my christmas cards

it's not about santa, reindeer, and in australia definitely NOT about snow!

this is the real message of christmas.

i managed to find just a bit of time to make just a few cards for just a few people : )

3 and a half more sleeps!!!

...until i'm 'home' for christmas.

can't wait for crisp air, mountains and green everywhere.

so stunning.

pic 1 coles bay from swansea at sunset

pic 2 from the top of mount barrow

work christmas cards

christmas cards i designed to send to our clients at work.

this was a stuck-in-peak-hour-traffic idea.

love the design, not so much loving hand scoring and cutting 50 of them!

though worth it for something a bit 'outside the square'.

i have a thing for great packaging

one of my fav blogs is thedieline.com/blog/

these are my picks.

i 'collect' images/photos/designs/packaging/brochures/ads/etc that capture/inspire/move me.

currently have a box full of printed material at home and a folder of 200+ images on my computer.

oh, and a million little memories/ideas/creative thoughts floating around in my head.

i have last years special absolut vodka bottle.

and yes i bought it cause it was in a red sequined cover.

still half full – i'm not a big spirits drinker.

now I have to buy the leather studded bottle this year cause it's even cooler!

i have a little sister and she is amazing

my little (no so little anymore!) sister elise is following in my footsteps.

she has just completed year 12 and is planning on studying graphic design full time next year.

i'm helping her compile a bit of a portfolio from her studies to date so she can look for some work experience during her summer break.

i'm so proud of you 'elsie-jones'.

i just love this piece of work.

felt owls

my darling, darling, darling mum's latest little present package included these adorable little owls for me and housemate mel.

they now have a lovely home hanging of branches in a vase on our dining table.

thanks ree-ree. xxx

christmas design giveaway

yes, 'tis the season to be jolly!

so i've got myself into the christmas spirit and designed a little christmas giveaway.

consisting of:

• christmas cards (happy christmas & season's greetings)

• gift tags

• gift wrap

PLEASE NOTE: ONLY AVAILABLE VIA EMAIL.

if you would like the a copy of the free design please email me at

amandabosveld@hotmail.com

with the subject title:

'dear musketeer christmas design giveaway'

and I will send it to you!

the PDF i'll supply includes all print ready files and instructions.

please allow a couple of days for my reply as, believe it or not, I am not constantly tied to a computer.

enjoy

xxx

my recommendation for the week...

fillet steak with tarragon & parsley bearnaise on potato mash.

or

kangaroo fillet, spiced & served pink on potato mash, with plim, apple & star anise compote & red wine jus.

the divine meals bunky and i had at char char bull in freo on tuesday night.

farewell dinner for my (current) best mate in perth who's moving back to tassie next week.

yes bunky, you are being replaced for leaving me. ha ha.

good food always soothes a sad soul.

i have a thing for frost design t-shirts

my favourite designer.

the BEST t-shirts.

i have been coveting the 'arms around you' t for about a year now.

christmas pres to myself?

image via here

hello summer

yay for today.

it's the first day of summer.

a whole 3 months of mostly sweltering western australian heat.

i can't wait.

i love that weather.

the only time it gets unbearable is when i drive my (rather old and crappy) non air con ford festiva on the way home from work, stuck on the freeway in 40 degrees heat with the sun beating down.

hmmm...

buy a new car?

yes i should.

but all that aside i'm looking forward to hot nights, beach weekends and not a jumper in sight.

pic via here

close to my heart

this is the latest promotional material I have been working on for HeartKids.

just a few facts:

• six babies are born with heart disease in australia every day

• heart disease is the main reason children are admitted to intensive care

• heart disease is the leading cause of death in australian children under the age of 5

• heart defects are found in one in every 100 babies born in australia

• heart defects are the most common birth abnormality

to support, go to www.heartkids.org.au

birthday girl and bump

it is my beautiful sister in law's birthday on sunday.

isn't her baby bump so adorable!

