Spirited freelance book designer, author and design educator. I am also a 1950s loving red-head with a soft spot for crafty things

Thank you all for attending my pity party. And thank you all for the lovely messages, I appreciate your comments and thoughts.

I am being hard on myself, I know. And it comes from being a goal setter, driven, and very impatient. I’ll get there and if I don’t – well I’ll just have to go out and collect a whole new wardrobe, muhahah!

I’ll stop moaning now. Thanks all.

I am suffering post-pregnancy body image issues.

SNH is suffering through my post-pregnancy body image issues.

I was completely delusional while pregnant, thinking to myself – just think by the end of the year you’ll be back in your old clothes and no more of these maternity bits. What did I think, that miraculously every bit of weight was going to drop off the minute I gave birth? Yes, probably. Well, at least something like that.

Instead, my weight is not budging. As I eat enough food for a small country every day while my body groans for more as I nurse my hungry little bird (he’s big for his age 7.96kg at 4 months!) I think – why can’t my body just use the fat cells it’s sorted for this kind of thing? And I gaze longingly at my lovely 50s wardrobe. Oh, summer dresses your trim bust line and cinched waists cannot come out to play. Did someone say play? Ask the delightful cotton playsuits. No, my large arse firmly replies. All those pretty prints, fancy ruffles and twirling skirts remain in the wardrobe. I admit I have pulled a few things out just to try, well why not, these are my ‘larger size’ items. No dice. In fact the only thing achieved was a large plummet in my already low self-esteem.

Smooth move nimrod.

And let’s face it, even if I could fit in half of my vintage clothing collection, I would still be unable to wear most of it as they are not equipped for breast feeding.

I have resorted to having clothes made for me. My friend Dragna has started her own seamstress business, Outlaw Kitten. She specialises in vintage outfits from original patterns. She has thousands of sewing patterns and crates of lovely fabric. She whipped up the sarong dress (I have worn every time we’ve been out to an event) which she also altered so it was baby feeding friendly. I also got a couple of pairs of 50s style capri pants made, and am planning to get more made as they work very well with vintage inspired modern tops (with stretchy fabric) and my collection of beaded cardigans.

SNH’s xmas gift to me was anything I wanted made from Outlaw Kitten, so I eagerly dragged out my own stash of vintage patterns and fabric and am finally getting this dress set made – with the fabric pictured (you may remember I bought both at the Bronte Sewing Room fabric sale a few years back).

In my seamstress haze of happiness, I dug out more lovely printed fabric – 50s ‘atomic’ style print, geometric patterns and sweet illustrative animal print – which will become playsuit tops or possibly a set like this red one:

Or maybe this jazzy jacket, top and shorts number?

To top off my spare-tyre-blues I am experiencing the delightful joys of post-pregnancy hair loss. After 9 months of little to no hair fall, my luxurious mane has fallen out by the fistful. Leaving me with wispy, crappy locks that make me sad. Along with short little new-growth that cheekily pokes out of my thinned out fringe, and waggles its salt and pepper grey at me. That’s right. I’m going grey. All the new stuff is grey. Not ginger, not brown but white and grey.

My mum tells me she went completely grey when she was my age too. Don’t get me wrong, we have a friend who went grey early and completely rocked the look. But I like being a red-head so I will continue to line the pockets of my colourist.

So, is it time to do something drastic and chop it off? I have had long hair for quite a while and love it to bits. In someways I am like Samson, my power is in my hair and I rely very heavily on well styled tresses to give me that esteem boost (and lovely Wella commercial flick!). Who knows, but it is time that I trotted off to Sterling Salon to discuss the possibilities.

Well, look who made the news – well the NorthSide local paper – me and SNH! (And Gillian, Paul, Robyn and Georgio – or should I say ’50s model Georgi-ous’) Parents sprung out boozin’ it up while the baby stays at home (unheard of!).

Read the NorthSide Tiki party article (search for Tuesday, January 24, 2012 page 11)

. Of course, they spelt my name incorrectly and used a few strange quotes. But thank goodness they didn’t mention Madmen or Happy Days!

