the red thread: June 2009

Talent :: Olivia Bee

30 June 2009

OK, before I tell you how old Olivia Bee is, just take a look at her photos.

Olivia is just 15 and these self portraits were taken from the age of 13! I am blown away by her amazing talent, and apparently so are many other people as her photos are amongst the most viewed on flickr. She's truly gifted, don't you think?

Image Source: All images via Olivia Bee's flickr photostream

Olivia is quite fond of shooting in the snow while wearing flimsy summer dresses. Under this photo she wrote:

"it's too cold for that shit."
"man, i know. i bet you she's whack."
"don't you know we're in an arctic blast?!"
"it's like 12 fucking degrees outside."
"look she won't even talk to us."
"i bet she can't talk either."
"that is one crazy chick."

-- people watching me

It was really tough choosing what to show here, so take a look at Olivia bee's flickr photos for more breathtaking images.

Found via Oh Joy!

Monday BlogDay: Design Milk

29 June 2009

Design Milk is one of my favourite blogs for all things related to art, architecture and design. Below are some recent things that have caught my eye on Design Milk.

Alexander Girard for FLOR.

Jonathan Adler. Fabulous packaging!

Kids Love Design. I love this desk/cubby house.

Itoki. Each chair looks like a sculpture. Nice.

Elli Popp. Feeding my desire for more wallpaper.

Felt Egg Cosies. Simple and sweet.

Textured Sideboard from Dust Delux. This would make a fab statement piece in the right space.

The folks behind Design Milk also have a lot of other things going on. The editor Jamie Derringer (a talented artist) and Erin Loechner also write for AOL's new home design blog Shelterpop. Erin is the same Erin who writes the wonderful Design for Mankind, and she and Jamie are also responsible for Bakery.

If you are a small business it's worth checking Bakery out - they offer all sorts of services and they have a blog too. If you're struggling with blogging check out the Bakery blog for their recent posts on ideas and writing for your blog. Talk about multi-tasking! How do they manage it all?!

The other contributors to Design Milk are Crystal Chou, Eleanor Cleverly, Jessica Goldfond, and Joel Pirela.

Wow, that was a lot of links for one post... that should keep you busy clicking for a while!

Have a Fab Weekend

26 June 2009

I did this make-it-up-as-I-go-along embroidery (hence the wonky rain drops)
at a Brown Owls meeting a few months ago.

Hello! I'm just popping back in you wish you a beautiful weekend my friends. Today was the most gorgeous winters day with a clear intense blue sky. I hope that's a good sign for the weekend. But if it rains make the most of it and snuggle someone you love.

See you on Monday.
xx
Lisa

The Stitches & Craft Show

In August last year I blogged about my first visit to the Stitches & Craft Show. (You can read my post here) I came away very inspired by the section devoted to indie crafters that had been set up by Living Creatively. This year I have been invited to be a part of that 'incubator' section. I'm very excited about it and in a mad panic getting all new products ready to sell... hence the state of my studio/office, my long hours and huge list of things to do in the next seven and a half weeks.

I've had ideas for new things I want to make for quite some time (actually I always have lots of ideas!), but have never been able to devote the time to get going with them. It's only been a month since I committed to dong the Stitches & Craft Show, so designing and making, testing and packaging completely new products in this timeframe is madness. But even though the pressure is really on now I'm very much enjoying seeing those ideas finally taking physical form, and it is good to have a deadline. So what am I'm doing? Something totally different to my current art-based creations - I'm designing and making kits, which will include fabric panels which I have designed. And there will also be some new cards.

I'm going to be mean and not show you anything just yet, but each week I intend to write a post about my progress and preparation. Apart from the design and packaging of the kits I'm also hyped about decorating my stand for the show. I've got lots of plans and I'll share those too as the countdown progresses.

Image Source: The Stitches & Craft Show

Since Living Creatively took over the Stitches & Craft Show it's been on in both Melbourne and Brisbane.

The dates for the Sydney Show are Wednesday 19th to Sunday 23rd of August, from 10am - 5pm. It's going to be fantastic, so please make the effort to come along - you won't be disappointed. Along with the indie crafters section there will be over 200 stands selling everything and anything related to crafts, as well as workshops and demos, some cool craft exhibitions and random prize give aways during happy hour. Another highlight will be the screening of Faythe Levine's doco Handmade Nation. I have the book and I can't wait to see the film.

Let the countdown begin...

Inspiration :: Eunju Kang

During one of design*sponge's recent sneak peeks a print on the wall of one of the shots grabbed my attention.

Image Source: design*sponge

The print is the work of Korean-born New York resident Eunju Kang.

This series of fresh, vibrant images makes me feel so happy. But as much as they lift my spirits, her other art also has me swooning.

Image source: Eunju Kang

Eunju's website is here, and Eyebuzz has a lovely interview with her here.
.

Stylish :: Sasa Antic

25 June 2009

I saw a couple of rooms styled by Sasa Antic on Ninainvorm and I immediately wanted to see more of Sasa's work. I love the way these rooms look like little scenes from a very contemporary and very stylish storybook.

Don't the colours on that sofa look so lush and inviting?

I totally respect the work of accomplished stylists like Sasa Antic. When they are good they are very, very good!
.

