Thursday 23 December 2010
Fantastic Plastic
Sunday 19 December 2010
How to make wallets from recycled plastic bags
Winners of Handmade Living & [re]design books announced
Thursday 16 December 2010
Pomegranates..... and Christmas hampers
Pomegranates often feature as part of my display at the markets. One of my first screen printed designs was of a Persimmon Tree and my sister, who helped me with my first handmade market, couldn't find any persimmons at that time of year and so displayed some pomegranates instead. Since then the pomegranates have become a regular fixture on my stall.
- High in anti-oxidents (even more than green tea!) which helps fight certain forms of cancer such as breast and skin
- They can prevent hardening of the arteries therefore reducing the chances of heart attack and stokes
- It is good for thinning the blood; raising good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol
Sunday 12 December 2010
High Tea, Handmade Living Book Launch & Give Away at Daltons
A selection of the contributors to the book (including moi) displayed their creations alongside a very delicious spread of cupcakes and nibbles - you can see Mikaela, who makes beautiful accessories using Japanese origami papers in the background.
I ran a giveaway for the above cups, hand baked ginger snaps and Kate Ward Design 'Ooh La La' tea towel (valued at over $50)...... the winner of the prize was Debbie Campbell.
Friday 10 December 2010
My first news letter
Wednesday 8 December 2010
Into the night at the Gorman House Markets
You are invited to Gorman House Markets’ Christmas event,
“Into the Night”
Saturday 11th December 2010
10am – 9pm.
It’s Christmas time and we are celebrating,
On 11th December, Gorman House Markets are trading Late!
You will find all the treasures you seek,
To delight your loved ones for Christmas this year.
Come for the amazing shopping and gourmet food.
Enjoy the musical talents of local bands.
Our “Kid’s Land” will be in full swing with activities galore.
There will be a visit from Santa at 2pm.
As dusk falls, be delighted;
Majestic fairy lit hawthorn trees will light the night sky.
Bring your family. Meet up with friends,
Celebrate Christmas time in the city, at Gorman House.
Hoping you can join me. I will be selling my limited edition Christmas tea towels, dual jewels and other delightful bits n pieces ........
Thursday 2 December 2010
And the winner is.........
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Countdown and giveaway
A limited edition of 'Two Turtledoves' (above) and 'Three French Hens' (below) has been printed onto linen teatowels, and a similar design onto t-shirts will be available at the Handmade twilight markets.
Monday 29 November 2010
Green Christmas Ornament Auction
Handmade Canberra is joining forces with Loop to auction handmade Christmas decorations. (Loop is the new sustainable development at the Belconnen Fresh Food Markets) The ornaments can be for any purpose: the Christmas tree, dinner table, mantel piece or even the front porch. They must be made by hand, preferably with local and/or recycled materials. All the proceeds from the auction will be donated to Paediatrics at the Canberra Hospital (PaTCH).
Sunday 28 November 2010
Christmas at CraftACT
I dropped into CraftACT yesterday to celebrate their Christmas event with them. Lee has done a fantastic job of displaying the wares available - it looks like she had a lot of fun playing with colour, texture and shape :)
Friday 26 November 2010
Redesigning the Regular
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Dual Jewels and Re-find Wallets at CraftACT
In anticipation I have created Dual Jewels which are designed to be worn and are also a decoration for the Christmas Tree. They are available exclusively at CraftACT and are the perfect gift for Secret Santa.
Also featured in the CraftACT shop will be my Refind wallets - which are made from recycled plastic bags. The wallets also feature in the book 'Why dont you [re]design Christmas'. For your chance to win a copy of this book, simply subscribe to my newsletter. The winning entry will be announced on Friday 17 December 2010.
Thursday 18 November 2010
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me....... at the Undercurrent Market
The Christmas carol 'On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me' is the inspiration for my range of designs which will be available at the Undercurrent Market held at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra this weekend.
I am participating in a series of markets leading up to Christmas with a new limited edition Christmas design being created for each market. A limited edition of 'A partridge in a pear tree' design has been printed onto linen teatowels (above), t-shirts in a variety of summer colours (below) and calico bags with the design printed in festive red (further below) will be available at the markets.
Undercurrent is a one day design market showcasing orignal Australian works, curated by Richard Baz, the owner of the National Portrait Gallery Shop.
The market will be held on Saturday 20 November at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra from 10am to 5pm.
