And the winner is.........

Congrats Dianne!  You have won your very own custom painted vintage plate - and your idea was such a lovely one too (if not a bit challenging for me! ;)

"I would want one with a picture of the 8 cell embryo that became my beautiful IVF baby, Monty, and a wee tiny note that says 'miracles do happen' :)"

Finally another giveaway!

I really can't believe I have got to the point where I can have a 1000 Facebook liker giveaway!  Thank you so much everyone :)

So as requested I am going to be giving away a custom designed, hand-painted vintage plate! Wahoo!

Now this can be anything from adding your name to one of my existing designs like the "love birds banner", a favorite image or character or even something out of your wildest dreams like this fab Bacteria plate below. 

For more ideas check out my custom album on Facebook and get thinking!

 

DETAILS..............  

I would love to know what you would all like your very own custom plate to look like............. so to go into the draw just email me at oddoneout@xtra.co.nz or leave a comment below letting me know your idea.  Be as detailed as you would like, you can even specify a style or colour of plate and I will see what I can do!

I will draw a winner randomly on Wednesday 20th June at 7pm-ish and let them - and then you all know!

To be fair of course - as this is celebrating my Facebook fans you must also have liked my page :)

I'm sorry but I will only be able to send this plate within NZ so this draw is open to NZ residents only - or those of you living overseas with a lovely NZ friend that can pass it on :)

So get those thinking caps on - I cant wait to see what you all come up with!

I see a red door and I want to paint it....Orange!

Well I think I have accidentally stumbled across a new, New Year tradition.  Right at the very start of this year we decided to repaint our front door.  We were in the middle of repainting our whole house but suddenly it seemed important to get this done first - and what a difference it makes!  Now I smile EVERY time I get home, it's more of a grin actually accompanied by an excited little shiver.  I think this is definitely having a flow on effect in my happiness level this year - smiling as I enter my home, having that warm "love where I am right now" feeling - all from a door!  I kid you not.

Colour is something I take quite seriously,  I have pretty strong opinions on it and I know Mr Odd One Out finds it extremely painful to watch me with piles of paint charts and test pots (of what he considers to be the same colour!) trying to get it just right.  I just had a feeling that a dark tangerine / orange was where we should go with the door and what do you know, it turns out to be Pantone colour of the year too - awesome!  I couldn't leave gorgeous blank canvas like that alone so a couple of days later I painted on a little design from my sketchbook - it was supposed to go on a plate but I think it looks pretty cute on the door too!

After it was all finished I thought I would have a little research into the symbolism of all of this - I think we pretty much hit the nail on head.  Now I am really loving the idea that you can change your front door each year to attract your goals and dreams for the year ahead.  What do you think?

Here's what I found out............

In Feng Shui they believe that your front door is where you set intention about yourself and about what you want; your entrance is a message to the world about who you are.  It is thought to be the mouth of the home, the entry point where energy, abundance and opportunities may find us.

ORANGE......... 

Our door faces south west and apparently Orange is the perfect colour being a fire colour.  Wicked!  In Feng Shui the colour orange promotes lively conversation and good times.  It is also the colour associated with fertility... hmmm not sure on that one!

Universally Orange is a colour that symbolises hope and a new start.   It holds that energy and warmth from the sun, nice!  It is a spiritual and often sacred colour, connected to creativity and overcoming depression.  So far so good!  Orange brings about creative energy, playfulness, exploration on a practical level, relief from boredom and equilibrium.  I'm sold :)

I love this quote from Wassily Kandinsky........  "Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow"

HOT AIR BALLOONS........

I wanted to have a little picture on the door that would make people smile, with a little hello to make them feel welcome.

The symbolism of these is interesting too.  They also signify overcoming depression and are associated with the rising sun that starts the new day.  They can represent the process of  individuation and a quest to fulfill spiritual needs.

An ascending balloon signifies frustrating conditions in your life in which you are seeking to rise above. It expresses a desire to escape and the need to acknowledge your inner child.

So it sounds like by joining the two elements of Orange and my hot air balloon I was in fact subconsciously reaching for the same symbolism they bring. 

Already thinking about next years door!

Customised Plates - a little peek at the process....

I have been wanting to document the process of painting a customised plate for some time.  But I have never really photographed the stages, as I am usually too in the 'zone' to think about stopping and taking pics.  When I was asked recently to paint a rather amazing image, on a vintage plate that was to be a gift.  I thought it would be the perfect chance to show you all what is involved!  Hope you like......

I was commissioned by the lovely Cate - a very good customer of mine, who just happens to have a pretty impressive collection of my plates herself.

She thought it was about time to spread some Odd One Out love to her friend Tara, who has the most amazing tattoo of a rather saucy looking mermaid.  I love painting tattoos on plates so needless to say I was pretty excited about doing this one.  Here is the photo she gave me for inspiration.....

