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

One sunday morning a month or so ago, I was marched out of the house for moaning about lack of time to myself (always being responsible for the baby, even if I am doing something for myself like shopping). After a few tears from me SNH told me to pack up my things and go do something by myself, he’ll look after the bub. At a complete loss of what to do, I headed in to Newtown and sat down to a luxurious lunch at Sushi Train. Luxurious because I wasn’t furiously stuffing food in my mouth, while simultaneously entertaining a baby on my lap and trying to get out of the restaurant as quickly as possible before said baby cracks the shits.

I then ate cakes from Black Star patisserie. Determined to purchase something for myself, I slowly browsed through every book shop on King St. Stopping to squee and text SNH when I found my book in Better Read Than Dead (very exciting!). But I soon became frustrated as every book I pulled off the shelves was for the bub. I seem to never really buy myself anything anymore, it’s always baby related. In a huff I got into my car and drove to Gleebooks in Dulwich Hill, hoping they would still have an interior decorating book in store I had seen months ago (they didn’t and I can’t remember the name to even order, poo!). But instead came away with two craft books for toy making! The first a book for knitting toys, KnitWit and the second a book for sewing toys, Hop Skip Jump by a lovely Australian blogger.

Yes, another purchase that would ultimately result in stuff for the baby but in the process I would have fun, feel crafty and get creative again. Exactly what I needed to brush off the baby-fog. So far I have sewn two of the toys and loved making them! They are very simple, yet beautifully designed so the final product looks quirky and lovely. The fantastic Mr Fox toy took a few evening to put together, with a lot of parts and fiddly pattern to cut out (I used left over curtain and quilt material to make him) and the sausage dog, Doris, was easily whipped up in less than a day.

They will live on baby’s bed, while not in use, for now until he is a little older and then I am sure they will get coated in a lovely layer of spittle from an appreciative bub.

Mr Fox and Doris are sitting on the quilt I made baby while I was pregnant. I will write a post about it another day, but it was my first quilt and a bit tricky and I finished it the day I went in to labour (talk about timing!).

Check out that ice cream cone night light! My fabulous sisters-in-law got it for bub for Xmas. Bless them, I must ask for some weird stuff and they take it all in their stride ‘Yes Astred, we’ll get your baby a 2 foot ice cream light for xmas…’

*Or alternative titles: ‘Toys, toys,toys (I’m looking for a good time)’, or ‘getting stuffed’

As Archie gets older and every day develops more, he learns new things and as his personality emerges more and more I worry that I won’t remember every exact detail of what he was like as a little tiny baby. A lot of those first weeks are an absolute blur, even though the first few months felt like an eon. Years passed and he was only 2 months old.

I can still remember how he smelt at the very beginning. The cold mornings in bed when I would feed him and cuddle him as he slept, waiting for my mum to arrive to help me start the day. I remember the alert little baby that was always looking at things, trying to focus and understand the world. He was never a unfocussed, stare-y, not-there baby. If he was upset, all you had to do was take him outside and he would calm. To get anything done when I was by myself I would have to put him in the ergo and work around him – mainly it was just so I could make myself some breakfast!

He is now 19 weeks old – that’s 4 and a bit months – and is a hilarious, lovely, charming baby. He loves to stand (with assistance) and I spent a lovely and relaxing (ha ha) lunch at Bread and Circus last week, scoffing my lunch as he stood bouncing on my lap, drooling and yelling/singing at other café patrons. When they would look at him, he’d crack a huge smile and charm them utterly.

He blows raspberries, gives cuddles, chomps on air (that’s a new one today), is obsessed with our dog Knuckles (Dutch not so much), loves his change mat (squirms and giggles when you put him down, not very helpful when it’s particularly messy), is starting to self settle to go to sleep (sorta kinda!), recognises me and SNH,  is getting MUCH better in the car and even falls asleep in his car seat most days (at a few weeks old car trips became harrowing experiences as he HATED the car/seat/who knows. A change of car seat and him getting a bit bigger has seemed to sort that out), stands with assistance (and loves it), sits up with assistance, has favoured toys, is always so serious when I pull out the camera, but giggles madly when SNH plays with him (melts my heart!).

In case we forget how little he once was, my lovely friend Ruth gave a baby shower gift of a photo shoot, to help us remember.

Ruth is an amazing photographer, who actually specialises in photographing dogs with her company Ruthless Photos (dogs, children – they’re all the same right?). I first met Ruth just after we had adopted Dutch, he was a rescue and his story caught a few people’s attention including Ruth’s (he was found dumped in a park, wrapped in a towel at 5 weeks old, then rescued from the pound by the same awesome lady who rescued these puppies). I became obsessed with her amazing work and eventually commissioned her to photograph a series of dogs for a Marketing book I was art directing. Since then my dogs have modeled for her on a few occasions and I have yammered on to anyone who will listen to me about how talented she is with dogs (she really is – gosh I am doing a lot of sidebars in this post, aren’t I?).

But this time, it wasn’t our dogs in front of her lens – it was our 9 day old baby.

I am so grateful for having these shots. We were a little overwhelmed when the baby arrived and forgot to take many photos. So at least we have these amazing shots to treasure along with our memories.

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. 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) 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.

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?