Style A Go-Go

Emma Hack

2010-06-13T05:35:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with this work of amazing Emma Hack. Her work that caught my eye and has me dying for more is her painting in camouflage on the human form in the sensational Florence Broadhurst wallpaper designs. Her first ever wallpaper camouflage took 19 hours straight to paint! What an exhausting process for artist and subject alike; however the results are nothing short of spectacular.

Upcoming Exhibitions in 2010
* May - Perth - Elements Art Gallery, Dalkeith, WA
* June - Chapel Hill Winery
* July (12-19th) - 21 years of body art, A Journey, World Body Painting Festival, Austria
* September - Exotic and Native Mandala including Broadhurst Wallpapers, Obscura Gallery, East St Kilda, VIC
* October (21 - 24th) - New and Past Works, ART Sydney, New South Wales
* November (11 - 29th) - New works, Gallery 139, South Australia

OOOMS / Dutch Design

2010-06-07T23:23:00.000-07:00

USB memory sticks are always nice to have around when transferring files from computer to computer. These sticks from OOOMS are made to stand out from their natural environment of computers and offices. The sticks are picked from the woods and are individually selected for their natural beauty, and then professionally handmade into unique and personal USB memory sticks. What a great pressie idea!!!

They will send to Australia for a fee, and here are the costs for the item themselves -
1Gb: 39 euro (AUD $56 approx)
2Gb: 45 euro (AUD $65 approx)
4Gb: 49 euro (AUD $71 approx)

Description: Wooden USB stick 2.0
Dimensions: 8 x Ø 2 cm / 3,2 x Ø 0,8 inch
Memory sizes: 1 Gb, 2 Gb and 4 Gb.
Suitable for Windows, Linux and Mac.
Design: OOOMS

Oyemodern - online shopping

2010-06-06T02:19:00.000-07:00

Check out this wicked website of Oyemodern for some seriously tasty jewellery.
I think i would like one of every piece. Go to the website and check it - camera lens bracelets to boot!

Sharyn Cairns - Photographer

2010-05-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

I came across these amazing images the other day and just had to share them with you. They are by Melbourne local photographer Sharyn Cairns.
Aren't they just delicious!
I hope Sharyn doesn't mind me posting her wonderful photos on my blog. I'm sure you will agree that its so important to share local talent whenever possible.... Spread the word...

A+R Store - Online

2010-05-25T02:28:00.000-07:00

How very very cool are these POD Aluminium Planters?! I love them... Each planter is hand spun from aluminum and powder coated--making them durable for outdoors. The stands are fitted with rubber, shock-absorbing pads at both ends to protect the planter and floor surface--making them ideal for indoors. Two planter styles, two stand heights and six color options yield countless configurations to customize a single planter or grouping according to your site.
Check out the A+R Store which is where I discovered these little beauties. WOW factor a-gogo!

Tips for identifying antiques

2010-05-21T03:42:00.000-07:00

I read a great post on today's blog by Design Sponge (such a great yummy blog!), and I couldn't resist putting it up to share on my blog!

There are some quick tips from writer Kay Davenport below. Kay writes a site called antique furniture where she helps friends and family learn how to restore and evaluate their pieces, and today she’ll be sharing a few helpful tips for determining the quality of antique furniture you find online or in person at thrift stores and flea markets. Design Sponge has promised a more in-depth version of this idea at some point before too long - so keep an eye out for that. It will be a real treat, guaranteed! Info is ranging from how to identify antiques through saw patterns and veneers and great resources for estimating price and manufacturers. Thanks to Kay! And thanks to Design Sponge!

Tips To Determine Manufacturers of Antique Furniture -

Determining the exact manufacturers of antique furniture pieces is next to
impossible on the majority of furnishings that have not been marked. What
can be determined is an approximate furniture age based upon construction
styles and techniques. It is also easy to determine the general global
region of origin that is based upon known historical furniture fashion
trends for various places and times throughout history.

