The Butterfly Collector

Winter Art Workshops

It's nearly our school holidays here in Australia and I am excited to announce today I will be conducting new Winter Art Workshops on the Surfcoast in just a few weeks. 

Collage Wonderland is a fun and intuitive creative class. We will play and explore with vintage papers, paint, watercolours, pastels, pencils, stencils and recycled print making tools. 

I am using a beautiful room at Freshwater Creek Steiner School on the Surfcoast in Victoria, Australia. Surrounded by nature I invite you and your children to let me guide to create a wonderful collage ( or two or three) together for your home using my magic box formula.

A Meditation will start our time together. Morning Tea provided half way through and a play area for the little ones! Please click over to the workshops section on my website for more information.

www.thebutterflycollector.com.au

 

Summer Art Classes!

It's nearly School Holidays in Australia and I am excited to announce I am conducting all new classes in Watercolour in January! ...

SUMMER ART CLASSES
A Fun Introduction to Watercolour Painting
With Local Artist Shae Leviston
We will explore painting birds, blooms, butterflies,landscapes,
trees, fairies and an enchanted garden on wet and dry paper.
A Meditation, Morning/ Afternoon Tea and all art supplies provided.

TUESDAY SESSIONS
Morning Class 10am -1pm
Afternoon Class 2pm - 5pm
JANUARY 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th, 2017
Adults and Children welcome.
Paint with your kids! Suitable for aged 7 and up.
(little ones under seven years old free with a parent ... a play area is available)
Just bring an art smock and your imagination!
$50 per person per class ...and just add $10 for each additional family member
Hurry Limited Spaces. 10% discount if paid by the 31st of December.

LOCATED AT ...
Freshwater Creek Steiner School
52 McIntyres Road, Freshwater Creek, Victoria 3216
contact Shae for bookings via email at [email protected] or via
www.thebutterflycollector.com.au

My VIDA designs!

My first collection of designs created from my paintings are ready to pre-order on the amazing Vida website. It's so exciting to see my work as wearable art! Everything Vida produces from Artists like me supports Makers around the globe and provides Literacy programs for each of them as well! More designs coming in the next few days!
http://shopvida.com/collections/voices/shae-leviston

Create!

Create!
Today is the day to listen to your creative muse. She's whispering ideas in your mind, for you to create from your heart and with your magnificent hands!

Just start, it doesn't have to be perfect, we are all here to express ourselves. Find the way that speaks to you and begin. You might even have to try out a few things to find your favorite thing/s. You can dance, paint, sing, weave, sew, knit, create a collage, draw, act, sculpt and colour and so much more!

This illustration is taken from a set of oracle/inspiration cards I am currently working on!

It can be found now in my Etsy Store as an instant downloadable printable Art Print ... HERE!

Passion ... an oracle card for today!

Dear Butterfly Friends, when I taught my last round of art classes I made little oracle cards with birds on them and rolled them up, tied them with string and placed them in a special bowl with a birds nest in it and a little blue bird on the top. Each student upon arriving would pick a little rolled up bundle and open it to find their word for the week. Their task then was to take it home stuck in their art journal and write down or draw what this word meant to them at that moment and watch for it to show up during the week. I was astounded every week when they would come back with the most amazing, miraculous and beautiful stories of how the universe had shown them their word for the week!

I started designing some new ones a while ago and feel the pull to keep creating them now and my dream is to create a card deck and journal to accompany them. I hope they are helpful to you and I'd love to hear your stories if they show up for you!

Also as a freebie I have created journal page for you to print out and write down your passions and after many lovely messages from people telling me how they loved to use my Gratitude Calender last year (you can find the rest of the year if you click on Free Printables above). I have decided to bring it back for you to print out now too! Write down a little something each day of the month that makes you feel grateful for all that you have in your life! I will be writing down creating time, lovely food and beautiful music on mine today! Print them out in colour or black and white and enjoy! Shae xo

Right Click on each picture below and save it to your computer so you can print it out at A4 size.

