Side by Side catch up - No. 2

Yet again I seem to have neglected my little blog but never fear (I am sure your weren't) that is about to change in the next week or so. I have a few wee exciting odds and ends coming your way real soon.

For now here is a catch up of my half of side by side for the last few weeks. Full pairs of my photos along side Ross's are posted up on the Side by Side blog

Week 69 - Waterpark Fun

We headed off for a family picnic in the sun to an 'adventure park' outside of Melbourne. I use the term adventure loosely, as it was more like 2 water slides, some other random water activities and mini golf type of establishment. Anyway it was a sunny day and it was more a catch up with Shane's family. This is just a shot of some kids playing in the water jets in the kids area...i like the shadow and reflections here.

Week 70 - A wee Burns Night dram

On Australia Day I made sure I didn't overlook Scottish celebrations and had a wee dram for the Baird himself....Robert Burns.

Week 71 - Will the rain stop

Australia, mostly in Queensland, was battered with flooding and Cyclone Yasi a couple of weeks ago. Melbourne luckily missed all that but the Yasi fall out meant it rained so hard from 5 - 11pm on Friday that the drains and gutters couldn't cope. Kids were playing out in the street in the stormwater floods....and our back garden was full of water. Up to the top of my wellies...!The following day everything was still sprinkled with what looked like little diamonds...sadly only rain droplets. ;-)

Week 72

I got some early Valentines Day flowers the Saturday before...perhaps my all time fave type - Sunflowers! Shane ordered them specially for me (via his Dad at the flower market) they came with the full stalk on so they were nearly as high as me! They are just so bright and happy looking flowers - I bet you have a smile on your face just looking at them. Haha

Its been a while....

I had great plans to go all out and blog my little socks off over my LOOONNG Christmas break (a whole fat month off work). Instead I decided to step away from the computer a little and get out, take photos and generally give my brain and mainly my eyes a break - yep some new glasses are on the way ;-(
Anyway, I am back and full of blog ideas, however I will start with a Side By Side catch up. I have a whole 8 weeks to catch up on so here we go....

Week 61 - Hello Possum

Well this little man was curled up on the ground in our back garden. They are nocturnal so I think it was just curling up and trying to go to sleep after falling from a tree.

We saved it and put it back up in the tree...it scampered off to go back to sleep. Yay for us....we have some good karma today.

Week 62 - Retro Sunday

I was down at the Mordialloc beach on Sunday and this car was in the car park...wonderfully retro.

Week 63 - Candy Canes and Christmas Lights

Super late in posting this but I did take it last week. I love sugar canes for some reason - really festive I guess. So you can't beat a bit of Candy cane and bokeh action to capture the festive season.

Week 64 - A Time For Reflection

Well I'm super late this week....sadly I have been doing boring stuff like painting and that is why I took so long. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to include a photo of me (and my cat - can you see her?) for a change with a festive spin! Here it is my bauble reflection.

Week 65 - Boozalicious

Well this small collection of alcoholic beverages and related items sums up the last week or so. Festive cheer aplenty!

Week 66 - Last Sunrise of 2010

We headed to the mountains after Christmas for the first time in summer and were lucky enough to stay up on the mountain for a couple of nights. By chance, I woke up needing a glass of water and got up to see a beautiful subdued sunrise. The last for the year.

Week 67 - Summer Holidays

What a hard life, I spent last weekend relaxing down at the beach. This is me taking a break from reading the paper to look out at the beach from the deck of the boat shed where I sat.

Week 68 - Cabin Fever

This photo kinda sums up the week for me and the pets last week. It rained and rained and...um...rained. Although safe from the floods...the last week of my holidays were mostly spent cooped up at home and watching for a break in the rain to get outside and do something in the fresh air. My cat took up residence at the front door...staring at the deck in a trance like state hoping for the same break in the weather. This is Missy...waiting it out! She celebrated the end of the rain by sleeping outside all day in the back garden. ;-)

You can see all our side by side shots here at the Side By Side blog

Side By Side Project - Week 60

I have been ill this last week or so and have had little energy for photography, or in fact anything! So this one is a slice of life really...with a tweak here and there to add a bit of interest. I used a texture overlay from Lost and Taken an awesome site with loads of free texture downloads...

Check out the other side by Ross on the Side by Side blog

Handmade Travel Diary for Elise

My friend Elise headed off a few weeks ago to live in Hong Kong for a few months with her boyfriend, who is working there for a year or two. I wanted to give her a gift to use for her wonderful adventure so I decided to make her a travel diary.

I have made a few customised travel diaries in the past, as gifts for my family and for myself. See the diary I made for my brother a couple of years ago here. I use Moleskine diaries and print destination appropriate airport codes from baggage labels I have collected on the front. From there I add in extra little envelopes and labels etc throughout which can be used for keeping tickets or odds and ends found along the way.
Normally I print the using my Gocco printer but I ran out of time for this one and printed on some thick tracing paper to add a transparent feel to it and a some Japanese tape...and some extra bits and pieces and it was done.
I mailed it to her and she got it just in time (the day before!!!), and loved it. ;-)

Side By Side - Week 59

My half of side by side last week (late I know) early morning shot of Melbourne from the beachy suburb of Brighton

Check out my shot together with Ross' pic on the Side By Side Blog

Killing two birds with one stone

Here on Little Letters I like to write about paper, crafts, photography and anything art related...BUT my other BIG passion in life is Snowboarding.

I photographed the genius Shaun White
in action at the Winter Games last year in New Zealand.

I choose not to ramble about my snowy obsession here, I focus those thoughts elsewhere on women's snowboarding website www.powderroom.net. I have been involved with the site since the early days, almost right from the start when I wrote about my first (and only) full working snow season.
Anyway I digress, I have found a way to intertwine my snowboarding side with my artistic interests. I have started a series of stories on the artists and designers behind snowboard graphics and clothing design etc.
My first in the series is with the wonderful Amy Ruppel I think I may have first seen her work on Design*Sponge and headed to her site to see that she had actually done some design work for a couple of snowboard companies.

Amy's graphics for Burton Snowboards Lux Snowboard

Amy agreed to answer some of my questions and here is my article Artist Behind the Graphics Series for Powderroom.

Side By Side Photo Project Week 58

My half of side by side this week...New Shoes. I am so in love with these...



I have been looking for these Jack Purcell Converse shoes for a while...and I found them in an outlet store this weekend for only $48...down from $139! Who doesn't love a bargain.

Check out both of our shots at our Side by Side blog