notes to a further excuse...

Evajuliet Atelier

2012-02-17T10:00:00.000+11:00

Well it's Friday (hooray!), and I thought I'd round off the week with some gorgeous artwork. These prints are made and designed by art director, graphic designer and illustrator Eva from her little design studio in Quebec, Canada. The Evajuliet name is a combination of Eva's name and the name of her antique tabletop letterpress, Juliet! Eva's collection of prints includes inspirational messages with a typographical slant, as well as custom-made family trees, but it's her botanical and herb prints that I love the most.

Eva's botanical, petit fruits and herb prints are classic and elegant, and would look lovely hanging in the kitchen. I really like the stylish calligraphic touches as well.

To see more, check out Eva's website, blog and online shop. And on that note, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, and see you back here next week!

Ferm Living Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

2012-02-16T10:00:00.000+11:00

Have you seen the latest Ferm Living spring/summer 2012 catalogue? It's ever so lovely, full of even more well designed homewares . The Ferm Living ethos is about valuing sustainabile and honest materials, high quality and good craftmanship. The spring/summer collection (much like the autumn/winter collection before it) is full of geometric shapes, shades of grey with splashes of colour and Scandinavian wood.

Ferm Living really can do no wrong, can they? I pretty much want everything here. The new catalogue can be viewed here, and check the Ferm Living website to see more.

Blogging for the Creative Women's Circle

2012-02-15T11:00:00.000+11:00

I have some exciting news to announce - as of today, I am officially a columnist for the Creative Women's Circle blog. The Creative Women's Circle (CWC) is a Melbourne-based group organised by graphic designer Tess McCabe that hosts a series of events for women working in the creative industries, and acts as a place to share information, inspiration and ideas (you might remember this post about an event I attended at the Harvest Workroom last year, and I also reviewed the CWC book not too long ago too). I think that the CWC is a fantastic resource, and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

My column for the CWC blog is called 'Bricks & Mortar', and each month I will be taking readers on a tour of an actual bricks and mortar establishment (shops, studios, cafes, etc.) run by a creative woman or women. This means that I have to actually get out of my comfort zone and go and take photographs and speak to people, but this will be good for me, I think! My first post, which is up on the CWC blog today, profiles Sedonia, one of my favourite Melbourne shops. Here's a little taster of the tour, but if you'd like to see more please check it out on the CWC blog.

Ask Alice Stationery

2012-02-13T10:00:00.000+11:00

Sass Cocker is one of my favourite Australian stationery designers. I'm actually pretty surprised I haven't posted about Sass and her Melbourne-based stationery label, Ask Alice, on this blog before (although I did write a guest post about Ask Alice for Lottie Loves a little while back). The Ask Alice range is based on Sass's hand drawn illustrations, and is all about local design and ethical production. All products are made from recycled card and paper, printed using vegetable-based inks and use biodegradable packaging.

The Ask Alice stationery collection includes greeting cards, post cards, note books, sketch books and gift tags. I recently spotted a few fantastic new additions to the range when I was browsing on NoteMaker (an awesome Melbourne-based business dedicated to all things stationery) though, in the form of these parcel packing, letter writing and rubber stamp kits. How nice are they?! The parcel packing kit includes sticky labels, gift tags, twine and handmade scissors; the letter writing kit comes with writing paper, envelopes, address labels and mini gift cards; and the rubber stamp kit contains a selection of cute rubber stamps and two different ink pads.

I'm a big fan of Sass's illustrations and her incredibly cute characters, and think these kits make great additions to her expanding stationery collection. If you'd like to see more from Ask Alice, check out the website and online shop. The kits are also available from NoteMaker.

[Image source: NoteMaker]

Quill & Fox Design

2012-02-10T10:00:00.000+11:00

More beautiful stationery design today (can I get enough?), this time courtesy of Oregon-based Quill & Fox Design. Yas Imamaura is the painter, graphic and web designer behind Quill & Fox. She was inspired to start designing her range of paper goods after doing her own wedding invitations, and hasn't looked back since.

Yas specialises in finely-crafted paper goods and invitations, and has customed designed some beautiful wedding suites. I don't know about you, but 2012 is has gone a little wedding crazy, what with three weddings to attend, and it's interesting to see how people have approached their special day. Surely having someone like Yas to design your wedding stationery would make it all the more special!

Aside from her wedding design work, Yas also has also developed a range of lovely greeting cards and postcards. I'm a little bit in love with her terrarium set of postcards - wouldn't they look nice framed and hung up in a row?

To see more from Yas and her Quill & Fox range, check out the website, blog and Etsy shop. And on that note, I bid you adieu and well wishes for the weekend!

Andrea Smith Illustration

2012-02-09T10:00:00.000+11:00

Andrea Smith is a Sydney-based illustrator who has worked for a variety of clients, big and small. And it's easy to see why. With a focus on collage and illustration using watercolour, animation, gocco printing, line drawing and painting, Andrea's work has charm, imagination and whimsy. Andrea's handmade collages are often assembled from her lage collection of vintage, painted and found papers, gathered together through the years she studied fashion and design.

Andrea has some great commercial work in her porfolio, and I'm a fan of her fantastic range of folk-art syle wall prints that you can see here, all based on her original collages.

To see more of Andrea's work, check out her portfolio, blog and Etsy shop.

In Haus Press

2012-02-07T10:00:00.000+11:00

In Haus Press is a small letterpress studio based in San Francisco that specialises in printing custom and ready-made stationery and paper goods. The business was developed when James surprised Treasa with an Adana Eight Five press. The pair taught themselves the craft of letterpress printing and went about developing a business plan, pretty much overnight in their little San Fran apartment (hence the name 'In Haus'). Talk about impressive!

Treasa's inspiration came from wanting to design papergoods that would inspire people to send notes through the post again, and each In Haus item is hand-fed on James and Treasa's vintage press. The designs are simple and classic, and I think that's what I like so much about them - they really do embody the beauty of letterpress. Aside from their range of stationery items, the pair also make prints and accessories for the home (you may have seen their lovely letterpress coasters doing the design blog rounds), and have plans to develop a line of simple wedding pieces in the near future.

To see more from the In Haus Press range, visit the website, blog and Esty shop.

Letterform's Nourishing Notes

2012-02-06T10:00:00.000+11:00

Hello there lovely readers! Apologies for going quiet near the end of last week. Things got a little on top of me and it was difficult to keep up. But I'm attempting to be more organised this week and have some fabulous things to share with you. Today it's all about these kitchen-friendly prints from Julie and Andy of Letterform, a small graphic design studio based in Chicago. The pair developed their 'Nourishing Notes' line of cards, prints and tea towels as a way to combine their shared passions for food, design and stationery.

I particularly like Julie and Andy's letterpress prints, which are based around love and sums up their relationship with each other, food and cooking. Aww, this pair are the cutest!

If you'd like to see more from the Nourishing Notes range, check out the Esty shop and website. Julie and Andy also have a website for their design business here.

Vapor Qualquer

2012-02-01T10:00:00.002+11:00

I've never really been a huge fan of motivational prints. It's not that I don't think they can't be inspiring, it's just that I can be a bit of a cynical, half glass empty kinda gal. But you know what? I think I might just be coming around to the idea of having motivational prints and messages around me, especially when they look this pretty.

These prints are the work of young Portuguese couple Joana and Luí of Vapor Qualquer. I really like the sweet, dreamy colour palettes and little details. I think I'd be quite happy with one of these prints hanging above my desk at home. The message in the print below is especially speaking to me at the moment - how about you?

If you'd like to see more, check out the Vapor Qualquer online shop and website.

Sparrow Nest Script

2012-01-31T10:00:00.000+11:00

More lovely stationery design today, this time from North Carolina-based calligrapher Emily Poe of Sparrow Nest Script. Emily majored in English at university (and also completed a Master's degree in English), and becoming a calligrapher evolved from her love of the written word. Emily's craft centres on the visually pleasing arrangement of words on a page, and combines her love of words as tools of communication with her love of words as beautiful works of art in themselves. Emily also takes her inspiration from nature, especially the autumnal colours found in the Carolina mountains.

All of the greeting cards, notecards, notebooks, bookmarks and stationery sets in Emily's online shop are drawn by hand using her signature cursive script. It sort of takes handmade to another level when you know that someone has hand lettered so delicately. Emily aims to be as environmentally coscious as possible, and uses recycled, recyclable and responsibly-sourced papers as often as possible.

I really love Emily's range, and her style is ever so elegant. I also really like Emily's witty sentiments - although I'm not sure my boyfriend would agree with the card below, ha!

To see more from the gorgeous Sparrow Nest Script range (and to request custom wedding stationery), check out Emily's online shop.

Banquet Atelier & Workshop

2012-01-30T10:00:00.000+11:00

Banquet Atelier & Workshop is a Vancouver-based studio run by designers Sarah Edmonds and Tammy Lawrence. Their range of stationery items - including cards, prints, gift wrap and notebooks - celebrate nature, and feature a range of water birds, northern wildlife and forest and sea creatures. Their imagery is bold, bright and playful, and I'm loving all of the pink (especially the fluoro pink) - very Valentine's Day!

All Banquet Atelier & Workshop products are printed and produced in Vancouver with attention to quality and design. If you'd like to see more from the lovely Atelier & Workshop range, check out Sarah and Tammy's website and blog.

Brighton on Film

2012-01-27T10:00:00.001+11:00

The other day I was browsing through some of my old photographs (thinking about how I really should organise them properly), and I came across the first roll of film I ever took on my Diana+. I can remember the excitement of loading the film and going for a walk around my local neighbourhood, shooting away, and then the curiosity of getting the film developed. Sometimes film can bring dissapointment, but even if you get just one nice shot it's totally worth it. Thankfully, this roll offered a few delights.

Looking through these photos of my old neighbourhood (Brighton & Hove, UK) makes me feel a bit nostalgic, but in a good way. It's such a charasmatic place, and I do miss it so. It also makes me think that I should pick up my analogue cameras more often - am I the only one who's far too slack about getting film processed? Let's make a goal to fix that!

Well, I hope these photographs help to ease you into the weekend. I kind of like doing dreamy, relaxed posts like this on a Friday. Maybe I'll make it some sort of permanent thing? Have a good weekend everyone, and see you back here next week. x

Scout's Honor Co.

2012-01-25T10:00:00.001+11:00

I've been spotting a few pieces of work by Scout's Honor Co. around the place recently and just had to find out more. Scout's Honor Co. is a stationery studio based in Burlington, Vermont, and foundeed by Annemarie Buckley. Annemarie specialises in illustration, handmade type and custom design for weddings and events. Aside from her custom work, Annemarie also has a range of products available in her online shop - greeting cards, gift tags, prints and rubber stamps - all of which are super cute and printed locally to her in Vermont.

I really like the overall Scout's Honor Co. design aesthetic, but it's the handmade type products that I like the best. Simple, but very effective. Let's hope that Annemarie decides to expand this area of her product line and develop more great stationery items in the future!

To find out more, visit the Scout's Honor Co. website, online shop and blog.

Scandi Obsession by Ella Leach Designs

2012-01-24T10:00:00.001+11:00

I love this Scandi Obsession greeting card collection from Ella Leach Designs, a boutique stationery company based in Sydney. A self-confessed neat freak, owner and designer Ella is inspired by the simple, structured beauty of Scandinavian design and folk art, as well as a love for colour and pattern. This clearly comes through in her range of greeting cards, art prints and calendars, all of which are designed and printed in Australia.

The Scandi Obsession collection includes six greeting cards featuring bike, bird, tree, flower and teapot motifs - celebrations of the simple things in life. I really like Ella's simple colour palette and the styling used to photograph these cards. They remind me of a dreamy children's birthday party, especially with all of those yummy treats. Chocolate freckles, anyone?!