Etsy Search Top 10: Argyle

Let me start off by saying that argyle patterns are not my thing. But I saw something on Etsy last week that made me think that it would be interesting to see what a search for argyle turned up. Having looked at hundreds of listings that had 'argyle' as a keyword I can say that I have developed a fondness for some of it - the vintage kind (naturally) and I also quite like it in bright colours. Are you a fan of argyle? Here are 10 of my favourite finds:

Argyle Pattern Skeleton Key Necktie from Toy Breaker

Leather Harlequin Clutch from Felice
Vintage 60s Knitting Pattern Book from Fishtique
Argyle Tie Tee from Little Rory

Argyle Check Paper Tape from Just a Perfect Day
Crawler Covers Baby Leg Warmers from Fate Goddess
Wee Argyle Fitted Tea Cosy from Remade Shop

Brady Bunch Style Vintage Dress from Destashing It
Pink Argyle Owl Tank Top from designs by Amber
Gus Sock Monkey from Little Little
.

Morning Light

24 June 2009

There's something so beautiful about the soft morning light, especially in the winter when the sun is low. I took this photo last week because I loved the way the odd shaped patches of light and the long shadows fell on the walls and vases.

The two white glass vases were bought in the 70s by my mum, and the beautiful porcelain ones are part of the Rainy Days series by Meyer-Lavigne, available on Etsy.

Not Waving... Drowning

This is what my studio/office looked like on Monday morning.

The walls are still bare from when the house was painted last month, but every other surface is covered in piles of stuff. The table against the far wall is covered in piles about 10 inches high of books, papers, sketches, fabric, folders, etc. And my desk is almost covered, although there are still glimpses of the desk surface if you look hard enough.

Now if you know me you'll be all too aware that this kind of mess is totally out of character for this perfectionist neat freak. And here I am outing myself on my own blog.

I'm madly working every available moment trying to get my new products ready for mid August, as well as doing a few jobs for 'real' (graphic design) clients. Added to that are the demands of blogging and being a mother and a wife, and the end result is that something's gotta give. For now that something is my work space. Although it is counterproductive to be working in a tip I will have to put up with it for a while. Either that or just close the door and move to another room in the house. Hmmm... that sounds tempting.

Inspiration :: Fiona Watson

23 June 2009

Fiona Watson, aka Wild Goose Chase, has the most gorgeous series of photos on Flickr. I'm particularly inspired by her unwritten book series (second photo below). It's a lovely concept which I can imagine working with many different kinds of props.

Fiona is also a talented artist who creates beautiful etchings, which you can see on her website.
.

Found via sfgirlbybay.

Jane's Summer Tweets

Jane from Melbourne, who won my second Tokyo Giveaway, emailed me last week with her wonderful interpretation of my Summer Tweets tutorial.

Instead of making papier mache birds, Jane made little softie birds from Melly & Me's Messenger Birdies pattern. Aren't they lovely? I love Jane's use of the heart-shaped swing too. Thanks for sharing your photos Jane, and congrats on doing such a wonderful and creative job.
.

Inspiration :: The Uniform Project

22 June 2009

How cool is this... The Uniform Project is an exercise in sustainable fashion which is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grass roots organisation working to educate children from India's slums.

Sheena Matheiken came up with the idea of wearing one dress for a whole year, reinventing it daily with mainly vintage, hand-made, and hand-me-down accessories. The little black dress is beautifully and simply designed so that it can also be worn backwards, open, or layered. To be practical, there are actually 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Sheena is also collaborating with designers and friends to create unique accessories to update her look.

I love that Sheena managed to make the dress look so stylish and appropriate for a wedding just by adding a silk collar piece and a vintage doily from ebay.

The Uniform Project only just started this month, so it's not too late to catch up with this month's fashion. I plan to be an avid daily watcher of the creative incarnations of the uniform. I think it's such a great idea. There is also a blog coming soon.
.

Found via ecco eco.

Ahead of Myself

21 June 2009

Ooops, it's 11.35 on Sunday night and I have just written my Monday Blogday post and accidentally published it instead of post dating it for tomorrow.

I think that means it must be time for bed...
.

Monday BlogDay: Artists Who Blog

Hello, it's Monday again. I can hardly believe it. Last week ended in a bit of a blur for me and I didn't even get to wish you a happy weekend. Whatever you did I hope it was just what you needed to do to recharge. So on to my Monday Blogday post... You'll notice that I still haven't made a blogroll, and until I do I'll continue to share my favourite blogs with you each Monday.

Do you know Artists Who Blog? Stephanie Levy interviews other artists and designers about blogging and their creative lives. Stephanie generally asks each person the same questions which include things like: why did they start blogging, how has blogging affected their work, what are the most difficult and the most rewarding parts of having a creative profession, and how they maintain a healthy work/life balance. I find it incredibly inspiring to read what they have to say.

Susannah Conway, Heather Moore

Ashley Goldberg, Diana Fayt

Melissa Moss, Karin Erikkson

Michelle Engel Bencsko, Lisa Solomon

There's quite a long list of inspirational creators who have been interviewed and I must admit that there are more than a few interviews that I need to catch up on. The interviewees also list some of their favourite blogs, so be warned and be prepared for the 'click on effect'.
.