First thing to do was find a vintage plate that would complement the image, and Cate was keen for something with a nautical vibe.  I found a few options from my collection and Cate chose this vintage 1950s plate which had a super cool original yachting image on it.

 And here we go..........painting time!

I've developed this kind of - outline in dots technique - to map out the placement and the proportion of the illustration first.  Working with porcelain paint is rather difficult and if you go wrong it is much easier to remove a few dots than a big thick painted line.  I've always drawn and painted from the outside in and I find this works best for me on plates too!

I decide that she would look pretty cool holding on to the yacht and I want the seagulls to be flying around her head so I change the angle of her body just slightly.

Once I'm happy with the placement and how the proportion is looking I start filling in the outlines.

Because the porcelain paint dries really slowly you have to be careful where your hands are so you don't smudge the paint.  I always start from the top left and work my way down to the bottom right.  If you make a mistake you have to let it dry completely before trying to fix it or it can get very messy!  I have the original printed out to refer to as I go.  (Please excuse the dark photo - I do most of my painting at night.)






 Now is the hard part for me - I have to let it completely dry before I continue.  I really hate stopping painting, but leave it overnight.  Then I fix any details or lines that I don't like - repaint and let it dry again.

Next is the fun bit adding all the little details, like the scales and shading.  I always find faces really hard so I usually have a couple of goes at getting the expression just right.

I want her to look a bit special to I decide to add a bit of gold detailing.  Gold porcelain paint is super tricky to deal with too!  I add tiny little dots to give the scales and her hair a bit of a glow.

et Voila!  she is finished.  I love how this one turned out - a bit of a challenge but super fun to paint.

Thanks Cate!

Tattooed plate meets the original!  Hope you love your present Tara - what an awesome friend you have  - to think of such an original and personalised gift.

An anniversary, some thank you's..... oh and a giveaway..... or three!

It's celebration time in the Odd One Out household this month - It has been 1 whole year since I started up my wee Facebook page and also a year (this month) since I nervously attended my first market.  Amazing!  It feels like a lifetime but also like I've just started, if you know what I mean.  I have met some truly awesome people along the way both customers and fellow crafters - many who have become dear friends.  I need to thank some very important people who have helped me along the way - so bear with me and then I will get on to the giveaways. 

Firstly a massive thank you goes out to Mr Odd One Out.  Little did he imagine that my wee hobby would take over both our lives so much.  I've always made these things for us, as gifts for friends and family and occasionally orders from friends of friends etc - this he was used to but then I announced that I was going to try a market (just one!) and here we are 12 months later..... with markets every second week or so, a spare room that's not so spare anymore, more plates and odd bits and pieces than you could even imagine and an awful lot of babysitting now done by the Mr.  So big ♥s to him.

Second big thank you to my lovely and talented friend Koyal.  She has had far more faith in me than I have ever had, and pretty much had to drag me kicking and screaming into the market scene.  I think she had been cajoling me into having a stall at a market for a couple of years before I finally agreed to share half a table with her last year, and I am forever indebted to her for persisting with me.  I truly didn't think that anyone would really want to buy my work and I remember being so nervous and slightly embarrassed at my first market.  So thank you miss Koyal for all your encouragement.  (By the way she is the most amazing knitwear designer so go and check out her Facebook page too)  Here we are at one of my first markets - Crafternoon Tea in Kingsland.

Ok so now down to the...................



For all the lovely people that have supported me at markets and have bought online here is a $5 voucher that can be used until the end of the year.  Please print it off and bring it with you to markets or quote the reference number before paying for Facebook orders.

I have a very curious (read nosy) nature and I love to know what happens to the things I sell - where they go, how they are displayed etc.  So this draw is for everyone that owns a little piece of Odd One Out.  It could be a plate, portrait, lamp or cushion - even jewellery.  Just take a photo of it in its new home and email it to me.  I will put the pics up in a little album on my Facebook page and everyone will go in the draw to win their choice of my illustrations on a vintage plate.  Woohoo! 

Just one picture per person please - I know some of you have lots of plates!

I will announce the winner on my Facebook  page on the 12th November - you will need to get in touch with me by the 15th November or I will draw another name.

I love a good competition - and this one is open to ALL my Facebook friends.  Just let me know in the comments below, what plate design of mine you would most like to win - and you will go into the draw to win that very design!  (Have a look through my Facebook albums if you can't think of one off the top of your head.)

One comment per person please - but if you share this on your Facebook page or Blog do let me know - I will sneak another entry in for you :) 

I will announce the winner on my Facebook  page on the 12th November - you will need to get in touch with me by the 15th November or I will draw another name. 

(Sorry to all my lovely overseas followers but these competitions are only open to those with an NZ address I can send the plate to.)



I'm looking forward to seeing what designs you all choose!

My Origami inspired plate range....

I love Origami - well I am completely useless at making it but I do love looking at it and funnily enough drawing it!  Something about those clean, sharp, straight lines look really awesome in illustrations.  Even though I can get really frustrated painting them, I keep persisting - you need such a steady hand and the thick porcelain paint and curved plates don't really do me any favours. 

