the red thread: October 2009

Bedazzled

29 October 2009

Made in Northern Thailand from opulent fabrics and leather, these gorgeous bags are not from Anthropologie, they're from Etsy seller Dazzling Lanna.

The ethnic look isn't usually my thing, but I'd totally carry one of these bags. They'd make such a great statement piece with an otherwise simple look.
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Hello Yellow

28 October 2009

I'm not a huge fan of yellow - in fact I can't think of one thing I own that's yellow! - but when I saw this lovely bedroom on Apartment Therapy I totally fell in love with the happy sunshiny feeling. I think that what works for me in this photo is the liberal amount of white that's used with the yellow.

And some sunshine from Anthropologie (love the lounge, but I'd never be brave enough to own it):

But I'm still not totally convinced it's for me. What do you think? Are you a fan of yellow? Do you wear it, or have splashes of it in your house?
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All about Orla

Do you remember when I was this close to buying Orla Kiely's Flower Blossom wallpaper in teal? (I'm still lusting after it, but I just don't seem to have a suitable wall to use it on) Well, wow, did you know the same design is now available in bedlinen? Be still my heart!

I even found a UK seller who has it for a competitive price and ships to Australia. But at about AUS$100 for shipping (including some extra pillow cases) I'm having to make myself pause. I do have a friend who'll be in London soon... hmmm... I wonder if I can beg her to bring the doona cover back for me.

Edit: It seems that the bedlinen is available at Myer stores in Australia. There's a list of which Myer stores here. I wonder if I can squeeze in the time tomorrow to go and check it out.

I'm also loving the bed linen in the ever popular Multi Stem print.

Also on my wishlist are these fantastic retro cool bags...

And how lovely are these clothes...

Love you Orla and everything you do.
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Lighting Giveaway

26 October 2009

I'm very excited to announce a wonderful giveaway from the generous folks at buyster lighting. Lighting is an often forgotten element of our interiors, but with so many wonderful lights to choose from the right piece can be the perfect finishing touch.

Buyster have a huge range of stylish and affordable lighting options from lamps to outdoor lights and everything in between. Below are some of my favourites, but I won't impose my taste on you - the giveaway is a $150 voucher to use on lighting of your choice. There are a lot of options available for $150 and under, or you can put your voucher towards something that costs more and pay the difference. Woohoo! How great is that?! Your prize will also be delivered free of charge. Apologies to my international friends, this one's only open to Australian residents.

Crystal Table Lamp
Nikki Jones Cushions - Image Source Nikki Jones
{found via decor8}

Pyrmont One Light
{Interior image via Apartment Therapy}

Small Floor Lamp

{Interior image via Living etc}

Floor Lamp

{Interior image via Living etc}

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post in the next week. In your comment tell me something about 'light'. It could be a childhood memory about exploring by torchlight, that amazing vintage light that you will always regret not buying, your favourite kind of light, sleeping out under the light of the stars and moon... anything! I'll announce the winner on Monday 2nd November at around midday.

Edit: Please make sure I can contact you via your comment!! If your name doesn't link to your blog please leave an email address in your comment I so can contact you if you win. This means you "Anonymous" ! :)

Edit (again!): Please don't stress about your answer... the winner will be selected at random!

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Eat More Type

23 October 2009

s a lover of typography I'm smitten with Jessica Hische's Daily Drop Cap project. Jessica has been creating a new letter each day for the beautification of blogs everywhere.

#

ee more of Jessica's inspired typography in another post I wrote about her here.

Daily Drop Cap found via How About Orange.

Have you seen this bird?

22 October 2009

I was just in kikki.K and I saw a little bird that I recognised.

Kikki K card

My cards (on sale since this time last year)

What do you think? Just a coincidence? Not like mine at all?

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Let Me Explain...

Let me explain why I'm feeling a bit frantic at the moment and not posting so frequently. You see I'm just a little bit busy preparing for all I have scheduled in for November/December.

