Husk Windows - again!

Husk Carlton does it again with the amazing windows! Swoon. Other retailers take note!

I wonder if this is the work of Aimee McCallum at Tiger Peacock again? I'm sure she will let us know!

Claire Nereim - new things

Claire Nereim's limited edition print for the Australian-based online store Baker's Dozen

DO you remember US graphic artist/illustrator Claire Nereim ? (I first blogged about her here and here) Love her work. So restrained, so clever and thoughtful.

Love her posters.
Love her illustrated calenders.
Love her experiments with type...

Type formed from a ribbon of cut paper featured in PAPER magazine.

Love love love.

Recently Claire designed an exclusive print for the Australian-based online store Baker's Dozen, who invite artists and makers to create beautiful things in editions of 13.

ALSO Claire has printed a third edition of her stunning Seasonal Fruits 'Forever Calender' due to it's overwhelming popularity! They're available on Etsy - only 3 copies left!!

Seasonal Fruits 'forever calender' and Flowering Trees print by Claire Nereim

Claire has a blog here. And an Etsy shop here.

ps) Sorry no interview today. Got a few in the works but been having some delays chasing up the answers and images etc... sorry!

Jen Stark

Over and Out, 2008

Over and Out detail, 2008

Primaries Invert, 2008

Perhaps you all already know about the incredible paper sculpture of Jen Stark...? She's been all over the blogosphere in the last year or so. In fact, if you watch the funny little movie on her website, it says that design blogs have had a big part to play in her recent popularity and success. Yaaaay! Love that.

The video is quite good, if you can bear the cheesy voiceover. BUT a much better video is here. It's documents a visit to Jen's studio, and shows some incredible works in progress. Ms Stark seems sweet, shy and super clever.

Square, 2007 and Radial Reverie, 2008.

Enchant, 2008

Annette Ringrose's ring o' roses

Annette Ringrose's gorgeous paper rose heart, hanging on display at the Food and Wine festival in Melbourne last week.

Melbourne-based props maker extraordinaire Annette Ringrose can make pretty much anything. Usually using not much more than polystyrene, cardboard and a gluegun. She often makes props for TV advertisements, private events and corporate functions... incredible things like oversized fruits, crazy costumes, table centrepieces and once she even made a giant engagement ring (for a very romantic wedding proposal). She also makes particularly great chocolate-chip cookies.

I have to share Annette's gorgeous oversized paper rose hearts, made for a display at the Melbourne Food and Wine festival last week. She made around 36 huge paper roses, carefully cutting and curling and spray-painting each petal, before gluing them around a painted polystyrene ball, then attaching them all to large ply-wood hearts. Aren't they gorgeous!?

Here Annette shares some photos of the rose-making process step by step! So clever. Thanks Annette!!

Annette also works at The Prop Store in Melbourne. Next time you need some amazing prop or oversized custom-made incredible thing for your corporate function / wedding / kid's 21st / whatever - Annette's your lady!

Step 1 - painting the polystyrene balls for the centre of each rose. Step 2 - cutting out each layer of petals.

Step 3 - more cutting and curling of petals. Step 4 - attaching petal layers to each polystyrene ball.

Step 5 - Attaching roses to heart templates.

Annette with her creation!

Amazing Megan Morton

Photos for Australian Travel and Leisure Magazine Christmas Gift Guide 2008, styled by Megan Morton, paper-sculpture by Benja Harney, shot by Sydney photographer Dieu Tan.



I've had more than a few star-struck moments in the last year thanks to this little blog! I can't quite believe how many lovely, super-talented people The Design Files has put me in touch with... it's a beautiful thing :)

A couple of weeks ago, I magically found myself in the most incredibly stylish home in Toorak, popping open a bottle of champagne with none other that my all-time favourite Australian props/interiors stylist Megan Morton!

I am still recovering from the excitement! Deep breaths.

