here and
there
Wow. So much great feedback on the houses print! It makes me so excited.
I'm so glad to be finally printing the idea that has been floating
around in my head for so long. It's off being turned into a screen as we
speak.
We finally uploaded some pics from our Brissy trip, so you can see them
all
here. Here's what our stall looked like:
Bianca and I in our Brisbane stall
We were a little lacking in vertical-ness, being without our
beautiful tree and all, and relying on a display that could be flat
packed back into our suitcases. But all things considered it came out
pretty good :)
I know this blog has been pretty sparse of late, so I'll endeavor to
post more. In the meantime, here's some new colourways that I've finally
managed to put up in the
shop!
Bonsai in Deep Red on cream (mmmm, I do like this)
The très Melbourne
Birch in Charcoal on black cotton/linen
...and
Bonsai in Charcoal on black
cotton/linen
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Hello,
old friend
I'm back! Brisbane was great. Such lovely weather, met some fantastic &
lovely bloggers, got lots of great exposure at the
show, and decent sales
too. And really the days were quite cruisy. 10am starts, finishing up at
5pm on the dot, with heaps of time in the evenings to wander Southbank
and be social.
Anyway, given it's my first proper weekend off in almost a month, I
thought it about time to reacquaint myself with a distant friend - the
pattern designer in me! My sketch books are filled with half baked
ideas, and one concept I keep coming back to is houses. If you've been
reading this blog for a long time you'd be familiar with my obsession
with houses...
But I've never been able to come up with the perfect houses print for my
textile range. I've had this vague idea in my mind for ages but have
never been able to execute it. Until now. I'm really happy with how this
has come together, and I hope you'll like it too...
Houses print... as yet unnamed...
Cushion mockup - not sure of scale...
Anyway I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm quite open to feedback. I've
been thinking about it for so long that I've probably lost
perspective...
Monday, April 27, 2009
Brisvegas
ahoy
So we're off. It's been another mad week of last minute preparing and
packing and packaging, and again we vow to be more organised next time.
Myself and Teegs are heading up tomorrow with 6 overstuffed bags between
us (eep) and Bianca will be following us up on Wednesday.
We're excited.
Amidst it all I managed to design some new packaging, and some new kits:
Here's the rest of my fabric that I couldn't fit in our bags. Instead
I'm putting it up in the
shop. It's all up there
right now actually! Except for the new new stuff, like the charcoal
& black Birch & Bonsai and the red on cream Bonsai. I'll put them up
when I get back and have two seconds to take pics.
Anyway hope to see you at the Brissy show if you're a local (do say
hi!!) and otherwise I'll be back on the 5th. I'm going to be
internet-less for a week, I don't know how I'll cope ;)
xx
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Second
chances
After such a dry spell I'm finding it a miracle that here I am blogging
away with multiple daily posts both here and on
Ink & Spindle.
Whilst galavanting down South East Gippsland way I bought these two
lovely old dining chairs from an Antiques barn. The selling point for me
was the fact that the cushioned seats just pop out of the frame making
for a super easy reupholstery job. Something so easy I will actually
find time to do it!
The best thing is that I can quickly prototype different fabrics before
having to commit. Like this piece of Chocolate Birch I had floating
around:
Dining chair reupholstery prototype
Dining chair reupholstery prototype
I was so chuffed with the result - it feeds the growing upholstery
'thing' I've got going on.
On the fabric front, here's two large stacks of fabric we've been
printing for the Brisbane
show. All my favorites basically. I'm really liking the red,
chocolate, white, charcoal and teal colour scheme.
Textiles for the Stitches & Craft Show
I'm not sure these fabrics will be up in the
shop before we leave for
Brissy. Well I might put them up but won't be able to post them back
till after we get back. I'll keep you posted :)
Karin's
giveaway
Leather pouch with Japanese fabric cover by Kayi Dreaming
A good friend of mine
Karin has recently started getting quite involved in the blogging
world. It's great - having a 'real world' friend who understands both
sides of my social life.