P.S. Please Note ... these Printables are for personal use only,

please do contact me if you have something else wonderful

or commercial in mind! Copyright Shae Leviston 2015

Wild and Free... New Art Prints!

Dear Butterfly Friends, I have a new little Shop at Boom Boom Prints and I'm excited about it because its especially for Mum's and little ones! I have started putting pretty things in there ...birds and words and blossoms. I would love you to visit and see all the other amazing artists in there too! Boom Boom make art prints for kids rooms and baby nursery's and they also make bibs, tshirts, onesies, lunch bags, tote bags, cards and maternity tees! You can visit my Shop here ... http://www.boomboomprints.com/Shop/Artist/thebutterflycollector/

 

 

New things in the Studio!

Dear Butterfly Friends, I thought it might be fun today to share some studio pics I have been taking over the past few weeks! Winter is passing and the Spring sun is appearing and i have been feeling more and more inspired to create new things again. I have been experimenting with watercolours and mixing them up with my acrylic paints...

Beautiful wool has appeared as we start to make things for our school's spring fair ...lots of pom pom's being created ...

I was gifted a new canvas in a size I normally wouldn't buy and something wonderful and colourful and shapefilled and new is coming as I enjoy working on this!...

I have started a little seasons series on watercolour paper ....so far I have finished Spring and Autumn. Winter and Summer are on their way ...lots of pics of things in progress below! I look forward to adding some new things into my shops over the next few days and a few more blog posts to show you my new pretty prints too! Shae xo

 

 

 

 

 

Spring Is Here!!!

Spring is here in the Southern Hemisphere! It's so exciting to see all the flowers blooming and the blossoms announcing themselves everywhere. I have so many beautiful prints to share with you that I have been creating..in my next blog post you will see lots of colour and new paintings and illustrations I have turned into prints for kids rooms! In the meantime the universe has been urging me to start creating my butterfly cards again ... Simplify Your Life came out of the creativeness of today ...I think its very appropriate due to the seasons changing! Until tomorrow Butterfly Friends, I hope you find lots of things to let go of and give away to welcome grace and ease and new into your life, Shae xo

Five Free Printable Colouring Pages!

Dear Butterfly Friends, It's Free Printable Friday and I am having a little celebration today as I have just finished creating my new Angel Colouring Book ...my 5th one now and I have loved drawing each and every page. who knew when I started these 2 years ago a world colouring book craze would happen??? It's exciting and lovely to see such a lovely pastime re-emerging for adults and kids!

The Angels will be in my ETSY SHOP in a very short time, this one has been a long time coming with quite a few interruptions, but it must have been trying to tell me its time is now and I am glad it's finally ready to fly into the world! In the meantime here's a present for my followers new and old, I am glad you are here visiting and I hope you have lots of fun colouring these Free Printables in. Each one is featured in my colouring books, if you love them and would like more please visit my ETSY Store where you can purchase each collection as printables. There are 12 pictures to colour in each book and they are only $4.95 (U.S.) each ...hours of colouring in fun!!! 

Right Click on each picture below and save it to your computer so you can print it out at A4 size.

Until my next post when the Angels come out to play, have a wonderful Friday! Shae xo

P.S. Please Note ... these Printables are for personal use only,

please do contact me if you have something else wonderful

or commercial in mind! Copyright Shae Leviston 2015

Angel from my new Colouring Book ...soon to be available in my little store

I wonder what it would feel like to live in the ocean with the fish? This one is from Dream Spun Colouring Book, you can find it HERE!!!

Tea Poster from my Tea Party Colouring Book. This interactive and 20 page fun party book is available HERE!!!

This is Beauty from my Fairytale Colouring Book, all 12 fairytale colouring pages are available HERE!!!

And Then Her Heart Bloomed is from my Woodland Princess Colouring Book, you can find all the girls and their positive, uplifting colouring page messages HERE!!!

