MirthQuake

Oriental Magpie-Robin -Birds in Thailand

2012-01-28T10:25:00.005-05:00

After sewing pillow cases for the last 1,5 weeks I have finally found some time to look at my pictures of Thailand. This is the first one that I wanted to look at. It was a little birdie that joined us by the pool of our hotel in Bangkok. I said: "Hey, that looks like a magpie and moves like a robin!" I looked it up in the guide I had with me at-all-times. And whatdoyouknow... and it's called an Oriental Magpie-Robin! How original, but then again, why think of a difficult name when this says it all. It is like a miniature magpie.

Na anderhalve week kussenhoezen naaien heb ik eindelijk tijd gevonden om naar mijn foto's van Thailand te kijken. Dit is de eerste waar ik naar wilde kijken. Het was een klein vogeltje dat bij ons zat aan het zwembad van ons hotel in Bangkok. Ik riep uit: "Heee dat lijkt wel een ekster en hij beweegt als een roodborstje!"Ik zocht het gelijk op in mijn vogelgidsje dat ik -heel-de-tijd bij me had. En wat denk je? Het heet een Orientel Magpie-Robin (orientaalse ekster-roodborst) maar Dayallijster in het Nederlands. Erg origineel de Magpie-robin, maar ja, waarom zou je een moeilijke naam bedenken als deze alles zegt? Het is net een mini ekstertje.

Breakfast with Tiffany

2012-01-22T07:43:00.007-05:00

It's been almost a week that I am back and the jetlag made me a little drowsy during the day. I am still on Thailand-time. I am really happy to be back home, and I actually missed interacting with clients, and just generally everything about my work (although I am glad most hotels have wifi these days to keep me busy).

One of the things I love about talking with my customers is when they share how they enjoy the birds around them, and how they admire nature.

So when I got home I loved reading this lovely message from Tiffany and I received a photo of her backyard birds. They're not quite your average sparrow or blackbird.

Tiffany lives in Australia and she and her husband are huge bird fans.

And while I am looking at a grey white sky here in the Netherlands, Tiffany woke up to find

these wild cockatoos dropping in for breakfast with her yesterday morning. They can feed out of her hand but she tries not to encourage that too much to keep them wild and wonderful as they are.

But everyone can use a little help sometimes so on hot days they come to her balcony to be sprayed with water to cool down a bit in the hot Aussie summer.

Thanks so much Tiffany, a great photo with a wonderful story!!

Libelle!!!!

2011-11-18T13:23:00.003-05:00

Holland's largest women's magazine Libelle has published my black bird pillow in this week's issue!

I am so thrilled! It is keeping me busy alright! I love how they say that this is their selection of things that make them happy.

Het grootste vrouwen tijdschrift van Nederland, de Libelle heeft deze week in een artikel mijn merel kussen geplaatst!! Geweldig dat erbij staat dat dit de dingen zijn waar ze vrolijk van worden!

Ik ben door het dolle heen!!!

Stork Sign // geboortebord Ooievaar.

2011-11-11T08:03:00.004-05:00

You could read about my Stork project here. Je kon hier lezen over mijn plan een ooievaar geboorte bord te maken.

The first Stork banner for indoors is done! This beautiful banner is a new way to announce the birth of your baby. It is easy to make and it will stand out stylishly!

De Ooievaar banner voor binnen ik klaar! Deze mooie banner is een nieuwe manier om de je kindje aan de wereld voor te stellen. De banner is makkelijk te maken en valt op door zijn stijlvolle uiterlijk!
All you need is some ribbon or thread, 2 screw eyes, 2 small wooden sticks, and a sewing machine!

Alles wat je nodig hebt is wat lint of visdraad, 2 schroefoogjes, 2 houten latjes, en een naaimachine!

You can write the name of your baby on it with felt letters, or a marker. //Je kunt er zelf met vilten letters of stift de naam van je kindje op maken.

The Stork //De Ooievaar

2011-11-01T17:33:00.002-04:00

In The Netherlands there is practically no baby born and welcomed into a new home without a wooden Stork or other type of announcement, sign or figure in the front yard.

People have been looking for creative alternatives. We've seen the Disney look-a-likes, and now we see the more showy inflatable babies you can rent and place in the front yard. Personally I like the tradition of the stork. But I have never seen an actual realistic looking stork anywhere. Of course I see why. Not everyone can draw one on a wooden panel and paint it. You usually see abstract versions of the stork. I think the stork can be stylish too!

I would like to make one everyone can use! I asked my sister-in-law who is expecting her first child in December if she and her husband had plans to make a sign.

If grandpa was already in the shed painting and sawing a sign that would be wonderful and I would leave it at that. I have seen gardens stuffed with signs of all of Disney's characters and it didn't look swell I can tell you that. You can see the creative wars of family members making the biggest & bestest. "But," my sister-in-law continued, "we don't have a front yard, so I don't know where to place it anyway." Ahah! I'd like to solve that problem too.

I first thought I was going to make some sort of window sticker. But then challenges arose on how to print such a large white bird and I saw limitations to cut the sticker smoothly.Hmmm. Then the charm of making something yourself by your family members or by the future dad came back to mind. That is lovely.

So it had to become a DIY kit. My love for textiles combined with this idea lead to me making the stork into a banner you can hang in front of your window. I love the idea of the mom-to-be or grandma-to-be sewing this banner, and making it with some basic materials. You can hang it in front of the window when the baby is just born or even outside. You will be able to write the name on the banner or sew it on the banner with felt letters or something.

I am thinking about an alternative that is more suitable for grandfathers perhaps, or just people with front yards. I want to have a stork image you can paste on a piece of wood and place in your front yard. Or you can secure it on the wall. It has to be big, but classy, and new!

So now I had to draw the bird! I first drew a sketch; I know, this always looks a bit daft.

Then some basic shadows and the eye...

Then some feathers....

And then I got feedback from Martijn that the eye was a bit scary, and I softened it a bit as you can see in the final version above. And you can see the legs are now straight. It has to be cut out later, and if that becomes too difficult, the grandparents will go crazy.

The first samples for the DIY kits are being printed as we speak!

MirthQuake turns into MYRTE

2011-11-01T09:11:00.000-04:00

I've redesigned & rearranged my blog a little bit in preparation of the big name change that will come about in not too long a time.

Because of several different reasons I got a little detached from my first name MirthQuake. I used it way back in 2005 when I hadn't drawn a single bird and I only made clothes. It grew with me but I think right now it doesn't cover what I am about. My illustrations and my story are personal, and my name wasn't personal anymore- I thought. So what would be more personal than using my own name for my label? The name in the Netherlands wasn't as common when I was born as it is now. But now it is usually spelled differently. So it is very personal for me.

Soon my new website http://www.LoveMyrte.com will be up and running in English and in Dutch. It will feature ways to follow me, buy my home decor items as well as my clothes and handbags.

How to pronounce my name? It is not like Myrtle- I am sorry that would be too easy. The Y is like the i in 'mitt'. and the TE is like a sigh. Put a feather on the table and try to move it my saying TE to it. Then you have it. The R is another story. It is a french R. But I will accept alternatives as it is pretty difficult. My Last name. Duh, but without Homer Simpson's surprised twist to it. And then the difficult part ZEEUW. It looks harder than it is: Zayw. Forget the U. That's it; Mirtteh Duh Zayw. You got it!

Ik heb mijn blog vernieuwd en een beetje herschikt in afwachting van van de grote naamsverandering die in niet al te lange tijd definitief zal zijn. Vanwegeverschillende redenen raakte ik een beetje los van de naam MirthQuake. Ik gebruikte 'm al in 2005, toen ik nog geen enkele vogel had getekend en ik alleen kleding maakte. MirthQuake groeide met mij, maar ik denk nu dat het steeds minder van toepassing is op wat ik nu maak. Mijn werk en mijn verhaal zijn persoonlijk, en mijn naam voelde niet persoonlijk. Dus wat is er meer persoonlijk dan het gebruik van mijn eigen naam voor mijn label? Nu worden er Myrthe's geboren ipv Myrte, en dat maakt Myrte nog meer van mij.

Binnenkort is mijn nieuwe website http://www.LoveMyrte.com klaar, in het Engels en in het Nederlands. Je vindt er nieuws en kunt er dan mijn items kopen zoals mijn kussens, handtassen en kleding.

Bedding for Galerie Tydeman

2011-10-31T12:20:00.000-04:00

It feels a little bit like New Year's. The parties were great, but now all is over, and we have to wait for another year to have such a great week again. The Dutch Design Week is over, and I have enjoyed as many locations and galleries as I could squeeze in my own busy schedule of sewing and delivering pillow cases to my stockists and being present for talks and meetings.

Below you see a snapshot impression of the duvet cover I made for Galerie Tydeman. The response was great and it has inspired me to continue on this path and design more compositions for bedding. The Duvet cover is sold exclusively through Galerie Tydeman. You can contact them here: http://www.tydeman.nl/ It will also be available as a single duvet cover, and special requests can be done as well.
The throw pillows & cases are also for sale through my own website and by special order via my stockists.
And of course I have written a story about the cedar waxwings. It is printed on the cover for you to enjoy

The Cedar Waxwing is a beautiful bird. I met him when I was staring at a waterfall in Canada. Suddenly he was sitting on a branch next to me. They hear the sound of water and it draws them to it. I am sure he is enjoying the look of the water gushing into the river just as much as I am. They look pretty tough with that mask and the mohawk. But they are very social birds, living in large groups. They are able to pass berries over to each other and feed each other. Next to that they enjoy the fine things in life. They like their berries and are not very picky when it comes to quality. Sometimes they raid a tree with berries that are already fermenting. The berries make them drunk. For a while they just tumble over the ground and flap their wings with no effect. Until they are sobered up and then it is on to the next meal.

The duvet cover is made of 100% organic cotton and full color printed on the loveliest sateen. The covers are handmade with love.

If you would like more information contact me through mirthquake [at] gmail [dot] com.