Ella Leach Designs is another fine example of the great stationery design that's being produced in Australia at the moment. If you'd like to see more, you can check out the Scandi Obsession cards here, and visit Ella's website to see her full collection.

Ian Coyle's 73 Letterpress Project

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000+11:00

Hello there, and welcome to another week! I spotted this project over the weekend and immediately loved it, so just had to share it with you. It's by Ian Coyle, a designer and creative director who lives in Portland, Oregan. In the summer of 2009, Ian printed a daily thought (some random; some pertinent) for 73 days straight using his 1950s letterpress and 16 x 24 inch newsprint with 2.5 inch wood type. Here are some of the results...

Don't they make such a great collection? As I flicked through, some of Ian's thoughts made me think, some made me nod in agreement and some made me laugh. If you'd like to take a look through all 73, head over here, and if you'd like to see more of Ian's work, visit his website.

The Grampians

2012-01-20T10:00:00.000+11:00

Over the New Year break we spent a couple of nights with some friends at the Grampians, a series of sandstone mountain ranges west of Melbourne. It was pretty hot (40 degrees anyone?!), so we got up early to do some walks and then spent the rest of the day lounging around in the air conditioning at our townhouse until it was cool enough to fire up the barbecue. The field behind our house was filled with birds and kangaroos, and at night the country sky delivered a sea of stars. It was such a lovely stay, so I thought I'd share a few photographs from the trip to help you ease into the weekend.

Lots of rocks, shrubbery, trees, waterfalls and, of course, an obligatory stop at the Giant Koal a on the way home! You just haven't experienced Australia until you've stopped at a big thing!

Well, that's all from me for the week - I hope you have a lovely weekend filled with lots of joy (and perhaps a road trip to a big thing?).

Ryan Todd

2012-01-19T10:00:00.001+11:00

Today, I'm loving the work of Ryan Todd. Ryan is a London-based artist and designer who works on a range of personal and commercial projects. Much of Ryan's work is focussed on producing ideas-led images that exercise forms of creative thinking and wit. Aside from his own work, Ryan also co-runs independent publishing collective Duke Press and is a member of OPEN, a studio space that was established as a framework for support and creative dialogue.

I stumbled across Ryan's work via the below lettepress coasters, which were made in collaboration with online shop New Found Original as part of their introductory collection. Aren't they lovely? I am such a sucker for anything bird-related, and letterpress birds are especially nice.

If you'd like to see more from Ryan's portfolio, check out the website. Some of Ryan's work is also available for sale in his online shop.

Daniel Ray Cole

2012-01-18T10:00:00.000+11:00

These camera illustrations by Daniel Ray Cole are great! Originally from Alabama, Daniel is now based in Richmond, Virginia, and works in the visual communications MFA program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Daniel's portfolio includes a series of great work for various clients, but it's these camera illustrations that I love the most.

The black and white cameras were originally intended as T-shirt graphics, and the brown cameras were created for a wedding photography studio. For the project, Daniel illustrated seven analogue cameras that were used for the studio's branding and indentity work. I think they'd also work really well as a series of prints, don't you?

If you'd like to see more, check out Daniel's website.

Candycoated Universe

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000+11:00

Candycoated Universe is the work of graphic designer Sara Seal, who is based in Loveland, Colorado (what a cute name for a city!), and describes herself as a collector, hoarder, arranger, re-aranger and storyteller. Sara works for design agency Ten Fold Collective by day, and Candycoated Univers e is a collection of her personal work.

I really like Sara's retro aesthetic, and the message in the print below especially speaks to me! To see more from Sara's portfolio visit her website and blog.

Book Review: Conversations with Creative Women by Tess McCabe

2012-01-12T10:00:00.005+11:00

Writing a book is a big achievement, but writing, editing, designing, publishing and distributing a book is huge. And that’s exactly what designer and coordinator of the Creative Women’s Circle (CWC), Tess McCabe, has done. Conversations with Creative Women is a collection of interviews with fifteen creative Australian women. In putting the book together, Tess wanted to represent the CWC in a different way by offering a resource to those unable to attend events in person. She was also motivated to learn about how others strive to overcome their moments of creative self-doubt, as well as issues relating to creative inspiration and operating a successful business and career.

The interviewees in Conversations with Creative Women come from a variety of creative industries including textile design, blogging, styling, jewellery making, consulting, fine art, graphic design, architecture, fashion design, millinery, writing, editing, music and retail. Each Q&A in the book offers a unique insight into how the interviewee started out in their particular field and the steps they’ve taken to make a success out of their creative talent. It’s particularly interesting to read about everyone’s varying backgrounds, and how they got to where they are today. There are plenty of other useful tips to be found too – Lucy Feagins’s advice on managing advertisers; Clare Lancaster’s advice on running an independent business; Maryann Talia Pau’s advice about embracing ancestry and culture; Kate Vernon’s advice about balancing motherhood and career; and Tess Lloyd and Maja Rose’s advice on running a successful creative partnership.

Printed on lovely uncoated stock, the book features a nice, clean layout design and each interview is interspersed with images. Each chapter opener also features the work of talented female illustrators and graphic designers who were given a brief to illustrate their preferred interviewee’s full name in a creative, emotive way that was aesthetically sympathetic to the kind of work the interviewee is involved in. The results are fantastic, and add a lovely flavour to the book. Also included is an awesome letterpress scissor-shaped bookmark, courtesy of The Hungry Workshop.

Conversations with Creative Women is a truly inspiring read, and has given me plenty of ideas and inspiration to incorporate into my own life. The book has been printed in a limited edition of 600 copies, so if you would like to purchase one, get onto it quick smart by visiting the CWC website.

New Zealand's South Island: A Guide to Shopping, Eating & Drinking

2012-01-11T12:50:00.002+11:00

Okay, so this post is a little overdue seeing as how we got back from New Zealand over a month ago, but better late than never! Although our trip around New Zealand’s south island was more about getting out and enjoying nature, we did manage to fit in a good amount of shopping, eating and drinking, so I thought I’d put a list of places together, ordered roughly in itinerary order, which might be useful for anyone planning a similar trip. We stopped in a lot of little towns, but I’ve kept this list to the bigger towns/cities where there is more variety is on offer. (As a side note, I should mention that I’m vegan, so I’m afraid I only have veg-friendly food recommendations to offer!) If you would like any further details about our trip, or any accommodation info, feel free to drop me an email.

DUNEDIN
Shopping
Dunedin Public Art Gallery shop, 30 The Octagon
Stocks a good selection of Donna Wilson items, plus I also spotted some Able & Game greeting cards. There is a pretty good selection of greeting cards in general, actually. The gallery itself is also well worth a look.

Fern NZ Designers and Jewellery, 67 Princes Street
Stocks jewellery and clothing from New Zealand crafters and artisans.

Modern Miss Vintage, 21 Moray Place
A cute vintage clothes shop stocking 1920s to 1950s clothing, plus a few selected 1960s to 1980s bits and pieces.

Moi Design Store, 1 Bedford St, St. Claire Beach

A little design shop up a narrow set of stairs, packed full of lovely homewares.

Eating and drinking
Modaks Espresso, 337–339 George Street
A cute cafe with retro tables and chairs, lovely bunches of flowers on every table, plastic dinosaurs and a good selection of magazines. We had a yummy tofu dish with potato cakes. I think this is probably where all the cool kids of Dunedin must hang out.

Potpourri Vegetarian Cafe, 97 Stuart Street
Potpourri claims to have the best vegan date scones in the world, and I’m no expert, but I think they might just be right. We liked them so much we went back for more the next day. In fact, I’m still dreaming about them! The vegan pancakes were pretty good also.

(For more Dunedin recommendations, check out the Dunedin Design*Sponge guide, curated by Dunedin is for Lovers.)

Lunch at Modacks

New Zealander's appreciate good coffee, so I was thankfully able to find soy flat whites almost everywhere!

QUEENSTOWN
Shopping
In The Pink, 31 Camp Street
A lovely gift shop that stocks jewellery, stationery and homewares, as well as fresh flowers.

Queenstown: drinking
Dux de Lux, 14 Church Street
Craft beer is huge in New Zealand, and we were happy to take advantage of its popularity! Dux de Lux is an award-winning brewery where all of the beers are brewed onsite, naturally, with full malts and no preservatives, and we found ourselves visiting Dux de Lux more than once in order to sample its many yummy beers. If you happen to be there on a sunny day, it’s especially nice to sit outside and sip a cold beer in the garden.

NELSON
Shopping
Eclectic Antique Centre, 254 Hardy Street
A large antiques and collectables shop located over two levels with a wide range of stock, from art deco to mid-century to retro. They had some lovely mid-century furniture on display when I visited. I could have easily spent a lot of money here!

Stevens Home & Giving, 100 Bridge Street
A well-stocked kitchenware store, part of a NZ retail chain. I picked up a cute Citta Design mug here.

Vintage Heaven, 50 Bridge Street
Stocks retro and vintage-inspired clothing, jewellery and some homewares.

Eating and drinking
Falafel Gourmet Cafe, 195 Hardy Street

The falafel here was fresh and served in a pitta with lots of salad and dressing. Yum!

The Free House, 95 Collingwood Street
The Free House is awesome, and we found ourselves here on both nights of our visit to Nelson. Housed in an old church, The Free House isn’t tied to a brewery, so therefore has the freedom to serve a variety of different craft beers from numerous breweries, both bottled and on tap. We sampled a couple of very nice beers here. They also have yummy homemade ginger beer and lemonade on tap. The Free House has a range of snacks you can order, or you can bring in your own take away. What’s not to like?!

The Vic (Mac’s Brew Bar), 281 Trafalgar Street
This restaurant and bar is tied to Mac’s brewery, which makes a range of naturally brewed beers. I love the Mac’s branding, with its bold graphics and typography, and this extends to the bar and restaurant as well. There aren’t many vegetarian options on offer, but it’s a nice place to stop in for a beer.

CHRISTCHURCH
Visiting Christchurch after the devastating February earthquakes was a somewhat sobering experience, but we really enjoyed our time in Christchurch and I’m glad that we were able to spend a couple of days there. An awesome pop-up shopping mall opened just before our visit, constructed from 60 bright and colourful shipping containers. Re:START have used the crates to form a temporary retail centre on the site of the Cashel Mall. The southern end of the precinct is huddled next to department store Ballantynes (which has a great selection of items from Citta Design), and other shops worth mentioning are:

Cosmic: stocks plenty of hip items such as fashion, jewellery, homewares, accessories, lomo cameras, gifts, etc.

HAPA: a lovely design shop that works with local Kiwi designers and artists and. They sell contemporary jewellery, giftware and homewares, as well as a range of handmade items.

Scorpio Books: an independent book shop with a good selection.

Toi Toi Design Store: a lovely gift store with an emphasis on New Zealand makers and designers.

There are also a couple of cafes in the mall, and a food court where we had some yummy falafel.

The pop-up mall is well worth a visit if you are in Christchurch, although it will apparently be dismantled after Easter this year due to an agreement with the landowners. For more info visit the re:START website.

Our Paper Shop

2012-01-10T10:00:00.000+11:00

Our Paper Shop is a newly-launched stationery label and collaboration between friends and paper and design enthusiasts Bre Radermache r and Emma Robertson. As graphic designers, Bre and Emma have a great eye for detail, and their gorgeous designs are full of beautifully arranged typography and colourful, bold graphics. Their collection so far includes greeting cards, postcards, calendars, stationery and stamps, but I have no doubt that it will grow from strength to strength.

I think my favourite items from the Our Paper Shop range are the text-only cards. So simple, yet very elegant and stylish.

To see more, check out the Our Paper Shop website and blog. Bre and Emma also have a nicely styled, hipster friendly lookbook here.