Tuesday 16 November 2010
Goodies selected and made for Maker Handmade
I was delighted to be approached by Rachael from Maker Handmade who asked me whether I would be interested in selling some of my handprinted wares in her store........ the answer was a great big YES and I will be posting some goodies to her tomorrow (tea towels, soft cover sketch books, cushions) - just in time for the formal opening party on 25 November 2010.
Sunday 14 November 2010
Man in the Maze Cushion Commission
I was recently approached to design a special image for a 21st Birthday present.
The request asked that I design something which incorporated the Native American Indian 'Man in the Maze' symbol which represents a persons journey through life. The Maze contains seven concentric circles with many twists and turns representing the choices made in life. The centre of the maze is always blank to symbolise reaching our goals and dreams.
I wanted to personalise the design to represent the person's life so far, so I incorporated imagery and symbols to suggest his duel citizenship, achievements, interests, dreams and goals.
The above image is the end result. The design measures 48cm x 48 cm and printed on hemp fabric using water based, permanent fabric inks. The cushion a black linen on the reverse side to further emphasise the black print on the front.
I really enjoyed working to the brief and working with Margo who commissioned the cushion. I hope that her son loves his very special, and thoughtful gift :)
Sunday 31 October 2010
Adventures at the Tasmanian Craft Fair
Our first stop was The 3rd Door who make beautiful handbound books. We were both so inspired we bought a lovely sketchbook and Im thinking about making a trip down to Tas again to do a book binding course with them!
Next we discovered the delightful quirky stained glass birds created by Diane Brown. We both had to have one of these, and Jo's blue wren is already hanging up on her kitchen window.
I fell in love with Sally Cassanrda's beautiful ceramic jewellery and objects. I restrained myself and only bought a pair of earings and some buttons. Her designs are made from the impressions in clay of lace she has collected over the years. I cant wait to knit something beautiful to attach to my new buttons. It has been raining here for the past 24 hours..... perfect knitting weather - if only I brought my knitting :)
I was looking for a new bag to replace my very worn (and loved) japanese handbag. I found a lovely design from Sashiko Design with lots of pockets (very important to put all my things in)
My last extravagant purchase of the day was some beautiful 'cloud cups' by ceramicist Dean Smith which took my breath away that had light blue crystals floating on an earthly caramel background..........
We also discovered some very beautiful etchings by Joseph Austin, a Sydney based artist. He had a lovely selection of prints and cards. I couldnt resist and bought a card of his exquisite coral tree etchings.
Thursday 14 October 2010
Selected to exhibit at Handmade in Britain and the UK Eco Design Fair
Wow!
My recycled knitted plastic bag designs (plastic lampshade and knitted purses) have been selected to be displayed at the Handmade in Britain Chelsea Old Town Hall from 27-30 October 2010 and the Eco Design Fair Islington Town Hall, 4-5 December 2010 as part of [re]design's initiative to encourage people to consider the provenance of what they consume and purchase over the festive period.
[re]design are promoting how to make and recycle Christmas decorations and gifts and have selected 20 Good and Gorgeous MIY designs (two of my works have been selected!) and are compiling the ‘How to make’ of these designs, with a step-by-step instructions into a small book which will also be available for purchase at the events.
[re]design is a London based organisation which curates sustainable design exhibitions and promote designers who don’t want to make landfill, and at the same time to educate visitors about sustainability in an inclusive and accessible way. [re]design also faciliate workshops, lectures, seminars and publications on recycling and design.
Wednesday 13 October 2010
Lake Burley Griffin Cushion Commission
I was recently asked to translate my design of Lake Burley Griffen into a black and white screenprint for a cushion by one of the customers at Shop Handmade in Canberra.
Screen printed using black ink on white linen, the original image has a lot of blank space around it so I decided to frame the print by adding a black border at the top and bottom of the same material (also linen) to match the back of the cushion.
The cushion is being delivered to Shop Handmade today. I loved the design so much that I have also made one using navy ink on a cream back ground (hemp fabric) with a border of navy blue (cotton) and matching fabric on the back which is available to buy at Shop Handmade. They retail at $90 which includes the cushion insert.
All my products are created using quality fabrics, water based fade resistant fabric print paste and are created by hand in my studio.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
New Persimmon Tree Design
The Persimmon Tree design has developed into a season of designs, from the winter tree with bare branches and orange spheres of fruit into the summer tree with fresh green leaves.