Agenda Dutch Design Week

2011-10-20T04:20:00.000-04:00

Dutch version see below

The Dutch Design Week is upon us and I already heard there's a lot of attention for it, calling Eindhoven; the Milan of the Netherlands. I am very pleased so many people like, bloggers, editors and designlovers come to my hometown. I would like to share where my products can be found in this week from 22nd - 30th of October.

Firstly Gallery Tydeman, a very charming initiative by brother and sister Tydeman. They empty their home to fill it again with the work of designers they've found throughout the Netherlands. They have asked me to design a duvet cover for the bedroom.

If you're visiting the centre of the Design Academy in De Witte Dame, you're just minuted away from their apartment. From more information click here.

The second event I am taking part in is the presentation "Openhartig" of the Temporary Concept Store. This shop sells my pillow cases and dresses. They invite their designers to speak about their work. On Sunday October 23rd at 4 pm/16.00u I will tell all about my philosophy. This shop is also close to De Witte Dame en Design Academy. Click here for details.

Lastly my work is part of the Etsy mini exhibit about their platform and story telling. It can be see in het Klokgebouw / Strijp S. Etsy is an online platform for creatives and I run my international webshop there. More information click here.

I would love to invite you to one of these events (or all three!). See you there!

NEDERLANDS
De Dutch Design Week nadert en hierbij zou ik u graag willen wijzen op de activiteiten waar ik aan deelneem met mijn vogeltjes. Deze week wordt de DDW van 22 tot 30 oktober georganiseerd en trekt wereldwijd geïnteresseerden.

Allereerst Galerie Tydeman, het meest charmante initiatief: Broer en zus Tydeman maken hun huis in het centrum van Eindhoven helemaal leeg en richten het opnieuw in met de mooiste designmeubelen en designitems. Bij hen zal mijn allereerste dekbed te zien zijn temidden van allerlei prachtigs van andere ontwerpers.

Als je een bezoek brengt aan de Witte Dame of de Design Academy ben je er al vlakbij. Op 5 minuten lopen vind je de galerie. Voor openingstijden en route kijk hier.

Het tweede event waar mijn werk te zien is, is de presentatie "Openhartig" van de Temporary Concept Store. Deze winkel verkoopt mijn kussens en jurkjes en nodigt de ontwerpers van het werk in de winkel uit een lezing te geven over de achtergrond van het werk. Ik zal zondag 23 oktober om 16.00u wat gaan vertellen over wat mij drijft en welke technieken ik gebruik. Deze winkel bevindt zich ook vlakbij de Witte Dame en Design Academy.

Voor meer informatie over de andere ontwerpers en de locatie, kijk hier.

Daarnaast maakt een van mijn kussens ook deel uit van de selectie artikelen die door Etsy.com in het Klokgebouw worden gepresenteerd. Etsy is een online platform voor creatieven en ik heb er mijn internationale webshop ondergebracht. Etsy heeft altijd leuke initiatieven waar je je creatieve talent kunt ontwikkelen. Tijdens de DDW onganiseren ze een workshop Storytelling. Meer informatie kijk hier.

Graag wil ik u uitnodigen om een van deze evenementen te bezoeken. Ik kom u graag tegen. Kijk hier voor de andere evenementen. Laat u verrassen door een van de vele interessante evenementen die worden georganiseerd!

Sfeer

2011-10-20T03:59:00.000-04:00

NRC National newspaper

2011-10-17T09:41:00.000-04:00

Lucky, that's what I am to be featured in these big magazines and newspaper. Now even a National Newspaper. I was briefly interviewed on my work and mainly on Etsy and what it meant for my business. I told the journalist all about my customers, why birds(always a question that comes up somehow) and what Etsy did for me. Along with three other sellers and EtsyNL's spokesperson Marta Pakovska I could share!

Lots of wonderful new folks have found my shop now.

Interview and text: Marleen Luijt.

Eindhovens Dagblad & Frits Magazine

2011-09-23T05:39:00.000-04:00

I have been very lucky to get so much attention for my work lately. Some lovely people at our regional news paper Eindhovens Dagblad with 111.000 readers decided to give me an interview of more than half a page! I absolutely love it. Next to that our city's magazine "Frits" also featured my pillows on their page with shopping tips.

I have been very busy because of them. Both the Eindhoven shops that stock my articles have been sold out in a matter of days. And it took days to sew all the direct orders.

Right now I am sewing like crazy to restock the shops, all the direct orders have been shipped!

Duvet cover

2011-09-21T08:03:00.000-04:00

It was the perfect comabination : my man wanted a holiday, and I needed some isolition to focus on the project (duvet cover)for Galerie Tydeman and the Dutch Design Week I still had a lot to do, or rather I still had to start. So we went to the South of France close to the Camargue where we saw a huge white egret and flamingoes. But also close to the Mont Ventoux for Martijn's cycling addiction. In the mornings and evenings I was drawing and in between we saw hedge hogs, squirrels, all kinds of lovely bird and the top of the Mont Ventoux.

The illustration for the duvet cover is done!

And of course I have written a story about the cedar waxwings: The Cedar Waxwing is a beautiful bird. I met him when I was staring at a waterfall in Canada. Suddenly he was sitting on a branch next to me. They hear the sound of water and it draws them to it. I am sure he is enjoying the look of the water gushing into the river just as much as I am. They look pretty tough with that mask and the mohawk. But they are very social birds, living in large groups. They are able to pass berries over to each other and feed each other. Next to that they enjoy the fine things in life. They like their berries and are not very picky when it comes to quality. Sometimes they raid a tree with berries that are already fermenting. The berries make them drunk. For a while they just tumble over the ground and flap their wings with no effect. Until they are sobered up and then it is on to the next meal.

Now I have to wait for the fabric. It will be a two persons cover in luxurious 100% organic cotton in sateen weave. The decorative pillows will be available seperately in my webshops soon! If you are interested in the cover, you can preorder it. Orders will be made in November. If you would like to receive a sample of the fabric let me know as well! mirthquake at gmail dot com

These new things will be released under a new name: Above you see my new logo. I value a personal approach to my customers and that made it a natural thing to sign my products with my own name.

Cardinal

2011-08-01T03:28:00.000-04:00

This is the male of the Cardinals. A beautiful bird that I saw in Central Park NYC. I missed it time and time again, but now a different sound lured me off the path and in the green treetops I saw this little fellow. And I was happy. After that I serached no more. That must be the female's frustration, if your man looks that hot, who will look at you. Thankfully cardinal males are the sweetest husbands around; they cherish their female by giving them yummy goodies!

Here are the cardinals! I gave the male a lead role on a print. A stunning bird

On Etsy

///

Dit is het mannetje van de Cardinals. Een prachtige vogel die ik dit voorjaar in New York zag. Eerder had ik `m keer op keer gemist, maar nu lokte een apart geluidje me van het gebaande pad in Central Park. Tussen de groene boomtoppen zat dit nogal opvallende heerschap. Ik was op slag gelukkig. Ik kon me de frustratie van zijn vrouw wel voorstellen. Als je man er zo uit ziet, wie kijkt er dan naar jou? Gelukkig zijn Cardinal mannetjes heel lief voor hun vrouwtje en voeren ze allerlei lekkere besjes!

Op www.mirthquake.nl

Developing my bird- handbag!!

2011-07-11T08:08:00.000-04:00

Summer just started but my mind is already thinking about Fall. My bird-bag! I really want to have it up in my shop soon! but developing a new product costs time. I learn more everyday. I have to keep telling the printer what I want over and over and I get offered the nicest leathers.

But I believe it has to be leather from a by-product of the beef-industry, I want no young animals, and I only want to work with companies that respect their workers. For the production of the bag itself I think I will keep it close to home too. Dutch craftmanship is what I am looking for. Below a swatch and mini print of the leather. It will be the light tan color in the middle.

The actual print will be bigger and more detailed.

And then the design:

Lots of pockets and zippers and smooth sturdy leather! Your life will fit in it, along with a laptop, ipad, iphone or lots of make-up and scraps!

Flamingo dress part III - Made with of 6 yards of fabric!

2011-06-26T06:49:00.000-04:00

Here and here you could read about my plans to make a Flamingo dress (not to be mistaken with flamenco dress:-) ) As you can see it is finally done. It is made of 6 yards of fabric and makes an impact!

Ariadne at Home

2011-06-15T11:26:00.000-04:00

Happy happy joy joy! As you could read here. I had a photoshoot for Ariadne at Home Magazine. One of The Netherlands' largest home decor magazines. And today it got published!!

Here's the English translation:

Myrte de Zeeuw lives together with Martijn. Myrte creates pillow cases, prints, dresses and bags with birds on it.

"Whether I am a birder? No way! But that was not my intention. You won't see me on a field with binoculars, staring for hours. I am curious about birds, I am always on the lookout for information about the species that I draw. With each dress or pillow case comes a story about the bird, so you get to know him or her a little. I don't trace birds from photos or copy pictures I just come across. I have to meet them first and feel some sort of link. Usually I will make some snapshots and start sketching at home on my computer. The drawing consists of many layers, from background layers, shadows, up to the tiniest feathers and glossy effects. I always start with the eyes by the way. This way the two dimensional image starts to live and looks at me. My favorite? I couldn't say, all birds have something special. But if I had to choose, The European Blackbird. A modest bird, with a modest character, but still all over the place and very present here in The Netherlands.

Text: Selina Ikink, Make-up: Minke Boeijen, Photography: Ernie Enkelaar, Styling and production: Anne Marie van der Horst

A surprise from Mother Nature.

2011-06-10T08:52:00.001-04:00

Some of you have requested for me to draw a Cardinal. A wonderful bird. The bright red males might steal the show of the females that are also just so lovely looking. (If you have a man looking like that others hardly see what a beautiful female you are! ) I want to draw this bird and he's on the list for a long long time. BUT, as some of you may know, I don't draw birds I have never met personally. There might be the rare occasion, when I know someone around me saw it or when the bird is very very special, but not just coz. I feel I have to get to know him and connect a special moment to it. What added some extra frustration is that I have been to places where he lives; (North Eastern USA, Canada) loads. But never saw it. Not that I am ungrateful- I always see loads of other pretty birdies. Last May we went to NYC again, and I had just gotten two more request of doing a Cardinal. We went to the Met one monday(yes) only to find out the Met is closed. So what do you do on a damp spring day? Yes, take a walk in Central Park. I saw so many friendly Robins, and I heard a new sound. I wondered into the trees and saw...... A bright red Cardinal whistling his tail off. Although I am not a bird-nerd, (or am I?) this overwhelmes me with joy.