The Paperbird Society

2012-01-09T10:00:00.001+11:00

Some beautiful stationery today from Wellington-based Melissa Boardman of The Paperbird Society. Melissa creates eco-friendly bird-themed papergoods and accessories, including greeting cards, notebooks, giclee prints, tote bags and jute bags. Melissa's work always starts out in photographic form, and she then combines her bird photographs with printmaking techniques to develop her products. Melissa focusses her work on New Zealand native birds and is commited to being as eco friendly as possible, using recycled paper and natural flax binding thread, and cotton and natural jute bags.

I spotted some of Melissa's greeting cards when I was in New Zealand, and they really are lovely. I especially like that Melissa focusses on native birds - it adds a different edge to her products.

To see more of Melissa's work, visit the Paperbird Society website and online shop.

Exploring Paddington, Brisbane

2012-01-06T10:00:00.012+11:00

Whenever I’m in Brisbane, one of my favourite places to visit is Paddington. An inner west suburb located up in the hills, Paddington has great views across the city and is full of gorgeous Queenslander houses and cute cafes and shops. The two main strips to explore are Given Terrace and Latrobe Terrace, and on my recent visit over the Christmas break I visited a few lovely shops, so thought I'd share them here. This is by no means an exhaustive list and I'm sure I've missed something out, but below are a few places that are worth visiting if you happen to ever be in this neck of the woods.

A. P. Design House – 15 Latrobe Terrace
Owned by avid collector Alexandra Ponting, A. P. Design House is a one-stop shop for interior designers. Part showroom part shop, it has a great selection of furniture and homewares (and gorgeous beach umbrellas!).

Biome – 2 Latrobe Terrace
An eco store stocked with lovely earth-friendly homewares, beauty products, stationery, etc.

Black Cat Books – 179 Latrobe Terrace
Cute independent book shop with a cafe downstairs.

Blake & Taylor – 11 Latrobe Terrace
Specialises in new and recycled furniture and homewares, with a focus on neutral and white colour palette.

Hamptons Home Living – 180 Latrobe Terrace
A combined homewares store and cafe located in an old Queenslander with great views out the back.

Hobohemia – 285a Given Terrace
A cute vintage and antique shop located in a little house with furniture scattered on the lawn and a white picket fence.

Maiocchi – 216 Given Terrace
A cute shop with a focus on Japanese gifts and fashion. Has plenty of cute homewares and accessories too (I wanted all of the brooches!).

Olive Home – 218 Given Terrace
Olive Home’s small shopfront is a little misleading – located over three levels, this shop is actually pretty big, and jam packed full of lovely homewares, gifts and accessories, with products from the likes of Citta, Mozi, Alessi, Polli, etc.

Paddington Antiques Centre – 167 Latrobe Terrace
A treasure trove of antique goods located in an old theatre. It’s worth poking your head in here for the building alone! There are more than 50 dealers/stores with a wide variety of items for sale including furniture, jewellery, vintage clothing, homewares, arts and crafts, etc.

Retro Metro – 27 Latrobe Terrace
A neat and tidy, well-curated vintage clothing store.

Well, that's me signing off for the first week of 2012. It's been a bit of a struggle getting back into the swing of things this week, so I'm looking forward to a lazy weekend. Hope you have a good one!

[photos by me]

Sarah Abbott Illustration

2012-01-05T10:00:00.005+11:00

Sarah Abbott is an artist and illustrator based in Sheffield, UK. Since completing her degree in printmaking in 2009, Sarah has worked on a variety of personal and commercial projects, allowing her to refine her simple and clean style. I really like Sarah's work - it pays homage to 1950s design, but with a modern feel - hardly surprising when you discover that Sarah takes her inspiration from vintage graphics such as old hand-painted signs and advertisements.

Another element of Sarah's work is her subtle use of colour. She likes to keep things simple and add colour sparingly, for the most part.

Some of Sarah's illustration work is available to purchase as prints via her Etsy shop, where she also sells some of her photographic prints. And if you'd like to see more from Sarah's portfolio, stop by her website and blog.

Revival Furniture

2012-01-04T10:00:00.002+11:00

It might be a little difficult to think about warm wooly blankets at the moment, what with temperatures souring into the late thirties here in Melbourne, but when I spotted these awesome retro chairs in Frankie recently I couldn't help but fall a little bit in love. Revival Furniture is the work of Elizabeth Cottrell, a US native who moved to the New Zealand rural high country in the 1980s. Elizabeth constantly combs New Zealand op-shops looking for unique retro chairs, and then upholsters them in iconic New Zealand made woolen blankets, working in collaboration with local craftspeople to re-upholster each piece by hand. No one chair or blanket is the same, which means that each piece of furniture is truly unique. New Zealand is of course known for its wool production, and the brightly plaid blankets pay homage to this slice of New Zealand heritage - in fact, the original label is always incorporated into the chair design.

Elizabeth's chairs truly are lovely, and I can't help but picture myself sitting on one reading a book and drinking a nice cup of tea! If you'd like to see more of Elizabeth's collection, check out the Revival Furniture website.

Hello 2012

2012-01-03T10:00:00.003+11:00

Hello, and happy new year to you! I hope that you've had a restful and festive holiday season and that Santa was as kind to you as he was to me. Today it's unfortunately back to work, and back to reality, for me, but I had a lovely break and was able to identify a few personal goals for 2012, so watch this space! I thought I'd kick the year off with a few snaps taken during my visit to Brisbane. As expected, Brisbane was hot and humid, but thankfully the rain decided to leave us alone this year (our visit last year was a washout), and we were able to get out and do lots of exploring, including a visit to Paddington (which I'll share in a separate post), a family outing to the soccer, exploring the great exhibitions at GOMA, shopping in Brisbane, a trip to the Eumundi markets and drives to the Sunshine and Gold Coasts. It's been almost seven years since I left Brisbane, but it still holds a special place in my heart and it's always interesting to return and see how the city has changed and grown. So here are a few images of my home town (and it's surrounding areas) to start off the new year!

[photographs by me]

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T08:00:00.002+11:00

Hello lovely readers! I'm off to Brisbane today to spend some time with my family, but before I go, I wanted to wish you a very happy and merry holiday season. I don't know about you, but I always start reflecting and reevaluating things around this time of year, and while I would say that 2011 has presented me with a series of ups and downs, one thing I'm sure of is that I very much love writing this blog and sharing my lovely finds with you. So I just wanted to say thanks so much for reading - you are all awesome, but I'm sure you already knew that!

I'm going to take a few days off to eat, drink and be merry, and I hope that you'll do the same. Have a fantastic time, and see you in 2012! xox

[photo by me]

Sycamore St Press Des Pâtisseries Collection

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000+11:00

I love this sweet new Des Pâtisseries collection from Utah-based letterpress studio Sycamore Street Press. Sweet because it's nice and pretty to look at, and also because it's about yummy treats. And I'm all about yummy treats today, because it's my birthday! Yep, today is the first day of the last year of my twenties, and I'm totally not going to freak out about it (ha!).

But enough about me... The Sycamore Street Press Des Pâtisseries collection has been inspired by the bakeries of Paris. There are four greeting cards in the collection, each featuring custom illustrations and hand-lettering, as well as an art print and 2012 calendar. Each item is printed by hand on a vintage letterpress using vegetable-based inks and 100% cotton or recycled card stock.

Check out the Sycamore Street Press website to view the full Des Pâtisseries collection, and to keep up-to-date on all things Sycamore, check out the blog. Right, I'm stuck at busy work on my birthday (boo), so I think I deserve to go and have some yummy treats. Au revoir!

Foundry Design Prints

2011-12-20T10:00:00.000+11:00

This new series of bold and colourful geometric prints from New Zealand label Foundry are lots of fun. Foundry is the work of awesome New Zeland design blog Fancy!, and the growing collection so far includes design prints (A4, A3 and up to A0) and tote bags. New designs are being added regularly, so check the Foundry website for updates. And while you're at it, don't forget to check out the Fancy! New Zealand design blog!

The Nimbus Factory

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000+11:00

The Nimbus Factory is a multi-disciplinary design boutique based in the USA with an emphasis on function and beauty. Founded by four friends - Emily, Phyllis, Claire and Julia - The Nimbus Factory has a cute collection of bright and cheery stationery items, including greeting cards, wrapping paper, journals, paper garlands, recipe cards and tote bags.

I really like the sweet illustration style the girls have developed, and their Cathrineholm-inspired recipe cards (below) have quickly made their way to my wants list. They have some lovely holiday-themed cards and wrapping paper available too.

To see more from The Nimbus Factory collection check out the website, online shop and blog.

New Zealand Part 4: Road Trip

2011-12-16T17:29:00.000+11:00

Today's post is dedicated to my lovely boyfriend, whose birthday it is today. Happy birthday Adam! This collection of photographs was taken on our road trip around New Zealand's south island (I promise they'll stop soon) - some more lakes and mountains, but also some waterfalls, seals, big rocks and a trip on a gondola lift. I know I've said this before, but the landscapes in New Zealand are just stunning. How's this for some Friday afternoon daydreaming?

That's it from me for another week. It's hard to believe that it's only one week until Christmas, and I have some last minute shopping to do this weekend. Thank goodness for all the handmade markets we have here in Melbourne! I hope that you are far more organised than me and don't have to face the Christmas crowds this weekend, and that you enjoy yourself, whatever you're up to!

Anna Wiscombe

2011-12-15T10:00:00.000+11:00

Why is it that I always find awesome things to lust over after I've shared my Christmas/birthday wish list with my family?! These super cute wooden bird onaments are from London-based designer-maker Anna Wiscombe. Anna is originally from Dorset, UK, where she grew up surrounded by birds, so it was a natural progression for her to start creating them as little wooden characters. Anna's product range so far includes necklaces, brooches, wall-hanging birds, ornamental birds, chalkboards and greeting cards, and all items are handmade by Anna and produced as ethically as possible.

Anna's ultimate goal is to have her work stocked in some of the most imaginative and creative craft shops, and I have no doubt that she will easily achieve her aim - I mean, look how cute!

You can visit Anna's website to check out her full range and order items.

Jason Munn for SFMOMA

2011-12-14T10:00:00.002+11:00

I love, love, love the series of four art prints that poster designer extraordinaire Jason Munn designed for the San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). Jason was asked to be part of the museum's Artist Series, and after showing some initial concepts was asked to expand on one of his ideas to create four eye images; one for each part of SFMOMA's collection - Painting & Sculpture, Architecture & Design, Media Arts and Photography. The images have been used as posters, T-shirts, bags, journals and mugs.

Lovely! The prints are available for purchase via Jason's site, and the SFMOMA online shop also stocks the prints and other items.

New Zealand Part 3: Signage

2011-12-13T10:00:00.000+11:00

Today's post is inspired by Katie's recent San Francisco signage update on What Katie Does. There were a few interesting signs that caught my eye on our travels around New Zealand's south island, particularly in Oamaru (New Zealand's steampunk capital!) and its historical Harbour Street, which is filled with limestone buildings now housed by artisans and craftspeople. The other photographs shown here were taken in Gore, Dunedin and Geraldine.

(I don't eat meat, but this butcher is sort of cute, no?!)

(all photos by me)

Craft Victoria's Christmas Catalogue 2011

2011-12-12T10:00:00.001+11:00

Some Melbournites might remember Craft Victoria's awesome colour-themed Christmas catalogue from last year? Well, the creative team over at Craft Vic have done it again this year! Titled Merry Craftmas (who does't love a bit of crafty word play?), the four catalogues have been expertly created with a selection of local products organised by colour - red, blue, green and yellow. Hover over different items in the catalogues for product details (including the maker's name and product price), and click to be taken to the product page in Craft Vic's online shop.