And lastly another little milestone today ... my ten minute a day Pinterest pinning hobby whilst having a cup of tea has just turned into over 15,000 pins! So much fun, so much colour, so much inspiration! Its like having access to a million amazing magazines at once and brilliant research for creative projects too! I invite you all over to my boards... here www.pinterest.com/shaeleviston ... bring a cup of tea and share your Pinterest Page in the comments below so I can visit you too! Shae xo P.S. Everything Typepad featured My Pin Boards on their Blog this June too! 

Magical Tree Mural!

A couple of months ago I was delighted when I was asked to paint a magical tree mural on a little girl's bedroom wall! I was so excited to paint my first mural and her parents were also very excited to give their daughter something beautiful to wake up under everyday ....AND they told me it would have a real door in it so she and her sister could crawl through to each others rooms!

Mia asked me to include a bunny rabbit and lots of blue blossoms, it was wonderful dreaming up a design and great to be able to paint on such a large scale in her new bedroom in their brand new house in country Victoria. Big thanks to this beautiful family for having me in their home to paint. I do hope I can do some more of these in the future!
 Until soon Butterfly Friends, I have some Owls and Birds and Angels to show you! Shae xo

 

 

And lastly here is Mia peeking through her little door!

Pink and Sparkles!

Good Evening Butterfly Friends, It's all pink and sparkles over here at the moment! So many fun projects to share and new paintings too! Above I have doing some great tutorials playing with my profile pics on the PicMonkey site on how to create double exposures and turn your photographs into illustrations ...you can try it HERE too!

"In pink fields she wandered, softly sunlit,
sparkling with rain and sure to find her way home again"
words and artwork copyright shae leviston 2015

 

I have been painting quite a lot the last few weeks on small canvas's and on watercolour paper too! Rain Deer decided to show up on my dining table one night and I have started creating her a lovely boyfriend too with an aqua background!

She has skipped over to play in my Society6 Shop where I have turned her into lots of great homewares and such ,,,you can see them all HERE!

"She wore flowers in her hair,
to remind her that nature is all around,
that beauty can always be found"
words and artwork copyright shae leviston 2015

I am also continuing my long traditional of painting girls! She Wore Flowers in Her Hair can be found HERE!

 

I made this crazy little print using one of my paintings as a background. I was listening to other amazing creative painters speak about their craft and I was thinking about when I watch other people view my paintings and see their faces light up...it's a whole new language of spirit and love, of joy and wonder and of sharing my soul. Its now in my Society6 Shop too!

 

"I Wonder What It Would Be Like To Float Away Like A Balloon?"
An Illustration for my DreamSpun Colouring Book I've turned into this pretty Print and lots of other playful things too! I love watching the kids colour this in  ...in All the Colours!!! Homewares are HERE and Colouring Books are ready and waiting for eager and happy pencils HERE!!!

 

I have also been fortunate enough to be asked to design these wonderful Chai Tea Packages for Diversitat Wholefoods who do wonderful things in my town to help others!

And I have another fabulous job creating stoybook readers for younger classes at a Steiner primary school ...lots of wonderful washy watercolours and bakery scenes!

New pink and orange things on my desk and a Unicorn for a special little girl's birthday!

]
And last but not least I participated in the Toms Without Shoes photograph challenge ... as a result of so many people joining in they are giving away nearly 300,000 pairs of shoes! Yay for TOMS and lilac nail polish!

I will be back shortly with a cool blue and aqua post! Until soon, Happy Daydreaming and adorn yourself with some sparkles this week! Shae xo

She Wore Feathers In Her Hair!

"Trusting in the wisdom of her ancestors,
Embracing the flow of the universe,
Following the trail of inspiration,
Placing herself grounded in the beloved garden of earth
and walking her illuminated path with love and confidence"

She Wore Feathers In Her Hair is my new small painting this week! I have had a lot of fun placing her in my Society6 Shop and putting her on lots of fun products ...she looks great as a cushion and haha ... a shower curtain too!