Tricks that can help to tell the age of antique furniture -

Antique furniture pieces are 100-years old or older. In America, you will
find lots of furniture and other items being called antiques that are too
new to qualify for that designation. At the time of this writing, antique
furniture pieces were made during the late Victorian era and prior. Screws
will be irregular, veneers will be thick, and the majority of woods will
be cut from old trees that have a different appearance in their grain
patterns than new younger trees.

Saw patterns can help to identify or date furniture that was made prior to
1820. Prior to 1820, planks would be cut with a saw that went up and down,
and smaller saws that went in circles. These heavy looking erratic saw
marks will show on some of the pre-1820 wood that was used to make
furniture. Between 1820 and about 1900 large circular saws were placed
into use that left a large arc pattern on the wooden furniture materials.
After 1900, these larger saw marks became more refined and eye-pleasing in
appearance.

Fantasy antique items are made from blending old parts into a new antique
piece of furniture. These interesting examples of craft projects are not
considered to be extremely valuable by antique collectors even if all of
the parts being used are over 100-years old. Common match-ups include
mirrors added to furniture that originally did not have a mirror, and
extra decorative scrolled wood pieces added to dress plain furniture up.
True period antiques will be uniform in styling from all angles.

Antique furniture manufacturers that signed their pieces would often do so
with a small paper label or ink mark. Over the years, the paper labels
come loose, and the ink marks fade. One of the best methods of identifying
who made your antique piece of furniture is though studying the upper-end
auction house listings for furniture that is made in the same general
period of time as you believe your piece to be. These auction listings are
often made available to the public online and most give a detailed history
of the makers if it is known.

About the Author -

Kay Davenport writes for Antique Furniture, her personal hobby blog
focused on experiences related to www.antiquesfurniture.org antique furniture restoration. She helps her family and friends to learn how to restore and evaluate their
antique pieces.

Creative Womens Circle

2010-05-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

The Creative Women's Circle brings together women working in creative industries and establishing small businesses, in order to share information, inspiration and ideas.

The speakers this time will be Lara Cameron and Tegan Rose of Ink & Spindle, and as an added bonus, this Creative Womens Circle will be held at their studio and will include a yardage screen printing demonstration!

Lara and Tegan began the boutique screen printing studio Ink & Spindle in 2008, with a goal to specialise in high quality and environmentally-friendly textile printing for designers and independent labels.

Together Lara and Tegan design and produce a range of ethical and sustainable textiles, printed by hand in their Kensington studio. They also print textiles for well known designers such as Nancybird and Knuffle Kid. They are regular stallholders at the national Stitches & Craft shows and the Melbourne Design Market, and have a strong online following via their blogs.

Tegan and Lara will talk about building their business, the ups and downs of working as a partnership, their inspirations and much more. Immediately after the talk, Ink & Spindle's regular Open Studio event will commence - featuring the yardage screen printing demonstration and fabric creations to browse and buy.

Click here to go to The Creative Womens Circle blog for further information or just to have a look around at all the wonderful things Tess organizes. What a woman!

Izzi & Popo - European brocante and collectables

2010-05-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Izzi & Popo is a shop I frequent and one i would describe as a chest of treasures. The stock is continually moving and changing...
Izzi and Popo opened in September 2004. Husband and wife team Harry and Bernadette import Antiques, second hand furniture and an array of European items for the home. These items are sourced from Belgium by Harry's dearest mates Daan and Mariette who have the great job of scouring markets, dealing with antique dealers and traveling many snow covered roads to find the next great thing. The beautiful name comes from the daughters of Daan and Mariette, Isabel and Sophie.
Daan & Mariette have had many years in the business, and for many years having their own shop in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Harry has been an obsessive collector of bakelite, clocks, radios and music for many years and Bernadette has spent many years as a fashion designer. So together they bring expertise from many areas resulting in a beautiful store with a diverse range of products. If you haven't already done so, give yourself some visual pleasure, and check it out!

Address is: 258 Ferrars St, South Melbourne.

Opening hours are: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10.30-6,
Saturday 10.30-5, Sunday 12-5

Glass Jars by Elizabeth Lyons

2010-05-16T02:36:00.000-07:00

Big Jars and Mini Jars by Elizabeth Lyons
Decorative jars with over-sized stoppers and a modernist feel. “Big Jars” are available in a variety of colors and shapes and look beautiful as individual pieces or in combinations of three or more. When arranged in groupings, the juxtaposition of hue, form and scale create a dynamic visual statement in any setting.

