And so that was Christmas

Can't believe I haven't blogged for over a month.

So anyhoo - here's some of the stuff  I've been up to lately ..

This is Dave.

I happened upon Dave during smoko at our Team Planning Day at Somerton Surf  Lifesaving Club. (You must try the mushroom/fetta bruschetta - it's amazing).

He was standing next to his car drying that hair - and my fingers ached for a camera.  When I moaned to my companions, Jesse reminded me that the "company" DSLR was upstairs.  I said it didn't really matter as I wasn't brave enough to ask for a photo anyway.  Jesse said that if he asked, I could just run upstairs and grab the camera.  As you can see - the rest is history!  I'm really pleased with this - environmental portraiture is a burning ambition of mine .... well, smouldering anyway ....

Two days later, we were off to Leigh Creek for the Flinders NRG Christmas party, and my birthday present - two days in Wilpena Pound and six hours of Skytrek. (more about that later - it warrants its own post!)

The Cazneaux Tree

Given that it was Christmas and all, RB held a competition to design a Victorian Christmas card, and this was my response.

I didn't win - didn't expect too - but had a lovely time merging all the elements of this card.  Too bad I didn't even get a chance to email it to folks.  So Merry Christmas!

Ah yes - and on the subject of that very season, I was also inspired to create this tshirt - for those of you who know when my birthday is it will be very obvious .... although the design itself should give you a pretty good idea!!

And so that was Christmas .....

Hope you and yours have a safe, prosperous and happy 2011.

Oh yeah - Anything you see here (except Dave) can be purchased on Redbubble.  You'll find my portfolio right here.

Massive Sale!

As you may or may not be aware, Redbubble are offering a massive 20% off white tshirts from now until December 25th in their “White Christmas” promotion.




So you can imagine how surprised I was today when I realised that they are also offering a 15% discount for Black Friday! (right till the end of Cyber Monday)




So right now, if you buy one of my tshirts on white, you will be getting them for less than my normal base price!!

You can find all those shirts and more in my portfolio here

A very very Merry Discount!!

15% off for your friends & family! Greetings CathieT, To kickstart your Christmas mission of reminding friends, family and devoted fans about your excellent work, we have made a magic voucher that will take15% off your work, and your work only. There really hasn't been a better time to find a digital soapbox and shout long and hard about yourself and your art. Tweet, blog, forward this email, write a newsletter, or send a telegram. Share your 15% discount code:CathieT_is_on_sale_6601 Check out CathieT's portfolio here Forward this offer        Share on Facebook
Oh, and cheers to Mr Nast for your PD image.

Election Day Fun!

So following this rather cool article in The Punch:

http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-and-abbott-get-a-digital-makeover/?from=scroller&pos=1&referrer=article&link=text

I decided to give Ms Gillard a little more colour!!



Work that ranga, girl!!

The List Meister Rides Again

Hey Tshirt designers ….

Andy Bowness (the blogger extraordinaire behind HideYourArms has just launched a new site.

Called surprisingly (or not) T-SHIRTBLO.GS it’s aim is to provide tee bloggers with more traffic, designers with a comprehensive list of tshirt blog sites to advertise their wares, and to give tshirt buyers a new range of sites to chose from.

Although it’s ranked by user vote at the moment, it will eventually rank blogs by their GooglePR, Alexa and Technorati rankings as well.

One amazing feature, is that if you have a blog, you can add it yourself .... get your friends to vote - and voilá there you are for all the world to see!

There is one feature I would like to see .... a vote this blog down feature... eh Rumplo?

Check it out!

Touch

Another long overdue blog post ... but for a good cause.


A few weeks ago I was sent a "Call for Artists" ... for a Mother's May exhibition to raise funds for the Women & Children's Hospital Foundation.


So despite a few hiccups and the fact that it ended up as a framed print and not a 30x40 canvas, I was able to offer this.

Click on the word "Touch" below to be taken to the work on Redbubble

Entitled "Touch" I hoped it represented the bond between mother and child which needs no spoken language with the unnecessary words indistinct in the background.


It is currently being exhibited in Gallery A in the hospital, and will be until May 30th.  You will find Gallery A by entering the hospital via the Kermode Street entrance, and turning left just past the bottom of the stairs.

It is amongst works by established artists, mums and kids, staff of the hospital, Adelaide photographers and local identities (I told Catherine Lambert about it and couldn't keep her away!!)


Now I realise that many of you may not have the time to get in to view the exhibition or indeed the money to purchase the original work, so I have decided to make the work available on Redbubble, as a postcard, greeting card, laminated, mounted, canvas and framed print, with all proceeds going to the Foundation.


I hope you'll all consider going to the exhibition, or at least purchasing an image  - WCH does a lot of wonderful work for the people of South Australia - and it's lovely to be able to give something back!


Oh and btw - the exquisite watercolours were used in the Launch invites and Call for Artists - and are by the incredibly talented Emma Kate Creative - see more of her work here.


Oh and btww - the lovely cupcakes we all snacked on were baked by the very clever @Monnie of Cupcake Treats 

I sent an email …..

….. to a man named David Thorne.

David Thorne is the man behind the satirical, laugh till you cry,  “wish I had the cohunes to say that” website that is 27b/6.com.