(My camera is just a point&shoot, but I am an illustrator and not a photgrapher huh?)

New scarf designs

2011-06-07T15:04:00.000-04:00

What was I thinking? It was in my face but I never saw it. I wear scarves all the time! So today I made two designs of my two most recent illustrations.

They are printed on a lovely cotton voile, so the colors sink through the fabric a little, and measure 140x42cm / 55x16 inch. They will be 69 USD / 52 EUR.

Overview of my pillows!

2011-06-06T14:24:00.000-04:00

It's not all of them, but most!

My new Crow dress.

2011-06-06T08:51:00.000-04:00

I am pretty proud of this dress. While drafting the perfect pattern I decided to keep one for myself and I have gone out it in already.

Look at it in my etsy shop, my artfire shop or mijn Nederlandse webshop.

Newsletter May

2011-05-16T12:52:00.000-04:00

Here's my newsletter of May!

Did you already see some young birds in your backyard or parks? Yesterday I missed the blue titmice leaving the nest. This means we will never know how many were in the box, and a bet is without a winner. It sure sounded crowded. One of my new illustrations is made for this lovely time; the young black bird.

But I have been a busy bee, I can show you some more:

The Flamingoes, solo or in a snug group. I drew these birds for a maxi dress, the design you can see here. I ordered the fabric for it and I cannot wait!

The scary house crow, similar to the jackdaw, but a bit larger and scarier. I already have fabric with these birds on a grey watercolor background that I hope to finish this week or the next.

The feathers! A mini collection of a dove, hawk and blue jay's feathers.

All these prints will be made into pillow cases this week! And I also have fabric for a Steller's jay pillow and a yellow rumped warbler pillow! Of course all prints and items are available in my ArtFire shop too.

Interview! I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Jane Hardjono of The Dossier again! She made a clip of my work before, but was interested in my dresses now. She made some photos of my studio and we talked about my clothing and illustrations. You can read it here!!

About my clothing. Feedback on my dress!! Feeback always makes me happy. Working alone it is great to hear what people have to say. I got the sweetest message from Sidsel in Denmark on her new MirthQuake dress: "The dress arrived today. It fits well and it is very beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. I love the print. The dress is definitiely one of my favorites...." HAPPY!

I have some cotton lawn with the crested tits that is waiting to be transformed into a blouse. It will be added to the collection soon!

The winner of the Giveaway in April is Belle from Oss. She sent me a message that she's happy with it! Since I had my 200th sale in my Etsy shop I am organizing another Giveaway, connected to a survey. Two winners will receive a pillow case!! More information will follow!

Will keep you posted!

All the best,

Myrte de Zeeuw

Stay updated through my blog, shops or on facebook!

http://moremirthquake.blogspot.com

http://mirthquake.etsy.com (worldwide) or http://www.mirthquake.nl (dutch)

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mirthquake-by-Myrte-de-Zeeuw/117568784387

Crested tits blouse

2011-05-16T10:33:00.001-04:00

I have some cotton lawn with the crested tits that is waiting to be transformed into a blouse. I have made a muslin of fabric that I had left. some adjustments were needed, but I can quickly finish and list this blouse. I hope this week!

Flamingoes in the water

2011-05-16T05:16:00.000-04:00

So the flamingoes are finally done. I have painted a background for them and put their feet in fresh water. Initially designed as a fabric, the illustration is also available as a print:

Etsy

ArtFire

MirthQuake.nl (dutch)

The fabric is on its way and will be made into this dress. I cannot wait!

Flamingo

2011-05-10T03:26:00.000-04:00

I haven't thought of a story for her yet. She's alone now, but won't be for long as I will make some friends for her today!

Flamingo dress part II

2011-05-09T08:34:00.000-04:00

I am very busy working on the flamingo dress. Another work where I have 5 birds in one picture. This is very intensive to do. I want them to be the same but different birds anyway.

Let's see how I will manage to do this.

How to wear the Crested tits dress

2011-05-05T08:28:00.000-04:00

The silk Crested Titmice dress with Cherry blossom is a perfect basis for a nice spring party outfit. See what lovely items I found everywhere on the net. If I had a party I would go dressed like this!

MirthQuake Crested tit Dress $299. See more here.

Vintage Shoes $20 by RainBowRetro

Fringe bag by $275 Stacy Leigh

Necklace $29.90 GenuinArticle

Ring $46 Anthropologie

Bracelet $145 Elinart

New 16x16 inch 40x40cm pillow cases on their way

2011-05-02T06:18:00.000-04:00

Halfway through May these pillowcases will be added to my collection!

Flamingo dress part I

2011-04-28T09:18:00.000-04:00

Here's the rough sketch of the flamingo dress. I wanted to make a real tropical maxi dress and what bird would look better? None, because they don't only wear "holiday". They are not only tall and exotic. They are also coral pink. And I love coral pink for summer. I want to scatter some water around their feet. If I think of flamingos I think of them in the water. But I hope it will become a bit more vague, not so stripey or colorblock-ish... if you know what I mean.

First I will draw the birds and then I have to think about the rest. Keep you posted!

House crows or jack daws

2011-04-22T13:20:00.000-04:00

Some people love them, some people loathe them. The House Crow. Visitors of Thailand, India or around have seen him. I saw them in Turkey and later in Oman, and they reminded me of the pack of Jackdaws that rule the roofs in my neighborhood. But then scarier and larger. These clever guys don't live away from humans and ensure their survival by adapting to us. Choosing the lazy lifestyle and rummage through our waste, so to speak. So you might not like them, but they do like you.

Baby blackbird with watercolor

2011-04-15T05:22:00.000-04:00

The birth of a baby black bird

2011-04-13T06:05:00.000-04:00

Long overdue- I wanted to draw this bird in 2009 already. My old job got in the way and let's not forget the dreadful cold winter. but now I have found new inspiration in the form of a female blackbird and her husband preparing for the birth of another baby. I can already see mommy gathering branches for her nest. This time of year mommy's boss. In winter dad determines the rules, but now feeding mom is top priority. The cause it to

create one of these down cuties the world is waiting for! My job is to keep the backyard cat-free for a while.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72097295/fine-art-baby-black-bird-8x11-a4

Eindelijk- Ik wilde dit vogeltje al in 2009 tekenen. Mijn oude baan zat me in de weg en laten we de winter niet vergeten. Nu heb ik nieuwe inspiratie gekregen van een vrouwtjes-merel en haar man, die druk bezig zijn om de geboorte van een baby voor te bereiden. Ik zie moeders al in de weer met takjes voor haar nest. Deze tijd van het jaar is mama de baas. In de winter heeft pa het voor het zeggen, maar moeders voedsel brengen is nu topprioriteit. Het grote doel is om nog zo'n schatje te maken waar de wereld op wacht! Mijn taak in het geheel is om de tuin kat-vrij te houden!

Winner of Steller's Jay giveaway

2011-04-13T03:11:00.000-04:00

photo of Wikipeadia

The lucky winner of the Steller's Jay Giveaway is Belle!

Her entry was the Nothern Lapwing /Green Plover. She will soon receive a print of the Jay.

All entries gave me inspiration for new birds, to name a few:

Puffin, Golden Plover, Pied Wagtail, Blue Footed Booby, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, American Goldfinch, Hen, Cardinal, Curlew, Green Heron, Eastern Meadowlark, Spotted Woodpecker, and so on...

Soon there will be a new Giveaway! Keep an eye on my blog or on my facebook page.

A walk in the park: Robin and Chiffchaff

2011-04-07T05:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went for a midday stroll in the park nearby. It is a rural patch of land that's been preserved and is actually very close to the city. I love it there. Just 10 minutes from my house, which I consider to be in the city's centre. All the birds create so much noise at this time of year. It is wonderful!

I saw the robin whistling so loud that it was easy to catch him on camera between the branches.

The chiffchaff was a bit harder to catch. They freeze too short a time to get a good focus on them. I knew there were chiffchaffs there, but I had never been able to take a close look. Thankfully, after 40 minutes of looking for the right moment, I got him! Not too clear, but clear enough to have proof and enjoy his cute little posture!

Steller's Jay a Giveaway!

2011-04-01T08:07:00.000-04:00

I am giving away the first print of the limited edition of 50 on 8*11 inch, fine art paper.

To take part in this giveaway, all you have to do is answer this question:

What bird do you still miss in my collection?

I will randomly choose a winner from all participants. There is no single right answer ;-). On April 8th I will announce the lucky winner.

State your answer to the question in the comments!

The Steller's Jay.

2011-04-01T03:52:00.000-04:00

The Steller's Jay. I am once again happy I survived the process of drawing a bird and came out pleased.

I first saw this beautiful bird in the Shore Pine Bog trail, which is a part of the Pacific Rim National Park- one of the most beautiful places on this planet. Amongst the bright green pines there was a blue spot that drew my attention. It was hopping from treebranch to treebranch always on a safe distance. Obviously eyeing us up for food. I read that this clever bird imitates the call of a hawk to chase other birds away at feeding areas. He must have fun doing that!

You can take a better look here.

Art work for the handbag III

2011-03-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Another step in the process of drawing the steller's jay. I regularly check the drawing with my initial sketch. I also count the feathers, only for my own enjoyment. No purpose to that actually. I just like to see how many strokes I have placed. A clear difference with working with pen and paper. Then you could never check such sily things. At this point there are 4181 feathers. And many more to come!