Each one-of-a-king jar is hand-blown by Elizabeth at her studio in Rochester, NY. All pieces are signed by the artist. Aren't they simply delicious?!!

For further info the website is: www.lyonsglass.com/bigjars.html

[Thank you so much to Yellowtrace blog for alerting me to this fabulous artist :]

360 Paper Bottle Redefines The Plastic Bottle

2009-08-01T16:39:00.000-07:00

The curse of the ubiquitous plastic water bottle is in the news almost daily in form or another. One company, Brandimage, has come up with a paper bottle solution that could solve this problem and make the plastic bottle obsolete.

The 360 Paper Bottle is a feat of sustainable industrial design. The eco-friendly bottle is made of completely renewable resources and is entirely recyclable at the end of its lifecycle.

According to the Brandimage site, the bottle's renewable shell comes from sheet stock of bamboo and palm leaves, among other things. The sustainable material is pressed into the right shape and encased in an extremely thin layer of recyclable PLA. Made of food-safe ingredients, the sustainable paper bottle can hold any kind of liquid.

The actual design of the paper bottle is as well thought out as the materials used. For instance, the paper bottle is easily opened and then ingeniously resealed using part of the top. The sustainable bottles are also designed to be bundled together, completely eliminating the need for additional plastic packaging for multi-packs. Instead, the 360 Paper Bottles are held together with a "natural structural board."

Brandimage's new paper water bottle was created in an effort to reduce the 60 million plastic water bottles that are thrown out everyday. And even if the innovative bottle design isn't adopted for mainstream production, I can't imagine that it will be long before some lucky brand starts to really make a difference with this sustainable bottle.

Thankyou to Nature Responded for this article

Seedy

2009-04-29T03:23:00.000-07:00

Why would only humans make use of eco-friendly technology? Studio OOOMS designed a birdhouse with a solar panel on it’s roof. During the day sunlight feeds the solar panel , charging a small battery inside. At twilight the transparent stick will light up and cast a tiny light on your garden.
This light attracts an easy nighttime snack for the bird; all she has to do is stick her beak out of the hole and wait for the buzz.

Description: Solar Birdhouse, FSC Meranti wood
Dimensions: 18 x 9 x 9 cm / 7.1 x 3.5 x 3.5 inch
Design by: Studio OOOMS http://www.oooms.nl/solar-birdhouse

Jessie Willow Tucker 'Drawings'

2009-04-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

‘Drawings’, a solo exhibition by Jessie Willow Tucker.

Jessie Willow Tucker, known for her Melbourne made lingerie label, ‘jessie tucker’, will be exhibiting a series of portraits, which tell the sordid and colourful story of members of the extended ‘Tea’ family.

Jessie’s underwear ranges have drawn inspiration from adventure stories about the Wholesome Vamp. She has now taken her interest in story telling to paper and created a whole family tree of eccentric characters, including Earl Grey, Dr Darjeeling and Jasmine.

The work has been made using water colour, pen and pencil on paper.
Each drawing is highly detailed and rich with colours, layers and symbols which are both dark and humorous.

Jessie grew up in Canberra but relocated to Melbourne where she has lived for the past 11 years. She completed a Bachelor of Fine Art majoring in painting at RMIT, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Theatre Design at the Victorian College of the Arts. She went on to work as a costume designer, contributing to productions in Australia and Singapore, and won a Green Room Award for her work. She designed and directed a costume based performance/installation piece, ‘Fashion Sound House’ as part of the 2004 Next Wave Festival. Jessie’s eponymous underwear label has been stocked in boutiques around Australia.

Jessie Willow Tucker’s ‘Drawings’ will be on show upstairs at Brunswick Bound, 361 Sydney Road Brunswick. The exhibition will open with an afternoon tea party from 2-4pm on Saturday the 21st March and runs until the 12th of April.

Contact:
Jessie Willow Tucker
E: jessie@jessietucker.net