one of the most amazing, perfect pregnant people you will ever see.

love you sweety.

happy happy birthday.

love you too spec – can't wait to meet you.

photo from when katie was in perth a few weeks ago.

good times.

christmas present preview

i've been spending some spare moments (i have spare time!?) to design christmas presents for my tassie family who i get to visit again at the end of december.

turning out to be a BIG project, coming up with unique and exciting presents for all 12 of them.

i think it's 12... (5 siblings + parent x 2 + in laws x 2 + 3 kids = 12)

can't wait til it's 13 in January!

anyway this is the project i'm working on for darren.

just showing the illustrations at this stage.

not that he even checks my blog much and is coming to wa tonight anyway.

family visits coming out of my ears!

i love.

little people fun

babychino's down on the waterfront in freo.

lots of zoo excitement with animals, icecreams, carousels and sunny skies.

my heart pancakes for breakfast with my fabulous blueberry sauce.

(yes sometimes I enter the kitchen... reluctantly)

and so much more...

lots of love

aren't they a beautiful little family!

i had the most wonderful, fun (rather tiring and still recovering) week with my little people + sisel (christine) + ed.

traveling with 3 little ones across the country is to be admired in itself.

lots of love to you all for the visit, the millions of hugs, the games, the laughter and the love.

pics from our yummy dinner at the norfolk in fremantle

buckets of love

i'm so excited!

just about to go and pick my little people up from the airport!

that equates to my nieces alannah (6) and imogen (3), and my nephew finn (8ish months).

well really my sister and brother in law too.

oh, I am looking forward to seeing them too but especially my little people who I miss so so much.

imogen just had her birthday and alannah's is soon, so I made them some buckets of love.

each contains:

• bucket and spade for the beach

• cute little racer back tank tops

• a handbag

• play-doh

• colouring-in pictures

• crayons

• bowl, cup and cutlery

looking for aunty of the year award or what?

where the sea meets the sand

...on a sunday sunset at cottesloe.

the colours and textures mesmerise me.

access wardrobes

here's another design – this one done this week for my uncle in tassie.

starting his own business – i'm the designer in the family.

couple of sketches, bit of a play with shape and colour and here you have it.

great that i can do this for my family from all the way across the country.

tell me – what did people do when there was no email?

(says the girl who adores snail mail – the letter type, not bills)

they're engaged

i've been a busy little design beaver this week.

here's one of the projects for my friends.

josh & cherri's got engaged last weekend!

i didn't believe them at first – but that's a whole other story.

so where there's a party, there must be an invite.

blackboard footprints poem

so i finally got around to getting my blackboard up.

a plan since i saw the ugly bare wooden panel that houses the fridge in our kitchen.

so cousin daniel (aka blonde daniel) who also happens to be housemate mel's uncle (weird but true), got us a piece of mdf cut to size.

so i primed, painted and tacked it on.

so in love with it.

friends at our housewarming had a great time writing poems, drawing pictures and even notes about coming events.

currently it is home to my favourite poem, footprints in the sand.

i have a new awe for teachers who can write in straight lines on a chalkboard.

not easy.

click to enlarge pic

these are a few of my favourite things...

my gorgeous handmade silver bird earings from cocoon.

coco chanel pefume. sigh. it's an empty bottle but still smells divine.

note to self: buy some more. or get a boyfriend so he can. ha ha

my mirror brooches.

i have a girl and a bunny from my DARLING big sis for my last birthday.

they do blind people when they catch the light though.

'U2 boy' original record.

great find at my brother's school fair.

one of my favourite album covers ever.

i have a thing for sesame street

i love the google pics.

(you know how they make the word google into an image on their home page to celebrate some occasion)

but this sesame street series takes the cake.

it was to celebrate the 40th anniversary.

how clever are these!!!

i loved sesame street as a kid.

one of my earliest childhood memories is waking up from my afternoon sleep and bert and ernie were on tv.

just remember being so happy.

thanks for the memories google.