Spreading Joy Through Illustration

14 Illustrated portraits in 35 days…

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. It has been quiet around here for these last few months for as some of you may know I set out on a trip of a lifetime last September. Beginning in Prague and through Austria entering Italy, it was in many ways a dream come true gap-year so far (I promise to share more about it soon) but right now I am living alone in a small flat in a Tuscan beachside town in a state of lockdown. It hasn’t been easy to put it mildly. There have been so many emotions and moments of pure defeat but little by little I’m pushing through. At the beginning of Italy’s tough quarantine measures over a month ago now I decided to connect with my most engaged Instagram followers in a different way. If I was going to survive this new lifestyle there had to be something creative for me to do within these four walls and I knew that I had everything available to me to undertake a new and creative project unlike anything I’ve ever done before. So I asked a select few followers to send me a photo of themselves that I could turn into an illustrated portrait of them. In an effort that spanned over 30 days I took up the challenge of sitting behind my laptop daily, stylus pen in hand, drawing tablet at the ready and Adobe Illustrator at my fingertips to create something meaningful for them to cherish and something that I hoped would take all our minds off the news headlines. Today I completed this project and I’m super proud of all 14 portraits I managed to create. It has been a true labour of love. The hashtag for this project was #spreadingjoythroughillustration and if you would like to head over to Instagram you’ll find lots of cool things about this project including a funky new process video I just uploaded. In reality I had so much fun bringing joy to people all around the world and I would consider myself truly blessed to have had this opportunity. Just as musicians are continuing to take to social media to entertain us during these difficult times with their voices, this was something I felt I could contribute to the world to hopefully bring a smile to someone’s face.

So here are all 14 portraits for you to see. Stay safe, keep thinking positively and together we will get through this. Lots of love to everyone.

Free Easter Colouring Pages!

We’ve got a special treat for you all to wish you a very Happy Easter! 

There are 3 designs available for free for you to print at home and enjoy.

These are difficult times and we hope that we can bring you at least some joy by providing something fun to do at home while we are all living under special circumstances.

Happy Easter from us to you!

Here is the link to download your colouring pages, enjoy:

https://gracefulavenue.wordpress.com/fun/

Best Moments of 2017

This year was quite memorable and eventful for me. From holidays to concerts, leisurely bike rides to reading and writing long hand-written letters to friends, I’ve truly enjoyed most of what came my way this year. It’s almost time to welcome in the New Year, but before that let’s take a look at my favourite memories from 2017!

In January/February, I returned to my favourite city of Barcelona for a month-long visit! During this time Montserrat and Cadaques were also covered on day trips and overall this holiday was everything I could have ever wished for!

In March the superstar that is Adele came to town for an unforgettable summer’s night of raw emotion and a powerhouse vocal.

In July, I was fortunate enough to attend the concert of one of my favourite singers – Gavin DeGraw. Meeting him after the show was such an honour and his show was truly something special.

That same month one of my favourite musicals “My Fair Lady” was also playing in town at the Princess Theatre. I absolutely loved it!

Taking a bike ride along Port Melbourne’s foreshore never ceases to impress me.

I’ve absolutely loved making new friends through the art of handwritten letters and re-connecting with old friends.

This year I launched our “Cute Parcels” concept and recently was a market vendor at Carols by Kingston! Thank you to everyone that has supported us over the years!

This year I also took the time to engage with nature more, practise my photography and spend more time with the ones I love.

Just this month I was in the company of two more “One Tree Hill” alumni when Tyler Hilton and Kate Voegele came to Thornbury. They brought the house down!

So thanks 2017! You’ve been a pretty great year.

Bring on 2018!

Cute Parcel of Birthday Love

We’ve shown you our other two themes for “Cute Parcels” and today we’ll showcase the Birthday-themed goodies you can choose from to make your very own cute parcel. Remember, you choose one item from each category (four items in total plus we include a special FREE GIFT), then securely checkout with PayPal. We’ll create a lovely package of your selections and ship it to you worldwide. It’s very simple!

For the “Cute Parcel of Birthday Love” we have these products for you to pick from…

Greeting Cards:

Stickers: 

Mini Cards:

Gift Tags:

Has something caught your eye? Don’t forget that you can add a “Cute Parcel” to your shopping cart and mix it up with other products from our Online Shop before checking out! We sell stickers, postcards, greeting cards and wall prints on our website too.

Take me shopping!

Stationery Giveaway

Friends, if you follow any of our social media networks you would have heard that we are holding a GIVEAWAY and a pack of our original stationery is about to leave the studio and fly to a surprise destination anywhere in the world. With the total value exceeding $55AUD, it’s the perfect prize for any paper and snail mail lover and features stationery from past and future Mishka Mail kits.

One lucky winner will receive:

4 Greeting Cards
2 Wall Prints
6 Stickers
2 Postcards
2 Gift Tags
1 Mini Card
1 Magnet
Confetti

You have just 4 days left to ENTER, so hurry and please show your support to Danielle of “See, Shop, Love!” for hosting this giveaway and reviewing March’s Mishka Mail kit.

Good luck!

DisneySea, Tokyo

The second Disney park that I visited in Tokyo after Disneyland was DisneySea – a place with Venetian canals and gondolas, Florentine bridges, Tuscan facades and New York-style shopping streets. A place where travel-loving adults can relive their own holiday moments gone by while their children can only dream to one day visit the actual cities depicted, getting more and more inspired with each step. For me DisneySea was an experience unlike any other, as I was transported back to my own memories of once being a tourist in Italy and the US.

I was so impressed with the attention to detail that went into each and every aspect of these replica cities. I’ve never been so blown away by a themepark before in my life! Stepping foot into Morocco with their various market streets, colourful tiles and Arabic architecture was so amazing, as I’m yet to visit Africa or the Middle East.