I think this year I'm most drawn to red - how about you?

Check out the catalogues and have a play for yourself over at the Craft Victoria website.

New Zealand Part 2: Buildings & Houses

2011-12-09T10:00:00.002+11:00

There were some gorgeous houses and buildings dotted around New Zealand's south island. I wasn't too sure what the architecture would be like - it was very English in places, but there was a real diversity of styles. I loved the little worker's cottages in Nelson's historic South Street and also in Arrowtown, a small and picturesque former gold mining town near Queenstown. There were also some beautiful, massive weatherboard houses with lovely gardens in the neighbourhood we stayed at in Christchurch (I couldn't get over how big some of the houses were!), and some great art deco architecture in different towns and cities, quite often used to house theatres or cinemas, and the odd apartment complex.

Christchurch

Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo

Cardrona Hotel, Wanaka

Dunedin Railway Station

Christchuch

Arrowtown

So many beautiful structures to admire! Well, it's been a long first week back at work for me (post holiday blues, anyone?), but I'm happy it's Friday, and I hope you have a lovely weekend! x

(all photos by me)

Darling Clementine Christmas Collection

2011-12-08T10:00:00.001+11:00

Some more Christmas stationery picks today, this time from my favourite Norwegian stationery label, Darling Clementine. There are a few gorgeous new additions to the Christmas range this year, including the Winter Wonders cards and trays (want!) and the Noel Darling collection of cards. So adorable. Check out the Darling Clementine website and online shop to see more.

New Zealand Part 1: Lakes, Mountains & Glaciers

2011-12-07T10:00:00.002+11:00

Hello! If you're a regular reader of this blog, you might know that my boyfriend and I recently spent two weeks driving around New Zealand's south island. We hadn't taken a proper holiday since we moved to Melbourne last year, so we were pretty excited about getting away, and we had an amazing time. Our itinerary involved flying into Christchurch, and then driving clockwise around the island.

New Zealand's south island has such diverse and beautiful landscapes - stunning blue lakes, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, green fields (filled with sheep, of course), dense rainforest, isolated beaches and seal colonies lazing about on sunny rocks. I was kind of surprised how often the landscape changed on route. There are of course some lovely towns and cities along the way too, but I'll get to those a littler later on – today is all about lakes, mountains and glaciers.

The photos shown here were taken using my new camera, an Olympus XZ-1, at the Franz Joseph and Fox glaciers (we actually did a hike on the Franz Joseph glacier – scariest experience of my life!), Milford Sound and its surrounding areas (where they are currently filming The Hobbit, but I didn't spot any film stars), Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook. As you can see, I had a bit of fun experimenting with the camera's various features (particularly the pinhole setting). I have plenty more photos to share, so I hope you don't get too bored with these holiday-themed posts!

(all photos by me)

Bespoke Press Christmas Collection

2011-12-06T10:00:00.000+11:00

I don't know about you, but I'm finding it a little difficult to believe that we're well into December already. How did that happen?! Of course that means Christmas is just a few weeks away, so I thought I'd share a few of my favourite Christmas stationery picks in the lead up, starting with Brisbane letterpress studio Bespoke Press.

Alischa, Hayden, Louise and Megan of Bespoke have put together a lovely range of Christmas stationery this year, including cards, gift tags and wrapping paper. I especially love the double sided wrapping paper. You can check out the full range here.

The Design Files Open House

2011-12-05T10:00:00.001+11:00

Hello lovely readers! I'm back in Melbourne and ready to get back into some sort of regular blogging. We had an amazing time in New Zealand and I'll be bringing you some NZ posts once I've had a chance to sort through the gazillion photographs I took, but before I get to all that, I wanted to share a few snapshots I took yesterday afternoon at The Design Files Open House. This fantastic event was organised by Lucy Feagins of Melbourne design blog The Design Files and Esther Navarro-Orejon of The Project Agency. Held in a house in Fitzroy, the open house represented the 'ultimate' Australian home, filled with beautiful, locally made furniture, artwork, homewares, textiles and accessories designed and made by Australian artists and craftspeople. Each room – from the garage through to the master bedroom, workspace, children's room and bathroom – was carefully and beautifully styled, and everything on display (furniture, artwork, rugs, stationery, books, etc.) was for sale. If you were unable to make it along, the good news is that you can shop online from this morning until December 18.

The house, and the amazing rooftop terrace, was packed when I visited yesterday, and for good reason – this was a fantastic and totally unique event, and a great way to promote local Australian talent. Hats off to Lucy and Esther for coming up with such an interesting concept, and I hope this was just the first of many more Design Files-related events to come!

On Holidays

2011-11-23T20:02:00.003+11:00

Hello lovelies! Huge apologies for the lack of posts lately. I haven’t completely dropped off the face of the planet; I’m just on holidays in New Zealand at the moment, and time unfortunately got away from me before I left. We’ve been driving around the south island for the past few days, hanging out with sheep, looking at bright blue lakes and lovely mountains, drinking craft beer and eating far too much Whittaker’s dark mint chocolate. I will do my best to upload some posts to keep you entertained while I’m away (as soon as I have access to some sort of reliable internet), and when I get back to Melbourne there will plenty more photographs to share. Stay tuned! x

Simone Capano Illustration

2011-11-17T10:00:00.003+11:00

Simone Capano is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Rome, Italy. Simone has a love of cooking and food, as well as exploring new cities (he does live in a pretty interesting one!), and this comes across in his porfolio, which features lots of lovely maps and food illustrations.

I particularly like Simon's Collections series of illustrations, which each gather together little collections such as amplifiers and teaspoons. Simone has a lovely handdrawn illustration style, with lots of pastel, 'ice cream' colours.

To see more of Simone's work check out his website, and to purchase copies of his prints check out Simone's online shop. Some of Simone's illustrations are also offered as downloadable wallpapers for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch via his website.

The Hungry Workshop's Flanno Cards

2011-11-15T10:00:00.000+11:00

I love these bright and colourful flanno cards from (now) Melbourne-based letterpress studio The Hungry Workshop. Simon and Jenna Hipgrave of The Hungry Workshop do a lot of their messy ink work wearing flannelette shirts, so it's hardly surprising that the infamous flanno check pattern found its way into their work. Simon and Jenna designed their new range of cards using various patterns and colour schemes, and each card in the range is printed on Stephen Scrambled White 330gsm, a carbon-neutral stock that holds beautiful texture.

I really love these bright designs - the little pockets look so lifelife! After going on a pretty unsucsessful hunt for a birthday card for my dad recently, it's nice to see some greeting card designs for the dudes - although I think these cards are equally suitable for the girls too.

The cards are available for purchase individually and in sets of fou r from The Hungry Workshop's online shop. And if you'd like to see more great work from this talented duo, visit The Hungry Workshop website.

Chapel Street Bazaar

2011-11-14T10:00:00.001+11:00

I don't often find myself in the suburb of Prahran, but whenever I do happen to be over in that part of town I make sure to stop by the Chapel Street Bazaar for a little look around. Located (suprisingly) along Prahran's busy Chapel Street, the bazaar is much like the Mill Markets, but on a slightly smaller scale, with numerous stallholders stocking all sorts of vintage ephemera. Some of the stalls have some really well crafted displays, so I took a few snaps when I was in there on Saturday to share with you.

I was especially loving the old school-themed collections on display - globes, wooden chairs and desks, sporting goods, signage, old books, jars, wire baskets, books and maps...

I've never found any amazing bargains in the bazaar (as is the case with most vintage shops in Melbourne!), but it's fun having a dig around. You could easily spend an hour or more having a good look through the many stalls here.

The Chapel Street Bazaar is located at 217 Chapel Street, Prahran.

All photos by me.

A MOZI Patchwork Christmas

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000+11:00

Well, I've managed to hold off on posting about anything Christmas-related, but I couldn't hold off on posting about the lovely new MOZI Patchwork Christmas collection any longer! I'm a big fan of Australian label MOZI, run by Melbourne-based sisters Camilla and Olivia Tipler, and always look forward to their new collections. This year, Camilla and Olivia have gone for a red and green Scandinavian-inspired Christmas theme, packed with apples, squirrels and rocking horses.

There's certainly a lot to like here... apple lanterns, door stops, melamine platters, ceramic dishes, gift tags, candles, mugs, soap, tea towels, oven mitts, bunting, wreaths, bags and ribbons. Phew! I'm a fan of the apple lanterns (I think I want one in each colour!), and love the cute apple and rocking horse repeat patterns.

To check out the full MOZI Patchwork Christmas collection, visit the MOZI website.

That's all from me for this week. I hope that you've had a good week and have an even better weekend ahead. Enjoy, and see you back here on Monday! x

p.s. This post was intentionally published at 11:11am, on 11/11/11 - tee-hee!

Made by White and Lisa Manuels

2011-11-10T10:00:00.000+11:00

I love this cute collaboration with Australian label Made by White and Netherlands illustrator Lisa Manuels. Lisa specialises in drawing cute animals and people, and Lyndsay and Kelly from Made by White worked with her to produce a lovely range of brooches. The range includes knitting bunnies, beekeeping bears and tiny illustrations in coloured wooden frames - too cute!

I have a slight obsession with brooches, and I think that some of these designs will just have to go on my wish list! To see more from Lisa check out her blog and online shop, and visit the Made by White website to see the full collection (and plenty of other cute goodies!). Lyndsay and Kelly also have a great Made by White blog here.

Claudia Pearson Mugs and Tea Towels

2011-11-08T10:00:00.001+11:00

Brooklyn-based illustrator Claudia Pearson has some new homewares out - a set of mugs and some tea towel designs. I love a good mug design (one can never have too many mugs, can they?), and these lovely mugs feature Claudia's original hand-drawn illustrations of each season of the year. They come without handles, and have been made in collaboration with Amy Adams of Perch! ceramics.

Claudia also has a few tea towels in her online shop - Brooklyn, Kitchen, Brownstones and a 2012 Buy Local Calendar design.

I love Claudia's illustration style (I've blogged about her before) and admire her commitment to buying locally and eating seasonally, and I find it really interesting to see her work being applied to different surfaces. Let's hope she expands the range even further! If you'd like to see more of Claudia's work, check out her website, blog and Etsy shop.

Creative Women's Circle @ Harvest Workroom

2011-11-07T10:00:00.000+11:00

Yesterday afternoon I went along to my first ever Creative Women's Circle (CWC) event. The CWC is a series of events held in Melbourne for women working in the creative industries, and is a place to share information, inspiration and ideas. The events are held approximately six times per year at various locations around Melbourne, and feature a different guest speaker/s each time. This time round it was Emma, Lara and Jess from Harvest Textiles, and the event was held in their lovely Brunswick workroom. The girls spoke a bit about their backgrounds and what led them to form Harvest, tackling motherhood and work, how they go about developing their screen printing classes and product lines, collaborations with other creative folk, and general info about how their business has grown and developed in a pretty short space of time. It was insightful and inspiring, and gave me a lot to think about! After the talk we were treated to some lovely tea from new local business Tea & Sympathy, run by tea aficionado Angelina Yannuccelli, and I also snapped a few shots of the workroom and some of the Harvest products...

The Harvest products look so lovely on display - and how awesome is that massive pile of Totem cushions?! I think I may just have to cave and get myself a cushion kit one of these days.

To find out more about Harvest products and classes, check out their website and blog, and visit the CWC website to find out more about the group and to sign up to the mailing list.

Lucile's Kitchen

2011-11-04T10:00:00.001+11:00

Hello all, and happy Friday! I thought I'd round off the week with some yummy food artwork from Lucile Prache, a French illustrator based in Paris. Lucile loves botanical plates, recipes, vintage lettering and stamps, silkscreens and walking the streets of Paris. She's also a little obsessed with food and cooking, if her lovely watercolour recipe prints are anything to go by...

