Paper merchant in a rainstorm

In September, I was excited to attend the spring Kalamunda Garden Festival. Everyone would be out for the lovely weather, the speakers were exciting (Angust Stewart!) and the flowers were blooming. Perth had the highest rainfall in 30 years and Stirk Park was an absolute mud pit! Below is the view of the mud pit from my stall at the Kalamunda Garden Festival.

The market was busy, but the mud covered everything. I had so many lovely people come up to have a look, but nobody was interested in buying goods made from paper!

This paper merchant (me) went straight into her studio afterwards and got busy. I sketched half a dozen designs to work out which ones I could put together quickly. I already had a Splendid Blue Fairy Wren I’d painted recently for the new sticker sheets, and bobtails were front of mind as I’d met some at a talk by the WA Wildlife organisation recently. The bright yellow hibbertia flowers took me a little time to work out in my watercolours, as working with light colours like white and yellow flowers require care to get the light and shadows without losing the richness of colour.

I wanted designs that could keep me company, and decided on key chains - they’re great for hooking onto lanyards and bags, as well as keys. They are made of real wood, sourced from FSC approved sources. Printed on both sides with a colourful hook, they are lightweight but sturdy. Now I have these 2 little garden friends, and they won’t melt in a rainstorm! Check them out.

Bobtail and Hibbertia

Bobtails are friendly lizards with powerful jaws - but their favourite treats are strawberries, tomatoes and bright yellow flowers like hibbertia! Check out the bobtail

Splendid Blue Fairy Wren

This male wren tucked amongst the purple showy myrtle has cheeks full of insects after snacking in the garden. Check out the blue wren