Here's where you'll find me (mostly in Sydney, but also in Melbourne):

Sunday 1st November 9am - 1pm
Mathilda's Market
St Ignatius College Riverview
Lane Cove

Saturday 14 November 10am - 3pm
Allies Attic
Hunters Hill Community Church
Cnr Ferdinand & Alexandra Streets
Hunters Hill

Thursday 19 November 2pm - 9pm
Friday 20 November 10am - 9pm
Saturday 21 November 10am - 4pm
Magnolia Square Sydney
Royal Randwick Racecourse
Alison Road Randwick

Thursday 26 November 10am - 9pm
Friday 27 November 10am - 5pm
Saturday 28 November 10am - 4pm
Magnolia Square Melbourne
Malvern Town Hall
Cnr High Street & Glenferrie Road
Malvern

Friday 4 December 6pm - 10pm
Saturday 5 December 10am - 8pm
Finders Keepers
CarriageWorks
245 Wilson Street Eveleigh

Saturday 12 December 10am - 3pm
Allies Attic
Paddington Town Hall
247 Oxford Street
Paddington

OK I think I need a to lay down now...

As you probably know I create a lot of very varied things, so I'm madly making, making, making to have enough stock to see me through the next few months. The target market of most of these events is different, so I'm panning on tailoring my wares to suit each one.

Click on the links to read more about each market/event, and do come and visit me if you can!
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New Timber Cards

21 October 2009

Here's a little peek of something else I've been working on... a new range of timber cards.

These and some other designs will be available in the next few weeks. I'll be printing them in some other colour ways too. They are my Christmas range, but my intention is to make them look not too obviously 'Christmasy'. I'll let you know when I have them ready to go.
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Mad for Hats

Summer is almost here and I'm loving winter hats... go figure! These beauties are from Etsy seller Retro Repro Handmade.

I love it when I see great product photography on Etsy - never underestimate the power of a great photo and good styling!
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Work in Progress

16 October 2009

Here's a little peek at some illustrations I've been working on for some new products.

Have a lovely weekend my friends. Sing. Laugh. Enjoy.

xx
Lisa
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Behind the Scenes

A glimpse of some things that have been happening here over the last week or so.

I finished off an order for 30 Heart Boxes for a corporate client.

It's school holidays... Roxy and I met some friends at the Children's Festival which was a lot of fun. The last photo is of a wire mesh fence and some plastic cups which entertained the kids for ages. Simple huh?

Edit: I just realised how empty and boring the festival photos look! I took them right at closing time. Despite appearances, it really was fun, so if you're in Sydney over the weekend with kids, do check it out.

I spied this sweet little graffiti drawing.

I embroidered one of my printed panels and made a little gift for a friend.

I got in and printed a whole lot of notebook covers for an upcoming market. I also printed lots of timber cards in new designs... I'll show you those later.

Roxy cut shapes out of folded paper and we spent a morning making and laughing at all the crazy little characters we created.

I looked through a few stacks of my vintage childrens books for images to use in Vintage Heart Boxes and Vintage Storybook Tiles which I'm getting ready for the markets.

I took delivery of 10kgs(!) of toy stuffing which literally doubled in size when it came out of the box - it's bigger than a five year old! Roxy then decided that the box would be a good place to eat her breakfast and to spend the morning.

0313 zero-san-ichi-san

15 October 2009

Image Source: 0313

When I visited Design Festa in Tokyo last May (it was fantastic - you can see my post here), I bought some beautifully illustrated books by 0313. Rie and I struggled to communicate with her not knowing any English and me unable to speak Japanese. Our subsequent email conversations have relied on an auto translator, which always adds unexpected twists! But really, her lovely whimsical illustrations speak for themselves.

Photos above taken of my personal copies of 0313 books.

To market, to market...

14 October 2009

I've embarked on a pre-Christmas market blitz and I'll be adding links in the sidebar to the lovely markets that I am going to be at in November and December.

First up, on Sunday November 1st - just over 2 weeks away - is Mathilda's Market.

Mathilda's Market is all about beautiful handcrafted and limited production things for children. There'll be 80 stallholders selling fashion and accessories, bedroom decorations and furnishings, dress-up costumes, toys, linens, as well as yummy food and entertainment for the kids.

Come by and say hello!

Saturday November 1st
St Ignatius College Riverview
Lane Cove
(free parking on the college grounds)

9am to 1pm