Happy Valentines Day

Just wanted to say................................................................................

New Range

I have just finished uploading my new Geometrix Range to my Website. 

 

 

The new range is inspired by lines and colour.  Modern and striking this new range is full of elegance as well as packing in a huge punch of colour.  Designed to be worn with an old vintage t-shirt and jeans or as a statement piece with that little black dress.

You can view the whole range over at www.mouseillustration.com. I am very excited about this range as I feel it really expresses my own personal style.  As always your comments are appreciated so let me know what you think and if you have a favourite.

I should be hosting a giveaway soon to celebrate the new range so stay tuned :-)

Love Emma x

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week

I have been very excited about this event and dying to tell you all about it! 

Mouse Illustrations Licorice Jewellery has been on show at an Event for Melbourne Fashion Week. Did I mentioned I am a little excited about it?!

Darrell Lea Confectionery Company are a major brand in Australia and are one of the event sponsors for Melbourne Fashion Week. They wanted me to dress up the Brand Ambassadors for their Fashion Week Event.  Darrell Lea are holding a very exciting competition for one up and coming fashion designer and their event is showcasing the entries and announcing a winner.

 The Lovely Brand Ambassadors

Mouse Illustration Jewellery at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week

 



I feel very grateful to be a part of such a great event! Thank you Darrell Lea for thinking of Mouse Illustration xxx

Check out the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and the Darrell Lea Confectionery Company for more details.

Emma x

Rio de Janeiro Brazil

For those of you who didn't know I just spent the month in Brazil for a family wedding. This was my third time visiting Rio de Janeiro but this time I got to see a side of it that I have never seen before. 

Travelling there with a 'local' definitely offers me a different perspective of the city than most tourists get to experience. However this time I asked to be a tourist for a few days and I had an amazing time.

 

Of course when you go to Rio you have to go to Corcovado to take in the view, and ride the terrifying cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain.  You also of course have to walk on Copacobana and Ipenema beach whilst singing predictable songs in your head. This is the perfect picture postcard Rio and as long as you do your research are careful of where you wander it will never disappoint.

 

 

 Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer)

The View of Sugarloaf Mountain from Corcovado

I on the other hand got to see all of this but from another point of view.   I get the locals tour of the tourist attractions through the back streets.  This way I get to stumble upon a little art gallery or historic building without having to compete with hoards of tourists.  In my tour of Rio I encounter no English speakers and if I do I get surprisingly excited that I am not the only one there and feel the need to point it out. I have (quite a few times now) ended up in a part of Rio that I probably have no business being in. All the while keeping my mouth firmly closed for fear someone would hear that I am a 'gringo' and decide to relieve me of the cash in my pocket.  Of course these parts are a necessity in order to get to where I wanted to go.  Which was every art gallery I could squeeze into my 4 day uninterrupted tour of the city.

 

 The Museum of Modern Art in Niteroi  (MOMA)

 

As well as getting to see the all the art galleries I could in Rio I also got to see the Botanic Gardens.  This was a very unexpected highlight of my trip.  A photographers dream I can barley describe how beautiful this place is (and I saw it in winter so I can only begin to imagine how beautiful it would be in full bloom).  The Botanic Gardens is just under 140 acres holding 6500 species of flora with many of them endangered.  You will see not only Brazilian native plants from the Amazon, they also have a range from other countries as well.  You can wander around the Japanese Gardens, take in a photography exhibition, and be entertained by the monkeys jumping around in the trees.  The Gardens are also home to 140 different species of birds and we were lucky enough, with the help of a local photographer who pointed it out to us, see a Toucan roaming in the trees.
 



The Botanic Gardens Rio de Janeiro

 

The next part of my trip was spent in a little mountain town about 5 hours drive from Rio.  It's hard to not relax in this part of the world and as an added bonus if you wanted some fruit for breakfast then you would travel no further than the back garden to pick some oranges, pinha, papaya or carambola.

 

 

Our Final few days were spent on the beach at the beautiful port of Arraial do Cabo. 

I think the following photo says it all really.

  

 

Prainha Arraial do Cabo



Well now it's back to work and I have already had some great orders and some exciting news about Mouse Illustration that I am dying to share with you all.  However, that is for another day whenever it has all come together :-)

 

Stay tuned!