Megan was (is) even more fabulous and wonderful than I could have imagined. Truly. She was so friendly and open and generous in conversation... sharing with me so many fascinating details about her job, her creative colleagues and her incredible body of work. I feel very lucky to have spent an evening in Megan's company. She is just so lovely! We hit it off immediately (I can't imagine anyone not hitting it off with Megan, by the way). Our conversation was kind of like a breathless, excitable school-girl gossip session... ie "oh my gosh, the colours are amazing... you will DIE!" etc etc.

It would have been rude and ridiculous to tape-record our conversation or take notes... (and I was doing my best to be polite!)... but I wish I could remember word for word, the frenetic stream of conversation.... Because it was all absolute gold. I left with my brain full of names and details to Google (wish I could still remember them all!). But the main thing which struck me about Megan - aside from her incredible body of work and endless list of exciting projects and clients and collaborators - was that she is just so infectiously passionate about her craft. She talked about styling in terms of 'taking a house, and putting it's best foot forward... making it as delicious as it can possibly be'... perfect.

The whole experience was entirely surreal... not just because Megan was so amazingly fabulous... but also because we met at the most incredible Toorak mansion, which Megan was house-sitting whilst in Melbourne for a week. (Apparently, if a home is this fabulous, house-sitting is known as 'chaperoning' the home, and is an insurance requirement!?). This massive, ridiculously beautiful home was designed by Melbourne architect Rob Mills, and Megan had recently styled the place for a photoshoot, kitting it out in the most stunning furniture from Hub and De De Ce. *Sigh.

Anyway, I appear to be gushing (as usual!).... But I thought I would share some beautiful shots Megan sent me last week, which she styled for the Travel and Leisure gift guide last year. This is a collaboration between Megan and her paper-forming friend Benja Harney, and was shot by Sydney photographer Dieu Tan.




ps) don't worry... an interview is in the works...!

Paper Flowers for Chanel

Check out this incredible paper-installation for Chanel's 2009 Spring/Summer Haute Couture show. AMAZING or what?



According to the Chanel website, the installation was made up of 7000 handmade paper flowers, using 4000 square metres of paper, and took a total of 4800 hours of work to assemble. I guess Chanel has a pretty good budget for these things! ;)

The models also wore stunning paper-flower headpieces...


Via Beautiful Paper blog. Thanks to my dear friend, props-maker extraordinaire Annette Ringrose for the tip-off!

ps) How weird is Karl Lagerfeld? Super talented, super weird.

New blog discoveries

Photography by Gemma Comas - via the SusyJack* blog

I've made a couple of new blog discoveries recently... don't cha just love discovering a new blog? Just to add another 5 minutes to your morning net-surfing? YES you know you do!

Gorgeous product finds from the Hey Susy* blog

Currently I am LOVING Hey Susy* - the blog of NY artist and designer Susan Connor. She just seems to pull together the most beautiful images... great product finds too - and how about those colours? Ahhh.

Also be sure to visit Susan's online store SusyJack* for a small-ish but truly gorgeous collection of papergoods... including my favourites below...

2009 Deluxe wall calender by SusyJack* - you can separate all 12 pages and hang in a row for colourful wall coverage! US$34.00

Demi Notebooks by SusyJack* - only US$9 each!

Valentine's day card by SusyJack*

Second new discovery this month was A Cup of Jo (YES I know, I can hear you saying "you didn't know about a Cup of Jo?" - what can I say....? Too busy blog-writing, not enough blog-reading). Joanna Goddard's hugely popular blog was another 'instant bookmark' for me. (She also writes a very entertaining relationships blog called Smitten for US publication Glamour)

Recent favourite a Cup of Jo musings etc include -

-her new years resolution to dress more like a French Woman (here and here)
-her gorgeous engagement photos (she already looks like a French woman to me...)

Jo's engagement photos by Max Wanger.

Paper Graphics by Yulia Brodskaya

Stunning paper graphics by London illustrator/graphic designer Yulia Brodskaya

I always feel a bit guilty for 're-posting' something I only just saw on another blog recently... But... I guess it's the nature of the blog beast! (I think it's ok once in a while as long as you state the original source...)

Anyway, these gorgeous paper graphics by Russian-born, London-based Yulia Brodskaya have been doing the blog rounds in the last few weeks... and I just can't help but jump on the bandwagon! You know I can't resist intricate paper craft and hand-made type!