Anyway Karin's been feeling the creative urge for quite some time now,
and has been experimenting with all sorts of different crafty pursuits
in order to find her thing, which I think is great. It's not always
obvious what your true calling is, and it doesn't really matter anyway
so long as you're having fun!
Anyway Karin has recently started working with leather and vintage
japanese and screen printed fabrics. Two of my favourite things, and I
can tell she has a great eye for it!
Aaand, Karin's doing a giveaway on her
blog! She's giving
away this lovely little leather pouch, which I think is gorgeous. So do
head on over there
and leave a nice comment to go into the draw - she'll really appreciate
it :)
Leather pouch with Japanese fabric lining by Kayi Dreaming
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The house
on the hill
The house on the hill - kitchen &
dining areas
Over the weekend I went down South East Gippsland way and visited a dear
friend who moved there a few years ago. 'Moved' doesn't even begin to
describe it, not only has he established a very successful cafe in
Leongatha, but he also personally designed & built the most amazing home
I have ever set foot inside.
The doors - all salvaged. The windows - all north facing, with sun
warming the polished slab floor in winter but sheltered by the
cantilevered roof in summer. The kitchen - featuring a wall of recycled
weatherboards and bricks, and benchtops made from the offcuts from the
rafters. The water & waste system - all self sustainable. Water is
collected from the roof and ends up in a worm farm waste system along
with the food scraps.
And as you can see from the photos - such a homely space. Look at all
that art, all those books. Books books books. It's the sort of home you
can just relax in and not have to feel too precious about (although
everything had its place).
I was so very inspired by this house. How, with careful thought you can
create a beautiful space with genuine minimal impact on the earth. I
hope to one day be able to create something similar.
Photos below, more on my
flickr.
Entrance hall through to living
Living and dining areas (spectacular
hilltop views from those windows)
The kitchen
The kitchen
Living area (with familiar lamps!)
The bathroom
Naomi's lamp
My blog posts are becoming fewer and further between of late! The other
day I was looking back over photos of my old projects and it felt like I
had so much more time to just experiment with things and take pretty
photos and write about them. At the moment it's all just print, print,
print, in preparation for the
Brisbane Stitches & Craft
Show.
Fortunately, other people are out there making pretty things that I can
blog about instead! Like Naomi, who commissioned a run of large scale
chocolate Birch for a lamp project. Now bear in mind this is the LARGE
scale Birch, so the lamp is really quite big!
Large Birch lamp in Naomi's stairwell
Large Birch lamp in Naomi's stairwell
Large Birch lamp in Naomi's stairwell
I love the way the colours & form of the pattern match the
balustrade.
Thanks for the pics Naomi!
Friday, April 03, 2009
Freshly Blended collab!!
Oh my gosh, I'd really better get on to bloogging about this before I'm
the last person to do so!
It's been a veeeery long time in the making, but finally they're ready
to show: lovely handbound limited edition Journals made in a
collaboration between myself and Nicole from
Freshly Blended!
In Nicole's words:
"These heavy duty journals are bound with the original illustrations of
lara cameron and hand
silkscreened on 100% organic fabric. Adorning the interior of the
books is a custom bookplate and an italian cotton ribbon book marker
from angela liguori at carta
inc. The books measure 5x7 inches and holds a 1/2 in. of 100%
tree free white blank paper...perfect for travel!
There are only a limited amount and will not be reproduced, so head
on over to the
shop and
check them out!"
Ooooooh, pretty :)
Gorgeous work Nicole - it's been great working with you! Now onto
the next collab... ;)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
25 fun and crafty projects
You know, it's been so long that I can't even remember how I first met
Pip. A stitchy night? A
morning tea? I know our blogs were involved, way back when there were
only a few craft bloggers around like
Loobylu and Angry Chicken.