I’m not much of a thrill-seeker so I didn’t go on many daredevil rides, but there were plenty of those there too, and visitors could pose with their favourite Disney characters just like in Disneyland.

DisneySea left me wanting more. It ignited my imagination and sense of adventure in the world we live. There was absolutely nothing that I would change or do differently, I just wish I could spent one more hour there looking at the replica of the Titanic and entering more boutiques and restaurants. For now, it’ll just have to wait until my next visit.

Leaving the wonderful world of Disney on the monorail with a lighter wallet but a much happier heart.

You can read about my trip to Disneyland here.

Joy in Disneyland, Tokyo

Earlier this year, during a 12-day holiday in Japan, I was lucky enough to visit both Disney themeparks in Tokyo – Disneyland and DisneySea. Thinking back on those days brings me such joy as the “Happiest place on earth” certainly exceeded all my expectations. Both adults and children alike had smiles on their faces as they ran to queue up for certain attractions, eat at themed restaurants and shop at some of the cutest boutiques in the world. From the moment I stepped foot inside Tokyo’s wonderland of Disney magic, I knew I would have the time of my life.

One of the first sights I saw was this cute Disney Resort Line monorail taking visitors from Disneyland to DisneySea and all around. Inside the carriages it’s really cute too, with Mickey Mouse shaped views and handles to hold on to!

This is the very beautiful Disneyland Hotel for those lucky enough to stay overnight at Disneyland! Even their rooms have been designed with certain Disney characters in mind and the hotel is lavish from top to bottom.

There were many shops selling everything from plush toys to confectionery, and stationery to cosmetics. Everything had the irresistible Disney feel to it and it certainly was hard to resist the urge to buy most of the things on sale! Bring a bigger suitcase with you if you can!

I absolutely loved the different areas of the Park. There’s Adventureland, Westernland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Toontown and Tomorrowland. Each in its own is an unforgettable experience!

The Mark Twain Riverboat cruise was one of my favourite experiences because it transported me back to my memories of summer in the US last year in the charming city of Wilmington, NC.

Seeing the majestic Disney castle with your very eyes is absolutely incredible. So much planning and designing went into each and every element of both Disney Parks, and the attention to detail is just phenomenal.

When I was there it was all setup for Easter and checking their website today it looks like they’ve decorated for Halloween!

Honestly the whole experience was amazing and I highly recommend visiting magical Disneyland Tokyo for yourself. In a future post, I’ll make sure to cover the equally impressive DisneySea Park!

September’s Mishka Mail Revealed

*SPOILER ALERT* September’s Mishka Mail Kit is Revealed Below *SPOILER ALERT*

Time is flying by and we’ve already sent out our second monthly stationery kit for Mishka Mail. For September’s shipment the theme was “Bringing Snail-Mail Back” and there were lots of paper goodies included that you could send out to friends and penpals telling them how special they are to you.

 

Included in September’s kit were:

• 4 x “Mishka Collection” Greeting Cards
• 2 x Postcards
• 2 x Stickers
• 2 x Gift Tags
• 2 x “Mini Collection” Cards

October sign-ups are now OPEN until the 16th of this month. The theme will be “Slow down, Take it easy” and for the first time we’ll include a wall print in our kit! You don’t want to miss out on this one!

Visit the link below to join our Mishka Mail club today!

http://www.gracefulavenue.com.au

Bicycle fun in Melbourne

These last few months have been really cold and miserable here in Melbourne and we’re not completely immersed in spring weather just yet. However, during one beautiful sunny day I felt the urge to hire a bicycle and ride along the empty cycling lanes of Port Melbourne, with the sea breeze in my hair. Why? Just for fun!

Melbourne’s Bike Share system has been around for a few years now and is much like the concept in other cities of the world like London and Paris. There are daily, weekly and yearly options available with the cheapest one starting at just $3.00, including unlimited 30-minute trips in 24 hours. You can dock your bike at any bike station and the timer automatically resets, allowing you to hire another bike should you want to. Many bikes now come with free helmets, allowing riders to abide by the law.

Port Melbourne is a great place for foodies, tourists and lovers of the sea. It’s from here that the Spirit of Tasmania makes her voyage across Bass Strait to Tasmania. The architecture of the streets have a little bit of a European charm and there’s plenty of shopping and restaurants to keep everyone happy.

For me, there is something extremely liberating about riding by the beach, looking over at the horizon and the perfectly floating clouds above. It’s something I long to do as often as possible and I never think of it as exercise, rather living a healthy lifestyle and smiling the whole time I pedal.

 

Revealing August’s “Mishka Mail”

* SPOILER ALERT * AUGUST’S KIT IS REVEALED BELOW * SPOILER ALERT ********************************************************************

We’ve been so delighted with how everyone’s received our new subscription service – Mishka Mail. Thank you to everyone who has shared, liked and commented on our posts and tweets so far. For those of you who are reading about this only now, August was the first month our kits were sent out. Each month we send out a surprise selection of cute stationery and paper goods right to your door, worldwide. All our products have been lovingly illustrated in our Melbourne studio and have a distinct style to them.

So without further ado, August’s kit included everything you’d need to celebrate someone’s birthday and fittingly the theme for the month was Paper Party!

Included in August’s shipment were:

• 4 x “Mishka Collection” Greeting Cards
• 1 x Postcard
• 2 x Stickers
• 2 x Gift Tags
• 2 x “Mini Collection” Cards

Did you like what you’ve seen? September sign-ups are now open and will be closing on the 18th of this month. Visit the link below to join our Mishka Mail club today!

http://www.gracefulavenue.com.au