Yum! It's a little early in the day, but I think I'm about ready for lunch now (or at least a piece of cake). I'm loving Lucile's style and colour palettes. If you'd like to see more of Lucile's work, check out her Etsy shop, website and blog.

That's it from me for another week. I hope that you have a lovely weekend, and see you back here on Monday!

Dear Hancock Paper Goods

2011-11-02T10:00:00.001+11:00

I think it's time for a little bit of stationery inspiration, don't you? And so, to Dear Hancock Paper Goods, a design studio based in the Los Angeles area and run by husband and wife team Gwendolyn Mason and Earnest Merritt. Gwendolyn and Earnest developed their studio in 2010 and made their debut at the National Stationery Show in New York earlier in the year. The Dear Hancock range, which includes stationery, custom invitations, greeting cards and prints, features original hand-painted illustrations by Gwendolyn and Earnest, each with a nod to nostalgia, humour and everyday life.

Gwendolyn and Earnest have such a wide variety of colourful illustrated paper goods available that there's sure to be something you like. I'm a fan of their Desk Collection, which features a range of different workspaces, each with a personality such as the book lover's desk and the crafter's desk. But there really is so much to like about their lovely range, and talk about nostalgic - I actually used to have a handmade patchwork dog when I was a child!

To check out the full range, visit the Dear Hancock website, and to see more also check out their blog. Not surprisingly, Gwendolyn and Earnest also have an amazing home and studio - you can check it out in this Design*Sponge Sneak Peek.

100 Copies

2011-11-01T10:00:00.004+11:00

Here are some art prints for all the bicycle nerds out there. Called 100copies, this ongoing project is a collection of prints that not only feature, but are also driven by, the passion for cycling, and is the brainchild of Singapore creative director Thomas Yang. As an avid cyclist, Thomas decided to combine two of his biggest passions - bicycles and art - and 100copies was born. As with cycling, speed is of the essence, so each piece of work is limited to 100 copies only.

I really love the bold colours and simple graphics that Thomas has used to create these lithographic prints. Some of Thomas's prints have already sold out, so if you like what you see here, keep a close eye on the 100copies website for updates on new work.

Nature Table by Angie Lewin

2011-10-31T10:00:00.000+11:00

I love this new textile design by British printmaker Angie Lewin for St Jude's. Titled Nature Table, the three-colour design is inspired by the objects Angie collects on walks and from her garden. She keeps seedheads, grasses, pebbles and seaweed stored in pots and cups in her studio, and often assmbles them for use in still life drawings.

The fabric is screenprinted in the UK onto heavyweight oyster linen, which is ideal for curtains, loose covers, upholstery, etc. The design is available in four different colourways - Payne's Grey/Rose, Bark/Blue Sky, Red Earth/Gold and Holly/Bronze - and is available by the metre and as cushion covers.

Angie is a fantastic British designer, and I encourage you to check out her website if you'd like to see more of her great work. And if you happen to be in Cambridge, UK, between now and 20 November, Angie is having a joint Christmas exhibition with Rob Ryan at the Cambridge Contemporary Art Gallery. Definitely wish I could go to this! More details can be found here.

Minimega Stationery and Paper Goods

2011-10-28T16:29:00.002+11:00

Hooray! It's Friday! I don't know about you, but this makes me pretty happy, and to celebrate I wanted to share these gorgeous shots from Minimega. Minimega is a Danish stationery and paper goods company whose goods are produced in environmentally-responsible ways via printing on 100% recycled paper and using vegetable-based inks. Unfortunately Minimega only ship to countries in the European Union, but hopefully that will change in the future. In the meantime, the rest of us will just have to admire from afar...

I just love the styling in these shots, and the beautiful, bright and colourful paper goods that Minimega do so well. What a lovely dose of Friday inspiration! To see more, head on over to the Minimega website and blog.

Well, that's it from me for the week. I've been a little distracted lately with work craziness and holiday planning, but I'll be back here on Monday with more lovely things to share. Have a great weekend everyone!

Typography by Jason Wong

2011-10-27T10:00:00.000+11:00

Jason Wong is a Brooklyn-based designer with a love of typography. So much so, that together with his friends Aaron Carambula, Erik Marinovich and Dennis Payongayong, Friends of Type was born as a website to feature original typographic design and lettering on an almost daily basis. Browsing through the site, I was particularly drawn to Jason's work. Let's take a look...

Aside from his fantastic typographical work, Jason is also part of enormouschampion, a design studio also based in Brooklyn. They have an Etsy shop, and you may have seen some of their stationery and homewares products doing the rounds on design blogs (for good reason!).

It was very difficult selecting just a few of Jason's pieces for this post, so if you'd like to see more I would encourage you to check out Jason's page on Friends of Type.

Violet May Collage

2011-10-26T10:00:00.000+11:00

I love these vintage-style collage prints from UK photographer Cassia Beck. Under the Violet May Collage label, Cassia creates nostalgic and colourful prints of original collages. She uses vintage magazines, cut paper and her own photography to create tongue-in-cheek scenarios with a vintage feel.

I love how simple these prints are, yet there's so much to love. They're very delightful indeed.

To see more from the Violet May Collage collection, check out Cassia's Etsy shop. And if you're interested in seeing more of Cassia's great photography work, she has online shops here and here, and she also has a lovely blog where she shares photographs of her life and work. Cassia is based in Brighton, UK, so I like to stop by every now and then to see glimpses of my old hood - she has a great eye for capturing Brighton's character!

Carl Kleiner's Golden Ratio

2011-10-24T10:00:00.001+11:00

Good morning, I hope you had a nice weekend? Mine was filled with plenty of friends, food and the first season of Bored to Death, our new favourite show! I wanted to start the week off with these fantastic still life photographs from Swedish photographer Carl Kleiner, spotted over at Plenty of Colour. Based in Stockholm, Carl is a talented photographer who has done work for IKEA (he did the photography for the IKEA baking book), among other things. His Golden Ratio project is a collection of geometric shapes cut from paper and arranged into interesting compositions that explore the golden ratio. It's hard to believe that these works are still life photographs rather than computer-generated images.

I absolutely love the colours and compositions in these works - just lovely! If you'd like to see more of Carl's work I encourage you to check out his website, online diary and still life gallery. He has some truly unique and interesting work.

New Prints from Skinny laMinx

2011-10-21T15:36:00.011+11:00

How completely gorgeous are these new designs from Heather Moore of Skinny laMinx?! Rhetorical question, really! Let's take a look at the new designs...

First up is Flower Fields, a beautiful floral design available in Goldenrod, Rosy and Penny Black colourways as cushion covers and yardage. This is Heather's first two-colour design, and the flower motif started out as a paper cutout, which Heather transformed into a repeat pattern.

This Mushrooms design is available in Loam and Peat colourways as tea towels, aprons and tablecloths.

I love this retro graphics-style Succulents design, available in Terracotta and Marrakesh Brown colourways as tea towls and cushion covers. The pattern features a range of succulents in mismatched pots.

Salad Pack is a new tea towel design available in Leafy Green and Rhubarb.

And the sophisticated Abacus design is available in Pebble Grey as tea towels, aprons, napkins and table runners.

All of Heather's products are produced locally to her in South Africa, and these new designs make great additions to Heather's already impressive catalogue. The 2011 Skinny laMinx catalogue is available to browse through here, and visit Heather's website and blog for more information and lovely images (do pop by her blog - it's a great read!). Heather will be uploading the new products to her Etsy shop in the coming week or so, and has also recently opened up a childrenswear Etsy shop called Mini laMinx, as well as an Etsy shop dedicated entirely to paper products - check it out here. What a busy lady!

I hope that you've had a good week and have a relaxing weekend ahead. I'm pretty exhuasted after a full-on working week, and am looking forward to chilling out and having our first spring barbecue - if this Melbourne rain would like to go away now please! Enjoy yourselves x

New goods from Howkapow

2011-10-20T10:00:00.000+11:00

I love these new mugs from UK online shop Howkapow. First, there's the Tutti Fruitt mug, which features a kaleidoscope of colours and striking geometric shapes. It has been designed in collaboration with Manchester-based graphic designer Matt Keers, who has some great work in his online portfolio.

Also new is the Round Birds mug, which I think is super cute (hardly surprising, seeing as how I love most things bird related!). The design features 24 bulbous birds from around the world, including a robin, pheasant, woodpecker and parakeet. There is also a matching slimline 2012 calendar available, which features a different bird for each month. The Round Birds range has been designed in collaboration with London-based designer Sam Harris. Sam has set up his own Round Birds website, so pop by if you'd like to see more of Sam's cute birds (which will soon be available to purchase as prints).

For those that haven't come across it before, Howkapow was set up in 2010 by husband-and-wife team Rog and Cat How, and stocks a range of work from new and independent artists, with a focus on the bright and colourful. To check out the full Howkapow range visit their online shop here.

Andrew B. Myers

2011-10-19T10:00:00.001+11:00

I saw the amazing photography work from Andrew B. Myers over on the fantastic New Zealand design blog Fancy and just had to go and take a look for myself. Andrew is a photographer based in Toronto, Canada. His work is often characterised through its use of colour and interesting compositions, as well as his focus on pop culture, nostalgia and situational humour. In 2010 Andrew was selected as one of Canada's top emerging photographers by the Magenta Foundation and his work has been exhibited and published internationally.

Andrew’s photographs play with analog and digital techniques to achieve a certain look and sensibility, and he has certainly nailed it with a great combination of beautiful saturated colours, minimalism and a touch of humour.

I'm just a little bit in love with Andrew's work! If you also like what you see here, I encourage you to take a look through the photos on Andrew's website, as there are plenty more gems to be seen in his portfolio. Andrew also has a blog that he updates with new work. Enjoy!

Zim & Zou's Back to Basics

2011-10-18T10:00:00.000+11:00

This paper sculpture project is pretty amazing! Called Back to Basics, the project is the work of Zim & Zou, a graphic design studio based in Nancy, France. Thibault Zimmerman (Zim) and Lucie Thomas (Zou) spent a year painstakingly building these electronic items, which include a Polaroid camera, an old Leica, a Walkman (with cassette), a cordless phone a floppy disc and a Nintendo game control.

Thibault and Lucie only work with PEFC sustainable paper and endeavour to leave very few paper scraps behind, and they have incorporated a range of bright and colourful papers in this project to reflect a sense of 1980s nostalgia. This cleverly crafted personal project is testamount to Zim & Zou's unique approach to design.

Back to Basics is an ongoing project, so stay tuned to Zim & Zou's website to see if more items are added to the collection, and you can check out the rest of Zim & Zou's projects in their portfolio here. You can also watch a cool behind-the-scenes video of Zim & Zou in action here.

Eveline Tarunadjaja's Daily Diary

2011-10-17T10:00:00.000+11:00

Hello there, did you have a nice weekend? I thought I'd start the week off with these sweet watercolour illustrations from Eveline Tarunadjaja. Born and raised in Indonesia, Eveline moved to Melbourne when she was fifteen, and came to illustration somewhat by accident. After leaving a job as a designer, Eveline wasn't sure what to expect. But a love of drawing led her to her first solo show, and after a positive response she decided to see where illustration would take her. So far, it's led to producing a broad range of work, from book jackets to poster illustration, and working for cients including Hurley, Billabong, and Anna Sui to record labels and Penguin books. And I'm sure that's just the start of it!

Eveline's Daily Diary is a personal project where she documents her daily outfits. The diary is in a slightly different direction to Eveline's other work, but equally as lovely. I'm just not quite sure how Eveline finds the time to create so many detailed illustrations!