 

Emma x

 

 

Signed Print Giveaway

Since I absolutely love to spoil you I am having another Giveaway!!!  I am just so excited about my new products and website design that I just can't help myself.

To one lucky follower I am giving away a Signed Print of your choice from my Website.

To be in the draw all you have to do is click on this link and share it on your Facebook page! It's that easy :-)

Good Luck everyone x

Macarons

I don't know if I have mentioned this before but I love almost everything French and Macron's are no exception.  They have everything that appeals to me.....chewy, creamy, colourful little delights! They are just so pleasing on the eye and of course I just think the variety of colours are Divine!

 

I have been watching My Kitchen Rules on TVNZ with that French Chef Manu......(googling his full name right now)....Manu Feildel and he talks about these little Macaron treats a lot.

So needless to say I decided to try my hand at some Macaron Charms and I have to say they look delicious :-)

What fun I have making these and the colour options are endless!  I have now uploaded it to the Mouse Illustration Shop so if you are interested pop on by and have a look. 

Yummy! x

www.mouseillustration.com

New Prints

I have been playing around with some new designs over the last few weeks and finally have a new range just delivered from the printer.  Since I am living in the beautiful Queenstown I thought I would embrace some Kiwiana and create some prints more aimed at the vast tourist market that this town caters for.

New Zealanders are very proud of there beautiful country so I decided to design this new range with that in mind.

Maori artwork and symbols have a huge influence in New Zealand so I decided to incorporate this into my designs.

I took inspiration from the symbolism and colours.

My new New Zealand inspired prints are all available to buy from my Felt online shop.  My other prints are still available to purchase from my website mouseillustration.com

Hope you like my new designs.  Let me know what you think :-)

Mouse x

New Online Shop and Art Prints

Firstly I would like to apologise for my slackness with updating my blog.  I am going to try and keep it more up to date throughout 2013.  Which reminds me...... Happy New Year to all my lovely followers.  I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season x

I have some exciting news since I last wrote to you all.  The Big news is that Mouse Illustration.com has a brand new shop and look.  I have now made it easier to browse and navigate so hopefully it will be more enjoyable to shop :-)

My other News is that I now have a brand new Category available....... my Art Prints.  I am Very Excited to be back creating my Artwork and have been getting a great response selling my prints at the Arts and Crafts Market.

 

I have a range of Illustrations and also a New Quote Range, all A4 so they are easy to frame.  I love hearing your opinions and suggestions so let me know what you think of the new site and also if you have any suggestions for your favourite Quotes.

The Mouse x

Mouse Illustration is Now on Felt!

If you love handmade and haven't heard of Felt.co.nz then you should have!  It's a great site for New Zealand artists to showcase and sell their artwork.  And the best part is...... Mouse Illustration is now on it!

I only have one of each item available on Felt unlike my own Website Shop.  This means I will be able to list one-off designs from Mouse Illustration and sell them via Felt.  So keep popping back to see what is available as you might just grab yourself a Unique piece of jewellery.

I will soon have some arts prints to sell which I am just a little big bit excited about.  I will announce when they are available from my Facebook Page so make sure to 'like' Mouse Illustration to receive all the latest updates.

x

Flirty Pastels

This week I have been playing around with some new colour palettes.   The result has been my new range of Flirty Pastel Necklaces.  I have to say that I absolutely love them!

They are now available to purchase from my New Facebook Shop.

I thought I would have a bit of fun and create a Handmade look using a few Etsy Items

Clutch from ItSoClutch on Etsy
Purple Wedges from iLANDbali on Etsy
Lace Dress from keeboutique on Etsy
Pastel Necklaces from Mouse Illustration


x

Nature Walk

I have been a busy little bumble bee (or mouse) over the last few weeks trying to catch up on things.  The Wine Shop has a new order of Wine Charms and the Design Gallery will have a new range of Jewellery next week. 

Since today was such a beautiful day here in Queenstown we decided to go for a hike through what the tourists would like to call Lords of the Rings territory.  I have to say since I am probably about the same height as Frodo I would probably fit in quite well :-)

We walked along a trail that took us up through the forest, down across a river and back up through the forest again before hitting civilisation on the other side.  It was pretty breathtaking and just what I needed.

