Rubbergob

This is how it goes

2008-07-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

Remember this card?

This is how it came together.....

A pencil sketch in my notebook of an image that had been in my mind for quite a while. Two great aussie birds.

Scan the drawing then add a bit of colour in Photoshop. I used an image of some parchment paper and added a bit of colour to it then used it as a background to the girl.

Added some shading (all in photoshop) to the Kookaburra and a bit more to the girl's face and increased the saturation of the colour to the skin.

Added an illustration done in Illustrator of some trees and put the same parchment scan behind them just this time I made it blue.
Just a final bit of tweaking by adding the trees into the body. There you go :)
I know I promised free giveaway today but you might just have to hang on till tomorrow I have to pick the winner of the Madeit blog comp to see who thought of the best idea for new Rubbergob products. They will win a fab pack of our stuff..............

Be good to your world

2008-07-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here at Rubbergob we try really hard to be as good to our world as possible, we know we can always be better and as we go along we learn new things and find new suppliers that help us to be better.

As you may know we print all our products onto 100% post consumer recycled paper, it is processed chloring free and the energy used in its waste management is 100% Green-e Certified renewable energy, how about that hey!.

One of our printers is a company called Westcare. They are a not for profit organistation, providing employment, training and accommodation for people with a disability. We feel it is important to be good not only to the world you live in but the people you share it with.

There are some great companies out there who do an amazing job at being good to the world. Take a look at Earth Greetings and read the story of Heide Hackworth and how she started, admirable stuff. You just have to love a kookaburra.

More tomorrow on the lifecycle of our designs and illustrations so you can see how we do what we do. Oooh and I do think we are due another free dowload.

to market to market....................

2008-07-10T05:43:00.000-07:00

Isn't it great to see so many fantastic markets coming up in Perth. I intend to be at the Made On The Left Market on Saturday morning. If you are in Perth be sure to catch the 33 designers and makers they have.

I fell upon Julie Knoblock an amzing illustrator from Victoria Australia. I remember seeing it quite a while ago and am so glad I found i again so I can share who and what inspires me. You can find Julie's brilliant work here and read all about her here.

Notebook heaven

2008-07-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

I know I've spoken about these notebooks before but here they all are, they are all being printed as we speak which is a jolly good thing as we sold a lot from the samples we had made.

The notebooks come bound in a paper strap instead of cellophane bag. We are trying to be a lot better to our world by using 100% post consumer recycled paper and will continue to keep finding better ways to do what we do.

The notebooks also come in matching pairs and you will be able to order them on our website (as soon as I get time to put them up there).

They have 50 blank pages and cost $AU12.95 each or $AU19.95 for a pair. You will be able to purchase them in Calico&Ivy and Morisson (who have stores in Sydney and Melbourne) for starters.

..............how exciting.

Sassy pin up board

2008-07-06T04:16:00.000-07:00

I spent a very wet and wild Saturday afternoon making this. Using an old, nasty gold frame that I'd had for years. I painted the frame white and had some foam core board cut to fit. You can get this from any picture framer and it comes in a variety of thicknesses.

I then covered the foam core board in batting that quilters use. I just taped this on the reverse.

Having chosen this fantabulous fabric from Calico and Ivy I then stapled it on the reverse side to the board.

Doesn't it look super snappy, it's going to hold all my inspiration for my design work, only problem there is that it will be full in about 5 minutes.

Bison, Dibbern, Distracted

2008-07-03T03:50:00.001-07:00

Mmmmm I've been painting for a few days so way too busy to post. Battling with a portrait.......I'm almost winning however. Once you start on the oil paints again after a wee break you soon become too hooked on that wonderful smell and buttery texture to stop to do anything else........I'm afraid painting is a bit of an addiction as it is where I started straight after high school quite some time ago now.

Anyway.....I went to the also addictive Distracted Merchants of Fancy in Leederville (again) today and bought some beautiful vessels by Bison and Dibbern. Are they not the most beautiful things? If you haven't popped into the Distracted shop, which houses a tea shop, art shop and hair shop and waxing shop all in one you really must. They are purveyors of the most eclectic and beautiful objects.

Natural Inspiration

2008-07-01T04:47:00.000-07:00

I have done a couple of posts about my garden, well not really about my garden but just to show where some of the inspiration for our designs comes from. Bird and I were sat having a brainstorm on the deck this afternoon and we watched a honeyeater sat in one of our trees pecking away, which was sweet as he features on these cards.