Check out Eveline's Daily Diary here, the rest of her portfolio here and her online shop here. Eveline will also be having a solo exhibition called Threads at No Vacancy Gallery, starting on 11 November (all the ones of the year!).

Peskimo

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000+11:00

I thought I'd carry on the tea theme today with these great prints from Bristol, UK-based illustrators Jodie and David, aka Peskimo. The pair met while studying at university in Leeds, and were brought together via a mutual opinion about robots, kittens and evil monkeys. They formed Peskimo in 2004 and have together crafted a vast array of characters and creations that have appeared on t-shirts, billboards and nightclub walls, and in magazines and newspapers. Their inspiration comes from cartoons, vintage graphic design and overhearing people in the post office queue.

The pair have worked for clients such as Monocle, Creative Review, Time Out, Barclays, Mozilla and Vodafone, and they also have their own range of giclee prints and screenprints. Aside tea, Peskimo also like to illustrate other awesome things such as flamingos, sushi and cake! And each print is full of vibrant colours and cute details.

You can purchase Peskimo prints via their Etsy shop, and check out the Peskimo website and blog to see more of their work.

So what are your plans for the weekend? Whatever you're up to, I hope that you have a jolly time. I intend to do some chilling out, holiday organising and most probably drink some tea (and coffee!). Enjoy!

Present & Correct Greeting Cards

2011-10-13T10:00:00.002+11:00

British stationery label Present & Correct has such a great range of cards, and it’s always a joy browsing through their well-crafted and designed online shop. Present & Correct was set up by graphic designer and illustrator Neal Whittington (the author of ReMake It: Home) in 2008 as a place to stock his own designs as well as other well-curated items from around the world. There is a focus on stationery and office paper supplies, but the Present & Correct greeting card collection also offers many gems as well. Here is a selection of what caught my eye...

I really love the Happy New Home and Cup of Tea cards. I wonder if I'm unconsciously developing a tea theme this week?

To see more from the Present & Correct range, check out the website and Etsy shop. There is also a great Present & Correct blog, filled with vintage graphic ephemera.

Susannah Tucker's Teacup Polaroids

2011-10-12T10:00:00.001+11:00

Last year I posted about photogragrapher Susannah Tucker around about the same time she was moving her young family from Melbourne back to her home country of New Zealand. And as I spent much of last weekend planning an upcoming New Zealand holiday (woo!), Susannah's lovely work sprung to mind and I decided to stop by to see what she's been up to lately. And what immediately caught my eye were these ever-so-dreamy polaroids of vintage tea cups. The tea cup collection belongs to one of Susannah's oldest and dearest friends, and Susannah has really captured the lovely vintage nature of the tea cups through her yellow-tinged, nostalgic shots. Very feminine and whimsical!

I also love the reupholstered retro chairs in the photo above! Susannah's photographic tea cup collection is available to purchase as prints via her Etsy and Felt shops, and the whole set is also available as a 2012 calendar. To see more of Susannah's work also check out her website and blog.

Book Review: Design*Sponge at Home

2011-10-11T10:00:00.001+11:00

To say the release of Design*Sponge at Home has been eagerly anticipated is a bit of an understatement. With a massive global audience, Design*Sponge’s reach goes far and wide, and I certainly wasn’t the only one who was excited to hear that a book was in the works. Transforming a blog to the printed page doesn’t come without its difficulties, and I was interested to see how Grace and the Design*Sponge team would approach the task. There is a need to offer more to readers than what is available online, and thankfully Design*Sponge at Home delivers, with a good mix of the best of the blog combined with brand new content.

The book brings together two of the biggest features of the blog – home inspiration and do-it-yourself projects. The first half is dedicated to sneak peeks, and the second half to DIY tips and projects. Each sneak peek provides a brief overview, accompanied by a series of photographs and captions that offer further detail and description, as well as decorating tips, advice and information on further resources. On occasion, key design pieces – such as the Tolix, Thonet and Butterfly chair – are highlighted and explained. The large majority of homes are from the USA, with the odd home from France, Australia, Canada, South Africa, the Netherlands and Singapore included too. Because there is such a wide variety of decorating styles showcased, you’re sure to find something you like and can take inspiration from. Some of my favourites include Jill Robertson and Jason Schulte’s San Francisco home, Genifer Goodman Sohr’s Nashville home, Lyn Gardener’s Melbourne home, Heather Moore’s Cape Town home, Morgan Satterfield’s Hemet home and Shay-Ashley Ometz and Jeff Barfoot’s Dallas home.

The DIY projects chapter presents twenty-five of Grace’s favourite posts from the Design*Sponge archives as well as twenty-five new projects from readers and contributors. Each project is broken down by time, cost (in US dollars) and difficulty. There are a variety of projects on offer, from wine crate display cases to citronella candles to a terrarium how-to (I’d like to give this one a go!). The following chapter walks readers through DIY basics, offering tips, tricks and techniques for improving furniture and parts of your home. An overview of basic tools and other essentials demonstrates what to include in your kit (it’s comforting to know I at least own a few of these items!), and the rest of the chapter offers advice on things like how to strip and paint wood furniture, hang wallpaper, sew a basic curtain and upholster furniture. This section of the book features cute illustrations by Brooklyn-based illustrator Julia Rothman. A flower workshop also walks readers through basic terms, tools, ideas and guidelines for arranging flowers. There are ten basic arrangements illustrating key lessons in floral design, as well as a series of arrangements that have been inspired by homes featured in the sneak peeks.

Finally, a before and after chapter showcases fifty projects broken down by cost, time and difficulty. The majority of projects have been created within the constraints of time, budget and an average construction skill set, making them suitable for a wide variety of readers. The before and afters range from pieces of furniture through to room renovations and overhauls. The book ends with a resource guide, although the listings are generally US-centric.

The book was designed by the team at ALSO, who have also been involved with the Design*Sponge blog design. The layouts are clean and easy to navigate, and each chapter features a pink ‘handmade’ opener incorporating pink ribbon (you can read about process here). On a total book nerd level, I’m a little unsure about the sturdiness of the uncoated stock that has been used on the cover, especially as this is such a large hardcover book of 400 pages (my copy was already a little battered after its journey in the post), but I do like the gold foiling effect. If you’re interested in reading about the cover design process, check out Grace’s post here. It offers a good insight into the steps that can sometimes goes into getting a book cover right finalised.

I was brimming with ideas after reading this book, and can’t wait to try out a few things in my own home. I can also see myself picking it up and flicking through whenever I’m after a bit of decorating inspiration. I leant my copy to my dad (who considers himself to be a bit of a DIY enthusiast, although he doesn’t always finish the projects he starts!) to read when he was visiting the other week, and he enjoyed looking through the sneak peeks and project ideas too.

Even though Design*Sponge is a massive team effort, it’s also clear that this is a personal book, and Grace’s enthusiasm and love for design clearly shines through every page. And the biggest thing to take away from this book is one of Grace’s main objectives: that design – good design – should be accessible to all.

Design*Sponge at Home is out now in Australia through Hardie Grant Books. Grace and the Design*Sponge team will be coming to Sydney and Melbourne on their book tour in 2012. Exciting! Stay tuned to Design*Sponge for the announcement.

Roddy & Ginger's Logpile range

2011-10-10T10:00:00.000+11:00

British homewares label Roddy & Ginger, run by graphic and textile designer Virgina Armstrong, recently launched a range of products featuring Virginia's great new Logpile pattern. The pattern is available on wallpaper, cushions, pillow cases and tea towels. This is the first Roddy & Ginger wallpaper design, but I hope it's the first of many, as Virgina has some great designs. The Logpile wallpaper comes in three woodland-themed colours - silver birch, woodsmoke and moss yellow - and is printed onto top quality paper from sustained forests. I really love the moss yellow; very nice indeed!

The pillows, cushion covers and tea towels have all been hand screenrpinted onto white linen and cotton fabric.

Roddy & Ginger products can be purchased from Virginia's online shop and via her Etsy shop. And to see more of her lovely products check out her website and blog.

Instapam

2011-10-07T10:00:00.001+11:00

I recently read about Instapam on the fabulous See Hear Say blog, and just had to find out more because I was instantly in love with these fabulous photographs, and more than just a little bit jealous of Pam's collection of lovely things (like her camera collection!).

Aren't these photographs great?! Pam has a great eye for composition. You can check out more of Pam's photographs and follow her here. Well, that's all from me for now. I hope that you had a good week, and have an even better weekend!

Oh My Cavalier!

2011-10-05T10:00:00.000+11:00

I love these sweet illustrations from Portland, Oregon-based artist Julianna Swaney of Oh My Cavalier!. Julianna has a BFA in printmaking from Maine College of Art, and tends to work predominantly in pencil and watercolour. Inspired by the forest and woods she played in as a child in Michigan, as well as fairy tales, animals, the Victorian era, antique ephemera and anthropomorphism, Julianna's work features an array of cute girls and flaura and fauna.

Julianna's intricate illustration work is available as prints, original drawings, brooches, necklaces and paper goods. She also has a lovely 2012 year-at-a-glance wall calendar available, which features hand-drawn lettering.

I really like the magical, storytelling element that Julianna manages to weave into her work; you can really see the fairy tale inspiration shine through.

Julianna's work is available to purchase from her online shop and Etsy shop. And to see more, check out Julianna's website and blog.

Marcus Walters

2011-10-04T10:00:00.000+11:00

I love these retro-style prints from British illustrator and designer Marcus Walters. Marcus studies at Central St Martin's College of Art and Design in London, and now works across a variety of media including collage, drawing and screen printing, and much of his artwork is created by hand. Aside from his solo work, Marcus is also co-founder of graphic design studio New Future Graphic, who have done some lovely work, and his commercial client list includes Honda, BBC, Uniqlo, Levis, Coca-Cola, Yellow Pages, Amnesty, Fairtrade Foundation, Strada, Royal Mail , Orange, Innocent Smoothies, Waterstones and various publications worldwide including Monocle, New York Times and O Magazine.

Marcus has also exhibited his artwork in group shows across Europe and America and has been featured in numerous magazines and books. He shares a studio in Gloucestershire with his wife Hayley, an accomplished screen printer who prints the editions of Marcus’s work (check our their screen printing blog here).

I really like how Marcus incorporates bright colours and simple shapes into his designs. To see more of Marcus's work, check out his website, and pop over to his online shop to purchase his prints.

The Mill Markets

2011-10-03T10:00:00.001+11:00

Hello there, did you have a lovely weekend? Mine was pretty special, as the Mr and I celebrated our six-year anniversary with a three and a half hour, seven-course vegan degustation lunch at Loam Restaurant! Set in the countryside down a dirt track on the Bellarine Peninsula, Loam is known for it's fresh, seasonal and rustic food, and it didn't dissapoint. If you're looking for a special occassion dining experience, then do check it out (although make sure to book ahead)! But on to the topic of today's post - the Mill Markets. I'm sure many Melbourne readers will already be aware of the Mill Markets, but for any out-of-towners, the Mill Markets are big sheds/buildings housing numerous antiques and collectables stalls. Each stallholder stocks and organises their own stall, and you can find all manner of items, from vintage clothing to homewares, records and furniture. The Mill Markets are a great way to while away a few hours, and I always make sure to pop in if there happens to be one near where we're going. These photos were taken at the Geelong Waterfron t location, prior to our marathon lunch!

I've never had any major 'finds' in a Mill Market, but the potential is there. Like the Camberwell Market, I'm sure I will one day come across someone selling off an entire vintage Scandinavian kitchenwares collection. It'll happen...

Aside from Geelong Waterfront, the Mill Markets are located at South Geelong, Newcomb, Daylesford, Ballarat and Warrnambool. Check the Mill Markets website for location details and opening hours. Happy hunting!