But I can definitely say that it's been an honour to be a part of Pip's
new book,
Meet Me at Mikes. I received my copy in the mail the other day and I
was very impressed with how it was all pulled together. So many
fantastic crafty projects and awesome photography to do them justice.
Here's a few pics, including the 'Fabric Clock' project that I
contributed:
Congrats Pip, you must be very proud.
studio
upgrade
The last couple of days at work have been très fun, albeit tiring - Bee
and I printed 100m of fabric in 2 days. But we wouldn't have been able
to do it without our new toy:
Printing Birch in Deep red
Our new drying system! Built and installed by the very talented
Like Butter (of course).
Printing Ginkgo in Teal
The new system is sooo good! It basically doubles our efficiency (or
more) because we can hoist fabric off the table and keep printing
without having to wait for the first run to dry.
And it looks so pretty, with the fabric hanging like that :)
We also had our first
Open Studio yesterday. I had no idea what to expect, who might turn
up and if they might buy things, but it went really well! Next time
we'll be more equipped with more stock and maybe some tea and coffee and
biscuits :)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Work = 1,
Life = 0
Juggling work stuff and life stuff can sometimes be just plain hard (and
I don't even have kids). I feel like post Stitches & Craft Show I'm only
just slowly starting to get back on top of things, and still don't feel
quite there. And before we know it well be off doing the
Brisbane show
at the end of April. And I've learnt the hard way that 5 weeks is a LOT
less time than it sounds.
Still, it's good to be busy. Just need to make sure it's busy in a
productive & efficient way, not a crazy trying to juggle everything kind
of way.
Aaanyway, on that note, I've finally had a chance to update the shop
with some post-show fabrics all new colourways!
Ginkgo in Olive & Teal
Bonsai in Snow
Acacia in Inky Blue
Bonsai in Robins Egg
... and
more :)
If you're waiting for the return of some popular designs like Birch,
don't worry they'll appear in the shop eventually - we're busy
reprinting everything for Brissy but will make sure there's some extra
for the shop!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
a brief affair with fashion
Oh my gosh, I have to laugh. I just checked the
Ink & Spindle blog and
Bee had just posted some pics from the Refabricated fashion show we
participated in the other night.
Marcel took these shots from a prime location on the catwalk, and I
totally got the giggles because the photos make our stuff look so much
more pro that it felt like on
the night!!
Here's a selection:
Wrens in Plum & denim
skirt - designed by Lara
Ginkgo 50's style skirt
- designed by Teegs
Acacia in Inky Blue &
Grey denim skirt - designed by Lara
Lara, Teegs & Bee -
having a well deserved drink at the 'Refabricated' salon show &
exhibition (and looking a bit fancy!)
Ink & Spindle wall art
Nice work Marcel!
The show went well, but admittedly our stuff looked pretty plain in
comparison to everyone else's because we just didn't have enough time to
dedicate to it. And fashion really isn't our thing.
The best bit was getting to wear our skirts during the Stitches & Craft
show and getting lots of lovely comments. So I think we might have to
sell some skirt pattern kits!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Show's over
The show is over, and although I'm exhausted and relieved I definitely
miss all the excitement and community-ness of it all.
I'm a little bit attached to my little show tokens, shown above. The
scarf was made by one of the lovely ladies at
Audrey & Maud
(Louise, I think??) and I received it in the bloggers dinner swap.
Couldn't have picked a more perfect gift for me - I'm often cold, and it
is so soft and warm.
The Oobee is named Phoebee, and if you're one of the 3 people in the
world who haven't seen one before, they're by the lovely Leslie of
Onegirl who I
finally got to meet in person after many years of stalking each others'
blogs. I've spent so long coveting these little fellows and it finally
occured to me that why don't I just go buy one for myself?! And then
Leslie suggested a trade - even better!
It's back to normal life - sort of. We have a backlog of printing to do,
and an
exhibition to prepare for (starts tomorrow night!!). But after that,
I'm looking forward to a much needed haircut and a massage.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
loving
the craft life
Last night I struggled fruitlessly to get to sleep and cultivated a nice
cold for Saturday which was our busiest day at the show.