I was out in the rain on the weekend taking photos in the garden and this is what I snapped, a beautiful contrast of muted tones and that amazing camellia (at least I think it is).

It seems I'm not the only one that gains huge inspiration from the nature around them. Every now and then I have a sneak peak to see what the amazingly talented girls over at Poppies For Grace are up to. I think they live on a farm and a fruit farm at that (how idyllic) and are committed to sustainability in their design and packaging. If you haven't seen their gorgeous stationery then where have you been.

Free envelope

2008-06-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

I know I usually wait till Monday for the weekly free download but so many people seemed to love the last owl envelope that I have created another. Click on the image below to go to the full size version and print it out. Cut around the envelope shape and fold the four flaps over to create a square envelope with a space on the front for the receivers’ name.

Enjoy

This one was inspired by all the wonderful colours in the work of the various designers I've been looking at this week. I'm also trying to think warm as it is cold and rainy here this week.

Colour Crazy

2008-06-26T03:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry was so busy yesterday couldn't get to post for the life of me.....................but today despite being also crazy busy designing catalogues for Rubbergob here I am.

Just want to tell the world about the wonderful Calico & Ivy here in Perth. Debbie has recently taken over the shop that sells the most beautiful fabrics, yarns, patterns, books and much other implements of creativeness for you crafty types. Here is a sample of the sort of stuff you can find at Calico and Ivy along with Amy Butler, some fantabulous Swedish heavy weight fabric and liberty prints.

Did I mention Calico& Ivy are the first people to stock our brand spankng new notebooks along with everything else from our range. Be sure to pop on down and have a look.

I'm getting really into the colours seen on some fabrics lately....I know I've been going on about fabric but there is such amazing design to be seen on fabric patterns and the mixing of them.

Then Mia from One hour craft told me about HeatherBailey fabric designer and amazing photographer by the look sof things (why am I the last in the world to discover these wonders) and there are those stunning colour combinations again citrus and sky blue. They just make you happy.

I usually get too excited about new design and colours etc to sleep so I may have time for another post :)

Ooh look what I found!

2008-06-24T03:25:00.000-07:00

I spend way too much time looking at lots of inspirational designer, makers and illustrators online. funnily enough a fair few of them are Australian and girls too. So I'm sharing a few of my recent finds lately.

Bird Textile in Byron Bay NSW promotes sustainable design and a great eco ethos of producing things locally with a low environmental impact.

I am really into fabric at the moment and finalising some of our own design to have silkscreened.
On that note here The Cut Cloth are Perth girls called from the same family that design and produce their own fabric and create some brilliant products ranging from hats to cushions and this great bag. We met them at the George Street Markets in Fremantle last year and they really are the nicest bunch of people.

You can read Diana's Blog to find out what she is making lately, I wish I could sew like this.

I suppose I can't go without sharing some designs I've been doing for a friends toddlers bedroom. Based around his favourite book ( I think) Whale in a pail and his other mates Squiddly Diddley (I made that one up though) bob about with their old wooden boat and starfish friends in the wee ones bedroom.
I'm thinking about some new cards here..........anyone??

It's a great life...........and todays freebie notepaper dowload

2008-06-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

Remember to check the end of the post for your free downloadable notepaper !

Isn't it just..................it's my day off with littlegob and we usually go swimming but today we hung out in the garden and I thought well I should really share it with you "gobbies" out there as my garden happens to be where a great deal of the inspiration for our stuff comes from. It's a really old garden, well for Perth it is, about 60 yrs old and contains the original hibiscus and mulberry tress and gum trees and Jacranda and on it goes. I need to add that it is winter here in Western Australia but check out those stunning blue skies. Oh and how about my $20 pirate wellies Janine's littlegob will be so jealous.

This is one of our old Jacaranda trees and my tin roof.
Our small Emmas Owl canvas in littlegobs room. These are available on the website $95 AU (without postage) but if you are interested let us know here you are and we can work out postage.
Drum roll please..........................This weeks freebie download...................for all of those who go to notebooks anonymous like me (I have way too many notebooks) and need to write down all the things they need to get, do, finish etc here is an A5 (half a sheet of A4) piece of designed notepaper with Emmas Owl (in blue) on it. Feel free to dowload, print and scribble away on, as usual don't try to sell them and I would love to know who downloads them and what exciting things you might write on them.............I'm very nosy. Just click on the pic below and it will take you to the large image, print it out actual size and snip around the outside dotted line for super duper notepaper. Enjoy!