Lindsay J. Haynes Illustration

2011-09-30T16:16:00.000+10:00

I thought I'd round off the week with these sweet illustrations from British designer and illustrator Lindsay J. Haynes. Lindsay is a graduate of the Camberwell College of Arts in London, and is now based in Bristol. You can check out her lovely work over at her website and blog.

That's all from me for the week. I don't know about you, but I'm super pumped for the weekend, and I really hope that Melbourne remembers that it's supposed to be spring soon enough! Do you have any nice plans? Whatever you're up to, I hope you have a lovely time!

St Jude's 'Native Heath' by Old Town

2011-09-29T10:00:00.000+10:00

More gorgeous new textile designs, this time from St. Jude's. Their new Native Heath print has been designed by Norfolk-based classic British clothing manufacturer Old Town. Native Heath, which is available in two colourways - Berry/Birch and Mushroom/Peat - features playful motifs of the manmade set against a background of map-style heathland symbols, which have been partly inspired by the map fo the Hundred Acre Wood as drawn by E H Shepard for the inside covers of the Winnie the Pooh books by A A Milne.

The fabric is avaialable for purchase by the metre as well as ready-made cushion covers. I really love this new print; it's so damn cute!

Head on over to the St. Jude's website for more information. And while you're there, it's also worth lusting over St. Jude's other gorgeous fabrics!

Edubarba Prints

2011-09-28T10:00:00.000+10:00

Etsy truly is a glorious place. Whilst doing a little mooching over there the other week, I stumbled upon the work of Spanish designer Eduardo Morales Barba, aka Edubarba. Eduardo specialises in large graphic and typographic digital prints, with an array of bold colours in a retro palette. He also creates a range of photo montages with influences from 1930s German graphics.

I really like Eduardo's awesome Spanish 2012 wall calendar - this would look great hanging in an office.

To see more of Eduardo's work, check out his Etsy shop.

New Echo Fabric Collection from Lotta Jansdotter

2011-09-27T12:50:00.000+10:00

The lovely Lotta Jansdotter has just announced a brand new line of fabrics; a first for this talented designer that will no doubt make her fans very happy indeed. Called Echo, the collection has been inspired by Lotta's Scandinavian roots, and is filled with simple and playful organic motifs and patterns in inspiring colours. Lotta teamed up with Windham Fabrics to develop the range, which includes a number of different patterns that all work nicely together as a whole. Lotta's new fabrics are suitable for a variety of end uses, from table linen, clothing and quilts to curtains and other home decor.

The collection is available now for pre-order from Lotta's online shop and via Windham Fabrics. You can view the full collection here, and check out Lotta's website here and blog here.

Travels around Country Victoria

2011-09-26T10:00:00.001+10:00

Apologies for the silence lately - here's a little taste of what I've been up to over the past few days...

Going for drives around country Victoria. Lovely! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend? I'll attempt to get back to some sort of normal posting tomorrow.

Weekday Carnival

2011-09-22T10:00:00.001+10:00

Just a quick post today to share the lovely tote bags, necklaces and homewares from Finnish label Weekday Carnival. Aren't they nice?! The product styling is pretty awesome too.

To see more, check out the Weekday Carnival blog and online shop.

Bold & Noble 2012 Calendars

2011-09-20T10:00:00.002+10:00

I love these 2012 wall calendars from UK print shop Bold & Noble. There are two designs available - the Geometric Calendars come in sheer slate/duck egg blue and flint grey/yellow moss and the Doodle Calendars come in duck egg blue and sheer slate. Each design has been screenprinted by hand onto recycled card. Lovely!

You can purchase the calendars from here, and check out Bold & Noble's full collection here and blog here.

Frazier & Wing

2011-09-19T10:00:00.002+10:00

Hello all, did you have a nice weekend? I spent most of mine cooped up inside trying to finish off some school work while staring longingly at the sunshine outside. It's a tough life, eh? There was alo a big spring house clean in preparation for the parental visit - speaking of which, if things go a little quiet over the next week or so that'll be why! I'll be doing my best to post as much as possible though. Anyway ... on to today's post, which is all about these stunningly beautiful paper mobiles and garlands from Portland-based designer Heather Frazier of Frazier & Wing.

Heather hand crafts all of her paper mobiles, and her collection was born out of her love for colour, decoration and a passion for making and creating. Her inspirations include fashion, art, design, textiles and jewellery, and Heather also has a love for tiny details and beautiful quality materials; something that becomes obvious as soon as you start looking through her collection of work.

I love the bright colours and the fact that Heather's mobiles could be suitable for a child's bedroom as well as a sophisticated living space. Lovely!

To see more of Heather's work check out her website, online shop and blog.

Just Noey Alphabet Ceramic Plates

2011-09-15T10:00:00.000+10:00

I love these alphabet ceramic plates from London-based designer and illustrator Parul Arora, aka Just Noey. Parul's cute plates are the result of a series of hand-illustrated type that she has created by drawing different food that corresponds to each letter of the alphabet. So there's A for asparagus, C for cake, D for dessert and so on. Talk about making meals fun!

Parul also has other unique illustrated ceramics and tableware available in her Etsy shop (post-a-plates and polaroid ceramic coasters!), so head on over to there to check out her full range of wares. Parul also has a cool blog here.

City Maps by Herb Lester Associates

2011-09-14T10:00:00.000+10:00

I absolutely love these affordable, illustrated city maps and guides from Herb Lester Associates. Based in London, Herb Lester research, write, print and distribute maps and guides to the world's greatest cities. Each map reveals unique and useful destinations, such as the best specialist suppliers in London, things to do on your own in Paris, unusual sites in Glasgow and how to find 'old' New York.

The maps are beautifully illustrated, and Herb Lester work in collaboration with a range of fabulous international illustrators and designers including Jim Datz, Telegramme, Brent Couchman, Michael Newhouse, Lord Dunsby, Jez Burrows, Michael Newhouse and Deanna Halsall. Herb Lester are always keen to find new people to work with on future projects, so maybe someone could put their hand up to do a Melbourne map? Any suggestions?

To view the full collection and purchase, head on over to the Herb Lester online shop.

Donna Wilson New 2011/2012 Collection

2011-09-13T10:00:00.000+10:00

Donna Wilson's products are always popular, and her new 2011/2012 collection will no doubt bring some new crowd pleasers into the mix. Titled Message in a Bottle, the collection features bold geometrics and Icelandic-style patterns in contrasting colours, as well as nautical-themed baby blankets and cushions with boats and waves. There are also cotton screenprinted cushions, creatures (such as a koala named Wilbur!) and pouffes. It's all very cute and very Donna Wilson!

These wooly cushions and blankets look so cosy and warm.

The full 2011/2012 collection can be viewed on Donna's website. Also check out Donna's blog here.

Linda & Harriett 2012 Calendars

2011-09-12T10:00:00.003+10:00

Well, it's that time of year. The change in seasons means new collections are being released all over the shop (spring for us southerners; autumn for the northerners), and as we're nearing the end of the year stationery boutiques have also started releasing their 2012 calendars and diaries, which is super exciting if you're a massive stationery nerd. So, speaking of things to get excited about, Liz and John Libre of Linda & Harriett have just released their new 2012 calendar designs. Linda & Harriett are known for their fantastic calendars, and this year is no exception, the pair going one step further than usual by releasing two calendars - a letterpress design and a watercolour design.

The letterpress calendar is similar to years past, except that it is spiral-bound this time round for easy hanging. The watercolour calendar, also spiral-bound, received a lot of attention at the National Stationery Show in NYC earlier in the year. I really love both calendars, but am particularly liking the watercolour design, with it's free form calligraphy in lovely colours. Calendar orders can be made via the Linda & Harriett website. And to stay up-to-date with all things Linda & Harriett, don't forget to check out their blog.

Penny Farthing Design House

2011-09-09T10:00:00.002+10:00

Penny Farthing Design House is the brainchild of sisters Alice Flynn and Sarah Neilsen. The pair decided to join forces and develop Penny Farthing (based in Warriewood, NSW) as a way to create a range of stylish products for the home. Alice has a background in interior design and styling for publications and large events, and was also a cofounder of Printdolls (creators of the destination scrolls), and Sarah also has years of experience in retail design as well as training in interior design.

Alice and Sarah's products are a nice mix of high design and the handmade. Their range includes acrylic furniture, acrylic design prints, neon signs, display boxes and oversized letter ornaments as well as a range of large-scale canvases that could easily become a feature point of any room. Penny Farthing products are designed for living and creating layers in a space, so in keeping with this, Alice and Sarah can customise any of their products to suit a user's needs.

I really love the way the sophisticated Penny Farthing products have been styled in these images, although the great product styling is hardly a surprise when you consider Alice and Sarah's backgrounds! I don't know about you, but after looking through their lovely collection I can't help but dream about future, grown-up homes and decorating...

To see more from the Penny Farthing Design House collection head on over to their website. And on that dreamy note, I hope you have a fabulous and productive weekend!

Satchel & Sage prints

2011-09-07T10:00:00.000+10:00

Another round of lovely prints today, this time from Austin, Texas-based creative couple Morgana and Gerren Lamson of Satchel & Sage. The pair work as graphic designers and illustrators, and decided to combine their talents to create a series of digital prints. I particularly like their 'Venn by Pen' set of prints, which have been created from original hand-drawn illustrations.

Each print is a different colour and features a message (Vision, widsom, history; Be, breathe, do; You, forever, me...). The set of eight prints look especially nice hanging together on a piece of string with pegs, don't you think?

To see more of Satchel & Sage's work, check out their Etsy shop (their website is coming soon).

326's Bush Man print series

2011-09-06T10:00:00.000+10:00

I realise that Father's Day was last Sunday (in Australia, at least), but if you're a slack daughter like me there's still time to get your dad something awesome. Like these Bush Man prints from 326, the 'playtime' brand of the Studio Alexander design agency in Auckland, New Zealand. The high-quality digital artworks are printed on archival acid-free art paper, and there are four designs to choose from - Axe, Bushshirt, Pipe and Stag. I love their bold colours, graphic simplicity and humour.

Check out the 326 website to see more of their work, and to purchase the prints go here.

My Creative Space

2011-09-05T10:00:00.000+10:00

Hello there, did you have a nice weekend? Mine was pretty uneventful as I was at my desk for most of it finishing off some work (yes, my life is that exciting!). But, in the spirit of procrastination, I did take a few minutes out to take some photos of my workspace. This is the one corner of the house that I don't really have to share. It's by no means perfect, but is my little 'creative' space that keeps me inspired and happy, especially when the sun is shining through the window.

I was inspired to make the felt bunting after seeing Catherine of Little Glowing Lights's home tour, and the rest of the items are collection of bits and pieces that somehow found their way to my desk. If you'd like to find out where something specific is from, please let me know. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this little peek into a corner of my home!

Mia Christopher

2011-09-02T10:00:00.000+10:00

It's Friday! Hooray! And to celebrate, I thought I'd round off this week with a post featuring the colourful work of San Francisco-based artist Mia Christopher. Mia is currently studying at the California College of the Arts, but has already exhibted extensively in the USA and been featured in a number of magazines. Mia works across multiple disciplines, including paintings, drawings, etchings, collage, cut-outs, videos, photographs and books. She also creates gorgeous little hand-painted notebooks, which are available for purchase in her Etsy shop.

Mia takes her inspiration from animals (especially cats), sunny days, children's books, vintage illustration and her Bay Area surroundings, and her work tends to be concerned with relationships and connections. What I especially like about Mia's work is how she manages to convey a real sense of humour and playfulness.

To see more of Mia's work check out her website, Flickr page and Etsy shop. Hope you all have a lovely weekend, and see you back here on Monday!