I forget sometimes how great it is for your soul to get amongst nature and really take the time to switch off from your busy life.  I have to say that I did not think about work the entire time which for me is pretty good going!  I feel refreshed and ready to get started on what the week ahead will bring.



For those of you who aren't Mouse Illustration followers on Facebook (firstly why not? :-) secondly you can now shop for Mouse Illustration Jewellery directly from my Facebook page.  It will be worth your while checking it out and liking my page for updates as soon all my Facebook friends will be receiving special offers and discounts on my Jewellery!  Check out the New Shop Here.

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend!

The Mouse x

Im back.....

I am back creating my jewellery again, all be it very slowly, after my tendon issues with my hand.  I have to say I am very happy, but will be happier when I can run at full speed again. Apologies for the lack of posts over the last few weeks but I have been making sure not to re-damage it by working.

I had a re-order of my Kiwiana range of wine charms for a Wine Tasting shop in Queenstown over the weekend and I just completed the order today.  It did take me a little longer than usual but that's OK since I had a lot of fun ;-)

I also need to get some more jewellery into the gallery so I have to get creating some new designs to hand over this week.  I am very pleased to tell you that I have been absolutely slammed at my markets over the last few weeks so I have an awful lot of catching up to do getting my stock levels back up.  If anyone out there would like to donate a left hand to me then it would be gratefully received! :-)

All the treats I have to catch up on

Also for those of you on Pinterest come connect with the Mouse Illustration boards........ and share with me what you have been pinning :-)

http://pinterest.com/mouseillustrate/

The Mouse x

And the Winner is..........

The Winner of the Over the Rainbow Necklace Giveaway is.............

Congratulations Portia........ you are the lucky winner!!! :-)  Please contact me at  mouseillustration@yahoo.com with your contact details and address so I can post out your new Necklace.  Congratulations again and Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter Weekend

I have a full schedule of Markets over the Easter Weekend.  Today was a great day in Queenstown NZ at the Arts and Crafts Market selling lots of goodies, including one of my Over the Rainbow Necklaces which is featured in my latest Giveaway.  Charm bracelets were the favourite of the day so a big thank you to all my wonderful customers and I hope you enjoy your new jewellery.

The sun was shining and there were lots of new stall holders selling all their handmade goodies.  I love it when I get a chance to browse new market stalls and meet other creative people. 

Handmade Crafts Stalls in Queenstown

Mouse Illustration Stall

New Wire Bracelets from Mouse Illustration

The Earnslaw Steam Boat on Lake Wakatipu

Well I am off to bed as I have another early rise for Market number 2.......

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter Weekend and remember it's a great excuse to eat lots of Chocolate!!!! :-) x

Gratitude

Thank you :-)

Jewellery Style

A bit more fun with Handmade Style........

Keep reading for a special offer for Creative Nibble readers only!

Mouse Illustration Teams up with Etsy Fashion

Where to shop for the above items:

Charm Bracelet from Mouse Illustration $40 nzd

French Style Navy Dress from Fleet Collection on Etsy $48 usd *see below for special discount code*

Light Green Wide Leg Pants from Sophie Zhang on Etsy $54.99 usd

Flirty Pleasure Necklace from Mouse Illustration $35 nzd

Special Offer for Creative Nibble Readers only!!! Fleet collection are offering a 15% off discount to my readers on their website, www.FleetCollection.com with coupon code NIBBLE15. Offer expires on 03/31/2012, 11:59 PST.  Happy Shopping!!!

Remember to Enter the Creative Nibble GIVEAWAY competition to win a Handmade Rainbow Necklace from Mouse Illustration.

x

What's New This Week.....

I hope you all had a great week and celebrated St Patricks Day on Saturday with a nice pint of Guinness!

I just wanted to show you a couple of new designs I have made this week.

I am going to do a tutorial next time I make the above Kiwi Fruit beads and share my tips on how to create them.  If there are any other tutorials you would like me to feature then just drop me a line below :-)

Just a Reminder to Enter the Rainbow Necklace Giveaway.......winner being drawn on the 31st March :-)

The Mouse x

Giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of my new jewellery range and to say a big Thank You for all your support I have decided to host an Amazing Giveaway. Yey!

I you haven't had a peek at my New Range of Necklaces yet then you can do that Here......But now to the exciting part........... 

This GIVEAWAY is now Closed!