You can find the Original on Quality Textured paper in my Etsy Shop Here!

And also beautiful Prints, Printed Canvas's, T-shirts and Homewares in my Society6 Shop HERE!

I have also had lots of fun working on new projects over the past few weeks ...I"ve been privileged to paint a mural in my son's classroom, painted my first basketball hoop with lots of gorgeous kids to help, started making wonderful books for children who are learning to read and I also completed this Magical Tree mural below in a beautiful little girl's room ... soon I will be able to show you the final result... more pics to come! Until Soon, Happy Friday Butterfly Friends, Shae xo

art and words copyright Shae Leviston 2015

Winter Rose!

"She was the daughter of the Sun, the Rain and the Snow,
She was Pale and Passionate dressed in a crown of thistles and thorns,
She flew on the wings of the Wrens, She blessed the Moon, She loved with an Open Heart,
She was Wild and Delicate and Free "

Winter is here ...I decided to celebrate by wearing a different coloured scarf every day this week, drinking Chai, having an apple pie night with my boys and by finishing this painting and starting a few new ones too!

Winter Rose is an original mixed media piece on quality watercolour paper. I have used acrylic paint, pencils and fabulous silver paint to create this piece!

The original is available in my ETSY SHOP and she is also available in my Society6 Shop in many sizes as a Print, Printed Canvas and so many other great useful things ...cushions, mugs and now even a Duvet Cover ( also known as a Doona Cover here in Australia) !!! She would look beautiful framed in a little girls room!

Happy June my Butterfly Friends ...I am looking forward to showing you more great projects I have been working on soon!

Love Always and Forever ...Free Printable Friday!

Dear Butterfly Friends, I haven't done a Free Printable Friday for awhile now so I thought it would be special to do one for you to give your Mum this Mother's Day! A coloured one to print and frame OR a black and white one you can colour in yourself and give to Mum! I hope you have a wonderful day. I look forward to showing you my new work in my next post and the gigantic mural I just finished too! Until soon, Shae xo

Double click on the picture below and save it to your computer... 

Please Note ... these Printables are for personal use only,

please do contact me if you have something else wonderful

or commercial in mind! Copyright Shae Leviston 2015

Make A Wish!

 

abstract work in progress. shae leviston. 2015

 

Dear Butterfly Friends, I've moved into my new studio and home!

It's been wonderful and exhausting and now it's just starting to feel like home... especially now I have starting putting my artwork on the walls and placing treasured possessions and collected aqua things in rooms! It's also wonderful to pick up paint brushes again and work on large canvas's! I am a lucky girl to be surrounded by lovely gardens and lots of light streaming in too!

 

 

mayan priestess. work in progress. shae leviston 2015

 

 

studio. shae leviston. 2015

 

she came from the stars. work in progress. shae leviston 2015

And to celebrate my big move and my childhood dream of illustrating a BOOK coming true!!! I am giving you a Free Printable today ...Make A Wish!!! They really do come true!

Double click on the picture below and save it to your computer... 

Please Note ... these Printables are for personal use only,

please do contact me if you have something else wonderful

or commercial in mind! Copyright Shae Leviston 2015

 

Why Goldfish Never Die!

Over the past few years I have been creating illustrations for an Amazing Book called Why Goldfish Never Die created by author and my dear friend Brian McCully.

We are so excited to now see it swim into the world!

It asks the Big questions ...Where did we come from ?and Why are we here ?

Here's a little paragraph or two from the book! ...

"Have you ever stopped to think how special you are? Or to wonder how amazing it is that you got to be here as you are - that you were born where you were and that after all the many things that have happened in the world, you're still here as you are now, alive and well?
It's staggering isn't it?
Yes it's true - for here you are. It means that all the things that have ever happened - not just since you were born, but in all the time leading up to that moment throughout history - all must have somehow played out in just the right way to let you work out perfectly. In all the many generations of lives lived, the right couples have somehow met and amidst all the uncertainty and chance of life around them, came together in just the right way, 
and at just the right time to create you.
Just as you are.
Literally, a one off, once in a million, once in a lifetime, special you."

