are slightly more expensive to mail as they're impossible to mail flat like any ordinary letter. Thanks for understanding!

What happens when I feed my art kids cheese sticks...

They talk non-stop and sing and laugh and just go all crazy and hyper. I was totally going oh my goodness. SHUSH! Haha.. See! I've even got a photo to prove. Haha. Thank goodness they still did a goo job painting their Picasso cubist portraits! These kids never fail to amaze me with the superpower multi-tasking skills!

New Paintings

Yay! Brand new chart paintings for The Design Files Open House. They will both be float mounted professionally in beautiful handmade Tasmanian oak frames. I can't wait to see them hung up side by side! I hope they go to a lovely new home. And that they'll both bring their new families smiles and happy thoughts every new day.

Oh and speaking of The Design Files..the new 2012 Design Files calendar is out! I have been keeping it a big hush hush since August but guess what, I'm one of the artists involved! I drew my very own 'craft kit' for the month of February. My images have not been released yet, so to keep it a surprise, I shall not post it up just yet. If you're in Melbourne, do come for the launch party. It's happening next week, over at Lamington Drive. More details here. Thank you so much Lucy, Jeremy and Monica from Jacky Winter for this awesome opportunity to be part of this!

Wikstenmade

Check out Jenny's new shop. This is the first online shop where I kind of find myself wanting every single thing. From the beautifully made luxuriously soft 100% silk crepe de chine dresses, to this Odette arrow bangle (I absolutely LOVE Jennifer's pieces, especially her Amuletum Necklace!), Alyson's super cute Melon necklace and even these MCMC perfumes. Ok. I should really stop talking so much and not go on. I need to save for my upcoming Christmas markets! But yes, all of you should pop over and check out Jenny's hard work. It will be worth a click! I promise!

Photos by John Allen

Late night painting

Working on a vegetable piece. This will go side by side, along with my other fruity piece (seen in the previous post). Both paintings measure 50 x 70cm each and will be framed professionally. They'll both be for sale as one-off originals during this exciting event. More to come!

Updates

Sorry I've been so busy I haven't had time to blog! Ah. As of right now, I've got some crazy projects on hand. Crazy but in a good way. I just completed a bunch of nice map drawings for a Wine company. Thanks Jacky Winter for the job! And I've also just finished up 2 illustrations for The Big Issue. And I'm in the midst of working on 2 large paintings for The Design Files Open House. Above's a sneaky peek! Seriously, I can already foresee, the open house will be a big huge success. I am really really excited to be able to be amongst a bunch of super talented artists. People whose work I admire and go crazy over. Kirra Jamison, Dane Lovett, David Bromley ( I KNOW! ), Beci Orpin, Madeleine Stamer, and the list goes on. But yes. When I found out David Bromley and Kirra were in it.. I almost fainted in glee. Oh yes..Well, you can view more pictures and find out who's involved, over here!

Apart from updating you guys with what's been happening in terms of my arty work bits, I'm also really excited and want to show you what the kids I've been teaching did!

My home art class buddy, Hugo, did a whole bunch of fun terra cotta clay things. Well, we started out making a Gruffalo. Or rather, the Gruffalo's child. And we turned the rest of the leftover clay into random yummy things like a donut, cupcake, mini ice cream and a love heart. Cute! My Do Re Me kiddies also completed a mini Paul Cézanne study. I am especially proud of the two grade ones, Anna and Caelyn. I think theirs turned out really well. All the shaded bits and blending of tones. Good job kiddies!

Alright, now back to work. And stay tuned for an upcoming giveaway. I know I mentioned a while ago I was going to do a giveaway. Hang in there! I'm just about waiting on the giveaway thingy to arrive! Hint: It's nice, colourful and used in the kitchen!

Ok. See you around again soon!

PS: Some of you might have noticed how my website looks almost like Kirra's. Just putting it out there, in case anyone thinks I'm a copycat. I do admit it does look like I copied it exactly! Just my own pictures...The thing is, it's a template from Cargo Collective. My super talented friend sent me the invite to set up an account and I did. It was so much easier to use compared to my previous website 'builder'. So yes, I used a similar template to Kirra's because I think it works best for me. But I kind of want to change it a bit. But don't know how just yet. I tried it with the other templates and it looks so weird! I really want to change it but have limited knowledge and I feel horrible about it. Ugh. But yes, template business aside, Cargo collective has been a dream to use! Too bad it's invite only. If you're interested to get a cargo invite, let me know! More than happy to send you one! Thanks!

***

After a whole pile load of work + commitments, I've finally finished this A2 piece! I really liked how it turned out. The colours don't seem to be that accurate in this picture. But well, you get the idea! It's been super fun creating this very British packaged food piece. In particular, I got to taste my first ever HP sauce! I was so curious, I just had to go try some myself! And the verdict is... I kind of think it's a bit too strange for my liking. I don't like bbq sauce and I think it tastes like it!