And look! On the previous spread is Anna from the Rummy Bears blog (one of my favourite blogs – search for Tuesday, January 24, 2012 page 9) funny old world.

I’d also like to make a special mention for my dressmaker Outlaw Kitten — as the sarong dress I am wearing in the photo was overlooked in the article and deserves a mention for being so awesome.

Bear with me as I update my wordpress design.

The portfolio will be up and running again soon — let’s face it, it’ll probably be a few days as nap-time isn’t long enough to be overly productive. Thanks to my cap-napping child.

Last weekend SNH, bub and I took a trip out past Camden to attend a wedding. It was between a flower farmer — one of SNH’s fishing buddies — and a florist, a match made in delicately scented heaven.

Andrew, the groom, grows hydrangeas and other high-end blousey blooms like ranunculus and supplied all the flowers for our wedding. Which as a side note was absolutely wonderful, since hydrangeas are my absolute favourite flower and it was so calming to travel up to the farm and put together our own arrangements a few days before our wedding.

Their wedding was a small, relaxed affair with a marque on the edge of the dam and the ceremony under the branches of weeping jacaranda trees. And as you would assume the floral arrangements were amazing — centring around gardenias and white roses.

The photos are pretty blown out, as it was an incredibly glary day.

When I has a starving graphic design student I would hungrily devour any design-related book I could put my grubby hands on. My Austudy was spent on books about the history of typography, logo design, branding and packaging or anything deconstructionist – this was the late 90s after all – but there was one thing missing from this myriad of books: a comprehensive book on graphic design. Something that encompassed all the disciplines and principles we learnt about, one book I could carry with me instead of the five I would normally cram into my spiky rubber messenger bag (hello, 90s!) and lope off to class with.

As the art director for an educational publisher was privileged to have another perspective of the market and find there was still nothing holistic in the textbook world of this kind, nothing that really caught my eye that is. Nothing that spoke to me as an Australian designer or talks of the talent emerging from this region or of how Australian’s as a design audience respond to different ideas and trends that are presented to them.

So I decided to rectify that.

Two years ago I pitched my idea to the Vocational Education publisher and his publishing manager at McGraw-Hill, where I was working as art director. They were very interested but insisted I follow protocol and submit a formal proposal, with research to back up my claims of market need.

6 months later, after their own analysis was completed the book was signed! And everyone involved was very excited. I set to work building my team of super-duper design educator-authors and we started writing.

The result is a book we are all immensely proud of. In the process of writing and compiling this baby, I have been blown away by the generosity of the Australian and New Zealand design communities. Every designer I contacted happily contributed work and the general comment was ‘It’s about time a book like this was published’. So too were the feelings from the design education area. We were buoyed by support from design educators and their willingness to give feedback to hone the content.

It has been a complete labour of love, and would be nothing without my co-authors and the design community. But it just goes to underline the message in our book: Australian design is about the collective. And the collective is filled with lovely, talented people. And I thank you all.

The book was published in October 2011 – mere weeks after bub was born. And yes, I was furiously working on this book whilst heavily pregnant, praying that it would be finished before the baby arrived!

Yesterday, I received and email from my publisher informing me that we are going to our first reprint – already! Amazing, obviously there really was a need and people are responding to it.

One of my favourite parts of writing this book to was getting in contact with and having chat to some of my favourite Australian and NZ designers, especially for the spotlight features (of which there are two in every chapter). I was super chuffed to interview the following people for the book: Justin Fox, Australian Infront;  Lara Burke, Frankie magazine; Dean Poole, Alt Group; James de Vries, de Luxe & Associates; Beci Orpin; Jeremy Wortsman, the Jacky Winter Group; Kris Sowersby, Klim type foundry; Wayne Thompson, Campbell Milligan, Monster Children; Rueben Crossman, Murdoch books; Brad Eldridge, Soap Creative; Alister Coyne, Hair Cow; Sophie Tatlow, Deuce Design; Vince Frost, Frost* Design, Rita Siow, AGDA.

Credits:

Art director and cover designer: Me
Cover illustration: James Gulliver Hancock
Internal design and typesetting: Em&Jon Design

And to add to the coolness, a few weeks ago I had a complete rockstar moment at bookstore Kinokuniya in Sydney.