Around 4.00pm on the 24th of March, @27bslash6 tweeted that he was bored, and stated that the first three people to send him a photograph with a smiley face on their face would win a book, mug, tshirt and a mystery prize!

So, grabbing a nearby child and my trusty Bic, I added the aforementioned smiley to my son’s lovely fresh kid skin and took the photo below and sent it off.  This wasn’t done out of the kindness of his heart mind you, he wanted his share if we actually won something.

 
 


Now given that this was late afternoon, and I’m a mum and I work and I blog and I’m tired … oops sorry … I got off the computer and got on with life in the real world, thinking that if I was successful I would receive a tweet back or such.

So endeth that day, and so onto the next one, and I receive a tweet from @MagpiePants asking if she can have the prizes I won … I won??  Indeed – and a link to the 27b/6.com site reveals this:


 

It seems somehow that being at work at the time, I missed this tweet – kindly retweeted for your viewing pleasure by one of the other winners.

 
Now given that Mr Thorne had misspelt my name on the website, there was a pretty good chance that I had not received a tweet sent perhaps to an @CathyTrenant, and I really did want my prize, so I emailed him on the evening of the 25th March – most of which appears below.


Oooh!!  Ooh!!

It's me .... Cathie Tranent.

Sorry I didn't realise I'd won ....
My address is:
Cathie Tranent xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
SA xxxxx
Yay!!  

Another South Aussie - and I'm really sorry I didn't get back to you sooner!!

Cheers,

Cathie


Five days later, and with still no response, I checked to see whether my name had been corrected or some other comment added, but nothing.


In fact, the entire competitions page is no longer on the site. 

So I sent this email:




I even sent another copy of the kid’s photo just to prove it really was us.

To date – which is now nearly 4 weeks after, not only have Connor and I not received our prize pack, there has not even been a damn email to acknowledge any of my correspondence.


Quite frankly Mr Thorne, I’m quite over the fact that your “internet playground” hasn’t delivered what it promised – I’m an adult and quite used to that – what I do find really ignorant is that you couldn’t even bother to reply – quite ironic given that you have gained most of your fame through “emails”.


Oh yeah – and perhaps you could be the one to explain to my son why his mug and tshirt hasn’t arrived - ‘cos you can be sure I won’t be buying him one after this.


**News Flash**


On May 27th at some stupid hour of the morning, I was sitting on Twitter when David tweeted about some jobs he should have been doing, to which I replied "or you could respond to my email" - to which I received a DM with an apology and a request to email my details again.  I've done so .. and so now we wait :)


** News Flash Flash**

Surprise surprise - it is now July 30th and we've received a big ...... fat ............nothing!


*** Unsurprising Postscript***


August 28th ......... nada

Book Burning World Tour

Been a while since I put any tshirts up on here, but not only did I crank one I'm well pleased with, but you can now get this, are you ready, ............ printed on the front......or .........printed on the back ............ or on the front or back of a HOODIE!!

So anyway - there I was leaving a comment on Adelaide Now regarding the Federal Governments impending Internet filter for RC sites and the words book burning popped into my head.

A little research later and you have:  Book Burning World Tour!

In dark tshirt and light tshirt variations and a light one for the hoodies - treat yourself to an early birthday present!!

"I heart Pandas (Chinese version)" T-Shirt Design by Cathie Tranent [4570918-1] - RedBubble

"I heart Pandas (Chinese version)" T-Shirt Design by Cathie Tranent [4570918-1] - RedBubble

Latest panda tshirt on Redbubble!

Click on the links to buy ..........................

Renaissance Rock God

So it's a lute - I'm sure these guys must have had their fans - can you imagine?  ScarboroughStock!

Acoustic, Naturally

Playing around with some vectors the other day, and thought that the good old generic, acoustic guitar just doesn't get enough "press".

So here it is - complete with bluebirds of happiness ... and no defiant gestures - 'cause acoustics just aren't like that!

Click on the blog post title to be taken to RB to buy!

Available for Sale on Redbubble as Card, Laminated Print and Wall Art

Not a tshirt, Not a photo ... a recipe

I am a lucky person.


My hubby loves to cook - not as a job - but as a hobby!!


He loves Indian and Greek food (not together) .... and loves to experiment with flavours.


In the two days that I have been back at work, I have been greeted by two lovely dinners, Monday a Thai Laksa starring scallops and chicken, and tonight Stuffed Chicken Breasts.


The Laksa is a tried and true family favourite, but the Chicken recipe came out of his head today ...


What do you think??

Mark’s Rooly Rooly Excellent Stuffed Chicken Breast.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast fillet per person

1 camembert, chilled and sliced thinly

120g fetta cheese diced into small cubes

2 cups of finely chopped and steamed silverbeet/spinach with the stalk removed

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of chopped chives

1 tablespoon of butter

Slice a pocket into the chicken fillet through the thick end, after trimming of the tenderloin and fat and place to one side.

Place two or three slices of camembert in each pocket

Mix all remaining ingredients, while spinach is still hot to melt the butter then stuff equal portions into each breast.

Pan fry on low heat (covered) with a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan until cooked.

(On this occasion it was served with creamy white wine sauce, steamed cauli/cabbage/asparagus and baked pumpkin and potato)

Sorry there isn't a photo - wasn't interested in photographing it once it was served!!