Art work for the handbag II

2011-03-30T07:09:00.000-04:00

As you can read here, I am in the process of drawing a Steller's Jay. Three hours later:the next phase. It is the eye and the head. If this phase goes well, I am generally optimistic throughout the work. but if this one goes bad, takes too long or I just cannot seem to get it, then I tend to get a bit negative about the illustration. Think toddler tantrums and moody outbursts. That sometimes goes on for 2-3 days and I try to focus on another part before returning to this phase again. If I think I have achieved what I wanted I am happy again. It is a happiness that makes up for being moody for 3 days. It is always worth it, but after drawing about 22 birds- this is number 23- I know all too well that the moody phase is waiting to attack. I think this time I have dodged it! The head is not finished yet, but I am happy about the look in his eyes. Fine-tuning may happen later.

Art work for the handbag I

2011-03-30T04:06:00.000-04:00

the last couple of days I have been busy finding nice leather and materials for my handbag. II have selected a vegetable tannes, guaranteed by product of the beefindustry- leather in the most amazing caramel color. The design of the handbag itself is done too. It will be a pretty large bag with enough room for your A4/ US letter files. But I also made sure there are more than 6 pockets or seperate spaces to keep your make-up, pencils, mobile and all you need to bring along. So now there's the most difficult part: The art work itself. I decided to go for the Steller's jay because it is dark and still brightly colored. Here I am sharing the different phases of the illustration. Phase one, of course the sketch and the basic layout of the panel where the bird will be printed on.

Photoshoot for Ariadne at Home Magazine

2011-03-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

With 85.000 readers, Ariadne at Home is in the top three of Dutch home decor magazines. It's legendary to me as my mom already bought it when I was little and I read it too.

I was THRILLED when the production stylist asked me to take part in an article about women who create their own products. I prepared the big day by sewing and printing as many things as possible to use for the shoot. I was asked to bring my dress and wear it. Lovely!

The day was wonderful! The stylist, photographer and hair & make-up artist were wonderful and knowledgeable people and I was in good hands!

Here are some behind the scenes photos. I cannot show all yet of course. But I will when the article is printed in June/July!

A big thank you to my friend Nicole who went along with me to take all the photos and gave me moral support!

Now just be patient and go out and buy it!

Birds in watercolor

2011-03-11T03:23:00.000-05:00

And here are two birds on a new type of pillow case. The background is done with watercolor which I love to do. Splashing away with a brush and paint. I like their brightness.

Dark grey dress with Crested tits

2011-03-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

And then there's the dark grey dress with the crested tits and cherry blossoms!

The same goes for this dress as the other one with Chickadees:

The wide V neckline and the silk belt make it such a feminine little number.

Everything about this dress is unique. The dress is handmade of 100% Silk. The outerfabric is

inkjet printed with my illustrations of the Chickadees.

The dress is fully lined to give it a better shape and it ensures it is not see through. The lining is made of lucious silk too. Silk is the most comfortable and luxurious of fabrics.
Each dress is handmade by me. I number each dress and I will register you as the holder. Because it is art that you are wearing.

Each dress is made to order, but currently I have a size S that is ready to ship.
State your Bust, waist and Hip size in message to seller, or let me know what size you usually buy.

I am very happy to be uniting my fashion background with my nature illustrations. Take a closer look here, in my web shop!!

The Chickadees on a pillow cover

2011-03-03T08:44:00.000-05:00

I had to think long and hard on what background these guys needed. After a while it was clear they would look best with a light grey linnen backing. I usually feel like I should stick to hues in the illustration. But not only is that very unpractical, it can be a bit boring. Thankfully the light grey emphasizes the softness of the illustration even more.

I am happy!

The DRESS!!!

2011-03-03T07:48:00.000-05:00

Finally the first dress is done. I had a pile of orders to work through. So not a bad reason I could only start on this later that I planned. But I am very happy to have it finished now! I actually have to get sewing right away to make the black one with crested tits. Lovely & delicate Chickadee and Ginkgo biloba dress. This dress breathes spring. The wide V neckline and the silk belt make it such a feminine little number.

Everything about this dress is unique. The dress is handmade of 100% Silk. The outerfabric is inkjet printed with my illustrations of the Chickadees.

The dress is fully lined to give it a better shape and it ensures it is not see through. The lining is made of lucious silk too. Silk is the most comfortable and luxurious of fabrics.
Each dress is handmade by me. I number each dress and I will register you as the holder. Because it is art that you are wearing.

Each dress is made to order, but currently I have a size S that is ready to ship.
State your Bust, waist and Hip size in message to seller, or let me know what size you usually buy.

This dress will be shipped registered.
Care instructions: Dry clean only- this is 100% silk.

I am very happy to be uniting my fashion background with my nature illustrations. Take a closer look here, in my web shop.

Little Owl in Celadon

2011-03-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

It was a request from Daphne of Bos en Heij to have a nice color on the background of this little owl. We decided on a Celadon green. This is the way he turned out. I think he looks better than without the green hues. I really like it!

He's soft but still mysterious as owls are of course!

Bos en Heij in Arnhem

2011-03-01T08:11:00.000-05:00

From the 22nd of February some of my pillows will be for sale in lovely shop Bos en Heij in Arnhem!! See how wonderful the shop is decorated! Also check their fanpage on facebook for the latest news. They have great stuff for your home!

Photo courtesy of Bos en Heij!

Red vented Bulbul in Oman

2011-02-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

I visited Oman more or less not from my own initiative; my sister lives there with her husband, and seeing how she lives there got me in Oman. But now I have been there and they lead us around, showing us everything, I think Oman is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I was looking forward to it so much. And not only because I missed my sister so much, also because she told me about all the exotic birdies who lived in her garden. There were loads!

When visiting an area very unlike my own usual habitat I always feel like I want to be invisible the first couple of days, and just observe. That way (I think) I can sense the best how this new area is different and how I can adjust or where to be safe. And Oman is very different to where I live of course. For starters the 30 degree celsius temperature difference! The bird that describes the feeling I got in Oman the best is the Red Vented Bulbul. It has a call that is so different to the birds at home. That together with the lovely colors, makes this bird a symbol for my trip (together with the other 2 bulbuls I saw-later more) I read on wikipedia that this bird is amongst the world's most invasive alien species. So I can say this bird doesn't feel the way I do when entering a new habitat. He just looked around for a few seconds and thought, this is home, in that respect he is like my sister and her husband, who found a great home in Oman.

Bird dress

2011-01-28T11:04:00.000-05:00

I've spend a lot of time creating fabric for this dress. It is based on this design from my clothing shop. It has capped sleeves a nice wide V neck and a lovely sash!

I have ordered the fabric and I cannot wait for it to arrive!

It is 100% silk and I will soon show more photos of the finished dress!!

A friend for my Chickadee

2011-01-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

And here's the little buddy for my lonely chickadee! A good thing that this Valentine's he's got a friend!

The Chickadee!

2011-01-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

Here's my new bird. The chickadee. Before I ever met a chickadee, I was fascinated by the cute name already. There are no chickadees over here in The Netherlands. A lot of look-a-likes and European cousins, but this little one has quite a good reputation that preceded the actual encounter I had with him. So I was very curious about this cutie. We were walking in a bird estuary here when I saw some small birdies in the corner of my eye, flying away. They had black little heads so I suppressed an excited scream; this must be the world famous chickadee! I walked a bit further away, and there they were again, teasing me. When I tried to photograph them...they were gone again. Cheeky-dee!

I made him with watercolor and digital sketching. See him in my etsy shop! I will add a little friend to the work, because I never saw him alone. I placed him in a Ginkgo Biloba tree, because I love the yellow tone its leafs can have. Gorgeous! Did you know that tree is a living fossil? It hasn't changed since millions of years ago!

watercolor combined with my digital drawings

2010-12-29T17:14:00.000-05:00

Having a week off works wonders. I've cleaned up my studio and I've had time to experiment a little. This is what I've come up with. A watercolor background on nice colors with my digital drawing in front of it.

This way I can achieve interesting color combinations that would be a great addition to any livingroom or bedroom! I've chosen colors that add something to the bird, and that I just like.

I often use 'analogue' hand sketched elements, or start with pencil and paper. This is another element that adds to the mixed media nature of my work. I am happy with it!

European Greenfinch debuts.

2010-12-28T12:47:00.000-05:00

With all the snow on the ground here; a staggering 45cm/ half a yard, which is a lot for Dutch standards, the birds have a really hard time to find food. So before Christmas I decided to stock up on bird food, and cover the whole garden with feeders and bird seed. With result! Of course a lot of birdies were happy and blackbirds, pigeons, starlings, dunnocks, great tits and blue tits gathered to their Christmas dinner. But there was also a new kid on the block. The Green finch usually never stops by our house, but now it is so hard to find food, he stops by with two familybmembers! I hope he can soon find food in his own place again. Until that time I help them where I can, and enjoy their company too!

Creativity as therapy

2010-12-27T11:23:00.000-05:00

It has very little to do with drawing birds. But it just made me happy. There is therapy in creativity. And today I found some in making this mini moss garden. It is not quite like a moss terrarium, as it is not closed and self sufficient. This one needs water. I got a fabulous glass bowl from Santa this year and today I went out and bought pebbles, soil, moss and some tiny plants. No more than 14 euro. For everyone who's tempted; fill the bowl with washed pebbles(wash in a bucket of water with a sift) I used 5-8mm gravel. Then cover the surface with soil and place the plants that need the soil the most. Then build the different types of moss around it. I had Islandic Moss, Spagnum and some other type I don't know by name. The holes between plants and moss I filled with more pebbles.

I am going to buy these miniature guinea pigs to place on it to give you the idea it's a landscape.

Right, now I am off drawing birds again!

My dad's birthday and the birth of Le Ruffec!

2010-12-17T15:37:00.000-05:00

After a final session of 4 hours non-stop drawing (no food, no bathroom stops) he's done!

This one I made for my dad. It's his birthday tomorrow, the 18th! After asking about his favorite bird when he was young he said: "The Ruffec!"

In the old days, my grandfather was very active in the sport of pigeon racing. And when my dad was a young boy he wanted to have a pigeon to look after too. He got a pair of pigeons he could pet and feed. And to everyone's surprise the male of these lovebirds flew from Ruffec, France home to his lady in the second fastest time! So my dad as a young boy won a prize with his bird! After a while it turned out that the first prize winner had cheated and my dad got the first prize: 25 gulden($15). Alas, this was confiscated by granddad to buy food for the pigeons. But the honor and pride he felt, caring for the birds lasts longer!