Whilst trying to sleep I seemed to assume the identity of a fat quarter
- I was constantly folding and refolding in my head. It's crazy when a
repetitive action can do weird stuff like that to your mind.
But in good news, the show
has been AMAZING. On so many levels. Meeting awesome people. Getting
great feedback. Catching up with other bloggers in person. Teaching
workshops for the first time and getting over my nerves and just
enjoying it.
And last but not least - good sales. It's all been so
validating, which is the most
awesome part. It puts me on such a high. All that hard work is paying
off, and makes me feel like yes, we can indeed make a living from this.
I'm utterly exhausted, but I know I'm going to shed a few tears once the
show is over - I'll really miss the atmosphere and being a part of
something big.
Anyway no pics today, just wanted to share a bit of what's in my head
right now.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Glass Etching workshop
I'm a bit belated posting about this, but I'm conducting some Glass
Etching workshops at the
Stitches and Craft show this week, and it would be great if you can
come along to one!
Some examples of what you can make
Here's the details:
Glass Etching
Learn
how to etch a simple design onto a glass or jar – recycle your jars to
create something cute / modern / stylish ... and useful!
You can draw your own design in class
or choose from some modern & cute designs we’ll have available on the
day. You can also bring your own readymade artwork - it just needs to be
simple enough to turn into a stencil which you will be cutting by hand
(and around 10cm x 10cm in size or smaller).
Kit $27.00. 1 hour. Teens/Adults
Craft Lab 6 - Wednesday 9.30-10.30am
Craft Lab 6 - Thursday 11.30-am-12.30pm
Craft Lab 6 - Friday 9.30-10.30am
Craft Lab 6 - Saturday 11.30am-12.30pm
Craft Lab 6 - Sunday 9.30-10.30am
Book tickets via
ticketek or at the door on the day :)
Day 1 at Stitches & Craft
Well, day one at the
Stitches & Craft show is down and we're really happy with how it
went. Here's a look at our stall, complete with the totally amazing
tree which I had the honour of designing and Jem from
Like Butter built for us!
Teegs in the midst of setup
Me arranging those scrap packs
(selling fast!)
Needless to say, I'm totally in need of a good sleep. The last fortnight
has involved a lot of late nights and eating dinner at the studio. And
at night time in my head I'm cutting fabric into 45cm squares at 4am in
the morning. I hope tonight I finally get a good night's sleep.
Hope to see you at the show sometime this week, and for those
international readers, I'll be restocking the shop once it's over :)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
fabric
bundles
Oh my goaaawd I can't tell you how good it feels to have all my fabric
scraps and bit and bobs finally packaged up into these cute little
stacks:
They'll be a sort of 'show exclusive' at the
Stitches and Craft show,
and weighing in at 300 grams each they're going to be a total bargain at
$30 each. The contents of each bundle are mostly great quality prints,
they are just weird sizes (too small for mix packs or fat quarters) and
discontinued prints that I still have lying around.
Really hope to see you at the show, for those who still aren't
convinced, it's going to be a lot different to previous years, and
should be totally awesome.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
where
I have been
I haven't been here at my blog very much of late, but I have been:
At the printing table, printing stacks of fabric:
A monument of hand printed textiles
for
Stitches & Craft
At the cutting table, folding fat quarters using
Amy from Badskirt's awesome tute:
Fat quarters for
Stitches & Craft - I'm having way
too much fun making these, although I'm sure the shine will wear off in
the next hour or so.
And finally, at the sewing machine, making skirts for our upcoming
exhibition:
Refabricated (go here for details!)
Denim skirt with Acacia in Inky Blue
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Teatowel better late than never...