More of Yulia's beautiful paper illustrations. The image on the left is part of an incredible series of Christmas illustrations for London's Guardian newspaper.

In the olden days of traditional handcraft (*ie in the era of ruffled lace toilet paper holders and knitted coat hangers etc) I believe this technique was known as 'paper quilling'...

via here and here and here and here....

More from Yulia's series of illustrations for The Guardian in the UK

Elina Minn

Spotted this stunning paper installation on the Oh Joy blog...

It's the creation of US artist Elina Minn... I've just been trawling her website and discovering so many other beautiful pieces worth sharing! Love the collage and naive sketches.... Gorgeous gorgeous. More of her work below.

Look at the Wall

Been receiving lots of lovely emails from Australian designers, artists and craftsters recently... Thanks so much for getting in touch! It's always nice to discover someone new in this way...

The latest interesting offering in my inbox is from Melbourne Mum and artist Monique Gaspar, who creates these handmade collaged wall hangings for kid's rooms under the name Look At The Wall. Lots more to see over at Monique's website - and she's also open to custom orders if you have something special in mind.

Christmas DIY - part 2

Ohhh sorry, I can't resist... a have to share a couple more Christmas ideas today :)

First up - my new DIY Christmas wreath!


I decorated a large rustic wreath I bought from Cote Provence in Carlton North. They're also available in a smaller sizes. If you're not in the North I've seen similar ones all over town in good florists and also a few upmarket gift-type shops.

The decorations are super-simple - some paper bark I stripped from a tree in Carlton(!), some peppercorn branches and leaves, and some succulent stems, cut and clustered in small recycled glass bottles filled with water. Everything is just tied on with string and wire. Too easy!

I used some of those tiny bottles from Industria in Fitzroy (mentioned here), as well as some little glass juice bottles from the Mediterranean Wholesaler in Brunswick. You could also use small glass jars...

The great thing about this wreath is that it is 100% sustainable! All components are either natural or recycled... the succulents are all in water, which means they'll stay alive and grow roots for replanting later. And the wreath will be recycled every year!


Gorgeous Christmas DIY find number 2 was discovered by my lovely friend Jess... a 'cardboard holiday village' complete with flickering LED lights! This sweet project is the creation of Stephanie who has a great little blog called Even Cleveland. Love it!

Anthropologie Christmas styling

OH excuse me.

Look at these Christmas windows from US super-fabulous homewares/everything store Anthropologie. Australian retailers take note.

via Black Eiffel.

Christmas in Melbourne - crafty decorating ideas and a bit of window shopping

Japanese homewares store Zakkaya in Fitzroy showcases a very 'kawaii' Christmas

Somehow it has apparently become December! Where does the time go?

I spent the last week or so researching and photographing some of the best Christmassy decorating and wrapping ideas around town... I hope it might help condense some of your holiday season 'to do' lists, or at the very least inspire a few creative ideas for your tree / table / presents this year :) I'm sure I'll spot many more fun bits and pieces between now and the big day... I'll keep ya posted!

Zakkaya
52 Johnston st, Fitzroy
9419 1882

Zakkaya has a beautiful selection of timber toys, ceramic homewares and kooky Japanese accessories, as well as some gorgeous and distinctly Japanese Christmas decorations and stocking-fillers... It's so worth a browse - you won't find these pieces anywhere else in Melbourne.

top - Zakkaya's tiny wooden 'balance game' toys make perfect stocking-fillers. bottom - super-cute printed sticky tape for gift-wrapping.

Gorgeous decorating garlands from Zakkaya

More Christmas gorgeousness from Zakkaya

Specklefarm
111 Bridport Street, Albert Park
ph. 9696 2477

Specklefarm specialises in grosgrain ribbon of all different styles, and also sells a small but gorgeous range of stationary and paper wrapping etc. You can buy the ribbon by the metre, and they also wholesale if you have a business.

How about wrapping your presents in cheap brown paper or recycled magazine/newspaper pages, then dressing up the parcels with any one of these fancy ribbons? The ribbon is sure to be stashed away for re-use - which makes this a very eco-friendly wrapping option.

