Rourke and Henry: my creative space

Coco's Box

I am so happy to be sharing this post with you. If you follow Coco's on Facebook or Instagram you will have seen my little sneak peaks over the past week of what I have been secretly preparing to share with you lovely people. It is a box of awesome. It is a box of inspiration. It is a box of encouragement. It is a box of joy. It's a box of good things just for you.

Coco's Box

A collection of good things

What does a Coco's Box look like?

Here is a look inside Coco's Box #1

Inside every lovely box you will find

- a super fun creative craft to complete. It comes with all the materials and easy to follow instructions.

- a deliciously yummy recipe card to bake and enjoy.

- an inspiring mini art poster of one of my artworks produced exclusively for Coco's Boxes

- 3 heartfelt happy A5 colouring in pages exclusively designed by me for Coco's Boxes

- 6 Coco's Kindness Cards in a drawstring calico bag, 6x6cm printed art squares to give or keep. They will make your heart smile and your soul dance

-2 Pay it Forward cards for random acts of kindness. Leave a card behind to inspire someone else to keep the ripple going

- and every month a delightful little surprise gift just for you

All of this is specially gathered to encourage and inspire you to be creative and dream big.

Here is a look at what's in Coco's Box #2

Coco's Boxes contain $45 worth of beautiful goodies

Sign up now for our special introductory 3 month offer of$38.25 per month (includes flat rate shipping $8.25 per month within Australia)

Email me now to secure your spectacular Coco's Box Subscription rhkids@bigpond.net.au

subscriptions can be paid via direct deposit, credit card or paypal or alternatively if you are local Coco's Boxes can be collected in store each month (no postage charge applies) once your subscription has been paid.

Coco's Box #1 will ship the first week of July 2015, and boxes #2 and #3 with ship within the first week of subsequent months August and September 2015. International subscriptions are available email me for a postage quote to your country.

Jun 16, 2015 7:48:39 PM | Coco's , my creative space

Thinking out loud....

In the last few years I have tended to shy away from sharing my personal self in my blog, even though what I do is very personal. Initially my blog was to document my journey into the Stitches and Craft Shows in Brisbane and Sydney in 2009, my preparations for the Incubator section of Indie crafters. This I did, happily sharing my progress about my products, my lead up to exhibiting. I remember trying to figure out what a blog even was..... But blog I did and it was fun. I sought out other bloggers who were preparing to exhibit at the S&C show too. I read their progress and where they were up too, I checked out what they did, not really ever feeling confident enough to leave a comment but checked back from time to time before the shows to see how they were progressing. I did end up leaving a few comments and I even met lots of them at the shows. All star struck I managed to blurt out......"I read your blog" I found lots of like minded crafters, amazing people and super funny and lovely blogs. Lots I still frequent and they make me smile. Beautiful humans that open their lives to share with the world. I remember reading Pips blog and vaguely her birthday wishes for her son, a little tribute. I remember thinking "wow, how cool, when he gets big enough he will be able to read that and see that, that's really, really cool." She inspired me to do similar for my two juniors Mr.Magoo and Miss Muffet. I played along in some blogging circles sharing "my creative space" and "my grateful" both places filled me with inspiration and admiration and a gratefulness I hope I can continually impart on my children and the people I connect with. I blogged about my kids and sometimes the Mr., thinking one day when they are grown up what a cool way for them to be able to know who they were and a lovely way to record events in their lives that we shared. My blogosphere was just lovely, a lovely place to hang, pop by and swing past reading, being inspired and immersing myself in indie goodness. Bliss and Blessed. Stuff happens. Nothing bad has happened but my perspective on what I would share altered with the explosion of social media. I became educated to cyber safety. All of a sudden, although it's been progressive over the last few years, everything is shareable, knowable, find-outable. Good, bad, ugly, lovely, real, unreal the whole lot and for me personally I have lots of social media yet I wanted to pare back, like a hermit crab backing into my shell. It's not I didn't want to share the same things I had previously shared but they almost became sacred to me and mine. I didn't want to over share. I share all of my happy place, my work, my art and sometimes that as an artist is massive, it's taken me a hugely long time to be able to say this is me,this is what I do, this is who am. I respect so many artists and humans that share their journeys on their blogs. It's big to put yourself out there. So currently I am a little too-nig and fro-ing, sometimes seriously chatting in myself in my head, and if you know me, you know that's very common, quite normal really. Share, not share, put myself out there more than I do, I don't know. Keep blogging, stop blogging and let's face it my blog is a little under loved currently...... this will actually be the most I've written in awhile. I am feeling the urge to share more of why I do what I do, not just what I do ......but in the mean time the voices in my head are currently telling me to get a cup of tea ..... I'll try to be back soon.

Apr 23, 2015 7:24:02 PM | Coco's , Grateful , my creative space

Happy Place Goes Global

These prints are now available in my Etsy store. Yay. Go check them out, I'd be stoked if you do. I've been slowly adding some delicious cards, art and prints to my Etsy store. My bricks and mortar happy place will celebrate a wonderful six year anniversary this year. I am totally blessed and eternally grateful that I have so many amazing, beautiful and friendly customers that pop in and continue to return to Coco's.

It is now time for me to improve my online presence and stage 1 of that is stocking my Etsy store and remaining vigilant with that. I'm extremely excited that I have revamped my Etsy store even just a little bit. It is my goal this Winter to continue to build this little online happy place and watch it grow and bloom. And I'd be totally chuffed if you want to pop along for the ride. So #happyplacegoesglobal is underway. Yay, Yay, Yay.

Apr 15, 2015 8:20:40 PM | Coco's , my creative space

Farewell 2014

Bidding farewell to another year...

This was the year that I challenged myself to step outside my comfort zone.

This was the year I stood in front of around 130 people and bared my art journey and why I do what I do.

This was the year I entered more than one art show, my art in galleries. Who would have ever thought?

This was the year I opened my Society 6 Store.

This was the year Kind Words, plates of my artworks was published.

This was the year that I turned 40 and it still hasn't made me a grown up.

This was the year my Happy Place, aka Coco's Closet turned 5. Wowsers.

This year much the same as the previous five I have been totally humbled by the continued support of the Friends of Coco's. I am eternally grateful to have you visit either in person, online or in some form or another. You are quite simply totally ACE! ACE!

Thank you from every corner of my heart. Thank you.

Here's to 2015.... may all of your wishes find their way to you.

Dec 30, 2014 9:47:07 PM | Coco's , Grateful , my creative space

Insta-love with my Insta-frame

I love technology, yep love it. I have had instagram since the get go, way back when it was a simple photo filtering app..... way before it became a social network. It for the most part is my favourite app, I hang out on Instagram lots, like lots. A real lot, you get the jist?

So a couple of weeks ago we travelled up to Port Macquarie to the fabbo Tastings on Hastings for some fun, food and frivolity and we stumbled across this real life Insta-frame.....

it was insta-love for me. Yes, I must have one, I must!!

and wha-la here it is thanks to Mick at Mick's Sign Shop right here in Forster made me this most fabulous Insta-Frame, I say most fabulous because of course it is adorned with cocos_closet and complete with a couple of my fave hashtags.