Here is a messy little drawing I made for an internet friend (Kelly). She said she'd like to collect drawings of artists' tools by different artists to stick on the wall in her studio and I thought it was a very fun idea. Below is the original drawing (sakura gel pens on black paper) that I sent to Kelly - I scanned it and redrew it in Photoshop to make it a bit cleaner (maybe too clean, I kind of like the roughness of hand drawn). Now I'm going to go make something else with some of those tools and listen to some Feist.

Whoops, I kind of forgot to take any photos of this giant belly of mine for three weeks. Though it doesn't really feel like it's gotten much bigger since the last time I took photos. I had forgotten all about this dress and I wish I'd remembered sooner; I probably would have worn it a dozen times more during pregnancy - something that fits! (I have had one or two of those weeping "I HAVE NOTHING THAT FITS ME!" days lately).

Yesterday we had a check up and the midwife poked and prodded me and seemed fairly sure that baby boy was breech and hadn't turned around yet. She started making preparations for me to have a formal ultrasound and to have him turned around and began explaining the risks associated with it and I was a bit disheartened, but thankfully I got to pop into the room next door for a quick ultrasound and it turned out he's happily head down - I guess heads and bottoms are kind of hard to tell apart. He's just very high up and is very long (which is possibly why my belly is very rounded. I kept feeling confused when people would say "wow, your belly is ROUND", thinking, aren't all pregnant bellies? But mine does seem particularly round). Perhaps he'll be six feet tall like his dad? (I'm 5'4").




I am so happy to be so close to the finish line. Except for some minor sleeping problems, a sore tailbone and getting the occasional stitch, I really haven't had much to complain about in these last few weeks and I'm really grateful for that. I'm still doing a lot of walking about, going into town and I even walked up and down the gigantic hill to and from my house last week (so very steep!). I don't think I'll be doing that again before the birth (I had to sleep for the rest of the afternoon afterwards), but it feels good to still be active. I think I'd go insane if I were bed ridden or told to limit my movements.



So, baby boy just needs to work on moving a little further down and he should show himself in the next couple of weeks - apparently more walking and sitting on an exercise ball will help with that. We took a tour of the labour ward a couple of weeks ago and it's really lovely there and has some beautiful artworks. I know that I should have packed my bag by now, but I guess I'm still using all of the things I'd put in it. I should definitely get around to that this week (Lauren and I were due to have our babies in the same week but she had her daughter 5 weeks early!). Tomorrow we're going to the open house inspection for a place I am dreaming of living in (though unless a lottery win is imminent I doubt will happen).

Ps. My cute brooch was a present from Holly. She's going to be finishing up her sweet Pannikin range of jewellery and moving on to different things shortly, so you should check out her cute wares before they're all gone.

I've been waiting for the past week for a nice sunny day to take some photos of these paper packs, but that perfect day just wouldn't appear so I made do yesterday while the sun changed every ten seconds. I have three packs for sale in my Etsy at the moment and am hoping to put together a couple more. They're very fun, albeit time consuming to put together! There's about seventy bits of papery miscellanea in each pack. Putting them together makes me want to get out my own supplies and make collages and art journal pages. Hope you like 'em!

Today we did some shopping then got home just as a massive thunderstorm broke over the top of us. Thunderstorms are extremely uncommon in Tasmania, probably one little one at most per year, but today's storm rivalled the tropical ones we used to have back in NSW. So much hail and thunder and worried cats, and then, an hour later, a perfect sunny afternoon...




+ first image (of hail, not snow!) by ABC Northern Tasmania

...in April.


I put together some new paper packs.


I learned how to knit!


I started Ello Lovely's April Drawing A Day Challenge, but didn't finish. I'm bad at adhering to prompts!






I had some thrifting and market wins!



This cheeky cat hid in things.






I played with some paints and pens.


Katyha sent me the sweetest package containing the most delightful vintage baby clothes.




I spent a lot of time cuddling this guy.


C practiced swaddling and nappy changing on a stuffed maneki-neko doll! He's pretty good!


I went to watch Q&A being filmed in Launceston and this is what I wore.


And last but not least... Atticus got a new friend. His name is Tintin (named after the cartoon/book character) and he's very sweet. I'll have to tell you more about him shortly.

Listening | Alt J (new favourite), Rufus Wainwright & The Beach Boys (old favourites).
Reading | Silver Linings Playbook (loving it).
Watching | Game Of Thrones S3, Daria, One Born Every Minute (I know I shouldn't, ha) and Catfish.
Consuming | Litres and litres of 'Diet Rite Apple Raspberry Cordial'. I seriously caught myself last night semi-sleepwalking to the kitchen to get myself a glass in the middle of the night, obsessed.
Making | Paper packs, little gouache paintings and chocolate cake.
Looking forward to | BABY, BABY, BABY!
In May I'd like to | Be the recipient of many back rubs, finish a few books, do some fun creative bits and pieces and hopefully have a really boring old, stock standard birth (I've started having funny dreams about it)! I can't believe this time next month I'll probably be writing this post while cuddling a tiny baby!