It's Available Now on Amazon.com ... click HERE!

and also in paperback at Fishpond ... click HERE!

 

Let Your Heart Lead!

Dear Butterfly Freinds, 

Happy New Year, I hope you had a great start to 2015.

And It's here ...my first Free Printable Poster of the Year!!! I have lots of ideas for new projects and paintings and will be launching some new exciting things into the world this year! I have spent a little quiet time over the last month meditating upon what will emerge creatively this year. 

The above quote came from my teacher in the middle of Yoga practice this morning, he was speaking of moving your chest forward, but it meant so much more to me today ...in fact I think it may be this year's motto ...Let Your Heart Lead!!!

Until soon, print this pink magic out and share with those who may need this right now! Shae xo

Wings, Crowns, Little Houses, Tea ...good things in December!

 Dear Butterfly Friends, 

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from me! Thankyou so much for all of your support in 2014. It's been wonderful sharing the free Gratitude Calender's each month and having such beautiful feedback from those enjoying using them.

The last month has seen me come back to painting after quite a few months off. Even though I have been drawing illustrations for clients, creating on the computer and putting colouring books together it has been so nice to come back to my first love using my favorite paintbrushes. 

Pretty things with wings and crowns have been forming, little houses emerging and I have had a really beautiful time painting in my backyard under the Jacaranda tree and also in the Cocoon Store on Sundays too. They stock my Colouring Books and Lucky Dip Paper Packs and I thought it would be nice to sit and paint and interact with lovely customers and show off my wares too! I've added a few pics from the store below and they can be found right here ... Cocoon!!!

 

And from my desk at the moment ...Little Paper towns are forming and another lovely winged girl with feather adornments is not far from finished! Until next time, I hope you all have a very lovely holiday, drink tea, have some pudding and cake and let your creative self loose, Shae xo

P.S. I am planning some new printables for 2015, can't wait to share them with you!

 

 

Today I am Grateful For ...December's Free Printable Poster

December has started here with a beautiful summer's day Butterfly Friends, 

This month's  "Today I am Grateful For" Free Printable is ready to be filled with gratitude for moments, things and wonderful people that we have been blessed with this month and this year!

This month I will be grateful for my beautiful children, the great blessing of selling my colouring books and on Christmas day ...my family and pudding! Dream BIG and expect a Miracle, Happy Holidays, Shae xo 

Double click on the picture above and save it to your computer... 

Please Note ... these Printables are for personal use only,

please do contact me if you have something else wonderful

or commercial in mind! Copyright Shae Leviston 2014

Christmas Colouring Book Special!

Dear Butterfly Friends, It's the 1st Of December and the hunting and gathering of the most wonderful Christmas Gifts have officially started! Today I have the Perfect Solution ...Two of The Butterfly Collector's Colouring In Poster packs for only $20 (Aussie dollars)....Save 20% off the Regular Price and support a local artist. Choose from Fairytale, Dream Spun, Woodland Princess and the Tea Party. Click over to my Etsy Shop for this Special Christmas Offer ... https://www.etsy.com/listing/213469644/christmas-colouring-book-special-select?ref=shop_home_feat_4

Today I am Grateful For ...November Free Printable Poster

The birds are singing, the trees are letting their blossoms float away and green is in abundance, it's November Butterfly Friends, 

So trees and birds it will be on this month's  "Today I am Grateful For" Free Printable

This month I will be grateful for new surroundings, new beginnings and porridge with rhubarb and cinnamon is especially for November the 1st's spot on my poster! Wish BIG, Shae xo 

Double click on the picture above and save it to your computer... 

Please Note ... these Printables are for personal use only,

please do contact me if you have something else wonderful

or commercial in mind! Copyright Shae Leviston 2014

 

October ...Today I Am Grateful for Free Printable

October has arrived Butterfly Friends, 

It's spring here and in a rebellious spirit I have decided to use pretty lilac flowers on this month's  "Today I am Grateful For" Free Printable instead of a traditional orange halloween theme! You can of course still think up something Spooky to be grateful for of course.