I concur

2008-06-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

At least that is what I think I do...

Anyway I will also raise a glass of red- although I am not yet in my birthday PJ's as it hasn't been mine yet- making me much, much younger.

Well done bird!!! ...... (by the way)....

plus one xx

PS Our cards also ventured into wedding invites today which is soooooo exciting. What an honour!

This is our life as a domestic goddess

2008-06-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

If you ever wonder from looking at our cards why we sometimes seem a little............... frazzled, nuts, sarcastic, even a little bitter then this explains it all. We don't usually get into this sort of stuff but bird (Janine) emailed this to me and as I sit here in my ever so glamorous birthday pyjamas and really daggy dressing gown at the crazy hour of 7pm on a Friday night I couldn't think of a more apt thing to post.
For all you gals and guys for that matter well spent from a week doing everything mentioned below and stil having time to be a creative person I raise my glass of Fantabulous red wine to you and say we just had 500 hits on our blog in a day and a half and I thank you all for having the time to stop by. If anyone has any special requests for next weeks free download send me a note, all decent and proper requests considered.
cheers

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and
3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play
two sports
and either take music
or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must
take care of his 3 kids;
keep his assigned house clean,
correct all homework,
and complete science projects,
cook, do laundry,
and pay a list of 'pretend' bills
with not enough money.

In addition, each man
will have to budget in money
for groceries each week.

Each man
must remember the birthdays
of all their friends and relatives,
and send cards out
on time--no emailing.

Each man must also
take each child to a doctor's appointment,
a dentist appointment
and a haircut appointment.

He must make
one unscheduled and inconvenient
visit per child
to the A & E.

He must also
make biscuits or cakes
for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for
decorating his own assigned house,
planting flowers outside
and keeping it presentable
at all times.

The men will only
have access to television
when the kids are asleep
and all chores are done.

The men must
shave their legs,
wear makeup daily,
adorn himself with jewellery,
wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,
keep fingernails polished
and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks,
the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches,
and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or
slow down from other duties.

They must attend
weekly school meetings,
church, and find time
at least once to spend the afternoon
at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to
read a book to the kids
each night and in the morning,
feed them, dress them,
brush their teeth and
comb their hair by 8:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information:
each child's birthday,
height, weight,
shoe size, clothes size
and doctor's name.
Also the child's weight at birth,
length, time of birth,
and length of labour,
each child's favourite colour,
middle name,
favourite snack,
favourite song,
favourite drink,
favourite toy,
biggest fear and
what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island
based on performance.
The last man wins only if...
he still has enough energy
to be intimate with his spouse
at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win,
he can play the game over and over
and over again for the next 18-25 years
eventually earning the right
To be called Mum!

After you get done laughing,
send this to as many females as you
think will get a laugh out of it and
as many men as you think can
handle it!
Just don't send it back to me.... I'm going to bed.

Where to start...............

2008-06-19T04:09:00.000-07:00

This is usually the question I ask myself when i sit down at my desk, in fact when I get up in the morning. At the moment I seem to have too many ideas and not enough hands to do them all, though I presume I am not alone in this. The more I try to finalise the notebooks the more ideas I have so as usuall we will probably print as many as we can. They will have heir first outing at Upmarket that I mentioned in a previous post. Thank you again to Justine for inviting us and be sure to keep an eye out on her Blog for the interviews and other exciting news.

Here's a sneak of the notebooks we are hoping to have with us, come complete with cool little paper band, no plastic this time we are trying hard to be better to our world. Oh! if anyone has any preferences for the designs on our cards as notebooks please do let us know.

In case anyone is interested here are the bands that go around them...............it's just that they took me so flippin long to do this morning, thanks for indulging me

Also we are super chuffed to appear on the legendary Printpattern, a big fat congratulations to Bowie for getting a book deal and a huge thanks for making us feel like legends in our own lunchbox today, even the Rubbergob men and offspring were suitably impressed (as they should be).
Just wanted to share these beautiful sewn bird houses from the very talented Tamar Mogendorff, that I came across today that made my heart soften (rare moment). I want a wall full of these.