Zuzana Mitošinková Photography

2011-09-01T10:00:00.004+10:00

Zuzana Mitošinková is a photographer based in Bratislava, Slovakia. Although she only took up photography in the past couple of years, Zuzana has already developed a lovely portfolio of work. I'm really drawn to her grainy, nature-based analogue photographs; so stunning and dreamy.

To see more of Zuzana's work check out her website, blog and Flickr page. She also has prints available to purchase in her online shop.

[All photos: Zuzana Mitošinková]

Nan Lawson

2011-08-31T10:00:00.000+10:00

Nan Lawson (Shannon Lawson Hoffman) is an illustrator living and working in Los Angeles, USA. Nan is inspired by hipsters, coffee and flea markets, and she specialising in illustrating a cute cast of characters (she even does custom portraits, which are ideal for anniversary presents), but it's Nan's object and typography pen and ink illustrations that I'm most drawn to. There's something about the quirky illustration style, colours and grainy backgrounds that I just love.

Nan's prints are available to purchase via her Etsy shop, and she also has a separate online shop selling her lovely photographic prints. To check out Nan's portfolio of work, also visit her website and blog.

Kirra Jamison

2011-08-30T10:00:00.000+10:00

Today I'm feeling pretty inspired by the beautiful, bright and colourful artworks by Melbourne-based artist Kirra Jamison. Kirra fast made a name for herself as an artist after graduating from a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Griffith University Queensland College of Art in 2006, and then undertaking postgraduate study in Los Angeles courtesy of a scholarship. Kirra exhibits regularly in solo and group exhibitions, and her work is represented in private and corporate collections. Her work has also been featured in magazines such as Vogue Living, Belle and Inside Out.

Kirra's large and intricately patterned paintings employ a wide range of expressive techniques, combining found and decorative elements. I'm more than a little bit in love with her Love me two times collection, with its bright, bold and organic shapes painted in gouache, ink, pen and vinyl on paper.

Of course, a super talented artist such as Kirra would also live in a super awesome house, so it's no surprise to find that Kirra and her partner live in a cool Northcote home/studio, complete with concrete floors and white painted brick walls. Swoon. (You can check out her home tour over on The Design Files.) To see more of Kirra's work, visit her website.

[All images: Kirra Jamison]

Camberwell Market

2011-08-29T10:00:00.001+10:00

Last weekend my friends convinced me that it would be a good idea to get up super early and head across town to the Camberwell Market, a street market held every Sunday morning in a carpark behind the shopping strip in Burke Road, Camberwell (an eastern suburb of Melbourne). The market is popular with collectors, and with 350+ stalls there's plenty of fossicking to be done. There are numerous trestle tables set up with bric a brac, collectibles, pre-loved clothing and shoes, books, music ... pretty much your standard market fare. On this visit all I managed to pick up was a cheap Kodak Instamatic camera (which I'm yet to try out), some flowers and some plants for the garden.

I've been to the market a couple of times since moving to Melbourne, and to be honest I've never had any amazing finds (I'm hoping that one day someone will just happen to be selling off their entire Scandinavian kitchenware collection for a total bargain), but when the sun is shining and you've got the patience to push through the crowds, it's a pretty fun way to while away your Sunday morning.

The Trish Hunter Finds stall (above) is great fun - a travelling vintage shop in a caravan! And those plastic flamingos! Amazing! If you're visiting Melbourne and without a car, you can catch the East Burwood 75 and Wattle Park 20 trams from the CBD via Flinders Street and the Camberwell 72 tram from Swanston Street (get off at the Camberwell Junction). Alternatively, catch a train from Flinders Street to Camberwell Railway Station (on the Lilydale, Ferntree Gully and Alamein lines) and walk south-west down Burke Road from the station (or just follow the crowds).

Sarah McNeil Illustration

2011-08-26T10:00:00.000+10:00

I thought I'd round off the week with some lovely illustrations from the talented Sarah McNeil. Sarah studied fine arts in Melbourne and is now based in Wellington, New Zealand. You might have seen her work in Frankie magazine, as well as the Frankie 2010 (and now 2011) calendar. Sarah has also created work for a number of other magazines and has had her work displayed in Australia, the USA and Canada.

Sarah has a cast of characters that she illustrates, and also creates custom pet portraits. She is a big fan of minimalisism, and much of her work is centered around animals and nature. It might not appear obvious when you first glace through Sarah's portfolio, but there's so much attention to detail in her illustrations. A combination of fine lines and soft colours creates a truly dreamy affect.

To see more of Sarah's work check out her website, Etsy shop and blog. Have a happy weekend everyone!

Shop Tour: Shelley Panton

2011-08-25T10:00:00.000+10:00

On Saturday we had some glorious sunshine here in Melbourne, so the Mr and I decided to check out the farmers' markets at the Gasworks Arts Park, and seeing as how we were in the area, I thought it would also be an ideal opportunity to visit ceramicist Shelley Panton’s Middle Park shop and studio. Shelley was taking part of Craft Victoria's Craft Cubed open studi o events that day, and even though I was about twenty minutes too early to watch Shelley hard at work on her potters wheel, she was kind enough to let me take some photos of her gorgeous shop to share with you on the blog today.

Shelley’s story is both interesting and inspiring. With a background in food, interiors and events planning, Shelley found herself out of work when the recession hit and decided to rethink her career plans. She was looking for a house to rent that could also double as a studio space when she stumbled across 88 Park Road – a quaint, century-old shopfront in the backstreets of Middle Park that had a house at the back. A shop wasn’t part of the original plan, but the space felt spot on for Shelley. Her studio and shop were born and she hasn’t looked back!

Shelley specialises in producing functional tableware. Each piece is handcrafted on the wheel and glazed before final firing, which makes her stoneware items durable and resilient for everyday use. Since opening her studio, Shelley’s items have been highly sought after by chefs and food stylists, and in March 2010 she was even invited to produce a collection of kitchen-inspired pieces for the Heide Museum of Modern Art in tribute to the Sunday’s Kitchen: Food and Living at Heide exhibition.

As well as stocking her own range of lovely stoneware items, Shelley also supports other artisans and designers by stocking a range of locally-produced furniture, kitchenware, books, furnishings and numerous other pretty things! Her experience as a visual merchandiser means that the retail space is packed full of visual delights.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this little tour of Shelley’s lovely shop, and that you’ll be tempted to stop by and take a look for yourself if you get the chance. The Shelley Panton shop is located at 88 Park Road, Middle Park. To see more of Shelley's work, check out her website.

[All photographs by me.]

miki.o stationery & paper goods

2011-08-23T10:00:00.000+10:00

Bianca van Meeuwen is the talented and creative lady behind stationery and paper goods label miki.o. Originally from the Netherlands, Bianca now calls Melbourne home. By day Bianca works in marketing, but her spare time is spent dedicated to creating her range of lovely greeting cards, recipe cards, gift tags, gift bags and fabric flags. Bianca also has a range of and print-it-yourself wedding stationery, including invitations, save the date cards, labels and RSVP cards.

Bianca's designs are bright, modern and sophisticated. Her multi-coloured greeting cards are especially cute (I love anything with a flamingo on it!), and I also love her hand-stamped mini doily gift bags, which would make a nice alternative to wrapping a present.

To see more of Bianca's work check out her general stationery and wedding stationery online shops, as well as her website and blog.

Millie Marotta

2011-08-22T10:00:00.002+10:00

Hello all, did you enjoy your weekend? We had some glorious sunshine in Melbourne, which meant I spent as much time outside as possible. I'm so excited that spring is on its way!

I thought I'd kick start things off this week with the work of British illustrator Millie Marotta. Millie works as a freelance illustrator in her studio by the sea in Wales. Growing up in the middle of nowhere led Millie to develop a mild obsession with flora and fauna, and this, along with intricate pattern and detail, plays a big role in her work. Millie enjoys working in traditional and digital media, and has produced work for Virgin Atlantic, Howies, Timberland and HUCK magazine.

I think my favourite illustrations from Millie have to be her hand drawn Bull Finch and Blue Tit birds. So lovely.

To see Millie's full portfolio, check out her website.

2012 Frankie Calendar and Diary

2011-08-19T10:00:00.000+10:00

I haven't given all that much thought to what I'm doing next week, let alone next year. But thankfully, when I do start to think about it, the new Frankie 2012 calendar and diary will be here to help. Frankie's planners are always well sought after, and that's because they're always so pretty, and it looks as if 2012 is no exception.

The calendar features the work of numerous artists including Pin Pals, Donna Wilson, Catherine Campbell, Anke Weckmann, Sarah McNeil and Black Apple, and the diary features the sweet illustrations from Melbourne artist Amy Borrell. To avoid missing out, you can pre-order calendars here and diaries here.

Have a good weekend everyone, whatever it us you get up to! xo

New from Mini Moderns

2011-08-18T10:00:00.003+10:00

British design studio Mini Moderns (aka Mark Hampshire and Keith Stephenson of Absolute Zero Degrees) has been very busy recently working on some new designs for their ever-growing homewares label. You might remember I posted about their Festival range earlier this year, which has been developed for the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain happening next month. Well, the boys have also released a few fabulous new designs recently that I'm sure will keep their fans happy.

First up there's Hold Tight, which has been developed as part of the Day-tripper collection in collaboration with the London Transport Museum, and is based on their collection of vintage bus tickets. The pattern is available on wallpaper, cushions and tea towels in mustard, British lichen and harvest orange colourways.

A visit to London's Courtauld Gallery inspired Mark and Keith to create the Vanessa wallpaper design as a tribute to textile designs of Vanessa Bell. The pattern is available in lido, mustard and harvest orange colourways.

And finally there's the Whitby collection, which is of course a nautical design inspired Whitby in North Yorkshire, where both Mark and Keith coincidentally spent holidays as children. The linocut style of the design helps to express the movement of the waves and the ruggedness of the coastline. There are cushions, mugs, totes, tea towels and wallpapers available in lido, washed denim and awning red colourways.

I love that you can purchase different items from the Mini Moderns range with the same surface pattern. Why not have matching wallpaper and cushions? I'm a big fan of the Mini Moderns range and think that Mark and Keith have delivered the goods once again. To see more, head on over to the Mini Moderns Shoppe.

Kaye Blegvad

2011-08-17T10:00:00.002+10:00

How cute are these paper garlands? They're not your typical run-of-the-mill garlands either, but rather intricately designed and constructed garlands. In case you were wondering, they are the work of artist and designer Kaye Blegvad.

Each of Kaye's garlands features one of her original illustrations. The elements are digitally printed onto card and then cut out and assembled by hand. I can see them making lovely wedding decorations, or even beinig hung above a bed or fireplace as a feature piece.

Originally from London, Kaye studied illustration at the University of Brighton before moving to New York City, where she currently resides. Aside from creating her handmade wares, Kaye also takes on freelance commissions. (I particularly like the cutouts and illustrations she did recently for Lucky magazine, which you can check out here.)

To see more of Kaye's work check out her website, blog and Etsy shop.

Ferm Living Autumn/Winter 2011 Collection

2011-08-16T10:00:00.002+10:00

There sure is a lot to like about the new Ferm Living Autumn/Winter 2011 collection, which has been inspired by the wild woods. The raw elements of nature were the ideal backdrop for their strong graphic lines and honest materials such as wood, wool, organic cotton, cork and paper. Here's a selection of some of the new lovely goods that are available.

One overwhelming element ofthe new collection is the use of bold geometric shapes, particularly triangles, which I for one love. My favourite items have to be the Cophenhagen print, neon pink pin board, teapot, spear tea towel and village wallpaper. How about you; what are your favourites?

To check out the new collection for yourself, head on over to the Ferm Living website. The catalogue, which has been beautifully styled using the woods as a backdrop, is also available online here.