Happy birthday dad! Here's to many many healthy and happy years to come!

Gift Certificate for Pillow cases (or any other item)

2010-12-12T15:20:00.001-05:00

Now available in my Etsy shop: A gift certificate. Let's say you know your friend, sister, wife, girlfriend, daughter, daughter-law, mother, mother-in-law or all these people in a male version will like my pillowcase, give them this certificate. Of course if they prefer something else like a set of prints, they can use the certificate too!

It also relieves the last minute present-buying-stress, as you will receive the certificate by e-mail in pdf and you can print it out!

You will receive the certificate within two days after payment.

There are MirthQuake Gift Certificates available in any amount. Just convo me with the amount you would prefer and I will set up a listing!

If you prefer an actual mailed version, let me know. Its shipping is free, but of course takes longer to arrive. If you want me to e-mail or mail it to someone other than yourself, let me know in the message to seller as well.

Click here to buy it in my Etsy shop

Le Ruffec 3 - work in progress

2010-12-12T09:11:00.000-05:00

This is Le Ruffec with freckles and the greenish glow on the neck. Going to let my arm rest a bit now!

A bit more of the pigeon

2010-12-10T15:42:00.000-05:00

Here it is, the head the eye of my previous post belongs to!

It only is the rough version. More to come soon!

Guess who

2010-12-07T16:14:00.000-05:00

Whose little eye is this? See more soon!

Racing Pigeons -a dilemma

2010-11-30T11:57:00.000-05:00

I am making a work for my dad. He's supported my business and his birthday is coming up. What would be better than draw a bird for him that meant something to him.

He occasionally reads my blog, so I am ruining the surprise here, but after asking about his favorite bird when he was young I think he probably got the clue. So when I asked him he said: "The Ruffec!"

My dad isn't into pigeon racing now. And personally, I do not like the sport much. I love birds, especially the ones in the wild. And I know there are people in this sport that adore their birds, I also know there are people that don't care for the birds, and it is all about the prize, not the love for the bird. Of course for my dad I can say he took good care of The Ruffec!

Newsletter November

2010-11-20T17:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a copy of my newsletter of november!!

November had a good start for MirthQuake: My webshop's name was mentioned in several newspapers here! There was an article on Etsy and my shop was first in the list op tips! And Dutch website Flavourites.nl has selected me for their website. They collect all kinds of webshops for people who look for cool and hip new things! The highlight was the interview Jane Hardjono made. She made a great Youtube clip on my work!

Next to that I have some small things to share with you like my hummingbird and my new 24x24 inch pillow cases (60x60 cm)

A huge honor: interview by Jane Hardjono of The Dossier. +YouTube clip! Last month I had a visit from Jane Hardjono, a journalist who moved from Australia to Eindhoven. Because she looked at Eindhoven with new eyes, and wanted to become a part of the city, she decided to collect all things she could find on design in Eindhoven and write about whatever she came across on her website The Dossier. And so she came across my work for an interview. After an afternoon of chatting about all kinds of things she had enough material for her article. Read it and watch the YouTube clip about my work!!!

Pillowcases! Things are going well with the pillow cases. So I decided to add a new larger type: for 24x24 inch pillows! Read about it here. They will be up in my shop soon! Here are the first four:

My newest illustration: The Rufous Hummingbird! I met this little hero in Canada. A rufous hummingbird lady had crashed into the window pane of our cabin. We thought she would die, which of course would've been terrible. Thankfully, after being warmed up on my hand she got up an flew away. Read the whole story here. What an amazing experience! Anyway, when I got home I started on a new work that is made up of different hummingbirds. This is the first one:the male. I got to know them as fanatic, sometimes aggressive but brave little birdies. For such tiny and cute little birds that is so fascinating!

I have put a few phases of the illustration in progress with explanation on my blog for who would like to see how I work. A peek in the kitchen!

Lately I have been ....

...sewing more pillowcases!

... adding more birds to my wishlist: The bald eagle, the Chickadee, the dark eyed Junco en Steller`s jay.

...refilling the birdfeeders a lot. And you?

All the best,

Myrte de Zeeuw.

Mirthquake

Youtube interview by Jane Hardjono of THE DOSSIER!

2010-11-06T06:28:00.000-04:00

Last month I got a visit from Jane Hardjono, the writer behind The Dossier. The Dossier is a website covering any design or art related thing in Eindhoven, also known as the Dutch Creative Files. Jane moved from Australia to Eindhoven and decided to embrace whatever it was she encountered. Eindhoven is a great city, but harder to settle into than for instance extrovert Amsterdam. Jane looks and finds! Next to The Dossier Jane works as a writer and 'practitioner of the Art of Communication'

When she visited me, I didn't know what to expect. I had never had the honor to be faced with a journalist who was probably going to ask tough questions about my work that I didn't know how to answer properly. And inevitably my answers would make my work look odd. I think after the 3 seconds after our handshake that psychologists say is needed to make a click or not, I felt calmer. And the rest of the afternoon was spend chatting about ALL kinds of things. Womanhood, art classes, high heels and of course BIRDS!

I was in Turkey when Jane e-mailed me the interview was done and placed on her website. I didn't have much time to check it, but when I did, I was so happy, honored and humbled. It did express who I am and why I draw birds. It gave me more confidence in calling myself an artist!

She made a clip she placed on Youtube you see here, and a written interview.

The Rebel is done!

2010-10-24T07:24:00.000-04:00

I know he was a part of this sketch, and trust me, he will be, but I've grown to love him and decided to give him a audience of his own. The male Rufous Humming bird represents the moody and agressive side of Humming birds that I saw in British Columbia. They have a feisty determination that I find very inspiring for such a little birdie!

Linesheet; an Overview of my prints

2010-10-18T16:00:00.000-04:00

To help my customers a little, I've set up a modest linesheet of my work. It also gives me an idea of what the balance in color I have now. And I see that there are a lot of birds that are not represented in both categories. This means I have a lot of work to do! Updates will follow to this post!

Pillow cases 24x24 inch / 60x60cm!

2010-10-17T16:06:00.000-04:00

As I am a professional pillow case maker now, I keep an eye on what happens in my market;) Recently I saw a lot of big pillows in interior magazines. I was finding out how big they had to be and if there were pillow case inserts for them in the USA and Canada. 24x24 inch and our European 60x60cm pillow inserts would be the easiest to find now.

As I was researching, a customer approached me with the same question; do my pillowcases come in larger sized versions? So I decided to speed my designing up a bit and order the same organic cotton sateen for these new size pillow cases.

One more month and they will be in my shop as a Little Owl, English Robin, Winter Wren and pair of Crested Tits!

Crested Ttits on Fabric!

2010-10-15T15:48:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to get my crested tit illustrations onto fabric. It took me quite long to get the dull repetition out of the design. I hate it when you see where the 'press' hits the fabric again. It is like being in the bathroom and looking at the tiles. I always ( and everyone probably knows the feeling) look for where the next tile of the prefab mosaic starts. I have it with patterns on fabric too. I go look for the same flower that is horizontally aligned. So I did my best to prevent that, or at least not make you see it in 0.01seconds.

The first version is on a light pink cotton voile/lawn for a light blouse with a victorian collar and pintucks. This is the first image. The birdies fly all over teh canas and look happy amongst the cherry blossoms. (already thinking about spring fashion)

Then there's the version that should look stripey. I know, I just claimed I didn't like to see repetition and here I go creating stripes. But I thought this time it would look nice. Add a nice touch. This one will be printed on basic organic cotton. I am thinking about a nice summer dress. A bit retro an bit new. A bit like in this post. The dress in the middle. Or perhaps when the fabrics arrive I will have another idea that I like better. I guess I have to be patient. It takes about a month before my fabrics arrive! Can't wait!!!

Peek inside my kitchen: Phase 2 to 11

2010-10-13T15:55:00.000-04:00

So here's another bit of how I work: After the sketch phase I make fills that rouchly get the color they're supposed to end up with. This leads me to figure out where the different segments of the bird are: head, crown, wings. I use them as guides to paint the bird with its final feathers. The bird starts with 7 outlines, and in the phase on the right, he has over 3000 pencil strokes. Mind you, he is not ready. Sometimes I don't like an area and paint all over it again. I never delete anything. It is like a canvas that just gets painted again. No need to delete. The feather underneath another feather plays an important role too!

The Rebel

2010-10-11T15:07:00.000-04:00

Here's the moody cutey: The male of the hummingbird piece I am working on. This is what hummingbirds stand for, at least, for me

I saw two of them fighting each other when there was soom enough for 20 hummers.

what I also love about them is the white spot behind their eye. It adds a cartoonesque look to the little fellow. Honestly I didn't make it up!

I'll bet this rebel without a cause scares even the biggest of birds!

Peek inside my kitchen

2010-10-10T13:09:00.000-04:00

As you could read here, sketching is always the start of another bird. No matter how ugly the sketch may be, along the way I will always look for the paper or the file of the initial idea of the bird.

I might want to change the place of the bird on the sheet, adjust the

roundness of the belly, (I like chubby birds) or make the bill longer/shorter. Personally I always think sketching shouldn't take too long. Colors will eventually create the bird, but I always have to tell myself; if everything looks good on the sketch, then it will be much easier to make the bird better in a later stage.

Here's the color pallette of the male rufous hummingbird. I like working randomly with colors. When I need one, I will mix one up, instead of getting back to an orange I have used before. This will make it look more alive, I think. So in the end there may be 50-100 types of orange in one bird.

CMY...no K today!

