Away on holiday!

By the time you read this, I'll probably be on my way to Tasmania! Darren and I decided I needed a break and Tasmania was on our 'to-go to' list. We've never been there before and we've heard so much good things about it. So, one thing led on to the other and we're off on a holiday! I'll be back next week, but until then, I'll leave you with a new piece I've just completed minutes ago. Along with all these work in progress shots I took along the way. I've actually uploaded it all onto instagram, but just thought I'd share. It's always nice when everything's pieced together in one big long post, rather than in bits and pieces right?

As you can tell, I've already got all the seafood yumminess in my head. Can't wait to taste those prawns, mussels and oysters while at the bay. I heard Tassie's pretty awesome when it comes to seafood. YUM! See you guys back here next week. Oh and just a little heads up, bookings for my upcoming succulent painting class opens next week! Enjoy your time wherever you are, and stay warm!

Throat Lollies for Frankie Magazine

Look what's in the latest issue of Frankie Magazine! My throat lollie drawings. The lovely Frankie team sent me a whole box full of lozenges and I did these drawings for them. I must say, the lozenges came at the right time! I've been falling sick on and off the past couple of weeks. And I am super thankful I've got 8 different types of Lozenges to try! Haha. Have you eaten any of these before? Which is your favourite and which works best for you? So far, I'm really liking the Butter Menthol. Only problem, it tastes so much so candy, I can't stop eating it! Talk about getting addicted. Whoops!

After Store

Sorry for the onslaught of images. Oops! But isn't this store super cool?! I love it and it's one of my favourite go-to shops in Melbourne. Located just opposite the Queen Victoria Market, After Store is one of those shops you need to go into when you're here in Melbourne. From brightly coloured Day of the dead skulls, to felted veggies, plastic chickens and wooly socks, After is just such an interesting place, you'll need to pop by to experience it yourself! Well, lucky me, I am super excited to announce that I'll be making something huge, orange and funny for After. As part of the City of Melbourne's Annual Look Stop Shop Programme, I'm joining my love for giant foods with the colourful forces of Phoebe Munro, After store's very own owner and curator. Together, we'll be bringing you a super special Dawn Tan for After Store window display! More details to come!

Shop it to stop it Fundraiser

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you would know I lost my best guy friend to cancer last year. Truth is, it still hurts whenever I think of him. I mean, I'm really glad he's up in Heaven now, pain-free and happy. But I just miss having my friend around. Over the past year and a half since we lost him, it's been a mix of emotions at times. Sometimes I forget he's not here anymore. And then when I realise the fact, it hurts. Have you ever lost someone dear to you? Did it take you a really long time to get over it? 

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I received an email from a lovely lady by the name of Anna. She contacted me and mentioned her online design auction called Shop it to stop it. It was an auction to raise funds for cancer research at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and she wondered if I could take the time to mention it here, on the blog.

To be honest, it was really hard for me when that email came in. Even after so long, I am still not ready to even think about anything to do with cancer. Let alone, a fundraiser for Peter MacCallum. When my friend was diagnosed, Darren and I spent hours at Peter Mac, whenever he was in for his chemo sessions. I remember cooking his favourite meals, heating it up in the pantry. I remember how helpful and amazing the staff were. I remember asking my friend, in between our dinners, lots of silly questions about hospitals, all the funky wires, hooks, drips. Even though my friend was in a lot of pain, he always smiled and made sure he ate as much as he could of what I cooked. And the staff often made jokes of how nice-smelling and yummy looking the dishes were.

Writing this post has not only made me bawl my eyes out as I'm reminded of all the painful but good times spent at Peter Mac. I don't need to say much more. We all know how expensive and tiring cancer research is. As healthy people, we can contribute by donating funds for the lifesaving cancer research at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Shop it to stop it has a whole bunch of beautifully donated designer homewards, getaways and even screen printing class by my favourite Harvest Textiles. These items are all up for bidding. And all funds will go direct to Peter MacCullum. Every single cent. I am definitely not sponsored in any way to write this post. Neither are all the other donors. I just think Cancer is ugly and painful. And when there's something we, as healthy beings can do or help, I'm in.

