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March has been a busy month for us both on a personal and business level and April is looking to be much the same.

All our Facebook Fans  already know about the giveaway that I'm having over on my personal craft blog . I'm giving one of my fans/followers the oppurtunity to have a custom pencil portrait drawn from their photograph as a thankyou for supporting myself, my blog and business. I really do feel blessed every time I log into our  Business Page or my blog and see all the lovely comments and suggestions that have been left. The giveaway finishes on March 27 so make sure you get yourself into the draw. If you don't succeed this time, make sure you subscribe as I'm planning to make this a bi-monthly event and am already looking around the studio for the next little gifty for one lucky fan or follower. Head over to MeaghanMakes to join in.

I recently spent two weeks working on Todos Arte, a annual community arts project run by the City of Wodonga in the lead-up to their Carnivale  celebrations. I must send a huge thankyou to Natalie, Maureen, Mary and Dawn who kept the shop-front gallery working like clockwork while I was away. This was not my first time as an artist on this project, but as always it was a fabulous experience and I learnt a lot about both myself as a visual artist and how to organise and pull off a huge community project.

Visual Artist Michelle Oxlee Working on "Stomp" Paper Cast Feet for Todos Arte and Carnivale

 Fellow artist Michelle Oxlee and I were working on Visual Decor for the High Street of Wodonga where Carnivale takes place each year. We had a few setbacks with the weather (Todos Arte is an outdoor event) but all-in-all I think we pulled it off nicely. We are both exhausted and I think still in recovery mode, but it was a very positive experience and I'd gladly do it again.

While I was away I recieved a phone call from Indigo Shire letting me know that MeaghanArt had been nominated for a small business award. I was a little taken aback at first, as while I knew that the awards were running, I had not actually looked into them as I new that I would be away. I'm still unsure of who entered us, but am very grateful to whomever thought us worthy of nomination. I had a lovely visit with the judges this past Friday and will find out if we have been awarded a prize in early April. I had planned to bribe the two gorgeous ladies who came to chat with me about the Shop-Front Gallery and Studio with tea and bickies, but we were so busy chatting about the business, our plans for the future, how wonderful  our staff and artists are and the real value of handmade that the tea was never made and the bickies remained on the plate. i'm not sure if this was a good thing or if it just means that I talk too much.

April  is the beginning of market season for Mary and I. We attend Country Craft and Community markets with our soaps and handmade goodness. This year we will also be adding a new line of clothing courtesy of the lovely Clover Jones . I have been busily working with Clover over the past few months to help design and produce her range of  vintage style clothing and accessories for  what the calls the "everyday UN- Superhero".

One of Clover Jones' 40's/50's Vintage Inspired Designs

 The official launch is set at this stage for Saturday April 23rd. Mary and I will be presenting selected designs at the Beechworth Golden Horseshoes Festival Market in Victoria Park, whilst Clover will be up-loading her designs for sale on her website and MadeIt.com.au. Selected items will aslo be available through the Shop-Front Gallery here at MeaghanArt.

that I haven't had time to post.... (or do one of my favourite things, hang out in arts and crafts forums).

I'm going to try and give you all the shortened version of what's been happening round the studio and shop-front gallery over the past month....

Those of you who follow us on Facebook, would already know that I've been involved in the creation and release  of two publications.

The first to be released was the children's book written by Chiltern's own Natalie Lappin,

 Getting to Know Archangel Michael.  

I was incredibly flattered, and also a little nervous when Natalie first asked me to illustrate this book for her... it was my first set of book illustrations and the first time that I had ventured into print publishing. I have to say, that if almost anyone else had asked I may have backed away out of pure fear, but Natalie has a way about her that is so very calming that I was more than happy (fear and all) to plunge headfirst into this project with her.

Natalie Lappin (Left) & Meaghan Louise with some of the Children that Inspired Natalie's Archangel series

The first in what is to be a series of twelve books was Officially launched at Lakeview House in Chiltern (Victoria, Australia) last weekend and was well recieved by both the children who inspired Natalie to write the series and the adults who attended. We really do need to give a huge thankyou to Beryl Pickering and the girls who look after Lakeview House (Childhood home of authoress Henry Handel (Ethel) Richardson). Especially to Beryl for the amazing scones... they went down a treat with a nice hot cuppa in the fabulous gardens at Lakeview. If you are ever passing through Chiltern, it's one place you really MUST visit...

The beautiful view from the verandah at Lakeview House

My own publication Art 2 Zee magazine was officially released on Dec 1. Pre Sales went well and feedback from Australian residents who have recieved their copies of the Limited Edition Print Magazine has been both positive and encouraging. Copies of the print publication are selling quite quickly and we are working on the PDF version as I type this.

Originally intended as either an annual or bi-annual publication, I have already recieved enough contributions to fill another issue and it's looking like becoming a quaterly or even bi-monthly publication.

In amongest all this, I've had wholesale orders to fill, commissioned portraits to complete and the general hubub of life to contend with. I have learnt a lot about the publishing business and also what I am capable of achieving when I really set my mind to it. That said, I am looking forward to a quiet christmas break.....

Those of you who follow us on Facebook my already know that last year, fellow 'Gilmour Girl' and owner of the bookstore next door to the studio, Miss Ellen, was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer.

After some treatment, it now looks as if all is well again, but it made those of us around her think seriously about our lifestyles and how we feel about those around us. None moreso than her daughter Kelly.

While Miss Ellen and others have campaigned tirelessly to raise funds for cancer research, Kelly has taken it all a step further and joined the "Kokoda Chicks". After some serious training and fundraising, Kelly flew out of Brisbane airport on Saturday October 30 for Port Morseby, where she and 11 other brave women will trek one of  the most natourious trails in Australian history (WW2), the Kokoda Trail.... Whilst we are all so incredibly proud of Kelly and the other Kokoda Chicks, those of us who are a little less brave (and much less fit) have found other ways to show our support.

Miss Ellen and friends held an Open Day at Rifiki Garden here in Chiltern on October 23, which raised over $700, and Miss Ellen has been making and selling handmade bookmarks (those lovely squiggly metal ones with beads and bobs hanging off them) and donating the profits to help out, but we all felt we needed to do just a little more.

After a little brainstorming and a trip to the local op-shop, we came up with "Bras out for Breast Cancer"... we strung a clothesline across the front of our shop-fronts and began to hang our undergarments out for all to see.... there were a lot of cars slowing down and a lot of  comments  like... "do you have one in my size?" and "It's raining, they won't dry today girls!", but the best question is when they ask... "what's it for?" and when we tell them they ask "how can I help?" ...

Miss Ellen hangs out the washing.....

Everyone who donates is "sponsoring a bra" and gets to write their name (or psydonym) on a little pink tag and attach it to the undergarment of their choice... we plan to keep this up until Kelly arrives home after November 9.... there are still some over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders without tags... if you'd like to donate and sponsor a bra stop by the shop-front gallery or Ironbark Bookz next door and we'll give you a tag and an official reciept. 100% of donations  go to the Breast Cancer Foundation of Australia, and all donations of $2AU or more are tax deductable...

Miss Ellen is still making bookmarks and the shop-front gallery here at MeaghanArt has a range of "pink" items, from which a percentage of all sales will also go to the BCF

We hope to raise LOTS to add to Kelly's already impressive total of over $5000. Every cent helps our scientists get that small step closer to a cure and lets face it, the scientists here in Aus are pretty clever cookies, so have as much chance as anyone of finding a real cure for this disease...

You can follow Kelly's journey along the Kokoda Trail by visiting her Facebook page...