A stunning selection of grosgrain ribbons starting at around $3.00 a metre .

More ribbons and gift tags from Specklefarm

Cote Provence
290 Rathdowne st, Carlton North

9347 6656

For more classic Christmas styling, check out Cote Provence in North Carlton... beautiful French linens with cream / red detailing make for traditional festive decoration with a European feel. They also have some gorgeous rustic Christmas wreathes that you can either hang as is or embellish... I couldn't resist and bought the largest one they had last week! Beautiful stuff and may I say extremely friendly, helpful staff! (unlike similar stores you might encounter on the other side of the river!).

You can't go wrong with french linen in beige / red / white.

I loved this table display and centrepiece at Cote Provence! It's an antique spindle holder I think? Here it's holding reels of silk thread... but of course could be used to display any kind of decorations and/or cards - a unique alternative to the traditional Christmas tree.

slightly shorter spinder-holder st Cote Provence

Ikea
Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre
Cnr. Victoria St and Burnley St
Richmond

8416 5000

I know many people (my boyfriend, mainly) who won't go near Ikea on a weekend, let alone in the lead-up to Christmas. Trouble is, you won't find better value Christmas decorations or wrapping anywhere else in Melbourne. Seriously. The range and the prices are quite unbelievable. The trick for a semi-enjoyable visit to Ikea during the festive season is to follow my fail-safe tips -

1) Ikea is open until 9.00pm on Thursday and Friday night. Avoid the crowds and go after work.

2) Almost all the Christmas gear is right at the end near the registers. (Except the candles, candlesticks and plants, which are still very close by, just before the 'marketplace' area). With this in mind, DON'T walk through the entire store - take a sharp right at the lifts in the entrance area, and walk in to the store through the checkouts. Don't worry everyone does it. The friendly Ikea information lady even recommends it.

3) - bring CASH - the queues are always shorter for the 'cash only' registers

4) Buy a blue bag at the checkout - come on, they're only $1.00. Don't be trying one of those crazy juggling acts so many people seem to attempt as they're leaving the store... you'll break something :)

Good luck!

See how much Christmas stuff they've got at Ikea!? Aggh. Love the oversized heart-shaped baubles in either silver or gold - $9.95 for a 2-pack. (they're as big as a grapefruit!)

Baubles in every possible colour, every possible style. Top - 48-pack of blue baubles for only $7.95! bottom 59-pack of gold baubles - $12.95. Yes this is CHEAPER THAN GIFT TAGS! Why not tie a bauble on each present instead of a tag, and write the recipients name with permanent marker, gold or silver pen or white-out pen?

Wrapping wrapping wrapping... I bought the gorgeous hearts / stripes pack in blues / reds including all ribbon and rosettes for I think $12.95? They also have a great selection of gift-wrap ribbons.

Christmas wreath - $25.00. Tiny mini succulents for only $1.75 each! Too cute! Imagine clusters of these in tiny pots strewn up and down your Christmas table as a centrepiece? Or one with each guests' name tied on, to mark their place at the table? (They can take it home after!).

Top - gorgeous metallic candlesticks in various heights / designs - sorry I seem to have misplaced my notes on these but from memory they were all around the $10.00 mark. Ikea also has the absolute best selection of candles at the best prices. Bottom - packs of column candles in varying heights, only $9.95.

Industria
202 Gertrude st
Fitzroy

9417 1117

Spotted these absolutely tiny little glass bottles in Industria for only $1.00 each (actually they also have even smaller ones at 75c). Of course my mind started racing with ideas... filling them with water and popping in a single flower stem in each one - or for a longer-lasting display how about tiny succulent stems instead? (either from Ikea, your garden or your neglected nature strip - shhhhh!) Wrap some fine wire around the neck of each tiny bottle and hang each one on your Christmas tree, on a clothes line across the room, or wired securely to your wreath on the front door. Otherwise cluster them on your dining table for unique floral display... endless possibilities...!

I bought 20 of these... have a few crafty plans in mind... will let you know how I go!

Tiny glass bottles from Industria