Knowing this painting will be properly framed up and be given as a surprise gift from a loving wife to her English husband - it just makes my heart swell a little. Oh how romantic! Thank you Lauren for this wonderful opportunity!

***

As summer approaches, it's time for ice cream! But then again, I am the sort who would eat ice cream anytime, any season all throughout the year. My favourite would be having ice cream right smack during Winter, on a freezing cold gloves and 10 layers of clothing required - kind of night. Call me crazy, but I just love it! Anyway, Darren and I made some homemade mango ice cream the other night. So super easy to make and taste wise...mmmmm! I ate it with fresh strawberries and fruit salad. Perfect for Melbourne's 32 degree heat. (I hate the heat!) Well, recipe coming up on a special blog super soon! Will keep you all posted!

PS: Would love to hear from you if you have a delicious homemade ice cream recipe top share! I'm itching to try out different recipes. Thanks!

Surprise package

Look what I came home to? After yesterday's horribly sobby day, this just totally made up for it. Lovely Sarah sent me this surprise package full of goodies. Perhaps an angel somewhere told her I needed a bit of cheering up? I don't know! But either way, thank you Sarah! Thank you secret angel! I am now a proud owner of a beautiful lilly pilly ring, a secret message stored forever in a glass case and a tiny precious jar, filled with a mini little feather! Thank you so much Sarah. Your package came just at the right time!

I've been wearing my little ring since and have been smiling down on it whenever I take a quick glance at my hands. It makes me feel girly and special and I think of nice sugar plum fairies too. Click here to visit Sarah's beautiful little store. You never know, perhaps you might want a little fairy ring for yourself?

Finally

After a long few weeks of having life throw me all sorts of funky uncool trials, I finally lost it today. I am usually a pretty perky and chirpy person. I get over things quickly and never let anger or negative stuff dwell for long. But today, I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed so much, my eyes are now officially small, puny and swollen. Not the most glamourous look I must say. Well, this whole accumulation of work and clients that expect me to do overnight miracles, market preparation, being broke and having to spend lots of money on materials because I genuinely need to and want to because I know it's what's best, awkward situations and last minute change of plans along with a fairly rude repairman just added all up into a big sobby downpour of tears. In public.

Poor young dude must have gotten a scare when I planted myself on a random bench near him and started crying like today's my last day. He kept sneaking peeks at me and pretended he wasn't looking. And I swear, he so moved bit by bit away from me each time I looked up. Quite funny actually. But yes. Back to this whole bad luck + bad time thing.

I guess it totally didn't help that I also went into an art store and got treated super unfairly by the store manager. I spent $104 ( Even though I was already SO broke ) on paper I really needed for an upcoming thing. I walked out of the store and realized within seconds I got the wrong size. I went back in and apologised profusely and basically begged and said I was so sorry and if I could get a refund or change and buy a larger paper pad, that would be awesome.

But yes, lo and behold, I somehow got forced into buying creased and stained ( basically damaged ) paper and when I said no, I ended up walking away with a single paint tube and a $99 store credit instead which I now have no inclination to use at all. Thanks stupid art store for your awesomely crappy customer service. Having your customer cry after being wronged by you, is just plain lame and I am so never going back to your shop ever again. You charge ridiculous prices and you said you could give me a balance refund if I purchase anything but instead, you force me into buying damaged goods and indirectly claim I don't know anything about watercolour papers. Sorry lady. I've been painting for the past 13 years. I DO know my papers enough to know you're trying to sell me damaged stuff. And how dare you lie to me in my face! You promised me a refund and then later said you didn't say such a thing. Horrible!

Anyway, enough of all this crap. I went home sobbing my eyeballs out and thank God for Darren. He immediately wrote a long complaint letter. And it went straight to the art store's head office. I feel so bad for always taking it out on Darren. I was so so mean to him this morning even though he didn't do anything wrong. Putting on a bitchy temper, slamming the door after walking out. How horrible! And yet, he went out looking for me at the studio. He cooked me a nice warm dinner, and rang up the head office to make a complaint. Such a manly-man! ( If you know what I mean ) Thank God for all the good guys who stick with sobby girlfriends/wives.. And thank God for family too. They always make me feel better.

Sigh.

Look! My burger plate's in the new Frankie!

Hooray! My burger plate for Douglas and Hope made it into the new Pinky Frankie Mag! I am so so thrilled to be on the same page as those lovely Attia Spoons...Lisa Rupp Tea towel ( I've been dreaming of them since forever! ), and those beautiful Amy Moss invites and oil cloth chair pads. Ahhh. I am now officially all dreamy and smiley and can't walk in a straight line. Oops!

PS: Plates will be available for pre-order SUPER soon!