2010-10-06T14:17:00.000-04:00

These are colours I just have to have...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4cacb8b1f6ae8eef0fe8c687/cmyno-k-today

First of 50- the Three Crested Tits

2010-09-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

I am having so much fun with my printer it is totally ruining my plan to finish my Canadian birds! I have printed out a work I have not placed in my etsy shop yet, but already published on Flickr and Facebook. Now I have finally printed the first issue of the limited edition of 50 of my Three Crested Tits. They're a family of course. This is their story:

Here they are, three members of the pack of crested tits we saw hunting through the woods. When you hear them making 'krr krr krr' sounds, and then find them way up in a conifer tree, what strikes you first is their fairytale like little heads. They have pretty bright brown eyes, and that combined with their mohawk style haircut is a cute and fascinating sight. They move quickly and carefully follow you around pretending to mind their own business. Pretty quickly they will lose interest in you and focus on each other and their food again. It makes you want to join the pack.

See the listing here.

I am so crazy about the hahnemühle paper I have found. It is made of a by-product from the sugar industry and in the process they use renewable energy and environmentally friendly resources. It is 300grams- very nice and heavy weight- has a lovely structure that absorbs the colours in such a fabulous way. I am printing all day!

New Tote Bags

2010-09-19T14:14:00.000-04:00

This weekend I finally had some time to focus on adding new things to my etsy shop. Boyfriend was playing in the South of the Netherlands with his bike and some friends so I had 3 days to do as I pleased.(And eat what I wanted not to forget!) It resulted in listing 3 new bags and sorting out a lot of small flaws in my listings. I found new energy in cleaning up. It is I thing I am becoming aware of: a cleaned up place is pretty okay. Don't tell my mom. ("I told you so!") I guess it comes with age.

I actually want one for myself, but I have a deal with myself that I can only keep misprints or damaged goods. But I don't have any damaged bags yet. I keep them safely in a box so nothing can happen to them. So I guess I am going to send all these bags out to new hip owners.

Take a closer look here:

Winter wren Tote bag

Kingfisher Tote bag

Magpie Tote bag

Eurasian Jay Tote bag (not pictured here)

Inspiring people Jane and Daniela

2010-09-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

Last friday I had a fabulous Aussie in my studio: Jane Hardjono from The Dossier. The Dossier is a blog that focuses on anything creative happening in Eindhoven. I think the only blog in English that will get you to the design heart of Eindhoven. We had a great conversation about all kinds of things. From high heels to true Dutch cliches. But we also talked about the phenomenon artist, and how I feel about that term. Jane writes inspiring articles about artists and designers so she asked me some in-depth things that I hadn't given any thought yet. (later more on Jane and The Dossier)

Sometimes artists do what they like and not necessarily what the audience viewing the so called art like. It got me thinking; I think I need to make things that people like, or at least it would be hard for me to continue doing what I do if no one would respond to it in some way to it. Just when I started to figure that out I got a message from Daniela, and ornithologist from France. She told me she reads this blog regularly and ordered a cross stitch pattern of the King Fisher. She looked forward to creating things herself in her craftroom. All lovely things. She ended her lovely message with:"I hope you'll keep designing for many years to come!"

I tell you this is the type of response that I am making my work for. Perhaps it is like this: If you do what you love, there will be people who love what you do!

Thanks so much Jane and Daniela, for inspiring me!!

Hummingbird work in progress

2010-09-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

Before I start to work on any bird I have in my mind a rough sketch. With the colored background birds I need to investagate how the bird looks the best in my opinion. For instance with the Blue Jay I wanted to show its lovely back with stripes like a decorated Lord or something. The feathers of his head had to be straight up to show you how majestic and statuesque he is. It matches the story I wrote about him. There is not a lot of composition going on, artistically speaking. The most comes forth out of the lighting. The dark pole on which he is sitting, versus the bright blue feathers and the orange background. It is orange for a reason: it is the complimentary color of blue. So he stands out even more.

But for the hummingbird it would seem dull and not very true to life to fill my digital canvas with just one bird! I want to express that this is really a small birdie and just showing one would not make that point. And then there's the fact that the hummingbirds are very interesting to observe when there's more than one. They interact so swiftly eventhough they're loners. So now I thought of a few styles or positions I would like to draw them in. Hovering over flowers, drawing nectar from the flowers, just sitting there like a moody little bird( I LOVE their moody, irritated look) And then there's the cute thimble-like nests they stuff their two kids in, which I am crazy about. That makes 4-5 birds. It also means I have to practise. Because like with the crested tits , they have to look alike, simply because they are the same kind, but yet look like they are different persons. I use so many colors in one bird, and I never know exactly how many. For multiple birds have to remember the colors a lot better so they don't look too different and still change a bit to make it interesting.

But another thing is composition. I have to know in advance where the birds will be and where the light comes from. Below is a rough sketch of how I hope my birds will fit together nicely, and still not get into a fight. I want to add another moody one in the lower section of the work, to make the composition a little more dynamic and versatile. Of course it doesn't look like much, but it is just a map of who will be next to draw. Now I will have to get to work and determine the colors!

Stranger by the road: Northern Flicker

2010-09-07T14:53:00.000-04:00

On Vancouver Island there was a bird sitting by the old highway through Qualicum Beach that I could not identify. We drove at normal speed towards Campbell River and I saw it very quickly. I always have a notebook with me to remember places, songs on the radio and of course birds. So I sketched a bit while driving, so excuse the result. The bill was Jay-like, the head brown and there was a distinct black crescent spot on his chest. Pretty easy to find I thought. I had just downloaded an app on my iPhone to be able to identify new birds quickly. But as with a lot of apps that should recognise things one way or the other: it did not work.

My iPhone app kept telling me it was a Cowbird. "Perhaps some local mutant," I wondered. It didn't look like one. Later we really saw a Cowbird and I missed the white spots I saw on the stranger by the road.

Martijn didn't agree with the label Cowbird with this new bird either. :"It is just a crow."

"But it flew in a sine wave kind of way."

"What? " Another discussion! ( If anyone knows how cowbrids fly: let me know!)

Today I stumbled upon a picture of a Nothern Flicker and Eureka! This was the stranger by the road!

photo from: http://www.caveofthemounds.com

What a beautiful bird! What great and trendy colours. I would like a blouse with a print of his chest, with black peter pan collar of course and a skirt in the hues of his tail.

This discovery saves me the frustration of another personal Vancouver Island frustration. Three years ago I thought I saw a big dark cat-thing or cougar, but I saw it from the car, and it was not safe to stop (we're not the wild life-jam creators) so I will never know(yeah yeah, chances are slim, but tell me what it was then!). I am very glad that this doesn't turn into another myth, having to convince people that I saw this bird("Sure, probably a crow"). Although I understand it is easier to believe than the cougar story.

Interview with me! On Dutch Handmade!

2010-08-29T14:41:00.000-04:00

A group of creative women in the Netherlands run the blog called Dutch Handmade. They all sell on Etsy and love to browse around the platform for Etsy sellers from The Netherlands.

One of them: Marylin Grando wanted to interview me. Such an honor. Thank you so much Marilyn!! She has asked me all kinds of things about my work, my future plans and . And I just kept on rambling of course.

This is how she introduced me:

Crafty Ladies and Gentlemen, brace yourselves! I am happy and very glad, to have again stubled upon this creative designer, Myrte de Zeeuw. [...]This week we'll ask the 'feathers off off her birds!' And luckily she is very willing to fill us in on the details of her craft. [...]Do not hesitate to visit her shop, she makes the coolest bird prints, paper goods, pillows, card sets and jewellery items.

Read the entire interview! And check out some of the other articles and creative Dutchies on there!

Mount Robson's a place to be!

2010-08-24T15:06:00.000-04:00

And then there's another place that means something to me in Canada, starting this vacation. Mount Robson. The hummingbird incident happened there, and next to that it is a great place to sleep, raft, and eat! Mount Robson and more specifically Mount Robson Lodge , Mount Robson Whitewater Rafting and The Goat restaurant (where's that website Dave?)

To make clear how nice the cabin was at Mount Robson

Lodge I only have to show you one picture, the one of the view from the cabin:

That should be enough to convince you. But beside that, the family, The Cinnamons, running the place are really friendly. We talked to Gloria and Jody and his dad Paul, they told us loads of things about nature and the surroundings. They are truly dedicated to their guests and love Mount Robson. Jody filled me in on the fact that hummingbirds tend to fly against the window pane occasionally. His dad told us some nice places to go. The cabins are great, but you can also stay on the campsite. This is the area where you can see the Salmon jump up from the Fraser river. We saw only one because it was a little early in the season at Rearguard Falls, but a few miles south-west you can see a lot of them at Swift Creek. I just hope they monitor how tourists behave around those places. I, of course will always be a good girl. You can just sit by the water and watch the huge fish in the shallow creek. Unbelievable.

To find out just how fast and powerful the rapids are that salmon have to swim against, you can try some rafting at Mount Robson Whitewater Rafting. This was a personal victory for me, and I am proud of it, eventhough we were well looked after, it was scary in the beginning. Walking up the Stawamus Chief in Squamish had given me a panic attack on 10 meters from the top, so I was pretty nervous about rafting. I clung to a tree and that was the end of the climb for me! So what if I freak out in a boat: that's bad. Or if I panic in a boat in a rapid, oww, bad too. Or what if I panic in a boat-in a rapid-where I am expected to paddle because 6 others want to get out safely too? Worse. Luckily there was Shawn to guide 6 inexperienced tourists and Brett on call in his kayak. Cowboys ride waves in 2010. We were only a group of 6, so surely they could each save 3 people right? Shawn told us how it all worked and what to do in case of a (wo)man overboard. I listened very carefully and he was very funny about it, but still serious and professional enough to make me NOT FORGET. In the raft he told us all kinds of things about the surroundings, important places, people and of course to paddle FORWARD!!!!! Because we weren't drowning Brett had time for some moves with his kayak. The rapids were fantastic, and I could go on for hours! The rollercoaster feeling but then better, and more beautiful.

While I was calming down in between rapids with the stories Shawn told, I incidentally saw an American Dipper(check!) who has a love for rivers too. As long as tourists don't drown or act annoyingly, this must be a great job. Bruce who also made the photographs picked us all up and took us back to the lodge&campsite.

Photo courtesy Bruce from Mount Robson White Water Rafting.