At the momemt I am GRATEFUL I have had a wonderful day two week break with my boys in the sunshine. Have a  wonderful time filling this one out ... I am already filling mine out with thanks for great books, red grapes, sharpened pencils and great ladies who serve the world in perfect ways helping strangers!!! So until soon ( ssshhh I am working on Wishing Colouring Books for kids and their parents) Shae xo 

Double click on the picture above and save it to your computer... 

Please Note ... these Printables are for personal use only,

please do contact me if you have something else wonderful

or commercial in mind! Copyright Shae Leviston 2014

 

She Let Her Spirit Free!

Dear Butterfly Friends, 

It's Free Printable Day!!!

I usually do this on Friday's but I really wanted to give something special to all my new fans today! I feel blessed to share my work with you and hope to give you wonderful tools and art to express your inner child, to find wonder and delight in the world and talk to your heart!

Above I have shared a potential page from something new I am working on.... Beautiful Colouring In Journal pages! Words and Pictures to think about, to imagine and to feel from your heart.

Hopefully you will be inspired to write your truths in your journal while you lose yourself in the art and theraputic benefits if colouring in!

Double click on the picture above and save it to your computer... 

Please Note ... these Printables are for personal use only,

please do contact me if you have something else wonderful

or commercial in mind! Copyright Shae Leviston 2014

I am also adding more framable Art Prints ( pictures taken from my Colouring Books) to my Etsy Shop at the moment and am so happy to share She set her Heart Free to Fly! This picture can also be found in my Dream Spun Colouring Poster Book! 

A happy and creative week to you all, Shae xo 

GIVEAWAY!!!

Dear Butterfly Friends,

To Celebrate the launch of my NEW Colouring Poster Book DREAM SPUN I am giving away this beautiful Prize Pack!!!
The lucky Winner will receive...
*A copy of Dream Spun ...12 Wonderful Posters to Colour In
*A copy of Woodland Princess ...12 Beautiful Posters to Colour In
*A fabulous fairytale Pencil Case
*And a set of 10 Colour Lyra Pencils (our favorites) 
The prize is worth approx $80 RRP (australian)

To Enter:
1.Please like the Butterfly Collector's Facebook Page ...CLICK HERE!

2.Leave a Comment on the Giveaway Post at the top of my facebook page and tell me what you loved to draw or play with when you were little!!!
3. Shares would be very welcome and will include an extra most fabulous bonus prize!!

*I will draw one winner at random on this coming Monday night on the 22nd of September 
*I will pay the postage
*not endorsed or associated with facebook in anyway.

Happy Fluttering and Good Luck!!! Shae xo
P.S. you can view more pictures of my colouring books at www.etsy.com/au/shop/butterflycollector

Dream Spun!

My NEW Colouring Book has been Dreamed into Life ... I am so excited to announce that after weeks of work DREAM SPUN is here!!!

I loved drawing each one of these 12 wonder filled posters! They are ready to colour in and embellish with your own creativity and display on your bedroom wall!

Fly with the birds, float like a balloon, dance with the moonlight and take a walk in the cherry blossom rain! Each has her own imaginative message for you to daydream about too! It's printable and downloadable so you or your favorite girl can be colouring in a few minutes ...

 It's in my shop right now ...https://www.etsy.com/listing/202978397/dream-spun-a-printable-poster-book-to?ref=listing-shop-header-3
Or I can happily print and package it for you and send it gift wrapped to your door ...https://www.etsy.com/listing/202981583/dream-spun-12-inspiring-posters-for-you?ref=listing-shop-header-2

At this very moment I am also putting a grand prize together to celebrate the launch of Dream Spun as a Giveaway on my Facebook Page this week ... be sure to come over and visit so you don't miss out on entering the draw!!!