Printed on 100% natural linen tea towels (70 x 50 cm) the Persimmon Tree design is centrally placed and measures 30 x 35 cm and are perfect for bringing a bit of art and design into your kitchen. Or you could frame it and hang it on the wall.
The tea towels are printed in limited editions, ensuring each tea towel is unique in its placement and colours.
The tea towels can be bought at Shop Handmade in Canberra or from my online store
Monday 11 October 2010
In the studio.....
This image captures the creative chaos that happens in my studio..... also known as the kitchen bench.
I usually have a number of projects on the go and here you can see the design of a new fabric print, my patchwork project of a lyrebird for an online collaboration, coloured fleece in a favourite cup from a felting workshop I participated in at the NGA earlier in the year, a collection of interesting objects collected on my travels through South Africa last year (I particularly love the giraffe and zebra cutlery), daily living bits n pieces and my goldfish (who are painfully shy and hid whilst I took the photo).
There is a riot of colour where ever you look..... and this creative chaos continues throughout the rest of my home.
Thursday 23 September 2010
A Cup of Light
I have just become the owner of a delicious smelling Erica Soy Candle made by the fair hands of Erica herself. Erica's candles not only smell amazing, they are good for you too! The soy wax melts at a very low temperature which means you can use the melted wax as a perfumed moisturiser - yummy - just be wary of the flame if the candle is still lit :)
It is environmentally friendly too, the candle doesnt emit any of those nasty petro-chemical toxins in the smoke that comes from regular parafin candles.
I just love it! It looks beautiful and smells gorgeous (I have French Pear flavour).
Check out Erica's website for all her delicious flavours www.ericasoycandles.com.au
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Winner of the Red Heart Paris Cushion
A big CONGRATULATIONS to Catherine Lorimer who was the lucky winner of the Red Heart Paris Cushion. The competition was open to all who attended the Handmade Markets at the Kamberra Wine Company in Canberra on Saturday 11 September 2010, and those who entered left a business card in the lucky draw at my stall.
The design is inspired by the beautiful balconies in Paris, and this particular design came from a building on the Ill St Louis, the island in the middle of the city.
The cusion measures 50 x 50 cm and the design is printed on hemp using water based, permanent print paste.
Monday 13 September 2010
Designer Talk Article in Canberra Times Weekend Magazine
Following on from a wonderful day at the Handmade Markets on Saturday, I was delighted to see an article on my wares in the Canberra Times Relax, the glossy Sunday lift out section of the Canberra Times paper.
I would like to thank the lovely ladies at Shop Handmade for making this article possible and also the amazing Jocelyn Rosen for such a nice photograph of me. Jocelyn is a wonderful portrait photographer and you can view more of her work at http://www.redbubble.com/people/jocelynrosen
Monday 6 September 2010
Recycled Plastic Knitted Lamps exhibited in the Belco Bizarre Exhibition
I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to have my photo taken and interviewed about my hand knitted recycled plastic bag lace lamp by the Northside Chronicle in Canberra which was part of the Belco Bizarre exhibition, one of the many events which make up the Belconnen Arts Centre first year anniversary celebrations.
The idea to create plastic lace lampshades hand knitted from recycled plastic bags developed from my fascination of space and light and the interplay of the two. The shadows created by the lace lamp cast create a rippled pattern reminiscent of the sunlight sparkling on the lake.
I enjoy the juxtaposition of taking a discarded item and giving it value through recycling and transformation.
Saturday 28 August 2010
Look what's in the window at Shop Handmade
I was wandering past Shop Handmade yesterday and I saw something that I recognised in their front windows.
Upon closer inspection, to my delight it was one of my Lake Burley Griffen screen printed tea towels. How marvelous and a big thank you to the Ladies at Shop Handmade for displaying my wares in their windows.
Thursday 19 August 2010
Screen Printed Wool Designs for Lizzie
Red Wool printed on cream hemp.
Red Tangle printed on cream hemp.
Teal Tangle on cream hemp.
Black Wool on cream hemp.
Wednesday 11 August 2010
Sketches of Treasury Building in Petra
I have been commissioned to sketch an image of the Treasury Building in Petra to screen print and transform into a cushion to match my Aya Sofia cushions (below).
Petra is a historic and archaeological city in Jordan that was carved out of rock walls in a ravine. The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt and has since starred in the Indiana Jones and the last crusade movie.