With the Witch School Market last weekend and Handmade Canberra this weekend, the studio has officially entered market mode.
Every surface is covered in something.
Prints are waiting to be packaged, paintings waiting for final varnish, stocktakes happening in between cups of tea, and endless little piles of things that apparently need to come with me. Price tags. Display stands. Card readers. Panadol. Throat lozenges. Approximately seventeen charging cables that may or may not be needed.
It’s a strange mixture of excitement, organisation, chaos, and mild panic.
And right on schedule, about three weeks before the market, I had what can only be described as a creative download.
Suddenly, I had pages full of brilliant ideas. New products. New collections. New paintings. New everything.
Naturally, pragmatic Kirstin had to step in and remind me that there are only so many hours in a day and only so much that can be achieved before market day.
So after much negotiation with my creative brain, I settled on three new things to bring along.
The rest have been lovingly added to my “future projects” list, where they will wait patiently for their turn.
IF ONLY I WERE A LITTLE BRAVER
Firstly, of course, my newest original painting, If Only I Were a Little Braver, had to come
If you’ve been following along on the blog, you’ll know this painting arrived in a dream before it ever appeared on canvas, and you’ll know there were some hiccups along the way. ( You can read that story here)
She’ll be travelling with me to both markets unless she happens to find her forever home first, and I love that in person, you will be able to see the textures, the hidden layers, the tiny details and colours which are difficult to capture in photographs.
She’s one of those paintings that really rewards seeing her in person, and I can’t wait to hear what people think of her.
Every time I look at her, I find myself asking the same question: “What would I do if I were just a little bit braver?” And honestly, I think that’s a question worth carrying around.
THE HAND- PAINTED NOTEBOOKS
The second surprise emerged from a cupboard clean-out. Last year, I bought a collection of little notebooks with all kinds of plans for them. Christmas products. Self-care kits. Gift packs.
And then life happened, and they were hidden away and completely forgotten.
While searching for something entirely unrelated, I discovered a pile of around forty blank notebooks waiting patiently in the cupboard.
At first, I thought I might simply add printed covers, but the more I looked at them, the more I realised I wanted them to feel special.
So I painted them.
Each notebook now features an original hand-painted artwork on the cover. No two are alike.
They’re bright, joyful little companions for lists, dreams, journal entries, late-night ideas, shopping lists, doodles and all those thoughts that arrive at inconvenient times.
And I absolutely love them – so much that one of the covers was damaged and I claimed that one for myself!
I love that these started as forgotten notebooks in a cupboard and have become little pieces of art designed to hold someone’s ideas, dreams, plans, and adventures.
MEET THE TAROT QUEENS
The third collection is one I’ve been quietly thinking about since February.
If you’ve read last week’s blog post about *If Only I Were a Little Braver*, you may remember me mentioning a collection I had been avoiding.
Well, these little paintings are the beginning of it. Inspired by the six Tarot Queens, this series explores the energy, wisdom and personality of these powerful archetypes.
Painted on square wooden panels and ready to hang, they feel a little different from my usual work while still being unmistakably LilliBean.
I have thoroughly enjoyed bringing them to life.
Each queen will be available individually, although they look rather beautiful displayed together as a collection.
I think what I love most about this collection is that each Queen reminds us that there isn’t only one way to be powerful. Some lead with compassion, some with intuition, some with creativity and some with fierce determination.
COLOURING PACKS RETURN
And finally, a product that nearly didn’t happen.
These colouring packs were originally designed for Christmas last year before being lost in the seasonal chaos.
I had completely forgotten about them until I stumbled across photographs while setting up my new shop website.
Instantly, I remembered how much I loved them.
Each pack includes a collection of whimsical illustrations printed onto quality paper suitable for watercolour, markers, coloured pencils or whatever creative supplies you have on hand.
They’re designed for quiet moments, creative play, and a little bit of whimsy.
There are only a very limited number available for these markets, making them one of the rarest products I’ll have on my stall.
These packs are a gentle reminder that creativity doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes all you need is a few pens, a cup of tea, and twenty quiet minutes to yourself
Looking around the studio this week, I realised that every one of these products began in a completely different way. A dream. A forgotten cupboard discovery. An idea scribbled in a notebook. A project that got lost during Christmas.
Creativity is funny like that. Sometimes the things we are most excited to share aren’t the things we carefully planned at all. They’re the ideas that just waited for the right moment to appear.
COME SAY HELLO
If you’re visiting Handmade Canberra at EPIC this weekend, I’d love for you to stop by and say hello. And if you visited the High Priestess Witch School Market last weekend, thank you for saying hey.
One of my favourite parts of markets is the conversations. Talking about creativity, art, whimsy, dreams, oracle cards and all the beautiful things that connect us.
And if you can’t make it in person, don’t worry.
Everything that doesn’t find a new home at the markets will make its way into the online shop later this month.
I’ll be sharing updates here on the blog, through my newsletter, and across social media as they become available.
From my whimsy world to yours.
Let’s stay connected
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