My very belated contribution to Leah's
teatowel swap ... sent to the lovely Nanette of
Rummage:
Things are still crazy hectic around here as we prepare for our upcoming
exhibitions. Trying my hardest to stay calm. And breathe. And write lots
of to do lists when I wake up at 2am.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Stitches & Craft Show Melbourne
I have that really disturbing thing going on where you're working
towards a massive deadline but the weeks just fly by in the blink of an
eye.
I've got a couple of major events coming up, not least of which is the
Stitches & Craft Show
where we'll have an indie incubator stall for a full 5 days.
Now, for those who have or haven't visited the
Stitches & Craft Show
in the past - abandon all preconceptions you might have about it!! The
show has been completely bought out by
Living Creatively,
who's mission is to redefine 'craft' and make the show a much more
modern affair.
I'm really hoping the show will be a great success. Myself and the other
Ink & Spindle girls will also be putting on a bunch of
workshops and seminars (details to appear online soon), so please
come along to one of them! My workshop will be about glass etching -
with cute and modern designs or whatever you like. Should be a heap of
fun.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Studio photoshoot - heee!
Please allow me to be totally gratuitous and show off the photos from
our photoshoot down at the
studio last Saturday! Huge thanks to
Marcel who donated his
whole day to taking pretty shots that we needed for our website and
interviews :)
We dedicated a chunk of last week to cleaning up the studio, much
overdue. Scrubbing the **** out of those floors and making a nice lounge
area for when we have visitors.
Inking up!
My favourite photo. This walkway between buildings is very handy for
drying screens. And they look pretty.
We took like, a gazillion group shots. This one was taken up in the
loft. Aww don't we look all matey? :)
Quality inspection :)
Oh and of course the very posed
working-with-swatch-book-casually-fanned-out-on-the-desk-there shot.
All photos copyright Marcel lee of
Bulb Studios and not to be
reproduced without permissions, ta :)
Remember way back when...
Oh my gosh. Do you remember yeeeears ago, I
submitted some designs to a
Naked & Angry pattern competition and won? It's kind of like
Threadless, but for products other than tees. Only my most loyal of blog
readers would remember
this - it was back in 2006!
Anyway, this morning I find an email in my inbox telling me that my
pattern (Endless Trees) has finally found it's way onto one of their
handbags, for sale in their shop:
Endless Trees italian leather handbag
by Naked & Angry
Endless Trees italian leather handbag
by Naked & Angry
Endless Trees italian leather handbag
by Naked & Angry
It's pretty full on I know, but I'm hoping the pattern will look a bit
less intense in person. They gave me a voucher to buy it for myself, so
we'll see it in person soon :)
A good time for free stuff, I reckon.
Friday, February 13, 2009
no thoughts for a good title
The bushfires have been devastating indeed, and it's fantastic to see
how many people are organising ways to help. Pop over to
Meet me at Mikes &
Handmade Help to
find out more about ways to contribute other than monetary donations.
I have to admit, when disasters like this happen I can't help but be
heartened by the way it really pulls people together. I get a little bit
of a buzz watching the bushfire relief tally rise by the millions each
morning - I think we're raised close to $50 million in funding which is
amazing.
In happier news, we've just updated the
Ink & Spindle shop with
new stock. So if you happen to still be in a shopping mood, there's
new fabrics,
mix packs and
Aiko tote kits (finally!).
Mix pack #9
Mix pack #6
New Aiko Tote kits - with small birch
this time :)
Birch Forest in Soft Moss
Ginkgo in Teal & Snow
Monday, February 09, 2009
Fire Storms
I keep having terrible mental images of whole families trapped in their
cars trying to drive away from the racing flames and just not being able
to get away fast enough.
Instead of coveting designer homes & other people's lives on blogs today
... spare a thought for those who might not have either.
Make an online donation at the
Australian Red Cross today. It will take you two seconds :)
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Pimp my
Floral
Pete came along this morning and pimped my floral print:
Makes the print look totally different! Quite cool, had to blog it. I
should play with colour a bit more myself, although it's hard to break
free of the screen printing mindset where you really need to limit your
colour separations...
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