The food at The Goat is wooonderful. A Dutch stomach doesn't respond well to daily fastfood, so looking for a good restaurant was always a priority. Dave, who is the owner and proprietor of The Goat does a fabulous job in making good food that is not too light for a hike( I walked up to Kinney Lake within the hour on his French Toast with Blueberries and Crumble) but not too heavy to drag yourself up the hill either. Just perfect. I like eating veggie (no, I am not a vegetarian, more a demi'tarian, I eat less meat, not every day, you know) and Crazy Dave is also Creative Dave. His meals have names like: Crazy Dave's Favorite Thing To Eat. And really, it will be worth the chance. When I wanted to order his delicious veggie burger again the second night we were dining there, he recommended the bean lasagna. A huge leap, I was afraid it might not be as delicious as the first night when I had the veggie burger. " It'll be better." he said. I was not disappointed.

Just seeing the photographs - I just know I will be back in cabin #2 one day!

Ceci ce n'est pas une dead hummingbird- thankfully!

2010-08-24T13:54:00.000-04:00

Back from an amazing vacation in Canada! The land of lumberjacks and bears (love them both equally). And also the land where I would shop for new birds to draw! Even the most ordinary bird can make me jump up and down. Ever since my first trip to Canada I knew it is hard to find a country that has more of what I want: the sheer beauty of nature and the wild! They are so close to the normal world in Canada. Just when you think you can handle it, rafting the rivers, walking up the mountains, you realise it is so big and powerful and you feel small again.

In all this great beauty, I was fascinated by the little things. Little things with feathers that I can draw!

In Victoria I saw the first hummingbirds, but they were so high up a tree that I gave up on photographing them. In a lovely place in Mount Robson(later more on this) I saw two of them feeding on one of those sweetened water bird feeders. I jumped up and tried to photograph it, but she/he saw me of course, and took off. A couple of blurred pics as a result.

Then the day of our departure; I woke up and a hummingbird was lying on the patio of our cabin. It looked dead. Quite dead indeed, little paws up in the air, eyes shut. This wasn't going to be my hummingbird kodak moment was it?? I looked at it and wanted to check if it was still breathing. I got a teaspoon to lift it, and put it in my hand to have a good look. Suddenly it opened its little eye and there was hope! For 15 minutes I sat motionless(besides of moving to make a picture) and hoped the warmth of my hands might help him recover on that chilly morning. Then I turned it over-little feet down- because, well it seemed more comfortable to me, for the little fellow. Within seconds it opened both its eyes and carefully tested its wings, and flew off. Of course I didn't have time or the notion to photograph that because I was jumping up in the air. It flew a bit uneasy and not as fast as they can, but it went safely to a tree. Only glad it didn't get a heart attack and died on the spot anyway from seeing me when he woke up.

Say Jay...

2010-08-24T00:01:00.000-04:00

The ShorePine Bog Trail in Tofino( Pacific Rim National Park)must be one of my favourite places on this earth. It is a boardwalk over a swampy area with pine trees. You feel like you're the only person on earth when you're there. It has a fairytale-like feeling. The first time I was there it was a bright blue sky and we heard young eagles crying for their mother. This time it was cloudy, but the bright green pine trees were radient nonetheless. We also had a good look of this Steller's Jay, that was still figuring out if it was interested in us or not. He(or she) came closer, and then he changed his mind and took a few hops back. Then we continued our hike, and it came back again. We took a few photographs, and although he was close, there was always a branch in the way. It looks like he is the gothic cousin of the blue jay. I think it is a pretty amazing bird!

Baby blue titmouse

2010-07-30T15:09:00.000-04:00

A while ago we had a family of blue tits nesting in our very own birdhouse. It took them a year to discover the birdhouse, but then it was sold and occupied by April. We missed the little ones flying out for the first time, but I just came across a video that filled me in perfectly on how it must've looked:

The crested tit

2010-07-18T14:51:00.000-04:00

The crested tit, almost a family!

2010-07-18T10:39:00.000-04:00

There are 2 crested tits done, but one is still waiting to get out of my pen! Patience, my dear!

Freedom! And a day in my garden.

2010-07-18T10:06:00.001-04:00

A few months back a received a job offer and after thinking it through I have decided to return to my previous employer. It is a ladies wear manufacterer, but I will now fill the position of Head of Design. An enormous challenge and I am very proud to be asked to do this. I have missed fashion when I did my bird illustration, and missed something really true to my heart like the birds are, when I was only a fashion designer. Right now I hope to have found the perfect combination. To find a challenge in the area of management, fashion design and still feel my freedom when I draw my birds. Adjusting to this new tripod in my life took some time, but I think I am getting the hang of it. I have redesigned my studio so I have easy access to my birds, but can also spend a day figuring out what to design for next season. it does take off a lot of stress of having to sell my things and although I have less free time, I feel to have gained more freedom! So lying in the grass of my backyard, with the sparrows above me in our trees feels so much better now.

My plans for my birds stay unaltered. I have made more new pillows, and other new products will be added soon.

Here's the first: Art for your garden! Sure, now the weather is still lovely and sunny, you see loads of flowers all over to brighten your day. But be prepared for what will happen this fall. Then you will need some colour to keep the blues away!

All my birds can be printed on this sturdy wind/rain/sunproof material. Any size or shape is possible. Pictured here is the european Robin 1x1 meters/ a little over a sqaure yard. Price for then screen pictured:65 USD/50EUR (excl shipping)

Inquiries:Mirthquake at gmail.com

Een tijdje terug ben ik door mijn vorige werkgever gevraagd terug te keren, en na goed nadenken heb ik de sprong gewaagd. Het is een leverancier in de dames fashion en ik ben hoofd van de styling afdeling geworden. Een enorme eer. Ik mis ontwerpen als ik alleen zou illustreren en heb iets dicht bij mijn hart nodig zoals mijn vogels. Nu hoop ik de perfecte combinatie van Managment, vogels, en fashion te hebben gevonden. Het heeft even geduurd voor ik deze driepoot onder controle had, maar ik heb er een goed gevoel over. Ik heb mijn sutdio weer eens omgebouwd zodat ik snel kan wisselen tussen voorjaar 2011 fashion en mijn vogels. Al heb ik minder tijd, ik kan met meer plezier werken aan mijn vogels, en voel er meer vrijheid bij. Dus als ik nu in mijn achtertuin lig met de mussen die boven me kwetteren, voelt dat veel beter!

Mijn grote plannen zijn onveranderd wat betreft mijn vogels: Er zijn weer wat nieuwe kussens bij, ik heb ook nog nieuwe producten gevonden die ik ga toevoegen. De eerste, een tuindoek: kunst in je achtertuin! Nu ziet het er nog vrolijk en kleurrijk uit in je achtertuin, bloemen en de zon, maar wacht maar tot het najaar komt: Dit tuinzeil houdt de blues op afstand en helpt je de kleurloze seizoenen die nog komen door. Al mijn vogels zijn te bestellen op dit stevige regen-, wind- en zonbestendige doek. Iedere maat of vorm is mogelijk. Hierboven zie je de roodborst op1x1 meter. Prijs van dit voorbeeld: 50 Euro excl. verzenden.

Mail naar: mirthquake at gmail.com

Pencil skirt with the Little Owl - ORGANIC COTTON!

2010-03-18T09:42:00.000-04:00

Finally I have managed to get something done. I have been ill for a couple of days but todat spring is in the air and I am feeling much better. I have sewn the first sample of my little owl pencil skirt. I will custom make this pencil skirt for the buyer. It features my little owl on dark green organic cotton. It has a high waisted look and looks fabulous with a belt and a blouse.

I have been planning it for ages, but now finally it is done!

The material is 100% organic cotton sateen. The skirt is fully lined with a polyester lining and the waistband has a zipper and a hook&eye closure. The skirt also has a slit to make you move ever so lady-like! The standard length of the skirt is 59cm/23.2 inch but I can change this. The maximum size that I can make is 126cm/50inch(US size 22/EU size 52) due to the width of the fabric. However if you have a bigger hip than that I can order suitable fabric nonetheless, but it will be more than the listed price.

For more info, see my etsy shop!

New pillows soon to come!

2010-03-12T05:12:00.000-05:00

Things are going really well with my collection of pillows! This calls for a new series of birds to be printed and sewn into pillowcases! This time the blue jay, the nutcracker, the seagull, the sparrow, the blue tits and the little owl are the lucky ones to hopefully fly around the world to a new home. In three weeks I expect them to be ready for you!

Het gaat erg goed met mijn collectie kussenhoezen. Dat vraagt natuurlijk voor een nieuwe serie vogels die geprint en in elkaar gezet zullen worden. Deze keer zijn het de blauwe gaai, de notenkraker, de meeuw, de mus, de pimpelmezen en de steenuil die op de kussens gezet zullen worden, en hopelijk de wereld rond zullen vliegen naar hun nieuwe thuis. In drie weken verwacht ik dat ze klaar zijn voor je!

There's a bird in the kitchen

2010-03-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

So here are the birds I have selected for my tea towels. Within the next 3-5 weeks I will list them. First they have to be printed and of course... sewn by me. Hooray for handmade! They will be printed on linen cotton canvas. More news will follow soon!

Bags, a test!

2010-02-25T11:18:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking about making bags ever since I came bag from New York last fall. Now I finally found the time to make one from the pillow fabric that I ordered as a test run. I want to have fabric printed especially for this goal, and I am thinking of small cute canvas handbags with my birds placed in funny angles looking around. More will follow soon.

This bag has two pockets and is made of cotton. It is big enough for a laptop and some books.

You can take a better look here.

2010-02-22T14:42:00.000-05:00

Here's another peek inside my work, for who's interested. Here you can see a little of what happens before I start coloring. I have made a pencil sketch and defined a general outline. There is no reason for me to actually stay inside the lines, but it gives me a clue on where to go. In patches I define color. Here you see that I have altered the eye and the crest of the bird already, compared to my previous post. I don't work very systematically. What works best for me is to work on something that bothers me. If I don't do it immediately, I get blocked and don't see it anymore. Then I have to take a walk.