Make it with us!

2008-06-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

I thought you all might like to have a go at making these owl envelopes. You can't see them very well on the pic below but you need to cut around the ouside dashed line and fold along the inside dashed line.It is a square envelope with 4 fold in flaps I think some people might call it and enclosure. It is a design we used for our Limited Edition Cards. You can click on this image to view the full size version which you are free to download and make your own envelope.

The only thing we ask is that you don't resell them or use the design for something else. you could even make a fabric envelope and patchwork the design onto the front, if you do this i would love to see it and you obviously have way too much time on your hands.

Today I'm busy trying to finalise quotes and production times for our notebooks, if only everyone else was on my timeframe! Here is a sneak peak at a couple of the designs, thoe of you who know me will know I have a serious notebook fetish, in fact I have too many and am constantly forgetting which one I wrote those important design job notes in................
so this is the book laid out flat featuring the Boobook owl or I might now call it the BookBook owl!

Right back to chasing printers.........keep an eye out for the next giveaway. Let me know if you did anything super exciting with the envelope............like propose!

Making It

2008-06-17T04:48:00.000-07:00

It seems a lot of great people are out there making it and lots of it. Today I was sent a couple of great links by the lovely lass at Upmarket that I would like to share. Before I start be sure to put Upmarket in your diary, it's great to see so many makers markets coming up.

Firstly Spoonflower for those who have always wanted to print their own fabric, well that's me for a start. I have been tinkering with putting some of my favourite Rubbergob designs onto all sorts of fabric kit for a while now and should hopefully have some exciting stuff to share in the coming months.

Then there is How About Orange by Graphic/Fabric pattern designer Jessica Jones, this one contains a tutorial on creating a repeating pattern.

Here in Aus there is the oh so super Kristen Doran, I love the simplicity of design and type of fabric she uses.

Well I could go on but I better save something for tomorrow, I'm not doing too badly with my everyday blogging..........ooh and look out for us on PrintPattern or did I say that yesterday. For those of you that haven't caught this blog it's a must for people into surface design, stationary, illustrators and printed stuff!
Hapy clicking

Promise to be better

2008-06-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm the first to admit it, It's been a while but it's not like we haven't been busy.
So from here on in I am trying to post everyday I may need all the support, love and attention I can get to keep me going. It will be a bit about new stuff I've been designing and a bit about the great talent that inspires me though I'm going to try and keep it local for a while.

So here goes, it's all about me today: We had our first professional photo shoot woo hoo and being glamorous is rather long and boring I have to say well the cards and tags and invites said so I was busy trying to quell their tantrums and keep them looking sexy for 2 hours.

Here's a couple of the new babies on fake grass

This the original blah in a different colour theme, thank you to Kylie at Morrison for the inspiration there.

And one of the tags, the australian snowflake eating reindeer bird! He comes in a card too I'm giving everyone one this year.

A big thank you to Emma from onehourcraft whom the cute owl was inspired by, for the fake grass. I realise looking at our designs the amount of people that they are actually designed around, friends children, friends, other creative types. I will do my best to tell the story around each one as it comes up.

See you tomorrow as promised!

....and here they are

2008-03-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right our superous duperous new range of Limited Edition Art Cards. Printed on the most beautiful 100% post consumer recycled paper ever with specially designed envelopes that are printed all over and can be used both ways for the understated or just plain gorgeous look.
I am busy uploading the new range to our Etsy store and watch out for the new rubbergob website.

Here are a few pics of the range so far, there are 6 large cards with special envelopes and 8 small cards, each design is avaiable as an archival quality artists print too (just in case you can't get enough).The folky owl inspired by dear Em from onehourcraft check out the amazing twins Em and Mia at onehourcraft to see all the incredible stuff they get up to.

Plain as the bird on her head card, an illustration I had wanted to do for ages about birds of all types but really into natve Australian birds at the mo.

One of the native seed inspired designs showing funky envelope.

Autumn trees. I love the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves
of tall majestic trees, the feel of the cool autumn breeze on my face
and the scrunch of soft leaves underfoot. Watch your heart be carried
aloft by the breeze and toss and tumble through the tree tops.
Just make sure you don’t get clonked on the head by the branch of a
shedding gum tree because that would really ruin the moment.