One of my dreams was to have the book stocked in Kinokuniya’s vast and well researched design department. So I was giddy with delight when I found that not only was it in stock, but they had multiple copies on prominent display.

As I stood there giggling, my mother was snapping away. Photographing me, the book, the store – everything. I had thought to be slightly more surreptitious but there was no disguising my proud mum. So instead I approached the design department counter and informed them that I was not some random weirdo but rather the excited author of that lovely pink book over there. And as it was my first ever book published and as we were excited they had it in stock, we were taking photos – if they didn’t mind.

Not only did the ladies not mind, they invited me to sign a few copies! Embarrassed, I declined only to be persuaded by them (and my mother). So I ended up signing 5 copies. At a lost as to whether to personalise them (‘Stay classy’, ‘say no to drugs’, etc), I went with just a signature and heart.

They even posted about the signing on the Kinokuniya facebook page!

Total. Rock. Star.

When last in Kinokuniya, just before xmas there was only one signed copy left (the display copy)!

So that is the (abbreviated) story of how I became a published author. I wonder what 2012 will have in stock for me?

**UPDATE!**
I found out last week that {Graphic Design} Australian Style Manual has been shortlisted in the Australian Publishers Assoc. Book Design Awards, for best Tertiary Book Design. Winners are announced 17 May 2012, fingers crossed.

Happy new year! I hope you all had a pleasant end of 2011, whether celebrating Xmas with family or blithely ignoring the whole thing.

SNH, bub and I had a drawn out Xmas – one day for us, one day at SNH’s parents, one day at my parents, and one day with my extended family. We were truly worn out and over celebrating by the end of it! However, it being bub’s first xmas we soldiered on, enjoying family, food and the thing that really makes xmas interesting – little kids.

SNH and I decided to treat ourselves on Xmas eve and took a trip to Gelato Messina in Darlinghurst. Known for their experimental flavours, they have recently opened a ‘lab’ next door which they call a low temperature patisserie. Did someone say cakey ice cream things? I was giddy with excitement.

My Slivkova Pavlova

Inside the treat

I tried the Slivkova Pavlova (vanilla gelato, freeze dried raspberries, passionfruit dusted meringue, raspberry geleè, passionfruit) – it was amazing! Tart, squishy and delicious. SNH had the Arabian Knight (Pistachio gelato, orange scented chocolate coated rosewater marshmallow, Marsala soaked) which he thought his was rather nice too. Really layered flavouring.

SNH's Arabian Knights

Tasty knights

After we polished off our treats while sitting the gelato bar, we thought we really should try some of their actual gelato flavours. Of course! So we shared a cup of Christmas pudding and salted caramel. The pudding was one of the best gelato’s I’ve ever had. Changing and evolving as it moved around my mouth. From a rum ‘n raisin opening note to the deep spice after taste. I am drooling just writing about it. But it was so rich that we really only could eat half a cup. So when it came to getting a take home (naturally!) we went for salted caramel (yes, it was also very good), peanut butter and chocolate fondant.

Hello pudding gelato

I recommend following them on twitter, so you can get notifications of their new flavours – if you are so inclined: @Gelato_Messina

Hello more noms. You are coming home with us.

I have decided that I need to blog more. I guess you could call it a new years resolution. Although it’s more of a ‘do something with this lagging blog’ resolution. I tend to think about it, think of something interesting, then forget it and end up posting photos of gelato ;p

But while pondering the future of my blog, I have come up against something I thought I would never even think about – turning this in to some sort of mummy blog. As my life now revolves around a small being I am often amazed at how little I do that is not connected to him in some way. And my blog/news/live journal has always just been a documentation of my life – therefore is this a natural progression?

I have been reading a lot of really lovely mummy blogs over the summer (one claire day, dear olive, rummey bears, the beetle shack) and have been discussing these thoughts with SNH. His response is to write as I always have, but don’t make a conscience decision to be a ‘mummy blogger’. I’ll have times when I write about bub but I will have times when I write about other stuff. It’ll even itself out, eventually.

Plus I don’t want to lose who I am to a label.

Did you make any new years resolutions?