Work in progress, the crested tit

2010-02-21T09:52:00.000-05:00

Now I am thinking about it I might as well post some work in progress on my blog. I have been planning for a long time, but I always forget. This is a detail of the three crested tits I am drawing. It still needs some work of course but this is the base. I always start with a sketch and then add some base color. If that is done I really don't feel like it is going anywhere until I add the eye. At this stage I am filling in the base feathers. Below the wireframe image of every stroke I make. There are over 6000 strokes done already. This what makes working with graphic software so nice. You get to know silly things like how many times your pen touches the 'paper'. A big part of a good representation is the movement of the feathers.

In the meantime I have enlarged the eye a little and I am now half way through the process of making the first one. I want to display them with a branch of a spring flower. But I am still looking at which flowers are most suitable.

Two lovely blogs!

2010-02-20T16:27:00.000-05:00

Kevin of I Love Handmade and Chelsea of PixelCouture we so kind to feature one of my birds on their blog! What a lovely way to discover their blogs! I Love Handmade covers "beautiful handmade products from around the world" What an honor to be selected for a blog with that subtitle! Pixel Couture is a blog that connects Etsy sellers with their buyers and provides all kinds of resources for Etsians. Thanks so much guys!!! It is great to get this type of feedback. It is unbelievably valuable to me! Kevin has an Etsy shop of himself too: Dig the Earth with his graphic design. As has Chelsea: IslaPink with bright jewelry.

http://ilovehandmadeblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/starling-by-mirthquake.html

http://pixelcouture.net/?p=282

Featured on Creature Comforts Blog!

2010-02-16T16:01:00.001-05:00

The lovely Ez of the Creature Comforts Blog has featured my Blue Jay as part of her series Inspiration Daily! He blog covers all kinds of design and inspiration. I love her blog and the fact that isn't limited to only home decor, or only fashion, Ez just covers everything that defines her style. Even more reason to be honored that my Blue Jay was selected! Thanks so much Ez!

Check her blog out, here.

Another nature lover: Allie Cavander

2010-02-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I received this lovely photo I bought from an Etsy friend of mine Allie Cavender. She has a photography shop on etsy called Allieart4children. I think she looks at birds just the same as I do, I mean look at this courageous little Tufted Titmouse! The way he looks into the world is so touching and funny! You can see his chracter shine through. I adore this picture!! It will be framed and hung in our livingroom, this little cutie.

Check her birds here!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/allieart4children?section_id=5499650, but for florals, delicate close-ups, and landscapes you should check out her shop too!

The Blue Jay - the Prince of the Adirondacks

2010-02-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

Please allow me to introduce the Blue Jay of the Adirondacks. He is dressed like a prince. Beautifully decorated with crown and bright feathers, sitting on his throne, a telephone pole. I have seen quite a lot of princes on my holiday in the eastern states of the USA so I reckon he shares the land with a lot of collegues.

Mag ik u voorstellen; de Blauwe Gaai van de Adirondacks. Hij is gekleed als een prins, prachtig gedecoreerd, met kroon en fel gekleurde veertjes. Hij zit op zijn troon, een telefoonpaal. Ik heb er een hoop van gezien in Amerika, dus hij moet het land delen met veel collega-prinsjes.

Blue jay is missing his feet

2010-02-12T08:05:00.000-05:00

I know he is not quite finished yet, but I always say to myself that I want to show the creative process on my blog and still forget to when I am actually IN the process.

Well what this does tell you, is that I make the feet at the last stage. And the background too. I was taught to always first fill in the background at art class, but I am now rebelling against that rule.

I always start with the idea of which bird I want to draw and as a final touch how I want the background to look. Of course I have a general idea already. I remember one specific Blue Jay when we were in the Adirondacks. The weather was getting a little better, and we've just spend the night at Art's B&B The Cinnamon Bear in Inlet NY. A lovely place where we met Art who is ultra friendly and told us all about the area, the USA and his family. We were driving towards Vermont with the fresh good memories still in our head when we saw a Blue Jay cross the road and look at us. It was very quiet and there were no cars in sight so we decided to put the car in reverse and try to check this little prince out. Because that was what he looked like, bright and decorated, almost unreal in the middle of all the bright orange and yellow birch trees. For me the whole picture was complete. The good memories, the wonderful nature around us. A perfect world. So now I want to show this prince on his throne(being a telephone post) with all the orange foliage surrounding him.

Ik weet het, hij is nog niet helemaal af, en ik zeg altijd tegen mezelf dat ik het hele creative process ook wil tonen op mijn blog, maar als ik er midden in zit vergeet ik het weer. Maar wat dit je in elk geval wel zegt is dat ik zijn voetjes op het laatst invul. En de achtergrond ook. Tijdens teken-les werd me geleerd eerst te beginnen met de achtergrond, maar nu kom ik daar dus tegen in opstand.

Ik begin met inspiratie voor een bepaalde vogel, en dan denk ik na over de achtergrond. Natuurlijk heb ik al wel een idee. Ik moet steeds denken aan een specifieke Blauwe gaai die ik heb gezien in de Adirondacks upstate New York. Het weer werd beter en we hadden net geslapen bij Art's B&B The Cinnamon Bear in Inlet. Een gezellige plek waar Art ons vertelde over de omgeving, Amerika en zijn familie. We reden richting Vermont met de herinneringen die we net hadden aangemaakt toen we een Blauwe gaai de weg over zagen steken. Hij keek ons aan, en omdat het niet druk was reden we een stukje achteruit om 'm te bekijken. Hij zag eruit als een prinsje. Fel gekleurd en gedecoreerd bijna onwerkelijk tegen de oranje/gele achtergrond van berkenbomen. Het plaatje was compleet. Goede herinneringen, de prachtige natuur, alles was perfect! Het leidde ertoe dat ik deze prins op zijn troon(een telefoonpaal) wil portretteren omgeven door de prachtige herfst kleuren.

The Great Tit

2010-01-30T14:54:00.000-05:00

This little birdie has had a little too much to eat. He now enjoys a quiet look around the garden. I saw him in my mom's backyard. She had a overdose of caterpillars in her oak tree. This big fella and his family took care of her problem!

HAPPY!

2010-01-05T14:08:00.001-05:00

I am sooooo happy!! This is the front page article about my kingfisher and the embroidery pattern(cross stitch) Hobby Handig made! I was thrilled when I saw it in the mail today. All members have received it A big thank you to Marion Boeckhout who came up with the idea and Loes De Kleuver who made the pattern. It is made in such a way that you have the illusion that there are feathers there, instead of only the stitches. Lovely! There's a little story there about me and why I do what I do(even I finally get answers.. haha) Go buy it!!! Soon in my webshop there will be other cross stitchpatterns!!

I just learnt that the person who embroidered it, Annemiek van der Tol did it in one week!!!! ONE WEEK!! Amazing!

I ben zooooo blij!!! Dit is het artikel over mijn IJsvogel en het borduurpatroon (kruissteek) dat HobbyHandig ervan heeft gemaakt! Ik was door het dolle heen toen ik 'm vandaag op de deurmat zag liggen! Alle leden hebben 'm ook al ontvangen. Heel veel dank aan Marion Boeckhout die het idee had om mij te vragen, en Loes de Kleuver die het patroon heeft gemaakt. Het is zodanig gemaakt dat je de illusie van veertjes krijgt in plaats van alleen hokjes. Prachtig! Er staat ook een stukje over mijn werk an waarom ik doe wat ik doe(zelfs ik steek daar wat van op haha) Kopen kopen kopen! Ik heb ze binnenkort ook in mijn Nederlandse webshop.

Ik hoor net dat degene die het werk heeft geborduurd, Annemiek van der Tol, het in een week heeft gedaan. EEN WEEK! Ongelofelijk knap!

Blue jay preview

2009-12-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

Finally I have some time to draw some birds. I have gotten a lot of inspiration in the US last fall, and didn't get round to actually drawing the Blue Jay, Cardinal and Waxwing. Wonderful birds!

Now my new year's resolution is to finish the Blue jay...before the New Year....See if I can make it! Here's a preview of his head which IS finished. Now let me get back to work to finish the rest!

In the Etsy Voter

2009-12-22T13:43:00.001-05:00

I am in the Etsy Voter!!!

Someone very nice- obviously- nominated my wren cards for the Etsy Voter.

This means:

1)a huge honor

2)attention for my birdie

3)if you vote for me possibly more attention...

So I would be really really grateful to all you sweethearts if you would vote for me!

You can vote here. Click on the circle below the item and then click on vote on the bottom of the page.

Thanks so much!!!

Myrte

The first series is done!

2009-11-29T17:12:00.000-05:00

The first 2 pillows are listed in my webshop: The Magpie and the Winter wren kick off the first series!

Pillow cases Preview

2009-11-25T14:26:00.000-05:00

I have finished two of my first 6 pillow cases. They are 16*16 inch. Soon I will have all of them ready for sale. The back of the pillow looks like the picture below. It is made of matching color fabric and has a blind closure with 2 buttons and buttonholes and a brand label.

My work in VTwonen!!!!

2009-11-18T05:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday evening I got a happy e-mail from Steven, one of the owners of the lovely and fabulous shop The Otherist in Amsterdam,(and also my stockist). A while ago he told me someone from VTwonen had picked 2 of my prints, and there was a chance they could end up in the magazine. I watched the October issue and bought the November issue and sort of gave up after that. But he told me that my Starling and my great Tit are in the December issue!! I am thrilled!!! On page 92 and 107 my two sweeties help the stylist make a lovely point. So get the magazine! Not only for my birds, but also because it is so very inspiring and will give you loads of great ideas!

Fabrics!!!!

2009-11-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

Here they are!! The fabrics I have designed! They were photographed in the evening so the colors don't really look good, but I am so thrilled about this new endeavour! I just keep looking at the pile of new fabrics. I have already ironed them to test shrinkage and what the color does when it is touched by an iron. It remains lovely and colorful... I cannot wait to get sewing! Above you see the fabric that is going to get turned into a pencil skirt! Below the fabrics that I intend to make a bag from, and perhaps something else.

And then there's the fabric for the pillows! I also love the fact that it is ecofriendly and just so high in print quality!

I hope to have everything ready next weekend... I won't sleep!