In the shops

2008-02-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

A very sweet friend Em pointed out that we should be sharing with the world some of the fantastic stores that carry our stuff. It's something that gives us much joy, that is to see what we poduce in the windows and on the shelves of some of the coolest retail experiences around so we are now going to make an effort to visit all the places we can and show you how they show off for us.
First off the mark is Evolve Homewares, this one is in Cottesloe Western Australia but they are also in Shenton Park and West Perth. They stock a range of Prints as you can see in the window and cards. Thank you to Robi Smith who kindly took this photo after I took my camera out and forgot to put in the flash card duuh!

The print featured here is the Taupe and red Native from the Native Naiive series. This is one of the first and most popular designs we produced that is an abstraction of Australian Native flora. There are four designs in this series that come as greeting cards, prints and mini Limited Edition Prints in a funky Envelope. The last item actually won us the Austalian Memento Award for Memento of Western Australia, pretty cool if I do say so myself.

In case you didn't allready know you can acquire (so much nicer than buy, don't you think) our stuff from www.rubbergob.com.au or our Etsy shop

Limited Edition...here we come

2008-02-11T18:21:00.001-08:00

So much to write about this time, about to print those limited edtion cards just making final decision on which ones. I have put in a few below and here are a couple of new ones but you never know they may not make the final cut. Each will be hand signed and numbered and a little bit of hand embellishment on each woohoo.

There is a sweet little story about each one and where the inspiration came from on the back.
Our printers we use are very patient and are giving us back the many cost permutations we have asked for, bless their socks.
The bird illustrations came from our fondness of birds and the fact we seem to refer to each other as bird (Janines fault) birds with attitude we have to say not just your common nice person bird.

Need to mention how simply inspiring the work of Shim+Sons is, I get so much inspiration from incredibly creative and hard working people out there so I will be sharing those who have shared with me. I do have to admire the hard work of all those talented women out there doing their thing quietly and industriously.

Yoga

2008-02-11T02:10:00.000-08:00

have to tell you how good yoga was this morning- I was calm and at peace with the world when I left..... I know that is a shock to you bird but it is true- and I have a witness.... THEN less than an hour later the whole thing was undone .... what I want to know is why breakast cereal is allowed to advertise that it tastes good- it all tastes like cardboard and I should know I have chewed my way through a few boxes in my time!!!

Can anyone recommend a cereal that actually tastes of the fruit and grains that the company say it does.....

Anyway bird it ruined my very calm day - on a different note I think I may have found someone who might work with the canvas idea, AND picked up the smaller bags- they are looking like a great size for your new designs..... any update on that??
Anyway I had better go and recover from the cereal incident.....

It's raining!!!!

2008-02-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Yipee rain- got to love it after a hideous amount of humidity.... but already there were people complaining about it this morning, those same people who hated the humidity and heat yesterday.... get back in your airconditioned box you over mommy-coddled personage you.... sorry got distracted!

Mate I am also loiking the envelopes, not sure whether I favor the dalliance into retro '70 design or the lsd swirls.... like the shape and colours though, keep up the grand work.

Catch you later I have people to go and offend..

Slack I know

2008-02-04T21:29:00.000-08:00

I have no excuse apart from I've been busy designing (ha ha did that work). So here's what I've been up to. I've moved on from the hand drawn and gone into abstracted native design/illustrations and looking at embossing and more stunning envelopes. Let me know what you think :)Remember to click on the image for a super duper large version, I'm loving these envelopes if I do say so.

Art Gallery WA

2008-01-22T01:41:00.000-08:00

Mate mate mate- just when you think they day has been spent chasing around 2 children and trying to catch 5 mins at the computer to do some work and failing miserably........along comes a great email from the Art Gallery!!!! Well done bird is what I have to say- that is yet another great store in Perth... they have so much cool stuff in there... we will have to pop in next week when the stock hits the floor and have a coffee and watch people having a look at the cards!!!! Too exciting!- do you think I have had too much coffee today????
Catch you later
plus one

Mmmmm like it bird

2008-01-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

Bird- looking good- I really like the handdrawn stuff too- takes us in a whole new direction which is always interesting. Balloon great but not sure about the bubble??? Thoughts??? think it should definately make it to the short list for our limited edition card range... are we still looking good for March launch on those?

Been really busy this morning sending off newsletters.... how did you pull up?
Catch you later
plus one