I will be giving away one of my Over the Rainbow Necklaces (valued at $45nz dollars) to one lucky reader! The Giveaway is open to all Countries so everyone can enter!

To Enter Simply do one or all of the following:

1st Entry: Leave a comment below on this post telling me what your favourite piece of jewellery from the Mouse Illustration Online Shop is :-)

2nd Entry: Visit my Facebook Page and Click the Like button :-)

3rd Entry: Follow me on Twitter and say Hello if you are feeling friendly :-)


Just remember to come back and leave a comment on this blog post for Each Entry to let me know you have done all or any of the above!

And for an extra special entry share this giveaway with your friends on Twitter and or Facebook.
To make it easy just copy and paste this link :

http://bit.ly/xmko6B

Or hit the Share and Tweet buttons below.

This Competition Winner will be announced on Friday 6th April! 

Good Luck Everyone! x

Banana Muffins

For those of you who don't know already I decided to go Vegan about 5 months ago after being Vegetarian for 16 years.  This was something that I have always wanted to do but thought it would be a big disruption to my life cutting out dairy completely.  To be honest it isn't easy, especially when I look at delicious cupcakes and all the vegetarian options available which always contain cheese.  However the more I explore with different recipes the more excited I get about eating.  Food has never really interested me much.....bit of a self proclaimed pasta and cheeseaholic!   Since cheese is now a big No No I have found myself experimenting a lot more with crazy things I should always have been eating anyway like......grains...nuts....and seeds! 

I have not gone all hippy (the usual stereotype with vegans) but I am now very aware of the nutrition that my body needs and try and eat a varied healthy diet.  One thing I have found extremely difficult is not being able to go for a coffee and a muffin at my favourite coffee shop!  Now, I am no master chef or baker, which unfortunately I have found out since trying to bake without eggs and milk!  I hear you all saying......whats the point?  Well.........I was beginning to think the same thing since I have tried at least 6 times to make muffins that either looked like pancakes or tasted entirely like soy!

However, today I cracked it and baked some Delicious Banana Muffins that even my dairy eating friends enjoyed!  I swear you can't tell that they are dairy free and they are super moist and tasty! 

Since I am a very happy mouse (and am also full from eating muffins today) I thought I would share the recipe with you and I urge you to give it a try and see what you think.

This is after I ate (well im not going to tell you how many but it was too many :-)

3 very ripe bananas

1/4 cup oil or vegan margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Pre-heat oven to 360 degrees.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork till soft. Add the oil or vegan margarine and sugar and cream together.

In a separate bowl, combine together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Combine with the banana mixture, stirring gently just to combine.

Grease or line a muffin pan, and fill each muffin about 2/3 full with batter. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

I used the vegan margarine (Olivani)  My disaster results before always contained oil so I would say avoid it if possible.

Next time I am going to half the sugar and add some dairy free chocolate or maybe some raspberries....or both Yum!

I have also read Alicia Silverstones book The Kind Diet which is a good read if you are thinking about dabbling in a vegan or vegetarian diet, or just looking for some super nutritious meals.

My next vegan read is going to be Chef Chloe Coscarelli and her New Cookbook Chloe's Kitchen!  She was the winner of the TV show Cupcake Wars in the US and I can't wait to try and make all of her delicious suggestions.

I will let you know when it arrives and what my favourite recipes are :-) Yum!

This post is taking part in Get Your Craft on Tuesdays

Handmade Fashion

I watched Crazy Stupid Love last night and I have to admit I have a bit of a girl crush on Emma Stone.  I love the way she looks feminine but with an edge of boyishness about her.  I thought I would have a bit of fun and try and recreate her look in the handmade marketplace!

So here is how to dress like Emma Stone Handmade Style!

Get this Look: Top Left - Yellow Dress from rshone on Etsy , Top Right - Necklace from IIQII Etsy

Bottom Right - Yellow Dress from MyHackneyBoutique on Etsy

Get this Look: Top Left Tutu Stripes Dress from Ouma on Etsy, Top Right Shoes from LaPlumeEthere on Etsy, Middle Right Tutu Dress also from Ouma on Etsy, Bottom Right Ring from Mayahelena on Etsy


 I hope you have a look at all the Handmade shops featured above and have fun shopping!

P.s Giveaway from Mouse Illustration coming up this week so remember to come back for a peek :-)

x