As you know I tend to paint in themes - Tattoo's, Shadow Puppets etc, so I thought I would share some of my origami inspired designs.  I think they are beginning to form quite a cute little group now.

 

 

I would love to know if you have any requests or ideas for more!

♥♥♥

And I just have to show you the little book that was the inspiration behind it all....

How cute is that cover! 

I found this vintage 1960's children's 'how to' book about four years ago.  The cover was just irresistible and the little pages are all filled with cute illustrations and folding instructions.  Someone has lovingly completed all the projects and stuck them in their places on each page (I would never have had the patience as a kid!)  Best of all there is still a whole heap of that vintage Japanese paper filed away in the back - I just need to think of a special project to use it for :)  Check out some of the cool illustrations.....

                                                                                                 

Before & After - Mr Stag gets a makeover!

Well this before and after is not a recent one, but I thought I would share it with you - as I get so many people asking me where I got the pink stags head that features in one of my postcards. 

We had been collecting these retro French plastic stag head / barometers for some time, and I always thought that they would be really cool for hanging jewellery off.  The thing is - they are not very pretty and I didn't think that they would go with the style of my bedroom very well as they were.  So a bit of dissection and a quick go-over with some spray paint, followed by a touch of hand painting and his make-over was complete!  Or should I say his gender re-assignment - he does look very pretty now but I still call him Mr Stag!

He does make such a cute model for my jewellery range don't you think!  And here is is again hanging on the wall of my bedroom.  I promise in real life it is not this tidy - and Mr Stag usually has a heap more jewellery to contend with.  This pic was taken when my home was featured in the August 2009 Your Home & Garden Magazine - hence the minimal (well minimal for me!) decor.

 

Thanks to Pugly Pixel for the cute photo template!                            

Before & After - Jewellery Display

As you will know by now - I am always finding little junk store discoveries.  I love to find ways of making them new, giving them a bit of a new life or a bit of a zhush (that's a word right?)

Most end up as part of my collections to sell but there are quite a few things I keep.  One thing I always kick myself over, is that I don't EVER take before photos.  I'm usually too keen to get into the makeover that it is not until it's all finished that I think "man I should have photographed that first".  So this before & after section of my blog is an effort to remedy that.

Here is the first little vintage find that I managed to remember to get a pic of first.  I think is is some kind of posy vase?  Anyway, I just loved the yellow base and thought it would make a cute jewellery display for my craft fair table.  I just wound some string around the wires to hold my earrings in place and a bit of foam and an old doiley were quickly turned into a ring display.

I think it's pretty cute don't you? and best of all it only took about 15 minutes to make - gotta love that!

Thanks to Pugly Pixel for the cute photo template!

Shadow Puppets - a new plate range!

I loved playing shadow puppets as a kid and now my 2 year old is discovering how fun they can be.  What a perfect edition to my hand painted vintage plates - and a bonus, they combine three of my favorite things to paint....

hands

silhouettes

& cute critters!

here are my first two of the range, there will be more to follow.  I am thinking a dog, a deer and possibly an elephant.  What was your favourite to make as a kid?  I am pretty sure I could only manage the bird and a sort of dog looking creature!

  

Oooh and I will be listing these ones on my Felt shop now - if any one is interested in buying the first ones!

 

My Vintage Week

Some lovely little finds last week.....

Oh so cute! miniature porcelain horses.  This was one of those try not to squeal out loud moments.  I have been looking for something similar for so long and now I have a pair!

and I have some exciting makeover plans for these two... stay tuned.

It's been so cold recently I think I am subconsciously compelled to buy everything warm and fluffy.

This little knee rug was so kooky looking with its strange grannyesque colour combinations (it looks a bit muted in the pic but there are actually fluro yarns in there) and at just $2 it really wanted to come home with me, so it did!

Turns out I needed a little knee rug in my studio - but man do I feel I have aged a tad sitting here typing with it on my knees.  Just as well you cant see me huh!

I actually have no excuse for buying these apart from the fact that I had never seen round cards before and they look kinda cool.

I'm sure I will find something to do with them one day - except for playing with them as it totally didn't occur to me at the time to count them first!

You see it really doesn't take much thinking on my part before some weird little object comes home with me - I have a very serious vintage addiction and no plans at all for rehab.

I try not to go out vintage shopping with an expectation of what I need or might find because it inevitably leads to disappointment and I find it means I'm too focused and I miss stuff.

But I really really needed to find some plates suitable for painting Mr Stag.  He is proving really popular and believe it or not in my STACKS of vintage plates (remind me to show you, because the collection is looking quite impressive - bordering on compulsive!) there are none suitable.

To my surprise I found five - just sitting there in one shop.  It was just like someone had hand picked them and had them waiting for me.  Yay!  And look at those two at the top - gorgeous.  No idea what they will turn out to be just yet.