So yup, do take just a minute or two, to hop on over the the auction page. Check out what's on offer and perhaps, you might be interested in something. You can buy it for yourself, or as a gift for someone. I'm pretty sure, no matter how big or small your donation is, it'll help Peter Mac go a long, long way. Thank you.

Echeveria and Crassula Ovata Succulent Prints

Hi everyone! I have 2 new limited edition Succulent prints available now on my online shop! They are of my two favourite succulents, the Echeveria and Crassula Ovata, also known as the Jade plant. I simply love how easy they are to care for. And they look pretty too. I love succulents that aren't too spiky or edgy looking, so these were perfect in my eyes. Their leaves are nice, roundish and green, and they both love lots of sun. I often place little jars of these succulents around my house. They just make little corners of the house look greener and happier.

Well, as an ode to my love for them, I've created these two new works. I hope you like them as much as I do. I am just going to order one big print run, so to make sure everyone gets something they like at a good deal, I'm offering an introductory price of $70 (Instead of the usual $80 price). For a week only! Once everyone's orders are in, I'll go ahead and order a print run and all prints will be shipped out Mid-July. So if you're in need of some succulenty art, now's the time. Click here to start shopping! Thank you!

Foodie Scarves

It's official! I've gone bonkers and went on to whip up some foodie scarves! Rhubarb and bananas! Oh yeah! Trust me, these are the 2 most sane ideas I had. There were other food items such as prawns, oysters and lobsters. I also drew some citrus fruits and had so much hope for them, but after tweaking them digitally, I decided, nope! So they didn't make the cut. I still want to make some citrusy scarf some time down the road though, even though I am aware it might look really souvenir-ish. Well, we'll see. But for now, I'll just dwell in my love for bananas for as long as I can. Did you know, I've only ever cooked with rhubarb once! I made my friend, Jess's rhubarb crumble cake. And being the curious type Darren and I were, we wondered how rhubarb tasted like, on it's own. So we bit on some and nearly died. Hahaha. Just a note to whoever's reading: DO NOT ever, ever, EVER bite on raw rhubarb : )

Well, rhubarb and bananas aside, as we speak, these two designs are being sent off to North Carolina to be test printed on a range of cotton and silk fabrics. Can't wait to get the samples back!

Succulents

Two pieces I've been working on this week. Both are of my favourite succulents. The Echeveria and Jade plant. I love them because so far, they've been pretty nice to me. My Echeveria in particular, has been surviving and not dying. Phew! The lovely Madeleine Stamer gave it to me post-pop up last year. I brought it home and almost killed it. Oops. But thank goodness, it made it through. In fact, it's been growing bigger.And now, after about half a year later, it's grown to become six separate ones. How exciting! Thank you Maddi for blessing me with my first two Echeverias ever!

Little Spot

Hi everyone! I am so sorry I didn't mean to just disappear from this space. I have been buried under piles of essay writing and I was so stressed out, I didn't even leave my house for almost a week. The adventurer in me almost cracked under pressure. I simply could not, not leave the house! Haha. But yup, it's all over now. I've filed all my disgusting essays in a 'I will never see you again' folder. And my holidays are here! Hooray. I have been dreaming of this break for a long time now, ever since I started my course. I am looking forward to making lots of art, treating myself with DIY projects, eating proper, resting up and just relaxing. For the first time in a long while, I have decided that I'm actually going to not run any kids holiday classes. My body just needs a big break. Health front wise, it's been pretty crap. So time for me to just get it all balanced out again. I should seriously relax, do some knitting, tie-dyeing (my new hobby), reading, cooking. So exciting!

For starters, I spent last week temporarily shifting my studio space out from my bedroom, into my living room. Just so I can have a new 'environment' for a week or two. Even though it's much roomier out here, I still very much prefer the light in my room. Not so orangey, much better for my eyes. Moving back into my room on Friday. Love how colourful this space has become though!

Well, it's back to the drawing table now. I feel like I've been holding back all my art making ideas since Feb. It's now time to unleash them all. Haha. This will only mean one thing. More art making adventures and regular posting coming your way! First up, the ice cream painting which I've stuck on the wall, is going to appear in pillowcase form super soon. Do keep a lookout for them!